High Occurrence of Zoonotic Subtypes of Cryptosporidiumparvum in Cypriot Dairy Farms

Cryptosporidium parvum is one of the major causes of neonatal calf diarrhoea resulting in reduced farm productivity and compromised animal welfare worldwide. Livestock act as a major reservoir of this parasite, which can be transmitted to humans directly and/or indirectly, posing a public health risk. Research reports on the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in ruminants from east Mediterranean countries, including Cyprus, are limited. This study is the first to explore the occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. in cattle up to 24 months old on the island of Cyprus. A total of 242 faecal samples were collected from 10 dairy cattle farms in Cyprus, all of which were screened for Cryptosporidium spp. using nested-PCR amplification targeting the small subunit of the ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene. The 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene was also sequenced for the samples identified as Cryptosporidium parvum-positive to determine the subtypes present. The occurrence of Cryptosporidium was 43.8% (106/242) with at least one positive isolate in each farm sampled. Cryptosporidium bovis, Cryptosporidium ryanae and C. parvum were the only species identified, while the prevalence per farm ranged from 20–64%. Amongst these, the latter was the predominant species, representing 51.8% of all positive samples, followed by C. bovis (21.7%) and C. ryanae (31.1%). Five C. parvum subtypes were identified, four of which are zoonotic—IIaA14G1R1, IIaA15G1R1, IIaA15G2R1 and IIaA18G2R1. IIaA14G1R1 was the most abundant, representing 48.2% of all C. parvum positive samples, and was also the most widespread. This is the first report of zoonotic subtypes of C. parvum circulating in Cyprus. These results highlight the need for further research into the parasite focusing on its diversity, prevalence, host range and transmission dynamics on the islan

Ray of hope: opportunities for reducing unsafe abortions!

Unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity which impede the nation in achieving the targets of MDG 5. In the developing world, it is estimated that 13% of all maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortions. Despite having certain liberty in the law and religion, Pakistan has a relatively high prevalence of unsafe abortion. Poverty, unintended pregnancies, ineffective use of contraceptive methods and unawareness about the law are the root causes for the rise in the number of women seeking abortions. Nonetheless, with all these opening points of having permission in the law and religion could direct us that if we just follow them we can reduce the number of unsafe and illegal abortions.Therefore, there is a strong interventions would be required in health and legal aspects, which would decrease maternal mortality and morbidity

Synthesis and physico-chemical studies on transition metal complexes of macrocyclic ligand derived from 2,6-diacetylpyridine dihydrazone

556-561A novel series of Schiff base decaazamacrocyclic complexes [ML/ X2] [M = Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn (II)] ; and [CuL/]X2 ( X = Cl, NO3) have been synthesized by the reaction between pre-synthesized 2,6-diacetylpyridine dihydrazone (L) and formaldehyde in the presence or metal ions in methanol medium at room temperature.The formation of ligand (L) and the proposed macrocyclic complexes have been confirmed from the results of elemental analyses, the comparative band positions for v(C=N) and appearance of proton resonance peaks for secondary amine group (N-NH-C) in 1H NMR spectra of complexes. The nature of the complexes and their overall geometry have been inferred from electrical conductivity data, observed band positions in electronic spectra and magnetic moment values

Association of Serotype With Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns Among Shigella flexneri Isolates From Pakistan: The Importance of Serotype 2b

Background: Shigella flexneriis an emerging threat in low socioeconomic countries including Pakistan. No previous data is available on the association betweenS. flexneriserotypes and antimicrobial resistance in Pakistan. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to assess the association between serotypes and antimicrobial resistance patterns amongS. flexneriisolated from clinical and nonclinical samples. Methods: A total of 199S. flexneriisolates were subjected to molecular serotyping and antibiotic resistance. Results: The most prevalentS. flexneriserotype was 2b (38%) followed by 1b (24%), 7a (20%), 2a (11%), 1d (5%) and Y (2%). The phylogenetic reconstruction showed 12 clades among which the clades II, III, V, VIII, IX and XI have consisted of serotypes that were found both in human population and environment samples. A high level of multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in serotype 2b (37.68%) followed by 1b (19.5%) and 7a (19.5%), 2a (11.5%), 1d (5%) and Y (2%). All isolates of serotype 2b showed high level of resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (100%) followed by quinolone (74.6%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (54.6%). Interestingly, none of the serotype was resistant to piperacillin-tazobactam, imipenem and amikacin. The most frequently detected resistance genes among serotype 2b werebla(OXA)(100%) followed byqnrS(88%),cat(81%) andsul2(63%). Conclusion: The most frequentS. flexneriserotype was 2b while 1d and Y was first time reported in Pakistan. High frequency of MDR serotypes ofS. flexneriis a serious threat in diarrhea endemic regions and thus require urgent strategies for its continuous monitoring and prevention