Anaerobic digestion has emerged as an increasingly popular method for the effective management of organic waste and wastewater with the potential to generate renewable energy. However, efficient digestion depends heavily on the complex and diverse microbial communities mediating this process. This review paper delves into the complex microbiome that exists within anaerobic digestion digesters, playing a critical role in the efficient and sustainable conversion of organic waste into biogas. Its primary focus falls within the scope of how various operational and environmental factors, including temperature, pH, hydraulic retention time, substrate loading rates, and the presence of inhibitory compounds, can substantially impact the microbiome of these systems. Through an extensive analysis of the existing literature, the microbial ecology of anaerobic digestion, including the composition and function of the microbial community, their interactions, and responses to different stressors, are evaluated. By offering critical insights into the distribution patterns of active microbial populations upon alterations in various process parameters, a better understanding of the microbial dynamics within these systems is provided, enhancing their efficiency. Overall, this paper emphasizes the importance of unraveling the microbial evolution within AD reactors to optimize biogas production and sustainable waste management and proposes future perspectives in this direction.

Microbial immune escape represents the primary cause of induced pathogenesis in humans, and it represents a pivotal method used by viral agents to increase their load and suppress key mechanisms of the innate and adaptive immune system. This phenomenon represents the primary factor that led to the onset of the 1918-1920 A(H1N1) Influenza and 2020-2022 COVID-19 pandemics, and it possibly played a major role in the onset of the AIDS pandemic as well. Moreover, repeated incidents of immune evasion could be associated with higher rates of cellular aging (Jackson et al., 2017), most likely due to the consequent increased demands of energy consumption. Highly developed viral immune evasion ultimately indicates the high inner intelligence of human immunity due to reflective and imitative characteristics of reactions that are produced against initial actions. Ribonucleic acid-based viral genomes contain open reading frames, which consist of genes producing sixteen non-structural proteins. Such proteins play a considerable role in desensitizing first-line immunity during cellular infection, and non-structural proteins 1, 10 and 16 have the strongest effects against a healthy expression rate of Type I and Type III Interferon-encoding genes. Type I Interferons consist of IFN-alpha, -beta, -delta, -epsilon, -omega, -tau and -zeta, whilst Type III Interferons consist of IFN-lambda1, -lambda2 and -lambda3, and they act as stimulators of intracellular signalling cascades that in turn lead to the activation and expression of interferon-stimulated genes (Brown et al., 2022). The earlier the interferon-stimulated genes are activated, the lower the extent of pro-inflammatory mediation and overall, the more effective the antiviral immune response will be, given the exponential nature of the viral load increase. Non-structural protein 16 methylates the 5’ cap of the virus, making the pathogen-associated molecular patterns less recognisable by pattern-recognition receptors, and it requires activation by bonding with non-structural protein 10. It is preserved in the S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine pocket of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Non-structural protein 1 (NS1) directly cleaves the host cell mRNA producing Type I and possibly Type III Interferons, thereby preventing a translation process of the immune proteins. NS1 has recently been found to often be packaged into exosomes once secreted by the viral genome in the cytosol, meaning that exocytosis and paracrine signalling to neighbouring cells before their actual infection is possible. As a result, NS1 is highly capable of silencing the first-line immune responses of uninfected neighbouring cells as well, thereby highlighting the need to adjust the focus of therapeutics and vaccinology toward first-line immunity and further indicating its foundational importance in the support for the development of precise and balanced defenses against microbial agents of concern (EL SAFADI et al., 2022).

The overexploitation of fossil fuels and their negative environmental impact has attracted the attention of researchers worldwide to propose alternatives to produce bioenergy. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) systems are sustainable biotechnologies that use bacterial activity to break down organic matter while generating bioelectricity. MFCs have bioelectricity from domestic wastewater (DWW), municipal wastewater (MWW), and potato and fruit waste, reducing environmental contamination and decreasing energy consumption and treatment cost. This review focuses on the recent advancements regarding the designs and configurations, the operation mode of MFCs, and their capacity to produce bioelectricity (e.g., 2203 mW/m2) and fuels (i.e., H2: 438.7 mL/g and CH4: 358.7 mL/g, respectively). Besides, this review highlights practical applications, challenges, techno-economic, and life cycle assessments (LCA) of MFCs. Despite MFC's promising biotechnology, great efforts should be made to implement it in real-time and commercialization.

This review examines the evidence supporting the role of dysbiosis in the development of obses-sive-compulsive disorders (OCD). We review the molecular mechanisms and role of the microbiota in the microbiota-gut-brain axis, focusing on the endocrine, nervous, and immune pathways. We then propose a model that positions dysbiosis as the central unifying element in the neurochemi-cal, immunological, genetic, and environmental factors leading to OCD. Based on this, we review the animal and human clinical evidence for the use of microbial reprogramming strategies such as probiotic or fecal microbiota transplants to treat OCD. Finally, we discuss the unique challenges that must be addressed in future clinical interventions.

The study of hydrothermal travertines contributes to the understanding of the interaction between physico-chemical processes and the role played by microbial mats and biofilms in influencing carbonate precipitation. Three active travertine sites were investigated in Central Italy to identify the types of carbonate precipitates and the associated microbial mats at varying physico-chemical parameters. Carbonate precipitated fabrics at the decimetre- to millimetre-scale and microbial mats vary with decreasing water temperature: a) at high temperature (55-44°C) calcite or aragonite crystals precipitate on microbial mats of sulphide oxidizing, sulphate reducing and anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria forming filamentous streamer fabrics, b) at intermediate temperature (44-40°C), rafts, coated gas bubbles and dendrites are associated with Spirulina cyanobacteria and other filamentous and rod-shaped cyanobacteria, c) low temperature (34-33°C) laminated crusts and oncoids in a terraced slope system are associated with diverse Oscillatoriales and Nostocales filamentous cyanobacteria, sparse Spirulina and diatoms. At the microscale, carbonate precipitates are similar in the three sites consisting of prismatic calcite (40-100 µm long, 20-40 µm wide) or acicular aragonite crystals organized in radial spherulites, overlying or embedded within biofilm EPS (Extracellular Polymeric Substances). Microsparite and sparite crystal size decreases with decreasing temperature and clotted peloidal micrite dominates at temperatures < 40°C, also encrusting filamentous microbes. Carbonates are associated with gypsum and Ca-phosphate crystals; EPS elemental composition is enriched in Si, Al, Mg, Ca, P, S and authigenic aluminium-silicates form aggregates on EPS. This study confirms that microbial communities in hydrothermal travertine settings vary as a function of temperature. Carbonate precipitate types at the microscale do not vary considerably, despite different microbial communities suggesting that travertine precipitation, driven by CO2 degassing, is influenced by biofilm EPS acting as template for crystal nucleation (EPS-mediated mineralization) and affecting the fabric types, independently from specific microbial metabolism.

We report the isolation of two novel degrading bacterial strains active against the potential environmental pollutant acetamino-phen/paracetamol. Streptomyces Chrestomyceticus (RS2) and Streptomyces Flavofuscus (M33) collected from El-Natrun Valley, Egypt, water, sediment, and sand samples were taxonomically characterized via conidiophores morphologic characterization under Trans-mission Electron Microscope (TEM). Genotypic identification, done based on their 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis followed by BLAST alignment and deposited on the NCBI as 2 novel strains. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using an appropriate software. Acetaminophen degradation-products chemical structure was identified by GC/LC MS. The biological antimicrobial activity of some selected acetaminophen degradation-products extracts and derived compounds was examined against panel of test micro-organisms and found to be have high anti-microbial effect. In addition, in silico cheminformatics Swiss ADMET evaluation of these selected deg-radation extract for gastric absorption, distribution, hepatic metabolism, renal excretion as well as distribution to CNS and finally not mutagenic/teratogenic or genotoxic virtually. In vitro cytotoxic activity of these selected bio-degradation products was performed against HepG2 and MCF7 cancer cell lines, revealing that M33 and RS2 extract effect on acetaminophen/paracetamol bio-degradation products are potentially safe with higher IC50 on HepG2 and MCF7, in comparison to acetaminophen/paracetamol with IC50 of 108.5 μg/ml. Moreover, the in vivo acute oral single dose toxicity experiment was conducted, being compared with acetamino-phen/paracetamol to confirm that the bio-degradation products have lower toxicity than acetaminophen in vivo and in silico.

The genus Beauveria include important entomopathogenic and endophytic fungi, among them, B. bassiana is the most studied species. However, there are few knowledge regarding their antimicrobial activity. The current research has been conducted to evaluate in vitro antibacterial efficacy of five isolates of B. bassiana against Bacillus cereus, B. megaterium, B. mojavensis, Clavibacter michiganensis (gram positive bacteria, G+ve), Xanthomonas campestris, X. vesicatoria, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and P. fluorescence (gram negative bacteria, G-ve). In addition, chemical composition of the principal diffusible metabolites and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the most efficient studied isolate of B. bassiana has been carried out using GC-MS analysis. The obtained results showed that, the isolate UniB2439-3 has promising antibacterial effect against most of studied target bacteria. GC-MS analysis of diffusible metabolites detected the presence of hexanedioic acid, bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester as the main compound in the cell-free culture filtrate. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis of VOCs revealed the presence of ethanol; butanal,2-methyl; 2,4-dimethyl-1-heptene; octane, 4-methyl and β-elemene as the main dominant bioactive compounds. The outgoing results explicated that, the isolates of B. bassiana have promising antibacterial activity which could be correlated to their diffusible and VOCs metabolites. Therefore, the selected isolate can be potentially used as a biocontrol agent against several bacteria especially G+ve ones. Taking in consideration that the antibiotics are forbidden in agriculture in many countries worldwide, search for possible natural alternatives as efficient antimicrobial agents are highly interesting.

Microbial pigments have many structures and functions with excellent characteristics, such as being biodegradable, non-toxic, and ecologically friendly, constituting an important source of pigments. Industrial production presents a bottleneck in production cost that restricts large-scale commercialization. However, microbial pigments are progressively gaining popularity because of their health advantages. The development of metabolic engineering and cost reduction of the bioprocess using industry by-products opened possibilities for cost and quality improvements in all production phases. We are thus addressing several points related to microbial pigments, including the major classes and structures found, the advantages of use, the biotechnological applications in different industrial sectors, their characteristics, and their impacts on the environment and society.

Phage, which is often used therapeutically, has begun to receive interest as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) to enhance chicken growth. Another option that has been extensively studied as a growth promoter in chicken is probiotics. However, there are no studies using phages and probiotics as prospective feed additives for broiler chickens. Therefore, this study demonstrated the effects of phage cocktail, probiotics and their combinations on growth performance and gut microbiota of broiler chickens. A total of 288 one-day-old male Cobb 500 broilers were randomly allotted to 1 of 6 treatments in a completely randomised design. The treatments were: (i) C (basal diet (BD) only), (ii) 1ɸ (BD + 0.1% phage cocktail), (iii) 2ɸ (BD + 0.2% phage cocktail), (iv) P (BD + 0.1% probiotic), (v) 1ɸP (BD + 0.1% phage cocktail + 0.1% probiotic), (vi) 2ɸP (BD + 0.2% phage cocktail + 0.1% probiotic). The 1ɸP treatment had significantly (P < 0.05) better BW (35 d), BWG (22 – 35 d, 1 – 35d), and FCR (1-21 d. 22-35 d, 1-35 d) compared to C. Unique gut microbiota diversity was also found between the ɸP (1ɸP and 2ɸP) and non-ɸP groups (C, 1ɸ, 2ɸ and P) in ilea, particularly in the 35 d chickens. Microorganisms associated with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producers were significantly (P <0.05) present in the ɸP group than in the non- ɸP group. The carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism predicted genes were significantly upregulated in ɸP groups compared to non- ɸP groups. These genes were involved in the digestion and absorption of nutrients as well as the production of energy. Our findings showed that 1ɸP treatment could be a potential alternative to AGPs for poultry where growth performance was enhanced, and gut microbiota was positively modulated.

This comprehensive review elucidates the profound relationship between the human microbiome and breast cancer managrement. Recent findings highlight the significance of microbial alterations in tissues, such as the gut and the breast, and their role in influencing breast cancer risk, development, progression, and treatment outcomes. We delve into how the gut microbiome can modulate systemic inflammatory responses and estrogen levels, thereby impacting cancer initiation and therapeutic drug efficacy. Furthermore, we explore the unique microbial diversity within breast tissue, indicating potential imbalances brought about by cancer and highlighting specific microbes as promising therapeutic targets. Emphasizing a holistic One Health approach, this review underscores the importance of integrating insights from human, animal, and environmental health to gain a deeper understanding of the complex microbe-cancer interplay. As the field advances, strategic manipulation of the microbiome and its metabolites presents innovative prospects for enhancing cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. However, rigorous clinical trials remain essential to confirm the potential of microbiota-based interventions in breast cancer management.

The genus Beauveria include important entomopathogenic and endophytic fungi, among them, Beauveria bassiana is the most studied species. However, there are few knowledge regarding their antimicrobial activity. The current research has been conducted to evaluate in vitro antagonistic activity of B. bassiana and the antimicrobial efficacy of its Exo and Endo metabolites against Bacillus cereus, B. megaterium, Clavibacter michiganensis (gram positive bacteria, G+ve), Xanthomonas campestris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and P. fluorescence (gram negative bacteria, G-ve). In addition, Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was coupled to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) to qualitatively measure the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) metabolic profile of the most efficient studied isolate of B. bassiana. The obtained results showed that, the isolate UniB2439-3 has promising antibacterial effect against most of studied target bacteria. SPME-GC/MS analysis of VOCs revealed the presence of ethanol; butanal,2-methyl; 2,4-dimethyl-1-heptene; octane, 4-methyl and β-elemene as the main dominant bioactive compounds. The outgoing results explicated that the efficient isolate of B. bassiana can be potentially used as a biocontrol agent against several bacteria especially G+ve ones.

Excess energy from photosynthesis can be collected through biophotovoltaic platforms to generate green electrical power. This research evaluated the in-situ performance of different CAM (Crassulaceae acid metabolism) plants from Calama city located in the Atacama Desert for energy recovery as biophotovoltaic cell (BPV) using AISI 316L and Cu as electrodes. The species evaluated were Aloe perfoliata, Cereus jamacaru, Austrocylindropuntia subulata, Agave potatorum, Malephora crocea, and Kalanchoe daigremontiana. The results indicate that K. daigremontiana can be used as in-situ BFV because it has a maximum cell potential of 0.248 V and a minimum of 0.139 V with a recurrence close to 89% in the ranges [0.2 - 0.25] V. This is one of the few investigations that evaluate the potential of native CAM plants as BFV energy sources, providing new knowledge for the development of sustainable alternatives for horticultural crop production systems.

Intestinal commensal microbes, called the gut microbiota, play a critical role in host immune homeostasis through active microbial metabolites and innate and adaptive immune responses. Dysbiosis or imbalance of the gut microbiota composition is associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The incidence and prevalence rates of IBD have been increasing worldwide. It is well recognized that butyrate, a microbial metabolite of diet fibers, is a major energy source for colonocytes and plays a crucial role in regulating immune function and maintaining epithelial barrier function and intestinal homeostasis. Emerging evidence suggests that butyrate might be a potential therapeutic agent to treat IBD. In this review, we discuss about gut microbial metabolites, particularly butyrate, the synthesis and metabolism of butyrate, mechanisms of butyrate in immune and epithelial barrier function. Furthermore, we review the current research on various therapeutic implications of butyrate in IBD.

