Worldwide Research Efforts In The Fighting Against Microbial Pathogensfrom Basic Research To Technological Developments

This book aims to disseminate recent findings in the fight against microbial pathogens which were presented at the second edition of the ICAR Conference Series (ICAR2012) on Antimicrobial Research, held in Lisbon, Portugal, November 2012, which attracted about 425 scientists from 55 countries. This forum was the natural continuation of this new series of conferences: the first edition, held in Valladolid, Spain in 2010, gathered more than 500 researchers from nearly 60 countries. ICAR aims at establishing itself as a key forum in Europe for the presentation, exchange, and dissemination of information and experiences on anti-microbe strategies. "Anti" is here taken in the broadest sense as "against cell cycle, adhesion, or communication," when harmful for the human health, industry or economy (e.g. infectious diseases, chemotherapy, food, biomedicine, agriculture, livestock, biotechnology, water systems). Topics on antimicrobial natural products, antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial surfaces, as well as methods and techniques, are included. This volume is a compilation of chapters written by active researchers that will provide readers with an up-to-date information about the current knowledge on antimicrobials in a worldwide context marked by the threat posed by the increasing antimicrobial resistance of microbial pathogens.

The aim of this book is to disseminate the most recent research in science and technology against microbial pathogens presented at the first edition of the ICAR Conference Series (ICAR2010) held in Valladolid, Spain, in November 2010. This volume is a compilation of 86 chapters written by active researchers that offer information and experiences and afford critical insights into anti-microbe strategies in a general context marked by the threat posed by the increasing antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic microorganisms. “Anti” is here taken in a wide sense as “against cell cycle, adhesion, or communication”, and when harmful for the human health (infectious diseases, chemotherapy etc.) and industry or economy (food, agriculture, water systems etc.) The book examines this interesting subject area from antimicrobial resistance (superbugs, emerging and re-emerging pathogens etc.), to the use of natural products or microbes against microbial pathogens, not forgetting antimicrobial chemistry, physics and material science. Readers will find in a single volume, up-to-date information of the current knowledge in antimicrobial research. The book is recommended for researchers from a broad range of academic disciplines that are contributing in the battle against harmful microorganisms, not only those more traditionally involved in this research area (microbiologists, biochemists, geneticists, clinicians etc.), but also experimental and theoretical/computational chemists, physicists or engineers. Contents:Antimicrobial Peptides:A new class of Scots pine antimicrobial proteins, which act by binding β-glucan (Sanjeewani Sooriyaarachchi, Adrian Suárez Covarrubias, Wimal Ubhayasekera, Frederick O Asiegbu and Sherry L Mowbray)Antimicrobial aza-β3-peptides: Structure-activity relationship? (B Legrand, M Laurencin, C Zatylny-Gaudin, J Henry, A Bondon and M Baudy Floc'h)Differential antimicrobial activities of Human Beta-Defensins against Methicillin Resistant (MRSA) and Methicillin sensitive (MSSA) Staphylococcus aureus (N D S Herathge, J T George and D A Rowley)Non-antibiotics Biocides:Evaluation of biocidal activity of Evolyse, a disinfectant based on hydrogen peroxide and silver nitrate (M Barbara Pisano, V Altana, M Elisabetta Fadda, L Mura, M Deplano and S Cosentino)Increased resistance to detergent in Enterococcus faecalis (Jacqueline Keyhani and Ezzatollah Keyhani)Legionella pneumophila isolation rate in a Spanish hospital pre- and post-installation of an electrochemical activation system for potable water disinfection (Jose-Maria Rivera, Juan-Jose Granizo, Jose-Maria Aguiar, Ana Vos-Arenilla, Maria-Jose Giménez and Lorenzo Aguilar)Antimicrobial Evaluation: Clinical and Pre-clinical Trials:Adherence to ART and its associated