Spatiotemporal analysis and clinico-epidemiological study for seroprevalence of canine leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is a worldwide re-emerging zoonotic disease. The study was conducted to estimate the Seroprevalence of canine leptospirosis in a total of 450 dogs, from a total of 97 puppies and 353 adult dogs selected for examination Sampling, started from January to December 2023 in District Kasur in the province Punjab of the country Pakistan. Leptospira IgG ELISA kit manufactured by DRG Instruments GmbH, Germany was used for the screening of canine Leptospira antibodies. Out of 450 tested dogs, 183 dogs (40.67%) were tested positive for Leptospira antibody for the screening of Leptospira antibodies. The estimated Seroprevalence of leptospirosis in various age groups of dogs, were 23.7% (23/97) and 45.3% (160/353), in puppies and adults, respectively (P < 0.05). It was found that out of the sampled dogs, a total of 35/127 (27.6%), 29/100 (29%), 73/130 (56.2%), and 46/93 (49.5%) dogs were tested seropositive for Leptospira antibodies in winter, spring, summer and fall, respectively (P < 0.05).

Occurrence, characteristics, and antibiotic sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from wild birds in the Kasur district of Punjab, Pakistan.

Staphylococcus aureus is gaining worldwide attention because of its substantial impact on public health. The current study aimed to characterize S. aureus strains isolated from wild birds in the Kasur district of Punjab, Pakistan from 2021 to 2022. A total of one hundred samples were collected from five wild bird species. The samples were enriched, inoculated on selective agars and cultured for 24 hr at 37.00 ˚C. All isolates were verified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after Gram staining. Positive isolates were screened for phenotypic (Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration s), genotypic antibiotic resistance, and virulence genes. These samples yielded 30 (30.00%) S. aureus isolates, confirmed by polymerase chain reaction utilizing the 16S rRNA gene. Staphylococcus aureus was more prevalent in cloacal samples (16.00%) than oral samples (14.00%). Various S. aureus isolates showed varying degrees of resistance to three different antibiotics. Oxacillin (56.66%; n = 17) and tetracycline (33.33%; n = 10) showed the highest resistance rates with the lowest susceptibility (43.33%; n = 13). In contrast, vancomycin, rifampicin, linezolid, and daptomycin were 100% susceptible. Further disc diffusion study revealed resistance to tetracycline (33.33%), erythromycin (16.66%), and gentamicin (10.00%). The tetK gene was found in 33.33% of wild bird samples, while the ermA gene was found in 16.66% of samples. The aacA-D gene was only found in three (10.00%) isolates. None of the isolates tested positive for virulence genes. In conclusion, S. aureus is carried by wild birds in this area, posing a potentail threat to both humans and animals.

Advanced methods of algal pigments extraction: A review.

Algae are exclusively aquatic photosynthetic organisms that are microscopic or macroscopic, unicellular or multicellular and distributed across the globe. They are a potential source of food, feed, medicine and natural pigments. A variety of natural pigments are available from algae including chlorophyll a, b, c d, phycobiliproteins, carotenes and xanthophylls. The xanthophylls include acyloxyfucoxanthin, alloxanthin, astaxanthin, crocoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, diatoxanthin, fucoxanthin, loroxanthin, monadoxanthin, neoxanthin, nostoxanthin, perdinin, Prasinoxanthin, siphonaxanthin, vaucheriaxanthin, violaxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, ß-cryptoxanthin, while carotenes include echinenone, α-carotene, ß-carotene, γ-carotene, lycopene, phytoene, phytofluene. These pigments have applications as pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals and in the food industry for beverages and animal feed production. The conventional methods for the extraction of pigments are solid-liquid extraction, liquid-liquid extraction and soxhlet extraction. All these methods are less efficient, time-consuming and have higher solvent consumption. For a standardized extraction of natural pigments from algal biomass advanced procedures are in practice which includes Supercritical fluid extraction, Pressurized liquid extraction, Microwave-assisted extraction, Pulsed electric field, Moderate electric field, Ultrahigh pressure extraction, Ultrasound-assisted extraction, Subcritical dimethyl ether extraction, Enzyme assisted extraction and Natural deep eutectic solvents. In the present review, these methods for pigment extraction from algae are discussed in detail.