Macroalgae and macroalgae-associated bacteria together constitute the most efficient metabolic cycling system in the ocean. Their interactions, especially the responses of macroalgae-associated bacteria communities to algae in different geographical locations, is mostly unknown. In this study, metagenomics was used to analyze the microbial diversity and associated algal polysaccharide-degrading enzymes on the surface of red algae among three remote regions. There were significant differences in the macroalgae-associated bacteria community composition and diversity among the different regions. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria had a significantly high relative abundance among the regions. From the perspective of species diversity, samples from China had the highest macroalgae-associated bacteria diversity, followed by those from Antarctica and Indonesia. In addition, in the functional prediction of the bacterial community, genes associated with amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, and membrane transport had a high relative abundance. Canonical correspondence analysis and redundancy analysis of environmental factors showed that, without considering algae species and composition, pH and temperature were the main environmental factors affecting bacterial community structure. Furthermore, there were significant differences in algal polysaccharide-degrading enzymes among the regions. Samples from China and Antarctica had high abundances of algal polysaccharide-degrading enzymes, while those from Indonesia had extremely low abundances. The environmental differences between these three regions may impose a strong geographic differentiation regarding the biodiversity of algal microbiomes and their expressed enzyme genes. This work expands our knowledge of algal microbial ecology, and contributes to an in-depth study of their metabolic characteristics, ecological functions, and applications.

Infectious keratitis (IK) is among the top 5 leading causes of blindness globally. Early diagnosis is key to guide an appropriate therapy to avoid complications such as vision impairment and blindness. Culture of corneal scrapes is the initial diagnostic test to grow and identify the causal organism. Alternative diagnostic tools include imaging such as with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). OCT’s advantage is its ability to accurately determine the depth and extent of the corneal ulceration, infiltrates and haze; therefore, characterizing the severity and progression of the infection. However, it is not a preferred choice in the diagnostic tool package for infectious keratitis. IVCM is a great aid in the diagnosis of fungal and Acanthamoeba keratitis with overall sensitivities of 66-74% and 80-100%, and specificity of 78-100% and 84-100%, respectively. Recently the use of deep learning (DL) models in IK has been shown to aid diagnosis via image recognition. Most of the studies that have developed DL models to diagnose the different types of IK have utilised photographs from digital camaras, slit-lamp images, or IVCM images. Some studies have used extremely efficient single DL algorithms to train their models and others used ensemble approaches. This technology is likely to assist in the diagnosis of IK in some years. Further work is needed to examine and validate the clinical performance of the DL models in the real-world setting and to evaluate whether this technology improves patient clinical outcomes. The scope of this review was to provide a recent update on the diagnostic imaging tools in IK

The present paper describes a study case of the failure investigation of Duplex stainless steel (UNS S31803) on the tube and tube sheet section of a shell and tube heat exchanger BEM TEMA type with seawater as the cooling medium. Although UNS S31803 offers high strength, high resistance to chloride-induced SCC, and high resistance to pitting attack in chloride environments, in this study case, the heat exchanger experienced some material degradation; 26 tubes were leaked and plugged on both sides, and scales plugged 76 tubes. The examination in this study case revealed the formation of biofilm inside the tubes, XRD examination revealed that the film contained aragonite (CaCO3), and by using microstructural examination on the inner surface of the tube, the austenite grains were preferentially attacked by crevice corrosion. In this case, the failure was caused by crevice corrosion, and crevice corrosion was enhanced by microbiological-induced corrosion (MIC). Recommendations to avoid similar failures are also suggested in this paper.

Background Hop creep continues to present an unresolved issue for the brewing industry, specifically stemming from those hops added to beer during fermentation. Hops have been found to contain four dextrin-degrading enzymes: alpha amylase, beta amylase, limit dextrinase, and an amyloglucosidase. One recent hypothesis predicts that these dextrin-degrading enzymes could originate from microbes rather than the hop plant itself. Scope and Approach This review begins by describing how hops are processed and used in the brewing industry. It will then discuss hop creep’s origins with a new beer style, antimicrobial factors from hops and resistance mechanisms that bacteria use to counter them, and finally microbial communities that inhabit hops, focusing on whether they can produce the starch degrading enzymes which drive hop creep. After initial identification, microbes with possible links to hop creep were then run through several databases to search the genomes (if available) and for those specific enzymes. Key Findings and Conclusions Several bacteria and fungi contain alpha amylase as well as unspecified glycosyl hydrolases, but only one contains beta amylase. Finally, this paper closes with a short summary of how abundant these organisms typically are in other flowers.

To achieve higher crop yields and maintain environmental conservation, it becomes imperative to adopt novel agricultural methods that improve both the quantity and quality of produce. The above study focused on investigating the effectiveness of integrated use of biogas slurry (BS) and inorganic nutrigation on spinach growth and nutrient uptake through drip irrigation. Under field conditions and using a split plot design, spinach was cultivated with seven different treatments: biogas slurry nutrigation (BSN) (T1), integrated inorganic + organic nutrigation: 40% Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) +BSN (T2), 60% RDF +BSN (T3), 80% RDF +BSN(T4), 100% RDF(T5), slurry broadcasting (SB) (T6), and control(T7). The results showed that spinach grown with T4 80% RDF +BSN exhibited optimum plant height and leaf count compared to spinach under other treatments and was at par with T5 100% RDF for crop parameters. T5 treated plants demonstrated the longest roots, followed by T4 treated plants. The biomass produced by T4 was at par with T5 in the first (T4= 4.60 tonha-1, T5 =4.67 tonha-1) and second harvesting(T4= 6.69 tonha-1, T5 =6.89 tonha-1).In terms of macronutrient content in spinach leaves, significant differences were found only for nitrogen (N),potassium (K), while the phosphorus contents were not significantly influenced. Incorporating biogas slurry into the soil modifies microbial enzyme activities, specifically dehydrogenase and phosphatase. Normally, alkaline phosphatase shows greater activity than acidic phosphatase, but the addition of biogas slurry equalized the enzymatic activity of both, establishing a harmonized enzymatic profile. Fertilizing spinach with integrated Biogas slurry nutrigation + inorganic nutrigation not only improves growth and development to a similar extent as inorganic fertilizer but also enhances the nutrient content of the spinach, contributes to environmental preservation, and reduces production costs.

The rhizosphere is a rich source of actinomycetes which can produce several potential biologically-active secondary metabolites. The principal goals for this research are to extract, purify and characterize the bioactive secondary metabolites produced by three different strains of actinomycetes isolated from the rhizosphere of rosemary, black locust and olive. The plant growth-promoting effect (PGPE) of the studied strains of actinomycetes on Ocimum basilicum L. (basil) and disease-control effect on necrotic stem lesions of “black leg” caused by Fusarium tabacinum on basil, were in silico evaluated. The cell-free culture filtrates from the studied actinomycetes isolates were evaluated in vitro for their antimicrobial activity against some common phytopathogens. The secondary metabolites obtained from the cell-free culture filtrates have been chemically characterized using high‐resolution electrospray ionization of liquid-chromatography/mass-spectrometric detection (ESI-(HR)Orbitrap-MS). Results of in silico trial showed that all studied isolates demonstrated PGPE on basil seedlings improving some Eco-physiological characteristics and reduced the disease incidence of F. tabacinum. The extracted metabolites from the studied actinomycetes demonstrated antimicrobial activity in Petri-plates assay. The chemical analysis revealed the presence of totally 20 different components. This research emphasizes how valuable the examined isolates are for producing bioactive compounds, indicating their putative antimicrobial activity and their potential employment as fungal-biocontrol agents. In particular, the obtained results revealed the possibility of green-synthesis of some important secondary metabolites such as N-Acetyl-L-histidinol, Rhizocticin A and Eponemycin from actinomycetes. The bioactive metabolites may be successively used to develop novel bio-formulations for both crop protection and/or PGPE.

Purpose: The study investigates soil pores' impact on carbon dynamics and sequestration processes, examining their physical and chemical characteristics and their mechanisms for carbon sequestration.Research Method: Existing literature and research on soil pores, carbon dynamics, and carbon sequestration are analyzed. The interrelationships between soil pore structure, water movement, microbial activity, root penetration, carbon input, soil aggregation, and gas exchange are examined. Traditional techniques and advanced imaging methods are used to quantify and characterize soil pores.Findings: Soil pores play a critical role in facilitating carbon sequestration through various mechanisms. They affect water movement, microbial activity, root penetration, carbon input, soil aggregation, and gas exchange. Understanding these relationships is crucial for sustainable soil management.Research Limitations: This study relies on existing literature and research, which may have limitations and uncertainties. Further research is needed to address these gaps and enhance understanding.Originality Value: This research enhances the existing knowledge by comprehensively examining the significance of soil pores in carbon dynamics and sequestration. It incorporates both traditional and advanced methods, providing insights for soil management and contributing to climate change mitigation efforts.

Despite the extensive research conducted on ruminal methanogens and anti-methanogenic intervention strategies over the last 50 years, most of the currently researched enteric CH4 abatement approaches have shown limited efficacy. This is largely because of the complex nature of animal production and the ruminal environment, host genetic variability of CH4 production, and an incomplete understanding of the role of the ruminal microbiome in enteric CH4 emissions. Recent sequencing-based studies suggest the presence of methanogenic archaea in extra-gastrointestinal tract tissues, including respiratory and reproductive tracts of cattle. While these sequencing data require further verification by culture-dependent methods, the consistent identification of methanogens with relatively greater frequency in the airway and urogenital tract of cattle plus increasing appreciation of the microbiome-gut-organ axis highlight the potential interactions between ruminal and extra-gastrointestinal methanogenic communities. Thus, a traditional singular focus on ruminal methanogens may not be sufficient, and a holistic approach which takes into consideration of the transfer of methanogens between ruminal, extra-gastrointestinal, and environmental microbial communities is of necessity to develop more efficient and long-term ruminal CH4 mitigation strategies. In the present review, we provide a holistic survey of the methanogenic archaea present in different anatomical sites of cattle and discuss potential seeding sources of the ruminal methanogens.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have great potential in renewable energy production technologies. BES can generate electricity via Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) or use the electric current for the synthesis of valuable commodities in Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs). The number of various reactor configurations and operational protocols increasing rapidly although, the industrial scale operation is still facing difficulties. This article reviews the recent BES related to literature, with special attention to electrosynthesis and the most promising reactor configurations. We also attempted to clarify the numerous definitions proposed for BESs. The main components of BES are highlighted. Although the comparison of the various fermentation systems is we collected useful and generally applicable operational parameters to be used for comparative studies. A brief overview to link the appropriate microbes to the optimal reactor design is given.

In sustainable agriculture, plant nutrients are the most important elements. Biofertilizers introduce microorganisms that improve the soil nutrients and increase their accessibility to crops. In order to meet the demands of a growing population, healthy crops need to be produced using the right type of fertilizers to provide them with all the major nutrients they require. However, an increasing dependency on chemical fertilizers is destroying the environment and negatively af-fecting the health of humans. Thus, using microbes as bioinoculants as the best replacement of chemical fertilizers as eco-friendly way for plant growth and soil fertility is believed to be the best method for improving plant growth and soil fertility. In sustainable agriculture, these microbes provide significant benefits to crops. In addition to colonizing plant systems (epiphytic, endo-phytic, and rhizospheric), beneficial microbes play a key role in absorbing nutrients from surrounding ecosystems. Plant associate microbes can promote plant growth regardless of natural and extreme conditions. Plant growth promoting microbes promote plant growth through a variety of direct and indirect methods, such as nitrogen fixation, plant growth hormone production, siderophores, HCN, several hydrolytic enzymes, and potassium, zinc, and phosphorus solubilization. Research on biofertilizers has been extensive and even available, which demonstrates how these microbes can deliver nutrients to crops in sufficient quantities to enhance their yield. This review examines in detail the direct and indirect mechanisms of PGPR action and their interaction in plant growth and resistance.

Whether the different NR-AMPs could ever be utilized as drugs not only against prokaryotic (bacteria) pathogens but eukaryotic (fungal pathogens, and parasitic protists) depends on the side effects. To get experimental experience about the option of applying EPB-produced antimicrobials to pathogens, and parasites of veterinary significance, we present here the results of an in vitro, and an accompanying in vivo study on chicken. In the in vitro study, we tested the cytotoxic potential of the cell-free conditioned culture media (CFCM) of three entomopathogenic bacterium species, - X. budapestensis, DSM16342 (EMA); X. szentirmaii DSM16338 (EMC); Photorhabdus luminescens ssp. akhurstii TT01 - on chicken tissue culture cells, namely, on the Leghorn Male Hepatoma (LMH), [92] cells, (a permanent confluent hepato-carcinoma cell line). Each CFCM proved rather cytotoxic in this test. In the in vivo study, we fed freshly hatched male broiler chickens for 42 days with XENOFOOD [39] which contained autoclaved cultures of EMA, and EMC). These bacteria were grown on standard chicken (starter and grower) [HM3] [u4] feed, and the whole culture was used as a “food supplement”. [HM5]. It had been known that these EPB species cannot grow that is, not viable) atbody temperature (above 33 C).

The performance of two bio inoculants either in single or in combined applications with organic fertilizer was tested to determine their effect on plant growth and yield under normal and unfavorable field conditions such as low pH value and low content of P. Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi ((AMF; three species of Glomus) and the plant growth-promoting bacterial strain Kosakonia radicincitans DSM16656 were applied to barley in two years field experiment with different soil pH levels and available nutrients. Grain yield, content of P, N, K, Mg, and soil microbial parameters were measured. Grain yield and content of nutrients were significantly increased by the applications of mineral fertilizer, organic fertilizer, AMF, K. radicincitans, and combined application of organic fertilizer with AMF and with K. radicincitans over the control under normal growth conditions. Under low pH and low P conditions, only the combined application of the organic fertilizer with K. radicincitans and organic fertilizer with AMF could increase grain yield and content of nutrients of barley over the control.

