Archana Iyer

High incidence rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia

INTRODUCTION Nosocomial infections are normally hospital acquired. Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is very common and may be transmitted via a hand-to-nose route. The objective of the present study was to screen healthcare workers for the colonization of their nasal cavities with MRSA. METHODOLOGY The study group included hospital staff such as nurses, doctors, and technicians. The control group included university students. For isolation, nasal swabs were taken from the volunteers and cultured on mannitol salt agar media selective for S. aureus. Suspected colonies were confirmed by PCR using specific primers for the coagulase and mecA gene. Typing of the coagulase-positive strains was done using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). RESULTS The results indicated an incidence rate of 76% among healthcare workers. This is in comparison with students who served as control and were negative for MRSA. Using RFLP, four different types of MRSA were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study are alarming. Effective control measures must be formulated and implemented to avoid indiscriminate use of antimicrobials and the spread of these infectious agents in the region.

Impact of sporadic reporting of poultry Salmonella serovars from selected developing countries

This review documents the sporadic reporting of poultry Salmonella serovars in South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, India, and Romania, five countries selected based on the importance of their distribution in different regions of the world and their cumulative significant population size of 1.6 billion. South Africa reported contamination of its poultry carcasses by S. Hadar, S. Blockley, S. Irumu, and S. Anatum. Results from Egypt showed that S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium were predominant in poultry along with other non-typhoid strains, namely S. Infantis, S. Kentucky, S. Tsevie, S. Chiredzi, and S. Heidelberg. In Indonesia, the isolation of Salmonella Typhi was the main focus, while other serovars included S. Kentucky, S. Typhimurium, and S. Paratyhi C. In India, S. Bareilly was predominant compared to S. Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium, S. Paratyphi B, S. Cerro, S. Mbandaka, S. Molade, S. Kottbus, and S. Gallinarum. Romania reported two Salmonella serovars in poultry that affect humans, namely S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium, and other non-typhoid strains including S. Infantis, S. Derby, S. Colindale, S. Rissen, S. Ruzizi, S. Virchow, S. Brandenburg, S. Bredeney, S. Muenchen, S. Kortrijk, and S. Calabar. The results showed the spread of different serovars of Salmonella in those five developing countries, which is alarming and emphasizes the urgent need for the World Health Organization Global Foodborne Infections Network (WHO-GFN) to expand its activities to include more strategic participation and partnership with most developing countries in order to protect poultry and humans from the serious health impact of salmonellosis.

Corrigendum: Control of eight predominant Eimeria spp. involved in economic coccidiosis of broiler chicken by a chemically characterized essential oil.

AIM To control eight most predominant Eimeria spp. involved in the economic disease of coccidiosis in broiler chicken, by a chemically characterized essential oil of eucalyptus and peppermint. METHODS AND RESULTS The experimental design consisted of 160 day-old-broiler chicks, divided into four equal groups (G1 , G2 , G3 and G4 ), with 40 birds per group. Each group was divided into four equal subgroups. Birds in G1 were deprived of essential oil treatment and of Eimeria challenge. Birds in G2 were unchallenged, and administered the essential oil in drinking water at 0.69 ml kg(-1) body weight. Birds in G3 were untreated with essential oil, and each of its four subgroups was challenged at a different age (14, 21, 28 and 35 days). Birds in G4 were treated with essential oil, and challenged in the same manner as for G3 . Equal number of birds from all subgroups (n = 10) were sacrificed at the sixth day after the time allocated for each challenge. The 6 day incubation period post challenge resulted in respective mean per cent weight increase in G2 and G1 birds equivalent to 57.8 and 53.1% (P < 0.05). In addition, the essential oil improved the per cent weight increase in challenged birds (54.6%) compared to the challenged-untreated birds (18.6%) (P < 0.05). The mean feed conversion, mortality, intestinal lesion scores and oocyst counts were significantly reduced in the challenged-treated birds compared to the challenged-untreated birds (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The results support the hypothesis of using the essential oils of eucalyptus and peppermint to control the most prevalent Eimeria spp. involved in coccidiosis of broiler chicken, helping in improvement of their production, alleviation of lesions and reduction in intestinal oocyst counts. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY This study provides information about the possibility of using this blend of essential oil as a coccidiostat for the protection of broiler chickens against the prevalent eight Eimeria spp. of coccidiosis.

