Microbiological contaminants in cosmetics – isolation and characterization

Cosmetic industries are not obliged to produce sterile cosmetics. Nevertheless, they are liable to assure safety of the product to the potential consumer. The purpose of the study was isolation and identification of microorganisms with the ability to survive and develop in cosmetics. Five cosmetics applied for facial skin and one cosmetic for body care were tested for the presence of contaminating microbiota. Eight microbial strains were isolated from three cosmetics, from which seven were derived from cosmetic applied on the facial skin. One strain was isolated from body care cosmetic. The recovered microbial strains were characterized and identified to the species level as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia liquefaciens and Candida parapsilosis. The isolates were opportunistic pathogens and may cause skin irritation and infections, especially via wounded epithelium in immunocompromised consumers. Moreover, due to application area, they pose a health risk to the consumer due to easy access to the eye area as well as nasal and oral cavities through usage of cosmetic preparation.http://www.bfs.p.lodz.pl/index.php?pid=29&year=2014&journal=1

Methods for eradication of the biofilms formed by opportunistic pathogens using novel techniques – A review

The inconvenient environmental conditions force microorganisms to colonize either abiotic surfaces or animal and plant tissues and, therefore, form more resistant structures – biofilms. The phenomenon of microbial adherence, opportunistic pathogens in particular, is of a great concern. Colonization of medical devices and biofilm formation on their surface, may lead to severe infections mainly in humans with impaired immune system. Although, current research consider various methods for prevention of microbial biofilms formation, still, once a biofilm is formed, its elimination is almost impossible. This study focuses on the overview of novel methods applied for eradication of mature opportunistic pathogens' biofilms. Among various techniques the following: cold plasma, electric field, ultrasounds, ozonated water treatment, phagotherapy, matrix targeting enzymes, bacteriocins, synthetic chemicals and natural origin compounds used for biofilm matrix disruption were briefly described

Candida Biofilms: Environmental and Clinical Aspects

Candida spp. strains are characterized by their ability to form a biofilm structure on biotic and abiotic surfaces, causing significant problems in many industrial branches and threatening human health. Candida biofilm is a heterogeneous, spatially well-organized structure consisting of planktonic and mycelial yeast forms which are interdependent in the quorum sensing system and surrounded by an extracellular polysaccharide substance. Biofilm-forming microorganisms are characterized by high invasiveness, the ability to cause dangerous and difficult to treat infections. Furthermore, the cells in the biofilm, compared to planktonic forms, show reduced sensitivity to chemical compounds with antifungal activity and increased survival under unfavorable environmental conditions. The chapter focuses on the emergence of antifungal resistance with the development of biofilms. The work presents the examples of antibiotic resistance of a variety of Candida, showing that a group of strains expressing intermediate sensitivity or resistance to the tested antibiotics include both clinical and food-borne isolates. Similarities in enzymatic and biochemical profiles of different origin isolates are discussed. A substantial heterogeneity within Candida albicans group is also underlined. Simultaneously, the incidents of biochemical profiles conformity of some clinical and food-borne isolates are presented, which may be a result of Candida transmission via food

Activity of compounds of natural origin against Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris, a common fruit juices contaminant

Fruit product industry struggles with emerging problem of microbial contamination with Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris. This acidothermophilic, soil-borne and sporeforming bacterium posses ability to survive commercial pasteurization and thus may cause fruit juices spoilage. Even modern technologies are not effective enough to eliminate A. acidoterrestris from the industrial environments. The green consumer attitude and safety standards suggest adaptation of natural and safe solutions. This paper summarizes the bioactivity of compounds of natural origin which could serve as anti-alicyclobacilli preservation agents maintaining stability of fruit juices

Probiotička aktivnost kvasca Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii u sprečavanju patogenih bakterija

Infectious diarrhoea is associated with a modification of the intestinal microflora and colonization of pathogenic bacteria. Tests were performed for seven probiotic yeast strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii, designated for the prevention and treatment of diarrhoea. To check their possible effectiveness against diarrhoea of different etiologies, the activity against a variety of human pathogenic or opportunistic bacteria was investigated in vitro. In mixed cultures with S. cerevisiae var. boulardii, a statistically significant reduction was observed in the number of cells of Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, by even 55.9 % in the case of L. monocytogenes compared with bacterial monocultures. The influence of yeasts was mostly associated with the shortening of the bacterial lag phase duration, more rapid achievement of the maximum growth rates, and a decrease by 4.4–57.1 % (L. monocytogenes, P. aeruginosa), or an increase by 1.4–70.6 % (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella Typhimurium) in the exponential growth rates. Another issue included in the research was the ability of S. cerevisiae var. boulardii to bind pathogenic bacteria to its cell surface. Yeasts have shown binding capacity of E. coli, S. Typhimurium and additionally of S. aureus, Campylobacter jejuni and E. faecalis. However, no adhesion of L. monocytogenes and P. aeruginosa to the yeast cell wall was noted. The probiotic activity of S. cerevisiae var. boulardii against human pathogens is related to a decrease in the number of viable and active cells of bacteria and the binding capacity of yeasts. These processes may limit bacterial invasiveness and prevent bacterial adherence and translocation in the human intestines.Promjene u crijevnoj mikroflori uzrokuju naseljavanje patogenih bakterija i infektivni proljev. Ispitano je sedam probiotičkih sojeva kvasca Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii radi prevencije i liječenja proljeva. Istražena je in vitro aktivnost tih sojeva u sprečavanju različitih patogenih i oportunističkih bakterija da bi se utvrdila njihova učinkovitost pri liječenju različitih uzroka proljeva. U miješanim kulturama kvasca S. cerevisiae var. boulardii, za razliku od monokultura, opaženo je statistički značajno smanjenje broja bakterija Listeria monocytogenes (i to čak za 55,9 %), Pseudomonas aeruginosa i Staphylococcus aureus. Prisutnost kvasaca prije svega skraćuje fazu mirovanja bakterija (lag faza), zatim ubrzava postizanje maksimuma rasta, te smanjuje stopu eksponencijalnog rasta za 4,4-57,1 % (L. monocytogenes, P. aeruginosa) ili ju povećava za 1,4-70,6 % (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella Typhimurium). Osim toga, ispitana je sposobnost vezivanja patogenih bakterija na površinu stanica kvasca S. cerevisiae var. boulardii. Kvasci su uspješno vezali bakterije E. coli, S. Typhimurium, S. aureus, Campylobacter jejuni i E. faecalis, ali ne i L. monocytogenes i P. aeruginosa. Probiotičkom aktivnošću kvasca S. cerevisiae var. boulardii smanjuje se broj živih i aktivnih stanica patogenih bakterija koje su se vezale na stanice kvasca. Ti procesi ograničavaju invazivnost bakterija i sprečavaju njihovo vezanje za stijenke crijeva

