WorldWideScience

Sample records for bacteria thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus

  1. Isolation and characterization of a new CO-utilizing strain, Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus subsp. carboxydovorans, isolated from a geothermal spring in Turkey.

    KAUST Repository

    Balk, Melike

    2009-08-23

    A novel anaerobic, thermophilic, Gram-positive, spore-forming, and sugar-fermenting bacterium (strain TLO) was isolated from a geothermal spring in Ayaş, Turkey. The cells were straight to curved rods, 0.4-0.6 microm in diameter and 3.5-10 microm in length. Spores were terminal and round. The temperature range for growth was 40-80 degrees C, with an optimum at 70 degrees C. The pH optimum was between 6.3 and 6.8. Strain TLO has the capability to ferment a wide variety of mono-, di-, and polysaccharides and proteinaceous substrates, producing mainly lactate, next to acetate, ethanol, alanine, H(2), and CO(2). Remarkably, the bacterium was able to grow in an atmosphere of up to 25% of CO as sole electron donor. CO oxidation was coupled to H(2) and CO(2) formation. The G + C content of the genomic DNA was 35.1 mol%. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the DNA-DNA hybridization data, this bacterium is most closely related to Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus and Thermoanaerobacter siderophilus (99% similarity for both). However, strain TLO differs from Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus in important aspects, such as CO-utilization and lipid composition. These differences led us to propose that strain TLO represents a subspecies of Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus, and we therefore name it Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus subsp. carboxydovorans.

  2. Isolation and characterization of a new CO-utilizing strain, Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus subsp. carboxydovorans, isolated from a geothermal spring in Turkey.

    KAUST Repository

    Balk, Melike; Heilig, Hans G H J; van Eekert, Miriam H A; Stams, Alfons J M; Rijpstra, Irene C; Sinninghe-Damsté , Jaap S; de Vos, Willem M; Kengen, Servé W M

    2009-01-01

    A novel anaerobic, thermophilic, Gram-positive, spore-forming, and sugar-fermenting bacterium (strain TLO) was isolated from a geothermal spring in Ayaş, Turkey. The cells were straight to curved rods, 0.4-0.6 microm in diameter and 3.5-10 microm in length. Spores were terminal and round. The temperature range for growth was 40-80 degrees C, with an optimum at 70 degrees C. The pH optimum was between 6.3 and 6.8. Strain TLO has the capability to ferment a wide variety of mono-, di-, and polysaccharides and proteinaceous substrates, producing mainly lactate, next to acetate, ethanol, alanine, H(2), and CO(2). Remarkably, the bacterium was able to grow in an atmosphere of up to 25% of CO as sole electron donor. CO oxidation was coupled to H(2) and CO(2) formation. The G + C content of the genomic DNA was 35.1 mol%. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the DNA-DNA hybridization data, this bacterium is most closely related to Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus and Thermoanaerobacter siderophilus (99% similarity for both). However, strain TLO differs from Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus in important aspects, such as CO-utilization and lipid composition. These differences led us to propose that strain TLO represents a subspecies of Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus, and we therefore name it Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus subsp. carboxydovorans.

  3. Occurrence and Detection of Thermoanaerobacterium and Thermoanaerobacter in Canned Food

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Dotzauer

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to determine the reason for loss of vacuum in canned food, obligately anaerobic, spore forming thermophilic organisms were isolated from shelf-stable canned food containing vegetables, noodles and potatoes as main ingredients. Thermophilic bacteria from 44 canned food samples that had been stored under anaerobic conditions at 37 °C for at least 7 days were isolated. In addition, organic fertilizer used for the cultivation of some of the foods’ ingredients was examined and anaerobic, thermophilic bacteria could also be isolated from this source. Identification of bacterial strains was carried out by partial and complete 16S-rRNA-gene sequencing. Some of the obtained gene sequences showed a high level of similarity to existing 16S-rRNA gene sequences towards strains of the genera Thermoanaerobacter, Thermoanaerobium and Thermoanaerobacterium respectively, which have not yet been reported to be of importance as food spoilers. In the course of identification of these thermophilic bacteria we developed genera specific PCR-based approaches for detecting isolates belonging to the genera Thermoanaeroacterium and Thermoanaerobacter. Direct capturing of free DNA from contaminated samples using oligonucleotides coupled with paramagentic beads allowed the reduction of the detection time to six hours with a lower limit of 104 cells/mL.

  4. High ethanol producing derivatives of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ljungdahl, L.G.; Carriera, L.H.

    1983-05-24

    Derivatives of the newly discovered microorganism Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus which under anaerobic and thermophilic conditions continuously ferment substrates such as starch, cellobiose, glucose, xylose and other sugars to produce recoverable amounts of ethanol solving the problem of fermentations yielding low concentrations of ethanol using the parent strain of the microorganism Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus are disclosed. These new derivatives are ethanol tolerant up to 10% (v/v) ethanol during fermentation. The process includes the use of an aqueous fermentation medium, containing the substrate at a substrate concentration greater than 1% (w/v).

  5. Production of Bioethanol From Lignocellulosic Biomass Using Thermophilic Anaerobic Bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Georgieva, Tania I.

    2006-01-01

    and xylose and to tolerate the inhibitory compounds present in lignocellulosic hydrolysates is therefore apparent. Several thermophilic anaerobic xylan degrading bacteria from our culture collection (EMB group at BioCentrum-DTU) have been screened for a potential ethanol producer from hemicellulose...... hydrolysates, and out of the screening test, one particular strain (A10) was selected for the best performance. The strain was morphologically and physiologically characterized as Thermoanaerobacter mathranii strain A10. Unlike other thermophilic anaerobic bacteria, the wild-type strain Thermoanaerobacter...... Thermoanaerobacter BG1L1 was further studied. The experiments were carried out in a continuous immobilized reactor system (a fluidized bed reactor), which is likely to be the process design configuration for xylose fermentation in a Danish biorefinery concept for production of fuel ethanol. The immobilization...

  6. Induction and regeneration of autoplasts from Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum JW102 and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus JW200

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peteranderl, R.; Canganella, F.; Holzenburg, A.; Wiegel, J. [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)

    1993-10-01

    Autolysis was induced to form stable, cell wall-free cells of Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum JW102 and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus JW200, using a complex medium containing glycine (0.4% wt/vol) and/or sucrose or glycerol (10% wt/vol) at an optimum temperature of 64{degrees}C. Autoplasts of both bacteria were grown as L-phase colonies on solid medium; more than 50% of these colonies regenerated to the walled form during prolonged incubation. The removal of the cell wall was confirmed by electron microscopy.

  7. Single-step ethanol production from lignocellulose using novel extremely thermophilic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svetlitchnyi, Vitali A; Kensch, Oliver; Falkenhan, Doris A; Korseska, Svenja G; Lippert, Nadine; Prinz, Melanie; Sassi, Jamaleddine; Schickor, Anke; Curvers, Simon

    2013-02-28

    Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol using thermophilic bacteria provides a promising solution for efficient lignocellulose conversion without the need for additional cellulolytic enzymes. Most studies on the thermophilic CBP concentrate on co-cultivation of the thermophilic cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum with non-cellulolytic thermophilic anaerobes at temperatures of 55°C-60°C. We have specifically screened for cellulolytic bacteria growing at temperatures >70°C to enable direct conversion of lignocellulosic materials into ethanol. Seven new strains of extremely thermophilic anaerobic cellulolytic bacteria of the genus Caldicellulosiruptor and eight new strains of extremely thermophilic xylanolytic/saccharolytic bacteria of the genus Thermoanaerobacter isolated from environmental samples exhibited fast growth at 72°C, extensive lignocellulose degradation and high yield ethanol production on cellulose and pretreated lignocellulosic biomass. Monocultures of Caldicellulosiruptor strains degraded up to 89-97% of the cellulose and hemicellulose polymers in pretreated biomass and produced up to 72 mM ethanol on cellulose without addition of exogenous enzymes. In dual co-cultures of Caldicellulosiruptor strains with Thermoanaerobacter strains the ethanol concentrations rose 2- to 8.2-fold compared to cellulolytic monocultures. A co-culture of Caldicellulosiruptor DIB 087C and Thermoanaerobacter DIB 097X was particularly effective in the conversion of cellulose to ethanol, ethanol comprising 34.8 mol% of the total organic products. In contrast, a co-culture of Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus DSM 8903 and Thermoanaerobacter mathranii subsp. mathranii DSM 11426 produced only low amounts of ethanol. The newly discovered Caldicellulosiruptor sp. strain DIB 004C was capable of producing unexpectedly large amounts of ethanol from lignocellulose in fermentors. The established co-cultures of new Caldicellulosiruptor

  8. High-temperature crystallization of the secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from the extreme thermophilic bacteria Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus, a bifunctional alcohol dehydrogenase-acetyl-CoA thio esterase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, L.; Arni, R.K.

    1996-01-01

    Full text. Ethanol fermentations from Saccharomyces sp. are used in industrial ethanol production and are performed at mesophilic temperatures where final ethanol concentrations must exceed 4% (v/v) to make the process industrially economic. In addition, distillation is required to recover ethanol. Thermophilic fermentations are very attractive since they enable separation of ethanol from continuous cultures at process temperature and reduced pressure. Two different ethanol-production pathways have been identified for thermophilic bacteria; type I from Clostridium thermocellum, which contains only NADH-linked primary-alcohol dehydrogeneases, and type II from Thermoanaerobacter brockii which in addition include NADPH-linked secondary-alcohol dehydrogenases. The thermophilic anaerobic bacterium T ethanolicus 39E produces ethanol as the major end product from starch, pentose and herose substrates. The 2 Adh has a lower catalytic efficiency for the oxidation of 1 alcohols, including ethanol, than for the oxidation of secondary (2) alcohols or the reduction of ketones or aldehydes and possesses a significant acetyl-CoA reductive thioesterase activity. Large single crystals (0.7 x 0.3 x 0.3 mn) of this enzyme have been obtained at 40 0 C and diffraction data to 2.7 A resolution has been collected (R merge = 10.44%). Attempts are currently underway to obtain higher resolution data and a search for heavy atom derivatives is currently underway. The crystals belong to the space group P2 1 2 1 2 with cell constants of a a= 170.0 A, b=125.7 A and c=80.5 A. The asymmetric unit contains a tetramer as in the case of the crystals of the secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter brockii with a V M of 2.85 A 3 /Da. (author)

  9. A Genetic System for the Thermophilic Acetogenic Bacterium Thermoanaerobacter kivui.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basen, Mirko; Geiger, Irina; Henke, Laura; Müller, Volker

    2018-02-01

    Thermoanaerobacter kivui is one of the very few thermophilic acetogenic microorganisms. It grows optimally at 66°C on sugars but also lithotrophically with H 2 + CO 2 or with CO, producing acetate as the major product. While a genome-derived model of acetogenesis has been developed, only a few physiological or biochemical experiments regarding the function of important enzymes in carbon and energy metabolism have been carried out. To address this issue, we developed a method for targeted markerless gene deletions and for integration of genes into the genome of T. kivui The strain naturally took up plasmid DNA in the exponential growth phase, with a transformation frequency of up to 3.9 × 10 -6 A nonreplicating plasmid and selection with 5-fluoroorotate was used to delete the gene encoding the orotate phosphoribosyltransferase ( pyrE ), resulting in a Δ pyrE uracil-auxotrophic strain, TKV002. Reintroduction of pyrE on a plasmid or insertion of pyrE into different loci within the genome restored growth without uracil. We subsequently studied fructose metabolism in T. kivui The gene fruK (TKV_c23150) encoding 1-phosphofructosekinase (1-PFK) was deleted, using pyrE as a selective marker via two single homologous recombination events. The resulting Δ fruK strain, TKV003, did not grow on fructose; however, growth on glucose (or on mannose) was unaffected. The combination of pyrE as a selective marker and the natural competence of the strain for DNA uptake will be the basis for future studies on CO 2 reduction and energy conservation and their regulation in this thermophilic acetogenic bacterium. IMPORTANCE Acetogenic bacteria are currently the focus of research toward biotechnological applications due to their potential for de novo synthesis of carbon compounds such as acetate, butyrate, or ethanol from H 2 + CO 2 or from synthesis gas. Based on available genome sequences and on biochemical experiments, acetogens differ in their energy metabolism. Thus, there is an

  10. High ethanol tolerance of the thermophilic anaerobic ethanol producer Thermoanaerobacter BG1L1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Georgieva, Tania I.; Mikkelsen, Marie Just; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

    2007-01-01

    The low ethanol tolerance of thermophilic anaerobic bacteria, generally less than 2% (v/v) ethanol, is one of the main limiting factors for their potential use for second generation fuel ethanol production. In this work, the tolerance of thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter BG 1L1...... to exogenously added ethanol was studied in a continuous immobilized reactor system at a growth temperature of 70 degrees C. Ethanol tolerance was evaluated based on inhibition of fermentative performance e.g.. inhibition of substrate conversion. At the highest ethanol concentration tested (8.3% v/v), the strain...... was able to convert 42% of the xylose initially present, indicating that this ethanol concentration is not the upper limit tolerated by the strain. Long-term strain adaptation to high ethanol concentrations (6 - 8.3%) resulted in an improvement of xylose conversion by 25% at an ethanol concentration of 5...

  11. Dual enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution by Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase and Candida antarctica lipase B

    KAUST Repository

    Karume, Ibrahim; Musa, Musa M.; Bsharat, Odey; Takahashi, Masateru; Hamdan, Samir; El Ali, Bassam

    2016-01-01

    The immobilization of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH) using sol–gel method enables its use to racemize enantiopure alcohols in organic media. Here, we report the racemization of enantiopure phenyl

  12. Determining the roles of the three alcohol dehydrogenases (AdhA, AdhB and AdhE) in Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus during ethanol formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jilai; Shao, Xiongjun; Olson, Daniel G; Murphy, Sean Jean-Loup; Tian, Liang; Lynd, Lee R

    2017-05-01

    Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus is a promising candidate for biofuel production due to the broad range of substrates it can utilize and its high ethanol yield compared to other thermophilic bacteria, such as Clostridium thermocellum. Three alcohol dehydrogenases, AdhA, AdhB and AdhE, play key roles in ethanol formation. To study their physiological roles during ethanol formation, we deleted them separately and in combination. Previously, it has been thought that both AdhB and AdhE were bifunctional alcohol dehydrogenases. Here we show that AdhE has primarily acetyl-CoA reduction activity (ALDH) and almost no acetaldehyde reduction (ADH) activity, whereas AdhB has no ALDH activity and but high ADH activity. We found that AdhA and AdhB have similar patterns of activity. Interestingly, although deletion of both adhA and adhB reduced ethanol production, a single deletion of either one actually increased ethanol yields by 60-70%.

  13. Extreme thermophilic ethanol production from rapeseed straw: using the newly isolated Thermoanaerobacter pentosaceus and combining it with Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a two-step process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tomás, Ana Faria; Karagöz, Pınar; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov

    2013-01-01

    from the liquid fraction of pretreated rapeseed straw, without any dilution or need for additives. However, when the hydrolysate was used undiluted the ethanol yield was only 37% compared to yield of the control, in which pure sugars in synthetic medium were used. The decrease of ethanol yield...... showed that the two strains together could achieve up to 85% of the theoretical ethanol yield based on the sugar composition of the rapeseed straw, which was 14% and 50% higher compared to the yield with the yeast or the bacteria alone, respectively. Biotechnol. Bioeng. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.......The newly isolated extreme thermophile Thermoanaerobacter pentosaceus was used for ethanol production from alkaline-peroxide pretreated rapeseed straw (PRS). Both the liquid and solid fractions of PRS were used. T. pentosaceus was able to metabolize the typical process inhibitors present...

  14. Racemization of enantiopure secondary alcohols by Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase

    KAUST Repository

    Musa, Musa M.

    2013-01-01

    Controlled racemization of enantiopure phenyl-ring-containing secondary alcohols is achieved in this study using W110A secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus (W110A TeSADH) and in the presence of the reduced and oxidized forms of its cofactor nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide. Racemization of both enantiomers of alcohols accepted by W110A TeSADH, not only with low, but also with reasonably high, enantiomeric discrimination is achieved by this method. Furthermore, the high tolerance of TeSADH to organic solvents allows TeSADH-catalyzed racemization to be conducted in media containing up to 50% (v/v) of organic solvents. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  15. Identification of Multiple Soluble Fe(III Reductases in Gram-Positive Thermophilic Bacterium Thermoanaerobacter indiensis BSB-33

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Subrata Pal

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Thermoanaerobacter indiensis BSB-33 has been earlier shown to reduce Fe(III and Cr(VI anaerobically at 60°C optimally. Further, the Gram-positive thermophilic bacterium contains Cr(VI reduction activity in both the membrane and cytoplasm. The soluble fraction prepared from T. indiensis cells grown at 60°C was found to contain the majority of Fe(III reduction activity of the microorganism and produced four distinct bands in nondenaturing Fe(III reductase activity gel. Proteins from each of these bands were partially purified by chromatography and identified by mass spectrometry (MS with the help of T. indiensis proteome sequences. Two paralogous dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenases (LPDs, thioredoxin reductase (Trx, NADP(H-nitrite reductase (Ntr, and thioredoxin disulfide reductase (Tdr were determined to be responsible for Fe(III reductase activity. Amino acid sequence and three-dimensional (3D structural similarity analyses of the T. indiensis Fe(III reductases were carried out with Cr(VI reducing proteins from other bacteria. The two LPDs and Tdr showed very significant sequence and structural identity, respectively, with Cr(VI reducing dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase from Thermus scotoductus and thioredoxin disulfide reductase from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans. It appears that in addition to their iron reducing activity T. indiensis LPDs and Tdr are possibly involved in Cr(VI reduction as well.

  16. PCR detection of thermophilic spore-forming bacteria involved in canned food spoilage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prevost, S; Andre, S; Remize, F

    2010-12-01

    Thermophilic bacteria that form highly heat-resistant spores constitute an important group of spoilage bacteria of low-acid canned food. A PCR assay was developed in order to rapidly trace these bacteria. Three PCR primer pairs were designed from rRNA gene sequences. These primers were evaluated for the specificity and the sensitivity of detection. Two primer pairs allowed detection at the species level of Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Moorella thermoacetica/thermoautrophica. The other pair allowed group-specific detection of anaerobic thermophilic bacteria of the genera Thermoanaerobacterium, Thermoanaerobacter, Caldanerobium and Caldanaerobacter. After a single enrichment step, these PCR assays allowed the detection of 28 thermophiles from 34 cans of spoiled low-acid food. In addition, 13 ingredients were screened for the presence of these bacteria. This PCR assay serves as a detection method for strains able to spoil low-acid canned food treated at 55°C. It will lead to better reactivity in the canning industry. Raw materials and ingredients might be qualified not only for quantitative spore contamination, but also for qualitative contamination by highly heat-resistant spores.

  17. Identification and Overexpression of a Bifunctional Aldehyde/Alcohol Dehydrogenase Responsible for Ethanol Production in Thermoanaerobacter mathranii

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yao, Shuo; Just Mikkelsen, Marie

    2010-01-01

    Thermoanaerobacter mathranii contains four genes, adhA, adhB, bdhA and adhE, predicted to code for alcohol dehydrogenases involved in ethanol metabolism. These alcohol dehydrogenases were characterized as NADP(H)-dependent primary alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhA), secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh....... Overexpressions of AdhE in strain BG1E1 with xylose as a substrate facilitate the production of ethanol at an increased yield. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel...

  18. Hydrogen production by hyperthermophilic and extremely thermophilic bacteria and archaea: mechanisms for reductant disposal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verhaart, Marcel R A; Bielen, Abraham A M; van der Oost, John; Stams, Alfons J M; Kengen, Servé W M

    2010-01-01

    Hydrogen produced from biomass by bacteria and archaea is an attractive renewable energy source. However, to make its application more feasible, microorganisms are needed with high hydrogen productivities. For several reasons, hyperthermophilic and extremely thermophilic bacteria and archaea are promising is this respect. In addition to the high polysaccharide-hydrolysing capacities of many of these organisms, an important advantage is their ability to use most of the reducing equivalents (e.g. NADH, reduced ferredoxin) formed during glycolysis for the production of hydrogen, enabling H2/hexose ratios of between 3.0 and 4.0. So, despite the fact that the hydrogen-yielding reactions, especially the one from NADH, are thermodynamically unfavourable, high hydrogen yields are obtained. In this review we focus on three different mechanisms that are employed by a few model organisms, viz. Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus and Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis, Thermotoga maritima, and Pyrococcus furiosus, to efficiently produce hydrogen. In addition, recent developments to improve hydrogen production by hyperthermophilic and extremely thermophilic bacteria and archaea are discussed.

  19. Asymmetric Reduction of Substituted 2-Tetralones by Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase

    KAUST Repository

    Bsharat, Odey; Musa, Musa M.; Vieille, Claire; Oladepo, Sulayman; Takahashi, Masateru; Hamdan, Samir

    2017-01-01

    Ketones bearing two bulky substituents, named bulky-bulky ketones, were successfully reduced to their corresponding optically enriched alcohols by using various mutants of Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH). Substituted 2-tetralones, in particular, were reduced to 2-tetralols with high conversion and high enantioselectivity. The pharmacological importance of substituted 2-tetralols as key drug-building blocks makes our biocatalytic reduction method a highly essential tool. We showed that changing the position of the substituent on the aromatic ring of 2-tetralones impacts their binding affinity and the reaction maximum catalytic rate. Docking studies with several TeSADH mutants explain how the position of the substituent on the tetralone influences the binding orientation of substituted 2-tetralones and their reaction stereoselectivity.

  20. Asymmetric Reduction of Substituted 2-Tetralones by Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase

    KAUST Repository

    Bsharat, Odey

    2017-01-30

    Ketones bearing two bulky substituents, named bulky-bulky ketones, were successfully reduced to their corresponding optically enriched alcohols by using various mutants of Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH). Substituted 2-tetralones, in particular, were reduced to 2-tetralols with high conversion and high enantioselectivity. The pharmacological importance of substituted 2-tetralols as key drug-building blocks makes our biocatalytic reduction method a highly essential tool. We showed that changing the position of the substituent on the aromatic ring of 2-tetralones impacts their binding affinity and the reaction maximum catalytic rate. Docking studies with several TeSADH mutants explain how the position of the substituent on the tetralone influences the binding orientation of substituted 2-tetralones and their reaction stereoselectivity.

  1. Continuous Ethanol Fermentation of Pretreated Lignocellulosic Biomasses, Waste Biomasses, Molasses and Syrup Using the Anaerobic, Thermophilic Bacterium Thermoanaerobacter italicus Pentocrobe 411

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, Rasmus Lund; Jensen, Karen Møller; Mikkelsen, Marie Just

    2015-01-01

    Lignocellosic ethanol production is now at a stage where commercial or semi-commercial plants are coming online and, provided cost effective production can be achieved, lignocellulosic ethanol will become an important part of the world bio economy. However, challenges are still to be overcome throughout the process and particularly for the fermentation of the complex sugar mixtures resulting from the hydrolysis of hemicellulose. Here we describe the continuous fermentation of glucose, xylose and arabinose from non-detoxified pretreated wheat straw, birch, corn cob, sugar cane bagasse, cardboard, mixed bio waste, oil palm empty fruit bunch and frond, sugar cane syrup and sugar cane molasses using the anaerobic, thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter Pentocrobe 411. All fermentations resulted in close to maximum theoretical ethanol yields of 0.47–0.49 g/g (based on glucose, xylose, and arabinose), volumetric ethanol productivities of 1.2–2.7 g/L/h and a total sugar conversion of 90–99% including glucose, xylose and arabinose. The results solidify the potential of Thermoanaerobacter strains as candidates for lignocellulose bioconversion. PMID:26295944

  2. Production of ethanol from sugars and lignocellulosic biomass by Thermoanaerobacter J1 isolated from a hot spring in Iceland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jessen, Jan Eric; Orlygsson, Johann

    2012-01-01

    Thermophilic bacteria have gained increased attention as candidates for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. This study investigated ethanol production by Thermoanaerobacter strain J1 from hydrolysates made from lignocellulosic biomass in batch cultures. The effect of increased initial glucose concentration and the partial pressure of hydrogen on end product formation were examined. The strain showed a broad substrate spectrum, and high ethanol yields were observed on glucose (1.70 mol/mol) and xylose (1.25 mol/mol). Ethanol yields were, however, dramatically lowered by adding thiosulfate or by cocultivating strain J1 with a hydrogenotrophic methanogen with acetate becoming the major end product. Ethanol production from 4.5 g/L of lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates (grass, hemp stem, wheat straw, newspaper, and cellulose) pretreated with acid or alkali and the enzymes Celluclast and Novozymes 188 was investigated. The highest ethanol yields were obtained on cellulose (7.5 mM·g(-1)) but the lowest on straw (0.8 mM·g(-1)). Chemical pretreatment increased ethanol yields substantially from lignocellulosic biomass but not from cellulose. The largest increase was on straw hydrolysates where ethanol production increased from 0.8 mM·g(-1) to 3.3 mM·g(-1) using alkali-pretreated biomass. The highest ethanol yields on lignocellulosic hydrolysates were observed with hemp hydrolysates pretreated with acid, 4.2 mM·g(-1).

  3. Dual enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution by Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase and Candida antarctica lipase B

    KAUST Repository

    Karume, Ibrahim

    2016-10-04

    The immobilization of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH) using sol–gel method enables its use to racemize enantiopure alcohols in organic media. Here, we report the racemization of enantiopure phenyl-ring-containing secondary alcohols using xerogel-immobilized W110A TeSADH in hexane rather than the aqueous medium required by the enzyme. We further showed that this racemization approach in organic solvent was compatible with Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB)-catalyzed kinetic resolution. This compatibility, therefore, allowed a dual enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic alcohols using CALB-catalyzed kinetic resolution and W110A TeSADH-catalyzed racemization of phenyl-ring-containing alcohols.

  4. Production of Ethanol from Sugars and Lignocellulosic Biomass by Thermoanaerobacter J1 Isolated from a Hot Spring in Iceland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Eric Jessen

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Thermophilic bacteria have gained increased attention as candidates for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. This study investigated ethanol production by Thermoanaerobacter strain J1 from hydrolysates made from lignocellulosic biomass in batch cultures. The effect of increased initial glucose concentration and the partial pressure of hydrogen on end product formation were examined. The strain showed a broad substrate spectrum, and high ethanol yields were observed on glucose (1.70 mol/mol and xylose (1.25 mol/mol. Ethanol yields were, however, dramatically lowered by adding thiosulfate or by cocultivating strain J1 with a hydrogenotrophic methanogen with acetate becoming the major end product. Ethanol production from 4.5 g/L of lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates (grass, hemp stem, wheat straw, newspaper, and cellulose pretreated with acid or alkali and the enzymes Celluclast and Novozymes 188 was investigated. The highest ethanol yields were obtained on cellulose (7.5 mM·g−1 but the lowest on straw (0.8 mM·g−1. Chemical pretreatment increased ethanol yields substantially from lignocellulosic biomass but not from cellulose. The largest increase was on straw hydrolysates where ethanol production increased from 0.8 mM·g−1 to 3.3 mM·g−1 using alkali-pretreated biomass. The highest ethanol yields on lignocellulosic hydrolysates were observed with hemp hydrolysates pretreated with acid, 4.2 mM·g−1.

  5. Immobilization of anaerobic thermophilic bacteria for the production of cell-free thermostable. alpha. -amylases and pullulanases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klingeberg, M [Goettingen Univ. (Germany, F.R.). Inst. fuer Mikrobiologie; Vorlop, K D [Technische Univ. Braunschweig (Germany, F.R.). Inst. fuer Technische Chemie; Antranikian, G [Technische Univ. Hamburg-Harburg, Hamburg (Germany, F. R.). Arbeitsbereich Biotechnologie 1

    1990-08-01

    For the production of cell-free thermostable {alpha}-amylases and pullulanases various anaerobic thermophilic bacteria that belong to the genera Clostridium and Thermoanaerobacter were immobilized in calcium alginate gel beads. The entrapment of bacteria was performed in full was well as in hollow spheres. An optimal limited medium, which avoided bacterial outgrowth, was developed for the cultivation of immobilized organisms at 60deg C using 0.4% starch as substrate. Compared to non-immobilized cells these techniques allowed a significant increase (up to 5.6-fold) in the specific activities of the extracellular enzymes formed. An increase in the productivity of extracellular enzymes was observed after immobilization of bacteria in full spheres. In the case of C. thermosaccharolyticum, for instance, the productivity was raised from 90 units (U)/10{sup 12} cells up to 700 U/10{sup 12} cells. Electrophoretic analysis of the secreted proteins showed that in all cases most of the amylolytic enzymes formed were released into the culture medium. Proteins that had a molecular mass of less than 450 000 daltons could easily diffuse through the gel matrix. Cultivation of immobilized bacteria in semi-continuous and fed-batch cultures was also accompanied by an elevation in the concentration of cell-free enzymes. (orig.).

  6. Expanding the Substrate Specificity of Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase by a Dual Site Mutation

    KAUST Repository

    Musa, Musa M.; Bsharat, Odey; Karume, Ibrahim; Vieille, Claire; Takahashi, Masateru; Hamdan, Samir

    2017-01-01

    Here, we report the asymmetric reduction of selected phenyl-ring-containing ketones by various single and dual site mutants of Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH). Further expanding the size of the substrate binding pocket in the mutant W110A/I86A not only allowed substrates of the single mutants W110A and I86A to be accommodated within the expanded active site, but also expanded the enzyme's substrate range to ketones bearing two sterically demanding groups (bulky-bulky ketones), which are not substrates for TeSADH single mutants. We also report the regio- and enantioselective reduction of diketones using W110A/I86A TeSADH and single TeSADH mutants. The double mutant exhibited dual stereopreference generating the Prelog products most of the time and the anti-Prelog products in a few cases.

  7. Expanding the Substrate Specificity of Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase by a Dual Site Mutation

    KAUST Repository

    Musa, Musa M.

    2017-12-14

    Here, we report the asymmetric reduction of selected phenyl-ring-containing ketones by various single and dual site mutants of Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH). Further expanding the size of the substrate binding pocket in the mutant W110A/I86A not only allowed substrates of the single mutants W110A and I86A to be accommodated within the expanded active site, but also expanded the enzyme\\'s substrate range to ketones bearing two sterically demanding groups (bulky-bulky ketones), which are not substrates for TeSADH single mutants. We also report the regio- and enantioselective reduction of diketones using W110A/I86A TeSADH and single TeSADH mutants. The double mutant exhibited dual stereopreference generating the Prelog products most of the time and the anti-Prelog products in a few cases.

  8. Characterization of microbial compositions in a thermophilic chemostat of mixed culture fermentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fang; Yang, Jing-Hua; Dai, Kun; Chen, Yun; Li, Qiu-Rong; Gao, Fa-Ming; Zeng, Raymond J

    2016-02-01

    The microbial community compositions of a chemostat enriched in a thermophilic (55 °C) mixed culture fermentation (MCF) for hydrogen production under different operational conditions were revealed in this work by integrating denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing, and 16S rRNA clone library sequencing. The results showed that the community structure of the enriched cultures was relatively simple. Clones close to the genera of Thermoanaerobacter and/or Bacillus mainly dominated the bacteria. And homoacetogens and archaea were washed out and not detected even by Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing which supported the benefit for hydrogen production. On the other hand, the results revealed that the metabolic shift was clearly associated with the change of dominated bacterial groups. The effects of hydrogen partial pressure (PH2) and pH from 4.0 to 5.5 on the microbial compositions were not notable and Thermoanaerobacter was dominant, thus, the metabolites were also not changed. While Bacillus, Thermoanaerobacter and Propionispora hippei dominated the bacteria communities at neutral pH, or Bacillus and Thermoanaerobacter dominated at high influent glucose concentrations, consequently the main metabolites shifted to acetate, ethanol, propionate, or lactate. Thereby, the effect of microbial composition on the metabolite distribution and shift shall be considered when modeling thermophilic MCF in the future.

  9. Potential inhibitors from wet oxidation of wheat straw and their effect on growth and ethanol production by Thermoanaerobacter mathranii

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klinke, Helene Bendstrup; Thomsen, A.B.; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

    2001-01-01

    Alkaline wet oxidation (WO) (using water, 6.5 g/l sodium carbonate, and 12 bar oxygen at 195 degreesC) was used for pre-treating wheat straw (60 g/l), resulting in a hemicellulose-rich hydrolysate and a cellulose-rich solid fraction. The hydrolysate consisted of soluble hemicellulose (9 g....../l), aliphatic carboxylic acids (6 g/l), phenols (0.27 g/l or 1.7 mM), and 2-furoic acid (0.007 g/l). The wet-oxidized wheat straw hydrolysate caused no inhibition of ethanol yield by the anaerobic thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter mathranii. Nine phenols and 2-furoic acid, identified to be present...

  10. Recombinant thermostable AP exonuclease from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis: cloning, expression, purification, properties and PCR application

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dabrowski, Slawomir; Brillowska-Dabrowska, Anna; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

    2013-01-01

    Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites in DNA are considered to be highly mutagenic and must be corrected to preserve genetic integrity, especially at high temperatures. The gene encoding a homologue of AP exonuclease was cloned from the thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis......) of fully active and soluble His6-tagged Tte AP enzyme with His6-tag on C-terminal end was obtained in Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3) pLysS. The active enzyme was purified up to 98% homogeneity in one chromatographic step using metal-affinity chromatography on Ni(2+)-IDA-Sepharose resin. The yield was 90 mg......, pH 8.0 and at low Mg2+ concentration (0.5 mM). Higher Mg2+ concentration (> 1 mM) enhanced 3'-5' exonuclease activity and at Mg2+ concentration > 2.0 mM 3' nuclease activity was observed. Because of the endonuclease activity of Tte AP exonuclease, the enzyme was applied in PCR amplification of long...

  11. Use of extremophilic bacteria for second generation bioethanol production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tomás, Ana Faria; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov; Angelidaki, Irini

    production from food crops, such as corn (starch) or sugar cane (sucrose) is already an established process, with the USA and Brazil supplying 86% of the market. The major challenge remains in the use of different waste sources – agricultural, forestry, animal and household waste - as a feedstock....... The recalcitrance of these materials and their diverse sugar composition make the industrial yeast strains currently used unsuitable for a second generation bioethanol production process. One of the alternative strategies is the use of extreme thermophilic microorganisms. Currently, selected members from the genera...... Clostridium, Thermoanaerobacter, Geobacillus and Thermoanaerobacterium are among the best candidates. A new strain of Thermoanaerobacter, closely related to T. italicus and T. mathranii, has achieved 0.43 gethanol/gxylose, which is 83% of the theoretical yield of ethanol based on xylose and the highest value...

  12. Potential inhibitors from wet oxidation of wheat straw and their effect on growth and ethanol production by ¤Thermoanaerobacter mathranii¤

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klinke, H.B.; Thomsen, A.B.; Ahring, B.K.

    2001-01-01

    Alkaline wet oxidation (WO) (using water, 6.5 g/l sodium carbonate, and 12 bar oxygen at 195 degreesC) was used for pre-treating wheat straw (60 g/l), resulting in a hemicellulose-rich hydrolysate and a cellulose-rich solid fraction. The hydrolysate consisted of soluble hemicellulose (9 g....../l), aliphatic carboxylic acids (6 g/l), phenols (0.27 g/l or 1.7 mM), and 2-furoic acid (0.007 g/l). The wet-oxidized wheat straw hydrolysate caused no inhibition of ethanol yield by the anaerobic thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter mathranii. Nine phenols and 2-furoic acid, identified to be present...

  13. Purification and crystallization of the ABC-type transport substrate-binding protein OppA from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Jinlan; Li, Xiaolu [State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100005, People' s Republic of China (China); Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People' s Republic of China (China); Feng, Yue; Zhang, Bo [Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People' s Republic of China (China); Miao, Shiying [State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100005, People' s Republic of China (China); Wang, Linfang, E-mail: lfwangz@yahoo.com [State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100005, People' s Republic of China (China); Wang, Na, E-mail: nawang@tsinghua.edu.cn [Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People' s Republic of China (China)

    2012-06-22

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We truncated the signal peptide of OppA{sub TTE0054} to make it express in Escherichia coli as a soluble protein. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Crystals of OppA{sub TTE0054} were grown by sitting-drop vapor diffusion method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The crystal of OppA{sub TTE0054} diffracted to 2.25 A. -- Abstract: Di- and oligopeptide- binding protein OppAs play important roles in solute and nutrient uptake, sporulation, biofilm formation, cell wall muropeptides recycling, peptide-dependent quorum-sensing responses, adherence to host cells, and a variety of other biological processes. Soluble OppA from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis was expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein was found to be >95% pure with SDS-PAGE after a series of purification steps and the purity was further verified by mass spectrometry. The protein was crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method with PEG 400 as the precipitant. Crystal diffraction extended to 2.25 A. The crystal belonged to space group C222{sub 1}, with unit-cell parameters of a = 69.395, b = 199.572, c = 131.673 A, and {alpha} = {beta} = {gamma} = 90 Degree-Sign .

  14. RNA-Seq-based analysis of cold shock response in Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis, a bacterium harboring a single cold shock protein encoding gene.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Liu

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Although cold shock responses and the roles of cold shock proteins in microorganisms containing multiple cold shock protein genes have been well characterized, related studies on bacteria possessing a single cold shock protein gene have not been reported. Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4, a thermophile harboring only one known cold shock protein gene (TtescpC, can survive from 50° to 80 °C, but has poor natural competence under cold shock at 50 °C. We therefore examined cold shock responses and their effect on natural competence in this bacterium. RESULTS: The transcriptomes of T. tengcongensis before and after cold shock were analyzed by RNA-seq and over 1200 differentially expressed genes were successfully identified. These genes were involved in a wide range of biological processes, including modulation of DNA replication, recombination, and repair; energy metabolism; production of cold shock protein; synthesis of branched amino acids and branched-chain fatty acids; and sporulation. RNA-seq analysis also suggested that T. tengcongensis initiates cell wall and membrane remodeling processes, flagellar assembly, and sporulation in response to low temperature. Expression profiles of TtecspC and failed attempts to produce a TtecspC knockout strain confirmed the essential role of TteCspC in the cold shock response, and also suggested a role of this protein in survival at optimum growth temperature. Repression of genes encoding ComEA and ComEC and low energy metabolism levels in cold-shocked cells are the likely basis of poor natural competence at low temperature. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated changes in global gene expression under cold shock and identified several candidate genes related to cold shock in T. tengcongensis. At the same time, the relationship between cold shock response and poor natural competence at low temperature was preliminarily elucidated. These findings provide a foundation for future studies on genetic

  15. Ethanol production from glucose and xylose by immobilized Thermoanaerobacter pentosaceus at 70 °C in an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sittijunda, Sureewan; Tomás, Ana Faria; Reungsang, Alissara

    2013-01-01

    The newly isolated extreme thermophilic ethanologen Thermoanaerobacter pentosaceus was immobilized in different support materials in order to improve its ethanol production ability. In batch fermentation, a maximum ethanol yield of 1.36 mol mol-1 consumed sugars was obtained by T. pentosaceus...... occurred at an HRT of 6 h. The maximum ethanol yield and concentration, 1.50 mol mol-1 consumed sugars and 12.4 g l-1, were obtained with an HRT of 12 h. The latter represented an improvement of 60 % in relation to previously obtained results. This indicates that immobilization of T. pentosaceus...... immobilized on rapeseed straw. Additionally, immobilized T. pentosaceus’ ethanol production was improved by 11 % in comparison to free cells. In continuous mode, it was shown that hydraulic retention time (HRT) affected ethanol yield, and a dramatic shift from ethanol to acetate and lactate production...

  16. Ethanol production from wet-exploded wheat straw hydrolysate by thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter BG1L1 in a continuous immobilized reactor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Georgieva, Tania I.; Mikkelsen, Marie Just; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

    2008-01-01

    was not detoxified, ethanol yield in a range of 0.39-0.42 g/g was obtained. Overall, sugar efficiency to ethanol was 68-76%. The reactor was operated continuously for approximately 143 days, and no contamination was seen without the use of any agent for preventing bacterial infections. The tested microorganism has......Thermophilic ethanol fermentation of wet-exploded wheat straw hydrolysate was investigated in a continuous immobilized reactor system. The experiments were carried out in a lab-scale fluidized bed reactor (FBR) at 70C. Undetoxified wheat straw hydrolysate was used (3-12% dry matter), corresponding...... to sugar mixtures of glucose and xylose ranging from 12 to 41 g/l. The organism, thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter BG1L1, exhibited significant resistance to high levels of acetic acid (up to 10 g/l) and other metabolic inhibitors present in the hydrolysate. Although the hydrolysate...

  17. Occurrence and molecular characterization of cultivable mesophilic and thermophilic obligate anaerobic bacteria isolated from paper mills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suihko, Maija-Liisa; Partanen, Laila; Mattila-Sandholm, Tiina; Raaska, Laura

    2005-08-01

    The aim of this work was to characterize the cultivable obligate anaerobic bacterial population in paper mill environments. A total of 177 anaerobically grown bacterial isolates were screened for aerotolerance, from which 67 obligate anaerobes were characterized by automated ribotyping and 41 were further identified by partial 16S rDNA sequencing. The mesophilic isolates indicated 11 different taxa (species) within the genus Clostridium and the thermophilic isolates four taxa within the genus Thermoanaerobacterium and one within Thermoanaerobacter (both formerly Clostridium). The most widespread mesophilic bacterium was closely related to C. magnum and occurred in three of four mills. One mill was contaminated with a novel mesophilic bacterium most closely related to C. thiosulfatireducens. The most common thermophile was T. thermosaccharolyticum, occurring in all four mills. The genetic relationships of the mill isolates to described species indicated that most of them are potential members of new species. On the basis of identical ribotypes clay could be identified to be the contamination source of thermophilic bacteria. Automated ribotyping can be a useful tool for the identification of clostridia as soon as comprehensive identification libraries are available.

  18. Metabolic engineering of ethanol production in Thermoanaerobacter mathranii

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shou Yao

    2010-11-15

    Strain BG1 is a xylanolytic, thermophilic, anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium originally isolated from an Icelandic hot spring. The strain belongs to the species Thermoanaerobacter mathranii. The strain ferments glucose, xylose, arabinose, galactose and mannose simultaneously and produces ethanol, acetate, lactate, CO{sub 2}, and H2 as fermentation end-products. As a potential ethanol producer from lignocellulosic biomass, tailor-made BG1 strain with the metabolism redirected to produce ethanol is needed. Metabolic engineering of T. mathranii BG1 is therefore necessary to improve ethanol production. Strain BG1 contains four alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) encoding genes. They are adhA, adhB, bdhA and adhE encoding primary alcohol dehydrogenase, secondary alcohol dehydrogenase, butanol dehydrogenase and bifunctional alcohol/acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, respectively. The presence in an organism of multiple alcohol dehydrogenases with overlapping specificities makes the determination of the specific role of each ADH difficult. Deletion of each individual adh gene in the strain revealed that the adhE deficient mutant strain fails to produce ethanol as the fermentation product. The bifunctional alcohol/acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, AdhE, is therefore proposed responsible for ethanol production in T. mathranii BG1, by catalyzing sequential NADH-dependent reductions of acetyl-CoA to acetaldehyde and then to ethanol under fermentative conditions. Moreover, AdhE was conditionally expressed from a xylose-induced promoter in a recombinant strain (BG1E1) with a concomitant deletion of a lactate dehydrogenase. Over-expression of AdhE in strain BG1E1 with xylose as a substrate facilitates the production of ethanol at an increased yield. With a cofactor-dependent ethanol production pathway in T. mathranii BG1, it may become crucial to regenerate cofactor to increase the ethanol yield. Feeding the cells with a more reduced carbon source, such as mannitol, was shown to increase ethanol

  19. Enrichment of anaerobic syngas-converting bacteria from thermophilic bioreactor sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alves, Joana I; Stams, Alfons J M; Plugge, Caroline M; Alves, M Madalena; Sousa, Diana Z

    2013-12-01

    Thermophilic (55 °C) anaerobic microbial communities were enriched with a synthetic syngas mixture (composed of CO, H2 , and CO2 ) or with CO alone. Cultures T-Syn and T-CO were incubated and successively transferred with syngas (16 transfers) or CO (9 transfers), respectively, with increasing CO partial pressures from 0.09 to 0.88 bar. Culture T-Syn, after 4 successive transfers with syngas, was also incubated with CO and subsequently transferred (9 transfers) with solely this substrate - cultures T-Syn-CO. Incubation with syngas and CO caused a rapid decrease in the microbial diversity of the anaerobic consortium. T-Syn and T-Syn-CO showed identical microbial composition and were dominated by Desulfotomaculum and Caloribacterium species. Incubation initiated with CO resulted in the enrichment of bacteria from the genera Thermincola and Thermoanaerobacter. Methane was detected in the first two to three transfers of T-Syn, but production ceased afterward. Acetate was the main product formed by T-Syn and T-Syn-CO. Enriched T-CO cultures showed a two-phase conversion, in which H2 was formed first and then converted to acetate. This research provides insight into how thermophilic anaerobic communities develop using syngas/CO as sole energy and carbon source can be steered for specific end products and subsequent microbial synthesis of chemicals. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Dimeric structure of the N-terminal domain of PriB protein from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis solved ab initio

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liebschner, Dorothee [National Cancer Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Brzezinski, Krzysztof [National Cancer Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); University of Bialystok, 15-399 Bialystok (Poland); Dauter, Miroslawa [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Dauter, Zbigniew, E-mail: dauter@anl.gov [National Cancer Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Nowak, Marta; Kur, Józef; Olszewski, Marcin, E-mail: dauter@anl.gov [Gdansk University of Technology, 80-952 Gdansk (Poland); National Cancer Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States)

    2012-12-01

    The N-terminal domain of the PriB protein from the thermophilic bacterium T. tengcongensis (TtePriB) was expressed and its crystal structure has been solved at the atomic resolution of 1.09 Å by direct methods. PriB is one of the components of the bacterial primosome, which catalyzes the reactivation of stalled replication forks at sites of DNA damage. The N-terminal domain of the PriB protein from the thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis (TtePriB) was expressed and its crystal structure was solved at the atomic resolution of 1.09 Å by direct methods. The protein chain, which encompasses the first 104 residues of the full 220-residue protein, adopts the characteristic oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) structure consisting of a five-stranded β-barrel filled with hydrophobic residues and equipped with four loops extending from the barrel. In the crystal two protomers dimerize, forming a six-stranded antiparallel β-sheet. The structure of the N-terminal OB domain of T. tengcongensis shows significant differences compared with mesophile PriBs. While in all other known structures of PriB a dimer is formed by two identical OB domains in separate chains, TtePriB contains two consecutive OB domains in one chain. However, sequence comparison of both the N-terminal and the C-terminal domains of TtePriB suggests that they have analogous structures and that the natural protein possesses a structure similar to a dimer of two N-terminal domains.

  1. Conversion of hemicelluloses and D-xylose into ethanol by the use of thermophilic anaerobic bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-05-01

    Ethanol is a CO{sub 2} neutral liquid fuel that can substitute the use of fossil fuels in the transportation sector, thereby reducing the CO{sub 2} emission to the atmosphere. CO{sub 2} emission is suspected to contribute significantly to the so-called greenhouse effect, the global heating. Substrates for production of ethanol must be cheap and plentiful. This can be met by the use of lignocellulosic biomass such as willow, wheat straw, hardwood and softwood. However, the complexity of these polymeric substrates and the presence of several types of carbohydrates (glucose, xylose, mannose, galactose, arabinose) require additional treatment to release the useful carbohydrates and ferment the major carbohydrates fractions. The costs related to the ethanol-production must be kept at a minimum to be price competitive compared to gasoline. Therefore all of the carbohydrates present in lignocellulose need to be converted into ethanol. Glucose can be fermented to ethanol by yeast strains such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which, however, is unable to ferment the other major carbohydrate fraction, D-xylose. Thermophilic anaerobic ethanol producing bacteria can be used for fermentation of the hemicelluloses fraction of lignocellulosic biomass. However, physiological studies of thermophilic anaerobic bacteria have shown that the ethanol yield decreases at increasing substrate concentration. The biochemical limitations causing this phenomenon are not known in detail. Physiological and biochemical studies of a newly characterized thermophilic anaerobic ethanol producing bacterium, Thermoanaerobacter mathranii, was performed. This study included extraction of intracellular metabolites and enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis. These studies revealed several bottlenecks in the D-xylose metabolism. This knowledge makes way for physiological and genetic engineering of this strain to improve the ethanol yield and productivity at high concentration of D-xylose. (au)

  2. Enzymatic conversion of D-galactose to D-tagatose: heterologous expression and characterisation of a thermostable L-arabinose isomerase from Thermoanaerobacter mathranii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jørgensen, F; Hansen, O C; Stougaard, P

    2004-06-01

    The ability to convert D-galactose into D-tagatose was compared among a number of bacterial L-arabinose isomerases ( araA). One of the most efficient enzymes, from the anaerobic thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter mathranii, was produced heterologously in Escherichia coli and characterised. Amino acid sequence comparisons indicated that this enzyme is only distantly related to the group of previously known araA sequences in which the sequence similarity is evident. The substrate specificity and the Michaelis-Menten constants of the enzyme determined with L-arabinose, D-galactose and D-fucose also indicated that this enzyme is an unusual, versatile L-arabinose isomerase which is able to isomerise structurally related sugars. The enzyme was immobilised and used for production of D-tagatose at 65 degrees C. Starting from a 30% solution of D-galactose, the yield of D-tagatose was 42% and no sugars other than D-tagatose and D-galactose were detected. Direct conversion of lactose to D-tagatose in a single reactor was demonstrated using a thermostable beta-galactosidase together with the thermostable L-arabinose isomerase. The two enzymes were also successfully combined with a commercially available glucose isomerase for conversion of lactose into a sweetening mixture comprising lactose, glucose, galactose, fructose and tagatose.

  3. Improvement and characterization of a hyperthermophilic glucose isomerase from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus and its application in production of high fructose corn syrup.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhi-Qiang; Zheng, Wei; Huang, Jian-Feng; Jin, Li-Qun; Jia, Dong-Xu; Zhou, Hai-Yan; Xu, Jian-Miao; Liao, Cheng-Jun; Cheng, Xin-Ping; Mao, Bao-Xing; Zheng, Yu-Guo

    2015-08-01

    High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an alternative of liquid sweetener to sucrose that is isomerized by commercial glucose isomerase (GI). One-step production of 55 % HFCS by thermostable GI has been drawn more and more attentions. In this study, a new hyperthermophilic GI from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus CCSD1 (TEGI) was identified by genome mining, and then a 1317 bp fragment encoding the TEGI was synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). To improve the activity of TEGI, two amino acid residues, Trp139 and Val186, around the active site and substrate-binding pocket based on the structural analysis and molecular docking were selected for site-directed mutagenesis. The specific activity of mutant TEGI-W139F/V186T was 2.3-fold and the value of k cat/K m was 1.86-fold as compared to the wild type TEGI, respectively. Thermostability of mutant TEGI-W139F/V186T at 90 °C for 24 h showed 1.21-fold extension than that of wild type TEGI. During the isomerization of glucose to fructose, the yield of fructose could maintain above 55.4 % by mutant TEGI-W139F/V186T as compared to 53.8 % by wild type TEGI at 90 °C. This study paved foundation for the production of 55 % HFCS using the thermostable TEGI.

  4. Action of amylolytic and pullulytic enzymes from various anaerobic thermophiles on linear and branched glucose polymers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koch, R [Goettingen Univ. (Germany, F.R.). Inst. fuer Mikrobiologie; Antranikian, G [Technische Univ. Hamburg-Harburg, Hamburg (Germany, F.R.). Arbeitsbereich Biotechnologie 1

    1990-10-01

    A detailed study has been conducted on the action of starch hydrolyzing enzymes from thermophilic anaerobic bacteria belonging to the genera Clostridium, Thermoanaerobacter and Thermobacteroides. The appearance of multiple bands on polyacrylamide gels with amylolytic as well as pullulytic activities was shown to be a general feature of bacteria investigated. Analysis of the hydrolysis products of each protein band clearly demonstrated the capability of these organisms to hydrolyze {alpha}-1,4-glycosidic bonds in linear oligosaccharides and {alpha}-1,6-glycosidic linkages in pullulan. Furthermore, the enzyme system of thermophilic bacteria investigated was also capable of attacking in the {alpha}-1,6-linkages in branched oligosaccharides. Due to the action of these thermoactive enzymes with multiple specificity an almost complete hydrolysis of raw starch and maltodextrin could be achieved under the same conditions and in one step. (orig.).

  5. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-EEUR-01-0292 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-EEUR-01-0292 ref|ZP_01453909.1| Abortive infection protein [Thermoanaerobacter... ethanolicus X514] gb|EAU58431.1| Abortive infection protein [Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus X514] ZP_01453909.1 0.40 36% ...

  6. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-XTRO-01-0902 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-XTRO-01-0902 ref|NP_622433.1| hypothetical protein TTE0780 [Thermoanaerobacter... tengcongensis MB4] gb|AAM24037.1| hypothetical protein TTE0780 [Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4] NP_622433.1 4.7 28% ...

  7. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-TTRU-01-0941 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-TTRU-01-0941 ref|ZP_05380337.1| Na+/Picotransporter [Thermoanaerobacter mathranii subsp. math...ranii str. A3] gb|EET63018.1| Na+/Picotransporter [Thermoanaerobacter mathranii subsp. mathranii str. A3] ZP_05380337.1 0.013 23% ...

  8. Complete genome sequence of Mahella australiensis type strain (50-1 BONT)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sikorski, Johannes [DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany; Teshima, Hazuki [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Nolan, Matt [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Lucas, Susan [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Hammon, Nancy [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Deshpande, Shweta [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Cheng, Jan-Fang [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Pitluck, Sam [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Liolios, Konstantinos [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Pagani, Ioanna [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Ivanova, N [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Huntemann, Marcel [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Mavromatis, K [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Ovchinnikova, Galina [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Pati, Amrita [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Tapia, Roxanne [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Han, Cliff [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Goodwin, Lynne A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Chen, Amy [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Palaniappan, Krishna [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Land, Miriam L [ORNL; Hauser, Loren John [ORNL; Ngatchou, Olivier Duplex [HZI - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany; Rohde, Manfred [HZI - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany; Pukall, Rudiger [DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany; Spring, Stefan [DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany; Abt, Birte [DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany; Goker, Markus [DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany; Detter, J. Chris [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Woyke, Tanja [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Bristow, James [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Markowitz, Victor [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Hugenholtz, Philip [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Eisen, Jonathan [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Kyrpides, Nikos C [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Klenk, Hans-Peter [DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany; Lapidus, Alla L. [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute

    2011-01-01

    Mahella australiensis Bonilla Salinas et al. 2004 is the type species of the genus Mahella, which belongs to the family Thermoanaerobacteraceae. The species is of interest because it differs from other known anaerobic spore-forming bacteria in its G+C content, and in certain phenotypic traits, such as carbon source utilization and relationship to temperature. Moreo- ver, it has been discussed that this species might be an indigenous member of petroleum and oil reservoirs. This is the first completed genome sequence of a member of the genus Mahella and the ninth completed type strain genome sequence from the family Thermoanaerobacte- raceae. The 3,135,972 bp long genome with its 2,974 protein-coding and 59 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.

  9. Performance and microbial community analysis of two-stage process with extreme thermophilic hydrogen and thermophilic methane production from hydrolysate in UASB reactors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kongjan, Prawit; O-Thong, Sompong; Angelidaki, Irini

    2011-01-01

    The two-stage process for extreme thermophilic hydrogen and thermophilic methane production from wheat straw hydrolysate was investigated in up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactors. Specific hydrogen and methane yields of 89ml-H2/g-VS (190ml-H2/g-sugars) and 307ml-CH4/g-VS, respectively were...... energy of 13.4kJ/g-VS. Dominant hydrogen-producing bacteria in the H2-UASB reactor were Thermoanaerobacter wiegelii, Caldanaerobacter subteraneus, and Caloramator fervidus. Meanwhile, the CH4-UASB reactor was dominated with methanogens of Methanosarcina mazei and Methanothermobacter defluvii. The results...

