Publications by authors named "Maria M Salvatore"

species constitute the most common cause of fungal infections in humans; the emergence of resistance and biofilm formation by species further threaten the limited availability of antifungal agents. Over the past decade, . has caused significant outbreaks worldwide and has emerged as a human pathogenic fungus that causes diseases ranging from superficial to life-threatening disseminated infections.

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Given the widespread industrial and domestic use of probiotic blends based on combinations of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts to produce fermented foods or beverages that are supposed to provide health benefits, this study aimed to generate knowledge and concepts on biologically relevant activities, metabolism and metabolic interactions in yeast/LAB communities. For this, the postbiotic capabilities of three probiotic candidates, including two lactic acid bacteria (i.e.

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This investigation aimed to assess the in vitro and in silico biological properties of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract obtained from leaves of Schott collected in Algeria. The phytochemical screening data disclosed that flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, saponins, and anthocyanins were abundant. High levels of total phenolics, total flavonoids and flavonols (523.

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Article Synopsis
  • * EC-EO showed strong antibacterial and antifungal activity, particularly against specific pathogens, with significant results in various antimicrobial tests.
  • * Insecticidal tests revealed high effectiveness against pests, with LC50 values indicating potent contact and fumigation toxicity, while computational analysis was used to evaluate the molecular interactions of the key compounds with enzymes linked to antimicrobial action.
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In order to estimate the effects on aquatic organisms of long-term exposure to low doses of yttrium (Y) as a potential emerging contaminant, ecotoxicological and metabolomic data were collected on the model organism Daphnia magna, a keystone species in freshwater ecosystems. Following an initial acute toxicity assessment, a 21-day chronic exposure experiment was conducted using a sublethal concentration of 27 μg L⁻¹ of Y, corresponding to the effective concentrations inducing 10 % effect (EC) value for mortality endpoint and simulating the environmental Y level in aquatic systems. Results from the 21-day two-factor experiment combining microcrustacean survival, growth and reproduction bioassays and targeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics indicated significant adverse effects of chronic exposure to Y on D.

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Fungal secondary metabolites play a highly significant role in crop protection, which is related to their antifungal activity against agriculturally important phytopathogens. In fact, plant diseases caused by fungi including species belonging to the genera of , , and have become increasingly serious affecting crop yield and quality. Hence, there is increasing awareness by the scientific community of the importance of exploiting fungal products for finding new compounds able to inhibit phytopathogens.

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Penicillide is the founder product of a class of natural products of fungal origin. Although this compound and its analogues have been identified from taxonomically heterogeneous fungi, they are most frequently and typically reported from the species of and . The producing strains have been isolated in various ecological contexts, with a notable proportion of endophytes.

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Probiotics are known for their health-promoting resources and are considered as beneficial microorganisms. The current study focuses on the isolation, and on a complete in vitro and in vivo characterization, of yeast and lactic acid bacteria acquired from traditional homemade kefir in order to assess their potentiality as probiotic candidates. In particular, the isolates Y1, subsp.

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Seen initially as wonder drugs, the widespread and often inappropriate use of antibiotics led to the development of microbial resistances. As a result, a true emergency has arisen, and a significant need has emerged to discover and develop new safe and valuable antibiotics. The captivating chemical structure of the fungal metabolite diplopyrone C has caught our attention as an excellent candidate for a circumstantial study aimed at revealing its antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities.

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In the search for new alternative biocontrol strategies, phytopathogenic fungi could represent a new frontier for weed management. In this respect, as part of our ongoing work aiming at using fungal pathogens as an alternative to common herbicides, the foliar pathogen has been evaluated to control buffelgrass (). In particular, in this work, the isolation and structural elucidation of two new biosynthetically related metabolites, named nigrosphaeritriol (3-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpentane-1,4-diol) and nigrosphaerilactol (3-(1-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyltetrahydrofuran-2-ol), from the phytotoxic culture filtrate extract were described, along with the identification of several known metabolites.

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was isolated from a dead trunk of (Arecaceae) in a lowland moist forest in Antsohihy, Madagascar, and the species was confirmed by molecular analysis and morphological observations. The main bioactive metabolites of the mycelium extracts were identified by mass spectrometry techniques. Five structural diverse metabolites, tryptophol, pyroglutamic acid, prolyldiketopiperazine B, sporol and RKS-1778, were characterised by LC-MS qTOF analysis of the hydro-alcoholic extract.

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is one of the most aggressive fungal pathogens of species involved in the decline of Mediterranean oak forests. In this study, three strains of associated with holm () and cork () oak trees exhibiting dieback symptoms and cankers in Algeria were selected to investigate the production of secondary metabolites. Metabolomic analyses revealed the production of several known compounds, such as sphaeropsidins, diplopyrones and diplofuranones.

