ABSTRACT
Phthalic acid isomers are the monomers of phthalate molecules, also known as phthalic acid esters, widely employed in the plastics industry. This study aims to investigate the biodegradation of phthalic acid (PA) and terephthalic acid (TPA) by five industry-borne Comamonas testosteroni strains: 3APTOL, 3ABBK, 2B, 3A1, and C8. To assess the ability of C. testosteroni strains to biodegrade phthalic acid isomers in fermentation media, an analytical method was employed, consisting of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses. Subsequently, molecular screening of the genomic and plasmid DNA was conducted to identify the degradative genes responsible for the breakdown of these chemicals. The genes of interest, including ophA2, tphA2, tphA3, pmdA, and pmdB, were screened by real-time PCR. The five C. testosteroni strains effectively degraded 100% of 100 mg/L PA (p = 0.033) and TPA (p = 0.0114). Molecular analyses indicated that all C. testosteroni strains contained the pertinent genes at different levels within their genomes and plasmids, as reflected in the threshold cycle (Ct) values. Additionally, DNA temperature of melting (Tm) analyses uncovered minor differences between groups of genes in genomic and plasmid DNA. C. testosteroni strains could be excellent candidates for the removal of phthalic acid isomers from environmental systems.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen associated with nosocomial infections and hospital outbreaks worldwide, presenting a serious global health threat. There has been a rapid emergence of scientific research publications focusing on therapeutic compounds, diagnostic techniques, control strategies, prevention, and understanding the epidemiology related to C. auris. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide the most up-to-date comprehensive and integrated examination of C. auris research subject and demonstrate that C. auris is indeed a topic of increasing interest. METHODS: The search query "candida-auris" was used as a topic term to find and retrieve relevant data published between 2009 and 15 June 2023, from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. In this work, the bibliometric analysis and network visualization were conducted using VOSviewer software, and Biblioshiny interface accessible through the Bibliometrix R-package on RStudio software. RESULTS: The yearly growth rate percentage (37.91%), along with the strong positive correlations between publications and citations (r = 0.981; p < 0.001), suggests heightened scholarly engagement in this topic. The USA, India, China, and the UK have emerged as pivotal contributors, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA being the most productive institution. Current research hotspots in this field mainly focused on identifying and limiting transmission of the clonal strains, epidemiology, antifungal resistance, and in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing. CONCLUSION: This detailed bibliometric analysis in C. auris topic shows that this fungal pathogen has garnered growing attention and attracted progressively more scholars. This paper will help researchers to find without difficulty the relevant articles, research hotspots, influential authors, institutions, and countries related to the topic.
