Summaryobjective The Kato-Katz technique misses a proportion of low-intensity schistosomiasis cases. We set out to estimate the rate of false negative results after Kato-Katz. conclusion The Percoll technique seems to be the technique of choice for diagnosis of S. mansoni in low intensity areas and after treatment.

CA-MRSA must be considered when treating skin and soft tissue infections, especially in developing countries. Empirical use of agents active against CA-MRSA is warranted for patients presenting with serious SSTIs.

The synthesis of some substituted 3‐hydroxy‐1‐oxo‐1H,5H‐pyrido[1,2‐a]benzimidazole‐4‐carbonitriles and 4‐ethyl carboxylates 3 and their 0‐ and N‐dialkyl derivatives 5,6 is described. 3‐Ethoxy‐5‐ethyl‐2‐phenyl‐1H,5H‐pyrido[1,2‐a]benzimidazol‐1‐one 7 was obtained during the course of ethylating the parent ester 3t with triethyl phosphate. Chlorination of 3 with phosphorus oxychloride afforded the corresponding 1,3‐dichloropyrido[1,2‐a]benzimidazoles 8 which were converted to a variety of azido, amino, morpholino and methoxy derivatives of the system. The synthesis of the indolopyridobenzimidazole 15 is also described. Two compounds exhibited in vitro antibacterial activity. Many compounds were screened for antileukemic, antimicrobial, herbicidal and plant antifungal potencies but were inactive.

Thirty-three Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates, resistant to one or more β-lactams, were included in this study. Identification of tested strains was confirmed using MALDI-TOF/MS. Phenotypic and genotypic β-lactamase patterns were investigated. Most of the isolates were resistant to carbapenems (32 out of 33) and to the extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) (30 out of 33). Phenotypically, the production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), metallo-β-lactamases (MBL), and carbapenemases was detected in 10, 23, and 9 isolates, respectively. However, AmpC hyperproduction was not phenotypically detected among all isolates. Genotypically, ESBL and MBL encoding genes were detected in 23 and 27 isolates, respectively. Altogether 27 strains were detected as bla VIM positive and 16 strains carried bla OXA-10 gene. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. aeruginosa clinical isolates harboring bla VEB together with bla GES in Egypt, where 5 of our 30 ESCresistant isolates showed this genotype. Our results confirmed that resistance of P. aeruginosa isolates to β-lactam antibiotics is mediated via multiple β-lactamases belonging to different molecular classes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bla VEB among P. aeruginosa clinical isolates from Egypt. Ten isolates harbored bla VEB and five of them co-harbored bla VEB together with bla GES , bla VIM , and bla OXA-10.

A total of 202 serum and stool samples from acute hepatitis patients attending the Fever Hospital of Alexandria, Egypt, have been studied to reveal markers of hepatitis virus infection. Anti-HAV IgM were detected in 21 out of 202 sera (10.4%), whereas 201 sera (99.5%) had anti-HAV IgG. The first age attack was in the class-age 0-9 years with 64.7% of anti-HAV IgM positive sera. Among 202 patients, anti-hepatitis E IgG (sample/over cut off > 1.0) was identified in 90 patients (44.5%). The anti-HEV seropositivity ranged from 17.6% to 60.0% in the different age groups, with the highest level in the class-age 20 29 years. Anti-hepatitis E IgM were identified in 49 patients with the first age attack in the class-age 10-19 years (39.4%). HAV RNA was identified by nested PCR in 7 samples out of 15, whereas HEV RNA was present in 4 out of 75 stool samples. Direct DNA sequence of the latter PCR products confirmed the presence of the HEV genome; comparison of the sequences of the isolates from Egypt with those in data banks revealed the highest homology to the Burma strain. Our data confirm that HAV and HEV are common causes of acute sporadic hepatitis in Alexandria but with different peak age positivity. Occasionally, but not infrequently, dual infections (HAV-HEV and HEV-enteric viruses) were also found. The risk analysis indicates that patients living in rural areas are exposed to a higher risk of hepatitis E infection compared to the urban population, whereas the presence of anti-HEV IgG was significantly associated with consumption of common village water and use of indoor dry pit and oral therapy for schistosomiasis.

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Abstractobjective To evaluate the performance of Percoll sedimentation and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of S. mansoni cases previously tested as negative by Kato-Katz technique in two low-endemic areas in Alexandria, Egypt, Abis 4 and 8 villages.methods Stool samples of 824 primary schoolchildren were examined by Kato-Katz technique (three slides of 41.7 mg each). After obtaining the results of this survey, stool samples were recollected from a subset of 150 students, who gave negative results after Kato-Katz. These samples were microscopically examined after the concentration with Percoll technique. Part of the 150 negative stool samples and five positive samples (used as controls) were kept at À20°C and further processed by SYBR Green PCR.results Prevalence of S. mansoni infection as determined by three Kato-Katz thick smears was 1.82% (15 cases). Three more cases tested positive by Percoll sedimentation among the 150 samples that were negative by Kato-Katz. Specific amplification by SYBR Green PCR was noted in all positive controls and in three cases of Kato-Katz-negative samples, two of which were also positive by Percoll.conclusion Percoll sedimentation and SYBR Green PCR proved useful in detecting low-intensity S. mansoni infections in low-endemicity areas in Egypt.