Potential Antimicrobial Activity of Red and White Wine Phenolic Extracts against Strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans

The aim of this study was to assess antimicrobial activities of wine phenolic extracts. The potential antimicrobial activity of alcohol-free red and white wine extracts against pathogenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans was studied using the agar well diffusion method. Total phenolic content of wine extracts was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, while their phenolic composition was specified by high performance liquid chromatography and diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The antimicrobial activity of the tested extracts was related to their total phenolic content. Antimicrobial activity of the tested wine extracts was more effective against S. aureus and less effective against E. coli and C. albicans. Also, C. albicans was resistant to more wine extracts than the two bacterial species studied. The antimicrobial activity and the phenolic composition of the tested white and red wine extracts indicate that some phenolic acids have the potential to inhibit growth of certain pathogens such as S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans strains

Potential Antimicrobial Activity of Red and White Wine Phenolic Extracts against Strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans

The aim of this study was to assess antimicrobial activities of wine phenolic extracts. The potential antimicrobial activity of alcohol-free red and white wine extracts against pathogenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans was studied using the agar well diffusion method. Total phenolic content of wine extracts was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, while their phenolic composition was specified by high performance liquid chromatography and diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The antimicrobial activity of the tested extracts was related to their total phenolic content. Antimicrobial activity of the tested wine extracts was more effective against S. aureus and less effective against E. coli and C. albicans. Also, C. albicans was resistant to more wine extracts than the two bacterial species studied. The antimicrobial activity and the phenolic composition of the tested white and red wine extracts indicate that some phenolic acids have the potential to inhibit growth of certain pathogens such as S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans strains

Oropouche Fever: A Review

Oropouche fever is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by Oropouche virus (OROV), an arthropod transmitted Orthobunyavirus circulating in South and Central America. During the last 60 years, more than 30 epidemics and over half a million clinical cases attributed to OROV infection have been reported in Brazil, Peru, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago. OROV fever is considered the second most frequent arboviral febrile disease in Brazil after dengue fever. OROV is transmitted through both urban and sylvatic transmission cycles, with the primary vector in the urban cycle being the anthropophilic biting midge Culicoides paraensis. Currently, there is no evidence of direct human-to-human OROV transmission. OROV fever is usually either undiagnosed due to its mild, self-limited manifestations or misdiagnosed because its clinical characteristics are similar to dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever, including malaria as well. At present, there is no specific antiviral treatment, and in the absence of a vaccine for effective prophylaxis of human populations in endemic areas, the disease prevention relies solely on vector control strategies and personal protection measures. OROV fever is considered to have the potential to spread across the American continent and under favorable climatic conditions may expand its geographic distribution to other continents. In view of OROV’s emergence, increased interest for formerly neglected tropical diseases and within the One Health concept, the existing knowledge and gaps of knowledge on OROV fever are reviewed

Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacterial Pathogens and Detection of Carbapenemases in Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates from Hospital Wastewater

During a six-month period (October 2017–March 2018), the prevalence and susceptibility of important pathogenic bacteria isolated from 12 hospital raw sewage samples in North Western Greece was investigated. The samples were analyzed for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli, carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CKP), and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the agar diffusion method according to the recommendations of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The diversity of carbapenemases harboring K. pneumoniae was examined by two phenotyping screening methods (modified Hodge test and combined disk test), a new immunochromatographic rapid assay (RESIST-4 O.K.N.V.) and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results demonstrated the prevalence of MRSA, vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA), VRE, and CKP in the examined hospital raw sewage samples. In addition, the aforementioned methods which are currently used in clinical laboratories for the rapid identification and detection of resistant bacteria and genes, performed sufficiently to provide reliable results in terms of accuracy and efficiency

An Update on Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the arthropod-borne flaviviruses (arboviruses) which are mainly transmitted by blood-sucking mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. ZIKV infection has been known to be rather asymptomatic or presented as febrile self-limited disease; however, during the last decade the manifestation of ZIKV infection has been associated with a variety of neuroimmunological disorders including Guillain–Barré syndrome, microcephaly and other central nervous system abnormalities. More recently, there is accumulating evidence about sexual transmission of ZIKV, a trait that has never been observed in any other mosquito-borne flavivirus before. This article reviews the latest information regarding the latter and emerging role of ZIKV, focusing on the consequences of ZIKV infection on the male reproductive system and the epidemiology of human-to-human sexual transmission

