Integrons, which are genetic components commonly found in bacteria, possess the remarkable capacity to capture gene cassettes, incorporate them into their structure, and thereby contribute to an increase in genomic complexity and phenotypic diversity. This adaptive mechanism allows integrons to play a significant role in acquiring, expressing, and spreading antibiotic resistance genes in the modern age. To assess the current challenges posed by integrons, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of their characteristics. This review aims to elucidate the structure and evolutionary history of integrons, highlighting how the use of antibiotics has led to the preferential selection of integrons in various environments. Additionally, it explores their current involvement in antibiotic resistance and their dissemination across diverse settings, while considering potential transmission factors and routes. This review delves into the arrangement of gene cassettes within integrons, their ability to rearrange, the mechanisms governing their expression, and the process of excision. Furthermore, this study examines the presence of clinically relevant integrons in a wide range of environmental sources, shedding light on how anthropogenic influences contribute to their propagation into the environment.

Integrons are hot spots for acquiring gene cassettes from the environment and play a major role in the bacterial evolution and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), thus posing a serious threat. There are currently studies on integrons and antibiotic resistance genes; however, the presence and association of integrons in different agricultural crops and their subsequent dissemination and role in AMR have not been reported previously. This study examines the abundance of integrons, their gene cassette diversity in various crop soils, and their role in the dissemination of AMR in the southern region of China. Samples from different agri-crop soil, such as rice (R.S), sugarcane (S.S), citrus (C.S), banana (B.S), agricultural runoff (the point where the runoff of all sites meet (R.O)), and wild (non-agricultural) soil (W.S), were collected. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the abundance of integrons, and clone libraries were constructed to examine the gene cassette arrays. All the tested samples were found positive for Class-I (CL1) integrons and revealed a higher concentration and higher relative abundance of R.S than the others, with the least found at the W.S site. The W.S CL1 cassette arrays were found empty, and no putative conserved domains were found. The R.O was found to contain a high number of gene cassettes with various functions, while the smallest number of gene cassettes was found in the S.S among the crop soils. Most of the gene cassettes presented by the R.O were primarily shared with other sites, and the antibiotic-resistant genes were consistently observed to be dominant. The constructed clone libraries represented a diverse gene cassette array with 16% novel gene cassettes that play a vital role in pathogenesis, transportation, biosynthesis, and AMR. Most resistance-related gene cassettes were associated with the genes encoding resistance to quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) and aminoglycosides. This study highlights the significant differences in the abundance of integrons among various agricultural soils and offers deep insight into the pools of gene cassettes that play a key role in the dissemination of integrons and AMR.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality among haemodialysis (HD) patients and create problems in the management of patients in the renal dialysis units, as patients with chronic renal failure do not absolutely clear these viral infections. The aim of the study is molecular detection of HBV and HCV and their possible risk factors among the HD patients in northern Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2013 to June 2014. The infections were investigated through serological and molecular techniques. The overall prevalence of HBV among the five HD centres was 7.5%. The main risk factors were HD centre (26.66%), history of blood transfusion (20%), dental procedure (13.33%) and time duration on HD (6.66%). However, the overall prevalence of HCV among the five HD centres was 19.58%. The main risk factors included HD centre (25.53%), history of blood transfusion (25.53%), dental procedure (10.64%), surgical treatment (6.38%), patients treated abroad (6.38%) and time duration on HD (4.25%). The high prevalence of hepatitis viruses among HD patients of northern Pakistan indicates a close relation between HD centres and hepatitis virus transmission. Therefore, preventive control measures are essential to reduce hepatitis transmission in HD centres.

Background Thalassemia is a group of inherited hematological disorders caused by mutation in globin’s genes. Regular blood transfusion lengthens the life of thalassemia patients but it carries a definite risk of the infections of blood-borne diseases. Aim/Objective The current study was carried out for the frequency distributions and risk factors of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among thalassemia patients in Hazara regions, Pakistan. Methods A total of 324 enrolled thalassemia major patients were diagnosed in five different centers of Hazara regions. The study participants were screened for HBV and HCV using the immunochromatographic techniques test and real-time PCR for immunochromatographic technique-positive specimens. Results Out of the 324 major thalassemia patients, 24 (7.41%) were diagnosed with HBV and HCV infections. In total, 206 were male patients and the rate of HBV and HCV infections was 0.97% (two patients) and 3.88% (eight patients), respectively. Similarly, 118 were female patients and the rate of HBV-positive patients was 3.39% (four patients) and HCV was 8.47% (10 patients). The results also showed that 50% of HBV and HCV infections were found in the age group of 26–30 years, while 1.81% was found in the age group of 11–15 years. The positive HBV and HCV samples were also verified with the band size of 242 and 227 bp, respectively. Conclusion Thus, to reduce the incidence of HBV and HCV in thalassemia patients, we must call for critical look on the transfusion practices as well as adoption of stricter donor selection.