In this study, four experimental treatments were evaluated: (T1) alfalfa hay + concentrate, (50:50%, DM); (T2) alfalfa hay + Leucaena leucocephala + concentrate, (30:20:50%, DM); (T3) alfalfa hay + prickly pear + concentrate, (30:20:50%, DM); and (T4) alfalfa hay + Leucaena leucocephala + prickly pear + concentrate, (30:10:10:50%, DM). NH3-N concentrations in T2 and T4 decreased when replaced alfalfa hay in 20 and 10 %, respectively. Treatments did not affect the concentration of total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) between T3 and T4 (p>0.05); while the concentrations among T1 and T2 were different (P<0.05). T2 showed a reduction of 25.5 % in the methane production when compared to T1(p < 0.05).The lowest concentrations of protozoa were observed in T2 and T4, which contained Leucaena leucocephala (T2) and Leucaena leucocephala + prickly pear (T4) (p<0.05). The highest concentration of total methanogens was recorded in T1 and were different to T2, T3 and T4 (p<0.05). Leucaena leucocephala at a inclusion percentage of 20 % decreased the methane when compared to T1; whereas prickly pear there was not a positive effect the methane production.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) offer sustainable solutions for various biotechnological applications and are a crucial area of research in biotechnology. MFCs can effectively treat wastewater and biodiesel waste by decomposing organic matter and generating electricity. Certain Pseudomonas species possess extracellular electron transfer (EET) pathways, enabling them to transfer electrons from organic compounds to the MFC's anode. Moreover, Pseudomonas species can grow under low oxygen conditions, which is advantageous considering that the electron transfer process in an MFC typically leads to reduced oxygen levels at the anode. This study focuses on evaluating MFCs inoculated with a new Pseudomonas species, grown with 1 g.L-1 glycerol, a common byproduct of biodiesel production. Pseudomonas sp. BJa5 exhibited a maximum power density of 39 mW.m-2. Also, the observed voltammograms and genome analysis indicate the potential production of novel redox mediators by BJa5. Additionally, we investigated the bacterium's potential as a synthetic biology non model chassis. Through testing various genetic parts, including constitutive promoters, replication origins, and cargos using pSEVA vectors as a scaffold, we assessed the bacterium's suitability. Overall, our findings offer valuable insights into utilizing Pseudomonas spp. BJa5 as a novel chassis for MFCs. Synthetic biology approaches can further enhance the performance of this bacterium in MFCs, providing avenues for improvement.

Wheat and corn silages are widely used as ruminant feed in Israel due to their availability and cost-effectiveness. To ensure long-term preservation without compromising nutritional quality, effective methods must be employed. Inclusion of additives during harvest and ensiling can enhance efficiency and address preservation challenges. In the current study, the effects of microbial inoculum (MI) and urea on the chemical composition, amino acid profiles, aerobic stability, and in vitro digestibility of wheat and corn silages were investigated. Samples of wheat and corn were subjected to four treatments: control, MI, Urea, and a combination of MI+Urea. The treatments were ensiled in anaerobic conditions and opened after 1, 7, 14, or 28 days. Results showed that additives improved the quality parameters of wheat and corn silages. The inclusion of MI produced the most aerobically stable silages. The inclusion of urea in silages deteriorated aerobic stability. Additives improved in vitro cell wall carbohydrates digestibility in both silages and was the best when MI was combined with urea. These results imply additives could be incorporated in silages to enhance their nutritional value, aerobic stability and digestibility. Nonetheless, increased CP content with additives was not accompanied with parallel increase in amino acids content in corn silage.

Cigar stacking fermentation is a key step in tobacco aroma enhancement and miscellaneous gas reduction, which both have a great influence on increasing cigar flavor and improving industrial availability. To analyze the effect of cigar tobacco leaf (CTLs) microbial community structure on volatiles during cigar stacking fermentation, this study used multi-omics technology to reveal the changes in microbial community structure and volatiles of different cigar varieties during stacking fermentation, in addition to exploring the interaction mechanism of microbiome and volatiles. The results showed that the dominant microbial compositions of different CTL varieties during stacking fermentation were similar, which included Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium 1, Aerococcus, and Aspergillus. These dominant microbes mainly affected the microbial community structure and characteristic microorganisms of CTLs through microbial interactions, thereby influencing the transformation of volatiles. Characteristic microorganisms of different CTLs varieties such as Trichothecium, Trichosporon, Thioalkalicoccus and Jeotgalicoccus, were found to posively correlate with characteristic volatiles like megastigmatrienone 4, pyrazine, tetramethyl-, geranyl acetone, and 2-undecanone, 6,10-dimethyl-, respectively. This in turn affected the aroma and sensory quality of the CTLs. This study provides theoretical support for the analysis of the mechanism of microorganisms on volatiles and aroma, and development of microbial agents during cigar stacking fermentation.

The cycling of soil phosphorus (P) is inherently linked with soil organic carbon-iron (C-Fe) cycling, yet empirical integration of these processes within paddy soils remains scarce. In this study, we conducted a microcosm experiment using paddy soils subjected to six distinct fertilization regimes involving varying P inputs for five years. In addition to evaluating P activation under reflooding conditions, we assessed the Fe reduction process and characterized the properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) at the molecular level using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), alongside profiling the composition of soil microbial communities with high-throughput sequencing. Our findings revealed that after 25 days of reflooding, soil Olsen-P content increased by an average of 73% compared to its initial state, showing a strong correlation with the Fe reduction process. Specifically, treatments involving pig manure application exhibited higher Fe reduction rates and enhanced P activation, highlighting the role of organic matter in facilitating Fe reduction. Investigations on the relative abundance of typical iron-reducing microbes further supported their importance in P activation, but the rate of iron reduction is limited by soil organic matter content. Delving deeper into DOM properties, soil DOM composition profiling and network analysis suggested that high-molecular-weight DOM, particularly lignins, served as the primary resources driving Fe reduction by iron-reducing microbes, consequently promoting Fe reduction and P release. Taken together, our study assembled the C-Fe-P cycling dynamics in paddy soils, emphasizing the pivotal role of microbial-driven Fe reduction facilitated by soil DOM in P availability and subsequently sustainable agricultural practices.

Despite widespread industrial use, the environmental safety of Hydroquinone (HQ), a benzene compound from plants used in processes like cosmetics, remains uncertain. This study evaluated the ecotoxicological impact of HQ on soil and river environments, utilizing non-target indicator organisms from diverse trophic levels: Daphnia magna, Vibrio fischeri, Allium cepa, and Eisenia fetida. For a more environmentally realistic assessment, microbial communities from a river and un-treated soil underwent 16S rRNA gene sequencing, with growth and changes in community-level physiological profiling assessed using Biolog EcoPlate™ assays. The water indicator D. magna exhibited the highest sensitivity to HQ (EC50 = 0.142 µg/mL), followed by V. fischeri (EC50 = 1.446 µg/mL), and A. cepa (LC50 = 7.631 µg/mL), while E. fetida showed the highest resistance (EC50 = 234 mg/Kg). Remarkably, microbial communities mitigated HQ impact in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. River microorganisms displayed minimal inhibition, except for a significant re-duction in polymer metabolism at the highest concentration (100 µg/mL). Soil communities demonstrated resilience up to 100 µg/mL, beyond which there was a significant decrease in population growth and the capacity to metabolize carbohydrates and polymers. Despite microbial mitigation, HQ remains highly toxic to various trophic levels, emphasizing the necessity for en-vironmental regulations.

Understanding the complex interactions between metabolism and the immune system (“meta-flammation”) is crucial for the identification of key immunomodulatory factors as potential therapeutic targets in obesity and in cardiovascular diseases. Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) is an important factor of innate immunity and is expressed in adipocytes. CAMP therefore might play a role as an adipokine in metaflammation and adipose inflammation. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 9 is another component of the innate immune system that is expressed and functionally active in adipocytes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of TLR9 signaling on CAMP expression in adipocytes and in adipose tissue. CAMP gene expression in murine 3T3-L1 and human SGBS adipocytes and in murine and human adipose tissues was quantified by real-time PCR. TLR9 knockdown was applied in murine 3T3-L1 adipocytes via siRNA transfection. Adipocyte inflammation was induced in vitro by TNFα stimulation. Serum CAMP concentrations in TLR9 knockout (KO) and in wildtype mice were quantified by ELISA. CAMP gene expression was considerably increased in 3T3-L1 adipocytes during differentiation. TNFα significantly induced CAMP gene expression in mature adipocytes, which was antagonized by inhibitors of NF-κB and PI3K signaling. Cell-free nucleic acids (cfDNA) as endogenous TLR9 ligand significantly impaired CAMP gene expression, whereas synthetic agonistic and antagonistic TLR9 ligands had no effect. Cellular TLR9 knockdown reduced adipocyte CAMP gene expression in vitro and male TLR9 knockout mice exhibited lower systemic CAMP concentrations than wildtype mice. CAMP and TLR9 gene expression were correlated positively in murine and human subcutaneous but not in intraabdominal/visceral adipose tissues. These findings suggest a regulatory role of TRL9 in adipocytic CAMP expression as a novel putative molecular mechanism in adipose tissue innate immunity.

Sharing facilities with other households offers the most realistic opportunity for access to sanitation to many households in low-income settings. However, questions remain about the safety of shared toilets, including those shared at the household level. This study sought to compare the usage and microbial safety of household-level shared and unshared toilets in a Ghanaian rural district to investigate any association between their microbial safety and sharing status. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the user characteristics of the sampled toilets, while common contact surfaces (door handles and toilet seats) were assessed for faecal contamination following standard swab sampling and analytical protocols. The results of the study indicate that sharing toilets affords about 90% more household-level access to sanitation as compared to single-household toilets. Toilet sharing mostly occurred between two households, with a maximum user population of 14 per toilet. Generally, there was a high prevalence of faecal contamination of the door handles and seats of both shared and unshared toilets, but this had no association with the sharing status of the toilets. The median concentration of E. coli on door handles and seats of shared toilets were 34.3 x 105 and 103.2 x 105 CFU/ml respectively as compared to 54.7 x 105 and 125.0 x 105 CFU/ml respectively on unshared toilets. In conclusion, the sharing of toilets at the household level nearly doubles access to sanitation at home without necessarily exposing the users to a higher risk of faecal-oral disease transmission.

With climate change projected to increase the frequency and severity of episodic insect outbreak events, assessing potential consequences for soil microbial communities and nutrient dynamics is of importance for understanding forest resilience. The forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria) is an important defoliator of deciduous tree species in temperate and mixed forests of eastern North America with an invasion cycle every 10-12 years and outbreak events that can last 3-6 years. Following a defoliation episode on trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) from 2015 to 2017 in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, QC, Canada, we sought to test if defoliation resulted in changes to soil bacterial and fungal communities. We hypothesized an increase in soil microbial biomass due to increased caterpillar frass inputs and potential changes in community structure following the event. Soils were sampled in July 2018, May 2019 and July 2019 from sites that had been subject to defoliation during the outbreak and from sites where no defoliation had been recorded. We assessed soil microbial biomass and fungal to total microbial activity ratio on all sampling dates, and Community Level Physiological Profiles (CLPPs) for 2018 only using a substrate induced respiration method. Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed a significant 50% decrease in microbial biomass (g biomass-C g-1 soil hour-1) in defoliated stands suggesting tree carbon normally allocated towards root exudates was reallocated towards foliage regeneration. We noted a differentiated carbon-based substrate usage following defoliation, but no change in the fungal to total microbial activity ratio. The observed changes in the two years following the defoliation event suggest that defoliation episodes aboveground could trigger changes in soil chemistry belowground with effects on soil microbial communities that may, in turn, feedback to influence forest plant dynamics.

Within an amplicon-based metagenomic study of Archaea, Fungi, and Bacteria in Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica, in many of the samples antagonisms between these three super kingdoms were observed under the form of an inversely proportional dependence of the richnesses of the three types of microorganisms. This was quantified - based on the observed numbers of the total tags and the numbers of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs), as well as based on four alpha diversity parameters – the Shannon, the Simpson, the Chao1, and the ACE indices. We found that the most discriminative results in the antagonism measuring were observed in the comparison of the numbers of the OTUs and the ACE community richness estimator. The antagonism between Archaea and Fungi was strongest, followed by that of Archaea and Bacteria. The Fungi-Bacteria antagonism was slightly detectable. Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis also showed a statistically significant negative correlation between the fungal and archaeal effective tags, while the correlation between archaeal and bacterial diversity was positive. Indications of the order of primary microbial succession in barren ecological niches were also observed, demonstrating that Archaea and Bacteria are the pioneers, followed by Fungi which in time would displace Archaea.

Enteric protozoan pathogenic infections significantly contribute to the global burden of gastrointestinal illnesses. Their occurrence is considerable within remote and indigenous communities and regions due to reduced access to clean water and adequate sanitation. The robustness of these pathogens means requirement of harsh treatment methods such as medicinal drugs or antibiotics. However, such treatments impact the gut microbiome, and create dysbiosis, often leading to opportunistic pathogens, anti-microbial resistance, or functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Recent studies have shown that these impacts do not remain confined to gut, and are reflected across the gut-brain, gut-liver, and gut-lung axes, among others. Therefore, apart from the medicinal treatment, nutritional supplementation is also a key aspect of providing the recovery from this dysbiosis. Future proteins, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and food formulations offer a good solution to remedy this dysbiosis. Furthermore, the nutritional supplementation also helps to build a resilience against the opportunistic pathogens and potential future infections and disorders that may arise due to the dysbiosis. Systems biology techniques have shown to be highly effective tools to understand the biochemistry of these processes. Systems biology techniques characterises the fundamental host-pathogen interaction biochemical pathways, at various infection and recovery stages. This same mechanism also allows to track the impact of abovementioned treatment methods of gut microbiome remediation. This manuscript is organised in sections delving into system biology approaches and upcoming developments to understand (1) Infection mechanism and current global status; (2) Cross-organ impacts of dysbiosis, particularly within gut-liver and gut-lung axes; (3) Nutritional interventions. It highlights the impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and Multi-drug resistance (MDR) from a perspective of protozoal infections. It also highlights the role of nutritional interventions to add resilience against the chronic problems caused by these phenomena.

The biological synthesis of nanoparticles has been emerging as an environmentally benign and eco-friendly method owing to its cost-effectiveness and high efficiency. Recently, the biological synthesis of semiconductor and metal-doped semiconductor nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic degradation efficiency and anticancer and antibacterial properties have gained tremendous attention. In pursuit of this purpose, for the first time, we biosynthesized zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver/ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) as semiconductor and metal-doped semiconductor nanoparticles, respectively, using the cell-free filtrate (CFF) of Lysinibacillus sphaericus bacterium. The biosynthesized ZnO and Ag/ZnO were characterized by various techniques such as ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy, Field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The photocatalytic degradation potential of these semiconductor/metal-semiconductor nanoparticles was evaluated against the degradation of azo dye methylene blue (MB) under simulated solar irradiation. Ag/ZnO showed 90.7 ± 0.91% photocatalytic degradation of MB, compared to 50.7 ± 0.53% by ZnO in 120 min. The cytotoxicity of ZnO and Ag/ZnO on human cervical HeLa cancer cells was determined using an MTT assay. Both nanomaterials exhibited cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner on HeLa cells. The antibacterial activity was also determined against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus). Compared to ZnO, Ag/ZnO NPs showed higher antibacterial activity. Hence, the biosynthesis of semiconductor nanoparticles could be a promising strategy for developing hybrid metal/semiconductor nanomaterials for different biomedical and environmental applications.

This 16-month study aimed to evaluate the extended effects of administering direct-fed microbials (DFM) on milk yield and components in 150 dairy cows. The cows were randomly divided into two groups: control (n=75) and DFM (n=75) based on parity and days in milk. Throughout the study, the two groups of cows were housed separately in a free stall yard, and each group had their own feeding area. The DFM group received 10 ml/cow of the Lacticaseibacillus- and Lentilactobacillus-based DFM via top dressing of the feed during lactation and drying off. Milk yield and liveweight were recorded daily. Milk samples were collected every two months for milk components analysis. Both groups produced less milk in the second production season due to adverse weather conditions. DFM cows gained more liveweight across the study (19.40 kg, 95% CI 0.44; 38.30) compared to controls. In the second season, DFM cows lost weight at a slower rate (-6.06, 95% CI -10.49; -1.61) during the postpartum period and produced more milk (0.39 L/d 95% CI 0.10; 0.89). Over a full lactation, DFM cows yielded at least 258L (95% CI 252L; 265L) more milk than controls. No significant differences were found in fat yield, protein yield, or somatic cell counts. The study suggests that prolonged DFM administration positively impacted milk production, but further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanism.

