North Of Tunisia Research Articles

Molecular identification of Neospora caninum and co-infection with Toxoplasma gondii in genital apparatus of naturally infected cows in North Tunisia.

The aim of this study was to estimate the molecular prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and the co-infection by both Apicomplexan parasites in uterus tissues of cows. PCR was used to detect T. gondii and N. caninum DNA in uterus from 140 uteri of slaughtered cows in the regional slaughterhouse of Béja (Northwest Tunisia). Positive PCR products were sequenced and used for the phylogenetic analysis. The overall molecular prevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum in cows' uterus was 5 and 15.57%, respectively. Co-infection prevalence by the two parasites was estimated to be 2.85%. Risk factors including the age categories significantly affected the molecular prevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum in cows' uterus. The highest molecular prevalence of T. gondii (11.5 ± 3.1) and N. caninum (21.1 ± 11.1; p = 0.038) was observed in cows aged of more than 8years. There were no differences depicted according to cow's breeds and localities. Comparison of the partial sequences of the ITS1 gene revealed 100% similarity among our N. caninum sequence (MW136256) and those deposited in GenBank. The T. gondii sequence described in this study (MW260335) was 99.4-100% homologous to T. gondii sequences published in the GenBank.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first molecular evidence of N. caninum and T. gondii co-infection in naturally infected cows in North Africa. This information is pertinent in designing control programmes that would reduce economic losses in the livestock industry.

Profil de consultants dans un service de pédopsychiatrie d’un hôpital général

ObjectivesWe propose to explore the sociodemographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of patients who presented to a child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient department. MethodsIt is a retrospective descriptive study focused on patients who consulted at the first time the child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient department of the Mongi Slim Hospital between January and November 2018. We have collected the sociodemographic data of the child and his parents. We specified who accompanied the child the consultation in a child psychiatry consultation, the reason for consultation and the origin of the request for the child psychiatry consultation. The psychiatric diagnoses were retained according to the criteria of the DSM-5. For patients requiring follow-up, the indicated management methods have been specified. After collection, the statistical processing of the data was carried out using SPSS 20.0 software. ResultsWe collected 1013 cases. The children average age was 8 years and 5 months with extremes ranging from 7 months to 19 years. The sex-ratio was estimated at 1.54. In the case of an age of over 11 years, the female sex was predominant with a sex-ratio equal to 0.86; (P < 10−3). The consultants lived in the north of Tunisia in 98.7% of cases, within 94.9% of cases in the north-eastern governorates. The children were the eldest of their siblings in 35% of cases. Children attended primary school in 49.3%. We find that 879 patients were accompanied by one or both parents while five adolescents (four girls and one boy) consulted alone in the service. Among the 1013 patients included in our study, 65.84% (667 patients) were referred to our consultation by doctors. The reasons for consultations were academic difficulties in 23.4%, behavioral problems in 15.1% and language disorders in 11.3% of cases. We did not retain a diagnosis according to DSM-5 criteria for 76 consultants (7.5%), a psychiatric diagnosis was made for 768 patients (75.8%) and a psychiatric diagnosis was suspected, but deferred for 169 consultants (16.7%). Twenty-five of them had an associated organic comorbidity. The psychiatric diagnoses were intellectual disability in 15.69%, depressive disorders in 12.63%, adjustment disorders in 9.47% and autism spectrum disorder in 9.2%. Following the first consultation, we indicated a psychiatric follow-up for 919 consultants (90.7%), among which 635 patients (69.1%) consulted again. Among the 919 patients requiring follow-up, hospitalization in psychiatric hospital was indicated in 11 patients (1.2%). We indicated psychotherapy for 326 patients (35.5%). The psychotherapies indicated were of the type: Listening and support in 280 patients (85.9%), Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing in 23 patients (7.1%), Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy in 21 patients (6.4%) and Narrative Exposure Therapy for Kids in 2 patients (0.6%). One or both parents were referred to an adult psychiatric consultation in 61 cases (6%). An intervention by the child protection representative was requested in 7.6% of cases (70 patients) while an intervention with the school structures attended was necessary for 17.2% of the consultants (158 patients). Medication was necessary in 14.25% of cases. The prescribed therapeutic classes were anxiolytics (23.7%), neuroleptics (16%), psychostimulants (16%) and antidepressants (13%). The most prescribed drugs were Hydroxyzine in 23.7%, Methylphenidate (14.5%), Risperidone (11.4%) and Sertraline (11.4%). ConclusionKnowing the profile of the child psychiatry outpatient will allow us to adapt the training of future doctors and child psychiatrists according to needs and to the specificities of the population.

