TOC summary for table of contents: Infection with Leishmania tropica is emerging because of encroachment of rock hyraxes and transmission by multiple vector species.

During the past 20 years, cutaneous leishmaniasis has emerged as a major public health threat in Morocco. We describe distribution of Leishmania major and L. tropica in Morocco and a new focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis due to L. infantum. We recommend using molecular techniques to diagnose suspected leishmaniasis cases.

BackgroundBovine tuberculosis, bTB, is classified by the WHO as one of the seven neglected zoonontic diseases that cause animal health problems and has high potential to infect humans. In the West Bank, bTB was not studied among animals and the prevalence of human tuberculosis caused by M. bovis is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of bTB among cattle and goats and identify the molecular characteristics of bTB in our area.Methodology/principal findingsA total of 208 tissue samples, representing 104 animals, and 150 raw milk samples, obtained from cows and goats were examined for the presence of mycobacteria. The tissue samples were collected during routine meat inspection from the Jericho abattoir. DNA was extracted from all samples, milk and tissue biopsies (n = 358), and screened for presence of TB DNA by amplifying a 123-bp segment of the insertion sequence IS6110. Eight out of 254 animals (3.1%) were found to be TB positive based on the IS6110-PCR. Identification of M. bovis among the positive TB samples was carried out via real time PCR followed by high resolution melt curve analysis, targeting the A/G transition along the oxyR gene. Spoligotyping analysis revealed a new genotype of M. bovis that was revealed from one tissue sample.SignificanceDetection of M. bovis in tissue and milk of livestock suggests that apparently healthy cattle and goats are a potential source of infection of bTB and may pose a risk to public health. Hence, appropriate measures including meat inspection at abattoirs in the region are required together with promotion of a health campaign emphasizing the importance of drinking pasteurized milk. In addition, further studies are essential at the farm level to determine the exact prevalence of bTB in goats and cattle herds in the West Bank and Israel.

BackgroundAcross the world, ticks act as vectors of human and animal pathogens. Ticks rely on bacterial endosymbionts, which often share close and complex evolutionary links with tick-borne pathogens. As the prevalence, diversity and virulence potential of tick-borne agents remain poorly understood, there is a pressing need for microbial surveillance of ticks as potential disease vectors.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe developed a two-stage protocol that includes 16S-amplicon screening of pooled samples of hard ticks collected from dogs, sheep and camels in Palestine, followed by shotgun metagenomics on individual ticks to detect and characterise tick-borne pathogens and endosymbionts. Two ticks isolated from sheep yielded an abundance of reads from the genus Rickettsia, which were assembled into draft genomes. One of the resulting genomes was highly similar to Rickettsia massiliae strain MTU5. Analysis of signature genes showed that the other represents the first genome sequence of the potential pathogen Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae. Ticks from a dog and a sheep yielded draft genome sequences of Coxiella strains. A sheep tick yielded sequences from the sheep pathogen Anaplasma ovis, while Hyalomma ticks from camels yielded sequences belonging to Francisella-like endosymbionts. From the metagenome of a dog tick from Jericho, we generated a genome sequence of a canine parvovirus.SignificanceHere, we have shown how a cost-effective two-stage protocol can be used to detect and characterise tick-borne pathogens and endosymbionts. In recovering genome sequences from an unexpected pathogen (canine parvovirus) and a previously unsequenced pathogen (Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae), we demonstrate the open-ended nature of metagenomics. We also provide evidence that ticks can carry canine parvovirus, raising the possibility that ticks might contribute to the spread of this troublesome virus.

This study aimed at isolation of phenol degrading bacteria from olive mill wastes in Palestine. The efficiency of phenol removal and factors affecting phenol degradation were investigated. A bacterial strain (J20) was isolated from solid olive mill waste and identified as Bacillus thuringiensis based on standard morphological, biochemical characteristics and 16SrRNA sequence analysis. The strain was able to grow in a phenol concentration of 700 mg/L as the sole carbon and energy source. The culture conditions showed a significant impact on the ability of these cells to remove phenol. This strain exhibited optimum phenol degradation performance at pH 6.57 and 30 °C . Under the optimized conditions, this strain could degrade 88.6% of phenol (700 mg/L) within 96 h when the initial cell density was OD 0.2. However, the degradation efficiency could be improved from about 88% to nearly 99% by increasing the cell density. Immobilization of J20 was carried out using 4% sodium alginate. Phenol degradation efficiency of the immobilized cells of J20 was higher than that of the free cells, 100% versus 88.6% of 700 mg/L of phenol in 120 h, indicating the improved tolerance of the immobilized cells toward phenol toxicity. The J20 was used in detoxifying crude OMWW, phenolic compounds levels were reduced by 61% compared to untreated OMWW after five days of treatment. Hence, B. thuringiensis-J20 can be effectively used for bioremediation of phenol-contaminated sites in Palestine. These findings may lead to new biotechnological applications for the degradation of phenol, related to olive oil production.