The effect of Acacia nilotica bark extract on growth performance, carcass characteristics, immune response, and intestinal morphology in broilers as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoter.

OBJECTIVE: Present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of Acacia nilotica bark extract as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in broilers. METHODS: Six hundred, day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into six groups (NC, without any supplementation; AB, NC+Zinc Bacitracin; PB, NC+Safmannan; ANBE1, NC+A. nilotica bark extract 0.1%; ANBE3, NC+A. nilotica bark extract 0.3%; ANBE5, NC+A. nilotica bark extract 0.5%), with ten replicates per group (10 chicks/replicate) and feeding trial was lasted for 35 days. RESULTS: Results showed that weight gain (1,296.63 g) and feed conversion ratio (FCR, 1.59) of AB was better than NC, during the finisher phase. Overall FCR of AB (1.53), PB (1.54), and ANBE5 (1.54) was significantly (p<0.05) better than NC. From carcass parameters relative weight of wing and heart were highest in ANBE3 (2.5% and 1.51%, respectively). Significantly (p<0.05) highest blood glucose level was observed in NC (264.5 mg/dL) and highest albumin concentration was found in AB (1.46 mg/dL). In addition, antibody titer levels against ND and IBD were higher in ANBE5 than NC, while higher relative weight of bursa was observed in ANBE3 than NC. The villus height to crypt depth ratio in all experimental groups was better than NC. CONCLUSION: Acacia nilotica bark extract could be a suitable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters to support the growth in broilers.

Molecular epidemiology and characterization of Babesia bovis in cattle of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan.

Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease found globally but most prominent in tropical and subtropical regions. It is responsible for huge mortality and morbidity, especially in developing countries like Pakistan. The current study was designed to determine the molecular epidemiology and characterization of Babesia bovis (B. bovis) infection in cattle populations of districts Mardan, Kohat and Swat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. A total of 434 tick-infested animals were sampled. Blood samples were collected, processed and then examined initially by microscopy for the presence of Babesia and were later confirmed through PCR by targeting cytochrome b gene, and the PCR products were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of sequenced isolates of the current study showed close sequence similarity with the reported strain of China. A non-significant association (p > 0.05) was observed between the prevalence of infections and risk factors. The overall prevalence of infection in all three districts was 10.11%. In district Swat (12.61%), the prevalence was recorded as the highest for B. bovis infection followed by district Mardan (10.60%) and district Kohat (06.90%). The Friesian breed of cattle, females and adult animals were highly susceptible to B. bovis infection. The prevalence of infection was recorded highest during the summer season and lowest during the winter season. This study concludes that B. bovis infection is prevalent in three studied districts of KP province and the sequenced isolates of the current study showed close sequence similarity with the reported strain of China.

Physiological properties of indigenous lytic bacteriophages as monophage suspension and cocktail against poultry-adapted typhoidal Salmonella variants.

The emergence and spread of multidrug resistance among pathogens of the agro-food sector is increasing at an alarming rate, which has directed attention to the search for alternative to antibiotic therapy. The present work studied the physiological and population dynamics of lytic bacteriophages against avian-adapted Salmonella. Out of 28 positive samples, four bacteriophage isolates (SalØ-ABF37, SalØ-RCMPF12, SalØ-MCOH26, SalØ-DNLS42) were selected based on their ability to clearly lyse bacterial test strains. The isolates propagated were active against closely related D1 serotypes, i.e., S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium, with no heterologous activity against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 23235. Each of the monophage suspension and cocktail efficiently suppressed the bacterial count from exponential increase in comparison to the untreated bacterial control. The bacterial turbidity was recorded as 0.244 at λ600 during 400 min of co-incubation, in contrast to bacterial control showing λ600 = 0.669. The latent period was recorded to be 25, 35, 25 and 30 for SalØ-ABF37, SalØ-RCMPF12, SalØ-MCOH26 and SalØ-DNLS42, with 73.00, 97.00, 132 and 75.00 PFU cell-1, respectively. The highest lytic activity was seen at 37.00 ˚C - 42.00 ˚C, with phage particle count being fairly stable at pH 3.00 - 9.00. Each of the isolates possessed dsDNA by being resistant to RNase A. The current study concludes that lytic phages are promising alternative to combat multidrug resistant superbugs. The physiological characterization and bacterial growth inhibition are important parameters in standardization of phage therapy.

