Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) enterococci have become a major problem in recent times and have been reported increasingly around the world. Lytic phages infect bacteria leading to rapid host death with limited risk of phage transduction, underlining the increasing interest in potential phage therapy in the future. Objective (s): The aim of this study is to use phage therapy as alternative approach for treatment of Enterococcus faecalis infections that recorded as MDR in Iraq to tackle this problem. Materials and Methods: Thirty E. faecalis isolates were collected from patients with different infectious diseases such as urinary tract infection (UTI), diabetic foot, septicemia, and wound infections. The isolation of specific lytic phages was from different environmental sources such as (sewage, and wastewater). The biokinetic assays were carried out to measure the characteristics of the isolated phage. The study of the bacteriophage and the formed phage cocktail infectivity against isolates E.faecalis was tested by the top layer assay. The phage endolysin was extracted from the best bacteriophage that gave best results. Results: All the isolated E.faecalis was reported as MDR in this study. About 75 E.faecalis specific phages were isolated and purified. All the isolated bacteria were 100% sensitive to the lytic phages. The formed phage cocktail was capable to create inhibition zones on the most bacterial isolates' lawns. The molecular weight and the concentration of the extracted endolysin was evaluated in this study and found to be as (48 kDa) and (0.5mg/ml), respectively. The antibacterial activity of the extracted endolysin was evaluated by the turbidity reduction assay. A clear decline in the bacterial growth was manifested (5x107 CFU/ml) to (1x104 CFU/ml), in which the bacterial growth was reduced by (3.63 log). The endolysin found to be effective against 90% of E.faeclais isolates. Conclusion: The activity of the isolated specific phage together with the activity of the formed phage cocktail, were efficient as successful and inexpensive method of therapy against MDR E.faecalis. The potential of the extracted endolysin over the phage therapy was verified in this study. The coverage rate and the absence of resistant E.faecalis to the phage and its endolysin had emphasized on the importance of this alternative therapy to commonly used antibiotics. List of abbreviation: MDR = multiple drug-resistant, E. faecalis = Enterococcus faecalis, BT = burst time, BS = burst size, IP = infective percentage, Phage =bacteriophage, CFU = Colony forming unit, kDa = Kilodalton, OD = Optical Densities.
Background: Mobile phones are approximately widely used everywhere like in hospital wards, clinics and universities as well as biomedical laboratories. They have become very important tool in students’ life. In contrast, these tools carry many harmful bacteria which are responsible for infectious diseases in human because they serve as a reservoir for different pathogens. Current study was aimed to isolate bacteria from students’ mobile phones at the Institute of Medical Technology/Al-Mansour/The Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq. Also, the study investigated microbial resistance to many antimicrobial agents as well as the appropriate remedial measures. Method: Four hundred and fifty swabs from mobile phones were collected from
... Show MoreThis study was performd on 50 urine specimens of patients with type 2 diabetes, in addition, 50 normal specimens were investigated as control group. The activity rate of maltase in patients (6.40±2.17) I.U/ml and activity rate of maltase in normal (0.44±0.20)I.U/ml. The results of the study reveal that maltase activity of type 2 diabetes patient's urine shows significant increase (P<0.01) compare to normal.
The plant Dianthus Orientalis that belongs to the Caryphyllaceae family is one of the useful plants in Iraq. Its seeds are commonly used for toothache. This project provides the first comprehensive research done in Iraq and the world to study the phytochemicals and the methods of extraction and isolation of active constituents from Dianthus orientalis wildly grown in Iraq. The plant was harvested from Penjwin in AL-Sulaymaniyah city, Iraq in September 2019.The whole plant were washed carefully, dried in shade area for two weeks, and milled in a mechanical grinder to a coarse powder. The plant was defatted by maceration with hexane for 7days and dried after that extracted by cold extraction methods using
... Show MoreThe Cassia glauca Lam. is the tree that belongs to the Fabaceae family and is native to India has many uses in indigenous systems of medicine, folk medicine, and traditional Brazilian medicine. Has many pharmacological activities such as anti-diabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-hemolytic, anticancer, cardio-protective, and Hepato-protection. The aim of study is to Isolation, identification, and quantification of some compounds from aerial parts of Cassia glauca since no phytochemical investigation had previously been done in Iraq for this plant. The aerial parts were defatted in n. hexane for 48 hours. The defatted materials were extracted in 85% ethanol using the hot method (soxhlet), then the extract was fra
... Show MoreSocial isolation and quarantine have been implemented globally during outbreaks of a highly transmissible microbe. For instance, they were employed during the plague outbreak in 1894 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. While these methods have proven effective against highly transmissible infections, they have also had significant negative consequences. In specific regions like Anbar, Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk, social isolation occurred during the period of ISIS occupation. After their liberation, these regions experienced a COVID-19 outbreak, and quarantine measures were put in place. This study aimed to investigate the effect of social isolation and quarantine on tuberculosis. Patients from Anbar, Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk distri
... Show MoreAspergillus fumigatus considered to be the most important species to cause respiratory infection cases in both humans and animals especially in cats in the last decades. In this study, we focused on the isolation and identification of Aspergillus fumigates by collecting 40 samples in deferent veterinary clinics and stray cats in Baghdad city, during the period (October 2021 to January 2022), all samples were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar and malt extract agar. The isolates identified by the laboratory methods, it’s depend on macroscopic and microscopic appearance. The results showed that (40) swaps taken from the pharynx of infected cats, included: Aspergillus fumigatus 16 (40%), Aspergillus spp. 7 (17.5%), Aspergillus niger
... Show MoreThis study was designed to determine the colonization of the in-use hand washing soaps in hospital settings. It is a comparative cross-sectional research in a surgical specialties and Baghdad teaching hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. Swabs from surfaces of bar soaps and from liquid soaps via their applicator tips; at the sinks of toilets of hospital staff and working rooms of the wards were taken in January 2008. Conventional microbiologic methods were used for culture of the swabs and identification of the isolates. Colonization was detected 60% and 15.9% in bars and liquid forms respectively. And this lead to the conclusion that bar soaps could be colonized with microorganisms excessively. Liquid hand washing soaps are more appropriate in ho
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Current Thesis has aimed to identify : The Psychological barriers for university students , Differences in psychological barriers depending on the variable sex (Males – Females) , Adjustment to College life for university students, Differences in Adjustment to College at university life depending on the variable sex (Males – Females), and finally, The correlation between psychological barriers and Adjustment to College life. The researcher has prepared a sample consisted of (100) male and female students who were randomly selected from university students, The researcher has adopted a measure of (2002) to measure the psychological barriers, also the researcher adjustment scale with university life.
The results showed that universi