COVID-19 situation in Baden-Württemberg, Germany: Preliminary case series study during the first wave

The present case series study presents the preliminary data of 347 of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positively tested patients in the Mittelbaden hospital, Baden-Baden Bühl, Germany, during the period from March to June 2020. Among the 347 patients, 55% were males. The mean age-wise was 52.5±20.2 years in the overall cohort and 78.9±11.1 years in fatal outcome cases. A total of 120/347 patients (34.6%) required hospitalization, but only 36/347 (10.37%) cases required intensive care. The overall fatality rate was 6.6% (23/347), of which 12 patients were from the intensive care unit. The most frequent clinical symptoms observed were cough (62.5%), hyperthermia (47.8%), rhinorrhea (25.1%), sore throat (23.1%), dyspnea (22.8%), and headache (19.3%). Laboratory data analysis showed no specific findings, but severe laboratory disturbances could predict critical illness. A higher risk of severe illness or lethal outcome in elderly patients with several comorbidities was the most frequent. The fight against COVID-19 infection in Germany seems to be more successful during the first wave than in other countries. The improvement of the healthcare system against infectious outbreaks depends directly on the analysis of regional factors.

Virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes associated with the in-vivo pathogenicity of avian pathogenic E. coli isolates

In the current study, ten avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) isolates of the most predominant APEC serogroups isolated from broiler chickens in Egypt were screened for their virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes pattern using PCR. Five selected virulence gene patterns were further investigated for their in-vivo pathogenicity test. Results showed a 100% prevalence of the β-lactams and tetracyclines resistance genes. However, aminoglycoside and quinolone resistance genes were not detected. Also, 80% of the tested isolates harbored mcr-1 gene, colistin resistance gene. In-vivo pathogenic strains consistently harbored the virulence gene pattern of fimH, fimA, papC, iutA, and tsh. Additionally, the tsh gene was consistently detected with lethal APEC isolates in day-old chicks. These results highlighted the high prevalence of antimicrobial and virulence genes in APEC that potentially represent a public health concern. In this study, the virulence genes fimH, fimA, papC, iutA, and tsh were the most common virulence gene patterns associated with pathogenicity in day-old chicks.

Development of an effective vaccination protocol to produce Salmonella-free layer fock

Salmonella infections are of prime importance in the layer chicken industry and pose a significant public health threat. Production of export quality poultry products requires Salmonella-free certification. We developed and applied a vaccination schedule based on a commercial live attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum) vaccine in a layer flock. A flock of 1000 ISA Brown chickens has vaccinated with a lyophilized fowl typhoid live vaccine at definite time intervals. Isolation of Salmonella spp. in cloacal swabs and detection of serum antibody responses were performed using serum plate agglutination (SPA) test and ELISA. At the time of vaccination (16 weeks (w) of age), 50% of the tested birds carried Salmonella spp. in feces. Following booster immunization at 18 w, 21 w, and then every 12 weeks interval, the shedding of Salmonella decreased significantly over time with 40% at 21 w, 10% at 30 w, and 5% each at 42 and 54 w, and no shedding was detected at 66 and 78 w. Biochemical analysis of 32 Salmonella isolates revealed 15.6% (n=5) Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Pullorum (S. Pullorum), 37.5% (n=12) Salmonella Gallinarum, and 46.9% (n=15) paratyphoid causing Salmonella. Of note, the Salmonella spp. detected after 21 w of age belonged to the paratyphoid group. The decreased shedding of bacteria paralleled with increased antibody responses. The antibody level at vaccination (20% positive rate at 16 w) increased over time with a 50% positive rate at 18 w, 80% at 42 w, 90% at 54 w, and 100% at 66 w and 78 w by serum plate agglutination (SPA) test. Similarly, the serum antibody levels of chickens were also measured using ELISA and were similar to the SPA test. In conclusion, the vaccine schedule developed in this study confirmed a high seroconversion and prevented Salmonella shedding in feces. Therefore, a three-month interval vaccination protocol from the pre-laying stage to the last stage of laying is recommended to prevent Salmonella infections in laying flocks.

Can Lufenuron be an alternative treatment option in small animal dermatomycosis?

Lufenuron (Benzoyl-phenyl urea) is a chitin synthesis inhibitor that inhibits chitin production. It has an ectoparasitic effect by causing impairment in chitin biosynthesis and larval development of various parasite species. Lufenuron is an agent that is effectively used as a pesticide against agricultural pests in the ecosystem and veterinary medicine. It is used to control various ectoparasites such as fleas and scabies of cats and dogs. The high prevalence of mycotic diseases in pet animals, especially in cats and dogs, and the increasing drug resistance in veterinary medicine reveal the importance of different treatment options. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Lufenuron as a new antimycotic agent in veterinary medicine.

