Background. The non-O1/non-O139 serogroups of Vibrio cholerae occur in diverse natural niches, and usually cause mild and self-limiting gastrointestinal illness. However, they have well-documented potential to cause invasive and extra-intestinal infections among immunocompromised patients. Furthermore, their ability to grow in low-salinity surface water, and the existence of asymptomatic human carriers, suggest novel acquisition routes for this unusual infection, even in people without obvious risk factors.Case presentation. A 62-year-old man presented with epigastric pain, vomiting and fever. The patient had a history of diabetes and cholecystectomy, although our initial examination did not reveal any significant findings that might indicate V. cholerae infection. However, blood cultures subsequently revealed the presence of V. cholerae, which was positively identified using both conventional and modern non-conventional technologies. The identity of the V. cholerae isolate was confirmed using Vitek MS (matrix–assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight MS) and the FilmArray system, in addition to its initial identification using the Vitek 2 system. The septicaemia was successfully treated using a 14 day course of ciprofloxacin.Conclusion. The present case highlights the need to remain highly suspicious of non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae infections in patients with known risk factors, as well as in healthy individuals with epidemiological exposure and compatible clinical symptoms. Special care should be taken to avoid false-positive results from confirmatory laboratory tests, as the organism can grow in fresh water, and the results should be verified using multiple methods.

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QFT-GIT is considered a useful tool in detecting LTBI cases, especially in a country where BCG vaccination is a national policy (as in Egypt). Duration of work, profession, diabetes and smoking are the risk factors for LTBI. Active surveillance and infection control measures are recommended to reduce the risk of LTBI.

The main challenge for researchers in the biomedical sectors concerns the development of new active compounds through cost-effectiveness, rapid, simple, and ecofriendly methods to overcome antibiotic resistance to pathogenic microbes. Herein, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were fabricated by a green approach through the reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) by harnessing the metabolites present in the aqueous extract of Zingiber officinale rhizome. UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, XRD, TEM, DLS, and zeta potential were used to characterize phytosynthesized AuNPs. In addition, the antimicrobial effect was investigated against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus), Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli), unicellular fungi (Candida albicans), and multicellular fungi (Aspergillus brasiliensis). Antioxidant and in vitro cytotoxic activities were assessed. TEM and XRD showed the successful formation of spherical and crystalline structures, with sizes in the range of 5–53 nm (average size: 15.11 ± 8.5 nm). The zeta potential value (i.e., –28.8 mV) explains the high stability of synthesized AuNPs. AuNPs exhibit promising activity against prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms with variable inhibition zones and low MIC values in the range of 25–6.25 µg mL−1. Phytosynthesized AuNPs exhibit DPPH scavenging activity with percentages of 87.6 ± 0.5% at a maximum concentration (1000 µg mL−1), which can be compared with ascorbic acid (97.3 ± 0.2%). Moreover, the AuNPs displayed a target-oriented effect for cancer cell lines HepG2 and MCF7 at low IC50 concentrations of 131.9 ± 9.34 and 288.23 ± 31.39 µg mL−1 compared to the normal oral epithelial OEC cell line (487.612 ± 3.53 µg mL−1). Overall, the phytosynthesized AuNPs show wide activities that enable their use in various biomedical and biotechnological applications.

Introduction Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections resist nearly most available antimicrobials, resulting in poor clinical outcomes. Saudi Arabia has a relatively high CRE prevalence. This study aims to evaluate the sensitivity of Rapidec Carba NP test and GeneXpert Carba-R assay compared with conventional manners for detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae . Methods This is a cross-sectional study including a total of 90 CRE isolates examined at two tertiary hospitals in KSA from October 2020 to December 2021. Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae were identified by using Vitek 2 system and were furtherly tested for imipenem and meropenem susceptibility by E- test strips, followed by Rapidec Carba NP test and the Xpert™Carba-R assay. Results Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (78.9%) and carbapenem-resistant E. coli (14.4%) were the two most common isolates species. Colistin (98.9%) and tigecycline (88.9%) were the most effective antibiotics against CRE isolates, followed by amikacin (52.2%), gentamicin (33.3%), cotrimoxazole (15.6%), and ciprofloxacin (8.9%). blaOXA-48 was the predominant carbapenemase gene (44.4%), followed by blaNDM (32.2%). blaKPC gene was not detected. The Rapidec Carba NP and the Xpert™Carba-R demonstrated an overall sensitivity of 69.3% and 88%, respectively, in comparison to gold standard detection of meropenem and imipenem resistance by Vitek 2 system and E- test strips. Discussion RAPIDEC ® CARBA NP may be a beneficial screening test for detecting CRE, but for confirmation of the results, Xpert Carba-R assay is more sensitive, significantly lowering the turnaround time compared to reference traditional methods. The information on carbapenemase genes may be used for epidemiologic purposes and outbreak management.