Fine aroma cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is one of Ecuador's most iconic export products, representing 63% of world production; however, few advances have been made in fermentation processes that greatly influence the development of chocolate´s organoleptic characteristics. The study of starter cultures has been investigated in other countries, which seek to improve organoleptic properties or decrease fermentation time. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of a native microbial consortium based on two yeasts (Torulaspora delbrueckii and Hanseniaspora uvarum), a lactic acid bacterium (LAB) (Lactobacillus plantarum) and an acetic acid bacterium (AAB) (Acetobacter ghanensis) inoculated at the beginning of the fermentative process, on physical and biochemical variables, microbial population dynamics, and percentage of almond fermentation. The started culture caused changes in sugar and acid content, which in turn generated temperature and pH changes in the dough, resulting in the dynamics of yeast, AAB, and mesophilic microorganisms remaining higher than those of the control throughout the fermentation process; a decrease of filamentous fungi that affect the flavor and quality of beans due to the production of acetic acid or secondary metabolites from yeasts and LAB; and optimized fermentation percentage by 24% higher than spontaneous fermentation in only 96 hours.

Biofilm-associated bacterial infections are the major reason for treatment failure in many diseases including burn trauma infections. Uncontrolled inflammation induced by bacteria leads to materiality, tissue damage and chronic diseases. Specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs), including maresin-like lipid mediators (MarLs), are enzymatically biosynthesized from omega-3 essential long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by macrophages and other leukocytes. SPMs exhibit strong inflammation-resolving activities, especially inflammation provoked by bacterial infection. In this study, we explored the potential direct inhibitory activities of three MarLs on gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) bacteria in their biofilms that are leading bacteria in burn trauma related infections. We also examined the effects of MarLs on the bactericidal activities of a typical broad-spectrum antibiotics carbenicillin on these bacteria in their preformed biofilms. The results revealed that MarLs combined with carbenicillin can inhibit the survival of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in their biofilms although MarLs alone did not exhibit bactericidal activity. Thus, our findings suggest that the combination of MarLs and carbenicillin can lower the antibiotic requirements to kill the bacteria in preformed biofilms.

The traditional practice of harvesting and processing raw date palm sap is not only culturally significant but also an essential nutritional source in South Asia. Yet, the potential for bacterial or viral contamination from animals and environmental sources during its collection remains a real and insufficiently studied risk. Implementing improved food safety measures and collection techniques could mitigate the risk of these infections. Additionally, the adoption of advanced food analytical methods has the potential to identify pathogens and uncover the natural bacterial diversity of these products. The advancement of NGS technologies, particularly nanopore sequencing, offers rapid and highly mobile capabilities. In this study, we employed nanopore sequencing for bacterial metabarcoding of a set of raw date palm sap samples collected without protective coverage against animals in Bangladesh in 2021. We identified several bacterial species with importance in the natural fermentation of the product and demonstrated the feasibility of this NGS method in the surveillance of raw palm sap products. We revealed two fermentation directions dominated by either Leuconostoc species or Lactococcus species in these products at the first 6 hours from harvest along with opportunistic human pathogens in the background, represented with low abundance. Plant pathogens, bacteria with the potential for opportunistic human infections and the sequences of the Exiguobacterium genus were also described and their potential role is discussed.

Abstract: Assessing infection by a parasite, such as Haemonchus contortus, requires time and experienced personnel. Field-based diagnostics using metagenomic species-specific targeting methods would be beneficial. Here, we examine two helminth control methods, zoledronic acid (ZA), an activator of γ δ T cells, and a neutralizing antibody (AB) against γ δ T cells. We conducted a randomized complete block designed investigation for the effects of Haemonchus contortus (Hc) infection on Alpine wethers (young castrated male goats) to identify if metagenomic methods will provide strong evidence for diagnostics. Different tissues were collected from wethers and the microbiome compositions were identified. The relative proportion of microbial community members in the environments; the richness of the microbial community; and the evenness of distribution in microbial community members were determined. It was hypothesized that numerous parameters that include many data points will provide a more precise means to identify infection or health based on similarity to uninfected control data parameters. We found that samples did not sequence well, when multiplexed with high concentration libraries, giving taxonomic numbers that had residual and unmeasured confounding bias related to analysis or selection that define significance of OTUs in the tissue samples at the phylum or species level.

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is one of the most important factors to consider when evaluating water contamination. BOD5 is the amount of oxygen consumed in five days by microorganisms that oxidize biodegradable organic materials in an aerobic biochemical manner. The primary objective of this effort is to use microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to shorten the time required for BOD5 measurements. We created a regression artificial neural network (AI), and the predictions we obtained for BOD5 measurements were taken over 6 – 24 hours with an average error of just 7%. The outcomes demonstrated by our AI MFC/BES BOD5 sensor’s viability for use in real-world scenarios.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surface texture and biofilm adhesion of veneered or CAD/CAM milled zirconia (partially stabilized with yttrium) after professional oral hygiene procedures. Samples (4x4 mm, thickness 2 mm; n = 72) were separated from zirconia blanks (3Y-TZP-LA). One group was veenired with ceramics and the other group of samples was CAD/CAM milled. Each group had 2 subgroups: polished and glazed. The samples were subjected to simulated strokes of professional brushing using abrasive paste and ultrasonic scaling. Parameters of surface micromorphology and receptivity to biofilm were calculated before and after simulating the given methods of professional maintenance of oral hygiene. The characteristics of zirconia surface were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Microbial bacterial/fungal species (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus sanguinis and Candida albicans) were used and cultured on the respective sterilized zirconia surfaces. The amount of biofilm formation on zirconia surface was quantified by colony forming unit (CFU) counts. Results: SEM analysis showed the greatest change in surface microtopography after the use of ultrasonic scaling, in glazed zirconia samples. Less formation of colonies on the surface CAD/CAM milled zirconia restorations was observed. Conclusion: Routine methods of professional maintenance of oral hygiene can damage the surface of glazed zirconia restorations.

Pythium insidiosum(PI) can cause sight threatening keratitis which is managed commonly by performing penetrating keratoplasty. This article is a retrospective review to assess outcomes of keratoplasty performed in patients diagnosed with PI keratitis. (2) Methods: Pre-operative, intra operative and post-operative data of patients diagnosed with PI keratitis and who underwent keratoplasty for their condition from January 2020 to December 2021 were col-lected from the central patient database of a tertiary eye care hospital in India. The data were an-alyzed for anatomic success, elimination of infection, graft survival, incidence of repeat kerato-plasty, final visual acuity and varied complications. (3) Results: In total, 16 eyes underwent pene-trating keratoplasty for PI keratitis during the study period. Mean time to keratoplasty from on-set of symptoms was 31.3 days and mean graft size was 10.4 mm. Nine out of the 16 cases had recurrence of infection following surgery, six of which required a repeat keratoplasty for elimina-tion of infection. Out of these 6 patients, one patient underwent 2 repeat keratoplasties. Mean graft size for repeat keratoplasty performed in recurrent cases was 11.7 mm. Globe was successfully salvaged in 14 out of 16 patients (87.5 %). Endo-exudates, graft infiltration, graft dehiscence, secondary glaucoma and retinal detachment were the various complications noted after kerato-plasty. (4) Conclusion: Keratoplasty remains the choice of treatment in PI keratitis, however re-currence of disease and graft failure are common. Large sized grafts, meticulous per-operative removal of infection, adjuvant cryotherapy, and intraoperative and post-operative use of antibi-otics can help in improving outcome of keratoplasty in these patients.

To identify soil microbial communities, it is essential to understand their phenotypic and genetic characteristics. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are bacteria capable of promoting plant growth. In addition, rhizobacteria also serve as biological control agents. In addition to fixing atmospheric nitrogen, solubilising insoluble phosphate and secreting hormones such as indoloacetic acid, kinetics and gibberellins, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria help plants grow directly. Furthermore, they facilitate plant growth indirectly by inducing systemic resistance, siderophores, antibiotics, lytic enzymes, hydrogen cyanide production and stress regulation. This review examines in detail the direct and indirect mechanisms of PGPR action and their interaction in plant growth and resistance.

There is a growing interest in a potential use of essential oils (EOs) as a possible alternative for chemical pesticides. The formulation between different EOs could maximize the single biological efficacy by synergic mechanism. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the biological activity of three prepared blended oil formulations (BOFs) derived from Origanum vulgare L. (oregano) and Salvia officinalis L. (sage) compared to each parent EO. The chemical composition of each single studied EO has been revealed using GC-MS analysis. The three BOFs have been prepared as following: i) 25% oregano EO + 25% sage EO (BOF-I); ii) 25% oregano EO + 5% sage EO (BOF-II); iii) 5% oregano EO + 25% sage EO (BOF-III). The antibacterial activity of the new BOFs has been evaluated against Bacillus megaterium, B. cereus and Xanthomonas campestris, whereas, the antifungal activity has been carried out against Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium italicum and Fusarium oxysporum. The possible phytotoxic effect of the new BOFs has been evaluated on Lepidium sativum (garden cress), Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and Lactuca sativa (lettuce) following the seed germination and radicle elongation assay. GC-MS analysis revealed that the oregano EO composed mainly from thymol, p-cymene and carvacrol with 76.0, 5.7 and 3.2 %, respectively. Whereas, salvia EO, the GC-MS analysis showed that the relevant predominant constituents were trans-thujone and camphor with 37,9 and 13,9 %, respectively. Results demonstrated that the tested BOFs possess antimicrobial effect higher than each parent EO. In particular, BOF-II showed the highest effect against all tested bacteria. Regarding the antifungal activity, BOF-II showed the highest significant antifungal effect against all tested fungi. Results showed also that both BOF-I and BOF-III explicated a moderate effect against B. cereus and all tested fungi compared to single EOs. In addition, the three BOFs showed notable phytotoxic effect against all three tested plants, particularly BOF-I. Whereas, the single sage EO at 25% showed the lowest significant phototoxic effect indicating its possible using as natural herbicides.

After a time away from the classrooms and laboratories due to the global pandemic, the return to the teaching activities during the semester represented a challenge to both teachers and students. Our particular situation in a Microbial Physiology course was the necessity of imparting in a shorter time, laboratory practices that usually take longer. This article describes a two-week long laboratory exercise that covers several concepts in an interrelated way: conjugation as a gene transfer mechanism, regulation of microbial physiology, production of secondary metabolites, degradation of macromolecules and biofilm formation. Utilizing a Quorum Quenching (QQ) strategy, the Quorum Sensing (QS) system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is first attenuated. Then, phenotypes regulated by QS are evidenced. QS is a regulatory mechanism of the microbial physiology that relays on signal molecules. QS is related in P. aeruginosa to several virulence factors, some of which are exploited in the laboratory practices presented in this work. QQ is phenomenon by which QS is interrupted or attenuated. We utilized a QQ approach based on the enzymatic degradation of the P. aeruginosa QS signals in order to put in evidence QS-regulated traits that are relevant for our Microbial Physiology course.

The red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is highly destructive invasive pest for palms whose management is mainly by application of synthetic pesticides. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) have been primarily studied as a preventative control measure due to the horizontal transfer of conidia within the RPW population. We previously demonstrated the horizontal transmission of fungal conidia from an egg-laying surface to the female weevil and then to the eggs and larvae. Based on that strategy, this study aimed to evaluate the virulence of commercial EPF products and laboratory EPF preparations to RPW females and their progeny and their ability to protect palms against infestation. As such, it serves as a screening platform for field experiments. Mortality rates of females and eggs depended on the applied treatment formulation and fungal strain. Velifer®, a Beauveria bassiana product, and Metarhizium brunneum (Mb7) resulted in 60–88% female mortality. Mb7—as a conidial suspension or powder—resulted in 18–21% egg-hatching rates, approximately 3 times less than in the non-treated control. Treating palms with Mb7 significantly inhibits infestation signs and results in 75% and 100% protection, respectively. These results lay the foundation for investigating the protective rate of EPF products against RPW in date plantations.

In coastal areas around the world, seagrass meadows play a crucial ecological and economic role. A large amount of seagrass beds dominates primary production and contributes to the high secondary productivity of this ecosystem. The microbial loop (consuming bacterial biomass by grazers and using seagrass-derived detritus by bacteria) may be an important mechanism for transferring seagrass-derived organic matter to the aquatic food chain. This study aims to improve our understanding of how bacterial growth and mortality (grazing and viral lysis rates) differ in seagrass and adjacent unvegetated meadow habitats. We found that viral lysis and grazing caused similar mortality rates of bacteria in a seagrass environment during the summer. It has been found, however, that bacterial production is controlled by the availability of resources (bottom-up control) and is cycled within the bacteria-virus-DOC loop in adjacent unvegetated waters. Our study region may be affected by this shift in organic matter fate and cycling.

Soil quality is a factor which is directly related to the sustainability of agricultural production and can be compromised through the use of inadequate management practices. In this work, soil edaphic respiration and changes in microbial biomass promoted by cover crops in an integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) were evaluated using soil quality indicators by the respirometry method. The design used was completely randomized in a 3x6 factorial scheme and multivariate principal components analysis (PCA) was performed according to MANOVA. The edaphic respiration was determined based on the respirometry technique. From the results, it was found that edaphic soil respiration was significant in the nine evaluation periods, demonstrating the importance of grass cover on this edaphic respiration arising from the biological activity of microorganisms, which is directly related to the amount of organic carbon in the soil. It was concluded that the use of cover crops contributed to producing organic matter in the soil and consequently greater microbial respiratory activity.

Biosensors based on an oxygen electrode, a mediator electrode and a mediator microbial biofuel cell (MFC) using on the bacteria Gluconobacter oxydans B-1280 have been formed and tested to determine the integral toxicity. G. oxydans bacteria exhibit high sensitivity to the toxic effects of phenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, salicylic and trichloroacetic acid and a number of heavy metal ions. The system “G. oxydans bacteria – ferrocene – graphite-paste electrode” is superior in sensitivity to biosensors formed using an oxygen electrode and MFC, in particular regarding heavy metal ions (EC50 of chromium (II), manganese (II) and cadmium (II) was 0.8 mg/dm3, 0.3 mg/dm3 and 1.6 mg/dm3, respectively). It has been determined that the period of stable functioning of electrochemical systems during measurements is reduced by half due (from 30 to 15 days) due to changes in the enzyme system of microbial cells when exposed to toxicants. Samples of products made from polymeric materials were analyzed using developed biosensor systems and standard biotesting methods based on inhibiting the growth of duckweed L. minor, reducing the motility of bull sperm and quenching the luminescence of the commercial test system "Ecolum". The developed bioelectrocatalytic systems are comparable in sensitivity to commercial biosensors, which made it possible to correlate the results and identify by all methods a highly toxic sample containing diphenylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate according to GC-MS data.

