Salmonella infections are a major cause of foodborne infection in both humans and animals. Some serotypes are capable of inducing severe clinical manifestations, including gastroenteritis, septicemia, and abortion. The present study aimed to identify, isolate, and detect Salmonella Agona in cats with diarrhea in Al-Anbar Governorate, Iraq, and to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance profiles of the recovered isolates. Between November 2024 and May 2025, 100 fecal samples were collected from cats of different breeds presenting with diarrhea at veterinary clinics in Iraq. These samples were processed using established culture methods, including pre-enrichment in buffered peptone water followed by selective enrichment in tetrathionate broth. The enriched samples were then cultured on selective and differential media, including xylose lysine deoxycholate (XLD) agar and Salmonella-Shigella (SS) agar. For isolates identification, biochemical analyses, including catalase, indole, methyl red, Simmons citrate, oxidase, urease, lactose fermentation, triple sugar iron test, and phenylalanine, were performed, and the automated VITEK®2 test was used to confirm the results. The polymerase chain reaction targeted the invA gene to identify Salmonella species, followed by sequence analysis. Eventually, additional virulence genes were identified, including Salmonella enterotoxin (stn) and Salmonella outer protein E (sopE). The current results demonstrated that 4% of the samples (4 out of 100) were positive for Salmonella Agona. Antibiotic susceptibility testing against 16 antimicrobial agents demonstrated that the isolates were resistant to eight antibiotics (50%), namely amoxicillin, streptomycin, cefotaxime, oxytetracycline, doxycycline, tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and gentamicin. The virulence gene results indicated that 2 out of 4 isolates (50%) possessed the sopE gene, whereas only 1 isolate (25%) carried the stn gene. The current findings indicate that Salmonella Agona was not prevalent among cats presenting with diarrhea; however, the existence of highly virulent, multidrug-resistant strains represented a vital public health concern for both humans and animals.
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate babesiosis in dogs of different breeds and ages and of both sexes in Baghdad Province by molecular detection of Babesia canis using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing followed by phylogenetic analyses. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 310 dogs of different ages and breeds, and of both sexes in different areas of Baghdad Province from December 2018 to September 2019; during clinical examinations, body temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, and signs of diseases were recorded. PCR was used to amplify a specific 450-bp fragment of the 18S rRNA gene of B. canis. PCR products were sequenced, and MEGA 6.0 software was used for analysis. Chi-squar
... Show MoreIn this study, a total of 209 individuals of leeches were collected from Al-Hindyia River / Babil Province. 116 individuals were identified as Erpobdella octaculata (Linnaeus, 1758), 50 individuals as Erpobdella punctata (Leidy,1870) and 43 individuals as Hemiclepsis marginata (Müller, 1774). Four samples were collected monthly during a period from February to June 2018. Some physical and chemical water properties were also examined, including air and water temperature, potential of hydrogen pH, Electrical Conductivity EC, Total Dissolved Solid TDS, Dissolved Oxygen DO, and the Biological Oxygen Demand BOD₅. Air and water temperature were r
... Show MoreBackground: The microbial production of substances that have the potency to suppress the growth of other microorganisms is probably one of the prevalent defense strategy developed in nature, microorganisms produce a variable bunch of microbial defense systems, which include antibiotics, metabolic by-products, lytic agents, bacteriocins and others. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to isolate and identify Enterococcus faecium isolates then detecting its ability of carrying the gene responsible for enterocin production in this species. Materials and methods: Out of 50 samples from different sources (food and clinical sources) were collected for the Enterococcus faecium isolation, and the isolated bacteria Enterococ
... Show MoreSpecialized Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates, called uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), cause most of urinary tract infections (UITs). Once bacteria reached the urinary tract of the host, they have to adhere to the host cell for the colonization. For this purpose, bacteria have different structures including fimbrial adhesins. Most of the UPECs contain type 1 fimbriae encoded by fim operon (fimB, E, A, I, C, D, F, G, H) which is responsible for the adhesive ability in these isolates. Ninety-four isolates of UPEC were obtained from UTI patients in Baghdad hospitals and their diagnosis were confirmed by the PCR method using 16srDNA as a housekeeping gene. The UPEC isolates were tested for their ability of adherence to the urothelial cells obtai
... Show MoreThe Tulostoma genus, known as stalkballs or stalked puffballs, belongs to the Agaricaceae family. This study was designed to identify an unknown fungal species collected from the Al‐Dujail district in Iraq based on morphological examination and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Between April and July 2019, samples were collected from garden soil in the Al‐Dujail district, Salah Al‐Din Governorate, Iraq. Morphological characteristics were documented using light microscopy. Genomic DNA was extracted and purified, and the ITS region was amplified using conventional PCR with specific primers. The amplified products were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis was conducted using MEGA11 software. Morp
... Show MoreBackground: Dental caries is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases of people worldwide that lead to the pain and disability across all age groups and still consider as a major cause of tooth loss. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of dental caries and treatment needs among school children in Heet city. Materiales and methods: The sample included all school children at age of (12 years old) males and females from urban areas in Heet city. Diagnosis and recording of dental caries and treatment needs were done according to the criteria of WHO. Results: The prevalence of dental caries was (90.2%). The DMFS/dmfs values were (5.85±0.168, 1.57±0.146) respectively for the total sample. Females were foun
... Show MoreMicrosporum canis is considered one of the filamentous fungi that cause surface fungal contagion in the humans and animals. The present study aimed to diagnose M. canis via the molecular method and differentiating its local Iraqi isolates from global isolates. Microscopic examination showed 55 specimens with M. canis from 130 specimens collected from children aged between 4-10 years suspected of dermatophytes who attended Medical City Laboratories and Baghdad Hospital in Baghdad city from 1/12/2022 to 1/3/2023. The results showed that the frequency of M. canis infections was 55/130 (42.31%). The results demonstrated significant differences in the animals' contact (p <0.0001), lesions (0.03) and habitation area (p =0.002). Whilst
... Show MoreThis study included the Zakhikhah area in the Al- Anbar desert, which it bounded on the north, east, and west by the Euphrates River and on the south by the Ramadi-Qaim road. Several exploratory field trips were taken to the study area. During this time, a semi-detailed area survey was carried out based on satellite imagery captured by American Land sat-7, topographic maps, and natural vegetation variance. All necessary field tools, including a digital camera and GPS device, were brought to determine the soil type and collect plant samples. All of these visits are planned to cover the entire state of Zakhikhah. All vegetation cover observations, identifying sampling sites and attempting to inventory and collect medicinal plants in t
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