Egyptian Production Research Articles

Impact of Genetic Improvements of Rice on Its Water Use and Effects of Climate Variability in Egypt

Developing and disseminating resilient rice cultivars with increased productivity is a key solution to the problem of limited natural resources such as land and water. We investigated trends in rice cultivation areas and the overall production in Egypt between 2000 and 2018. This study identified rice cultivars that showed potential for high productivity when cultivated under limited irrigation. The results indicated that there were significant annual reductions in both the rice-cultivated area (−1.7% per year) and the production (−1.9% per year) during the study period. Among the commonly cultivated varieties, Sakha101 showed the highest land unit productivity, while Sakha102 showed the highest water unit productivity. The impact of deploying new cultivars was analyzed by substitution scenarios. The results showed that substituting cultivars Giza179 and Sakha107 has the potential to increase land productivity by 15.8% and 22.6%, respectively. This could result in 0.8 million m3 in water savings compared to 2018 water consumption. Long-term impacts of climate variability on the minimum and maximum temperature, relative humidity, and average precipitation during on- and off-season for rice productivity were also analyzed using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. The results indicated that climate variability has an overall negative impact on rice productivity. Specifically, minimum temperature and on- and off-season precipitation had major long-term impacts, while higher relative humidity had a pronounced short-term impact on rice yields. The study revealed that short-duration cultivars with higher yields provided greater net savings in irrigation resources. These analyses are critical to guide the development of strategic management plans to mitigate short- and long-term climate effects on overall rice production and for developing and deploying improved rice varieties for sustainable rice production.

DNA Barcoding of Commercial Three High Value Red Sea Fishes from the Egyptian Market

Fish play an essential role in food security and are regarded as one of Egypt's primary food resources and, therefore, significantly im-pact the national economy. The three main sources of fish production in Egypt: marine (Red and Mediterranean seas), lakes and the River Nile, due to the elevated incidence of species substitution at the global level, precise identification of seafood species on the mar-kets considered a solution for food safety con-trol institutions and human consumer protec-tion. Mislabeling occurs when one species is substituted for another. Different species of red sea marine fish were collected from the Egyp-tian market. According to the Arabic name in the fish market, Samples searched for English and Latin family names in (www.fishdata-base.org). Commercial samples were success-fully extracted and confirmed with 1.5% aga-rose gel electrophoresis. The result showed that the mtDNA gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) amplification was successful for all samples with high concentration, it was purified and sequenced for both directions and blasted using the NCBI database. Resulting in the identification of three commercially essen-tial and expensive fish samples, Baghbaghan (parrotfish), Hamour (Greasy Grouper) and kahaya (Spiny squirrelfish). One of them cor-rectly identified according to the market name, while the other two are recorded mistakenly under another name.

An Economic Study for Fish Aquaculture in Egypt (Patterns, Determinants, and challenges)دراسة اقتصادية للاستزراع السمکي في مصر (الأنماط والمحددات والتحديات)

The annual increase in Egyptian & Global fish production is mainly due to annual increase in fish production from aquaculture compared to natural fisheries during the study period (2000-2018), and also increasing the relative importance of fish production from aquaculture compared to natural fisheries since 2003 and 2013 in the world and Egypt, respectively. Fish Aquaculture patterns vary according to water types used in Aquaculture (freshwater, brackish water, salt water). in World, The freshwater aquaculture production is higher (60.1%) than the salt water aquaculture production (31.5%) and the brackish water (8.4%) respectively, but in Egypt, Fish that are cultured in fresh water (Tilapia, Catfishes, Carps, Bagrus spp, and Nile perch) contribute about 77.72% of the average fish production from aquaculture during the study period (2000-2018), which is estimated at about 648.8 thousand tons, while fish are farmed in brackish water, which are represented by the mullets family contributed about 18.77%, while the fish that are cultured in salt water (Seabream, Seabass, Meager, Shrimp, Eels, and Gropers) contribute very little due to the novelty of this type of aquaculture in Egypt, estimated about 3.51% Average fish production from aquaculture during the study period. Aquaculture in Egypt contributes about 80.7% of the total Egyptian fish production in 2018, which reflects its important role in filling the fish gap in Egypt. The most important determinants affecting aquaculture fish production in Egypt during the study period (2000-2018) are: (1) The average price per ton of cultured fish: increase in the average price per ton of farmed fish by 1% leads to an increase in the amount of annual aquaculture fish production about 1.3%, (2) the number of freshwater frys and fingerlings produced in private hatcheries: by increasing the number of freshwater frys and fingerlings produced in private hatcheries by 10%, leads to an increase in the amount of annual aquaculture fish production about 3.0%.