  10. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-DNOV-01-1963 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-DNOV-01-1963 ref|NP_622305.1| ABC-type nitrate/sulfonate/taurine/bicarbonate t...ransport systems, permease components [Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4] gb|AAM23909.1| ABC-type nitrate/sulfonate/taurine/bicarb...onate transport systems, permease components [Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4] NP_622305.1 0.013 26% ...

  11. Anaerobic bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anaerobic bacteria are bacteria that do not live or grow when oxygen is present. In humans, these bacteria ... Brook I. Diseases caused by non-spore-forming anaerobic bacteria. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil ...

  12. Conversion of hemicellulose and D-xylose into ethanol by the use of thermophilic anaerobic bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sommer, Peter

    1998-02-01

    Ethanol is a CO{sub 2} neutral liquid fuel that can substitute the use of fossil fuels in the transportation sector, thereby reducing the CO{sub 2} emission to the atmoshpere. CO{sub 2} emission is suspected to contribute significantly to the so-called greenhouse effect, the global heating. Substrates for production of ethanol must be cheap and plentiful. This can be met by the use of lignocellulosic biomass such as willow, wheat straw, hardwood and softwood. However, the complexity of these polymeric substrates and the presence of several types of carbohydrates (glucose, xylose, mannose, galactose, arabinose) require additional treatment to release the useful carbohydrates and ferment the major carbohydrates fractions. The costs related to the ethanol-production must be kept at a minimum to be price competitive compared to gasoline. Therefore all of the carbohydrates present in lignocellulose need to be converted into ethanol. Glucose can be fermented to ethanol by yeast strains such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which, however, is unable to ferment the other major carbohydrate fraction, D-xylose. The need for a microorganism able to ferment D-xylose is therefore apparent. Thermophilic anaerobic ethanol producing bacteria can therefore be considered for fermentation of D-xylose. Screening of 130 thermophilic anaerobic bacterial strains, from hot-springs, mesophilic and thermophilic biogas plants, paper pulp industries and brewery waste, were examined for production of ethanol from D-xylose and wet-oxidized hemicellulose hydrolysate. Several strains were isolated and one particular strain was selected for best performance during the screening test. This strain was characterized as a new species, Thermoanaerobacter mathranii. However, the ethanol yield on wet-oxidized hemicellulose hydrolysate was not satisfactory. The bacterium was adapted by isolation of mutant strains, now resistant to the inhibitory compounds present in the hydrolysate. Growth and ethanol yield

  13. Advances in Consolidated Bioprocessing Using Clostridium thermocellum and Thermoanaerobacter saccharolyticum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lynd, Lee R. [Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering; Guss, Adam M. [ORNL; Himmel, Mike [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); Beri, Dhananjay [Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering; Herring, Christopher [Mascoma Corporation; Holwerda, Evert [Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering; Murphy, Sean J. [Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering; Olson, Daniel G. [Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering; Paye, Julie [Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering; Rydzak, Thomas [ORNL; Shao, Xiongjun [Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering; Tian, Liang [Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering; Worthen, Robert [Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering

    2016-11-01

    Recent advances are addressed pertaining to consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) of plant cell walls to ethanol using two thermophilic, saccharolytic bacteria: the cellulose-fermenting Clostridium thermocellum and the hemicellulose- fermenting ermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum. On the basis of the largest comparative dataset assembled to date, it appears that C. thermocellum is substantially more effective at solubilizing unpretreated plant cell walls than industry-standard fungal cellulase, and that this is particularly the case for more recalcitrant feedstocks. e distinctive central metabolism of C. thermocellum appears to involve more extensive energy coupling (e.g., on the order of 5 ATP per glucosyl moiety) than most fermentative anaerobes. Ethanol yields and titers realized by engineered strains of T. saccharolyticum meet standards for industrial feasibility and provide an important proof of concept as well as a model that may be emulated in other organisms. Progress has also been made with C. thermocellum, although not yet to this extent. e current state of strain development is summarized and outstanding challenges for commercial application are discussed. We speculate that CBP organism development is more promising starting with naturally occurring cellulolytic microbes as compared to starting with noncellulolytic hosts.

  14. Thermophilic spore-forming bacteria isolated from spoiled canned food and their heat resistance. Results of a French ten-year survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    André, S; Zuber, F; Remize, F

    2013-07-15

    Thermal processing of Low Acid Canned Foods (LACF), which are safe and shelf-stable at ambient temperature for several years, results in heat inactivation of all vegetative microorganisms and the partial or total inactivation of spores. Good Manufacturing Hygienic Practices include stability tests for managing the pathogen risk related to surviving mesophilic bacterial spores. LACF are also often submitted to additional incubation conditions, typically 55 °C for 7 days, to monitor spoilage by thermophiles. In this study we identified the bacterial species responsible for non-stability after prolonged at 55 °C of incubation of LACF from 455 samples collected from 122 French canneries over 10 years. Bacteria were identified by microsequencing or a recent developed tool for group-specific PCR detection (SporeTraQ™). A single species was identified for 93% of examined samples. Three genera were responsible for more than 80% of all non-stability cases: mostly Moorella (36%) and Geobacillus (35%), and less frequently Thermoanaerobacterium (10%). The other most frequent bacterial genera identified were Bacillus, Thermoanaerobacter, Caldanaerobius, Anoxybacillus, Paenibacillus and Clostridium. Species frequency was dependent on food category, i.e. vegetables, ready-made meals containing meat, seafood or other recipes, products containing fatty duck, and related to the intensity of the thermal treatment applied in these food categories. The spore heat resistance parameters (D or δ and z values) from 36 strains isolated in this study were determined. Taken together, our results single out the species most suitable for use as indicators for thermal process settings. This extensively-documented survey of the species that cause non-stability at 55 °C in LACF will help canneries to improve the management of microbial contamination. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. ORF Sequence: NC_003869 [GENIUS II[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available [Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4] MNQIIECVPNVSEGRDQEKISELIKEVVSTEGVKLLDYSSDKDHNRTVITFVGDKEGVKEAAFKLIKK...ASEIIDMRYHKGEHPRIGAVDVVPFVPVKNVTMEECVQIARELGERVGKELNIPVYLYEEAATTPERKNLENIRRGEYEGFFEKIKQPEWKPDFGPSEMNPKSGAIVI

  16. The friendly bacteria within us Commensal bacteria of the intestine ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Balance of bacterial species in the gut · Immunosensory detection of intestinal bacteria · Pathogenic bacteria release interleukin-8 from HT-29 cells · Lactobacillus GG prevents the IL-8 release in response to pathogens · Effect of probiotic bacteria on chemokine response of epithelia to pathogens · PCR array studies in colon ...

  17. Big bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schulz, HN; Jørgensen, BB

    2001-01-01

    A small number of prokaryotic species have a unique physiology or ecology related to their development of unusually large size. The biomass of bacteria varies over more than 10 orders of magnitude, from the 0.2 mum wide nanobacteria to the largest cells of the colorless sulfur bacteria......, Thiomargarita namibiensis, with a diameter of 750 mum. All bacteria, including those that swim around in the environment, obtain their food molecules by molecular diffusion. Only the fastest and largest swimmers known, Thiovulum majus, are able to significantly increase their food supply by motility...... and by actively creating an advective flow through the entire population. Diffusion limitation generally restricts the maximal size of prokaryotic cells and provides a selective advantage for mum-sized cells at the normally low substrate concentrations in the environment. The largest heterotrophic bacteria...

  18. Big bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schulz, HN; Jørgensen, BB

    2001-01-01

    A small number of prokaryotic species have a unique physiology or ecology related to their development of unusually large size. The biomass of bacteria varies over more than 10 orders of magnitude, from the 0.2 mum wide nanobacteria to the largest cells of the colorless sulfur bacteria...... and by actively creating an advective flow through the entire population. Diffusion limitation generally restricts the maximal size of prokaryotic cells and provides a selective advantage for mum-sized cells at the normally low substrate concentrations in the environment. The largest heterotrophic bacteria......, the 80 x 600 mum large Epulopiscium sp. from the gut of tropical fish, are presumably living in a very nutrient-rich medium. Many large bacteria contain numerous inclusions in the cells that reduce the volume of active cytoplasm. The most striking examples of competitive advantage from large cell size...

  19. Bacteria and lignin degradation

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jing LI; Hongli YUAN; Jinshui YANG

    2009-01-01

    Lignin is both the most abundant aromatic (phenolic) polymer and the second most abundant raw material.It is degraded and modified by bacteria in the natural world,and bacteria seem to play a leading role in decomposing lignin in aquatic ecosystems.Lignin-degrading bacteria approach the polymer by mechanisms such as tunneling,erosion,and cavitation.With the advantages of immense environmental adaptability and biochemical versatility,bacteria deserve to be studied for their ligninolytic potential.

  20. [Phylogenetic diversity and activity of anaerobic microorganisms of high-temperature horizons of the Dagang Oilfield (China)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nazina, T N; Shestakova, N M; Grigor'ian, A A; Mikhaĭlova, E M; Turova, T P; Poltaraus, A B; Feng, C; Ni, F; Beliaev, S S

    2006-01-01

    The number of microorganisms of major metabolic groups and the rates of sulfate-reducing and methanogenic processes in the formation waters of the high-temperature horizons of Dagang oilfield have been determined. Using cultural methods, it was shown that the microbial community contained aerobic bacteria oxidizing crude oil, anaerobic fermentative bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, and methanogenic bacteria. Using cultural methods, the possibility of methane production from a mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide (H2 + CO2) and from acetate was established, and this result was confirmed by radioassays involving NaH14CO3 and 14CH3COONa. Analysis of 16S rDNA of enrichment cultures of methanogens demonstrated that these microorganisms belong to Methanothermobacter sp. (M. thermoautotrophicus), which consumes hydrogen and carbon dioxide as basic substrates. The genes of acetate-utilizing bacteria were not identified. Phylotypes of the representatives of Thermococcus spp. were found among 16S rDNAs of archaea. 16S rRNA genes of bacterial clones belong to the orders Thermoanaerobacteriales (Thermoanaerobacter, Thermovenabulum, Thermacetogenium, and Coprothermobacter spp.), Thermotogales, Nitrospirales (Thermodesulfovibrio sp.) and Planctomycetales. 16S rDNA of a bacterium capable of oxidizing acetate in the course of syntrophic growth with H2-utilizing methanogens was found at high-temperature petroleum reservoirs for the first time. These results provide further insight into the composition of microbial communities of high-temperature petroleum reservoirs, indicating that syntrophic processes play an important part in acetate degradation accompanied by methane production.

  1. The fecal bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadowsky, Michael J.; Whitman, Richard L.

    2011-01-01

    The Fecal Bacteria offers a balanced, integrated discussion of fecal bacteria and their presence and ecology in the intestinal tract of mammals, in the environment, and in the food supply. This volume covers their use in examining and assessing water quality in order to offer protection from illnesses related to swimming in or ingesting contaminated water, in addition to discussing their use in engineering considerations of water quality, modeling, monitoring, and regulations. Fecal bacteria are additionally used as indicators of contamination of ready-to-eat foods and fresh produce. The intestinal environment, the microbial community structure of the gut microbiota, and the physiology and genomics of this broad group of microorganisms are explored in the book. With contributions from an internationally recognized group of experts, the book integrates medicine, public health, environmental, and microbiological topics in order to provide a unique, holistic understanding of fecal bacteria. Moreover, it shows how the latest basic science and applied research findings are helping to solve problems and develop effective management strategies. For example, readers will discover how the latest tools and molecular approaches have led to our current understanding of fecal bacteria and enabled us to improve human health and water quality. The Fecal Bacteria is recommended for microbiologists, clinicians, animal scientists, engineers, environmental scientists, food safety experts, water quality managers, and students. It will help them better understand fecal bacteria and use their knowledge to protect human and environmental health. They can also apply many of the techniques and molecular tools discussed in this book to the study of a broad range of microorganisms in a variety of habitats.

  2. Bleach vs. Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Articles | Inside Life Science Home Page Bleach vs. Bacteria By Sharon Reynolds Posted April 2, 2014 Your ... hypochlorous acid to help kill invading microbes, including bacteria. Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health ...

  3. Potential role of bacteria packaging by protozoa in the persistence and transmission of pathogenic bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Denoncourt, Alix M.; Paquet, Valérie E.; Charette, Steve J.

    2014-01-01

    Many pathogenic bacteria live in close association with protozoa. These unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms are ubiquitous in various environments. A number of protozoa such as amoebae and ciliates ingest pathogenic bacteria, package them usually in membrane structures, and then release them into the environment. Packaged bacteria are more resistant to various stresses and are more apt to survive than free bacteria. New evidence indicates that protozoa and not bacteria control the packaging...

  4. Bacteria-Mineral Interactions on the Surfaces of Metal-Resistant Bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malkin, A.J.

    2010-01-01

    The extraordinary ability of indigenous microorganisms, like metal-resistant bacteria, for biotransformation of toxic compounds is of considerable interest for the emerging area of environmental bioremediation. However, the underlying mechanisms by which metal-resistant bacteria transform toxic compounds are currently unknown and await elucidation. The project's objective was to study stress-induced responses of metal-resistant bacteria to environmental changes and chemical stimulants. This project involved a multi-institutional collaboration of our LLNL group with the group of Dr. H.-Y. Holman (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory). In this project, we have utilized metal-resistant bacteria Arthrobacter oxydans as a model bacterial system. We have utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) to visualize for the first time at the nanometer scale formation of stress-induced structures on bacterial surfaces in response to Cr (VI) exposure. We have demonstrated that structure, assembly, and composition of these stress-induced structures are dependent on Cr (VI) concentrations. Our AFM observations of the appearance and development of stress-induced layers on the surfaces of Arthrobacter oxydans bacteria exposed to Cr (VI) were confirmed by Dr. Holman's biochemical, electron microscopy, and synchrotron infrared spectromicroscopy studies. In general, in vitro imaging of live microbial and cellular systems represents one of the most challenging issues in application of AFM. Various approaches for immobilization of bacteria on the substrate for in vitro imaging were tested in this project. Imaging of live bacteria was achieved, however further optimization of experimental methods are needed for high-resolution visualization of the cellular environmental structural dynamics by AFM. This project enhanced the current insight into molecular architecture, structural and environmental variability of bacterial systems. The project partially funded research for two book chapters (1

  5. [Darwin and bacteria].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ledermann D, Walter

    2009-02-01

    As in 2009 the scientific world celebrates two hundreds years from the birthday of Charles Darwin and one hundred and fifty from the publication of The Origin of Species, an analysis of his complete work is performed, looking for any mention of bacteria. But it seems that the great naturahst never took knowledge about its existence, something rather improbable in a time when the discovery of bacteria shook the medical world, or he deliberately ignored them, not finding a place for such microscopic beings into his theory of evolution. But the bacteria badly affected his familiar life, killing scarlet fever one of his children and worsening to death the evolution of tuberculosis of his favourite Annie. Darwin himself could suffer the sickness of Chagas, whose etiological agent has a similar level to bacteria in the scale of evolution.

  6. Potential role of bacteria packaging by protozoa in the persistence and transmission of pathogenic bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alix M Denoncourt

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Many pathogenic bacteria live in close association with protozoa. These unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms are ubiquitous in various environments. A number of protozoa such as amoebae and ciliates ingest pathogenic bacteria, package them usually in membrane structures, and then release them into the environment. Packaged bacteria are more resistant to various stresses and are more apt to survive than free bacteria. New evidence indicates that protozoa and not bacteria control the packaging process. It is possible that packaging is more common than suspected and may play a major role in the persistence and transmission of pathogenic bacteria. To confirm the role of packaging in the propagation of infections, it is vital that the molecular mechanisms governing the packaging of bacteria by protozoa be identified as well as elements related to the ecology of this process in order to determine whether packaging acts as a Trojan Horse.

  7. Lipopolysaccharides in diazotrophic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serrato, Rodrigo V

    2014-01-01

    Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is a process in which the atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is transformed into ammonia (NH3) by a select group of nitrogen-fixing organisms, or diazotrophic bacteria. In order to furnish the biologically useful nitrogen to plants, these bacteria must be in constant molecular communication with their host plants. Some of these molecular plant-microbe interactions are very specific, resulting in a symbiotic relationship between the diazotroph and the host. Others are found between associative diazotrophs and plants, resulting in plant infection and colonization of internal tissues. Independent of the type of ecological interaction, glycans, and glycoconjugates produced by these bacteria play an important role in the molecular communication prior and during colonization. Even though exopolysaccharides (EPS) and lipochitooligosaccharides (LCO) produced by diazotrophic bacteria and released onto the environment have their importance in the microbe-plant interaction, it is the lipopolysaccharides (LPS), anchored on the external membrane of these bacteria, that mediates the direct contact of the diazotroph with the host cells. These molecules are extremely variable among the several species of nitrogen fixing-bacteria, and there are evidences of the mechanisms of infection being closely related to their structure.

  8. Cable Bacteria in Freshwater Sediments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Risgaard-Petersen, Nils; Kristiansen, Michael; Frederiksen, Rasmus

    2015-01-01

    In marine sediments cathodic oxygen reduction at the sediment surface can be coupled to anodic sulfide oxidation in deeper anoxic layers through electrical currents mediated by filamentous, multicellular bacteria of the Desulfobulbaceae family, the so-called cable bacteria. Until now, cable...... bacteria have only been reported from marine environments. In this study, we demonstrate that cable bacteria also occur in freshwater sediments. In a first step, homogenized sediment collected from the freshwater stream Giber Å, Denmark, was incubated in the laboratory. After 2 weeks, pH signatures...... marine cable bacteria, with the genus Desulfobulbus as the closest cultured lineage. The results of the present study indicate that electric currents mediated by cable bacteria could be important for the biogeochemistry in many more environments than anticipated thus far and suggest a common evolutionary...

  9. Radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yano, K [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture

    1975-09-01

    This paper reports the biological and ecological examinations on the radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria (mainly concerning Micrococcus radiodurans). Radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria were isolated from the irradiated areas of the natural world as well as from the general areas and from the Rn waters in the Misasa hot spring. The acquiring of the tolerance to radiation in bacteria was also examined. In addition, the future problems of microbiological treatment with irradiation were mentioned.

  10. Radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yano, Keiji

    1975-01-01

    This paper reports the biological and ecological examinations on the radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria (mainly concerning Micrococcus radiodurans). Radiation-resistant asporogenic bacteria were isolated from the irradiated areas of the natural world as well as from the general areas and from the Rn waters in the Misasa hot spring. The acquiring of the tolerance to radiation in bacteria was also examined. In addition, the future problems of microbiological treatment with irradiation were mentioned. (Tsukamoto, Y.)

  11. Immunomodulatory properties of probiotic bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fink, Lisbeth Nielsen

    2007-01-01

    Certain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are part of the commensal intestinal flora and considered beneficial for health, as they compete with pathogens for adhesion sites in the intestine and ferment otherwise indigestible compounds. Another important property of these so-called probiotic bacteria...... with bacteria, and the cytokine pattern induced by specific bacteria resembled the pattern induced in MoDC, except for TNF-alpha and IL-6, which were induced in response to different bacteria in blood DC/monocytes and monocyte-derived DC. Autologous NK cells produced IFN-gamma when cultured with blood DC......, monocytes and monocyte-derived DC and IL-12-inducing bacteria, whereas only DC induced IFN-gamma production in allogeneic T cells. In vitro-generated DC is a commonly used model of tissue DC, but they differ in certain aspects from intestinal DC, which are in direct contact with the intestinal microbiota...

  12. Bacteria-surface interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuson, Hannah H; Weibel, Douglas B

    2013-05-14

    The interaction of bacteria with surfaces has important implications in a range of areas, including bioenergy, biofouling, biofilm formation, and the infection of plants and animals. Many of the interactions of bacteria with surfaces produce changes in the expression of genes that influence cell morphology and behavior, including genes essential for motility and surface attachment. Despite the attention that these phenotypes have garnered, the bacterial systems used for sensing and responding to surfaces are still not well understood. An understanding of these mechanisms will guide the development of new classes of materials that inhibit and promote cell growth, and complement studies of the physiology of bacteria in contact with surfaces. Recent studies from a range of fields in science and engineering are poised to guide future investigations in this area. This review summarizes recent studies on bacteria-surface interactions, discusses mechanisms of surface sensing and consequences of cell attachment, provides an overview of surfaces that have been used in bacterial studies, and highlights unanswered questions in this field.

  13. Genomics of Probiotic Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Flaherty, Sarah; Goh, Yong Jun; Klaenhammer, Todd R.

    Probiotic bacteria from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species belong to the Firmicutes and the Actinobacteria phylum, respectively. Lactobacilli are members of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) group, a broadly defined family of microorganisms that ferment various hexoses into primarily lactic acid. Lactobacilli are typically low G + C gram-positive species which are phylogenetically diverse, with over 100 species documented to date. Bifidobacteria are heterofermentative, high G + C content bacteria with about 30 species of bifidobacteria described to date.

  14. Nitrogen-fixing methane-utilizing bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bont, de J.A.M.

    1976-01-01

    Methane occurs abundantly in nature. In the presence of oxygen this gas may be metabolized by bacteria that are able to use it as carbon and energy source. Several types of bacteria involved in the oxidation of methane have been described in literature. Methane-utilizing bacteria have in

  15. Pathogenic Assay of Probiotic Bacteria Producing Proteolytic Enzymes as Bioremediation Bacteria Against Vannamei Shrimp Larvae (Litopenaeus vannamei)

    OpenAIRE

    Wilis Ari Setyati; Muhammad Zainuddin; Person Pesona Renta

    2017-01-01

    Application of bacteria in bioremediation of shrimp culture ponds is one of the methods used to clean internal pollutants. This study aimed to evaluate the pathogenicity of extracellular proteolytic enzyme produced by the probiotic bacteria as bioremediation bacteria on vannamei shrimp larvae culture. There were five probiotic bacteria, which were successfully isolated from the sediments served as substrate in mangrove area. The isolated bacteria were coded in number as 13, 19, 30, 33, and 36...

  16. Cadmium resistance of endophytic bacteria and rizosféricas bacteria isolated from Oriza sativa in Colombia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nataly Ayubb T

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The present study had as objective to evaluate in vitro the resistance of endophytic bacteria and rizospheric bacteria to different concentrations of Cadmium.This bacteria were isolated fron different tissues of commercial rice varieties and from bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere in rice plantations of the Nechí (Antioquía and Achí (Bolivar.  Plant growth promotion was evaluated in vitro by nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization and siderophores production of endophytic bacteria. Of each tissue isolated from rice plants was carried out isolation in culture medium for endophytic bacteria, and the soil samples were serially diluted in peptone water. Each sample was determined the population density by counting in CFU / g of tissue and morphotypes were separated by shape, color, size and appearance in culture media. Significant differences were observed for density population of bacteria with respect to tissue, with higher values in root (4x1011 g/root, followed of the stem (3x1010g/etem, leaf (5x109 g/ leaf, flag leaf (3x109 g/ flag leaf and with less density in panicle (4x108 g/panicle. The results of the identification with kit API were confirmed the presence of endophytic bacteria Burkholderia cepaceae and rizospheric bacteria Pseudomona fluorescens With the ability to tolerate different concentrations of Cd, fix nitrogen, solubilize phosphates and produce siderophores.

  17. Method of Detecting Coliform Bacteria and Escherichia Coli Bacteria from Reflected Light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincent, Robert (Inventor)

    2013-01-01

    The present invention relates to a method of detecting coliform bacteria in water from reflected light and a method of detecting Eschericha Coli bacteria in water from reflected light, and also includes devices for the measurement, calculation and transmission of data relating to that method.

  18. Motility of electric cable bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjerg, Jesper Tataru; Damgaard, Lars Riis; Holm, Simon Agner

    2016-01-01

    Cable bacteria are filamentous bacteria that electrically couple sulfide oxidation and oxygen reduction at centimeter distances, and observations in sediment environments have suggested that they are motile. By time-lapse microscopy, we found that cable bacteria used gliding motility on surfaces...... with a highly variable speed of 0.50.3 ms1 (meanstandard deviation) and time between reversals of 155108 s. They frequently moved forward in loops, and formation of twisted loops revealed helical rotation of the filaments. Cable bacteria responded to chemical gradients in their environment, and around the oxic......-anoxic interface, they curled and piled up, with straight parts connecting back to the source of sulfide. Thus, it appears that motility serves the cable bacteria in establishing and keeping optimal connections between their distant electron donor and acceptors in a dynamic sediment environment....

  19. Fermentation of D-Tagatose by Human Intestinal Bacteria and Dairy Lactic Acid Bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Bertelsen, Hans; Andersen, Hans; Tvede, Michael

    2011-01-01

    A number of 174 normal or pathogenic human enteric bacteria and dairy lactic acid bacteria were screened for D-tagatose fermentation by incubation for 48 hours. Selection criteria for fermentation employed included a drop in pH below 5.5 and a distance to controls of more than 0.5. Only a few of the normal occurring enteric human bacteria were able to ferment D-tagatose, among those Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus strains. D-Tagatose fermentation seems to be comm...

  20. METHODS FOR DETECTING BACTERIA USING POLYMER MATERIALS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Grinsven Bart Robert, Nicolaas; Cleij, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    A method for characterizing bacteria includes passing a liquid containing an analyte comprising a first bacteria and a second bacteria over and in contact with a polymer material on a substrate. The polymer material is formulated to bind to the first bacteria, and the first bacteria binds to the

  1. The Heat Resistance of Microbial Cells Represented by D Values Can be Estimated by the Transition Temperature and the Coefficient of Linear Expansion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakanishi, Koichi; Kogure, Akinori; Deuchi, Keiji; Kuwana, Ritsuko; Takamatsu, Hiromu; Ito, Kiyoshi

    2015-01-01

    We previously developed a method for evaluating the heat resistance of microorganisms by measuring the transition temperature at which the coefficient of linear expansion of a cell changes. Here, we performed heat resistance measurements using a scanning probe microscope with a nano thermal analysis system. The microorganisms studied included six strains of the genus Bacillus or related genera, one strain each of the thermophilic obligate anaerobic bacterial genera Thermoanaerobacter and Moorella, two strains of heat-resistant mold, two strains of non-sporulating bacteria, and one strain of yeast. Both vegetative cells and spores were evaluated. The transition temperature at which the coefficient of linear expansion due to heating changed from a positive value to a negative value correlated strongly with the heat resistance of the microorganism as estimated from the D value. The microorganisms with greater heat resistance exhibited higher transition temperatures. There was also a strong negative correlation between the coefficient of linear expansion and heat resistance in bacteria and yeast, such that microorganisms with greater heat resistance showed lower coefficients of linear expansion. These findings suggest that our method could be useful for evaluating the heat resistance of microorganisms.

  2. Sulfur metabolism in phototrophic sulfur bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frigaard, Niels-Ulrik; Dahl, Christiane

    2008-01-01

    Phototrophic sulfur bacteria are characterized by oxidizing various inorganic sulfur compounds for use as electron donors in carbon dioxide fixation during anoxygenic photosynthetic growth. These bacteria are divided into the purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) and the green sulfur bacteria (GSB......). They utilize various combinations of sulfide, elemental sulfur, and thiosulfate and sometimes also ferrous iron and hydrogen as electron donors. This review focuses on the dissimilatory and assimilatory metabolism of inorganic sulfur compounds in these bacteria and also briefly discusses these metabolisms...... in other types of anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria. The biochemistry and genetics of sulfur compound oxidation in PSB and GSB are described in detail. A variety of enzymes catalyzing sulfur oxidation reactions have been isolated from GSB and PSB (especially Allochromatium vinosum, a representative...

  3. Isolation and Presumptive Identification of Adherent Epithelial Bacteria (“Epimural” Bacteria) from the Ovine Rumen Wall

    OpenAIRE

    Mead, Lorna J.; Jones, G. A.

    1981-01-01

    One hundred sixty-one strains of adherent bacteria were isolated under anaerobic conditions from four sites on the rumen epithelial surface of sheep fed hay or a hay-grain ration. Before isolation of bacteria, rumen tissue was washed six times in an anaerobic dilution solution, and viable bacteria suspended in the washings were counted. Calculation indicated that unattached bacteria would have been removed from the tissue by this procedure, but a slow and progressive release of attached bacte...

  4. Re-engineering bacteria for ethanol production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yomano, Lorraine P; York, Sean W; Zhou, Shengde; Shanmugam, Keelnatham; Ingram, Lonnie O

    2014-05-06

    The invention provides recombinant bacteria, which comprise a full complement of heterologous ethanol production genes. Expression of the full complement of heterologous ethanol production genes causes the recombinant bacteria to produce ethanol as the primary fermentation product when grown in mineral salts medium, without the addition of complex nutrients. Methods for producing the recombinant bacteria and methods for producing ethanol using the recombinant bacteria are also disclosed.

  5. Oligotrophic bacteria isolated from clinical materials.

    OpenAIRE

    Tada, Y; Ihmori, M; Yamaguchi, J

    1995-01-01

    Oligotrophic bacteria (oligotrophs) are microorganisms that grow in extremely nutritionally deficient conditions in which the concentrations of organic substances are low. Many oligotrophic bacteria were isolated from clinical materials including urine, sputum, swabbings of the throat, vaginal discharges, and others. Seventy-seven strains of oligotrophic bacteria from 871 samples of clinical material were isolated. A relatively higher frequency of isolation of oligotrophic bacteria was shown ...

  6. Seeing green bacteria in a new light: genomics-enabled studies of the photosynthetic apparatus in green sulfur bacteria and filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frigaard, Niels-Ulrik; Bryant, Donald A

    2004-01-01

    Based upon their photosynthetic nature and the presence of a unique light-harvesting antenna structure, the chlorosome, the photosynthetic green bacteria are defined as a distinctive group in the Bacteria. However, members of the two taxa that comprise this group, the green sulfur bacteria...... (Chlorobi) and the filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria ("Chloroflexales"), are otherwise quite different, both physiologically and phylogenetically. This review summarizes how genome sequence information facilitated studies of the biosynthesis and function of the photosynthetic apparatus...... a and carotenoid biosynthesis enzymes, gene cluster analysis in Cfx. aurantiacus, and gene inactivation studies in Chl. tepidum. Based on these results, BChl a and BChl c biosynthesis is similar in the two organisms, whereas carotenoid biosynthesis differs significantly. In agreement with its facultative anaerobic...

  7. How honey kills bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kwakman, Paulus H. S.; te Velde, Anje A.; de Boer, Leonie; Speijer, Dave; Vandenbroucke-Grauls, Christina M. J. E.; Zaat, Sebastian A. J.

    2010-01-01

    With the rise in prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, honey is increasingly valued for its antibacterial activity. To characterize all bactericidal factors in a medical-grade honey, we used a novel approach of successive neutralization of individual honey bactericidal factors. All bacteria

  8. Pathogenic Assay of Probiotic Bacteria Producing Proteolytic Enzymes as Bioremediation Bacteria Against Vannamei Shrimp Larvae (Litopenaeus vannamei

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilis Ari Setyati

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Application of bacteria in bioremediation of shrimp culture ponds is one of the methods used to clean internal pollutants. This study aimed to evaluate the pathogenicity of extracellular proteolytic enzyme produced by the probiotic bacteria as bioremediation bacteria on vannamei shrimp larvae culture. There were five probiotic bacteria, which were successfully isolated from the sediments served as substrate in mangrove area. The isolated bacteria were coded in number as 13, 19, 30, 33, and 36. Pathogenic bacteria Vibrio harveyi was used as positive control. Pathogenic assay was carried out in two different bacterial concentrations, i.e. 10⁸ and 10⁶ cells.mL-1. The results showed that the lowest survival rate (SR of shrimp larvae in positive control V. harveyi was 53 and 65%. Whereas isolates with the highest SR value (100% were obtained from bacteria coded as 13 and 30. Isolates no. 19, 33 and 36 had SR of more than 90%. Total plate count (TPC data showed that the bacteria increased significantly at the end of the study with an average increase value of 24%. The smallest TPC value was shown by bacterial isolate no. 19, while the largest was obtained from the isolate no. 13. These results suggest that all probiotic bacteria were not pathogenic to the vannamei shrimp larvae.   Keywords: aquaculture, shrimp, bioremediation, pathogenesis, vibrio.

  9. Effect of air pollution on the total bacteria and pathogenic bacteria in different sizes of particulate matter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Huan; Zhang, Xu; Zhang, Hao; Yao, Xiangwu; Zhou, Meng; Wang, Jiaqi; He, Zhanfei; Zhang, Huihui; Lou, Liping; Mao, Weihua; Zheng, Ping; Hu, Baolan

    2018-02-01

    In recent years, air pollution events have occurred frequently in China during the winter. Most studies have focused on the physical and chemical composition of polluted air. Some studies have examined the bacterial bioaerosols both indoors and outdoors. But few studies have focused on the relationship between air pollution and bacteria, especially pathogenic bacteria. Airborne PM samples with different diameters and different air quality index values were collected in Hangzhou, China from December 2014 to January 2015. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA was used to categorize the airborne bacteria. Based on the NCBI database, the "Human Pathogen Database" was established, which is related to human health. Among all the PM samples, the diversity and concentration of total bacteria were lowest in the moderately or heavily polluted air. However, in the PM2.5 and PM10 samples, the relative abundances of pathogenic bacteria were highest in the heavily and moderately polluted air respectively. Considering the PM samples with different particle sizes, the diversities of total bacteria and the proportion of pathogenic bacteria in the PM10 samples were different from those in the PM2.5 and TSP samples. The composition of PM samples with different sizes range may be responsible for the variances. The relative humidity, carbon monoxide and ozone concentrations were the main factors, which affected the diversity of total bacteria and the proportion of pathogenic bacteria. Among the different environmental samples, the compositions of the total bacteria were very similar in all the airborne PM samples, but different from those in the water, surface soil, and ground dust samples. Which may be attributed to that the long-distance transport of the airflow may influence the composition of the airborne bacteria. This study of the pathogenic bacteria in airborne PM samples can provide a reference for environmental and public health researchers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

  10. Antibiotics from predatory bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliane Korp

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Bacteria, which prey on other microorganisms, are commonly found in the environment. While some of these organisms act as solitary hunters, others band together in large consortia before they attack their prey. Anecdotal reports suggest that bacteria practicing such a wolfpack strategy utilize antibiotics as predatory weapons. Consistent with this hypothesis, genome sequencing revealed that these micropredators possess impressive capacities for natural product biosynthesis. Here, we will present the results from recent chemical investigations of this bacterial group, compare the biosynthetic potential with that of non-predatory bacteria and discuss the link between predation and secondary metabolism.

  11. Beer spoilage bacteria and hop resistance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sakamoto, K; Konings, WN

    2003-01-01

    For brewing industry, beer spoilage bacteria have been problematic for centuries. They include some lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus lindneri and Pediococcus damnosus, and some Gram-negative bacteria such as Pectinatus cerevisiiphilus, Pectinatus frisingensis and

  12. Human body may produce bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salerian, Alen J

    2017-06-01

    "Human body may produce bacteria" proposes that human body may produce bacteria and represent an independent source of infections contrary to the current paradigm of infectious disorders proposed by Louis Pasteur in 1880. The following observations are consistent with this hypothesis: A. Bidirectional transformations of both living and nonliving things have been commonly observed in nature. B. Complex multicellular organisms harbor the necessary properties to produce bacteria (water, nitrogen and oxygen). C. Physical laws suggest any previously observed phenomenon or action will occur again (life began on earth; a non living thing). D. Animal muscle cells may generate energy (fermentation). E. Sterilized food products (i.e. boiled eggs), may produce bacteria and fungus under special conditions and without any exposure to foreign living cells. "Human body may produce bacteria" may challenge the current medical paradigm that views human infectious disorders as the exclusive causative byproducts of invading foreign cells. It may also introduce new avenues to treat infectious disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Effects of Ethanolic Ferolagu angulata Extract on Pathogenic Gastrointestinal Bacteria and Probiotic Bacteria in Skimmed Milk Medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Naghiha

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Background:    Due to excessive consumption of synthetic drugs, drug resistance rate of pathogenic bacteria is increasing and there is an ever-increasing need to find new safe compounds to tackle this problem. This study was conducted to investigate the consequences of chavill extract on the growth and viability of gastrointestinal pathogenic bacterium and probiotics bacteria. Methods:    The experiment contained three levels of the chavill extract concentrations (0, 1 and 3% which were added to the milk free fat in accompany with three probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and lactobacillus plantaram and a pathogenic gastrointestinal bacterium (Salmonella typhimurium. Bacterial inoculums (1×107 CFU/ml with different concentrations of chavill extract were added to skimmed milk medium and bacteria growth were enumerated. Results:  The concentration of 1% chavill extract significantly increased the total count of probiotic bacteria compared to the control group, while the number of pathogenic bacteria was decreased. At 3% chavill extract the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantaram were increased. On the other hand, it prevented the growth of Salmonella typhimurium Conclusion:   Chavill extracts would play as an alternative to antibiotics in pharmacological studies to decreases harmful bacteria and increase probiotic bacteria.

  14. Current strategies for improving food bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuipers, O P; Buist, Girbe; Kok, Jan

    2000-01-01

    Novel concepts and methodologies are emerging that hold great promise for the directed improvement of food-related bacteria, specifically lactic acid bacteria. Also, the battle against food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria can now be fought more effectively. Here we describe recent advances in

  15. [Unique properties of highly radioresistant bacteria].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romanovskaia, V A; Rokitko, P V; Malashenko, Iu R

    2000-01-01

    In connection with the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) accident and the negative ecological after-effects for biota in this zone the interest has arisen to radioresistant bacteria, as to the most dynamic model of the given ecosystem, and to mechanisms which provide resistance of bacteria to ionizing radiation. The analysis of published data has shown that the radioresistant bacteria are not interrelated taxonomically and phylogenetically. The extreme radioresistant bacteria are represented by the Deinococcus species, which form a group phylogenetically close to the line Thermus-Meiothermus. Other radioresistant bacteria are the representatives of the genera Rubrobacter, Methylobacterium, Kocuria, Bacillus and some archebacteria. Data on natural habitats, of radioresistant bacteria are not numerous. In a number of cases it is difficult to distinguish their natural habitats, as they were isolated from the samples which were previously exposed to X-ray or gamma-irradiation, or from the ecosystems with the naturally raised radioactivity. To understand the strategy of survival of radioresistant bacteria, we briefly reviewed the mechanism of action of various species of radiation on cells and macromolecules; physiological signs of the cell damage caused by radiation; mechanisms eliminating (repairing) these damages. More details on mechanisms of the DNA repair in D. radiodurans are described. The extreme resistance of D. radiodurans to the DNA damaging factors is defined by 1) repair mechanisms which fundamentally differ from those in other procaryotes; 2) ability to increase the efficiency of a standard set of the DNA repairing proteins. Literary and own data on the effect of radiation on survival of various groups of bacteria in natural ecosystems are summarized. The ecological consequences of the ChNPP accident for soil bacteria in this region were estimated. The reduction of the number of soil bacteria and recession of microbial diversity under the effect of

  16. Bactericide for sulfate-reducing bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shklyar, T F; Anoshina, G M; Blokhin, V Ye; Kisarrev, Ye L; Novikovsa, G M

    1981-01-01

    The aim of the invention is to find a bactericide for sulfate-reducing bacteria of oil fields in Western Siberia in order to suppress the biocorrosive activity on oil industry equipment. This goal is achieved by using M-nitroacetanylide as the bactericide of sulfate-reducing bacteria. This agent suppresses the activity of a stored culture of sulfate-reducing bacteria that comes from industrial waste waters injection wells of the Smotlor oil field.

  17. Mycorrhiza helper bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deveau, Aurelie [French National Insitute for Agricultural Research (INRA); Labbe, Jessy [ORNL

    2016-10-01

    This chapter focuses on the Mycorrhiza Helper Bacteria (MHB), a generic name given to bacteria which stimulate the formation of mycorrhizal symbiosis. By extension, some bacterial strains that positively impact the functioning of mycorrhizal symbiosis are also called MHB. These bacteria have applicative interests, as they indirectly improve the health and growth of tree seedlings. MHB are not restricted to a specific type of ecosystem, but are rather generalist in the way that they associate with both herbaceous and woody mycorrhizal plants from boreal, temperate, arid and tropical ecosystems. However, understanding the molecular mechanisms and their specificities will help us to know more about the ecology of the MHB. The process of acquisition varies between fungal species; while ectomycorrhizal fungi most probably recurrently acquire them from the environment, the association between bacterial endosymbionts and Glomeromycota probably dates back to very ancient times, and has since been vertically transmitted.

  18. Horizontal gene transfer between bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heuer, Holger; Smalla, Kornelia

    2007-01-01

    Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) refers to the acquisition of foreign genes by organisms. The occurrence of HGT among bacteria in the environment is assumed to have implications in the risk assessment of genetically modified bacteria which are released into the environment. First, introduced genetic sequences from a genetically modified bacterium could be transferred to indigenous micro-organisms and alter their genome and subsequently their ecological niche. Second, the genetically modified bacterium released into the environment might capture mobile genetic elements (MGE) from indigenous micro-organisms which could extend its ecological potential. Thus, for a risk assessment it is important to understand the extent of HGT and genome plasticity of bacteria in the environment. This review summarizes the present state of knowledge on HGT between bacteria as a crucial mechanism contributing to bacterial adaptability and diversity. In view of the use of GM crops and microbes in agricultural settings, in this mini-review we focus particularly on the presence and role of MGE in soil and plant-associated bacteria and the factors affecting gene transfer.

  19. Screening and characterization of phosphate solubilizing bacteria from isolate of thermophilic bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yulianti, Evy; Rakhmawati, Anna

    2017-08-01

    The aims of this study were to select bacteria that has the ability to dissolve phosphate from thermophilic bacteria isolates after the Merapi eruption. Five isolates of selected bacteria was characterized and continued with identification. Selection was done by using a pikovskaya selective medium. Bacterial isolates were grown in selective medium and incubated for 48 hours at temperature of 55 ° C. Characterization was done by looking at the cell and colony morphology, physiological and biochemical properties. Identification was done with the Profile Matching method based on the reference genus Oscillospira traced through Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. Dendogram was created based on similarity index SSM. The results showed there were 14 isolates of bacteria that were able to dissolve phosphate indicated by a clear zone surrounding the bacterial colony on selective media. Five isolates were selected with the largest clear zone. Isolates D79, D92, D110a, D135 and D75 have different characters. The result of phenotypic characters identification with Genus Oscillospira profile has a percentage of 100% similarity to isolate D92 and D110a; 92.31% for isolates D79, and 84.6% for isolates D75 and D135. Dendogram generated from average linkage algorithm / UPGMA using the Simple Matching Coefficient (SSM) algorithms showed, isolate thermophilic bacteria D75 and D135 are combined together to form cluster 1. D110a and D92 form a sub cluster A. Sub cluster A and D79 form cluster 2

  20. Deployable micro-traps to sequester motile bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    di Giacomo, Raffaele; Krödel, Sebastian; Maresca, Bruno; Benzoni, Patrizia; Rusconi, Roberto; Stocker, Roman; Daraio, Chiara

    2017-04-01

    The development of strategies to reduce the load of unwanted bacteria is a fundamental challenge in industrial processing, environmental sciences and medical applications. Here, we report a new method to sequester motile bacteria from a liquid, based on passive, deployable micro-traps that confine bacteria using micro-funnels that open into trapping chambers. Even in low concentrations, micro-traps afford a 70% reduction in the amount of bacteria in a liquid sample, with a potential to reach >90% as shown by modelling improved geometries. This work introduces a new approach to contain the growth of bacteria without chemical means, an advantage of particular importance given the alarming growth of pan-drug-resistant bacteria.

  1. COMPETITION BETWEEN ANOXYGENIC PHOTOTROPHIC BACTERIA AND COLORLESS SULFUR BACTERIA IN A MICROBIAL MAT

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    VISSCHER, PT; VANDENENDE, FP; SCHAUB, BEM; VANGEMERDEN, H

    The populations of chemolithoautotrophic (colorless) sulfur bacteria and anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria were enumerated in a marine microbial mat. The highest population densities were found in the 0-5 mm layer of the mat: 2.0 X 10(9) cells CM-3 sediment, and 4.0 X 10(7) cells cm-3 sediment for

  2. Quorum sensing in gram-negative bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wu, H.; Song, Z.J.; Høiby, N.

    2004-01-01

    Bacteria can communicate with each other by means of signal molecules to coordinate the behavior of the entire community, and the mechanism is referred to as quorum sensing (QS). Signal systems enable bacteria to sense the size of their densities by monitoring the concentration of the signal...... molecules. Among Gram-negative bacteria N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL)-dependent quorum sensing systems are particularly widespread. These systems are used to coordinate expression of phenotypes that are fundamental to the interaction of bacteria with each other and with their environment...

  3. Laser-Based Identification of Pathogenic Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehse, Steven J.

    2009-01-01

    Bacteria are ubiquitous in our world. From our homes, to our work environment, to our own bodies, bacteria are the omnipresent although often unobserved companions to human life. Physicists are typically untroubled professionally by the presence of these bacteria, as their study usually falls safely outside the realm of our typical domain. In the…

  4. Mimicking Seawater For Culturing Marine Bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rygaard, Anita Mac; Sonnenschein, Eva; Gram, Lone

    2015-01-01

    Only about 1% of marine bacteria have been brought into culture using traditional techniques. The purpose of this study was to investigate if mimicking the natural bacterial environment can increase culturability.We used marine substrates containing defined algal polymers or gellan gum as solidif......Only about 1% of marine bacteria have been brought into culture using traditional techniques. The purpose of this study was to investigate if mimicking the natural bacterial environment can increase culturability.We used marine substrates containing defined algal polymers or gellan gum...... as solidifying agents, and enumerated bacteria from seawater and algal exudates. We tested if culturability could be influenced by addition of quorum sensing signals (AHLs). All plates were incubated at 15°C. Bacterial counts (CFU/g) from algal exudates from brown algae were highest on media containing algal...... polymers. In general, bacteria isolated from algal exudates preferred more rich media than bacteria isolated from seawater. Overall, culturability ranged from 0.01 to 0.8% as compared to total cell count. Substitution of agar with gellan gum increased the culturability of seawater bacteria approximately...

  5. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria in drinking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, J L; Shigeno, D S; Calomiris, J J; Seidler, R J

    1981-08-01

    We analyzed drinking water from seven communities for multiply antibiotic-resistant (MAR) bacteria (bacteria resistant to two or more antibiotics) and screened the MAR bacterial isolates obtained against five antibiotics by replica plating. Overall, 33.9% of 2,653 standard plate count bacteria from treated drinking waters were MAR. Two different raw water supplies for two communities carried MAR standard plate count bacteria at frequencies of 20.4 and 18.6%, whereas 36.7 and 67.8% of the standard plate count populations from sites within the respective distribution systems were MAR. Isolate identification revealed that MAR gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus) and MAR gram-negative, nonfermentative rods (Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Moraxella-like group M, and Acinetobacter) were more common in drinking waters than in untreated source waters. Site-to-site variations in generic types and differences in the incidences of MAR organisms indicated that shedding of MAR bacteria living in pipelines may have contributed to the MAR populations in tap water. We conclude that the treatment of raw water and its subsequent distribution select for standard plate count bacteria exhibiting the MAR phenotype.

  6. Extracellular deoxyribonuclease production by periodontal bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmer, L J; Chapple, I L C; Wright, H J; Roberts, A; Cooper, P R

    2012-08-01

    Whilst certain bacteria have long been known to secrete extracellular deoxyribonuclease (DNase), the purpose in microbial physiology was unclear. Recently, however, this enzyme has been demonstrated to confer enhanced virulence, enabling bacteria to evade the host's immune defence of extruded DNA/chromatin filaments, termed neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). As NETs have recently been identified in infected periodontal tissue, the aim of this study was to screen periodontal bacteria for extracellular DNase activity. To determine whether DNase activity was membrane bound or secreted, 34 periodontal bacteria were cultured in broth and on agar plates. Pelleted bacteria and supernatants from broth cultures were analysed for their ability to degrade DNA, with relative activity levels determined using an agarose gel electrophoresis assay. Following culture on DNA-supplemented agar, expression was determined by the presence of a zone of hydrolysis and DNase activity related to colony size. Twenty-seven bacteria, including red and orange complex members Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Parvimonas micra, Prevotella intermedia, Streptococcus constellatus, Campylobacter rectus and Prevotella nigrescens, were observed to express extracellular DNase activity. Differences in DNase activity were noted, however, when bacteria were assayed in different culture states. Analysis of the activity of secreted DNase from bacterial broth cultures confirmed their ability to degrade NETs. The present study demonstrates, for the first time, that DNase activity is a relatively common property of bacteria associated with advanced periodontal disease. Further work is required to determine the importance of this bacterial DNase activity in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  7. BioNLP Shared Task--The Bacteria Track.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bossy, Robert; Jourde, Julien; Manine, Alain-Pierre; Veber, Philippe; Alphonse, Erick; van de Guchte, Maarten; Bessières, Philippe; Nédellec, Claire

    2012-06-26

    We present the BioNLP 2011 Shared Task Bacteria Track, the first Information Extraction challenge entirely dedicated to bacteria. It includes three tasks that cover different levels of biological knowledge. The Bacteria Gene Renaming supporting task is aimed at extracting gene renaming and gene name synonymy in PubMed abstracts. The Bacteria Gene Interaction is a gene/protein interaction extraction task from individual sentences. The interactions have been categorized into ten different sub-types, thus giving a detailed account of genetic regulations at the molecular level. Finally, the Bacteria Biotopes task focuses on the localization and environment of bacteria mentioned in textbook articles. We describe the process of creation for the three corpora, including document acquisition and manual annotation, as well as the metrics used to evaluate the participants' submissions. Three teams submitted to the Bacteria Gene Renaming task; the best team achieved an F-score of 87%. For the Bacteria Gene Interaction task, the only participant's score had reached a global F-score of 77%, although the system efficiency varies significantly from one sub-type to another. Three teams submitted to the Bacteria Biotopes task with very different approaches; the best team achieved an F-score of 45%. However, the detailed study of the participating systems efficiency reveals the strengths and weaknesses of each participating system. The three tasks of the Bacteria Track offer participants a chance to address a wide range of issues in Information Extraction, including entity recognition, semantic typing and coreference resolution. We found common trends in the most efficient systems: the systematic use of syntactic dependencies and machine learning. Nevertheless, the originality of the Bacteria Biotopes task encouraged the use of interesting novel methods and techniques, such as term compositionality, scopes wider than the sentence.

  8. The Microworld of Marine-Bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    JØRGENSEN, BB

    1995-01-01

    Microsensor studies show that the marine environment in the size scale of bacteria is physically and chemically very different from the macroenvironment. The microbial world of the sediment-water interface is thus dominated by water viscosity and steep diffusion gradients. Because of the diverse...... metabolism types, bacteria in the mostly anoxic sea floor play an important role in the major element cycles of the ocean. The communities of giant, filamentous sulfur bacteria that live in the deep-sea hydrothermal vents or along the Pacific coast of South America are presented here as examples....

  9. Magnetotactic bacteria at the geomagnetic equator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frankel, R.B.; Blakemore, R.P.; Araujo, F.F.T. de; Esquivel, D.M.S.; Danon, J.

    1981-01-01

    Magnetotatic bacteria are observed in freshwater and marine sediments of Fortaleza, Brazil, situated close to the geomagnetic equator. Both South-seeking and North-seeking bacteria are present in roughly equal numbers in the same samples. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis that the vertical component of the geomagnetic field selects the predominant polarity type among magnetotactic bacteria in natural environments. (Author) [pt

  10. The Effect of Bacteria Penetration on Chalk Permeability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Halim, Amalia Yunita; Shapiro, Alexander; Nielsen, Sidsel Marie

    number of B. licheniformis was detected on the effluent compared with P. putida. However, in the experiment with B. licheniformis mainly spores were detected in the effluent. The core permeability decreased rapidly during injection of bacteria and a starvation period of 12 days did not allow......Bacteria selective plugging is one of the mechanisms through which microorganisms can be applied for enhanced oil recovery. Bacteria can plug the water-bearing zones of a reservoir, thus altering the flow paths and improving sweep efficiency. It is known that the bacteria can penetrate deeply...... into reservoirs, however, a complete understanding of the penetration behavior of bacteria is lacking, especially in chalk formations where the pore throat sizes are almost comparable with the sizes of bacteria vegetative cells. This study investigates the penetration of bacteria into chalk. Two bacteria types...

  11. Bioenergetics of photoheterotrophic bacteria in the oceans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirchman, David L; Hanson, Thomas E

    2013-04-01

    Photoheterotrophic microbes, such as proteorhodopsin (PR)-based phototrophic (PRP) and aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic (AAP) bacteria, are well known to be abundant in the oceans, potentially playing unique roles in biogeochemical cycles. However, the contribution of phototrophy to the energy requirements of these bacteria has not been quantitatively examined to date. To better understand the implications of photoheterophy in the oceans, we calculated energy benefits and costs of phototrophy and compared net benefits with maintenance costs. Benefits depend on the number of photosynthetic units (PSUs), absorption cross-section area of each PSU as function of wavelength, the in situ light quality, and the energy yield per absorbed photon. For costs we considered the energy required for the synthesis of pigments, amino acids and proteins in each PSU. Our calculations indicate that AAP bacteria harvest more light energy than do PRP bacteria, but the costs of phototrophy are much higher for AAP bacteria. Still, the net energy gained by AAP bacteria is often sufficient to meet maintenance costs, while that is not the case for PRP bacteria except with high light intensities and large numbers of proteorhodopsin molecules per cell. The low costs and simplicity of PR-based phototrophy explain the high abundance of proteorhodopsin genes in the oceans. However, even for AAP bacteria, the net energy yield of phototrophy is apparently too low to influence the distribution of photoheterotrophic bacteria among various marine systems. © 2012 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  12. Ecophysiology of the Anammox Bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kartal, M.B.

    2008-01-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria oxidize ammonium to dinitrogen gas with nitrite as the electron acceptor. These bacteria are the key players in the global nitrogen cycle, responsible for the most of nitrogen production in natural ecosystems. The anammox process is also a

  13. Electron transport chains of lactic acid bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brooijmans, R.J.W.

    2008-01-01

    Lactic acid bacteria are generally considered facultative anaerobic obligate fermentative bacteria. They are unable to synthesize heme. Some lactic acid bacteria are unable to form menaquinone as well. Both these components are cofactors of respiratory (electron transport) chains of prokaryotic

  14. Antibacterial Activities of Endophytic Bacteria Isolated from Taxus brevifolia Against Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, Nurul; Choi, Jaehyuk; Baek, Kwang-Hyun

    2018-05-01

    Endophytes are a potential source of novel bioactive compounds with medicinal properties. In this study, 41 endophytic bacteria (EB) were isolated from tissues of a medicinally important plant Taxus brevifolia (Pacific yew). The objective was to screen all the EB isolates for their antibacterial effects against five foodborne pathogenic bacteria: Bacillus cereus ATCC10876, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC12600, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC19115, Escherichia coli ATCC43890, and Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC19585. Among the EB isolates, T. brevifolia seed (TbS)-8, T. brevifolia fleshy part of fruit (TbFl)-10, T. brevifolia leaf (TbL)-22, TbS-29, and TbL-34 exerted significant antibacterial activity against the tested foodborne pathogens. Especially TbFl-10 showed the highest antibacterial activity against all the tested bacteria and was identified as Paenibacillus kribbensis (Pk). Furthermore, an ethyl acetate extract of Pk-TbFl-10 possessed antibacterial activities against the tested five foodborne pathogenic bacteria, with zones of inhibition from 15.71 ± 2.85 to 13.01 ± 2.12 mm. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed ruptured, lysed, shrunk, and swollen cells of all the tested foodborne pathogens treated with the ethyl acetate extract of Pk-TbFl-10, suggesting that a metabolite(s) of Pk-TbFl-10 penetrates the cell membrane and causes cell lysis leading to cell death. Our results indicate that Pk-TbFl-10 isolated from T. brevifolia can serve as a novel source of natural antibacterial agents against foodborne pathogenic bacteria, with potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

  15. Money and transmission of bacteria.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gedik, H.; Voss, T.A.; Voss, A.

