Occurrence, phenotypic and genotypic characterization of multidrug resistant zoonotic bacteria isolated from poultry slaughterhouses

A total of 125 swab samples were collected from tables, knives, rinsing water, carcasses' surfaces and workers' hands (25, each) in five poultry slaughter houses at Sharkia Province, Egypt. These samples were examined for the presence of E. coli and Salmonella spp. and the resistance patterns of the isolates were determined using disc diffusion method. The isolates were serologically, molecularly identified and screened for the presence of antibiotic resistance genes using PCR. The overall prevalence of E.coli was 58.4% compared to 4.8% for Salmonella spp. E. coli isolates were serologically identified into 10 different serotypes with the predominance of serotype O125:K70 (7 isolates). Moreover, Salmonella isolates were serotyped into S. Enteritidis (3 isolates), S. Typhimurium, S. Emek and S. Agona (one isolate, each). E.coli and Salmonella isolates showed marked variations in their antibiotic resistance patterns. QRDRs of the gyrA, sul1 and tetA genes were identified in 60, 62 and 68 % of E. coli isolates, respectively. On the other hand, the respective prevalence of the former genes in Salmonella isolates was 50, 50 and 66.7%. The higher incidence of multidrug resistant E.coli and Salmonella harboring resistance genes in this study constituting a devastating problem for poultry industry and poultry consumers

Mold contamination and total aflatoxin content in marketed raw milk in Zagazig city, Egypt

Milk contains a lot of bioactive peptides, vitamins, and trace minerals including calcium and magnesium. Mold contamination of milk and aflatoxin formation are major concerns in the food industry. One of the primary tasks of the food safety and public health sectors is to ensure that the population receives safe animal products. Given these considerations, the current investigation attempted to examine into mold contamination of retailed raw milk from cattle, buffaloes, and sheep. Furthermore, the total aflatoxins in the analyzed samples were estimated, and their potential health risks were explored further. The obtained results revealed that cattle milk had the highest mold contamination, followed by buffalo and sheep milk, with 60%, 40%, and 35%, respectively. In the current study, the identification of distinct mold species indicated four mold genera recovered from the milk samples, namely Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Cladosporium spp., and Fusarium spp. Aspergillus spp. was the most prevalent mold genera isolated from the milk samples of cattle, sheep, and buffaloes, with 34%, 13.2%, and 11.3%, respectively. The mean total aflatoxins (ppb) levels in the milk samples tested were 5.05±0.25 (cattle), 4.22±0.18 (buffaloes), and 3.1±0.11 (sheep), respectively. In conclusion, mold contamination was found in retailed raw milk from cattle, buffaloes, and sheep in Zagazig, Egypt. Aflatoxin was found in several samples. As a result, efficient heat treatment of milk to pasteurization temperatures and avoidance of raw milk consumption are strongly advised

Prevalence of Multidrug-resistant Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in Pagrus and Saurus Fish Intended for Human Consumption

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is considered the most important cause of food borne intoxication, which occurs due to ingesting of food contaminated with enterotoxin of S. aureus. In this study, S. aureus from saurus, and pagrus fish species were isolated, then identified by morphological and biochemical examination. S. aureus coagulase, and D-Nase +ve were detected in 16 from 25 (64%), and 17 from 25(68%) of the examined samples of saurus, and pagrus, respectively. Total S. aureus counts were 5.14±0.06 in saurus, and 5.02±0.03 log 10 cfu/g in pagrus fish, respectively. Detection and typing of enterotoxin by Reverse Passive Latex Agglutination technique "RPLA" revealed the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) SEA, SEC, and SED at 18%, 6%, 0% in saurus and 5%, 0%, and 11%, at pagrus, respectively. S. aureus was tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. The recovered S. aureus coagulase, and D-Nase +ve in the current study showed resistance to kanamycin, clindamycin, nalidixic acid, and sulphamethoxazole at 100%, 87.9%, 84.8%, and 81.8%, respectively. The isolates showed sensitivity to amikacin, imipenem, meropenem, oxacillin at 90.9%, 87.9%, 84.8%, and 81.8% respectively. It could be concluded that multidrug resistant enterotoxigenic strains of S. aureus could be isolated from saurus and pagrus spp. Therefore, it is highly recommended to adopt strict hygienic measures and efficient cooking during before consumption of such fish species

Hygienic Status of the Carcass Surfaces of Cattle, Buffalo, Sheep, and Camel Carcasses and their Contact Surfaces

