The Department of Biology at the College of Education for Pure Sciences at the University of Karbala discussed the doctoral thesis entitled “The Role of Bacteria as a Causative of Acute Appendicitis in Kerbala and the Extent of Their Resistance to Antibiotics.” The thesis was presented by student Wassan Redha Hassan, under the supervision of Prof. Yasmin Khadir Khalaf as first supervisor, and Prof. Hiam Abdul-Ridha Karim as second supervisor. The thesis aimed to find a safe biological treatment as an alternative to chemotherapy, one that is more effective, less expensive, and has fewer side effects on healthy cells. The thesis also concluded that Bifidobacterium bifidum can be isolated from dairy products, cow’s milk, and human breast milk. Its identity was confirmed using phenotypic tests, biochemical tests, sugar fermentation tests, Vitek system identification cards, and molecular diagnostics using PCR. The study generally recommended that the biosurfactant extracted from B. bifidum is effective against cancer cells and has no significant adverse effects on normal cells. However, it is preferable to conduct complementary studies to identify the biosurfactant components and determine which ones are most effective in inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. The student received a grade of excellent.