Variability of Pyrenophora tritici-repentis isolated from different wheat areas of Tunisia: Morpho-cultural characterization, pathogenic analysis and virulence effector genes

Sixty-three isolates of Pyrenophora tritici-repentis collected from various wheat areas of the north of Tunisia were characterized and studied for their variability. Under in vitro conditions, morpho-cultural characterization showed the presence of several colors of colonies. An inoculation bioassay was performed identifying the presence of three symptoms type i.e., small brown spots, chlorosis, and necrosis with chlorosis. ANOVA of leaf infected area and lesion length data caused by isolates showed significant difference, and Ascending Hierarchical Clustering discriminated them into two distinct pathogenic profiles. Molecular detection of virulence effector genes demonstrated the presence of ToxA, ToxB, and toxb gene individually or in combination, resulting in five different gene profiles. These results indicate large variability of features. Multiple Correspondence Analysis and Ascending Hierarchical Clustering identified four distinct isolates classes. Both pathogenic profiles of isolates appeared in all the groups. Hence, it was not possible to establish a relationship between variability characters and geographical regions from which the isolates were collected.

The Xlendi Bay shipwreck (Gozo, Malta): a petrographic and typological study of an archaic ceramic cargo

AbstractAn underwater survey off the southwest coast of the island of Gozo revealed a well-preserved shipwreck 110 m below the surface. The site belonged to a previously unknown wreck with a cargo of volcanic millstones and ceramic amphorae dating to the 7th century BC. This article presents the first results of thin-section analysis taken from the pottery objects, and concludes that the ship was carrying a heterogeneous cargo of amphora-borne goods from the Maltese islands, North Tunisia, and possibly Sicily, making it the earliest, known shipwreck in the central Mediterranean; and provides the earliest evidence for Maltese external trade in the central Mediterranean.

Acute Movement Disorders in Childhood: A Cohort Study and Review of the Literature.

Acute movement disorders (AMD) are frequent in neurological and pediatric emergencies. Few studies analyzed AMD in children, none in Tunisia or other African country. The purpose of this study was to describe the peculiarities of AMD in a Tunisian pediatric population with a literature review. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study over 8 years including 80 children (sex ratio, 1.05; mean age of onset, 4.8 years) with AMD, followed in tertiary referral Child Neurology Department in North Tunisia. Acute movement disorders were mainly hyperkinetic (n = 67 with dystonia (n = 33; mostly due to inherited metabolic diseases (IMD) in 11; with status epilepticus in 10 children), chorea (n = 14; with Sydenham chorea in 5); myoclonus (n = 14; mostly with opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome in 10) and tremor (n = 6; of posttraumatic origin in half). Hypokinetic movement disorder (MD) included acute parkinsonism in 5 children of infectious (n = 3), postinfectious (n = 1, malaria) and posttraumatic origin (n = 1). Mixed MD, found in 8 children, were mainly due to IMD in half of them, and to familial lupus in two. Paroxysmal MDs were seen in 2 children, one with multiple sclerosis and one of idiopathic origin. Psychogenic MDs were found in 7 patients mainly of dystonic type. Management of AMD comprised symptomatic treatment according to the phenomenology of the MD and causative treatment depending on its etiology. Our study illustrated the broad range of AMD in children and the wide spectrum of their etiologies. In our series, we described some exceptional findings and etiologies of AMD in children. These findings may denote a specific profile in of AMD in our country with predominant infectious, postinfectious, and IMD.

