The ColD (Collection of DiSTAV) includes the collection of three laboratories of the University of Genoa, and contains about 1,900 samples of biological materials.
One of aims of ColD is to study the strains isolated and preserved in the collection. Preserved strains include bacteria (300), yeasts (40) and filamentous fungi (1,020); moreover, bacterial and fungal DNA (300 and 210, respectively) are also preserved.
The strains are isolated from soils, polluted environmental matrices, and marine environments.
Fungal strains have been collected during several research projects from the ‘70s. Preserved strains were isolated from extreme environments in particular marine environments, caves, polluted areas (such as abandoned mines), compost plants, cadavers, and from cutaneous or systemic human infections. These fungi are studied regarding their potential for biotechnological applications in bioremediation processes of marine polluted waters and contaminated soils, and also concerning their metabolites production. Moreover, focus has been put on the investigation of the synergic relationships between fungi and bacteria in particular in the marine and rhizospheric environments.
Bacterial strains were collected in the marine environment in the last 15 years. The majority belong to the genus Vibrio and were isolated from several environmental matrices including seawater, sediment, plankton and marine invertebrates, both in the Mediterranean Sea and elsewhere. The collection includes species which are potential pathogenic for humans and marine animals (e.g. bivalves, corals, shrimps and fishes).
Relevant projects
- 2010-2012 Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (PRIN 2008): “Ruolo dell’ambiente marino nella selezione di batteri patogeni per l’uomo: il caso dell’adesina p53 di Vibrio cholerae”.
- 2010-2013 EU Seventh Framework Programme: “Controlling of infectious diseases in oysters and mussels in Europe (BIVALIFE)”.
- 2016-2019 EU HORIZON 2020: “Preventing and mitigating farmed bivalve diseases (VIVALDI)”.
Key persons
- Prof. Mirca Zotti
Professor of Mycology. Head of the Mycology Lab.
Member of the Scientific Committee of MIRRI-IT. - Prof. Marco Giovine
Professor of Molecular Biology. Head of Marine Biotechnology Lab.
Member of the General Assembly of MIRRI-IT. - Prof. Luigi Vezzulli
Professor of Microbiology. Head of Microbiology Lab.
Member of the General Assembly of MIRRI-IT.
Contact info:
Department of Earth, Life and Environmental Science, University of Genoa
Corso Europa 26, I-16132, Genova (Italy)