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Recent studies have demonstrated that 3--methylfunicone (OMF), a fungal secondary metabolite from belonging to the class of funicone-like compounds, has antiviral activity against canine coronaviruses (CCoV), which causes enteritis in dogs. Herein, we selected two additional funicone-like compounds named vermistatin (VER) and penisimplicissin (PS) and investigated their inhibitory activity towards CCoV infection. Thus, both compounds have been tested for their cytotoxicity and for antiviral activity against CCoV in A72 cells, a fibrosarcoma cell line suitable for investigating CCoV.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses fungal plant pathogens linked to Botryosphaeria dieback in grapevines, which show symptoms indicating potential harmful metabolites during infection.
  • It highlights the lack of research on the secondary metabolism of these fungi, despite their significant impact on grapevine health.
  • The study reports the novel isolation and identification of 6-methylpyridione analogues from liquid cultures of these fungi taken from affected grapevines in Algeria.
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In connection with their widespread occurrence in diverse environments and ecosystems, fungi in the genus are commonly found in association with insects. In addition to some cases possibly implying a mutualistic relationship, this symbiotic interaction has mainly been investigated to verify the entomopathogenic potential in light of its possible exploitation in ecofriendly strategies for pest control. This perspective relies on the assumption that entomopathogenicity is often mediated by fungal products and that species are renowned producers of bioactive secondary metabolites.

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is a Gram-positive bacterium, which can be found, as a commensal microorganism, on the skin surface or in the nasal mucosa of the human population. However, may become pathogenic and cause severe infections, especially in hospitalized patients. As an opportunistic pathogen, in fact, interferes with the host Ca signaling, favoring the spread of the infection and tissue destruction.

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Hazelnuts represent a potential source of mycotoxins that pose a public health issue due to their increasing consumption as food ingredients worldwide. Hazelnuts contamination by mycotoxins may derive from fungal infections occurring during fruit development, or in postharvest. The present review considers the available data on mycotoxins detected in hazelnuts, on fungal species reported as infecting hazelnut fruit, and general analytical approaches adopted for mycotoxin investigation.

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  • Contamination of microalgae cultures can significantly harm their production efficiency and the quality of derived products.
  • The study identifies for the first time the fungus Penicillium citrinum in cultures of the microalga Galdieria sulphuraria and explores how these two organisms benefit from each other when grown together.
  • Experiments show that both G. sulphuraria and P. citrinum exhibit increased growth and metabolite diversity in co-culture compared to growing separately, suggesting a mutually beneficial relationship with enhanced biological and metabolic activity.
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Fungal infections are often consequent to prolonged antibiotic treatments. Vancomycin (Van) is the first-choice antibiotic in the treatment of infections associated with colonization of catheter surfaces. We demonstrate the direct effect of Van in promoting the formation of the biofilm of the emergent yeast pathogen developed in the conventional polystyrene microwell plate model, as well as on silicone surfaces (22 and 28% increase in total biomass, respectively) and on an biofilm, residual after vancomycin treatment, where achieved 99% of the mixed biofilm population.

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The fungus Candida glabrata and the bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis are important biofilm-forming microorganisms responsible of nosocomial infections in patients. In addition to causing single-species disease, these microorganisms are also involved in polymicrobial infections leading to an increased antimicrobial resistance. To expand knowledge about polymicrobial biofilms, in this study we investigate the formation of single- and dual-species biofilms of these two opportunistic pathogens employing several complementary approaches.

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Canine coronavirus (CCoV), an alphacoronavirus, may cause self-limiting enteric disease in dogs, especially in puppies. The noteworthy plasticity of coronaviruses (CoVs) occurs through mutation and recombination processes, which sometimes generate new dangerous variants. The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the isolation of a novel canine-feline recombinant alphacoronavirus from humans emphasizes the cross-species transmission ability of CoVs.

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Rare-earth elements (REEs) are in all respect a class of new contaminants that may have toxic effects on organisms and microorganisms and information on their interactions with natural ligands should be of value to predict and control their diffusion in natural environments. In the current study, we investigate interactions of tripositive cations of praseodymium, europium, holmium, and thulium with harzianic acid (HL), a secondary metabolite produced by selected strains of fungi belonging to the genus. We applied the same techniques and workflow previously employed in an analogous study concerning lanthanum, neodymium, samarium, and gadolinium tripositive cations.

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Funicone-like compounds are a homogeneous group of polyketides that, so far, have only been reported as fungal secondary metabolites. In particular, species in the genus seem to be the most typical producers of this group of secondary metabolites. The molecular structure of funicone, the archetype of these products, is characterized by a γ-pyrone ring linked through a ketone group to a α-resorcylic acid nucleus.

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An undescribed 5,6-dihydropyran-2-one, namely diplopyrone C, was isolated and characterized from the cultures of an isolate of the fungus recovered from in Algeria. The structure and relative stereostructure of (5,6S,7,9,10)-5-hydroxy-6-(2-(3-methyloxiran-2-yl)vinyl)-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one were assigned essentially based on NMR and MS data. Furthermore, ten known compounds were isolated and identified in the same cultures.

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