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Topic Review
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 1
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1 or SARS-CoV) is a strain of coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the respiratory illness responsible for the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak. It is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus which infects the epithelial cells within the lungs. The virus enters the host cell by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. It infects humans, bats, and palm civets. On 16 April 2003, following the outbreak of SARS in Asia and secondary cases elsewhere in the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a press release stating that the coronavirus identified by a number of laboratories was the official cause of SARS. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Canada identified the SARS-CoV-1 genome in April 2003. Scientists at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, demonstrated that the SARS coronavirus fulfilled Koch's postulates, thereby confirming it as the causative agent. In the experiments, macaques infected with the virus developed the same symptoms as human SARS victims. A virus very similar to SARS was discovered in late 2019. This virus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the causative pathogen of COVID-19, the propagation of which started the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 998
  • 18 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Probiotic Lactobacilli Fermented Dairy Products
A selection of 36 commercial probiotic fermented dairy products from UK and Europe markets were evaluated for the numbers, types, and viability of Lactobacillus strains against the stated information on their packages. A comparative study was carried out on selectivity of MRS-Clindamycin, MRS-Sorbitol, and MRS-IM Maltose, to select the right medium for enumeration of probiotic Lactobacillus.
  • 995
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Sources of Bioavailable Water in Desert Ecosystems
Water availability is the dominant driver of microbial community structure and function in desert soils. However, these habitats typically only receive very infrequent large-scale water inputs (e.g., from precipitation and/or run-off). In light of studies, the paradigm that desert soil microorganisms are largely dormant under xeric conditions is questionable. Gene expression profiling of microbial communities in desert soils suggests that many microbial taxa retain some metabolic functionality, even under severely xeric conditions.
  • 995
  • 24 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Impact of Human Activities on Zoonotic Infection Transmissions
As humans expand their territories across more and more regions of the planet, activities such as deforestation, urbanization, tourism, wildlife exploitation, and climate change can have drastic consequences for animal movements and animal–human interactions. These events, especially climate change, can also affect the arthropod vectors that are associated with the animals in these scenarios. As the COVID-19 pandemic and other various significant outbreaks throughout the centuries have demonstrated, when animal patterns and human interactions change, so does the exposure of humans to zoonotic pathogens potentially carried by wildlife.
  • 994
  • 24 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Nanotechnological Applications of Fusarium oxysporum
Fusarium oxysporum is the most encountered and economically important species of this genus. It includes pathogenic (plant, human, and animal) and non-pathogenic strains that even possess bio-control activity against fungal pests and some insects. It is one of the soil-borne pathogens that causes vascular wilt on many plants, which is characterized by various symptoms, including leaf epinasty, vascular browning, progressive wilting, defoliation, stunting, and plant death. Its species complex consists of several formae speciales (f. sp.) that collectively infect more than one hundred hosts, leading to serious losses in crops such as tomato, melon, banana, and cotton.
  • 993
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Varicella-Zoster Virus Prevalence among Pregnant Women
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a human-specific α-herpes virus responsible for chickenpox and herpes zoster. VZV is a virus with a lipid-rich envelope acquired from cellular membranes, where viral glycoproteins are inserted. Inside the envelope, a tegument layer formed by regulatory proteins surrounds an icosahedral nucleocapsid core containing the linear double-stranded DNA genome.
  • 993
  • 10 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Immunological interactions with fungal melanin
Melanins are ubiquitous complex polymers that are commonly known in humans to cause pigmentation of our skin. Melanins are also present in bacteria, fungi, and helminths.
  • 989
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Coliphages in Urban Wastewater Treatments
There is an urgent need to control the fate of fecal microorganisms in wastewater to avoid the negative health consequences of releasing treated effluents into surface waters (rivers, lakes, etc.) or marine coastal water. On the other hand, the measurement of bacterial indicators yields insufficient information to gauge the human health risk associated with viral infections. It would therefore seem advisable to include a viral indicator—for example, somatic coliphages—to monitor the functioning of wastewater treatments.
  • 986
  • 08 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Collection of VKM Paleofungi
A unique collection of paleofungi from permafrost sediments, cryopegs, paleoseeds, and frozen volcanic ash from the Arctic and Antarctic, collected at different depths, was created in All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms (VKM). Some samples are as old as 3 million years. The collection includes psychrotolerant fungi, which have wide adaptive potential and are able to thrive in low-temperature habitats, and fungi that remain viable due to the presence of natural cryoprotectors that ensure the survival of fungal cells during low-temperature preservation in permafrost sediments. The collection contains 780 strains from 79 genera and more than 160 species and is maintained in accordance with international standards of microbial viability preservation and information support.
  • 986
  • 06 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Antibacterial Molecules from Marine Microorganisms against Aquatic Pathogens
Antibiotic resistance and residues in aquaculture are a growing concern worldwide and consequently identifying favorable antibacterial compounds against aquatic pathogenic bacteria are gained more attention. Active compounds derived from marine microorganisms have shown great promise in this area. The antibacterial compounds used in aquaculture are the same used in medicine and veterinary fields. Even though antibiotics are convenient and effective as drugs for the prophylaxis and treatment of bacterial diseases in aquaculture animals, the long-term application or abuse of antibiotics has made antibiotics less and less effective, and mutant pathogens often cause more severe disease. In addition, antibiotic residues in aquatic products directly threaten human health. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new antibacterial agents for aquatic products.