Nosocomial Infections in Saudi Arabia Caused by Methicillin Resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Nosocomial infections that are infections acquired in hospitals are becoming a serious concern globally due to the severe complications and outcomes caused by them. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major causes of nosocomial infections worldwide, though there are other bacteria implicated in such infections. It is the strongest resistance faced during the last century and it still represents a serious threat to health in our present time. MRSA is dangerous because of bacterial genetic plasticity that allows them to acquire genetic materials that help them fight antibiotics, in the case of MRSA the genetic material being the SCCmec. SSCmec contains mecA gene that is known for its ability to provide resistance against beta-lactam antibiotics. MRSA has been detected in KSA since the 1990s, but still there are few and random studies concerning this issue compared to the rest of the world. Control and prevention measures must be strictly applied to avoid these infections from occurring and also there is an urgent need to upgrade to more sophisticated and targeted control measures to combat bacterial resistance that poses to be a major threat to mankind.

Urinary levels of triclosan and triclocarban in several Asian countries, Greece and the USA: Association with oxidative stress

Abstract Triclosan (TCS) and Triclocarban (TCC) are widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in personal care products (PCPs). Because of their potential for endocrine disrupting effects, human exposure to these chemicals is a concern. Biomonitoring studies of human exposure to TCS and TCC have shown widespread exposure of populations in western European countries and the USA. However, exposure to TCC and TCS by populations in Asian countries is less well known. In this study, concentrations of TCS and TCC were determined in human urine collected from seven Asian countries (China, India, Korea, Kuwait, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam), and Greece and the USA. A total of 430 urine samples were analyzed for TCS and TCC, of which 355 (83%) and 82 (19%), respectively, contained measurable levels of these chemicals. The overall geometric mean [GM] concentrations of TCS and TCC, were 1.36 and 0.03 ng/mL, respectively. The highest mean concentration of TCS was found in urine from China (100 ng/mL) and the lowest concentration was found in urine from Vietnam (2.34 ng/mL). We also analyzed urinary 8‐OHdG, a marker of oxidative stress, to elucidate the association with TCS and TCC levels for samples from Saudi Arabia (n=130) and a positive correlation between Ln‐transformed TCC levels and 8‐OHdG was found, although this was not statistically significant. This is the first study to report urinary levels of TCS and TCC in several Asian countries, especially for Vietnam, Kuwait, and Japan. Graphical abstract Figure. No Caption available. HighlightsTriclosan and triclocarban were analyzed in 430 urine samples collected from 9 countries.Triclosan concentrations as high as 1600 ng/mL were found in urine.Age and gender related differences in triclosan levels were minimal.TCC levels were marginally correlated with the oxidative stress marker, 8OHdG.

Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. in meat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

INTRODUCTION Food-borne pathogens are the leading cause of illness and death in developing countries, killing approximately 1.8 million people annually. In developed countries, food-borne pathogens are responsible for millions of cases of infectious gastrointestinal diseases each year, costing billions of dollars. The objective of this study was to screen for two major food-borne pathogens, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., from meat samples obtained from different strata of the consumer market in Jeddah. METHODOLOGY A total of 60 meat samples, 20 each from large hypermarkets, groceries and small butcher shops were used in the study. Samples were transported to the laboratory in a cooler. They were macerated in peptone water and then seeded on selective media appropriate for each organism. Colonies were identified using conventional microbiological methods and suspected colonies were confirmed as E. coli and Salmonella spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. RESULTS The results indicated a high degree of contamination in samples from butcher shops as compared to those from groceries or hypermarkets (high scale supermarkets). Both pathogens E. coli and Salmonella spp. were found in higher rates in the samples from butcher shops. In small butcher shops, E. coli was found at an incidence of 65%, and Salmonella at 45%. CONCLUSION The results indicate an urgent need for applying proper food hygienic practices in food outlets, especially in small ones, to reduce the incidence of food-borne diseases. Vigilance by the right agencies must be implemented in order to prevent future food-borne outbreaks.

