Antimicrobial resistance pattern of Escherichia coli strains isolated from poultry farmers and poultry slaughterers in Morocco

Aim: The objective of this study is to characterize the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from the fecal samples of poultry workers, and to study the possible dissemination of resistant E. coli  from  poultry to humans. Methodology: Sixty four E. coli strains isolated from the fecal samples of poultry workers and 35 isolates from a control group workers were tested for antibiotic resistance by agar disk diffusion with 11 antimicrobial agents. Results: Resistance of E. coli isolated from poultry workers to tetracycline, ampicillin and norfloxacin were significantly (p < 0,05) higher than those isolated from the control group. All E. coli isolates were susceptible to cefotaxime, and most of them are susceptible to gentamycin, amikacin, cefoxitin and ertapenem. Multidrug resistance is alarmingly high in all groups, but was highest in poultry farmers isolates (84%) and poultry slaughterers isolates (80%). Approximately 25 % of the isolates of poultry workers showed resistance to four or more antibiotics. Conclusion: This study implies  that occupational exposure to antimicrobial-resistant E. coli from animal contact in the broiler chicken industry may be an important route of entry for antimicrobial-resistant E. coli into the community. Keywords : Escherichia coli ; Poultry Workers ; Antibiotic Resistance ; Multidrug Resistance ; Morocco

ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED IN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN THE PROVINCE OF SIDI KACEM, MOROCCO

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants was carried in the province of Sidi Kacem (Morocco), whose objective is to make an inventory of medicinalplants used in traditional therapy against respiratory, digestive, and cutaneous infections; also to describe their mode of use practiced by the localpopulation. The tool of the study was a questionnaire completed by 200 citizens of four investigated areas, determined by the stratified samplingtechniques, 40% practiced phytotherapy. The survey consists of a section on the informant, and another is interested in plants used by the population.The analysis of information has established a catalog of 73 species identified with their use of frequencies, partly used and the method of preparation.They belong to 39 families; the most dominant are Lamiaceae, Apiaceae, and Asteraceae. The leaves are the most used part in decoction to treat thethree types of infection mentioned above. These results allow us to create a database about this region's plants characteristic. They will be useful toestablish further studies on their chemical properties and biological activities.Keywords: Province of Sidi Kacem (Morocco), Phytotherapy, Ethnobotanical survey, Infections, Catalogue of plants

Polyphenols, antioxidant activity and mode of action of antimicrobial compounds of Dittrichia viscosa extracts

In order to promote the spontaneous plant Dittrichia viscosa known by its use in traditional medicine, the content of phenolic compound in the aqueous and ethanolic extracts was determined according to the colorimetric method based on the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, and the antioxidant activity which was evaluated by two methods: DPPH and FRAP. For antimicrobial activity, the microtiter microplate method was applied to the yeast Candida albicans and to two bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Regarding the mode of action of the extracts of tested germs, an evaluation of the nucleic acids released during the lysis of the treated cells was carried by the spectrophotometric assay at wave length 260 nm. The results revealed that the extracts have an interesting content of polyphenols, which is higher in the ethanolic extract. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities are higher for the alcoholic extract than the decoction. The MIC for E. coli is 0.28 ± 0.05 mg / ml, 2.290 ± 0.20 mg / ml for Staphylococcus aureus and 33.33 ± 0.33 mg / ml for C. albicans. The alcoholic extract  and decocted of  D. viscosa act  respectively by damaging the bacterial and yeast wall

Étude Évaluative D’examen Normalisé De Sciences De La Vie Et De La Terre Au Cycle Secondaire Collegial

Generally an exam, a performance test or a test to be used for summative or evaluation purposes must be prepared according to a definite plan. The present paper aimed at analyzing and evaluating the certificate exam, the study also revealed the questions representation of Bloom's cognitive levels. This article presents also the statistical and psychometric indices that characterize each of the questions (26 items) that make up a certification exam of the Sciences of Life and Earth in a Moroccan high school in Meknes. Indeed, two hundred test copies have been analyzed using the SPSS and Anitem software. The average of goals achieved in activities of knowledge, analysis, understanding and evaluation is 61%, 52%, 37.5%, 58% respectively, but it is only 19% for "application" activity. The success rate in open questions items is only 38.5% against 61.5% for Multiple Choice Questions (MSQ) and closed questions. The internal homogeneity coefficient is greater than 0.8 (α = 0.84), which means that the homogeneity of the instrument has been considered satisfactory. According to the index of difficulty out of the 26 items, two are extremely inferior (P> 0.8), while two others are extremely superior (P <0.2). According to the index of discrimination eleven items meet the conditions of validity, three are not discriminating and twelve should be reviewed. The correlation between the success rate in these items and their difficulty index is high (R = 0.98). In light of the findings, we recommended the necessity of having measurement and evaluation experts in writing questions of exams and we highly recommend the necessity of continuous training of teachers in the field of assessment and evaluation

Effectiveness of essential oil from the Artemisia herba-alba aerial parts against multidrug-resistant bacteria isolated from food and hospitalized patients

