Despite the great benefits of plastics in different aspects of life and due to the increase in plastic production and use, plastic wastes are becoming a major environmental concern. It is well known that inappropriate use and disposal lead to the accumulation of plastic litter in different aquatic environments. Microbial biofilm is able to develop on the surface of plastics (plastisphere) in aquatic environments over time. The aim of this study was to describe the bacterial communities associated with plastics in freshwater. Thus, in our first test, a total of six self-designed plastic colonizers were submerged under the surface of the water in Vácszentlászló lake, located in central Hungary, for a period of 3 months. Two plastic colonizers were cultivated monthly. Associated microbial communities were then analyzed as follows: (a) bacterial communities were studied by amplicon sequencing and (b) culturable bacteria were isolated from plastic surfaces and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Coinciding with these analyses of plastic colonizing communities, surface water samples from the lake were also taken, and in a second test, other materials (eg. wood, glass) associated bacterial communities were also investigated with the same methods. Amplicon sequencing showed notable differences between the plastic and other materials colonizing, and lake waterborne microbial community composition. Using the LB agar, no novel species were found; however, several known pathogenic species were identified. The self-designed plastic colonizer was successfully used during the winter over a 3-month period, suggesting that it could be an appropriate method of choice to study microplastic-associated microbes for longer periods and in variable environmental conditions.

Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites of filamentous fungi. Previous studies demonstrated the co-occurrence of Fusarium and Alternaria toxins, including zearalenone (ZEN), ZEN metabolites, and alternariol (AOH). These xenoestrogenic mycotoxins appear in soy-based meals and dietary supplements, resulting in the co-exposure to ZEN and AOH with the phytoestrogen genistein (GEN). In this study, the cytotoxic and estrogenic effects of ZEN, reduced ZEN metabolites, AOH, and GEN are examined to evaluate their individual and combined impacts. Our results demonstrate that reduced ZEN metabolites, AOH, and GEN can aggravate ZEN-induced toxicity; in addition, the compounds tested exerted mostly synergism or additive combined effects regarding cytotoxicity and/or estrogenicity. Therefore, these observations underline the importance and the considerable risk of mycotoxin co-exposure and the combined effects of mycoestrogens with phytoestrogens.

In spring 2016, Greece reported an outbreak caused by a previously undescribed Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype (antigenic formula 11:z41:e,n,z15) via the Epidemic Intelligence Information System for Food- and Waterborne Diseases and Zoonoses (EPIS-FWD), with epidemiological evidence for sesame products as presumptive vehicle. Subsequently, Germany, Czech Republic, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom (UK) reported infections with this novel serotype via EPIS-FWD. Concerned countries in collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted a common outbreak case definition. An outbreak case was defined as a laboratory-confirmed notification of the novel Salmonella serotype. Between March 2016 and April 2017, 47 outbreak cases were notified (Greece: n = 22; Germany: n = 13; Czech Republic: n = 5; Luxembourg: n = 4; UK: n = 3). Whole genome sequencing revealed the very close genetic relatedness of isolates from all affected countries. Interviews focusing on sesame product consumption, suspicious food item testing and trace-back analysis following Salmonella spp. detection in food products identified a company in Greece where sesame seeds from different countries were processed. Through European collaboration, it was possible to identify and recall sesame spread as one contaminated food item serving as vehicle of infection and trace it back to its origin.

The ubiquitous presence of microplastic particles encompasses the human tissues and secreta. Unfortunately, the complex biological matrix hampers the proper polymer identification, and harsh purification protocols damage the microplastic particles (MPs), change the specimens frequently used and needed for additional diagnostics, and bias the final result. Moreover, purification of human milk samples is sometimes impossible, as the samples can not be subjected to any chemical pretreatment. Thus, this paper aims to check the feasibility of complementary spectral approaches, namely FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) and Raman spectroscopy, to the fast scanning of selected MPs presence, in particular polyethylene (PE), and polystyrene (PS), in human milk samples without any previous purification to prevent the change of matrix. Although the proposed approach cannot be used for the quantitative measurement of MPs concentration or the detection of low-size fractions, it is a valuable tool for the preliminary screening of numerous population samples, and some preliminary conclusions can be drawn. One may easily detect the most common MPs and observe their eco-corona. Mapping mode is beneficial for scanning large areas. Furthermore, the spectral methods turned out to be efficient in the milk itself diagnosis, for instance, the monitoring of the fat content. The results were placed in the context of the ongoing broad discussion about MPs interaction with the human body and several possible impact mechanisms.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a potent mycotoxin and natural carcinogen. The primary producers of AFB1 are Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Sterigmatocystin (STC), another mycotoxin, shares its biosynthetic pathway with aflatoxins. While there are abundant data on the biological effects of AFB1, STC is not well characterised. According to published data, AFB1 is more harmful to biological systems than STC. It has been suggested that STC is about one-tenth as potent a mutagen as AFB1 as measured by the Ames test. In this research, the biological effects of S9 rat liver homogenate-activated and non-activated STC and AFB1 were compared using two different biomonitoring systems, SOS-Chromotest and a recently developed microinjection zebrafish embryo method. When comparing the treatments, activated STC caused the highest mortality and number of DNA strand breaks across all injected volumes. Based on the E. coli SOS-Chromotest, the two toxins exerted the same genotoxicities. Moreover, according to the newly developed zebrafish microinjection method, STC appeared more toxic than AFB1. The scarce information correlating AFB1 and STC toxicity suggests that AFB1 is a more potent genotoxin than STC. Our findings contradict this assumption and illustrate the need for more complex biomonitoring systems for mycotoxin risk assessment.

Alternariol (AOH) is a mycotoxin produced by Alternaria fungi, it appears as a contaminant in tomatoes, grains, and grapes. The chronic exposure to AOH may cause carcinogenic and xenoestrogenic effects. Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligosaccharides, they form host-guest complexes with apolar molecules. In this study, the interactions of AOH with CD monomers and polymers were examined employing fluorescence spectroscopy. Thereafter, the protective effects of certain CDs vs. AOH-induced toxicity were investigated on HeLa cells and on zebrafish embryos. Our major observations are the following: (1) Sugammadex forms highly stable complex with AOH (K = 4.8 ×10⁴ L/mol). (2) Sugammadex abolished the AOH-induced toxicity in HeLa cells, while native β-CD did not show relevant protective effect. (3) Each CD tested decreased the AOH-induced mortality and sublethal adverse effects in zebrafish embryos: Interestingly, native β-CD showed the strongest protective impact in this model. (4) CD technology may be suitable to relieve AOH-induced toxicity.