A main task for the food safety and animal hygiene sectors is to ensure safety and adoption of strict hygienic measures during the entire chain of the meat industry. To fulfill this task, continuous monitoring of the hygienic status of meat of different animal species and their contact surfaces is mandatory. In this study, the hygiene indicators including total bacterial counts (TBC), most probable number (MPN) of coliforms, total Staphylococcus aureus (TSC), and total mold and yeast counts (TMYC) of the surfaces of cattle, buffaloes, camel, and sheep retailed in Sharkia governorate Egypt were tested. Besides, such parameters were also investigated for the carcass contact surfaces including, the batcher hands, knives, cutting boards, and walls of the butcher shops. The obtained results indicated microbial contamination of the meat of different animals and their contact surfaces at variable rates. In general, cattle carcasses followed by that of the buffaloes had the highest microbial contamination. While, walls and cutting boards showed the highest microbial contamination among the examined contact surfaces. In conclusion, adoption of strict hygienic measure during handling of the animal carcasses, sterilization of the carcass's contact surfaces is highly suggested to produce meat of high keeping quality

Polychlorinated Biphenyls Water Pollution along the River Nile, Egypt

Ten polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were determined in water samples collected along the River Nile using gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD). PCB concentrations ranged from 14 to 20 μg/L, which were higher than those reported in previous studies, indicating serious PCB pollution in the River Nile. PCB congener profiles varied depending on the sampling sties. PCB-138 was the predominant congener accounting for more than 18% of total PCBs. The composition of PCB congeners in the water revealed that highly chlorinated PCB technical mixtures such as Aroclor 1254 was the main PCB production historically used in Egypt. An increasing trend in PCB levels from the upper stream to the Nile estuaries was observed. The calculated flux of PCBs indicated that 6.8 tons of PCBs is dumped into the Mediterranean Sea each year from the River Nile. The hazard quotients and carcinogenic risk caused by PCB pollution in the River Nile were above the acceptable level indicating that PCBs in the River Nile water pose adverse health effects for all age groups. Our findings revealed that PCBs possess a serious risk to the Egyptian population that depends mainly on the River Nile as a source of water. Thus, stricter legislation and regulatory controls should be applied to reduce the risk of PCBs in Egypt

Immunosuppression, growth retardation, and transcriptomic profile alterations induced by chronic copper toxicity in Clarias gariepinus: The ameliorative effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles

This study was designated to look into the toxicological effects of long-term exposure of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) to a heavy metal (copper) on the growth, hematology, immune-antioxidant functions and their regulating genes, and resistance to Aeromonas sobria. Furthermore, the efficiency of dietary zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZNPs) to ameliorate copper toxicity was assessed. Fish (n=300: average body weight: 90.56±0.20 g) were equally allocated into six groups in five replicates (10 fish/replicate; 50 fish/ group) for 60 days at a water temperature of 25 ± 1.2 ◦C. Three diets were formulated with varying ZNPs levels: control (0 mg kg−1), ZNPs20 (20 mg kg−1), and ZNPs30 (30 mg kg−1), with actual zinc concentrations of 45, 65, and 75 mg kg−1, respectively. The experimental groups were named, control, ZNPs20, and ZNPs30 groups which were fed on the control, ZNPs20, and ZNPs30 diets, respectively without copper exposure. Additionally, the CuCL2, CuCL2+ZNPs20, and CuCL2+ZNPs30 groups were received the same feeding regime as the control, ZNPs20, and ZNPs30 groups, respectively and exposed to copper chloride, CuCL2 (10 mg L−1). At the end of the exposure trial (60 days), all experimental groups were challenged with 0.2 mL of A. sobria (1×108 CFU mL−1) and the mortalities were recorded daily for additional 7 days. The results displayed that copper exposure resulted in lower growth metrics and survivability. The final body weight, weight gain, feed intake, and survivability were reduced in the CuCL2 group by 39.29%, 23.79%, 63.37%, and 20%, respectively with increasing the feed conversion ratio by 52.13% compared to the control group. In addition, reduced hematological (red blood cells (58.40%), hemoglobin (48.11%), packed cell volume (40.59%), white blood cells (46.85%), total proteins (43.12%), albumin (41.98%), and globulin (44.23%)), immune (lysozymes (59.74%), complement 3 (41.89%), nitric oxide (57.14%), and phagocytic activity (38.75%)), and antioxidant parameters (glutathione peroxidase (82.95%), catalase (74.08%), and superoxide dismutase (48.59%)), as well as higher oxidative (malondialdehyde) (200.30%) indicator were observed in the CuCL2 group compared to the control group. A down-regulation of the antioxidant (glutathione peroxidase-1) and immune (lysozyme-G, lysozyme-C, transforming growth factor-beta, and myeloperoxidase) genes with up-regulation of the inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1ß, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, nuclear factor kappa β, and Toll-like receptor 5) was noticed in the CuCL2 group. In addition, the survivability of the CuCL2 group during A. sobria challenge was reduced (25%) compared to the control group. Noticeably, ZNPs diets modulated the growth, survival, and antioxidant/immune functions and their associated genes of the copper-exposed fish. In addition, ZNPs increased the resistance of the copper-exposed fish to A. sobria challenge. ZNPs diets especially at 30 mg kg−1 level proposed a promising feed additive for mitigating the stress consequences of copper exposure in African catfish