With more than 17 clinically approved Drugs and over 20 prodrugs under clinical investigations, marine bacteria are believed to have a potential supply of innovative therapeutic bioactive compounds. In the current study, Kocuria sp. strain AG5 isolated from the Red Sea was identified and characterized by biochemical and physiological analysis, and examination of a phylogenetic 16S rRNA sequences. Innovative exopolysaccharide (EPS) was separated from the AG5 isolate as a major fraction of EPS (EPSR5, 6.84 g/L−1). The analysis of EPSR5 revealed that EPSR5 has a molecular weight (Mw) of 4.9 × 104 g/mol and number average molecular weight (Mn) of 5.4 × 104 g/mol and contains sulfate (25.6%) and uronic acid (21.77%). Analysis of the monosaccharide composition indicated that the EPSR5 fraction composes of glucose, galacturonic acid, arabinose, and xylose in a molar ratio of 2.0:0.5:0.25:1.0, respectively. Assessment of the pharmacological potency of EPSR5 was explored by examining its cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-acetylcholine esterase influences. The antioxidant effect of EPSR5 was dose- and time-dependently increased and the maximum antioxidant activity (98%) was observed at 2000 µg/mL after 120 min. Further, EPSR5 displayed a significant repressive effect regarding the proliferation of HepG-2, A-549, HCT-116, MCF7, HEP2, and PC3 cells with IC50 453.46 ± 21.8 µg/mL, 873.74 ± 15.4 µg/mL, 788.2 ± 32.6 µg/mL, 1691 ± 44.2 µg/mL, 913.1 ± 38.8 µg/mL, and 876.4 ± 39.8 µg/mL, respectively. Evaluation of the inhibitory activity of the anti-inflammatory activity of EPSR5 indicated that EPSR5 has a significant inhibitory activity toward lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) activities (IC50 15.39 ± 0.82 µg/mL and 28.06 ± 1.1 µg/mL, respectively). Finally, ESPR5 presented a substantial hemolysis suppressive action with an IC50 of 65.13 ± 0.89 µg /mL, and a considerable inhibitory activity toward acetylcholine esterase activity (IC50 797.02 μg/mL). Together, this study reveals that secondary metabolites produced by Kocuria sp. strain AG5 marine bacteria serve as an important source of pharmacologically active compounds, and their impact on human health is expected to grow with additional global work and research.

The genus Aeromonas is widely distributed in aquatic environments and is recognized as a potential human pathogen. Some Aeromonas species are able to cause a wide spectrum of diseases, mainly gastroenteritis, skin and soft-tissue infections, bacteremia, and sepsis. The aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of Aeromonas spp. in raw fish markets and humans in Zagazig, Egypt; identify the factors that contribute to virulence; determine the isolates’ profile of antibiotic resistance; and to elucidate the ability of Aeromonas spp. to form biofilms. The examined samples included fish tissues and organs from tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, n = 160) and mugil (Mugil cephalus, n = 105), and human skin swabs (n = 51) and fecal samples (n = 27). Based on biochemical and PCR assays, 11 isolates (3.2%) were confirmed as Aeromonas spp. and four isolates (1.2%) were confirmed as A. hydrophila. The virulence genes including haemolysin (hyl A) and aerolysin (aer) were detected using PCR in A. hydrophila in percentages of 25% and 50%, respectively. The antimicrobial resistance of Aeromonas spp. was assessed against 14 antibiotics comprising six classes. The resistance to cefixime (81.8%) and tobramycin (45.4%) was observed. The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index ranged between 0.142–0.642 with 64.2% of the isolates having MAR values equal to 0.642. Biofilm formation capacity was assessed using a microtiter plate assay, and two isolates (18.1%) were classified as biofilm producers. This study establishes a baseline for monitoring and controlling the multidrug-resistant Aeromonas spp. and especially A. hydrophila in marine foods consumed in our country to protect humans and animals.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to estimate the prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and to determine the types of carbapenemase genes present in patients admitted to King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC-J) and King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), both in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A total of 180 isolates were analyzed which were included on the basis of retrospective chart review of patients from KAMC-J and KAUH between 1 st April 2017 to 30 th March 2019. The prevalence of carbapenemase genes ( bla IMP, bla VIM, bla KPC, bla NDM-1, and bla OXA-48) was evaluated by Xpert® Carba-R (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA). We assessed the CRE prevalence and described their susceptibility to antimicrobial agents based on antibiogram reports.Results: Klebsiella pneumoniae showed a higher frequency of bla OXA-48 (79%) than bla NDM (11.7%) genes (p=0.007). The CRE prevalence in KAUH was 8% in 2017 and increased to 13% in 2018. In KAMC-J, the prevalence was 57% in 2018 and 61% in 2019. K. pneumoniae was found to be the most frequently isolated causative organism followed by Escherichia coli. The bla OXA-48 (76.1%) gene was predominant among overall isolates followed by bla NDM (13.9%); both genes coexisted in 6.1% of the isolates.Conclusion: During the study period, the prevalence of CRE considerably rose in the two tertiary care institutions from western Saudi Arabia. In the CRE isolates, bla OXA-48 was discovered to be the most common gene. We recommend an antimicrobial resistance surveillance system to detect the emergence of resistant genes through use of new rapid diagnostic tests and monitor antimicrobial use in order to improve clinical outcomes of CRE infections given the severity of infection associated with the CRE isolates as well as the limited treatment options available.