COVID-19 on the spectrum: a scoping review of hygienic standards.

The emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, rapidly escalated into a worldwide public health crisis. Despite numerous clinical treatment endeavors, initial defenses against the virus primarily relied on hygiene practices like mask-wearing, meticulous hand hygiene (using soap or antiseptic solutions), and maintaining social distancing. Even with the subsequent advent of vaccines and the commencement of mass vaccination campaigns, these hygiene measures persistently remain in effect, aiming to curb virus transmission until the achievement of herd immunity. In this scoping review, we delve into the effectiveness of these measures and the diverse transmission pathways, focusing on the intricate interplay within the food network. Furthermore, we explore the virus's pathophysiology, considering its survival on droplets of varying sizes, each endowed with distinct aerodynamic attributes that influence disease dispersion dynamics. While respiratory transmission remains the predominant route, the potential for oral-fecal transmission should not be disregarded, given the protracted presence of viral RNA in patients' feces after the infection period. Addressing concerns about food as a potential viral vector, uncertainties shroud the virus's survivability and potential to contaminate consumers indirectly. Hence, a meticulous and comprehensive hygienic strategy remains paramount in our collective efforts to combat this pandemic.

Insights into Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Applications of Plant Bioactive Compounds.

Plants have long been thought to contribute to health promotion due to their fiber and phenolic content, as well as their inherent biological potential. The bioactive derivatives of medicinal plants are a valuable resource in the fight against serious diseases all around the world. The present review focuses on the current state of knowledge on the usage and medicinal applications of plant bioactives. Issues concerning the effect of aromatic plant derivatives on human gut microbiota and their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory potentials are discussed and worth further exploring.

Towards Advances in Medicinal Plant Antimicrobial Activity: A Review Study on Challenges and Future Perspectives.

The increasing incidence of drug- resistant pathogens raises an urgent need to identify and isolate new bioactive compounds from medicinal plants using standardized modern analytical procedures. Medicinal plant-derived compounds could provide novel straightforward approaches against pathogenic bacteria. This review explores the antimicrobial activity of plant-derived components, their possible mechanisms of action, as well as their chemical potential. The focus is put on the current challenges and future perspectives surrounding medicinal plants antimicrobial activity. There are some inherent challenges regarding medicinal plant extracts and their antimicrobial efficacy. Appropriate and optimized extraction methodology plant species dependent leads to upgraded and selective extracted compounds. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests for the determination of the antimicrobial activity of plant extracts may show variations in obtained results. Moreover, there are several difficulties and problems that need to be overcome for the development of new antimicrobials from plant extracts, while efforts have been made to enhance the antimicrobial activity of chemical compounds. Research on the mechanisms of action, interplay with other substances, and the pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic profile of the medicinal plant extracts should be given high priority to characterize them as potential antimicrobial agents.

Implementation of Food Safety Management Systems along with Other Management Tools (HAZOP, FMEA, Ishikawa, Pareto). The Case Study of Listeria monocytogenes and Correlation with Microbiological Criteria.

The food industry's failure in planning and designing of and in implementing a Food Safety Management System and its foundation elements leads, in most instances, to compromised food safety and subsequent foodborne illness outbreaks. This phenomenon was noticed, worldwide, for all food processors, but with a much higher incidence in the medium- and small-sized food processing plants. Our study focuses on the importance of Food Safety Management System (FSMS), Critical Control Points Hazard Analysis (HACCP) and the Prerequisite Programs (PRPs) as the foundation of HACCP, in preventing foodborne outbreaks. For emphasis, we make use of the example of organizational food safety culture failures and the lack of managerial engagement which resulted in a multi-state listeriosis outbreak in USA. Moreover, we correlate this with microbiological criteria. Implementation of food safety management systems (ISO 22000:2018) along with incorporation of management tools such as HAZOP, FMEA, Ishikawa and Pareto have proved to be proactive in the maintenance of a positive food safety culture and prevention of cross-contamination and fraud.

