sp. nov., a Novel Species Isolated from a Drinking Water Fountain in a Rural Community.

Three isolates of a novel, rapidly growing, non-pigmented species were recovered from the water and runoff of a public fountain in a rural village in central Portugal, formerly used by the local population as a source of drinking water and not accessible to animals. High-quality draft genome sequencing, in silico DNA-DNA hybridization, and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that isolates 21AC1, 21AC14, and 21AC21 represent a previously undescribed species within the genus , forming a distinct phylogenetic lineage closely related to , and . MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the type strain 21AC1 revealed a unique spectral profile.

Bio-Based Polyurethane Foams: Feedstocks, Synthesis, and Applications.

Polyurethanes (PUs) are extremely versatile materials used across different industries. Traditionally, they are synthesized by reacting polyols and isocyanates, both of which are petroleum-derived reagents. In response to the demand for more eco-friendly materials, research has increasingly focused on developing new routes for PU synthesis using renewable feedstocks.

Methylmercury Chronic Exposure and a High-Fat Diet Induce Gut Microbiome Alterations and Intestinal Barrier Disruption in Mice.

Methylmercury (MeHg) is markedly toxic to humans. Our study explores whether MeHg and high-fat diet (HFD) can impair the intestinal barrier with microbiota dysbiosis in mice. Weanling mice were fed to HFD or standard diet for 40 days.

Isolation of lignocellulosic biomass-degrading bacteria from Porcellio dilatatus gut-enriched cultures.

The lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is an attractive, sustainable, and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil sources to produce biofuel, biomaterials, and biochemicals. However, its recalcitrant and heterogenous structure challenges its biodegradation and valorization. The gut microbiome of soil invertebrate species has emerged as a rich source of LCB-degrading bacteria and enzymes in terrestrial ecosystems.

Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass Impact in Patient's Metabolic, Gut Microbiome, and Immuno-inflammatory Profiles-A Comparative Study.

Background: Bariatric surgery is the most long-term effective treatment option for severe obesity. The role of gut microbiome (GM) in either the development of obesity or in response to obesity management strategies has been a matter of debate. This study aims to compare the impact of two of the most popular procedures, sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (GB), on metabolic syndrome parameters and gut bacterial microbiome and in systemic immuno-inflammatory response.

Gut-first Parkinson's disease is encoded by gut dysbiome.

Background: In Parkinson's patients, intestinal dysbiosis can occur years before clinical diagnosis, implicating the gut and its microbiota in the disease. Recent evidence suggests the gut microbiota may trigger body-first Parkinson Disease (PD), yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate how a dysbiotic microbiome through intestinal immune alterations triggers PD-related neurodegeneration.

Unveiling the menace of lampenflora to underground tourist environments.

Permanent artificial lighting systems in tourist underground environments promote the proliferation of photoautotrophic biofilms, commonly referred to as lampenflora, on damp rock and sediment surfaces. These green-colored biofilms play a key role in the alteration of native community biodiversity and the irreversible deterioration of colonized substrates. Comprehensive chemical or physical treatments to sustainably remove and control lampenflora are still lacking.

Connecting molecular biomarkers, mineralogical composition, and microbial diversity from Mars analog lava tubes.

Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain) is one of the best terrestrial analogs to Martian volcanology. Particularly, Lanzarote lava tubes may offer access to recognizably preserved chemical and morphological biosignatures valuable for astrobiology. By combining microbiological, mineralogical, and organic geochemistry tools, an in-depth characterization of speleothems and associated microbial communities in lava tubes of Lanzarote is provided.

Expanding the Microcolonial Black Fungi Family: gen. sp. nov. (), Isolated from Deteriorated Limestone in the Lemos Pantheon, Portugal.

With an impressive ability to survive in harsh environments, black fungi are an ecological group of melanized fungi that are widely recognized as a major contributor to the biodeterioration of stone cultural heritage materials. As part of the ongoing efforts to study the fungal diversity thriving in a deteriorated limestone funerary art piece at the Lemos Pantheon, a national monument located in Águeda, Portugal, two isolates of an unknown microcolonial black fungus were retrieved. These isolates were thoroughly studied through a comprehensive analysis based on a multi-locus phylogeny of a combined dataset of ITS rDNA, LSU, and , along with morphological, physiological, and ecological characteristics.

Exploring Differences in Culturable Fungal Diversity Using Standard Freezing Incubation-A Case Study in the Limestones of Lemos Pantheon (Portugal).

In this study, we explored the biodiversity and abundance of culturable fungi in four samples associated with different biodeterioration outlines collected from the Lemos Pantheon, a limestone-built artwork in Portugal. We compared the results from prolonged standard freezing with those previously obtained from fresh samples to analyze differences in the obtained community and assess the effectiveness of the standard freezing incubation protocol in uncovering a different segment of culturable fungal diversity. Our results showed a slight decrease in culturable diversity, but over 70% of the obtained isolates were not present in the previously studied fresh samples.

A multidisciplinary approach to the comparison of three contrasting treatments on both lampenflora community and underlying rock surface.

Removing lampenflora, phototrophic organisms developing on rock surfaces in tourist cavities due to the artificial lighting, is a challenge for sustainable and appropriate long-term management of caves. Photosynthetic-based biofilms usually cause rock biodeterioration and an ecological imbalance in cave ecosystems. In this work, a detailed investigation of the effects of the 3 most commonly used lampenflora cleaning operations (NaClO, HO and UVC) was carried out in Pertosa-Auletta Cave (Italy).

