Mohammed Naimuddin’s research while affiliated with Adama Science and Technology University and other places

Background Coxiella burnetii is causing infections in both humans and animals, resulting in Q fever and Coxiellosis, respectively. Information on the occurrence of C. burnetii infection is scarce in Ethiopia. This study estimated the sero-prevalence of C. burnetii infection and associated risk factors in four common livestock species from Addis Ababa, Adama, and Modjo abattoirs and pastoral areas of Oromia, Ethiopia. Results/principal findings Sera samples were analyzed for the presence of anti-C. burnetii antibodies using an indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay kit. Out of the 4140 serum samples tested, 777 (18.77%; 95% CI: 17.59, 19.99) were found positive for C. burnetii. The sero-prevalence estimate was 27.17% at Addis Ababa abattoir, 19.41% at Adama abattoir, 19.13% at Modjo abattoir and 12.1% in animals tested from pastoral areas. Sera analysis at the animal species level showed that cattle exhibited the lowest sero-prevalence estimate (11.83%; 95% CI, 10.27–13.53%), while the highest was observed in camels (28.39%; 95% CI, 25.16–31.80%). The sero-prevalence estimate was 21.34% (95% CI, 18.86–23.99%) in goats and 20.17% (95% CI, 17.49–23.07%) in sheep. The results of multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that species, age, sex of animals and tick infestation were important risk factors for C. burnetii infection. The odds of infection were 3.22 times higher in camels and almost twice as high in goats and sheep compared to cattle. Adult animals were infected more likely (OR = 3.23) than young ones. Interestingly, a significant difference was observed in the sero-prevalence of infection between animals that were infested with ticks (OR = 16.32) and those which were tick-free. Conclusion This study provides valuable insights into the sero-epidemiology of C. burnetii infection in four common livestock species at major abattoirs and pastoral areas of Ethiopia. The findings highlight the need for further studies and implementing surveillance and biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of the disease in both humans and livestock to safeguard the economical and public health aspects.

The evolution of microbes in response to conventional antimicrobials leads to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multidrug resistance (MDR), and it is a global threat to public health. Natural products are possible solutions to this massive challenge. In this study, the potential of Acanthus polystachyus extracts was investigated for phytochemical composition and biological properties as antimicrobials. Gas chromatography-mass spectra (GC-MS) analysis of methanol extract (ME) and essential oil (EO) detected 79 and 20 compounds, respectively. The major compounds identified in ME and their abundance were β-sitosterol acetate (16.06%), cholest-5-en-3-yl (9Z)-9-octadecenoate (9.54%), 1-dodecanol (7.57%), (S)-(E)-(−)-4-acetoxy-1-phenyl-2-dodecen-1-one (6.03%), neophytadiene (5.7%), (E)-2-nonadecene (3.9%), hexanol-4-D2 (2.92%), and decane (2.4%). Most compounds have known bioactive functions. In EO, the major compounds were stearyl alcohol (25.38%); cis-9-tetradecenoic acid, isobutyl ester (22.95%); butyl 9-tetradecenoate (10.62%); 11,13-dimethyl-12-tetradecen-1-ol acetate (10.14%); ginsenol (3.48%); and diisooctyl phthalate (2.54%). All compounds are known to be bioactive. The antioxidant activity of ME and EO ranged from 48.3 to 84.2% radical scavenging activity (RSA) and 45.6 to 82% RSA, respectively, with dose dependency. The disc diffusion assay for the antimicrobial activity of ME revealed high inhibition against Acenetobacter baumannii (130.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (100.3%), and Staphylococcus aureus (87.7%). The MIC, MBC/MFC, and MBIC values for ME were 0.5–1.0, 2–4, and 0.5–1.0 mg/mL and for EO were 0.31–0.62, 1.25–2.5, and 0.31–0.62 μL/mL, respectively, indicating inhibition potential as well as inhibition of biofilm formation. The tolerance test values indicated bactericidal activity against most strains and bacteriostatic/fungistatic activity against A. baumannii, E. faecalis, and C. albicans. The antiquorum sensing activity of ME achieved by pyocyanin inhibition assay on P. aeruginosa showed a 51.6% inhibition at 500 μg/mL. These results suggest that ME and EO derived from A. polystachyus leaves are potent, valuable, cost-effective antioxidants and antimicrobials. Both extracts may effectively combat pathogenic and resistant microbes.

