While gaining increasing attention, plant-microbiome-environment interactions remain insufficiently understood, with many aspects still underexplored. This article explores bacterial biodiversity across plant compartments, including underexplored niches such as seeds and flowers. Furthermore, this study provides a systematic dataset on the taxonomic structure of the anthosphere microbiome, one of the most underexplored plant niches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMycotoxins are well known secondary metabolites of various fungi. They pose a significant threat to human and animal when present in food or feed. They can be responsible for losses in grain production and in livestock or human intoxication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecently, there has been growing interest in biopreparations that intensify the decomposition of crop residues. These preparations can promote nutrient cycling and soil fertility, ultimately supporting healthy plant growth and increasing agricultural productivity. However, the development and commercialization of biopreparations poses unique challenges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this case study was the evaluation of the selected metals' concentration, potential toxic compound identification, cytotoxicity analysis, estimation of the airborne dust concentration, biodiversity, and number of microorganisms in the environment (leachate, soil, air) of the biggest uncontrolled post-industrial landfills in Poland. Based on the results obtained, preliminary solutions for the future management of post-industrial objects that have become an uncontrolled landfill were indicated. In the air, the PM fraction dominated, constituting 78.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) in reducing odour nuisances in agricultural work environment. Additionally, an assessment was conducted on the microbiological contamination of FFRs and the functionality of Time4Mask application in enhancing workplace safety.
Material And Methods: Two types of FFRs were used for the study: with absorbing properties and reference ones.
This study aimed to assess the markers of chemical and microbiological contamination of the air at sport centers (e.g., the fitness center in Poland) including the determination of particulate matter, CO, formaldehyde (DustTrak™ DRX Aerosol Monitor; Multi-functional Air Quality Detector), volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration (headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), the number of microorganisms in the air (culture methods), and microbial biodiversity (high-throughput sequencing on the Illumina platform).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study focused on assessing the microbiological and chemical contamination of air, soil and leachate in uncontrolled refuse storage areas in central Poland. The research included an analysis of the number of microorganisms (culture method), endotoxin concentration (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), heavy metals level (atomic absorption spectrometry), elemental characteristics (elemental analyser), cytotoxicity assessment against A-549 (human lung) and Caco-2 (human colon adenocarcinoma) cell lines (PrestoBlue™ test) and toxic compound identification (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry). Microbial contamination differed depending on the dump and the group of tested microorganisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to analyse the quality of indoor air in sport facilities in one of the sport centres in Poland with respect to microclimatic parameters (temperature, humidity, and air flow velocity), particulate matter concentrations (PM10, PM4, PM2.5, and PM1), gas concentrations (oxygen, ozone, hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and benzopyrene), and microbial contamination (the total number of bacteria, specifically staphylococci, including Staphylococcus aureus, haemolytic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas fluorescens, actinomycetes, and the total number of fungi and xerophilic fungi). Measurements were made three times in May 2022 at 28 sampling points in 5 different sporting areas (the climbing wall, swimming pool, swimming pool changing room, and basketball and badminton courts) depending on the time of day (morning or afternoon) and on the outside building.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGingivitis is accompanied by microorganisms, including pathogens, which must be eliminated to speed up the treatment of inflammation. Laser irradiation may be one of the safe methods for reducing tissue contamination on the tooth surface. The aim of the study was the assessment of the tooth surface in patients with gingivitis after the use of a diode laser to eliminate microorganisms living there.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLactic acid bacteria (LAB) are an essential part of the microbiota of the digestive tract of honeybees ( L.). Antagonistic activity of 103 LAB strains (isolates from different environments) against 21 honeybee pathogens/opportunistic pathogens (with agar slab method) was screened.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
April 2022
This study aimed to assess the physicochemical, microbiological and toxicological hazards at an illegal landfill in central Poland. The research included the analysis of airborne dust (laser photometer), the number of microorganisms in the air, soil and leachate (culture method) and the microbial diversity in the landfill environment (high-throughput sequencing on the Illumina Miseq); the cytotoxicity () and genotoxicity (alkaline comet assay) of soil and leachate were tested. Moreover, an analysis of UHPLC-Q-ToF-UHRMS (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry) was performed to determine the toxic compounds and microbial metabolites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEven though biological hazards in the work environments related to waste management were the subject of many scientific works, the knowledge of the topic is not extensive. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of microbiological and toxicological hazards at the workstations in a waste sorting plant and develop guidelines for selecting filtering respiratory protective devices that would consider specific workplace conditions. The research included the assessment of quantity (culture method), diversity (high-throughput sequencing), and metabolites (endotoxin - gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; secondary metabolites - liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry) of microorganisms occurring in the air and settled dust.