Bacteriophages as Potential Clinical Immune Modulators.

Bacteriophages (phages for short) are bacteria-specific viruses that have been drawing attention when it comes to countering the ever-growing antibiotic bacterial resistance, and are being seen as one of the most promising technologies against multi-antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Although bacteriophages are commonly regarded only as anti-bacterial objects unable to directly interact with eukaryotic cell metabolism, an increasing quantity of evidence has indicated that bacteriophages can directly affect cells bacteria in both in vitro and in vivo applications, influencing the behavior of tissues and immune systems. In sight of this new range of applications, several authors have expressed enthusiasm in phage therapy as direct modulators of eukaryotic cells for clinical usage, highlighting the need for further investigations covering the pharmacology of these new "eukaryotic-viruses", as even harmful interactions with eukaryotic cells were detected after phage therapy.

Uses of Bacteriophages as Bacterial Control Tools and Environmental Safety Indicators.

Bacteriophages are bacterial-specific viruses and the most abundant biological form on Earth. Each bacterial species possesses one or multiple bacteriophages and the specificity of infection makes them a promising alternative for bacterial control and environmental safety, as a biotechnological tool against pathogenic bacteria, including those resistant to antibiotics. This application can be either directly into foods and food-related environments as biocontrol agents of biofilm formation.

Serovar Enteritidis Control in Poultry Litter Mediated by Lytic Bacteriophage Isolated from Swine Manure.

We report the use of bacteriophages for control of Enteritidis in poultry production. Phage was isolated by the double-agar plate assay from agricultural waste samples, and one isolate, named SM1, was selected and propagated for application in poultry litter. Two experimental protocols were tested: single treatment and repeated treatment (re-application of phage SM1 after 6 h and 12 h).

Hepatitis E Virus in Manure and Its Removal by Biodigestion in Intensive Production Farms, Santa Catarina, Brazil, 2018-2019.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important enteric agent that can circulate in swine; it is excreted in manure, and of zoonotic interest. The present study investigated, by RT-qPCR, the circulation of HEV in swine manure from different types of pig farms (maternity, nursery, and grow-finish farms) in Santa Catarina State, the major pig production area of Brazil, and also evaluated the HEV removal efficiency of psychrophilic anaerobic biodigesters (PABs). While HEV was consistently detected in manure from grow-finish pig farms (>4 log HEV genome copies (GC) L), the virus was not detected in manure from maternity and nursery farms.

A review on alternative bioprocesses for removal of emerging contaminants.

Emerging contaminants (ECs) include endocrine-disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals (lipid regulators, antibiotics, diuretics, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, stimulant drugs, antiseptics, analgesic, beta blockers), detergents, disinfectants, and personal care products. The residues from these compounds have become a concerning because of their bioactive presence on environmental matrices, especially water bodies. The development of technologies, aiming the secure and efficient removal of these compounds from the environment or event to remove them before they achieve the environment, is necessary.