Background and Aim: Houseflies (Musca domestica) are synanthropic insects which serve as biological or mechanical vectors for spreading multidrug-resistant bacteria responsible for many infectious diseases. This study aimed to detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria from houseflies, and to examine their resistance genes. Materials and Methods: A total of 140 houseflies were captured using sterile nylon net from seven places of Mymensingh city, Bangladesh. Immediately after collection, flies were transferred to a sterile zipper bag and brought to microbiology laboratory within 1 h. Three bacterial species were isolated from houseflies, based on cultural and molecular tests. After that, the isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing against commonly used antibiotics, by the disk diffusion method. Finally, the detection of antibiotic resistance genes tetA, tetB, mcr-3, mecA, and mecC was performed by a polymerase chain reaction. Results: The most common isolates were Staphylococcus aureus (78.6%), Salmonella spp., (66.4%), and Escherichia coli (51.4%). These species of bacteria were recovered from 78.3% of isolates from the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital areas. Most of the isolates of the three bacterial species were resistant to erythromycin, tetracycline, penicillin and amoxicillin and were sensitive to ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, and azithromycin. Five antibiotic resistance genes of three bacteria were detected: tetA, tetB, mcr-3, and mecA were found in 37%, 20%, 20%, and 14% isolates, respectively, and no isolates were positive for mecC gene. Conclusion: S. aureus, Salmonella spp., and E. coli with genetically-mediated multiple antibiotic resistance are carried in houseflies in the Mymensingh region. Flies may, therefore, represent an important means of transmission of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria, with consequent risks to human and animal health.

Aim: To detect antibiotic-resistant pathogenic Escherichia coli in house flies captured from various environmental settings. Materials & methods: Isolation and identification of E. coli was performed based on culture and PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using disk diffusion test. Detection of virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes was carried out using PCR methods. Results: The prevalence of E. coli in flies was 61% with highest in dairy farms (70.67%) followed by food centers (65.33%), dustbins (64%) and area close to hospital (44%). The prevalence rates of tetA, tetB, ereA, CITM, SHV, mcr-3 and catA1 resistance determinants were 88.75, 48.52, 41.67, 37.17, 27.77, 18.37 and 14.81%, respectively. Conclusion: Multidrug-resistant pathogenic E. coli are widely distributed in house flies, which requires a one-health approach to delineate their control.

Objective: Emergence of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli (CREC) has generated a sense of public alarm. The objective of this study was to detect the CREC and identification of the gene responsible for such resistance. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 samples comprising poultry cloacal swab, house flies ( Musca domestica ), and pond water were collected randomly from Mymensingh, Bangladesh and analyzed. Isolation and identification of E. coli were done based on culture and E. coli 16S rRNA gene-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Phenotypic detection of CREC was done by disk diffusion method. Finally, colistin resistance genes were detected by PCR by using colistin resistant gene mcr3 specific primers. Results: Among the 150 samples, phenotypically 18.00% ( n = 27/150) isolates were found as colistin resistant. By PCR, 8.00% of the E. coli isolates were found positive for the presence of mcr3 gene. Conclusions: Colistin resistant E. coli carrying mcr3 are detected in poultry, house flies and water that are of great public health concern.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia that affects millions of individuals worldwide. It is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by memory loss, impaired learning and thinking, and difficulty in performing regular daily activities. Despite nearly two decades of collective efforts to develop novel medications that can prevent or halt the disease progression, we remain faced with only a few options with limited effectiveness. There has been a recent growth of interest in the role of nutrition in brain health as we begin to gain a better understanding of what and how nutrients affect hormonal and neural actions that not only can lead to typical cardiovascular or metabolic diseases but also an array of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Vitamins and minerals, also known as micronutrients, are elements that are indispensable for functions including nutrient metabolism, immune surveillance, cell development, neurotransmission, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this review, we provide an overview on some of the most common vitamins and minerals and discuss what current studies have revealed on the link between these essential micronutrients and cognitive performance or AD.

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Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence and characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from chicken and quail eggshells and to study the antibiogram of the isolates. Materials and methods: A total of 300 eggs (220 chicken eggs and 80 quail eggs) were collected from different retail shops and farms in Mymensingh district. Swabs taken from the egg surfaces were cultured on Mannitol Salt Agar for the isolation of S. aureus . Polymerase chain reaction was conducted for confirmatory identification of the bacterial species targeting nuc gene, followed by confirmation of methicillin-resistant S. aureus by targeting the mecA gene. Antibiotic sensitivity test of the isolated bacteria was done against commonly used antibiotics by the disk diffusion method. Results: The prevalence of Staphylococcus spp. and S. aureus in the chicken eggshell surface was 20.45% and 10.45%, respectively. Similarly, the prevalence of Staphylococcus spp. and S. aureus in quail eggshell surface was 16.25% and 5%, respectively. Overall, 27 isolates were identified as S. aureus , of which 23 were from the chicken eggshell surface and four from quail eggshell surface. Among the seven isolates tested, overall four (57.14%) were positive for the nuc gene. On the other hand, the mecA gene could be detected in three (50%) S. aureus out of six oxacillin resistant isolates. The antibiogram study indicated that most of the isolates were resistant to the antibiotics under β-lactam group. Conclusion: The present study concludes that chicken and quail egg surface harbor multidrug-resistant bacteria which may cause public health hazards, if these antibiotic-resistant bacteria are transferred to a human.

This study was designed to isolate and characterize the Staphylococcus aureus from raw cow's milk and some other dairy products sold in the local markets of Mymensingh district of Bangladesh by using conventional methods and molecular techniques. Raw cow's milk, pasteurized milk, yogurt, roshmalai, cheese, lassi, matha, milk-shake, custard, faluda, pudding and borhani sampled from different retail shops and renowned restaurants of the local markets of Mymensingh. Out of 72 samples tested, all the samples revealed presence of Staphylococcus spp. and 57 isolates found coagulase positive S. aureus. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the 57 pathogenic isolates was determined by using 10 commercially available antimicrobial drugs by disk diffusion assay. It exposed that majority of the isolates (79.16%) showed resistant to more than three antimicrobial agents. Among 57 isolates, 14 (24.56%) showed resistance against both methicillin and oxacillin, also intermediately resistant against vancomycin. Molecular detection of mecA and mecC gene in the 14 methicillin and oxacillin resistant isolates for the identification of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains revealed 8 isolates (57%) from raw milk, yogurt, roshmalai, borhani and cheese to be positive for mecA gene while it was not detected in any other of the samples. None of the tested samples found mecC positive. Our findings revealed that the milk and dairy food products sold at local markets of Mymensingh are contaminated with multidrug resistant S. aureus elucidating a possible risk of MRSA infection which is alarming for both human and animal health.

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