Escherichia coli has been recognized worldwide as the most common causative agent for severe infections of the urinary tract. Colibactin is a genotoxin produced through a gene cluster called polyketide synthase (pks) island by members of Enterobacteriaceae. Limited information is available about the frequency of colibactin in E. coli isolates in Iraq. Hence, this study aimed to examine the frequency of some colibactin genes (CIbA and CIbQ) in clinical isolates of E. coli obtained from urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Iraq. Between October 2023 and January 2024, 120 urine samples were collected from females diagnosed with UTIs in Iraqi hospitals. 70 E. coli isolates were isolated after identification by biochemical methods and confirmed by molecular technique. In particular, the 16S rRNA gene was targeted using specific primers to confirm their identity. Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to detect the CIbA and CIbQ genes and confirm the presence of colibactin. The findings of this study revealed a high prevalence of colibactin-producing isolates (40%, 28/70) compared to colibactin-non-producing isolates (60%, 42/70) with non-significant differences (p>0.05). In conclusion, the frequency of colibactin genes is high in E. coli strains isolated from UTIs in Iraq. The presence of pks-positive isolates at a high frequency is concerning, as it suggests the spread of a highly genotoxic strain in urinary tract infections in Iraq that could potentially lead to the development of urinary tract cancer diseases.
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Abstract: The M(II) complexes [M2(phen)2(L)(H2O)2Cl2] in (2:1:2 (M:L:phen) molar ratio, (where M(II) =Mn(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Hg(II), phen = 1,10-phenanthroline; L = 2,2'-(1Z,1'Z)-(biphenyl-4,4'-diylbis(azan-1-yl-1-ylidene))bis(methan-1-yl-1- ylidene)diphenol] were synthesized. The mixed complexes have been prepared and characterized using 1H and13C NMR, UV/Visible, FTIR spectra methods and elemental microanalysis, as well as magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements. The metal complexes were tested in vitro against three types of pathogenic bacteria microorganisms: Staphylococcus aurous, Escherichia coli, Bacillussubtilis and Pseudomonasaeroginosa to assess their antimicrobial properties. From this study shows that a
... Show MoreCopper zinc tin sulfide selenide, Cu2 ZnSn(S1−x Se x)4 , absorbers are promising earth-abundant and environmentally benign materials for low-cost photovoltaic applications. This study investigates the structural and optical properties of Cu 2 ZnSn(S1−x Se x)4 nanostructured thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition using melt-quenched targets with selenium compositions x = 0.0–1.0. X-ray diffraction revealed that films with low selenium content remained amorphous, whereas higher selenium incorporation promoted the formation of polycrystalline kesterite–stannite phases with preferred orientations along (112), (200), (220), and (312). The crystallite size increased from 12.3 to 17.9 nm as selenium reached x = 1.0, indicating enha
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