Rasha Elkenany

This study evaluated acute colitis induced by indomethacin and Escherichia coli O78 in rabbits and the efficacy of essential oils in treating of diseased rabbits. A total of 90 male rabbits were equally divided into two experiments (45 rabbits per experiment). The first experiment included five groups (G1-G5). G1 (C) group: Animals received 1 mL PBS orally; G2 (indo) group: received of indomethacin (8 mg/kg body weight (BW)) to induce colitis as a single subcutaneous administration; G3 (indo+Dill) group: received indomethacin for 24 h, followed by the administration of dill oil (200 mg/kg BW) via a gastric tube for five consecutive days; G4 (indo+Fennel) group: received indomethacin, followed by the administration of fennel oil (400 mg/kg BW) via a gastric tube for five consecutive days; and G5 (indo+DEX) group: received indomethacin, followed by oral administration of dexamethasone (1 mg/kg) after 24 h, serving as a standard treatment for colitis. The second experiment included five groups (G1-G5). G1 (C) group: received 1 mL PBS orally; G2 (EC) group: infected with E. coli suspension (O78) orally (1.0 mL x 108 CFU) ; G3 (EC+Dill) group: orally infected with E. coli and administration of dill oil (200 mg/kg BW) via a gastric tube for five days; G4 (EC+Fennel) group: orally infected with E. coli and administration of fennel oil (400 mg/kg BW) via a gastric tube for five days; G5 (EC+Florfenicol) group: orally infected with E. coli andadministration of 1 mL of florfenicol (30 mg/kg BW) for five days. All rabbits were weighed at 7, 14 and 21 d in both experiments, and blood samples were collected for haematological, biochemical and immunological analysis. Subsequently, liver and colon tissues were collected for gene expression analysis and histopathological examination. In both experiments, the G2 group exhibited significant differences (P<0.05) compared to the supplemented groups (G3 & G4) in terms of growth performance, clinical signs, bacterial shedding, biochemical, immunological and haematological parameters, cytokines production and histopathological lesion scores. In both experiments, G3 and G4 had the highest (P<0.05) growth performance, phagocytic activity, IgM and IgG, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and antioxidant activity. Additionally, these groups showed the lowest rates of bacterial shedding, hepatic and renal damage, heterophil/lymphocyte ratios and lesion scores compared to the other groups. In conclusion, a five-day supplementation of dill and fennel extracts improves growth performance, immunological status, antioxidant activity and cytokine production in the treatment of rabbits with colitis induced by indomethacin and E. coli O78.

Background: Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a major disease affecting broiler productivity, primarily caused by Clostridium perfringens. The extensive use of antibiotics to control NE has led to concerns about antimicrobial resistance and food safety, highlighting the need for safe and effective alternatives. Chitosan nanoparticles (CsNPs) have emerged as promising candidates due to their antibacterial, biodegradable, and nontoxic properties. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of CsNPs against C. perfringens infection in broilers by assessing clinical signs, mortality, growth performance, bacterial load, immune response, and histopathological changes. Sixty 1-day-old Ross 308 chicks were randomly divided into four groups (15 birds each): G1 (negative control), G2 (C. perfringens-infected), G3 (infected + CsNPs), and G4 (CsNPs only). Birds in G2 and G3 were orally inoculated with C. perfringens (4×10⁸ CFU/mL) for two consecutive days, while CsNPs (250 µg/bird) were administered to G3 and G4. During the experiment, the birds were assessed for growth performance, intestinal microbial loads, immune organ indexes, and histopathological lesions. Results: Over the 35-day trial, CsNPs treatment significantly improved body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in G3 and G4 compared to G2 (P < 0.05). CsNPs reduced clinical signs and mortality and markedly decreased intestinal colonization by C. perfringens. Immune organ indices (spleen, bursa, and thymus) were significantly enhanced in CsNP-treated birds. Histopathological examination revealed that CsNPs mitigated lesions in the intestine, liver, and lymphoid organs. Conclusion: Chitosan nanoparticles effectively reduced the severity of necrotic enteritis in broilers, improving growth performance, intestinal health, and immune response. These findings indicate that CsNPs could serve as a safe, natural, and sustainable alternative to antibiotics for controlling C. perfringens infections in poultry.