Interference between low pathogenic avian influenza H9N2 and avirulent Newcastle diseases viruses in embryonated Specific Pathogen-Free chicken eggs

Co-infection with low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) H9N2 and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has become a worrying concern for the poultry industry. The problem arises when the hidden virus influences the replication of another suspected virus. Subsequently, misdiagnosis of the actual cause may be ended up as a source of contamination for the other healthy flocks by the spread of the covered-up virus. In this preliminary study, we determined the potential impact of concurrent infection with H9N2 and avirulent NDV (Lasota) on the virus replication in Specific Pathogen-Free embryonated chicken egg (SPF-ECE) model. Assessment of the potential interference phenomena was carried out based on embryonic lesions, mortalities, and virus replication using real-time PCR. Our results showed that H9N2 interferes with LaSota growth, regardless of which infection occurred first. Our obtained preliminary results are a call for scientists to study the interference between LPAIV H9N2 and NDV both in-vivo and in-vitro in more detail.

Seasonal Variation in Drinking Water Disinfection By-products in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt

Chlorine is the most common disinfectant used in drinking water treatment because it is cheap and has an efficient germicidal ability. However, chlorine and organic matter reacting trihalomethanes (THMs) are suspected carcinogens. The major groups of disinfection by-products (DBPs) are THMs, haloacetic acids (HAAs), haloacetonitriles (HANs), and halogenated ketones (HKs). Exposure to these by-products increases the risk of cancers, abortion, low birth weight, and congenital disabilities. The wastewater contents of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as the source of total organic carbon (TOC) compounds, are oxidized by chlorine to produce DBPs. This study aimed to monitor the seasonal levels of THMs in Egypt compared with international standards using capillary gas chromatography. Results revealed that THMs mean values vary between 9.26 to 35.86 μg/l, while dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) mean values vary between 3.82 to 17.74 μg/l and 4.41 to 13.25 μg/l, respectively. The maximum THM and TCAA values were observed during the summer, probably due to high temperatures. While the maximum DCAA values were observed during the autumn due to the high levels of raw water TOC. In conclusion, continuous monitoring of THM and its species is highly recommended, taking into consideration how climate can influence THMs formation.

The GMPC Thesis and Opinions - A platform for science globalization

The research effort is effective when published and becomes available to the scientific community. Scientist's professional success correlates to a greater extent with their research "internationalization." Although many international journals are committed to disseminating research, there are many difficulties accessing master's and doctoral theses due to language barriers. Additionally, publishing "Opinion or editorials" on hot topics based on the findings from empirical evidence on a global scale might explore ideas and stimulate researchers to focus on such topics. The GMPC-Thesis and Opinion platform will give master and Ph.D. students the chance to publish their thesis-review on an international platform. Moreover, it will allow the pioneers in the sciences to show their opinions in a global portal.

Towards a novel bioreactor technology for treating fungicide-rich wastewaters from the fruit packaging industry

The fruit processing industry is an important economic sector worldwide, whereas a wide range of plant pathogens affects the shelf life of fruits, resulting in great economic losses. Post-harvest fungicides are often applied in the fruit processing industry to address post-harvest infections. However, various fungicides have been reported to exhibit toxicity to aquatic and terrestrial non-target organisms. Thus, effective technological solutions are needed to treat fungicide-containing wastewaters generated by the fruit packaging industry. Regarding biological methods, few approaches have been explored to deplete high-strength fungicide-based wastewaters derived from the post-harvest treatment of fruits. Despite the application of post-harvest fungicides for several decades, we are still missing the implementation of a full-scale biobased system to treat fungicide-rich wastewater generated by the fruit-packaging industry. On the other hand, fixed and fluidized bed bioreactors compared to suspended solids systems result in higher removal efficiencies. Based on the advantages of such bioreactor technology and the recent findings regarding the depuration of post-harvest fungicides in these biosystems, immobilized cell bioreactors appear to be a promising biological approach to treat persistent fungicides present in fruit packaging wastewater. However, bioreactors technology scaling up for the biotreatment of fungicide-rich wastewaters from the fruit packaging industry is challenging. Towards this direction, “Minotaur”, a 3-year research project financed by EU and Greek funds, is on the way to develop a full-scale bioreactor technology for treating fungicide-based wastewaters.

Avian influenza infections in poultry farms in Egypt, a continuous challenge: Current problems related to pathogenesis, epidemiology, and diagnosis

This study's main objective was to update avian influenza (AI) epidemiological situation, including molecular characterization reassortment analysis and genotyping of circulating AI virus (AIV) subtypes in Egyptian poultry farms between 2017 and 2019. As a necessity for such work, improved diagnostic tools were developed for AIV detection. Subtype H9N2 infections were detected in 27 out of 39 examined farms and were frequently mixed with high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)AIV H5N8 in 22/39 farms. Next-generation and Sanger sequencing helped to define novel reassortant HPAIV H5N2 and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAIV) H9N2 in Egypt. Systematic reassortment analysis confirmed at least seven genotypes of HPAI H5NX viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b and three genotypes of LPAIV H9N2 circulating in Egypt. Several internal genes of AIVs previously detected in wild birds in Egypt were represented in the genome of novel reassortants of both HP H5Nx and H9N2 viruses suggesting local reassortment processes.