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Environmental biotechnology offers several promising techniques for the rehabilitation of polluted environments. The modern industrialized world presents novel challenges to the environmental sciences, requiring a constant development and deepening of knowledge to enable the characterization of novel pollutants and a better understanding of the bioremediation strategies as well as their limiting factors. The success of bioremediation depends heavily on the survival and activities of indigenous microbial communities and their interaction with introduced microorganisms. The majority of natural microbiomes remain uncultivated; therefore, further investigations focusing on their intrinsic functions in ecosystems are needed. In this review, we aimed to provide (a) a comprehensive overview of the presence of viable but nonculturable bacteria and yet-to-be-cultivated cells in nature and their diverse awakening strategies in response to, among other factors, signalling extracellular metabolites (autoinducers, resuscitation promoting factors, and siderophores); (b) an outline of the trends in isolating unculturable bacteria; and (c) the potential applications of these hidden players in rehabilitation processes.

Novosphingobium resinovorum SA1 was the first single isolate capable of degrading sulfanilic acid, a widely used representative of sulfonated aromatic compounds. The genome of the strain was recently sequenced, and here, we present whole-cell transcriptome analyses of cells exposed to sulfanilic acid as compared to cells grown on glucose. The comparison of the transcript profiles suggested that the primary impact of sulfanilic acid on the cell transcriptome was a starvation-like effect. The genes of the peripheral, central, and common pathways of sulfanilic acid biodegradation had distinct transcript profiles. The peripheral genes located on a plasmid had very high basal expressions which were hardly upregulated by sulfanilic acid. The genomic context and the codon usage preference of these genes suggested that they were acquired by horizontal gene transfer. The genes of the central pathways were remarkably inducible by sulfanilic acid indicating the presence of a substrate-specific regulatory system in the cells. Surprisingly, the genes of the common part of the metabolic pathway had low and sulfanilic acid-independent transcript levels. The approach applied resulted in the identification of the genes of proteins involved in auxiliary processes such as electron transfer, substrate and iron transports, sulfite oxidases, and sulfite transporters. The whole transcriptome analysis revealed that the cells exposed to xenobiotics had multiple responses including general starvation-like, substrate-specific, and substrate-related effects. From the results, we propose that the genes of the peripheral, central, and common parts of the pathway have been evolved independently.

Plant pathogenic fungi are responsible for enormous crop losses worldwide. Overcoming this problem is challenging as these fungi can be highly resistant to approved chemical fungicides. There is thus a need to develop and introduce fundamentally new plant and crop protection strategies for sustainable agricultural production. Highly stable extracellular antifungal proteins (AFPs) and their rationally designed peptide derivatives (PDs) constitute feasible options to meet this challenge. In the present study, their potential for topical application to protect plants and crops as combinatorial biofungicides is supported by the investigation of two Neosartorya ( Aspergillus ) fischeri AFPs (NFAP and NFAP2) and their γ-core PDs. Previously, the biofungicidal potential of NFAP, its rationally designed γ-core PD (γ NFAP -opt), and NFAP2 was reported. Susceptibility tests in the present study extended the in vitro antifungal spectrum of NFAP2 and its γ-core PD (γ NFAP2 -opt) to Botrytis , Cladosporium , and Fusarium spp. Besides, in vitro additive or indifferent interactions, and synergism were observed when NFAP or NFAP2 was applied in combination with γ NFAP -opt. Except for γ NFAP2 -opt, the investigated proteins and peptides did not show any toxicity to tomato plant leaves. The application of NFAP in combination with γ NFAP -opt effectively inhibited conidial germination, biofilm formation, and hyphal extension of the necrotrophic mold Botrytis cinerea on tomato plant leaves. However, the same combination only partially impeded the B. cinerea -mediated decay of tomato fruits, but mitigated the symptoms. Our results highlight the feasibility of using the combination of AFP and PD as biofungicide for the fungal infection control in plants and crops.

