Publications by authors named "Carmela Calonico"

Background: Bacterial endophytic communities associated with medicinal plants synthesize a plethora of bioactive compounds with biological activities. Their easy isolation and growth procedures make bacterial endophytes an untapped source of novel drugs, which might help to face the problem of antimicrobial resistance. This study investigates the antagonistic potential of endophytic bacteria isolated from different compartments of the medicinal plant against human opportunistic pathogens.

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Desert soil hosts many microorganisms, whose activities are essential from an ecological viewpoint. Moreover, they are of great anthropic interest. The knowledge of extreme environments microbiomes may be beneficial for agriculture, technology, and human health.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Medicinal plants are key in discovering new antimicrobial compounds due to their pharmacological properties, while their associated microbiota can also produce bioactive molecules that promote plant growth and help with bioremediation.
  • - This study focused on characterizing an endophytic strain, sp. OVS8, isolated from the medicinal plant L., to assess its adaptation and influence on the plant's internal microenvironments as well as its potential to produce antibacterial volatile molecules (VOCs).
  • - Findings reveal that sp. OVS8 can produce volatile antimicrobials effective against multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens and has beneficial roles in promoting plant growth and degrading pollutants, highlighting its potential for developing new antibiotic sources.
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Rising number of multidrug-resistant human pathogens demands novel antibiotics: to this aim, unexplored natural sources are investigated to find new compounds. In this context, bacteria associated to medicinal plants, including , might represent an important source of antimicrobial compounds. In the present work, 21 bacterial endophytes isolated from roots were tested, by cross-streaking, for their inhibitory activity against 36 multidrug-resistant pathogens isolated from food, clinical patients and hospitals.

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The insurgence of antibiotic resistance and emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens prioritize research to discover new antimicrobials. In this context, medicinal plants produce bioactive compounds of pharmacological interest: some extracts have antimicrobial properties that can contrast different pathogens. For such a purpose, L.

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Essential oils (EOs) are known to inhibit the growth of a wide range of microorganisms. Particularly interesting is the possible use of EOs to treat multidrug-resistant cystic fibrosis (CF) pathogens. We tested the essential oil (EO) from Origanum vulgare for in vitro antimicrobial activity, against three of the major human opportunistic pathogens responsible for respiratory infections in CF patients; these are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Achromobacter xylosoxidans.

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In this work we have checked the ability of the essential oils extracted from six different medicinal plants (Eugenia caryophyllata, Origanum vulgare, Rosmarinus officinalis, Lavandula officinalis, Melaleuca alternifolia, and Thymus vulgaris) to inhibit the growth of 18 bacterial type strains belonging to the 18 known species of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc). These bacteria are opportunistic human pathogens that can cause severe infection in immunocompromised patients, especially those affected by cystic fibrosis (CF), and are often resistant to multiple antibiotics. The analysis of the aromatograms produced by the six oils revealed that, in spite of their different chemical composition, all of them were able to contrast the growth of Bcc members.

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Background: Many observational studies support the recommendation to eat sufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy diet.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the association between consumption of fruit, vegetables, and olive oil and the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in 29,689 women enrolled between 1993 and 1998 in 5 European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohorts in northern (Turin and Varese), central (Florence), and southern (Naples and Ragusa) Italy.

Design: Baseline dietary, anthropometric, and lifestyle characteristics were collected.

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