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Antimicrobial Resistance in Medical and Food Processing Areas

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 5957

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a worldwide public health issue. Currently, a staggering 700,000 deaths a year are caused by antibiotic-resistant infections globally, and it is estimated that this figure will rise to 10 million by 2050 at the cost of $100 trillion dollars to the global economy. Bacteria containing resistance genes can be passed from person to person, animal to person, and environment to environment. There are concerns that the extensive use of antimicrobials in the biomedical and food processing fields is a significant cause for development of AMR. The extent of the problem of AMR has triggered intense research efforts by scientists around the Globe in an attempt to find a timely solution. Over the last three decades, scientists and engineers have made exciting discoveries of new methods and technologies that could be used to tackle the problem of AMR.

The purpose of this Special Issue will bring together key recent advances in research in fundamental knowledge and technology towards combating AMR in the biomedical and food processing fields.

Topics include but are not limited to:

  • Antimicrobial nanoparticles and nanomaterials
  • Nanoscale delivery vehicles for antimicrobial agents
  • Nanoscale coatings and surface modification strategies for antimicrobial applications
  • Rapid detection methods for resistant pathogens in food processing and medicine
  • Biosensors to detect the antimicrobial resistant bacteria
  • Smart antimicrobial food packaging
  • Naturally derived antimicrobial exact
  • Antimicrobial peptides and polymers

Dr. Vi Khanh Truong
Prof. Dr. Krasimir Vasilev
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • antimicrobial resistance
  • rapid diagnostics
  • antimicrobial
  • nanotechnology
  • biotechnology
  • antimicrobial coatings
  • antibacterial
  • antifungal
  • surface modification
  • biosensor
  • antimicrobial peptides
  • antimicrobial polymers
  • antimicrobial food packaging

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3462 KiB  
Article
New Evidence for Artemisia absinthium as an Alternative to Classical Antibiotics: Chemical Analysis of Phenolic Compounds, Screening for Antimicrobial Activity
by Zhihao Liu, Xiaolin Li, Yan Jin, Tiegui Nan, Yuyang Zhao, Luqi Huang and Yuan Yuan
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(15), 12044; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512044 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1091
Abstract
Artemisia absinthium, an important herb of the Artemisia genus, was evaluated in this study for its potential as an alternative to classical antibiotics. The antimicrobial activity of methanol extracts of A. absinthium (MEAA) was evaluated using the broth microdilution method, revealing that [...] Read more.
Artemisia absinthium, an important herb of the Artemisia genus, was evaluated in this study for its potential as an alternative to classical antibiotics. The antimicrobial activity of methanol extracts of A. absinthium (MEAA) was evaluated using the broth microdilution method, revealing that A. absinthium exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activity. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used to analyze the chemical profile of the MEAA, with a focus on flavonoids, quinic acids, and glucaric acids. A total of 90 compounds were identified, 69 of which were described for the first time in A. absinthium. Additionally, a new class of caffeoyl methyl glucaric acids was identified. The main active compounds were quantified and screened for antimicrobial activity. A. absinthium was found to be rich in quinic acids and flavonoids. The screening for antimicrobial activity also revealed that salicylic acid, caffeic acid, casticin, and 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid had varying degrees of antimicrobial activity. The acute toxicity of MEAA was examined following OECD guidelines. The administration of 5000 mg/kg bw of MEAA did not result in mortality in male and female mice. Furthermore, there were no observed effects on the visceral organs or general behavior of the mice, demonstrating the good safety of MEAA. This study provides new evidence for the use of A. absinthium as an alternative to classical antibiotics in addressing the problem of bacterial resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Resistance in Medical and Food Processing Areas)
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20 pages, 3909 KiB  
Article
Potential Use of a Combined Bacteriophage–Probiotic Sanitation System to Control Microbial Contamination and AMR in Healthcare Settings: A Pre-Post Intervention Study
by Maria D’Accolti, Irene Soffritti, Francesca Bini, Eleonora Mazziga, Luca Arnoldo, Antonella Volta, Matteo Bisi, Paola Antonioli, Patrizia Laurenti, Walter Ricciardi, Sara Vincenti, Sante Mazzacane and Elisabetta Caselli
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6535; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076535 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2317
Abstract
Microbial contamination in the hospital environment is a major concern for public health, since it significantly contributes to the onset of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which are further complicated by the alarming level of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of HAI-associated pathogens. Chemical disinfection to control [...] Read more.
Microbial contamination in the hospital environment is a major concern for public health, since it significantly contributes to the onset of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which are further complicated by the alarming level of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of HAI-associated pathogens. Chemical disinfection to control bioburden has a temporary effect and can favor the selection of resistant pathogens, as observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, probiotic-based sanitation (probiotic cleaning hygiene system, PCHS) was reported to stably abate pathogens, AMR, and HAIs. PCHS action is not rapid nor specific, being based on competitive exclusion, but the addition of lytic bacteriophages that quickly and specifically kill selected bacteria was shown to improve PCHS effectiveness. This study aimed to investigate the effect of such combined probiotic–phage sanitation (PCHSφ) in two Italian hospitals, targeting staphylococcal contamination. The results showed that PCHSφ could provide a significantly higher removal of staphylococci, including resistant strains, compared with disinfectants (−76%, p < 0.05) and PCHS alone (−50%, p < 0.05). Extraordinary sporadic chlorine disinfection appeared compatible with PCHSφ, while frequent routine chlorine usage inactivated the probiotic/phage components, preventing PCHSφ action. The collected data highlight the potential of a biological sanitation for better control of the infectious risk in healthcare facilities, without worsening pollution and AMR concerns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Resistance in Medical and Food Processing Areas)
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26 pages, 8521 KiB  
Article
Fighting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections by Surface Biofunctionalization of 3D-Printed Porous Titanium Implants with Reduced Graphene Oxide and Silver Nanoparticles
by Hongshan San, Marianne Paresoglou, Michelle Minneboo, Ingmar A. J. van Hengel, Aytac Yilmaz, Yaiza Gonzalez-Garcia, Ad C. Fluit, Peter-Leon Hagedoorn, Lidy E. Fratila-Apachitei, Iulian Apachitei and Amir A. Zadpoor
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(16), 9204; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23169204 - 16 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1836
Abstract
Nanoparticles (NPs) have high multifunctional potential to simultaneously enhance implant osseointegration and prevent infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Here, we present the first report on using plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) to incorporate different combinations of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and silver (Ag) NPs [...] Read more.
Nanoparticles (NPs) have high multifunctional potential to simultaneously enhance implant osseointegration and prevent infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Here, we present the first report on using plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) to incorporate different combinations of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and silver (Ag) NPs on additively manufactured geometrically ordered volume-porous titanium implants. The rGO nanosheets were mainly embedded parallel with the PEO surfaces. However, the formation of ‘nano-knife’ structures (particles embedded perpendicularly to the implant surfaces) was also found around the pores of the PEO layers. Enhanced in vitro antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was observed for the rGO+Ag-containing surfaces compared to the PEO surfaces prepared only with AgNPs. This was caused by a significant improvement in the generation of reactive oxygen species, higher levels of Ag+ release, and the presence of rGO ‘nano-knife’ structures. In addition, the implants developed in this study stimulated the metabolic activity and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cells compared to the PEO surfaces without nanoparticles. Therefore, the PEO titanium surfaces incorporating controlled levels of rGO+Ag nanoparticles have high clinical potential as multifunctional surfaces for 3D-printed orthopaedic implants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Resistance in Medical and Food Processing Areas)
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