Colibactin is a genotoxin produced by Enterobacteriaceae via a polyketide synthase (pks) island cluster. There is less knowledge regarding the distribution of colibactin genes in E. coli isolates in Iraq and its correlation with biofilm and antibiotic susceptibility. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the frequency of some colibactin genes (CIbA and CIbQ) in uropathogenic E. coli in Iraq and evaluate the correlation with biofilm and antimicrobial resistance. Between October 2023 and January 2024, 70 E. coli isolates were isolated from 120 females diagnosed with UTIs. Isolates were identified first by biochemical methods and confirmed molecularly by amplification of 16S rRNA gene with specific primers. PCR was employed to detect the CIbA and CIbQ genes. Biofilm production was assessed by the microtiter plates method, and antibiotic susceptibility was determined by the disc diffusion method. Results indicate a high prevalence of pks+ E. coli (40%, 28/70) compared to pks-E. coli (60%, 42/70) with non-significant differences (p > 0.05). E. coli produce different levels of biofilm with significant differences (p < 0.05). However, a statistically significant correlation has been found between E. coli (pks+) and a moderate biofilm formation with a significant difference (p < 0.05). pks+ E. coli isolates are more sensitive to all antibiotics under investigation, with a significant relation to fluoroquinolone group. Interestingly, current and previous results show that pks+ E. coli prevalence in Iraq has gradually increased over the last five years.
The oil exports play a vital role in supporting economic development and raise the economic growth. The oil exports can increase the economic growth via three main channels which are supporting the productive, distributive and service sectors; increasing the investment and capital formation; and increasing the employment rate.
However, the oil exports did not have an important role in increasing the economic growth in Iraq. Therefore, it also did not provide the required support to other economic sectors, neither participated in increase the employees’ skills nor increase the investment rate. It may slightly contribute in enhancement the infrastructure that can attract the public and private investments
... Show MoreFresh water resources in terms of water quality is a crucial issue worldwide. In Egypt, the Nile River is the main source of fresh water in the country and monitoring its water quality is a major task on governments and research levels. In the present case study, the physical, chemical and algal distribution in Nile River was monitored over two seasons (winter and summer) in 2019. The aims of the study were to check the seasonal variation among the different water parameters and also to check the correlations between those parameters. Water samples were collected from the Nile in Cairo governorate in EGYPT. The different physiochemical and microbiological properties in water samples were assessed. The studied parameters were included: te
... Show MoreReservoir rock typing integrates geological, petrophysical, seismic, and reservoir data to identify zones with similar storage and flow capacities. Therefore, three different methods to determine the type of reservoir rocks in the Mushrif Formation of the Amara oil field. The first method represents cluster analysis, a statistical method that classifies data points based on effective porosity, clay volume, and sonic transient time from well logs or core samples. The second method is the electrical rock type, which classifies reservoir rocks based on electrical resistivity. The permeability of rock types varies due to differences in pore geometry, mineral composition, and fluid saturation. Resistivity data are usually obtained from w
... Show MoreThe objective of study was determining the most prevalent Salmonella spp. and their antimicrobial susceptibility in broilers and laying chickens and their feed and drinking water in five chicken farms in Karbala, Iraq over the period from August to October 2020. A total of 289 samples, including 217 cloaca swabs, 46 water and 26 feed samples were collected. Salmonella spp. was identified firstly by routine diagnostic methods, followed by applying the API 20E kit, the Vitek2 system, and serology. There was significant differences in Salmonella prevalence among different types of samples, mainly cloaca swabs reported a high isolation rate (21.7%). In contrast, feed samples were completely free of contamination. The highest rate of isolation w
... Show MoreDental caries is a common chronic disease affecting tooth of many subjects at different ages due to biofilm-mediated oral bacterial infection.
This research includes a study of Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene’s allele 677C?T and its correlation with oxidative stress and their impact on female infertility. Fifty infertile women with the range age (23-42) years and twenty five fertile women with the range age (22-39) years as control group living in Erbil city were selected. The serum level of Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), prolactin hormone (PRL), Luteinizing hormone (LH), Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), Triiodothyronine hormone (T3), and Thyroxine hormone (T4) were measured, also a body mass index (BMI) was calculated. A restriction enzyme (Hinf1) was used to improve the mutation in DNA bands of infertile women. The results showed significant inc
... Show MoreThe present study aims to establish an empirical correlation between biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the sewage flowing in Al-Diwaniyah wastewater treatment plant. The strength of the wastewater entering the plant varied from medium to high. High concentrations of BOD5 and COD in the effluent were obtained due to the poor performance of the plant. This was observed from the BOD5 /COD ratios that did not confirm with the typical ratios for the treated sewage. Regression equations for BOD5 and COD removal percentages were suggested which can be used to evaluate rapid effluent assessment after the treatment processes or optimal process control to improve the performance of wastewater treatment plants.
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