Antiviral potential of ivermectin against foot-and-mouth disease virus, serotype O, A and Asia-1.

Each year, foot-and-mouth disease leads to enormous economic losses to the livestock industry. Currently, the killed whole virus is widely using to control FMD. However, vaccination is constrained by lack of or incomplete protection. Therefore, along with vaccination, we need to find the antivirals against FMD. This study was conducted to investigate the antiviral potential of ivermectin against multiple serotypes of FMDV. Initially, an MTT assay was performed on the BHK-21 cell line to determine assay ivermectin cytotoxicity. Viral inhibition assays using the non-cytotoxic concentration of ivermectin were performed to check the antiviral potential of ivermectin on different stages of virus replication. At 2.5 µM and 5 µM concentrations of ivermectin, the virus titer was reduced significantly (p < 0.001) by two to three log in all three strains of viruses at both non-toxic concentrations (2.5 and 5 µM). The virus titer in strain O control was 106.0 TCID50/0.1 mL and was reduced to 104.1 TCID50/0.1 mL at a concentration of 2.5 µM and 103.10 TCID50/0.1 mL at 5 µM concentration. In the case of strain Asia-1, the virus titer was reduced to 103.8 TCID50/0.1 mL at 2.5 µM and 103.01TCID50/0.1 mL at 5 µM concentration. The titer of strain A was reduced from 105.8 TCID50/0.1 mL to 103.9 TCID50/0.1 mL at 2.5 µM concentration and 103.1 TCID50/0.1 mL at 5 µM concentration. Moreover, the virus titer was reduced more at the replication stage as compared to attachment and entry stages. This study showed the in vitro anti-FMDV potential of ivermectin for the first time and predicted its potential use against FMDV infections.

Immune modulatory and anti-oxidative effect of selenium against pulmonary tuberculosis.

Prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in Pakistan is due to poor living conditions, malnutrition and low immunity. The present project was conducted to show the role of selenium complement to enhance the immune status against TB. Total of 80 human TB patients were divided into treatment (selenium and anti-tuberculosis drug) and control groups (anti-tuberculosis drug). Levels of selenium, immunoglobulin and leukocyte count were determined before and after treatment. Selenium showed significant increase in levels of immunoglobulin and leukocyte count in patients as compared to control group. The level of SOD, catalase, glutathione and total antioxidants were remarkably lowered among control type group as compared to treatment type group (P<0.01). However, the values of lipid peroxidation products malondialdehyde (MDA) were notably higher in control group than treatment group.

Immune boosting role of vitamin E against pulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of mortality in Pakistan which is linked with malnutrition and weak immunity. Such people are more prone to chronic infections including TB. The current study aimed to assess the effect of supplementation of Vitamin E on the immune status of human subjects against pulmonary tuberculosis. A total of 80 patients with pulmonary TB were divided into treatment group (vitamin E) and control group (Anti-tuberculosis regime). Presence of acid fast bacilli in sputum sample, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, total leucocytes counts, body mass index and mid arm muscle circumference (MAMC) were recorded as per standard protocol. Levels of vitamin E, IgG, IgM and T-Cell count were determined before and after treatment. The results showed that 16% males and 33% females were underweight who consumed 1145 kcal energy instead of 2270 kcal per day and 19.5 gram protein instead of 78.6 grams. A non significant effect of vitamin E on ESR and TLC values was observed but significant increase in level of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM) and T-cell types (CD4+ and CD8+) was observed in patients as compared to control group. Results indicate that vitamin E plays important role in enhancing immunity of patients against TB.