    2013-01-01

    Money is one of the most frequently passed items in the world. The aim of this study was to ascertain the survival status of bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Vancomycin- Resistant Enterococci (VRE) on banknotes from different countries and the transmission of bacteria

  16. Review on SERS of Bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pamela A. Mosier-Boss

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS has been widely used for chemical detection. Moreover, the inherent richness of the spectral data has made SERS attractive for use in detecting biological materials, including bacteria. This review discusses methods that have been used to obtain SERS spectra of bacteria. The kinds of SERS substrates employed to obtain SERS spectra are discussed as well as how bacteria interact with silver and gold nanoparticles. The roll of capping agents on Ag/Au NPs in obtaining SERS spectra is examined as well as the interpretation of the spectral data.

  17. Using Fluorescent Viruses for Detecting Bacteria in Water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabacco, Mary Beth; Qian, Xiaohua; Russo, Jaimie A.

    2009-01-01

    A method of detecting water-borne pathogenic bacteria is based partly on established molecular-recognition and fluorescent-labeling concepts, according to which bacteria of a species of interest are labeled with fluorescent reporter molecules and the bacteria can then be detected by fluorescence spectroscopy. The novelty of the present method lies in the use of bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) to deliver the fluorescent reporter molecules to the bacteria of the species of interest.

  18. Screening and biological characteristics of fufenozide degrading bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Chenhao; Gong, Mingfu; Guan, Qinlan; Deng, Xia; Deng, Hongyan; Huang, Jiao

    2018-04-01

    Fufenozide was a novel pesticide for the control of Lepidoptera pests, which was highly toxic to silkworm. Fufenozide-contaminated soil samples were collected and the bacteria that degrade fufenozide were isolated and screened by selective medium. The colony characteristics, cell characteristics and degradation characteristics in different concentrations fufenozide of the fufenozide degrading bacteria were studied. The results indicated that seven strains of fufenozide degradeing bacteria, named as DDH01, DDH03, DDH04, DDH04, DDH05, DDH07 and DDH07 respectively, were isolated from soil contaminated with fufenozide. DDH01, DDH02, DDH04 and DDH05 of seven fufenozide degrading bacteria, was gram-positive bacteria, and DDH03, DDH06 and DDH07 was gram-negative bacteria. All of seven strains of fufenozide degrading bacteria were not spores, weeks flagella, rod-shaped bacteria. DDH06 and DDH07 had capsules, and the remaining five strains had not capsule. The colonies formed by seven strains of fufenozide degradation bacteria on beef extract peptone medium plate were milky white colonies with irregular edges, thinner lawn, smaller colony with smooth surface. The growth of 7 strains of fufenozide degradation bacteria was significantly affected by the concentration of fufenozide, All of 7 strains grown in the range from 0.00025 g/mL to 1 g/mL of 10% fufenozide suspension. DDH2 was the best among the 7 strains of fufenozide degrading bacteria grown in 10% fufenozide suspension medium.

  19. HYDROCARBON-DEGRADING BACTERIA AND SURFACTANT ACTIVITY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brigmon, R; Topher Berry, T; Grazyna A. Plaza, G; jacek Wypych, j

    2006-08-15

    Fate of benzene ethylbenzene toluene xylenes (BTEX) compounds through biodegradation was investigated using two different bacteria, Ralstonia picketti (BP-20) and Alcaligenes piechaudii (CZOR L-1B). These bacteria were isolated from extremely polluted petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soils. PCR and Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) were used to identify the isolates. Biodegradation was measured using each organism individually and in combination. Both bacteria were shown to degrade each of the BTEX compounds. Alcaligenes piechaudii biodegraded BTEXs more efficiently while mixed with BP-20 and individually. Biosurfactant production was observed by culture techniques. In addition 3-hydroxy fatty acids, important in biosurfactant production, was observed by FAME analysis. In the all experiments toluene and m+p- xylenes were better growth substrates for both bacteria than the other BTEX compounds. In addition, the test results indicate that the bacteria could contribute to bioremediation of aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) pollution increase biodegradation through the action by biosurfactants.

  20. Acetic acid bacteria: A group of bacteria with versatile biotechnological applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saichana, Natsaran; Matsushita, Kazunobu; Adachi, Osao; Frébort, Ivo; Frebortova, Jitka

    2015-11-01

    Acetic acid bacteria are gram-negative obligate aerobic bacteria assigned to the family Acetobacteraceae of Alphaproteobacteria. They are members of the genera Acetobacter, Gluconobacter, Gluconacetobacter, Acidomonas, Asaia, Kozakia, Swaminathania, Saccharibacter, Neoasaia, Granulibacter, Tanticharoenia, Ameyamaea, Neokomagataea, and Komagataeibacter. Many strains of Acetobacter and Komagataeibacter have been known to possess high acetic acid fermentation ability as well as the acetic acid and ethanol resistance, which are considered to be useful features for industrial production of acetic acid and vinegar, the commercial product. On the other hand, Gluconobacter strains have the ability to perform oxidative fermentation of various sugars, sugar alcohols, and sugar acids leading to the formation of several valuable products. Thermotolerant strains of acetic acid bacteria were isolated in order to serve as the new strains of choice for industrial fermentations, in which the cooling costs for maintaining optimum growth and production temperature in the fermentation vessels could be significantly reduced. Genetic modifications by adaptation and genetic engineering were also applied to improve their properties, such as productivity and heat resistance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Bacteria-mediated bisphenol A degradation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Weiwei; Yin, Kun; Chen, Lingxin

    2013-07-01

    Bisphenol A (BPA) is an important monomer in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics, food cans, and other daily used chemicals. Daily and worldwide usage of BPA and BPA-contained products led to its ubiquitous distribution in water, sediment/soil, and atmosphere. Moreover, BPA has been identified as an environmental endocrine disruptor for its estrogenic and genotoxic activity. Thus, BPA contamination in the environment is an increasingly worldwide concern, and methods to efficiently remove BPA from the environment are urgently recommended. Although many factors affect the fate of BPA in the environment, BPA degradation is mainly depended on the metabolism of bacteria. Many BPA-degrading bacteria have been identified from water, sediment/soil, and wastewater treatment plants. Metabolic pathways of BPA degradation in specific bacterial strains were proposed, based on the metabolic intermediates detected during the degradation process. In this review, the BPA-degrading bacteria were summarized, and the (proposed) BPA degradation pathway mediated by bacteria were referred.

  2. Bacteria in atmospheric waters: Detection, characteristics and implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Wei; Niu, Hongya; Murata, Kotaro; Wu, Zhijun; Hu, Min; Kojima, Tomoko; Zhang, Daizhou

    2018-04-01

    In this review paper, we synthesize the current knowledges about bacteria in atmospheric waters, e.g., cloud, fog, rain, and snow, most of which were obtained very recently. First, we briefly describe the importance of bacteria in atmospheric waters, i.e., the essentiality of studying bacteria in atmospheric waters in understanding aerosol-cloud-precipitation-climate interactions in the Earth system. Next, approaches to collect atmospheric water samples for the detection of bacteria and methods to identify the bacteria are summarized and compared. Then the available data on the abundance, viability and community composition of bacteria in atmospheric waters are summarized. The average bacterial concentration in cloud water was usually on the order 104-105 cells mL-1, while that in precipitation on the order 103-104 cells mL-1. Most of the bacteria were viable or metabolically active. Their community composition was highly diverse and differed at various sites. Factors potentially influencing the bacteria, e.g., air pollution levels and sources, meteorological conditions, seasonal effect, and physicochemical properties of atmospheric waters, are described. After that, the implications of bacteria present in atmospheric waters, including their effect on nucleation in clouds, atmospheric chemistry, ecosystems and public health, are briefly discussed. Finally, based on the current knowledges on bacteria in atmospheric waters, which in fact remains largely unknown, we give perspectives that should be paid attention to in future studies.

  3. The impact of temperature on microbial diversity and AOA activity in the Tengchong Geothermal Field, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haizhou; Yang, Qunhui; Li, Jian; Gao, Hang; Li, Ping; Zhou, Huaiyang

    2015-11-01

    Using a culture-independent method that combines CARD-FISH, qPCR and 16S rDNA, we investigated the abundance, community structure and diversity of microbes along a steep thermal gradient (50-90 °C) in the Tengchong Geothermal Field. We found that Bacteria and Archaea abundance changed markedly with temperature changes and that the number of cells was lowest at high temperatures (90.8 °C). Under low-temperature conditions (52.3-74.6 °C), the microbial communities were dominated by Bacteria, which accounted for 60-80% of the total number of cells. At 74.6 °C, Archaea were dominant, and at 90.8 °C, they accounted for more than 90% of the total number of cells. Additionally, the microbial communities at high temperatures (74.6-90.8 °C) were substantially simpler than those at the low-temperature sites. Only a few genera (e.g., bacterial Caldisericum, Thermotoga and Thermoanaerobacter, archaeal Vulcanisaeta and Hyperthermus) often dominated in high-temperature environments. Additionally, a positive correlation between Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea (AOA) activity and temperature was detected. AOA activity increased from 17 to 52 pmol of NO2- per cell d-1 with a temperature change from 50 to 70 °C.

  4. The impact of temperature on microbial diversity and AOA activity in the Tengchong Geothermal Field, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haizhou; Yang, Qunhui; Li, Jian; Gao, Hang; Li, Ping; Zhou, Huaiyang

    2015-11-26

    Using a culture-independent method that combines CARD-FISH, qPCR and 16S rDNA, we investigated the abundance, community structure and diversity of microbes along a steep thermal gradient (50-90 °C) in the Tengchong Geothermal Field. We found that Bacteria and Archaea abundance changed markedly with temperature changes and that the number of cells was lowest at high temperatures (90.8 °C). Under low-temperature conditions (52.3-74.6 °C), the microbial communities were dominated by Bacteria, which accounted for 60-80% of the total number of cells. At 74.6 °C, Archaea were dominant, and at 90.8 °C, they accounted for more than 90% of the total number of cells. Additionally, the microbial communities at high temperatures (74.6-90.8 °C) were substantially simpler than those at the low-temperature sites. Only a few genera (e.g., bacterial Caldisericum, Thermotoga and Thermoanaerobacter, archaeal Vulcanisaeta and Hyperthermus) often dominated in high-temperature environments. Additionally, a positive correlation between Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea (AOA) activity and temperature was detected. AOA activity increased from 17 to 52 pmol of NO2(-) per cell d(-1) with a temperature change from 50 to 70 °C.

  5. Magnetic Bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Jane Bray; Nelson, Jim

    1992-01-01

    Describes the history of Richard Blakemore's discovery of magnetotaxic organisms. Discusses possible reasons why the magnetic response in bacteria developed. Proposes research experiments integrating biology and physics in which students investigate problems using cultures of magnetotaxic organisms. (MDH)

  6. Ecology of mycophagous collimonas bacteria in soil

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Höppener-Ogawa, Sachie

    2008-01-01

    Bacteria belonging to the genus Collimonas consist of soil bacteria that can grow at expense of living fungal hyphae i.e. they are mycophagous. This PhD studies deals with the ecology of mycophagous bacteria in soil using collimonads as model organisms. Collimonads were found to be widely

  7. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopic methods for microbial ecology: analysis of bacteria, bacteria-polymer mixtures and biofilms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nichols, P. D.; Henson, J. M.; Guckert, J. B.; Nivens, D. E.; White, D. C.

    1985-01-01

    Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy has been used to rapidly and nondestructively analyze bacteria, bacteria-polymer mixtures, digester samples and microbial biofilms. Diffuse reflectance FT-IR (DRIFT) analysis of freeze-dried, powdered samples offered a means of obtaining structural information. The bacteria examined were divided into two groups. The first group was characterized by a dominant amide I band and the second group of organisms displayed an additional strong carbonyl stretch at approximately 1740 cm-1. The differences illustrated by the subtraction spectra obtained for microbes of the two groups suggest that FT-IR spectroscopy can be utilized to recognize differences in microbial community structure. Calculation of specific band ratios has enabled the composition of bacteria and extracellular or intracellular storage product polymer mixtures to be determined for bacteria-gum arabic (amide I/carbohydrate C-O approximately 1150 cm-1) and bacteria-poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (amide I/carbonyl approximately 1740 cm-1). The key band ratios correlate with the compositions of the material and provide useful information for the application of FT-IR spectroscopy to environmental biofilm samples and for distinguishing bacteria grown under differing nutrient conditions. DRIFT spectra have been obtained for biofilms produced by Vibrio natriegens on stainless steel disks. Between 48 and 144 h, an increase in bands at approximately 1440 and 1090 cm-1 was seen in FT-IR spectra of the V. natriegens biofilm. DRIFT spectra of mixed culture effluents of anaerobic digesters show differences induced by shifts in input feedstocks. The use of flow-through attenuated total reflectance has permitted in situ real-time changes in biofilm formation to be monitored and provides a powerful tool for understanding the interactions within adherent microbial consortia.

  8. Emerging role of bacteria in oral carcinogenesis: a review with special reference to perio-pathogenic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perera, Manosha; Al-Hebshi, Nezar Noor; Speicher, David J; Perera, Irosha; Johnson, Newell W

    2016-01-01

    Oral cancer, primarily oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), continues to be a major global health problem with high incidence and low survival rates. While the major risk factors for this malignancy, mostly lifestyle related, have been identified, around 15% of oral cancer cases remain unexplained. In light of evidence implicating bacteria in the aetiology of some cancer types, several epidemiological studies have been conducted in the last decade, employing methodologies ranging from traditional culture techniques to 16S rRNA metagenomics, to assess the possible role of bacteria in OSCC. While these studies have demonstrated differences in microbial composition between cancerous and healthy tissues, they have failed to agree on specific bacteria or patterns of oral microbial dysbiosis to implicate in OSCC. On the contrary, some oral taxa, particularly Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, show strong oral carcinogenic potential in vitro and in animal studies. Bacteria are thought to contribute to oral carcinogenesis via inhibition of apoptosis, activation of cell proliferation, promotion of cellular invasion, induction of chronic inflammation, and production of carcinogens. This narrative review provides a critical analysis of and an update on the association between bacteria and oral carcinogenesis and the possible mechanisms underlying it.

  9. Lipopolysaccharides in diazotrophic bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Serrato, Rodrigo V.

    2014-01-01

    Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is a process in which the atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is transformed into ammonia (NH3) by a select group of nitrogen-fixing organisms, or diazotrophic bacteria. In order to furnish the biologically useful nitrogen to plants, these bacteria must be in constant molecular communication with their host plants. Some of these molecular plant-microbe interactions are very specific, resulting in a symbiotic relationship between the diazotroph and the host. Others are...

  10. Coryneform bacteria associated with canine otitis externa

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aalbæk, Bent; Bemis, David A.; Schjærff, Mette

    2010-01-01

    This study aims to investigate the occurrence of coryneform bacteria in canine otitis externa. A combined case series and case-control study was carried out to improve the current knowledge on frequency and clinical significance of coryneform bacteria in samples from canine otitis externa. A total...... of 16 cases of otitis externa with involvement of coryneform bacteria were recorded at two referral veterinary hospitals in Denmark and the US, respectively. Coryneform bacteria were identified by partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Corynebacterium auriscanis was the most common coryneform species (10...... cases). Small colony variants of this species were also observed. Other coryneform isolates were identified as Corynebacterium amycolatum (3 cases), Corynebacterium freneyi (2 cases) and an Arcanobacterium-like species (1 case). The coryneform bacteria were in all cases isolated together with other...

  11. Bacteria classification using Cyranose 320 electronic nose

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gardner Julian W

    2002-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background An electronic nose (e-nose, the Cyrano Sciences' Cyranose 320, comprising an array of thirty-two polymer carbon black composite sensors has been used to identify six species of bacteria responsible for eye infections when present at a range of concentrations in saline solutions. Readings were taken from the headspace of the samples by manually introducing the portable e-nose system into a sterile glass containing a fixed volume of bacteria in suspension. Gathered data were a very complex mixture of different chemical compounds. Method Linear Principal Component Analysis (PCA method was able to classify four classes of bacteria out of six classes though in reality other two classes were not better evident from PCA analysis and we got 74% classification accuracy from PCA. An innovative data clustering approach was investigated for these bacteria data by combining the 3-dimensional scatter plot, Fuzzy C Means (FCM and Self Organizing Map (SOM network. Using these three data clustering algorithms simultaneously better 'classification' of six eye bacteria classes were represented. Then three supervised classifiers, namely Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP, Probabilistic Neural network (PNN and Radial basis function network (RBF, were used to classify the six bacteria classes. Results A [6 × 1] SOM network gave 96% accuracy for bacteria classification which was best accuracy. A comparative evaluation of the classifiers was conducted for this application. The best results suggest that we are able to predict six classes of bacteria with up to 98% accuracy with the application of the RBF network. Conclusion This type of bacteria data analysis and feature extraction is very difficult. But we can conclude that this combined use of three nonlinear methods can solve the feature extraction problem with very complex data and enhance the performance of Cyranose 320.

  12. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-OSAT-10-0002 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-OSAT-10-0002 ref|NP_623489.1| ABC-type dipeptide/oligopeptide/nickel transport systems...peptide/nickel transport systems, permease components [Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4] NP_623489.1 1.9 30% ...

  13. Communication among Oral Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolenbrander, Paul E.; Andersen, Roxanna N.; Blehert, David S.; Egland, Paul G.; Foster, Jamie S.; Palmer, Robert J.

    2002-01-01

    Human oral bacteria interact with their environment by attaching to surfaces and establishing mixed-species communities. As each bacterial cell attaches, it forms a new surface to which other cells can adhere. Adherence and community development are spatiotemporal; such order requires communication. The discovery of soluble signals, such as autoinducer-2, that may be exchanged within multispecies communities to convey information between organisms has emerged as a new research direction. Direct-contact signals, such as adhesins and receptors, that elicit changes in gene expression after cell-cell contact and biofilm growth are also an active research area. Considering that the majority of oral bacteria are organized in dense three-dimensional biofilms on teeth, confocal microscopy and fluorescently labeled probes provide valuable approaches for investigating the architecture of these organized communities in situ. Oral biofilms are readily accessible to microbiologists and are excellent model systems for studies of microbial communication. One attractive model system is a saliva-coated flowcell with oral bacterial biofilms growing on saliva as the sole nutrient source; an intergeneric mutualism is discussed. Several oral bacterial species are amenable to genetic manipulation for molecular characterization of communication both among bacteria and between bacteria and the host. A successful search for genes critical for mixed-species community organization will be accomplished only when it is conducted with mixed-species communities. PMID:12209001

  14. Automated radiometric detection of bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waters, J.R.

    1974-01-01

    A new radiometric method called BACTEC, used for the detection of bacteria in cultures or in supposedly sterile samples, was discussed from the standpoint of methodology, both automated and semi-automated. Some of the results obtained so far were reported and some future applications and development possibilities were described. In this new method, the test sample is incubated in a sealed vial with a liquid culture medium containing a 14 C-labeled substrate. If bacteria are present, they break down the substrate, producing 14 CO 2 which is periodically extracted from the vial as a gas and is tested for radioactivity. If this gaseous radioactivity exceeds a threshold level, it is evidence of bacterial presence and growth in the test vial. The first application was for the detection of bacteria in the blood cultures of hospital patients. Data were presented showing typical results. Also discussed were future applications, such as rapid screening for bacteria in urine industrial sterility testing and the disposal of used 14 C substrates. (Mukohata, S.)

  15. Interactions among sulfide-oxidizing bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poplawski, R.

    1985-01-01

    The responses of different phototrophic bacteria in a competitive experimental system are studied, one in which primary factors such as H2S or light limited photometabolism. Two different types of bacteria shared one limited source of sulfide under specific conditions of light. The selection of a purple and a green sulfur bacteria and the cyanobacterium was based on their physiological similarity and also on the fact that they occur together in microbial mats. They all share anoxygenic photosynthesis, and are thus probably part of an evolutionary continuum of phototrophic organisms that runs from, strictly anaerobic physiology to the ability of some cyanobacteria to shift between anoxygenic bacterial style photosynthesis and the oxygenic kind typical of eukaryotes.

  16. Reactivity of the Bacteria-Water Interface: Linking Nutrient Availability to Bacteria-Metal Interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fowle, D. A.; Daughney, C. J.; Riley, J. L.

    2002-12-01

    Identifying and quantifying the controls on metal mobilities in geologic systems is critical in order to understand processes such as global element cycling, metal transport in near-surface water-rock systems, sedimentary diagenesis, and mineral formation. Bacteria are ubiquitous in near-surface water-rock systems, and numerous laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that bacteria can facilitate the formation and dissolution of minerals, and enhance or inhibit contaminant transport. However, despite the growing evidence that bacteria play a key role in many geologic processes in low temperature systems, our understanding of the influence of the local nutrient dynamics of the system of interest on bacteria-metal interactions is limited. Here we present data demonstrating the effectiveness of coupling laboratory experiments with geochemical modeling to isolate the effect of nutrient availability on bacterially mediated proton and metal adsorption reactions. Experimental studies of metal-bacteria interactions were conducted in batch reactors as a function of pH, and solid-solute interactions after growth in a variety of defined and undefined media. Media nutrient composition (C,N,P) was quantified before and after harvesting the cells. Surface complexation models (SCM) for the adsorption reactions were developed by combining sorption data with the results of acid-base titrations, and in some cases zeta potential titrations of the bacterial surface. Our results indicate a clear change in both buffering potential and metal binding capacity of the cell walls of Bacillus subtilis as a function of initial media conditions. Combining current studies with our past studies on the effects of growth phase and others work on temperature dependence on metal adsorption we hope to develop a holistic surface complexation model for quantifying bacterial effects on metal mass transfer in many geologic systems.

  17. Influence of irradiation of bacteria on their thermoresistance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szulc, M.; Stefaniakowa, A.; Tropilo, J.; Stanczak, B.; Peconek, J.; Mierzewska, H.; Bielecka, J.

    1979-01-01

    The influence of x-radiation on thermoresistance of bacteria was determined. The studies were carried out on: E. coli, Pr. vulgaris, S. typhimurium, Staph. aureus and Str. faecalis. The bacteria were irradiated in PBS (physiological buffer solution) and in broth (containing about 1% of protein) with x-rays at radium absorbed doses of 100, 1000, 5000 and 10 000, which was followed immediately by heating at temperatures causing death of part of the bacteria. The results obtained indicate that irradiation of bacteria with small x-ray doses distinctly decreases their thermoresistance. Synergetic action of irradiation and heating of bacteria was observed, increasing with increased irradiation dose. The greatest changes of thermoresistance occurred with Pr. vulgaris, the smallest with S. typhimurium. Thermoresistance of bacteria decreased more strongly on their irradiation in protein-free medium (PBS). (author)

  18. Hyphae colonizing bacteria associated with Penicillium bilaii

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ghodsalavi, Behnoushsadat

    shown that mycorrhizal helper bacteria presenting in mycorrhizal fungi could stimulate fungal growth, promote establishment of root-fungus symbiosis and enhance plant production. But it is unknown if the comparable relationship exist between the non-mycorrhizal fungus P. bilaii and its hyphae associated...... bacteria. In the current PhD thesis, we assumed that hyphae-associated microbiome of P. bilaii might harbor helper bacteria with ability to improve fungal growth and P solubilization performance. Therefore, we aimed to isolate bacteria associated with the P. bilaii hyphae and identify the fungal growth...... stimulating bacteria with the perspective of promoting efficiency of Jumpstart in soil – plant system. For this purpose, most of the work within the current project was carried out by development of suitable model systems by mimicking the natural soil habitat to reach to the reliable performance in soil...

  19. Bacteria Culture Test: MedlinePlus Lab Test Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... this page: https://medlineplus.gov/labtests/bacteriaculturetest.html Bacteria Culture Test To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. What is a Bacteria Culture Test? Bacteria are a large group of ...

  20. Chemically enhanced sunlight for killing bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Block, S.S.; Goswami, D.Y.

    1995-01-01

    Solar ultraviolet (UV) photocatalyzed oxidation of chemicals with titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has received considerable attention. Much less recognized, however, is the ability of the same system to destroy bacteria. This study examined this phenomenon and the conditions that affect it. Bacteria in aqueous solution were given solar exposure with titanium dioxide and their survival with time was determined. Lamps with a predominantly solar ultraviolet spectrum were also used in the experiments. Without exposure to UV light, TiO 2 had no deleterious effect on the bacteria. However, several common bacteria on solar exposure in the presence of TiO 2 were killed in just a few minutes, whereas without TiO 2 it took over an hour to destroy them. A concentration of 0.01% TiO 2 was most effective in killing bacteria and 10-fold concentrations lower or higher were successively less effective. Inorganic and organic compounds in solution, even in small amounts, interfered with the efficiency of killing. Alkaline solution also reduced the bactericidal activity. Circulation and agitation provided by stirring to keep the TiO 2 particles suspended reduced the time necessary to kill the bacteria. Time-intensity curves for killing bacteria were the same general shape with or without TiO 2 , indicating that TiO 2 served merely as a catalyst to increase the rate of the reaction but that the mechanism of action was not changed. The shape of the curves show that the organisms are sensitized with a minimum intensity of radiation and that an increase doesn't greatly increase the rate of kill. Below this critical intensity, however, the time required for killing markedly increases as the intensity is decreased

  1. Molecular analysis of deep subsurface bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jimenez Baez, L.E.

    1989-09-01

    Deep sediments samples from site C10a, in Appleton, and sites, P24, P28, and P29, at the Savannah River Site (SRS), near Aiken, South Carolina were studied to determine their microbial community composition, DNA homology and mol %G+C. Different geological formations with great variability in hydrogeological parameters were found across the depth profile. Phenotypic identification of deep subsurface bacteria underestimated the bacterial diversity at the three SRS sites, since bacteria with the same phenotype have different DNA composition and less than 70% DNA homology. Total DNA hybridization and mol %G+C analysis of deep sediment bacterial isolates suggested that each formation is comprised of different microbial communities. Depositional environment was more important than site and geological formation on the DNA relatedness between deep subsurface bacteria, since more 70% of bacteria with 20% or more of DNA homology came from the same depositional environments. Based on phenotypic and genotypic tests Pseudomonas spp. and Acinetobacter spp.-like bacteria were identified in 85 million years old sediments. This suggests that these microbial communities might have been adapted during a long period of time to the environmental conditions of the deep subsurface

  2. Overlapping riboflavin supply pathways in bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Angulo, Víctor Antonio

    2017-03-01

    Riboflavin derivatives are essential cofactors for a myriad of flavoproteins. In bacteria, flavins importance extends beyond their role as intracellular protein cofactors, as secreted flavins are a key metabolite in a variety of physiological processes. Bacteria obtain riboflavin through the endogenous riboflavin biosynthetic pathway (RBP) or by the use of importer proteins. Bacteria frequently encode multiple paralogs of the RBP enzymes and as for other micronutrient supply pathways, biosynthesis and uptake functions largely coexist. It is proposed that bacteria shut down biosynthesis and would rather uptake riboflavin when the vitamin is environmentally available. Recently, the overlap of riboflavin provisioning elements has gained attention and the functions of duplicated paralogs of RBP enzymes started to be addressed. Results point towards the existence of a modular structure in the bacterial riboflavin supply pathways. Such structure uses subsets of RBP genes to supply riboflavin for specific functions. Given the importance of riboflavin in intra and extracellular bacterial physiology, this complex array of riboflavin provision pathways may have developed to contend with the various riboflavin requirements. In riboflavin-prototrophic bacteria, riboflavin transporters could represent a module for riboflavin provision for particular, yet unidentified processes, rather than substituting for the RBP as usually assumed.

  3. Effect of leukocyte hydrolases on bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, D.; Michel, J.; Ferne, M.; Bergner-Rabinowitz, S.; Ginsburg, I.

    1979-01-01

    Leukocyte extracts, trypsin, and lysozyme are all capable of releasing the bulk of the LPS from S. typhi, S. typhimurium, and E. coli. Bacteria which have been killed by heat, ultraviolet irradiation, or by a variety of metabolic inhibitors and antibiotics which affect protein, DNA, RNA, and cell wall synthesis no longer yield soluble LPS following treatment with the releasing agents. On the other hand, bacteria which are resistant to certain of the antibiotics yield nearly the full amount of soluble LPS following treatment, suggesting that certain heatabile endogenous metabolic pathways collaborate with the releasing agents in the release of LPS from the bacteria. It is suggested that some of the beneficial effects of antibiotics on infections with gram-negative bacteria may be the prevention of massive release of endotoxin by leukocyte enzymes in inflammatory sites

  4. Bacteria abundance and diversity of different life stages of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), revealed by bacteria culture-dependent and PCR-DGGE methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Xiao-Li; Pan, Qin-Jian; Tian, Hong-Gang; Douglas, Angela E; Liu, Tong-Xian

    2015-03-01

    Microbial abundance and diversity of different life stages (fourth instar larvae, pupae and adults) of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L., collected from field and reared in laboratory, were investigated using bacteria culture-dependent method and PCR-DGGE analysis based on the sequence of bacteria 16S rRNA V3 region gene. A large quantity of bacteria was found in all life stages of P. xylostella. Field population had higher quantity of bacteria than laboratory population, and larval gut had higher quantity than pupae and adults. Culturable bacteria differed in different life stages of P. xylostella. Twenty-five different bacterial strains were identified in total, among them 20 strains were presented in larval gut, only 8 strains in pupae and 14 strains in adults were detected. Firmicutes bacteria, Bacillus sp., were the most dominant species in every life stage. 15 distinct bands were obtained from DGGE electrophoresis gel. The sequences blasted in GenBank database showed these bacteria belonged to six different genera. Phylogenetic analysis showed the sequences of the bacteria belonged to the Actinobacteri, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Serratia sp. in Proteobacteria was the most abundant species in larval gut. In pupae, unculturable bacteria were the most dominant species, and unculturable bacteria and Serratia sp. were the most dominant species in adults. Our study suggested that a combination of molecular and traditional culturing methods can be effectively used to analyze and to determine the diversity of gut microflora. These known bacteria may play important roles in development of P. xylostella. © 2013 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  5. Labelling of bacteria with indium chelates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kleinert, P.; Pfister, W.; Endert, G.; Sproessig, M.

    1985-01-01

    The indium chelates were prepared by reaction of radioactive indiumchloride with 10 μg oxine, 15 μg tropolone and 3 mg acetylacetone, resp. The formed chelates have been incubated with 10 9 germs/ml for 5 minutes, with labelling outputs from 90 to 95%. Both gram-positive (Streptococcus, Staphylococcus) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) can be labelled. The reproductive capacity of the bacteria was not impaired. The application of indium labelled bacteria allows to show the distribution of microorganisms within the living organism and to investigate problems of bacterial adherence. (author)

  6. Laminar flow assisted anisotropic bacteria absorption for chemotaxis delivery of bacteria-attached microparticle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huh, Keon; Oh, Darong; Son, Seok Young; Yoo, Hyung Jung; Song, Byeonghwa; Cho, Dong-il Dan; Seo, Jong-Mo; Kim, Sung Jae

    2016-12-01

    The concepts of microrobots has been drawn significant attentions recently since its unprecedented applicability in nanotechnology and biomedical field. Bacteria attached microparticles presented in this work are one of pioneering microrobot technology for self-propulsion or producing kinetic energy from ambient for their motions. Microfluidic device, especially utilizing laminar flow characteristics, were employed for anisotropic attachment of Salmonella typhimurium flagellated chemotactic bacteria to 30 um × 30 um and 50 um × 50 um microparticles that made of biodegradable polymer. Any toxic chemicals or harmful treatments were excluded during the attachment process and it finished within 100 s for the anisotropic attachment. The attachments were directly confirmed by fluorescent intensity changes and SEM visualization. Chemotaxis motions were tracked using aspartate and the maximum velocity of the bacteria-attached microrobot was measured to be 5 um/s which is comparable to prior state of art technologies. This reusable and scalable method could play a key role in chemotaxis delivery of functional microparticles such as drug delivery system.

  7. [Application of anaerobic bacteria detection in oral and maxillofacial infection].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Zhen-ying; Lin, Qin; Meng, Yan-hong; He, Chun; Su, Jia-zeng; Peng, Xin

    2016-02-18

    To investigate the distribution and drug resistance of anaerobic bacteria in the patients with oral and maxillofacial infection. Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria cultures from 61 specimens of pus from the patients with oral and maxillofacial infection in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School of Stomatology were identified. The culture type was evaluated by API 20A kit and drug resistance test was performed by Etest method. The clinical data and antibacterial agents for the treatment of the 61 cases were collected, and the final outcomes were recorded. The bacteria cultures were isolated from all the specimens, with aerobic bacteria only in 6 cases (9.8%), anaerobic bacteria only in 7 cases (11.5%), and both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in 48 cases (78.7%). There were 55 infected cases (90.2%) with anaerobic bacteria, and 81 anaerobic bacteria stains were isolated. The highest bacteria isolation rate of Gram positive anaerobic bacteria could be found in Peptostreptococcus, Bifidobacterium and Pemphigus propionibacterium. No cefoxitin, amoxicillin/carat acid resistant strain was detected in the above three Gram positive anaerobic bacteria. The highest bacteria isolation rate of Gram negative anaerobic bacteria could be detected in Porphyromonas and Prevotella. No metronidazole, cefoxitin, amoxicillin/carat acid resistant strain was found in the two Gram negative anaerobic bacteria. In the study, 48 patients with oral and maxillofacial infection were treated according to the results of drug resistance testing, and the clinical cure rate was 81.3%. Mixed aerobic and anaerobic bacteria cultures are very common in most oral and maxillofacial infection patients. Anaerobic bacteria culture and drug resistance testing play an important role in clinical treatment.

  8. Review on Nano SeleniumProduced by Bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LI Ji-xiang

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Selenium (Se is a kind of essential trace element for people and animal, while ionic state of selenium is toxic with high concentrations and will cause the selenium pollution. Nano-selenium is stable, nontoxic with higher biological activity. Application of bacteria reducing selenite or selenate to biological nano-selenium has great potential in selenium pollution control and nano-selenium production. This review summarizes the research progress of the red elemental nano-selenium reduced by bacteria including characteristics and application of nano-selenium, effects of carbon and nitrogen source, oxygen, temperature and pH in bacteria nano-selenium production, and molecular mechanisms of nano-selenium reduced by bacteria.

  9. Differential staining of bacteria: acid fast stain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Jackie; Moyes, Rita B; Breakwell, Donald P

    2009-11-01

    Acid-fastness is an uncommon characteristic shared by the genera Mycobacterium (Section 10A) and Nocardia. Because of this feature, this stain is extremely helpful in identification of these bacteria. Although Gram positive, acid-fast bacteria do not take the crystal violet into the wall well, appearing very light purple rather than the deep purple of normal Gram-positive bacteria. (c) 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  10. Transformation of gram positive bacteria by sonoporation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yunfeng; Li, Yongchao

    2014-03-11

    The present invention provides a sonoporation-based method that can be universally applied for delivery of compounds into Gram positive bacteria. Gram positive bacteria which can be transformed by sonoporation include, for example, Bacillus, Streptococcus, Acetobacterium, and Clostridium. Compounds which can be delivered into Gram positive bacteria via sonoporation include nucleic acids (DNA or RNA), proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, viruses, small organic and inorganic molecules, and nano-particles.

  11. Identification of Bacteria and the Effect on Compressive Strength of Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anneza L. H.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the species of bacteria used in this study as well as the effect of the bacteria on compressive strength of bioconcrete. Bioconcrete is not only more environmentally friendly but it is easy to procure. The objective of this research is to identify the ureolytic bacteria and sulphate reduction bacteria that have been isolated and further use the bacteria in concrete to determine the effect of bacteria on compressive strength. Identification of bacteria is conducted through Polymerase chain reaction (PCR method and DNA sequencing. The DNA of the bacteria was run through BLAST algorithm to determine the bacterial species.The bacteria were added into the concrete mix as a partial replacement of water. 3% of water is replaced by ureolytic bacteria and 5% of water is replaced by sulphate reduction bacteria. After running BLAST algorithm the bacteria were identified as Enterococcus faecalis (ureolytic bacteria and Bacillus sp (sulphate reduction bacteria. The result of the compressive strength for control is 36.0 Mpa. Partial replacement of 3% water by ureolytic bacteria has strength of 38.2Mpa while partial replacement of 5% of water by sulphate reduction bacteria has strength of 42.5Mpa. The significant increase of compressive strength with the addition of bacteria shows that bacteria play a significant role in the improvement of compressive strength.

  12. NREL Scientists Model Methane-Eating Bacteria | News | NREL

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scientists Model Methane-Eating Bacteria News Release: NREL Scientists Model Methane-Eating Bacteria February 13, 2018 Nature is full of surprises - not to mention solutions. A research team ) recently explored the possibilities provided by the natural world by researching how the bacteria

  13. Characterization of (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wolterink, A.F.W.M.

    2004-01-01

    Some bacteria can use (per)chlorateas terminal electron acceptor for growth. These bacteria convert perchlorate via chlorate and chlorite into chloride and molecular oxygen. Oxygen formation in microbial respiration is unique. In this study two chlorate-reducing strains

  14. Fuzzy species among recombinogenic bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fraser Christophe

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It is a matter of ongoing debate whether a universal species concept is possible for bacteria. Indeed, it is not clear whether closely related isolates of bacteria typically form discrete genotypic clusters that can be assigned as species. The most challenging test of whether species can be clearly delineated is provided by analysis of large populations of closely-related, highly recombinogenic, bacteria that colonise the same body site. We have used concatenated sequences of seven house-keeping loci from 770 strains of 11 named Neisseria species, and phylogenetic trees, to investigate whether genotypic clusters can be resolved among these recombinogenic bacteria and, if so, the extent to which they correspond to named species. Results Alleles at individual loci were widely distributed among the named species but this distorting effect of recombination was largely buffered by using concatenated sequences, which resolved clusters corresponding to the three species most numerous in the sample, N. meningitidis, N. lactamica and N. gonorrhoeae. A few isolates arose from the branch that separated N. meningitidis from N. lactamica leading us to describe these species as 'fuzzy'. Conclusion A multilocus approach using large samples of closely related isolates delineates species even in the highly recombinogenic human Neisseria where individual loci are inadequate for the task. This approach should be applied by taxonomists to large samples of other groups of closely-related bacteria, and especially to those where species delineation has historically been difficult, to determine whether genotypic clusters can be delineated, and to guide the definition of species.

  15. Antibacterial activity of silver-killed bacteria: the "zombies" effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakshlak, Racheli Ben-Knaz; Pedahzur, Rami; Avnir, David

    2015-04-01

    We report a previously unrecognized mechanism for the prolonged action of biocidal agents, which we denote as the zombies effect: biocidally-killed bacteria are capable of killing living bacteria. The concept is demonstrated by first killing Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 with silver nitrate and then challenging, with the dead bacteria, a viable culture of the same bacterium: Efficient antibacterial activity of the killed bacteria is observed. A mechanism is suggested in terms of the action of the dead bacteria as a reservoir of silver, which, due to Le-Chatelier's principle, is re-targeted to the living bacteria. Langmuirian behavior, as well as deviations from it, support the proposed mechanism.

  16. Gastric spiral bacteria in small felids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinsel, M J; Kovarik, P; Murnane, R D

    1998-06-01

    Nine small cats, including one bobcat (Felis rufus), one Pallas cat (F. manul), one Canada lynx (F. lynx canadensis), two fishing cats (F. viverrina), two margays (F. wiedii), and two sand cats (F. margarita), necropsied between June 1995 and March 1997 had large numbers of gastric spiral bacteria, whereas five large cats, including one African lion (Panthera leo), two snow leopards (P. uncia), one Siberian tiger (P. tigris altaica), and one jaguar (P. onca), necropsied during the same period had none. All of the spiral organisms from the nine small cats were histologically and ultrastructurally similar. Histologically, the spiral bacteria were 5-14 microm long with five to nine coils per organism and were located both extracellularly within gastric glands and surface mucus, and intracellularly in parietal cells. Spiral bacteria in gastric mucosal scrapings from the Canada lynx, one fishing cat, and the two sand cats were gram negative and had corkscrewlike to tumbling motility when viewed with phase contrast microscopy. The bacteria were 0.5-0.7 microm wide, with a periodicity of 0.65-1.1 microm in all cats. Bipolar sheathed flagella were occasionally observed, and no periplasmic fibrils were seen. The bacteria were extracellular in parietal cell canaliculi and intracellular within parietal cells. Culture of mucosal scrapings from the Canada lynx and sand cats was unsuccessful. Based on morphology, motility, and cellular tropism, the bacteria were probably Helicobacter-like organisms. Although the two margays had moderate lymphoplasmacytic gastritis, the other cats lacked or had only mild gastric lymphoid infiltrates, suggesting that these organisms are either commensals or opportunistic pathogens.

  17. Catabolism of lysine by mixed rumen bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onodera, Ryoji; Kandatsu, Makoto.

    1975-01-01

    Metabolites arising from the catabolism of lysine by the mixed rumen bacteria were chromatographically examined by using radioactive lysine. After 6 hr incubation, 241 nmole/ml of lysine was decomposed to give ether-soluble substances and CO 2 by the bacteria and 90 nmole/ml of lysine was incorporated unchanged into the bacteria. delta-Aminovalerate, cadaverine or pipecolate did not seem to be produced from lysine even after incubation of the bacteria with addition of those three amino compounds to trap besides lysine and radioactive lysine. Most of the ether-soluble substances produced from radioactive lysine was volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Fractionation of VFAs revealed that the peaks of butyric and acetic acids coincided with the strong radioactive peaks. Small amounts of radioactivities were detected in propionic acid peak and a peak assumed to be caproic acid. The rumen bacteria appeared to decompose much larger amounts of lysine than the rumen ciliate protozoa did. (auth.)

  18. Biodiversity of Bacteria Isolated from Different Soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatma YAMAN

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the biodiversity of PHB producing bacteria isolated from soils where fruit and vegetable are cultivated (onion, grape, olive, mulberry and plum in Aydın providence. Morphological, cultural, biochemical, and molecular methods were used for bacteria identification. These isolated bacteria were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing and using BLAST. The following bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (6, Bacillus cereus (8, Bacillus anthrachis (1, Bacillus circulans (1, Bacillus weihenstephanensis (1, Pseudomonas putida (1, Azotobacter chroococcum (1, Brevibacterium frigoritolerans (1, Burkholderia sp. (1, Staphylococcus epidermidis (1, Streptomyces exfoliatus (1, Variovorax paradoxus (1 were found. The Maximum Likelihood method was used to produce a molecular phylogenetic analysis and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. These bacteria can produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB which is an organic polymer with commercial potential as a biodegradable thermoplastic. PHB can be used instead of petrol derivated non-degradable plastics. For this reason, PHB producing microorganisms are substantial in industry.

  19. NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-DMEL-02-0080 [SEVENS

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available CBRC-DMEL-02-0080 ref|NP_622419.1| Ribose/xylose/arabinose/galactoside ABC-type transport systems...inose/galactoside ABC-type transport systems, permease components [Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4] NP_622419.1 0.92 33% ...

  20. Probiotic bacteria: selective enumeration and survival in dairy foods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, N P

    2000-04-01

    A number of health benefits have been claimed for probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium spp., and Lactobacillus casei. Because of the potential health benefits, these organisms are increasingly incorporated into dairy foods. However, studies have shown low viability of probiotics in market preparations. In order to assess viability of probiotic bacteria, it is important to have a working method for selective enumeration of these probiotic bacteria. Viability of probiotic bacteria is important in order to provide health benefits. Viability of probiotic bacteria can be improved by appropriate selection of acid and bile resistant strains, use of oxygen impermeable containers, two-step fermentation, micro-encapsulation, stress adaptation, incorporation of micronutrients such as peptides and amino acids and by sonication of yogurt bacteria. This review will cover selective enumeration and survival of probiotic bacteria in dairy foods.

  1. Seed-vectored endophytic bacteria modulate development of rice seedlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, S K; Kingsley, K; Irizarry, I; Bergen, M; Kharwar, R N; White, J F

    2017-06-01

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the removal of indigenous bacteria from rice seeds on seedling growth and development. Here we report the presence of three indigenous endophytic bacteria in rice seeds that play important roles in modulating seedling development (shoot and root lengths, and formation of root hairs and secondary roots) and defence against pathogens. Seed-associated bacteria were removed using surface sterilization with NaOCl (bleach) followed by antibiotic treatment. When bacteria were absent, growth of seedlings in terms of root hair development and overall seedling size was less than that of seedlings that contained bacteria. Reactive oxygen staining of seedlings showed that endophytic bacteria became intracellular in root parenchyma cells and root hairs. Roots containing endophytic bacteria were seen to stain densely for reactive oxygen, while roots free of bacteria stained lightly for reactive oxygen. Bacteria were isolated and identified as Enterobacter asburiae (VWB1), Pantoea dispersa (VWB2) and Pseudomonas putida (VWB3) by 16S rDNA sequencing. Bacteria were found to produce indole acetic acid (auxins), inhibited the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum and solubilized phosphate. Reinoculation of bacteria onto seedlings derived from surface-disinfected rice and Bermuda grass seeds significantly restored seedling growth and development. Rice seeds harbour indigenous bacterial endophytes that greatly influence seedling growth and development, including root and shoot lengths, root hair formation and disease susceptibility of rice seedlings. This study shows that seeds of rice naturally harbour bacterial endophytes that play key roles in modulation of seedling development. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  2. Bacteria and plutonium in marine environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carey, A.E.; Bowen, V.T.

    1978-01-01

    Microbes are important in geochemical cycling of many elements. Recent reports emphasize biogenous particulates and bacterial exometabolites as controlling oceanic distribution of plutonium. Bacteria perform oxidation/reduction reactions on metals such as mercury, nickel, lead, copper, and cadmium. Redox transformations or uptake of Pu by marine bacteria may well proceed by similar mechanisms. Profiles of water samples and sediment cores were obtained along the continental shelf off Nova Scotia and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Profiles of water samples, and sediment cores were obtained. Epifluorescent microscopy was used to view bacteria (from water or sediment) after concentration on membrane filters and staining with acridine orange. Radiochemical analyses measured Pu in sediments and water samples. Studies of 237 Pu uptake used a strain of Leucothrix mucor isolated from a macroalga. Enumeration shows bacteria to range 10 4 to 10 5 cells/ml in seawater or 10 7 to 10 8 cells/gram of sediment. These numbers are related to the levels and distrbution of Pu in the samples. In cultures of L. mucor amended with Pu atom concentrations approximating those present in open ocean environments, bacterial cells concentrated 237 Pu slower and to lower levels than did clay minerals, glass beads, or phytoplankton. These data further clarify the role of marine bacteria in Pu biogeochemistry

  3. Assessment on Bacteria in the Heavy Metal Bioremediation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohamad Romizan Osman; Mohamad Romizan Osman; Azman Azid; Kamaruzzaman Yunus; Ahmad Dasuki Mustafa; Mohammad Azizi Amran; Fazureen Azaman; Zarizal Suhaili; Yahya Abu Bakar; Syahrir Farihan Mohamed Zainuddin

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to identify and verify the potential bacteria as the bioremediation agent. It involved bacteria isolation, identification through Gram staining, analytical profile index (API) test and determine bioremediation activities by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The soil and water sample were collected from downstream of Galing River, Kuantan Malaysia. Based on phenotypic identification and biochemical analysis, the bacteria present at the vicinity area are possibility of Myroides spp. and Micrococcus spp. These bacteria were proven as bioremediation agent based on the ICPMS result. The result 1 ppm of Zink (Zn), Lead (Pb), Arsenic (As), Selenium (Se), Cadmium (Cd), Manganese (Mn), and Indium (In) dwindled after the bacteria inoculated and incubated for seven days in mixture of base salt media (BSM) with the heavy metal elements. Therefore, this proves that the bacteria which are present at downstream of Galing River, Kuantan Malaysia are significant to help us in the bioremediation activity to decrease the heavy metal pollution in the environment. (author)

  4. Bacteria-based concrete: from concept to market

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiktor, V.; Jonkers, H. M.

    2016-08-01

    The concept of self-healing concrete—a concrete which can autonomously repair itself after crack formation, with no or limited human intervention—has received a lot of attention over the past 10 years as it could help structures to last longer and at a lower maintenance cost. This paper gives an overview on the key aspects and recent advances in the development of the bacteria-based self-healing concrete developed at the University of Technology of Delft (The Netherlands). Research started with the screening and selection of concrete compatible bacteria and nutrients. Several types of encapsulated bacteria and nutrients have been developed and tested. The functionality of these healing agents was demonstrated by showing metabolic activity of activated bacterial spores by oxygen consumption measurements and by regain of material functionality in form of regain of water tightness. Besides development of bacteria-based self-healing concrete, a bacteria-based repair mortar and liquid system were developed for the treatment of aged concrete structures. Field trials have been carried out with either type of bacteria-based systems and the promising results have led to a spinoff company Basilisk Self-Healing Concrete with the aim to further develop these systems and bring them to the market.

  5. Rapid diagnostics of the bacteria in air

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Belov Nikolai, N. [ATECH KFT, Budapest (Hungary)

    2000-07-01

    Presence of the bacteria and viruses in the air is great problem now. Terrorists are going to use the bacteria weapon. Now biotechnology provides very cheap equipment ({approx} $500) for modification of the bacteria sorts. It may be used for receiving of new variants of the bacteriological weapon. And presence of one small bacteria aerosol generator in the international airport during several days will start the dangerous epidemic incidence the entire world. From another side - poor countries with hot and wet weather are continuously producing new and new dangerous bacteria. Every year epidemic waves of influence are going from China, India or Africa. And once up a time it will be epidemic explosive with fast lethal finish. Methods of estimation of the bio-aerosols in Air of City are very poor. Standard Bio-aerosol sampler has two conflicting demands. From one side the bio-sampler needs in great air volume of sample with great efficiency of separation of aerosol particles from measured air. From another side all selected particles needs in great care. This demand carried out from method of measurement of bacteria in sample by counting of colonies that grew from bacteria on nutrient media after incubation time. It is a problem to prevent bacterial flora from death during collecting aerosol sample. This time of growth and counting of colony is so long that result of this measurement will be unusable if it will be terrorist action of start of bacteriological was. Here presented new methods for fast diagnostics of the bacteria in the air. It consists from 4 general parts: (1) Micro-droplet method for diagnostics of biological active substances in aerosol sample. This method allows to control the bio-particle position on the plate, to use series of biochemistry species for analytical reaction for this small bio-particle. Small volume of biochemical reaction reduces noise. This method provides extremely high sensitivity for discovering of biological material. (2

  6. Anti-bacteria effect of active ingredients of siraitia grosvenorii on the spoilage bacteria isolated from sauced pork head meat

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, X.; Xu, L. Y.; Cui, Y. Q.; Pang, M. X.; Wang, F.; Qi, J. H.

    2018-01-01

    Extraction and anti-bacteria effect of active ingredients of Siraitia grosvenorii were studied in this paper. Extraction combined with ultrasonic was adopted. The optimum extraction condition was determined by single factor test; the anti-bacteria effect of active ingredients and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were valued by Oxford-cup method. The results indicated that optimum extraction condition of active ingredients extracted from Siraitia grosvenorii were described as follows: ethanol concentrations of sixty-five percent and twenty minutes with ultrasonic assisted extraction; the active ingredients of Siraitia grosvenorii had anti-bacteria effect on Staphylococcus epidermidis, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus sp, Serratia sp and MIC was 0.125g/mL, 0.0625g/mL, 0.125g/mL and 0.125g/mL. The active constituent of Siraitia grosvenorii has obvious anti-bacteria effect on the spoilage bacteria isolated from Sauced pork head meat and can be used as a new natural food preservation to prolong the shelf-life of Low-temperature meat products.

  7. Rapid methods for detection of bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Corfitzen, Charlotte B.; Andersen, B.Ø.; Miller, M.

    2006-01-01

    Traditional methods for detection of bacteria in drinking water e.g. Heterotrophic Plate Counts (HPC) or Most Probable Number (MNP) take 48-72 hours to give the result. New rapid methods for detection of bacteria are needed to protect the consumers against contaminations. Two rapid methods...

  8. Isolation and characterization of feather degrading bacteria from ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study is aimed at isolating and characterizing new culturable feather degrading bacteria from soils of the University of Mauritius Farm. Bacteria that were isolated were tested for their capability to grow on feather meal agar (FMA). Proteolytic bacteria were tested for feather degradation and were further identified ...

  9. Bacteria associated with cultures of psathyrella atroumbonata (Pleger)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    These bacteria include Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus subtilis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. The average bacteria count was 1.0 x 106 cfu/ml and these bacteria grew within pH range of 5.0 and 9.0. the optimum temperature range of growth lied ...

  10. Thymidine kinase diversity in bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sandrini, Michael; Clausen, A.R.; Munch-Petersen, B.

    2006-01-01

    Thymidine kinases (TKs) appear to be almost ubiquitous and are found in nearly all prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and several viruses. They are the key enzymes in thymidine salvage and activation of several anti-cancer and antiviral drugs. We show that bacterial TKs can be subdivided into 2 groups. The....... The TKs from Gram-positive bacteria are more closely related to the eukaryotic TK1 enzymes than are TKs from Gram-negative bacteria....

  11. Characterization of Bacteria Associated with Pinewood Nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vicente, Claudia S. L.; Nascimento, Francisco; Espada, Margarida; Barbosa, Pedro; Mota, Manuel; Glick, Bernard R.; Oliveira, Solange

    2012-01-01

    Pine wilt disease (PWD) is a complex disease integrating three major agents: the pathogenic agent, the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus; the insect-vector Monochamus spp.; and the host pine tree, Pinus sp. Since the early 80's, the notion that another pathogenic agent, namely bacteria, may play a role in PWD has been gaining traction, however the role of bacteria in PWD is still unknown. The present work supports the possibility that some B. xylophilus-associated bacteria may play a significant role in the development of this disease. This is inferred as a consequence of: (i) the phenotypic characterization of a collection of 35 isolates of B. xylophilus-associated bacteria, in different tests broadly used to test plant pathogenic and plant growth promoting bacteria, and (ii) greenhouse experiments that infer the pathogenicity of these bacteria in maritime pine, Pinus pinaster. The results illustrate the presence of a heterogeneous microbial community associated with B. xylophilus and the traits exhibited by at least, some of these bacteria, appear to be related to PWD symptoms. The inoculation of four specific B. xylophilus-associated bacteria isolates in P. pinaster seedlings resulted in the development of some PWD symptoms suggesting that these bacteria likely play an active role with B. xylophilus in PWD. PMID:23091599

  12. Identification of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Propionic Acid Bacteria using FTIR Spectroscopy and Artificial Neural Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beata Nalepa

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid bacteria have been identified at the genus level with the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR. Bacterial strains of the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus and Propionibacterium were analyzed since they deliver health benefits and are routinely used in the food processing industry. The correctness of bacterial identification by ANNs and FTIR was evaluated at two stages. At first stage, ANNs were tested based on the spectra of 66 reference bacterial strains. At second stage, the evaluation involved 286 spectra of bacterial strains isolated from food products, deposited in our laboratory collection, and identified by genus-specific PCR. ANNs were developed based on the spectra and their first derivatives. The most satisfactory results were reported for the probabilistic neural network, which was built using a combination of W5W4W3 spectral ranges. This network correctly identified the genus of 95 % of the lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid bacteria strains analyzed.

  13. Rock-degrading endophytic bacteria in cacti

    Science.gov (United States)

    M. Esther Puente; Ching Y. Li; Yoav Bashan

    2009-01-01

    A plant-bacterium association of the cardon cactus (Pachycereus pringlei) and endophytic bacteria promotes establishment of seedlings and growth on igneous rocks without soil. These bacteria weather several rock types and minerals, unbind significant amounts of useful minerals for plants from the rocks, fix in vitro N2. produce...

