Antimicrobial Resistance, Virulence Properties and Genetic Diversity of Salmonella Typhimurium Recovered from Domestic and Imported Seafood.

The quantity of seafood imported and produced by domestic aquaculture farming has increased. Recently, it has been reported that multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella Typhimurium may be associated with seafood. However, information is limited to the antimicrobial resistance, virulence properties, and genetic diversity of S. Typhimurium recovered from imported and domestic seafood. This study investigated the antimicrobial resistance, virulence properties, and genetic diversity of S. Typhimurium isolated from domestic and imported catfish, shrimp, and tilapia. A total of 127 isolates were tested for the presence of multidrug-resistance (MDR), virulence genes (invA, pagC, spvC, spvR), and genetic diversity using the Sensititre micro-broth dilution method, PCR, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), respectively. All isolates were uniformly susceptible to six (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ceftiofur, ceftriaxone, imipenem, nitrofurantoin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) of the 17 tested antimicrobials and genetically diverse. Fifty-three percent of the Salmonella isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial and 49% were multidrug resistant. Ninety-five percent of the isolates possessed the invA gene, 67% pagC, and 43% for both spvC, and spvR. The results suggest that S. Typhimurium recovered from seafood is frequently MDR, virulent, and have the ability to cause salmonellosis.

Prevalence and Abundance of Bacterial Pathogens of Concern in Shrimp, Catfish and Tilapia Obtained at Retail Stores in Maryland, USA.

Outbreaks of human gastroenteritis have been linked to the consumption of contaminated domestic and imported seafood. This study investigated the microbiological quality of seafood obtained from retail stores on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. A total of 440 samples of domestic and imported frozen shrimp, catfish and tilapia samples were analyzed for aerobic plate count (APC), total coliforms, Escherichia coli and seafood-borne-pathogens (Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni). The prevalence of APC, coliforms and E. coli positive samples was 100%, 43% and 9.3%, respectively. Approximately 3.2%, 1.4%, 28.9% and 3.6% of the samples were positive for V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, Salmonella and Campylobacter jejuni, respectively. The MPN/g ranges were 150-1100 MPN/g for vibrios, 10-1100 MPN/g for Salmonella and 93-460 MPN/g for C. jejuni in seafood, respectively. Comparing bacterial prevalence by type or source of seafood, the only significant difference identified was Salmonella-positive imported tilapia (33.3%) versus domestic tilapia (19.4%). The quantitative data on pathogen levels in the present study provide additional information for quantitative risk assessment not available in previous surveys. The findings of this study suggest the association of potential food safety hazards with domestic and imported seafood and warrant further large-scale studies and risk assessment.

Is Platelet Rich Plasma Safe and Effective in Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction? Randomized Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections as a therapeutic modality for mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. METHODS: A placebo-controlled study of 100 cases with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. Participants were allocated to 2 groups; the PRP group received 3 injections (3 mL each corpus) and the interval between injections was 15 days, while the Placebo (Saline) group received 6 mL saline injected intracavernous. Postinjection follow-up lasted 6 months. RESULTS: Compared to the placebo group, the PRP group demonstrated a significant improvement at the 1 and 3 months follow-up that slightly dropped at the 6 months follow-up (P <.001). The improvement was evident in the duplex parameters, International Index of Erectile Function Erectile Function (IIEF-EF), SEP Q2, and 3. At 1-month post-treatment follow-up (76%) patients in the PRP group had an improved IIEF-EF as they attained a minimal clinically important difference compared to (18%) in the saline group. At the 3-months post-treatment follow-up, (72%) patients achieved a minimal clinically important difference in the PRP group vs (16%) in saline group then dropped to (70%) in the PRP group vs (16%) in saline group at the 6-months post-treatment follow up. Patients' overall and intercourse satisfaction levels were higher in the PRP group than the placebo group as demonstrated with the higher IIEF score Q6, 7, 8, and IIEF score Q13, 14 respectively with the maximum improvement reported at the 3 months follow-up. No reports of plaque formation, subcutaneous bruising, or any other major side effects among participants. CONCLUSION: PRP is a safe and promising method for the improvement of mild to moderate erectile dysfunction.

Epididymal contribution to male infertility: An overlooked problem.

The diagnosis and treatment of male infertility, excluding assisted conception, are limited because of, but not limited to, poor understanding of sperm post-testicular development and storage. Many may think that sperm dysfunction is only self-contained in the sperm cell itself as a result of defective spermatogenesis. However, it can also be a consequence of inadequate epididymal maturation following disorders of the epididymis. Improper epididymal functions can disturb semen parameters and sperm DNA integrity, result in high leucocyte concentrations and high numbers of immature germ cells and debris or even cause idiopathic infertility. To date, the data are limited regarding critical markers of sperm maturation and studies that can identify such markers for diagnosis and managing epididymal dysfunction are scarce. Therefore, this article aims to draw attention to recognise a disturbed epididymal environment as a potential cause of male infertility.