Abstract. Ed-Dra A, Filali FR, Presti VL, Zekkori B, Nalbone L, Elsharkawy ER, Bentayeb A, Giarrtana F. 2021. Effectiveness of essential oil from the Artemisia herba-alba aerial parts against multidrug-resistant bacteria isolated from food and hospitalized patients. Biodiversitas 22: 2995-3005. The World Health Organization has sounded the warning on the diffusion of multidrug resistance (MDR) bacteria, requiring solutions and alternatives to solve the therapeutic failure that may occur. This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant activity and bactericidal effectiveness against MDR bacteria of Artemisia herba-alba essential oil (A-EO) collected from semi-arid region of Morocco. Chemical composition of the A-EO was determined by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionisation Detector and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, while the antioxidant activity was performed by DPPH scavenging activity and ?-carotene bleaching assay. Antibacterial activity of A-EO, performed by disc diffusion assay and broth dilution method, was tested against: four MDR strains (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Typhimurium and Enterococcus faecalis) isolated from food matrices, two (Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) from hospitalized patients, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 as reference strain. Davanone was the main compound among the 17 identified. An antioxidant activity with IC50 of 1.13±0.02 mg/mL, EC50 of 2.12±0.05 mg/mL and RC50 of 0.87±0.02 mg/mL was observed. A weak activity against P. aeruginosa was observed, while it was intermediate or high against the other bacteria. This study confirms that A-EO could be a suitable alternative to antibiotics in the infection treatment related to MDR bacteria

Prévalence de la contamination par Salmonella des élevages de poulet de chair au Maroc

L’objectif de la présente étude est d’évaluer l’impact des pratiques de gestion et de l’hygiène générale sur la contamination des élevages en bande de poulets de chair par Salmonella à Meknès (Maroc). L’étude a été menée de septembre 2005 à octobre 2007 sur un échantillon de 25 élevages de poulets de chair. Un questionnaire a été soumis aux éleveurs et des échantillons de fientes fraîches de poulets ont été collectés. Les résultats indiquent que 24 % des élevages sont infectés par Salmonella spp. Onze facteurs de risque sur 24 testés sont significativement associés à la contamination des lots d’élevage par Salmonella. Les facteurs de risque de l’infection sont spécifiquement liés au manque d’hygiène. La contamination de la bande précédente et des poussins d’un jour augmente le risque d’infection par Salmonella. Cependant, l’utilisation d’antibiotiques à la mise en place des poussins et l’usage de détergent pour le nettoyage diminuent ce risque

Occurrence of Clostridium perfringens in sausages sold in Meknes city, Morocco

In Morocco, the consumption of meat products has experienced a sharp increase in recent years despite the presence of pathogenic bacteria due to hygiene failure. The present study was designed to determine the prevalence of Clostridium perfringens in sausages sold in Meknes city (Morocco) and to study the different factors affecting it contamination with this bacterium. To this end, 156 samples of sausages were taken in various shopping sites during one year from March 2014 to February 2015. The microbiological analysis was carried out using the specific medium for isolation and identification of C. perfringens. ANOVA test was used for Statistical analysis (p< 0.05). The results of this study showed the presence of C. perfringens in 77.56% (121 of 156) samples, with 88.88% (32 of 36) in street vendors, 79.16% (19 of 24) in a weekly market, 70.83% (51 of 72) in butchery and 62.5% (15 of 24) in a supermarket. The average rate was 2.42 Log CFU/g, with a minimum value of 0 CFU/g recorded in several outlets and a maximum value of 6.05 Log CFU/g recorded in butchery. This study reveals that the contamination rate of sausages with C. perfringens is related to the sausages origin, retail sites and seasonal variations related to temperature increase

Occurrence of Clostridium perfringens in sausages sold in Meknes city, Morocco

In Morocco, the consumption of meat products has experienced a sharp increase in recent years despite the presence of pathogenic bacteria due to hygiene failure. The present study was designed to determine the prevalence of Clostridium perfringens in sausages sold in Meknes city (Morocco) and to study the different factors affecting it contamination with this bacterium. To this end, 156 samples of sausages were taken in various shopping sites during one year from March 2014 to February 2015. The microbiological analysis was carried out using the specific medium for isolation and identification of C. perfringens. ANOVA test was used for Statistical analysis (p&lt; 0.05). The results of this study showed the presence of C. perfringens in 77.56% (121 of 156) samples, with 88.88% (32 of 36) in street vendors, 79.16% (19 of 24) in a weekly market, 70.83% (51 of 72) in butchery and 62.5% (15 of 24) in a supermarket. The average rate was 2.42 Log CFU/g, with a minimum value of 0 CFU/g recorded in several outlets and a maximum value of 6.05 Log CFU/g recorded in butchery. This study reveals that the contamination rate of sausages with C. perfringens is related to the sausages origin, retail sites and seasonal variations related to temperature increase.Keywords: Clostridium perfringens, Food contamination, Food safety, Morocco, Sausages