New biologically active ionic liquids with benzethonium cation-efficient SAR inducers and antimicrobial agents.

Background: An urgent need to find new methods for crop protection remains open due to the withdrawal from the market of the most toxic pesticides and increasing consumer awareness. One of the alternatives that can be used in modern agriculture is the use of bifunctional compounds whose actions towards plant protection are wider than those of conventional pesticides.

Results: In this study, we present the investigation of the biological efficacy of nine dual-functional salts containing a systemic acquired resistance (SAR)-inducing anion and the benzethonium cation.

Urban wastewater as a conduit for pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria and genes encoding resistance to β-lactams and glycopeptides.

The emergence and spread of clinical pathogens, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment pose a direct threat to human and animal health worldwide. In this study, we analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively urban sewage resistome for the occurrence of genes encoding resistance to β-lactams and glycopeptides in the genomes of culturable bacteria, as well as in the wastewater metagenome of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Koziegłowy (Poland). Moreover, we estimated the presence of pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria in wastewater based on analysis of species-specific virulence genes in the wastewater metagenome.

Occurrence of integrons and antibiotic resistance genes in cryoconite and ice of Svalbard, Greenland, and the Caucasus glaciers.

The prevalence of integrons and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is a serious threat for public health in the new millennium. Although commonly detected in sites affected by strong anthropogenic pressure, in remote areas their occurrence, dissemination, and transfer to other ecosystems is poorly recognized. Remote sites are considered as a benchmark for human-induced contamination on Earth.

Metagenomic analysis of β-lactamase and carbapenemase genes in the wastewater resistome.

The emergence and spread of resistance to antibiotics among bacteria is the most serious global threat to public health in recent and coming decades. In this study, we characterized qualitatively and quantitatively β-lactamase and carbapenemase genes in the wastewater resistome of Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Koziegłowy, Poland. The research concerns determination of the frequency of genes conferring resistance to β-lactam and carbapenem antibiotics in the genomes of culturable bacteria, as well as in the wastewater metagenome at three stages of treatment: raw sewage, aeration tank, and final effluent.