Researcher
Marine Biotechnology Department
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Villa Pace, Contrada Porticatello 29, 98167, Messina, Italy
E-mail: carmen.rizzo(at)szn.it
Contatto Skype: Carmen Rizzo
Research Interests
Dr. Rizzo research activity is focused on the study of marine microbial communities associated with different matrices, both of temperate and polar environments, with particular attention paid to prokaryotic populations associated with marine invertebrates (i.e. porifera, annelids and molluscs). The first research activities involved the isolation of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from biotic and abiotic matrices (waters, sediment and benthic filter feeding organisms), the development of a screening pipeline to identify the biosurfactants production, the development of extraction and preliminary procedures for chemical characterization, and the realization of experimental tests to evaluate the effectiveness of these in the degradation and removal of hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Subsequently, she investigated the production of exopolysaccharides from Antarctic bacteria, and assessed their biotechnological potential, such as cryoprotective action, emulsifying activity, and chelating activity for metals. She also studied the production of antimicrobial compounds by bacteria and algae, active against pathogens of relevance for human health and aquaculture. The research activities currently carried out cover different areas of bioprospecting, and are mainly aimed at the isolation of microbial producers of bioactive molecules, with specific functions useful in industrial and non-industrial applications, such as in the medical and environmental recovery fields.
In the field of microbial ecology, she deals with deepening the functional and diversity profiling of bacterial communities in relation to different contaminants, with particular attention paid to bacteria adapted to the cold environments and their biotechnological potential.
She is currently involved in research projects on polar topics.
Selected Publications
Publications (ISI):
Rizzo C., Malavenda R., Gerçe B., Papale M., Syldatk C., Hausmann R., Bruni V., Michaud L., Lo Giudice A., Amalfitano S. (2019). Effects of a simulated acute oil spillage on bacterial communities from Arctic and Antarctic marine sediments. Microorganisms 7:632.
Savoca, S., Lo Giudice, A., Papale, M., Mangano, S., Caruso, C., Spanò, N., Michaud, L., Rizzo, C. (2019). Antarctic sponges from the Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea) host a diversified bacterial community. Scientific Reports 9:16135.
Papale, M., Lo Giudice, A., Conte, A., Rizzo, C., Rappazzo, A.C., Maimone, G., Caruso, G., La Ferla, R., Azzaro, M., Gugliandolo, C., Paranhos, R., Cabral, A.S., Spica, V.R., Guglielmin, M. (2019). Microbial Assemblages in Pressurized Antarctic Brine Pockets (Tarn Flat, Northern Victoria Land): A Hotspot of Biodiversity and Activity. Microorganisms 7:333.
Conte, A., Papale, M., Amalfitano, S., Mikkonen, A., Rizzo, C., De Domenico, E., Michaud, L., Lo Giudice, A. (2018). Bacterial community structure along the subtidal sandy sediment belt of a high Arctic fjord (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard Islands). Science of the Total Environment 619-620:203-211.
Caruso, C., Rizzo, C., Mangano, S., Poli, A., Di Donato, P., Nicolaus, B., Di Marco, G., Michaud, L., Lo Giudice, A. (2018). Extracellular polymeric substances with metal adsorption capacity produced by Pseudoalteromonas sp. MER144 from Antarctic seawater. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 25:4667.
Caruso, C., Rizzo, C., Mangano, S., Poli, A., Di Donato, P., Finore, I., Nicolaus, B., Di Marco, G., Michaud, L., Lo Giudice, A. (2018). Production and biotechnological potentialities of extracellular polymeric substances from sponge-associated Antarctic bacteria. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 84: e01624-17.
Rizzo, C., Syldatk, C., Hausmann, R., Gerçe, B., Longo, C., Papale, M., Conte, A., De Domenico, E., Michaud, L., Lo Giudice, A. (2018). The demosponge Halichondria (Halichondria) panicea (Pallas, 1766) as a novel source of biosurfactant-producing bacteria. Journal of Basic Microbiology 1-11.
Rizzo, C., Rappazzo, A.C., Michaud, L., De Domenico, E., Rochera, C., Camacho, A., Lo Giudice, A. (2018). Efficiency in hydrocarbon degradation and biosurfactant production by Joostella sp. A8 when grown in pure culture and consortia. Journal of Environmental Sciences 67:115-126.
Malavenda, R., Rizzo, C., Michaud, L., Gerçe, B., Bruni, V., Syldatk, C., Hausmann, R., Lo Giudice, A. (2015). Biosurfactant production by Arctic and Antarctic bacteria growing on hydrocarbons. Polar Biology 38:1565–1574.
Rizzo, C., Michaud, L., Syldatk, C., Hausmann, R., De Domenico, E., Lo Giudice, A. (2014). Influence of salinity and temperature on the activity of biosurfactants by polychaete-associated isolates. Environmental Science and Pollutution Research 21: 2988–3004.
Rizzo, C., Michaud, L., Hörmann, B., Gerçe, B., Syldatk, C., Hausmann, R., De Domenico, E., Lo Giudice, A. (2013). Bacteria associated with Sabellids (Polychaeta: Annelida) as a novel source of surface active compounds. Marine Pollution Bulletin 70: 125-133.
Book Chapters
Floris R., Rizzo C., Lo Giudice A. (2018). Biosurfactants from marine microorganisms. Bacteriology, 2-18.
Lo Giudice A. Rizzo C. (2015). Protocols for Investigating Hydrocarbon-Oxidizing Bacterial Communities in Polar Seas and Ice. In: McGenity T.J. et al. (Eds.), Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols, Springer Protocols Handbooks, DOI 10.1007/8623_2015_147.
