Soil contamination by hydrocarbons due to oil spills has become a global concern and it has more implications in oil producing regions. Biostimulation is considered as one of the promising remediation techniques that can be adopted to enhance the rate of degradation of crude oil. The soil microbial consortia play a critical role in governing the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), in particular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, the degradation pattern of TPHs and PAHs of Kuwait soil biopiles was measured at three-month intervals. Then, the microbial consortium associated with oil degradation at each interval was revealed through 16S rRNA based next generation sequencing. Rapid degradation of TPHs and most of the PAHs was noticed at the first 3 months of biostimulation with a degradation rate of pyrene significantly higher compared to other PAHs counterparts. The taxonomic profiling of individual stages of remediation revealed that, biostimulation of the investigated soil favored the growth of Proteobacteria, Alphaprotobacteria, Chloroflexi, Chlorobi, and Acidobacteria groups. These findings provide a key step towards the restoration of oil-contaminated lands in the arid environment.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the major global health and economic threats. There is growing concern about the emergence of AMR in food and the possibility of transmission of microorganisms possessing antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to the human gut microbiome. Shotgun sequencing and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing were used in this study to provide a detailed characterization of the antibiotic resistance profile of bacteria and their ARGs in dromedary camel milk. Eight pooled camel milk samples, representative of multiple camels distributed in the Kuwait desert, were collected from retail stores and analyzed. The genotypic analysis showed the presence of ARGs that mediate resistance to 18 classes of antibiotics in camel milk, with the highest resistance to fluoroquinolones (12.48%) and disinfecting agents and antiseptics (9%). Furthermore, the results pointed out the possible transmission of the ARGs to other bacteria through mobile genetic elements. The in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated that 80% of the isolates were resistant to different classes of antibiotics, with the highest resistance observed against three antibiotic classes: penicillin, tetracyclines, and carbapenems. Multidrug-resistant pathogens including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter hormaechei were also revealed. These findings emphasize the human health risks related to the handling and consumption of raw camel milk and highlight the necessity of improving the hygienic practices of farms and retail stores to control the prevalence of ARGs and their transmission.

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance in the food chain and the consumer's demand for safe food without chemical preservatives have generated much interest in natural antimicrobials. Thus, our main goal was to study the mode of action of the crude extract, the enterocins, and the organic acid produced by a bacteriocinogenic Enterococcus faecium strain S6 previously isolated from raw camel milk. Then, we aimed to evaluate their potential application in a food system. These antimicrobials exhibited antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli. The enterocins were synthesized as primary metabolites beginning at the lag phase, with optimal production at the exponential and stationary phases. The antimicrobials had a direct effect in extending the lag phase of L. monocytogenes, along with a significant inhibitory activity. The organic acid, in particular, inhibited both L. monocytogenes and S. enterica by inducing a total lysis and damage of the cell wall. The enterocins acted on disrupting the cell wall with pore formation, leading to cell death. Moreover, the crude extract revealed a combined inhibitory activity between enterocins and organic acid. Furthermore, the antimicrobials showed promising results through inhibiting L. monocytogenes cells in milk samples up to 1 wk at 4°C.

Camel is considered as one of the most important and ecologically harmless domesticated animals in the dry region of Asia and Africa. Camels have considerable economic importance not only as a draught animal, but also for their milk and its by-products. They can produce a significant amount of milk from poor feed as compared to any other dairy species. This characteristic, in addition to the growing recognition of the economic value, and health benefits of camel milk make it a center of attention for people, particularly in arid- and semi-arid areas. Moreover, camel milk is a highly nutritious medium permissive for the growth of many diverse bacterial species. These bacterial populations are mainly grouped into pathogenic, spoilage, and technologically relevant bacteria. This chapter reviews the existing knowledge on the composition, nutritional value, health-promoting properties, and economic value of camel milk and its by-products. Furthermore, the relevant studies describing the microbiota of camel milk are included.

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (Family Geminiviridae, Genus Begomovirus) is a serious menace in the cultivation of tomato causing Tomato leaf curl disease (ToLCD). Recently, we presented the TYLCV isolates having additional genomic features (nucleotides insertions) characterized from the tomato fields of Kuwait adding up to the genetic diversity repertoire of these viruses. The widespread prevalence of disease in tropics across the continents, emergence of genetic variants and ever increasing complete genome sequences of virus isolates in public database warrant a global analysis to infer the genetic diversity, evolutionary pattern so as to devise suitable disease control stratagems. Molecular phylogeny suggested the monophyletic origin of the TYLCV Kuwait isolates and TYLCV reported from Asian countries revealing their genetic relatedness. Though genetic diversity of TYLCV reported from elsewhere (TYLCV others) is two folds higher (0.11765) than TYLCV Kuwait, a relatively high number of polymorphic sites in the latter imply their inherent genetic diversity. Neutrality tests of TYLCV as a whole suggest the operation of phenomenon of purifying selection indicating deleterious mutations are being weeded out from the population. Recombination analysis discloses that TYLCV Kuwait isolates are potential genetic recombinants or involved in the generation of potential recombinants as parents. The results of the neutrality tests were further strengthened by the outcome of codon substitution analysis indicating the operation of purifying selection in the codons of C1 ORF of TYLCV population as a whole and in the sub-group TYLCV Kuwait. The implications of these results are discussed.

Objective: Whitefly-transmitted tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) continues to be a major constraint to tomato production in Kuwait. However, very limited information is available about the population structure and genetic diversity of TYLCV infecting tomato in Kuwait. Results: Whole genome sequences of 31 isolates of TYLCV, collected from commercial tomato crops grown in northern (Abdally) and southern (Al Wafra) parts of Kuwait, were deciphered. Eighteen isolates of TYLCV are identified as potential genetic recombinants. The isolates Abdally 6A and Abdally 3B reported in this study were identified to be potential recombinants. Compared to the 15 isolates from the Abdally area, and the three previously reported KISR isolates of Kuwait, six out of sixteen Al Wafra isolates showed an insertion of 19 extra nucleotides near the 5′-end. There are also four nucleotide variations before the 19-extra-nucleotides. The additional 19 nucleotides observed in nine isolates indicate that these isolates might have resulted from a single gene recombination/insertion event. Molecular phylogeny based on complete genome sequences of TYLCV isolates suggests transboundary movement of virus isolates due to geographic proximity. The information presented herein is quite useful for the comprehension of TYLCV biology, epidemiology and would aid in the management of disease in the long run.