  14. Rapid separation of bacteria from blood - Chemical aspects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alizadeh, Mahsa; Wood, Ryan L; Buchanan, Clara M; Bledsoe, Colin G; Wood, Madison E; McClellan, Daniel S; Blanco, Rae; Ravsten, Tanner V; Husseini, Ghaleb A; Hickey, Caroline L; Robison, Richard A; Pitt, William G

    2017-06-01

    To rapidly diagnose infectious organisms causing blood sepsis, bacteria must be rapidly separated from blood, a very difficult process considering that concentrations of bacteria are many orders of magnitude lower than concentrations of blood cells. We have successfully separated bacteria from red and white blood cells using a sedimentation process in which the separation is driven by differences in density and size. Seven mL of whole human blood spiked with bacteria is placed in a 12-cm hollow disk and spun at 3000rpm for 1min. The red and white cells sediment more than 30-fold faster than bacteria, leaving much of the bacteria in the plasma. When the disk is slowly decelerated, the plasma flows to a collection site and the red and white cells are trapped in the disk. Analysis of the recovered plasma shows that about 36% of the bacteria is recovered in the plasma. The plasma is not perfectly clear of red blood cells, but about 94% have been removed. This paper describes the effects of various chemical aspects of this process, including the influence of anticoagulant chemistry on the separation efficiency and the use of wetting agents and platelet aggregators that may influence the bacterial recovery. In a clinical scenario, the recovered bacteria can be subsequently analyzed to determine their species and resistance to various antibiotics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Effects of symbiotic bacteria on chemical sensitivity of Daphnia magna.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manakul, Patcharaporn; Peerakietkhajorn, Saranya; Matsuura, Tomoaki; Kato, Yasuhiko; Watanabe, Hajime

    2017-07-01

    The crustacean zooplankton Daphnia magna has been widely used for chemical toxicity tests. Although abiotic factors have been well documented in ecotoxicological test protocols, biotic factors that may affect the sensitivity to chemical compounds remain limited. Recently, we identified symbiotic bacteria that are critical for the growth and reproduction of D. magna. The presence of symbiotic bacteria on Daphnia raised the question as to whether these bacteria have a positive or negative effect on toxicity tests. In order to evaluate the effects of symbiotic bacteria on toxicity tests, bacteria-free Daphnia were prepared, and their chemical sensitivities were compared with that of Daphnia with symbiotic bacteria based on an acute immobilization test. The Daphnia with symbiotic bacteria showed higher chemical resistance to nonylphenol, fenoxycarb, and pentachlorophenol than bacteria-free Daphnia. These results suggested potential roles of symbiotic bacteria in the chemical resistance of its host Daphnia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Comparative genomics of the lactic acid bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Makarova, K.; Slesarev, A.; Wolf, Y.; Sorokin, A.; Mirkin, B.; Koonin, E.; Pavlov, A.; Pavlova, N.; Karamychev, V.; Polouchine, N.; Shakhova, V.; Grigoriev, I.; Lou, Y.; Rokhsar, D.; Lucas, S.; Huang, K.; Goodstein, D. M.; Hawkins, T.; Plengvidhya, V.; Welker, D.; Hughes, J.; Goh, Y.; Benson, A.; Baldwin, K.; Lee, J. -H.; Diaz-Muniz, I.; Dosti, B.; Smeianov, V; Wechter, W.; Barabote, R.; Lorca, G.; Altermann, E.; Barrangou, R.; Ganesan, B.; Xie, Y.; Rawsthorne, H.; Tamir, D.; Parker, C.; Breidt, F.; Broadbent, J.; Hutkins, R.; O' Sullivan, D.; Steele, J.; Unlu, G.; Saier, M.; Klaenhammer, T.; Richardson, P.; Kozyavkin, S.; Weimer, B.; Mills, D.

    2006-06-01

    Lactic acid-producing bacteria are associated with various plant and animal niches and play a key role in the production of fermented foods and beverages. We report nine genome sequences representing the phylogenetic and functional diversity of these bacteria. The small genomes of lactic acid bacteria encode a broad repertoire of transporters for efficient carbon and nitrogen acquisition from the nutritionally rich environments they inhabit and reflect a limited range of biosynthetic capabilities that indicate both prototrophic and auxotrophic strains. Phylogenetic analyses, comparison of gene content across the group, and reconstruction of ancestral gene sets indicate a combination of extensive gene loss and key gene acquisitions via horizontal gene transfer during the coevolution of lactic acid bacteria with their habitats.

  17. Chitin Degradation In Marine Bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paulsen, Sara; Machado, Henrique; Gram, Lone

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: Chitin is the most abundant polymer in the marine environment and the second most abundant in nature. Chitin does not accumulate on the ocean floor, because of microbial breakdown. Chitin degrading bacteria could have potential in the utilization of chitin as a renewable carbon...... and nitrogen source in the fermentation industry.Methods: Here, whole genome sequenced marine bacteria were screened for chitin degradation using phenotypic and in silico analyses.Results: The in silico analyses revealed the presence of three to nine chitinases in each strain, however the number of chitinases...... chitin regulatory system.Conclusions: This study has provided insight into the ecology of chitin degradation in marine bacteria. It also served as a basis for choosing a more efficient chitin degrading production strain e.g. for the use of chitin waste for large-scale fermentations....

  18. Mortality of fecal bacteria in seawater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia-Lara, J.; Menon, P.; Servais, P.; Billen, G.

    1991-01-01

    The authors propose a method for determining the mortality rate for allochthonous bacteria released in aquatic environments without interference due to the loss of culturability in specific culture media. This method consists of following the disappearance of radioactivity from the trichloracetic acid-insoluble fraction in water samples to which [ 3 H]thymidine-prelabeled allochthonous bacteria have been added. In coastal seawater, they found that the actual rate of disappearance of fecal bacteria was 1 order of magnitude lower than the rate of loss of culturability on specific media. Minor adaptation of the procedure may facilitate assessment of the effect of protozoan grazing and bacteriophage lysis on the overall bacterial mortality rate

  19. Beer spoilage bacteria and hop resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakamoto, Kanta; Konings, Wil N

    2003-12-31

    For brewing industry, beer spoilage bacteria have been problematic for centuries. They include some lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus lindneri and Pediococcus damnosus, and some Gram-negative bacteria such as Pectinatus cerevisiiphilus, Pectinatus frisingensis and Megasphaera cerevisiae. They can spoil beer by turbidity, acidity and the production of unfavorable smell such as diacetyl or hydrogen sulfide. For the microbiological control, many advanced biotechnological techniques such as immunoassay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been applied in place of the conventional and time-consuming method of incubation on culture media. Subsequently, a method is needed to determine whether the detected bacterium is capable of growing in beer or not. In lactic acid bacteria, hop resistance is crucial for their ability to grow in beer. Hop compounds, mainly iso-alpha-acids in beer, have antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. They act as ionophores which dissipate the pH gradient across the cytoplasmic membrane and reduce the proton motive force (pmf). Consequently, the pmf-dependent nutrient uptake is hampered, resulting in cell death. The hop-resistance mechanisms in lactic acid bacteria have been investigated. HorA was found to excrete hop compounds in an ATP-dependent manner from the cell membrane to outer medium. Additionally, increased proton pumping by the membrane bound H(+)-ATPase contributes to hop resistance. To energize such ATP-dependent transporters hop-resistant cells contain larger ATP pools than hop-sensitive cells. Furthermore, a pmf-dependent hop transporter was recently presented. Understanding the hop-resistance mechanisms has enabled the development of rapid methods to discriminate beer spoilage strains from nonspoilers. The horA-PCR method has been applied for bacterial control in breweries. Also, a discrimination method was developed based on ATP pool measurement in lactobacillus cells. However

  20. Inhibitory effect of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria against histamine-forming bacteria isolated from Myeolchi-jeot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eun-Seo Lim

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The objectives of this study were to identify the histamine-forming bacteria and bacteriocin- producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB isolated from Myeolchi-jeot according to sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, to evaluate the inhibitory effects of the bacteriocin on the growth and histamine accumulation of histamine-forming bacteria, and to assess the physico-chemical properties of the bacteriocin. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, histamine-forming bacteria were identified as Bacillus licheniformis MCH01, Serratia marcescens MCH02, Staphylococcus xylosus MCH03, Aeromonas hydrophila MCH04, and Morganella morganii MCH05. The five LAB strains identified as Pediococcus acidilactici MCL11, Leuconostoc mesenteroides MCL12, Enterococcus faecium MCL13, Lactobacillus sakei MCL14, and Lactobacillus acidophilus MCL15 were found to produce an antibacterial compound with inhibitory activity against the tested histamine-producing bacteria. The inhibitory activity of these bacteriocins obtained from the five LAB remained stable after incubation at pH 4.0–8.0 and heating for 10 min at 80 °C; however, the bacteriocin activity was destroyed after treatment with papain, pepsin, proteinase K, α-chymotrypsin, or trypsin. Meanwhile, these bacteriocins produced by the tested LAB strains also exhibited histamine-degradation ability. Therefore, these antimicrobial substances may play a role in inhibiting histamine formation in the fermented fish products and preventing seafood-related food-borne disease caused by bacterially generated histamine.

  1. Anaerobic bacteria that dechlorinate perchloroethene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fathepure, B Z; Nengu, J P; Boyd, S A

    1987-01-01

    In this study, we identified specific cultures of anaerobic bacteria that dechlorinate perchlorethene (PCE). The bacteria that significantly dechlorinated PCE were strain DCB-1, an obligate anaerobe previously shown to dechlorinate chlorobenzoate, and two strains of Methanosarcina. The rate of PCE dechlorination by DCB-1 compared favorably with reported rates of trichloroethene bio-oxidation by methanotrophs. Even higher PCE dechlorination rates were achieved when DCB-1 was grown in a methanogenic consortium. PMID:3426224

  2. Modulation of immune homeostasis by commensal bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanov, Ivaylo I.; Littman, Dan R.

    2011-01-01

    Intestinal bacteria form a resident community that has co-evolved with the mammalian host. In addition to playing important roles in digestion and harvesting energy, commensal bacteria are crucial for the proper functioning of mucosal immune defenses. Most of these functions have been attributed to the presence of large numbers of “innocuous” resident bacteria that dilute or occupy niches for intestinal pathogens or induce innate immune responses that sequester bacteria in the lumen, thus quenching excessive activation of the mucosal immune system. However it has recently become obvious that commensal bacteria are not simply beneficial bystanders, but are important modulators of intestinal immune homeostasis and that the composition of the microbiota is a major factor in pre-determining the type and robustness of mucosal immune responses. Here we review specific examples of individual members of the microbiota that modify innate and adaptive immune responses, and we focus on potential mechanisms by which such species-specific signals are generated and transmitted to the host immune system. PMID:21215684

  3. Uptake of americium-241 by algae and bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geisy, J P; Paine, D

    1978-01-01

    Algae and bacteria are important factors in the transport and mobilization of elements in the biosphere. These factors may be involved in trophic biomagnification, resulting in a potential human hazard or environmental degradation. Although americium, one of the most toxic elements known, is not required for plant growth, it may be concentrated by algae and bacteria. Therefore, the availability of americium-241 to algae and bacteria was studied to determine their role in the ultimate fate of this element released into the environment. Both algae and bacteria concentrated americium-241 to a high degree, making them important parts of the biomagnification process. The ability to concentrate americium-241 makes algae and bacteria potentially significant factors in cycling this element in the water column. (4 graphs, numerous references, 3 tables)

  4. High motility reduces grazing mortality of planktonic bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Matz, Carsten; Jurgens, K.

    2005-01-01

    We tested the impact of bacterial swimming speed on the survival of planktonic bacteria in the presence of protozoan grazers. Grazing experiments with three common bacterivorous nanoflagellates revealed low clearance rates for highly motile bacteria. High-resolution video microscopy demonstrated...... size revealed highest grazing losses for moderately motile bacteria with a cell size between 0.2 and 0.4 mum(3). Grazing mortality was lowest for cells of >0.5 mum(3) and small, highly motile bacteria. Survival efficiencies of >95% for the ultramicrobacterial isolate CP-1 (less than or equal to0.1 mum......(3), >50 mum s(-1)) illustrated the combined protective action of small cell size and high motility. Our findings suggest that motility has an important adaptive function in the survival of planktonic bacteria during protozoan grazing....

  5. Thermophilic Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Cold Marine Sediment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    ISAKSEN, MF; BAK, F.; JØRGENSEN, BB

    1994-01-01

    sulfate-reducing bacteria was detected. Time course experiments showed constant sulfate reduction rates at 4 degrees C and 30 degrees C, whereas the activity at 60 degrees C increased exponentially after a lag period of one day. Thermophilic, endospore-forming sulfate-reducing bacteria, designated strain...... C to search for presence of psychrophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria. Detectable activity was initially only in the mesophilic range, but after a lag phase sulfate reduction by thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria were observed. No distinct activity of psychrophilic...... P60, were isolated and characterized as Desulfotomaculum kuznetsovii. The temperature response of growth and respiration of strain P60 agreed well with the measured sulfate reduction at 50 degrees-70 degrees C. Bacteria similar to strain P60 could thus be responsible for the measured thermophilic...

  6. Thermophilic Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Cold Marine Sediment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    ISAKSEN, MF; BAK, F.; JØRGENSEN, BB

    1994-01-01

    C to search for presence of psychrophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria. Detectable activity was initially only in the mesophilic range, but after a lag phase sulfate reduction by thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria were observed. No distinct activity of psychrophilic...... sulfate-reducing bacteria was detected. Time course experiments showed constant sulfate reduction rates at 4 degrees C and 30 degrees C, whereas the activity at 60 degrees C increased exponentially after a lag period of one day. Thermophilic, endospore-forming sulfate-reducing bacteria, designated strain...... P60, were isolated and characterized as Desulfotomaculum kuznetsovii. The temperature response of growth and respiration of strain P60 agreed well with the measured sulfate reduction at 50 degrees-70 degrees C. Bacteria similar to strain P60 could thus be responsible for the measured thermophilic...

  7. Visualizing aquatic bacteria by light and transmission electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Thiago P; Noyma, Natália P; Duque, Thabata L A; Gamalier, Juliana P; Vidal, Luciana O; Lobão, Lúcia M; Chiarini-Garcia, Hélio; Roland, Fábio; Melo, Rossana C N

    2014-01-01

    The understanding of the functional role of aquatic bacteria in microbial food webs is largely dependent on methods applied to the direct visualization and enumeration of these organisms. While the ultrastructure of aquatic bacteria is still poorly known, routine observation of aquatic bacteria by light microscopy requires staining with fluorochromes, followed by filtration and direct counting on filter surfaces. Here, we used a new strategy to visualize and enumerate aquatic bacteria by light microscopy. By spinning water samples from varied tropical ecosystems in a cytocentrifuge, we found that bacteria firmly adhere to regular slides, can be stained by fluorochoromes with no background formation and fast enumerated. Significant correlations were found between the cytocentrifugation and filter-based methods. Moreover, preparations through cytocentrifugation were more adequate for bacterial viability evaluation than filter-based preparations. Transmission electron microscopic analyses revealed a morphological diversity of bacteria with different internal and external structures, such as large variation in the cell envelope and capsule thickness, and presence or not of thylakoid membranes. Our results demonstrate that aquatic bacteria represent an ultrastructurally diverse population and open avenues for easy handling/quantification and better visualization of bacteria by light microscopy without the need of filter membranes.

  8. Microfluidic Transducer for Detecting Nanomechanical Movements of Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kara, Vural; Ekinci, Kamil

    2017-11-01

    Various nanomechanical movements of bacteria are currently being explored as an indication of bacterial viability. Most notably, these movements have been observed to subside rapidly and dramatically when the bacteria are exposed to an effective antibiotic. This suggests that monitoring bacterial movements, if performed with high fidelity, can offer a path to various clinical microbiological applications, including antibiotic susceptibility tests. Here, we introduce a robust and sensitive microfluidic transduction technique for detecting the nanomechanical movements of bacteria. The technique is based on measuring the electrical fluctuations in a microchannel which the bacteria populate. These electrical fluctuations are caused by the swimming of motile, planktonic bacteria and random oscillations of surface-immobilized bacteria. The technique provides enough sensitivity to detect even the slightest movements of a single cell and lends itself to smooth integration with other microfluidic methods and devices; it may eventually be used for rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing. We acknowledge support from Boston University Office of Technology Development, Boston University College of Engineering, NIH (1R03AI126168-01) and The Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.

  9. Exogenous fatty acid metabolism in bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Jiangwei; Rock, Charles O

    2017-10-01

    Bacterial type II fatty acid synthesis (FASII) is a target for novel antibiotic development. All bacteria encode for mechanisms to incorporate exogenous fatty acids, and some bacteria can use exogenous fatty acids to bypass FASII inhibition. Bacteria encode three different mechanisms for activating exogenous fatty acids for incorporation into phospholipid synthesis. Exogenous fatty acids are converted into acyl-CoA in Gammaproteobacteria such as E. coli. Acyl-CoA molecules constitute a separate pool from endogenously synthesized acyl-ACP. Acyl-CoA can be used for phospholipid synthesis or broken down by β-oxidation, but cannot be used for lipopolysaccharide synthesis. Exogenous fatty acids are converted into acyl-ACP in some Gram-negative bacteria. The resulting acyl-ACP undergoes the same fates as endogenously synthesized acyl-ACP. Exogenous fatty acids are converted into acyl-phosphates in Gram-positive bacteria, and can be used for phospholipid synthesis or become acyl-ACP. Only the order Lactobacillales can use exogenous fatty acids to bypass FASII inhibition. FASII shuts down completely in presence of exogenous fatty acids in Lactobacillales, allowing Lactobacillales to synthesize phospholipids entirely from exogenous fatty acids. Inhibition of FASII cannot be bypassed in other bacteria because FASII is only partially down-regulated in presence of exogenous fatty acid or FASII is required to synthesize essential metabolites such as β-hydroxyacyl-ACP. Certain selective pressures such as FASII inhibition or growth in biofilms can select for naturally occurring one step mutations that attenuate endogenous fatty acid synthesis. Although attempts have been made to estimate the natural prevalence of these mutants, culture-independent metagenomic methods would provide a better estimate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

  10. Sensitivity of certain bacteria to antibiotics and irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harsojo,; Andini, L S; Siagian, E G; Lina, M R; Zuleiha, S [National Atomic Energy Agency, Jakarta (Indonesia). Pasar Djumat Research Centre

    1981-07-01

    An experiment has been conducted to find vegetative forms of certain bacteria in Indonesia which are resistant to irradiation, the resistance of which will be compared to that of known radioresistant bacteria micrococcus radiodurans. To inactivate the vegetative forms of resistant bacteria to irradiation high doses are needed, while for storage purposes lower doses change the physical and chemical properties of the stored commodity are preferred. For this purpose the bacteria were irradiated in aerobic condition with gamma radiation doses of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 kGy, or treated with antibiotics e.g. tetracycline HCl or chloramphenicol with concentrations of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 ..mu..g/ml respectively. The results indicated that doses of 0.2 kGy and 0.1 ..mu..g/ml reduced the ability of the bacteria for multiplication.

  11. Anti-bacteria Effect of Active Ingredients of Cacumen Platycladi on the Spoilage Bacteria of Sauced Pork Head Meat

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiao; Xu, Lingyi; Cui, Yuqian; Pang, Meixia; Wang, Fang; Qi, Jinghua

    2017-12-01

    Extraction and anti-bacteria effect of active ingredients of Cacumen Platycladi were studied in this paper. Extraction combined with ultrasonic was adopted. The optimum extraction condition was determined by single factor test; the anti-bacteria effect of active ingredients and minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) were valued by Oxford-cup method. The results indicated that kaempferol was the active ingredients of Cacumen Platycladi whose optimum extraction condition for ethanol concentrations were sixty-five percent and twenty minutes with ultrasonic assisted extraction.; the active ingredients of Cacumen Platycladi had anti-bacteria effect on Staphylococcus, Proteus, Bacillus, Serratia and MIC was 0.5 g/mL,0.5 g/mL,0.0313 g/mL and 0.0625 g/mL. The active constituent of Cacumen Platycladi is kaempferol which has obvious anti-bacteria effect and can be used to prolong the shelf-life of Low-temperature meat products.

  12. Behavior of plutonium interacting with bentonite and sulfate-reducing anaerobic bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kudo, A.; Zheng, J.; Cayer, I.; Fujikawa, Y.; Yoshikawa, H.; Ito, M.

    1997-01-01

    The interactions between sulfate reducing anaerobic bacteria and plutonium, with or without bentonite present, were investigated using distribution coefficients [Kd (ml/g)] as an index of the radionuclide behavior. Plutonium Kds for living bacteria varied within a large range, from 1,804 to 112,952, depending on the pH, while the Kds ranged from 1,180 to 5,931 for dead bacteria. In general, living bacteria had higher plutonium Kds than dead bacteria. Furthermore, the higher Kd values of 39,677 to 106,915 for living bacteria were obtained for a pH range between 6.83 and 8.25, while no visible pH effect was observed for dead bacteria. These Kd values were obtained using tracers for both 236 Pu and 239 Pu, which can check the experimental procedures and mass balance. Another comparison was conducted for plutonium Kd values of mixtures of living bacteria with bentonite and sterilized bacteria with bentonite. The range of Kd values for the non-sterilized bacteria with bentonite were 1,194 to 83,648 while Kd values for the sterilized bacteria with bentonite were from 624 to 17,236. Again, the Kd values for the living bacteria with bentonite were higher than those of sterilized bacteria with bentonite. In other words, the presence of living anaerobic bacteria with bentonite increased, by roughly 50 times, the Kd values of 239 Pu when compared to the mixture of dead bacteria with bentonite. The results indicate that the effects of anaerobic bacteria within the engineered barrier system (in this case bentonite) will play a significant role in the behavior of plutonium in geologic repositories

  13. Multiresistant Bacteria Isolated from Chicken Meat in Austria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gernot Zarfel

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Multidrug resistant bacteria (MDR bacteria, such as extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL Enterobacteriaceae, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE, pose a challenge to the human health care system. In recent years, these MDR bacteria have been detected increasingly outside the hospital environment. Also the contamination of food with MDR bacteria, particularly of meat and meat products, is a concern. The aim of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of MDR bacteria in chicken meat on the Austrian market. For this study, 50 chicken meat samples were analysed. All samples originated from chickens slaughtered in Austrian slaughterhouses and were marked as produced in Austria. Samples were analysed for the presence of ESBL Enterobacteriaceae, methicillin resistant Staphylococci and VRE. Resistance genes of the isolated bacteria were characterised by PCR and sequencing. In the present study 26 ESBL producing E. coli, five mecA gene harbouring Staphylococci (but no MRSA, and four VRE were detected in chicken meat samples of Austrian origin. In 24 (48% of the samples no ESBL Enterobacteriaceae, MRSA, methicillin resistant coagulase negative Staphylococcus (MRCNS or VRE could be detected. None of the samples contained all three types of investigated multiresistant bacteria. In concordance to previous studies, CTX-M-1 and SHV-12 were the dominant ESBL genes.

  14. Pu sorption to activated conglomerate anaerobic bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, Takayuki; Kudo, Akira

    2001-01-01

    The sorption of Pu to the anaerobic bacteria activated under specific conditions of temperature, pH and depleted nutrients after long dormant period was investigated. After 4 h at neutral pH, the distribution coefficient (K d ) between bacteria and aqueous phase at 308 and 278 K had around 10 3 to 10 4 . After over 5 days, however, the K d at only 308 K had increased to over 10 5 . Sterilized (dead) and dormant anaerobic bacteria adsorbed Pu to the same extent. (author)

  15. The effect of lactic acid bacteria on cocoa bean fermentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Van Thi Thuy; Zhao, Jian; Fleet, Graham

    2015-07-16

    Cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao L.) are the raw material for chocolate production. Fermentation of cocoa pulp by microorganisms is crucial for developing chocolate flavor precursors. Yeasts conduct an alcoholic fermentation within the bean pulp that is essential for the production of good quality beans, giving typical chocolate characters. However, the roles of bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria in contributing to the quality of cocoa bean and chocolate are not fully understood. Using controlled laboratory fermentations, this study investigated the contribution of lactic acid bacteria to cocoa bean fermentation. Cocoa beans were fermented under conditions where the growth of lactic acid bacteria was restricted by the use of nisin and lysozyme. The resultant microbial ecology, chemistry and chocolate quality of beans from these fermentations were compared with those of indigenous (control) fermentations. The yeasts Hanseniaspora guilliermondii, Pichia kudriavzevii, Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus pentosus and Lactobacillus fermentum and the acetic acid bacteria Acetobacter pasteurianus and Gluconobacter frateurii were the major species found in control fermentations. In fermentations with the presence of nisin and lysozyme, the same species of yeasts and acetic acid bacteria grew but the growth of lactic acid bacteria was prevented or restricted. These beans underwent characteristic alcoholic fermentation where the utilization of sugars and the production of ethanol, organic acids and volatile compounds in the bean pulp and nibs were similar for beans fermented in the presence of lactic acid bacteria. Lactic acid was produced during both fermentations but more so when lactic acid bacteria grew. Beans fermented in the presence or absence of lactic acid bacteria were fully fermented, had similar shell weights and gave acceptable chocolates with no differences

  16. Comparative Genomics of Green Sulfur Bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ussery, David; Davenport, C; Tümmler, B

    2010-01-01

    Eleven completely sequenced Chlorobi genomes were compared in oligonucleotide usage, gene contents, and synteny. The green sulfur bacteria (GSB) are equipped with a core genome that sustains their anoxygenic phototrophic lifestyle by photosynthesis, sulfur oxidation, and CO(2) fixation. Whole...... weight of 10(6), and are probably instrumental for the bacteria to generate their own intimate (micro)environment....

  17. Isolation of radiation-resistant bacteria without exposure to irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanders, S.W.; Maxcy, R.B.

    1979-01-01

    Resistance to desiccation was utilized in the selection of highly radiation-resistant asporogenous bacteria from nonirradiated sources. A bacterial suspension in phosphate buffer was dried in a thin film at 25 0 C and 33% relative humidity. Storage under these conditions for 15 days or more reduced the number of radiation-sensitive bacteria. Further selection for radiation-resistant bacteria was obtained by irradiation of bacteria on velveteen in the replication process, therby avoiding the toxic effect of irradiated media. The similarity of radiation resistance and identifying characteristics in irradiated and non-irradiated isolates should allay some concerns that highly radiation-resistance bacteria have been permanently altered by radiation selection

  18. Do Bacteria Age?

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Bacteria are thought to be examples of organisms that do not age. They divide by .... carry genetic material to the next generation through the process of reproduction; they are also .... molecules, and modified proteins. This report revealed that ...

  19. Magnetosome chain superstructure in uncultured magnetotactic bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abraçado, Leida G; Farina, Marcos; Abreu, Fernanda; Keim, Carolina N; Lins, Ulysses; Campos, Andrea P C

    2010-01-01

    Magnetotactic bacteria produce magnetosomes, which are magnetic particles enveloped by biological membranes, in a highly controlled mineralization process. Magnetosomes are used to navigate in magnetic fields by a phenomenon called magnetotaxis. Two levels of organization and control are recognized in magnetosomes. First, magnetotactic bacteria create a spatially distinct environment within vesicles defined by their membranes. In the vesicles, the bacteria control the size, composition and purity of the mineral content of the magnetic particles. Unique crystal morphologies are produced in magnetosomes as a consequence of this bacterial control. Second, magnetotactic bacteria organize the magnetosomes in chains within the cell body. It has been shown in a particular case that the chains are positioned within the cell body in specific locations defined by filamentous cytoskeleton elements. Here, we describe an additional level of organization of the magnetosome chains in uncultured magnetotactic cocci found in marine and freshwater sediments. Electron microscopy analysis of the magnetosome chains using a goniometer showed that the magnetic crystals in both types of bacteria are not oriented at random along the crystal chain. Instead, the magnetosomes have specific orientations relative to the other magnetosomes in the chain. Each crystal is rotated either 60°, 180° or 300° relative to their neighbors along the chain axis, causing the overlapping of the (1 1 1) and (1-bar 1-bar 1-bar) capping faces of neighboring crystals. We suggest that genetic determinants that are not present or active in bacteria with magnetosomes randomly rotated within a chain must be present in bacteria that organize magnetosomes so precisely. This particular organization may also be used as an indicative biosignature of magnetosomes in the study of magnetofossils in the cases where this symmetry is observed

  20. Platelets and infections—complex interactions with bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hind eHAMZEH-COGNASSE

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Platelets can be considered sentinels of vascular system due to their high number in the circulation and to the range of functional immunoreceptors they express. Platelets express a wide range of potential bacterial receptors, including complement receptors, FcγRII, Toll-Like Receptors but also integrins conventionally described in the hemostatic response, such as GPIIb-IIIa or GPIb. Bacteria bind these receptors either directly, or indirectly via fibrinogen, fibronectin, the first complement C1q, the von Willebrand Factor, etc. The fate of platelet bound bacteria is questioned. Several studies reported the ability of activated platelets to internalize bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus or Porphyromonas gingivalis, though there is no clue on what happens thereafter. Are they sheltered from the immune system in the cytoplasm of platelets or are they lysed? Indeed, while the presence of phagolysosome has not been demonstrated in platelets, they contain antimicrobial peptides that were shown to be efficient on S. aureus. Besides, the fact that bacteria can bind to platelets via receptors involved in hemostasis suggests that they may induce aggregation; this has indeed been described for Streptococcus sanguinis, S. epidermidis or C. pneumoniae. On the other hand, platelets are able to display an inflammatory response to an infectious triggering. We, and others, have shown that platelet release soluble immunomodulatory factors upon stimulation by bacterial components. Moreover, interactions between bacteria and platelets are not limited to only these two partners. Indeed, platelets are also essential for the formation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps by neutrophils, resulting in bacterial clearance by trapping bacteria and concentrating antibacterial factors but in enhancing thrombosis. In conclusion, the platelet-bacteria interplay is a complex game; its fine analysis is complicated by the fact that the inflammatory component adds to the

  1. Nanotextile membranes for bacteria Escherichia coli capturing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaroslav Lev

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The article describes an experimental study dealing with the possibility of nanotextile materials usa­ge for microbiologically contaminated water filtration. The aim of the study is to verify filtration ability of different nanotextile materials and evaluate the possibilities of practical usage. Good detention ability of these materials in the air filtration is the presumption for nanotextile to be used for bacteria filtration from a liquid. High nanotextile porosity with the nanotextile pores dimensions smaller than a bacteria size predicates the possibility of a successful usage of these materials. For the experiment were used materials made from electrospinning nanofibres under the label PA612, PUR1, PUR2 s PUR3 on the supporting unwoven textiles (viscose and PP. As a model simulation of the microbial contamination, bacteria Escherichia coli was chosen. Contaminated water was filtered during the overpressure activity of 105Pa on the input side of the filter from the mentioned material. After three-day incubation on the nutrient medium, cultures found in the samples before and after filtration were compared. In the filtrated water, bacteria E. coli were indicated, which did not verify the theoretical presumptions about an absolut bacteria detention. However, used materials caught at least 94% of bacteria in case of material PUR1 and up to 99,996% in case of material PUR2. These results predict the possibility of producing effective nanotextile filters for microbiologically contaminated water filtration.Recommendation: For the production of materials with better filtrating qualities, experiments need to be done, enabling better understanding of the bacteria detention mechanisms on the nanotextile material, and parameters of the used materials that influence the filtrating abilities need to be verified.

  2. [Spectrum and susceptibility of preoperative conjunctival bacteria].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-Rubio, M E; Cuesta-Rodríguez, T; Urcelay-Segura, J L; Cortés-Valdés, C

    2013-12-01

    To describe the conjunctival bacterial spectrum of our patients undergoing intraocular surgery and their antibiotic sensitivity during the study period. A retrospective study of preoperative conjunctival culture of patients consecutively scheduled for intraocular surgery from 21 February 2011 to 1 April 2013. Specimens were directly seeded onto blood-agar and MacConkey-agar (aerobiosis incubation, 2 days), and on chocolate-agar (6% CO2 incubation, 7 days). The identified bacteria were divided into 3 groups according to their origin; the bacteria susceptibility tests were performed on those more pathogenic and on some of the less pathogenic when more than 5 colonies were isolated. The sensitivity of the exigent growing bacteria was obtained with disk diffusion technique, and for of the non-exigent bacteria by determining their minimum inhibitory concentration. The Epidat 3.1 program was used for statistical calculations. A total of 13,203 bacteria were identified in 6,051 cultures, with 88.7% being typical colonizers of conjunctiva (group 1), 8.8% typical of airways (group 2), and the remaining 2.5% of undetermined origin (group 3). 530 cultures (8.8%) were sterile. The sensitivity of group 1 was: 99% vancomycin, 95% rifampicin, 87% chloramphenicol, 76% tetracycline. Levels of co-trimoxazole, aminoglycosides, quinolones, β-lactams and macrolides decreased since 2007. The group 2 was very sensitive to chloramphenicol, cefuroxime, rifampicin, ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin/clavulanate. In group 3, to levofloxacin 93%, ciprofloxacin 89%, tobramycin 76%, but ceftazidime 53% and cefuroxime 29% decreased. None of the tested antibiotics could eradicate all possible conjunctival bacteria. Bacteria living permanently on the conjunctiva (group 1) have achieved higher resistance than the eventual colonizers. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  3. RNases and Helicases in Gram-Positive Bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durand, Sylvain; Condon, Ciaran

    2018-04-01

    RNases are key enzymes involved in RNA maturation and degradation. Although they play a crucial role in all domains of life, bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes have evolved with their own sets of RNases and proteins modulating their activities. In bacteria, these enzymes allow modulation of gene expression to adapt to rapidly changing environments. Today, >20 RNases have been identified in both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis , the paradigms of the Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. However, only a handful of these enzymes are common to these two organisms and some of them are essential to only one. Moreover, although sets of RNases can be very similar in closely related bacteria such as the Firmicutes Staphylococcus aureus and B. subtilis , the relative importance of individual enzymes in posttranscriptional regulation in these organisms varies. In this review, we detail the role of the main RNases involved in RNA maturation and degradation in Gram-positive bacteria, with an emphasis on the roles of RNase J1, RNase III, and RNase Y. We also discuss how other proteins such as helicases can modulate the RNA-degradation activities of these enzymes.

  4. Using Bacteria to Store Renewable Energy (Text Version) | News | NREL

    Science.gov (United States)

    Using Bacteria to Store Renewable Energy (Text Version) Using Bacteria to Store Renewable Energy is a text version of the video entitled "Using Bacteria to Store Renewable Energy." ; Bacteria from some of the Earth's harshest environments now have a new home at NREL. [A natural spring has

  5. Electron microscopic examination of uncultured soil-dwelling bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amako, Kazunobu; Takade, Akemi; Taniai, Hiroaki; Yoshida, Shin-ichi

    2008-05-01

    Bacteria living in soil collected from a rice paddy in Fukuoka, Japan, were examined by electron microscopy using a freeze-substitution fixation method. Most of the observed bacteria could be categorized, based on the structure of the cell envelope and overall morphology, into one of five groups: (i) bacterial spore; (ii) Gram-positive type; (iii) Gram-negative type; (iv) Mycobacterium like; and (v) Archaea like. However, a few of the bacteria could not be readily categorized into one of these groups because they had unique cell wall structures, basically resembling those of Gram-negative bacteria, but with the layer corresponding to the peptidoglycan layer in Gram-negative bacteria being extremely thick, like that of the cortex of a bacterial spore. The characteristic morphological features found in many of these uncultured, soil-dwelling cells were the nucleoid being in a condensed state and the cytoplasm being shrunken. We were able to produce similar morphologies in vitro using a Salmonella sp. by culturing under low-temperature, low-nutrient conditions, similar to those found in some natural environments. These unusual morphologies are therefore hypothesized to be characteristic of bacteria in resting or dormant stages.

  6. Roseobacter-clade bacteria as probiotics in marine larvaeculture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grotkjær, Torben

    Disease caused by fish pathogenic bacteria can cause large scale crashes in marine fish larval rearing units. One of the biggest challenges for aquaculture is the management of these bacterial outbreaks. Vaccines can be admitted to fish but only the juvenile and the adult fish because they need...... to have a mature immune system. This means that the larvae of the fish, until they are 2-3 weeks old are more prone to bacterial infections. A short term solution is antibiotics but this leaves way for the selection for antibiotic resistance among the pathogenic bacteria, which again can be transferred...... to human pathogens. Alternatives are therefore needed and one could be the use of probiotic bacteria. Marine bacteria from the Roseobacter clade (Phaeobacter inhibens) have shown great potential as probiotic bacteria, and we have hypothesized that they could be used to antagonize pathogenic fish...

  7. AZF Microdeletions in Human Semen Infected with Bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hayfa H Hassani

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Bacterial infections are associated with infertility in men. This study was aimed to investigate microdeletions on Yq chromosome in semen infected with bacteria by using bacteriological, biochemical, and serological assays. The investigation showed that 107 of 300 (84.80% semen samples collected from infertile men with primary or secondary infertility were infected with different species of bacteria. Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrheae were the most frequently diagnosed bacteria in the infected semen samples. The percentages of infections of semen samples with C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhea were 42.31% and 35.28% respectively. Genomic DNA from each semen sample infected with predominant bacteria was analyzed for AZF deletions by using multiplex PCR. Different patterns of AZF microdeletions were obtained. It can be concluded that sexually transmitted bacteria may contribute in microdeletions of Yq chromosome by indirectly producing reactive oxygen species and causing gene defect in AZF regions.

  8. New Insight on the Response of Bacteria to Fluoride

    OpenAIRE

    Breaker, R.R.

    2012-01-01

    Fluoride has been used for decades to prevent caries and it is well established that this anion can inhibit the growth of bacteria. However, the precise effects that fluoride has on bacteria and the mechanisms that bacteria use to overcome fluoride toxicity have largely remained unexplored. Recently, my laboratory reported the discovery of biological systems that bacteria use to sense fluoride and reduce fluoride toxicity. These sensors and their associated genes are very widespread in biolog...

  9. Antagonistic activity of isolated lactic acid bacteria from Pliek U against gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli ATCC 25922

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiti, A. A.; Jamilah, I.; Rusmarilin, H.

    2017-09-01

    Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is one group of microbes that has many benefits, notably in food and health industries sector. LAB plays an important role in food fermentation and it has bacteriostatic effect against the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. The research related LAB continued to be done to increase the diversity of potential isolates derived from nature which is indigenous bacteria for biotechnological purposes. This study was aimed to isolate and characterize LAB derived from pliek u sample and to examine the potency to inhibits Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 bacteria growth. A total of 5 isolates were isolated and based on morphological and physiological characteristics of the fifth bacteria, they are allegedly belonging to the genus Bacillus. Result of antagonistic test showed that the five isolates could inhibits the growth of E. coli ATCC 25922. The highest inhibition zone is 8.5 mm was shown by isolates NQ2, while the lowest inhibition is 1.5 mm was shown by isolates NQ3.

  10. Methylotrophic bacteria in sustainable agriculture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Manish; Tomar, Rajesh Singh; Lade, Harshad; Paul, Diby

    2016-07-01

    Excessive use of chemical fertilizers to increase production from available land has resulted in deterioration of soil quality. To prevent further soil deterioration, the use of methylotrophic bacteria that have the ability to colonize different habitats, including soil, sediment, water, and both epiphytes and endophytes as host plants, has been suggested for sustainable agriculture. Methylotrophic bacteria are known to play a significant role in the biogeochemical cycle in soil ecosystems, ultimately fortifying plants and sustaining agriculture. Methylotrophs also improve air quality by using volatile organic compounds such as dichloromethane, formaldehyde, methanol, and formic acid. Additionally, methylotrophs are involved in phosphorous, nitrogen, and carbon cycling and can help reduce global warming. In this review, different aspects of the interaction between methylotrophs and host plants are discussed, including the role of methylotrophs in phosphorus acquisition, nitrogen fixation, phytohormone production, iron chelation, and plant growth promotion, and co-inoculation of these bacteria as biofertilizers for viable agriculture practices.

  11. Monitoring of airborne bacteria and aerosols in different wards of hospitals - Particle counting usefulness in investigation of airborne bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirhoseini, Seyed Hamed; Nikaeen, Mahnaz; Khanahmd, Hossein; Hatamzadeh, Maryam; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

    2015-01-01

    The presence of airborne bacteria in hospital environments is of great concern because of their potential role as a source of hospital-acquired infections (HAI). The aim of this study was the determination and comparison of the concentration of airborne bacteria in different wards of four educational hospitals, and evaluation of whether particle counting could be predictive of airborne bacterial concentration in different wards of a hospital. The study was performed in an operating theatre (OT), intensive care unit (ICU), surgery ward (SW) and internal medicine (IM) ward of four educational hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. A total of 80 samples were analyzed for the presence of airborne bacteria and particle levels. The average level of bacteria ranged from 75-1194 CFU/m (3) . Mean particle levels were higher than class 100,000 cleanrooms in all wards. A significant correlation was observed between the numbers of 1-5 µm particles and levels of airborne bacteria in operating theatres and ICUs. The results showed that factors which may influence the airborne bacterial level in hospital environments should be properly managed to minimize the risk of HAIs especially in operating theaters. Microbial air contamination of hospital settings should be performed by the monitoring of airborne bacteria, but particle counting could be considered as a good operative method for the continuous monitoring of air quality in operating theaters and ICUs where higher risks of infection are suspected.

  12. Transmission of nephridial bacteria of the earthworm Eisenia fetida.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidson, Seana K; Stahl, David A

    2006-01-01

    The lumbricid earthworms (annelid family Lumbricidae) harbor gram-negative bacteria in their excretory organs, the nephridia. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing of bacteria associated with the nephridia of several earthworm species has shown that each species of worm harbors a distinct bacterial species and that the bacteria from different species form a monophyletic cluster within the genus Acidovorax, suggesting that there is a specific association resulting from radiation from a common bacterial ancestor. Previous microscopy and culture studies revealed the presence of bacteria within the egg capsules and on the surface of embryos but did not demonstrate that the bacteria within the egg capsule were the same bacteria that colonized the nephridia. We present evidence, based on curing experiments, in situ hybridizations with Acidovorax-specific probes, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, that the egg capsules contain high numbers of the bacterial symbiont and that juveniles are colonized during development within the egg capsule. Studies exposing aposymbiotic hatchlings to colonized adults and their bedding material suggested that juvenile earthworms do not readily acquire bacteria from the soil after hatching but must be colonized during development by bacteria deposited in the egg capsule. Whether this is due to the developmental stage of the host or the physiological state of the symbiont remains to be investigated.

  13. Effect of radiation on activity of sulphate reducing bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agaev, N.M.; Smorodin, A.E.; Gusejnov, M.M.

    1985-01-01

    The effect of γ-radiation on activity of sulphate reducing bacteria has been studied. Concentration of biogenic hydrogen, generated in the medium, is the main criterion, characterizing corrosion activity of the bacteria studied. The developed method of suppression of active development of sulfate reducing bacteria considerably reduces, and at lethal doses of γ-radiation eliminates altogether the bacteria activity and formation of the main corrosion agent-hydrogen sulphide-in the medium and that, in its turn, liquidates hydrogen sulphide corrosion

  14. Rumen bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McSweeney, C.S.; Denman, S.E.; Mackie, R.I.

    2005-01-01

    The rumen is the most extensively studied gut community and is characterized by its high population density, wide diversity and complexity of interactions. This complex, mixed microbial culture is comprised of prokaryote organisms including methane-producing archaebacteria, eukaryote organisms, such as ciliate and flagellate protozoa, anaerobic phycomycete fungi and bacteriophage. Bacteria are predominant (up to 10 11 viable cells per g comprising 200 species) but a variety of ciliate protozoa occur widely (10 4 -10 6 /g distributed over 25 genera). The anaerobic fungi are also widely distributed (zoospore population densities of 10 2 -10 4 /g distributed over 5 genera). The occurrence of bacteriophage is well documented (10 7 -10 9 particles/g). This section focuses primarily on the widely used methods for the cultivation and the enumeration of rumen microbes, especially bacteria, which grow under anaerobic conditions. Methods that can be used to measure hydrolytic enzymes (cellulases, xylanases, amylases and proteinases) are also described, along with cell harvesting and fractionation procedures. Brief reference is also made to fungi and protozoa, but detailed explanations for culturing and enumerating these microbes is presented in Chapters 2.4 and 2.5

  15. Methods and Techniques of Sampling, Culturing and Identifying of Subsurface Bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seung Yeop; Baik, Min Hoon

    2010-11-01

    This report described sampling, culturing and identifying of KURT underground bacteria, which existed as iron-, manganese-, and sulfate-reducing bacteria. The methods of culturing and media preparation were different by bacteria species affecting bacteria growth-rates. It will be possible for the cultured bacteria to be used for various applied experiments and researches in the future

  16. Encapsulation of bacteria and viruses in electrospun nanofibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salalha, W; Kuhn, J; Dror, Y; Zussman, E

    2006-01-01

    Bacteria and viruses were encapsulated in electrospun polymer nanofibres. The bacteria and viruses were suspended in a solution of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in water and subjected to an electrostatic field of the order of 1 kV cm -1 . Encapsulated bacteria in this work (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus albus) and bacterial viruses (T7, T4, λ) managed to survive the electrospinning process while maintaining their viability at fairly high levels. Subsequently the bacteria and viruses remain viable during three months at -20 and -55 deg. C without a further decrease in number. The present results demonstrate the potential of the electrospinning process for the encapsulation and immobilization of living biological material

  17. Why bacteria matter in animal development and evolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraune, Sebastian; Bosch, Thomas C G

    2010-07-01

    While largely studied because of their harmful effects on human health, there is growing appreciation that bacteria are important partners for invertebrates and vertebrates, including man. Epithelia in metazoans do not only select their microbiota; a coevolved consortium of microbes enables both invertebrates and vertebrates to expand the range of diet supply, to shape the complex immune system and to control pathogenic bacteria. Microbes in zebrafish and mice regulate gut epithelial homeostasis. In a squid, microbes control the development of the symbiotic light organ. These discoveries point to a key role for bacteria in any metazoan existence, and imply that beneficial bacteria-host interactions should be considered an integral part of development and evolution.

  18. Quantification and Qualification of Bacteria Trapped in Chewed Gum

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wessel, Stefan W.; van der Mei, Henny C.; Morando, David; Slomp, Anje M.; van de Belt-Gritter, Betsy; Maitra, Amarnath; Busscher, Henk J.

    2015-01-01

    Chewing of gum contributes to the maintenance of oral health. Many oral diseases, including caries and periodontal disease, are caused by bacteria. However, it is unknown whether chewing of gum can remove bacteria from the oral cavity. Here, we hypothesize that chewing of gum can trap bacteria and

  19. Bacteria associated with contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The bacteria associated with contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) cooked rice in Lagos, Nigeria were studied using standard microbiological methods. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of pathogenic bacteria recovered from RTE cooked rice in Lagos, assess bacteria load in the contaminated RTE ...

  20. 3D printing of bacteria into functional complex materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaffner, Manuel; Rühs, Patrick A; Coulter, Fergal; Kilcher, Samuel; Studart, André R

    2017-12-01

    Despite recent advances to control the spatial composition and dynamic functionalities of bacteria embedded in materials, bacterial localization into complex three-dimensional (3D) geometries remains a major challenge. We demonstrate a 3D printing approach to create bacteria-derived functional materials by combining the natural diverse metabolism of bacteria with the shape design freedom of additive manufacturing. To achieve this, we embedded bacteria in a biocompatible and functionalized 3D printing ink and printed two types of "living materials" capable of degrading pollutants and of producing medically relevant bacterial cellulose. With this versatile bacteria-printing platform, complex materials displaying spatially specific compositions, geometry, and properties not accessed by standard technologies can be assembled from bottom up for new biotechnological and biomedical applications.

  1. [Teichoic acids from lactic acid bacteria].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Livins'ka, O P; Harmasheva, I L; Kovalenko, N K

    2012-01-01

    The current view of the structural diversity of teichoic acids and their involvement in the biological activity of lactobacilli has been reviewed. The mechanisms of effects of probiotic lactic acid bacteria, in particular adhesive and immunostimulating functions have been described. The prospects of the use of structure data of teichoic acid in the assessment of intraspecific diversity of lactic acid bacteria have been also reflected.

  2. Alcohol Selectivity in a Synthetic Thermophilic n-Butanol Pathway Is Driven by Biocatalytic and Thermostability Characteristics of Constituent Enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loder, Andrew J; Zeldes, Benjamin M; Garrison, G Dale; Lipscomb, Gina L; Adams, Michael W W; Kelly, Robert M

    2015-10-01

    n-Butanol is generated as a natural product of metabolism by several microorganisms, but almost all grow at mesophilic temperatures. A synthetic pathway for n-butanol production from acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) that functioned at 70°C was assembled in vitro from enzymes recruited from thermophilic bacteria to inform efforts for engineering butanol production into thermophilic hosts. Recombinant versions of eight thermophilic enzymes (β-ketothiolase [Thl], 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase [Hbd], and 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydratase [Crt] from Caldanaerobacter subterraneus subsp. tengcongensis; trans-2-enoyl-CoA reductase [Ter] from Spirochaeta thermophila; bifunctional acetaldehyde dehydrogenase/alcohol dehydrogenase [AdhE] from Clostridium thermocellum; and AdhE, aldehyde dehydrogenase [Bad], and butanol dehydrogenase [Bdh] from Thermoanaerobacter sp. strain X514) were utilized to examine three possible pathways for n-butanol. These pathways differed in the two steps required to convert butyryl-CoA to n-butanol: Thl-Hbd-Crt-Ter-AdhE (C. thermocellum), Thl-Hbd-Crt-Ter-AdhE (Thermoanaerobacter X514), and Thl-Hbd-Crt-Ter-Bad-Bdh. n-Butanol was produced at 70°C, but with different amounts of ethanol as a coproduct, because of the broad substrate specificities of AdhE, Bad, and Bdh. A reaction kinetics model, validated via comparison to in vitro experiments, was used to determine relative enzyme ratios needed to maximize n-butanol production. By using large relative amounts of Thl and Hbd and small amounts of Bad and Bdh, >70% conversion to n-butanol was observed in vitro, but with a 60% decrease in the predicted pathway flux. With more-selective hypothetical versions of Bad and Bdh, >70% conversion to n-butanol is predicted, with a 19% increase in pathway flux. Thus, more-selective thermophilic versions of Bad, Bdh, and AdhE are needed to fully exploit biocatalytic n-butanol production at elevated temperatures. Copyright © 2015, American Society for

  3. Use of thermophilic bacteria for bioremediation of petroleum contaminants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Maghrabi, I.M.A.; Bin Aqil, A.O.; Chaalal, O.; Islam, M.R.

    1999-01-01

    Several strains of thermophilic bacteria were isolated from the environment of the United Arab Emirates. These bacteria show extraordinary resistance to heat and have their maximum growth rate around 60--80 C. This article investigates the potential of using these facultative bacteria for both in situ and ex situ bioremediation of petroleum contaminants. In a series of batch experiments, bacterial growth was observed using a computer image analyzer following a recently developed technique. These experiments showed clearly that the growth rate is enhanced in the presence of crude oil. This is coupled with a rapid degradation of the crude oil. These bacteria were found to be ideal for breaking down long-chain organic molecules at a temperature of 40 C, which is the typical ambient temperature of the Persian Gulf region. The same strains of bacteria are also capable of surviving in the presence of the saline environment that can prevail in both sea water and reservoir connate water. This observation prompted further investigation into the applicability of the bacteria in microbial enhanced oil recovery. In the United Arab Emirates, the reservoirs are typically at a temperature of around 85 C. Finally, the performance of the bacteria is tested in a newly developed bioreactor that uses continuous aeration through a transverse slotted pipe. This reactor also uses mixing without damaging the filamentous bacteria. In this process, the mechanisms of bioremediation are identified

  4. The aerobic activity of metronidazole against anaerobic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dione, Niokhor; Khelaifia, Saber; Lagier, Jean-Christophe; Raoult, Didier

    2015-05-01

    Recently, the aerobic growth of strictly anaerobic bacteria was demonstrated using antioxidants. Metronidazole is frequently used to treat infections caused by anaerobic bacteria; however, to date its antibacterial activity was only tested in anaerobic conditions. Here we aerobically tested using antioxidants the in vitro activities of metronidazole, gentamicin, doxycycline and imipenem against 10 common anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. In vitro susceptibility testing was performed by the disk diffusion method, and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by Etest. Aerobic culture of the bacteria was performed at 37°C using Schaedler agar medium supplemented with 1mg/mL ascorbic acid and 0.1mg/mL glutathione; the pH was adjusted to 7.2 by 10M KOH. Growth of anaerobic bacteria cultured aerobically using antioxidants was inhibited by metronidazole after 72h of incubation at 37°C, with a mean inhibition diameter of 37.76mm and an MIC of 1μg/mL; however, strains remained non-sensitive to gentamicin. No growth inhibition of aerobic bacteria was observed after 24h of incubation at 37°C with metronidazole; however, inhibition was observed with doxycycline and imipenem used as controls. These results indicate that bacterial sensitivity to metronidazole is not related to the oxygen tension but is a result of the sensitivity of the micro-organism. In future, both culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing of strictly anaerobic bacteria will be performed in an aerobic atmosphere using antioxidants in clinical microbiology laboratories. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

  5. Effects of ionizing radiation on bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suhadi, F [National Atomic Energy Agency, Jakarta (Indonesia). Pasar Djumat Research Centre

    1976-10-01

    The differences of radiosensitivities among bacteria in addition to the dependence upon the species or strains also depends on the environmental condition during irradiation (temperature, medium, the presence of protective or sensitizing agents, the gas phase or atmosphere, and water activity, or degree of hydration) and on the effects of the environmental condition before and after irradiation treatment (temperature of incubation, age of culture and growth medium). In general, spores are more resistant to radiation than vegetatic bacteria, with the exception that a few cocci are the most radiation resistant bacteria (Micrococcus and Streptococcus). The application of ionizing radiation in the fields of microbiology supports the radiation sterilization of medical and pharmaceutical products. In addition, microbiological aspects of food preservation, especially radurization, radicidation, and immunization studies by using irradiated microorganisms, are also important.

  6. Lethal photosensitization of biofilm-grown bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Michael

    1997-12-01

    Antibacterial agents are increasingly being used for the prophylaxis and treatment of oral diseases. As these agents can be rendered ineffective by resistance development in the target organisms there is a need to develop alternative antimicrobial approaches. Light-activated antimicrobial agents release singlet oxygen and free radicals which can kill adjacent bacteria and a wide range of cariogenic and periodontopathogenic bacteria has been shown to be susceptible to such agents. In the oral cavity these organisms are present as biofilms (dental plaques) which are less susceptible to traditional antimicrobial agents than bacterial suspensions. The results of these studies have shown that biofilm-grown oral bacteria are also susceptible to lethal photosensitization although the light energy doses required are grater than those needed to kill the organisms when they are grown as aqueous suspensions.

  7. Analyzing Arthropods for the Presence of Bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Andrews, Elizabeth S.

    2013-01-01

    Bacteria within arthropods can be identified using culture-independent methods. This unit describes protocols for surface sterilization of arthropods, DNA extraction of whole bodies and tissues, touchdown PCR amplification using 16S rDNA general bacteria primers and profiling the bacterial community using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.