Due to the increase in the number of drug-resistant Candida albicans strains, new antifungal compounds with limited potential for development of resistance are urgently needed. NFAP2, an antifungal protein (AFP) secreted by Neosartorya (Aspergillus) fischeri, is a promising candidate. We investigated the ability of C. albicans to develop resistance to NFAP2 in a microevolution experiment compared with generic fluconazole (FLC). C. albicans adapted to only 1 × minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of NFAP2 compared with 32 × MIC of FLC. Genome analysis revealed non-silent mutations in only two genes in NFAP2-resistant strains and in several genes in FLC-resistant strains. Resistance development to NFAP2 did not influence cell morphology. The susceptibility of NFAP2-resistant strains did not change to FLC, amphotericin B, micafungin, terbinafine. These strains did not show altered susceptibility to AFPs from Penicillium chrysogenum, except one which had less susceptibility to P. chrysogenum antifungal protein B. FLC-resistant strains had decreased susceptibility to terbinafine and NFAP2, but not to other drugs and AFPs from P. chrysogenum. NFAP2- and FLC-resistant strains showed decreased and increased NFAP2 binding and uptake, respectively. The development of resistance to NFAP2 decreased tolerance to cell wall, heat, and UV stresses. The development of FLC resistance increased tolerance to cell wall stress and decreased tolerance to heat and UV stresses. Resistance to NFAP2 did not have significant metabolic fitness cost and could not increase virulence, compared with resistance to FLC. Due to the increasing number of (multi)drug-resistant strains, only a few effective antifungal drugs are available to treat infections caused by opportunistic Candida species. Therefore, the incidence of hard-to-treat candidiasis has increased dramatically in the past decade, and the demand to identify antifungal compounds with minimal potential to trigger resistance is substantial. The features of NFAP2 make it a promising candidate for the topical treatment of Candida infection. Data on the development of resistance to AFPs in C. albicans are lacking. In this study, we provide evidence that NFAP2 has low potential to trigger resistance in C. albicans in vitro and the developed resistance mechanisms to NFAP2 are not associated with severe phenotypic changes compared with development of resistance to generic FLC. These results suggest the slow emergence of NFAP2-resistant Candida strains and that NFAP2 can reliably be used long-term in the clinic.

Telemedicine brings several benefits to patients, healthcare providers, and the wider society, including reductions in the need for hospitalizations or readmissions, as well as in overall healthcare costs and the length of inpatient stay. In addition, these services may provide psychological benefits to patients, including excellent satisfaction and medication adherence. The present study aimed to investigate an in-house-developed otorhinolaryngologic remote diagnostic system (mobile app). The basis of the comparison was the incidence between the diagnoses and therapies made by remote diagnosticians and on-site specialists based on static images and videos captured by a smartphone otoscope device. In the study, 103 patients were involved. After registering demographic data, the telemedicine software was evaluated by comparing the matching of physically established diagnoses and/or therapies with remotely established diagnoses and/or therapies. The most remarkable result was in concordance with the diagnoses, with 79 matches identified of the 103 cases examined; the rate of the matching cases was 76.7% (95% CI: 68.5–84.9%). These results support that telemedicine-based otorhinolaryngological remote diagnostics could play a significant role in future healthcare.

In this study, we investigated the bioaccumulation of 17 heavy metals—titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, antimony, cadmium, tin, mercury, and lead—in the liver and kidney tissues of the least weasel, based on samples (n = 129) collected from adjacent intensive agricultural environments in Hungary and Austria. To explore the structure of the bioaccumulation data, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. The PCA score plot based on national-level elemental profiles revealed no differentiation between Austria and Hungary. In contrast, a clear and unambiguous distinction was observed between the two examined tissues within individuals for Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, Se, Mo, Cd, and Hg (p < 0.001), as well as for Pb (p < 0.05). The biological relevance of the accumulation results was adjusted using the MCID approach. As heavy metal accumulation in the least weasel has not yet been investigated, our results could only be compared with concentrations reported for predatory mammals occurring in similar habitats. Based on the relevant literature, we highlight predominantly anthropogenic exposure pathways affecting agroecosystems—organic and mineral fertilizers, plant protection products, wastewater, and fossil fuels—which underscore the necessity of regular biomonitoring studies in agricultural landscapes.

Intensive research has shown that severe COVID-19 outcomes are influenced by antiviral pathways and immune responses, both shaped by genetic predisposition. In this study, we aimed to identify genetic variants associated with disease severity in a cohort of Hungarian patients. We applied a novel stratification method based on age, disease severity, and clinical background to classify patients by susceptibility to severe COVID-19. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed on 168 individuals, and gene mutation loads were assessed. Using a Random Forest machine learning approach, we identified variants of 877 genes that distinguished between severe and non-severe cases. We further categorized these genes as either susceptibility or protective factors. Gene-set enrichment analysis highlighted the most affected biological pathways. Our findings support the development of personalized diagnostic tools to assess the risk of severe COVID-19 and guide targeted treatment strategies. Our findings further extend the results of previous studies, providing novel insights into the genetic determinants of COVID-19 severity.

