The Association of MECA Gene Polymorphism and Drug Resistance Pattern of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Isolated from Keha and Shinta Rivers of Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Associated with nosocomial and community-acquired infections, Staphylococcus aureus is a potentially hazardous human bacterium that is alarmingly developing drug resistance. The current study's objective was to assess the association of mecA gene polymorphism and drug resistance pattern of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Keha and Shinta rivers of Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. A purposive sampling technique was used to collect 10 water samples from different sites of the two rivers. Isolation of S. aureus was conducted following standard morphological and biochemical method and subjected to susceptibility testing to 8 antibiotics. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was detected by using the standard PCR method using specific pair of primers. The genomic DNA of the isolates was isolated using a DNA Extraction Kit (GenElutetm., USA). Amplification of mecA gene was done by PCR using a specific primer for the mecA gene. The PCR products were visualized using agarose gelelectrophoresis with 1.5% gel. The results indicated that four (66.7%) Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates showed to have 499 bp band size of mecA gene. S. aureus showed a wide range of resistances, with the highest levels observed for ampicillin (100%), penicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and tetracycline (66.7%). Instead, S. aureus had variable sensitivity to gentamycin (100%) and ciprofloxacin (100%) as well as vancomycin (66.7%). Four (4/6, 66.7 %) S. aureus isolates showed multiple antibiotic-resistant patterns (resistant to four or more antibiotics). The result of this finding concluded that S. aureus isolates with mecA gene developed more resistant to many antibiotics than with mecA negativeisolates. In addition, the present study confirmed that the treated wastewater mixed with the two rivers are potential sources of S. aureus and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, this might be due to the poor wastewater treatment methods followed by several point sources in the study area. In conclusion, this study's findings suggest that the Keha and Shinta Rivers in Gondar Town may be potential receptacles for MRSA, which is capable of infecting both exposed humans and animals.

Fatty Acid Profiles of White Sesame Seeds from the Different Cultivation Areas of Ethiopia

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sesame is the second important export commodity of Ethiopia after coffee. The white sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum L.) from the main production areas of Ethiopia have not been studied comprehensibly for their chemical compositions. Hence, this study aimed to assess the geographical origin variations in the fatty acids composition of white sesame seeds. For this, fifty three white sesame seed samples from the five major producing areas (Humera, Metema, West Armachiho, Wolkayiet, Tach Armachiho) were analyzed for their fatty acid compositions using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Nine different fatty acids were detected in all of the samples. The sesame seeds were rich in the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid and oleic acid, which were the most abundant fatty acids in the seeds with percentage compositions in the range 35.3‒48.3% and 29.8‒38.2%, respectively, across the different samples. These two fatty acids together accounted for 72.0‒78.8% of the total fatty acids in the samples, whereas 19.8‒22.0% was accounted jointly by palmitic acid and stearic acid while trace levels (all together 1.34‒2.32%) were palmitoleic acid, margaric acid, gadoleic acid, arachidic acid, and behenic acid. The seed oils showed high unsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid ratio in the range of 2.98‒3.70, which is high enough to satisfy most dietary guidelines. The oleic acid to linoleic acid ratio of the seed oils were in the range of 0.80–0.97, where the highest was found in seeds from Humera. Regarding the individual fatty acids, a significant variation (p < 0.05) among production areas was observed only for palmitic acid and palmitoleic acid, where the highest concentrations were found in seeds from Humera (14.9±1.5% palmitic acid and 0.25±0.04% palmitoleic acid).

Ethiopian Journal of Natural and Computational Sciences

The Association of MECA Gene Polymorphism and Drug Resistance Pattern of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Isolated from Keha and Shinta Rivers of Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia

Fatty Acid Profiles of White Sesame Seeds from the Different Cultivation Areas of Ethiopia