The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted a lot of questions globally regarding the range of information about the virus’s possible routes of transmission, diagnostics, and therapeutic tools. Worldwide studies have pointed out the importance of monitoring and early surveillance techniques based on the identification of viral RNA in wastewater. These studies indicated the presence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in human feces, which is shed via excreta including mucus, feces, saliva, and sputum. Subsequently, they get dumped into wastewater, and their presence in wastewater provides a possibility of using it as a tool to help prevent and eradicate the virus. Its monitoring is still done in many regions worldwide and serves as an early “warning signal”; however, a lot of limitations of wastewater surveillance have also been identified.

• Biocontrol strategies offer eco-friendly solutions to combat phytopathogenic diseases, reducing reliance on harmful chemical treatments. • Effective management of plant diseases such as fire blight, crown gall, brown blotch, and bacterial wilt through biocontrol agents. • Biocontrol agents promote symbiosis with soil microorganisms, maintaining a healthy and balanced soil ecosystem. • Advances in genetic engineering enhance the efficiency and stability of biocontrol agents, paving the way for commercial applications. • Integration of biocontrol methods with existing agricultural practices contributes to sustainable agriculture and improved crop yield.

Iron is an essential element for all eukaryote organisms because of its redox properties, which are important for many biological processes such as DNA synthesis, mitochondrial respiration, oxygen transport, lipid, and carbon metabolism. For this reason, living organisms have developed different strategies and mechanisms to optimally regulate iron acquisition, transport, storage, and uptake in different environmental responses. Moreover, iron plays an essential role during microbial infections. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been of key importance for decrypting iron homeostasis and regulation mechanisms in eukaryotes. Specifically, the transcription factors Aft1/Aft2 and Yap5 regulate the expression of genes to control iron metabolism in response to its deficiency or excess, adapting to the cell's iron requirements and its availability in the environment. We also review which iron‐related virulence factors have the most common fungal human pathogens ( Aspergillus fumigatus , Cryptococcus neoformans , and Candida albicans ). These factors are essential for adaptation in different host niches during pathogenesis, including different fungal‐specific iron‐uptake mechanisms. While being necessary for virulence, they provide hope for developing novel antifungal treatments, which are currently scarce and usually toxic for patients. In this review, we provide a compilation of the current knowledge about the metabolic response to iron deficiency and excess in fungi.

Host impaired immunity and pathogens adhesion factors are the key elements in analyzing medical implant-associated infections (MIAI). The infection chances are further influenced by surface properties of implants. This review addresses the medical implant-associated pathogens and summarizes the etiology, pathology, and host-impaired immunity in MIAI. Several bacterial and fungal pathogens have been isolated from MIAI; together, they form cross-kingdom species biofilms and support each other in different ways. The adhesion factors initiate the pathogen's adherence on the implant's surface; however, implant-induced impaired immunity promotes the pathogen's colonization and biofilm formation. Depending on the implant's surface properties, immune cell functions get slow or get exaggerated and cause immunity-induced secondary complications resulting in resistant depression and immuno-incompetent fibro-inflammatory zone that compromise implant's performance. Such consequences lead to the unavoidable and straightforward conclusion for the downstream transformation of new ideas, such as the development of multifunctional implant coatings.

Cancer is the primary cause of death in economically developed countries and the second leading cause in developing countries. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Risk factors for CRC include obesity, a diet low in fruits and vegetables, physical inactivity, and smoking. CRC has a poor prognosis, and there is a critical need for new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to reduce related deaths. Recently, studies have focused more on molecular testing to guide targeted treatments for CRC patients. The most crucial feature of activated immune cells is the production and release of growth factors and cytokines that modulate the inflammatory conditions in tumor tissues. The cytokine network is valuable for the prognosis and pathogenesis of colorectal cancer as they can aid in the cost-effective and non-invasive detection of cancer. A large number of interleukins (IL) released by the immune system at various stages of CRC can act as “biomarkers”. They play diverse functions in colorectal cancer, and include IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-11, IL-17A, IL-22, IL-23, IL-33, TNF, TGF-β, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are pro-tumorigenic genes. However, there are an inadequate number of studies in this area considering its correlation with cytokine profiles that are clinically useful in diagnosing cancer. A better understanding of cytokine levels to establish diagnostic pathways entails an understanding of cytokine interactions and the regulation of their various biochemical signaling pathways in healthy individuals. This review provides a comprehensive summary of some interleukins as immunological biomarkers of CRC.

: The growing prevalence of fungal infections alongside rising resistance to antifungal drugs poses a significant challenge to public health safety. At the close of the 2000s, major pharmaceutical firms began to scale back on antimicrobial research due to repeated setbacks and diminished economic gains, leaving only smaller companies and research labs to pursue new antifungal solutions. Among various natural sources explored for novel antifungal compounds, antifungal peptides (AFPs) emerge as particularly promising. Despite their potential, AFPs receive less focus than their antibacterial counterparts. These peptides have been sourced extensively from nature, including plants, animals, insects, and especially bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, with advancements in recombinant biotechnology and computational biology, AFPs can also be synthesized in lab settings, facilitating peptide production. AFPs are noted for their wide-ranging efficacy, in vitro and in vivo safety, and ability to combat biofilms. They are distinguished by their high specificity, minimal toxicity to cells, and reduced likelihood of resistance development. This review aims to comprehensively cover AFPs, including their sources—both natural and synthetic—their antifungal and biofilm-fighting capabilities in laboratory and real-world settings, their action mechanisms, and the current status of AFP research. One-Sentence Summary: This comprehensive review of AFPs will be helpful for further research in antifungal research.