Publications by authors named "Alba Ezquerra"

Worldwide antimicrobial resistance is partly caused by the overuse of antibiotics as growth promoters. Based on the known bactericidal effect of silver, a new material containing silver in a clay base was developed to be used as feed additive. An in vitro genotoxicity evaluation of this silver-kaolin clay formulation was conducted, which included the mouse lymphoma assay in L5178Y TK cells and the micronucleus test in TK6 cells, following the principles of the OECD guidelines 490 and 487, respectively.

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According to the search for alternatives to replace antibiotics in animal production suggested in the antimicrobial resistance action plans around the world, the objective of this work was to evaluate the bactericidal effect of kaolin-silver nanomaterial for its possible inclusion as an additive in animal feed. The antibacterial activity of the C3 (kaolin-silver nanomaterial) product was tested against a wide spectrum of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria (including multidrug resistant strains) by performing antibiograms, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC), as well as growth inhibition curves against seven strains causing infections in animals. The C3 product generated inhibition halos in all the tested strains, and a higher activity against Gram-negative bacteria was found, with MBC values ranged from 7.

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This review discusses the current state of electrochemical biosensors in the determination of mycotoxins in foods. Mycotoxins are highly toxic secondary metabolites produced by molds. The acute toxicity of these results in serious human and animal health problems, although it has been only since early 1960s when the first studied aflatoxins were found to be carcinogenic.

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We report a direct competitive immunosensor for the rapid determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) in wine samples. Magnetic beads (1 ± 0.5 μm diameter) covered with streptavidin were functionalized with a monoclonal antibody against OTA, and then left to incubate in a solution of tracer (ochratoxin conjugated to the enzyme peroxidase) and a range of OTA concentrations (10(-4) to 1,000 ng mL(-1)).

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