Modulation by essential oil of vaccine response and production improvement in chicken challenged with velogenic Newcastle disease virus

To evaluate the impact of Eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils on immune modulation and production of broiler chicken challenged with a molecularly characterized velogenic NewCastle disease virus (vNDV).

Association of Apa I polymorphism of vitamin d receptor gene with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Saudi population

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with the acceleration of the onset of T2DM. The biological effects of vitamin D are mediated by binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) which belongs to the steroid receptor superfamily. Although many polymorphisms exist in the VDR gene, their effect on VDR protein function and signalling is unknown. An association between VDR polymorphism and T2DM has been reported in some studies; however, it appears to vary across different populations around the world. Hence this study was carried out to investigate the relationship between VDR gene polymorphisms at three restriction sites ApaI, BsmI, and TaqI and the risk of T2DM in Saudi population. The volunteers were classified according to Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) test as two groups, T2DM and normal group. The VDR gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products were digested using restriction enzymes: ApaI, TaqI, and BsmI and the bands were visualised by agarose gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide dye under UV. The results of the current study showed a significant difference in genotypes and allele frequencies of the VDR gene polymorphisms at the ApaI site between T2DM patients and control groups. Archana P. Iyer 1,2,* , Susan Lanham New 2,3 , Sawsan Khoja 1,2 , Maryam A.AL-Ghamdi 1,2 and Sami Bahlas 2,4

Evaluation of a Salmonella Enteritidis vaccine and related ELISA for respective induction and assessment of acquired immunity to the vaccine and/or Echinacea purpurea in Awassi Ewes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate an experimental Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) bacterin and an indirect ELISA system to assess quantitatively the acquired immunity in Awassi ewes to the vaccine and/or Echinacea purpurea (EP) dried roots. Four treatments of the ewes were included in the experimental design, with 6 ewes/treatment. The first treatment (T1) had the controls that were non-vaccinated and non-treated with EP. The T2 ewes were only treated with EP. The T3 and T4 ewes were vaccinated at D1 (initiation of trial) and D10, while the T4 ewes were additionally administered the EP dried roots. Blood was collected from the jugular vein of all ewes at D1, D10, D21 and D45. The construction of the vaccine and the ELISA are detailed within the manuscript. The ELISA was able to detect quantitatively the significant acquired primary and secondary immunity to the vaccine in T3 and T4 ewes, compared to their low level of background immunities at initiation of the experiment (p<0.05). In addition, the ELISA detected the absence of seroconversion at all blood sampling times (p>0.05) in T1 control ewes, and in the T2 ewes that were given only the (EP) (p>0.05). Moreover, the ELISA was able to uncover the significant seroconversion of secondary immune response in T4 ewes at D21 compared to that at D10 (p<0.05), and the absence of significant seroconversion of secondary response in T3 ewes. This is the first work in literature that reports the need to supplement the vaccination by the experimental SE bacterin with daily oral intake of 250mg of EP-dried roots, effective the first vaccination day and up to 21 days, for obtaining a statistically significant seroconversion.

Analysis of SNPs of MC4R , GNB3 and FTO gene polymorphism in obese Saudi subjects

Background The goal of this study was to analyze the association between the FTO rs17817449 (G>T), G protein beta3 subunit (GNB3) C825T and Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) A822G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with obesity in Saudi subjects. Methods The subjects were divided into 2 groups according to BMI: Obese (BMI> 29.9) and non- obese control (BMI<24.9). Genotyping of the target genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (RFLP). Results We demonstrated the association of the FTO genotype TT with increased weight, BMI and leptin levels in both males and females. However, there was no association of genotype TT with fasting blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol levels. Regarding GNB3 rs5443 polymorphism, the likelihood of obesity was linked to the TT genotype which was also associated with increased leptin levels. On the other hand, the SNP of MC4R A822G did not exhibit any significant association with obesity among studied subjects and showed only the presence of homozygous AA genotype. Conclusion The polymorphism of FTO gene rs17817449 and GNB3 gene rs5443 (C825T) may be a genetic determinant of obesity in Saudi population whereas impact of MC4R Asn274Ser change could not be detected.