WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual: A New Approach to Security.

The paper aims to highlight the new indications introduced in the 4th edition of the "Laboratory Biosafety Manual" of World Health Organization. The authors propose a new vision to improve biosafety and biosecurity in the laboratory aligned with the technical standards ISO 35001:2019 "Biorisk management for laboratories and other related organizations" and ISO 45001:2018 "Occupational health and safety management systems-Requirements with guidelines for use" framework. The current edition has a more innovative approach compared to the previous ones, more attention is given to training awareness and providing skills, to promote the culture of safety by adopting an approach based on risk analysis, rather than the prescriptive approach that has been used previously.

Profiling microalgal cultures growing on municipal wastewater and fertilizer media in raceway photobioreactors.

Microalgae cultivation is proposed as an effective system for pathogens reduction and wastewater depuration, however, a full characterisation of the risks is still needed. Two raceways were inoculated with Scenedesmus, one using wastewater and the other using a fertilizer medium. Microbial community and pathogen presence were explored by next generation sequencing (NGS), commercial qPCR array and plate counts.

Containment of a genetically modified microorganism by an activated sludge system.

The effectiveness of physical, chemical and biological barriers to the diffusion of genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs) to prevent their release into the environment is currently under scrutiny worldwide because of the associated potential ecological impacts. An industrial discharge of a non-sterilized fermentation broth containing GMM biomass into a conventional municipal wastewater treatment plant would deliver the GMMs into the activated sludge system process (ASSP). The present work aimed to model and evaluate the containment capability of a small ASSP (part of a 20,000 people equivalent municipal plant) in the event of receiving GMM biomass from a medium-small biotechnological plant dedicated to the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (3000 t/year of biopolymer).

Victoriomyces antarcticus gen. nov., sp. nov., a distinct evolutionary lineage of the Cephalothecaceae (Ascomycota) based on sequence-based phylogeny and morphology.

In this study, we propose a new genus, Victoriomyces, with a new species, Victoriomyces antarcticus, isolated from soil samples collected in Victoria Land, Antarctica. To determine its taxonomic status and evolutionary relationships, phylogenetic analysis was performed on DNA sequences from the nuclear 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) genes. Victoriomyces antarcticus constitutes one well-supported distinct lineage within the Cephalothecaceae (family incertae sedis in Sordariomycetes), in which the only recognised asexual morphs belong to the genus Phialemonium and to Acremonium thermophilum.

An integrated study on Gammarus elvirae (Crustacea, Amphipoda): perspectives for toxicology of arsenic-contaminated freshwater.

The Italian region Latium is characterized by extensive quaternary volcanic systems that contribute greatly to arsenic (As) contamination of freshwater, including drinking water supplies. However, knowledge of the possible toxic effects in these aquatic environments is, despite being highly relevant to public health, still limited. In this paper, we approach this issue using Gammarus elvirae, an amphipod species that inhabits rivers and streams in central Italy, including Latium.

Green job bio-aerosol exposure during anaerobic digestion for biomass energetic valorisation.

The continued expansion of the green economy increases the risk profile for green occupational jobs. One of the broadest green sectors in terms of growth is the anaerobic digestion of biomasses. In recent years, this development has also interested Italian regions.

Environmental effects of using chelating agents in polluted sediment remediation.

The results of laboratory scale experimental tests of contaminant extraction from marine sediment slurries are presented and discussed. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of EDTA and rhamnolipid in copper removal from an artificially contaminated sediment. The comparison was made in terms of metal extraction yield, and in the evaluation of its mobilization towards the more exchangeable fractions in the sediment.

A molecular and bioinformatic study on the ochratoxin A (OTA)-producing Aspergillus affinis (section Circumdati).

Aspergillus affinis (section Circumdati) is a novel ochratoxin A (OTA)-producing species found in submerged riparian decomposing leaves. However, very little is known about its role on the breakdown of plant debris and its ability to degrade carbohydrate polymers. Moreover, its OTA biosynthetic pathway has not yet been explored.

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHB) as a slow-release electron donor for advanced in situ bioremediation of chlorinated solvent-contaminated aquifers.

During the last two decades permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) established as robust alternatives to traditional pump & treat approaches for groundwater remediation. Zero-valent iron (ZVI) is currently the most frequently employed reactive media, especially for treating plumes polluted by chlorinated hydrocarbons. However PRB-ZVI technology is affected by some problems such as the long-term performance decrease, loss of porosity and no applicability to some important compounds, such as 1,2-dichloroetane (1,2-DCA).

