Optimal packing of 2 and 3-D shapes in confined spaces has long been of practical and theoretical interest, particularly as it has been discovered that rotatable ellipses (or ellipsoids in the 3-D case) can, for example, have higher packing densities...
Background: EHEC O157:H7 causes severe gastrointestinal illness by first colonizing the large intestine. It intimately attaches to the epithelial lining, orchestrating distinctive “attaching and effacing” lesions that disrupt the host&rsq...
Antigen 43 (Ag43) expression induces aggregation and biofilm formation that has consequences for bacterial colonisation and infection. Ag43 is secreted through the Type 5 subtype “a” secretion system (T5aSS) and is a prototypical member o...
Nanotextured thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs) have emerged as promising antimicrobial coatings for biomedical applications; however, systematic comparisons across compositionally distinct Ti- and Zr-based systems, as well as their early-stage bacte...
The colonisation of stone by different organisms often leaves biodeterioration patterns (BPs) on the surfaces even if their presence is no longer detectable. Peculiar weathering patterns on monuments and rocks, such as pitting phenomena, were recogni...
Flexible adaptation to the host environment is a critical trait that underpins the success of numerous microbes. The polymorphic fungus Candida albicans has evolved to persist in the numerous challenging niches of the human body. The interaction of C...
Materials exposed to the outdoors are prone to various deterioration processes. Architectural coatings are designed to protect surfaces against environmental and biotic degradation and to provide a decorative layer. The objective of this work was to...
Enterococcus faecalis is a bacterial pathogen that can cause opportunistic infections. Studies indicate that initial biofilm formation plays a crucial regulatory role in these infections, as well as in colonising and maintaining the gastrointestinal...
Owing to variable water conditions, chemical conditions of water or ash substrate, ash settling ponds belong to anthropogenic objects which do not easily undergo plant succession. However, there are plants exhibiting biological traits allowing coloni...
This work determined the resistance of paint formulations containing TiO2 particles to fungal growth. Siloxane, acrylic and silicone paints were placed outdoors, and the fungal species growing thereon were recorded after 3, 6 and 9 months. In additio...
Background: Patients’ and surfaces’ colonisation play a pivotal role in C. auris transmission. Understanding how, when, and where screening for colonisation should be done is important to control the spread. Methods: This systematic revie...
Background: Peri-implant infections remain a major cause of dental implant failure, largely due to bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on implant surfaces. This study aimed to investigate how surface topography influences bacterial colonisation...
While functioning in the oral cavity, denture soft linings (SL) are exposed to contact with the microbiota. Dentures can offer perfect conditions for the multiplication of pathogenic yeast-like fungi, resulting in rapid colonisation of the surface of...
Background: Psoriasis is the most common inflammatory skin disease, driven by cytokines including IL-12, IL-17, and TNF-α. Patients are frequently colonised with Candida spp., while vitamin D3 deficiency has been implicated in psoriasis pathoge...
Childhood asthma is a major chronic non-communicable disease in infants and children, often triggered by respiratory tract infections. The nasal cavity is a reservoir for a broad variety of commensal microbes and potential pathogens associated with r...
Plums are climacteric fruits with a short postharvest shelf-life, which makes them highly susceptible to spoilage by moulds and pathogens. Biological control using antagonistic yeasts offers a promising approach to extend shelf-life by inhibiting fun...
The hypothesis that disturbance to coral reefs creates new surfaces that increase the risk of ciguatera is premised upon the increased algal substrates that develop on these surfaces being colonised by high ciguatoxin (CTX)-producing Gambierdiscus sp...
Fibronectin is a multi-domain, extracellular matrix protein that plays a number of biological roles. As the adsorption of fibronectin onto the surface of implanted devices can lead to an inflammatory response or bacterial colonisation, understanding...
Protruding nanostructured surfaces have gained increasing interest due to their unique wetting behaviours and more recently their antimicrobial and osteogenic properties. Rapid development in nanofabrication techniques that offer high throughput and...
Background/Objectives: Dogs are important carriers and transmitters of staphylococci from surface microbiota. Carriage screening allows for the identification of animals colonised with pathogens such as methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP...
Streptococcus uberis is a common cause of intramammary infection and mastitis in dairy cattle. Unlike other mammary pathogens, S. uberis evades detection by mammary epithelial cells, and the host–pathogen interactions during early colonisation...
The development of nanocomposite materials with multifunctional protective features is an urgent need in many fields. However, few works have studied the durability of these materials. Even though TiO2 nanoparticles have been extensively applied for...
Bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance remain significant contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite recent advances in biomedical research, a substantial number of medical devices and implants continue to be plagued by bacter...
The mangrove areas in Senegal have fluctuated considerably over the last few decades, and it is therefore important to monitor the evolution of forest cover in order to orient and optimise forestry policies. This study presents a method for mapping p...
Influenza A virus infections are known to predispose infected individuals to bacterial infections of the respiratory tract that result in co-infection with severe disease outcomes. Co-infections involving influenza A viruses and streptococcus bacteri...
