Virological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in an Italian Northern area: differences in gender, age and Real Time RT PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values in three epidemic periods.

Background And Aim Of The Work: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a global public health emergency. The aim of this study was to investigate cases characteristics and Real Time RT PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values distribution of COVID-19 in an Italian Northern area during three periods: first period, February-May 2020; second period, June-August 2020; third period, September 2020-February 2021.

Methods: Real Time RT PCR was used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples (oro/nasopharyngeal swabs).

The Phenotypic Analysis of Mutants Reveals a Potential Role for in Cryotolerance.

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are ubiquitous, low molecular weight (MW) proteins that share a conserved alpha-crystallin domain. sHSPs oligomers exhibit chaperon-like activities by interacting with unfolded substrates, thereby preventing their aggregation and precipitation. Unlike most lactobacilli, which have single genes, three different sHSP-encoding genes, i.

How probiotics face food stress: They get by with a little help.

The dietary consumption of probiotics in the form of pharmaceuticals or functional food can improve human health and contribute to disease prevention. However, the biological activity and health potential of food-delivered probiotics can be severely compromised by the stress conditions encountered by the microorganisms throughout the manufacture process, from probiotic preparation to their inclusion into food, subsequent storage and ingestion. Here, we give an account of the stress factors that can have major negative impacts on probiotic viability and functionality, with a focus on food-related environmental adverse conditions.

Correction to: Immunobiosis and probiosis: antimicrobial activity of lactic acid bacteria with a focus on their antiviral and antifungal properties.

There is an error in the original publication of this paper. The incorrect author name was captured as "Djamel Dridier" instead of "Djamel Drider". The original article has been corrected.

Immunobiosis and probiosis: antimicrobial activity of lactic acid bacteria with a focus on their antiviral and antifungal properties.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), a heterogeneous group of bacteria that produce lactic acid as the main product of carbohydrate degradation, play an important role in the production and protection of fermented foods. Moreover, beside the technological use of these microorganisms added to control and steer food fermentations, their beneficial healthy properties are largely overt. Thus, numerous LAB strains have obtained the probiotic status, which entails the ability to maintain and promote a good health of consumers.

Inhibition of coxsackievirus B4 by Lactobacillus plantarum.

The enterovirus Coxsackievirus B4 (CV-B4) can infect different human tissues and provoke abnormal function or destruction of various organs and cells. Moreover, its infections have been linked to the onset of type 1 diabetes. Coxsackievirus B4 is classified as a "challenging virus", due to the intense yet vain efforts to find effective prevention and therapeutic agents, especially within biological compounds.

Evaluating the Probiotic Potential of Lactobacillus plantarum Strains from Algerian Infant Feces: Towards the Design of Probiotic Starter Cultures Tailored for Developing Countries.

Lactobacilli naturally present in the neonatal gut are believed to be beneficial for the human hosts and are investigated as potential probiotics. In this study, we aimed to characterize six Lactobacillus plantarum strains derived from the feces of a breast-fed infant, for the development of new probiotic cultures. Our attention was focused on L.

Administration of a polyphenol-enriched feed to farmed sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.): Kidney melanomacrophages response.

The reinforcement of the defense mechanism of fish, through the administration of immunostimulants, is considered as a promising alternative to vaccines. Natural immunostimulants such as polyphenols, flavanoids, pigments and essential oils can modulate the innate immune response. In lower vertebrates, melano-macrophage centres, i.

The potential of lactic acid bacteria to colonize biotic and abiotic surfaces and the investigation of their interactions and mechanisms.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a heterogeneous group of Gram-positive bacteria that comprise several species which have evolved in close association with humans (food and lifestyle). While their use to ferment food dates back to very ancient times, in the last decades, LAB have attracted much attention for their documented beneficial properties and for potential biomedical applications. Some LAB are commensal that colonize, stably or transiently, host mucosal surfaces, inlcuding the gut, where they may contribute to host health.

Lactobacillus plantarum with broad antifungal activity: A promising approach to increase safety and shelf-life of cereal-based products.

Cereal-based fermented products are worldwide diffused staple food resources and cereal-based beverages represent a promising innovative field in the food market. Contamination and development of spoilage filamentous fungi can result in loss of cereal-based food products and it is a critical safety concern due to their potential ability to produce mycotoxins. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) have been proposed as green strategy for the control of the moulds in the food industry due to their ability to produce antifungal metabolites.

Use of Lactobacillus plantarum Strains as a Bio-Control Strategy against Food-Borne Pathogenic Microorganisms.

Lactobacillus plantarum is one of the most versatile species extensively used in the food industry both as microbial starters and probiotic microorganisms. Several L. plantarum strains have been shown to produce different antimicrobial compounds such as organic acids, hydrogen peroxide, diacetyl, and also bacteriocins and antimicrobial peptides, both denoted by a variable spectrum of action.

Fresh-cut pineapple as a new carrier of probiotic lactic acid bacteria.

Due to the increasing interest for healthy foods, the feasibility of using fresh-cut fruits to vehicle probiotic microorganisms is arising scientific interest. With this aim, the survival of probiotic lactic acid bacteria, belonging to Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus fermentum species, was monitored on artificially inoculated pineapple pieces throughout storage. The main nutritional, physicochemical, and sensorial parameters of minimally processed pineapples were monitored.

Riboflavin-overproducing strains of Lactobacillus fermentum for riboflavin-enriched bread.

Lactobacillus fermentum isolated from sourdough was able to produce riboflavin. Spontaneous roseoflavin-resistant mutants were obtained by exposing the wild strain (named L. fermentum PBCC11) to increasing concentrations of roseoflavin.

The hsp 16 gene of the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus is differently regulated by salt, high temperature and acidic stresses, as revealed by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis.

Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are ubiquitous conserved chaperone-like proteins involved in cellular proteins protection under stressful conditions. In this study, a reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) procedure was developed and used to quantify the transcript level of a small heat shock gene (shs) in the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, under stress conditions such as heat (45 °C and 53 °C), bile (0.3% w/v), hyperosmosis (1 M and 2.