0000000000403289
AUTHOR
Ignazio Arrigo
Four-Year Environmental Surveillance Program of Legionella spp. in One of Palermo’s Largest Hospitals
Legionella is a ubiquitous bacterium that lives in freshwater environments and colonizes human-made water systems. Legionella pneumophila is the most virulent species, and risk factors for Legionnaires’ disease include increasing age, smoking, chronic diseases, and immunodeficiency. For this reason, it is very important to assess and monitor hospital water systems in order to prevent legionellosis. We have monitored a large hospital in Palermo for four years. To determine the presence of microorganisms, according to national guidelines, we used the culture method, which is considered the gold standard for Legionella detection. Sampling was divided into five macro-areas, and a total of 251 s…
Potential Activity of Albino Grifola frondosa Mushroom Extract against Biofilm of Meticillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Mushroom extracts are a rich source of natural compounds with antimicrobial properties, which are able to prevent, to some extent, the growth of foodborne pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of extracts from albino Grifola frondosa (GF), commonly known as maitake, to inhibit the growth of some bacteria and the biofilm production by Staphylococcus aureus. We obtained not only a significant reduction of OD score between biofilm and biofilm plus albino G. frondosa extract group, but also a reduction of category of biofilm. In addition, we observed a significant presence of isolates with strong category for the biofilm group and a significant presence of isolates w…