Genetic Mapping Reveals Novel Exotic and Elite QTL Alleles for Salinity Tolerance in Barley

Soil salinity is one of the constraints of crop production in Egypt. The aims of this study were to identify genomic regions associated with grain weight and its related traits along with their salinity tolerance indices and to identify the most salinity tolerant and high-yielding genotypes. Therefore, we evaluated an advanced backcross mapping population of barley in newly reclaimed soil under two salinity levels of groundwater aquifers in South of Sinai, Egypt. We detected significant QTL associated with grain weight related attributes and the salinity tolerance index (STI) distributed throughout the whole genome of barley, which can be used to enhance salinity tolerance. Moreover, the markers bPb-3739 (4H, 96.3 cM), AF043094A (5H, 156 cM), bPb-8161 (7H, 2.22 cM), and bPb-5260 (7H, 115.6 cM), were the most important identified genomic regions corresponding to vernalization, dwarfing and dehydrin genes, which are correlated with salinity tolerance. Additionally, the doubled haploid lines SI001, SI043, SI044, SI028, SI242, SI035, and SI005 had the highest STI values based on yield average. The present study demonstrated that wild and elite barley do harbor novel valuable alleles, which can enrich the genetic basis of cultivated barley and improve quantitative agronomic traits under salinity conditions.

Analysis of Fat Content with Special Emphasis on Trans Isomers in Frequently Consumed Food Products in Egypt: The First Steps in the Trans Fatty Acid Elimination Roadmap.

Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) intake is a risk factor for coronary heart diseases and cancer. Egypt, considered among the highest TFA consumers in the world, lacks proper dietary analysis of TFAs. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze TFAs in traditional and frequently consumed food products. A market survey was conducted to identify products and brands that are mostly consumed in major governorates in Egypt. Laboratory analysis allowed for the profiling of TFAs, and saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Products having more than 2 g of TFA/100 g of fat were considered to have an elevated TFA content. Commonly consumed food items (n = 208) in the Egyptian market were identified. On average, 34% of the products exceeded the TFA limit. Sambosk meat, a traditional meat item, had the highest TFA content of 5.2%, followed by foods fried with used oils. Oriental sweets had a TFA content three times higher than that of doughnuts. The fast-food group had the largest proportion of TFA-rich products, followed by the canned and frozen item groups and confectionaries. This study revealed that around one third of products in the Egyptian market have a high TFA content. This calls for urgent legislative action to regulate composition.

Economic Study of Fish Production in Egypt (A Case Study of Lake Qarun in Fayoum Governorate)

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Residual contents of the toxic metals (lead and cadmium), and the trace elements (copper and zinc) in the bovine meat and dairy products: residues, dietary intakes, and their health risk assessment

Residual content of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in the retailed meat and dairy products in Egypt was estimated. Calculation of estimated weekly intake (EWI) and health risks was followed. Results revealed detection of tested metals in all samples at variable concentrations with higher Pb and Cd than maximum permissible limits. However, the calculated EWI did not exceed the provisional tolerable weekly intake established by the World Health Organization. Furthermore, calculation of the hazard ratio and index for mixed metal contaminants did not exceed one, indication that products consumption would not pose adverse effects on consumers.

Prevalence of Melamine and Cyanuric Acid in Powdered Dairy Products in Egypt.

This study was conducted to screen melamine and cyanuric acid in powdered dairy products, which becomes a high safety concern, as considered one of the scanty surveys in Egypt. A total of 140 samples (fifty whole milk powder, thirty samples of each; skim milk powder, powdered infant milk formula, and dried milk-cereal-based infant formula were collected from Egyptian markets and pharmacies. Samples were analyzed for the presence of melamine and cyanuric acid using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Melamine was detected in 15/50 of whole milk powder, 22/30 of skim milk powder, 20/30 of powdered infant milk formula, and 25/30 milk-cereal-based infant formula samples. Meanwhile, cyanuric acid couldn't be detected in any examined samples, as its concentration was < 0.05 mg/kg. This investigation initially proceeded in Egypt for melamine and cyanuric acid detection in milk-cereal-based infant formula and skim milk powder. It is targeted for re-attention from concerned authorities to these toxic chemicals.