Adhesive and hydrophobic properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas cedrina associated with cosmetics

The presence of bacteria in the cosmetic production environment is often connected with non-sterile raw materials, inappropriate production lines disinfection or cross contamination. Among bacteria isolated from the environment, opportunistic pathogens can be also found, posing a risk to patients with lowered immunity. Moreover, their susceptibility to antibiotics and disinfectants is frequently decreased as they develop more complex forms - biofilms. As hydrophobicity and adhesive properties play a vital role in the colonization process the aim of this research was to determine hydrophobic, aggregative and adhesive properties of bacteria isolated from the cosmetics.Bacteria used in the research were isolated from the body balm and the cosmetic preservative (three strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and four strains of Pseudomonas cedrina) and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. For those strains and also two reference strains (P. aeruginosa ATCC15442 and P. cedrina DSM17516) an aggregation test, hydrophobicity by two different methods (SAT and MATH) and adhesion to polystyrene by crystal violet binding assay were performed.According to the SAT method more than half of the tested strains were strongly hydrophobic. Using MATH test, it was proved that four strains (P. cedrina DSM17516 and three isolates of P. aeruginosa) were strong hydrophobes, however, the rest of the strains expressed moderate hydrophobicity. Moreover, self-aggregation was also observed and for P. aeruginosa CFII was more than 20%. All of the strains were able to adhere to polystyrene after 30 minutes contact, almost all of them (excluding P. cedrina DSM17516) indicated a moderate adhesion already after four hours of incubation. These results indicate that environmental Pseudomonas strains possess strong hydrophobic and adhesive properties, that may results in a colonization of abiotic surfaces

The effect of thyme and tea tree oils on morphology and metabolism of Candida albicans

Members of Candida species cause significant problems in medicine and in many industrial branches also. In order to prevent from Candida sp. development, essential oils are more and more frequently applied as natural, non-toxic, non-pollutive and biodegradable agents with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. The aim of the research was to determine changes in morphology and metabolic properties of Candida albicans in the presence of thyme and tea tree oils. Changes of enzymatic activity of isolates were observed in the presence of both tested essential oils, and they were primarily associated with loss or decrease of activity of all enzymes detected for control. Furthermore, only for 3 out of 11 isolates additional activity of N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, α-mannosidase, α-fucosidase and trypsin was detected. Vivid changes in biochemical profiles were found after treatment with tea tree oil and they were related to loss of ability to assimilate d-xylose, d-sorbitol and d-trehalose. The main differences in morphology of isolates compared to the control strain concerned formation of pseudohyphae structures. Both examined essential oils caused changes in cell and colony morphology, as well as in the metabolism of Candida albicans. However, the extent of differences depends on the type and concentration of an essential oil. The most important finding is the broad spectrum of changes in yeast enzymatic profiles induced by thyme and tea tree oils. It can be supposed that these changes, together with loss of ability to assimilate saccharides could significantly impact Candida albicans pathogenicity

The Trends and Prospects of Winemaking in Poland

Viticulture and winery origins in Poland date to the tenth century, but their tradition has been reborn in the last ten years, resulting in a development of small vineyards producing excellent wines not only for the local market. Due to the cold climate, usually short summers with moderate and low temperatures, the grapes are characterized by lower sugar content and higher acidity compared to those grown in the south of Europe. According to the European Union regulations, Poland was classified as the coldest wine-growing region (A) and officially acknowledged as a wine-producing country. The grapevine cultivars adopted to the harsh climatic conditions give the Polish grape wines some unique sensory features. The most popular varieties of grapes for the production of red wine are Regent, Rondo, Pinot Noir, Maréchal Foch, Cabernet Cortis, Tryumf Alzacji, Cascade and Dornfelder. For white wine production, Solaris, Riesling, Seyval Blanc, Pinot Gris, Johanniter, Jutrzenka, Hibernal, Aurora, Bianka, Traminer, Jutrzenka and Siberia are mostly used in Poland. This chapter presents Polish grape winery with its specificity and prospects for the future. The traditional products of Polish fermentation industry, fruit wines and meads, are also mentioned