Search

There is a constant exposure of humans to Aspergillus mold fungus and 95 % of the pathogenic species. It is important to study drugs with new efficacy against infections because of increased prevalence of infections resistant to antibiotics. The present study aims to assess the antifungal activity of aqueous and ethanol plant extracts (cinnamon, garlic, ginger and guava) against five isolates of the opportunistic mold Aspergillus fumigatus. The results showed that effect of ethanol and aqueous extracts of cinnamon was same on all the five isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus. The recorded diameters of inhibition zone for isolates 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 exerted by the cinnamon ethanol extracts were 41, 46, 40, 45 and 46 mm respectively. Moreover, ginger was excluded in next experiments because all the isolates showed resistance against the aqueous and ethanol extract of ginger, except for isolate 5. Minimum inhibitory concentration was 2 mg/ ml ethanol extract of garlic and cinnamon whereas that of aqueous extract of garlic and cinnamon was 40 mg/ml and 10 mg/ml, respectively. The study concluded that ethanol extract of cinnamon can be used as antimycotic agent against Aspergillus fumigatus to treat diseases but it is urged to detect the sensitivity of fungal isolate to the extract before using as different responses are provided by isolates in a wide range of extracts.

Background Hyperbilirubinemia is toxic to the auditory pathways and to the central nervous system, leaving sequelae such as hearing loss and encephalopathy. The damage to the auditory system occurs primarily within the brainstem and cranial nerve VIII, and manifests clinically as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. Aim to establish the relationship that exists between hyperbilirubinemia at birth as a risk factor of neonatal hearing loss in children born in ABOU-EL-REISH hospital. Materials and methods we carried out of 60 neonates categorized into two groups: Group (A n = 30), neonates with hyperbilirubinemia; Group (B n = 30), neonates without hyperbilirubinemia. Results Ten neonates were boys and twenty were girls from group A and eleven boys and nigh-teen girls from group B.There was significant statistical difference between group A and group B regarding ABR (P-value = 0.001) and a statistical difference regarding OAE (P-value = 0.103 in the right ear and 0.028 in the left ear). Also, our study shows the area under the curve and the diagnostic accuracy of total serum bilirubin (TSB) level for detection of hearing screening results (ABR) at a cut-off point 21 mg/dl (P-value = 0.008 and 0.009 in the right and left ears respectively.) Conclusions Our study showed a relevant association between bilirubin levels and abnormal hearing screening results and the importance of combined screening with OAE and ABR tests.

In a previous work, the optimized crude chitinase of Trichoderma viride exhibited strong inhibitory activity against food spoilage moulds (phytopathogens) Alternaria solani, Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium oxalicum and P. italicum, with the first species being the most affected. Currently, on testing the antagonistic activity of T. viride against the previous phytopathogens, the antagonist exhibited a strong activity particularly towards A. solani. The antagonist displayed more than one mechanism of parasitism on A. solani including penetration of the pathogen hyphae, abnormal pathogen hyphae swelling, lack of conidia formation, conidia malformation as well as degradation of the pathogen cell wall chitin through secretion of chitinase enzyme which is a major cause of antagonism. Fortunately, the present chitinase secreted by Trichoderma viride is found to be a constitutive enzyme. The previously optimized enzyme showed also a powerful insecticidal activity against home insects cockroach, spider and ant where the exoskeleton was softened and hydrolyzed, followed by rapid killing of the insects within 12 minutes.

Enterobacter cloacae was originally isolated from soil irrigated with wastewater on the basis of its ability to grow with linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) as the sole source for carbon and energy. The isolated bacterium was grown in batch cultures using a 2-chlorobenzoic acid (2-CBA)-containing minimal salt medium (MSM). 2-CBA was found to be the sole source for carbon and energy. 2-CBA inhibited the growth rate with a maximum concentration of 10 mM, after which no growth occurred. The Haldane model was used to predict the specific growth rate concentration data. 2-CBA degradation by starved E. cloaca cells was faster than that of nonstarved cells. The maximum growth rates on 2-CBA (2 mM) for starved and nonstarved cells reached only 0.34 and 0.28 h−1, respectively. Glucose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, succinic acid, and mannitol as additional carbon sources at a fixed concentration (0.2%) caused the degradation rate of 2-CBA to proceed faster at ranges between 1.08- and 1.5-fold higher than tha...