(1) Background: The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a growing concern in the field of medicine. This has led to the need for alternative treatments for bacterial infections. (2) Methods: The present study aimed to investigate the synergistic effect of a water-based extract of S. fru-tescens and penicillin G on the growth of E. faecalis. (3) Results: The study found that the combina-tion of the plant extract and penicillin G had a synergistic effect on the inhibition of bacterial growth, with a significantly larger inhibition zone observed compared to penicillin G alone. The MIC and MBC tests also demonstrated that the combination of the plant extract and penicillin G was more effective against E. faecalis than penicillin G alone, with a dilution of 1 in 4 yielding 100% inhibition of growth. (4) Conclusion: Although the specific mechanism of action was not dis-cussed in the study, the results suggest that the combination of the plant extract and penicillin G may offer a promising alternative treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections. Further research is needed to determine the active compounds in the plant extract and to investigate the synergistic effect of the combination on other strains of bacteria.

The addition of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums is a kind of biological measure for vegetation restoration of rock mining areas. Its function is to accelerate soil weathering, improve soil fertility, improve the ability of plants to fix soil. Through understanding the response of plant rhizosphere microbial community to the mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums, it is helpful to popularize the use of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums. However, little is known about the changes of plant rhizosphere soil microbial communities after the addition of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to reveal the pasthways through which different mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums positively affect underground part of R. pseudoacacia. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the responses of rhizosphere soil bacterial and fungal communities in R. pseudoacacia by taking 32 samples from four different mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums treatments. The results showed that the effect of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums on the structure of fungal community was greater than that of bacterial community. But the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was increased, which had a strong positive correlation with root nodulation. In terms of microbial diversity, mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums had a greater effect on the diversity and evenness of bacterial community. It is worth noting that correlation analysis showed that Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia in bacteria and Ascomycota and Zoopagomycota in fungi were positively correlated with soil enzyme activity and plant growth. RDA analysis showed that the relative abundance of these two phyla in bacteria also had positive effects on plant root nodulation. Our results showed that the addition of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums can optimize the rhizosphere soil microbial community structure, promote R. pseudoacacia root nodulation, and enhance the nitrogen fixation capacity of plants. In addition, this study can provide a theoretical basis for the application of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums to a wide range of slope ecological restoration.

In the cold deserts of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) the suitability of soil for microbial life is determined by both contemporary processes and legacy effects. Climatic changes and accompanying glacial activity have caused local extinctions and geochemical changes to soil ecosystems over several million years, while high elevation refugia may have escaped these disturbances and existed under relatively stable conditions. This study describes the impact of historical glacial and lacustrine disturbance events on microbial communities across the MDV. Soil bacterial communities from 17 sites representing either putative refugia or sites disturbed during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (22-17kya) were characterized using 16S metabarcoding. Regardless of geographic distance, several putative refugia sites at elevations above 600 meter displayed highly similar microbial communities. At a regional scale, community composition was found to be influenced by elevation and geographic proximity more so than soil geochemical properties. These results suggest that despite the extreme conditions, diverse microbial communities exist in these putative refugia that have presumably remained undisturbed at least through the last glacial maximum. We suggest that similarities in microbial communities can be interpreted as evidence for historical climate legacies on an ecosystem-wide scale.

The industrial sector plays a crucial role in driving global economic growth by creating employ-ment opportunities, generating local income, and significantly contributing to each country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, the manufacturing industry is responsible for produc-ing a substantial amount of polluting effluents, which can harm the environment and compromise the life quality of future generations if not appropriately treated. Various methods, including physical, chemical, and biological processes, have been employed in the treatment of industrial ef-fluents. Filamentous fungi, in particular, have garnered attention as effective bioremediation agents due to their ability to produce enzymes capable of degrading recalcitrant compounds and adsorb different pollutant molecules. This study aimed to assess the collective body of research on using white and brown rot fungi to remove phenolic compounds from industrial effluents. The research employed a systematic review, incorporating scientometric analysis, with the primary goal of constructing a comprehensive overview of the evolution of this technology over time. The analysis also aimed to scrutinize its geographical distribution and identify gaps and trends within these research inquiries. Data for the study were obtained from the Web of Science (WoS) data-base using specific search terms (("white rot fung*" OR "brown rot fung*") AND (phenol* OR phenoloxidase OR "polyphenol oxidase*") AND (wastewater OR effluent* OR bioremediation)). The time frame considered ranged from 1945 to 2023, resulting in 464 publications. After refine-ment, 109 studies were selected for further analysis, focusing on using filamentous fungi in the bi-oremediation of industrial effluents. The findings revealed that white rot fungi were the most studied in industrial effluent remediation processes, accounting for 96.3% of the studies assessed, followed by brown rot fungi at 2.7%. Filamentous fungi demonstrate significant potential for treating industrial effluents due to their high capacity to degrade phenolic compounds, especially in wastewater from olive mills, paper production industries, and distilleries. Among the investi-gated species, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes versicolor, and Lentinula edodes have been the most extensively researched for this application. Notably, cultures with free cells (64.15%) stood out compared to cultures with immobilized cells, and cultures with isolated fungi surpassed microbial consortia. Geographically, Italy, Spain, Greece, India, and Brazil emerged as the most prominent countries in publications related to this area during the evaluated period.

As the use of microbial inoculants in agriculture rises, it becomes important to understand how the environment may influence microbial ability to promote plant growth. This work examines whether there are light dependencies in the biological functions of Azospirillum brasilense, a commercialized prolific grass-root colonizer. Though classically defined as non-phototrophic, A. brasilense possesses photoreceptors that could perceive light conducted through its host’s roots. Evidence for light dependency of four microbial processes were examined and noted: biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), auxin biosynthesis, ATP biosynthesis, and iron and manganese uptake. Functional mutants of A. brasilense were leveraged and studied in light and dark environments: HM053 (high BNF and auxin production), ipdC (capable of BNF, deficient in auxin production), and FP10 (capable of auxin production, deficient in BNF). HM053 exhibited the highest rate of nitrogenase activity with the greatest light dependency comparing iterations in light and dark environments. The ipdC mutant showed similar behavior with relatively lower nitrogenase activity observed, while FP10 did not show a light dependency. Auxin biosynthesis showed strong light dependencies in HM053 and FP10 strains, but not for ipdC. Iron is involved in the BNF biological process, and light dependency was observed for microbial 59Fe2+ uptake in HM053 and ipdC, but not FP10. Surprisingly, a light dependency for 52Mn2+ uptake was only observed in ipdC. Finally, ATP biosynthesis was sensitive to light across all three mutants favoring blue light over red light compared to darkness with observed ATP levels in descending order for HM053 > ipdC > FP10.

Soil salinity is a limiting factor in crop productivity. Inoculating crops with microorganisms adapted to salt stress is an alternative to increasing plant salinity tolerance. Few studies have simultaneously propagated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate fungi (DSF) using different sources of native inoculum from halophyte plants, and evaluated their effectiveness. This study selected, in alfalfa plants as trap culture, the infectivity of 38 microbial consortia native from rhizospheric soil (19) or roots (19) coming from six halophyte plants, as well as their effectiveness in mitigating salinity stress. Inoculation with soil resulted in 26%-56% colonization by AMF and 12%-32% by DSF. Root inoculation produced 10%-56% and 8%-24% of colonization, respectively. There was no difference in the number of spores of AMF produced with both inoculum types. The effective consortia were selected based on low Na but high P and K shoot concentrations which is relevant for plant nutrition but more for salt stress mitigation. The microbial consortia selection is presented in a more novel and applicable context, which would allow for the production of native microbial inoculants adapted to salinity to diminish the harmful effects of salinity stress in glycophyte plants in the context of sustainable agriculture.

The ability of some bacteria to perform Extracellular Electron Transfer (EET) has been explored in bioelectrochemical systems (BES) to obtain energy or chemicals from pure substances or residual substrates. Here, a new pyoverdine-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain was isolated from a MFC biofilm oxidizing glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production. Strain EL14 was investigated to assess its electrogenic ability and products. In an open circuit system (fermentation system) EL14 was able to consume glycerol and produce 1,3-propanediol, an unusual product from glycerol oxidation in P. aeruginosa. The microbial fuel cell (MFC), EL14 reached a current density of 82.4 mA m-2, during the first feeding cycle, then drops sharply as the biofilm falls off. Cyclic voltammetry suggests electron transfer to the anode occurrs indirectly, i.e., through a redox substance, with redox peaks at 0.22 and -0.45 V (vs Ag/AgCl) and directly probably by membrane redox-proteins with redox peak at 0.05 V (vs Ag/AgCl). EL14 produced added-value bioproducts, acetic and butyric acids, as well as 1,3 propanediol, in both fermentative and anodic conditions. However, the yield of 1,3-PDO from glycerol was enhanced from 0.57 to 0.89 (mol of 1,3-PDO mol-1 of glycerol) under MFC conditions compared with the fermentation. This result was unexpected since successful 1,3-PDO production is not usually associated with the P. aeruginosa glycerol metabolism. By comparing EL14 genomic sequences related to the 1,3-PDO biosynthesis with reference P. aeruginosa strains, we observed that strain EL14 has three copies of dhaT gene (1,3-propanediol dehydrogenase a different arrangement compared to other Pseudomonas isolates). Thus, this work functionally characterizes a bacterium never before associated to 1,3-PDO biosynthesis, indicating its potential for converting a by-product of the biodiesel industry into an emerging chemical product.

There is significant lack of information on the presence of plant pathogens in aquifer, increasingly used for irrigation during last decades and considered mostly free of them. In this work, we report the presence of bacteria from the Pseudomonas syringae complex (referred as PsyC) including phytopathogenic bacteria, in groundwater of Avignon, France. Their concentration was variable and inversely correlated with water electrical conductivity. Their mean abundance were hundred times lower than in the river Durance, connected with the aquifer but surprisingly, their genetic structure were more homogeneous. Moreover, most strains (97 %) from groundwater were tested as potentially pathogenic on plants, when in the river they were only 71 %. Determinants of this low diversity and high aggressiveness remain to be identified. We conclude that aquifers must be considered potential plant pathogenic reservoirs even if more surveys are needed to understand the real impact on crops during irrigation. These results could be included in prediction models and new approaches to disease forecasting and surveillance and could lead to adaptation of agricultural practices.

Woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) is an underutilized plant species, appreciated by consumers for its qualitative features. Utilizing technical means of production, such as plant biostimulants, that can increase crop productivity and quality could be highly important in woodland strawberry cultivation. The scope of the present study was to appraise the influence of two biostimulants (Trichoderma atroviride and plant protein hydrolysate) - used either alone or combined - on plant performance and economic profitability of two woodland strawberry genotypes (‘Alpine’ and ‘Regina delle Valli’). Overall, data showed that ‘Alpine’ had the highest productive performances, whereas ‘Regina delle Valli’ revealed the highest fruit qualitative traits. T. atroviride inoculation and V-PH application significantly boosted plant marketable yield (+20.5% for T. atroviride and +12.9% for V-PH), total sugars (+1.9% for Trichoderma and +1.4% for V-PH) and anthocyanins (+14.1% for T. atroviride and +9.8% for V-PH) compared to non-treated plants. Plants supplied with both biostimulants had higher marketable yield (+34.8%), mean fruit weight (+6.0%), fruit dry matter (+13.8%), total sugars (+3.5%), ascorbic acid (+12.7%), flavonoid (+26.3%) and anthocyanins (+29.9%) compared to non-treated plants. Furthermore, our study revealed that the highest fruit polyphenols concentration was recorded in both genotypes treated with the combination of biostimulants and in ‘Regina delle Valli’ sprayed with V-PH, whereas the highest antioxidant activity was found in ‘Regina delle Valli’ fruit when plants were supplied with both biostimulants. Our study pointed out that the application of microbial and non-microbial biostimulants, especially in combination, might be an useful strategy for improving performances of underutilized species and, therefore, encourage its cultivation, valorisation and economic profitability (+10195.3 €/ha when plants were exposed to both biostimulants).

Rhizobia are biological nitrogen fixing non-pathogenic micro-organisms that make inert nitrogen available to legumes establishing symbiosis and living within their nodules and promoting their growth. Livestock farmers use antibiotics without prescriptions to prevent losses, death and economic wastes, resulting in indiscriminate release of excess, un-utilized antibiotics into the environment causing detrimental effects to soil microbes particularly rhizobia.This study evaluates the susceptibility pattern of selected rhizobia strains. The intrinsic antibiotic resistance (IAR) ability of common rhizobia strains including FA3, B574, RS15, USDA136, USDA9032, R25B, 532C, CC511, RANI22, RAUG1 were investigated. The antibiotics used included Ceftazamine , Florfenicol , Cefpodoxime, Sulphamethoxazole, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamycin , Kanamycin, Ertapenem, Tetracycline , Meropenem and Carbapenem. Results showed different resistance patterns among isolates where high resistance was shown against Carbapenem and least resistance was shown against Ciprofloxacin (40mm), Tetracycline (33mm), kanamycin (45mm) and Gentamycin (50mm). Rani 22 showed most resistant. Most strains showed no resistance to these antibiotics, but it is significant to note that those with resistance can be used for the recovery of antibiotics contaminated sites and may provide potential solutions for futuristic problems associated with AMR.This study suggests that using a consortium of symbiotic rhizobia strains is a strategy to achieve optimal yields in antibiotic contaminated fields as the strains showed differences in their susceptibility pattern. Also, the antibiotics produced or contained active compounds and substances that are detrimental for the growth of rhizobia and may therefore be a hindrance to these plant growth promoting bacteria when they are applied to aid plant growth used during agricultural practises.

Plants significantly shape root-associated microbiota, making rhizosphere microbes useful environmental indicator organisms for safety assessment. Here, we report the pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA in rhizosphere soil samples collected from transgenic cry1Ab/cry1Ac Bt rice Huahui No. 1 (GM crop) and its parental counterpart, Minghui63. We identified a total of 2,579 quantifiable bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Many treatment-enriched microbial OTUs were identified, including 14 NonGM-enriched OTUs and 10 GM-enriched OTUs. The rhizosphere microbiota communities were influenced more strongly by growth in the field than by rice varieties. Furthermore, Huahui No. 1 transgenic Bt rice had a greater impact on the rhizosphere bacterial communities than Minghui63. Early developmental stages of the transgenic Bt rice had a significant impact on many Bacillaceae communities. While soil chemical properties were not significantly altered by the presence of transgenic Bt rice, we found peak expression level of Bt proteins during the seedling stage, which may be an intriguing factor for bacterial diversity variations. Based on these findings, we conclude that transgenic Bt rice has a significant impact on root-associated bacteria. This information may be leveraged in future environmental safety assessments of transgenic Bt rice varieties.