  8. Isolation and characterization of autotrophic, hydrogen-utilizing, perchlorate-reducing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shrout, Joshua D; Scheetz, Todd E; Casavant, Thomas L; Parkin, Gene F

    2005-04-01

    Recent studies have shown that perchlorate (ClO(4) (-)) can be degraded by some pure-culture and mixed-culture bacteria with the addition of hydrogen. This paper describes the isolation of two hydrogen-utilizing perchlorate-degrading bacteria capable of using inorganic carbon for growth. These autotrophic bacteria are within the genus Dechloromonas and are the first Dechloromonas species that are microaerophilic and incapable of growth at atmospheric oxygen concentrations. Dechloromonas sp. JDS5 and Dechloromonas sp. JDS6 are the first perchlorate-degrading autotrophs isolated from a perchlorate-contaminated site. Measured hydrogen thresholds were higher than for other environmentally significant, hydrogen-utilizing, anaerobic bacteria (e.g., halorespirers). The chlorite dismutase activity of these bacteria was greater for autotrophically grown cells than for cells grown heterotrophically on lactate. These bacteria used fumarate as an alternate electron acceptor, which is the first report of growth on an organic electron acceptor by perchlorate-reducing bacteria.

  9. Antibiotic-producing bacteria from stag beetle mycangia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyashita, Atsushi; Hirai, Yuuki; Sekimizu, Kazuhisa; Kaito, Chikara

    2015-02-01

    The search for new antibiotics or antifungal agents is crucial for the chemotherapies of infectious diseases. The limited resource of soil bacteria makes it difficult to discover such new drug candidate. We, therefore, focused on another bacterial resource than soil bacteria, the microbial flora of insect species. In the present study, we isolated 40 strains of bacteria and fungi from the mycangia of three species of stag beetle, Dorcus hopei binodulosus, Dorcus rectus, and Dorcus titanus pilifer. We identified those species with their ribosomal DNA sequences, and revealed that Klebsiella spp. are the most frequent symbiont in the stag beetle mycangia. We examined whether these microorganisms produce antibiotics against a Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, a Gram-positive bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, or a fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans. Culture supernatants from 33, 29, or 18 strains showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, or C. neoformans, respectively. These findings suggest that bacteria present in the mycangia of stag beetles are useful resources for screening novel antibiotics.

  10. Bile anaerobic bacteria detection and antibiotic susceptibility in patients with gallstone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Yun; Xiang, Ting-Hai; Shi, Jing-Sen; Zhang, Bing-Yuan

    2003-08-01

    To detect bile anaerobic bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility in 59 patients with gallstones who had had cholecystectomy. BACT/ALERT 120 microbe detection system and SCEPTOR microbe detection system were used to detect bile anaerobic bacteria, antibiotic susceptibility. The ratio of anaerobic bacteria to the patients examined was 52.5% (31/59). Obligate anaerobe bile culture showed positive results in 4 patients. B. fragilis (37.8%) was the major type of anaerobic bacteria in bile. Most (81.8%) of anaerobic bacteria were sensitive to metronidazole, and imipenem was suitable for beta-lactamase bacteria. Culture of anaerobic bacteria in logarithmic phase can improve the positive rate of the culture. There are some relations between anaerobic infection and gallstone formation.

  11. Screening identification of aerobic denitrification bacteria with high soil desalinization capacity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, H.; Chen, H.; Jin, H.; Qian, Y.; Zhang, K.

    2017-08-01

    In order to study the mechanism of bacteria used in the saline soil remediation process, the aerobic denitrification bacteria were isolated from an agricultural greenhouse soil in a farm in East China’s Zhejiang Province. The identification, nitrogen reducing characteristics and the denitrification effect of bacteria from different soils at various locations were investigated. The results showed that the NO3- removal rate was 91% with bacteria from the greenhouse soil under aerobic conditions in 52 h, and the bacteria were identified as Gram-positive Castellaniella denitrification bacteria.

  12. Working with bacteria and putting bacteria to work: The biopolitics of synthetic biology for energy in the United Kingdom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLeod, Carmen; Nerlich, Brigitte; Mohr, Alison

    2017-08-01

    The UK government has made significant investment into so called 'fourth-generation' biofuel technologies. These biofuels are based on engineering the metabolic pathways of bacteria in order to create products compatible with existing infrastructure. Bacteria play an important role in what is promoted as a potentially new biological industrial revolution, which could address some of the negative environmental legacies of the last. This article presents results from ethnographic research with synthetic biologists who are challenged with balancing the curiosity-driven and intrinsically fulfilling scientific task of working with bacteria, alongside the policy-driven task of putting bacteria to work for extrinsic economic gains. In addition, the scientists also have to balance these demands with a new research governance framework, Responsible Research and Innovation, which envisions technoscientific innovation will be responsive to societal concerns and work in collaboration with stakeholders and members of the public. Major themes emerging from the ethnographic research revolve around stewardship, care, responsibility and agency. An overall conflict surfaces between individual agents assuming responsibility for 'stewarding' bacteria, against funding systems and structures imposing responsibility for economic growth. We discuss these findings against the theoretical backdrop of a new concept of 'energopolitics' and an anthropology of ethics and responsibility.

  13. DEVELOPMENT OF TOFU PRODUCTION METHOD WITH PROBIOTIC BACTERIA ADDITION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorota Zielińska

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to develop a production method for tofu with probiotic bacteria under laboratory conditions. The works included: selection of a strain and tofu production conditions, and a storage test of the manufactured product. It was concluded that the sensory quality of tofu with the addition of different probiotic cultures did not differ significantly (p>0.01, depending on used strains and their mixtures, and the sample quality was comparable to the commercial product. It was observed that the number of Lactobacillus bacteria in study samples was the factor determining the palatability of tofu (r= 0.75. On the other hand, the sensory quality of products was significantly affected by the production method of tofu with the addition of probiotic bacteria. It was concluded that the formation of curds from soy beverage by the addition of CaSO4, followed by inoculation with Lactobacillus casei ŁOCK 0900 at the amount of 9.26 log CFU/g and incubation at temp. of 37C for 2h as well as for 20h are methods recommended for production tofu with regard to sensory qualities of the final product among all tested methods. The number of lactic acid bacteria in studied tofu samples was maintained at the high level (109-1010 CFU/g, and the number of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp lactis BB-12 bacteria did not exceed 103 CFU/g, whereas the number of Lactobacillus bacteria was equal to 108-109 CFU/g. For the period of 15 days of storage of tofu with probiotic bacteria at the temperature of 4C the number of lactic acid bacteria was maintained at the constant level of approx. 109 CFU/g. It was concluded that it is possible to produce tofu with probiotic bacteria that has acceptable sensory characteristics and a high number of lactic acid bacteria, therefore the product could be considered as a functional one.

  14. Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of the Bifurcaria bifurcata Epiphytic Bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Horta

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Surface-associated marine bacteria are an interesting source of new secondary metabolites. The aim of this study was the isolation and identification of epiphytic bacteria from the marine brown alga, Bifurcaria bifurcata, and the evaluation of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of bacteria extracts. The identification of epiphytic bacteria was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Bacteria extracts were obtained with methanol and dichloromethane (1:1 extraction. The antioxidant activity of extracts was performed by quantification of total phenolic content (TPC, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH radical scavenging activity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC. Antimicrobial activities were evaluated against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. A total of 39 Bifurcaria bifurcata-associated bacteria were isolated and 33 were identified as Vibrio sp. (48.72%, Alteromonas sp. (12.82%, Shewanella sp. (12.26%, Serratia sp. (2.56%, Citricoccus sp. (2.56%, Cellulophaga sp. (2.56%, Ruegeria sp. (2.56% and Staphylococcus sp. (2.56%. Six (15.38% of the 39 bacteria Bifurcaria bifurcata-associated bacteria presented less than a 90% Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST match, and some of those could be new. The highest antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity (against B. subtilis was exhibited by strain 16 (Shewanella sp.. Several strains also presented high antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, mainly belonging to Alteromonas sp. and Vibrio sp. There were no positive results against fungi and Gram-negative bacteria. Bifurcaria bifurcata epiphytic bacteria were revealed to be excellent sources of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds.

  15. Antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of the Bifurcaria bifurcata epiphytic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horta, André; Pinteus, Susete; Alves, Celso; Fino, Nádia; Silva, Joana; Fernandez, Sara; Rodrigues, Américo; Pedrosa, Rui

    2014-03-24

    Surface-associated marine bacteria are an interesting source of new secondary metabolites. The aim of this study was the isolation and identification of epiphytic bacteria from the marine brown alga, Bifurcaria bifurcata, and the evaluation of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of bacteria extracts. The identification of epiphytic bacteria was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Bacteria extracts were obtained with methanol and dichloromethane (1:1) extraction. The antioxidant activity of extracts was performed by quantification of total phenolic content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Antimicrobial activities were evaluated against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. A total of 39 Bifurcaria bifurcata-associated bacteria were isolated and 33 were identified as Vibrio sp. (48.72%), Alteromonas sp. (12.82%), Shewanella sp. (12.26%), Serratia sp. (2.56%), Citricoccus sp. (2.56%), Cellulophaga sp. (2.56%), Ruegeria sp. (2.56%) and Staphylococcus sp. (2.56%). Six (15.38%) of the 39 bacteria Bifurcaria bifurcata-associated bacteria presented less than a 90% Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) match, and some of those could be new. The highest antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity (against B. subtilis) was exhibited by strain 16 (Shewanella sp.). Several strains also presented high antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, mainly belonging to Alteromonas sp. and Vibrio sp. There were no positive results against fungi and Gram-negative bacteria. Bifurcaria bifurcata epiphytic bacteria were revealed to be excellent sources of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds.

  16. A porous silicon optical microcavity for sensitive bacteria detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Sha; Huang Jianfeng; Cai Lintao

    2011-01-01

    A porous silicon microcavity (PSM) is highly sensitive to subtle interface changes due to its high surface area, capillary condensation ability and a narrow resonance peak (∼10 nm). Based on the well-defined optical properties of a PSM, we successfully fabricated a bacteria detection chip for molecular or subcellular analysis by surface modification using undecylenic acid (UA), and the specific recognition binding of vancomycin to the D-alanyl-D-alanine of bacteria. The red shift of the PSM resonance peak showed a good linear relationship with bacteria concentration ranging from 100 to 1000 bacteria ml -1 at the level of relative standard deviation of 0.994 and detection limit of 20 bacteria ml -1 . The resulting PSM sensors demonstrated high sensitivity, good reproducibility, fast response and low cost for biosensing.

  17. A porous silicon optical microcavity for sensitive bacteria detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Sha; Huang, Jianfeng; Cai, Lintao

    2011-10-01

    A porous silicon microcavity (PSM) is highly sensitive to subtle interface changes due to its high surface area, capillary condensation ability and a narrow resonance peak (~10 nm). Based on the well-defined optical properties of a PSM, we successfully fabricated a bacteria detection chip for molecular or subcellular analysis by surface modification using undecylenic acid (UA), and the specific recognition binding of vancomycin to the D-alanyl-D-alanine of bacteria. The red shift of the PSM resonance peak showed a good linear relationship with bacteria concentration ranging from 100 to 1000 bacteria ml - 1 at the level of relative standard deviation of 0.994 and detection limit of 20 bacteria ml - 1. The resulting PSM sensors demonstrated high sensitivity, good reproducibility, fast response and low cost for biosensing.

  18. A porous silicon optical microcavity for sensitive bacteria detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Sha; Huang Jianfeng; Cai Lintao, E-mail: lt.cai@siat.ac.cn [CAS Key Lab of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Cancer Nanotechnology, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055 (China)

    2011-10-21

    A porous silicon microcavity (PSM) is highly sensitive to subtle interface changes due to its high surface area, capillary condensation ability and a narrow resonance peak ({approx}10 nm). Based on the well-defined optical properties of a PSM, we successfully fabricated a bacteria detection chip for molecular or subcellular analysis by surface modification using undecylenic acid (UA), and the specific recognition binding of vancomycin to the D-alanyl-D-alanine of bacteria. The red shift of the PSM resonance peak showed a good linear relationship with bacteria concentration ranging from 100 to 1000 bacteria ml{sup -1} at the level of relative standard deviation of 0.994 and detection limit of 20 bacteria ml{sup -1}. The resulting PSM sensors demonstrated high sensitivity, good reproducibility, fast response and low cost for biosensing.

  19. Physiological and genetics studies of highly radiation-resistant bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keller, L.C.

    1981-01-01

    The phenomenon of radiation resistance was studied using micrococci and Moraxella-Acinetobacter capable of surviving very high doses of gamma radiation which were isolated from foods. Physiological age, or growth phase, was found to be an important factor in making comparisons of radiation-resistance among different bacteria and their mutants. Radiation-resistant bacteria were highly resistant to the lethal effect of nitrosoguanidine used for mutagenesis. Studies of relative resistance of radiation-resistant bacteria, radiation-sensitive mutants, and nonradiation-resistant bacteria to killing by different chemical mutagens did not reveal a correlation between the traits of radiation resistance and mutagen resistance among different strains. Comparisons of plasmid profiles of radiation-resistant bacteria and selected radiation-sensitive mutants suggested the possibility that plasmids may carry genes involved in radiation resistance

  20. Stalking Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Common Vegetables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brock, David; Boeke, Caroline; Josowitz, Rebecca; Loya, Katherine

    2004-01-01

    The study developed a simple experimental protocol for studying antibiotic resistant bacteria that will allow students to determine the proportion of such bacteria found on common fruit and vegetable crops. This protocol can open up the world of environmental science and show how human behavior can dramatically alter ecosystems.

  1. Effect of ionizing radiation on the antigenic composition of typhoid bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinilova, N.G.; Nikolaeva, L.A.; Tumanyan, M.A.

    1978-01-01

    Changes in the antigenic composition of typhoid bacteria occurring during the exposure of microbial suspension to different doses of gamma radiation ( 60 Co) ranging between 0.5 and 3.0 Mrad were studied. Immunoelectrophoresis in agar was used to determine the antigenic composition of different samples of irradiated bacteria. The antigenic composition of bacteria irradiated with doses up to 2.5 Mrad was found to be similar to that of non-irradiated bacteria. Antigens demonstrated by means of Vi, H and O antisera are preserved in these bacteria. However, all irradiated bacteria in general slightly differ from non-irradiated bacteria; this is manifest in a different configuration and position of the precipitation lines in the cathodic part of the immunophoreograms. The content of the component migrating rapidly towards the cathode, evidently the O antigen in the R form, in the irradiated bacteria increases with the dose of radiation. No new serologically active substances, non-existent in non-irradiated bacteria, were found to appear in the process of irradiation. (author)

  2. Reducing gas content of coal deposits by means of bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Godlewska-Lipowa, A A; Kozlowski, B

    1981-07-01

    This paper discusses the results of experiments carried out in Poland under laboratory conditions on efficiency of methane control using bacteria from Methanosarcina and Methanomonas groups. Malashenko and Whittenburry culture mediums were used. Bacteria growth in an atmosphere of air and methane (48.2%, 8.6% and 5.21%) was observed. Temperature ranged from 19 to 20 C. Investigations show that the bacteria are characterized by high oxidation activity. Depending on methane concentration in the air the bacteria consume from 75% to 100% of methane during biosynthesis. The bacteria reduce methane and oxygen content and increase carbon dioxide content in the air. Using bacteria methane concentration in the air was reduced from 48.2% to 12.3%, from 8.6% to 0.0% and from 5.21% to 0.01%. (7 refs.) (In Polish)

  3. Novel Adaptive Bacteria Foraging Algorithms for Global Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad N. K. Nasir

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents improved versions of bacterial foraging algorithm (BFA. The chemotaxis feature of bacteria through random motion is an effective strategy for exploring the optimum point in a search area. The selection of small step size value in the bacteria motion leads to high accuracy in the solution but it offers slow convergence. On the contrary, defining a large step size in the motion provides faster convergence but the bacteria will be unable to locate the optimum point hence reducing the fitness accuracy. In order to overcome such problems, novel linear and nonlinear mathematical relationships based on the index of iteration, index of bacteria, and fitness cost are adopted which can dynamically vary the step size of bacteria movement. The proposed algorithms are tested with several unimodal and multimodal benchmark functions in comparison with the original BFA. Moreover, the application of the proposed algorithms in modelling of a twin rotor system is presented. The results show that the proposed algorithms outperform the predecessor algorithm in all test functions and acquire better model for the twin rotor system.

  4. [Effects of transgenic Bt + CpTI cotton on rhizosphere bacteria and ammonia oxidizing bacteria population].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Lianhua; Meng, Ying; Wang, Jing

    2014-03-04

    The effect of transgenic cotton on the rhizosphere bacteria can be important to the risk assessment for the genetically modified crops. We studied the rhizosphere microbial community with cultivating genetically modified cotton. The effects of transgenic Bt + CpTI Cotton (SGK321) and its receptor cotton (SY321) on rhizosphere total bacteria and ammonia oxidizing bacteria population size were studied by using droplet digital PCR. We collected rhizosphere soil before cotton planting and along with the cotton growth stage (squaring stage, flowering stage, belling stage and boll opening stage). There was no significant change on the total bacterial population between the transgenic cotton and the receptor cotton along with the growth stage. However, the abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in both type of cottons showed significant difference between different growth stages, and the variation tendency was different. In squaring stage, the numbers of AOB in rhizosphere of SY321 and SGK321 increased 4 and 2 times, respectively. In flowering stage, AOB number in rhizosphere of SY321 significantly decreased to be 5.96 x 10(5) copies/g dry soil, however, that of SGK321 increased to be 1.25 x 10(6) copies/g dry soil. In belling stage, AOB number of SY321 greatly increased to be 1.49 x 10(6) copies/g dry soil, but no significant change was observed for AOB number of SGK321. In boll opening stage, both AOB number of SY321 and SGK321 clearly decreased and they were significantly different from each other. Compared to the non-genetically modified cotton, the change in abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria was slightly smooth in the transgenic cotton. Not only the cotton growth stage but also the cotton type caused this difference. The transgenic cotton can slow down the speed of ammonia transformation through impacting the number of AOB, which is advantageous for plant growth.

  5. Bactericidal effects of antibiotics on slowly growing and nongrowing bacteria.

    OpenAIRE

    Eng, R H; Padberg, F T; Smith, S M; Tan, E N; Cherubin, C E

    1991-01-01

    Antimicrobial agents are most often tested against bacteria in the log phase of multiplication to produce the maximum bactericidal effect. In an infection, bacteria may multiply less optimally. We examined the effects of several classes of antimicrobial agents to determine their actions on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria during nongrowing and slowly growing phases. Only ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin exhibited bactericidal activity against nongrowing gram-negative bacteria, and no antib...

  6. Bacteria Isolated from Post-Partum Infections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahid Arianpour

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: This study was undertaken with an aim to determine bacterial species involved in post partum infections and also their abundance in patients admitted to at Khanevadeh hospital. In this study out of three different kinds of postpartum infections (i.e. genital, breast and urinary tract, only genital infection is considered.Materials and Methods: Post partum infection among 6077 patients (inpatients and re-admitted patients of Khanevadeh hospital from 2003 till 2008 was studied in this descriptive study. Samples were collected from patients for laboratory diagnosis to find out the causative organisms.Results: Follow up of mothers after delivery revealed 7.59% (461 patients had post partum infection, out of which 1.03% (63 patients were re-hospitalized. Infection was more often among younger mothers. Bacteria isolated and identified were both aerobic and anaerobic cocci and bacilli, majority of which were normal flora of the site of infection. Though, some pathogenic bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, Neisseria gonorrhea, Chlamydia trachomatis,were also the causative agents. The commonest infection was infection at the site of episiotomy. Conclusion: Puerperal infection was detected in of 7.59% mothers. Bacteria isolated were both aerobic and anaerobic cocci and bacilli, majority of which were normal flora. However; some pathogenic bacteria were isolated.

  7. Luminous bacteria cultured from fish guts in the Gulf of Oman.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makemson, J C; Hermosa, G V

    1999-01-01

    The incidence of culturable luminous bacteria in Omani market fish guts was correlated to habitat type amongst 109 species of fish. Isolated representative luminous bacteria were compared to known species using the Biolog system (95 traits/isolate) and cluster analysis, which showed that the main taxa present in fish guts were clades related to Vibrio harveyi and Photobacterium species with sporadic incidence of P. phosphoreum. The luminous isolates from gut of the slip-mouth (barred pony fish), Leiognathus fasciatus, were mainly a type related to Photobacterium but phenotypically different from known species. These luminous gut bacteria were identical with the bacteria in the light organ, indicating that the light organ supplies a significant quantity of luminous bacteria to the gut. In many of the fish that lack light organs, luminous bacteria were also the dominant bacterial type in the gut, while in some others luminous bacteria were encountered sporadically and at low densities, reflecting the incidence of culturable luminous bacteria in seawater. Pelagic fish contained the highest incidence of culturable luminous bacteria and reef-associated fish the lowest. No correlation was found between the incidence of culturable luminous bacteria and the degree to which fish produce a melanin-covered gut. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Investigation of IR absorption spectra of oral cavity bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belikov, Andrei V.; Altshuler, Gregory B.; Moroz, Boris T.; Pavlovskaya, Irina V.

    1996-12-01

    The results of comparative investigation for IR and visual absorption spectra of oral cavity bacteria are represented by this paper. There are also shown the main differences in absorption spectra of such pure bacteria cultures as : E- coli, Candida, Staph, Epidermidis, and absorption spectra of bacteria colonies cultured in tooth root canals suspected to harbour several endodontical problems. The results of experimental research targeted to investigate an effect of such combined YAG:Nd and YAG:Cr; Tm; Ho laser parameters like: wavelength, energy density, average power and etc., to oral cavity bacteria deactivation are given finally.

  9. Oh What a Tangled Biofilm Web Bacteria Weave

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Home Page Oh What a Tangled Biofilm Web Bacteria Weave By Elia Ben-Ari Posted May 1, ... a suitable surface, some water and nutrients, and bacteria will likely put down stakes and form biofilms. ...

  10. Toxicity of tetracyclines and tetracycline degradation products to environmentally relevant bacteria, including selected tetracycline-resistant bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Halling-Sørensen, B.; Sengeløv, G.; Tjørnelund, J.

    2002-01-01

    Tetracyclines used in veterinary therapy invariably will find their way as parent compound and degradation products to the agricultural field. Major degradation products formed due to the limited stability of parent tetracyclines (tetracycline, chlortetracycline, and oxytetracycline) in aqueous...... at the same concentration level as tetracycline, chlortetracycline, and oxytetracycline on both the sludge and the tetracycline-sensitive soil bacteria. Further, both 5a,6-anhydrotetracychne and 5a,6-anhydrochlortetracycline had potency on tetracycline-resistant bacteria supporting a mode of action different...

  11. Anaerobic bacteria in the gut of terrestrial isopod Crustacean Porcellio scaber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kostanjsek, R; Lapanje, A; Rupnik, M; Strus, J; Drobne, D; Avgustin, G

    2004-01-01

    Anaerobic bacteria from Porcellio scaber hindgut were identified and, subsequently, isolated using molecular approach. Phylogenetic affiliation of bacteria associated with the hindgut wall was determined by analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences which were retrieved directly from washed hindguts of P. scaber. Sequences from bacteria related to obligate anaerobic bacteria from genera Bacteroides and Enterococcus were retrieved, as well as sequences from 'A1 subcluster' of the wall-less mollicutes. Bacteria from the genus Desulfotomaculum were isolated from gut wall and cultivated under anaerobic conditions. In contrast to previous reports which suggested the absence of anaerobic bacteria in the isopod digestive system due to short retention time of the food in the tube-like hindgut, frequent renewal of the gut cuticle during the moulting process, and unsuccessful attempts to isolate anaerobic bacteria from this environment our results indicate the presence of resident anaerobic bacteria in the gut of P. scaber, in spite of apparently unsuitable, i.e. predominantly oxic, conditions.

  12. Nitrogen acquisition in Agave tequilana from degradation of endophytic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beltran-Garcia, Miguel J; White, James F; Prado, Fernanda M; Prieto, Katia R; Yamaguchi, Lydia F; Torres, Monica S; Kato, Massuo J; Medeiros, Marisa H G; Di Mascio, Paolo

    2014-11-06

    Plants form symbiotic associations with endophytic bacteria within tissues of leaves, stems, and roots. It is unclear whether or how plants obtain nitrogen from these endophytic bacteria. Here we present evidence showing nitrogen flow from endophytic bacteria to plants in a process that appears to involve oxidative degradation of bacteria. In our experiments we employed Agave tequilana and its seed-transmitted endophyte Bacillus tequilensis to elucidate organic nitrogen transfer from (15)N-labeled bacteria to plants. Bacillus tequilensis cells grown in a minimal medium with (15)NH4Cl as the nitrogen source were watered onto plants growing in sand. We traced incorporation of (15)N into tryptophan, deoxynucleosides and pheophytin derived from chlorophyll a. Probes for hydrogen peroxide show its presence during degradation of bacteria in plant tissues, supporting involvement of reactive oxygen in the degradation process. In another experiment to assess nitrogen absorbed as a result of endophytic colonization of plants we demonstrated that endophytic bacteria potentially transfer more nitrogen to plants and stimulate greater biomass in plants than heat-killed bacteria that do not colonize plants but instead degrade in the soil. Findings presented here support the hypothesis that some plants under nutrient limitation may degrade and obtain nitrogen from endophytic microbes.

  13. The effects of deuterium-depleted water on bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butnaru, Gallia; Jurca, Elena M.; Titescu, Gh.; Stefanescu, I.

    2000-01-01

    Due to their adaptability the bacteria are ubiquitous, occurring in a large variety of habitats. Most of them are saprotrophs or parasites. Bacteria are agents causing many diseases in animals and humans. The main purpose of this work was to reveal the deuterium-depleted water bactericidal effect. Nonpathogenic Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus) and pathogenic Gram-negative (Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Erwinia amylovora and Escherichia coli) bacteria were used. The variant deuterium depleted (DDW) eater was compared with distilled water eater one. The diffusometric method was found the proper way of investigation. The bacteria culture was developed in Petri dishes (diam = 70 mm) at a temperature of 25 deg. C. After 24 h, 48 h and 72 h the clear area was measured. The clear area was one in which the bacteria were killed. The surface was determined by the area of the small disc on the filter paper. The statistical data were determined by variance analysis. The results pointed out a large response to DDW presence. The data were classified in: 1. without response when no clear area occurred; - 2. with response when a clear area of under 5 mm 2 occurred; - 3. strong response when the clear area was higher than 10 mm 2 . The Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria behaviours were not in correlation with the DDW bactericidal effect. The Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli were scored as without response and we presume that they were very tolerant. No clear area was induced by DDW. Bacillus subtilis and Erwinia amylovora showed weak response. After 24 h the killed bacteria were extended on the same area, namely, 2.89 mm 2 . Even if the DDW effect seems to be small it was significantly in comparison with the control case (s d = 2.78 mm 2 > 0.1). After 48 h and 72 h the clear surface remained the same. The Agrobacterium tumefaciens' response was very strong. The bacteria were killed on 22.50 mm 2 after 24 h and on 26.95 mm 2 after 48 h, being very

  14. Leucine incorporation by aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria in the Delaware estuary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stegman, Monica R; Cottrell, Matthew T; Kirchman, David L

    2014-01-01

    Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic (AAP) bacteria are well known to be abundant in estuaries, coastal regions and in the open ocean, but little is known about their activity in any aquatic ecosystem. To explore the activity of AAP bacteria in the Delaware estuary and coastal waters, single-cell 3H-leucine incorporation by these bacteria was examined with a new approach that combines infrared epifluorescence microscopy and microautoradiography. The approach was used on samples from the Delaware coast from August through December and on transects through the Delaware estuary in August and November 2011. The percent of active AAP bacteria was up to twofold higher than the percentage of active cells in the rest of the bacterial community in the estuary. Likewise, the silver grain area around active AAP bacteria in microautoradiography preparations was larger than the area around cells in the rest of the bacterial community, indicating higher rates of leucine consumption by AAP bacteria. The cell size of AAP bacteria was 50% bigger than the size of other bacteria, about the same difference on average as measured for activity. The abundance of AAP bacteria was negatively correlated and their activity positively correlated with light availability in the water column, although light did not affect 3H-leucine incorporation in light–dark experiments. Our results suggest that AAP bacteria are bigger and more active than other bacteria, and likely contribute more to organic carbon fluxes than indicated by their abundance. PMID:24824666

  15. Leucine incorporation by aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria in the Delaware estuary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stegman, Monica R; Cottrell, Matthew T; Kirchman, David L

    2014-11-01

    Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic (AAP) bacteria are well known to be abundant in estuaries, coastal regions and in the open ocean, but little is known about their activity in any aquatic ecosystem. To explore the activity of AAP bacteria in the Delaware estuary and coastal waters, single-cell (3)H-leucine incorporation by these bacteria was examined with a new approach that combines infrared epifluorescence microscopy and microautoradiography. The approach was used on samples from the Delaware coast from August through December and on transects through the Delaware estuary in August and November 2011. The percent of active AAP bacteria was up to twofold higher than the percentage of active cells in the rest of the bacterial community in the estuary. Likewise, the silver grain area around active AAP bacteria in microautoradiography preparations was larger than the area around cells in the rest of the bacterial community, indicating higher rates of leucine consumption by AAP bacteria. The cell size of AAP bacteria was 50% bigger than the size of other bacteria, about the same difference on average as measured for activity. The abundance of AAP bacteria was negatively correlated and their activity positively correlated with light availability in the water column, although light did not affect (3)H-leucine incorporation in light-dark experiments. Our results suggest that AAP bacteria are bigger and more active than other bacteria, and likely contribute more to organic carbon fluxes than indicated by their abundance.

  16. Colonization of the oral cavity by probiotic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravn, I; Dige, I; Meyer, R L; Nyvad, B

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate if three probiotic bacteria present in the milk product Cultura Dofilus® naturell could be detected in saliva and on oral mucosal surfaces, and if they colonized dental surfaces in situ in 8 caries-inactive individuals after 8 daily exposures to the milk product for up to 3 days. Bacteria were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization and confocal laser scanning microscopy. While probiotic bacteria were present sporadically in the oral cavity on mucosal surfaces and in saliva after 3 days of frequent use of the probiotic milk, they were not detected on dental surfaces. Probiotic bacteria may thus contribute to general oral health, but their potential role in biofilm-induced dental diseases remains unclear. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  17. Co-existence of Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation Bacteria and Denitrifying Anaerobic Methane Oxidation Bacteria in Sewage Sludge: Community Diversity and Seasonal Dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Sai; Lu, Wenjing; Mustafa, Muhammad Farooq; Caicedo, Luis Miguel; Guo, Hanwen; Fu, Xindi; Wang, Hongtao

    2017-11-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) and denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) have been recently discovered as relevant processes in the carbon and nitrogen cycles of wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the seasonal dynamics of ANAMMOX and DAMO bacterial community structures and their abundance in sewage sludge collected from wastewater treatment plants were analysed. Results indicated that ANAMMOX and DAMO bacteria co-existed in sewage sludge in different seasons and their abundance was positively correlated (P bacteria in autumn and winter indicated that these seasons were the preferred time to favour the growth of ANAMMOX and DAMO bacteria. The community structure of ANNAMOX and DAMO bacteria could also shift with seasonal changes. The "Candidatus Brocadia" genus of ANAMMOX bacteria was mainly recovered in spring and summer, and an unknown cluster was primarily detected in autumn and winter. Similar patterns of seasonal variation in the community structure of DAMO bacteria were also observed. Group B was the dominant in spring and summer, whereas in autumn and winter, group A and group B presented almost the same proportion. The redundancy analysis revealed that pH and nitrate were the most significant factors affecting community structures of these two groups (P < 0.01). This study reported the diversity of ANAMMOX and DAMO in wastewater treatment plants that may be the basis for new nitrogen removal technologies.

  18. Bioaccumulation and chemical modification of Tc by soil bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henrot, J.

    1989-01-01

    Bioaccumulation and chemical modification of pertechnetate (TcO 4 -) by aerobically and anaerobically grown soil bacteria and by pure cultures of sulfate-reducing bacteria (Desulfovibrio sp.) were studied to gain insight on the possible mechanisms by which bacteria can affect the solubility of Tc in soil. Aerobically grown bacteria had no apparent effect on TcO 4 -; they did not accumulate Tc nor modify its chemical form. Anaerobically grown bacteria exhibited high bioaccumulation and reduced TcO 4 -, enabling its association with organics of the growth medium. Reduction was a metabolic process and not merely the result of reducing conditions in the growth medium. Association of Tc with bacterial polysaccharides was observed only in cultures of anaerobic bacteria. Sulfate-reducing bacteria efficiently removed Tc from solution and promoted its association with organics. Up to 70% of the total Tc in the growth medium was bioaccumulated and/or precipitated. The remaining Tc in soluble form was entirely associated with organics. Pertechnetate was not reduced by the same mechanism as dissimilatory sulfate reduction, but rather by some reducing agent released in the growth medium. A calculation of the amount of Tc that could be associated with the bacterial biomass present in soil demonstrates that high concentration ratios in cultures do not necessarily imply that bioaccumulation is an important mechanism for long-term retention of Tc in soil

  19. Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of the Bifurcaria bifurcata Epiphytic Bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Horta, André; Pinteus, Susete; Alves, Celso; Fino, Nádia; Silva, Joana; Fernandez, Sara; Rodrigues, Américo; Pedrosa, Rui

    2014-01-01

    This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the 14th International Symposium on Marine Natural Products Surface-associated marine bacteria are an interesting source of new secondary metabolites. The aim of this study was the isolation and identification of epiphytic bacteria from the marine brown alga, Bifurcaria bifurcata, and the evaluation of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of bacteria extracts. The identification of epiphytic bacteria was determined by 16S...

  20. Social Behaviour in Bacteria

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    the recipient. • Social behaviours can be categorized according to the fitness ... is actually the flagella of symbiotic spirochete bacteria that helps it to swim around .... Normal population. Responsive switching. (Environmental stress). Stochastic.

  1. Ammonia production by human faecal bacteria, and the enumeration, isolation and characterization of bacteria capable of growth on peptides and amino acids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richardson Anthony J

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The products of protein breakdown in the human colon are considered to be detrimental to gut health. Amino acid catabolism leads to the formation of sulfides, phenolic compounds and amines, which are inflammatory and/or precursors to the formation of carcinogens, including N-nitroso compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the kinetics of protein breakdown and the bacterial species involved. Results Casein, pancreatic casein hydrolysate (mainly short-chain peptides or amino acids were incubated in vitro with suspensions of faecal bacteria from 3 omnivorous and 3 vegetarian human donors. Results from the two donor groups were similar. Ammonia production was highest from peptides, followed by casein and amino acids, which were similar. The amino acids metabolized most extensively were Asp, Ser, Lys and Glu. Monensin inhibited the rate of ammonia production from amino acids by 60% (P = 0.001, indicating the involvement of Gram-positive bacteria. Enrichment cultures were carried out to investigate if, by analogy with the rumen, there was a significant population of asaccharolytic, obligately amino acid-fermenting bacteria (‘hyper-ammonia-producing’ bacteria; HAP in the colon. Numbers of bacteria capable of growth on peptides or amino acids alone averaged 3.5% of the total viable count, somewhat higher than the rumen. None of these were HAP, however. The species enriched included Clostridium spp., one of which was C. perfringens, Enterococcus, Shigella and Escherichia coli. Conclusions Protein fermentation by human faecal bacteria in the absence of sugars not only leads to the formation of hazardous metabolic products, but also to the possible proliferation of harmful bacteria. The kinetics of protein metabolism were similar to the rumen, but HAP bacteria were not found.

  2. Bacteria Associated with Fresh Tilapia Fish (Oreochromis niloticus ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    acer

    Keywords: Bacteria, Tilapia fish and Sokoto central market. INTRODUCTION ... The bacteria are transmitted by fish that have made contact ... with which a product spoils is also related to the .... Base on the percentage frequency of occurance ,.

  3. [Screening endophytic bacteria against plant-parasitic nematodes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Shuang; Yan, Shuzhen; Chen, Shuanglin

    2011-03-01

    Plant-parasite nematode is one of the most important pathogens in plant. Our objective is to screen endophytic bacteria against plant-parasitic nematodes from plant. Endophytic bacteria were isolated and screened by testing their metabolite against Bursaphelenchus xylophilus in vitro. Those strains inhibiting B. xylophilus were selected to culture in liquid medium and fermentation conditions were optimized by orthogonal test. The stability of the antinematode substances was evaluated by various. In addition, four strains were identified by 16SrDNA sequence analysis. In total 13 strains of endophytic bacteria secreting antinematode metabolite were isolated from 6 species of plant. The supernatant of the fermentation broth of these endophytic bacteria gave 100% mortality of nematodes after treated as the follows: 1 ml each was mixed with 0.2 ml of the suspension of nematodes (2000 nematodes/ml) then incubated at 250C for 24 h, some of which could led to leakage or dissolution of nematodes. Among them, four strains, BCM2, SZ5, CCM7 and DP1, showed stronger activity than others. The supernatants diluted three times also gave not less than 95% mortality after 24 h treatment, and those from DP1 and SZ5 even gave 100% mortality. The fermentation conditions of the four strains were optimized and the antinematode activity grew up four times after optimization. The antinematode substances of these strains were found stable when treated with protease or heating or stored at 4 degrees C after 100 days, while instable when treated with acid or alkali. DP1 and CCM7 were identified to be Bacillus subtilis, while SZ5 and BCM2 to be Bacillus cereus. Endophytic bacteria secreting antinematode metabolite were found in economic crops. The metabolite of some strains showed strong and stable antinematode activity. Our results indicate the real potential of biocontrol by endophytic bacteria.

  4. Pepsin homologues in bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bateman Alex

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Peptidase family A1, to which pepsin belongs, had been assumed to be restricted to eukaryotes. The tertiary structure of pepsin shows two lobes with similar folds and it has been suggested that the gene has arisen from an ancient duplication and fusion event. The only sequence similarity between the lobes is restricted to the motif around the active site aspartate and a hydrophobic-hydrophobic-Gly motif. Together, these contribute to an essential structural feature known as a psi-loop. There is one such psi-loop in each lobe, and so each lobe presents an active Asp. The human immunodeficiency virus peptidase, retropepsin, from peptidase family A2 also has a similar fold but consists of one lobe only and has to dimerize to be active. All known members of family A1 show the bilobed structure, but it is unclear if the ancestor of family A1 was similar to an A2 peptidase, or if the ancestral retropepsin was derived from a half-pepsin gene. The presence of a pepsin homologue in a prokaryote might give insights into the evolution of the pepsin family. Results Homologues of the aspartic peptidase pepsin have been found in the completed genomic sequences from seven species of bacteria. The bacterial homologues, unlike those from eukaryotes, do not possess signal peptides, and would therefore be intracellular acting at neutral pH. The bacterial homologues have Thr218 replaced by Asp, a change which in renin has been shown to confer activity at neutral pH. No pepsin homologues could be detected in any archaean genome. Conclusion The peptidase family A1 is found in some species of bacteria as well as eukaryotes. The bacterial homologues fall into two groups, one from oceanic bacteria and one from plant symbionts. The bacterial homologues are all predicted to be intracellular proteins, unlike the eukaryotic enzymes. The bacterial homologues are bilobed like pepsin, implying that if no horizontal gene transfer has occurred the duplication

  5. The growth of bacteria on organic compounds in drinking water

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooij, van der D.

    1984-01-01

    Growth ("regrowth") of bacteria In drinking water distribution systems results in a deterioration of the water quality. Regrowth of chemoheterotrophic bacteria depends on the presence of organic. compounds that serve as a nutrient source for these bacteria. A batch-culture technique was

  6. Threats and opportunities of plant pathogenic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarkowski, Petr; Vereecke, Danny

    2014-01-01

    Plant pathogenic bacteria can have devastating effects on plant productivity and yield. Nevertheless, because these often soil-dwelling bacteria have evolved to interact with eukaryotes, they generally exhibit a strong adaptivity, a versatile metabolism, and ingenious mechanisms tailored to modify the development of their hosts. Consequently, besides being a threat for agricultural practices, phytopathogens may also represent opportunities for plant production or be useful for specific biotechnological applications. Here, we illustrate this idea by reviewing the pathogenic strategies and the (potential) uses of five very different (hemi)biotrophic plant pathogenic bacteria: Agrobacterium tumefaciens, A. rhizogenes, Rhodococcus fascians, scab-inducing Streptomyces spp., and Pseudomonas syringae. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Potency of Amylase-producing Bacteria and Optimization Amylase Activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Indriati, G.; Megahati, R. R. P.; Rosba, E.

    2018-04-01

    Enzymes are capable to act as biocatalyst for a wide variety of chemical reactions. Amylase have potential biotechnological applications in a wide range of industrial processes and account for nearly 30% of the world’s enzyme market. Amylase are extracellular enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of internal α-1,4-glycosidic linkages in starch to dextrin, and other small carbohydrate molecules constituted of glucose units. Although enzymes are produced from animal and plant sources, the microbial sources are generally the most suitable for commercial applications. Bacteria from hot springs is widely used as a source of various enzymes, such as amylase. But the amount of amylase-producing bacteria is still very limited. Therefore it is necessary to search sources of amylase-producing bacteria new, such as from hot springs Pariangan. The purpose of this study was to isolation of amylase-producing bacteria from Pariangan hot spring, West Sumatera and amylase activity optimization. The results were obtained 12 isolates of thermophilic bacteria and 5 isolates of amyalse-producing bacteria with the largest amylolytic index of 3.38 mm. The highest amylase activity was obtained at 50°C and pH 7.5.

  8. Interaction of neptunium with humic acid and anaerobic bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubota, Takumi; Sasaki, Takayuki; Kudo, Akira

    2002-01-01

    Humic acid and bacteria play an important role in the migration of radionuclides in groundwaters. The interaction of neptunium with humic acid and anaerobic bacteria has been investigated by liquid/liquid and solid/liquid extraction systems. For liquid/liquid extraction, the apparent complex formation constant, β α was obtained from the distribution between two phases of neptunium. For solid/liquid extraction, the ratio of sorption to bacteria, K d , was measured. K d of humic acid can be evaluated from β α . The large value of β α and K d means strong interaction of neptunium with organisms. In order to examine the effect of the nature of organism on interaction, the interaction with humic acid was compared to that with non-sterilized or sterilized mixed anaerobic bacteria. The value of β α of humate depended on neptunium ion concentration as well as pH, which showed the effect of polyelectrolyte properties and heterogeneous composition of humic acid. The comparison of interaction with humic acid and bacteria indicated that the K d value of humic acid was larger than that of bacteria and more strongly depend on pH. (author)

  9. Occurrence and distribution of nitrogen-scavenging bacteria in marine environment

    OpenAIRE

    Sugahara, Isao; Kimura, Toshio; Hayashi, Koichiro

    1987-01-01

    The occurrence and distribution nitrogen-scavenging bacteria in the water of coastal and oceanic of Japan were studied during the Seisui-Maru cruises from 1986 to 1987. Nitroben-scavenging bacteria in the water usually occurred at the level of 10-104 cfu/ml.This value was almost comparable to that of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria. It seems that nitrogen-scavenging bacteria play an important role in the efficient uptake of low levels of nitrogenous compounds in marine enviroment.

  10. [Analysis of Pathogenic Bacteria in Reclaimed Water and Impact of UV Disinfection on the Removal of Pathogenic Bacteria].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jing, Ming; Wang, Lei

    2016-02-15

    In the study, 454-pyrosequencing technology was employed to investigate the species of pathogenic bacteria and the proportion of each pathogen in secondary effluent. Culture-based, qPCR and Q-RT-PCR methods were employed to analyze the removal of indicator (E. coli) and pathogen (Salmonella and Mycobacterium) by ultraviolet (UV) disinfection at a dose of 60 mJ x Cm(-2). The results showed that 11 kinds of pathogenic bacteria were found and the most abundant potentially pathogenic bacteria in the secondary effluent were affiliated with the genera of Clostridium (2.96%), Arcobacter (0.82%) and Mycobacterium (0.36%). 99.9% of culturable E. coli and Salmonella were removed by UV disinfection (60 mJ x cm(-2), however, less than 90% of culturable Mycobacterium were removed. The removal efficiencies of viable E. coli, Salmonella and Mycobacterium were low. Q-RT-PCR seemed to be a promising method for evaluating viable microorganisms in samples. Besides, pathogenic bacteria entered into VBNC state at a UV dose of 60 mJ x cm(-2). Other advanced treatment processes were needed to ensure safe utilization of reclaimed water.

  11. High resistance of some oligotrophic bacteria to ionizing radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikitin, D.I.; Tashtemirova, M.A.; Pitryuk, I.A.; Sorokin, V.V.; Oranskaya, M.S.; Nikitin, L.E.

    1994-01-01

    The resistance of seven cultures of eutrophic and oligotrophic bacteria to gamma radiation (at doses up to 360 Gy) was investigated. The bacteria under study were divided into three groups according to their survival ability after irradiation. Methylobacterium organophilum and open-quotes Pedodermatophilus halotoleransclose quotes (LD 50 = 270 Gy) were highly tolerant. By their tolerance, these organisms approached Deinococcus radiodurans. Aquatic ring-shaped (toroidal) bacteria Flectobacillus major and open-quotes Arcocella aquaticaclose quotes (LD 5 = 173 and 210 Gy, respectively) were moderately tolerant. Eutrophic Pseudomonas fluorescens and Escherichia coli (LD 50 = 43 and 38 Gy, respectively) were the most sensitive. X-ray microanalysis showed that in tolerant bacteria the intracellular content of potassium increased and the content of calcium decreased after irradiation. No changes in the element composition of the eutrophic bacterium E. coli were detected. Possible mechanisms of the resistance of oligotrophic bacteria to gamma radiation are discussed

  12. Copper tolerance and virulence in bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ladomersky, Erik; Petris, Michael J.

    2015-01-01

    Copper (Cu) is an essential trace element for all aerobic organisms. It functions as a cofactor in enzymes that catalyze a wide variety of redox reactions due to its ability to cycle between two oxidation states, Cu(I) and Cu(II). This same redox property of copper has the potential to cause toxicity if copper homeostasis is not maintained. Studies suggest that the toxic properties of copper are harnessed by the innate immune system of the host to kill bacteria. To counter such defenses, bacteria rely on copper tolerance genes for virulence within the host. These discoveries suggest bacterial copper intoxication is a component of host nutritional immunity, thus expanding our knowledge of the roles of copper in biology. This review summarizes our current understanding of copper tolerance in bacteria, and the extent to which these pathways contribute to bacterial virulence within the host. PMID:25652326

  13. [Methanotrophic bacteria of acid sphagnum bogs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dedysh, S N

    2002-01-01

    Acid sphagnum bogs cover a considerable part of the territory of Russia and are an important natural source of biogenic methane, which is formed in their anaerobic layers. A considerable portion of this methane is consumed in the aerobic part of the bog profile by acidophilic methanotrophic bacteria, which comprise the methane filter of sphagnum bogs and decrease CH4 emission to the atmosphere. For a long time, these bacteria escaped isolation, which became possible only after the elucidation of the optimal conditions of their functioning in situ: pH 4.5 to 5.5; temperature, from 15 to 20 degrees C; and low salt concentration in the solution. Reproduction of these conditions and rejection of earlier used media with a high content of biogenic elements allowed methanotrophic bacteria of two new genera and species--Methylocella palustris and Methylocapsa acidophila--to be isolated from the peat of sphagnum bogs of the northern part of European Russia and West Siberia. These bacteria are well adapted to the conditions in cold, acid, oligotrophic sphagnum bogs. They grow in a pH range of 4.2-7.5 with an optimum at 5.0-5.5, prefer moderate temperatures (15-25 degrees C) and media with a low content of mineral salts (200-500 mg/l), and are capable of active nitrogen fixation. Design of fluorescently labeled 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes for the detection of Methylocella palustris and Methylocapsa acidophila and their application to the analysis of sphagnum peat samples showed that these bacteria represent dominant populations of methanotrophs with a density of 10(5)-10(6) cells/g peat. In addition to Methylocella and Methylocapsa populations, one more abundant population of methanotrophs was revealed (10(6) cells/g peat), which were phylogenetically close to the genus Methylocystis.

  14. Anaerobic bacteria in wastewater treatment plant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cyprowski, Marcin; Stobnicka-Kupiec, Agata; Ławniczek-Wałczyk, Anna; Bakal-Kijek, Aleksandra; Gołofit-Szymczak, Małgorzata; Górny, Rafał L

    2018-03-28

    The objective of this study was to assess exposure to anaerobic bacteria released into air from sewage and sludge at workplaces from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Samples of both sewage and sludge were collected at six sampling points and bioaerosol samples were additionally collected (with the use of a 6-stage Andersen impactor) at ten workplaces covering different stages of the technological process. Qualitative identification of all isolated strains was performed using the biochemical API 20A test. Additionally, the determination of Clostridium pathogens was carried out using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The average concentration of anaerobic bacteria in the sewage samples was 5.49 × 10 4 CFU/mL (GSD = 85.4) and in sludge-1.42 × 10 6 CFU/g (GSD = 5.1). In turn, the average airborne bacterial concentration was at the level of 50 CFU/m 3 (GSD = 5.83) and the highest bacterial contamination (4.06 × 10 3  CFU/m 3 ) was found in winter at the bar screens. In total, 16 bacterial species were determined, from which the predominant strains belonged to Actinomyces, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, Propionibacterium and Peptostreptococcus genera. The analysis revealed that mechanical treatment processes were responsible for a substantial emission of anaerobic bacteria into the air. In both the sewage and air samples, Clostridium perfringens pathogen was identified. Anaerobic bacteria were widely present both in the sewage and in the air at workplaces from the WWTP, especially when the technological process was performed in closed spaces. Anaerobic bacteria formed small aggregates with both wastewater droplets and dust particles of sewage sludge origin and as such may be responsible for adverse health outcomes in exposed workers.

  15. Chemical signaling between plants and plant-pathogenic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venturi, Vittorio; Fuqua, Clay

    2013-01-01

    Studies of chemical signaling between plants and bacteria in the past have been largely confined to two models: the rhizobial-legume symbiotic association and pathogenesis between agrobacteria and their host plants. Recent studies are beginning to provide evidence that many plant-associated bacteria undergo chemical signaling with the plant host via low-molecular-weight compounds. Plant-produced compounds interact with bacterial regulatory proteins that then affect gene expression. Similarly, bacterial quorum-sensing signals result in a range of functional responses in plants. This review attempts to highlight current knowledge in chemical signaling that takes place between pathogenic bacteria and plants. This chemical communication between plant and bacteria, also referred to as interkingdom signaling, will likely become a major research field in the future, as it allows the design of specific strategies to create plants that are resistant to plant pathogens.

  16. NC10 bacteria in marine oxygen minimum zones

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Padilla, Cory C; Bristow, Laura A; Sarode, Neha

    2016-01-01

    Bacteria of the NC10 phylum link anaerobic methane oxidation to nitrite denitrification through a unique O2-producing intra-aerobic methanotrophy pathway. A niche for NC10 in the pelagic ocean has not been confirmed. We show that NC10 bacteria are present and transcriptionally active in oceanic....... rRNA and mRNA transcripts assignable to NC10 peaked within the OMZ and included genes of the putative nitrite-dependent intra-aerobic pathway, with high representation of transcripts containing the unique motif structure of the nitric oxide (NO) reductase of NC10 bacteria, hypothesized...

  17. CcpA-dependent carbon catabolite repression in bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Warner, JB; Lolkema, JS; Warner, Jessica B.

    2003-01-01

    Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) by transcriptional regulators follows different mechanisms in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. In gram-positive bacteria, CcpA-dependent CCR is mediated by phosphorylation of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system intermediate HPr at a

  18. Antimicrobial properties of probiotic bacteria from various sources

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    OKEREKE HOPE C

    2012-05-15

    May 15, 2012 ... The lactic acid bacteria (LAB), a component of several fermented foods including ... lactic acid bacteria grown in MRS broth for 20 to 24 h using centrifugation .... vacuum packed chill-stored meat has potential application for ...

  19. Epithermal neutron activation analysis of CR(VI)-reducer basalt-inhabiting bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsibakhashvili, N.Ya.; Kalabegishvili, T.L.; Murusidze, I.G.; Mosulishvili, L.M.; Frontas'eva, M.V.; Kirkesali, E.I.; Aksenova, N.G.; Holman, H.Y.

    2005-01-01

    Epithermal neutron activation analysis (ENAA) has been applied to studying elemental composition of Cr(VI)-reducer bacteria isolated from polluted basalts from the Republic of Georgia. Cr(VI)-reducing ability of the bacteria was examined by electron spin resonance (ESR) demonstrating that the bacteria differ in the rates of Cr(VI) reduction. A well-pronounced correlation between the ability of the bacteria to accumulate Cr(VI) and their ability to reduce Cr(V) to Cr(III) observed in our experiments is discussed. Elemental analysis of these bacteria also revealed that basalt-inhabiting bacteria are distinguished by relative contents of essential elements such as K, Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Co. A high rate of Cr(III) formation correlates with a high concentration of Co in the bacterium. ENAA detected some similarity in the elemental composition of the bacteria. The relatively high contents of Fe detected in the bacteria (140-340 μg/g of dry weight) indicate bacterial adaptation to the environmental conditions typical of the basalts. The concentrations of at least 12-19 different elements ranging from major- to ultratrace ones were determined in each type of bacteria simultaneously. The range of concentrations spans over 8 orders of magnitude

  20. Identification of marine methanol-utilizing bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamamoto, M; Iwaki, H; Kouno, K; Inui, T

    1980-01-01

    A taxonomical study of 65 marine methanol-utilizing bacteria is described. They were Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rods with a polar flagellum and had marine bacterial properties and required vitamin B/sub 12/ for growth. All of them assimilated fructose in addition to C/sub 1/-compounds and produced acid oxidatively from fructose. Twenty-four strains assimilated only C/sub 1/-compounds. They were resistant to penicillin, oxytetracycline and 0/129 substance (Vibrio stat), and tolerant to 12% NaCl. Guanine-cytosine contents of deoxyribonucleic acid in typical strains fell in the range of 43.8 to 47.6%. Other morphological and physiological properties were almost the same as those of terrestrial methanol-utilizers. Bacteria in the first group (41 strains) were facultative methylotrophs and were divided into three subgroups by the assimilation of methylated amines, that is, subgroup I (30 strains) assimilated mono-, di- and tri-methylamine, subgroup II (9 strains) assimilated only mono-methylamine, the bacteria of subgroups I and II were named Alteromonas thalassomethanolica sp. nov. and subgroup III (2 strains) did not assimilate methylated amines, and was tentatively assigned as Alteromonas sp. The second group of bacteria (24 strains) was obligate methylotrophs, named Methylomonas thalassica sp. nov. and was divided into subgroup IV (15 strains) which assimilated mono-, di and tri-methylamine and subgroup V (9 strains) which assimilated mono-methylamine.

  1. Developing new bacteria subroutines in the SWAT model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fecal bacteria observations from four different sites in Korea and the US demonstrate seasonal variability, showing a significant relationship with temperature (Figure 1); fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations are relatively higher in summer and lower in winter , including Stillwater river (...

  2. Release of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria by a Waste Treatment Plant from Romania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lupan, Iulia; Carpa, Rahela; Oltean, Andreea; Kelemen, Beatrice Simona; Popescu, Octavian

    2017-09-27

    The occurrence and spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance are subjects of great interest, and the role of wastewater treatment plants has been attracting particular interest. These stations are a reservoir of bacteria, have a large range of organic and inorganic substances, and the amount of bacteria released into the environment is very high. The main purpose of the present study was to assess the removal degree of bacteria with resistance to antibiotics and identify the contribution of a wastewater treatment plant to the microbiota of Someşul Mic river water in Cluj county. The resistance to sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline and some of their representative resistance genes: sul1, tet(O), and tet(W) were assessed in this study. The results obtained showed that bacteria resistant to sulphonamides were more abundant than those resistant to tetracycline. The concentration of bacteria with antibiotic resistance changed after the treatment, namely, bacteria resistant to sulfamethoxazole. The removal of all bacteria and antibiotic-resistant bacteria was 98-99% and the degree of removal of bacteria resistant to tetracycline was higher than the bacteria resistant to sulfamethoxazole compared to total bacteria. The wastewater treatment plant not only contributed to elevating ARG concentrations, it also enhanced the possibility of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) by increasing the abundance of the intI1 gene. Even though the treatment process reduced the concentration of bacteria by two orders of magnitude, the wastewater treatment plant in Cluj-Napoca contributed to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria concentrations up to 10 km downstream of its discharge in Someşul Mic river.

