The increasing recognition of the potential advantages beyond nanoencapsulation of probiotics has gained great attention owing to their effective properties. Hence, we provided the most in-depth look into the influence of nanoformulated multistrain probiotics (BLB-NPs), comprising Bacillus subtilis ATCC 19659, Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014, and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 29521, on growth performance, antioxidant status, and intestinal immunity, supporting the defense against Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) challenge in broiler chickens.

A total of 2,800 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were divided into 7 groups: (1) control without additives, (2-4) three probiotics groups (fed control diets mixed with B. subtilis, L. plantarum, and B. bifidum (BLB) at concentrations of 1×10⁴ (BLB-I), 1×10⁶ (BLB-II), and 1×10⁸ (BLB-III) CFU/kg diet, respectively), and (5-7) three nanoencapsulated probiotics groups (fed control diets supplemented with BLB-loaded nanoparticles (BLB-NPs) at concentrations of 1×10⁴ (BLB-NPs-I), 1×10⁶ (BLB-NPs-II), and 1×10⁸ (BLB-NPs-III) CFU/kg diet, respectively). All groups were challenged at day 22 of age with S. Typhimurium.

Birds fed BLB-NPs-II and III exhibited better weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR), along with upregulation in nutrient transporter genes (*LAT-1, PepT-1, CAT-1*, and SGLT1), even after S. Typhimurium challenge. Upregulation of immune-related genes (*IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, MyD88, NF-κB, CCL20, CXCLi2, TLR-2, TLR-4*, and SOCS1) was prominently subdued in the BLB-NPs-III-fed group. The strengthening ability of BLB-NPs for broilers’ intestinal barriers was evidenced by augmented expression of *JAM, MUC-2, occludin*, and *FABP-2* genes, diminished S. Typhimurium counts, and suppressed its virulence-related genes (HilA and SopD), along with restored histopathological pictures of the cecum.

Notably, after dietary inclusion of higher levels of BLB-NPs-III, the abundance of beneficial Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species dominated over harmful E. coli ones. Birds fortified with BLB-NPs displayed potent antioxidant potential, signified by boosting serum and intestinal antioxidant markers while reducing oxidative ones.

Overall, the abovementioned positive outcomes of BLB-NPs encourage their potential application in poultry feed to attain superior performance and elicit protective immunity against S. Typhimurium infection.

Enterococci are emerging nosocomial pathogens. Their widespread distribution causes them to be food contaminants.Furthermore, Enterococci can colonize various ecological niches and diffuse into the food chain via
contaminated animals and foods because of their remarkable tolerance to unfavorable environmental circumstances Due to their potential dissemination to humans, antimicrobial-resistant Enterococci in fish are a
worldwide health issue. This study characterized AMR, ARGs, VAGs, gelatinase activity, and biofilm formation in
Enterococcus spp. recovered from fish and seafood and evaluated potential correlations. 54 Enterococcus spp.
strains(32.73 %)were isolated from 165 samples (75 Oreochromis niloticus, 30 Argyrosomus regius, and 60
Shrimp), comprising 30 Enterococcus faecalis (55.6 %) and 24 Enterococcus faecium (44.4 %) with total 32.73 %
(54/165), The maximum prevalence rate of Enterococcus spp. was observed in Nile tilapia (34/54; 63 %), followed
by shrimp (14/54; 25.9 %) and Argyrosomus regius (6/54; 11.1 %). The maximum prevalence rate of E.
faecalis was observed in Nile tilapia (22/30; 73.3 %), followed by shrimp (8/30; 26.7 %) with significant differences.
The prevalence rate of E. faecium was observed in Nile tilapia (12/24; 50 %), followed by shrimp (6/
24,25 %). E. faecium is only isolated from Argyrosomus regius (6/24,25 %). Isolates exhibited high resistance
against both tetracycline (90.7 %) and erythromycin(88.9 %), followed by gentamycin (77.8 %), ciprofloxacin
(74.1 %), levofloxacin (72.2 %), penicillin (44.4 %), vancomycin (37 %), and linezolid (20.4 %). 50 strains (92.6
%) exhibited resistance to more than two antibiotics, 5 strains (10 %) were XDR, and the remaining 45 strains
(90 %) were classified as MDR. 92.6 % of the isolates had MARindices >0.2, indicating they originated in settings
with a high risk of contamination. Additionally, ten ARGs were identified, with tet(M) 92.6 %, followed by erm(B)
(88.9 %), aac(6′)-Ie-aph(2″)-Ia(77.8 %), tet(K) (75.9 %), gyrA (74.1 %), blaZ (48.1 %), vanA (37 %), vanB (31.5
%), optrA (20.4 %), and catA(3.7 %). Biofilm formation and gelatinase activity were observed in 85.2 %, and
61.1 % of the isolates, respectively. A total of 11 VAGs were detected, with gelE as the most prevalent (83.3 %)
followed by agg(79.6 %), pil (74.1 %), both sprE and asa1 (72.2 %), hyl (70.4 %), eps(68.5 %), EF3314 (57.4 %),
ace (50 %), and cylA (35.2 %) with no detection of cylB. In conclusion, the emergence of linezolid-resistant
-vancomycin-resistant enterococci recovered from Egyptian fish and shrimp, suggests that fish and seafood
might participate a fundamental part in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance among humans.

