Fermented Ethiopian traditional dairy products containing LAB that show antibacterial activities against various food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria have been used for the preservation of fermented dairy products for a long time. However, there are no comprehensive scientific reports on the antibacterial activity of LAB isolated from various fermented dairy products in Pawe Woreda. The objective of the study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of LAB isolated from traditionally fermented Ethiopian dairy products against spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. Thirty-five samples of fermented dairy products were collected from three cattle-farming areas of Pawe Woreda. A total of 97 LAB were isolated and screened primarily using the perpendicular streak plate method against 3 Gram-positive and 3 Gram-negative bacterial strains. Out of the 97 strains, 10 were active against at least two of the tested bacteria, of which 7 strains were selected for secondary screening by their broad-spectrum antibacterial activities. The seven in vitro antibacterial activities of the extract ranged from 5 to 16mm in diameter during the secondary screening. In this study, Z2, Z4, and N2 strains exhibited the highest inhibition zone with broad-spectrum activity against all tested bacteria. The MIC and MBC values range from 0.10 to 0.30µg/µL and 0.20 to 0.50µg/µL, respectively. Following morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular characteristics, seven potent strains were identified as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Lactococcus lactis. According to the findings of this study, Ethiopian fermented dairy products were the most potent source of bioactive compounds with potential effects against food spoilage and pathogenic bacterial strains.

Urinary tract infection remains the most common infection widespread worldwide in both community and hospital settings. Rapidly increasing antibiotic resistance of uropathogens is resulting in limited treatment options. Thus, understanding the current uropathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibilities is essential for effective urinary tract infection treatment. The purpose of this study was to isolate, characterize, and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial pathogens associated with urinary tract infection at Pawe General Hospital in Northwest Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from January to April, 2020, at Pawe General Hospital. Midstream urine specimens were collected from 141 individuals with suspected urinary tract infection for bacteriological identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Among the 141 study participants, twenty-nine (20.6) showed significant bacteriuria. Escherichia coli (42.6) had the highest proportion of isolated uropathogen followed by Klebsiella spp. and Pseudomonas spp. each (10.7); Proteus spp. (9.3); coagulase negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterobacter spp. each (6.7); Citrobacter spp. (4); and Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus spp. each (1.3). Outpatient isolates showed a resistance of 64 and 78.6 to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and tetracycline, respectively. Inpatients showed 63.9 and 87.2 of resistance to cephalexin and tetracycline. It was also observed that all the isolates have a multiple antimicrobial resistance index greater than 0.20 except Citrobacter spp. (0.142) in inpatients. Even though in this locality, most isolates were sensitive to ceftriaxone, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, and norfloxacin, they are considered appropriate antimicrobials for empirical treatment of urinary tract bacterial infections. Periodic monitoring of etiology and drug susceptibility is highly recommended, along with health education on the transmission and causes of urinary tract infection.

