RESUMO
Eggs constitute an important part of the Moroccan diet. However, contaminated eggs can cause a serious public health problem if consumed undercooked, uncooked, or used in unpasteurized egg foodstuffs. This study was carried out to evaluate the microbial contents of eggs according to their sales sector in Morocco. For that, a total of 1770 eggs were collected from January to September 2021 from formal markets (refrigerated eggs from large shopping centers) and informal markets (eggs at ambient temperature from ambulatory sellers, street vendors, kiosks, and neighborhood stores) and transferred to the Avian Pathology Unit at Hassan II Agronomic and Veterinary Institute. The eggshells and their contents were tested separately; swabs of eggshells were used to inoculate Mac-Conkey agar, while the egg contents were cultured on Mac-Conkey and Mannitol salt agar, then standard microbiological tests were performed to identify the isolated organisms. The results showed that informal eggs were more contaminated (87%) than formal eggs (48) (p < 0.05). The bacteria isolated from the eggshells (informal and formal) were Enterobacter agglomerans (59% and 21%), Klebsiella spp. (24% and 4%), Enterobacter cloacae (17% and 8%), E. coli (9% and 1%), Serratia spp. (9% and1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9% and 1%), Shigella spp. (5% and 0%), Salmonella enteritidis (0% and 2%), Proteus spp. (4% and 0%), Enterobacter sakazakii (2% and 0%), Rahnella aquatilis (1% and 0%), and Staphylococcus aureus (0% and 1%). For the egg-contents, the detected bacteria (informal and formal) were Enterobacter agglomerans (14% and 28%), Klebsiella spp. (7% and 6%), Staphylococcus aureus (6% and 1%), Enterobacter cloacae (4% and 4%), E. coli (4%, 1%), Shigella spp. (4%, 0%), Acinetobacter baumannii (3% and 1%), Salmonella enteritidis (2% and 0%), Serratia spp. (1% and 6%), Proteus spp. (1% and 3%), and Enterobacter sakazakii (1% and 0%). We conclude that eggs might be contaminated with several bacteria and can constitute a public health threat in Morocco.
RESUMO
Non-primate hepacivirus (NPHV) is a homolog of hepatitis C virus and has been isolated from dogs and horses. Data on NPHV prevalence and distribution are not complete, and there is a particular lack of reports from the African continent. The present study represents the first investigation of NPHV prevalence in horses and dogs in North Africa. Blood was collected from 172 horses and 36 dogs at different locations in Morocco, and screened for NPHV RNA using nested PCR targeting 5'UTR and NS3 regions and analyzed for anti-NPHV NS3 antibody using a Gaussia luciferase immunoprecipitation system-to determine seroprevalence. Eight sequences of the NS3 region isolated from positive serum samples were targeted for phylogenetic analysis. Horses and dogs showed respective NPHV RNA positivity rates of 10.5% and 5.5%, and seroprevalences of 65.7% and 8.33%. Juvenile horses appeared more susceptible to infection, with a 23.5% NHPV RNA positivity rate. Seropositivity was more extensive in mares than stallions (77.14% vs. 46.27%, p < 0.0001). Phylogenetically, that NPHV NS3 genes isolated from horses and dog are clustered together. The NPHV strains we detected showed no correlation with geographic location within Morocco. In conclusion, Moroccan horses showed much evidence of previous and/or current NPHV infection, with young age and female sex as noted potential risk factors. Interestingly, NPHV is circulating in dogs as well as horses, suggesting that it has crossed species barriers and that horses and dogs are potential vectors by which an ancestor to hepatitis C virus was transmitted into human populations.