Microplastics pollution in sugarcane areas of China is severe, and reducing their ecological risks is critical. This study aims to explore the effects and mechanisms of microplastics combined with or without biochar on sugarcane growth, soil biochemical properties in red soil by a potted experiment. The results showed that compared with control (CK), microplastic alone treatments reduced the dry biomass of sugarcane, soil pH and the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents, obviously decreased the observed_OTUs, Chao1 and Shannon indices of soil total bacteria (16S rRNA gene-based bacteria) while increasing them in phoD-harbouring bacteria. Interestingly, microplastics combined with biochar could alleviate the negative effects of microplastic accumulation on sugarcane growth and soil quality. There were significant differences in the bacterial community compositions among different treatments. Compared with CK, all other treatments significantly decreased the relative abundance of Gemmatimonadota while only microplastic combined with biochar treatments significantly increased the abundance of Subgroup_10 for the 16S rRNA gene, and only microplastic alone treatments significantly increased the relative abundance of Streptomyces for the phoD gene. Moreover, the treatments with microplastics combined with biochar increased the relative abundance of Subgroup_10 and Bradyrhizobium while decreased the IMCC26256 and Streptomyces compared with that in the treatment with microplastics alone. Correlation analysis showed that Subgroup_10 and Bradyrhizobium were significantly positively correlated with sugarcane biomass and several soil properties, while IMCC26256 and Streptomyces were just the opposite. Additionally, different treatments also changed the abundance of potential microbial functional genes. Compared to CK, other treatments increased the abundance of aerobic_ammonia_oxidation, denitrification while decreased the abundance of nitrate_respiration, nitrogen_respiration; meanwhile, these four functional genes involved in N cycling processes were obviously higher in treatments with microplastics combined with biochar than in treatments with microplastic alone. In conclusion, microplastics combined with biochar could alleviate the negative effects of microplastic accumulation on sugarcane growth by improve soil nutrients and microbial community structure and function.

In this communication, we present an innovative approach leveraging advanced Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, specifically the Non-Negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) method, to analyze downward and upward light spectra collected by Hyperspectral Ocean Color Radiometer (HyperOCR, HOCR) sensors in the water column. Our work focuses on the development of a robust and efficient tool for unraveling the structure and activities of natural microbial assemblages in the ocean. By applying the NMF method to HyperOCR data, we successfully extracted five spectral signatures, representing unique patterns in the data. These signatures were instrumental in predicting the abundances of various microbial components, including bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, and picoeukaryotes, showcasing the potential of ML and AI in advancing oceanographic studies. To validate the methods, the study area included a shallow coastal area under the influence of freshwater inflow and an open offshore area with a depth of 100 m. The study sites in coastal and offshore waters (Kaštela Bay and Stončica Vis, respectively) had significantly different hydrographic and microbiological characteristics. Kaštela Bay had lower temperatures and salinity than the site on Vis. We have proved by application of different AI and ML methods with specific HOCR sensors prediction of the structure of the microbial community.

NDBs were fabricated from gum arabic (GA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in different ratios using novel techniques (casting, dehydration, and peeling). The GA/PVA blends were cast with a novel vibration-free horizontal flow (VFHF) technique, producing membranes free of air bubble defects with a homogenous texture, smooth surface, and constant thickness. The casting process was achieved on a self-electrostatic template (SET) made of poly-(methyl methacrylate), which made peeling the final product membranes easy due to its non-stick behavior. After settling of the cast membranous blind, sheets were dried using nanometric dehydration under a mild vacuum stream using a novel stratified nanodehydrator (SND) loaded with P2O5. After drying the TBM, the dry, smooth membranes were peeled easily without scratching defects. The physicochemical properties of the NDBs were investigated using FTIR, XRD, TGA, DTA, and AFM to ensure that the novel techniques did not distort the product quality. The NDBs retained their virgin characteristics, namely, their chemical functional groups (FTIR results), crystallinity index (XRD data), thermal stability (TGA and DTA), and ultrastructural features (surface roughness and permeability), as well as their microbial biodegradation ability. Comparing the two TBM’ s precursors, PVA had a higher crystallinity index (CI), more mass loss at higher temperatures, greater thermal stability due to higher heat resistance, and a higher clearance of surface roughness due to its large particle size (PS), as well as its higher permeability parameters, namely pore diameter (PD) and void volume (VV), than those for GA. Accordingly, increasing the PVA allocation in the bioplastic blends can enhance their properties except for mass loss, whereby increasing the GA allocation in the TBM blend reduces its mass loss at an elevated temperature. In addition, there is no statistical difference between the NDBs and ordinary air-dried NDBs in PS, PD, and VV, indicating that the novel procedures used did not distort their parent properties examined, as well as their ability for biodegradation. In comparison to control samples, the separated bacteria and fungus destroyed the NDBs. Pseudomonas spp. and Bacillus spp. were the two main strains of isolated bacteria, and Rhizobus spp. was the main fungus. The nanodehydration method gave the best solution for the prompt drying of water-based biopolymers free of manufacturing defects, with simple and easily acquired machinery required for the casting and peeling tasks, in addition to its wonderful biodegradation behavior when buried in wetted soil.

Environmental pollution is becoming ubiquitous; it has a negative impact on the ecosystem diversity and worsens the quality of human life. This review discusses the possibility of applying the Plant Microbial Fuel Cells (PMFC) technology for concurrent processes of electricity generation, purification of water and soil ecosystems from organic pollutants, in particular, from synthetic surfactants and heavy metals. The review describes the PMFC functioning mechanisms and highlights the issues of the PMFC environmental application. Generally, this work summarizes different approaches to the PMFC development and to the potential usage of such hybrid bioelectrochemical systems for the environmental protection.

Marine yeasts have versatile applications in industrial, medical and environmental fields, but have received little attention compared to terrestrial yeasts and filamentous fungi. In this study, a phylogenetic analysis of 11 marine-derived yeasts was conducted using internal transcribed spacers and nuclear large subunit rDNA, and their bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and tyrosinase inhibition activities, were investigated. The 11 marine-derived yeasts were identified to belong to seven species including Geotrichum candidum, Metschnikowia bicuspidata, Papiliotrema fonsecae, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Vishniacozyma carnescens, Yamadazyma olivae, and Yarrowia lipolytica, and three strains of these were candidates for new species of the genera Aureobasidium, Rhodotorula, and Vishniacozyma. Most extracts showed antioxidant activity, whereas seven strains exhibited antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis. Only Aureobasidium sp. US-Sd3 among the 11 isolates showed tyrosinase inhibition. Metschnikowia bicuspidata BP-Up1 and Yamadazyma olivae K2-6 showed notable radical-scavenging activity, which has not been reported previously. Among the isolates, Aureobasidium sp. US-Sd3 exhibited the highest antibacterial and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of marine-derived yeasts as a source of bioactive compounds for improving industrial applications.

Washing machines are one of the tools that bring great convenience to people's daily lives. However, washing machines that have been used for a long time often develop issues such as odor and mold, which can pose health hazards to consumers. There exists a conspicuous gap in our understanding of the microorganisms that inhabit the inner workings of washing machines. In this study, samples were collected from 22 washing machines in Shanghai, China, including both water eluted from different parts of washing machines and biofilms. Quantitative qualitative analysis was performed using fluorescence PCR quantification and microbial communities were characterized by high throughput sequencing (HTS). It showed that the microbial communities in all samples were predominantly composed of bacteria, and they have a strong adhesion ability in the washing machine environment. HTS results showed that in the eluted water samples, the bacteria mainly included Pseudomonas, Enhydrobacter, Brevibacterium and Acinetobacter. On the contrary, in biofilm samples, Enhydrobacter and Brevibacterium were the predominant bacterial microorganisms. Correlation analysis results revealed that microbial colonies in washing machines were significantly correlated with years of use and the type of detergent used to clean the washing machine. As numerous pathogenic microorganisms can be observed in the results, effective preventive measures and future research are essential to mitigate these health problems and ensure the continued safe use of these household appliances.

Quorum sensing (QS), a well-established phenomenon in microorganisms, involves the communication between cells through chemical signals, which is dependent on cell density. Extensive research has been conducted on this microbial ability, encompassing the early stages of understanding QS to the latest advancements in the identification and characterization of its mechanisms. This minireview comprehensively examines the role of QS in various aspects, including biofilm formation, virulence in pathogenic bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori and Pseudomonas sp., as well as its influence on biogeochemical cycling in deep-sea environments. Furthermore, future progress in the field will be achieved by combining state-of-the-art methods for observing QS in the deep sea with a deeper understanding of the underlying processes, which will facilitate the engineering of microorganisms for improved degradation of persistent environmental pollutants and other biotechnological applications.

This experiment aimed to investigate the impact of malic acid (MA) and citric acid (CA) on the nutritional composition, fermentation quality, rumen degradation rate, and microbial diversity of a mixture of apple pomace and corn protein powder during ensiling. The experiment used apple pomace and corn protein powder as raw materials, with four groups: control group (CON), malic acid treatment group (MA, 10g/kg), citric acid treatment group (CA, 10g/kg), and citric acid + malic acid treatment group (MA, 10g/kg + CA, 10g/kg), subjected to mixed ensiling for 60 days. The results indicated: (1) Compared to the CON group, the crude protein content significantly increased in the MA, CA, and MA+CA groups (p < 0.05), with the highest content observed in the MA+CA group. The addition of MA and CA effectively reduced the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content (p < 0.05). Simultaneously, the CA group showed a decreasing trend in NDFom and hemicellulose content (p = 0.08; p = 0.09). (2) Compared to the CON group, the pH significantly decreased in the MA, CA, and MA+CA groups (p < 0.01), and the three treatment groups exhibited a significant increase in lactic acid and acetic acid content (p < 0.01). The quantity of lactic acid bacteria increased significantly (p < 0.01), with the MA+CA group showing a more significant increase than the MA and CA groups (p < 0.05). (3) Compared to the CON group, the in situ dry matter disappearance (ISDMD) significantly increased in the MA, CA, and MA+CA groups (p < 0.05). All three treatment groups showed highly significant differences in in situ crude protein disappearance (ISCPD) compared to the CON group (p < 0.01). (4) Good's Coverage for all experimental groups was greater than 0.99, meeting the conditions for subsequent sequencing. Compared to the CON group, the Shannon index significantly increased in the CA group (P < 0.01), and the Simpson index increased significantly in the MA group (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the Chao index among the three treatment groups and the CON group (p > 0.05). At the genus level, the abundance of Lentilactobacillus in the MA, CA, and MA+CA groups was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05). PICRUSt prediction results indicated that the metabolic functional microbial groups in the CA and MA treatment groups were significantly higher than in the CON group (p < 0.05), suggesting that the addition of MA or CA could reduce the loss of nutritional components such as protein and carbohydrates in mixed ensilage. In conclusion, the addition of malic acid and citric acid to a mixture of apple pomace and corn protein powder during ensiling reduces nutritional losses, improves fermentation quality and rumen degradation rate, enhances the diversity of the microbial community in ensiled feed, and improves microbial structure. The combined addition of malic acid and citric acid demonstrates a superior effect.

A large number of microplastics (MPs) have been found in various stages of wastewater treatment plants, which may affect the functional microbial activity in activated sludge and lead to unstable pollutant removal performance. In this study, the effects of different concentrations of polylactic acid microplastics (PLA MPs) on system performance, nitrification and phosphorus (P) removal activities, and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were evaluated. The results showed that under the same influent conditions, low concentrations (50 particles/(g TS)) of PLA MPs had no significant effect on effluent quality. The average removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand, phosphate and ammonia were all above 80%, and the average removal efficiencies of total nitrogen remained above 70%. High concentrations (200 particles/(g TS)) of PLA MPs inhibited the activities of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) and nitrifying bacteria. The specific anaerobic P release rate decreased from 37.7 to 23.1 mg P/(g VSS·h), and the specific aerobic P uptake rate also decreased significantly. The specific ammonia oxidation rate decreased from 0.67 to 0.34 mg N/(g VSS·h), while the change in specific nitrite oxidation rate was not significant. The dosing of PLA MPs decreased the total EPS and humic acid content. As the concentration of PLA MPs increased, microbial community diversity increased. The relative abundance of potential PAOs (i.e., Acinetobacter) increased from 0.08% to 12.57%, while the relative abundance of glycogen accumulating organisms (i.e., Competibacter and Defluviicoccus) showed no significant changes, which would lead to improved P removal performance. The relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria (i.e., Pseudomonas) decreased from 95.43% to 58.98%, potentially contributing to the decline in denitrification performance.

: Sulfate presence is of great importance for anaerobic digestion as its addition can control the anaerobic microbial community. In this study, the effect of sulfuric acid addition on the perfor-mance of an UASB reactor fed with hydrolyzed starch was investigated. TOC, Fe and SO4-2 re-moval as well as the methane production were monitored under various COD/ SO4-2 ratios, HRTs and OLRs. When HRT was 16 hours and OLR equal to 2 g COD/LUASB-d the methane production was 0.24 L CH4/LUASB-day. After the sulfuric acid addition, TOC removal reached 95%. At HRT, OLR, and COD/ SO4-2 ratio equal to 16 hours, 2 g COD/ LUASB-d and 3.72 respectively, the methane production was 0.267 L CH4/LUASB-d. When the OLR was increased to 5.94 g COD/LUASB-d and COD/SO4-2 ratio was equal to 12.5, the methane production was 3 times higher (0.84 L CH4/LUASB-d) with a methane content in the produced biogas greater than 70%. 16s rRNA gene analysis demonstrated that after the sulfate addition, SRB were enriched and methane was mainly produced by Methanosaeta sp. This study indicates that appropriate sulfate concentrations in the feed in combination with the presence of iron in the UASB reactor lead to enhanced me-thane yields.

Saline soil from the coast is a valuable resource that is readily available. It is also a valuable resource for reserving arable land. It has been demonstrated that adding organic fertilizers to salinized soils can effectively enhance them. However, since the improvement of saline soils cannot be achieved by a single measure, the effects of compound measures of organic fertilizers combined with mineral elements, humic acid, are significant and might be examined in depth. In order to explore the effects of various measures on the features of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and nutrient changes in coastal salinized soils in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, a ryegrass-alfalfa rotation with organic fertilizer as well as compound measures was designed. The findings indicated that the total nitrogen (TN) content of the soil increased and that all organic fertilizer composites decreased the electrical conductivity of the surface soil. However, the organic fertilizer with microbial fertilizer and humic acid was especially effective at regulating the pH and electrical conductivity of the surface soil during the time when salts were prone to accumulating. In conclusion, our findings point to new approaches to lowering salinity and boosting fertility in coastal saline soils: organic fertilizer with microbial fertilizers and humic acid, as well as organic fertilizer with Attapulgite clay.

Metagenomics have opened our eyes to the otherwise enigmatic microbial consortia that relies on different human body niches that impact on disease pathogenesis. This work originally aims to re-analyse a public shotgun metagenomics dataset to glean insights on the microbial species that may partake in stomach cancer pathogenesis. However, a random selection of sequenced reads reveals poor percent identities (79 to 94%) of the microbial identification obtained in a BLAST search. This surprising result suggests possible stomach acid induced degradation or modification of the sequenced read that reduced the effectiveness of the metagenomics approach in microbial identification. Further analysis of the dataset highlights that poor percent identities did not arise due to highly fragmented nature of the genetic material where there is a good abundance of sequenced reads in the 100 to 1300 base pair category. More intriguingly, attempts to obtain a correlation between percent identity and read length did not reveal a correlation which meant that stomach acid did not modify all types of nucleotides. More likely, stomach acid only modified low abundance nucleotide in this case, which point to the probability of identifying a microbe in the modified gene fragment in totally unpredictable ways. Overall, data reported in this work suggests caution in the interpretation of results of shotgun metagenomics studies of stomach cancer microbiota where stomach acid likely degraded the genetic material of microbes that may result in mis-identification.

