Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy

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Publications

Publication . Simões, Lúcia Chaves; Gomes, Inês B.; Fernandes, Conceição; Saavedra, Maria José; Simões, Manuel

A sobrevivência dos mais aptos é um princípio biológico aplicável a todos os seres vivos e, embora organismos diferentes tenham desenvolvido mecanismos próprios para maximizar as suas hipóteses de sobrevivência, todos possuem um fator comum — a sobrevivência está diretamente relacionada com a capacidade de adaptação às variações das características do meio ambiente. As bactérias são particularmente adaptáveis a tais variações, em virtude da sua taxa de reprodução extremamente elevada, o que lhes permite a transferência de características de sobrevivência para gerações futuras em períodos de tempo muito curtos. Adicionalmente, muitas espécies bacterianas têm uma tendência natural para se fixar a superfícies, multiplicar e incorporar numa matriz viscosa produzida pelos microrganismos colonizadores, formando biofilmes1

2022Journal article

Open access

Antibiotic resistance profile among Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from dairy cattle

Publication . Ballem, Andressa; Almeida, Gonçalo; Almeida, Carina; Fernandes, Conceição; Saavedra, Maria José

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are foodborne pathogens that can cause serious diseases in humans, including bloody diarrhoea and kidney failure. Ruminants, such as cattle, are considered the main reservoirs and source of STEC. Human infection can occur through contaminated food and water, or direct contact with infected animals. STEC antimicrobialresistance (AMR) is increasingly frequent in patients with serious disease. It is necessary to understand the epidemiology, the emergence, and the prevalence of AMR in STEC isolated from cattle to investigate how resistance spreads from ruminants to humans. Thus, susceptibility tests were performed on 55 STEC strains belonging to 29 serogroups. The strains were isolated from healthy dairy cattle faeces (cows and heifers) in the North of Portugal. Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) was performed by disc diffusion method following European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST, 2020) and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, 2020). The antibiotics used included penicillins (ampicillin; amoxicillin-clavulanic acid), cephalosporins (ceftazidime; cefotaxime; cefoxitin; cephalothin), carbapenems (imipenem; meropenem), aminoglycosides (kanamycin), phenicol (chloramphenicol), sulphonamides/ trimethoprim (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), fluoroquinolones (moxifloxacin; levofloxacin) and tetracyclines (tetracycline; tigecycline). Results reveal low level of resistance among the isolates tested. However, five (9%) STEC isolates were resistant to one antibiotic, and three (5,5%) to three or more antibiotic classes (multidrug resistance-MDR). The MDR strains were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and other antibiotics commonly used to treat gastroenteritis. Two strains MDR belonged to O91 serogroup and were founded in heifers in the same farm. O91 is an important serogroup to public health surveillance, as it is commonly associated with contamination of products from animal origin, and it has been isolated from patients with severe gastrointestinal disease. Overall, the AMR did not seem to be widely spread in STEC isolates from cattle; but serotype O91 might be of special concern as two O91-multidrug resistance profiles have been identified.

2021Conference object

Open access

Desafios no ensino da ciência e tecnologia dos biofilmes

Publication . Simões, Manuel; Simões, Lúcia Chaves; Fernandes, Conceição

Os biofilmes são o resultado da tendência natural dos microrganismos se fixarem a superfícies (bióticas ou abióticas), multiplicarem e incorporarem numa matriz viscosa de substâncias poliméricas extracelulares (EPS). À medida que o biofilme se desenvolve, o descolamento e os processos de crescimento entram em equilíbrio, levando a uma quantidade constante de biomassa na superfície e à libertação de células do biofilme que permitem a colonização de superfícies vizinhas e a formação de novas comunidades sésseis. EPS dos biofilmes são responsáveis pela ligação entre as células e com outros materiais particulados. A adaptação bem sucedida das bactérias às mudanças das condições naturais requer também que o microrganismo possa sentir e responder ao seu ambiente externo e, em consequência, modular a expressão dos seus genes. Mesmo que os biofilmes sejam provavelmente a primeira forma de vida comunitária na Terra, a incorporação de aspetos científicos da ciência e tecnologia dos biofilmes nos conteúdos de ensino pré ou pós graduado é uma tarefa desafiante, uma vez que esta área de investigação está em constante evolução.

2021Book part

Open access

Firefighters’ Occupational Exposure in Preparation for Wildfire Season: Addressing Biological Impact

Publication . Esteves, Filipa; Slezakova, Klara; Madureira, Joana; Vaz, Josiana A.; Fernandes, Adília; Morais, Simone; Pereira, Maria do Carmo; Teixeira, João Paulo Fernandes; Costa, Solange

The characterization of wildland firefighters' occupational exposure must consider different exposures, including those at the fire station. The present study aimed to characterize the occupational exposure of 172 Northern Portuguese wildland firefighters in fire stations during the pre-wildfire season of 2021. The biological impact of estimated inhaled doses of PM10 and PM2.5 (indoor/outdoor) was accessed through a buccal micronucleus cytome (BMCyt) assay in exfoliated buccal cells of a subgroup of 80 firefighters. No significant association was found between estimated inhaled doses of PM10 and PM2.5 (mean 1.73 +/- 0.43 mu g kg-1 and 0.53 +/- 0.21 mu g kg-1, respectively) and biological endpoints. However, increased frequencies of cell death parameters were found among subjects of the Permanent Intervention Teams (full-time firefighters). The intake of nutritional supplements was associated with a significant decrease in micronucleus frequencies (i.e., DNA damage or chromosome breakage). In addition, our findings showed a significantly increased frequency of cell death endpoints (i.e., nuclear fragmentation) with coffee consumption, while daily consumption of vegetables significantly decreased it (i.e., nuclear shrinkage). Our results provide data on the occupational exposure of wildland firefighters while working in fire stations during the pre-wildfire season, providing the essential baseline for further studies throughout the wildfire season.

2024Journal article

Open access

The profession of research management and administration in Portugal

Publication . Barbosa, Cláudia; Borrego, Filipa; Costa, Teresa; Ferreira, Ana S.; Martins, Madalena; Moreira, Susana; Santos, José M.R.C.A.; Silva, José Avelino

This chapter addresses the profession of research management and administration (RMA) in Portugal. It starts with a brief outline of the national research and innovation (R&I) ecosystem that contextualises the development of the profession. The RMA community is characterised and the expectations for the future of the RMA profession are summarised using data collected through a national online survey. It is posited that RMA in Portugal is an emergent career having developed key traits of a profession, namely common interests and practices, a concern with deepening specialised knowledge and skills, the existence of an organised network of practitioners, the offer of academic qualifications and training in the area, and the integration in international RMA communities of practice. Nevertheless, future developments in the European Research Area (ERA) are identified as a critical milestone that will influence the development and formal legislative institutionalisation of the RMA profession in Portugal.

2023Book part

Open access