Background and Aim: The emergence of colistin-resistant strains is considered a great threat for patients with severe infections. Here, we investigate the prevalence and some possible mechanisms of colistin resistance among multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using disc diffusion methods while colistin resistance was detected by agar dilution method. Possible mechanisms for colistin resistance were studied by detection of mcr-1 and mcr-2 genes by conventional PCR, detection of efflux mechanisms using Carbonyl Cyanide 3-Chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), studying outer membrane protein profile and Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) profile of resistant isolates. Results: It was found that MDR and XDR represented 96% and 87% of the isolated P. aeruginosa, respectively, and colistin resistance represented 21.3%. No isolates were positive for mcr-2 gene while 50% of colistin-resistant isolates were positive for mcr-1. Efflux mechanisms were detected in 3 isolates. Protein profile showed the presence of a band of 21.4 KDa in the resistant strains which may represent OprH while LPS profile showed differences among colistin-resistant mcr-1 negative strains, colistin-resistant mcr-1 positive strains and susceptible strains. Conclusion: The current study reports a high prevalence of colistin resistance and mcr-1 gene in P. aeruginosa strains isolated from Egypt that may result in untreatable infections. Our finding makes it urgent to avoid unnecessary clinical use of colistin.

The emergence of bla KPC-2 and bla NDM-1 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae represents a great problem in many Egyptian hospitals. One hundred and twenty-six K. pneumoniae isolates from patients admitted to Assiut University Hospital were identified by an API20E kit. Carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (CPKP) was detected by the modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM), the EDTA-modified carbapenem inactivation method (eCIM), and an E-test. Based on the polymerase chain reaction, all isolates were negative for bla-VIM-1 and bla-IMP-1 , fifteen of these isolates were positive for both bla KPC-2 and bla NDM-1 , two isolates were positive for bla KPC-2 only, and twenty-eight isolates were positive for bla-NDM-1 only. Although one isolate was positive for the string test, all CPKP isolates were negative for capsular genes. Only 71.1% of CPKP transferred their plasmids to their corresponding transconjugants (E. coli J53). The resistance patterns of the clinical isolates and their transconjugates were similar, except for 12 isolates, which showed differences with their transconjugates in the resistance profile of four antibiotics. Molecular typing of the plasmids based on replicon typing showed that Inc FIIK and FII plasmids predominated in isolates and their transconjugants carrying bla KPC-2 and/or bla NDM-1 . Conjugative Inc FII plasmids play an important role in the spread of CPKP, and their recognition is essential to limit their spread.

Most of the infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa strains are extremely difficult to be treated with conventional antibiotics. Biofilm formation and efflux pumps are recognized as the major antibiotic resistance mechanisms in MDR P. aeruginosa. Biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa depends mainly on the cell-to-cell communication quorum-sensing (QS) systems. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TDN) have been used as antimicrobial agents against several microorganisms but have not been reported as an anti-QS agent. This study aims to evaluate the impact of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TDN) on QS and efflux pump genes expression in MDR P. aeruginosa isolates. The antimicrobial susceptibility of 25 P. aeruginosa isolates were performed by Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TDN) were prepared by the sol gel method and characterized by different techniques (DLS, HR-TEM, XRD, and FTIR). The expression of efflux pumps in the MDR isolates was detected by the determination of MICs of different antibiotics in the presence and absence of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). Biofilm formation and the antibiofilm activity of TDN were determined using the tissue culture plate method. The effects of TDN on the expression of QS genes and efflux pump genes were tested using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The average size of the TDNs was 64.77 nm. It was found that TDN showed a significant reduction in biofilm formation (96%) and represented superior antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa strains in comparison to titanium dioxide powder. In addition, the use of TDN alone or in combination with antibiotics resulted in significant downregulation of the efflux pump genes (MexY, MexB, MexA) and QS-regulated genes (lasR, lasI, rhll, rhlR, pqsA, pqsR) in comparison to the untreated isolate. TDN can increase the therapeutic efficacy of traditional antibiotics by affecting efflux pump expression and quorum-sensing genes controlling biofilm production.

