Molecular screening of 246 Portuguese Aspergillus isolates among different clinical and environmental sources

Clinical and environmental samples from Portugal were screened for the presence of Aspergillus and the distributions of the species complexes were determined in order to understand how their distributions differ based on their source. Fifty-seven Aspergillus isolates from clinical samples were collected from 10 health institutions. Six species complexes were detected by internal transcribed spacer sequencing; Fumigati, Flavi, and Nigri were found most frequently (50.9%, 21.0%, and 15.8%, respectively). β-tubulin and calmodulin sequencing resulted in seven cryptic species (A. awamorii, A. brasiliensis, A. fructus, A. lentulus, A. sydowii, A. tubingensis, Emericella echinulata) being identified among the 57 isolates. Thirty-nine isolates of Aspergillus were recovered from beach sand and poultry farms, 31 from swine farms, and 80 from hospital environments, for a total 189 isolates. Eleven species complexes were found in these 189 isolates, and those belonging to the Versicolores species complex were found most frequently (23.8%). There was a significant association between the different environmental sources and distribution of the species complexes; the hospital environment had greater variability of species complexes than other environmental locations. A high prevalence of cryptic species within the Circumdati complex was detected in several environments; from the isolates analyzed, at least four cryptic species were identified, most of them growing at 37ºC. Because Aspergillus species complexes have different susceptibilities to antifungals, knowing the species-complex epidemiology for each setting, as well as the identification of cryptic species among the collected clinical isolates, is important. This may allow preventive and corrective measures to be taken, which may result in decreased exposure to those organisms and a better prognosis.

Environmental life cycle assessment of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates

The majority of worldwide structures use concrete as its main material. This happens because concrete is economically feasible, due to its undemanding production technology and case Of use. However, it is widely recognized that concrete production has a strong environmental impact in the planet. Natural aggregates use is one of the most important problems of concrete production nowadays, since they are obtained from limited, and in some countries scarce, resources. In Portugal, although there are enough stone quarries to cover coarse aggregates needs for several more years, Supplies of fine aggregates are becoming scarcer, especially in the northern part of the country. On the other hand, as concrete structures' life cycle comes to an end, an urgent need emerges to establish technically and economically viable solutions for demolition debris, other than for use as road base and quarry fill. This paper presents a partial life cycle assessment (LCA) of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates performed with EcoConcrete tool. EcoConcrete is a tailor-made, interactive, learning and communications tool promoted by the Joint Project Group (JPG) on the LCA of concrete, to qualify and quantify the overall environment impact of concrete products. It consists of an interactive Excel-spreadsheet in which several environmental inputs (material quantities, distances from origin to production Site, production processes) and outputs (material, energy, emissions to air, water, soil or waste) are collected in a life cycle inventory, and are then processed to determine the environmental impact (assessment) of the analysed concrete, in terms of ozone layer depletion, smog or "greenhouse" effect.

Exposure assessment: the influence of environmental monitoring methodology

Exposure assessment is an important step of risk assessment process and has evolved more quickly than perhaps any aspect of the four-step risk paradigm (hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response analysis, and risk characterization). Nevertheless, some epidemiological studies have associated adverse health effects to a chemical exposure with an inadequate or absent exposure quantification. In addition to the metric used, the truly representation of exposure by measurements depends on: the strategy of sampling, random collection of measurements, and similarity between the measured and unmeasured exposure groups. Two environmental monitoring methodologies for formaldehyde occupational exposure were used to assess the influence of metric selection in exposure assessment and, consequently, in risk assessment process.

Environmental sustainability in superior education: case study of Lisbon College of Health Technology

Over the centuries there has been a growing trend of societies and it is possible to verify their economic growth. This growth has provided an increased pressure on natural resources, often over-reaching the boundaries of each country, which has called into question the level of environmental sustainability in different countries. Sustainability is understood as a complex concept involving ecological, social, economic dimensions and temporal urban processes. Therefore, Firmino (2009) suggests that the ecological footprint (EF) allows people to establish dependency relations between human activities and the natural resources required for such activities and for the absorption of waste generated. According to Bergh & Verbruggen (1999) the EF is an objective, impartial and one-dimensional indicator that enables people to assess the sustainability. The Superior Schools have a crucial role in building the vision of a sustainable future as a reality, because in transmitting values and environmental principles to his students, are providing that they, in exercising his professional activity, make decisions weighing the environmental values. This ensures improved quality of life. The present study aims to determine the level of environmental sustainability of the Academic Community of Lisbon College of Health Technology (ESTeSL), by calculating the EF, and describe whether a relation between Footprint and various socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects.

