Surveys on Pet-Reptile-Associated Multi-Drug-Resistant Salmonella spp. in the Timișoara Metropolitan Region-Western Romania.

The number of reptiles owned as pets has risen worldwide. Additionally, urban expansion has resulted in more significant human encroachment and interactions with the habitats of captive reptiles. Between May and October 2022, 48 reptiles from pet shops and 69 from households were sampled in the Timișoara metropolitan area (western Romania). Three different sample types were collected from each reptile: oral cavity, skin, and cloacal swabs. Salmonella identification was based on ISO 6579-1:2017 (Annex D), a molecular testing method (invA gene target), and strains were serotyped in accordance with the Kauffman-White-Le-Minor technique; the antibiotic susceptibility was assessed according to Decision 2013/652. This study showed that 43.28% of the pet reptiles examined from households and pet shops carried Salmonella spp. All of the strains isolated presented resistance to at least one antibiotic, and 79.32% (23/29) were multi-drug-resistant strains, with the most frequently observed resistances being to gentamicin, nitrofurantion, tobramycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The findings of the study undertaken by our team reveal that reptile multi-drug-resistant Salmonella is present. Considering this aspect, the most effective way of preventing multi-drug-resistant Salmonella infections requires stringent hygiene control in reptile pet shops as well as ensuring proper animal handling once the animals leave the pet shop and are introduced into households.

Estimation of the Controlled Release of Antioxidants from ß-Cyclodextrin/Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) or Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum L.), Asteraceae, Hydrophilic Extract Complexes through the Fast and Cheap Spectrophotometric Technique.

This is the first study on the modeling of the controlled release of the estimated antioxidants (flavonoids or flavonolignans) from ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD)/hydrophilic vegetable extract complexes and the modeling of transdermal pharmaceutical formulations based on these complexes using an overall estimation by the spectrophotometric method. The Korsmeyer-Peppas model was chosen for evaluating the release mechanisms. ß-CD/chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L., Asteraceae) ethanolic extract and ß-CD/milk thistle (Silybum marianum L., Asteraceae) ethanolic extract complexes were obtained by the co-crystallization method with good recovering yields of 55-76%, slightly lower than for ß-CD/silibinin or silymarin complexes (~87%). According to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Karl Fischer water titration (KFT), the thermal stability of complexes is similar to ß-CD hydrate while the hydration water content is lower, revealing the formation of molecular inclusion complexes. In the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, ß-CD/M. chamomilla flower extract complexes reveal Case II transport mechanisms, while the corresponding complexes with leaf extracts indicate non-Fickian diffusion for the controlled release of antioxidants in ethanol 60 and 96%. The same non-Fickian diffusion was revealed by ß-CD/S. marianum extract and ß-CD/silibinin complexes. On the contrary, almost all model transdermal pharmaceutical formulations based on ß-CD/M. chamomilla extract complexes and all those based on ß-CD/S. marianum extract complexes revealed non-Fickian diffusion for the antioxidant release. These results indicate that H-bonding is mainly involved in the diffusion of antioxidants into a ß-CD based matrix, while the controlled release of antioxidants in model formulations is mainly due to hydrophobic interactions. Results obtained in this study can be further used for studying the particular antioxidants (namely rutin or silibinin, quantified, for example, by liquid chromatographic techniques) for their transdermal transport and biological effects in innovatively designed pharmaceutical formulations that can be obtained using "green" methods and materials.

Antimicrobial Activity of Sempervivum tectorum L. Extract on Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated from Otitis Externa of Dogs.

The present study investigated the antimicrobial activity, total phenolic content, and proanthocyanidin concentration of ethanolic extracts from fresh leaves of Sempervivum tectorum L. The extracts were phytochemically analyzed and evaluated for antimicrobial activity. The broth microdilution method was used to assess antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria isolated from ear swabs taken from dogs with otitis externa. Many compounds were present in the ethanolic aqueous extracts, which exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. They showed strong antibacterial activity against standard clinical Gram-positive strains such as S. aureus and Gram-negative strains such as P. aeruginosa. In our study, the obtained quantity of total phenolic compounds in the ethanol:water extract of leaves was 126.17 mg GAE/g. The proanthocyanidin concentration in the tested Sempervivum tectorum L. extracts was 15.39 mg PAC/g material. The high contents of total phenolics and proanthocyanidin indicated that these compounds contribute to antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity of the tested S. tectorum L. extracts ranged from 1.47 to 63.75 µg/mL, starting with 1.47 µg/mL and 1.75 µg/mL against S. aureus ATCC 25923 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 strains, respectively. Likewise, S. tectorum L. ethanol extract demonstrated a bacteriostatic effect against S. aureus clinical isolate with a median MIC of 23.25 µg/mL and MBC of 37.23 µg/mL; and bactericidal against S. aureus ATCC 25923 with the median MIC of 20.33 µg/mL and MBC of 37.29 µg/mL. In the Gram-negative P. aeruginosa clinical and standard strains, the expressed MIC and MBC values were 24.234 and 20.53 µg/mL for MIC, and 37.30 and 37.02 µg/mL for MBC, respectively.