Clostridium perfringens induced necrotic enteritis (NE) became a persistent problem that had a major financial impact on the poultry business worldwide. Nevertheless, no prior research has assessed the related risk factors in Egyptian broiler farms. Thus, the purpose of this study is to perform an epidemiological analysis of C. perfringens occurrence, toxinotyping, and risk factors in El-Dakhlia and Damietta provinces, Egypt as well as their characteristics of antimicrobial resistance and molecular typing. From 25 broiler farms, 1100 samples were gathered. Antimicrobial resistance profiles and molecular typing were used to characterize the isolates. The findings revealed an overall prevalence of 26.3% (289/1100) from chickens’ clinical samples (30.3%; 273/900) and farm environmental samples (8%; 16/200). Toxinotyping of 289 isolates showed that 165 (57.1%) isolates were C. perfringens type A, harboring only alpha toxin gene (cpa) while 124 (42.9%) isolates were C. perfringens type G, containing netB gene. The cpb2 genes were found in 66 (22.8%) isolates with the highest positive rate from dead birds. Additionally, the study found a number of possible risk variables that were substantially linked to the prevalence of C. perfringens, including location in Damietta, winter season, history of coccidia infection, use of antimicrobial growth promoters, birds older than 22 days, wet litter type, and biosecurity strategy. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed a significant association between C. perfringens infection and grower chickens (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.05–4.21, p = 0.037) compared to starter chickens. The isolates displayed their highest resistance rate to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (94.5%), erythromycin, imipenem (94.1% each), penicillin, ampicillin, streptomycin, gentamycin (90.7% each), ampicillin/sulbactam (89.9%), cefuroxime and cefepime (85.8%), nalidixic acid (85.1%), and tetracycline (78.9%). Remarkably, none of the strains were resistant to meropenem. Multidrug-resistant was observed in 94.5% strains with MAR index of 0.32–0.79. The resistance genes carried by different strains were obviously different, among which the detection rate of aminoglycoside resistance gene aphA1, was the highest (100%), followed by bla _TEM (85.8%), ermB, qnrS (85.1%), sul1 (80.6%), tetA(78.9%), drfA-1 (75.1%), qnrD, sul2 (60.2%), catA (57.4%), aadA (57.4%), ampC, mefA, qnrA (50.2%), bla _CTX (46%), and tetM (42.2%). Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) was used to classify these isolates into eight different genotypes according to sampling place and sample type. The epidemiological information from this study was helpful in determining the danger of clostridial infection linked to Egyptian broiler farms. Our results also show that in order to combat multidrug resistance, new medications and antibiotic substitutes are required. The importance of conducting more surveys to better understand the prevalence of C. perfringens infection under strict management circumstances for various flock purposes cannot be overstated.

Clostridium perfringens poses a risk to public health through the food chain, specifically beef and chicken meat, which is thought to be the primary vehicle for the transmission of C. perfringens from animals to humans. Therefore, we sought to highlight the prevalence, toxinotypes, and antibiotic resistance of C. perfringens isolated from beef and chicken meat and meat products in Egypt. A total of 92/471 (19.5%, 95% CI: 15.9-23.1%) C. perfringens strains obtained from 471 beef and chicken meat and meat product samples were phenotypically and genotypically identified. The highest occurrence of C. perfringens isolates was found in raw chicken meat (26.4%, 32/121, 95% CI: 18.8-34%), followed by chicken luncheon, sausage (23.3%, 7/30, 95% CI: 8.2-38.5), beefburger (20%, 6/30, 95% CI: 6.8-33.2%). In contrast to other identified toxinotypes (C, F, D, and B), toxinotype A was common (61.9%) among our isolates. Moreover, the toxin genes cpa (61.9%), cpb (21.7%), and cpe (14.1%), were frequent, in comparison with the etx gene (3.3%), among the examined C. perfringens strains. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility were remarkable, since most of the strains (95.7%) presented multidrug-resistant (MDR) patterns with multiple antibiotic resistance index of 0.11-0.79. The phenotypic resistance showed the highest resistance rates to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (80.4%), followed by tetracycline (73.9%), amoxicillin (72.8%), ampicillin (65.2%), erythromycin (59.8%), gentamycin (48.9%). On the other hand, the lowest resistance rate was observed for cefoxitin (7.6%). Strains harbored antibiotic resistance genes in different percentages, including tetracycline (tetM) (65.2%), erythromycin gene (ermB) (54.3%), β-lactamase (blaTEM) (61.9%), and quinolones (qnrA [30.4%] and qnrB [21.7%]). According to our research, the emergence of MDR strains as the predominant phenotypes has exacerbated the C. perfringens foodborne epidemic.

