Gabriel Gati

Microbiological risk assessment is vital for identifying and mitigating health hazards associated with microbial contaminants in water and food. This study conducts a comprehensive microbiological risk assessment in Sfântu Gheorghe town, focusing on water and fish-based food sources. The assessment involves the identification and characterization of microbial hazards pose by Vibrio spp. and E. coli contamination, exploring the dose-response relationship, and dynamic evaluations of exposure pathways. In assessing water-related risks, ten strategic sampling points were selected seasonally over eight seasons. Pathogenic occurrences were quantified, and microbial species were evaluated based on survival duration, multiplication potential, and susceptibility to regional meteorological phenomena. Fish-related risks were analysed from capture to primary preparation, addressing contact with untreated water and fish-based food consumption. Qualitative assessments of zoonotic risk, infectivity, and potential to cause foodborne intoxications comprise into a risk score classification. Spatial interpolation methods delineate areas of interest based on frequent contamination observations. The study highlights the necessity for comprehensive studies integrating static and dynamic methodologies to comprehend potential health threats associated with water and fish-based food consumption. The findings underscore the importance of informed policies and interventions for safeguarding public health in the Danube Delta region.

Medicinal plants have represented accessible and highly bioavailable remedies in traditional therapeutic and preventive practices of numerous populations worldwide. Veterinary treatments based on medicinal plants are also widespread, mainly targeting the control or prevention of parasitic diseases. Scientific support of the immune-stimulating efficacy of plants or their extracts in animals is less documented. The immunological activity of alcoholic plant extracts was investigated in numerous animal classes, starting from Pisces, through Reptilia and Aves and reaching Mammalia, envisaging their effects on innate and adaptive cell-mediated immunity, which the authors mean to share in this chapter, also providing a comparison of variable reactivity within and between the classes.

The objectives of this study were to assess the sediment contamination with heavy metals and to investigate accordingly the ecological risk posed in the SE of the Danube Delta. Sediments are important in assessing the contamination as they act as reservoirs, transporters and contamination sources. Sediment samples were collected and analysed for lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury, revealing levels higher than the background, especially for cadmium and mercury (Pb > As > Cd > Hg). Concentrations exceeding the probable effect limit were noticed for arsenic and mercury. The contamination indexes describe the study area as having almost half of the samples as contaminated (pollution load index-PLI 1.04), however the contamination is mostly low-to moderate (modified contamination degree-mCd 1.36). The sediment contamination poses mostly a low ecological risk (RI 94.8). The sediment quality guideline quotient (SQG-Q 0.29) describes a moderate impact, while the probable effect concentration quotient (PEC-Q 0.16) confirms that there are no levels likely to affect the aquatic biota. In our study area, the main Branch of the Danube River and the Secondary Delta are the most affected by contamination, while the narrow, reed abundant channels as the preferred habitat of most aquatic organisms, have a low contamination level.