Baobab Index

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in cats are increasingly recognized as clinically relevant conditions frequently associated with multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria of potential zoonotic origin, yet genomic data on feline uropathogens remain scarce in Tunisia. We used whole-genome sequencing to characterize seven bacterial isolates recovered from six cats with clinical signs of UTI: Mammaliicoccus lentus ( Resistome analysis revealed determinants conferring resistance to β-lactams (blaZ, blaCMY-132), methicillin (mecC-type), macrolides (erm(43), ermB), tetracyclines (tet(M), tet(45), tetB), fosfomycins (fosI, fosB, fosA5), and aminoglycosides (aac(6'), aph(3')-IIIa, aph(6)-Id), alongside efflux pump genes (efrA, sepA, sdrM, oqxA, KpnE/F/G), vancomycin-operon genes (vanT, vanY, vanC, vanG), and biofilm/biocide-tolerance genes (salB, qacG). Notably, M. lentus S104 carried mecC-type elements, the first such report in Tunisia, while K. aerogenes displayed an extensive MDR profile, including blaCMY-132 and fosA5. Multilocus sequence typing/ribosomal multilocus sequence typing (MLST/rMLST) identified diverse lineages, including the internationally distributed E. faecalis ST19 and the rarely reported K. aerogenes ST242. Plasmids were absent in all isolates; a Tn916/1545-type transposon occurred in E. casseliflavus, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas systems were unevenly distributed. These findings highlight companion animals as reservoirs of clinically important resistance genes, reinforcing the need for One Health AMR surveillance.

The inaugural Congress of the Tunisian Society of Human Genomics (TSHG) was held from October 17 to 19, 2024, in Sousse, Tunisia, under the theme "Genomics for a Sustainable Healthcare System". This landmark event aimed to address the rapid advancements and ethical challenges in North Africa's genomic landscape. The congress convened an international assembly of researchers, clinicians, and policymakers. The scientific program featured plenary lectures, keynote presentations, and specialized workshops focused on integrating genomic medicine into national healthcare frameworks. Key discussions centered on emerging sequencing technologies, the ethical imperatives of informed consent, and data privacy in the era of big data. Specialized sessions highlighted population genomics insights derived from Tunisian cohorts, emphasizing rare diseases and cancer genetics. Workshops provided practical training in bioinformatic data analysis and genetic counseling standards. The meeting successfully established a strategic roadmap for advancing personalized medicine in Tunisia. By fostering multidisciplinary collaborations and setting the stage for broader international participation, the TSHG has laid the foundation for sustainable genomic research and clinical application in the region.

Cladribine tablets are an oral immune reconstitution therapy with demonstrated efficacy and durable disease control in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). While global evidence supports their use, region-specific guidance adapted to healthcare variability, access constraints, and real-world practice in North-West Africa (NWA) remains limited. To develop expert-based, region-specific consensus recommendations on the optimal use of cladribine tablets in RRMS in the NWA region. A modified Delphi methodology was conducted during a face-to-face advisory board meeting in May 2025 in Tunisia. Senior neurologists with expertise in multiple sclerosis from across NWA reviewed available evidence, discussed key clinical questions, and voted on consensus statements addressing treatment positioning, early use, switching strategies, long-term management, safety, and special populations. Consensus was predefined as agreement by ≥75% of voting experts. All consensus statements met the predefined threshold after discussion and refinement, achieving high to unanimous agreement. Experts endorsed cladribine tablets as a high-efficacy option for treatment-naïve patients with moderate-to-high disease activity and as a switch option following suboptimal response to platform therapies and in selected patients previously treated with high-efficacy therapies. Benefits include early initiation, durable disease control without continuous immunosuppression, and suitability for patients with limited access to hospital-based care. Expert consensus recommendations also addressed long-term management beyond Year 4, retreatment strategies, safety monitoring, pregnancy planning, and use in older patients, recognizing that some areas are supported mainly by emerging real-world evidence and expert clinical experience. This Delphi consensus provides practical, region-specific guidance to optimize the use of cladribine tablets in RRMS across NWA, aiming to harmonize treatment practices and improve long-term outcomes.