Spatial distribution, contamination assessment and potential ecological risk of some trace metals in the surface sediments of the Gulf of Tunis, North Tunisia

To evaluate the trace metals contamination status in the Gulf of Tunis, forty one sediment samples were analyzed using different approaches. According to certain contamination and ecological risk indices (Contamination Factor, Geoaccumulation index and Ecological risk index), Hg has the highest contamination level while pollution by Ni, Pb, Cd and Cr was absent. The highest concentrations of trace metals were found in sediments collected from the offshore and coastal areas located opposite the main exchange points with the gulf particularly, the Mejerda and Meliane Rivers, the Khalij Channel, Ghar El Melh and El Malah lagoons, Tunis Lake and Sebkhat Ariana. However, further ecological indices (Potential ecological risk index, Toxic unit and Mean effect-range median quotient) and comparison with sediment quality guidelines suggest that in addition to Mercury, Cr, Pb and Ni concentrations are detrimental to biota in both the offshore and areas near to the exchange points with the gulf. Moreover, in these areas the results from sequential extraction and individual contamination factor calculation pointed to the mobility and bioavailability of Cr, Pb and Ni.

Trends of juvenile and adolescent suicides in North Tunisia: a 12-year study

ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics for suicide methods and factors over a 12-year period among child suicides in Northern Tunisia and to compare juvenile and adolescent suicides. Study designThis is a cross-sectional study. MethodsWe included all child and adolescent suicide cases that took place in the North of Tunisia over a 12 year period (2005–2016). Data were collected from medical records and judicial inquiries and were classified into three sections: sociodemographic data, the circumstances of suicide, and the autopsy findings. Data were then compared between the ‘juvenile suicide group’ and ‘the adolescent suicide group’, according to the WHO definition. ResultsCasualties were equally males and females, mostly adolescents (74.5%), aged 15 years old on average. Hanging was the most frequent suicidal method. A peak of frequency was observed in 2014. ConclusionOur results suggested to focus, among other preventive measures, on the role of media coverage of child suicides.

Genomic characterization of a polyvalent hydrocarbonoclastic bacterium Pseudomonas sp. strain BUN14

Bioremediation offers a viable alternative for the reduction of contaminants from the environment, particularly petroleum and its recalcitrant derivatives. In this study, the ability of a strain of Pseudomonas BUN14 to degrade crude oil, pristane and dioxin compounds, and to produce biosurfactants, was investigated. BUN14 is a halotolerant strain isolated from polluted sediment recovered from the refinery harbor on the Bizerte coast, north Tunisia and capable of producing surfactants. The strain BUN14 was assembled into 22 contigs of 4,898,053 bp with a mean GC content of 62.4%. Whole genome phylogeny and comparative genome analyses showed that strain BUN14 could be affiliated with two validly described Pseudomonas Type Strains, P. kunmingensis DSM 25974T and P. chloritidismutans AW-1T. The current study, however, revealed that the two Type Strains are probably conspecific and, given the priority of the latter, we proposed that P. kunmingensis DSM 25974 is a heteronym of P. chloritidismutans AW-1T. Using GC-FID analysis, we determined that BUN14 was able to use a range of hydrocarbons (crude oil, pristane, dibenzofuran, dibenzothiophene, naphthalene) as a sole carbon source. Genome analysis of BUN14 revealed the presence of a large repertoire of proteins (154) related to xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism. Thus, 44 proteins were linked to the pathways for complete degradation of benzoate and naphthalene. The annotation of conserved functional domains led to the detection of putative genes encoding enzymes of the rhamnolipid biosynthesis pathway. Overall, the polyvalent hydrocarbon degradation capacity of BUN14 makes it a promising candidate for application in the bioremediation of polluted saline environments.

The effects of international tourism, electricity consumption, and economic growth on CO2 emissions in North Africa.

This study examines the influence of tourism, economic growth, and electricity consumption on carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in the presence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) model for a panel of four countries of North Africa, namely, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt, over the period 1980-2014. Since we find the existence of cross-sectional dependence, we apply the unit root tests of CIPS and CADF, the Westerlund cointegration test as well as the dynamic seemingly unrelated regression (DSUR), and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin Granger causality test. The empirical results show that electricity consumption has a positive effect on CO2 emissions. In contrast, tourism has a negative relationship with CO2 emissions, implying improvement in the quality of the environment. The conclusions confirm the hypothesis of the environmental Kuznets curve for the countries in our sample. In addition, the causality test indicates the following results: (i) a one-way causality from real income, electricity consumption, and tourism to carbon emissions. (ii) A one-way causality running from electricity consumption to real income and tourist arrivals. (iii) A two-way causality between real income and tourism development. Based on these empirical results, several policy recommendations are proposed for the four countries of North Africa.