  3. Coevolution of CRISPR bacteria and phage in 2 dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Pu; Deem, Michael

    2014-03-01

    CRISPR (cluster regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a newly discovered adaptive, heritable immune system of prokaryotes. It can prevent infection of prokaryotes by phage. Most bacteria and almost all archae have CRISPR. The CRISPR system incorporates short nucleotide sequences from viruses. These incorporated sequences provide a historical record of the host and predator coevolution. We simulate the coevolution of bacteria and phage in 2 dimensions. Each phage has multiple proto-spacers that the bacteria can incorporate. Each bacterium can store multiple spacers in its CRISPR. Phages can escape recognition by the CRISPR system via point mutation or recombination. We will discuss the different evolutionary consequences of point mutation or recombination on the coevolution of bacteria and phage. We will also discuss an intriguing ``dynamic phase transition'' in the number of phage as a function of time and mutation rate. We will show that due to the arm race between phages and bacteria, the frequency of spacers and proto-spacers in a population can oscillate quite rapidly.

  4. Active targeting of tumor cells using light emitting bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moon, Sung Min; Min, Jung Joon; Hong, Yeong Jin; Kim, Hyun Ju; Le, Uuenchi N.; Rhee, Joon Haeng; Song, Ho Chun; Heo, Young Jun; Bom, Hee Seung; Choy, Hyon E

    2004-01-01

    The presence of bacteria and viruses in human tumors has been recognized for more than 50 years. Today, with the discovery of bacterial strains that specifically target tumors, and aided by genomic sequencing and genetic engineering, there is new interest in the use of bacteria as tumor vectors. Here, we show that bacteria injected intravenously into live animals entered and replicated in solid tumors and metastases using the novel imaging technology of biophotonics. Bioluminescence operon (LuxCDABE) or fluorescence protein, GFP) has been cloned into pUC19 plasmid to engineer pUC19lux or pUC19gfp. Engineered plasmid was transformed into different kinds of wild type (MG1655) or mutant E. coli (DH5, ppGpp, fnr, purE, crpA, flagella, etc.) strains to construct light emitting bacteria. Xenograft tumor model has been established using CT26 colon cancer cell line. Light emitting bacteria was injected via tail vein into tumor bearing mouse. In vivo bioluminescence imaging has been done after 20 min to 14 days of bacterial injection. We observed localization of tumors by light-emitting E. coli in tumor (CT-26) bearing mice. We confirmed the presence of light-emitting bacteria under the fluorescence microscope with E. coli expressing GFP. Althoug varying mutants strain with deficient invading function has been found in tumor tissues, mutant strains of movement (flagella) couldn't show any light signal from the tumor tissue under the cooled CCD camera, indicating bacteria may actively target the tumor cells. Based on their 'tumor-finding' nature, bacteria may be designed to carry multiple genes or drugs for detection and treatment of cancer, such as prodrug-converting enzymes, toxins, angiogenesis inhibitors and cytokines

  5. Resuscitation effects of catalase on airborne bacteria.

    OpenAIRE

    Marthi, B; Shaffer, B T; Lighthart, B; Ganio, L

    1991-01-01

    Catalase incorporation into enumeration media caused a significant increase (greater than 63%) in the colony-forming abilities of airborne bacteria. Incubation for 30 to 60 min of airborne bacteria in collection fluid containing catalase caused a greater than 95% increase in colony-forming ability. However, catalase did not have any effects on enumeration at high relative humidities (80 to 90%).

  6. Thermophilic, lignocellulolytic bacteria for ethanol production: current state and perspectives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chang, Tinghong; Yao, Shuo

    2011-01-01

    of cellulolytic and saccharolytic thermophilic bacteria for lignocellulosic ethanol production because of their unique properties. First of all, thermophilic bacteria possess unique cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic systems and are considered as potential sources of highly active and thermostable enzymes...... for efficient biomass hydrolysis. Secondly, thermophilic bacteria ferment a broad range of carbohydrates into ethanol, and some of them display potential for ethanologenic fermentation at high yield. Thirdly, the establishment of the genetic tools for thermophilic bacteria has allowed metabolic engineering......, in particular with emphasis on improving ethanol yield, and this facilitates their employment for ethanol production. Finally, different processes for second-generation ethanol production based on thermophilic bacteria have been proposed with the aim to achieve cost-competitive processes. However, thermophilic...

  7. Elective culture of bacteria used in bioleaching on pyrrhotite

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    邱冠周; 覃文庆; 蓝卓越; 黎维中

    2003-01-01

    Elective culture of bacteria on pyrrhotite was researched, and the selected bacteria were tested on bi-oleaching of marmatite and zinc sulfide ore. The results show that the microorganism cultured on pyrrhotite with va-rious S/Fe ratios is a mixed culture of thiobacillus ferrooxidans and thiobacillus thiooxidans, of which the integral ac-tivity and the oxidation capability of Fe2+ and S are enhanced. With the high Fe and low S content of pyrrhotite, the oxida-tion capacity of ferrous ion is improved; on the contrary, the oxidation capacity of sulfur is advanced. The bioleaching ca-pacity of bacteria cultured on marmatite is better than that of the bacteria cultivated by conventional methods.

  8. The determination and arrangement of a combination of enzyme lactate dehydrogenase of bacteria Acinetobacter sp. as a device the identity important bacteria agent composts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sukmawati, D.; Puspitaningrum, R.; Muzajjanah

    2017-07-01

    The number of garbage generated by the industry or society is a usual problem encountered by almost all urban centers, especially large cities such as Jakarta. Waste prevention strategy required quickly and accurately. One strategy for tackling the Junk was getting lactic acid-producing bacteria. It has been shown that lactic acid can increase the acceleration of organic matter such as an overhaul of lignin and cellulose as well as out causing toxic compounds arising from decay. This research will be conducted on the determination and characterization of the enzyme-producing compost bacteria LDH lactate dehydrogenase LDH - which in isolation from the garbage Landfill Rawasari. Methodology: Research carried out consists: isolation of lactic acid-producing bacteria; identification of microscopic, macroscopic and staining Gram; cellulose assay, and optimization of PCR conditions LDH enzymes producing bacteria. Isolation is performed by dilution method and the direct method. As many as 5-point sampling. Each stage is conducted from 10 grams of soil from the top surface of the compost. Isolation results obtained 100 isolate the bacteria. Base on the characteristic of macroscopic and microscopic observations retrieved 14 isolates of bacteria have shaped rods and brought forth a negative kind of Gram positive staining. Bacterial isolates with codes (BK1; BK3; BK4; BK5; BK6; BK7; BK8; BK9; BK10; BK11: BK12; BK 13). The potential bacteria with ability produce lactate dehydrogenase was BK1 and BK3. Base for analysis phylogenetic there was identification bacteria bak1 and bak3 where Acinetobacter sp.

  9. Extracellular communication in bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chhabra, S.R.; Philipp, B.; Eberl, L.

    2005-01-01

    molecules, in different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria they control pathogenicity, secondary metabolite production, biofilm differentiation, DNA transfer and bioluminescence. The development of biosensors for the detection of these signal molecules has greatly facilitated their subsequent chemical...

  10. Disinfection of bacteria attached to granular activated carbon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeChevallier, M W; Hassenauer, T S; Camper, A K; McFeters, G A

    1984-01-01

    Heterotrophic plate count bacteria, coliform organisms, and pathogenic microorganisms attached to granular activated carbon particles were examined for their susceptibility to chlorine disinfection. When these bacteria were grown on carbon particles and then disinfected with 2.0 mg of chlorine per liter (1.4 to 1.6 mg of free chlorine residual per liter after 1 h) for 1 h, no significant decrease in viable counts was observed. Washed cells attached to the surface of granular activated carbon particles showed similar resistance to chlorine, but a progressive increase in sublethal injury was found. Observations made by scanning electron microscope indicated that granular activated carbon was colonized by bacteria which grow in cracks and crevices and are coated by an extracellular slime layer. These data suggest a possible mechanism by which treatment and disinfection barriers can be penetrated and pathogenic bacteria may enter drinking water supplies. Images PMID:6508306

  11. Motility of magnetotactic bacteria/MTB to Geomagnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hidajatullah-Maksoed, Fatahillah

    2016-03-01

    Bacteria with motility directed by a local geomagnetic fields have been observed in marine sediments'' discussed by R. Blakemore, 1975. Magnetotactic bacteria/MTB discovered in 1963 by Salvatore Bellini. For ``off-axis electron holography in the transmission electron microscope was used to correlates the physical & magnetic microstructure of magnetite nanocrystals in magnetotactic bacteria'' sought ``single-domain magnetite in hemopelagic sediments'' from JF Stolz. Otherwise, for potential source of bioproducts- product meant from result to multiplier -of magnetotactic bacteria[ACV Araujo, et.al, 2014 ] of marine drugs retrieved the `measurement of cellular chemotaxis with ECIS/Taxis, from KM Pietrosimone, 2012, whereas after ``earth magnetic field role on small living models'' are other interpretation of ``taxis'' as a movement of a cell instead usual ``tax'' for yew's taxus cuspidate, hired car & taxes in financial realms. Acknowledgements to HE. Mr. H. TUK SETYOHADI, Jl. Sriwijaya Raya 3, South-Jakarta, INDONESIA.

  12. Marine echinoderms as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistant bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catarina Marinho

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Echinoderms are benthic animals that play an important ecological role in marine communities occupying diverse trophic levels in the marine food chains. The majority of echinoderms feed on small particles of edible matter, although they can eat many kinds of food (Clark, 1968. Although, some echinoderms species has been facing an emerging demand for human consumption, particularly in Asian and Mediterranean cuisine, where these animals can be eaten raw (Kelly, 2005; Micael et al., 2009. Echinoderms own an innate immune mechanism that allows them to defend themselves from high concentrations of bacteria, viruses and fungus they are often exposed, on marine sediment (Janeway and Medzhitov, 1998, Cooper, 2003. The most frequent genera of gut bacteria in echinoderms are Vibrio, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, and Aeromonas; nevertheless Enterococcus spp. and Escherichia coli are also present (Harris, 1993; Marinho et al., 2013. Moreover, fecal resistant bacteria found in the aquatic environment might represent an index of marine pollution (Foti et al., 2009, Kummerer, 2009. Several studies had been lead in order to identify environmental reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in populations of fish, echinoderms and marine mammals, and they all support the thesis that these animals may serve as reservoirs since they had acquired resistant microbial species (Johnson et al., 1998, Marinho et al., 2013, Miranda and Zemelman, 2001. However, to our knowledge, there are only available in bibliography one study of antimicrobial resistant bacteria isolated from marine echinoderms (Marinho et al., 2013, which stats that their provenience in this environment is still unclear. Antimicrobial resistance outcomes from the intensive use of antimicrobial drugs in human activities associated with various mechanisms for bacteria genetic transfer (Barbosa and Levy, 2000, Coque et al., 2008. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria enter into water environments where they are

  13. Fecal indicator bacteria at Havana Bay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez Perez, Lisse; Gomez D'Angelo, Yamiris; Beltran Gonzalez, Jesus; Alvarez Valiente, Reinaldo

    2013-01-01

    Aims: Fecal indicator bacteria concentrations were evaluated in Havana Bay. Methods: Concentrations of traditional fecal indicator bacteria were calculated between April 2010 and February 2011, by MPN methods. Concentrations of thermo tolerant coliform (CTT), Escherichia coli, fecal streptococci (EF), intestinal enterococci (ENT) in seawater, and Clostridium perfringens in sediment surface, were determined. Results: CTT and E. coli levels were far above Cuban water quality standard for indirect contact with water, showing the negative influence of sewage and rivers on the bay. The EF and ENT were measured during sewage spills at the discharge site and they were suitable indicators of fecal contamination, but these indicators didn't show the same behavior in other selected sites. This result comes from its well-known inactivation by solar light in tropical zones and the presumable presence of humid acids in the waters of the bay. Conclusion: Fecal indicator bacteria and its statistical relationships reflect recent and chronic fecal contamination at the bay and near shores.

  14. Alkaline phosphatase activity of rumen bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, K J; Costerton, J W

    1977-11-01

    Of the 54 strains of rumen bacteria examined for alkaline phosphatase (APase) production, 9 of 33 gram-negative strains and none of 21 gram-positive strains produced the enzyme. The APase of the cells of the three strains of Bacteroides ruminicola that produced significant amounts of the enzyme was located in the periplasmic area of the cell envelope, whereas the enzyme was located in the strains of Selenomonas ruminantium and Succinivibrio dextrinosolvens was associated with the outer membrane. The localization of APase production in the cells of natural populations of rumen bacteria from hay-fed sheep was accomplished by reaction product deposition, and both the proportion of APase-producing bacteria and the location of the enzyme in the cell envelope of the producing cells could be determined. We suggest that this procedure is useful in detecting shifts in the bacterial population and the release of cell-bound APase that accompany feedlot bloat and other sequelae of dietary manipulation in ruminants.

  15. Topological Defects in a Living Nematic Ensnare Swimming Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Genkin, Mikhail M.; Sokolov, Andrey; Lavrentovich, Oleg D.; Aranson, Igor S.

    2017-01-01

    Active matter exemplified by suspensions of motile bacteria or synthetic self-propelled particles exhibits a remarkable propensity to self-organization and collective motion. The local input of energy and simple particle interactions often lead to complex emergent behavior manifested by the formation of macroscopic vortices and coherent structures with long-range order. A realization of an active system has been conceived by combining swimming bacteria and a lyotropic liquid crystal. Here, by coupling the well-established and validated model of nematic liquid crystals with the bacterial dynamics, we develop a computational model describing intricate properties of such a living nematic. In faithful agreement with the experiment, the model reproduces the onset of periodic undulation of the director and consequent proliferation of topological defects with the increase in bacterial concentration. It yields a testable prediction on the accumulation of bacteria in the cores of +1 /2 topological defects and depletion of bacteria in the cores of -1 /2 defects. Our dedicated experiment on motile bacteria suspended in a freestanding liquid crystalline film fully confirms this prediction. Our findings suggest novel approaches for trapping and transport of bacteria and synthetic swimmers in anisotropic liquids and extend a scope of tools to control and manipulate microscopic objects in active matter.

  16. Low field orientation magnetic separation methods for magnetotactic bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moeschler, F.D.

    1999-01-01

    Microbial biomineralisation of iron often results in a biomass that is magnetic and can be separated from water systems by the application of a magnetic field. Magnetotactic bacteria form magnetic membrane bound crystals within their structure, generally of magnetite. In nature, this enables magnetotactic bacteria to orientate themselves with respect to the local geomagnetic field. The bacteria then migrate with flagellar driven motion towards their preferred environment. This property has been harnessed to produce a process in which metal loaded magnetotactic bacteria can be recovered from a waste stream. This process is known as orientation magnetic separation. Several methods exist which permit the unique magnetic properties of individual magnetotactic bacteria to be studied, such as U-turn analysis, transmission electron microscopy and single wire cell studies. In this work an extension of U-turn analysis was developed. The bacteria were rendered non-motile by the addition of specific metal ions and the resulting 'flip time' which occurs during a field reversal enabled the magnetic moment of individual bacteria to be determined. This method proved to be much faster and more accurate than previous methods. For a successful process to be developed, large scale culturing of magnetotactic bacteria is required Experiments showed that culture vessel geometry was an important factor for high-density growth. Despite intensive studies reproducible culturing at volumes exceeding one litre was not achieved. This work showed that numerous metal ions rendered magnetotactic bacteria non-motile at concentrations below 10 ppm. Sequential adaptation raised typical levels to in excess of 100 ppm for a number of ions. such as zinc and tin. However, specific ions. such as copper or nickel, remained motility inhibiting at lower concentrations. To achieve separation using orientation magnetic separation, motile, field susceptible MTB are required. Despite successful adaptation, the

  17. A study on the radionuclide transport by bacteria in geologic media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Byoung Sub

    1997-02-01

    The purpose of this paper is to provide a methodology to develop a predictive model based on a conceptual three phase system and to investigate the influence of bacteria and their generation on the transport of radionuclide in porous and fractured media. The mass balance for bacteria, substrate and radionuclide were formulated. To illustrate the model simply, an equilibrium condition was assumed to partition the substrate, bacteria and radionuclide concentrations between the solid soil matrix, aqueous phase, rock matrix and bacterial surface. From the numerical calculation of the radionuclide transport in the presence of bacteria, it was found that the growth of bacteria and supplied primary substrate as limiting or stimulating growth factor of bacteria are the most important factors of the radionuclide transport. We also found that, depend on the transport of bacteria the temporal and spatial distribution of radionuclide concentration was significantly altered. The model proposed in this study will improve the evaluation of the role of the bacteria in the transport of radionuclide in groundwater systems. Furthermore, this model would be usefully utilized in analyzing the important role of colloidal particulate on the overall performance of radioactive waste safety

  18. Biochanin A improves fiber fermentation by cellulolytic bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    The objective was to determine the effect of the isoflavone biochanin A (BCA) on rumen cellulolytic bacteria and consequent fermentative activity. When bovine microbial rumen cell suspensions (n = 3) were incubated (24 h, 39 °C) with ground hay, cellulolytic bacteria proliferated, short chain fatty...

  19. Antimicrobial resistance in aerobic bacteria isolated from oral ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... varied antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. The oral cavities of hunting dogs are laden with multi-drug resistant bacteria of significant public health importance that could be transferred to humans through contaminated hunted games and bite wound. Keywords: Aerobic bacteria, Antimicrobial resistance, Dogs, Oral cavity, ...

  20. Hydrocarbon degradation potentials of bacteria isolated from spent ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Hydrocarbon degradation potentials of bacteria isolated from spent lubricating oil contaminated soil. ... This study has shown that resident bacteria strains in lubricating oil contaminated soils have potential application in the bioremediation of oil polluted sites and enhance the possibility of developing models and strategies ...

  1. Screening of endophytic plant growth-promoting bacteria isolated ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Probiotic bacteria, inhabiting the endosphere of plants, presents a major opportunity to develop cheap and eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic agrochemicals. Using standard microbiological procedures, culturable bacteria were isolated from the endosphere (root, stem and leaf) of two Nigerian rice varieties (Ofada and ITA ...

  2. Transmission of Nephridial Bacteria of the Earthworm Eisenia fetida

    OpenAIRE

    Davidson, Seana K.; Stahl, David A.

    2006-01-01

    The lumbricid earthworms (annelid family Lumbricidae) harbor gram-negative bacteria in their excretory organs, the nephridia. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing of bacteria associated with the nephridia of several earthworm species has shown that each species of worm harbors a distinct bacterial species and that the bacteria from different species form a monophyletic cluster within the genus Acidovorax, suggesting that there is a specific association resulting from radiation from a common b...

  3. [Regulating acid stress resistance of lactic acid bacteria--a review].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chongde; Huang, Jun; Zhou, Rongqing

    2014-07-04

    As cell factories, lactic acid bacteria are widely used in food, agriculture, pharmaceutical and other industries. Acid stress is one the important survival challenges encountered by lactic acid bacteria both in fermentation process and in the gastrointestinal tract. Recently, the development of systems biology and metabolic engineering brings unprecedented opportunity for further elucidating the acid tolerance mechanisms and improving the acid stress resistance of lactic acid bacteria. This review addresses physiological mechanisms of lactic acid bacteria during acid stress. Moreover, strategies to improve the acid stress resistance of lactic acid were proposed.

  4. Tolerance of anaerobic bacteria to chlorinated solvents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koenig, Joanna C; Groissmeier, Kathrin D; Manefield, Mike J

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of four chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs), perchloroethene (PCE), carbon tetrachloride (CT), chloroform (CF) and 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), on the growth of eight anaerobic bacteria: four fermentative species (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Clostridium sp. and Paenibacillus sp.) and four respiring species (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Geobacter sulfurreducens, Shewanella oneidensis and Desulfovibrio vulgaris). Effective concentrations of solvents which inhibited growth rates by 50% (EC50) were determined. The octanol-water partition coefficient or log Po/w of a CAH proved a generally satisfactory measure of its toxicity. Most species tolerated approximately 3-fold and 10-fold higher concentrations of the two relatively more polar CAHs CF and 1,2-DCA, respectively, than the two relatively less polar compounds PCE and CT. EC50 values correlated well with growth rates observed in solvent-free cultures, with fast-growing organisms displaying higher tolerance levels. Overall, fermentative bacteria were more tolerant to CAHs than respiring species, with iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria in particular appearing highly sensitive to CAHs. These data extend the current understanding of the impact of CAHs on a range of anaerobic bacteria, which will benefit the field of bioremediation.

  5. Bacteria of Phlebotominae Sand Flies Collected in Western Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Somayeh Rafatbakhsh-Iran

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Microorganisms particularly bacteria presenting in insects such as Phlebotominae may play an important role in the epidemiology of human infectious disease. Nowadays, because of vector implications, the routine methods of controlling and spraying have no more beneficial effects on vectors and reservoirs. Little knows about the prevalence and diversity of sand fly bacteria. The main objective of this study was to determine the presence of bacteria of phlebotominae sand flies collected in Hamadan, west of Iran. This information is important in order to development of vector control strategies. The microbial flora of Phlebotomus papatasi and P. sergenti the main vector of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the old world, were investigated. We characterized 8 bacteria, including 5 Gram-negative bacteria: Acinetobacter lwoffii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, Edvardsiela sp. and Proteus mirabilis and Gram-positive bacteria: Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Micrococcus luteus. Our study provides some data on the microbiota diversity of field-collected sand flies for the first time in Hamadan. Our results indicate that there is a range of variation of aerobic bacteria inhabiting sand fly, which possibly reflect the ecological condition of the habitat where the fly breeds. Microbiota is increasingly regarded as an important factor for modulating vector competence in insect vectors. So, mirobiota can be effects on the biology of phlebotominae and their roles in the sandfly-Leishmania interaction. Further experiments are required to clearly delineate the vectorial role of sand flies. Because it is probable that in the future, factors such as environmental changes, migration and urbanization can ease the transmission of leishmaniasis in this area.

  6. Diversity of root nodule bacteria from leguminous crops

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agrawal Pooja

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, a total of 353 nodule-associated bacteria were isolated from 220 legume plant samples belonging to Cicer arietinum (85, Glycine max (74, Vigna radiata (21 and Cajanus cajan (40. A total of 224 bacteria were identified as fast-growing Rhizobium spp. on the basis of differential staining (Gram staining and carbol fuchsin staining and biochemical tests. All the isolates were tested for indole acetic acid production (IAA, phosphate solubilization and siderophore production on plate assay. To examine the effect of volatile organic metabolites (VOM and water soluble soil components (WSSC on nodule bacteria, culture conditions were optimized by observing the effects of various parameters such as pH, salt content and temperatures on the growth of bacteria. Selected rhizobia were subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD and amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA analysis to identify their species. On the basis of RAPD and ARDRA, 10 isolates were identified as Rhizobium meliloti. In this study, Rhizobium GO4, G16, G20, G77, S43, S81, M07, M37, A15 and A55 were observed as the best candidates among the tested bacteria and can be further used as potent bioinoculants.

  7. Anaerobic Ammonium-Oxidizing Bacteria in Cow Manure Composting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tingting; Cheng, Lijun; Zhang, Wenhao; Xu, Xiuhong; Meng, Qingxin; Sun, Xuewei; Liu, Huajing; Li, Hongtao; Sun, Yu

    2017-07-28

    Composting is widely used to transform waste into valuable agricultural organic fertilizer. Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria play an important role in the global nitrogen cycle, but their role in composting remains poorly understood. In the present study, the community structure, diversity, and abundance of anammox bacteria were analyzed using cloning and sequencing methods by targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the hydrazine oxidase gene ( hzo ) in samples isolated from compost produced from cow manure and rice straw. A total of 25 operational taxonomic units were classified based on 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, and 14 operational taxonomic units were classified based on hzo gene clone libraries. The phylogenetic tree analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and deduced HZO protein sequences from the corresponding encoding genes indicated that the majority of the obtained clones were related to the known anammox bacteria Candidatus "Brocadia," Candidatus "Kuenenia," and Candidatus "Scalindua." The abundances of anammox bacteria were determined by quantitative PCR, and between 2.13 × 10 5 and 1.15 × 10 6 16S rRNA gene copies per gram of compost were found. This study provides the first demonstration of the existence of anammox bacteria with limited diversity in cow manure composting.

  8. Symbiotic Bacteria Enable Olive Fly Larvae to Overcome Host Defenses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ben-Yosef, Michael; Yuval, Boaz; Pasternak, Zohar; Jurkevitch, Edouard

    2016-01-01

    Ripe fruit offer readily available nutrients for many animals, including fruit fly larvae (Diptera: Tephritidae) and their associated rot-inducing bacteria. Yet, during most of their ontogeny, fruit remain chemically defended and effectively suppress herbivores and pathogens by high levels of secondary metabolites. Olive flies (Bactrocera oleae) are uniquely able to develop in unripe olives. Unlike other frugivorous tephritids, the larvae maintain bacteria confined within their midgut caeca. We examined the interaction between larvae, their associated bacteria, and fruit chemical defence, hypothesizing that bacterial contribution to larval development is contingent on the phenology of fruit defensive chemistry. We demonstrate that larvae require their natural complement of bacteria (Candidatus Erwinia dacicola: Enterobacteriaceae) in order to develop in unripe olives. Conversely, when feeding on ripe fruit, larval development proceeds independently of these bacteria. Our experiments suggest that bacteria counteract the inhibitory effect of oleuropein—the principal phenolic glycoside in unripe olives. In light of these results, we suggest that the unique symbiosis in olive flies, compared with other frugivorous tephritids, is understood by considering the relationship between the fly, bacteria and fruit chemistry. When applied in an evolutionary context, this approach may also point out the forces which shaped symbioses across the Tephritidae. (author)

  9. Incorporation of therapeutically modified bacteria into gut microbiota inhibits obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Zhongyi; Guo, Lilu; Zhang, Yongqin; Walzem, Rosemary L; Pendergast, Julie S; Printz, Richard L; Morris, Lindsey C; Matafonova, Elena; Stien, Xavier; Kang, Li; Coulon, Denis; McGuinness, Owen P; Niswender, Kevin D; Davies, Sean S

    2014-08-01

    Metabolic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, are widespread in Westernized nations. Gut microbiota composition is a contributing factor to the susceptibility of an individual to the development of these disorders; therefore, altering a person's microbiota may ameliorate disease. One potential microbiome-altering strategy is the incorporation of modified bacteria that express therapeutic factors into the gut microbiota. For example, N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs) are precursors to the N-acylethanolamide (NAE) family of lipids, which are synthesized in the small intestine in response to feeding and reduce food intake and obesity. Here, we demonstrated that administration of engineered NAPE-expressing E. coli Nissle 1917 bacteria in drinking water for 8 weeks reduced the levels of obesity in mice fed a high-fat diet. Mice that received modified bacteria had dramatically lower food intake, adiposity, insulin resistance, and hepatosteatosis compared with mice receiving standard water or control bacteria. The protective effects conferred by NAPE-expressing bacteria persisted for at least 4 weeks after their removal from the drinking water. Moreover, administration of NAPE-expressing bacteria to TallyHo mice, a polygenic mouse model of obesity, inhibited weight gain. Our results demonstrate that incorporation of appropriately modified bacteria into the gut microbiota has potential as an effective strategy to inhibit the development of metabolic disorders.

  10. Phylogenetic diversity of bacteria associated with toxic and non-toxic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Phylogenetic diversity of bacteria associated with toxic and non-toxic strains of Alexandrium minutum. L Palacios, B Reguera, J Franco, I Marín. Abstract. Marine planktonic dinoflagellates are usually associated with bacteria, some of which seem to have a symbiotic relation with the dinoflagellate cells. The role of bacteria in ...

  11. Frequency of Resistance and Susceptible Bacteria Isolated from Houseflies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B Davari

    2010-12-01

    Conclusion: Houseflies collected from hospitals and slaughterhouse may be involved in the spread of drug resistant bacteria and may increase the potential of human exposure to drug resistant bacteria.

  12. Detection of Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria and Others Cultivable Facultative Bacteria in Dental Tissues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lúcio de Souza Gonçalves

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To detect for the presence of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB and evaluate the possible association between SRB and cultivable facultative bacterial of oral sites with different periodontal conditions. Methods: The study was carried out on 9 samples from different oral sites in 8 patients (two samples were collected from the same patient. Material was collected using modified Postgate E culture medium, indicated for the growth and isolation of SRB. In addition, a reducing solution for anaerobic bacteria was used as a transport solution for facultative bacteria and identified by polymerase chain reaction amplification (PCR and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Results: SRB was found in 3 patient samples: the first in a root fragment, the second in a root fragment and a healthy tooth with vertical bone loss and a mobility degree of 3; and the third in a healthy tooth extracted for orthodontic treatment. In the final patient, the cultivable facultative species Lactobacillus casei was identified. Other facultative bacterial species were identified in patient 5 (Kurthia Gibsonii and patient 7 (Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Conclusions: The detection of SRB in different dental tissues with distinct periodontal features demonstrated that new studies need to be developed in order to determine the true role of SRB in the oral microbiota. In addition, it was possible to verify the presence of Lactobacillus casei together with SRB in one sample.

  13. Bacteria, some permanent tenants Space Station; Bacteria, unos inquilinos permanentes de la estacion espacial

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Diaz, B.

    2015-07-01

    Vacuum cleaners to operate the vacuum or rags with ethanol they are the products of cleaning of the astronauts. Is there tight spaces fully sterilized? It seems not, even in the Space Station International (ISS). When it comes to bacteria, they are able to travel more than 400 kilometers housed in costumes, bodies and interior of the astronauts themselves and settle in a enclosed space where-unlike in a {sup c}leanroom 'terrestre- the air is not recycled. A NASA study has found an abundance of bacteria 'opportunists' which, although harmless on Earth, they might derivasen cause infections in inflammations or skin irritations. Not forgetting those fungi that could damage or affect the infrastructure equipment space. (Author)

  14. Marine snow, organic solute plumes, and optimal chemosensory behavior of bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kiørboe, Thomas; Jackson, G.A.

    2001-01-01

    Leaking organic solutes form an elongated plume in the wake of a sinking aggregate. These solutes may both be assimilated by suspended bacteria and guide bacteria with chemokinetic swimming behavior toward the aggregate. We used modifications of previously published models of the flow and concent......Leaking organic solutes form an elongated plume in the wake of a sinking aggregate. These solutes may both be assimilated by suspended bacteria and guide bacteria with chemokinetic swimming behavior toward the aggregate. We used modifications of previously published models of the flow...... behavior was used to examine the potential contribution of aggregate-generated solute plumes for water column bacteria] production. Despite occupying only a small volume fraction, the plumes may provide important growth habitats for free bacteria and account for a significant proportion of water column...

  15. Determination of Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria and Nitrate Oxidizing Bacteria in Wastewater and Bioreactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Somilez Asya

    2014-01-01

    The process of water purification has many different physical, chemical, and biological processes. One part of the biological process is the task of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Both play critical roles in the treatment of wastewater by oxidizing toxic compounds. The broad term is nitrification, a naturally occurring process that is carried out by AOB and NOB by using oxidation to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. To monitor this biological activity, bacterial staining was performed on wastewater contained in inoculum tanks and biofilm samples from bioreactors. Using microscopy and qPCR, the purpose of this experiment was to determine if the population of AOB and NOB in wastewater and membrane bioreactors changed depending on temperature and hibernation conditions to determine the optimal parameters for AOB/NOB culture to effectively clean wastewater.

  16. Sulphur oxidising bacteria in mangrove ecosystem: A review ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Sulphur-oxidizing bacteria such as photoautotrophs, chemolithotrophs and heterotrophs play an important role in the mangrove environment for the oxidation of the toxic sulphide produced by sulphur reducing bacteria and act as a key driving force behind all sulphur transformations in the mangrove ecosystem which is ...

  17. unanswerable questions just as interesting as unculturable bacteria!

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. UNANSWERABLE QUESTIONS JUST AS INTERESTING AS UNCULTURABLE BACTERIA! How can landmark research be done in a college? What is the need to isolate novel bacteria when the ones already isolated are not completely studied? How can one do ...

  18. Anti-fungal properties of chitinolytic dune soil bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Boer, W.; Klein Gunnewiek, P.J.A.; Lafeber, P.; Janse, J.H.; Spit, B.E.; Woldendorp, J.W.

    1998-01-01

    Anti-fungal properties of chitinolytic soil bacteria may enable them to compete successfully for chitin with fungi. Additionally, the production of chitinase may be part of a lytic system that enables the bacteria to use living hyphae rather than chitin as the actual growth substrate, since chitin

  19. Lactic Acid Bacteria Differentially Activate Natural Killer Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fink, Lisbeth Nielsen; Christensen, Hanne Risager; Frøkiær, Hanne

    antigen presenting cells and T-cells. Bacteria translocating across the gastrointestinal mucosa are presumed to gain access to NK cell compartments, as consumption of certain strains of lactic acid bacteria has been shown to increase in vivo NK cytotoxic activity. On-going research in our lab aims...

  20. Damage mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria in drinking water ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study aimed at elucidating the inactivation mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria in drinking water during chlorine and solar disinfection using a simple plating method. The well-known bacterial model Escherichia coli was used as pathogenic bacteria for the experiments. The damage mechanisms of E. coli were ...

  1. [Bacteriophages in the battle against multidrug resistant bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meer, J.W.M. van der; Vandenbroucke-Grauls, C.

    2018-01-01

    Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. They are highly specific for a bacterial species. The so-called 'lytic phages' can lyse bacteria when they infect them; these phages can be used to treat bacterial infections. Despite a century of experience with phage therapy, the evidence for

  2. EFFECT OF SODIUM PHOSPHATES ON SELECTED FOOD GRADE BACTERIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanislav Kráčmar

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the inhibitory effect in vitro of selected sodium phosphates (under the corporate names Hexa 68, Hexa 70, Trikrystal, FST, Pyro 52, KPS, Didi on selected gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Seven different concentrations of each phosphate were used. Sensitivity of the bacterial strains to phosphates was observed in broth supplemented with salts. In vitro was showed a negative effect of various phosphates on growth of selected gram-positive bacteria. Orthophosphates and diphosphates (pyrophosphates did not have significant inhibitory effect on tested bacteria at neutral pH. With the exception of phosphate Trikrystal has not been found in vitro significant inhibitory effects on gram-negative bacteria.doi:10.5219/141

  3. Expulsion of swimming bacteria by a circular flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sokolov, Andrey; Aronson, Igor

    Macroscopic shear flow alters swimming trajectories in a highly nontrivial way and results in dramatic reduction of viscosity and heterogeneous bacterial distributions. We report on experimental and theoretical studies of rapid expulsion of microswimmers, such as motile bacteria, by a circular flow created by a rotating microparticle. We observed a formation of a macroscopic depletion area in a high-shear region, in the vicinity of a microparticle. The rapid migration of bacteria from the shear-rich area is caused by a circular structure of the flow rather than intrinsic random fluctuations of bacteria orientations, in stark contrast to planar shear flow. Our mathematical model revealed that expulsion is a combined effect of motility and alignment by a vortical flow. Our findings offer a novel approach for manipulation of motile microorganisms and shed new light on bacteria-flow interactions. Was supported by the US DOE, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Science And Engineering, under Contract No. DE AC02-06CH11357.

  4. CRISPR-Cas Technologies and Applications in Food Bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stout, Emily; Klaenhammer, Todd; Barrangou, Rodolphe

    2017-02-28

    Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins form adaptive immune systems that occur in many bacteria and most archaea. In addition to protecting bacteria from phages and other invasive mobile genetic elements, CRISPR-Cas molecular machines can be repurposed as tool kits for applications relevant to the food industry. A primary concern of the food industry has long been the proper management of food-related bacteria, with a focus on both enhancing the outcomes of beneficial microorganisms such as starter cultures and probiotics and limiting the presence of detrimental organisms such as pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. This review introduces CRISPR-Cas as a novel set of technologies to manage food bacteria and offers insights into CRISPR-Cas biology. It primarily focuses on the applications of CRISPR-Cas systems and tools in starter cultures and probiotics, encompassing strain-typing, phage resistance, plasmid vaccination, genome editing, and antimicrobial activity.

  5. Protein-Injection Machines in Bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galán, Jorge E; Waksman, Gabriel

    2018-03-08

    Many bacteria have evolved specialized nanomachines with the remarkable ability to inject multiple bacterially encoded effector proteins into eukaryotic or prokaryotic cells. Known as type III, type IV, and type VI secretion systems, these machines play a central role in the pathogenic or symbiotic interactions between multiple bacteria and their eukaryotic hosts, or in the establishment of bacterial communities in a diversity of environments. Here we focus on recent progress elucidating the structure and assembly pathways of these machines. As many of the interactions shaped by these machines are of medical importance, they provide an opportunity to develop novel therapeutic approaches to combat important human diseases. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Epithermal Neutron Activation Analysis (ENAA) of Cr(VI)-reducer Basalt-inhabiting Bacteria

    CERN Document Server

    Tsibakhashvili, N Ya; Kirkesali, E I; Aksenova, N G; Kalabegishvili, T L; Murusidze, I G; Mosulishvili, L M; Holman, H Y N

    2005-01-01

    Epithermal neutron activation analysis (ENAA) has been applied to studying elemental composition of Cr(VI)-reducer bacteria isolated from polluted basalts from the Republic of Georgia. Cr(VI)-reducing ability of the bacteria was examined by electron spin resonance (ESR) demonstrating that the bacteria differ in the rates of Cr(VI) reduction. A well-pronounced correlation between the ability of the bacteria to accumulate Cr(V) and their ability to reduce Cr(V) to Cr(III) observed in our experiments is discussed. Elemental analysis of these bacteria also revealed that basalt-inhabiting bacteria are distinguished by relative contents of essential elements such as K, Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Co. A high rate of Cr(III) formation correlates with a high concentration of Co in the bacterium. ENAA detected some similarity in the elemental composition of the bacteria. The relatively high contents of Fe detected in the bacteria (140-340 $\\mu $g/g of dry weight) indicate bacterial adaptation to the environmental condition...

  7. Non-thermal plasma mills bacteria: Scanning electron microscopy observations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lunov, O.; Churpita, O.; Zablotskii, V.; Jäger, A.; Dejneka, A.; Deyneka, I. G.; Meshkovskii, I. K.; Syková, E.; Kubinová, Š.

    2015-01-01

    Non-thermal plasmas hold great promise for a variety of biomedical applications. To ensure safe clinical application of plasma, a rigorous analysis of plasma-induced effects on cell functions is required. Yet mechanisms of bacteria deactivation by non-thermal plasma remain largely unknown. We therefore analyzed the influence of low-temperature atmospheric plasma on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Using scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrate that both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains in a minute were completely destroyed by helium plasma. In contrast, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were not affected by the same treatment. Furthermore, histopathological analysis of hematoxylin and eosin–stained rat skin sections from plasma–treated animals did not reveal any abnormalities in comparison to control ones. We discuss possible physical mechanisms leading to the shred of bacteria under non-thermal plasma irradiation. Our findings disclose how helium plasma destroys bacteria and demonstrates the safe use of plasma treatment for MSCs and skin cells, highlighting the favorability of plasma applications for chronic wound therapy

  8. Corrosion of candidate container materials by Yucca Mountain bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horn, J; Jones, D; Lian, T; Martin, S; Rivera, A

    1999-01-01

    Several candidate container materials have been studied in modified Yucca Mountain (YM) ground water in the presence or absence of YM bacteria. YM bacteria increased corrosion rates by 5-6 fold in UNS G10200 carbon steel, and nearly 100-fold in UNS NO4400 Ni-Cu alloy. YM bacteria caused microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) through de-alloying or Ni-depletion of Ni-Cu alloy as evidenced by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP) analysis. MIC rates of more corrosion-resistant alloys such as UNS NO6022 Ni-Cr- MO-W alloy, UN's NO6625 Ni-Cr-Mo alloy, and UNS S30400 stainless steel were measured below 0.05 umyr, however YM bacteria affected depletion of Cr and Fe relative to Ni in these materials. The chemical change on the metal surface caused by depletion was characterized in anodic polarization behavior. The anodic polarization behavior of depleted Ni-based alloys was similar to that of pure Ni. Key words: MIC, container materials, YM bacteria, de-alloying, Ni-depletion, Cr-depletion, polarization resistance, anodic polarization,

  9. Antibiotic effects against periodontal bacteria in organ cultured tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeshita, Masaaki; Haraguchi, Akira; Miura, Mayumi; Hamachi, Takafumi; Fukuda, Takao; Sanui, Terukazu; Takano, Aiko; Nishimura, Fusanori

    2017-02-01

    Mechanical reduction of infectious bacteria by using physical instruments is considered the principal therapeutic strategy for periodontal disease; addition of antibiotics is adjunctive. However, local antibiotic treatment, combined with conventional mechanical debridement, has recently been shown to be more effective in periodontitis subjects with type 2 diabetes. This suggests that some bacteria may invade the inflamed inner gingival epithelium, and mechanical debridement alone will be unable to reduce these bacteria completely. Therefore, we tried to establish infected organ culture models that mimic the inner gingival epithelium and aimed to see the effects of antibiotics in these established models. Mouse dorsal skin epithelia were isolated, and periodontal bacteria were injected into the epithelia. Infected epithelia were incubated with test antibiotics, and colony-forming ability was evaluated. Results indicated that effective antibiotics differed according to injected bacteria and the bacterial combinations tested. Overall, in organ culture model, the combination of amoxicillin or cefdinir and metronidazole compensate for the effects of less effective bacterial combinations on each other. This in vitro study would suggest effective periodontal treatment regimens, especially for severe periodontitis.

  10. Cultivation, detection, and ecophysiology of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kartal, Boran; Geerts, Wim; Jetten, Mike S M

    2011-01-01

    Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria oxidize ammonium with nitrite under anoxic conditions. The anammox process is currently used to remove ammonium from wastewater and contributes significantly to the loss of fixed nitrogen from the oceans. In this chapter, we focus on the ecophysiology of anammox bacteria and describe new methodologies to grow these microorganisms. Now, it is possible to enrich anammox bacteria up to 95% with a membrane bioreactor that removes forces of selection for fast settling aggregates and facilitates the growth of planktonic cells. The biomass from this system has a high anaerobic ammonium oxidation rate (50 fmol NH(4)(+) · cell(-1) day(-1)) and is suitable for many ecophysiological and molecular experiments. A high throughput Percoll density gradient centrifugation protocol may be applied on this biomass for further enrichment (>99.5%) of anammox bacteria. Furthermore, we provide an up-to-date list of commonly used primers and introduce protocols for quantification and detection of functional genes of anammox bacteria in their natural environment. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Wastewater nutrient removal in a mixed microalgae-bacteria culture: effect of light and temperature on the microalgae-bacteria competition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Camejo, J; Barat, R; Pachés, M; Murgui, M; Seco, A; Ferrer, J

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of light intensity and temperature on nutrient removal and biomass productivity in a microalgae-bacteria culture and their effects on the microalgae-bacteria competition. Three experiments were carried out at constant temperature and various light intensities: 40, 85 and 125 µE m -2  s -1 . Other two experiments were carried out at variable temperatures: 23 ± 2°C and 28 ± 2°C at light intensity of 85 and 125 µE m -2  s -1 , respectively. The photobioreactor was fed by the effluent from an anaerobic membrane bioreactor. High nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies (about 99%) were achieved under the following operating conditions: 85-125 µE m -2  s -1 and 22 ± 1°C. In the microalgae-bacteria culture studied, increasing light intensity favoured microalgae growth and limited the nitrification process. However, a non-graduated temperature increase (up to 32°C) under the light intensities studied caused the proliferation of nitrifying bacteria and the nitrite and nitrate accumulation. Hence, light intensity and temperature are key parameters in the control of the microalgae-bacteria competition. Biomass productivity significantly increased with light intensity, reaching 50.5 ± 9.6, 80.3 ± 6.5 and 94.3 ± 7.9 mgVSS L -1  d -1 for a light intensity of 40, 85 and 125 µE m -2  s -1 , respectively.

  12. PATHOGENICITY OF BIOFILM BACTERIA

    Science.gov (United States)

    There is a paucity of information concerning any link between the microorganisms commonly found in biofilms of drinking water systems and their impacts on human health. For bacteria, culture-based techniques detect only a limited number of the total microorganisms associated wit...

  13. Removal of crude petroleum hydrocarbons by heterotrophic bacteria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nitrogenous fertilizer (NPK) plant effluents from NAFCON were used in amending plots of land experimentally polluted with crude oil. Counts of heterotrophic bacteria (THBC) and fungi (TF), and of petroleum utilizing bacteria (PUB) and fungi (PUF) were monitored during an 8 weeks period. Counts obtained showed that ...

  14. Differential staining of bacteria: gram stain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moyes, Rita B; Reynolds, Jackie; Breakwell, Donald P

    2009-11-01

    In 1884, Hans Christian Gram, a Danish doctor, developed a differential staining technique that is still the cornerstone of bacterial identification and taxonomic division. This multistep, sequential staining protocol separates bacteria into four groups based on cell morphology and cell wall structure: Gram-positive cocci, Gram-negative cocci, Gram-positive rods, and Gram-negative rods. The Gram stain is useful for assessing bacterial contamination of tissue culture samples or for examining the Gram stain status and morphological features of bacteria isolated from mixed or isolated bacterial cultures. (c) 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  15. Manufacture of Probiotic Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muller, J. A.; Ross, R. P.; Fitzgerald, G. F.; Stanton, C.

    Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been used for many years as natural biopreservatives in fermented foods. A small group of LAB are also believed to have beneficial health effects on the host, so called probiotic bacteria. Probiotics have emerged from the niche industry from Asia into European and American markets. Functional foods are one of the fastest growing markets today, with estimated growth to 20 billion dollars worldwide by 2010 (GIA, 2008). The increasing demand for probiotics and the new food markets where probiotics are introduced, challenges the industry to produce high quantities of probiotic cultures in a viable and stable form. Dried concentrated probiotic cultures are the most convenient form for incorporation into functional foods, given the ease of storage, handling and transport, especially for shelf-stable functional products. This chapter will discuss various aspects of the challenges associated with the manufacturing of probiotic cultures.

  16. The impact of lactic acid bacteria on sourdough fermentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Savić Dragiša S.

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The baking of sourdough breads represents one of the oldest biotechnological processes. Despite traditionality, sourdough bread has great potential because of its benefits. Sourdough is a mixture of flour and water that is dominated by a complex microflora composed of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria that are crucial in the preparation of bread dough. Lactic acid bacteria cause acidification by producing lactic acid that increases the shelf life of bread by preventing the growth of undesirable microorganisms and affects the nutritional value of bread by increasing the availability of minerals. In addition to these advantages, the use of sourdough fermentation also improves dough machinability, breadcrumb structure and the characteristic flavour of bread. Lactic acid bacteria in sourdough fermentation are well known representing both homofermentative and heterofermentative bacteria. They may originate from selected natural contaminants in the flour or from a starter culture containing one or more known species of lactic acid bacteria. Sourdough can be cultivated in bakeries or obtained from commercial suppliers. However, many bakeries in Europe still use spontaneously fermented sourdoughs, which have been kept metabolically active for decades by the addition of flour and water at regular intervals. The impact of lactic acid bacteria on sourdough fermentation and their influence on dough and bread quality was discussed on the basis of research and literature data.

  17. Time related total lactic acid bacteria population diversity and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    2011-02-07

    Feb 7, 2011 ... the diversity and dynamics of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) population in fresh ..... combining morphological, biochemical and molecular data are important for ..... acid bacteria from fermented maize (Kenkey) and their interactions.

  18. Presence of Pathogenic Bacteria and Viruses in the Daycare Environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibfelt, Tobias; Engelund, Eva Hoy; Permin, Anders; Madsen, Jonas Stenløkke; Schultz, Anna Charlotte; Andersen, Leif Percival

    2015-10-01

    The number of children in daycare centers (DCCs) is rising. This increases exposure to microorganisms and infectious diseases. Little is known about which bacteria and viruses are present in the DCC environment and where they are located. In the study described in this article, the authors set out to determine the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria and viruses and to find the most contaminated fomites in DCCs. Fifteen locations in each DCC were sampled for bacteria, respiratory viruses, and gastrointestinal viruses. The locations were in the toilet, kitchen, and playroom areas and included nursery pillows, toys, and tables, among other things. Coliform bacteria were primarily found in the toilet and kitchen areas whereas nasopharyngeal bacteria were found mostly on toys and fabric surfaces in the playroom. Respiratory viruses were omnipresent in the DCC environment, especially on the toys.

  19. Influence of Chicken Manure Fertilization on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Soil and the Endophytic Bacteria of Pakchoi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qingxiang Yang

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Animal manure is commonly used as fertilizer for agricultural crops worldwide, even though it is believed to contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance from animal intestines to the soil environment. However, it is unclear whether and how there is any impact of manure fertilization on populations and community structure of antibiotic-resistant endophytic bacteria (AREB in plant tissues. To investigate the effect of manure and organic fertilizer on endophytic bacterial communities, pot experiments were performed with pakchoi grown with the following treatments: (1 non-treated; (2 chicken manure-treated and (3 organic fertilizer-treated. Manure or organic fertilizer significantly increased the abundances of total cultivable endophytic bacteria (TCEB and AREB in pakchoi, and the effect of chicken manure was greater than that of organic fertilizer. Further, 16S rDNA sequencing and the phylogenetic analysis indicated that chicken manure or organic fertilizer application increased the populations of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria (MARB in soil and multiple antibiotic-resistant endophytic bacteria (MAREB in pakchoi. The identical multiple antibiotic-resistant bacterial populations detected in chicken manure, manure- or organic fertilizer-amended soil and the vegetable endophytic system were Brevundimonas diminuta, Brachybacterium sp. and Bordetella sp., suggesting that MARB from manure could enter and colonize the vegetable tissues through manure fertilization. The fact that some human pathogens with multiple antibiotic resistance were detected in harvested vegetables after growing in manure-amended soil demonstrated a potential threat to human health.

  20. Bacteria versus selenium: A view from the inside out

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staicu, Lucian; Oremland, Ronald S.; Tobe, Ryuta; Mihara, Hisaaki

    2017-01-01

    Bacteria and selenium (Se) are closely interlinked as the element serves both essential nutrient requirements and energy generation functions. However, Se can also behave as a powerful toxicant for bacterial homeostasis. Conversely, bacteria play a tremendous role in the cycling of Se between different environmental compartments, and bacterial metabolism has been shown to participate to all valence state transformations undergone by Se in nature. Bacteria possess an extensive molecular repertoire for Se metabolism. At the end of the 1980s, a novel mode of anaerobic respiration based on Se oxyanions was experimentally documented for the first time. Following this discovery, specific enzymes capable of reducing Se oxyanions and harvesting energy were found in a number of anaerobic bacteria. The genes involved in the expression of these enzymes have later been identified and cloned. This iterative approach undertaken outside-in led to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Se transformations in bacteria. Based on the extensive knowledge accumulated over the years, we now have a full(er) view from the inside out, from DNA-encoding genes to enzymes and thermodynamics. Bacterial transformations of Se for assimilatory purposes have been the object of numerous studies predating the investigation of Se respiration. Remarkable contributions related to the understating of the molecular picture underlying seleno-amino acid biosynthesis are reviewed herein. Under certain circumstances, Se is a toxicant for bacterial metabolism and bacteria have evolved strategies to counteract this toxicity, most notably by the formation of elemental Se (nano)particles. Several biotechnological applications, such as the production of functional materials and the biofortification of crop species using Se-utilizing bacteria, are presented in this chapter.

  1. Isolation and Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria from Inasua

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ferymon Mahulette

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Inasua is a traditionally product of wet salt fish fermentation produced by Teon, Nila and Serua (TNS Communities in Central Maluku, Indonesia. The community made this fermented fish to anticipate the lean time when fisherman could not go to sea.  The  fish that used as inasua raw material is demersal fishes that live around coral reefs, such as Samandar fish (Siganatus guttatus, Gala-gala fish (Lutjanus sp. and Sikuda fish (Lethrinus ornatus. The objective of the research was to isolate and characterize of bacterial indigenous in  Inasua from three producers in Seram Island. The measurement of pH from inasua samples were 5.9, 5.0 and 5.8, respectively. The highest number of lactic acid bacteria was found from  Gala – gala inasua was 2,5x107 cfu/g sample. Isolation of all isolates bacteria from inasua showed that a total of 7 isolates of bacteria was obtained  from Samadar inasua, 9 isolates from  Gala-gala inasua, and 7 isolates from  Sikuda inasua.  From a total of 23 isolates, only 6 isolates had characteristic as lactic acid bacteria that were Gram  positive, negative catalase, and cocci shape. The microscopic characteristics  of the isolates are coccid in pairs or uniforms which combine to form tetrads. Carbohydrate utilization test  of selected isolate by using API 50 CHB kit indicated that 13 carbohydrates are fermented by these isolates  after incubation for 48 hours. The research  was concluded that the dominant bacteria in inasua sample  is  cocci-lactic acid bacteria. Keywords : fermented fish, inasua, lactic acid bacteria, MRSA medium

  2. AIDS: "it's the bacteria, stupid!".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broxmeyer, Lawrence; Cantwell, Alan

    2008-11-01

    Acid-fast tuberculous mycobacterial infections are common in AIDS and are regarded as secondary "opportunistic infections." According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, TB is the major attributable cause of death in AIDS patients. Could such bacteria play a primary or causative role in AIDS? Certainly, In screening tests for HIV, there is frequent, up to 70%, cross-reactivity, between the gag and pol proteins of HIV and patients with mycobacterial infections such as tuberculosis. By 1972, five years before gays started dying in the U.S., Rolland wrote Genital Tuberculosis, a Forgotten Disease? And ironically, in 1979, on the eve of AIDS recognition, Gondzik and Jasiewicz showed that even in the laboratory, genitally infected tubercular male guinea pigs could infect healthy females through their semen by an HIV-compatible ratio of 1 in 6 or 17%, prompting him to warn his patients that not only was tuberculosis a sexually transmitted disease, but also the necessity of the application of suitable contraceptives, such as condoms, to avoid it. Gondzik's solution and date of publication are chilling; his findings significant. Since 1982 Cantwell et al found acid-fast bacteria closely related to tuberculosis (TB) and atypical tuberculosis in AIDS tissue. On the other hand molecular biologist and virologist Duesberg, who originally defined retroviral ultrastructure, has made it clear that HIV is not the cause of AIDS and that the so-called AIDS retrovirus has never been isolated in its pure state. Dr. Etienne de Harven, first to examine retroviruses under the electron, agrees. In 1993 HIV co-discoverer Luc Montagnier reported on cell-wall-deficient (CWD) bacteria which he called "mycoplasma" in AIDS tissue. He suspected these as a necessary "co-factor" for AIDS. Remarkably, Montagnier remained silent on Cantwell's reports of acid-fast bacteria which could simulate "mycoplasma" in AIDS tissue. Mattman makes clear that the differentiation between

  3. Molecular genetic studies on obligate anaerobic bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woods, D.R.

    1982-01-01

    Molecular genetic studies on obligate anaerobic bacteria have lagged behind similar studies in aerobes. However, the current interest in biotechnology, the involvement of anaerobes in disease and the emergence of antibioticresistant strains have focused attention on the genetics of anaerobes. This article reviews molecular genetic studies in Bacteroides spp., Clostridium spp. and methanogens. Certain genetic systems in some anaerobes differ from those in aerobes and illustrate the genetic diversity among bacteria

  4. Effect of Ionizing Radiation on Luminous Bacteria Cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kudryasheva, N.; Rozhko, T.; Alexandrova, M.; Vasyunkina, E.; Arkhipova, V.