Cyanobacteria toxicity: potential public health impact in South Portugal populations

Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic, plantlike organisms present in lakes, recreational waters, and reservoirs, and often dominate phytoplankton communities in warm, nutrient-enriched hard waters. A stable water column rich in certain nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, is associated with favorable environmental conditions that support development of cyanobacterial population maxima or "blooms." Under specific conditions, cyanobacteria produce toxins that are responsible for acute poisoning and death of animals and humans. The main aim of this study was to correlate the presence of cyanobacteria blooms with potential toxicity to humans as a public health issue. In Portugal, seven reservoirs located in the southern region were selected and studied between 2000 and 2008. Reservoirs were characterized by physical and chemical aspects, and identification of phytoplankton communities. In the case of cyanobacterial blooms, toxins that affected the liver, nervous system, and skin were detected, namely, Microcystis aeruginosa, Aphanizomenon spp., and Oscillatoria. These findings suggest the presence of a potential risk for public health, and indicate the need to implement mitigation measures in all studied reservoirs. These measures may involve (1) water eutrophication control to avoid blooms, (2) appropriate treatment of water for human consumption, and (3) public warnings or information to those individuals that use these reservoirs for several recreational activities.

Environmental and track perturbations on multiple pantograph interaction with catenaries in high-speed trains

The top velocity of high-speed trains is generally limited by the ability to supply the proper amount of energy through the pantograph-catenary interface. The deterioration of this interaction can lead to the loss of contact, which interrupts the energy supply and originates arcing between the pantograph and the catenary, or to excessive contact forces that promote wear between the contacting elements. Another important issue is assessing on how the front pantograph influences the dynamic performance of the rear one in trainsets with two pantographs. In this work, the track and environmental conditions influence on the pantograph-catenary is addressed, with particular emphasis in the multiple pantograph operations. These studies are performed for high speed trains running at 300 km/h with relation to the separation between pantographs. Such studies contribute to identify the service conditions and the external factors influencing the contact quality on the overhead system. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Aspergillus species-complexes detected in different environmental settings

Purpose: Samples from different environmental sources were screened for the presence of Aspergillus, and the distribution of the different species-complexes was determined in order to understand differences among that distribution in the several environmental sources and which of these species complexes are present in specific environmental settings. Methods: Four distinct environments (beaches, poultries, swineries and hospital) were studied and analyzed for which Aspergillus complexes were present in each setting. After plate incubation and colony isolation, morphological identification was done using macro- and microscopic characteristics. The universal fungal primers ITS1 and ITS4 were used to amplify DNA from all Aspergillus isolates, which was sequenced for identification to species complex level. SPSS v15.0 for Windows was used to perform the statistical analysis. Results: Thirty-nine isolates of Aspergillus were recovered from both the sand beach and poultries, 31 isolates from swineries, and 80 isolates from hospital environments, for a total 189 isolates. Eleven species complexes were found total. Isolates belonging to the Aspergillus Versicolores species-complex were the most frequently found (23.8%), followed by Flavi (18.0%), Fumigati (15.3%) and Nigri (13.2%) complexes. A significant association was found between the different environmental sources and the distribution of the several species-complexes (p<0.001); the hospital environment had a greater variability of species-complexes than other environmental locations (10 in hospital environment, against nine in swine, eight in poultries and seven in sand beach). Isolates belonging to Nidulantes complex were detected only in the hospital environment, whereas the other complexes were identified in more than one setting. Conclusion: Because different Aspergillus complexes have different susceptibilities to antifungal drugs, and different abilities in producing mycotoxins, knowledge of the species-complex epidemiology for each setting may allow preventive or corrective measures to be taken toward decreasing professional workers or patient exposure to those agents.

Environmental impact caused by fungal and particle contamination of Portuguese swine

Social concerns for environmental impact on air, water and soil pollution have grown along with the accelerated growth of pig production. This study intends to characterize air contamination caused by fungi and particles in swine production, and, additionally, to conclude about their eventual environmental impact. Fiftysix air samples of 50 litters were collected through impaction method. Air sampling and particle matter concentration were performed in indoor and also outdoor premises. Simultaneously, temperature and relative humidity were monitored according to the International Standard ISO 7726 – 1998. Aspergillus versicolor presents the highest indoor spore counts (>2000 CFU/m3) and the highest overall prevalence (40.5%), followed by Scopulariopsis brevicaulis (17.0%) and Penicillium sp. (14.1%). All the swine farms showed indoor fungal species different from the ones identified outdoors and the most frequent genera were also different from the ones indoors. The distribution of particle size showed the same tendency in all swine farms (higher concentration values in PM5 and PM10 sizes). Through the ratio between the indoor and outdoor values, it was possible to conclude that CFU/m3 and particles presented an eventual impact in outdoor measurements.

