Hamza Saghrouchni

Background: To determine the molecular relationship between pyrazinamide (PZA) and bedaquiline (BDQ) resistance mechanisms in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and drug-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) isolates to improve treatment strategies. Methods: Phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST), resistance gene amplification and sequencing (pncA, panD, hadC, and Rv0678), and efflux pump gene expression (mmpS5 and mmpL5) by qRT-PCR were performed on 71 clinical MTBC isolates from seven provinces in Southern Türkiye (2022-2023). Results: PZA resistance was closely associated with MDR-TB (χ² = 38.0, p < 0.0001), exclusively detected in MDR isolates (42% overall; 73% of MDR). pncA mutations were detected in 77% of PZA-resistant isolates with strong genotype-phenotype correlation (p = 0.009, r = 0.45), while panD mutations were present in 40% and showed less association (p = 0.14). No hadC or Rv0678 mutations were identified despite significant overexpression of efflux genes mmpS5 and mmpL5 in MDR strains (p < 0.001). Conclusions: PZA and BDQ resistance arise through distinct, non-overlapping mechanisms. PZA-resistant MDR-TB without Rv0678 mutations confirms bedaquiline's independent therapeutic value and success in treating PZA-resistant cases.

Background: Bedaquiline (BDQ), delamanid (DLM), and linezolid (LZD) are core drugs for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment. Comprehensive regional data on phenotypic susceptibility and genotypic resistance-associated mutations are essential to guide optimized therapy. This study aimed to characterize phenotypic and genotypic resistance in treatment-naïve MTBC isolates by determining MICs of BDQ, DLM, and LZD and identifying associated genetic mutations. Methods: Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of BDQ, DLM, and LZD were determined for 71 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates (30 fully drug-susceptible and 41 MDR-TB) collected in the Cukurova region of Southern Türkiye between 2021 and 2023 using the MGIT 960/EpiCenter system. Sequencing of resistance-associated genes was analyzed: atpE and Rv0678 for BDQ, ddn and fbiA for DLM, and rrl and rplC for LZD. Results: MICs ranged from ≤0.025–6.4 µg/mL for BDQ, 0.005–0.32 µg/mL for DLM, and 0.125–2 µg/mL for LZD. According to WHO breakpoints, resistance rates were 7.0% for BDQ, 4.2% for DLM, and 7% for LZD, all confined to MDR-TB isolates. Nine MDR-TB isolates (12.7%) harbored atpE mutations, including both previously reported and putatively novel substitutions. A single ddn mutation was detected in a DLM-susceptible isolate. No mutations were observed in Rv0678, fbiA, rrl, or rplC. Conclusion: BDQ, DLM and LZD showed strong activity against MDR-TB isolates. However, the presence of atpE variants in both resistant and susceptible isolates demonstrated genotype-phenotype discordance of resistance. These results underline the necessity of the combination of genetic and phenotypic testing for detection of resistance and guidance for treatment.

Background: Moroccans employ Eucalyptus globulus Labill., a medicinal herb, to cure a variety of ailments. This research aimed to evaluate the chemical constituents of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil (EGEO) to determine their composition and potential use as hemolytic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial agents. Methods: GC analysis was utilized to determine the composition of EGEO harvested in the province of Meknes. Using the disk diffusion technique, MIC, MBC, and MFC tests, antibacterial and antifungal activity were assessed against pathogenic microorganisms. DPPH, TAC, and FRAP experiments were used to evaluate the antioxidant potential of EGEO and Eucalyptol. The main chemical binding affinities were predicted by Molecular Docking analysis. GraphPad Prism (v8) was used to evaluate these findings using a Tukey and ANOVA analysis. Results: GC-MS revealed 27 components, including Eucalyptol (1,8-Cineole) (55.07%). Hemolysis recorded the greatest value, 8.16 ± 0.13. Staphylococcus aureus had the highest MIC values (1.25 mg/mL). Bacillus subtilis had a 65 mm inhibitory zone. The fungicidal effectiveness of EGEO and its major component varies according to the studied fungus strain. In terms of antioxidant characteristics, DPPH radical inhibition revealed that 1,8-Cineole has a higher IC₅₀ (4.7 ± 0.5 µg/mL). The Total Antioxidant Capacity was 22 ± 0.02 mg AAE/g. FRAP analysis showed that Eucalyptol is more potent than EGEO. Conclusion: Antimicrobial and antioxidant studies support the use of EGEO and eucalyptol in traditional and therapeutic medicine, and show their numerous possible uses as natural preservatives for perfumes and foods, as well as anticancer agents due to their hemolytic capacity.