Abstract: Agriculture uses plastic products for containers, packaging, tunnels, drip irrigation tub-ing, mulches. Large amounts of plastics are used as mulches on the soil surface for vegetable pro-duction (tomato, cucumber, watermelon, strawberry, vine) to reduce the weed competition, in-crease water and fertilizer use efficiency and enhance crop yield. Portugal uses around 4,500 t/year of polyethylene plastic to cover approximately 23,000 ha of agricultural land and only a small amount is recovered for recycling or secondary uses because of dirt with soil, vegetation, pesticide and fertilizers. Cleaning and decontaminating polyethylene mulch are costly and commercial technology is often not accessible nor economically viable in the current economic Portuguese situation. Most plastic mulch is composed of polyethylene that degrades slowly and produces a large quantity of residues in soil with negative impact in the environment. In the present study, the effects of long-term cultivation of blueberry using green 100% high density polyethylene mulch, in the south Portugal were evaluated for soil chemical and biological changes. High density green plastic mulch did not contaminate the topsoil with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and heavy metals, buttotal nitrogen and organic carbon concentrations, electric conductivity and microbial activity were reduced in the planting row compared with bare soil, without mulching. Further-more, the presence of plastic mulch did not affect negatively the presence of nematodes, and the Rhabditida (bacterial feeders) increased in the planting and covered row.

Field studies were conducted in 2016, 2017, and 2020 in south-central and the Coastal Bend regions of Texas to determine the effects of various biostimulants and soil additives on corn growth and yield. In south-central Texas, the use of pop-up fertilizer (9-30-0 + Zn) either alone or in combination with either 2% N, bifenthrin, or bifenthrin + pyraclostrobin resulted in the greatest corn vigor but a yield response was only noted with pop-up fertilizer alone at 28062 or 46771 ml ha-1 in one year. In the Coastal Bend region, leaf tissue analysis showed that only Fe was affected with the use of any soil additive. Bacillus licheniformis + bacillus megaterium + bacillus pumilus increased Fe leaf tissue content by 20% over the untreated check. Radicoat seed coating at 438 ml ha-1 reduced corn plant stand by 10% and Pseudomonas brassicaceanum reduced corn height when compared with the untreated check; however, no differences in test weight or yield from the untreated check were noted with any soil additive. Little if any impacts of the use of biostimulants or soil amendments were seen in these studies.

This work demonstrates that microbial fuel cells (MFCs), optimized for energy recovery, can be used as an effective tool to detect the presence of antibiotics in water-based environments. MFCs directly convert chemical energy of organic matter in electrical energy thanks to electroactive biofilms. The efficiency of the conversion process can be significantly affected by the presence of contaminants acting as toxicants for the biofilm. In the present work, we demonstrate that MFCs can successfully detect the presence of antibiotic residues in water and water-based electrolytes associated to the food industry, especially using honey as a new and more complex electron donor. The effectiveness of MFCs to sense antibiotics is here demonstrated for tetracycline that was added to both water and water/honey electrolytes with a minimum concentration close to 3.5 μg⁄kg. MFCs not only efficiently detect the presence of tetracycline in both the electrolytes, but also recover the same performance after each cycle of exposure, showing to a be very robust and reliable technology for both biosensing and energy recovery.

Events of groundwater recharge are associated with changes in the composition of aquifer microbial communities but also abiotic conditions. Modification in the structure of the community can be the result of different environmental condition favoring or hindering certain taxa or due to the introduction of surface-derived taxa. Yet, in both cases, the local hydrogeochemical settings of the aquifer is likely to affect the amount of variation observed. Therefore, in our study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to assess how microbial communities change in response to snowmelt and the potential connectivity between subsurface and surface microbiome in two distinct aquifers located in the region of Vaudreuil-Soulange (Québec, Canada). At both sites, we observed an increase in groundwater level and decrease in temperature following the onset of snow melt in March 2019. Bacterial community composition of each aquifer was significantly different (p &lt; 0.05) between samples collected prior and after groundwater recharge. Furthermore, microbial source tracking results suggested low contribution of surface environments to groundwater microbiome except for months associated with recharge (March 2019 and April 2019). Overall, despite differences in soil permeability between both sites, the period of snow melt was followed by important changes in the composition of microbial communities from aquifers.

Declining agricultural productivity caused by soil salinization are becoming global dilemmas in recent years. Biofertilizers show great potential as a sustainable and environmentally friendly fertilization strategy for soil improvement, but their effectiveness for saline soil amendment and improving plant growth under saline stress is not well understood. Assess the effectiveness of biofertilizers in improving saline soils and enhancing crop growth under saline stress, as well as investigate its related potential mechanisms. Changes in soil physico-chemical properties, plant physiological parameters and soil microbial communities were analyzed through pot experiments. The results showed that the application of biofertilizer reduced total soluble salts (TSS) in soil by 30.8% and increased the Brassica rapa L. biomass by 8.4 times. Biofertilizer application increased soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN) and available phosphorus (AP). Biofertilizer applications also increased the SOD, CAT, chl.a, chl.b, total soluble sugars, and Proline content. Biofertilizers present plant growth promotion and potential pathogenic fungi reduction by increasing the abundance of Bacillus and Planococcus and decreasing the abundance of Mortierella and Aspergillus. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated the excellent efficacy of biofertilizers in improving saline soils, and the application of biofertilizer strategies will greatly promote agricultural production.

This study deals with the computational analysis of the kinetic processes of a microbial electrolysis cell assisted-anaerobic digestion (MEC-AD) treating raw-waste activated sludge (WAS), comparatively with a conventional AD, as well as the effect of the Organic Loading Rate (OLR) on the system’s performance. The aim was to derive a single kinetic and mathematical model for the study of the MEC-AD, using the ADM1 framework, which can be utilized to extract the effect of an applied potential on the kinetics of AD. The experimental data were obtained from the long-term, continuous operation of two identical reactors (an AD and a MEC-AD), which were operated at different OLRs (1.1, 1.7 and 2.9 gCOD/(L*d)). The results showed that the MEC-AD yielded improved biomass yields, substrate consumption kinetics and 1st order disintegration kinetics, with a predominant contribution to disintegration of complex particulates, comparatively with the AD. Moreover, it enabled operation at higher OLRs (achieving the highest divergence from the AD at the OLR of 4.14 gCOD/(L*d)), therefore accelerating sludge treatment, as well as an improved performance at an increased solids retention time (SRT). These findings can serve as a quantitative guide for the effects of the operating parameters on the raw-WAS-fed MEC-AD performance.

Conjugative transposons in Gram-negative bacteria have a significant role in the dissemination of antibiotic-resistance-conferring genes between bacteria. This study aims to genomically characterize plasmids and conjugative transposons carrying integrons in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Genetic composition of conjugative transposons and phenotypic assessment of 50 multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates from Tertiary-care Hospital (SQUH), Muscat, Oman was investigated. Horizontal transferability was investigated by filter- mating conjugation experiments. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed to determine the sequence type (ST), acquired resistome and plasmidome of integron-carrying strains. Class 1 integron was detected in 96% of isolates and among integron-positive isolates, 18 stains contained variable regions. Horizontal transferability by conjugation confirmed the successful transfer of integrons between cells and WGS confirmed their presence in conjugative plasmids. Dihydrofolate reductase (dfrA14) was the most prevalent (34.8%) gene cassettes in class 1 integrons. MLST analysis detected predominantly ST-231 and ST-395. BlaOXA-232 and blaCTX-M-15 were the most frequently detected carbapenems and beta-lactamases in sequenced isolates. This study highlighted the high transmissibility of MDR-conferring conjugative plasmids in clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae. Therefore, the wise use of antibiotics and the adherence to effective infection control measures are necessary to limit further dissemination of multidrug-resistant organisms.

Zinc is an important nutrient for plant growth and development. Its availability is influenced by zinc solubilizing microbes (ZSM). Effects of commonly promoted agronomic practices on the abundance of ZSM are so far not well understood. In this study, we assessed the effects of farmyard manure (FYM) application, either sole, or in combination with residue and/or inorganic fertilizer inputs on ZSM community structure using 11 treatments in a long-term (17 years) integrated soil fertility management experiment located in western Kenya, The study was conducted in 2019. Bacterial and fungal community composition (at 0-15 cm depth) was evaluated by amplicon sequencing on an Illumina Miseq platform following the manufacturer’s guidelines. Microbial diversity indices (Shannon, Simpson and Chao1) and statistical analyses were computed using R project packages. Putative ZSM (i.e., the ZSM generally considered to possess the zinc solubilizing capabilities) were clustered in two major clades based on either application or no application of FYM. Sole application of FYM significantly (P<0.05) increased the abundance of several ZSM under maize-tephrosia rotation. In addition, systems with combined application of FYM with other inputs generally showed significantly increasing trends for some ZSM under maize-tephrosia rotation. Moreover, combined application of FYM and P rather than P only significantly increased abundance of some ZSM under maize-monocropping systems. Furthermore, besides affecting ZSM abundance, soil chemical variables involving soil organic carbon (SOC), total N and Olsen P significantly increased with FYM application. This study indicated that management practices like application of FYM that increase SOC, and other soil chemical parameters, also/concomitantly increase ZSM abundance; implying enhanced capacities for microbial-linked zinc availability.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an essential legume crop providing healthy and nutritious food for people in low- to middle-income countries, worldwide. Lentil roots support symbiotic interactions with soil rhizobia species fostering nitrogen fixation; however, assemblage and diversity of the complete microbial rhizosphere community and the effect of seed genotype and origin remains largely unexplored. In this study we examined with metagenomic analysis, the effects of seed origin on the rhizosphere’s communities in samples of the famous Greek lentil landrace Eglouvis derived from different local farmers and farming systems including a Gene Bank sample, in comparison to a commercial variety. The landrace exhibited higher rhizosphere microbiome diversity compared to the commercial variety for all indexes. A core microbiome comprised of 158 taxa was present in all samples, while higher number of unique bacterial taxa was recorded in the landrace samples compared to the commercial cultivar. Noteworthy, landrace samples originated from organic farming had more than double unique taxa compared to conventional counterparts. The study revealed higher diversity of N2 fixers and archaea, Crenarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota, in landrace samples and particularly in those derived from organic farming, underpinning the distinct recruiting efficiency of beneficial soil microbes by the landrace.

Soil, geochemical, microbiological and archaeological studies were conducted at eight settlements dating from the Paleolithic to Late Medieval and New Times near the Southern Trans-Urals mountains, Russia. The forest-steppe landscapes, rivers and abundance of mineral resources have attracted people to region since ancient times. Properties of cultural layer (CLs): close to neutral pH, well structured, absence of salinity, enrichment with exchangeable calcium and anthropogenic phosphorus (0.2–0.4%). The majority of CLs start from 3–25 cm and last up to 40–60 cm and contain 6–10% organic carbon (Corg), in a layer of 0–20 cm because modern processes are developing here, at Ishkulovo site (around 14th century) Corg decreases to 1.3%, because CL is below 80 cm and in the absence of fresh organic material it is mineralized. The content of microbial biomass of the 0–10 cm layer is 520–680 μg С/g of soil, microbes cause the emission of 0.2–1.0 μg C–CO2/g soil per h. The proximity of the studied sites to deposits of copper, chromium, zinc, manganese and Magnitogorsk Metallurgical and Uchaly processing plants creates geochemical anomalies of soils. Pollutants are also released into the CLs from bronze products, ore, ceramic fragments and raw materials from their manufacture. It leads to the concentration of pollutants of the 1st (arsenic, lead, zinc) and 2nd (cobalt, copper, nickel, chromium) hazard classes in the studied CLs, often in quantities higher than the clarke and less often – more than the allowable content for human health.

We investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of Wolbachia pipientis strains in Aedes albopictus populations in Greece. Using a combination of PCR and Sanger sequencing techniques, we genotyped Wolbachia strains in 105 mosquitoes collected across eight different prefectures in 2021. We found a high prevalence of Wolbachia in both male (90%) and female (97%) mosquitoes. Among the infected samples, 84% had double infections with both wAlbA and wAlbB strains, while 16% had infections with only wAlbB. Our comparison of the Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) profile, employing gatB-coxA-hcpA-ftsZ-fbpA genotyping, revealed a single MLST profile for each wAlbA and wAlbB strain in Greek populations. The same MLST profiles were also reported in populations from China, Russia, and Argentina, suggesting low levels of global diversity in wAlbA and wAlbB strains. Furthermore, our results indicated a significant association between temperature and the prevalence of single infections (P = 6.498E-07), with higher temperatures correlating with an increased likelihood of single infections. Although male-bias showed a tendency towards single infections, the effect was marginally non-significant (P = 0.053). These results were confirmed using a bootstrap-with-replacement analysis approach. Overall, our findings offer novel insights into the distribution and species diversity of Wolbachia strains in Greek Ae. albopictus populations, emphasizing the importance of understanding the short-term plastic and adaptive responses of these organisms to environmental stressors and rapid climate change.

Metabarcoding of prokaryotic and fungal ribosomal DNA was used to describe the microbial communities in soils of remnant equatorial rainforest, maize-bean intercrop, and sugarcane in western Kenya. Cropping systems influenced the microbial community composition and functional traits (energy source and nutrient cycling) of bulk soil in each crop. Microbial richness and diversity tended to increase with cultivation intensity. Soil of maize-bean intercrop had lower percentages and sugarcane had higher percentages of unique amplicon sequence variants of both bacteria and fungi compared to the remnant forest. Functional traits were altered by cultivation intensity. Compared to remnant forest soils, maize-bean intercrop soil had lower percentages of aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria and higher percentages of N-cycling bacteria, while sugarcane had higher percentages of aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria and lower percentages of N-cycling bacteria. In the face of increasing forest loss and pressures for agricultural productivity, this landscape provides a rich site for studying the impacts of cropping systems on soil health.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) is a kind of green environmental protection technology, which is widely used in sewage treatment. The traditional CWs is faced with the problem of low treatment effect of high concentration sewage. In recent years, biochar, as a new type of adsorption material, has been used in CWs because of its advantages of large specific surface area, strong adsorption capacity and wide material sources. This paper systematically summarized the characteristics of biochar and the preparation of biochar by studying the changes of microorganisms added to CWs, and compared the effects of different treatment methods coupled with biochar on the treatment performance of CWs, the effects of biochar coupled with CWs on enzyme activity, functional genes, metabolites and microbial communities were investigated. This review summarizes how different preparation methods affect the properties of biochar and how these biochar cause changes in the microorganisms added to CWs.

The adoption of sustainable forest management practices emerged as a contemporary imperative for forest biodiversity preservation, functional integrity, and mitigation of climate change. Within the spectrum of these practices, thinning is recognized as an environmentally sustainable strategy. The primary objective of thinning is the equitable redistribution of aboveground growth, diverting resources from younger trees to promote the accelerated development of more valuable specimens compared to unthinned forests. Thinning, while fostering aboveground changes, induces substantial alterations in soil chemical and biochemical properties. This review addresses the often-debated consequences of thinning on soil characteristics, focusing on the intricate interplay involving different thinning intensities and their impact on soil chemical and biochemical parameters. Specifically, the analysis delves into the modulation of organic carbon levels, microbial biomass, and enzymes crucial to the organic matter cycle. Two key aspects are scrutinized: firstly, the influence of thinning intensity and the temporal dimension post-thinning on soil properties; secondly, the comparative impact of thinning intensity versus the time elapsed from the thinning event on soil properties and associated biological processes. The findings underscore pivotal insights: a) temporal dynamics significantly affect soil organic matter across broadleaved (excluding beech), coniferous, and mixed forests, manifesting as early as 2-7 years post-thinning; b) thinning intensity, up to a threshold of 50%, enhances soil quality by augmenting organic carbon content, bolstering microbial communities, and amplifying associated enzyme activities. This review consolidates valuable information for forest managers, providing guidance to optimize natural processes in tandem with achieving specific management objectives. By illuminating the nuanced interactions between thinning practices and soil dynamics, this knowledge equips stakeholders to make informed decisions in the pursuit of sustainable forest management and ecological resilience.

