Effect of Mediterranean Oils and Spices against Food-Related Pathogenic Bacteria

ABSTRACT Essential oils and spices recovered from plants are known for their ancient and empiric medicinal or therapeutic properties. The evolution of the science and the discovery of antimicrobial compounds in their own composition made them essential in food industry as adjuvant molecules against food-spoilage. The benefits associated with this type of natural products as antimicrobial agents may be a promising base to replace chemical additives in foods. This work aims to investigate the antimicrobial properties of essential oils (garlic, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, lemon, bay, ginger, marjoram, nutmeg, salsa seeds), other condiments used in food (olive oil, commercial lemon juice, rangpur lime, Sicilian lemon, vinegar) and also a commercial disinfectant. Pathogenic bacteria were selected to study the antimicrobial properties of these compounds: Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis), Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In this study, the extracts of spices and condiments were blotted into blank sterile paper disks by the disk diffusion method. Minimal inhibitory concentration was tested for each essential oil/spice. Results revealed that most essential oils and spices considered in this study showed a significant inhibitory effect. In the collection of essential oils, cinnamon stood out, with the highest antimicrobial activity. In conclusion, all essential oils and spices are highly effective and could be used to control food-borne bacterial pathogens. Poisoning and food spoilage caused by microorganisms are important issues that food industry and consumers still face every day. Currently, essential oils and spices with antimicrobial activity are ideal to overcome this problem

A one health approach

This work was funded by the R&D Project CAREBIO2 - Comparative assessment of antimicrobial resistance in environmental biofilms through proteomics - towards innovative theranostic biomarkers, with reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-030101 and PTDC/SAU-INF/30101/2017, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020) and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). This work was supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry - LAQV which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UID/QUI/50006/2019). Vanessa Silva is supported by national funds through FCT/MCTES and by the European Social Fund through POCH/FSE under the PhD grant SFRH/BD/137947/2018.publishersversionpublishe

Extracellular Vesicle-Associated Transitory Cell Wall Components and Their Impact on the Interaction of Fungi with Host Cells

Submitted by Fabricia Pimenta ([email protected]) on 2018-06-29T18:34:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ve_Marcio_Rodrigues_etal_CDTS_2016.pdf: 690221 bytes, checksum: a96164d483123b78f71bffabda9ffa1b (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Fabricia Pimenta ([email protected]) on 2019-01-11T18:29:02Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 ve_Marcio_Rodrigues_etal_CDTS_2016.pdf: 690221 bytes, checksum: a96164d483123b78f71bffabda9ffa1b (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2019-01-11T18:29:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ve_Marcio_Rodrigues_etal_CDTS_2016.pdf: 690221 bytes, checksum: a96164d483123b78f71bffabda9ffa1b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-08Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes. Laboratório de Glicobiologia de Eucariotos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes. Laboratório de Glicobiologia de Eucariotos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Stony Brook University. Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. Stony Brook, NY, USA / Veterans Administration Medical Center. Northport, NY, USA.Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Medicine. Bronx, NY, USA.Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes. Laboratório de Glicobiologia de Eucariotos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes. Laboratório de Glicobiologia de Eucariotos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Saúde. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes. Laboratório de Glicobiologia de Eucariotos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Classic cell wall components of fungi comprise the polysaccharides glucans and chitin, in association with glycoproteins and pigments. During the last decade, however, system biology approaches clearly demonstrated that the composition of fungal cell walls include atypical molecules historically associated with intracellular or membrane locations. Elucidation of mechanisms by which many fungal molecules are exported to the extracellular space suggested that these atypical components are transitorily located to the cell wall. The presence of extracellular vesicles (EVs) at the fungal cell wall and in culture supernatants of distinct pathogenic species suggested a highly functional mechanism of molecular export in these organisms. Thus, the passage of EVs through fungal cell walls suggests remarkable molecular diversity and, consequently, a potentially variable influence on the host antifungal response. On the basis of information derived from the proteomic characterization of fungal EVs from the yeasts Cryptoccocus neoformans and Candida albicans and the dimorphic fungi Histoplasma capsulatum and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, our manuscript is focused on the clear view that the fungal cell wall is much more complex than previously thought

Exploring the Biofilm Formation Capacity in S. pseudintermedius and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Species

Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).[EN] The ability of biofilm formation seems to play an important role in the virulence of staphylococci. However, studies reporting biofilm formation of coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from animals are still very scarce. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the biofilm-forming capacity of CoNS and S. pseudintermedius isolated from several animal species and to investigate the effect of conventional antimicrobials on biofilm reduction. A total of 35 S. pseudintermedius and 192 CoNS were included. Biofilm formation was accessed by the microtiter plate assay and the biofilms were stained by crystal violet. Association between biofilm formation and staphylococci species and antimicrobial resistance was also performed. Biofilm susceptibility testing was performed with tetracycline and amikacin at the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and 10 × MIC. The metabolic activity of the biofilm cells after antimicrobial treatment was accessed by the XTT assay. All isolates formed biofilm, with S. urealyticus producing the most biofilm biomass and S. pseudintermedius producing the least biomass. There was a positive association between biofilm formation and multidrug resistance as well as resistance to individual antimicrobials. Neither tetracycline nor amikacin were able to eradicate the biofilm, not even at the highest concentration used. This study provides new insights into biofilm formation and the effects of antimicrobials on CoNS species.SIThis work was funded by the R&D Project CAREBIO2: Comparative assessment of antimicrobial resistance in environmental biofilms through proteomics—towards innovative theranostic biomarkers, with reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-030101 and PTDC/SAU-INF/30101/2017, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020) and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). This work was supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry-LAQV, which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020) and by the projects UIDB/CVT/00772/2020 and LA/P/0059/2020 funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain, grant number RTI2018-098267-R-C33) and the Junta de Castilla y León (Consejería de Educación, Spain, grant number LE018P20). Vanessa Silva is grateful to FCT (Fundacão para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) for financial support through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/137947/2018

Genetic characterization of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus isolates from human bloodstream infections: detection of mlsb resistance

In this study we aimed to characterize antimicrobial resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from bloodstream infections as well as the associated genetic lineages of the isolates. Sixteen MRSA isolates were recovered from bacteremia samples from inpatients between 2016 and 2019. The antimicrobial susceptibility of these isolates was tested by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method against 14 antimicrobial agents. To determine the macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin B (MLSB) resistance phenotype of the isolates, erythromycin-resistant isolates were assessed by double-disk diffusion (D-test). The resistance and virulence genes were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All isolates were characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) typing, and accessory gene regulator (agr) typing. Isolates showed resistance to cefoxitin, penicillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, fusidic acid, clindamycin, and aminoglycosides, confirmed by the presence of the blaZ, ermA, ermC, mphC, msrA/B, aac(6’)-Ie-aph(2’’)-Ia, and ant(4’)-Ia genes. Three isolates were Panton–Valentine-leukocidin-positive. Most strains (n = 12) presented an inducible MLSB phenotype. The isolates were ascribed to eight spa-types (t747, t002, t020, t1084, t008, t10682, t18526, and t1370) and four MLSTs (ST22, ST5, ST105, and ST8). Overall, most (n = 12) MRSA isolates had a multidrug-resistance profile with inducible MLSB phenotypes and belonged to epidemic MRSA clones.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterization of ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Clinical Samples in a Northern Portuguese Hospital: Predominance of CTX-M-15 and High Genetic Diversity

Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/)[EN] Background: Enterobacteriaceae are major players in the spread of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics through the action of CTX-M β-lactamases. We aimed to analyze the diversity and genetic characteristics of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from patients in a Northern Portuguese hospital. Methods: A total of 62 cefotaxime/ceftazidime-resistant E. coli (n = 38) and K. pneumoniae (n = 24) clinical isolates were studied. Identification was performed by MALDI-TOF MS. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing against 13 antibiotics was performed. Detection of ESBL-encoding genes and other resistance genes, phylogenetic grouping, and molecular typing (for selected isolates) was carried out by PCR/sequencing. Results: ESBL activity was detected in all 62 E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates. Most of the ESBL-producing E. coli isolates carried a blaCTX-M gene (37/38 isolates), being blaCTX-M-15 predominant (n = 32), although blaCTX-M-27 (n = 1) and blaCTX-M-1 (n = 1) were also detected. Two E. coli isolates carried the blaKPC2/3 gene. The lineages ST131-B2 and ST410-A were detected among the ESBL-producing blood E. coli isolates. Regarding the 24 ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae isolates, 18 carried a blaCTX-M gene (blaCTX-M-15, 16 isolates; blaCTX-M-55, 2 isolates). All K. pneumoniae isolates carried blaSHV genes, including ESBL-variants (blaSHV-12 and blaSHV-27, 14 isolates) or non-ESBL-variants (blaSHV-11 and blaSHV-28, 10 isolates); ten K. pneumoniae isolates also carried the blaKPC2/3 gene and showed imipenem-resistance. ESBL-positive E. coli isolates were ascribed to the B2 phylogenetic group (82%), mostly associated with ST131 lineage and, at a lower rate, to ST410/A. Regarding K. pneumoniae, the three international lineages ST15, ST147, and ST280 were detected among selected isolates. Conclusions: Different ESBL variants of CTX-M (especially CTX-M-15) and SHV-type (specially SHV-12) were detected among CTX/CAZR E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates, in occasions associated with carbapenemase genes (blaKPC2/3 gene).SII.C. gratefully acknowledges the financial support of “Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia” (FCT—Portugal) related to Ph.D. grant, through the reference SFRH/BD/133266/2017 (Medicina Clínica e Ciências da Saúde), as well as MCTES (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) and European Union (EU), with reference to Fundo Social Europeu (FSE). The experimental work carried out in the University of La Rioja (Spain) was financed by the project SAF2016-76571-R from the Agencia Estatal de Investigation (AEI) of Spain and FEDER of EU. This work was partially supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain; grant number RTI2018-098267-R-C33), the Junta de Castilla y León (Consejería de Educación, Spain; grant number LE018P20) and the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry—LAQV which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020)

Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolated from Duck Cloacal and Tap Water Samples at Live Bird Markets in Bangladesh

Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern all over the world. The current study sought to identify antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns and antibiotic-resistant genes in Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from seemingly healthy ducks and neighboring tap water sources at three separate live bird markets (LBMs) in Chattogram, Bangladesh. A total of ninety cloacal swab samples of Khaki Campbell ducks and fifteen water samples from nearby tap water sources were collected from three LBMs. Several cultural and molecular tests were conducted to determine  E. coli contamination. The disk diffusion technique was used to evaluate the antibiotic sensitivity of E. coli isolates to 12 different antibiotics. For each isolate, a Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) index was calculated. The resistance genes were detected using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The overall prevalence of E. coli in feces and tap water samples was 64.4% (58/90, 95% CI 54.1-73.6) and 100% (15/15, 95% CI 76.1-100), respectively. Both fecal and water isolates showed 100% resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, and nalidixic acid. Resistance to other antibiotics was also found to be high. Multidrug- resistance (MDR) was unveiled in all fecal (58/58) and water (15/15) isolates. MAR index ranged from 0.33 to 0.67 in all recovered isolates. Both fecal and water E. coli isolates harbored blaTEM, tetA, sul1, and sul2 genes. The resistance genes in MDR E. coli in live bird markets might transmit from ducks to humans and they, therefore local authorities should consider this issue a major public health risk

Immunomodulatory effects of bacteriocinogenic and non-bacteriocinogenic Lactococcus cremoris of aquatic origin on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum)

11 Pág.Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are a group of bacteria frequently proposed as probiotics in aquaculture, as their administration has shown to confer positive effects on the growth, survival rate to pathogens and immunological status of the fish. In this respect, the production of antimicrobial peptides (referred to as bacteriocins) by LAB is a common trait thoroughly documented, being regarded as a key probiotic antimicrobial strategy. Although some studies have pointed to the direct immunomodulatory effects of these bacteriocins in mammals, this has been largely unexplored in fish. To this aim, in the current study, we have investigated the immunomodulatory effects of bacteriocins, by comparing the effects of a wild type nisin Z-expressing Lactococcus cremoris strain of aquatic origin to those exerted by a non-bacteriocinogenic isogenic mutant and a recombinant nisin Z, garvicin A and Q-producer multi-bacteriocinogenic strain. The transcriptional response elicited by the different strains in the rainbow trout intestinal epithelial cell line (RTgutGC) and in splenic leukocytes showed significant differences. Yet the adherence capacity to RTgutGC was similar for all strains. In splenocyte cultures, we also determined the effects of the different strains on the proliferation and survival of IgM+ B cells. Finally, while the different LAB elicited respiratory burst activity similarly, the bacteriocinogenic strains showed an increased ability to induce the production of nitric oxide (NO). The results obtained reveal a superior capacity of the bacteriocinogenic strains to modulate different immune functions, pointing to a direct immunomodulatory role of the bacteriocins, mainly nisin Z.This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN, Madrid, Spain) (projects RTI2018-094907-B-I00, and PID2020-113268RB-I00), and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) (project FEI16/54). DC was supported by a contract from the project RTI2018-094907-B-I00. JF was supported by a FEI16/54 contract and held a predoctoral contract from UCM. LD-F was supported by a contract from the “Programa Investigo” (Ministerio de Trabajo y Economía Social, Madrid, Spain), funded by the EU (NextGenerationEU). JB was supported by the Atracción de Talento, program of the Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (2018-T1/BIO-10158).Peer reviewe

Reflexões sobre a pessoa e a profissão do professor na área da saúde

Este artigo deriva de um conjunto de ideias experimentadas por discentes do Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Ciências da Saúde da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), em uma disciplina que procurou conhecer melhor o docente típico e suas atipias. O texto pretende auxiliar no entendimento de quem é o professor na área da saúde. Discute o sujeito e sua obra, para além do já conhecido modelo centrado na profissão da saúde que exerce e que procura ensinar. Antes de docente, o professor é uma pessoa. Como pessoa, precisa sentir-se estimada e estimar ao outro (aluno). Ao prosperar em seu trabalho, o docente tem compromissos para com o desenvolvimento intelectual e moral de seus alunos e o planejamento de ações para que exerça a percepção crítica da realidade. A relação ensino-aprendizagem com o educando deve favorecer a análise de valores necessários ao convívio social. Na área da saúde, é requisitado ao aluno aprender a fazer, sendo pouca importância referida ao aprender a conhecer, ao aprender a ser ou a viver em comunhão com os pares. É essencial ter a percepção de que o professor necessita, inicialmente, acolher a si próprio: entender quem é ele, como é e porque chegou ali. A construção da identidade profissional docente é um processo contínuo estabelecido pelo domínio de sua área de ensino, pelos conhecimentos pedagógicos voltados à aprendizagem dos alunos e experiência docente, além das relações sociais do cotidiano