  • 985
  • 07 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Metal Nanomaterials and Hydrolytic Enzyme-Based Formulations
Combination of metals and enzymes as effective antifungal agents is currently being conducted due to the growing antifungal resistance problem. Metals are attracting special attention due to the wide variety of ligands that can be used for them, including chemically synthesized and naturally obtained variants as a result of the so-called “green synthesis”. The main mechanism of the antifungal action of metals is the triggering of the generation and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Further action of ROS on various biomolecules is nonspecific. Various hydrolytic enzymes exhibit antifungal properties by affecting the structural elements of fungal cells (cell walls, membranes), fungal quorum sensing molecules, fungal own protective agents (mycotoxins and antibiotics), and proteins responsible for the adhesion and formation of stable, highly concentrated populations in the form of biofilms. 
  • 985
  • 24 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Microbiome-Derived Solutions in Skin Health and Care
The microbiome, as a community of microorganisms and their structural elements, genomes, metabolites/signal molecules, has been shown to play an important role in human health, with significant beneficial applications for gut health. Skin microbiome has emerged as a new field with high potential to develop disruptive solutions to manage skin health and disease. Despite an incomplete toolbox for skin microbiome analyses, much progress has been made towards functional dissection of microbiomes and host-microbiome interactions. A standardized and robust investigation of the skin microbiome is necessary to provide accurate microbial information and set the base for a successful translation of innovations in the dermo-cosmetic field. 
  • 982
  • 07 Feb 2022
Topic Review
The Promise of Microbial Bioeconomy
Naturally occurring resources, such as water, energy, minerals, and rare earth elements, are limited in availability, yet they are essential components for the survival and development of all life. The pressure on these finite resources is anthropogenic, arising from misuse, overuse, and overdependence, which causes a loss of biodiversity and climate change and poses great challenges to sustainable development. The focal points and principles of the bioeconomy border around ensuring the constant availability of these natural resources for both present and future generations. The rapid growth of the microbial bioeconomy is promising for the purpose of fostering a resilient and sustainable future. This highlights the economic opportunity of using microbial-based resources to substitute fossil fuels in novel products, processes, and services. 
  • 982
  • 09 May 2023
Topic Review
Naegleria fowleri
Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba (FLA) that is commonly known as the “brain-eating amoeba.” This parasite can invade the central nervous system (CNS), causing an acute and fulminating infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Even though PAM is characterized by low morbidity, it has shown a mortality rate of 98%, usually causing death in less than two weeks after the initial exposure.
  • 981
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Kinetoplastid Diseases
Kinetoplastid parasites are responsible for high mortality and morbidity in (sub)tropical regions. In the development of new drugs, phenotypic screening already allowed the identification of promising new chemical entities with anti-kinetoplastid activity potential, but knowledge on their mode-of-action (MoA) is lacking due to the generally applied whole-cell based approach. However, identification of the drug target is highly beneficial to steer further hit finding, lead optimization and rational drug design. Multiple complementary ‘omics’ approaches have been successfully used to define the MoA or mode-of-resistance (MoR) of current reference drugs and some new anti-kinetoplastid compounds.
  • 980
  • 07 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are a rare type of immune cell that are known to secrete large quantities of type 1 interferon (IFNs) in response to a viral infection. They circulate in the blood and are found in peripheral lymphoid organs. They develop from bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells and constitute < 0.4% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Other than conducting antiviral mechanisms, pDCs are considered to be key in linking the innate and adaptive immune systems. However, pDCs are also responsible for participating in and exacerbating certain autoimmune diseases like lupus. pDCs that undergo malignant transformation cause a rare hematologic disorder, blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm.
  • 980
  • 18 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Variants of SARS-CoV-2
The immune response elicited by the current COVID-19 vaccinations declines with time, especially among the immunocompromised population. Furthermore, the emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly the Omicron variant, has raised serious concerns about the efficacy of currently available vaccines in protecting the most vulnerable people.
  • 980
  • 19 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Epstein–Barr Virus in Periodontitis
Periodontitis, an inflammatory condition that affects the structures surrounding the tooth eventually leading to tooth loss, is one of the two biggest threats to oral health.
  • 976
  • 21 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Tackling Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Antibiotics have played a crucial role in the reduction in the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) globally as evidenced by the fact that before the mid-20th century, the mortality rate within five years of the onset of the disease was 50%. The use of antibiotics has eliminated TB as a devastating disease, but the challenge of resistance to anti-TB drugs, which had already been described at the time of the introduction of streptomycin, has become a major global issue in disease management. 
  • 976
  • 20 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Nanosystems Applied to HIV Infection
This review highlights the advantages to use nanosized structures for the prevention and treatments of  HIV infection. We briefly  evaluate the most recent developments associated with different polymeric nanosystems.
  • 976
  • 08 Feb 2021
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