A molecular study on bacterial resistance to arsenic-toxicity in surface and underground waters of Latium (Italy).

Latium, a region in central Italy, is known for its extensive volcanic areas that make a significant contribution to the arsenic (As) contamination of freshwater environments, even though some degree of As water pollution may be caused by human activities. The information available on indigenous As-resistant prokaryotes in aquatic environments of Latium is, however, still limited. In this study, we describe new bacteria that are resistant to arsenic toxicity and were isolated from the surface waters of Lake Vico and the Sacco River, two groundwater systems in Latium, as well as from bottled natural mineral water from the same region.

CARD-FISH analysis of a TCE-dechlorinating biocathode operated at different set potentials.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) are increasingly being considered for bioremediation applications, such as the reductive transformation of chlorinated hydrocarbons in subsurface environments. These systems typically rely on a polarized solid-state electrode (i.e.

The role of different methanogen groups evaluated by Real-Time qPCR as high-efficiency bioindicators of wet anaerobic co-digestion of organic waste.

Methanogen populations and their domains are poorly understood; however, in recent years, research on this topic has emerged. The relevance of this field has also been enhanced by the growing economic interest in methanogen skills, particularly the production of methane from organic substrates. Management attention turned to anaerobic wastes digestion because the volume and environmental impact reductions.

A new molecular approach based on qPCR for the quantification of fecal bacteria in contaminated marine sediments.

Harbour sediments are periodically subjected to dredging operations and their management is mainly based on the assessment of the chemical contamination levels, but the potential risks posed by the presence of pathogenic microorganisms have been largely neglected. Here we first developed new molecular protocols based on the use of Real Time Quantitative PCR (qPCR), targeting both bacterial DNA and the transcription product (rRNA), for the identification and quantification of bacteria of fecal origin (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp. and Salmonella spp.

Aspergillus affinis sp. nov., a novel ochratoxin A-producing Aspergillus species (section Circumdati) isolated from decomposing leaves.

Two ochratoxin A (OTA)-producing Aspergillus isolates, recently collected from submerged riparian decomposing leaves in Italy, were found to have a similar morphology to Aspergillus cretensis (subgenus Circumdati, section Circumdati). However, marked differences emerged between these two novel isolates and A. cretensis as the former displayed different colony features and had larger vesicles, metulae, phialides and conidia, as well as a distinct sclerotial form and size.

Penicillium simile sp. nov. revealed by morphological and phylogenetic analysis.

The morphology of three phenetically identical Penicillium isolates, collected from the bioaerosol in a restoration laboratory in Italy, displayed macro- and microscopic characteristics that were similar though not completely ascribable to Penicillium raistrickii. For this reason, a phylogenetic approach based on DNA sequencing analysis was performed to establish both the taxonomic status and the evolutionary relationships of these three peculiar isolates in relation to previously described species of the genus Penicillium. We used four nuclear loci (both rRNA and protein coding genes) that have previously proved useful for the molecular investigation of taxa belonging to the genus Penicillium at various evolutionary levels.

The interplay of StyR and IHF regulates substrate-dependent induction and carbon catabolite repression of styrene catabolism genes in Pseudomonas fluorescens ST.

Background: In Pseudomonas fluorescens ST, the promoter of the styrene catabolic operon, PstyA, is induced by styrene and is subject to catabolite repression. PstyA regulation relies on the StyS/StyR two-component system and on the IHF global regulator. The phosphorylated response regulator StyR (StyR-P) activates PstyA in inducing conditions when it binds to the high-affinity site STY2, located about -40 bp from the transcription start point.

A molecular phylogenetic study of the freshwater talitrid amphipod Orchestia cavimana (Crustacea).

In this paper we performed a molecular phylogenetic study of Orchestia cavimana, the sole talitrid amphipod inhabiting beaches of European freshwater lakes and rivers. For that purpose, we have PCR amplified and sequenced regions of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, basing our analysis on both nucleotide and amino acid sequences and considering also structural classes of the COI enzyme. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted by neighbour-joining (NJ) and maximum-parsimony (MP) methods comparing homologous sequences of talitrids and other Crustacea.