IgY antibodies: The promising potential to overcome antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria are a growing threat to global health security. Whilst the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a natural phenomenon, it is also driven by antibiotic exposure in health care, agriculture, and the environment. Antibiotic pressure and inappropriate use of antibiotics are important factors which drive resistance. Apart from their use to treat bacterial infections in humans, antibiotics also play an important role in animal husbandry. With limited antibiotic options, alternate strategies are required to overcome AMR. Passive immunization through oral, nasal and topical administration of egg yolk-derived IgY antibodies from immunized chickens were recently shown to be effective for treating bacterial infections in animals and humans. Immunization of chickens with specific antigens offers the possibility of creating specific antibodies targeting a wide range of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this review, we describe the growing global problem of antimicrobial resistance and highlight the promising potential of the use of egg yolk IgY antibodies for the treatment of bacterial infections, particularly those listed in the World Health Organization priority list.

Nutritional status associated with clinical outcomes among patients hospitalized with COVID-19: A multicenter prospective study in Egypt.

Few studies have addressed the relationship between the nutritional status of patients with COVID-19 and their disease course. This multicenter prospective study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and its association with their clinical outcomes. Sociodemographic, physical, clinical, and nutritional data of 121 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were collected upon admission and at discharge from three COVID-19 quarantine hospitals in Egypt via a questionnaire and a standardized scale. The majority (73.6%) of the patients had a reduced dietary intake over the last week before admission, and 57% were severely ill. Overall, 14% had a high risk of malnutrition on admission, increasing to 26.3% at discharge. Malnutrition was present in most (85.7%) of the intensive care unit patients and deaths, compared with recovered patients (14%). We concluded that malnutrition might worsen the clinical outcomes and increase the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 patients. A multidisciplinary approach is recommended to manage patients with COVID-19, considering their nutritional status before and during infection, with early detection of high-risk patients in order to design and provide the appropriate nutritional support.

Serotyping and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Invasive Streptococcus agalactiae in Egyptian Patients with or without Diabetes Mellitus.

Streptococcus agalactiae serotype distribution and its antibiotic susceptibility affect disease prevention strategies, but the serotype distribution varies among patient groups. The objectives of this study were to establish the group B Streptococcus (GBS) serotype distribution in patients from Egypt and to assess antibiotic sensitivity of invasive GBS isolates. A total of 490 patients participated in this multicenter study; 160 had urinary tract infection, 115 complained of diabetic foot ulcers, 125 men had genital tract infections, and 30 women females had genital tract infections. Others had bronchopneumonia, otitis media, synovitis, or meningitis. Serotyping of the isolated GBS was performed at the CDC in the United States. Antibiotic sensitivity patterns were determined using the disk diffusion method. In men, the most common serotypes were II, III, and V, whereas types Ia, II, III, and V were isolated from women. Macrolides (erythromycin) resistance occurred in 4.1% of the isolates; 10.2% were resistant to both clindamycin and inducible resistance of macrolides, lincomycin, and streptogramin; 17.3% were resistant to quinolones; and 95.9% were resistant to tetracyclines. GBS primarily infected the urinary tract, skin, soft tissue, and genital tract in both genders. Isolates were sensitive to beta-lactam drugs, vancomycin, and linezolid; 14.0% were resistant to macrolides with or without clindamycin. Only 6.0% of the strains were sensitive to tetracyclines. Although GBS causes invasive infections in Egyptian adults, it rarely causes neonatal meningitis or sepsis. Future studies should determine whether GBS isolates are transmitted sexually, by performing a follow-up study of the partner of the infected patient.

Safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir and sofosbuvir/daclatasvir in the treatment of hepatitis C in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related decompensated cirrhosis is a severe life-threatening illness. The safety of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has opened a gate of hope for that subgroup of patients who were previously contraindicated for interferon therapy. OBJECTIVE: We aimed at the investigation of the safety and efficacy of different DAAs regimens in the treatment of HCV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients, to determine sustained virological response (SVR)12 rates and to analyze the factors associated with response. METHODS: A retrospective, single-center study including HCV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients who received DAAs. Demographic, laboratory and clinical data were analyzed. The SVR12 rate was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcomes included the predictors of response, changes in the baseline model for end-stage liver disease and child-turcotte-pugh (CTP) scores, and fibroindices (APRI and fibrosis-4 index) at 12 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: In total, 145 eligible patients (141 with CTP class B and 4 with class C) were enrolled in this study. SVR12 was achieved by 88.06% (118/134) of efficacy population on different DAAs regimens, Treatment was discontinued in 11 patients because of severe side effects without any deaths. Younger age showed a significant positive association with SVR12. CONCLUSIONS: DAAs can be used for the treatment of HCV-related decompensated liver disease, with acceptable SVR12 rates and safety profiles.

Retreatment of chronic hepatitis C patients who failed previous therapy with directly acting antivirals: A multicenter study.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of different DAAs regimens in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) Egyptian patients who failed to achieve SVR after their treatment with SOF-based regimens. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational multicenter study that included CHC patients that failed to achieve cure on SOF-based regimens who were re-treated using different DAAs regimen and were allocated according to national guidelines for the treatment of hepatitis C. Primary outcome was to assess the SVR12 rate among prior non-responders after retreatment with a second course of DAAs. RESULTS: Our study included 172 patients who failed to achieve SVR after treatment with SOF-based treatment regimen [age: 51.2 ± 11.3, 58.7% men]. Included patients were retreated using SOF/DCV/RBV, SOF/ r/PAR /OMB /RBV, SOF/DCV/SIM, SOF/LDV ± RBV or SIM/SOF. SVR12 was successfully attained in 95.35% (164/172) of the included non-responders. CONCLUSION: The current multicenter study proved the efficacy of various DAAs regimens issued by the National Committee for Control of Viral Hepatitis for retreatment of relapsed CHC Egyptian patients.

Real-world results of direct-acting antivirals use for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in old patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Old people with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) were considered a difficult-to-treat category with more frequent adverse events until recently. Interferon-free direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) improved treatment adherence and quality of life of old patients. In this study, we aimed at reporting the real-world efficacy and safety of DAAs, in addition to predictors of sustained virological response (SVR) in old chronic HCV population. METHODS: This is a prospective observational intention-to-treat analysis that included old chronic hepatitis C genotype-4 patients (> 65 years) treated in a single specialized viral hepatitis treatment center in Egypt. Treatment regimens were allocated according to national guidelines for treatment of hepatitis C. Primary outcome was undetectable HCV-RNA at 12-week post-treatment by PCR. Secondary outcomes were identification of predictors of SVR and assessment of safety related issues. RESULTS: Our study included 864 patients (64% females) with mean age of 67.7 ± 2.8 years. Overall SVR rate was 98.9% while SVR rates for sofosbuvir/daclatasvir/ribavirin, paritaprevir/ombitasvir/ritonavir/ribavirin, sofosbuvir/daclatasvir, sofosbuvir/ledipasvir/ribavirin, sofosbuvir/simeprevir/daclatasvir/ribavirin, sofosbuvir/simeprevir, interferon/sofosbuvir/ribavirin and sofosbuvir/ribavirin were 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 99.3%, 98% and 94.2%, respectively. DAAs were well tolerated. None of the patients discontinued the treatment due to adverse effects. Higher albumin, higher platelet count, lower bilirubin and lower stage of fibrosis were among predictors of favourable response. CONCLUSION: Different DAAs regimens were safe and effective in old Egyptian patients with chronic HCV.