Guts Bacterial Communities of : Symbionts Predominance, Functional Significance and Putative Biotechnological Potential.

Terrestrial isopods are effective herbivorous scavengers with an important ecological role in organic matter cycling. Their guts are considered to be a natural enrichment environment for lignocellulosic biomass (LCB)-degrading bacteria. The main goal of this work was to assess the structural diversity of Porcellio dilatatus gut bacterial communities using NGS technologies, and to predict their functional potential using PICRUSt2 software.

The gastrointestinal microbiome of browsing goats (Capra hircus).

Despite the growing interest in the ruminants' gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiomes' ability to degrade plant materials by animal husbandry and industrial sectors, only a few studies addressed browsing ruminants. The present work describes the taxonomic and functional profile of the bacterial and archaeal communities from five different gastrointestinal sections (rumen, omasum-abomasum, jejunum, cecum and colon) of browsing Capra hircus, by metabarcoding using 16S rRNA genes hypervariable regions. The bacterial communities across the GITs are mainly composed of Bacillota and Bacteroidota.

gen. et sp. nov. (, ) Isolated from a Hypogean Roman Cryptoporticus.

Stone monuments and relics are prone to biodeterioration processes prompted by microbial proliferation and activity. Among the distinct microbes capable of stone colonization, fungi are known to strongly contribute to stone biodeterioration. During the ongoing efforts aiming to study fungi thriving in dolomitic limestone walls of the Coimbra's hypogean Roman cryptoporticus (Portugal), two unknown isolates were retrieved.

A review on urinary tract infections diagnostic methods: Laboratory-based and point-of-care approaches.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infectious diseases worldwide. This type of infections can be healthcare-associated or community-acquired and affects millions of people every year. Different diagnostic procedures are available to detect pathogens in urine and they can be divided into two main categories: laboratory-based and point-of-care (POC) detection techniques.

Introducing Petrachlorosaceae fam. nov., Petrachloros gen. nov. and Petrachloros mirabilis sp. nov. (Synechococcales, Cyanobacteria) Isolated from a Portuguese UNESCO monument.

The Synechococcales is a large cyanobacterial order comprising both unicellular and filamentous forms, with parietal thylakoid arrangement. Previously, this order has been the subject of taxonomic revisions with new families being erected. During studies of the phototrophic communities on the limestone walls of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra (UNESCO monument), a coccoid Aphanocapsa-like cyanobacterium was isolated.

sp. nov., isolated from the limestone walls of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, Portugal.

Fungi are one of the main agents of stone biodeterioration worldwide, since they strongly interfere with its integrity, aesthetical and structural natural properties. During an experimental survey aimed to isolate fungal species contributing to the biodeterioration of the limestone walls of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra (Portuguese unesco World Heritage site), a species that could not be identified to any currently known species in this genus was isolated. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer, β-tubulin and RNA polymerase II subunit 2, placed this fungus in sect.

Footprints of a microbial toxin from the gut microbiome to mesencephalic mitochondria.

Objective: Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by alpha-synuclein (aSyn) aggregation and death of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Recent evidence posits that PD may initiate in the gut by microbes or their toxins that promote chronic gut inflammation that will ultimately impact the brain. In this work, we sought to demonstrate that the effects of the microbial toxin β--methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in the gut may trigger some PD cases, which is especially worrying as this toxin is present in certain foods but not routinely monitored by public health authorities.

and Structural Diversity in Several Biodeterioration Patterns on the Limestone Walls of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra.

The "University of Coimbra-Alta and Sofia" area was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Site distinction in 2013. The Old Cathedral of Coimbra, a 12th-century limestone monument located in this area, has been significantly impacted during the last 800 years by physical, chemical, and biological processes. This led to the significant deterioration of some of its structures and carvings, with loss of aesthetical, cultural, and historical values.

High-Quality Draft Genome Sequences of Three Cyanobacteria Isolated from the Limestone Walls of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, Portugal.

The recently described species and two other cyanobacteria were isolated from the limestone walls of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, Portugal (UNESCO World Heritage Site). The high-quality genome sequences presented here will be essential for characterization purposes and description of the novel taxa.

Genetic Diversity of pv. : Seasonal and Spatial Population Dynamics.

pv. (Psa) is a gram-negative bacterium responsible for the bacterial canker in var. and var.

Comparative genome sequence analysis of several species in the genus and the description of a novel species sp. nov.

We performed high-quality genome sequencing of eight strains of the species of the genus and examined the genomes of closely related strains from the databases to understand why is the only strain of this genus that utilizes glucose and fructose for growth. We found that the assimilation of these hexoses by was due to the presence of two transporters that are absent in all other genomes of strains of members of the genus examined. Some strains lack genes coding for glucokinase, but the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway appears to be otherwise complete.

High-Quality Draft Genome Sequences of Rare Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Isolated from Surfaces of a Hospital.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), some of which had multidrug-resistant profiles, were isolated from a tertiary care hospital setting. Although most NTM are nonpathogenic, contamination of hospital surfaces by these opportunistic pathogens poses a health risk to vulnerable inpatients. These high-quality NTM draft genomes are fundamental for future genetic and epidemiological studies.