Ensuring Food Safety and Quality Throughout the Supply ChainCrop diseases pose a constant threat to agricultural production as these can cause significant yield losses and impact food quality. In the past decades, chemical agents such as pesticides have been extensively and repeatedly used, causing many environmental and public health concerns and led to the development of pathogens persistence. On the other hand, after the harvest period, ensuring food safety and quality throughout the supply chain is also essential. Contamination, improper handling, and inadequate storage and transportation practices can lead to foodborne illnesses and impact consumer confidence.Managing diseases sustainably while minimizing reliance on chemical agents is a critical but pivotal challenge to ensure food security and sustainable agriculture production.Sustainable solutions have been found in agents derived from natural sources considered environmentally friendly alternatives to chemical agents, used for controlling diseases and promoting plant growth. Commonly used biological agents in the agri-food field can be divided into two types: living and non-living agents. Living agents include antagonistic microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and viruses (bacteriophage). Non-living agents include essential oils, plant extracts, plant compounds (like thymol and carvacrol, etc), enzymes, insect pheromones, and RNA interference.These gaps primarily pertain to the insufficient knowledge surrounding emerging pathogens or novel diseases that impact agriculture and livestock, resulting in substantial economic losses and posing challenges to food safety. Investigating the various elements that contribute to the occurrence and dissemination of these diseases, as well as formulating efficacious measures for prevention and control, would be of great significance in addressing this existing research deficiency.This Research Topic aims to identify studies that seek to address research gaps in the field of food safety. This collection welcomes studies exploring biological agents that could prevent and control emerging pathogens and their characterization. Furthermore, factors contributing to the emergence and spread of these pathogens, including the use of pesticides and the antibiotic and antifungal resistance could also be included.This collection welcomes articles, reviews, mini-reviews, and policy papers based on original research are encouraged in this section. Possible subthemes include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) Characterization of the biological control agents. 2) Advanced biological control agents to treat or prevent disease in pre-harvest and during the postharvest period. 3) Insights into the persistence and resistance mechanism of the pathogens throughout the supply chain. 5) Factors contributing to the pathogens' emergence and spread.Within this Research Topic, we have received an excellent collection of articles (15 articles) that cover multiple aspects. The common themes of these articles are adopting the One Health approach to tackle foodborne pathogens and AMR at the animal-human-environment interface and provide evidence-based understanding and complemented the knowledge on available and emerging strategies and technologies to holistically address risk assessment, food safety and public health along the food production chain. Here, we provide a brief commentary on some of the work that has been presented under different aspects outlined in our Research Topic.Tesfaye et al. examined the prevalence of Aspergillus species in three types of feed collected from specialised dairy farms and local markets in three cities in eastern Ethiopia. A total of 180 dairy feed samples were collected and analyzed based on cultural and microscopic characteristics.Additionally, the aflatoxigenic potential of the colonies was tested. Therefore, this study highlights the urgent need for stringent measures in feed quality control to curb its prevalence and the risk of aflatoxin exposure.Owusu et al. explored the levels of coliform contamination, prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the hygienic practices in goat meat retail stores. The study's findings reveal heightened levels of coliform contamination, the presence of pathogenic and multidrug-resistant bacteria in goat meat, and suboptimal meat handling practices in retail stores. The significance of improving food safety practices in retail settings is emphasized to ensure the safety of goat meat, a matter of increasing importance due to its growing demand globally. HACCP plan for the meat pâté "Phirmennyi" at the "Alteev" meat processing company in Semey, Kazakhstan. The area poses particular environmental food safety challenges because it is close to the former Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site. The findings show that in environmentally impacted places, a structured HACCP system can greatly improve food safety and quality, offering a reproducible model for comparable situations.