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite the awareness that work in the sewage treatment plant is associated with biological hazards, they have not been fully recognised so far. The research aims to comprehensively evaluate microbiological and toxicological hazards in the air and settled dust in workstations in a sewage treatment plant. The number of microorganisms in the air and settled dust was determined using the culture method and the diversity was evaluated using high-throughput sequencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFiltering facepiece respirators (FFR) with anti-odor properties are used to reduce odor nuisance occurring both in everyday life and at workplaces. Unfortunately, there are no standardized methods to measure the efficiency of odor reduction of such personal protective devices. This paper aims to determine whether olfactometric-based methods, commonly used in environmental studies, can be employed for this purpose.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to detect and quantify mycotoxins on building materials using innovative laser mass spectroscopy methods-silver-109/silver/gold nanoparticle-enhanced target surface-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry (AgNPs, AgNPs and AuNPs SALDI). Results from SALDI-type methods were also compared with commonly used matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. Standards of seven moulds mycotoxin in a final concentration of 100 µg/mL for patulin, citrinin, 3-nitropropionic acid, alternariol and 20 µg/mL for sterigmatocystin, cyclopiazonic acid, roquefortine C in the mixture were tested in pure solutions and after extraction from the plasterboards.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo date, no method has been developed to assess the distribution of mycotoxins on the surface of grains, or other plant material, and the depth of their penetration into the interior. The Infrared (IR) Laser Ablation-Remote-Electrospray Ionization (LARESI) platform coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer (MS/MS), measuring in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode, was employed for the targeted imaging of selected metabolites of , including mycotoxins in biological objects for the first time. This methodology allowed for the localisation of grain metabolites and fungal metabolites of grain infected by this mould.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of the study was to assess the photocatalytic (decompose staining particles, K/S values, the color differences, CIE L*a*b* color) and antimicrobial properties of textiles modified with TiO and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) confirmed by X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, SEM-EDX) in visible light conditions. The antimicrobial effectiveness of modified textiles under model conditions has been reported against 5 microorganisms: , , , (AATCC Test Method 100-2004). In real conditions in bathrooms, significant biostatic activity was shown on the surface of the modified towels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this work, beeswax was used for the first time for finishing polyester/Cotton/Viscose blend fabric and polyester fabric. The aims of the study were: (1) to characterize the composition of beeswax (using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, GC-MS and AgNPET laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS); (2) to develop a laboratory method for applying beeswax; (3) to assess the antimicrobial activity of beeswax fabrics against bacteria and fungi (AATCC 100-2004 test); and (4) to assess the properties of textiles modified by beeswax. Beeswax was composed of fatty acids, monoacyl esters, glyceride esters and more complex lipids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
September 2019
The aim of the study was to analyze the microbiological biodiversity of human foot skin with respect to factors such as age, gender, frequency of foot washing and physical activity, and to select indicator species to be considered when designing textile materials with antimicrobial properties used for sock and insole production. The experiment was carried out on a group of 40 people. The number of microorganisms was determined using culture-dependent methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies on the functionalization of materials used for the construction of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) relate to endowing fibers with biocidal properties. There is also a real need for reducing moisture content accumulating in such materials during FFR use, as it would lead to decreased microorganism survival. Thus, in our study, we propose the use of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), together with a biocidal agent (biohalloysite), as additives in the manufacturing of polypropylene/polyester (PP/PET) multifunctional filtering material (MFM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
August 2019
Bioaerosol is a threat at workplaces, therefore the selection and safe use of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) is important in preventive activities. The aim of the study was to assess the survival of microorganisms on materials used for FFRs construction. The parameters for microorganism growth under model conditions were described using the Gompertz equation, model verification was also carried out using FFRs at the farmers' workplaces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
March 2019
Filtering nonwovens that constitute the base material for filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) used for the protection of the respiratory system against bioaerosols may, in favourable conditions, promote the development of harmful microorganisms. There are no studies looking at the impact that different types of filtering nonwovens have on microorganism survival, which is an important issue for FFR producers and users. Five commercial filtering nonwovens manufactured using diverse textile technologies (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis work aims at understanding the effects of various dust-loading conditions and the type of nonwovens used in the construction of FFRs on the safe use of those protective devices in situations of exposure to biological agents. The survival of microorganisms (, , and ) in dust-loaded polypropylene nonwovens (melt-blown, spun-bonded, and needle-punched) was experimentally determined using microbiological quantitative method (AATCC TM 100-2004). Scanning electron microscope was used to assess biofilm formation on dust-loaded filtering nonwovens.
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