الدور المعدل لسمات الشخصية العصابية فى العلاقة بين أبعاد الإبتزاز العاطفى ونية التحول إلى علامة أخرى بالتطبيق على عملاء مستحضرات التجميل فى جمهورية مصر العربية

ملخص البحث: إستهدفت هذه الدراسة تحديد تأثيرأبعاد الإبتزاز العاطفى (الشعور بالخوف ، الشعور بالذنب ، الشعور بالإلتزام). على نية التحول إلى علامة أخرى بالإضافة إلى الدور المعدل لسمات الشخصية العصابية لعملاء مستحضرات التجميل فى هذه العلاقة. کما إعتمدت الدراسة على قائمة إستقصاء عبر الانترنت online Survey لجمع البيانات وقد بلغ عدد القوائم الصحيحة 401 قائمة ، وتم إستخدام أسلوب تحليل المسار لإختبار فروض الدراسة من خلال برنامج WarpPLS.7. وأشارت النتائج إلى وجود تأثير معنوى إيجابى لأبعاد الابتزاز العاطفى (الشعور بالخوف ، الشعور بالذنب ، الشعور بالإلتزام) على نية التحول إلى علامة أخرى. کما توصلت نتائج الدراسة إلى وجود تأثير معنوى إيجابى لسمات الشخصية العصابية على نية التحول إلى علامة أخرى ، مع وجود تأثير معدل للعصابية على العلاقة بين أبعاد الإبتزاز العاطفى ونية التحول إلى علامة أخرى . الکلمات الرئيسية: الابتزاز العاطفى ، العصابية ، نية التحول إلى علامة أخرى. Abstract: This study investigated the moderating role of neurotic personality traits on the relationship between emotional blackmail dimensions and switching intention to another brand. An online survey was designed to collect data from 401 customer's cosmetic products in Egypt. Path analysis was employed to test the research hypotheses using WarpPLS7. The research results showed that there is a positive relationship between emotional blackmail and switching intention to another brand. The research results confirmed that neurotic personality significantly effects switching intention to another brand. Finally neurotic personality strengthened the positive relationship between emotional blackmail and switching intention another brand. Keywords: Emotional blackmail – Neuroticism personality traits – Switching intention.

Performance evaluation of reanalysis precipitation products in Egypt using fuzzy entropy time series similarity analysis

AbstractSelection of suitable gridded precipitation data is deemed for hydroclimatic assessment and climate change impact analysis, especially in regions where long‐term reliable precipitation data is unavailable. A novel approach based on fuzzy entropy similarity analysis (FESA) is proposed to evaluate the performance of four reanalysis gridded precipitation datasets (GPDs) for Egypt, namely European Reanalysis v.5. (ERA5), TerraClimate, Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS)—Noah Land Surface Model L4 v.2 and Climatologies at high resolution for the Earth's land surface areas (CHELSA), against gauge records. The proposed method was verified using conventional statistics. Besides, the relative performance of different GPDs was verified according to their response to the influence of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Mediterranean Oscillation (MO) on winter precipitation. The performance of the best reanalysis GPD was also compared with the gauge‐based global precipitation climatology centre (GPCC) dataset to show its reliability. The FESA revealed CHELSA as the best reanalysis GPD for Egypt. The performance assessment of GDPs based on conventional statistical metrics and visual presentation confirms the results obtained using FESA. CHELSA showed significant correlations with NAO (r = 0.3627) and MO (r = 0.624) like that obtained for gauge records. CHELSA also showed a better representation of precipitation in Egypt than GPCC at nearly half of the gauge locations. As CHELSA has a much higher spatial resolution than GPCC, it can be recommended as the proxy of gauge records in Egypt. The FESA can be used for performance analysis of gridded climate data by avoiding the complexities of using multiple statistical metrics.