Bacteria are the primary microorganisms responsible for nosocomial infections. This study investigates the antibacterial, biofilm-disrupting, and cytotoxic properties of essential oils and their emulsions for the treatment of nosocomial pathogens. The antibacterial activity of selected essential oils and their emulsions was evaluated against clinically relevant strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella Enteritidis. Among the tested compounds, cinnamaldehyde exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 1.31 to 2.62 mg/mL against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Other essential oils, such as cinnamon, eucalyptus, and pine, also demonstrated antibacterial effects, although their efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was comparatively limited. In biofilm assays, cinnamaldehyde effectively disrupted biofilms formed by S. aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, indicating its potential for treating biofilm-associated infections. Cytotoxicity testing revealed that while cinnamon essential oil and cinnamaldehyde exhibited cytotoxic effects at concentrations above 0.1%, other essential oils such as basil and eucalyptus were non-toxic at the tested concentrations. These findings suggest that cinnamaldehyde is a promising agent for managing nosocomial infections, combining effective antibacterial and biofilm-disrupting properties with acceptable safety for non-target cells at appropriate doses.

Creating acellular vascularized constructs from animal and plant tissue is one of the well‐known strategies for scaffold assembly. Decellularization takes an important position among these strategies. The most common method is chemical decellularization. This approach employs high concentrations of detergents, primarily Triton X‐100, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and sodium hypochlorite (SH). In this work, novel techniques for decellularizing spinach were developed using detergents frequently utilized in laboratories. Spinach leaves were decellularized using Tween‐20, SDS, and SH at low concentrations to generate an acellular plant matrix for tissue engineering. We measured the quantities of DNA and protein, as well as the decellularization using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The biocompatibility and capacity of the biostructures to stimulate fibroblast wound healing were assessed using MTT and the Scratch assay. The antibacterial activity of the scaffolds was also tested against a gram‐positive bacterium, Staphilococcus aureus, which is a common pathogen associated with wound healing. The best shape, evident vascularization, and good biocompatibility were seen in the Tween‐20 decellularized samples at 1% concentration at 21°C and 37°C through the enhancement of cell proliferation and wound healing. In terms of antibacterial activity, all scaffold samples had a significant effect on Staphilococcus aureus, where the number of bacterial colonies in all six scaffold groups became zero after 4 h of treatment. The scaffolds also showed a 100% kill rate on Staphilococcus aureus, which could avoid wound infection during the repair process, and that can be suggested as a scaffold for tissue engineering applications and an important constituent for pharmacological activities.

Research on lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus L.) revealed a variety of active molecules and examined their biological characteristics. However, most of these studies were conducted on wild varieties, while cultivated plants were addressed less. This study aimed to characterize the biomolecules and biological activities of lemon grass growing under North African conditions in Morocco. Phenolic compound profiles of aqueous (AE), ethanol (EE), and methanol (ME) extracts and their fractions were obtained with steric exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G50 gel and identified by LC-MS/MS. Then, total polyphenols (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), and antioxidant activities (FRAP: scavenging value and TAC: Total Antioxidant Capacity) of the fraction were evaluated, as well as the antimicrobial activity. The obtained results showed that the ME contained eight major compounds (i.e., apigenine-7-O-rutinoside and myricitine-3-O-rutinoside). The AE showed the presence of five molecules (i.e., kaempferol-3-O-glucuronide), while EE showed the presence of three molecules (i.e., quercetine-3-O-rutinoside). Regarding the chemical characterization, the highest value of total phenolic content (TPC) was obtained in AE (25) (4.60 ± 0.29 mg/g), and the highest value of total flavonoid content (TFC) was obtained in ME (29) (0.7 ± 0.08 mg/g). Concerning the antioxidant activity, the highest FRAP was obtained in ME (29) (97.89%), and the highest total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was obtained in ME (29) (89.89%). Correlation between FRAP, TPC, and TFC was noted only in fractions of AE and ME. All tested extracts of C. citratus and their fractions showed a significant antimicrobial effect. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was recorded for ME against E. coli. Extracts’ biological activities and their fractions were governed by their active molecules. These data are new and clarify a novel aspect of bioactive molecules in the extracts of cultivated C. citratus. Equally, throughout this research, we clarified the relationship between identified molecules and their biological properties, including antioxidant and anti-microbial activities, which is new for the study area. This study is suggested as a reference for comparative studies and other assays of other biological activities for the study plant.