A new species of Acanthobothrium is described from the spiral intestine of Raja asterias Delaroche and Raja radula Delaroche in the Algerian Mediterranean Sea. Acanthobothrium oualimeriemae n. sp. was characterized using an integrative approach combining morphological and molecular (28S rDNA) data. The new species is assigned to morphological category 2 and can be distinguished from all known congeners by a unique combination of features, including total body length, number of proglottids, scolex configuration, dimensions of bothridial structures, length of the cephalic peduncle, length of the cirrus pouch, and number of testes. Overall, our phylogenetic analyses revealed that all three Mediterranean nominal Acanthobothrium species, for which 28S rDNA sequences are available clustered, within the same clade, indicating a close evolutionary affinity particularly with A. minus Tazerouti, Kechemir-Issad & Euzet, 2009 (Category 2 species) and A. coronatum (Rudolphi, 1819) Blanchard, 1848 (Category 4 species). The close affinity between A. oualimeriemae n. sp. and A. minus may be related to their shared Mediterranean distribution and morphological similarity, although the limited resolution of 28S rDNA warrants cautious interpretation. These findings support the view that, although these taxonomic categories are useful for morphological comparisons, they are not congruent with actual phylogenetic relationships. Furthermore, our results suggest that the commonly used 28S rDNA region in molecular systematics of cestodes infecting elasmobranchs is generally effective for resolving higher-level phylogenetic relationships, confirming the validity of established genera. However, our findings also indicate that this molecular marker does not always provide sufficient resolution to distinguish closely related species. This limitation is evident within the genus Acanthobothrium, where morphologically distinct species may remain poorly resolved based on 28S rDNA data alone.

This study characterized six

This study aimed to characterize the reproductive performance of the local Algerian population (LAP) compared with the New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits, by evaluating sexual behavior, semen characteristics, and their modulation by environmental factors, namely photoperiod and temperature-humidity index (THI). Mature bucks (

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a transformative tool in virology, offering new opportunities for the detection, classification, and surveillance of viral pathogens. Recent advances in machine learning, deep neural networks, and multimodal data analysis now enable the identification of viral signatures from genomic sequences, medical images, environmental samples, and social-media-derived epidemiological signals. This review provides a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art AI methodologies applied to viral pathogen research, with a particular focus on image-based diagnostics, automated quality assessment of virology-related digital content, and predictive modelling for outbreak monitoring. We discuss how convolutional and transformer-based architectures are being used to classify infected tissues, detect viral particles, and support laboratory workflows. Furthermore, we highlight the emerging role of AI in evaluating the reliability of user-generated images and short videos related to infectious diseases, an area increasingly relevant in the age of misinformation. Challenges such as dataset bias, limited annotated virological images, ethical concerns, and the need for standardized quality-assessment pipelines are critically examined. Finally, we outline future research directions, including hybrid AI-biological models, AI-supported viral surveillance in healthcare environments, and the integration of explainable AI to enhance clinical trust.

Pinctada radiata, the first recorded Lessepsian migrant, has been present in the Mediterranean Sea since the late 19th century, initially confined to the eastern and southern-central basin. Since then, it has gradually expanded westward and northward, with its spread accelerating over the last decades. This study combines information on historical records with interannual data collected by a basin-wide network of larval collectors deployed across the Mediterranean Sea to analyse the spatial and temporal patterns of P. radiata's expansion. Larval collectors confirm the establishment of populations and detect up to 13 multiannual colonisation events, providing strong evidence of the species' ongoing spread, while uninvaded locations suggest that environmental barriers, particularly lower temperatures, may still limit its distribution. The integration of larval collector data demonstrates not only the continued expansion of P. radiata but also the utility of this approach as an early warning system for anticipating new colonisation by invasive species. In addition, larval collectors offer a valuable tool for long-term monitoring of recruitment success, providing insights into population dynamics over time. These findings highlight regions at risk of future invasion and provide a foundation for proactive monitoring and management strategies to mitigate ecological impacts on native communities and coastal ecosystems.