An Economic study of wheat production in Egypt دراسة إقتصادية لإنتاج محصول القمح في مصر

يعد محصول القمح من أهم محاصيل الحبوب الغذائية الإستراتيجية في مصر،وذلک لإعتماد عديد من الصناعات الغذائيه علي القمح ودقيقه خاصة رغيف الخبز،وتعاني مصر من فجوة مستمره في محصول القمح ويعد محاوله ترشيد الإستهلاک وتقليل الفاقد منه هو أحد السبل لزيادة نسبه الإکتفاء الذاتي وتقليل الفجوة الغذائيه منه ، لذا يهدف ذلک البحث إلي إلقاء الضوء علي إقتصاديات محصول القمح في مصر وذلک من خلال دراسه مجموعه من الأهداف الفرعيه المتمثله في دراسه تطور المحددات الفيزيقيه لمحصول القمح،تحليل تاثير المحددات الفيزيقيه علي تغير إنتاج محصول القمح ، دراسه تطور المحددات النقديه لمحصول القمح، دراسه مقارنه معاملات الإتجاه العام لبعض المتغيرات النقديه المحدده لإنتاج محصول القمح يإستخدام تحليل التباين ، دراسه أثر التغيرات الهيکليه في تکاليف إنتاج محصول القمح بالأسعار الحقيقيه بإستخدام أسلوب أقل فرق معنوي في مصر، وقد توصل البحث إلي مجموعة من النتائج کانت أهمها ما يلي:تبين أن المساحة المزروعه بمحصول القمح في مصر خلال الفترة (2000-2017) أنها تاخذ إتجاها تصاعديا بصفه مؤکدة إحصائيا قدرت بنحو 61.49ألف فدان بمعدل نمو سنوي بلغ نحو2.1%من متوسطها البالغ نحو2927.97ألف فدان ، کما إتضح من دراسة تطور الانتاجيه الفدانيه لمحصول القمح في مصر أنها تاخذ إتجاها تصاعديا بصفة غير مؤکدة إحصائيا قدرت بنحو 0.091أردب/ فدان بمعدل نمو سنوي بلغ نحو0.5 % من متوسطها السنوي الذي بلغ نحو 18.2أردب للفدان ، مما يشير إلي ثباتها النسبي حول متوسطها،و بدراسه تطور التکاليف الانتاجيه لمحصول القمح في مصر تبين أنها تاخذ إتجاها تصاعديا بصفة مؤکدة إحصائيا قدر بنحو 377.34جنيه بمعدل نمو سنوي بلغ نحو 10.4% من متوسطها البالغ نحو 3628.28جنية،کما أتضح أن متوسط قيمه خدمه الأرض ومتوسط عمليه المقاومه خلال الفترات المدروسه يوجد بها فروق معنويه عند مستوي 0.01 ، کما أتضح أن متوسط قيمه کلا من تحضير الأرض،عمليه الزراعه وجمله العمليات خلال الفترة الاولي والثالثه وکذا الفترة الثانيه والثالثه معنوي عند مستوي 0.01 ، بينما کان متوسط الفرق في عمليات تحضير الأرض ، والحصاد ، ونقل المحصول غير معنوي بين الفترتين الأولي والثالثه بما يعني عدم وجود أثر للتضخم علي قيمه هذه العمليات خلال الفترات المذکوره . وفي ضوء النتائج السابقه فإن الدراسه توصي بالأتي : التخطيط والعمل علي زيادة المساحة المزروعه بمحصول القمح في مصر ورفع سعر الضمان للمزارعين لتشجيعهم علي زيادة المساحة المزروعه من محصول القمح،وتوفير مستلزمات انتاج محصول القمح والحد من رفع اسعارها في الأسواق مما يتسبب في زيادة تکاليف إنتاج محصول القمح علي الزراع .

The Effect of Digital Transformation on Egyptian Competitiveness Using the ARDL Model