The current study describes the presence of Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) in contaminated foods of animal source and ready for human consumption with highlighting on their virulence contributing factors by detection of its virulence genes in addition to identification of their sequencing.

Pseudomonas fluorescens is one of the main causes of septicemic diseases among freshwater fish, causing severe economic losses and decreasing farm efficiency. Thus, this research was aimed to investigate the occurrence of P. fluorescens in Nile Tilapia (O. niloticus) fish in Egypt, gene sequencing of 16SrDNA gene, and antimicrobial susceptibility. P. fluorescens strains were detected in 32% (128\400) of apparently healthy (9%; 36\400) and diseased (23%; 92\400) Nile tilapia fish. The highest prevalence was observed in gills of fish, 31.3% followed by intestine 26.9%, liver 24.2%, and kidneys 17.6%. The PCR results for the 16SrDNA gene of P. fluorescens showed 16SrDNA gene in 30% of examined isolates. Moreover, Homogeny and a strong relationship between strains of P. fluorescens was confirmed using 16SrDNA sequences. Beside the responsibility of 16SrDNA gene on the virulence of P. fluorescens. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility tests revealed that all strains were resistant to piperacillin (100%), followed by ceftazidime (29.7%), and cefepime (25.8%). The strains of P. fluorescence were highly sensitive to cefotaxime (74.2%), followed by ceftriaxone and levofloxacin (70.3% each). Interestingly, 29.7% of strains of P. fluorescens were multiple antimicrobial-resistant (MAR).

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the most prevalent contagious bacterial pathogens causing clinical bovine mastitis. In the present study, plate (A), which consists of 80 compounds (40 drug-like and 40 probe-like), was assessed from the Malaria Box against the in vitro growth of S. aureus isolated from cows naturally infected with S. aureus. Anti-Staphylococcus aureus medications that are newer and more potent than those that have been used previously were discovered. Bioinformatics analysis for the potent identified hits was performed. Three compounds—two probe-like and one drug-like—showed strong inhibitory action against S. aureus growth in vitro. Among these hits, MMV665941 exhibited the highest minimum inhibitory concentration value of 0.0078. Combination therapy was carried out using the most potent anti-S. aureus medication, MMV665941, and the traditionally used anti-S. aureus drug, amoxicillin/clavulanate (Augmentin 625^®). The atom pair fingerprint (APfp) analysis revealed that MMV665941 and Augmentin showed maximum structural similarity. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the Medicines for Malaria Venture Box has a wealth of potential anti-S. aureus candidates.

THE Spices such as paprika, cloves, piper cubeba, and their extract have been shown to possess potent antimicrobial potential against food spoilage microorganisms and pathogens. Contamination of minced meat with such pathogens may lead to foodborne poisoning. This has enforced the search for antimicrobial agents that could increase the shelf life of minced beef. This work aimed to determine the antimicrobial effect of paprika, clove, and piper cubeba powder and their extract with different concentrations against aerobic plate count, Enterobacteriaceae count, and Staphylococcus aureus. The ability of these natural additives to extend the shelf life and improve the quality of minced beef, and optimize the concentrations of these spices and their extract in minced beef. The Sensory evaluation of cooked meatballs containing added paprika, clove, and piper cubeba powders and their extracts exhibited no significant differences in the flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptability characteristic of meatballs among all treated and control samples and revealed no negative impacts on consumer perception. Effect of natural additives and their extracts on APCs in meatballs during cold storage revealed that the studied spices and their extracts may be a source for the development of safe and new ingredients that could be used to control products spoilage and/or foodborne pathogens in foods. Treated meat samples resulted in prolonged storage life of piper cubeba, clove and paprika added samples compared with control. The antimicrobial effect these spices was found to be concentration-dependent and attributed to their phytochemical constituents. The current study concluded that there was an increase in shelf life and decrease in contamination levels of Enterobacteriaceae and S. aureus in the meatballs treated with paprika, clove, and piper cubeba.

