Comparative analysis of enzymatic profiles and biofilm formation in clinical and environmental Candida kefyr isolates.

The global landscape of Candida infections has seen a significant shift. Previously, Candida albicans was the predominant species. However, there has been an emergence of non-albicans Candida species, which are often less susceptible to antifungal treatment. Candida kefyr, in particular, has been increasingly associated with infections. This study aimed to investigate the profiles of enzymatic activity and biofilm formation in both clinical and non-clinical isolates of C. kefyr. A total of 66 C. kefyr isolates were analysed. The activities of proteinase and phospholipase were assessed using bovine serum albumin and egg yolk agar, respectively. Haemolysin, caseinolytic and esterase activities were evaluated using specific methods. Biofilm formation was investigated using crystal violet staining. The findings indicated that biofilm and proteinase activity were detected in 81.8% and 93.9% of all the isolates, respectively. Haemolysin activity was observed with the highest occurrence (95.5%) among normal microbiota isolates. Esterase activity was predominantly identified in dairy samples and was absent in hospital samples. Caseinase production was found with the highest occurrence (18.2%) in normal microbiota and hospital samples. Phospholipase activity was limited, found in only 3% of all the isolates. These findings reveal variations in enzyme activity between clinical and non-clinical C. kefyr isolates. This sheds light on their pathogenic potential and has implications for therapeutic strategies.

Evaluation of building washing machines as an extreme environment for potentially pathogenic fungi.

Washing machines are commonly used in households and are considered indispensable appliances for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene. Environmental conditions within household washing machines are ideal for fungal colonization, which may pose risks to human health and contribute to sick building syndrome. This study aimed to investigate the fungal species contamination in the building washing machines. A total of 50 building washing machines were swab-sampled at three locations: the detergent drawer, the inner and outer parts of the rubber door seal. The housekeeping conditions of these appliances were assessed through a questionnaire. The isolated fungi were identified using standard mycological diagnostic procedures and molecular analysis based on the ITS1/ITS4 and ß-tubulin gene regions. The possibility of fungal agents transferring from contaminated washing machines to autoclaved clothes during laundry cycles was investigated. Fungi were detected in 82% of the sampled appliances, with the inner rubber door seal being the most frequently colonized area. Using conventional and molecular techniques, we identified 122 fungal isolates, encompassing 17 diverse genera of molds, yeast-like, and yeast fungi. The mold fungi included 14 genera of hyaline and black genus. Among these, the most frequently identified genera of hyaline and black fungi were Aspergillus (27.7%), and Cladosporium (10.7%), respectively. This study demonstrates that building washing machines may serve as suitable ecological niches for fungal growth and transmission. Therefore, regular cleaning and disinfection of these devices are necessary.

Magnetic chitosan nanoparticles loaded with Amphotericin B: Synthesis, properties and potentiation of antifungal activity against common human pathogenic fungal strains.

Amphotericin B has long been regarded as the gold standard for treating invasive fungal infections despite its toxic potential. The main objective of this research was to develop a novel IONPs@CS-AmB formulation in a cost-effective manner in order to enhance AmB delivery performance, with lowering the drug's dose and adverse effects. The chitosan-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs@CS) were synthesized afterward, AmB-loaded IONPs@CS (IONPs@CS-AmB) prepared and characterized by AFM, FT-IR, SEM, EDX, and XRD. Biological activity of the synthesized NPs determined and the cytotoxicity of IONPs@CS-AmB evaluated using the MTT and in vitro hemolysis tests. The IONPs@CS-AmB was synthesized using the coprecipitation method with core-shell structure in size range of 27.70 to ∼70 nm. The FT-IR, XRD and EDX pattern confirmed the successful synthesis of IONPs @CS-AmB. The IONPs@CS-AmB exhibited significant antifungal activity and inhibited the metabolic activity of Candida albicans biofilms. The hemolysis and MTT assays showed that IONPs@CS-AmB is biocompatible with high cell viability when compared to plain AmB and fungizone. The IONPs@CS-AmB is more effective, less toxic and may be a suitable alternative to conventional drug delivery. IONPs@CS-AmB may be a viable candidate for use as a microbial-resistant coating on the surfaces of biomedical devices.

Electrode designed with a nanocomposite film of CuO Honeycombs/Ag nanoparticles electrogenerated on a magnetic platform as an amperometric glucose sensor.

Here, an ultrasensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor was fabricated using a facile and low price electro-deposition method. At first, thiol-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles cast onto the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface to provide a stable substrate with the high surface area. Then, CuO nanoparticles and Ag nanoparticles electrodeposit on the surface of Fe3O4-SH/GCE to obtain the final modified GCE. The characterization of electro-synthesized nanoparticles and the modified GCE was done by different related techniques such as field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The proposed electrode was applied to the electrochemical sensing of glucose. By employing the optimum conditions on the preparation of modified electrode such as time and potential for electrosynthesis of two different nanoparticles, high reproducibility of measurement and sensor preparation were achieved. The thus optimized simple glucose sensor could be provided stable responses in a wide linear range from 0.06 to 1000 µM with detection limit 15 nM, indicating its potential application for real biological samples.