Introduction

Haemonchus spp. are considered the most important strongylid nematodes with a worldwide distribution. The parasite’s blood-sucking nature can lead to severe anemia in infected animals. Despite its widespread impact, there is a dearth of comprehensive data on morphological and molecular identification methods for Haemonchus spp. in sheep from Upper Egypt. To address this gap, our current study aimed to assess the prevalence of Haemonchus spp. in 400 sheep fecal samples.

Methods

We employed microscopic examination and molecular techniques, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 18S gene for precise identification. Additionally, the potential risk factors associated with the infection by the parasite in sheep were explored.

Results

The study pointed out that 33.00% (132 of 400) of the examined sheep were infected with Haemonchus spp. Sheep age and seasonal variability were found to be significant factors (p < 0.05) associated with the infection. Notably, sheep under 2 years old exhibited a higher risk, with an infection rate of 43.75% (84 out of 192), than their older counterparts. Furthermore, all reported infections were exclusively observed during the cold season, constituting 58.93% (132 out of 224) of cases. By contrast, no statistically significant association (p > 0.05) was found between the sex of the examined sheep and the occurrence of haemonchosis. Employing molecular methods, we isolated and identified the parasite through PCR analysis of cultured larvae, which were then subsequently confirmed as Haemonchus contortus via phylogenetic analysis.

Blood parasites pose a significant threat to livestock production in southern Egypt, yet there is a scarcity of information regarding their circulation and epidemiology in sheep in this region. This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of blood parasite infections in sheep in Assiut governorate, Upper Egypt.

Monkeypox, lately known as mpox, is a zoonotic viral disease leading to an illness like smallpox in humans, but with lower mortality rates. Usually, the disease lasts between two and four weeks and occasionally results in death. The mpox virus (MPXV) is critical because it is widespread in Western and Central Africa and has spread throughout the Western Hemisphere due to international travel and the exotic pet trade. Mpox is now clinically significant due to the elimination of smallpox and the ensuing decline in vaccination efforts. Concern over the emergence of the human MPXV and its occasionally severe clinical manifestations has grown recently. The importation of diseased dogs to commercialize them as pet animals caused an outbreak of the MPXV in the United States of America. This heightened awareness of the potential for this disease to spread over the globe, either as a component of biological weapons in terrorist operations or as a result of the practice of importing wild animals as exotic pets. This review briefly describes the history, etiological agent, mode of transmission, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and management of mpox, as well as vaccination and prevention of the disease.

Abstract

In aquaculture, improper and illogical antibiotic use could yield negative outcomes. Therefore, this study investigates the ameliorative effects of chitosan (CS) and chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) against the toxicity of the antibiotic doxycycline in Nile tilapia fish. The fish were divided into four distinct categories: the first group served as the control, the second group was subjected to doxycycline (40 mg/L), the third group experienced doxycycline (40 mg/L) and CS (0.5% in fish diet), and the fourth group was exposed to doxycycline (40 mg/L) with CSNPs (0.5% in fish diet) for 15 days. Levels of creatinine, uric acid, and aspartate aminotransferase activities notably elevated (p < 0.05) in the doxycycline-treated group when compared with the control group. Meanwhile, fish in the doxycycline-exposed group demonstrated significantly lower (p < 0.05) levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and neutrophils. Conversely, mean corpuscular volume, platelets, white blood cells, and lymphocytes exhibited notably higher (p < 0.05) levels in the doxycycline group. Other hematological indicators, including monocytes and eosinophils, showed no notable variances (p > 0.05) among the studied groups. Fish treated with doxycycline exhibited notably higher (p < 0.05) interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 activity in comparison to the control group. Additionally, histopathological changes were detected in the gills, liver, and kidney tissues of doxycycline-exposed fish when contrasted with the control group. Co-exposure of CS and CSNPs significantly restored most hematological, biochemical, and immunological parameters, as well as histopathological indices, in the fish, aligning these values closer to those observed in the control group in comparison to the fish treated solely with doxycycline. In conclusion, both CS and CSNPs played an important role in moderating the negative effects of doxycycline on fish, through improving hematological indices, reductions in creatinine, uric acid, and aspartate aminotransferase activity, as well as anti-inflammatory action through reductions in interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 activity.