Expression of the Fluoroquinolones Efflux Pump Genes acrA and mdfA in Urinary Escherichia coli Isolates

Escherichia coli is one of the most frequent causes of urinary tract infections. Efflux system overexpression is reported to contribute to E. coli resistance to several antibiotics. Our aim in this study was to investigate the relation between antibiotic resistance and the expres­sion of the efflux pump genes acrA and mdfA in E. coli by real-time reverse transcription-PCR. We tested the in vitro susceptibilities to 12 antibiotics in 28 clinical isolates of E. coli obtained from urine samples. We also determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations of levofloxacin to these samples. We then revealed significant correlations between the overexpression of both mdfA and acrA and MICs of levofloxacin. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the increased expression of efflux pump genes such as mdfA and acrA can lead to levofloxacin resistance in E. coli. These findings contribute to further understanding of the molecular mechanisms of efflux pump systems and how they contribute to antibiotic resistance

Interspecies Interaction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli in vitro

Microbial interactions are frequently categorized according to how they affect each population in a binary system. We aimed to determine the interaction between P . aeruginosa, S . aureus, and E . coli in-vitro. In this experimental hospitalized patients’ sputum, urine, and blood samples were used to collect a total of 90 clinical isolates for the study in Damanhour Medical National Institute, Behira, Egypt, followed by accurate identification and testing for antibiotic sensitivity. To examine the effect of the supernatant of P. aeruginosa on S. aureus and E. coli determined MIC using broth microdilution method. We also measured the activity of lasA protease by assessing the S. aureus cell lysis potential of P. aeruginosa culture supernatants. Extraction of pyocyanin was made to determine the change in the cell nature of S. aureus upon exposure to pyocyanin by using a scanning electron microscope and the shape of colonies on the culture media was determined. Finally, we detect lasA, operon phz, phzM, phzS and rhlAB genes for P. aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa showed a great impact on S. aureus isolates resistant to different antibiotics as it facilitates their killing and may drive the normal colonies of S. aureus into SCVs. The ability to form biofilm by S. aureus and E. coli decreased in the presence of Pseudomonas supernatant

Study of some potential biomarkers in Egyptian hepatitis C virus patients in relation to liver disease progression and HCC

Abstract Background Egypt has the greatest prevalence of hepatitis C worldwide according to the WHO reports, accounting for 13% of the global HCV infections. HCV is a substantial precursor for fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aimed to investigate the potential relevance of some cytokines, miR-122 and miR-221 for the diagnosis of liver disease progression associated to HCV infection. Methods One hundred and twenty blood samples were collected from patients with chronic liver disease, HCC, and healthy individuals. Total bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, platelet count, albumin, and creatinine were measured. Serum level of selected cytokines was conducted by ELISA. Serum miRNA expression was detected by RT-PCR. Results IL-2R was higher among HCC patients and the mean concentration of both TNF-αRII and IL-6R was higher among cirrhotic patients. The expression of miRNA-122 showed a little fold decrease in all studied groups; the highest level was observed in HCC patients. The expression of miRNA-221 showed a significant fold increase in HCC and cirrhotic groups. Conclusions This study revealed that there is no difference in liver disease progression in patients regarding sex and age. Routine liver function tests performed poorly in terms of early diagnosis of liver disease progression; however, serum total bilirubin gave somewhat useful guide for discrimination between fibrotic, cirrhotic and HCC cases. IL-2R showed a significant consistent increase in its level with disease progression. The miR-221 serum level showed significant fold increase with liver disease progression. Therefore, making miR-221 a potential non-invasive biomarker for liver disease progression in the diagnostic setting is recommended