Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most important public health issues. Besides classical multidrug resistance species associated with medical care involved in superficial or invasive infections, there are strains less commonly associated with hospital or outpatient setting’s infections. Non-diphtheria Corynebacterium spp. could produce infections in patients with or without immune-compromised status. The aim of our study was to determine the susceptibility to antimicrobial agents to Corynebacterium spp. from clinical samples collected from Romanian hospitalized individuals and outpatients. Twenty Corynebacterium strains were isolated and identified as Corynebacterium striatum (n = 7), Corynebacterium amycolatum (n = 7), C. urealyticum (n = 3), Corynebacterium afermentans (n = 2), and Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum (n = 1). All isolates have been tested for antibiotic susceptibility by standardized disc diffusion method and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests. Seventeen isolates demonstrated multidrug resistance phenotypes. The molecular support responsible for high resistance to quinolones for ten of these strains was determined by the detection of point mutation in the gene sequence gyrA.

Contamination of soil with heavy metals has become a matter of global importance due to its impact on agriculture, environmental integrity, and therefore human health and safety. Several microbial strains isolated from soil contaminated by long-term chemical and petrochemical activities were found to manifest various levels of tolerance to Cr, Pb, and Zn, out of which Bacillus marisflavi and Trichoderma longibrachiatum exhibited above-moderate tolerance. The concentrations of target heavy metals before and after bioremediation were determined using electrochemical screen-printed electrodes (SPE) modified with different nanomaterials. The morpho-structural SEM/EDX analyses confirmed the presence of metal ions on the surface of the cell, with metal uptake being mediated by biosorption with hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amino groups as per FTIR observations. T. longibrachiatum was observed to pose a higher bioremediation potential compared to B. marisflavi, removing 87% of Cr and 67% of Zn, respectively. Conversely, B. marisflavi removed 86% of Pb from the solution, compared to 48% by T. longibrachiatum. Therefore, the fungal strain T. longibrachiatum could represent a viable option for Cr and Zn bioremediation strategies, whereas the bacterial strain B. marisflavi may be used in Pb bioremediation applications.

Staphylococcus (S.) aureus and Pseudomonas (Ps.) aeruginosa are two of the most frequently opportunistic pathogens isolated in nosocomial infections, responsible for severe infections in immunocompromised hosts. The frequent emergence of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus and Ps. aeruginosa strains has determined the development of new strategies in order to elucidate the different mechanisms used by these bacteria at different stages of the infectious process, providing the scientists with new procedures for preventing, or at least improving, the control of S. aureus and Ps. aeruginosa infections. The purpose of this study was to characterize the molecular markers of virulence in S. aureus and Ps. aeruginosa strains isolated from different clinical specimens. We used multiplex and uniplex PCR assays to detect the genes encoding different cell-wall associated and extracellular virulence factors, in order to evaluate potential associations between the presence of putative virulence genes and the outcome of infections caused by these bacteria. Our results demonstrate that all the studied S. aureus and Ps. aeruginosa strains synthesize the majority of the investigated virulence determinants, probably responsible for different types of infections.

The integration of enzyme-loaded polymeric matrices with carbon-based nanomaterials and metallic nanoparticles into wearable multisensing patches, coupled with miniaturized portable detection devices, enables real-time, highly sensitive, and simultaneous monitoring of key clinical biomarkers (e.g., glucose, lactate, and H₂O₂) in clinical and point-of-care applications. Multiplex biosensors were fabricated by modifying screen-printed carbon paste electrodes (SPEs) with different composite nanomaterials based on carbon nanomaterials such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), or fullerenol (FL), the redox mediator Prussian Blue, and platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs). Chitosan and sol–gel polymer matrices were used to immobilize the enzymes glucose oxidase (GOx) and lactate oxidase (LOx), thus ensuring not only increased sensitivity and operational stability, but also high specificity for biomarker detection (glucose and lactate). Among the nanomaterials used for the development of multiplex biosensors, the SWCNT-PtNP composite was highlighted by electrochemical studies as having a significantly superior electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of H₂O₂. This reaction occurs at a low applied potential of only −0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl, achieving a specific sensitivity of 224.6 mA·M⁻¹·cm⁻², over a concentration range of 0.07 to 28.26 mM, and a detection limit of 3.2 μM. When functionalized with enzymes, SWCNT-PtNP-based biosensors exhibit improved conductivity, allowing the detection of glucose and lactate at a potential of −0.05 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The specific sensitivities obtained are 20.25 mA·M⁻¹·cm⁻² for glucose and 94.76 mA·M⁻¹·cm⁻² for lactate, and the corresponding detection limits are 23.6 μM and 5.0 μM, respectively. Finally, a wearable patch integrating the multiplex (bio)sensor with a portable potentiostat enabled simultaneous, sensitive, and selective detection of glucose, lactate, and H₂O₂ in sweat samples.