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The application of the SBT method allowed to verify the homology among Legionella strains from water samples and the surrounding air. The results showed that the same Lpn strains were present in the air and water samples, and a new Legionella strain was identified.

The development of antibiofilm strategies is of major interest in contrasting bacterial pathogenic biofilms. A novel fructose and fucose rich exopolysaccharide (EPS1-T14) produced by the recently described thermophilic Bacillus licheniformis T14, isolated from a shallow hydrothermal vent of Panarea Island (Eolian Island, Italy), was evaluated for its effects on biofilm formation by multiresistant clinical strains of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The antibiofilm activity of EPS1-T14 was assessed by microtiter plate assays and visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopic images. EPS1-T14, with molecular weight of 1000 kDa, reduced biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces without affecting bacterial vitality. The novel EPS1-T14 is a water-soluble, noncytotoxic exopolymer able to prevent biofilm formation and its use may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for combating bacterial biofilm-associated infections. EPS1-T14 as antiadhesive biomolecule could be useful for novel prospective in medical and nonmedical applications.

The emerging threat posed by COVID-19 pandemic has strongly modified our lifestyle, making urgent to re-consider the humans-environment relationships and stimulating towards more sustainable choices in our daily behavior. Scientific evidences showed that the onset of new viral pathogens with a high epidemic-pandemic potential is often the result of complex interactions between animals, humans and environment. In this context, the interest of the scientific community has also been attracted towards the potential interactions of SARS-CoV-2 with environmental compartments. Many issues, ranging from the epidemiology and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in water bodies to the potential implications of lockdown measures on environmental quality status are here reviewed, with a special reference to marine ecosystems. Due to current sanitary emergence, the relevance of pilot studies regarding the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 spread and the direct and indirect environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, that are still a matter of scientific debate, is underlined.