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains have emerged as important foodborne pathogens of global public health concern, causing life-threatening diseases. Sheep and their products have been documented as important reservoirs for STECs, especially E. coli O157. The aim of this study was to investigate STECs from diarrheal human and sheep in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. Fecal samples were collected between June and August, 2015 from diarrheal humans (n = 134) and sheep (n = 87). Presumptive E. coli human-and sheep-isolated strains were identified for their serotypes, the associated virulence genes (Shiga toxin [stx1 , stx2 ], haemolysin [ehxA] and intimin [eae]) by polymerase chain reaction and their susceptibility to antibiotics. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to demonstrate the genetic relatedness between Serotype O157:H7 human- and sheep-isolated strains. Forty eight (48/221; 21.7%) STECs were recovered from both human and sheep, their serotypes were as follows: O157:H7, O26:H11, O157:HNM, O26:HNM, O128:H2, O48:HNM, O111:HNM and OUT:HUT. Various virulence profiles and multiple antibiotic resistance were observed among the isolates. Twenty eight O157:H7 serotypes (17 human isolates and 11 sheep isolates) were identified in 13 PFGE pulsotypes, where human and sheep isolates were highly related. PFGE banding profiles together with serotypes and genotypes afford proof that human and sheep can be colonized and infected with similar E. coli O157:H7 strains. Our findings highlight the importance of epidemiological and microbiological surveillance of STECs; as well as the development of control measures to decrease risks associated with zoonotic O157:H7.

Background/aim: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common birth defect. Many studies have reported GATA4 mutations in patients with CHD, mainly septal defects. This study aimed to investigate the GATA4 exon 1 mutation in Egyptian patients with isolated congenital heart defects as a possible causative mutation. Materials and methods: Screening for mutations or any sequence variations in exon 1 of the GATA4 gene was carried out by PCR amplification followed by direct sequencings in 165 Egyptian patients with different nonsyndromic congenital heart diseases and 93 controls who were matched in terms of age and sex. Thorough clinical assessments were done for all subjects, along with X-ray, 2D echocardiography, and Doppler examinations. Results: The most common CHD among our cases was isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD) in 47.3% (78/165), followed by isolated atrial septal defect. A novel nonsynonymous sequence variation in fragment 2 (P193H) of exon 1 of GATA4 was detected in 15 (9.1%) of the subjects with septal defects. This mutation was not seen in any of the control group subjects. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of exon 1 GATA4 mutation (9.1%) in our study compared to other studies in different populations, which may correlate with different ethnic populations.

Seven fungal species (1237 colonies/g dry soil) belonging to three genera were isolated from soil sample (pH 8.7, total soluble salts 0.81 mS/cm, organic carbon 0.25%) located in the industrial city at Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah. Such soil receives a long-term application of untreated industrial effluents. The isolated species were Aspergillus candidus, Aspergillus carneus, Aspergillus flavipes, Aspergillus flavus var columnaris, Aspergillus unguis, Cephalosporium curtipes and Cylindrophora hoffmannii. Genus Aspergillus , the most dominant, accounted for 95.1% of the total count and was represented by five species. A. candidus was the most prevalent species on the isolation plates (37.2% of the total count) followed by A. flavipes and A.unguis . The isolated fungi were investigated for their potential to remove heavy metals from wastewater effluent of tanning leather industry. Such effluent was alkaline (pH, 8.2) with high content of total soluble salts (30.6 mS/cm) and heavy metals including Pb +2 , Cu +2 , Fe +3 , Mn +2 , Cr +6 and Sr +2 . The isolated fungi showed significant metal sorption capacity which was species and metal dependent. Almost all the fungi showed more affinity to Pb +2 than Cr +6 and Sr +2 . The most dominant A. candidus on the isolation plates exhibited the highest activity for biosorption of heavy metals. The results indicate that fungi of contaminated soils have high level of metal biosorption capacities. Keywords : Fungi, industrial wastewater, biosorption, heavy metals. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(27), pp. 4351-4355

