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Faculty of Applied Sciences

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Microorganisms

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    The unseen breeding ground for pathogens : a study on the spectrum and awareness of microorganisms on smartphones of university students in South Africa, Kwa-Zulu Natal
    (2023-11-20) Kuarlal, Nikyle; Ndlovu, Thandie Sylph; Prakaschandra, Dorcas Rosaley
    Background: Smartphone use has increased exponentially, having formed an integral part of the COVID-19 pandemic era, especially in the academic arena. It has been established that fomites can harbour potentially pathogenic microorganisms, which pose health risks to humans, particularly to the immunocompromised. The purpose of this study was to determine which microorganisms were harboured on the surfaces of smartphones, document the device sanitisation and hand hygiene habits of students within a university cohort, and determine associations of these habits with microorganism colonisation on smartphones. Methodology: This study prospectively sampled 168 randomly selected students from different departments at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). After informed consent, a swab sample from each participant’s smartphone was collected and transported to the microbiology laboratory for culture following standard microbiological guidelines. Participants were also asked about device sanitisation and their awareness of smartphones harbouring microorganisms. IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics V.27 was used for data analysis with the use of descriptive statistics, Pearson chi-square and Pearson’s correlation tests. Results: From the 168 participants, microorganisms were detected in 113 (67.3%) samples, from which 20 different microorganisms were isolated. The majority of microorganisms (n = 17; 73.7%) were opportunistic pathogens. Out of the 168 questionnaire responses, only 36 (21.4%) study participants sanitised their smartphones despite 97 (57.7%) stating that they were aware of smartphones harbouring microorganisms. Conclusion: This study reports a high prevalence of microorganisms harboured on smartphones. The isolation of opportunistic pathogens, as well as the low frequency of smartphone sanitisation, raises a need for awareness of the contamination of smartphones and the potential risk of infection.
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    Fungi-templated silver nanoparticle composite: synthesis, characterization, and its applications
    (MDPI AG, 2023-02-06) Joy, Francis; Devasia, Jyothis; Nizam, Aatika; Veerappa Lakshmaiah, Vasantha; Krishna, Suresh Babu Naidu; Krishna, Suresh Babu Naidu; Anthony William, Coleman
    The self-assembly of nanoparticles on living bio-templates is a promising synthetic methodology adopted for synthesizing nano/microstructures with high efficiency. Therefore, the method of bio-templating offers various advantages in controlling the geometries of nano/microstructures, thereby increasing the efficiency of the synthesized material towards various functional applications. Herein, we utilized a filamentous fungus (Sclerotium rolfsii) as a soft bio-template to generate silver nanoparticle (AgNP) microtubules adhering to the fungal hyphae. The resulting composite combines the unique properties of silver nanoparticles with the biological activity of the fungi. The 3D fungal hyphae–silver nanoparticle (FH-AgNP) composite was characterized using SEM, elemental analysis, and the X-ray diffraction technique. Additionally, to highlight the functional application of the synthesized composite, dye degradation studies of methylene blue under visible light was effectuated, and a percentage degradation of 67.86% was obtained within 60 min, which highlights the potent catalytic activity of FH-AgNPs in dye degradation. Further, the antibacterial study of the composite was carried out against the bacterium Escherichia coli, and it was found that 200 µg of the composite exhibited maximum antibacterial properties against Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. Overall, fungi-templated silver nanoparticle composites are a promising area of research due to their combination of biological activity and unique physical and chemical properties.