In this study, a TiO₂/AgCl composite photocatalyst (Ti/Ag) was evaluated for antibacterial and disease-control effects against Erwinia amylovora (Ea) and Pectobacterium carotovorum (Pcc), two critical bacterial pathogens causing crop diseases, using infected Helianthus annuus L. and Brassica oleracea var. acephala DC. as plant materials. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined firstly. The MIC and MBC of Ti/Ag against Ea were 0.25 mg/mL and 0.5 mg/mL, while those against Pcc were 0.5 mg/mL and 1 mg/mL, respectively. Increased Ti/Ag concentrations significantly enhanced the inhibition zone diameter and antibacterial rate, showing an obvious concentration-dependent activity. Transmission electron microscopy observations confirmed that higher Ti/Ag concentrations caused more severe damage to bacterial cell structures. Physiological detection revealed that Ti/Ag induced excessive intracellular ROS accumulation, elevated MDA and ·OH levels, and reduced GSH content in pathogens. SOD activity varied between the two strains, indicating that Ti/Ag treatment was associated with the disruption of bacterial redox homeostasis, which suggested oxidative-stress-related processes may contribute to its bactericidal activity. Plant validation experiments demonstrated that Ti/Ag application effectively improved stress resistance-related physiological indexes and relieved disease symptoms in infected seedlings. In conclusion, Ti/Ag achieved antibacterial effects at relatively low concentrations and displayed bactericidal performance under test conditions. It shows promising application prospects as a candidate agent for green prevention and control of agricultural bacterial diseases.
Agave sisalana processing generates large amounts of leaf residue that may represent a source of biologically active compounds. This study evaluated the in vitro antifungal activity of a hexane extract obtained from A. sisalana residue (HES) and the preliminary physicochemical stability of an HES-containing shampoo. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of HES and ketoconazole were determined against Malassezia pachydermatis ATCC 14,522 and Trichophyton rubrum ATCC 28,189. The antifungal activity of the HES-containing shampoo against T. rubrum was subsequently evaluated by viable-count assays after 30, 60, and 90 min of contact. The formulation was also monitored for appearance, odor, homogeneity, pH, and viscosity during a 30-day stability study. HES showed MICs of 125 µg mL⁻¹ against M. pachydermatis and 750 µg mL⁻¹ against T. rubrum, whereas the corresponding MICs of ketoconazole were 112.5 and 900 µg mL⁻¹, respectively. Across the evaluated contact times, the HES-containing shampoo produced significantly lower colony-forming unit counts than the shampoo base (p < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was detected between the HES-containing and ketoconazole-containing shampoos (p = 0.564); however, this finding was not interpreted as evidence of statistical equivalence. No changes in appearance, odor, or homogeneity were observed throughout the 30-day evaluation. The pH remained approximately 6.0 under the evaluated storage conditions, while viscosity remained approximately 3000 cP at 25 °C. These findings support the in vitro antifungal activity of HES and warrant further investigation of the formulation, including chemical characterization of the extract, safety assessment, and longer-term stability studies.
Nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus among healthcare professionals represents a potential risk for the spread of resistant strains in hospital settings. Thus, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of nasal colonization by S. aureus and to characterize the antimicrobial resistance profile of the isolated strains from professionals working in a public hospital in Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil. This study was carried out from December 2024 to February 2025. A total of 132 professionals working in a public hospital in the state of Maranhão were included. Among the participants, 36 (27.27
Chitinases are enzymes with important applications in the production of pharmaceutically valuable chitooligosaccharides, bioconversion of chitin-rich waste, and biocontrol of phytopathogenic fungi. Despite extensive studies on bacterial chitinases, the chitinolytic potential of Micromonospora echinospora remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to optimize chitinase production by M. echinospora C33, isolated from semi-arid soil in Laghouat, Algeria, through statistical experimental designs and computational modeling. A preliminary Plackett-Burman design identified three significant factors affecting enzyme production: colloidal chitin, peptone, and galactose. These parameters were further optimized using a Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology (RSM), resulting in an optimal medium composition of 10
Mycoplasma bovis is a major cause of bovine respiratory disease, mastitis, arthritis, and reproductive disorders. Despite its growing impact, the long-term genetic diversity and population structure of European M. bovis strains remain incompletely characterized. This study investigated the population structure and genetic relatedness of M. bovis in Europe using the established Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) scheme. A total of 224 isolates from 13 European countries, collected between 1983 and 2024, were retrieved from the PubMLST database, representing a convenience sample of publicly deposited isolates. Genetic analysis was carried out using DnaSP v6. A Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) analysis using PHYLOViZ v2 was conducted to evaluate the population structure of M. bovis strains. Recombination was estimated using pairwise homoplasy index (phi) test and the standardized index of association (ISA) was computed using LIAN v3.7 in order to assess linkage disequilibrium from allelic profiles. MLST scheme identified 80 sequence types (STs), which were grouped into three clonal complexes (CC) and 5 singletons. Twelve STs were shared between countries, indicating a wide geographical distribution of some genotypes, although MLST data alone cannot establish transmission events or their routes. The STs detected differed between sampling periods; however, isolates from Spain, Hungary and Belgium (72.8