    2011-01-01

    Marine luminous bacteria were used to monitor toxicity of alpha- (Am-241, U-235+238) and beta- (tritium) radionuclide solutions. Increase or inhibition of bacterial luminescence was observed under exposure to radionuclides. Radiation toxicity of Am and chemical toxicity of U were demonstrated. Effects of U were similar to those of stable heavy metals: sensitivity was about 10-5 M. Sensitivity of the bacteria to Am-241 was 300 Bq/L (10 -11 M). Inhibition of bacterial growth was observed under exposure to Am-241 and tritium. Role of peroxides and electron transfer processes in the effects of radionuclides on luminous bacteria is discussed.

  5. An ancient divergence among the bacteria. [methanogenic phylogeny

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balch, W. E.; Magrum, L. J.; Fox, G. E.; Wolfe, R. S.; Woese, C. R.

    1977-01-01

    The 16S ribosomal RNZs from two species of met methanogenic bacteria, the mesophile Methanobacterium ruminantium and the thermophile Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, have been characterized in terms of the oligonucleotides produced by digestion with T1 ribonuclease. These two organisms are found to be sufficiently related that they can be considered members of the same genus or family. However, they bear only slight resemblance to 'typical' Procaryotic genera; such as Escherichia, Bacillus and Anacystis. The divergence of the methanogenic bacteria from other bacteria may be the most ancient phylogenetic event yet detected - antedating considerably the divergence of the blue green algal line for example, from the main bacterial line.

  6. Legionella bacteria in combustion air humidifiers; Legionella i luftuppfuktare foer foerbraenningsluft

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeppesen, Jessica; Hansson, Helen; Cederfeldt, Ola; Axby, Fredrik

    2007-10-15

    Over the last couple of years several outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease has occurred around the world. The source of infection varies, but in many cases the bacteria has been traced back to cooling towers. The common denominator for most of the sources of infection has been water systems with high oxygen levels and a system temperature ranging from 20 to 40 deg C. If a water system furthermore has high levels of other bacteria/microorganisms, then it is also probable that favorable conditions for legionella bacteria exist within the system. These conditions consist well with conditions in combustion air humidifiers in district heating plants and therefore it can be suspected that legionella may thrive also in these types of air humidifiers. In order to examine if legionella bacteria exists in combustion air humidifiers, and in what quantity, ten different district heating plants where selected for a survey. The goal of the survey is to get a general picture of the extent of the occurrence of legionella bacteria in different types of air humidifiers. This was done by taking legionella tests in three different types of air humidifiers in district heating plants. The first step of the testing was conducted by measuring the level of legionella bacteria in water samples from the air humidifiers in the different plants. The water samples were taken from water that circulates in the air humidifiers. A few months later another water sample was taken from the same location. Two district heating plants, where legionella bacteria had been detected, were selected for further testing after compiling the results from the first two tests. The further testing involved fuel gas analysis to see if any of the plants fuel gas contained legionella bacteria. The test results show that a major part of the district heating plants in the survey have heterotrophic bacteria in their water systems, which implies the possibility of growth of legionella bacteria. About half of the plants

  7. 9th International Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuipers, Oscar P.; Poolman, Berend; Hugenholtz, Jeroen

    What’s new in the field of lactic acid bacteria? The 9th International Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB9) will take place 31 August to 4 September 2008 in Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands. Traditionally, the triannual LAB symposium focuses on the themes of genetics, physiology, and applications

  8. Bacteriocins and lactic acid bacteria - a minireview | Savadogo ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Fermentation of various foods by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is one of the oldest forms of biopreservation practised by mankind. Bacterial antagonism has been recognized for over a century but in recent years this phenomenon has received more scientific attention, particulary in the use of various strains of lactic acid bacteria.

  9. Impacts of Gut Bacteria on Human Health and Diseases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yu-Jie; Li, Sha; Gan, Ren-You; Zhou, Tong; Xu, Dong-Ping; Li, Hua-Bin

    2015-01-01

    Gut bacteria are an important component of the microbiota ecosystem in the human gut, which is colonized by 1014 microbes, ten times more than the human cells. Gut bacteria play an important role in human health, such as supplying essential nutrients, synthesizing vitamin K, aiding in the digestion of cellulose, and promoting angiogenesis and enteric nerve function. However, they can also be potentially harmful due to the change of their composition when the gut ecosystem undergoes abnormal changes in the light of the use of antibiotics, illness, stress, aging, bad dietary habits, and lifestyle. Dysbiosis of the gut bacteria communities can cause many chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, cancer, and autism. This review summarizes and discusses the roles and potential mechanisms of gut bacteria in human health and diseases. PMID:25849657

  10. New Insight on the Response of Bacteria to Fluoride

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breaker, R.R.

    2012-01-01

    Fluoride has been used for decades to prevent caries and it is well established that this anion can inhibit the growth of bacteria. However, the precise effects that fluoride has on bacteria and the mechanisms that bacteria use to overcome fluoride toxicity have largely remained unexplored. Recently, my laboratory reported the discovery of biological systems that bacteria use to sense fluoride and reduce fluoride toxicity. These sensors and their associated genes are very widespread in biology, which has implications for a number of issues that are central to the use of fluoride for dental care. Below I provide a summary of our findings, comment on some of the key prospects for expanding our understanding of fluoride's effects on biology, and propose some future uses of this knowledge. PMID:22327376

  11. New insight on the response of bacteria to fluoride.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breaker, R R

    2012-01-01

    Fluoride has been used for decades to prevent caries and it is well established that this anion can inhibit the growth of bacteria. However, the precise effects that fluoride has on bacteria and the mechanisms that bacteria use to overcome fluoride toxicity have largely remained unexplored. Recently, my laboratory reported the discovery of biological systems that bacteria use to sense fluoride and reduce fluoride toxicity. These sensors and their associated genes are very widespread in biology, which has implications for a number of issues that are central to the use of fluoride for dental care. Below I provide a summary of our findings, comment on some of the key prospects for expanding our understanding of fluoride's effects on biology, and propose some future uses of this knowledge. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  12. Transfer of antibiotic resistant bacteria from animals to man

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wegener, Henrik Caspar; Aarestrup, Frank Møller; Gerner-Smidt, P.

    1999-01-01

    for animals either for therapy or for growth promotion. Antibiotic resistance in zoonotic bacteria constitute a public health hazard, primarily through the increased risk of treatment failures. This paper describes the zoonotic bacteria, salmonella, campylobacter, yersinia and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC......Antibiotic resistance develops in zoonotic bacteria in response to antibiotics used in food animals. A close association exists between the amounts of antibiotics used and the levels of resistance observed. The classes of antibiotics routinely used for treatment of human infections are also used......). Infections with these agents do not generally require antibiotic therapy, but in some cases antibiotics are essential to obtain a successful cure. The levels and types of resistance observed in zoonotic bacteria in some countries, especially the increasing levels of fluoroquinolone resistance in salmonella...

  13. Algae-bacteria interactions: Evolution, ecology and emerging applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramanan, Rishiram; Kim, Byung-Hyuk; Cho, Dae-Hyun; Oh, Hee-Mock; Kim, Hee-Sik

    2016-01-01

    Algae and bacteria have coexisted ever since the early stages of evolution. This coevolution has revolutionized life on earth in many aspects. Algae and bacteria together influence ecosystems as varied as deep seas to lichens and represent all conceivable modes of interactions - from mutualism to parasitism. Several studies have shown that algae and bacteria synergistically affect each other's physiology and metabolism, a classic case being algae-roseobacter interaction. These interactions are ubiquitous and define the primary productivity in most ecosystems. In recent years, algae have received much attention for industrial exploitation but their interaction with bacteria is often considered a contamination during commercialization. A few recent studies have shown that bacteria not only enhance algal growth but also help in flocculation, both essential processes in algal biotechnology. Hence, there is a need to understand these interactions from an evolutionary and ecological standpoint, and integrate this understanding for industrial use. Here we reflect on the diversity of such relationships and their associated mechanisms, as well as the habitats that they mutually influence. This review also outlines the role of these interactions in key evolutionary events such as endosymbiosis, besides their ecological role in biogeochemical cycles. Finally, we focus on extending such studies on algal-bacterial interactions to various environmental and bio-technological applications. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Mechanistic modeling of biocorrosion caused by biofilms of sulfate reducing bacteria and acid producing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Dake; Li, Yingchao; Gu, Tingyue

    2016-08-01

    Biocorrosion is also known as microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Most anaerobic MIC cases can be classified into two major types. Type I MIC involves non-oxygen oxidants such as sulfate and nitrate that require biocatalysis for their reduction in the cytoplasm of microbes such as sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and nitrate reducing bacteria (NRB). This means that the extracellular electrons from the oxidation of metal such as iron must be transported across cell walls into the cytoplasm. Type II MIC involves oxidants such as protons that are secreted by microbes such as acid producing bacteria (APB). The biofilms in this case supply the locally high concentrations of oxidants that are corrosive without biocatalysis. This work describes a mechanistic model that is based on the biocatalytic cathodic sulfate reduction (BCSR) theory. The model utilizes charge transfer and mass transfer concepts to describe the SRB biocorrosion process. The model also includes a mechanism to describe APB attack based on the local acidic pH at a pit bottom. A pitting prediction software package has been created based on the mechanisms. It predicts long-term pitting rates and worst-case scenarios after calibration using SRB short-term pit depth data. Various parameters can be investigated through computer simulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. The seaweed holobiont: understanding seaweed-bacteria interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egan, Suhelen; Harder, Tilmann; Burke, Catherine; Steinberg, Peter; Kjelleberg, Staffan; Thomas, Torsten

    2013-05-01

    Seaweeds (macroalgae) form a diverse and ubiquitous group of photosynthetic organisms that play an essential role in aquatic ecosystems. These ecosystem engineers contribute significantly to global primary production and are the major habitat formers on rocky shores in temperate waters, providing food and shelter for aquatic life. Like other eukaryotic organisms, macroalgae harbor a rich diversity of associated microorganisms with functions related to host health and defense. In particular, epiphytic bacterial communities have been reported as essential for normal morphological development of the algal host, and bacteria with antifouling properties are thought to protect chemically undefended macroalgae from detrimental, secondary colonization by other microscopic and macroscopic epibiota. This tight relationship suggests that macroalgae and epiphytic bacteria interact as a unified functional entity or holobiont, analogous to the previously suggested relationship in corals. Moreover, given that the impact of diseases in marine ecosystems is apparently increasing, understanding the role of bacteria as saprophytes and pathogens in seaweed communities may have important implications for marine management strategies. This review reports on the recent advances in the understanding of macroalgal-bacterial interactions with reference to the diversity and functional role of epiphytic bacteria in maintaining algal health, highlighting the holobiont concept. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Working with bacteria and putting bacteria to work: The biopolitics of synthetic biology for energy in the United Kingdom

    OpenAIRE

    McLeod, Carmen; Nerlich, Brigitte; Mohr, Alison

    2017-01-01

    The UK government has made significant investment into so called ‘fourth-generation’ biofuel technologies. These biofuels are based on engineering the metabolic pathways of bacteria in order to create products compatible with existing infrastructure. Bacteria play an important role in what is promoted as a potentially new biological industrial revolution, which could address some of the negative environmental legacies of the last. This article presents results from ethnographic research with ...

  17. Glass bead transformation method for gram-positive bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Rattanachaikunsopon, Pongsak; Phumkhachorn, Parichat

    2009-01-01

    A simple, inexpensive and reproducible transformation method was developed for Gram-positive bacteria. It was based on agitation of bacterial protoplasts with glass beads in the presence of DNA and polyethylene glycol. By using this method, introduction of pGK12 into protoplasts of several strains of Gram-positive bacteria was achieved.

  18. The bacteriological safety and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In developing countries the major sources of food-borne illnesses are street vended foods. The aim of this study was thus to assess the prevalence and antibiogram of bacteria from white lupin in Bahir Dar Town. METHODS: A total of 40 samples were processed for detection of indicator bacteria and pathogens from ...

  19. Hydrodynamic interaction between bacteria and passive sphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Bokai; Ding, Yang; Xu, Xinliang

    2017-11-01

    Understanding hydrodynamic interaction between bacteria and passive sphere is important for identifying rheological properties of bacterial and colloidal suspension. Over the past few years, scientists mainly focused on bacterial influences on tracer particle diffusion or hydrodynamic capture of a bacteria around stationary boundary. Here, we use superposition of singularities and regularized method to study changes in bacterial swimming velocity and passive sphere diffusion, simultaneously. On this basis, we present a simple two-bead model that gives a unified interpretation of passive sphere diffusion and bacterial swimming. The model attributes both variation of passive sphere diffusion and changes of speed of bacteria to an effective mobility. Using the effective mobility of bacterial head and tail as an input function, the calculations are consistent with simulation results at a broad range of tracer diameters, incident angles and bacterial shapes.

  20. Bacteria in non-woven textile filters for domestic wastewater treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spychała, Marcin; Starzyk, Justyna

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was preliminary identification of heterotrophic and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) cell concentration in the cross-sectional profile of geotextile filters for wastewater treatment. Filters of thicknesses 3.6 and 7.2 mm, made of non-woven textile TS20, were supplied with septic tank effluent and intermittently dosed and filtered under hydrostatic pressure. The cumulative loads of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total solids were about 1.36 and 1.06 kg/cm2, respectively. The filters under analysis reached a relatively high removal efficiency for organic pollution 70-90% for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and 60-85% for COD. The ammonia nitrogen removal efficiency level proved to be unstable (15-55%). Biomass samples for dry mass identification were taken from two regions: continuously flooded with wastewater and intermittently flooded with wastewater. The culturable heterotrophic bacteria were determined as colony-forming units (CFUs) on microbiological-selective media by means of the plate method. AOB and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were examined using the FISH technique. A relatively wide range of heterotrophic bacteria was observed from 7.4×10(5)/cm2 to 3.8×10(6)/cm2 in geotextile layers. The highest concentration of heterotrophic bacteria (3.8×10(6)/cm2) was observed in the first layer of the textile filter. AOB were identified occasionally--about 8-15% of all bacteria colonizing the last filter layer, but occasionally much higher concentrations and ammonia nitrogen efficiency were achieved. Bacteria oxidizing nitrite to nitrate were not observed. The relation of total and organic fraction of biomass to culturable heterotrophic bacteria was also found.

  1. Anaerobic sulfide-oxidation in marine colorless sulfur-oxidizing bacteria

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    LokaBharathi, P.A.; Nair, S.; Chandramohan, D.

    Colorless sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are ubiquitous in Indian waters and have the ability to oxidize sulfide under anaerobic conditions. These bacteria can not only mediate the sulfur cycle oxidatively but also the nitrogen cycle reductively without...

  2. Marine Bacteria from Eastern Indonesia Waters and Their Potential Use in Biotechnology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yosmina H Tapilatu

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Indonesian vast marine waters, which constitute 81% of the country’s total area, have a great potential in terms of marine bacteria biodiversity. However, marine bacteria are still under-explored in Indonesia, especially in its eastern area. Known as one of the biodiversity hotspots worldwide, this area surely harbors various marine bacteria of particular interest. Despite the growing number of oceanic expeditions carried out in this area, only little attention has been attributed to marine bacteria. Limited literatures exist on the isolation of marine bacteria producing compounds with potential biotechnological applications from the aforementioned waters. There are two main causes of this problem, namely lack of infrastructures and limited competent human resources. In this paper, I will highlight the preliminary results of isolation and bioprospecting attempts on this group of bacteria during the last fifteen years. These results indicate that research activities on marine bacteria in this area need to be intensified, to uncover their potential applications in various biotechnological fields. Keywords: marine bacteria, eastern Indonesian waters, biotechnological application

  3. Bacterial spot and early blight biocontrol by epiphytic bacteria in tomato plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Lanna Filho

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate in vitro and in vivo biocontrol of bacterial spot (Xanthomonas vesicatoria and early blight (Alternaria solani by the epiphytic bacteria Paenibacillus macerans and Bacillus pumilus. Tomato plants were previously sprayed with epiphytic bacteria, benzalkonium chloride and PBS buffer and, after four days, they were inoculated with A. solani and X. vesicatoria. To determine the phytopathogenic bacteria population, leaflet samples were collected from each treatment every 24 hours, for seven days, and plated on semi-selective medium. The effect of epiphytic bacteria over phytopathogens was performed by the antibiosis test and antagonistic activity measured by inhibition zone diameter. The epiphytic and benzalkonium chloride drastically reduced the severity of early blight and bacterial spot in comparison to the control (PBS. In detached leaflets, the epiphytic bacteria reduced in 70% the number of phytopathogenic bacteria cells in the phylloplane. The antibiosis test showed that the epiphytic bacteria efficiently inhibit the phytopathogens growth. In all the bioassays, the epiphytic bacteria protect tomato plants against the phytopathogens

  4. The role of bacteria and mycorrhiza in plant sulfur supply

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacinta Mariea Gahan

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Plant growth is highly dependent on bacteria, saprophytic and mycorrhizal fungi which facilitate the cycling and mobilization of nutrients. Over 95% of the sulfur (S in soil is present in an organic form. Sulfate-esters and sulfonates, the major forms of organo-S in soils, arise through deposition of biological material and are transformed through subsequent humification. Fungi and bacteria release S from sulfate-esters using sulfatases, however, release of S from sulfonates is catalyzed by a bacterial multi-component mono-oxygenase system. The asfA gene is used as a key marker in this desulfonation process to study sulfonatase activity in soil bacteria identified as Variovorax, Polaromonas, Acidovorax and Rhodococcus. The rhizosphere is regarded as a hot spot for microbial activity and recent studies indicate that this is also the case for the mycorrhizosphere where bacteria may attach to the fungal hyphae capable of mobilizing organo-S. While current evidence is not showing sulfatase and sulfonatase activity in arbuscular mycorrhiza, their effect on the expression of plant host sulfate transporters is documented. A revision of the role of bacteria, fungi and the interactions between soil bacteria and mycorrhiza in plant S supply was conducted.

  5. [Experimental interaction of halophilic prokaryotes and opportunistic bacteria in brine].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selivanova, E A; Nemtseva, N V

    2013-01-01

    Study the effect of extremely halophilic archaea and moderately halophilic bacteria on preservation of opportunistic bacteria in brine. 17 strains of moderately halophilic bacteria and 2 strains of extremely halophilic archaea were isolated from continental hypersaline lake Razval of Sol-Iletsk area of Orenburg Region. Identification of pure cultures of prokaryotes was carried out taking into account their phenotype properties and based on determination of 16S RNA gene sequence. The effect of halophilic prokaryote on elimination of Escherichia coli from brine was evaluated during co-cultivation. Antagonistic activity of cell extracts of the studied microorganisms was evaluated by photometric method. A more prolonged preservation of an E. coli strain in brine in the presence of live cells of extremely halophilic archaea Halorubrum tebenquichense and moderately halophilic bacteria Marinococcus halophilus was established. Extracts of cells of extremely halophilic archaea and moderately halophilic bacteria on the contrary displayed antagonistic activity. The protective effect of live cells of halophilic prokaryotes and antagonistic activity of their cell extracts change the period of conservation of opportunistic bacteria in brine that regulates inter-microbial interactions and changes the period of self-purification that reflects the sanitary condition of a hypersaline water body.

  6. Natural soil reservoirs for human pathogenic and fecal indicator bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boschiroli, Maria L; Falkinham, Joseph; Favre-Bonte, Sabine; Nazaret, Sylvie; Piveteau, Pascal; Sadowsky, Michael J.; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara; Delaquis, Pascal; Hartmann, Alain

    2016-01-01

    Soils receive inputs of human pathogenic and indicator bacteria through land application of animal manures or sewage sludge, and inputs by wildlife. Soil is an extremely heterogeneous substrate and contains meso- and macrofauna that may be reservoirs for bacteria of human health concern. The ability to detect and quantify bacteria of human health concern is important in risk assessments and in evaluating the efficacy of agricultural soil management practices that are protective of crop quality and protective of adjacent water resources. The present chapter describes the distribution of selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in soils. Methods for detecting and quantifying soilborne bacteria including extraction, enrichment using immunomagnetic capture, culturing, molecular detection and deep sequencing of metagenomic DNA to detect pathogens are overviewed. Methods for strain phenotypic and genotypic characterization are presented, as well as how comparison with clinical isolates can inform the potential for human health risk.

  7. Influence of disturbances on bacteria level in an operating room

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brohus, Henrik; Hyldig, Mikkel; Kamper, Simon

    2008-01-01

    In operating rooms great effort is manifested to reduce the bacteria level in order to decrease the risk of infections. The main source of bacteria is the staff and the patient, thus, the resulting bacteria concentration is roughly speaking a combination of the ventilation system and the emission...... from the occupants. This study investigates the influence of two main disturbances in an operating room namely the door opening during the operation and the activity level of the staff. It is found that the frequent door opening in this case does not cause significant transport of air from outside...... the operating room to the wound area of the patient. However, a significant influence of the activity level on the bacteria emission and concentration is found. Counting the number of persons in an operating room to estimate the bacteria source strength is not sufficient, the corresponding activity level must...

  8. An efficient method for qualitative screening of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, S; Nautiyal, C S

    2001-07-01

    An efficient protocol was developed for qualitative screening of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, based upon visual observation. Our results indicate that, by using our formulation containing bromophenol blue, it is possible to quickly screen on a qualitative basis the phosphate-solubilizing bacteria. Qualitative analysis of the phosphate solubilized by various groups correlated well with grouping based upon quantitative analysis of bacteria isolated from soil, effect of carbon, nitrogen, salts, and phosphate solubilization-defective transposon mutants. However, unlike quantitative analysis methods that involve time-consuming biochemical procedures, the time for screening phosphate-solubilizing bacteria is significantly reduced by using our simple protocol. Therefore, it is envisaged that usage of this formulation based upon qualitative analysis will be salutary for the quick screening of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria. Our results indicate that the formulation can also be used as a quality control test for expeditiously screening the commercial bioinoculant preparations, based on phosphate solubilizers.

  9. Conspicuous veils formed by vibrioid bacteria on sulfidic marine sediment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thar, Roland Matthias; Kühl, Michael

    2002-01-01

    , but the bacteria have so far not been isolated in pure culture, and a detailed characterization of their metabolism is still lacking. The bacteria are colorless, gram-negative, and vibrioid-shaped (1.3- to 2.5- by 4- to 10-µm) cells that multiply by binary division and contain several spherical inclusions of poly......We describe the morphology and behavior of a hitherto unknown bacterial species that forms conspicuous veils (typical dimensions, 30 by 30 mm) on sulfidic marine sediment. The new bacteria were enriched on complex sulfidic medium within a benthic gradient chamber in oxygen-sulfide countergradients......, forming a cohesive whitish veil at the oxic-anoxic interface. Bacteria attached to the veil kept rotating and adapted their stalk lengths dynamically to changing oxygen concentrations. The joint action of rotating bacteria on the veil induced a homogeneous water flow from the oxic water region toward...

  10. Ecology: Electrical Cable Bacteria Save Marine Life

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Lars Peter

    2016-01-01

    Animals at the bottom of the sea survive oxygen depletion surprisingly often, and a new study identifies cable bacteria in the sediment as the saviors. The bacterial electrical activity creates an iron 'carpet', trapping toxic hydrogen sulfide.......Animals at the bottom of the sea survive oxygen depletion surprisingly often, and a new study identifies cable bacteria in the sediment as the saviors. The bacterial electrical activity creates an iron 'carpet', trapping toxic hydrogen sulfide....

  11. Occurrence of diazotrophic bacteria in Araucaria angustifolia

    OpenAIRE

    Neroni,Rafaela de Fátima; Cardoso,Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira

    2007-01-01

    Araucaria angustifolia is an environmentally threatened tree and the whole biota of the Araucaria Forest should be investigated with the aim of its preservation. Diazotrophic bacteria are extremely important for the maintenance of ecosystems, but they have never been studied in Araucaria Forests. In this study, diazotrophic bacteria were isolated from Araucaria roots and soil, when grown in semi-specific, semi-solid media. The diazotrophic character of some recovered isolates could be confirm...

  12. Tumour targeting with systemically administered bacteria.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Morrissey, David

    2012-01-31

    Challenges for oncology practitioners and researchers include specific treatment and detection of tumours. The ideal anti-cancer therapy would selectively eradicate tumour cells, whilst minimising side effects to normal tissue. Bacteria have emerged as biological gene vectors with natural tumour specificity, capable of homing to tumours and replicating locally to high levels when systemically administered. This property enables targeting of both the primary tumour and secondary metastases. In the case of invasive pathogenic species, this targeting strategy can be used to deliver genes intracellularly for tumour cell expression, while non-invasive species transformed with plasmids suitable for bacterial expression of heterologous genes can secrete therapeutic proteins locally within the tumour environment (cell therapy approach). Many bacterial genera have been demonstrated to localise to and replicate to high levels within tumour tissue when intravenously (IV) administered in rodent models and reporter gene tagging of bacteria has permitted real-time visualisation of this phenomenon. Live imaging of tumour colonising bacteria also presents diagnostic potential for this approach. The nature of tumour selective bacterial colonisation appears to be tumour origin- and bacterial species- independent. While originally a correlation was drawn between anaerobic bacterial colonisation and the hypoxic nature of solid tumours, it is recently becoming apparent that other elements of the unique microenvironment within solid tumours, including aberrant neovasculature and local immune suppression, may be responsible. Here, we consider the pre-clinical data supporting the use of bacteria as a tumour-targeting tool, recent advances in the area, and future work required to develop it into a beneficial clinical tool.

  13. Radiographic markers - A reservoir for bacteria?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tugwell, Jenna; Maddison, Adele

    2011-01-01

    Introduction: Amongst the most frequently handled objects in the radiology department are radiographic markers. They are personal accessories used with every patient, and are kept in the radiographers pockets when not utilised. Upon enquiry it was discovered that many radiographers disregarded the potential of these accessories to become a vector for cross-contamination thus never or rarely clean them. The aims of this study were therefore to identify if radiographic markers are a reservoir for bacteria and to establish an effective cleaning method for decontaminating them. Methodology: 25 radiographers/student radiographers were selected for this study. Swabbing of their markers prior and post cleaning took place. The microbiology laboratory subsequently analyzed the results by quantifying and identifying the bacteria present. The participants also completed a closed questionnaire regarding their markers (e.g. frequency of cleaning and type of marker) to help specify the results gained from the swabbing procedure. Results: From the sample swabbed, 92% were contaminated with various organisms including Staphylococcus and Bacillus species, the amount of bacteria present ranged from 0 to >50 CFU. There were no significant differences between disinfectant wipes and alcohol gel in decontaminating the markers. Both successfully reduced their bacterial load, with 80% of the markers post cleaning having 0 CFU. Conclusion: The results indicated that radiographic markers can become highly contaminated with various organisms thus serve as a reservoir for bacteria. In addition, the markers need to be cleaned on a regular basis, with either disinfectant wipes or alcohol gel to reduce their bacterial load.

  14. Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy to Kill Gram-negative Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sperandio, Felipe F; Huang, Ying-Ying; Hamblin, Michael R

    2013-01-01

    Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) or photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a new promising strategy to eradicate pathogenic microorganisms such as Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts and fungi. The search for new approaches that can kill bacteria but do not induce the appearance of undesired drug-resistant strains suggests that PDT may have advantages over traditional antibiotic therapy. PDT is a non-thermal photochemical reaction that involves the simultaneous presence of visible light, oxygen and a dye or photosensitizer (PS). Several PS have been studied for their ability to bind to bacteria and efficiently generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon photostimulation. ROS are formed through type I or II mechanisms and may inactivate several classes of microbial cells including Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which are typically characterized by an impermeable outer cell membrane that contains endotoxins and blocks antibiotics, dyes, and detergents, protecting the sensitive inner membrane and cell wall. This review covers significant peer-reviewed articles together with US and World patents that were filed within the past few years and that relate to the eradication of Gram-negative bacteria via PDI or PDT. It is organized mainly according to the nature of the PS involved and includes natural or synthetic food dyes; cationic dyes such as methylene blue and toluidine blue; tetrapyrrole derivatives such as phthalocyanines, chlorins, porphyrins, chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll derivatives; functionalized fullerenes; nanoparticles combined with different PS; other formulations designed to target PS to bacteria; photoactive materials and surfaces; conjugates between PS and polycationic polymers or antibodies; and permeabilizing agents such as EDTA, PMNP and CaCl2. The present review also covers the different laboratory animal models normally used to treat Gram-negative bacterial infections with antimicrobial PDT. PMID

  15. Bactericidal activity of bio-synthesized silver nanoparticles against human pathogenic bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abalkhil, Tarad Abdulaziz; Alharbi, Sulaiman Ali; Salmen, Saleh Hussein; Wainwright, Milton

    2017-01-01

    Green synthesis is an attractive and eco-friendly approach to generate potent antibacterial silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs). Such particles have long been used to fight bacteria and represent a promising tool to overcome the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this study, green synthesis of Ag-NPs was attempted using plant extracts of Aloe vera, Portulaca oleracea and Cynodon dactylon. The identity and size of Ag-NPs was characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer and scanning electron microscopy. Monodispersed Ag-NPs were produced with a range of different sizes based on the plant extract used. The bactericidal activity of Ag-NPs against a number of human pathogenic bacteria was determined using the disc diffusion method. The results showed that Gram positive bacteria were more susceptible than Gram negative ones to these antibacterial agents. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined using the 96- well plate method. Finally, the mechanism by which Ag-NPs affect bacteria was investigated by SEM analysis. Bacteria treated with Ag-NPs were seen to undergo shrinkage and to lose their viability. This study provides evidence for a cheap and effective method for synthesizing potent bactericidal Ag-NPs and demonstrates their effectiveness against human pathogenic bacteria

  16. What Bacteria Are Living in My Food?: An Open-Ended Practical Series Involving Identification of Unknown Foodborne Bacteria Using Molecular Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasad, Prascilla; Turner, Mark S.

    2011-01-01

    This open-ended practical series titled "Molecular Identification of Unknown Food Bacteria" which extended over a 6-week period was designed with the aims of giving students an opportunity to gain an understanding of naturally occurring food bacteria and skills in contemporary molecular methods using real food samples. The students first isolated…

  17. Iron biomineralization by anaerobic neutrophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Miot, Jennyfer; Benzerara, Karim; Morin, Guillaume

    2009-01-01

    Minerals formed by bio-oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe(II)) at neutral pH, their association with bacterial ultrastructures as well as their impact on the metabolism of iron-oxidizing bacteria remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated iron biomineralization by the anaerobic nitrate-dependent ......Minerals formed by bio-oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe(II)) at neutral pH, their association with bacterial ultrastructures as well as their impact on the metabolism of iron-oxidizing bacteria remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated iron biomineralization by the anaerobic nitrate...... precipitation in the periplasm (in a few tens of minutes), followed by the formation of surface-bound globules. Moreover, we frequently observed an asymmetric mineral thickening at the cell poles. In parallel, the evolution of iron oxidation was quantified by STXM: iron both contained in the bacteria...... and in the extracellular precipitates reached complete oxidation within 6 days. While a progressive oxidation of Fe in the bacteria and in the medium could be observed, spatial redox (oxido-reduction state) heterogeneities were detected at the cell poles and in the extracellular precipitates after 1 day. All...

  18. Functional Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blow, M. J.; Deutschbauer, A. M.; Hoover, C. A.; Lamson, J.; Lamson, J.; Price, M. N.; Waters, J.; Wetmore, K. M.; Bristow, J.; Arkin, A. P.

    2013-03-20

    Bacteria and Archaea exhibit a huge diversity of metabolic capabilities with fundamental importance in the environment, and potential applications in biotechnology. However, the genetic bases of these capabilities remain unclear due largely to an absence of technologies that link DNA sequence to molecular function. To address this challenge, we are developing a pipeline for high throughput annotation of gene function using mutagenesis, growth assays and DNA sequencing. By applying this pipeline to annotate gene function in 50 diverse microbes we hope to discover thousands of new gene functions and produce a proof of principle `Functional Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea?.

  19. Applications of Magnetosomes Synthesized by Magnetotactic Bacteria in Medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alphandéry, Edouard

    2014-01-01

    Magnetotactic bacteria belong to a group of bacteria that synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles covered by biological material that are called magnetosomes. These bacteria use the magnetosomes as a compass to navigate in the direction of the earth’s magnetic field. This compass helps the bacteria to find the optimum conditions for their growth and survival. Here, we review several medical applications of magnetosomes, such as those in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic hyperthermia, and drug delivery. Different methods that can be used to prepare the magnetosomes for these applications are described. The toxicity and biodistribution results that have been published are summarized. They show that the magnetosomes can safely be used provided that they are prepared in specific conditions. The advantageous properties of the magnetosomes compared with those of chemically synthesized nanoparticles of similar composition are also highlighted.

  20. Differentiating the growth phases of single bacteria using Raman spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strola, S. A.; Marcoux, P. R.; Schultz, E.; Perenon, R.; Simon, A.-C.; Espagnon, I.; Allier, C. P.; Dinten, J.-M.

    2014-03-01

    In this paper we present a longitudinal study of bacteria metabolism performed with a novel Raman spectrometer system. Longitudinal study is possible with our Raman setup since the overall procedure to localize a single bacterium and collect a Raman spectrum lasts only 1 minute. Localization and detection of single bacteria are performed by means of lensfree imaging, whereas Raman signal (from 600 to 3200 cm-1) is collected into a prototype spectrometer that allows high light throughput (HTVS technology, Tornado Spectral System). Accomplishing time-lapse Raman spectrometry during growth of bacteria, we observed variation in the net intensities for some band groups, e.g. amides and proteins. The obtained results on two different bacteria species, i.e. Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis clearly indicate that growth affects the Raman chemical signature. We performed a first analysis to check spectral differences and similarities. It allows distinguishing between lag, exponential and stationary growth phases. And the assignment of interest bands to vibration modes of covalent bonds enables the monitoring of metabolic changes in bacteria caused by growth and aging. Following the spectra analysis, a SVM (support vector machine) classification of the different growth phases is presented. In sum this longitudinal study by means of a compact and low-cost Raman setup is a proof of principle for routine analysis of bacteria, in a real-time and non-destructive way. Real-time Raman studies on metabolism and viability of bacteria pave the way for future antibiotic susceptibility testing.

  1. Immobilization of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria by polyvinyl alcohol and sodium alginate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Yuwei; Zhang, Yanqiu; Tu, Baojun

    Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were immobilized by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate. The immobilization conditions and ammonia oxidation ability of the immobilized bacteria were investigated. The following immobilization conditions were observed to be optimal: PVA, 12%; sodium alginate, 1.1%; calcium chloride, 1.0%; inoculum concentration, 1.3 immobilized balls/mL of immobilized medium; pH, 10; and temperature, 30°C. The immobilized ammonia-oxidizing bacteria exhibited strong ammonia oxidation ability even after being recycled four times. The ammonia nitrogen removal rate of the immobilized ammonia-oxidizing bacteria reached 90.30% under the optimal immobilization conditions. When compared with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria immobilized by sodium alginate alone, the bacteria immobilized by PVA and sodium alginate were superior with respect to pH resistance, the number of reuses, material cost, heat resistance, and ammonia oxidation ability. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  2. Novel anammox bacteria and nitrogen loss from Lake Superior

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Crowe, Sean A.; Treusch, Alexander H.; Forth, Michael

    2017-01-01

    and diversity of anammox bacteria in the world's largest freshwater lake - Lake Superior. We found that anammox performed by previously undiscovered bacteria is an important contributor to sediment N2 production. We observed striking differences in the anammox bacterial populations found at different locations...... within Lake Superior and those described from other locations. Our data thus reveal that novel anammox bacteria underpin N-loss from Lake Superior, and if more broadly distributed across inland waters would play an important role in continental N-cycling and mitigation of fixed nitrogen transfer from...

  3. Physiology and genetics of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedrich, C G

    1998-01-01

    Reduced inorganic sulfur compounds are oxidized by members of the domains Archaea and Bacteria. These compounds are used as electron donors for anaerobic phototrophic and aerobic chemotrophic growth, and are mostly oxidized to sulfate. Different enzymes mediate the conversion of various reduced sulfur compounds. Their physiological function in sulfur oxidation is considered (i) mostly from the biochemical characterization of the enzymatic reaction, (ii) rarely from the regulation of their formation, and (iii) only in a few cases from the mutational gene inactivation and characterization of the resulting mutant phenotype. In this review the sulfur-metabolizing reactions of selected phototrophic and of chemotrophic prokaryotes are discussed. These comprise an archaeon, a cyanobacterium, green sulfur bacteria, and selected phototrophic and chemotrophic proteobacteria. The genetic systems are summarized which are presently available for these organisms, and which can be used to study the molecular basis of their dissimilatory sulfur metabolism. Two groups of thiobacteria can be distinguished: those able to grow with tetrathionate and other reduced sulfur compounds, and those unable to do so. This distinction can be made irrespective of their phototrophic or chemotrophic metabolism, neutrophilic or acidophilic nature, and may indicate a mechanism different from that of thiosulfate oxidation. However, the core enzyme for tetrathionate oxidation has not been identified so far. Several phototrophic bacteria utilize hydrogen sulfide, which is considered to be oxidized by flavocytochrome c owing to its in vitro activity. However, the function of flavocytochrome c in vivo may be different, because it is missing in other hydrogen sulfide-oxidizing bacteria, but is present in most thiosulfate-oxidizing bacteria. A possible function of flavocytochrome c is discussed based on biophysical studies, and the identification of a flavocytochrome in the operon encoding enzymes involved

  4. The Role of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria in Metal Phytoremediation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Zhaoyu; Glick, Bernard R

    2017-01-01

    Phytoremediation is a promising technology that uses plants and their associated microbes to clean up contaminants from the environment. In recent years, phytoremediation assisted by plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) has been highly touted for cleaning up toxic metals from soil. PGPB include rhizospheric bacteria, endophytic bacteria and the bacteria that facilitate phytoremediation by other means. This review provides information about the traits and mechanisms possessed by PGPB that improve plant metal tolerance and growth, and illustrate mechanisms responsible for plant metal accumulation/translocation in plants. Several recent examples of phytoremediation of metals facilitated by PGPB are reviewed. Although many encouraging results have been reported in the past years, there have also been numerous challenges encountered in phytoremediation in the field. To implement PGPB-assisted phytoremediation of metals in the natural environment, there is also a need to critically assess the ecological effects of PGPB, especially for those nonnative bacteria. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

  5. Influencing factors analysis of anammox bacteria cultured by mixing denitrifying-anammox

    OpenAIRE

    Sihui WANG; Yuanyuan SONG; Yunman LIU; Yankai GUO; Jing LIAN; Jianbo GUO

    2017-01-01

    In order to get the optimal growth conditions of anammox bacteria, the mature-cultured anammox granule sludge is used to investigate the influencing factors. The effects of temperature, pH value, COD and influent substrate (NO-2-N and NH+4-N) on anammox bacteria activity are investigated. The results demonstrate that the optimal temperature is 40 ℃ and the optimal pH value is between 7.0~8.0 for anammox bacteria. The anammox bacteria activity is not inhibited severely when COD concentration i...

  6. Carbon isotope fractionation by anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria in euxinic Lake Cadagno

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Posth, Nicole Rita Elisabeth; Bristow, L. A.; Cox, R. P.

    2017-01-01

    carbon (POC) in the Lake Cadagno chemocline. This large fractionation between the DIC and POC was also found in culture experiments carried out with anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria isolated from the lake. In the Lake Cadagno chemocline, anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria controlled the bulk C......Anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria utilize ancient metabolic pathways to link sulfur and iron metabolism to the reduction of CO2. In meromictic Lake Cadagno, Switzerland, both purple sulfur (PSB) and green sulfur anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (GSB) dominate the chemocline community and drive...

  7. Active oil-water interfaces: buckling and deformation of oil drops by bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juarez, Gabriel; Stocker, Roman

    2014-11-01

    Bacteria are unicellular organisms that seek nutrients and energy for growth, division, and self-propulsion. Bacteria are also natural colloidal particles that attach and self-assemble at liquid-liquid interfaces. Here, we present experimental results on active oil-water interfaces that spontaneously form when bacteria accumulate or grow on the interface. Using phase-contrast and fluorescence microscopy, we simultaneously observed the dynamics of adsorbed Alcanivorax bacteria and the oil-water interface within microfluidic devices. We find that, by growing and dividing, adsorbed bacteria form a jammed monolayer of cells that encapsulates the entire oil drop. As bacteria continue to grow at the interface, the drop buckles and the interface undergoes strong deformations. The bacteria act to stabilize non-equilibrium shapes of the oil-phase such wrinkling and tubulation. In addition to presenting a natural example of a living interface, these findings shape our understanding of microbial degradation of oil and may have important repercussions on engineering interventions for oil bioremediation.

  8. Heme and menaquinone induced electron transport in lactic acid bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Brooijmans, Rob; Smit, Bart; Santos, Filipe; van Riel, Jan; de Vos, Willem M; Hugenholtz, Jeroen

    2009-01-01

    Abstract Background For some lactic acid bacteria higher biomass production as a result of aerobic respiration has been reported upon supplementation with heme and menaquinone. In this report, we have studied a large number of species among lactic acid bacteria for the existence of this trait. Results Heme- (and menaquinone) stimulated aerobic growth was observed for several species and genera of lactic acid bacteria. These include Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacill...

  9. PENAMBAHAN BAKTERI ASAM LAKTAT TERENKAPSULASI UNTUK MENEKAN PERTUMBUHAN BAKTERI PATOGEN PADA PROSES PRODUKSI TAPIOKA [Addition of Encapsulated Lactic Acid Bacteria to Suppress the Growth of Pathogenic Bacteria during Tapioca Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glisina Dwinoor Rembulan

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Lactic acid bacteria (LAB produce organic acids and active compounds which can inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria potentially can be introduced to inhibit pathogenic bacteria in the tapioca production at the extraction stage, especially during the settling process since there is possibility of starch slurry to be contaminated by pathogenic bacteria from water. The objectives of this research were to design a solid starter of LAB through encapsulation by using modified starch includes sour cassava starch, lintnerized cassava starch and nanocrystalline starch, utilize the starter for suppressing the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the production process of tapioca and characterize the functional properties of tapioca. The encapsulation of lactic acid bacteria was conducted by freeze drying at a temperature of -50°C for 48 hours. The viability of LAB after freeze drying with sour cassava starch matrix was 92% of the liquid starter, with lintnerized cassava starch matrix was 93%, while that with nanocrystalline matrix was 96%. After application of the LAB culture during settling process for tapioca extraction and the tapioca was stored at room temperature for 6 months, it was shown that E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella were  detected in the native tapioca starch (without treatment while the starch added with lactic acid bacteria starter was not absent for the pathogenic bacteria. The addition of lactic acid bacteria in extraction process can suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria in tapioca. The results showed that lintnerized cassava starch matrix is the best matrix because after 6 months it still contained lactic acid bacteria as compared to liquid starter and that encapsulated with other matrixes.

  10. Characterization of radiation-resistant vegetative bacteria in beef

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Welch, A.B.; Maxcy, R.B.

    1975-01-01

    Ground beef contains numerous microorganisms of various types. The commonly recognized bacteria are associated with current problems of spoilage. Irradiation, however, contributes a new factor through selective destruction of the microflora. The residual microorganisms surviving a nonsterilizing dose are predominantly gram-negative coccobacilli. Various classifications have been given, e.g., Moraxella, Acinetobacter, Achromobacter, etc. For a more detailed study of these radiation-resistant bacteria occurring in ground beef, an enrichment procedure was used for isolation. By means of morphological and biochemical tests, most of the isolates were found to be Moraxella, based on current classifications. The range of growth temperatures was from 2 to 50 C. These bacteria were relatively heat sensitive, e.g., D 10 of 5.4 min at 70 0 C or less. The radiation resistance ranged from D 10 values of 273 to 2,039 krad. Thus, some were more resistant than any presently recognized spores. A reference culture of Moraxella osloensis was irradiated under conditions comparable to the enrichment procedure used with the ground beef. The only apparent changes were in morphology and penicillin sensitivity. However, after a few subcultures these bacteria reverted to the characteristics of the parent strain. Thus, it is apparent that these isolates are a part of the normal flora of ground beef and not aberrant forms arising from the irradiation procedure. The significance, if any, of these bacteria is not presently recognized. (auth)

  11. Silver enhances antibiotic activity against gram-negative bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morones-Ramirez, J Ruben; Winkler, Jonathan A; Spina, Catherine S; Collins, James J

    2013-06-19

    A declining pipeline of clinically useful antibiotics has made it imperative to develop more effective antimicrobial therapies, particularly against difficult-to-treat Gram-negative pathogens. Silver has been used as an antimicrobial since antiquity, yet its mechanism of action remains unclear. We show that silver disrupts multiple bacterial cellular processes, including disulfide bond formation, metabolism, and iron homeostasis. These changes lead to increased production of reactive oxygen species and increased membrane permeability of Gram-negative bacteria that can potentiate the activity of a broad range of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria in different metabolic states, as well as restore antibiotic susceptibility to a resistant bacterial strain. We show both in vitro and in a mouse model of urinary tract infection that the ability of silver to induce oxidative stress can be harnessed to potentiate antibiotic activity. Additionally, we demonstrate in vitro and in two different mouse models of peritonitis that silver sensitizes Gram-negative bacteria to the Gram-positive-specific antibiotic vancomycin, thereby expanding the antibacterial spectrum of this drug. Finally, we used silver and antibiotic combinations in vitro to eradicate bacterial persister cells, and show both in vitro and in a mouse biofilm infection model that silver can enhance antibacterial action against bacteria that produce biofilms. This work shows that silver can be used to enhance the action of existing antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria, thus strengthening the antibiotic arsenal for fighting bacterial infections.

  12. The interaction of bacteria and metal surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mansfeld, Florian

    2007-01-01

    This review discusses different examples for the interaction of bacteria and metal surfaces based on work reported previously by various authors and work performed by the author with colleagues at other institutions and with his graduate students at CEEL. Traditionally it has been assumed that the interaction of bacteria with metal surfaces always causes increased corrosion rates ('microbiologically influenced corrosion' (MIC)). However, more recently it has been observed that many bacteria can reduce corrosion rates of different metals and alloys in many corrosive environments. For example, it has been found that certain strains of Shewanella can prevent pitting of Al 2024 in artificial seawater, tarnishing of brass and rusting of mild steel. It has been observed that corrosion started again when the biofilm was killed by adding antibiotics. The mechanism of corrosion protection seems to be different for different bacteria since it has been found that the corrosion potential E corr became more negative in the presence of Shewanella ana and algae, but more positive in the presence of Bacillus subtilis. These findings have been used in an initial study of the bacterial battery in which Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 was added to a cell containing Al 2024 and Cu in a growth medium. It was found that the power output of this cell continuously increased with time. In the microbial fuel cell (MFC) bacteria oxidize the fuel and transfer electrons directly to the anode. In initial studies EIS has been used to characterize the anode, cathode and membrane properties for different operating conditions of a MFC that contained Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Cell voltage (V)-current density (i) curves were obtained using potentiodynamic sweeps. The current output of a MFC has been monitored for different experimental conditions

  13. The interaction of bacteria and metal surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mansfeld, Florian [Corrosion and Environmental Effects Laboratory (CEEL), The Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0241 (United States)

    2007-10-10

    This review discusses different examples for the interaction of bacteria and metal surfaces based on work reported previously by various authors and work performed by the author with colleagues at other institutions and with his graduate students at CEEL. Traditionally it has been assumed that the interaction of bacteria with metal surfaces always causes increased corrosion rates ('microbiologically influenced corrosion' (MIC)). However, more recently it has been observed that many bacteria can reduce corrosion rates of different metals and alloys in many corrosive environments. For example, it has been found that certain strains of Shewanella can prevent pitting of Al 2024 in artificial seawater, tarnishing of brass and rusting of mild steel. It has been observed that corrosion started again when the biofilm was killed by adding antibiotics. The mechanism of corrosion protection seems to be different for different bacteria since it has been found that the corrosion potential E{sub corr} became more negative in the presence of Shewanella ana and algae, but more positive in the presence of Bacillus subtilis. These findings have been used in an initial study of the bacterial battery in which Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 was added to a cell containing Al 2024 and Cu in a growth medium. It was found that the power output of this cell continuously increased with time. In the microbial fuel cell (MFC) bacteria oxidize the fuel and transfer electrons directly to the anode. In initial studies EIS has been used to characterize the anode, cathode and membrane properties for different operating conditions of a MFC that contained Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Cell voltage (V) - current density (i) curves were obtained using potentiodynamic sweeps. The current output of a MFC has been monitored for different experimental conditions. (author)

  14. Characterization of lactic acid bacteria from local cow´s milk kefir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ismail, YS; Yulvizar, C.; Mazhitov, B.

    2018-03-01

    One of products from milk fermentation is kefir. It is made by adding kefir grains which are composed of lactic acid bacteria and yeast into milk. The lactic acid bacteria are a group of bacteria that produce antimicrobial substances and able to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. In this research, the lactic acid bacteria were isolated from Aceh local cow`s milk kefir to determine the genus of the isolates. The methods used in the characterization of lactic acid bacteria are colony morphology, cell morphology, and biochemical tests which includes a catalase test; 5%, 6.5%, and 10% salt endurance tests; 37°C and 14°C temperature endurance tests, SIM test, TSIA test, MR-VP test, and O/F test. Of the four isolates found from the cow’s milk kefir, two isolates were confirmed as lactic acid bacteria (isolates SK-1 and SK-4). Both isolates are Gram positive bacteria, and have negative catalase activity. From the observations of colony morphology, cell morphology, and biochemical tests, it was found that the genus of SK-1 is Lactobacillus and the genus of SK-4 is Enterococcus.

  15. The Composition of Colonic Commensal Bacteria According to Anatomical Localization in Colorectal Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liuyang Zhao

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Colorectal cancer (CRC is a multistage disease resulting from complex factors, including genetic mutations, epigenetic changes, chronic inflammation, diet, and lifestyle. Recent accumulating evidence suggests that the gut microbiota is a new and important player in the development of CRC. Imbalance of the gut microbiota, especially dysregulated gut bacteria, contributes to colon cancer through mechanisms of inflammation, host defense modulations, oxidative stress, and alterations in bacterial-derived metabolism. Gut commensal bacteria are anatomically defined as four populations: luminal commensal bacteria, mucus-resident bacteria, epithelium-resident bacteria, and lymphoid tissue-resident commensal bacteria. The bacterial flora that are harbored in the gastrointestinal (GI tract vary both longitudinally and cross-sectionally by different anatomical localization. It is notable that the translocation of colonic commensal bacteria is closely related to CRC progression. CRC-associated bacteria can serve as a non-invasive and accurate biomarker for CRC diagnosis. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the oncogenic roles of gut bacteria with different anatomical localization in CRC progression.

  16. Vibrio bacteria in raw oysters: managing risks to human health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Froelich, Brett A; Noble, Rachel T

    2016-03-05

    The human-pathogenic marine bacteria Vibrio vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus are strongly correlated with water temperature, with concentrations increasing as waters warm seasonally. Both of these bacteria can be concentrated in filter-feeding shellfish, especially oysters. Because oysters are often consumed raw, this exposes people to large doses of potentially harmful bacteria. Various models are used to predict the abundance of these bacteria in oysters, which guide shellfish harvest policy meant to reduce human health risk. Vibrio abundance and behaviour varies from site to site, suggesting that location-specific studies are needed to establish targeted risk reduction strategies. Moreover, virulence potential, rather than simple abundance, should be also be included in future modeling efforts. © 2016 The Author(s).

  17. Interactions between the microbiota and pathogenic bacteria in the gut.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bäumler, Andreas J; Sperandio, Vanessa

    2016-07-07

    The microbiome has an important role in human health. Changes in the microbiota can confer resistance to or promote infection by pathogenic bacteria. Antibiotics have a profound impact on the microbiota that alters the nutritional landscape of the gut and can lead to the expansion of pathogenic populations. Pathogenic bacteria exploit microbiota-derived sources of carbon and nitrogen as nutrients and regulatory signals to promote their own growth and virulence. By eliciting inflammation, these bacteria alter the intestinal environment and use unique systems for respiration and metal acquisition to drive their expansion. Unravelling the interactions between the microbiota, the host and pathogenic bacteria will produce strategies for manipulating the microbiota against infectious diseases.

  18. Interactions between the microbiota and pathogenic bacteria in the gut

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bäumler, Andreas J.; Sperandio, Vanessa

    2016-01-01

    The microbiome has an important role in human health. Changes in the microbiota can confer resistance to or promote infection by pathogenic bacteria. Antibiotics have a profound impact on the microbiota that alters the nutritional landscape of the gut and can lead to the expansion of pathogenic populations. Pathogenic bacteria exploit microbiota-derived sources of carbon and nitrogen as nutrients and regulatory signals to promote their own growth and virulence. By eliciting inflammation, these bacteria alter the intestinal environment and use unique systems for respiration and metal acquisition to drive their expansion. Unravelling the interactions between the microbiota, the host and pathogenic bacteria will produce strategies for manipulating the microbiota against infectious diseases. PMID:27383983

  19. Isolation and identification of marine fish tumour (odontoma associated bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramalingam Vijayakumar

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To identify fish tumour associated bacteria. Methods: The marine fish Sphyraena jello with odontoma was collected from in Tamil Nadu (Southeast India, and tumour associated bacteria were isolated. Then the isolated bacteria were identified based on molecular characters. Results: A total of 4 different bacterial species were isolated from tumour tissue. The bacterial species were Bacillus sp., Pontibacter sp., Burkholderia sp. and Macrococcus sp., and the sequences were submitted in DNA Data Bank of Japan with accession numbers of AB859240, AB859241, AB859242 and AB859243 respectively. Conclusions: Four different bacterial species were isolated from Sphyraena jello, but the role of bacteria within tumour needs to be further investigated.

  20. Electro-responsive supramolecular graphene oxide hydrogels for active bacteria adsorption and removal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Bin; Cao, Yi; Wang, Wei

    Bacteria are major contaminations in drinking water and healthcare products. Bacteria contamination may cause severe health problems, including food poisoning and diseases. Currently water sterilization and purification methods to remove contaminated bacteria are mainly based on the size-exclusion mechanism. In order to completely remove all bacteria in water, the pore sizes of the membranes or cartilages should be comparable to the size of bacteria, which inevitable leads to high cross-membrane water pressure and slow purification speed. Moreover, the membranes can easily get clogged. Therefore it is highly demanded to develop efficient methods and novel materials for water purification. Recently, Cui and coworker have introduced a bacteria inactivation method with high efficiency and fast purification speed based on a kind of complex materials made of silver nanofibers, carbon nanotubes and cotton, operating in an electric field. With the help of electric field, the bacteria can be efficiently kill when passing through the membrance even the pore sizes are larger than bacteria. Inspired by their work, here we report a proof-of-principle demonstration of bacteria removal using electro-reponsive hydrogels. This work is funded by Six talent peaks project in Jiangsu Province, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11304156, 11334004, 31170813, 81421091 and 91127026), the 973 Program of China (No. 2012CB921801 and 2013CB834100), the Priority Ac.

  1. Unusual rise in mercury-resistant bacteria in coastal environs

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ramaiah, N.; De, J.

    A sharp rise in mercury-resistant bacteria (MRB) capable of tolerating very high concentration of Hg was observed over the last 3-4 years in the coastal environs of India. While none or negligible colony-forming units (CFU) of bacteria were counted...

  2. Population dynamics of bacteria introduced into bentonite amended soil

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heijnen, C.

    1992-01-01

    Bacteria have frequently been introduced into the soil environment, e.g. for increasing crop production or for biological control purposes. Many applications require high numbers of surviving organisms in order to be effective. However, survival of bacteria after introduction into soil is

  3. Gram-positive bacteria persisting in the food production environment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knøchel, Susanne; Harmsen, Morten; Knudsen, Bettina

    2008-01-01

    Many gram-positive bacteria are able to form aggregates or biofilms and resist external stress factors and some gram-positive pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus may persist in the food production environment for extended periods. Most research has focussed...

  4. Degradation of riverine dissolved organic matter by seawater bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rochelle-Newall, E.J.; Pizay, M-D.; Middelburg, J.J.; Boschker, H.T.S.; Gattuso, J.P.