Role of Rab GTPases in HSV-1 infection: Molecular understanding of viral maturation and egress.

Most enveloped viruses exploit complex cellular pathways for assembly and egress from the host cell, and the large DNA virus Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) makes no exception, hijacking several cellular transport pathways for its glycoprotein trafficking and maturation, as well as for viral morphogenesis and egress according to the envelopment, de-envelopment and re-envelopment model. Importantly Rab GTPases, widely distributed master regulators of intracellular membrane trafficking pathways, have recently being tightly implicated in such process. Indeed, siRNA-mediated genetic ablation of specific Rab proteins differently affected HSV-1 production, suggesting a complex role of different Rab proteins in HSV-1 life cycle. In this review, we discuss how different Rabs can regulate HSV-1 assembly/egress and the potential therapeutic applications of such findings for the management of HSV-1 infections.

Association between bacterial strain type and host biomarkers in Clostridium perfringens infected goats.

The study project was designed to determine the effects of Clostridium perfringens type D infection on hematological and biochemical parameters in goats. Purposive blood samples were collected from 6 healthy and 12 diseased goats positive for C. perfringens infection. Neither the animals nor their mother were vaccinated against Clostridium perfringens from whom samples were obtained. Study was carried out in two different topographic areas; hilly (district Swat) and plain (district Mardan) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan but nonsignificant (P > 0.05) statistical difference was recorded between the prevalence of Clostridium perfringens infected goats. Mean erythrocytes count (RBC) and hemoglobin level decreased significantly (P < 0.05) while the white blood cells (WBC) increased significantly (P < 0.05) in diseased animals compared to the healthy animals. However non-significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in packet cell volume (PCV) and platelets count in healthy and diseased animals. According to biochemical analysis, a significant increase (P < 0.05) in liver enzymes, total bilirubin, serum creatinine, blood urea and glucose was recorded in diseased goats. . The results demonstrated that fluctuation in most of the mean hematological values remained within the normal range however the mean liver enzymes, total bilirubin, serum creatinine, blood urea and glucose levels gone beyond the normal levels which demonstrated severe damages to liver and kidneys.

Antibacterial activity of herbal extracts against multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli recovered from retail chicken meat.

Increasing incidence rate of multiple drug resistance in Escherichia coli (E. coli) due to extensive uses of antibiotics is a serious challenge to disease treatment. Contaminated retail chicken meat is one of the major sources of spread of multi drug resistant (MDR) E. coli. Current study has been conducted to study the prevalence of MDR E. coli in retail chicken meat samples from Lahore city of Pakistan and it was found that 73.86% of E. coli isolates have MDR pattern. In vitro evaluation of antibacterial activity of crude ethanolic extracts of six herbs against MDR E. coli phenotypes has revealed that clove and cinnamon have maximum zones of inhibition as compared to other herbal extracts. Mint and coriander gave the intermediate results while garlic and kalonji showed the least antibacterial activity against the MDR E. coli phenotypes using the agar well diffusion technique. Average Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) for clove, mint, cinnamon, coriander, kalonji and garlic extracts were 1.15, 1.38, 0.5, 1.99, 2.41, 8.60 mg/mL respectively using the broth micro dilution method. The results obtained in present study were revealed that crude ethanol extracts of selected herbs have had significant antibacterial activity. Hence they can be used as promising alternatives of antimicrobials against MDR E. coli species and can be used for cooked food preservation.

