Galleria mellonella as a Suitable Model of Bacterial Infection: Past, Present and Future

The increasing interest for Galleria mellonella larvae as an infection model is evidenced by the number of papers reporting its use, which increases exponentially since the early 2010s. This popularity was initially linked to limitation of conventional animal models due to financial, technical and ethical aspects. In comparison, alternative models (e.g. models using Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster or G. mellonella) were cheap, simple to use and not limited by ethical regulation. Since then, similar results have been established with G. mellonella model comparatively to vertebrates, and it is more and more often used as a robust model per se, not only as an alternative to the murine model. This review attempts to summarize the current knowledge supporting the development of this model, both on immunological and microbiological aspects. For that, we focus on investigation of virulence and new therapies for the most important pathogenic bacteria. We also discuss points out directions for standardization, as well as recent advances and new perspectives for monitoring host-pathogen interactions.

Influence of milk used for cheese making on microbiological aspects of Camembert-type cheese

Camembert-type cheeses are surface mould-ripened soft cheeses obtained with Penicillium camemberti. Soft cheeses are more frequently associa ted with foodborne disease outbreaks than hard and semi-hard cheeses. During our work, three Camembert-type cheeses were prepared on a pilot/small industrial scale. The first cheese was made from bulk milk and pasteurized at 74 °C for 15 seconds. The second and third cheese were prepared from one type of milk and were heat-treated at 72 °C for 60 seconds. The microbial contamination with Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus of the three Camembert-type cheeses was evaluated. The food-related stress survival of Salmonella spp. and S. aureus isolates originated from the cheese samples was assayed. The antibiotic suscep tibility of the bacterial isolates was determined by the disk diffusion method, using 12 and 16 different antibiotics respectively. Based on the results, the first cheese sample contained the highest number of Salmonella bacteria; S. aureus was detected only in the first sample. According to the results of antibiotic susceptibility of the Salmonella, isolates showed susceptibility to the majority of assayed antibiotics and resistance to trimethoprim, chloramphenicol, amikacin, and cefotaxime. The S. aureus isolates showed resistance to trimethoprim and displayed intermediate resistance to levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin.

MICROBIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF GROWING MUSHROOMS

Рост численности населения земного шара, истощение природных ресурсов и связанная с этим нехватка продовольствия ставят вопрос о необходимости переработки производимых растительных отходов с целью защиты окружающей среды и получения альтернативных источников пищи. Использование целлюлозосодержащих пожнивных остатков для производства высших грибов является оптимальным решением указанных проблем. Высокая пищевая и лекарственная ценность высших грибов доказана многочисленными исследованиями. Однако процессы культивирования высших грибов сталкиваются с проблемой селективности субстрата, сдерживающей рост этой отрасли производства. К настоящему времени накапливаются данные о взаимодействии высших грибов и микроорганизмов, которое открывает возможности управляемого культивирования и направленного биосинтеза практически ценных метаболитов высших грибов. Статья посвящена различным аспектам воздействия микроорганизмов на процесс выращивания высших грибов. The growing population of the world, the depletion of natural resources and the associated food shortage raise the question of recycling the plant waste produced to protect the environment and obtain alternative food sources. The use of cellulose-containing crop residues for the production of mushrooms is the optimal solution to these problems. The high nutritional and medicinal value of mushrooms has been proven by numerous studies. However, the processes of cultivation of higher fungi are faced with the problem of substrate selectivity, which inhibits the growth of this industry. To date, data are accumulating on the interaction of higher fungi and microorganisms, which opens up possibilities for controlled cultivation and directed biosynthesis of practically valuable metabolites of higher fungi. The article is devoted to various aspects of the influence of microorganisms on the process of growing mushrooms.

Forensic Analysis of Illicit Drugs and Novel Psychoactive Substances in Wastewater: A review of Toxicological, Chemical and Microbiological Aspects

Wastewater-based epidemiology has emerged as a new analytical strategy for monitoring licit and illicit drug use in a population by measuring the levels of biomarkers in wastewater. The main concept of this approach is that chemical substances ingested by the population will be excreted in urine and feces, which will be discarded into the sewage network and may accumulate at the wastewater treatment plant. Several licit and illicit substances such as ethanol, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine and morphine have been investigated and reported in wastewater in worldwide. In recent years, this approach has also been explored for environmental monitoring of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) as well, since analyses of wastewater represent a fast and cost-effective way to evaluate collectively drug intake in a given population served by a sewage network. In this paper, a comprehensive and interdisciplinary review of the forensic, toxicological, chemical and microbiological aspects of the analysis of “traditional” drugs of abuse and NPS in wastewater and examples of applications reported in recently published papers is provided. Wastewater analysis is a very promising strategy in monitoring drug use in the context of Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology, and has been implemented by many researchers in the analysis of drugs of abuse, as supported by many recent literature reports.

Physicochemical and microbiological aspects of goat milk

Goat milk is a high-quality food of fundamental importance for thousands of people involved in the socioeconomic development of this product, and dairy goat farms are well estasblished in the agricultural scenario, especially when analyzing small rural producers. The quality of goat milk is defined by its physicochemical and microbiological parameters. Adequate hygiene, handling, and management practices, from obtaining milk to commercialization, are of fundamental importance for guaranteeing food quality and safety for the consumer market. It is important to know the microbiological quality of milk, since it belongs to one of the most relevant food groups for the population. Brazilian legislation establishes minimum quality requirements for goat milk intended for human consumption in Normative Instruction 37 ̸2000. The goals of this literature review were to present the issues related to the physicochemical composition, microbiological aspects, and nutritional properties of goat's milk as a reference measure and to highlight some characteristics. Despite the similarities with the milk of other animal species, goat milk is a unique product, and the study of this raw material is of great importance for industry as well as for the scientific community.

Artisanal Brazilian Cheeses—History, Marketing, Technological and Microbiological Aspects

This review focused on the historical, marketing, technological, and microbiological characteristics of artisanal Brazilian cheese. Brazilian cheese production was introduced and developed from the influence of immigrants considering the combination of climate, races of the animals, quality and specificity of milk, technological cheese-making processes and environmental microbiology, among other factors. It resulted in cheese products with specific physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory quality, which represent the heritage and identities of the different Brazilian regions. The production of artisanal cheese increased in many Brazilian regions, mainly in the southeast, especially due to the traditional production and innovative development of new varieties of cheese. The microbiological quality and safety of raw-milk artisanal cheese continues to be a concern and many studies have been focusing on this matter. Special attention needs to be given to the cheeses produced by raw milk, since numerous reports raised concerns related to their microbiological safety. This fact requires attention and the implementation of strict hygiene practices on the production and commercialization, besides appropriate governmental regulations and control. However, more studies on the relationship between technological processes and microbiological properties, which results in a superior culinary quality and safety of artisanal Brazilian cheeses, are needed.