Publications by authors named "Fernan O Gizzi"

Background: The upsurge of antimicrobial resistance demands innovative strategies to fight bacterial infections. With traditional antibiotics becoming less effective, anti-virulence agents or pathoblockers, arise as an alternative approach that seeks to disarm pathogens without affecting their viability, thereby reducing selective pressure for the emergence of resistance mechanisms.

Objectives: To elucidate the mechanism of action of compound N'-(thiophen-2-ylmethylene)benzohydrazide (A16B1), a potent synthetic hydrazone inhibitor against the Salmonella PhoP/PhoQ system, essential for virulence.

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Enterococcus faecalis is a phylogenetically and industrially relevant microorganism associated with Lactic Acid Bacteria. Some strains of this bacterium are employed as probiotics in commercial applications, while others serve as the principal component in starter cultures for artisanal regional cheese production. However, over the last decade, this species has emerged as an opportunistic multiresistant pathogen, raising concerns about its impact on human health.

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Colistin remains one of the last-resort therapies for combating infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterobacterales, despite its adverse nephro- and neuro-toxic effects. This study elucidates the mechanism of action of a non-antibiotic 4-anilinoquinazoline-based compound that synergistically enhances the effectiveness of colistin against Salmonella enterica. The quinazoline sensitizes Salmonella by deactivating intrinsic, mutational, and transferable resistance mechanisms that enable Salmonella to counteract the antibiotic impact colistin, together with an induced disruption to the electrochemical balance of the bacterial membrane.

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Ruminants enable the conversion of indigestible plant material into animal consumables, including dairy products, meat, and valuable fibers. Microbiome research is gaining popularity in livestock species because it aids in the knowledge of illnesses and efficiency processes in animals. In this study, we use WGS metagenomic data to thoroughly characterize the ruminal ecosystem of cows to infer positive and negative livestock traits determined by the microbiome.

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