Microbiome, Immunosenescence, and Chronic Kidney Disease.

The gut microbiome is known as an important predictive tool for perceiving characteristic shifts in disease states. Multiple renal diseases and pathologies seem to be associated with gut dysbiosis which directly affects host homeostasis. The gastrointestinal-kidney dialogue confers interesting information about the pathogenesis of multiple kidney diseases. Moreover, aging is followed by specific shifts in the human microbiome, and gradual elimination of physiological functions predisposes the microbiome to inflammaging, sarcopenia, and disease. Aging is characterized by a microbiota with an abundance of disease-associated pathobionts. Multiple factors such as the immune system, environment, medication, diet, and genetic endowment are involved in determining the age of the microbiome in health and disease. Our present review promotes recently acquired knowledge and is expected to inspire researchers to advance studies and investigations on the involved pathways of the gut microbiota and kidney axis.

Maintaining Digestive Health in Diabetes: The Role of the Gut Microbiome and the Challenge of Functional Foods.

Over the last decades, the incidence of diabetes has increased in developed countries and beyond the genetic impact, environmental factors, which can trigger the activation of the gut immune system, seem to affect the induction of the disease process. Since the composition of the gut microbiome might disturb the normal interaction with the immune system and contribute to altered immune responses, the restoration of normal microbiota composition constitutes a new target for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Thus, the interaction of gut microbiome and diabetes, focusing on mechanisms connecting gut microbiota with the occurrence of the disorder, is discussed in the present review. Finally, the challenge of functional food diet on maintaining intestinal health and microbial flora diversity and functionality, as a potential tool for the onset inhibition and management of the disease, is highlighted by reporting key animal studies and clinical trials. Early onset of the disease in the oral cavity is an important factor for the incorporation of a functional food diet in daily routine.

Fermentative Foods: Microbiology, Biochemistry, Potential Human Health Benefits and Public Health Issues.

Fermented foods identify cultures and civilizations. History, climate and the particulars of local production of raw materials have urged humanity to exploit various pathways of fermentation to produce a wide variety of traditional edible products which represent adaptations to specific conditions. Nowadays, industrial-scale production has flooded the markets with ferments. According to recent estimates, the current size of the global market of fermented foods is in the vicinity of USD 30 billion, with increasing trends. Modern challenges include tailor-made fermented foods for people with special dietary needs, such as patients suffering from Crohn's disease or other ailments. Another major challenge concerns the safety of artisan fermented products, an issue that could be tackled with the aid of molecular biology and concerns not only the presence of pathogens but also the foodborne microbial resistance. The basis of all these is, of course, the microbiome, an aggregation of different species of bacteria and yeasts that thrives on the carbohydrates of the raw materials. In this review, the microbiology of fermented foods is discussed with a special reference to groups of products and to specific products indicative of the diversity that a fermentation process can take. Their impact is also discussed with emphasis on health and oral health status. From Hippocrates until modern approaches to disease therapy, diet was thought to be of the most important factors for health stability of the human natural microbiome. After all, to quote Pasteur, "Gentlemen, the microbes will have the last word for human health." In that sense, it is the microbiomes of fermented foods that will acquire a leading role in future nutrition and therapeutics.

Focus on the Gut-Kidney Axis in Health and Disease.

The recent new developments in technology with culture-independent techniques including genome sequencing methodologies shed light on the identification of microbiota bacterial species and their role in health and disease. Microbiome is actually reported as an important predictive tool for evaluating characteristic shifts in case of disease. Our present review states the development of different renal diseases and pathologies linked to the intestinal dysbiosis, which impacts on host homeostasis. The gastrointestinal-kidney dialogue provides intriguing features in the pathogenesis of several renal diseases. Without any doubt, investigation of this interconnection consists one of the most cutting-edge areas of research with potential implications on our health.