This study aimed at assessing the “digital transformation” of Egypt and measured its effect on the country’s competitiveness during the period 1996–2019 using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. Results showed positive relationship between the competitive performance variable (MVA) and the lag value of the same variable, as an increase in competitive performance during last year by one point led to an increase of 0.72 point in competitive performance during current year. The research and development expenditure positively affected competitive performance as one-point increase led to an increase of 0.41 point in competitive performance. The number of patents registered by individuals positively affected MVA as one-point increase led to an increase of 0.01 point in MVA. Moreover, the net foreign direct investment positively affected MVA as one-point increase led to an increase of 0.05 point in MVA, and one-point increase in the high technology exports led to an increase of 0.25 point in competitive performance. Also, the number of mobile and fixed phone lines subscribers positively affected MVA as one-point increase in the number of mobile phone subscribers per 100 people (MOB), and the number of fixed-line subscribers per 100 people (FTS) led to an increase of 0.03, 0.94 point in competitive performance, respectively. In conclusion, to achieve competitive performance in Egypt by increasing efficiency in both resources’ usage and technical productivity, the technological level in Egyptian production must be improved.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra (Linnaeus, 1753)) roots aqueous extract and some additives against Bactrocera zonata (Saunders, 1841) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders, 1841) is a destructive polyphagous pest threatening the horticultural production in Egypt. Licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra (Linnaeus, 1753) is a plant growing in Egypt and many other countries and famous for saponins groups that have insecticidal effect against broad spectrum of insect pests. In the present study, the insecticidal effect of licorice roots aqueous extract (LRAE), petroleum oil, KZ light mineral oil 96% (EC), water and an emulsion (1/4 L LRAE + ¼ L petroleum oil + ½ L KZ light oil 96% (EC)) treatments in a ratio 1 L: 29 L water were used in Matabi® sprayer of 30 L capacity against B. zonata pupae in sandy and clay soils. In sandy and clay soils LRAE reduced B. zonata population by 74.44% and 87.55% while petroleum oil, KZ light mineral oil 96% (EC) prevented flies emergence (100% reduction). Water treatment suppressed B. zonata population by 78.61% in sandy soil but caused 100% population reduction in clay soil. The emulsion reduced B. zonata population by 96.94% in sandy soil and 100% in clay soil. The best method for application of the emulsion was to spray as one target spray technique for eight seconds that was sufficient to obtain suitable coverage on soil with spray speed 1.2 km / hour. The persistence of the emulsion that highly reduced B. zonata larval populations was 3.5 and 4.5 days in sandy and clay soils, respectively. The flies emerged from B. zonata pupae treated with the emulsion neither feed nor move naturally. The histological studies showed that these flies suffered changes in the eyes, labellum, muscles and midgut tissues that were different from the emerged control treatment flies.

Characterization of Bacillus cereus Isolates from Local Dairy Products in Egypt

bacillus cereus is an important, opportunistic, foodborne pathogen found in various dairy products. In this study, the prevalence, physiological characteristics, antimicrobial resistance profile, and enterotoxigenic genes (ces and hbla) of b. cereus were investigated in isolates from Egyptian dairy products. A total of 150 samples, including soft white cheese, milk powder, and ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk (50 of each), were collected from local dairy stores in EL-Gharbia governorate, Egypt from April 2019 to October 2019. Of these, 29 samples were contaminated with b. cereus (an overall prevalence of 19.3%). Based on cultural, morphological, and biochemical characteristics, 48 isolates were detected including 27 (56.25%) from soft white cheese, 9 (18.75%) from milk powder, and 12 (25%) from UHT milk. Antibiotic susceptibility assessment showed that all isolates exhibited high sensitivity to amikacin, doxycyclin, gentamycin, ciprofloxacin, while significant resistance to kanamycin, clindamycin, nalidixic acid, cephalothin, and sulphamethoxazole was also observed. All isolates were examined for the presence of emetic (ces) and diarrheal (hbla) genes using the PCR method; ces was detected in 12 (25%) isolates, hbla in 14 (29.2%) isolates, while 22 (45.8%) isolates did not harbor either gene. These findings indicate the need for the application of adequate preventive measures and personnel hygiene in dairy processing lines to minimize b. cereus load in final products.

Estimating the Technical and Economic Efficiency of Honey production in Qalyubia Governorate

Honey bee breeding is one of the important agricultural and economic activities that can contribute to economic and social development, provide job opportunities for youth, and the role of bees in raising crop productivity. The research problem is the decrease in production of honey bees, despite its economic, nutritional and medical importance, and this means that there are deficiencies and problems that impede the optimal use of the development of honey bee production in Qalyubia Governorate. The research aimed Upgrading the efficiency of using the productive resources used to produce honey to achieve the maximum possible return, by optimum use of production inputs for honey bee in Governorate to increase its production and reduce its production costs. The most important research result is Estimating the general time trend of the development of honey production in Egypt during the period 2000/2019, and it was found that the production of honey is decreasing by about 252.8 tons annually, the determined coefficient that 90% of the change in the production of honey is due to the factor of time. The rate of return on investment was about 0.6, 1.3 and 1.4 for projects (the first, second and third categories) respectively. The net present value for (the first, second and third categories) was estimated at 10 thousand pounds, 53.6 thousand pounds, 90 thousand pounds, respectively. Estimating the capacity efficiency for the first and second productive category, they amounted about 0.980, 0.972, respectively and this means that the apiaries didn’t reach the capacity efficiency and can reach it by increasing their production by an estimated rate of about 2%, 3%, but the capacity efficiency of the third category apiaries is about 1, this means that the apiaries in this category have achieved capacity efficiency, and they operate at the optimum production.