First Morphological and Molecular Identification of Demodex injai in Golden Jackal (Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758) in Romania.

Demodicosis is one of the most important external parasitic diseases found in carnivores. Three species of the Demodex mite inhabit the skin of dogs and related species, D. canis being the most prevalent. This paper describes the first case of infestation with D. injai in a golden jackal in Romania. An emaciated golden jackal female body found in Timiș County, western Romania, was examined at Parasitology Department of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Timișoara. The gross lesions were present on different regions of the body: feet, tail, axillary and inguinal areas, and skin folds as well, consisting of erythema, extensive severe alopecia with lichenification, seborrhea, and scaling. In order to establish diagnosis, microscopic examination of skin scrapes, trichogram (hair plucking), acetate tape test (impression), fungal culture, and PCR were performed. Both microscopic measurements and PCR analysis have confirmed the presence of D. injai.

Quercetin Beneficial Role in the Homeostatic Variation of Certain Trace Elements in Dyslipidemic Mice.

Background: Quercetin's role in the homeostasis of certain trace elements in dyslipidemia induced in mice was assessed. Methods: Forty BALB/c mice were allocated into 4 groups as follows: control; HFD, received fat diet; HFD + Q group, received HFD +500 mg/L quercetin; and blank control (Q)-normal food + 500 mg/L quercetin in drinking water. Results: By analyzing the values of total proteins, albumins, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and the levels of several trace elements in blood and organs, we perceived a statistically significant increase ( ∗∗ , p < 0.01) of TP, ALB, TC, TGE, and LDL-c. A nonsignificant decrease was ascertained to HDL-c value in the HFD and quercetin groups (p > 0.05). In the HFD group, all analyzed elements in the kidney and spleen increased, also Cu, Li, Mg, Mn, Pb, and of B, Ba, Cr, Cd, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the heart increased, but furthermore, Ag, B, Ba, Cd, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Zn in blood, Ag and Zn in the liver, and Cd in the spleen decreased. In the HFD group who received quercetin, elements (except B) were decreased in kidney and liver, also increased Ag, Ba, Cr, Fe, Li, Ni, Zn in blood, but similarly, Ag, B, Ba, Cd, Cu, Mn, and Pb declined in the spleen and heart. Conclusions: Results proved the quercetin beneficial role.

Biocides as Biomedicines against Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria.

Biocides are currently considered the first line of defense against foodborne pathogens in hospitals or food processing facilities due to the versatility and efficiency of their chemical active ingredients. Understanding the biological mechanisms responsible for their increased efficiency, especially when used against foodborne pathogens on contaminated surfaces and materials, represents an essential first step in the implementation of efficient strategies for disinfection as choosing an unsuitable product can lead to antibiocide resistance or antibiotic-biocide cross-resistance. This review describes these biological mechanisms for the most common foodborne pathogens and focuses mainly on the antipathogen effect, highlighting the latest developments based on in vitro and in vivo studies. We focus on biocides with inhibitory effects against foodborne bacteria (e.g., Escherichia spp., Klebsiella spp., Staphylococcus spp., Listeria spp., Campylobacter spp.), aiming to understand their biological mechanisms of action by looking at the most recent scientific evidence in the field.

The effect of fly ash on sunflower growth and human health.

One of the challenges brought by the circular economy requires a reconsideration of waste, which may under certain circumstances turn into genuine resources. By extension, soil pollution with heavy metal is a major concern since it directly affects the health of the population. The goal of the present research work is to analyze the impact of the use of waste from other technological processes in agriculture: fly ash (resulting ash from thermal power plants), zeolite bush (resulting from the processing of rock from zeolite quarries), and manure (garbage from zoo technical farms). In this respect, complex treatments based on inorganic substances (fly ash and volcanic indigenous tuff with 70% clinoptilolite) were applied to less-favored agricultural soils in the absence and in the presence of an organic fertilizer (manure), respectively. After cultivating sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), a semi-early hybrid grown in the type of soil on which fly ash has been applied, there have been obtained seed crops 15.8% higher than the seed crops grown in the soil on which no fertilizer has been applied. The results obtained when combining fly ash and manure tend to amount to those obtained when combining manure with indigenous volcanic tuff with 70% clinoptilolite. The quality of the seed crops, obtained in the case of the three types of soil on which amendments were added in the absence/presence of the fertilizer, corresponds to the requirements of the national rules and allows their food processing.