The previously optimized crude alkaline protease from the haloalkaliphilic Bacillus circulans L. was partially purified using ammonium sulphate fractionation and dialysis. The best specific activity (27.7 U/mg protein) was obtained at 80% saturation. The optimum reaction temperature and reaction pH was 47℃ and 9, respectively. The enzyme activity was enhanced with Ca and K chlorides but suppressed with HgCl2 and EDTA. The partially purified protease showed strong proteolytic activity on sheep wool and chicken feather. Also, the enzyme was compatible with the common detergent Tide and could improve its cleaning power in removing blood stain. These findings support the application of the present alka-line protease in biotechnological industries.

Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrlyamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) was used to assess the purity and molecular weight of the previously purified alkaline keratinase enzyme of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. The enzyme was homogenous, as seen by a single band of protein, and had an apparent molecular weight of 28.5kDa. Amino acid profile of the purified keratinase revealed that it was composed of 14 different amino acids with high proportions of glutamic acid (20.86%), alanine (14.52%), glycine (14.21%), leucine (8.59%) and serine (7.81%). The enzyme contained moderate amounts of valine (6.01%), threonine (5.58%) and phenyl alanine (5.22%). The purified enzyme of S. brevicaulis exerted a potent keratinolytic activity and was capable to hydrolyze different keratinaceous materials with highest activity on chicken feathers followed by human nails and human hair.

A 19.5-year-old patient after Mustard operation was found to have baffle leaks and obstruction. This patient underwent successful device closure of the leaks using the Amplatzer device and stent implantation with complete resolution of the symptoms. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2001;54:72–76. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Eight fungal species characterized by chitinolytic activity were isolated from Egyptian black sand collected from Rosetta coast. Genus Aspergillus and Alternaria alternata exhibited the highest density (40% of the total count, each) on the isolation plates containing different treatments of native shrimp shell chitin. Genus Aspergillus was represented by A. flavus, A. niger, A. foetidus and A. tungius, with the former species being the most dominant. The other species were Cladosporium herbarum, Fusarium equisitum (5.71% of the total count, each) and Dendryphiella vinosa (3.21% of the total count). The isolated species were screened for chitinase production on agar plates containing 0.2% colloidal chitin. The chitinolytic activity of each individual was not always correlated with its density on the isolation plates. Alternaria alternata was the most promising species for chitinase excretion. The use of colloidal chitin (1.5%) as a sole carbon source was superior for the enzyme production by A. alternata. Maximum enzyme yield was obtained after 7 days incubation at 30 degrees C with shaking (150 rev min(-1)), with an initial pH value of the growth medium at 5.0. Presence of NaNO3 (0.3%), the best nitrogen source, and CaCl2 (100 microg/ml) stimulated the induction of the enzyme. The crude A. alternata chitinase revealed a potential insecticidal effect on the larvae of fruitfly (82% mortality) and could degrade crude shrimp shell waste.

The aim of this study was to determine bacterial contamination in 28 refrigerated and unrefrigerated, commercial and home-made food items in Al Madinah Al Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. Of the 60 bacterial strains isolated, 53 were recovered from food samples refrigerated for 7 days and 7 from fresh, unrefrigerated food. The isolated bacteria were screened for lecithinase enzyme (toxin) production by the cup plate clearing zone technique. All isolates were positive on the basis of their ability to grow aerobically on egg yolk agar, giving black colonies as a characteristic feature of lecithinase production and opaque zones with diameters of 4–27 mm. Isolates were categorized into low, moderate and high lecithinase producers. Potent lecithinase-producing strains isolated from refrigerated green pepper (PS1) and lettuce (LS1) had a remarkably large zone measuring 27 ± 1.9 mm. All isolates also had additional toxic properties, including caseinase and haemolytic activities. Genotypic characterization by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis showed that strains PS1 and LS1 were from same genus. Phenotypic characterization with biochemical tests and the Phoenix identification system suggested their affiliation to the Bacillus group. 16S rDNA sequence analysis of both strains showed them to be Bacillus cereus, with 99% sequence similarity to B. cereus strain J8B-67.