Infestations with the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae represent a major ectoparasite problem in poultry and affects egg and meat production worldwide. The effects of the neem seed product Mite-Stop against the red poultry mite were investigated. Five primitive poultry farms in two small villages in the Nile Delta and Giza district were selected for the study. The neem extract was diluted 1:40 and 1:50 with tap water just prior to use. Application of the two dilutions of the provided product was performed to soil, cracks and crevices of the examined area as well as to mite-infested birds on day 0 and day 7. Two hours after treatment soil dust was collected from sprayed regions of the stable and from unsprayed control regions of the same stable. The treated chickens were also checked for mites 2 h after each treatment. The examination of the chickens 2 h after spraying showed that they were free of mites. The examination of treated soil with the Tullgren funnel apparatus 2 h after the first spraying on day 0 already showed a considerable reduction of living mites compared to controls. Seven days after the first treatment of the soil the number of living mites was reduced for 80% in the treated soil and decreased even more after the second spraying, since those larvae that had hatched from eggs in the meantime were killed. The 1:40 dilution of the neem seed extract with tap water was superior to the 1:50 dilution. These results clearly show a very high killing rate of the extract, if the mites come in direct contact with the compound. However, in order to obtain extinction also of hidden and freshly hatched stages repeated spraying should be done three times within 8-10 days.

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Background and Aim: Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) is a group of mycobacteria that are important human pathogens. Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis cause serious chronic life-threatening disease and also significant economic losses in both production and remedication. Recently, emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) complex has generated global recognition of the need for rapid and sensitive diagnosis and development of new treatments. The current study illustrates the isolation/identification of MTBC strains in specimens obtained from cows and humans by conventional and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques. Further, the study assesses sensitivity to antituberculosis drugs in isolated MDR strains. Materials and Methods: A total of 1464 samples from cattle (1285 raw milk and 179 lymph node), and 149 human sputum samples, were collected from farms and abattoirs in Delta Egypt. Conventional methods (culture and Ziehl–Neelsen staining) were implemented as were RT-PCR using MTBC universal DNA. The effect of some antituberculosis drugs on obtained isolates was assayed using drug susceptibility proportion and qualitative suspension techniques. Results: The MBTC detection rate using the culture method was higher than for Ziehl–Neelsen staining; raw cow milk (2.56 vs. 1.63%), lymph nodes (51.59 vs. 48.04%), and human sputum (5.36 vs. 4.02%). A total of 135 isolates were obtained. Application of RT-PCR detected 138 isolates from the same set of samples. MBTC isolates were resistant to first-line antituberculosis drugs, such as pyrazinamide, isoniazid, rifampicin, and ethambutol by 78.5, 59.3, 40.7, and 31.8%, respectively, and could be highly resistant to kanamycin (82.3%) and amikacin (80.7%). However, isolates remained sensitive to ciprofloxacin (71.1%) and clarithromycin (73.3%) as second-line drugs. Conclusion: There is a growing risk for isolation of MDR-TB from raw milk and lymph nodes of field tuberculin positive cattle as well as sputum of veterinarians and workers existed in farms and abattoirs. PCR-based techniques have become the gold standard for the identification of mycobacterial species, showing high efficiency compared to bacteriological and microscopic examination. Application of the first- and second-line antituberculosis drugs in combination could counter the MDR-TB concern once infections are identified.

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In the present study, the efficacy of water-free neem seed extract shampoo Wash Away Louse, provided by Alpha-Biocare GmbH, Düsseldorf (Germany), was investigated against Sarcoptes scabiei infesting dogs in Egypt. Ten naturally infested dogs were collected from different areas in the Nile delta. The occurrence of lesions, hair loss, and skin inflammation were regarded as signs of infestation and proved by detection of adult parasites and their developmental stages in scrapings of infested lesions. Adequate amount of the provided shampoo was applied topically and spread on the infested areas daily for 14 successive days. Scraping examinations were used to follow up the healing process. At day 7 of application, four dogs were completely free of mites as was proven by the disappearance of adults and/or any developmental stages of mites. The remaining six dogs showed a clear decrease in mite counts. By the end of the treatment (after 14 days), only a small number of mites were found in two dogs, while eight dogs were completely cured as was proven by mite counts and disappearance of clinical signs. No remarkable signs of side effects or adverse reactions were observed throughout the study.

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