History and Current Status of Sugarcane Breeding in Egypt

Sugarcane has been cultivated in Egypt since 641 AD and is a source of raw material to various agro-based industries. The development of new varieties of sugarcane from controlled crosses in Egypt has developed greatly during recent decades with the majority of the present commercial varieties originating from the local breeding program. Egyptian sugarcane breeding program objectives are high cane and sugar yield, early maturing, good ratooning ability, resistance and tolerance to pests as well as diseases. This program depends on artificial flowering at Giza Research Station (latitude of 30.01° N and longitude of 31.20° E) and natural flowering at Sabahia Research Station, Alexandria (latitude of 31° 12 N and longitude of 29.57° E). There are four stations for selection trials, extending from middle to southern Egypt, namely Mallawi (Minia governorate), Shandaweel (Sohag governorate), Mattana Station (Luxor governorate), and Kom Ombo (Aswan governorate), respectively. Current sugar production in Egypt is about 2.458 million tons with 62.2% from sugar beet and 37.8% from sugarcane.

Prevalence, Antibiogram and Genetic Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes from Food Products in Egypt.

World Health Organization classified Listeria monocytogenes as a major notable foodborne pathogen associated with high mortality and hospitalization. The study reports the prevalence, antibiogram, virulence determination and genetic characterization of L. monocytogenes from different food products. A total of 250 food samples, fifty samples each from raw milk, ice cream, minced meat, fish fillet and sausage were collected from the Menoufiya governorate in Egypt. L. monocytogenes was detected in 17 (6.8%) of the tested food samples including minced meat (14%), fish fillet (8%), sausage (6%) and raw milk (6%). The antimicrobial susceptibility assay of 17 L. monocytogenes isolates against seventeen antibiotics belonging to eight antibiotics classes revealed a high susceptibility to norfloxacin (82.3%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (76.4%), cefotaxime (70.5%), erythromycin (64.6%), amoxicillin (64.6%), gentamicin (58.7%) and vancomycin (58.7%). While, high resistance was observed against oxytetracycline (76.4%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (76.4%), chloramphenicol (70.5%), doxycycline (64.6%), levofloxacin (41.2%) and azithromycin (41.2%). Of note, all L. monocytogenes isolates were multidrug-resistant. The multiplex PCR successfully amplified L. monocytogenes in all tested isolates. Screening of the five virulence-related genes revealed the hlyA and iap as the most prevalent genes followed by actA gene, however, the inlA and prfA genes were not detected in any of the studied isolates. The partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing of three L. monocytogenes isolates showed a high nucleotide similarity (99.1–99.8%) between the study isolates and various global clones, and phylogenetic analysis clustered these L. monocytogenes strains with other Listeria species including L. welshimeri, L. seeligeri and L. innocua. This study demonstrates the impact of L. monocytogenes as a major contaminant of various food products and suggests more attention to the awareness and hygienic measures in the food industry.

A pilot study revealing host-associated genetic signatures for source attribution of sporadic Campylobacter jejuni infection in Egypt.

Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni), is considered among the most common bacterial causes of human bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. The epidemiology and the transmission dynamics of campylobacteriosis in Egypt remain poorly defined due to the limited use of high-resolution typing methods. In this pilot study, we evaluated the discriminatory power of multiple typing 'gene-by-gene based' techniques to characterize C. jejuni obtained from different sources and estimate the relative contribution of different potential sources of C. jejuni infection in Egypt. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 90 C. jejuni isolates recovered from clinical samples, retail chicken, and dairy products in Egypt from 2017 to 2018. Comparative genomic analysis was performed using conventional seven-locus multilocus sequence typing (MLST), ribosomal MLST (rMLST), core genome MLST (cgMLST), allelic variation in 15 host-segregating (HS) markers, and comparative genomic fingerprinting (CGF40). The probabilistic source attribution was performed via STRUCTURE software using MLST, CGF40, cgMLST and allelic variation in HS markers. Comparison of the discriminatory power of the aforementioned genotyping methods revealed cgMLST to be the most discriminative method, followed by HS markers. The source attribution analysis showed the role of retail chicken as a source of infection among clinical cases in Egypt when HS and cgMLST were used (64.2% and 52.3% of clinical isolates were assigned to this source, respectively). Interestingly, the cattle reservoir was also identified as a contributor to C. jejuni infection in Egypt; 35.8% and 47.7% of clinical isolates were assigned to this source by HS and cgMLST, respectively. Here, we provided evidence of the importance of using WGS typing methods to facilitate source tracking of C. jejuni. Our findings suggest the importance of non-poultry sources, together with the previously reported role of retail chicken in human campylobacteriosis in Egypt that can provide insights to inform national control measures.

