International Journal of Microbiology

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes liver diseases (chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma) and is a leading health problem worldwide. Sequencing of the whole HBV genome provides insight into the virus genotype, subgenotype, serotype, genetic variation, and viral drug resistance. To date, no study has been conducted on the whole genome sequence of HBV obtained from Iraqi patients. Therefore, this is the first study to sequence clinical samples from these patients. Viral genomic DNA was isolated and amplified using five primer sets to amplify five overlapping regions covering the entire HBV genome. The amplicons were sequenced, aligned to a reference sequence, annotated, and submitted to the National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank database. Sequence analysis showed that the genome size of the tested viral samples was 3,182 bp and belonged to genotype D, subgenotype D1, and serotype ayw2. Missense mutations were found in the four regions (X, PreS1-S, PreC-C, and P) of the tested samples, leading to amino acid substitutions, which were 8.4%, 5.1%, 4.7%, and 4.6%, respectively. These mutations may cause severe liver diseases.

Poultry and poultry products are the common sources of Salmonella,which is one of the serious food-borne bacterial diseases in humans. Little is known about the status of Salmonella and their antimicrobial susceptibility in poultry farms in Addis Ababa. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella isolates and to investigate possible risk factors for the occurrence of Salmonella in poultry farms in Addis Ababa. We recruited 58 poultry farms, from which 471 poultry-related samples and 44 stool samples from in-contact humans were collected. The isolates were tested for their susceptibility to 11 antimicrobials using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion assay. The farm-level prevalence of Salmonella was 36.2% and the sample-level prevalence was 6.4% for samples taken from poultry farms and 4.5% in human stool samples who have contact with poultry. On-farm waste disposal practices and chicken being purchased from different multiplication farms were significantly associated with Salmonella positivity of the farms (). Eleven (34.4%) Salmonella isolates were resistant to streptomycin, and nine (28.1%) were resistant to tetracycline. Thirteen (40.6%) Salmonella isolates were resistant to two or more antimicrobials tested in this study, whereas resistance to 3 or more antimicrobials was detected in seven (21.9%) isolates. In conclusion, a high prevalence of Salmonella and a high rate of resistance to multiple antimicrobials were detected in poultry farms in Addis Ababa. Hence, implementation of strong biosecurity measures and rational use of antimicrobials are recommended.

Ethiopia is a high-tuberculosis (TB) burden country with 157 new cases per 100,000 people, with 23,800 TB-related deaths in 2020. In Ethiopia, TB patients have different healthcare-seeking behaviors. They frequently visit spiritual places, such as holy water sites (HWSs), to seek treatment for their illness spiritually. This study examined the prevalence of pulmonary TB (PTB) and drug susceptibility profiles of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates among spiritual HWS attendees in Northwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2019 to March 2020. Sputum samples were collected, processed, and cultured using Löwenstein–Jensen (LJ) culture medium. Second-generation line probe assays (LPAs), GenoType®MTBDRplus VER2.0 and GenoType®MTBDRsl VER2.0, were used to detect anti-TB drug-resistant isolates. STATA 17 was utilized to perform descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariate regression analyses. Of 560 PTB-symptomatic participants, 21.8% ((95% confidence interval (95 CI): 18.4–25.2%)) were culture-positive, resulting in a point prevalence of 1,183/100,000 attendees. Amongst HWS attendees, culture-positive TB occurred most commonly in persons 18–33 years of age (28.5% (95 CI 23.4–34.3%)). Other participant characteristics significantly associated with culture-positive PTB were as follows: rural residents (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.65; 95 CI 1.38–5.10), married participants (aOR 2.43; 95 CI 1.28–4.63), family members >5 per household (aOR 1.84; 95 CI 1.04–3.24), and sharing living space (aOR 10.57; 95 CI 3.60–31.13). Also, among 438 participants followed for 12 months after showing negative TB culture results while at the HWS, 6.8% (95 CI 4.4–9.4%) developed or contracted culture-positive TB post-residency at the HWSs. Of the 122 tested isolates, 20 (16.4%) were isoniazid (INH) and/or rifampicin (RIF) resistant. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB was detected in 15 cases (12.3%), five of which were fluoroquinolones (FLQs) resistant. The findings from this study should raise a concern about HWSs as potential high-risk settings for TB transmission. It is recommended that appropriate control measures be instituted that include compulsory TB testing and tightened infection control at HWSs, where an increased risk exists for transmission of TB.

