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Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are the causative agent of severe chronic pulmonary diseases and is accountable for post-traumatic wound infections, lymphadenitis, endometritis, cutaneous, eye infections and disseminated diseases. These infections are extremely challenging to treat due to multidrug resistance, which encompasses the classical and existing antituberculosis agents. Hence, current studies are aimed to appraise the antimycobacterial activity of flavonoids against NTM, their capacity to synergize with pharmacological agents and their ability to block virulence. Flavonoids have potential antimycobacterial effects at minor quantities by themselves or in synergistic combinations. A cocktail of flavonoids used with existing antimycobacterial agents is a strategy to lessen side effects. The present review focuses on recent studies on naturally occurring flavonoids and their antimycobacterial effects, underlying mechanisms and synergistic effects in a cocktail with traditional agents.

Background and Aim: Ovine theileriosis caused by Theileria ovis and Theileria lestoquardi is an important infectious disease affecting small ruminants in regions of the tropic and subtropic zones. There is limited studies about ovine theileriosis in Egypt; so the present study aims to assess the occurrence of ovine theileriosis in Egypt at the molecular level. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 115 randomly selected sheep, which were apparently healthy; the ages of the sampled sheep ranged from 1 to 5 years old, from a local breed (barkae and balade), and showed no symptoms indicating infection with Theileria spp. The study was conducted in three governorates representing Lower Egypt (Menoufia and Beheira) and Upper Egypt (El-Wady El-Geded). All blood samples were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and semi-nested PCR to target Theileria spp. 18S rRNA genes. Positive samples were sequenced, and these sequences were analyzed using nucleotide basic local alignment search tool (BLAST). Results: Six animals (5.22%) were PCR-positive carriers for ovine theileriosis. Nucleotide BLAST and phylogenetic analyses of the six obtained sequences showed that T. ovis was present in five animals (4.37%) in Menoufia (n=2) and El-Wady El-Geded (n=3), whereas T. lestoquardi was detected in 1 animal (0.87%) in El-Wady El-Geded. Conclusion: This study is the first to provide molecular evidence, genetic characterization, and phylogenetic analysis of ovine Theileria spp. in Egypt. Specifically, T. lestoquardi and T. ovis carrier statuses of sheep were confirmed. These results highlight the importance of developing an effective control strategy against ovine theileriosis carriers that might develop and/or spread theileriosis.

BackgroundVaccine hesitancy is a global public health threat. Understanding the role of psychological factors in vaccine hesitancy is often neglected and relatively less explored.Aim and ObjectivesTo analyze the relationship between mental health and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy before and after the advent of COVID-19 vaccines (AC19V) in the general population of India and Saudi Arabia (KSA) which vary in severity of the pandemic and vaccine mandates.Materials and MethodsA total of 677 adult participants from India and KSA participated in this cross-sectional online web-based survey. Sociodemographic details and current COVID-19 status pertaining to infection and vaccination were collected. Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and perceptive need for mental health support (MHS) were assessed before and after AC19V. A newly constructed and validated COVID19 vaccine hesitancy scale-12 (COVID19-VHS12) scale was used to evaluate the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.ResultsPrevalence and levels of depression and anxiety symptoms decreased significantly in Saudis but not in Indians after AC19V. PTSD symptoms showed a significant reduction in both India and KSA. Anxiety symptoms were higher in KSA than India before AC19V while PTSD was higher in India before and after AC19V. Except for the place of residence and employment status, the subgroups of sociodemographic variables which were at higher risk of negative mental health before AC19V showed improvement in their mental health after AC19V. The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in India and KSA was 50.8% (95% CI 45.73–55.89%) and 55.7% (95% CI 50.16–61.31%), respectively. A bidirectional association between vaccine hesitancy and mental health was observed in KSA but not in India. Higher vaccine hesitancy favored higher levels of depression, anxiety, and perceptive need for MHS and vice versa in KSA. None of the mental health parameters predicted vaccine hesitancy in India, while higher vaccine hesitancy increased the risk of anxiety.ConclusionVaccine hesitancy has a negative impact on mental health and vice versa over and above the impact of sociodemographic factors and COVID-19 vaccination and infection status which shows variations between India and KSA.