Evaluation of Antifungal and Antibacterial Activities of Tunisian Lentisc (&lt;i&gt;Pistacia Lentiscus L.&lt;/i&gt;) Fruit Oil

Background: Intensive studies and experiments have proven that the drug resistance of microorganisms is evolving very disturbingly. As a consequence, new avenues of research become strongly essential to expand knowledge on this phenomenon and develop highly effective alternatives targeting it. Therefore, there is increasing interest in the use of medicinal plants for treatment of many infections. Objective: In accordance with these findings, this study aims to evaluate the in vitro activities of fruit oil extracted from Tunisian varieties of Pistacia lentiscus, growing in Rimel forest (Bizerte) in north of Tunisia, against some medically important and emerging species of bacteria and yeasts. Methods: The antimicrobial activities were performed using the disc diffusion method. We evaluate antimicrobial activities of this oil against many species like Staphylococcus aureus; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Escherichia coli and C. albicans and to our knowledge, in our current study, we demonstrated for the first time his activities against the following species: Listeria innocua; Salmonella enterica; Enterococcus faecalis; Shigella flexneri; Candida parapsilosis; Candida tropicalis and Candida glabrata. Results: The results showed positive activities of fruit oil against all tested bacteria and yeasts with some differences depending on the microorganism tested. The maximum antibacterial activities were obtained against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For yeasts, the oil exhibited high activity against C. parapsilosis. Conclusion: This study elaborately confirmed that Tunisian P. lentiscus fruit oil contains compounds that can be used to treat many infections.

Epidemiology of Metabolic Syndrome in the North of Tunisia: Results of a Survery of Cohort of 2500 Military

Epidemiology of Metabolic Syndrome in the North of Tunisia: Results of a Survery of Cohort of 2500 Military

COVID-19 in North Africa: Comparative analysis by macroscopic growth laws

A comparative analysis of the COVID-19 diffusion in North African countries, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia has been carried out with the aim to study the effects of the containment efforts in different nations and the reliability of the predictions based on the data fits by macroscopic growth laws with a small number of free parameters. The comparison with data shows that the Coronavirus spreading has often different phases: an initial exponential behavior, followed by a Gompertz one and/or by a logistic phase, due to containment effort. The study of the growth phases permits to verify the restarting of the disease spreading after a stationarity period due to new outbreaks or to the weakness of the social control measures. The response of the National Health Systems to the emergency is discussed and some short-term predictions on the cumulative number of confirmed infected, on the hospitalizations and on the total number of deaths is done. The possible correlation with immigration in other Mediterranean Countries has been analyzed. Stable (or unstable) condition of the spreading can quickly change due to a stronger or weaker application of the lockdown measures and short-term predictions turn out to be reliable.

First records of Cuvier\u2019s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris, G. Cuvier 1823) strandings along the Tunisian coast

The Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) is the only member of the Ziphiidae family with a regular occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea. Much of the knowledge of this species in the Mediterranean has come from stranding data. This note reports the first records of strandings of Cuvier’s beaked whales along the Tunisian coast. The two strandings described are about two specimens, likely adult animals. The first specimens was 530 cm long and beached at El Hicha (Gulf of Gabès, south Tunisia) on March 5th, 2019. The second specimens was 630 cm long and it was reported in Ras Angla (Bizerte, north Tunisia) on June 6th, 2019. Since this species faces multiple threats in the Mediterranean basin, this contribution is intended to extend previous knowledge of this species in the region and to push towards major efforts to be undertaken to fill the knowledge gaps regarding occurrence of Cuvier’s beaked whale along northern Tunisia.

Illicit substances identified in the urine of 11.170 suspected drug users in North Tunisia.