Background Louse flies (Diptera, Hippoboscidae) are important blood-sucking parasites of birds and mammals with a worldwide distribution. The aim of our study was to collect louse flies from birds across multiple sites in Hungary and evaluate the effects of avian traits on louse fly–host relationships. Methods Between 2015 and 2022, 237 louse flies were collected from birds at multiple locations in Hungary. The louse flies were identified to species level by morphological and molecular methods. Louse fly species and their seasonal dynamics were analyzed. Results Six louse fly species were identified: Ornithomya avicularia , Ornithomya fringillina , Ornithomya biloba , Ornithomya chloropus , Ornithoica turdi and Ornithoctona laticornis. Results of statistical analyses indicated that habitat, migration habits and the feeding places of birds have significant effects on their possible role as hosts of O. avicularia , O. fringillina and O. turdi . Analysis of the temporal distribution of avian louse flies showed different seasonal patterns according to species. Phylogenetic analyses highlighted that O. turdi clustered separately from other members of the subfamily Ornithomyinae which thus did not form a monophyletic group. Conclusions This study presents one of the longest continuous collections of ornithophilic louse fly species in Europe so far. Avian traits were shown to influence louse-fly infestation. To our best knowledge, this is the first report on O. laticornis in Europe. The ability of this African louse fly species to survive in Europe, as demonstrated in the present study, may be an indication of its future establishment . Our findings, in accordance with previous reports, also indicated that the subfamily Ornithomyinae should be taxonomically revised. Graphical Abstract

Avian louse flies (Hippoboscidae: Ornithomyinae) are blood-feeding parasites with largely unexplored vector potential, although they have been implicated in the transmission of pathogens of medical and veterinary relevance, such as West-Nile virus, Babesia and Trypanosoma species. We screened 253 specimens of nine Ornithomyinae species for selected bacteria ( Anaplasma , Rickettsia , Bartonella , Borrelia , and Ehrlichia spp.) as well as for trypanosomes and piroplasms. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was detected in a single Ornithomya avicularia specimen, and Haematospirillum jordaniae was identified in three Ornithomya fringillina individuals from the same location, representing the first report of these bacteria in avian louse flies. In addition, eight different Trypanosoma sequences were obtained, belonging to the T. corvi/culicavium and T. bennetti groups. Unexpectedly, a sequence resembling T. theileri was recovered from an Ornithoica turdi specimen. Our findings suggest that the role of louse flies in transmitting the investigated bacterial pathogens is likely minimal, but their involvement in the ecology of Trypanosoma species warrants further study. Consistent with previous work, we propose that louse flies could serve as valuable sentinels for monitoring pathogens in wild bird populations.

The mammalian brain exhibits notable interspecies variation. Microanatomical and molecular differences in homologous neurons, those with similar locations and developmental origins across species, are best characterized in the neocortical mantle, the center of complex brain functions; however, the purpose of these differences remains unclear. We performed whole-cell microelectrode recordings along with microanatomical and molecular analyses of human fast-spiking parvalbumin (pvalb)-expressing interneurons in neocortical tissue resected during brain surgery, comparing them with similar data obtained from the mouse neocortex. The action potential (AP) firing threshold was lower in human neurons than in mouse neurons. This was due to a deficiency in low-voltage–activated inhibitory Kv1.1 and Kv1.2 potassium channels in the axon initial segment (AIS), a specialized axonal region that determines AP threshold and initiation, in human cells. In contrast, Kv1 ion channels were prominent in mouse neurons. The AIS was also moderately elongated in humans. Computational simulations of fast-spiking interneurons revealed that the human-type AIS lowers the AP threshold and shortens the time lag for AP initiation. We found that the low membrane AP firing threshold in pvalb neurons is closely linked to slow membrane potential kinetics in the soma. Thus, the human AIS supports fast in–fast out circuit function in human pvalb neurons, compensating for electrically slow somatic membrane responses. When formulating therapeutic strategies that involve fast-spiking neurons, it is crucial to take into account the molecular and functional species differences.