Fungi are ubiquitous and metabolically versatile. Their dispersion has important scientific, environmental, health, and economic implications. They can be dispersed through the air by the aerosolization of near surfaces or transported from distant sources. Here, we tested the contribution of local (scale of meters) versus regional (kilometers) sources by analyzing airborne fungal community by ITS sequencing around a copper mine in the North of Chile. The mine was the regional source, whereas soil and vegetal detritus were the local sources at each point. The airborne community was highly homogeneous in ca. 2,000 km2, impeding the detection of regional or local contributions. Ascomycota was the dominant phylum in the three communities. Soil and vegetal detritus communities had lower alpha-diversity, but some taxa had abundance patterns related to the distance to the mine and altitude. On the contrary, the air was compositionally even and unrelated to environmental or spatial factors, except for altitude. The presence of plant pathogens in the air suggests that other distant sources contribute to this region's airborne fungal community and reinforces the complexity of tracking the sources of air microbial communities in a real world where several natural and human activities coexist.

This study aimed to optimize the bioelectricity production process using a vinasse solution through the application of Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken designs. An electrochemical cell was constructed using Arduino to measure the potential difference between the anode and cathode immersed in the vinasse solution, a byproduct of wine production containing organic compounds and ions that undergo redox reactions. The Plackett-Burman design identified the most influential variables among eight previously selected, including vinasse concentration, agitation, and yeast, which positively affected millivolt production, while temperature showed a negative correlation. Based on these results, the Box-Behnken design was used for process optimization, varying parameters such as concentration, stirring, and sodium chloride. Response surface graphs demonstrated the relationship between these variables and millivolt production. The findings indicate that higher agitation levels, lower concentrations of vinasse, and the addition of sodium chloride can enhance bioelectricity generation. The study provides insights into the bioelectricity production process from vinasse, contributing to the understanding and potential for sustainable energy generation. The methodology involving Arduino-based measurement and the utilization of experimental designs offers a systematic approach to optimize bioelectricity production from vinasse.

The expanding global population has increased the demand for sustainable protein sources, and microbial protein (MP) has emerged as a promising alternative. However, conventional carbon (glucose) and nitrogen (ammonia, urea) sources needed for MP production pose environmental and economic issues. This study aims to produce protein using lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) as a carbon source and the nitrogen fixation ability of Klebsiella oxytoca M5A1 as a nitrogen source. The study investigates the pretreatment of LCB (switchgrass), enzymatic hydrolysis, protein quantification, and high-performance liquid chromatography system (HPLC) analysis to track glucose utilization and organic acid production. K. oxytoca M5A1 harnessed free nitrogen from the atmosphere through nitrogen fixation and used abundant, cheap glucose from LCB to produce MP and organic acids as by-products. Protein production occurred in two phases: first within the initial 8 hours and secondly, within the last 16 hours. The highest protein concentration was at 40 hours, with approximately 68.3% protein content. HPLC analysis revealed a dynamic profile of glucose utilization and organic acids (Lactic acid, Propionic acid, Acetic acid, and Succinic acid). K. oxytoca M5A1 exhibited an early high rate of glucose consumption, and conversion to organic acids that were later used for second-phase protein production. The acids profile revealed intra-conversion from one acid to another via metabolic pathways (glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle). Overall, leveraging LCB and the nitrogen-fixing ability of K. oxytoca M5A1 for MP production offers an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to traditional protein sources, contributing to a sustainable circular economy.

Spent mushroom compost (SMC) substrates are commonly used as growth media for greenhouse crops and horticulture production. This study aimed to investigate the responses of physiochemical soil properties, enzyme activities, and microbial community compositions to different cultivation durations and SMC soil treatments on tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown in plastic greenhouses on the Loess Plateau, China. The experiment included treatments: Two control treatments of non-planting SMC substrates (Sub CK) and continuous mono-cropping soil (Soil CK), and SMC substrate and the surrounding soil after planting at 1, 3, and 7 years. The results revealed that the SMC substrates had higher contents of major nutrients (e.g., total N and total P) than the surrounding soil treatments. The physicochemical soil properties and soil enzyme activities of the SMC substrates were significantly decreased with longer cultivation duration. Microbial alpha-diversity was higher in the SMC substrates regardless of cultivation duration than the control treatment (soil CK and substrate CK). Interestingly, following several years of tomato cultivation, the compositions of bacterial communities had more similarities with fungal communities in both the SMC substrates and surrounding soils. It was observed that many beneficial microbes, such as bacteria of the Deinococcus-Thermus, Halanaerobiaeota, and Nitrospirae phyla, and the fungi of the Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota, and Chytridiomycota phyla were enriched in the SMC substrates. The pathogenic bacterial genus Sphingomonas and fungal genus Fusarium were abundant in the Soil CK treatment, while the potentially beneficial bacterial genera Saccharimonadales, Gaiella, Bacillus, and fungal genera Thermomyces, Kernia, and Mortierella were abundant in both the SMC substrate and surrounding soil. This study demonstrated that agro-based SMC substrates were a suitable growth media for a new grooved cultivation system.

As two commonly-used non-selective herbicides, glyphosate (GP) and diquat (DQ) are easily co-resided in lateritic paddy soil due to the rich iron/aluminum oxides, nevertheless there is limited information on their co-impact on microbial diversity and community structure in this type soil. In this study, the short-term effects of combined GP and DQ on soil microbial diversity and community structure shifts were investigated in lateritic paddy soil from a tropical agricultural region (Hainan, China) based on 16S rRNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that mixed herbicides promoted the abundance of Streptomyces in bacteria (0.45-1.84%) and Curvularia in fungi (0.01-5.85%), while GP and DQ had inhibitory effects on the abundance of Streptomyces (0.13-2.21%) and Curvularia (0.03-1.13%), which were significantly different with their single exposure (p < 0.05); the combined application of the two herbicides aggravate the adverse effect on the diversity of soil fungal community (p < 0.05), although their mixture did not have a greater impact on the soil bacteria abundance/diversity and fungi abundance (p > 0.05). Results suggested that the combined application of GP and DQ affected the fungal diversity although they did not cause other significant negative effects on soil microorganisms, hinting that more attention should be paid to the mixed effect caused by GP and DQ on specific fungal populations in lateritic paddy soil.

The subtropical forest soil plays a pivotal role in terrestrial carbon (C) cycling. Although global warming is expected to influence subtropical soil C cycling, a consensus on its impact on soil C dynamics remains elusive. Given the significant response of soil microbial respiration to temperature in subtropical soils, understanding its behavior under varying temperature regimes is critical for predicting soil organic C (SOC) responses to climate warming. We conducted a short-term laboratory soil warming incubation experiment, sampling both warmed and un-warmed soils from a subtropical plantation in southeastern China, incubating them at 20 °C, 30 °C, and 40 °C. Our aim was to study the SOC mineralization response to increasing temperatures. Our findings revealed that the temperature sensitivity (Q10) of SOC mineralization to short-term experimental warming varied between the warmed soil and the un-warmed soil. The Q10 of the un-warmed soil escalated with the temperature treatment (20-30 ℃: 1.31, 30-40℃: 1.63). Conversely, the Q10 of the warmed soil decreased (20-30 ℃:1.57, 30-40 ℃:1.41). Increasing temperature treatments enhanced hydrolytic enzyme activity but decreased soil substrate availability in both un-warmed and warmed soil. The Q10 of un-warmed soil was positively correlated with the response ratio of DOC. Additionally, soil microbial biomass exhibited a significant decline, leading to a reduced total amount of PLFAs and a decreased abundance of bacteria, fungi, and Gram-negative bacteria (GN). The changes in temperature also considerably altered the composition of the warmed soil microbial community. A drop in the microbial quotient coupled with a rise in the metabolic quotient indicated that warming amplified microbial respiration over microbial growth. The differential Q10 of SOC mineralization, in response to temperature across varying soil, can largely be attributed to shifts in soil nutrients, C-degrading enzyme activities, and microbial communities (the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs).

Histidine is an essential amino acid with significant implications in human growth and neuromodulation. Its concentration within cells, when either elevated or reduced, can indicate different diseases. While various methods exist to measure increased histidine levels, there remains a significant lack of sensors capable of actively responding to histidine deficiency within cells and releasing strong signals. In this study, we exploited the high induction levels of the his operon in S. Typhimurium SL1344, a histidine auxotroph, within a histidine-deficient environment, to develop a specific bacterial sensor with sensitivity towards low histidine concentrations. The SL1344-pGEX sensor, with a high copy number, exhibited remarkable sensitivity and selectivity to histidine in the range of 0 to 50 μM. Notably, even a minute addition of histidine (approximately 2.5 μM) to the M9 medium led to observable fluorescence reduction, rendering it highly suitable for monitoring histidine-deficient cellular environments. This bacterial fluorescence sensor holds great potential for detecting changes in intracellular histidine concentrations during pathogenic bacterial infections and for assessing the impact of drugs on cellular metabolism.

No-till and cereal-legume intercropping have been recognized as favorable cropping practices to increase crop yields while maintaining soil quality in arid and semiarid environment, but the bio-logical mechanisms are poorly understood. The present study was to determine the response of soil properties, enzyme activities, and microbial community diversity and composition in mono- and inter-cropping under conventional and no-tillage conditions. We initiated a field experiment in Wuwei, a typical arid area of China, in 2014. Soil was sampled in August 2022 and, yields, soil properties, enzyme activities, and the microbial community diversity and composition were de-termined in the maize and pea strips in inter- and mono-cropping systems. Results revealed that the maize and pea strips in the no-till intercropping significantly increased yields, total and or-ganic carbon stocks, decreased NO3--N, and obtained the highest total and organic P in the soil. The α- and β-diversity of archaea and eukaryotes were significantly affected by planting patterns, while α- and β-diversity of the bacterial community were significantly affected by tillage practices. Both no-tillage and intercropped maize significantly increased the abundance of archaea phylum Thaumarchaeota and bacterial phylum Nitrospirae, benefiting nitrogen fixation of intercropped pea from the atmosphere under the no-tillage cereal/legume intercropping. No-till intercropping was conducive to the accumulation of organic carbon, while decreasing the abundance of Prote-obacteria, Acidobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia. Limited soil enzyme activities (ACP, ALP, DP, NAG, BG, AG, CB) led to decreases in organic carbon turnover and utilization. Intercropping al-tered soil microbial community diversity and composition due to changes in soil properties and enzyme activities. These findings suggest that no-tilled cereal-legume intercropping is a sustaina-ble cropping practice for improving soil properties and enhancing microbial (archaea, bacterial, Eukaryota) diversity, but the long-term persistence is not conducive to rapid turnover of soil nu-trients due to limited enzyme activities.

This work investigates a new nanostructured gas-diffusion-layer (nano-GDL) to improve performance of air-cathode Single-Chamber-Microbial-Fuel-Cells (a-SCMFCs). The new nano-GDLs improves the direct oxygen-reduction-reaction by exploiting the best of nanofibers from electrospinning in terms of high surface ratio to volume and high porosity, and laser-based processing to promote adhesion. Nano-GDLs by electrospinning were fabricated directly collecting two nanofibers mats on the same carbon-based electrode, acting as the substrate. Each layer was designed with a specific function: water resistant, oxygen permeable polyvinylidene-difluoride (PVDF) nanofibers served as a barrier to prevent water-based electrolyte leakage, while an inner layer of cellulose nanofibers was added to promote oxygen diffusion towards the catalytic sites. The maximum current density obtained for a-SCMFCs with the new nano-GDLs is (132.2 ± 10.8) mA m^-2, and it doubles the current density obtained with standard PTFE-based GDL (58.5 ± 2.4 mA m^-2), used as reference material. The energy recovery (EF) factor, i.e. the ratio of the power output to the inner volume of the device, was then used to evaluate the overall performance of a-SCMFCs. a-SCMFCs with nano-GDL provided an EF value of 60.83 mJ m^-3: one order of magnitude higher than the value of 3.92 mJ m^-3 obtained with standard GDL

The hospital indoor environment plays a significant role in shaping the microbial exposures that humans encounter. Resistance to antibiotics is one of the mechanisms employed by bacteria to develop resilience against stress in indoor environments. The extensive usage of antibiotics has been a key factor in driving changes in the ecological function of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their acquisition by pathogenic bacteria. By integrating the 16S rRNA Illumina sequencing and high throughput-qPCR approaches with water and air dust samples across seven departments at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, China, this study yielded intriguing findings regarding the department-specific variation, transmission, and correlation of bacteria, ARGs and MGEs within the hospital indoor environment. One notable observation was that the seasonal variation played a vital role in shaping the bacterial composition in the overall hospital indoor environment across seven studied departments. Nevertheless, a similar significant seasonal impact was only observed in the blood test room and emergency departments, rather than in the other five departments. Another intriguing finding was the correlation between ARGs and MGEs abundance. This correlation was evident in the overall hospital indoor environment, which was conversely not found in the emergency, pneumology and gynecology departments. Additionally, while there was no significant relationship that occurred between bacterial communities and ARGs/MGEs within the hospital, the gynecology department demonstrated a close link between bacterial communities and the presence of ARGs/MGEs. Notably, the gynecology department also stood out as an important source of bacteria and ARGs/MGEs for other departments. This study underscores the need for careful surveillance and monitoring of antibiotic resistance, particularly in Legionella spp. in man-made water systems. The findings also show the importance of monitoring and understanding the genetic elements such as Tp614 involved in gene transfer and recombination, as well as their impact on antimicrobial treatment efficacy.

This study proposes a redesign of asymmetric single-chamber microbial fuel cells (a-SCMFC) with the goal of optimizing energy production. The new approach is based on the introduction of an Intermediate Microfluidic Septum (IMS) as a relatively simple and inexpensive method to opti-mize both electrolyte flow and species transfer inside the devices. SCMFCs with the novel IMS, operated with sodium acetate as the carbon source, demonstrate to enhance the energy recovery (Erec) factor, defined as the ratio between the energy yield and the inner volume of electrolyte. In standard operative conditions, cells with IMS exhibit Erec value of (37±1) J/m3, with respect to (3.0±0.3) J/m3 of control cells. Furthermore, changing sodium acetate concentration the Erec values change accordingly. By monitoring the activity of a-SCMFCs for over one-year, beneficial impact of the IMS on both the initial inoculation phase and the long-term stability of electrical perfor-mance were observed. These improvements suggest the effectiveness of IMS to allow the de-velopment of efficient biofilms, likely due to the reduction in oxygen diffusion towards the anode. Electrochemical characterizations confirm that the presence of the IMS impacts the diffusion processes inside the electrolytic chamber, supporting the hypothesis of a beneficial effect on oxygen diffusion.