The faculty of Science at the University of Kerbala recently held a Ph.D. dissertation defense for student Maysaa Saleh Mahdi from the Department of Biology. Her research focused on exploring the relationship between the bacterial spectrum and selected biochemical and immunological markers in patients with cholecystitis in Kerbala Province.

The study aimed to identify the bacterial agents responsible for cholecystitis using both conventional and molecular diagnostic methods, and to analyze associated immune and hematological changes.

A total of 179 participants were included in the study, comprising 92 patients who had undergone cholecystectomy and 87 healthy individuals. Samples were collected over the course of 2023 and 2024 and analyzed using advanced techniques such as PCR, along with immunological markers including CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α.

The findings demonstrated the high accuracy of molecular analysis in detecting bacterial pathogens, as well as significant differences in immunological markers between patients and healthy controls—supporting their potential role in early diagnosis.

The researcher recommended incorporating immunological markers as supportive diagnostic tools and emphasized the importance of utilizing molecular techniques in clinical diagnostics to enhance the precision of both diagnosis and treatment.