Biocontrol of multi-drug resistant pathogenic bacteria in drainage water by locally isolated bacteriophage.

In areas with limited water resources, the reuse of treated drainage water for non-potable purposes is increasingly recognised as a valuable and sustainable water resource. Numerous pathogenic bacteria found in drainage water have a detrimental impact on public health. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the current worldwide delay in the production of new antibiotics may make the issue of this microbial water pollution even more challenging. This challenge aided the resumption of phage treatment to address this alarming issue. In this study, strains of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and their phages were isolated from drainage and surface water from Bahr El-Baqar and El-Manzala Lake in Damietta governorate, Egypt. Bacterial strains were identified by microscopical and biochemical examinations which were confirmed by 16 S rDNA sequencing. The susceptibility of these bacteria to several antibiotics revealed that most of the isolates had multiple antibiotic resistances (MAR). The calculated MAR index values (> 0.25) categorized study sites as potentially hazardous to health. Lytic bacteriophages against these multidrug-resistant strains of E. coli and P. aeruginosa were isolated and characterized. The isolated phages were found to be pH and heat stable and were all members of the Caudovirales order as recognized by the electron microscope. They infect 88.9% of E. coli strains and 100% of P. aeruginosa strains examined. Under laboratory conditions, the use of a phage cocktail resulted in a considerable reduction in bacterial growth. The removal efficiency (%) for E. coli and P. aeruginosa colonies increased with time and maximized at 24 h revealing a nearly 100% reduction after incubation with the phage mixture. The study candidates new phages for detecting and controlling other bacterial pathogens of public health concern to limit water pollution and maintain adequate hygiene.

Investigation of honey bee venom effect on the immunogenicity of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine in sheep.

Background: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most highly contagious and economically significant diseases of cloven-hoofed animals worldwide. FMD virus (FMDV) is the cause of the disease. The virus has seven serological types, identified as; O, A, C, SAT1, SAT2, SAT3, and Asia1. The aim of this study enhancement of FMD vaccine immunogenicity is the unique way to control FMD in Egypt. Aim: Our research studied the effect of bee venom (BV) as simultaneously inoculated with the commercial vaccine on the immune response of experimentally vaccinated sheep in comparison with the inoculation of the vaccine alone through evaluation of the cellular and humoral immune response. Methods: Estimation of cellular immunity using phagocytic activity, phagocytic percentage, lymphocyte blastogenesis, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-12 (IL-12) and estimation of humoral immunity using serum neutralization test (SNT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Result: Evaluation of the cellular immunity expressed in lymphocyte blastogenesis, phagocytic activity, phagocytic percentage, IL-6, and IL-12 showed higher levels in sheep vaccinated by the trivalent FMD vaccine (serotypes O pan Asia, A Iran O5, and SAT2/EGY/2012) with BV comparable to those induced by the vaccine alone. Following up the humoral immune response of vaccinated sheep revealed that FMDV antibodies serotypes O pan Asia, A Iran O5, and SAT2/EGY/2012 as measured by SNT and ELISA assay induced by FMD with BV were higher than those induced by inactivated FMD alone. Conclusion: The inoculation of BV with FMD vaccine simultaneously is of high benefit inducing high level of specific immunity which could be of long duration.

Cell mediated responses to the mycobacterium tuberculosis specific ESAT-6 antigen in Egyptian tuberculosis patients.

Human T cell responses and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in response to M. tuberculosis Early Secretory Antigen Target-6 (ESAT-6) eight synthetic overlapping peptides, were investigated in Egyptian tuberculosis patients as well as a control group. Three cell mediated immunoassays (lymphoproliferative, ELISPOT and intracellular flowcytometry) have been employed in this study to determine the ability of ESAT-6 to induce T-cell responses and IFN-gamma secretion, which play a critical role in protective cell-mediated immunity against tuberculosis (TB). The results revealed that all ESAT-6 peptides (P1-P8) were recognized by 85% of infected TB-patients, indicating that the molecule holds multiple epitopes. However, patients differed in the fine specificity of their peptide responses. Recognition of the N-terminal region of (P2-P7) was predominant. This study demonstrates that ESAT-6 is frequently recognized during infection and holds potential as a component of a future TB-vaccine.