Background NS5B polymerase inhibitors represent the cornerstone of the present treatment of Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). Naturally occurring substitution mutations to NS5B inhibitors have been recorded. The current study intended to demonstrate possible natural direct acting antiviral (DAA)—mutations of the HCV NS5B region in HCV patients in Minia governorate, Egypt. Methods Samples were collected from 27 treatment-naïve HCV patients and 8 non-responders. Out of 27 treatment-naïve patients, 17 NS5B sequences (amino acids 221–345) from treatment-naïve patients and one sample of non-responders were successfully amplified. Nucleotide sequences have been aligned, translated into amino acids, and compared to drug resistance mutations reported in the literature. Results NS5B amino acid sequence analysis ensures several novel NS5B mutations existence (more than 40 substitution mutations) that have not been previously documented to be correlated with a resistant phenotype. It was found that K304R (82.4%), E327D and P300T (76.5% each) substitutions were the most distributed in the tested samples, respectively. S282T, the major resistance mutation that induces high sofosbuvir-resistance level in addition to other reported mutations (L320F/C) and (C316Y/N) were not recognized. Q309R mutation is a ribavirin-associated resistance, which was recognized in one strain (5.9%) of genotype 1g sequences. Besides, one substitution mutation (E237G) was identified in the successfully amplified non-responder sample. Conclusion Our study showed various combinations of mutations in the analyzed NS5B genes which could enhance the possibility of therapy failure in patients administered regimens including multiple DAA.

Introduction: The efficacy of several antimicrobial agents has been hindered due to the increasing frequency of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. So, the need for new antibacterial drugs or drug combinations is urgent. Recently, desirable antibacterial effects were reported for many metals nanoparticles such as TiO 2 nanoparticles (TDNs). Purpose: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of MDR P. aeruginosa and assess the efficiency of TDN in the treatment of MDR P. aeruginosa-associated infections. Materials and Methods: The synthesis of TDN by the sol-gel method was carried out. Particle size measurements and morphology were done using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). To investigate the physical and chemical changes of drugs due to the combination, the tested drugs, both alone and in combination with TDN, were subjected to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction studies. Antimicrobial susceptibility was detected by agar disc-diffusion assay. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of TDN and the tested antibiotics were assessed by the agar dilution method. Checkerboard analysis was performed to determine the combined effect of TDN and the tested antibiotics against 25 MDR P. aeruginosa strains. Results: TDNs were prepared with an average particle size of 64.77 ± 0.14 nm with an accepted polydispersity index (PDI) value of 0.274 ± 0.004. TEM showed that the particles were shaped into irregular spheres. Twenty-five P. aeruginosa isolates that were absolutely resistant to cefepime (100%), highly resistant to ceftriaxone (96%), amikacin (80%), and ciprofloxacin (76%) were selected. Superior antibacterial activity of TDN was observed against the selected 25 MDR P. aeruginosa isolates. The combination of TDN and cefepime were found to show synergistic activity against all tested isolates followed by ceftriaxone (96%), amikacin (88%), and ciprofloxacin (80%). Conclusion: Using TDN in combination with antibiotics can help in the treatment of MDR P. aeruginosa-associated infections. So, preparation of topical pharmaceutical dosage forms containing a combination of these antibiotics and TDN can be useful against MDR P. aeruginosa.

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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the blood transmitted hepatitis viruses. HCV infections have been identified as major causes of chronic hepatic diseases, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The aims of the current study were to determine the HCV viral load between 35 hepatitis C patients in Minia governorate, Egypt, and to assess association of the viral load with abnormal liver functions including; Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), prothrombin activity and platelet count. In addition to assessing if there are any risk factors associated with the population group, sex, age and other factors. About 35 blood samples were collected from hepatitis C patients randomly selected from the outpatient clinic at the Viral Hepatitis Management Center, Minia governorate, Egypt; including males and females of different ages. Viral load was determined using Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). All relevant information was collected from each patient including personal and clinical data. Current results showed that 68.60 % of the samples were from males and 31.4 % were from females, and most of them aged between 51 and 70 years. Approximately 11 (31.4 %) of the HCV patients had viral loads of <106, 12 (34.3 %) recorded viral loads of <105, and about 12 cases (34.3 %) had a viral load of < 104. HCV infection has been associated with 4 risk factors representing high HCV transmission routes including; dental intervention (80.0 %), history of hospital admission (65.7 %), previous surgeries (57.1 %) and family history of HCV (48.6 %). However, history of Schistosomiasis and blood-transfusion showed low association with HCV infection; recording (31.4 %) and (22.9 %), respectively.