From Condalab, here are the most relevant news on microbiological safety & QC issues, and their solutions.

Burkholderia cepacea: An emerging and unknown pathogen

The Burkholderia genus comprises about 70 different species, most of which are phytopathogenic and only a small number of them have been isolated in humans.??

In 1950, Walter Burkholder described as Pseudomonas cepacia a phytopathogen responsible for onion rot. However, it was not until 1981 that it was included in the list of new species. By 1992, as a result of genetic studies, a new genus, Burkholderia, was categorized and the Burkholderia cepacea species, previously included in the Pseudomonas genus, was included.

Candida: commensal organism and emerging multidrug-resistant pathogen

Antimicrobial resistance is more?commonly known?in bacteria such as?Pseudomonas aeruginosa,?Enterobacteriaceae?and?Staphylococcus aureus. However, fungi have also been able to develop this mechanism, one of the most prominent being a microorganism that coexists in our skin, mouth, and gastrointestinal tract.?

The genus?Candida?is composed of unicellular fungi known as yeasts, with the?C. albicans?species having the highest clinical significance nowadays. Although most of the diseases they cause are superficial, some may evolve into systemic infections such as candidemia (an infection of the bloodstream, usually?with a?nosocomial?origin).?

Biopharmaceuticals: the new generation of drugs

The new generation of bioproducts such as vaccines, growth factors, antibodies and fusion proteins has been made possible thanks to?recombinant DNA (rDNA)?technology. It has opened the door to their production through the use of?host cells, and also to the possibility of?making modifications?such as additions or deletions.??

One of the earliest products of recombinant DNA was the globally renowned human insulin produced in?E. coli. The substance had previously been isolated from porcine pancreas, so the molecule obtained?was not exactly the same as human insulin.??

Tackling the endotoxin problem, which are the solutions?

Industrial fermentation is based on cell cultures to obtain end products, which can be either the biomass itself or the metabolites produced by the cells. Chemically defined media are used to obtain these products in the highest possible concentration, quality and safety. These media are usually supplemented with peptones, products of high nutritional value and nitrogen assimilable compounds, improving growth and bioproduction yields.??

Microbial risks in drinking waters: Enterococcus.

When a bottle of water is purchased anywhere, the last thing the?buyer?expects is for it to be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. This is?thanks?to the quality assurance systems that drinking water passes through before it reaches the end consumer.??

The microorganisms that are blacklisted in these products include?Enterococcus.??