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Background and Objectives: Healthcare workers in hospitals are exposed to infectious diseases that occur in the hospital making them a source of infection for the patients. It is interfaced as cross-contamination agents for MRSA and MR-CoNS, and preventive measures need to be adapted accordingly. The study aimed to assess Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) on the skin and nasal cavities of healthcare workers (HCWs) and identifying isolates to the species level. Materials and Methods: Swab samples were cultured on mannitol salt agar (MSA) to obtain MRS and determine their ability to produce coagulase. Their susceptibility to antibiotics were determined by agar screening and disk diffusion methods and further identification was done at the species level. Results: The highest percentage of methicillin resistant coagulase positive Staphylococci (MRCoPS) was reported among skins of male HCWs, (71.4%) were identified as MRSA. The highest levels of methicillin resistant coagulase negative Staphylococci (MRCoNS) were mainly detected in both nasal cavities, (75%) were identified as MRSE. MRSA was reported from doctors (p-value 0.033), whereas the highest incidence of MRSE was obtained from the nurses (p-value 0.048). Conclusion: This study highlighted that incidence of MRSA was mainly detected in doctors and MRCoNS in both nasal cavities. The highest percentage of MRCoNS was recovered from the patients' room followed by the reception table. Moreover, vancomycin is suggested to be highly effective in managing and controlling S. aureus, MRSA- and MRSE related infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, resistance to antimicrobial drugs is a major hazard to public health. Infections that were once easily treatable with antibiotics are becoming harder to control, leading to prolonged illnesses, increased mortality rates, and higher healthcare costs. Aim: This study intended to assess the antimicrobial, specifically the anti-Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and anticancer properties of different extracts obtained from A. herba-alba (AHA). Methods: The antibacterial tests of AHA were performed on two Gram-negative bacterial strains (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia), two Gram-positive bacterial strains (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Staphylococcus aureus). Initial screening for antibacterial activities was conducted using the well diffusion technique. Subsequently, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined through the broth-dilution assay. The anticancer test was carried out in vitro on a human colorectal carcinoma cell line (HCT-116) using MTT assay. Results: Among all extracts, n-hexane extract of AHA was the most effective against S. aureus with the highest inhibition zone (24.67 mm ± 0.58) compared to standard antibiotic (erythromycin, 24.00 mm) followed by the methanolic extract against MRSA (24.00 mm ± 1.73). The methanol extract of AHA showed the highest antibacterial activity against MRSA. The results of MIC and MBC of the AHA methanol extract against MRSA were 1.17 ± 1.09 and 9.375 ± 0.0 mg/ml, respectively, demonstrating therapeutically significant antibacterial activity. Ethyl acetate extract has no antibacterial activity against E. coli and K. pneumonia. The findings indicated that the methanol extract of AHA exhibited the highest efficacy against the colorectal carcinoma cell line (HCT-116), with an IC50 value of 126.61 ± 13.35 μg/ml. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the methanol extract of AHA could be considered as a potential agent to serve as a source of antibacterial and anticancer compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artemisia herba-alba (AHA), known as sheeh in Jordan, is recommended by regional traditional healers for the treatment of a variety of diseases. AHA has been used in folk medicine to treat colds, coughing, bronchitis, intestinal disturbances, diarrhea, neuralgias, arterial hypertension, and diabetes. The objectives of the current study were to identify the chemical compositions of the essential oil extracted from dried leaf powder of AHA cultivated in Jordan and investigate its antibacterial and antioxidant activities. The essential oil was isolated using hydro distillation, and the identification of artemisia herba-alba essential oil (AHEO) composition was performed using validated gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial activity of AHEO was assessed against escherichia coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa, klebsiella pneumonia, and staphylococcus aureus and two clinical isolates (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus epidermidis [MRSE]) using a disc diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values, using the micro-dilution broth method. Additionally, antioxidant activities were determined using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays. The results revealed that the yield of AHEO was 4.41% v/w, with nearly 22 identified compounds, constituting approximately 96.80% of the total mass of essential oils. Monoterpenoids was the major compounds (71.90%), with alpha pinene being the major component, accounting for 17.20% of the composition. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were 43.97 mg GAE/g and 30.11 mg CE/g, respectively. The antibacterial activity of AHEO against MRSE exhibited the highest inhibitory effect, while E.coli showed the highest MBC value. Furthermore, AHEO demonstrated significant antioxidant activity (IC50= 64.57 and 34.01 for DPPH and ABTS, respectively). The results indicate that AHEO possess good antioxidant and antibacterial properties, suggesting that they may be used as a supplementary food and antimicrobial agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]