Petrophysical analysis of the messinian Qawasim Formation in El Tamad Field (Nile Delta)

The onshore Nile Delta has shown promise in oil and gas production in Egypt. However, exploration activities in the past decade indicated conspicuous spatial changes in the quality and geometry of reservoirs. Therefore, petrophysical traits of the productive horizons must be monitored continuously. Based on detailed logging data of five wells, the spatial changes in the reservoir quality and geometry of the Messinian (Late Miocene) Qawasim Formation in El Tamad Field (Northeast Nile delta) was reevaluated. All integrated petrophysical analyses (i.e. lithology, porosity, net pay thickness, shale volume, water saturation, and hydrocarbon saturation) indicated a high spatial variability, where up to 12 different zones have been identified in the Qawasim Formation. Indeed, the Qawasim Zone 2 has the highest potentiality of hydrocarbons (i.e. Main Pay Zone) with good porosity (19.1–27.8%), low shale volume (14.9–22.1%), and low water saturation (22.1–44.4%). The constructed cross-plots (i.e. Neutron-Sonic, Neutron-Bulk Density, and M-N plots) showed that the reservoir is composed mainly of quartz arenite. The dia-porosity cross plot (density porosity ‘ØD’-neutron porosity ‘ØN’) indicated that the pore spaces are interpenetrated with dispersed shale of minor laminated types. To identify the free water-level and the contact with gas or oil, the hydrostatic pressure gradient using pressure-depth plot was implemented. The gas gradient ranges from 0.07 to 0.08 psi/ft with an average 0.075 psi/ft, while the oil pressure gradient ranges from 0.26 to 0.24 psi/ft with an average 0.25 psi/ft and the water gradient is about 0.45 psi/ft. Future exploration and production in the area should take in account that the Qawasim Formation represents a good reservoir but with marked spatial heterogeneity in the reservoir quality and geometry.

High Risk of Potential Diarrheagenic Bacillus cereus in Diverse Food Products in Egypt

Bacillus cereus is one of the important foodborne pathogens that can be found in various foodstuffs, causes diarrheal and/or emetic syndromes, and can cause severe systemic diseases that may lead to death. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, pathogenic potential, and genotypic diversity of B. cereus isolates recovered from diverse food products collected from markets in Cairo, Egypt. Of 165 food samples investigated in this study, 39 (24%) were positive for B. cereus, with contamination levels of 2 to 6 log CFU/g or mL and a higher prevalence of levels >3 log CFU. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that the B. cereus isolates were fully sensitive to all tested antimicrobial agents except β-lactams. The pathogenic potential of the 39 B. cereus isolates was assessed by detecting and profiling genes encoding virulence factors or toxins: the chromosomal genes hblA, bceT, plc, sph, nheA, entFM, and cytK associated with the diarrheal syndrome and the plasmid ces gene associated with the emetic syndrome. The most frequently detected genes were hblA, nheA, and entFM. All isolates harbored more than one of the diarrheal enterotoxin genes, and the genetic profile hblA-bceT-nheA-entFM-cytK-plc-sph was the most prevalent (20 of 39 isolates). The emetic toxin gene ces was not detected in any isolate. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus analysis of the 20 B. cereus isolates harboring the most prevalent genetic profile revealed that these isolates were genetically distinct, with a Simpson index of diversity value of 0.989. These findings provide useful information for public health management and serve as a warning of the potential risk of diarrheagenic B. cereus in diverse food products. Therefore, extensive study of the epidemiology of this food pathogen in Egypt is warranted. Strict procedures should be developed to monitor, protect, and safely handle food products, particularly ready-to-eat foodstuffs that are usually consumed without heat treatment.