Introductionaccording to the latest World Drug Report, 271 million people worldwide (5.5% of the global population) aged 15-64 years are drug users. Drug addiction and trafficking became an urgent public health problem that affects human health and social life. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2016 to December 2018, to identify the socio-demographic profile of drug users captured by the anti-narcotics squad in North of Tunisia (North African country) and to type, through toxicological analysis, the nature of the substances consumed.Methodsdata were collected from expertise files of 11170 suspected drug users. Fresh urine samples were collected from suspected drugs users and submitted in the toxicology laboratory of the center for Urgent Medical Assistance (Tunis) for forensic urinalysis. Drugs screening was carried out by immunochemical methods. Positive samples were analyzed with gas chromatography coupled to mass selective detector (GC-MS) for confirmation.Resultsthe investigation revealed that drug users were mainly males 97.4% (sex ratio 37), the median age was 29 ± 7.91 years, 91.3% were singles and 79% were daily workers. On a total of 11170 urine samples screened, 5 409 (48.4%) were positives for illicit drugs. The prevalence of positive samples was 55.4% in 2016; 50.45% in 2017 and 40.8% in 2018. Cannabis was the most widely consumed drug (95%), followed by Benzodiazepines (1.2%), Buprenorphine (1%), cocaine (0.95%), MDMA (0.24%) and opiates (0.13%). Polydrug abuse was observed in 79 specimens (1.5%).Conclusionthis study provides an overview of the illicit drug consumption in the north of Tunisia (knowing that nowadays epidemiological data are almost same since 2016) in order to set up an effective policy to fight against drugs and addictive behaviors and to provide health professionals with the epidemiological elements necessary for better medical care of drug users.

Sustainability assessment of small dairy farms from the main cattle farming systems in the North of Tunisia

Demand for animal products is expected to increase due to human population growth, resulting in a need for increased production. At the same time, climate change poses a major threat to the viability and sustainability of livestock production systems. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the sus-tainability of dairy cattle farms belonging to three farming systems (rainfed, irrigated, and mixed) at the northeast zone of Tunisia using the IDEA method (version 3). Collected data of 102 farms were subjected to an analysis of variance using the GLM procedure of SAS software (version 9.4). Results showed that the socio-territorial scale was the limiting factor for all systems and that the irrigated sys-tem had the lowest scores of agro-ecological and socio-territorial scales, compared to the other ones, but it recorded the highest score for the economic scale. The best agro-ecological and socio-territorial scores characterized the mixed system. However, it had the lowest score on the economic scale. Finally, the rain-fed system was exhibited medium performances of the three scales. It was concluded a differ-ence between the three farm systems, but there was no disassociation between the three sustainability dimensions; thus, improvements should proceed across all scales simultaneously.

Mycochemical Contents and Biological Activities of Three Wild Mushrooms from Tunisia.

The objective of the current study was to compare the mycochemical composition and biological activities of two extracts (aqueous extracts and ground materials prepared with the QUENCHER approach) of three wild Basidiomy-cetes, Agaricus vaporarius, Lactarius deliciosus, and Lycoperdon pyriforme, collected from a region located in the north of Tunisia. Mycochemical analysis in terms of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, flavanols, proanthocyanidins, and tannin contents were determined. In addition, the antioxidant activities of the mushrooms were evaluated using three assays (2,2-di-phenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power assay, and metal chelating assay). Their antimicrobial activities were assessed against seven bacterial species. The obtained data revealed the presence of significant differences between secondary metabolites and the biological activities of the different tested extracts. Extracts of Basidiomy-cetes prepared with the QUENCHER approach had higher total phenolic content and antimicrobial activity against the evaluated strains. Antioxidant activity showed that the water extract had the greatest activity. The water extracts were analyzed with high-performance liquid chromatography, and the results showed that these three wild macromycetes contain a wide variety of antioxidant compounds in addition to many other bioactive compounds of nutritional and therapeutic interest.

Late Miocene-Quaternary thrusting in the Utique-Kechabta foreland basin of the Tell, Northern Tunisia

