Publications by authors named "Andreea Stefania Dumbrava"

Epiphytic yeasts represent an important source for the development of novel strategies aiming to combat food microbial contamination. The present study deals with the characterization of nine yeast strains belonging to , , , , and genera, isolated from the surface of plants from the Botanical Garden "Dimitrie Brandza" (Bucharest, Romania) for use as antimicrobial and probiotic agents. The tests involved the determination of the safe status, cell growth under stress conditions, and activity against pathogenic and bacteria strains, respectively, as well as phytopathogenic filamentous fungi and lipolytic activity.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated resistance and virulence markers in fungal strains isolated from community-acquired infections in Bucharest outpatient cases during 2021.
  • Among 62 strains analyzed, notable percentages showed different virulence markers and enzyme production, with some strains exhibiting varying adherence to HeLa cells.
  • Alternative solutions based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) demonstrated effectiveness in inhibiting microbial growth and virulence factor production, highlighting the need for epidemiological monitoring.
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is an important medicinal plant that is used and studied intensively due to its numerous pharmacological effects. This plant has numerous active compounds with biomedical potential; some are volatile, while others are sensitive to heat or oxygen. Therefore, to increase stability and prolong biological activities, the natural extract can be loaded into various nanostructured systems.

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This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on multidrug-resistant (MDR) (AB) strains isolated from the clinical and aquatic environment. Three types of Ag NPs were investigated for their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antivirulence properties on a total number of 132 AB strains isolated in the same temporal sequence from intra-hospital infections (IHIs), wastewater (WW), and surface water (SW) samples between 2019 and 2022 from different Romanian locations and characterized at the phenotypic and genotypic levels. The comparative analysis of the antimicrobial resistance (AR) profiles according to the isolation source and the geographical location demonstrated a decrease in MDR level in AB recovered from WW samples in 2022 from north-eastern/central/southern regions (N-E/C-W/analyzed strains S): 87.

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Besides plants and animals, the Fungi kingdom describes several species characterized by various forms and applications. They can be found in all habitats and play an essential role in the excellent functioning of the ecosystem, for example, as decomposers of plant material for the cycling of carbon and nutrients or as symbionts of plants. Furthermore, fungi have been used in many sectors for centuries, from producing food, beverages, and medications.

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