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IntroductionAs a growing direction, nano-based therapy has become a successful paradigm used to address the phytogenic delivery-related problems in overcoming multivirulent vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) infection.MethodsHence, our aim was to develop and assess a novel nanocarrier system (mesoporous silica nanoparticles, MPS-NPs) for free berberine (Free-BR) as an antimicrobial alkaloid against strong biofilm-producing and multi-virulent VRSA strains using in vitro and in vivo mouse model.Results and discussionOur outcomes demonstrated vancomycin resistance in 13.7% of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strains categorized as VRSA. Notably, strong biofilm formation was observed in 69.2% of VRSA strains that were all positive for icaA gene. All strong biofilm-producing VRSA strains harbored a minimum of two virulence genes comprising clfA and icaA with 44.4% of them possessing all five virulence genes (icaA, tst, clfA, hla, and pvl), and 88.9% being multi-virulent. The study findings affirmed excellent in vitro antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of BR-loaded MPS-NPs. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) assay displayed the downregulating role of BR-loaded MPS-NPs on strong biofilm-producing and multi-virulent VRSA strains virulence and agr genes in both in vitro and in vivo mice models. Additionally, BR-loaded MPS-NPs supplementation has a promising role in attenuating the upregulated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines’ genes in VRSA-infected mice with attenuation in pro-apoptotic genes expression resulting in reduced VRSA-induced apoptosis. In essence, the current study recommends the future scope of using BR-loaded MPS-NPs as auspicious alternatives for antimicrobials with tremendous antimicrobial, antibiofilm, anti-quorum sensing (QS), and anti-virulence effectiveness against problematic strong biofilm-producing and multi-virulent VRSA-associated infections.

Toxoplasmosis is a global zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). The primary aim of this study was to identify hygienic and cat management practices that could affect the occurrence of T. gondii in cats and their owners in Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. T. gondii infection was evaluated in 80 pregnant women and 29 domestic cats using Real-time PCR. A questionnaire was administered to obtain information regarding the risk factors associated with T. gondii infection. Blood samples were collected from enrolled pregnant women, and fecal samples were collected from their pet cats. Firth logistic regression model complemented with random forest (RF) analysis was used to evaluate the association of different hygiene and cat management practices with T. gondii infection in pregnant women. T. gondii infection was identified in 27.5% of pregnant women and 17% of domestic cats. Drinking raw milk and contacting stray and pet cats were significantly associated with higher odds of T. gondii infection. The proportion of T. gondii-positive women who ate raw meat (60.0%) was higher than those ate heat-cooked meat (25.3%). Moreover, women who did not wash their hands after contact with cats were 6 times (OR 6.12; CI: 3.03–9.21) more likely to experience T. gondii infection than those washed their hands after cat contact. The RF analysis showed that washing hands constitute a serious yet preventable public health concern that requires targeted, community-specific efforts. Cat owners, particularly pregnant women, need to be aware about the risk of T. gondii infection, while handling cat and pet's owner should be advised to take necessary hygienic measures to prevent its infection.

Abstract Background Dermatophytosis in calves is a major public and veterinary health concern worldwide because of its zoonotic potential and associated economic losses in cattle farms. However, this condition has lacked adequate attention; thus, to develop effective control measures, we determined ringworm prevalence, risk factors, and the direct-sample nested PCR diagnostic indices compared with the conventional methods of dermatophytes identification. Moreover, the phenolic composition of an Aloe vera gel extract (AGE) and its in vitro and in vivo antidermatophytic activity were evaluated and compared with those of antifungal drugs. Results Of the 760 calves examined, 55.79% (424/760) showed ringworm lesions; 84.91% (360/424) were positive for fungal elements in direct-microscopy, and 79.72% (338/424) were positive in culture. Trichophyton verrucosum was the most frequently identified dermatophyte (90.24%). The risk of dermatophytosis was higher in 4–6-month-old vs. 1-month-old calves (60% vs. 41%), and in summer and winter compared with spring and autumn seasons (66 and 54% vs. 48%). Poor hygienic conditions, intensive breeding systems, animal raising for meat production, parasitic infestation, crossbreeding, and newly purchased animals were statistically significant risk factors for dermatophytosis. One-step PCR targeting the conserved regions of the 18S and 28S genes achieved unequivocal identification of T. verrucosum and T. mentagrophytes in hair samples. Nested-PCR exhibited an excellent performance in all tested diagnostic indices and increased the species-specific detection of dermatophytes by 20% compared with culture. Terbinafine and miconazole were the most active antifungal agents for dermatophytes. Gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, cinnamic acid, aloe-Emodin, quercetin, and rutin were the major phenolic compounds of AGE, as assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These compounds increased and synergized the antidermatophytic activity of AGE. The treated groups showed significantly lower clinical scores vs. the control group (P

Among many bovine Mycoplasma species (spp.), Mycoplasma bovis is recognized as a significant causative agent of respiratory diseases in cattle. In recent years, resistant M. bovis isolates, especially to fluoroquinolones, have been reported globally as a result of the extensive usage of antimicrobials in the treatment of bovine pneumonia. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bovine Mycoplasma spp. isolated from the respiratory tracts of cattle in Egypt and to assess the fluoroquinolones resistance in the recovered mycoplasma isolates via broth microdilution and conventional PCR techniques. Conventional phenotypic methods identified 128 mycoplasma isolates (32%) from 400 different samples, with M. bovis being the predominant spp. (61%), followed by M. bovirhinis (15%). Of note, mycoplasma isolates were rarely isolated from total healthy lung tissues (7/55, 12.7%), but they were frequently isolated from pneumonic lungs (31/45, 68.9%). All the examined mycoplasma isolates (n = 76) were sensitive to tilmicosin, tylosin, tulathromycin, spiramycin, and spectinomycin (100% each), while 60.5% and 43.4% of the examined isolates had high minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values to enrofloxacin and doxycycline, respectively. Three and two mycoplasma isolates with high enrofloxacin MICs were confirmed to be M. bovis and M. bovirhinis, respectively, by PCR assays. All molecularly confirmed mycoplasma isolates (n = 5) were positive for the gyrA gene (100%); meanwhile, three isolates (60%) were positive for the parC gene. In conclusion, our findings revealed alarming resistance to enrofloxacin and doxycycline antibiotics; thus, antimicrobial usage must be restricted and molecular techniques can help in the rapid detection of the resistant strains.