The emergence and re-emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a potential threat to treating infectious diseases. This study employed a nanometer-scale green synthesis using an extract of Solanum incanum leaves to obtain nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites (NCs) possessing antibacterial properties. The FESEM-EDS elemental mapping analysis proved the novelty of the green synthesis approach in synthesizing a copper-doped ZnO NCs with good dopant distribution. The crystallinity and ZnO bandgap were adjusted by extrinsic copper doping in the ZnO lattice. The optical property adjustments from 3.04 to 2.97 eV for indirect Kubelka–Munk functions were confirmed from DRS-UV-vis analysis. The dopant inclusion in the host lattice was also confirmed by the angle shift on the XRD pattern analysis relative to single ZnO. In addition to doping, the XRD pattern analysis also showed the development of CuO crystals. The lattice fringe values from HRTEM analysis confirmed the existence of both CuO and ZnO crystals with local heterojunctions. Doping and heterojunctions have crucial values in charge transfer and visible light harvesting behaviour, as proved by the PL analysis. The synergistic effects of the doped NCs showed greater antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as a result of more ROS generation through the bacteria–cell–catalyst interaction and release of metal ions. The antioxidant potential of the doped NCs was found to be higher than that of single NPs, using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging assay and is expected to impart protective effects to the host cells by scavenging destructive free radicals. Thus, the overall analysis leads to the conclusion that the potentiality of synthesized materials has a future outlook for biological applications, especially in the development of antimicrobials to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria and microbes.

In order to feed the growing population, agriculture is a vital component of any country; however, pests pose a constant threat to it. Chemical pesticides are employed to safeguard the crops from the enormous yield loss. These chemical pesticides are boundless in killing crop pests; however, they have detrimental effects on the health of both humans and the environment. Therefore, biological control techniques are being utilised after identifying an environmentally suitable substitute. Due to its well-known biological control mechanism, Trichoderma spp. have been utilised extensively in agricultural applications. The host plant’s soil and rhizosphere serve as shelter place for Trichoderma. It has the ability to create a variety of secondary metabolites and secretion of important enzymes. Clarification of Trichoderma’s importance in the prevention and treatment of plant diseases is thus important in order to advance sustainable agriculture. The mechanisms, which include mycoparasitism, antibiosis and competition aid in the management of insect pests and plant pathogens in the soil, seeds, roots, stems, leaves, etc. It is crucial to create new formulations of biocontrol microorganisms with a greater level of stability and survivability in order to implement biocontrol technology in the field and enhance its commercialisation.

Background Mycobacterium colombiense is an acid-fast, non-motile, rod-shaped mycobacterium confirmed to cause respiratory disease and disseminated infection in immune-compromised patients, and lymphadenopathy in immune-competent children. It has virulence mechanisms that allow them to adapt, survive, replicate, and produce diseases in the host. To tackle the diseases caused by M . colombiense , understanding of the regulation mechanisms of its genes is important. This paper, therefore, analyzes transcription start sites, promoter regions, motifs, transcription factors, and CpG islands in TetR family transcriptional regulatory (TFTR) genes of M . colombiense CECT 3035 using neural network promoter prediction, MEME, TOMTOM algorithms, and evolutionary analysis with the help of MEGA-X. Results The analysis of 22 protein coding TFTR genes of M . colombiense CECT 3035 showed that 86.36% and 13.64% of the gene sequences had one and two TSSs, respectively. Using MEME, we identified five motifs (MTF1, MTF2, MTF3, MTF4, and MTF5) and MTF1 was revealed as the common promoter motif for 100% TFTR genes of M . colombiense CECT 3035 which may serve as binding site for transcription factors that shared a minimum homology of 95.45%. MTF1 was compared to the registered prokaryotic motifs and found to match with 15 of them. MTF1 serves as the binding site mainly for AraC, LexA, and Bacterial histone-like protein families. Other protein families such as MATP, RR, σ-70 factor, TetR, LytTR, LuxR, and NAP also appear to be the binding candidates for MTF1. These families are known to have functions in virulence mechanisms, metabolism, quorum sensing, cell division, and antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, it was found that TFTR genes of M . colombiense CECT 3035 have many CpG islands with several fragments in their CpG islands. Molecular evolutionary genetic analysis showed close relationship among the genes. Conclusion We believe these findings will provide a better understanding of the regulation of TFTR genes in M . colombiense CECT 3035 involved in vital processes such as cell division, pathogenesis, and drug resistance and are likely to provide insights for drug development important to tackle the diseases caused by this mycobacterium. We believe this is the first report of in silico analyses of the transcriptional regulation of M . colombiense TFTR genes.