The purpose of the study was to describe the antimicrobial activity of 16 common essential oils (EOs) on multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates, including the determination of the effects on mex efflux pumps gene expression. Seventy-two clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa collected between 2020–2022 were screened for susceptibility to EOs using Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion to identify potential candidates for future alternative therapies. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was further determined for the EO that proved antibacterial activity following the disk diffusion screening. Positive and negative controls were also used for method validation. Since cinnamon EO exhibited the best antimicrobial activity, it was further used to evaluate its influence on mex A, B, C, E, and X efflux pumps gene expression using real-time RT-PCR. Cinnamon EO inhibited all P. aeruginosa strains, followed by thyme EO (37.5%, n = 27) and lavender EO (12.5%, n = 9). The other EOs were less efficient. The MIC detection showed that cinnamon at a concentration of 0.05% v/v inhibited all MDR P. aeruginosa isolates. Thyme, turmeric, peppermint, basil, clove, and lavender EOs presented various results, most of them having activity at concentrations higher than 12.5% v/v. By studying the activity of cinnamon EO on mex efflux pumps, it was found that mexA and mexB (66.5%) were generally under-expressed. The remarkable results produced using the very low concentrations of cinnamon EO, with 100% antimicrobial activity against multi-, extended-, and pan- drug-resistant (MDR, XDR, PDR) P. aeruginosa clinical isolates, completed with the severe alteration of the RNA messaging system, supports its potential to be used as adjuvant treatment, with impact on therapeutic results.

Even if serotyping based on O antigens is still routinely used by most laboratories for the detection of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli, this method can provide false-positive reactions, due to the high diversity of O antigens. Molecular methods represent a valuable tool that clarifies these situations. In the Bacteriology Laboratory of Mureș County Hospital, between May 2016 and July 2019, 160 diarrheagenic E. coli strains were isolated from children under 2 years old with diarrheic disease. The strains were identified as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)/enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) via agglutination with polyvalent sera. STEC strains were serotyped using monovalent sera for serogroup O157. Simplex PCR was performed on the strains to determine the presence of the hlyA gene, and, for the positive ones, the hemolytic activity was tested. Antibiotic susceptibility of the identified diarrheagenic E. coli strains was also investigated. STEC strains were the most frequently identified (49.1%), followed by EPEC (40.2%). The hlyA gene was identified in 12 cases, representing 18.2% of the STEC strains. Even if the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains represented only 10%, a relevant percentage of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains (24%) was identified.

Background: The purpose of the study was to describe the epidemiological implication of Pseudomonas aeruginosa between 2017–2022 in a tertiary hospital from Romania, including the molecular fingerprinting of similar phenotypic strains (multidrug-resistant isolates), which would have an important health impact. The study also describes the resistance profile of P. aeruginosa before and during COVID-19, which might bring new information regarding the management of antibiotic treatments. Materials and methods: Information regarding wards, specimen types, species, and antibiotic resistance profile of 1994 strains of Pseudomonas spp. Isolated over a period of 6 years in Mures Clinical County Hospital, Romania, was collected from the WHONET database. From 50 multidrug-resistant isolates, molecular fingerprinting was performed by Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus Polymerase Chain Reaction (ERIC-PCR) to prove the potential clonal distribution. Results: A number of 1994 Pseudomonas spp. were isolated between 2017–2022, from which P. aeruginosa was the most frequent species, 97.39% (n = 1942). P. aeruginosa was most frequently isolated in 2017 (n = 538), with the dermatology department as the main source, mainly from pus secretion. A drop in the harvesting rate was noted in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Regarding the resistance profile, there are a few modifications. The susceptibility of P. aeruginosa to carbapenems, piperacillin-tazobactam, and amikacin suffered alterations before and during COVID-19. The molecular fingerprinting showed three P. aeruginosa clusters, including strains with 80–99% similarity.

Filamentous fungi have always been a matter of concern in the medical field, but nowadays, due to an increase in the risk factors and the added infections with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they are slowly but surely emerging as a dangerous health threat worldwide. Our study aims to estimate the incidence of mold infections in central Romania, as well as assess the impact the pandemic had on them while evaluating other parameters such as age, associated bacterial and fungal infections and comorbidities. Purulent discharge and respiratory secretion specimens were collected and analyzed over a period of 10 years. A total of 68 samples tested positive for molds, with an increased number of positive samples during the pandemic. The highest number of specimens came from the outpatient department, followed by medical wards, with the most common filamentous fungus being Aspergillus section Flavi. Associated diseases included affections of the respiratory system, followed by the cardiovascular system and people who suffered from a viral infection with SARS-CoV-2, and they were mostly present in seniors. The most common associated infections were with Staphylococcus aureus and Candida nonalbicans. A statistically significant correlation was found between the association of mold infection and SARS-CoV-2 and an increase in mortality.