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Rising urban flood risk and exposure under shared socioeconomic pathways in Greater Accra Ghana
A multi-context fusion-aware graph modelling for group activity recognition using pose-conditioned spatial encoding and actor relations
Effects of four weeks of inspiratory muscle training with different resistance modalities on pulmonary function and specialized athletic ability in synchronized swimmers: a randomised trial
Dynamic successive assessment of water environment carrying capacity based on a system dynamics model and an improved variable fuzzy pattern recognition method
Prospecting and characterization of potential probiotic lactobacilli from animal gut and food sources
Exploring the mitochondrial genomes of the Indian dhole and wolf: a phylogenetic and conservation perspective
RepFed-Net: privacy-preserving federated learning with reputation-aware aggregation for retinal vessel segmentation using enhanced U-Net
Orbital angular momentum-based spatial encryption using polarization-sensitive metasurfaces
Development of an HRM-qRT-PCR platform for fast and cost-effective genotyping of infectious bronchitis virus in Egypt
Abstract Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a highly transmissible virus that causes respiratory, reproductive, and renal syndromes, resulting in significant economic losses for the global poultry industry. This study aimed to evaluate the application of high-resolution melting analysis (HRM) as a novel, efficient, and cost-effective tool for the rapid diagnosis and genotyping of Egyptian IBV strains. The investigation focused on the N gene and the 3’ untranslated region (3’ UTR). HRM curves were generated from 435 bp PCR products obtained from 22 IBV-positive avian samples. The purified PCR products, which amplified the 3’ UTR, were sequenced and subsequently compared with analogous S1 gene sequences to differentiate between vaccine strains and field strains, specifically the Egyptian strain 4/91 (GI-13), variant II (GI-23), and the classic strain (GI-1). The high-resolution melting curve analysis (HRM) successfully distinguished vaccine reference strains (Ma5, IB-Primer, 4/91, and Variant II), while the IBV field strains were categorized into three distinct pattern clusters based on the similarity of their melting curves, which were confirmed by S1 gene sequences. Both strains 4/91 and variant II exhibited a deletion of about 15 nucleotides at the terminus of the N-gene compared to classic strains. Closed-tube PCR combined with HRM-curve analysis provides a fast and reliable technique for genotyping IBV strains, including IBV vaccine strains and IBV field strains.
Longitudinal data improves selection of drought-tolerant Eucalyptus germplasm
A machine-learning virtual source model for nanoscale transistors
Porosity optimization and Fe2O3 functionalization synergistically enhance nitrate adsorption on bamboo biochar
Ultraviolet radiation exposure and melanoma risk among over 2 million Ontario workers
Prevalence and genetic characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Commercial aquaculture farms in Egypt
Abstract Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major public health concern due to its resistance and pathogenic potential. This study investigated the prevalence and genetic characterization of MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) in aquaculture farms in Damietta Governorate, Egypt. Sampling was conducted across three commercial farms cultivating shrimp, marine fish, and freshwater fish. A total of 509 specimens were collected, including 150 shrimp, 75 each of sea bass, sea bream, catfish, and tilapia, 15 farm water samples, and 44 samples from farm workers. S. aureus was isolated using classical techniques and characterized by MALDI-TOF MS, a PbP2a lateral flow assay, and DNA microarrays. Sixty isolates (11.8%) were identified, comprising 46 MRSA and 14 MSSA strains. The carriage rates of S. aureus and MRSA were 6.7% and 4.7% in shrimp, 11.3% and 8.6% in marine fish, 8% and 6.6% in freshwater fish, respectively and were notably higher among farm workers (71.5% and 42.9% in shrimp farms; 50% and 42.9% in marine farms). Four MRSA clonal complexes (CC88, CC361, CC15, CC152) and two MSSA complexes (CC1, CC361) were identified. MRSA CC15 was restricted to shrimp and freshwater fish, while CC152 was found only in workers. Several MRSA clones exhibited multidrug resistance and carried virulence genes encoding leukocidins, hemolysins, proteases, and adhesion & biofilm factors. This is the first report of these clonal complexes in Egyptian aquaculture. The presence of MRSA clones in aquatic ecosystems could represent a significant route for the transmission and spread of multiple pathogenic factors to human populations and emphasize the need to expand monitoring of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the study regions.