The exchange of technologies used in field cultivation for hydroponic systems can potentially increase plant development and grain production, requiring studies to verify the best management forms, such as growth-promoting bacteria and biostimulant compounds. With this in mind, the study aimed to evaluate the effect of the application of thiamine and niacin, alone and combined, to soybean plants in the absence and presence of inoculation with B. japonicum on the agronomic and physiological characteristics of the crop grown in an ebb and flow hydroponic system. Eight treatments were evaluated using t-test (LSD) and Tukey’s test, both at 5% probability (), in addition to Pearson correlation and canonical variables. The treatments consist of inoculation with B. japonicum at 1 mL 500 g⁻¹ seeds (with and without) and foliar application of four solutions (water, niacin (0.1 g·L⁻¹), thiamine (0.1 g·L⁻¹), and niacin + thiamine (0.05 g·L⁻¹ + 0.05 g·L⁻¹)). We found that inoculation significantly improved the parameters evaluated and resulted in a gain of approximately 84.8% in yield when compared by t-test (). In addition, the action of the vitamins was more significant when they were applied without the presence of B. japonicum, especially niacin, either alone or combined with thiamine, which increased yield parameters in this condition, identified when the Tukey’s test () was applied. We conclude that inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum in soybean seeds grown in a hydroponic system significantly benefits the development and grain yield, mainly when combined with vitamin solutions. Niacin also has the potential to be used alone or combined with thiamine in noninoculated or inoculated hydroponic soybean crops, respectively.

Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common dermatologic problems, especially in children. Given the ability of symbiotic microorganisms in modulating the immune system, probiotics administration has been studied in previous research in the management of atopic dermatitis. However, there are conflicting results between studies. In this study, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of mixed probiotics as a treatment option for atopic dermatitis induced by ovalbumin. BALB/c juvenile mice were classified and divided into the ovalbumin group, mixed probiotic group (ovalbumin + LK), and control group. Except for the control group, all mice were sensitized with ovalbumin to establish a model of atopic dermatitis. The mixed probiotics were given by gavage for 14 days. Mice body weight, skin lesions, skin inflammation, ovalbumin-specific Ig, the number of Treg and CD103⁺DC, and the expression level of PD-1/PD-L1 were examined. The results showed that mixed probiotics can improve body weight and alleviate skin symptoms. Mixed probiotics reduced serum Th2 inflammatory factors, eosinophils, mast cell degranulation, mast cell count, and the expression of ovalbumin-specific immunoglobulin E/G1 and increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10, Treg cells, CD103⁺DC cells, and the expression level of PD-1/PD-L1. These findings suggest that mixed probiotics could be a viable treatment option for atopic dermatitis and provide insight into the underlying mechanisms involved.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) is a group of bacteria responsible for causing tuberculosis in animals and humans. In South Africa (S.A), slaughterhouses are registered by the government and closely inspected and audited for hygienic slaughter practices. Meat inspection to detect lesions has been used for passive surveillance, monitoring, and diagnosis of the disease status. Information on the current status of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in livestock in the country is limited. Hence, we investigated the occurrence of Mycobacterium spp. in the tissues of slaughtered livestock and environmental samples in abattoirs in Gauteng province of South Africa (S.A). The cross-sectional study employing random sampling from cattle, pigs, and sheep (with the collection of liver, lung, spleen, and different lymph nodes) irrespective of lesions was carried out in 19 red meat abattoirs. Five hundred animals were sampled, comprising cattle (n = 369), pigs (n = 90), and sheep (n = 41). Additionally, 19 environmental samples were collected from feedlots, or where animals drink water while awaiting slaughter, to identify mycobacterial species using culture, acid-fast bacteria staining, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact tests were used to detect statistically significant differences in the frequency of detection of Mycobacterium spp. according to the variables investigated (types of tissues, livestock, abattoirs, etc.). The PCR assays detected no MTBC complex species DNA in the bacterial isolates from cattle (n = 32). Sequence analysis (16S rDNA) of the isolates from eight cattle confirmed only two species, namely Mycobacterium colombiense (99.81% identity) and Mycobacterium simiae (99.42% identity). The remaining isolates were identified as members of the Actinomadura species. From the environmental samples, bacterial isolation was made from three samples, and two could only be identified up to the genus level (Mycobacterium species) while the remaining isolate was identified as Mycobacterium senuense (99.22% identity). The study revealed the absence of bovine tuberculosis-causing pathogens in red meat abattoirs of the Gauteng province. Although non-tuberculous Mycobacteria have been implicated as potentially causing tuberculosis-like diseases in livestock, their occurrence in the current study was found to be low, but the potential to cause disease cannot be ignored.