The diversity of actinomycetes associated with the marine sponge Coscinoderma mathewsi collected from Hurghada (Egypt) was studied. Twenty-three actinomycetes were separated and identified based on the 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. Out of them, three isolates were classified as novel species of the genera Micromonospora, Nocardia, and Gordonia. Genome sequencing of actinomycete strains has revealed many silent biosynthetic gene clusters and has shown their exceptional capacity for the production of secondary metabolites, not observed under classical cultivation conditions. Therefore, the effect of mycolic-acid-containing bacteria or mycolic acid on the biosynthesis of cryptic natural products was investigated. Sponge-derived actinomycete Micromonospora sp. UA17 was co-cultured using liquid fermentation with two mycolic acid-containing actinomycetes (Gordonia sp. UA19 and Nocardia sp. UA 23), or supplemented with pure mycolic acid. LC-HRESIMS data were analyzed to compare natural production across all crude extracts. Micromonospora sp. UA17 was rich with isotetracenone, indolocarbazole, and anthracycline analogs. Some co-culture extracts showed metabolites such as a chlorocardicin, neocopiamycin A, and chicamycin B that were not found in the respective monocultures, suggesting a mycolic acid effect on the induction of cryptic natural product biosynthetic pathways. The antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic activities for the different cultures extracts were also tested.

Background Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), the main human gut microorganism, is one of the evolved superbugs because of acquiring antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Purpose This study aimed to screen isolates of gut commensal E. coli from healthy adult individuals for antimicrobial susceptibility and plasmid-mediated AMR encoding genes. Methods Gut commensal E. coli bacteria were isolated from fecal samples that were taken from healthy adult individuals and investigated phenotypically for their antimicrobial susceptibility against diverse classes of antimicrobials using the Kirby Bauer disc method. PCR-based molecular assays were carried out to detect diverse plasmid-carried AMR encoding genes and virulence genes of different E. coli pathotypes ( eaeA , stx , ipaH , est , elt , a ggR and pCVD432 ). The examined AMR genes were β-lactam resistance encoding genes ( bla CTX-M1 , bla TEM , bla CMY-2 ), tetracycline resistance encoding genes ( tetA , tetB ), sulfonamides resistance encoding genes ( sul1 , sulII ), aminoglycoside resistance encoding genes ( aac(3)-II , aac(6′)-Ib-cr ) and quinolones resistance encoding genes ( qnrA , qnrB , qnrS ). Results PCR results revealed the absence of pathotypes genes in 56 isolates that were considered gut commensal isolates. E. coli isolates showed high resistance rates against tested antimicrobial agents belonging to both β-lactams and sulfonamides (42/56, 75%) followed by quinolones (35/56, 62.5%), tetracyclines (31/56, 55.4%), while the lowest resistance rate was to aminoglycosides (24/56, 42.9%). Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles revealed that 64.3% of isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). High prevalence frequencies of plasmid-carried AMR genes were detected including bla TEM (64%) sulI (60.7%), qnrA (51.8%), aac(3)-II (37.5%), and tetA (46.4%). All isolates harbored more than one gene with the most frequent genetic profile among isolates was bla TEM - bla CTX-M1-like - qnrA-qnrB-tet...

Enzymes are powerful versatile biocatalysts, however, industrial application of enzymes is usually hampered by their susceptibility. Bio-inspired Eudragit-a-amylase conjugate (E-AC) was proposed as a biocatalyst for various pharmaceutical and industrial applications. In this study, a-Amylase (E.C. 3.2.1.1) was immobilized by covalent conjugation to Eudragit L-100 under mild conditions. The effect of polymer, carbodiimide and enzyme concentrations on optimization of (E-AC) was investigated. In addition, characterization of the free a-Amylase and E-AC with regard to pH, temperature, kinetic parameters, reusability and operational and storage conditions was carried out. Results showed a shift of the optimum pH of E-AC towards the alkaline side whereas, E-AC exhibited higher thermal stability at all tested temperatures. The kinetic parameters, K m values were 2.87 mg/ml and 3.15 mg/ml and V max values were 8.35 mg/ml/min and 8.98 mg/ml/min for free and E-AC, respectively. E-AC retained 85% of the initial activity after five consecutive amylolytic cycles, thus emphasizing its powerful potentials. Operational storage and thermal stability were highly improved as well for E-AC conjugate with an 11.6 stabilization factor in comparison to the free a-amylase. In this study, Eudragit L-100 polymer was successfully used as smart immobilization support to create a reversibly soluble-insoluble enzyme biocatalyst to enforce and extend biotechnological applications of a-amylase in the pharmaceutical industry.

The emergence of AmpC (pAmpC) β-lactamases conferring resistance to the third-generation cephalosporins has become a major clinical concern worldwide. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the expression of AmpC β-lactamase encoding gene among the pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative resistant bacteria screened from clinical samples of Egyptian patients enrolled into El-Qasr El-Ainy Tertiary Hospital in Cairo, Egypt. A total of 153 bacterial isolates of the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecium were isolated from patients diagnosed with urinary tract infection (UTI), respiratory tract infection (RTI), and wound infections. The total number of E. faecium isolates was 53, comprising 29 urine isolates, 5 sputum isolates, and 19 wound swab isolates, whereas the total number of P. aeruginosa isolates was 49, comprising 27 urine isolates, 7 sputum isolates, and 15 wound swab isolates, and that of the K. pneumoniae isolates was 51, comprising 20 urine isolates, 25 sputum isolates, and 6 wound swab isolates. Our results indicated that there is no significant difference in the expression of AmpC β-lactamase gene among the tested bacterial species with respect to the type of infection and/or clinical specimen. However, the expression patterns of AmpC β-lactamase gene markedly differed according to the antibacterial resistance characteristics of the tested isolates.

Background and Purpose Irrational use of drugs for self-medication (SM) is a worldwide public health problem which results in treatment failure, economic loss, and increased burden of morbidity and mortality. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore SM with antifungal drugs and herbal products among university students in Egypt. Methods A cross-sectional sectional study was conducted over 7 months among 403 university students in Egypt. The students were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire through an online Google form. Questionnaire items included socio-demographic characteristics of the students, practice of and attitude towards SM with antifungal drugs, and SM with herbal products. Results Prevalence of SM with antifungal drugs among students stood at 38.2%. The main reasons for SM with antifungal drugs were perceiving their health problem as being minimal, followed by having fears of a doctor’s visit. About 73% of the students thought that SM was not a safe practice. Older age (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI= 1.3–1.8), affiliation to a private university (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI= 2.2–6.4), and being a medical student (AOR =2.4, 95% CI= 1.3–4.5) were the significant predictors of SM with antifungal drugs. A high prevalence of SM with herbal products (70.7%) was reported, with most students having used some form of herbal weight loss preparation (64%). Being a Cairo resident (AOR= 2.4, 95% CI =1.5–3.8, P<0.05) and being a medical student (AOR= 2.1, 95% CI =1.3–3.4, P<0.05) were the significant predictors of SM with herbal products. Conclusion In the current study, SM was common among Egyptian university students. Providing counseling and public health education to university students with regards to SM is crucial. Implementing strict regulations and the full enforcement of excitant laws pertaining to the use of medication supplies is also needed. Herbal products should face the scrutiny of evidence-based medicine. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of SM among university students.