Surface engineering is a promising strategy to limit or prevent the formation of biofilms. The use of topographic cues to influence early stages of biofilm formationn has been explored, yet many fundamental questions remain unanswered. In this work,...
Despite advancements in surgical care, the management of surgical site infections (SSIs) associated with fracture-fixation devices is still a challenge after implant fixation, especially in open fractures. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a commo...
Members of the genus Neisseria include pathogens causing important human diseases such as meningitis, septicaemia, gonorrhoea and pelvic inflammatory disease syndrome. Neisseriae are found on the exposed epithelia of the upper respiratory tract and t...
Orthopaedic device implants play a crucial role in restoring functionality to patients suffering from debilitating musculoskeletal diseases or to those who have experienced traumatic injury. However, the surgical implantation of these devices carries...
This study investigates lichen colonisation on a medieval basalt Armenian cross-stone (khachkar) in the Noratus cemetery, the largest extant concentration of memorial khachkars in Armenia, integrating fine-scale vegetation sampling, microhabitat asse...
The global threat of multidrug-resistant infections requires new approaches for its management. A blend of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) electrospun nanofibrous membrane was utilised as a scaffold to sustain th...
Surface-associated marine bacteria often produce secondary metabolites with antagonistic activities. In this study, tropodithietic acid (TDA) was identified to be responsible for the antibacterial activity of the marine epiphytic bacterium Pseudovibr...
Since breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women, silicone mammary implants have been extensively employed in numerous breast reconstruction procedures. However, despite the crucial role they play, their interaction with the hos...
Bacterial colonisation of biomedical devices demands novel antibacterial coatings. Plasma-enabled treatment is an established technique for selective modification of physicochemical characteristics of the surface and deposition of polymer thin films....
Biofinish is an innovative wood protection system inspired by biological processes. It enhances the hydrophobicity of wood through oil treatment, resulting in improved dimensional stability. Living cells of the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans effectiv...
Inspired by observations that the natural topography observed on cicada and dragonfly wings may be lethal to bacteria, researchers have sought to reproduce these nanostructures on biomaterials with the goal of reducing implant-associated infections....
The growing concern over the long-term persistence of plastic waste has driven research into biological methods of breaking down polymers. This study investigated a process that combines physicochemical pretreatment and biodegradation of low-density...
Backgroundand objectives: Burn patients represent a challenging cohort because the injuries entail a vulnerability to colonisation by microorganisms. The ensuing infections can lead to serious complications and, in many cases, to the death of the bur...
Synanthropic cockroaches, especially Blattella germanica and Periplaneta americana, are persistent pests of human dwellings, healthcare facilities, food establishments, farms, and transport infrastructure. Accumulating field and laboratory studies in...
Over the last decade, Cameroon has been embroiled in a violent civil conflict. In 2016, protests within the minority Anglophone regions against the obligatory use of French in schools triggered a period of considerable unrest, in which hundreds of pe...
While the oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, marine derived microbial natural products have been largely unexplored. The marine environment is a habitat for many unique microorganisms, which produce biologically active compounds (“bio...
Streptococcus canis is an opportunistic pathogen that colonises the mucosal surfaces and skin of its host. Though predominantly a veterinary pathogen affecting cats and dogs, S. canis has also been identified as the causative agent in severe human di...
Bacteria can spread on surfaces to colonize new environments and access more resources. Rhizobia, a group of α- and β-Proteobacteria, establish nitrogen-fixing symbioses with legumes that rely on a complex signal interchange between the pa...
Medical device-associated infections are becoming a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, prompting researchers to find new, more effective ways to control the bacterial colonisation of surfaces and biofilm development. Bacteria in biof...
Background: Here, we describe an integrative method to detect carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria (gn-Cp) on surfaces/fomites in the patient environment. We examined environmental samples from 28 patient rooms occupied with patients who we...
Helicobacter pylori colonises the human stomach and has tropism for the gastric mucin, MUC5AC. The majority of organisms live in the adherent mucus layer within their preferred location, close to the epithelial surface where the pH is near neutral. T...
Research Highlights: In this study, the Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) compounds were applied in order to study mould-fungi growth on dried Scots pine sapwood. Background and Objectives: The transition to the use of more sustainable wood-materia...
The aetiology of invasive candidiasis is undergoing substantial changes; traditionally, these mycoses have been considered to originate from endogenous reservoirs; however, the increasing prevalence of non-Candida albicans species, such as Candida pa...
Colonisation of maxillofacial prostheses by Candida albicans is conventionally attributed to surface roughness, porosity, and wettability properties that explain where cells accumulate rather than why particular surfaces promote biofilm formation. Th...
Crop seeds are frequently colonised by fungi from the field or storage places. Some fungi can cause plant diseases or produce mycotoxins, compromising the use of seeds as seeding material, food or feed. We have investigated the effects of cold plasma...
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