Report-Isolation identification and control of vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) has been reported from many parts of the world including Asian countries. Hence, main objective of study was to evaluate the possible occurrence of VRSA in hospitals of Lahore city and to ensure the effectiveness of various substitute therapeutic options. A total of 150 samples of pus/wounds were collected from three hospitals of the city and VRSA were isolated and confirmed through recommended method of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Out of 51 (49.04%) methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates, 5 (9.8%) were found resistant to vancomycin. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Linezolid (LZD), Moxifloxacin (MFX) and Clindamycin (CD) were calculated against VRSA isolates by broth microdilution test. All 5 (100%) isolates were susceptible to Linezolid and Clindamycin, while 4 (80%) were susceptible to Moxifloxacin. Ethanolic extracts of Turmeric, Mint, Coriander, Garlic, Kalonji, Cinnamon and Cloves illustrate average MIC values of 140.8 µg/mL, 563.2 µg/mL, 486.4 µg/mL, 614.4 µg/mL, 409.6 µg/mL, 281.6 µg/mL and 64 µg/mL, respectively against 5 VRSA strains. Concentration dependent increase in growth inhibition zones of ethanolic plant extract was recorded by agar well diffusion test. This study was helpful to find out the effective antibiotic against VRSA. Plant extracts encompass anti-staphylococcal activity and this finding demands necessity of further exploration of potential found in these natural herb.

Antimicrobial resistance and resistance genes in Escherichia coli isolated from retail meat purchased in Alberta, Canada.

This study analyzed antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and resistance genes in generic Escherichia coli isolated from retail meat samples purchased (2007-2008) in Alberta, Canada, and determined potential associations between resistance phenotypes and resistance genes with relation to the meat types. A total of 422 E. coli isolates from retail chicken, turkey, beef, and pork meats were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Multiplex PCRs were used to detect major resistance genes for tetracyclines [tet(A), tet(B), tet(C)], sulfonamides (sul1, sul2, sul3), aminoglycosides (strA/B, aadA, aadB, aac(3)IV, aphA1, aphA2), and ß-lactamase (bla(CMY-2), bla(TEM), bla(SHV), bla(PSE-1)). Resistance to ciprofloxacin was not found in any isolate. Overall resistances to clinically important antimicrobials amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (16.8% of isolates) and ceftriaxone (12.6% isolates) were observed. These resistances were observed more frequently (p<0.0001) in chicken-derived E. coli than those from the other meat types. Resistance to multiple antimicrobials (≥ 5) was found in more chicken derived E. coli (32%) than E. coli from other meat types. The ß-lactamase genes of clinical importance, including bla(CMY-2) and bla(TEM), were found in about 18% of poultry-derived E. coli and in only 5% of ground beef. The bla(CMY-2) gene was more likely to be found in E. coli from chicken than turkey, beef, or pork meats. The tet(A) gene was associated with bla(CMY-2), whereas bla(CMY-2) and bla(TEM) genes were associated with strA/B genes. Resistance genes for tetracycline, sulfonamides, and aminoglycosides were associated with the phenotypic expression of resistance to unrelated classes of antimicrobials. These data suggest the prevalence of AMR and select resistance genes were higher in poultry-derived E. coli. The multiple associations found between AMR phenotypes and resistance genes suggest a complex nature of resistance in E. coli from retail meat, and hence the use of a single antimicrobial could result in the selection of resistant E. coli not only to the drug being used but to other unrelated classes of antimicrobials as well.

Prevalence of bovine brucellosis in organized dairy farms, using milk ELISA, in quetta city, balochistan, pakistan.

A total of 200 milk samples from cattle (n = 86) and buffalo (n = 114) were evaluated using milk ring test (MRT) and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA). The overall prevalence was found to be 3% and 8.5% in cattle and buffaloes using MRT and i-ELISA, respectively. The prevalence was 4.6% and 1.7% in cattle and buffalo using MRT, respectively, while i-ELISA exhibited 20% and 0% in cattle and buffalo, respectively. The prevalence was higher in government dairy farm, compared to privately owned dairy farm. This paper points out an alarming situation in the target area with respect to the public health significance.