Food-borne disease due to intestinal parasites (IPs) and enteric bacterial infections (EBIs) remain a major public health problem. Food handlers, individuals involved in preparing and serving food, working with poor personal hygiene could pose a potential threat of spreading IPs and EBIs to the public. The aim of this study was to examine the overall prevalence and risk factors of IPs and EBIs among food handlers in four selected regions of Ethiopia. Scientific articles written in English were recovered from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and other sources from Google Engine and University Library Databases. Prevalence, Intestinal Parasites, Enteric Bacterial Infections, Associated Factors, Food Handlers, and Ethiopia were the search terms used for this study. For critical appraisal, PRISMA 2009 was applied. Stata software version 16 was used to perform the meta-analysis. Heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated using Cochrans Q, inverse variance (I²), and funnel plot asymmetry tests. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled burden of IPs and EBIs and its associated factors among food handlers, along with the parallel odds ratio (OR) and 95 confidence interval (CI). For this meta-analysis, a total of 5844 food handlers were included in the 20 eligible studies. The overall pooled prevalence of IPs and EBIs among food handlers in four selected regions of Ethiopia was 29.16 (95 CI: 22.61, 35.71), with covering (25.77) and (3.39) by IPs and EBIs, respectively. Ascaris lumbricoides, Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, Giardia lamblia, and hookworm were the most prevalent IPs among food handlers with a pooled prevalence of 7.58, 6.78, 3.67, and 2.70, respectively. Salmonella and Shigella spp. were the most prevalent EBIs among food handlers with a pooled prevalence of 2.78 and 0.61, respectively. A high prevalence of IPs and EBIs among food handlers was observed in Oromia (38.56; 95 CI: 29.98, 47.14), while a low prevalence was observed in the Tigray region (19.45; 95 CI: 6.08, 32.82). Food handlers who had not taken food hygiene training (OR: 0.68, 95 CI: 0.34, 1.69), untrimmed finger nail (OR: 2.23, 95 CI: 1.47, 2.99), lack of periodic medical checkup (OR: 1.52, 95 CI: 0.41, 2.64), lack of handwashing habits (OR: 1.97, 95 CI: 0.53, 3.41), and eating raw vegetables and meat (OR: 2.63, 95 CI: 0.92, 4.34) were factors significantly associated with the prevalence of IPs and EBIs. The prevalence of IPs and EBIs was high in the selected Ethiopian region (Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR, and Tigray) food handlers along an increasing prevalence trend from 2014 to 2022. Therefore, this study recommends the provision of proper health education and training regarding personal hygiene, hand washing, food handling, medical checks, as well as raw vegetable and meat safety.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) remains the most common bacterial infection that affects millions of people around the world, especially pregnant women (PW) and people with diabetes mellitus (DM). This systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed at finding the pooled prevalence of UTI and its associated risk factors among PW and DM patients. Scientific articles written in English were recovered from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Google Engine, and University Library Databases. “Prevalence,” “urinary tract infection,” “associated factors,” “pregnant women,” “diabetic patients,” and “Ethiopia” were search terms used for this study. For critical appraisal, PRISMA-2009 was applied. Heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated using Cochran’s , inverse variance (), and funnel plot asymmetry tests. A random effect model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence of UTI and its associated factors among both patients, along with the parallel odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). For this meta-analysis, a total of 7271 participants were included in the 25 eligible studies. The pooled prevalence of UTI in Ethiopia among both patients was 14.50% (95% CI: 13.02, 15.97), of which 14.21% (95% CI: 12.18, 16.25) and 14.75% (95% CI: 12.58, 16.92) were cases of DM and PW, respectively. According to the subgroup analysis, the highest prevalence was observed in the Oromia region (19.84%) and in studies conducted from 2018 to 2022 (14.68%). Being female (AOR: 0.88, and 95% CI: 0.11, 1.65, ) and having an income (AOR: 4.46, and 95% CI: -1.19, 10.12, ) were risk factors significantly associated with UTI among patients with DM and PW, respectively. Furthermore, a history of catheterization ( and 95% CI: 1.35, 9.81, ), urinary tract infection (AOR: 3.52, and 95% CI: 1.96, 5.08, ), and symptomatic patients (AOR: 2.32, and 95% CI: 0.57, 4.06, ) were significantly associated with UTI in both patients. Early diagnosis and appropriate medication are necessary for the treatment of UTI in patients with DM and PW.

Background: Vegetables and fruits are vital components of a healthy diet; however, consuming unclean, uncooked, or improperly prepared products can lead to parasitic infections. Contamination often occurs during both the pre-harvest and post-harvest phases. Thus, the aim of this study is to provide evidence-based scientific information about the level of parasitic contamination and risk factors in Ethiopian fruits and vegetables sold in local markets. Methods: A random effects model was selected for analysis. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity using the I² test. Publication bias was evaluated using the funnel plot, Begg’s, and Egger’s tests. Results: A total of 3697 samples from 11 studies were included. The pooled prevalence of parasitic contamination was 43.99% (1642/3697) with (95% CI: 38.04-49.95). The highest prevalence was recorded from helminths (26.42%), followed by protozoan infections (17.57%). The most predominant parasites were Entamoeba spp. (6.40%), Ascaris spp. (6.28%), Giardia spp. (5.98%), and Strongylida (4.59%). Contamination rate of fruits alone was 7.02%, while that of vegetables was 36.97%. Additionally, cabbage (8.14%), lettuce (6.46%), tomato (6.12%), carrot (5.71%), and green pepper (5.12%) were the most contaminated vegetables. Factors such as the vegetable produce (aOR = 2.26; 95% CI: 0.86-3.65) and not washed prior to display (aOR = 3.36; 95% CI: 2.00-4.73) were factors associated significantly with parasitic contamination of fruits and vegetables. Conclusion: The current finding revealed a significant level of parasitic contamination in fruits and vegetables. As a result, food and drug regulatory bodies, the agricultural sector, and public health organizations need to educate vendors, farmers, and consumers about safe methods for growing, transporting, handling, and eating these products, while also ensuring the establishment of safe market environments. Registration: The review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with the registration number “CRD42024585961.”

Genome editing has emerged as a powerful approach to enhancing the nutritional quality of oilseed crops. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats case9 (CRISPR/Cas9) is the predominant editing tool, while transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) and base editors are used less commonly. Key fatty acid desaturase genes such as FAD2 and FAD3 are prime targets because of their critical functions in fatty acid desaturation. This review summarizes recent progress in editing genes associated with oil composition and related traits across oilseed species. Visual data representations including, Sankey diagrams, heat maps, and crop-trait matrices illustrate shared editing priorities and emerging trait targets across crops. Despite its promise, genome editing still faces challenges in transformation efficiency, field-level validation, and regulatory acceptance. This review underscores the increasing impact of target gene editing on nutritional trait improvement and its potential to accelerate the development of healthier, more sustainable oilseed varieties.