Northern Tunisia is characterized by a complex orogenic system, the Tell fold-and-thrust belt (FATB), part of the Maghrebides, associated, to the South, to the Atlas FATB intra-continental chain. The South Tellian Front (STF) separating the two FATBs is bounded by Upper Miocene to Quaternary of the Mejerda wedge-top basin to the South-West and Utique-Kechabta basin to the North-East. The first one corresponds to an extensional basin developed during the Late Miocene to Quaternary compressions. On the other hand, field mapping and seismic profiles interpretations indicate that the Utique-Kechabta is characterized by tectonic accretion, thrusting of the Tell onto its foreland basin. In Bizerte Area (to the North of Utique-Kechabta basin), the subsurface structures underneath the Tell are characterized by pop-up/pop-down structures and important horizontal displacement. These Tellian structures are transported toward the SE over the major decollement level which corresponds to the Triassic salt and bounded southeastwards by the South Tellian Front. The latter, separating the Tell, propagates through Utique-Kechabta basin within the Upper Miocene series and cutting through apical parts of Triassic diapiric structures with transported salt plugs. The drastic change of the structural style from the Mejerda to the Utique-Kechabta basins can be partly controlled by the evaporites differential repartition, from Tell to Atlas. A tentative facies distribution map of the Late Triassic is presented, and it shows an evaporitic dominant facies in onshore Tunisia and along its coast, except in and Gulf of Tunis characterized by carbonate facies. These carbonates are analog of the dolostones of Southern Sicily known as good source rock and then offer an interesting potential to the Petroleum exploration in North Tunisia.

Impact of Covid-19 on Freedom of Expression in Morocco and Tunisia

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries declared a state of emergency to cope with the crisis, including countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This paper explores the state of emergency’s impact on the practice of rights and freedoms in the region, with a focus on freedom of opinion and expression in two North African countries, Morocco and Tunisia. In these two countries, constitutional and rights-related developments have unfolded over the last few years, especially with the 2011 Constitution in Morocco and the 2014 Constitution in Tunisia. Constitutional and rights-related developments are evaluated within the framework of the state of emergency declared in both countries during the Covid-19 crisis. This study sought to determine the extent to which the state of emergency impacted rights and freedoms in Morocco and Tunisia, with a focus on freedom of expression. The results show that both countries are still lacking in terms of constitutional protections for free expression, and for fundamental rights and freedoms in general. The systems of governance in Morocco and Tunisia, especially their executive authorities and security apparatuses, still engage in authoritarian practices and do not shy away from exploiting any extraordinary or exceptional situation to further consolidate their power and reach.

A wet climatic terrestrial carbonate record in the middle-upper Pleistocene, north Tunisia

The middle-upper Pleistocene Borj Edouane unit records a singular spectrum of terrestrial carbonates in a shallow depression on Cretaceous rocks in north Tunisia. This study aims to decipher the depositional system and reveal the climatic and paleohydrological conditions of the carbonate facies deposition. They are grouped into two facies associations: (1) a calcrete–palustrine and (2) a composite microbialite-travertine, surrounded by a marginal alluvial association along the western and northern borders of the basin. The calcrete–palustrine association extends along the westernmost south–north strip of the basin, reflecting calcrete development on distal alluvial fan deposits and pedogenic modification (palustrine facies) of shallow fresh-water carbonates. The composite microbialite-travertine, extending along north–south strips in the middle and eastern areas of the basin, consists of microbialite, clastic microbialite–travertine, and travertine associations. Microbialites were developed in fluvio-lacustrine environments within the central strip and pass eastward into the travertines through the clastic microbialite–travertine association. The latter was deposited from currents and in shallow ponds along a bench next to the travertine-depositing springs, linked to a fault system in the eastern margin of the basin. The carbonate depositional system shows an asymmetrical distribution of facies that parallels the paleohydrological asymmetry along the basin. Water supply was restricted in the western part of the basin and abundant in its eastern areas linked to spring waters that kept stable lake levels in the basin center, favoring the genesis of microbialites. The presence of lacustrine carbonates in the studied area indicates higher water availability during the Middle-Late Pleistocene and that climate in North Africa was wetter than today.

First Report of Filamentous Phages Isolated from Tunisian Orchards to Control Erwinia amylovora.

Newly discovered Erwinia amylovora phages PEar1, PEar2, PEar4 and PEar6 were isolated from three different orchards in North Tunisia to study their potential as biocontrol agents. Illumina sequencing revealed that the PEar viruses carry a single-strand DNA genome between 6608 and 6801 nucleotides and belong to the Inoviridae, making them the first described filamentous phages of E. amylovora. Interestingly, phage-infected cells show a decreased swimming and swarming motility and a cocktail of the four phages can significantly reduce infection of E. amylovora in a pear bioassay, potentially making them suitable candidates for phage biocontrol.