Search results for " pathogens"

Inhibition of foodborne pathogen bacteria by essential oils extracted from citrus fruits cultivated in Sicily

2012

Abstract The antagonistic activity of the essential oils (EOs) extracted by hydrodistillation from the fruit peel of several citrus genotypes (pummelo, grapefruit, orange, kumquat, mandarin and lemon) was evaluated against foodborne pathogen bacteria (43 strains of Listeria monocytogenes , 35 strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 14 strains of Salmonella enterica ). Five commercial EOs were used for comparison. Most of the EOs were more effective against the Gram-positive bacteria rather than Salmonella . EOs of lemon genotypes 14 and 15 showed the best results in terms of number of strains inhibited and width of the inhibition zone. The most susceptible strain of each species ( L. monocytog…

Mining virulence genes using metagenomics.

2011

When a bacterial genome is compared to the metagenome of an environment it inhabits, most genes recruit at high sequence identity. In free-living bacteria (for instance marine bacteria compared against the ocean metagenome) certain genomic regions are totally absent in recruitment plots, representing therefore genes unique to individual bacterial isolates. We show that these Metagenomic Islands (MIs) are also visible in bacteria living in human hosts when their genomes are compared to sequences from the human microbiome, despite the compartmentalized structure of human-related environments such as the gut. From an applied point of view, MIs of human pathogens (e.g. those identified in enter…

Frequency of exposure of endangered Caspian seals to Canine distemper virus, Leptospira interrogans, and Toxoplasma gondii

2017

Canine distemper virus (CDV), Leptospira interrogans, and Toxoplasma gondii are potentially lethal pathogens associated with decline in marine mammal populations. The Caspian Sea is home for the endangered Caspian seal (Pusa caspica). In the late 1990s and early 2000s, CDV caused a series of mortality events involving at least several thousand Caspian seals. To assess current infection status in Caspian seals, we surveyed for antibodies to three pathogens with potential to cause mortality in marine mammals. During 2015-2017, we tested serum samples from 36, apparently healthy, Caspian seals, accidentally caught in fishing nets in the Caspian Sea off Northern Iran, for antibodies to CDV, L. …

Root rot pathogens on Calamondin grafted on Volkameriana lemon, in Sicily

2010

Antimicrobial Activity of the Desert Truffles "Tirmania pinoyi" and "Terfezia claveryi" Against Human Pathogens

2015

The development of novel antimicrobials in the struggle against pathogens and antibiotic resistance is one of the most important global challenges of our time. Medicinal mushrooms represent an unlimited source of polysaccharides with nutritional, antitumoral, antibacterial and immune stimulating properties1. In recent years the traditional studies on epigeous higher Basidiomycetes have been joined by those on hypogeous fungi and in particular on the so-named “desert truffles”. Ali2 demonstrated that organic extraction of truffles of genus Tirmania and Terfezia possess antimicrobial activity with broad-spectrum effects against Gram positive, Gram negative, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria …

BIOFILM GENES PRESENCE, BIOFILM ANALYSIS AND ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES ACTIVITY AGAINST STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN

2013

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Potential of Artemisia arborescens L. Essential Oil

2011

This study was undertaken to characterize the essential oil (EO) of Artemisia arborescens growing wild in Sicily. EO, extracted by steam distillation, was examined for its chemical composition and for its capability to inhibit some food-borne pathogen bacteria. A total of 43 compounds (13 monoterpene hydrocarbons, 14 oxygenated monoterpenes, 10 sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, three oxygenated sesquiterpenes and less amount of other three compounds), which account 93.73% of the total oil, were identified by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Oxygenated monoterpenes (57.32%) constituted the main fraction, with β-thujone as the main compound (45.04%), followed by the sesq…

Oral and Vaginal Epithelial Cell Lines Bind and Transfer Cell-Free Infectious HIV-1 to Permissive Cells but Are Not Productively Infected

2014

The majority of HIV-1 infections worldwide are acquired via mucosal surfaces. However, unlike the vaginal mucosa, the issue of whether the oral mucosa can act as a portal of entry for HIV-1 infection remains controversial. To address potential differences with regard to the fate of HIV-1 after exposure to oral and vaginal epithelium, we utilized two epithelial cell lines representative of buccal (TR146) and pharyngeal (FaDu) sites of the oral cavity and compared them with a cell line derived from vaginal epithelium (A431) in order to determine (i) HIV-1 receptor gene and protein expression, (ii) whether HIV-1 genome integration into epithelial cells occurs, (iii) whether productive viral in…

Incidence of DAA failure and the clinical impact of retreatment in real-life patients treated in the advanced stage of liver disease: Interim evaluat…

2017

Background: Few data are available on the virological and clinical outcomes of advanced liver disease patients retreated after first-line DAA failure. Aim: To evaluate DAA failure incidence and the retreatment clinical impact in patients treated in the advanced liver disease stage. Methods: Data on HCV genotype, liver disease severity, and first and second line DAA regimens were prospectively collected in consecutive patients who reached the 12-week post-treatment and retreatment evaluations from January 2015 to December 2016 in 23 of the PITER network centers. Results: Among 3,830 patients with advanced fibrosis (F3) or cirrhosis, 139 (3.6%) failed to achieve SVR. Genotype 3, bilirubin lev…

Efficacy of a 12-Week Simeprevir Plus Peginterferon/Ribavirin (PR) Regimen in Treatment-Naïve Patients with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Genotype 4 (GT4) …

2017

Background HCV GT4 accounts for up to 20% of HCV infections worldwide. Simeprevir, given for 12 weeks as part of a 24- or 48-week combination regimen with PR is approved for the treatment of chronic HCV GT4 infection. Primary study objectives were assessment of efficacy and safety of simeprevir plus PR in treatment-naïve patients with HCV GT4 treated for 12 weeks. Primary efficacy outcome was sustained virologic response 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12). Additional objectives included investigation of potential associations of rapid virologic response and baseline factors with SVR12. Methods This multicentre, open-label, single-arm study (NCT01846832) evaluated efficacy and safety of simepre…