Natural Preservatives to Improve Food Quality and Safety

Food products can be contaminated by a variety of pathogenic and spoilage microbiota, the former causing foodborne diseases and the latter causing significant economic losses for the food industry due to undesirable effects on the food properties. Chemical compounds added to foods as antioxidant agents are also of concern and their safety and impact on human health is under discussion. For this reason, current trends in food processing are focusing on the use of natural compounds, which are considered as safe alternatives and satisfy the consumer preferences for more \u201cgreen foods\u201d. Their prospective use in the food production has the potential to lead towards the production of safer and healthier foods, not excluding their contribution to a more efficient preservation of the environment, when chemicals will be replaced with natural substances

Special Issue: Natural Alternative Antimicrobial Compounds to Improve Food Safety and Quality

The recent changes in food production and processing practices, the ever-changing eating habits of consumers, and the globalization of the food market are important factors affecting the safety and quality of foods. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it has recently been reported that "food-borne infections" cause about 76 million cases of illness, 325,000 hospitalizations, and as many as 5,000 deaths per year in the U.S. (likely underestimated). The presence of food-borne pathogens in raw materials has been widely documented. The risks associated with the consumption of minimally processed ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, lightly preserved products, and refrigerated or frozen products are related to the possible growth of these microorganisms during food storage at refrigeration temperatures. For example, the trend towards the consumption of RTE foods increased the incidence of diseases caused by psychrotrophic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, an important pathogen that primarily affects immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women. Another related topic is microbial food spoilage. It is estimated that as much as 25% of all produced food is lost after harvest and a significant part is of poor quality due to microbial activity. The growth of spoilage microbiota in foods (i.e. Pseudomonas spp., Flavobacterium spp., Bacillus spp., coliforms, etc.) is generally not harmful; however, it has a negative impact on shelf-life, organoleptic characteristics, and overall quality of the finished products, thus affecting consumer choices and resulting in significant commercial losses. If bacterial growth could be delayed or inhibited, it would be possible to obtain a great advantage regards public health and food product shelf-life. For this purpose, chemical preservatives are still employed, but because there are many concerns about them, consumers seem to prefer the use of natural products and are looking for foods that appear "more green". The current trend in food processing is therefore focusing on natural antimicrobial compounds (from microorganisms, plants, etc.). Another possibility is related to the development of "active food packaging", meaning to incorporate compounds with antibacterial activity in PVOH-based coatings. This approach can be extended to directly include bacteriocin-producing bacteria endowed with probiotic activity and is therefore full of perspectives for future applications in the food and health industry. This Special Issue will address cutting-edge research and review articles related to recent developments on the application of alternative naturally produced antimicrobials throughout the whole chain of the food industry to improve the quality and safety of food. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following: Natural alternative preservatives/antimicrobials of plant origin e.g. Essential oils, plant derived compounds (polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids, thymol, carvacrol, phenolics, quinones, saponins, terpenoids etc), plant by-products (seeds, peels, kernels, pulps, etc) Natural preservatives/antimicrobials from algae, fungi and edible mushrooms Natural alternative preservatives/antimicrobials of animal origin e.g. lysozyme, lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, casein, lipids, protamines, chitozan Natural alternative preservatives and antimicrobials from microorganisms, e.g. acidophilin, bacteriocins, lactocin, natamycin, nisins, reutirin, bacteriophages Active food packaging added with live probiotic bacteria endowed with antimicrobial effect, e.g. Enterococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Bacillus spp., et

Emerging Microbial Concerns in Food Safety and New Control Measures

The editorial collects a brief summary of the topics discussed in the articles that are published in Emerging Microbial Concerns in Food Safety and New ControlMeasures. We hope that readers of this special issue will find some information of interest in order to expand their knowledge in this field and to increase their level of attention on matters here reported