factors among HIV Aids Patients in Addis Ababa (Ezra Muluneh)Effectiveness and safety of miconazole with hydrocortisone (Daktacort) feminine care cream in the treatment of vulvar candidiasis (J Perez-Peralta and G Balaccua)Natural Products: Terrestrial and Marine Organisms:Analysis of the 2-Phenylethyl isothiocyanate present in Brassica leaves and their potential application as antimicrobial agent against bacteria strains isolated from Human and Pig gastrointestinal tracts (A Aires, C Dias, R N Bennett, E A S Rosa and M J Saavedra)Antimicrobial effect of carvacrol on Escherichia coli K12 growth at different temperatures (C M Belda-Galbis, A Martínez and D Rodrigo)Bacteriostatic effect of cocoa powder rich in polyphenols to control Cronobacter sakazakii proliferation on infant milk formula (M C Pina-Pérez, D Rodrigo and A Martínez-López)Antimicrobial Surfaces. Biofilms. Quorum Sensing. Consumer Products:Antimicrobial active packaging films based on sorbic acid (C Hauser, J Wunderlich and G Ziegleder)Bacteriophages actions on Salmonella Enteritidis biofilm (A A Ferreira, R C S Mendonça, H M Hungaro, M M Carvalho and J A M Pereira)Biocompatibility and antibacterial property of cold sprayed ZnO/Titanium composite coating (Noppakun Sanpo, Chen Hailan, Kelvin Loke, Koh Pak Keng, Philip Cheang, C C Berndt and K A Khor)Methods and Techniques. Mechanisms of Action. Physics:A new approach for detection of bacterial contamination in cooling lubricants (D Oberschmidt, A Spielvogel, C Hein, J E Langbein, D Lorenz, U Stahl and E Uhlmann)Development of a liquid-medium assay for screening antimicrobial natural products against marine bacteria (M Geiger, J Dupont, O Grovel, Y F Pouchus and P Hess)Experimental planning can help to optimize the selective photoinactivation of microorganisms (J R Perussi, P L Fernandes, C Bernal and H Imasato)Resistance and Susceptibility:A 3-year review on the profile of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative in a tertiary teaching hospital inMalaysia (H Habsah, Z Z Deris, M Zeehaida, A R Zaidah, H Siti Asma' and I Nabilah)Antimicrobial susceptibility in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus harbouring of mecA and lukFS-PV genes in Northern Portugal (N Silva, C Prudêncio, C Tomaz and R Fernandes)Antimicrobial susceptibility profile and effect of stem bark extracts of Curtisia dentata on multi-drug resistant verotoxic Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter spp. isolates obtained from water and wastewater samples (Hamuel James Doughari, Patrick Alois Ndakidemi, Izanne Susan Human and Spinney Benade)Chemistry:Antimicrobial cyclic pseudopeptides including Aza-β3-amino acids (M Laurencin, B Legrand, L Mouret, A Bondon, Y Fleury and M Baudy Floc'h)Effect of paracetamol on the pharmacokinetics of cephalexin in dogs (N A Afifi, M Atef, K Abo-El-Sooud and N El-Mokadem)Importance of the C9 absolute configuration for the antifungal activity of natural and semisynthetic sesquiterpenes (M Derita, M Di Liberto and S Zacchino)Antimicrobial Microbes and Viruses. Biosynthesis of Antibiotics:Antimicrobial properties of Lactobacillus plantarum Tensia (DSM 21380) and Inducia (DSM 21379) (M Rätsep, P Hütt, R Avi, M Utt and E Songisepp)Cell growth control by tRNase ribotoxins from bacteria and yeast (Eyemen Kheir, Christian Bär, Daniel Jablonowski and Raffael Schaffrath)Comparison of anti-listerial effect spectrum of bacteriocins (Selin Kalkan, Emel Ünal and Zerrin Erginkaya)and other papers Readership: Professionals - microbiologists, biochemists, geneticists, clinicians, chemists, physicists, engineers. Keywords:Antimicrobial Research;Antimicrobial Resistance;Antimicrobial in Natural Products;Antimicrobial Microbes;Antimicrobial Materials Science and Surface Chemistry;Microbial Pathogens;Antibacterial;Antifungal;ICAR2010 Conference Proceedings Book;Mendez-VilasKey Features:The book examines this interesting subject area from antimicrobial resistance (superbugs, emerging and re-emerging pathogens etc.), to the use of natural products or microbes against microbial pathogens, not forgetting the antimicrobial chemistry, physics and material scienceReaders will be able to find updated information of the current knowledge in antimicrobial research