Combined Action of Piperitenone Epoxide and Antibiotics Against Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial efficiency of piperitenone epoxide (PEO) - a principal component of various aromatic plants' essential oil - in combination with various antibiotics against 28 strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 10 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from clinical samples. Mentha spicata's essential oil, initially collected by hydrodistillation, was then subjected to flush column chromatography affording PEO of high purity. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of PEO alone and in combination with various concentrations of antibiotics were assessed using the microdilution method. The combined action was estimated calculating the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index from checkerboard assays. Our results showed that the average minimum inhibitory concentration (mg/l) of PEO alone against E. coli was 512 ± 364.7 µg/ml, which was significantly higher than 172.8 ± 180.7 µg/ml observed for S. aureus. From checkerboard assays, FIC values below the 0.5 index, indicating synergy, were observed for 59% of the drugs tested. Twelve percent of FIC index values were between 0.5 and 1, indicating additive effects, while 21% were indifferent. According to our results, PEO could be a promising antimicrobial compound when combined with specific antibiotics and deserves further study.

Comparative Susceptibility Study Against Pathogens Using Fermented Cranberry Juice and Antibiotics.

In the present study, unfermented and fermented cranberry juice in combination with the Antibiotics vancomycin and tigecycline were tested for their antimicrobial activity. Cranberry juice was fermented with a recently isolated potentially probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei K5. The tested strains selected for this purpose were Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium, Enterobacter cloacae and Staphylococcus aureus. The methods followed were the determination of zones inhibition, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Index (FICI). Tigecycline together with fermented juice exhibited larger Zones of Inhibition (ZOI) in strains of E. faecium (65 ± 4.8 mm) compared to the respective ZOI with tigecycline and unfermented juice (no zone). The same outcome was also obtained with E. cloacae. Vancomycin together with fermented juice exhibited larger ZOI in strains of E. faecium (28 ± 2.2 mm) compared to the respective ZOI with vancomycin and unfermented juice (24 ± 2.3 mm). The lowest MIC values were recorded when tigecycline was combined with fermented cranberry juice against S. aureus strains, followed by the same combination of juice and antibiotic against E. cloacae strains. FICI revealed synergistic effects between fermented juice and tigecycline against a strain of E. faecium (A2020) and a strain of E. faecalis (A1940). Such effects were also observed in the case of fermented juice in combination with vancomycin against a strain of S. aureus (S18), as well as between fermented juice and tigecycline against E. cloacae (E1005 and E1007) strains. The results indicate that the antibacterial activity of juice fermented with the potentially probiotic L. paracasei K5 may be due to synergistic effects between some end fermentation products and the antibiotic agents examined.

Biodiversity and Microbial Resistance of Lactobacilli Isolated From the Traditional Greek Cheese Kopanisti.

Kopanisti is a Greek artisan cheese produced from raw milk in the island of Mykonos, Greece. The milk is left to rest for 12-24 h and then the rennet is added. After its formation the curd is left to drain for 2-3 days and is ready either for consumption (as tyrovolia fresh cheese), or with the addition of extra salt, the curd is left to ripen through further fermentation and surface development of Penicillium fungi, aprocess leading to the production of the traditional Greek cheese Kopanisti. From 120 samples of kopanisti, 574 Lactobacillus strains were isolated, distributed in 17 species (16 of them isolated from tyrovolia as well). Strains from 15 species were found resistant or multiresistant against 15 antimicrobial agents, representing all categories of antibiotics. Analysis revealed that the resistance was moderated during ripening of the curd from tyrovolia to Kopanisti. Resistance against penicillin G, ampicillin/sulbactam, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, trimethoprim, metronidazole, vancomycin, teichoplanin, and quinupristin/dalvopristin was significantly enhanced, while the resistance against ampicillin, erythromycin, oxytetracycline, gentamycin, and fucidic acid was significantly reduced. These changes during ripening suggest that resistance to antimicrobials is a dynamic process subjected to environmental factors. The biodiversity of isolated Lactobacillus strains is impressive and explains the exquisite sensorial characteristics of the cheese. However, the extent of the resistance is alarming.