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Vegetables are an essential component of a balanced diet. The consumption of ready-to-eat foods may lead to the risk of infections and illnesses due to microbial contamination. To mitigate the potential of microbial contamination risks, it is critical to promote safe handling practices among consumers. In this study, our research evaluated the efficacy of different vegetable washing methods, specifically with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, to establish optimal practices for reducing microbial contamination. This study consisted of two phases. Initially, a survey was distributed to 150 volunteers using snowball sampling to assess everyday vegetable handling and washing methods. The survey's results identified four predominant methods: washing with a 5% vinegar solution for 3 min followed by tap water rinse (37.3% of participants), rinsing with tap water for 1 min (29.3%), washing with a 5% salt solution (vegetable soap) for 3 min followed by a tap water rinse (16.6%), and a 3 min tap water rinse (14%). A minor segment (3.33%) reported not washing their vegetables at all. The survey's findings guided the second phase, which tested the aforementioned washing protocols' effectiveness in reducing Escherichia coli (E. coli) levels on spiked contaminated salad vegetables. The tested vegetables were sterilized using UV light, inoculated with 0.5 McFarland E. coli, and then washed using the four identified methods. After that, E. coli enumeration after washing was performed using 3M™ Petrifilm and the comparison was analyzed via one-way ANOVA. During this study, it was revealed that the cucumbers had the highest E. coli contamination levels in comparison to the lettuce and tomato after washing. Interestingly, by comparing the three washing methods, it was found that washing the vegetables with vinegar proved to be the most effective solution for reducing microbial presence on both lettuce and cucumbers. Notably, the natural smoothness of tomato skin led to no significant differences in contamination levels across washing methods. In summary, vinegar washing effectively reduces microbial contamination from salad vegetables, highlighting the need for informed consumer practices to prevent foodborne outbreaks. This study emphasizes the importance of monitoring contamination sources and using safe washing techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial dispensing without a prescription has been identified as a significant contributor to the burgeoning crisis of antimicrobial resistance. To combat this, the Saudi Ministry of Health introduced a stringent antimicrobial restriction policy in mid-2018, mandating prescriptions for all antimicrobial drug dispensations at pharmacies. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the immediate impact of this policy on retail antimicrobial sales. To do so, we analyzed annual sales data from 2017 to 2019 sourced from the IQVIA-MIDAS® database, which included a range of antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, antifungals, and other related agents. The analysis revealed a notable reduction in overall antimicrobial sales by 23.2%, decreasing from 818.9 million SAR in 2017 to 648.4 million SAR in 2019. While the Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated a statistically significant median reduction in total antimicrobial sales post-policy implementation (p = 0.0397), it is important to acknowledge that the long-term effects and adherence to the policy require further investigation. Notably, sales of amoxicillin dropped by 70% in 2019 compared to 2017, contributing largely to the decline. Conversely, a continuous increase in sales of some antimicrobial drugs following the restriction policy was observed, led by amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Our data support the implementation of antimicrobial restriction measures as an effective means of controlling excessive antimicrobial sales and dispensing without prescriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding antibiotic consumption patterns over time is essential to optimize prescribing practices and minimizing antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to determine whether the antibiotics restriction policy launched by the Saudi Ministry of Health in April 2018 has impacted antibiotic use by assessing changes and seasonal variations following policy enforcement. Methods: Quarterly sales data of J01 antibacterial for systemic use in standard units were obtained from the IQVIA-MIDAS database, spanning from the first quarter of 2016 to the last quarter of 2020. Antibiotics consumption was measured in defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitant per day- in a quarter (DDDdq). A comparative analysis of antibiotic consumption pre- and post-policy periods introduction was conducted by computing the average consumption values for each period. Statistical comparison of the mean differences between the two periods were then made using independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U Test where needed. Time series analysis was employed to estimate the projected antibiotic consumption in the post-policy period if the restriction policy had not been implemented, which was then compared to actual consumption values to evaluate the effectiveness of the restriction policy. Results: During the pre-policy, there were seasonal trends of the total and oral antibiotic consumption through quarters, with higher consumption observed in the first and fourth quarters. In contrast, parenteral antibiotic consumption did not appear to follow a clear seasonal pattern. Following the restriction policy, there was a significant reduction in total and oral antibiotic use, with mean reductions of -96.9 DDDdq (p-value = 0.002) and -98 DDDdq (p-value = 0.002), respectively. Conversely, a significant increase in parenteral antibiotic consumption was observed with a mean increase of +1.4 DDDdq (p-value < 0.0001). The comparison between the forecasted and actual models showed that the actual antibiotics consumption for total, oral, and parenteral were lower than the corresponding forecasted values by 30%, 31%, and 34%, respectively. Conclusion: Overall, our analysis of antibiotics consumption from 2016 to 2020 displays great success for the policy implemented by the Saudi Ministry of Health in significantly reducing the total and oral use of antibiotics. However, future studies are needed to explore the increased consumption of the parenteral antibiotics as well as the persistent high consumption patterns during the fall and winter months even after the implementation of the restriction policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen that poses a threat to public health due to its association with foodborne contamination and a variety of infections. The factors contributing to the pathogenicity of S. aureus include virulence, drug resistance, and toxin production, making it essential to monitor their prevalence and genetic profiles. This study investigated and compared the genomic characteristics of S. aureus isolates from retail meat and patients in Saudi Arabia., Methods: A total of 136 S. aureus isolates were obtained between October 2021 and June 2022:84 from patients and 53 from meat samples in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. S. aureus isolates were identified using conventional methods and MALDI-TOF MS, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was identified using VITEK2 and BD Phoenix systems. MRSA was confirmed phenotypically using chromogenic agar, and genotypically by detecting mec A. Genomic data were analyzed using BactopiaV2 pipeline, local BLAST, and MLST databases., Results: Antibiotic resistance genes were prevalent in both meat and patient S. aureus isolates, with high prevalence of tet 38, bla Z, and fos B. Notably, all S. aureus isolates from patients carried multidrug-resistant (MDR) genes, and a high percentage of S. aureus isolates from meat also harbored MDR genes. Phenotypically, 43% of the S. aureus isolates from meat and 100% of the patients' isolates were MDR. Enterotoxin genes, including sel X, sem , and sei , exhibited high compatibility between meat and patient S. aureus isolates. Virulence genes such as cap, hly/hla, sbi , and isd were found in all S. aureus isolates from both sources., Conclusion: Our study established a genetic connection between S. aureus isolates from meat and patients, showing shared antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. The presence of these genes in meat derived isolates underscores its role as a reservoir. Genomic relatedness also suggests potential transmission of resistance between different settings. These findings emphasize the necessity for a comprehensive approach to monitor and control S. aureus infections in both animals and humans., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Alkuraythi, Alkhulaifi, Binjomah, Alarwi, Mujallad, Alharbi, Alshomrani, Gojobori and Alajel.)