Beach sand and the potential for infectious disease transmission: observations and recommendations

Recent studies suggest that sand can serve as a vehicle for exposure of humans to pathogens at beach sites, resulting in increased health risks. Sampling for microorganisms in sand should therefore be considered for inclusion in regulatory programmes aimed at protecting recreational beach users from infectious disease. Here, we review the literature on pathogen levels in beach sand, and their potential for affecting human health. In an effort to provide specific recommendations for sand sampling programmes, we outline published guidelines for beach monitoring programmes, which are currently focused exclusively on measuring microbial levels in water. We also provide background on spatial distribution and temporal characteristics of microbes in sand, as these factors influence sampling programmes. First steps toward establishing a sand sampling programme include identifying appropriate beach sites and use of initial sanitary assessments to refine site selection. A tiered approach is recommended for monitoring. This approach would include the analysis of samples from many sites for faecal indicator organisms and other conventional analytes, while testing for specific pathogens and unconventional indicators is reserved for high-risk sites. Given the diversity of microbes found in sand, studies are urgently needed to identify the most significant aetiological agent of disease and to relate microbial measurements in sand to human health risk.

Environmental mycology in public health: fungi and mycotoxins risk assessment and management

Fungi are essential to the survival of our global ecology, but they might pose a significant threat to the health of occupants when they grow in our buildings. The exposure to fungi in homes is a significant risk factor for a number of respiratory symptoms. Well-known illnesses caused by fungi include allergy and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Environmental monitoring for fungi and their disease agents are important aspects of exposure assessment, but few guidelines exist for interpreting their health impacts. This book answers the questions: How does one detect and measure the presence of indoor fungi? What is an acceptable level of indoor fungi? How do we relate this information to human health problems?

Environmental microbiology for public health: capturing international developments in the field

Environmental microbiology is an evolving science. This is in part driven by the development of new analytical techniques that are becoming more varied and powerful. Before they are applied, emerging techniques need to be critically evaluated by scientists, technical professionals, practitioners and students.

Is it possible to remove polymeric nanoparticles from aqueous paints during the activated sludge treatment?

The market for emulsion polymers (latexes) is large and growing at the expense of other manufacturing processes that emit higher amounts of volatile organic solvents. The paint industry is not an exception and solvent-borne paints have been gradually substituted by aqueous paints. In their life-cycle, much of the aqueous paint used for architectural or decorative purposes will eventually be discharged into wastewater treatment facilities, where its polymeric nanoparticles (mainly acrylic and styrene-acrylic) can work as xenobiotics to the microbial communities present in activated sludge. It is well established that these materials are biocompatible at macroscopic scale. But is their behaviour the same at nanoscale? What happens to the polymeric nanoparticles during the activated sludge process? Do nanoparticles agregate and are discharged together with the sludge or remain in emulsion? How do microorganisms interact with these nanoparticles? Are nanoparticles degradated by them? Are they adsorbed? Are these nanoparticles toxic to the microbial community? To study the influence of these xenobiotics in the activated sludge process, an emulsion of cross-linked poly(butyl methacrylate) nanoparticles of ca. 50 nm diameter was produced and used as model compound. Activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant was tested by the OCDE’s respiration inhibition test using several concentrations of PBMA nanoparticles. Particle aggregation was followed by Dynamic Light Scattering and microorganism surfaces were observed by Atomic Force Microscopy. Using sequential batch reactors (SBRs) and continuous reactors, both inoculated with activated sludge, the consumption of carbon, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate was monitored and compared, in the presence and absence of nanoparticles. No particles were detected in all treated waters by Dynamic Light Scattering. This can either mean that microorganisms can efficiently remove all polymer nanoparticles or that nanoparticles tend to aggregate and be naturally removed by precipitation. Nevertheless respiration inhibition tests demonstrated that microorganisms consume more oxygen in the presence of nanoparticles, which suggests a stress situation. It was also observed a slight decrease in the efficiency of nitrification in the presence of nanoparticles. AFM images showed that while the morphology of some organisms remained the same both in the presence and absence of nanoparticles, others assumed a rough surface with hilly like shapes of ca. 50 nm when exposed to nanoparticles. Nanoparticles are thus likely to be either incorporated or adsorbed at the surface of some organisms, increasing the overall respiration rate and decreasing nitrification efficiency. Thus, despite its biocompatibility at macroscopic scale, PBMA is likely to be no longer innocuous at nanoscale.