Multidisciplinary Approaches for Studying and Combating Microbial Pathogens offers the opportunity to learn about recent findings in the fight against microbial pathogens. This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the III International Conference on Antimicrobial Research (ICAR2014), held in Madrid, Spain, in October 2014. The papers are written by researchers from around the world and focus on several themes: antimicrobial natural products, biofilms, antimicrobial surfaces, antimicrobial resistance, clinical and medical microbiology. Readers will hopefully find this set of papers interesting and representative of the worldwide current knowledge on antimicrobial research.

Cyclodextrins (CD) are cyclic oligosaccharides containing 6, 7 or 8 glucose units (α, β or γ-CD, respectively) in a truncated molecular shape. Their cyclic molecular structure contains a hydrophilic surface and a hydrophobic cavity at the center that can interact (host) with external hydrophobic compounds (guest molecules). Cyclodextrins have been categorized as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) in the USA, “natural products” in Japan, and as “novel food” in Australia, New Zealand and EU countries. They are therefore widely used in food production to encapsulate hydrophobic compounds, including solid, liquid and gas molecules, in order to solubilize, stabilize or control the release rate of these components. To date, there has been no comprehensive review of the very large number of studies performed on encapsulation using cyclodextrin powders for food applications in recent years. This text fills that gap for academics in the encapsulation field and for industry professionals who want to gain a solid understanding of encapsulation functionality of cyclodextrin powders. The book consists of 16 chapters in which chapter 1 introduces cyclodextrin properties and its applications in food processing, and chapters 2-16 explore applications of cyclodextrin in encapsulation for many guest compounds. These compounds include gases, flavors, colors, pigments, polyphenols (plant bioactive compounds), essential oils, lipids (cholesterol and polyunsaturated fatty acids), vitamins, fruit ripening controlling compounds, and antifungal and antimicrobial compounds. These chapters also discuss functionalities of cyclodextrin in packaging, masking off-flavor and off-taste, and as dietary fiber. Covering a broad range of cyclodextrin applications and suitable for both newcomers to encapsulation technology and those with experience, Functionality of Cyclodextrins in Encapsulation for Food Applications is a unique and essential reference on this increasingly important topic.

Quinoa is an ancient grain that has grown in popularity in recent years. It has been known as a good source of both protein and fiber. As the demand for quinoa increases a comprehensive and up-to-date reference on the biology and production of the crop is essential. Quinoa: Improvement and Sustainable Production brings together authors from around the world to provide a complete assessment of the current state of global quinoa research and production. Topics covered include quinoa history and culture, genomics and breeding, agronomy, nutrition, marketing, and end-uses. The book focuses in particular on the emerging role of quinoa in providing increased food security to smallholder farmers and communities throughout the world. Quinoa will interest quinoa researchers, producers, crop scientists, agronomists, and plant geneticists, as well as advanced students working with this important grain.

The resistance topic is timely given current events. The emergence of mysterious new diseases, such as SARS, and the looming threat of bioterrorist attacks remind us of how vulnerable we can be to infectious agents. With advances in medical technologies, we have tamed many former microbial foes, yet with few new antimicrobial agents and vaccines in the pipeline, and rapidly increasing drug resistance among infectious microbes, we teeter on the brink of loosing the upperhand in our ongoing struggle against these foes, old and new. The Resistance Phenomenon in Microbes and Infectious Disease Vectors examines our understanding of the relationships among microbes, disease vectors, and human hosts, and explores possible new strategies for meeting the challenge of resistance.

When Antibiotics Fail examines the current impacts of AMR on our healthcare system, projects the future impact on Canada’s GDP, and looks at how widespread resistance will influence the day-to-day lives of Canadians. The report examines these issues through a One Health lens, recognizing the interconnected nature of AMR, from healthcare settings to the environment to the agriculture sector. It is the most comprehensive report to date on the economic impact of AMR in Canada.