Insights into Bacterial Community Involved in Bioremediation of Aged Oil-Contaminated Soil in Arid Environment.

Soil contamination by hydrocarbons due to oil spills has become a global concern and it has more implications in oil producing regions. Biostimulation is considered as one of the promising remediation techniques that can be adopted to enhance the rate of degradation of crude oil. The soil microbial consortia play a critical role in governing the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), in particular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, the degradation pattern of TPHs and PAHs of Kuwait soil biopiles was measured at three-month intervals. Then, the microbial consortium associated with oil degradation at each interval was revealed through 16S rRNA based next generation sequencing. Rapid degradation of TPHs and most of the PAHs was noticed at the first 3 months of biostimulation with a degradation rate of pyrene significantly higher compared to other PAHs counterparts. The taxonomic profiling of individual stages of remediation revealed that, biostimulation of the investigated soil favored the growth of Proteobacteria, Alphaprotobacteria, Chloroflexi, Chlorobi, and Acidobacteria groups. These findings provide a key step towards the restoration of oil-contaminated lands in the arid environment.

Distribution and diversity of eukaryotic microalgae in Kuwait waters assessed using 18S rRNA gene sequencing.

The microbial communities play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning through interactions among individuals and taxonomic groups in a highly dynamic marine ecosystem. The structure and functioning of the microbial communities are often influenced by the changes in the surrounding environment. Monitoring the microbial diversity of the marine ecosystem helps to understand spatial patterns of microbial community and changes due to season, climate, and various drivers of biological diversity. Kuwait is characterized by an arid environment with a high degree of temperature variation during summer and winter. Our understanding of spatial distribution patterns of microbial communities, their diversity, and the influence of human activities on the degree of changes in the diversity of the microbial community in Kuwait territorial waters remain unclear. In this study, we employed 18S rRNA sequencing to explore marine microalgal community composition and dynamics in seawater samples collected from Kuwait waters over two seasonal cycles across six locations. A total of 448,184 sequences across 36 replicates corresponding to 12 samples from six stations were obtained. The quality-filtered sequences were clustered into 1,293 representative sequences, which were then classified into different eukaryotic taxa. This study reveals that the phytoplankton community in Kuwait waters is diverse and shows significant variations among different taxa during summer and winter. Dinoflagellates and diatoms were the most abundant season-dependent microalgae taxa in Kuwait waters. Alexandrium and Pyrophacus were abundant in summer, whereas Gonyaulax was abundant during the winter. The abundance of Coscinodiscus and Navicula, of the diatom genera, were also dependent upon both seasonal and possible anthropogenic factors. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of a sequencing-based approach, which could be used to improve the accuracy of quantitative eukaryotic microbial community profiles.

Integrated Phenotypic-Genotypic Analysis of Candidate Probiotic Weissella Cibaria Strains Isolated from Dairy Cows in Kuwait.

Probiotics represent a possible strategy for controlling intestinal infections in livestock. Members of the Weissella genus are increasingly being studied for health-related applications in animals and humans. Here we investigated the functional properties of two Weissella cibaria strains isolated from cows reared in Kuwait breeding facilities by combining phenotypic with genomic analyses. W. cibaria SP7 and SP19 exhibited good growth in vitro under acidic conditions and in the presence of bile salts compared to the reference probiotic Lacticaseibacillus (formerly Lactobacillus) rhamnosus GG. Both strains were able to adhere to Caco-2 and HT-29 cell lines, as well as to mucin. The cell-free supernatants of the two isolates exhibited inhibitory activity towards Escherichia coli ATCC 25,922 and Salmonella enterica UC3605, which was ultimately due to the low pH of supernatants. W. cibaria SP19 showed a co-aggregation ability similar to that of L. rhamnosus GG when incubated with S. enterica. Whole genome sequencing and analysis revealed that both strains harbored several genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and general stress responses, indicating bacterial adaptation to the gastrointestinal environment. We also detected genes involved in the adhesion to host epithelial cells or extracellular matrix. No evidence of acquired antibiotic resistance or hemolytic activity was found in either strain. These findings shed light on the potential of W. cibaria for probiotic use in livestock and on the mechanisms underlying host-microbe interaction in the gut. W. cibaria` strain SP19 exhibited the best combination of in vitro probiotic properties and genetic markers, and is a promising candidate for further investigation.

Impact of SARS-Con-V2 on the Poultry Industry in Kuwait: A Case Study.

The SARS-Con-V2 crisis influenced all aspects of life in the country including academics, economics, medical, and other fields. Poultry industry, whether locally or globally, is one of the investment fields that has been affected by the current SARS-Con-V2 crisis. As part of this global world, the local poultry companies in Kuwait have been impacted by restricting movements and transportation of the employees in between the company branches, exportation and importation of goods, bank closures, rise in the imported and local vaccination and drug prices, sales and marketing. The current case study paper sheds light on the impact of the current SARS-Con-V2 crisis on the local poultry industry, as well as the challenges and gaps in the local poultry value chain. It also propose solutions to mitigate this impact and to enhance sustainability of poultry products during other future global or local crisis.