Earth's Stratosphere and Microbial Life

DasSarma, Priya; Antunes, André; Simões, Marta Filipa; DasSarma, Shiladitya

doi:10.21775/cimb.038.197

Cited by 28 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 163 publications

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“…In medium without salt, septate annellidic hyphae were observed as before (Figure 4a), The Rhodotorula sp. strain grew at 25 • C and showed an optimal growth at 32 • C, while Exophiala BMH1013 strain have an optimal growth temperature at 32 • C but not at 25 • C. The growth of the two strains was severely diminished at 37 • C. Most of the natural isolates are reported from cold climates, and even they have been found in clouds [42]. Therefore, generally, natural species seem not to be abundant in warm climates.…”

Section: Strainmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Aromatic Hydrocarbon Removal by Novel Extremotolerant Exophiala and Rhodotorula Spp. from an Oil Polluted Site in Mexico

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Fernández-López

Sánchez-Reyes

et al. 2020

JoF

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Since Aromatic hydrocarbons are recalcitrant and toxic, strategies to remove them are needed. The aim of this work was to isolate fungi capable of using aromatic hydrocarbons as carbon sources. Two isolates from an oil polluted site in Mexico were identified through morphological and molecular markers as a novel Rhodotorula sp. and an Exophiala sp. Both strains were able to grow in a wide range of pH media, from 4 to 12, showing their optimal growth at alkaline pH’s and are both halotolerant. The Exophiala strain switched from hyphae to yeast morphotype in high salinity conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of salt triggering dimorphism. The Rhodotorula strain, which is likely a new undescribed species, was capable of removing singled ringed aromatic compounds such as benzene, xylene, and toluene, but could not remove benzo[a] pyrene nor phenanthrene. Nevertheless, these hydrocarbons did not impair its growth. The Exophiala strain showed a different removal capacity. It could remove the polyaromatic hydrocarbons but performed poorly at removing toluene and xylene. Nevertheless, it still could grow well in the presence of the aromatic compounds. These strains could have a potential for aromatic compounds removal.

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Section: Strainmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The growth of the two strains was severely diminished at 37 °C. Most of the natural isolates are reported from cold climates, and even they have been found in clouds [42]. Therefore, generally, natural species seem not to be abundant in warm climates.…”

Section: J Fungi 2020 6 X For Peer Review 8 Of 18mentioning

confidence: 98%

Aromatic Hydrocarbon Removal by Novel Extremotolerant Exophiala and Rhodotorula Spp. from an Oil Polluted Site in Mexico

Ide-Pérez

Fernández-López

Sánchez-Reyes

et al. 2020

JoF

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“…Indeed, very long distances could be covered, particularly when transport occurs through the stratosphere. Unlike the troposphere, where particles may be removed via precipitation, the residence time of particles with viruses into the stratosphere is estimated to be a few days, or even some months [23]. It has also been highlighted that dust particles may protect the pathogens adsorbed onto their surface, allowing them to be less exposed to both radiation and toxic gases [24].…”

Section: Covid-19: What Evidence Is There About a Possible Airborne Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne Transmission Route of COVID-19: Why 2 Meters/6 Feet of Inter-Personal Distance Could Not Be Enough

Setti

Passarini

Gennaro

et al. 2020

IJERPH

612

482

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused the shutdown of entire nations all over the world. In addition to mobility restrictions of people, the World Health Organization and the Governments have prescribed maintaining an inter-personal distance of 1.5 or 2 m (about 6 feet) from each other in order to minimize the risk of contagion through the droplets that we usually disseminate around us from nose and mouth. However, recently published studies support the hypothesis of virus transmission over a distance of 2 m from an infected person. Researchers have proved the higher aerosol and surface stability of SARS-COV-2 as compared with SARS-COV-1 (with the virus remaining viable and infectious in aerosol for hours) and that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV can occur besides close-distance contacts. Indeed, there is reasonable evidence about the possibility of SARS-COV-2 airborne transmission due to its persistence into aerosol droplets in a viable and infectious form. Based on the available knowledge and epidemiological observations, it is plausible that small particles containing the virus may diffuse in indoor environments covering distances up to 10 m from the emission sources, thus representing a kind of aerosol transmission. On-field studies carried out inside Wuhan Hospitals showed the presence of SARS-COV-2 RNA in air samples collected in the hospitals and also in the surroundings, leading to the conclusion that the airborne route has to be considered an important pathway for viral diffusion. Similar findings are reported in analyses concerning air samples collected at the Nebraska University Hospital. On March 16th, we have released a Position Paper emphasizing the airborne route as a possible additional factor for interpreting the anomalous COVID-19 outbreaks in northern Italy, ranked as one of the most polluted areas in Europe and characterized by high particulate matter (PM) concentrations. The available information on the SARS-COV-2 spreading supports the hypothesis of airborne diffusion of infected droplets from person to person at a distance greater than two meters (6 feet). The inter-personal distance of 2 m can be reasonably considered as an effective protection only if everybody wears face masks in daily life activities.

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“…Many Earth habitats (e.g. the cloud layer, stratosphere, deep ocean, deep ice, deep earth, or the mantle) are vastly under-explored biologically (e.g., Lollar et al, 2019;DasSarma et al, 2020). Astrobiologists should create stronger connections with the researchers working in these under-studied environments (e.g., The Deep Carbon Observatory) to ensure that there is a cohesive understanding of the state-of-the-art science being learned and that continuing efforts to study these environments are supported.…”

Section: Recommendations For Astrobiologymentioning

confidence: 99%