Background and Objective: Aeromonas hydrophila (A. hydrophila) is an emerging enteric pathogen that is causing outbreaks in global fish farms, resulting in significant financial losses. Materials and Methods: Using the plate count method, this study investigated the antimicrobial activity of organic acids such as acetic and citric acid on A. hydrophila in mullet (Mugil cephalus) at various treatment times (0.5, 1.5, 2.25 and 24 hrs) and temperatures (30±2°C and 5±2°C). Results: After a long time (24 hrs) of treatment, the findings of organic acids treatment revealed that acetic acid (5%), citric acid (5-6%) and acetic-citric acids mixes were effective againstA. hydrophilaat room temperature with a reduction rate of 98.2%, 38.2% and -45.97%, respectively and refrigerator temperature with reduction rate of 97.01%, 15.22% and -28.95%, respectively. At both refrigeration and room temperatures, the acetic acid (5%) showed rising reduction rates that reached almost their highest value after 24 hrs (97.01 and 98.20%, respectively). In addition, citric acid was more effective at room temperature than at refrigerator temperature (0.5, 1.5 and 2.25 hrs). At both temperatures, however, the decrease rate generated by the acetic-citric acid mixture vanished and was almost similar to that of untreated groups. Conclusion: The results of the laboratory investigation suggested that using organic acids (acetic and citric acid) to decontaminateA. hydrophilainfection in mullet aquaculture farms is a safe and cost-effective option. APA-7 Style Gad, T., Abd El-Moaty, A., Elkenany, R. (2023). Decontamination of Marketed Mullet (Mugil cephalus) Infected with Aeromonas hydrophila by Organic Acids. Trends in Agricultural Sciences, 2(2), 99-105. https://doi.org/10.17311/tas.2023.99.105 ACS Style Gad, T.; Abd El-Moaty, A.; Elkenany, R. Decontamination of Marketed Mullet (Mugil cephalus) Infected with Aeromonas hydrophila by Organic Acids. Trends Agric. Sci 2023, 2, 99-105. https://doi.org/10.17311/tas.2023.99.105 AMA Style Gad T, Abd El-Moaty A, Elkenany R. Decontamination of Marketed Mullet (Mugil cephalus) Infected with Aeromonas hydrophila by Organic Acids. Trends in Agricultural Sciences. 2023; 2(2): 99-105. https://doi.org/10.17311/tas.2023.99.105 Chicago/Turabian Style Gad, Tamer, Amany Abd El-Moaty, and Rasha Elkenany. 2023. "Decontamination of Marketed Mullet (Mugil cephalus) Infected with Aeromonas hydrophila by Organic Acids" Trends in Agricultural Sciences 2, no. 2: 99-105. https://doi.org/10.17311/tas.2023.99.105

This study was organized to investigate the prevalence, antibiotic and disinfectant resistance phenotypes and genotypes as well as plasmid profiles of Shigella species isolated from raw cow milk and milk products in Egypt. Genotypic analysis was performed to determine the presence of β-lactamase encoding genes(blaTEM, blaCTX-M, blaOXA-1 and blaSHV), tet(A) and qacE∆.Forty-two (7%) Shigella isolates (S. dysenteriae, S. flexneri, and S. sonnei) were recovered, with S. dysenteriae as the predominant type. Antibiotic sensitivity tests showed that 71.4% of Shigella isolates were resistant to three or more antibiotic classes (multidrug-resistant). High resistance rates were observed against tetracyclines (100%), ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate (90.5%, each) and cefaclor (66.7%), while no resistance was detected against imipenem, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, and azithromycin. Disinfectant susceptibility test of Shigella isolates revealed resistance to phenolic compound (vanillic acid), while 85.7% of the Shigella isolates were resistant to benzalkonium chloride. Uniplex PCR analysis declared the existence of β-lactamase encoding genes(blaTEM in all isolates and blaCTX-M in 28.6% of isolates) and, tet(A) in all isolates and 85.7% of the isolates were positive for qacE∆1, while all isolates were negative for blaOXA-1 and blaSHV. All Shigella extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) producers (12, 100%) were positive for the blaTEM, blaCTX-M, and qacE∆1 genes. Furthermore, plasmid profiling revealed seven distinct plasmid patterns (P1-P7), ranging from 1.26 to 33.61 kb, among all the Shigella strains; S. dysenteriae exhibited the greatest variance. The co-transfer of β-lactamase genes (blaTEM and blaCTX-M) and qacE∆1 geneswas observed by conjugation from all ESBL producers to a recipient strain.These findings indicate the emergence of Shigella species in Egypt that exhibited multi-resistance to either antibiotics (particularly ESBL producer strains) or disinfectants. Thus, the resistance of Shigella species should regularly be monitored and appropriate measures should be taken to manage this problem.