    2004-01-01

    The functional response of a seawater bacterial community transplanted into freshwater dissolved organic matter (DOM) was investigated together with the response of natural populations of bacteria to size-fractioned natural source water. Seawater bacteria were incubated over a period of 8 d in

  5. DIRECT FLOW-CYTOMETRY OF ANAEROBIC-BACTERIA IN HUMAN FECES

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    VANDERWAAIJ, LA; MESANDER, G; LIMBURG, PC; VANDERWAAIJ, D

    1994-01-01

    We describe a flow cytometry method for analysis of noncultured anaerobic bacteria present in human fecal suspensions. Nonbacterial fecal compounds, bacterial fragments, and large aggregates could be discriminated from bacteria by staining with propidium iodide (PI) and setting a discriminator on PI

  6. The effects of bacteria on the corrosion behavior of carbon steel in compacted bentonite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimura, T.; Wada, R.; Nishimoto, H.; Fujiwara, K.; Taniguchi, N.; Honda, A.

    1999-10-01

    As a part of evaluation of corrosion life of carbon steel overpack, the experimental studies have been performed on the effects of bacteria on the corrosion behavior of carbon steel in compacted bentonite using iron bacteria (IB) as a representative oxidizing bacteria and sulphur reducing bacteria (SRB) as a representative reducing bacteria. The results of the experimental studies showed that; The activity of SRB was low in compacted bentonite in spite of applying suitable condition for the action of bacteria such as temperature and nutritious solution. Although the corrosion behavior of carbon steel was affected by the existence of bacteria in simple solution, the corrosion rates of carbon steel in compacted bentonite were several μ m/year -10 μ m/year irrespective of coexistence of bacteria and that the corrosion behavior was not affected by the existence of bacteria. According to these results, it was concluded that the bacteria would not affect the corrosion behavior of carbon steel overpack under repository condition. (author)

  7. SERS substrates fabricated using ceramic filters for the detection of bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosier-Boss, P. A.; Sorensen, K. C.; George, R. D.; Obraztsova, A.

    2016-01-01

    SERS substrates were fabricated by filtering either Ag or Au colloidal particles onto rigid, ceramic filters - onto which suspensions of bacteria were then filtered. SERS spectra of the bacteria were obtained using a Raman spectrometer that has an 'orbital raster scan' capability. It was shown that bacteria samples prepared in this manner were uniformly distributed onto the surface of the SERS substrate. The effect of common buffer systems on the SERS spectra was investigated and the utility of using the SERS technique for speciation of bacteria was explored.

  8. Multidrug resistance in enteric and other gram-negative bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    George, A M

    1996-05-15

    In Gram-negative bacteria, multidrug resistance is a term that is used to describe mechanisms of resistance by chromosomal genes that are activated by induction or mutation caused by the stress of exposure to antibiotics in natural and clinical environments. Unlike plasmid-borne resistance genes, there is no alteration or degradation of drugs or need for genetic transfer. Exposure to a single drug leads to cross-resistance to many other structurally and functionally unrelated drugs. The only mechanism identified for multidrug resistance in bacteria is drug efflux by membrane transporters, even though many of these transporters remain to be identified. The enteric bacteria exhibit mostly complex multidrug resistance systems which are often regulated by operons or regulons. The purpose of this review is to survey molecular mechanisms of multidrug resistance in enteric and other Gram-negative bacteria, and to speculate on the origins and natural physiological functions of the genes involved.

  9. Metagenomic analysis reveals symbiotic relationship among bacteria in Microcystis-dominated community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meili eXie

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Microcystis bloom, a cyanobacterial mass occurrence often found in eutrophicated water bodies, is one of the most serious threats to freshwater ecosystems worldwide. In nature, Microcystis forms aggregates or colonies that contain heterotrophic bacteria. The Microcystis-bacteria colonies were persistent even when they were maintained in lab culture for a long period. The relationship between Microcystis and the associated bacteria was investigated by a metagenomic approach in this study. We developed a visualization-guided method of binning for genome assembly after total colony DNA sequencing. We found that the method was effective in grouping sequences and it did not require reference genome sequence. Individual genomes of the colony bacteria were obtained and they provided valuable insights into microbial community structures. Analysis of metabolic pathways based on these genomes revealed that while all heterotrophic bacteria were dependent upon Microcystis for carbon and energy, Vitamin B12 biosynthesis, which is required for growth by Microcystis, was accomplished in a cooperative fashion among the bacteria. Our analysis also suggests that individual bacteria in the colony community contributed a complete pathway for degradation of benzoate, which is inhibitory to the cyanobacterial growth, and its ecological implication for Microcystis bloom is discussed.

  10. Armpits, Belly Buttons and Chronic Wounds: The ABCs of Our Body Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... and Chronic Wounds: The ABCs of Our Body Bacteria By Alisa Machalek and Allison MacLachlan Posted April ... treating skin and other conditions. Chronic Wounds and Bacteria Bacteria from human skin grown on agar in ...

  11. Aerobic salivary bacteria in wild and captive Komodo dragons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montgomery, Joel M; Gillespie, Don; Sastrawan, Putra; Fredeking, Terry M; Stewart, George L

    2002-07-01

    During the months of November 1996, August 1997, and March 1998, saliva and plasma samples were collected for isolation of aerobic bacteria from 26 wild and 13 captive Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis). Twenty-eight Gram-negative and 29 Gram-positive species of bacteria were isolated from the saliva of the 39 Komodo dragons. A greater number of wild than captive dragons were positive for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The average number of bacterial species within the saliva of wild dragons was 46% greater than for captive dragons. While Escherichia coli was the most common bacterium isolated from the saliva of wild dragons, this species was not present in captive dragons. The most common bacteria isolated from the saliva of captive dragons were Staphylococcus capitis and Staphylococcus capitis and Staphylococcus caseolyticus, neither of which were found in wild dragons. High mortality was seen among mice injected with saliva from wild dragons and the only bacterium isolated from the blood of dying mice was Pasteurella multocida. A competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed the presence of anti-Pasteurella antibody in the plasma of Komodo dragons. Four species of bacteria isolated from dragon saliva showed resistance to one or more of 16 antimicrobics tested. The wide variety of bacteria demonstrated in the saliva of the Komodo dragon in this study, at least one species of which was highly lethal in mice and 54 species of which are known pathogens, support the observation that wounds inflicted by this animal are often associated with sepsis and subsequent bacteremia in prey animals.

  12. Social behavior of bacteria: from physics to complex organization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Jacob, E.

    2008-10-01

    I describe how bacteria develop complex colonial patterns by utilizing intricate communication capabilities, such as quorum sensing, chemotactic signaling and exchange of genetic information (plasmids) Bacteria do not store genetically all the information required for generating the patterns for all possible environments. Instead, additional information is cooperatively generated as required for the colonial organization to proceed. Each bacterium is, by itself, a biotic autonomous system with its own internal cellular informatics capabilities (storage, processing and assessments of information). These afford the cell certain plasticity to select its response to biochemical messages it receives, including self-alteration and broadcasting messages to initiate alterations in other bacteria. Hence, new features can collectively emerge during self-organization from the intra-cellular level to the whole colony. Collectively bacteria store information, perform decision make decisions (e.g. to sporulate) and even learn from past experience (e.g. exposure to antibiotics)-features we begin to associate with bacterial social behavior and even rudimentary intelligence. I also take Schrdinger’s’ “feeding on negative entropy” criteria further and propose that, in addition organisms have to extract latent information embedded in the environment. By latent information we refer to the non-arbitrary spatio-temporal patterns of regularities and variations that characterize the environmental dynamics. In other words, bacteria must be able to sense the environment and perform internal information processing for thriving on latent information embedded in the complexity of their environment. I then propose that by acting together, bacteria can perform this most elementary cognitive function more efficiently as can be illustrated by their cooperative behavior.

  13. Lubricating oil-degrading bacteria in soils from filling stations and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2008-06-03

    Jun 3, 2008 ... 1Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of ... Key words: environmental pollution, oil-degrading bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, physico-chemical factors, ..... Manual of Environmental.

  14. Acoustic manipulation of bacteria cells suspensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    GutiéRrez-Ramos, Salomé; Hoyos, Mauricio; Aider, Jean Luc; Ruiz, Carlos; Acoustofluidics Team Team; Soft; Bio Group Collaboration

    An acoustic contacless manipulation gives advantages in the exploration of the complex dynamics enviroment that active matter exhibits. Our works reports the control confinement and dispersion of Escherichia coliRP437-pZA3R-YFP suspensions (M9Glu-Ca) via acoustic levitation.The manipulation of the bacteria bath in a parallel plate resonator is achieved using the acoustic radiation force and the secondary radiation force. The primary radiation force generates levitation of the bacteria cells at the nodal plane of the ultrasonic standing wave generated inside the resonator. On the other side, secondary forces leads to the consolidation of stable aggregates. All the experiments were performed in the acoustic trap described, where we excite the emission plate with a continuous sinusoidal signal at a frequency in the order of MHz and a quartz slide as the reflector plate. In a typical experiment we observed that, before the input of the signal, the bacteria cells exhibit their typical run and tumble behavior and after the sound is turned on all of them displace towards the nodal plane, and instantaneously the aggregation begins in this region. CNRS French National Space Studies, CONACYT Mexico.

  15. The identification of anaerobic bacteria using MALDI-TOF MS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Veloo, A. C. M.; Welling, G. W.; Degener, J. E.

    Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption and Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has gained more and more popularity for the identification of bacteria. Several studies show that bacterial diagnosticis is being revolutionized by the application of MALDI-TOF MS. For anaerobic bacteria,

  16. Flow cytometric assessment of viability of lactic acid bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bunthof, C.J.; Bloemen, K.; Breeuwer, P.; Rombouts, F.M.; Abee, T.

    2001-01-01

    The viability of lactic acid bacteria is crucial for their applications as dairy starters and as probiotics. We investigated the usefulness of flow cytometry (FCM) for viability assessment of lactic acid bacteria. The esterase substrate carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and the dye exclusion DNA

  17. 'Atypical' bacteria are a common cause of community-acquired ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objectives. To assess the proportion of cases of community· acquired pneumonia caused by 'atypical' bacteria, inclUding the recently discovered Chlamydia pneumoniae, and to compare the clinical, radiographic and laboratory features of patients with and without 'atypical' bacteria. Methods. A prospective serological ...

  18. Screening and identification of lactic acid bacteria isolated from ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from sorghum (Sorghum bicolor. L.) silage were identified during different periods of evolution of sorghum silage in west Algeria. Morphological, physiological, biochemical and technological techniques were used to characterize lactic acid bacteria isolates. A total number of 27 ...

  19. Energy sources of yoghurt bacteria and enhancement of their ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The energy sources of yoghurt bacteria (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus) were examined with a focus on probable impact of sucrose on their galactose uptake. Yoghurt bacteria were isolated from samples of yoghurt which were purchased from different outlets and kept under refrigeration ...

  20. Polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthesis by oxalotrophic bacteria from high Andean soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roger David Castillo-Arteaga

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Oxalate is a highly oxidized organic acid anion used as a carbon and energy source by oxalotrophic bacteria. Oxalogenic plants convert atmospheric CO2 into oxalic acid and oxalic salts. Oxalate-salt formation acts as a carbon sink in terrestrial ecosystems via the oxalate-carbonate pathway (OCP. Oxalotrophic bacteria might be implicated in other carbon-storage processes, including the synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs. More recently, a variety of bacteria from the Andean region of Colombia in Nariño have been reported for their PHA-producing abilities. These species can degrade oxalate and participate in the oxalate-carbonate pathway. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize oxalotrophic bacteria with the capacity to accumulate PHA biopolymers. Plants of the genus Oxalis were collected and bacteria were isolated from the soil adhering to the roots. The isolated bacterial strains were characterized using biochemical and molecular biological methods. The consumption of oxalate in culture was quantified, and PHA production was monitored in batch fermentation. The polymeric composition was characterized using gas chromatography. Finally, a biosynthetic pathway based on our findings and on those from published sources is proposed. Strains of Bacillus spp. and Serratia sp. were found to metabolize calcium oxalate and synthesize PHA.

  1. Periodontal disease associated with red complex bacteria in dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Bello, A; Buonavoglia, A; Franchini, D; Valastro, C; Ventrella, G; Greco, M F; Corrente, M

    2014-03-01

    Red complex bacteria (Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia and Porphyromonas gingivalis) play a major role in the aetiology of periodontal disease in humans. This study was designed to evaluate the association of such bacteria with periodontal disease in dogs. Seventy-three subgingival samples taken from dogs ranging from 2 months to 12 years (median age 4 years) were tested for red complex bacteria using a polymerase chain reaction assay. Thirty-six of 73 (49 · 3%) dogs were found to be positive for T. forsythia and P. gingivalis. Dogs with gingivitis or periodontitis were more likely to be infected with T. forsythia and P. gingivalis [odds ratio (OR) 5 · 4 (confidence interval (CI) 1 · 9-15 · 6), P = 0 · 002] than healthy animals. Only 3 (4 · 1%) of 73 samples were positive for red complex bacteria, but the association with periodontal disease was not significant. The results indicate that involvement of red complex bacteria in periodontal disease in dogs is similar to that observed in humans. Only the concurrent presence of T. forsythia and P. gingivalis were correlated to periodontal disease in dogs in this study. © 2014 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

  2. Anaerobic Ammonium-Oxidizing Bacteria: Unique Microorganisms with Exceptional Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jetten, Mike S. M.

    2012-01-01

    Summary: Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria defy many microbiological concepts and share numerous properties with both eukaryotes and archaea. Among their most intriguing characteristics are their compartmentalized cell plan and archaeon-like cell wall. Here we review our current knowledge about anammox cell biology. The anammox cell is divided into three separate compartments by bilayer membranes. The anammox cell consists of (from outside to inside) the cell wall, paryphoplasm, riboplasm, and anammoxosome. Not much is known about the composition or function of both the anammox cell wall and the paryphoplasm compartment. The cell wall is proposed to be proteinaceous and to lack both peptidoglycan and an outer membrane typical of Gram-negative bacteria. The function of the paryphoplasm is unknown, but it contains the cell division ring. The riboplasm resembles the standard cytoplasmic compartment of other bacteria; it contains ribosomes and the nucleoid. The anammoxosome occupies most of the cell volume and is a so-called “prokaryotic organelle” analogous to the eukaryotic mitochondrion. This is the site where the anammox reaction takes place, coupled over the curved anammoxosome membrane, possibly giving rise to a proton motive force and subsequent ATP synthesis. With these unique properties, anammox bacteria are food for thought concerning the early evolution of the domains Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. PMID:22933561

  3. Soil bacteria for remediation of polluted soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Springael, D; Bastiaens, L; Carpels, M; Mergaey, M; Diels, L

    1996-09-18

    Soil bacteria, specifically adapted to contaminated soils, may be used for the remediation of polluted soils. The Flemish research institute VITO has established a collection of bacteria, which were isolated from contaminated areas. This collection includes microbacteria degrading mineral oils (Pseudomonas sp., Acinetobacter sp. and others), microbacteria degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (genera Sphingomonas and Mycobacterium), microbacteria degrading polychlorobiphenyls (genus Ralstonia and strains related to beta-Proteobacteria), and metal resistant bacteria with plasmid borne resistances to Cd, Zn, Ni, Co, Cu, Hg, and Cr. Bench-scale reactors were developed to investigate the industrial feasibility of bioremediation. Batch Stirred Tank Reactors were used to evaluate the efficiency of oil degraders. Soils, contaminated with non-ferrous metals, were treated using a Bacterial Metal Slurry Reactor. It was found that the reduction of the Cd concentration may vary strongly from sample to sample: reduction factors vary from 95 to 50%. Is was shown that Cd contained in metallic sinter and biologically unavailable Cd could not be removed.

  4. Plant growth-promoting bacteria: mechanisms and applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glick, Bernard R

    2012-01-01

    The worldwide increases in both environmental damage and human population pressure have the unfortunate consequence that global food production may soon become insufficient to feed all of the world's people. It is therefore essential that agricultural productivity be significantly increased within the next few decades. To this end, agricultural practice is moving toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach. This includes both the increasing use of transgenic plants and plant growth-promoting bacteria as a part of mainstream agricultural practice. Here, a number of the mechanisms utilized by plant growth-promoting bacteria are discussed and considered. It is envisioned that in the not too distant future, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) will begin to replace the use of chemicals in agriculture, horticulture, silviculture, and environmental cleanup strategies. While there may not be one simple strategy that can effectively promote the growth of all plants under all conditions, some of the strategies that are discussed already show great promise.

  5. Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria: Mechanisms and Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernard R. Glick

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The worldwide increases in both environmental damage and human population pressure have the unfortunate consequence that global food production may soon become insufficient to feed all of the world's people. It is therefore essential that agricultural productivity be significantly increased within the next few decades. To this end, agricultural practice is moving toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach. This includes both the increasing use of transgenic plants and plant growth-promoting bacteria as a part of mainstream agricultural practice. Here, a number of the mechanisms utilized by plant growth-promoting bacteria are discussed and considered. It is envisioned that in the not too distant future, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB will begin to replace the use of chemicals in agriculture, horticulture, silviculture, and environmental cleanup strategies. While there may not be one simple strategy that can effectively promote the growth of all plants under all conditions, some of the strategies that are discussed already show great promise.

  6. Antifreeze Proteins of Bacteria

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 12; Issue 12. Antifreeze Proteins of Bacteria. M K Chattopadhyay. General Article Volume 12 Issue 12 December 2007 pp 25-30. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/012/12/0025-0030 ...

  7. Isolation and characterization of biosurfactant producing bacteria from Persian Gulf (Bushehr provenance)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hassanshahian, Mehdi

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Biosurfactant producing bacteria were isolated from Persian Gulf. • There is high diversity of biosurfactant producing bacteria in the Persian Gulf. • These bacteria are very useful for management of oil pollution in the sea. - Abstract: Biosurfactants are surface active materials that are produced by some microorganisms. These molecules increase biodegradation of insoluble pollutants. In this study sediments and seawater samples were collected from the coastline of Bushehr provenance in the Persian Gulf and their biosurfactant producing bacteria were isolated. Biosurfactant producing bacteria were isolated by using an enrichment method in Bushnell-Hass medium with diesel oil as the sole carbon source. Five screening tests were used for selection of Biosurfactant producing bacteria: hemolysis in blood agar, oil spreading, drop collapse, emulsification activity and Bacterial Adhesion to Hydrocarbon test (BATH). These bacteria were identified using biochemical and molecular methods. Eighty different colonies were isolated from the collected samples. The most biosurfactant producing isolates related to petrochemical plants of Khark Island. Fourteen biosurfactant producing bacteria were selected between these isolates and 7 isolates were screened as these were predominant producers that belong to Shewanella alga, Shewanella upenei, Vibrio furnissii, Gallaecimonas pentaromativorans, Brevibacterium epidermidis, Psychrobacter namhaensis and Pseudomonas fluorescens. The largest clear zone diameters in oil spreading were observed for G. pentaromativorans strain O15. Also, this strain has the best emulsification activity and reduction of surface tension, suggesting it is the best of thee isolated strains. The results of this study confirmed that there is high diversity of biosurfactant producing bacteria in marine ecosystem of Iran and by application of these bacteria in petrochemical waste water environmental problems can be assisted

  8. Enzimas de restricción de bacterias nativas de Nicaragua

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    lan Roustan-Espinosa

    2000-02-01

    Full Text Available Los avances de la ingeniería genética y la biología molecular han propiciado la utilización de bacterias en la industria biotecnológica. En este trabajo se presenta la identificación y caracterización de enzimas de restricción presentes en bacterias recolectadas en medios acuosos de Nicaragua. Se encontró actividad de restricción en el 25% del total de bacterias analizadas. Se abordan los procesos de purificación de extractos de proteínas de bacterias con actividades de Sau961 y Pvull. Este trabajo es un esfuerzo dirigido a la implementación de técnicas modernas de biotecnología en Nicaragua.

  9. Ammonia effect on hydrogenotrophic methanogens and syntrophic acetate oxidizing bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Han; Fotidis, Ioannis; Angelidaki, Irini

    Substrates that contain high ammonia levels can cause inhibition on anaerobic digestion process and unstable biogas production. The aim of the current study was to assess the effects of different ammonia levels on pure strains of (syntrophic acetate oxidizing) SAO bacteria and hydrogenotrophic...... methanogens. Two pure strains of hydrogenotrophic methanogens (i.e: Methanoculleus bourgensis and Methanoculleus thermophiles) and two pure strains of SAO bacteria (i.e: Tepidanaerobacter acetatoxydans and Thermacetogenium phaeum) were inoculated under four different ammonia (0.26, 3, 5 and 7g NH4+-N......, the total incubation periods of hydrogenotrophic methanogens were significantly shorter compared to the SAO bacteria incubation periods. Thus, it seems that hydrogenotrophic methanogens could be equally, if not more, tolerant to high ammonia levels compared to SAO bacteria....

  10. A study on the selection of indigenous leaching-bacteria for effective bioleaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, S. J.; Cho, K. H.; Kim, B. J.; Choi, N. C.; Park, C. Y.

    2012-04-01

    Bioleaching technology, which is based on the ability of microorganisms to transform solid compounds into soluble and extractable valuable elements that can be recovered, has been rapidly developed in recent decades for its advantages, which include mild reaction condition, low energy consumption, simple process, low environmental impact and being suitable for low grade mine tailings and residues. The bacteria activities (survival, adaptation of toxically environments etc.) in the bioleaching technology play a key role in the solubilization of metals. The purpose of this study was to selection of optimal leaching-bacteria through changed pH and redox potential on bio-oxidation in batch experiments for successful bioleaching technology. Twenty three indigenous bacteria used throughout this study, leaching-bacteria were obtained from various geochemical conditions; bacteria inhabitation type (acid mine drainage, mine wastes leachate and sulfur hot springs) and base-metal type (sulfur, sulfide, iron and coal). Bio-oxidation experiment result was showed that 9 cycles (1 cycle - 28days) after the leaching-bacteria were inoculated to a leaching medium, pH was observed decreasing and redox potential increased. In the bacteria inhabitation type, bio-oxidation of sulfur hot springs bacteria was greater than other types (acid mine drainage and mine wastes leachate). In addition, bio-oxidation on base-metal type was appeared sulfur was greater than other types (sulfide, iron and coal). This study informs basic knowledge when bacteria apply to eco-/economic resources utilization studies including the biomining and the recycling of mine waste system.

  11. Size-dependent antibacterial activities of silver nanoparticles against oral anaerobic pathogenic bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Zhong; Rong, Kaifeng; Li, Ju; Yang, Hao; Chen, Rong

    2013-06-01

    Dental caries and periodontal disease are widespread diseases for which microorganism infections have been identified as the main etiology. Silver nanoparticles (Ag Nps) were considered as potential control oral bacteria infection agent due to its excellent antimicrobial activity and non acute toxic effects on human cells. In this work, stable Ag Nps with different sizes (~5, 15 and 55 nm mean values) were synthesized by using a simple reduction method or hydrothermal method. The Nps were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The antibacterial activities were evaluated by colony counting assay and growth inhibition curve method, and corresponding minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against five anaerobic oral pathogenic bacteria and aerobic bacteria E. coli were determined. The results showed that Ag Nps had apparent antibacterial effects against the anaerobic oral pathogenic bacteria and aerobic bacteria. The MIC values of 5-nm Ag against anaerobic oral pathogenic bacteria A. actinomycetemcomitans, F. nuceatum, S. mitis, S. mutans and S. sanguis were 25, 25, 25, 50 and 50 μg/mL, respectively. The aerobic bacteria were more susceptible to Ag NPs than the anaerobic oral pathogenic bacteria. In the mean time, Ag NPs displayed an obvious size-dependent antibacterial activity against the anaerobic bacteria. The 5-nm Ag presents the highest antibacterial activity. The results of this work indicated a potential application of Ag Nps in the inhibition of oral microorganism infections.

  12. Gardnerella vaginalis and anaerobic bacteria in genital disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabaqchali, S; Wilks, M; Thin, R N

    1983-01-01

    In a study of Gardnerella vaginalis and anaerobic bacteria in non-specific vaginitis (NSV) and other genital disease 89 patients attending a genital medicine clinic had vaginal samples examined for conventional pathogens and for quantitative analysis of G vaginalis and aerobic and anaerobic bacterial flora. The overall incidence of G vaginalis was 20%; G vaginalis (mean concentration 7.0 log10/g of secretion) occurred predominantly in patients with NSV (57%) but also in sexual contacts of non-specific urethritis (NSU) (37.5%) and in patients with other conditions (11.8%). G vaginalis is therefore a relatively common isolate in patients with vaginal discharge. The concentration of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria ranged from 4.9-11.0 log10/g of secretion with an anaerobe-to-aerobe ratio of 10:1. Anaerobic bacteria, particularly anaerobic Gram-positive cocci (mean concentrations 7.7 log10/g), were present in patients with NSV and in association with G vaginalis, but they also occurred in other clinical groups and with other pathogens, particularly Trichomonas vaginalis. Anaerobic bacteria may therefore play an important role in the pathogenesis of vaginal infections. PMID:6600955

  13. Fluid mechanics of swimming bacteria with multiple flagella.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanehl, Philipp; Ishikawa, Takuji

    2014-04-01

    It is known that some kinds of bacteria swim by forming a bundle of their multiple flagella. However, the details of flagella synchronization as well as the swimming efficiency of such bacteria have not been fully understood. In this study, swimming of multiflagellated bacteria is investigated numerically by the boundary element method. We assume that the cell body is a rigid ellipsoid and the flagella are rigid helices suspended on flexible hooks. Motors apply constant torque to the hooks, rotating the flagella either clockwise or counterclockwise. Rotating all flagella clockwise, bundling of all flagella is observed in every simulated case. It is demonstrated that the counter rotation of the body speeds up the bundling process. During this procedure the flagella synchronize due to hydrodynamic interactions. Moreover, the results illustrated that during running the multiflagellated bacterium shows higher propulsive efficiency (distance traveled per one flagellar rotation) over a bacterium with a single thick helix. With an increasing number of flagella the propulsive efficiency increases, whereas the energetic efficiency decreases, which indicates that efficiency is something multiflagellated bacteria are assigning less priority to than to motility. These findings form a fundamental basis in understanding bacterial physiology and metabolism.

  14. Bacteria isolated from the airways of paediatric patients with ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Knowledge of which bacteria are found in the airways of paediatric patients with bronchiectasis unrelated to cystic fibrosis. (CF) is important in defining empirical antibiotic guidelines for the treatment of acute infective exacerbations. Objective. To describe the bacteria isolated from the airways of children with non-CF ...

  15. Performance of shcc with bacteria for concrete patch repair

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sierra Beltran, M.G.; Jonkers, H.M.; Schlangen, E.

    2014-01-01

    The overall performance of concrete patch repair systems depends on the durability of and compatibility between the concrete substrate and the repair material. This paper investigates the performance of a new type of SHCC material with embedded bacteria as a repair material. The bacteria are a

  16. Hydrocarbon-degrading Capability of Bacteria isolated from a Maize ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Hydrocarbon-degrading Capability of Bacteria isolated from a Maize-Planted, Kerosene-contaminated Ilorin Alfisol. ... also revealed that some bacteria survive and even thrive in kerosene contaminated soil and hence have the potential to be used in biodegradation and/or bioremediation of oil contaminated soils and water.

  17. Antibacterial Activities of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Selected ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Members of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are known probiotics and have been reported to have antimicrobial properties. Although various researchers have documented the isolation of these bacteria from fruits and vegetables, studies on LAB associated with lettuce, cucumber and cabbage are limited and non-existing in ...

  18. Utilization of Cypermethrin by bacteria isolated from irrigated soils ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Soil bacteria capable of utilizing Cypermethrin as a source of carbon were isolated using enrichment technique. The bacteria were Psuedomonas aeruginosa, Serratia spp Micrococcus sp, Staphylococci and Streptococcus sp. Growth of P. aeruginosa was determined in the presence of 1:106 and 1:105 Cypermethrin in ...

  19. Isolation and Molecular Identification of Endophytic Bacteria From Rambutan Fruits (Nephelium lappaceum L. Cultivar Binjai

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sony Suhandono

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Interactions between plants and endophytic bacteria are mutualistic. Plant provides nutrient for bacteria, and bacteria will protect the plant from pathogen, help the phytohormone synthesis and nitrogen fixation, and also increase absorption of minerals. These bacteria called plant growth-promoting bacteria. The aim for this study is to identify endophytic bacteria on rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L. cultivar Binjai with 16S rRNA. Sequencing results showed that the bacteria is derived from genus Corynebacterium, Bacillus, Chryseobacterium, Staphylococcus and Curtobacterium, which suspected play a role as plant growth-promoting bacteria.

  20. Effect of henna and roselle extracts on pathogenic bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafat Khalaphallah

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the antibacterial effects of water and ethanolic extracts of henna leaves and roselle calyxes against pathogenic bacteria isolated from domestic wastewater. Methods: The antimicrobial activity was determined in the extracts using agar disc diffusion method. The antibacterial activities of extracts (2.5%, 5.0% and 10.0% w/v of both henna and roselle were tested against one Gram-positive Bacillius subtilis; two Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa human pathogenic bacteria. Results: Ethanolic extracts had more antimicrobial activity than water extracts. Ethanolic extract of roselle had the highest antibacterial activity against all tested organisms, followed with ethanolic extract of henna. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most sensitive bacteria to plant extracts. Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that roselle contains more phyto-chemicals with antimicrobial activity than henna on the bacteria strains under study, and these phyto-chemicals were more effective when extracted by ethanol rather than water.

  1. Chemotaxis by natural populations of coral reef bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tout, Jessica; Jeffries, Thomas C; Petrou, Katherina; Tyson, Gene W; Webster, Nicole S; Garren, Melissa; Stocker, Roman; Ralph, Peter J; Seymour, Justin R

    2015-08-01

    Corals experience intimate associations with distinct populations of marine microorganisms, but the microbial behaviours underpinning these relationships are poorly understood. There is evidence that chemotaxis is pivotal to the infection process of corals by pathogenic bacteria, but this evidence is limited to experiments using cultured isolates under laboratory conditions. We measured the chemotactic capabilities of natural populations of coral-associated bacteria towards chemicals released by corals and their symbionts, including amino acids, carbohydrates, ammonium and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). Laboratory experiments, using a modified capillary assay, and in situ measurements, using a novel microfabricated in situ chemotaxis assay, were employed to quantify the chemotactic responses of natural microbial assemblages on the Great Barrier Reef. Both approaches showed that bacteria associated with the surface of the coral species Pocillopora damicornis and Acropora aspera exhibited significant levels of chemotaxis, particularly towards DMSP and amino acids, and that these levels of chemotaxis were significantly higher than that of bacteria inhabiting nearby, non-coral-associated waters. This pattern was supported by a significantly higher abundance of chemotaxis and motility genes in metagenomes within coral-associated water types. The phylogenetic composition of the coral-associated chemotactic microorganisms, determined using 16S rRNA amplicon pyrosequencing, differed from the community in the seawater surrounding the coral and comprised known coral associates, including potentially pathogenic Vibrio species. These findings indicate that motility and chemotaxis are prevalent phenotypes among coral-associated bacteria, and we propose that chemotaxis has an important role in the establishment and maintenance of specific coral-microbe associations, which may ultimately influence the health and stability of the coral holobiont.

  2. Influence of complement on neutrophil extracellular trap release induced by bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Palmer, Lisa Joanne; Damgaard, Christian; Holmstrup, Palle

    2016-01-01

    by Staphylococcus aureus and three oral bacteria: Actinomyces viscosus, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. vincettii. Material and Methods Bacteria-stimulated NET release from the neutrophils of healthy donors was measured fluorometrically. Various complement containing...... In conclusion, complement opsonization promotes NET release induced by a variety of bacteria, including A. actinomycetemcomitans, and CR1 plays a dominant role in the process. Complement consumption or deficiency may compromise NETosis induced by some bacterial species, including A. actinomycetemcomitans....... Within biofilms, the complement-inactivating abilities of some bacteria may protect other species against NETosis, while these are more vulnerable when adopting a planktonic lifestyle....

  3. Isolation of Biosurfactant Producing Bacteria from Oil Reservoirs

    OpenAIRE

    A Tabatabaee, M Mazaheri Assadi, AA Noohi,VA Sajadian

    2005-01-01

    Biosurfactants or surface-active compounds are produced by microoaganisms. These molecules reduce surface tension both aqueous solutions and hydrocarbon mixtures. In this study, isolation and identification of biosurfactant producing bacteria were assessed. The potential application of these bacteria in petroleum industry was investigated. Samples (crude oil) were collected from oil wells and 45 strains were isolated. To confirm the ability of isolates in biosurfactant production, haemolysis ...

  4. Assessment of Antibiotic Resistant Commensal Bacteria in Food

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-01-01

    mold Penicillium was able to inhibit the growth of some bacteria. (37). In 1928, a Brittish physician Alexander Fleming observed the similar...phenomenon. One of his bacterial plate cultures was contaminated with the blue-green mold Penicillium , and the bacterial colonies in close approximation to...sliced chicken lunchmeat, and the strain was identified as Pseudomonas sp . ART bacteria were isolated sporadically in 32 lunchmeat, which is

  5. Simple and convenient method for culturing anaerobic bacteria.

    OpenAIRE

    Behbehani, M J; Jordan, H V; Santoro, D L

    1982-01-01

    A simple and convenient method for culturing anaerobic bacteria is described. Cultures can be grown in commercially available flasks normally used for preparation of sterile external solutions. A special disposable rubber flask closure maintains anaerobic conditions in the flask after autoclaving. Growth of a variety of anaerobic oral bacteria was comparable to that obtained after anaerobic incubation of broth cultures in Brewer Anaerobic Jars.

  6. 49-60 Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria from Camel Milk and the

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Reviwer

    bacteria in the food industry is the lactic acid bacteria. (LAB) which are used ... Weinberg et al., 2007) as well as for their preservative ... Food and Drug Administration FDA (2003). In the ... lactic acid bacteria species were characterized as fast.

  7. Highly Resolved Sub-Terahertz Vibrational Spectroscopy of Biological Macromolecules and Bacteria Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-07-01

    HIGHLY RESOLVED SUB-TERAHERTZ VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES AND BACTERIA CELLS ECBC...SUBTITLE Highly Resolved Sub-Terahertz Vibrational Spectroscopy of Biological Macromolecules and Bacteria Cells 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W911SR-14-P...22 4.3 Bacteria THz Study

  8. Bacteria stimulate hatching of yellow fever mosquito eggs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Loganathan Ponnusamy

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti Linnaeus is a peridomestic mosquito that lays desiccation-resistant eggs in water-filled human-made containers. Previous investigations connected egg hatching with declining dissolved oxygen (DO that is associated with bacterial growth. However, past studies failed to uncouple DO from other potential stimulatory factors and they contained little quantitative information about the microbial community; consequently, a direct role for bacteria or compounds associated with bacteria in stimulating egg hatching cannot be dismissed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Environmental factors stimulating hatch of Ae. aegypti eggs were investigated using non-sterile and sterile white oak leaf (WOL infusions and a bacterial culture composed of a mix of 14 species originally isolated from bamboo leaf infusion. In WOL infusion with active microbes, 92.4% of eggs hatched in 2-h at an average DO concentration of 2.4 ppm. A 24-h old bacterial culture with a DO concentration of 0.73 ppm also stimulated 95.2% of eggs hatch within 1-h. In contrast, only 4.0% of eggs hatched in sterile infusion, whose DO averaged 7.4 ppm. Effects of bacteria were uncoupled from DO by exposing eggs to bacterial cells suspended in NaCl solution. Over a 4-h exposure period, 93.8% of eggs hatched while DO concentration changed minimally from 7.62 to 7.50 ppm. Removal of bacteria by ultra-filtration and cell-free filtrate resulted in only 52.0% of eggs hatching after 4-h at an average DO concentration of 5.5 ppm. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Collectively, the results provide compelling evidence that bacteria or water-soluble compounds secreted by bacteria, not just low DO concentration, stimulate hatching of Ae. aegypti eggs. However, the specific cues involved remain to be identified. These research findings contribute new insight into an important aspect of the oviposition biology of Ae. aegypti, a virus vector of global importance, providing the basis for a new

  9. The Bacteria Quality Of The Indigenously Fermented Milk Product ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Fifty samples of 'nono', a fermented milk product akin to yoghurt, were carefully collected from three markets in Maiduguri municipality, and were examined for the presence of pathogenic bacteria. Twenty-eight percent of the samples were found to be contaminated with aciduric pathogenic bacteria that may cause ...

  10. hydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) producing bacteria isolated

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SERVER

    2007-07-04

    Jul 4, 2007 ... ium (MSM), having inhibitors for Gram positive bacteria and fungi and a mixed ... Two techniques were used for detecting the presence of polymer: staining ... was saline solution at 600 nm wavelength on VARIAN DSM 100.

  11. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in wild game in Slovenia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Križman, M.; Kirbiš, A.; Jamnikar-Ciglenečki, U.

    2017-09-01

    Wildlife is usually not exposed to clinically-used antimicrobial agents but can acquire antimicrobial resistance throughout contact with humans, domesticated animals and environments. Samples of faeces from intestines (80 in total) were collected from roe deer (52), wild boars (11), chamois (10) red deer (6) and moufflon (1). After culture on ChromID extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) plates to select for growth of ESBL-producing bacteria, 25 samples produced bacterial colonies for further study. Six species of bacteria were identified from the 25 samples: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Serratia fonticola, Stenotrophomonas nitritireducens, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli. Two ESBL enzymes were amplified from group TEM and three from group CTX-M-1. Undercooked game meat and salami can be a source of resistant bacteria when animals are not eviscerated properly.

  12. Sensitive detection of maltose and glucose based on dual enzyme-displayed bacteria electrochemical biosensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Aihua; Lang, Qiaolin; Liang, Bo; Shi, Jianguo

    2017-01-15

    Glucoamylase-displayed bacteria (GA-bacteria) and glucose dehydrogenase-displayed bacteria (GDH-bacteria) were co-immobilized on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to construct GA-bacteria/GDH-bacteria/MWNTs/GCE biosensor. The biosensor was developed by optimizing the loading amount and the ratio of GA-bacteria to GDH-bacteria. The as-prepared biosensor exhibited a wide dynamic range of 0.2-10mM and a low detection limit of 0.1mM maltose (S/N=3). The biosensor also had a linear response to glucose in the range of 0.1-2.0mM and a low detection limit of 0.04mM glucose (S/N=3). Interestingly, at the same concentration, glucose was 3.75-fold sensitive than that of maltose at the proposed biosensor. No interferences were observed for other possible mono- and disaccharides. The biosensor also demonstrated good long-term storage stability and repeatability. Further, using both GDH-bacteria/MWNTs/GCE biosensor and GA-bacteria/GDH-bacteria/MWNTs/GCE biosensor, glucose and maltose in real samples can be detected. Therefore, the proposed biosensor is capable of monitoring the food manufacturing and fermentation process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Molasses as C source for heterotrophic bacteria production on solid fish waste

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schneider, O.; Sereti, V.; Eding, E.H.; Verreth, J.A.J.

    2006-01-01

    The drumfilter effluent from a recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) can be used as substrate for heterotrophic bacteria production. These bacteria can be reused as aquatic feed. In RAS drumfilter effluents are organic carbon deficient for bacteria production. This is due to nitrogen accumulation

  14. The structures of lipopolysaccharides from plant-associated gram-negative bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Molinaro, Antonio; Newman, Mari-Anne; Lanzetta, Rosa

    2009-01-01

    Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) have multiple roles in plant-microbe interactions. LPSs contribute to the low permeabilities of bacterial outer membranes, which act as barriers to protect bacteria from plant-derived antimicrobial substances. Conversely, perception of LPSs...... is an important prerequisite for any further understanding of the biological processes in plant-microbe interactions. Moreover, the LPSs from Gram-negative bacteria - especially those originating from plant-associated bacteria - are a great source of novel monosaccharides with unusual and occasionally astounding...

  15. Interacción bacteria-microalga en el ambiente marino y uso potencial en acuicultura Microalgae and bacteria interaction in the aquatic environment and their potential use in aquaculture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CARLOS E. RIQUELME

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available El presente estudio tiene como objetivo revisar el conocimiento generado sobre el rol que juegan las interacciones bacteria-microalga en ambientes marinos y dulceacuícolas, definiendo las posibles aplicaciones que puede tener el conocimiento de estas interacciones en el manejo de las aguas costeras y sistemas acuícolas. Los antecedentes proporcionados en este análisis permiten sugerir que bacterias y/o microalgas, constituyen una alternativa para el control de proliferaciones de bacterias y fitoplancton causantes de efectos dañinos en ambientes naturales y sistemas cerrados de cultivo. Además, las interacciones específicas entre bacteria-microalga permitiría la optimización de sistemas productivos en la industria acuícola. Sin embargo, los mecanismos de estas interacciones son pobremente entendidos. Futuras investigaciones debieran ser dirigidas a comprender el modo de acción de las interacciones bacteria-microalga a nivel molecularThe objective of this survey is to review the knowledge generated with respect to the role of bacteria-microalgae interaction play in marine and fresh environments, and to define the possible application of these microorganisms on the management of costal water and aquaculture systems. This review proposes that bacteria and/or microalgae are an alternative to control the proliferation of bacteria and phytoplankton that cause damages in natural environments or in closed culture systems. Also, the knowledge of specific interactions between bacteria and microalgae will allow the optimization of productive systems in aquaculture. However, until date the mechanisms involved in these interactions are poorly understood. Therefore, future investigations should be directed towards understanding the mode of action of such interactions at a molecular level

  16. Some immigrating Pathogenic Bacteria Goes Straight Through Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Jannie Munk; Nierychlo, Marta; Albertsen, Mads

    Bacteria immigrating to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are usually considered to be absorbed to the activated sludge flocs or die off. Therefore it is assumed that bacteria highly abundant in the effluent comprise primarily of those that have active growth in the plant. However standard...... methods for detecting bacteria in effluent are highly based on culture dependent methods, which may give erroneous results by underestimating the bacteria that are not removed. The aim of this study was to determine if immigrating bacteria are incorporated in the activated sludge microbial community, die...... off, or stay dispersed in the water phase and thus are discharged from the WWTPs with the effluent. Culture independent 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (V1 – V3 region) was applied for the identification of bacteria using MiDAS curated taxonomy (McIlroy et al. 2015). In total 304 samples were...

  17. [Characteristics of natural strains of naphthalene-utilizing bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levchuk, A A; Vasilenko, S L; Bulyga, I M; Titok, M A; Thomas, K M

    2005-01-01

    Sixty-three strains of bacteria capable of utilizing naphthalene as the sole source of carbon and energy were isolated from 137 samples of soil taken in different sites in Belarus. All isolated bacteria contained extrachromosomal genetic elements of 45 to 150 kb in length. It was found that bacteria of 31 strains contained the IncP-9 incompatibility group plasmids, bacteria of one strain carried a plasmid containing replicons IncP-9 and IncP-7, and bacteria of 31 strains contained unidentified plasmids. Primary identification showed that the hosts of plasmids of naphthalene biodegradation are fluorescent bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas (P. putida and P. aeruginosa; a total of 47 strains) and unidentified nonfluorescent microorganisms (a total of 16 strains). In addition to the ability to utilize naphthalene, some strains exhibited the ability to stimulate the growth and development of the root system of Secale cereale.

  18. Characterization of mercury bioremediation by transgenic bacteria expressing metallothionein and polyphosphate kinase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gonzalez-Ruiz Gloriene

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The use of transgenic bacteria has been proposed as a suitable alternative for mercury remediation. Ideally, mercury would be sequestered by metal-scavenging agents inside transgenic bacteria for subsequent retrieval. So far, this approach has produced limited protection and accumulation. We report here the development of a transgenic system that effectively expresses metallothionein (mt-1 and polyphosphate kinase (ppk genes in bacteria in order to provide high mercury resistance and accumulation. Results In this study, bacterial transformation with transcriptional and translational enhanced vectors designed for the expression of metallothionein and polyphosphate kinase provided high transgene transcript levels independent of the gene being expressed. Expression of polyphosphate kinase and metallothionein in transgenic bacteria provided high resistance to mercury, up to 80 μM and 120 μM, respectively. Here we show for the first time that metallothionein can be efficiently expressed in bacteria without being fused to a carrier protein to enhance mercury bioremediation. Cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry analyzes revealed that the mt-1 transgenic bacteria accumulated up to 100.2 ± 17.6 μM of mercury from media containing 120 μM Hg. The extent of mercury remediation was such that the contaminated media remediated by the mt-1 transgenic bacteria supported the growth of untransformed bacteria. Cell aggregation, precipitation and color changes were visually observed in mt-1 and ppk transgenic bacteria when these cells were grown in high mercury concentrations. Conclusion The transgenic bacterial system described in this study presents a viable technology for mercury bioremediation from liquid matrices because it provides high mercury resistance and accumulation while inhibiting elemental mercury volatilization. This is the first report that shows that metallothionein expression provides mercury resistance and

  19. Interactions between Paramyxoviruses and Bacteria: Implications for Pathogenesis and Intervention

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D.T. Nguyen (Tien)

    2014-01-01

    markdownabstract__Abstract__ Globally, respiratory tract diseases caused by bacteria and viruses are an important burden of disease. Respiratory bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis and Staphylococcus aureus) can colonize the upper respiratory tract.

  20. U.V. repair in deep-sea bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lutz, L.; Yayanos, A.A.

    1986-01-01

    Exposure of cells to light of less than 320 nanometers wavelengths may lead to lethal lesions and perhaps carcinogenesis. Many organisms have evolved mechanisms to repair U.V. light-induced damage. Organisms such as deep-sea bacteria are presumably never exposed to U.V. light and perhaps occasionally to visible from bioluminescence. Thus, the repair of U.V. damage in deep-sea bacterial DNA might be inefficient and repair by photoreactivation unlikely. The bacteria utilized in this investigation are temperature sensitive and barophilic. Four deep-sea isolates were chosen for this study: PE-36 from 3584 m, CNPT-3 from 5782 m, HS-34 from 5682 m, and MT-41 from 10,476 m, all are from the North Pacific ocean. The deep-sea extends from 1100 m to depths greater than 7000 m. It is a region of relatively uniform conditions. The temperature ranges from 5 to -1 0 C. There is no solar light in the deep-sea. Deep-sea bacteria are sensitive to U.V. light; in fact more sensitive than a variety of terrestrial and sea-surface bacteria. All four isolates demonstrate thymine dimer repair. Photoreactivation was observed in only MT-41. The other strains from shallower depths displayed no photoreactivation. The presence of DNA sequences homologous to the rec A, uvr A, B, and C and phr genes of E. coli have been examined by Southern hybridization techniques

  1. Metabolic plasticity for isoprenoid biosynthesis in bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez-Gil, Jordi; Rodríguez-Concepción, Manuel

    2013-05-15

    Isoprenoids are a large family of compounds synthesized by all free-living organisms. In most bacteria, the common precursors of all isoprenoids are produced by the MEP (methylerythritol 4-phosphate) pathway. The MEP pathway is absent from archaea, fungi and animals (including humans), which synthesize their isoprenoid precursors using the completely unrelated MVA (mevalonate) pathway. Because the MEP pathway is essential in most bacterial pathogens (as well as in the malaria parasites), it has been proposed as a promising new target for the development of novel anti-infective agents. However, bacteria show a remarkable plasticity for isoprenoid biosynthesis that should be taken into account when targeting this metabolic pathway for the development of new antibiotics. For example, a few bacteria use the MVA pathway instead of the MEP pathway, whereas others possess the two full pathways, and some parasitic strains lack both the MVA and the MEP pathways (probably because they obtain their isoprenoids from host cells). Moreover, alternative enzymes and metabolic intermediates to those of the canonical MVA or MEP pathways exist in some organisms. Recent work has also shown that resistance to a block of the first steps of the MEP pathway can easily be developed because several enzymes unrelated to isoprenoid biosynthesis can produce pathway intermediates upon spontaneous mutations. In the present review, we discuss the major advances in our knowledge of the biochemical toolbox exploited by bacteria to synthesize the universal precursors for their essential isoprenoids.

  2. Gut Bacteria Affect Immunotherapy Response

    Science.gov (United States)

    Three new studies have identified intestinal bacteria that appear to influence the response to checkpoint inhibitors. This Cancer Currents blog post explains how the researchers think their findings could be used to improve patients’ responses to these immunotherapy drugs.

  3. Survival of heterotrophic bacteria in water environment under substrate deficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toth, D.

    1989-01-01

    The relationship between metabolic changes and survival of bacteria in the water environment under substrate deficiency was studied. The main factors supporting cell survival were cryptic growth, utilization of endogenous reserve substances and reorganization of metabolic activities. Based on the utilization of cell-free extract or lysates from dead bacteria, an Enterobacter aerogenes cell suspension yielded 50% more colonies. Metabolic processes of starved heterotrophic bacteria changed markedly and became stabilized at a lower level depending on species involved. The rate of utilization of endogenous reserve substances as indicated by endogenous respiration was related to the rate of cell mortality. Of the test bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens showed the lowest rates of endogenous respiration and mortality while in Enterobacter aerogenes these two rates were the highest. (author). 3 figs., 2 tabs.., 16 refs

  4. Bacteria and protozoa in soil microhabitats as affected by earthworms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Winding, Anne; Rønn, Regin; Hendriksen, Niels B.

    1997-01-01

    , were compared. The total, viable, and culturable number of bacteria, the metabolic potentials of bacterial populations, and the number of protozoa and nematodes were determined in soil size fractions. Significant differences between soil fractions were shown by all assays. The highest number......-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolim chloride (CTC)-reducing bacteria explained a major part of the variation in the number of protozoa. High protozoan activity and predation thus coincided with high bacterial activity. In soil with elm leaves, fungal growth is assumed to inhibit bacterial and protozoan...... activity. In soil with elm leaves and earthworms, earthworm activity led to increased culturability of bacteria, activity of protozoa, number of nematodes, changed metabolic potentials of the bacteria, and decreased differences in metabolic potentials between bacterial populations in the soil fractions...

  5. Relative feeding rates on free and particle-bound bacteria by freshwater macrozooplankton

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoenberg, S.A.; Maccubbin, A.E.

    1985-01-01

    Feeding suspensions of equivalent particle spectra were assembled with either free-living ( 3 H]thymidine. Clearance (ml ind -1 d -1 ) of attached bacteria was 3-29 x that of free bacteria for the cladocerans Acantholeberis, Chydorus, and Eubosmina. Pseudosida and Ceriodaphnia showed weaker discrimination or no selection, indicating a lower size threshold for filtration in these species. Feeding suspensions composed of isolated free bacteria yielded significantly higher or lower estimates of grazing than free bacteria with the full complement of particles, depending on species. Relative clearance (attached:free) tended to increase with body size within a species and varied for different particle environments. Bacteria associated with large particles may increase detrital energy flow to consumers in eutrophic environments

  6. Antifungal Activity of Selected Lactic Acid Bacteria and Propionic Acid Bacteria against Dairy-Associated Spoilage Fungi

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aunsbjerg, Stina Dissing

    Bacterial cultures of lactic and propionic acid bacteria are widely used in fermented products including dairy products. Spoilage fungi may constitute a quality and safety issue in these products. The antifungal properties of some lactic and propionic acid bacteria make them potential candidates...... defined interaction medium (CDIM) was developed allowing growth of protective Lb. paracasei and P. freudenreichii subsp. shermaniii as well as the spoilage fungi, Penicillium spp., Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Debaryomyces hansenii isolated from fermented dairy products. Lb. paracasei and P....... freudenreichii subsp. shermanii grew in CDIM and showed antifungal properties similar to those observed in milk-based systems. Most of the antifungal effect of the protective bacterial ferment was lost after removal of cells. This was explained by a marked decrease in diacetyl concentration, which...

  7. Isolation and characterization of heavy metal tolerant bacteria from ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Panteka stream is a flowing stream polluted with wastes from the activities of mechanics. Water samples collected at different points of the stream were analysed in order to determine the level of heavy metal contamination and bacteria diversity with the view to elucidating the bioremediating potentials of the bacteria isolates ...

  8. Response of resident bacteria in a tropical detergent effluent ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bacteria were isolated from a tropical detergent-polluted stream, and their responses to linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) were investigated. The responses of the resident bacteria were assessed in terms of their ability or failure to grow in the presence of LAS and of their potential to degrade the surfactant. Eighteen ...

  9. Pathogen detection and gut bacteria identification in Apis cerana ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    acer

    other lactic acid bacteria, were isolated from larvae and adult workers, but gave conflicting preliminary identities based on their biochemistry-morphology versus sequence analysis of a partial fragment (1.4 kb) of their 16S rRNA. Key words: Apis cerana indica, bee pathogens, gut bacteria, multiplex polymerase chain ...

  10. Diversity, abundance, and possible sources of fecal bacteria in the Yangtze River.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Haohao; He, Xiwei; Ye, Lin; Zhang, Xu-Xiang; Wu, Bing; Ren, Hongqiang

    2017-03-01

    The fecal bacteria in natural waters may pose serious risks on human health. Although many source tracking methods have been developed and used to determine the possible sources of the fecal pollution, little is known about the overall diversity and abundance of fecal bacterial community in natural waters. In this study, a method based on fecal bacterial sequence library was introduced to evaluate the fecal bacterial profile in the Yangtze River (Nanjing section). Our results suggested that the Yangtze River water harbors diverse fecal bacteria. Fifty-eight fecal operational taxonomic units (97% identity level) were detected in the Yangtze River water samples and the relative abundance of fecal bacteria in these samples ranged from 0.1 to 8%. It was also found that the relative abundances of the fecal bacteria in locations near to the downstream of wastewater treatment plants were obviously higher than those in other locations. However, the high abundance of fecal bacteria could decrease to the normal level in 2~4 km in the river due to degradation or dilution, and the overall fecal bacteria level changed little when the Yangtze River flew through the Nanjing City. Moreover, the fecal bacteria in the Yangtze River water were found to be highly associated (Spearman rho = 0.804, P Yangtze River and advance our understandings of the fecal bacteria community in the natural waters.

  11. Vapor-induced transfer of bacteria in the absence of mechanical disturbances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayoub, G.M.; Dahdah, L.; Alameddine, I.; Malaeb, L.

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Study is first to investigate the possibility of transfer of bacteria through vapor. • Bacteria exhibited transfer in the absence of mechanical disturbances in reactors. • Gram positive smaller bacteria transferred more than gram negative larger bacteria. • Transfer probability increases at optimal growth temperature of mesophilic bacteria. • Salinity lowers bacterial survival and has synergistic effect with temperature. - Abstract: Transfer of bacteria through water vapor generated at moderate temperatures (30–50 °C) in passive solar stills, has scarcely been reported. The objective of this research was to investigate whether bacteria in highly humid atmospheres can get transferred through water vapor in the absence of other transfer media to find their way to the distillate. To achieve this objective, passive solar reactors were chosen as the medium for experimentation, and distillation experiments were conducted by spiking a pure bacterial culture (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia or Enterococcus faecalis) in low mineralized water vs. highly mineralized water in the dark under moderate temperatures ranges (30–35 °C, 40–45 °C and 50–55 °C). Results showed that bacteria indeed get transferred with the vapor in stills when not exposed to solar U.V. radiation. The trends observed were adequately explained by a zero-modified Hurdle–Poisson model. The numbers of cultivable bacterial colonies transferred were bacterial size, water type and temperature dependent with highest transfers occurring in E. faecalis > E. coli > K. pneumonia at the 40 °C range in low mineralized water. Proper management strategies are recommended to achieve complete disinfection in solar stills

  12. Enhanced bioleaching on attachment of indigenous acidophilic bacteria to pyrite surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wi, D. W.; Cho, K. H.; Kim, B. J.; Choi, N. C.; Park, C. Y.

    2012-04-01

    In recent years, bioleaching has been widely applied on an industrial scale due to the advantages of low cost and environment friendliness. The direct contact mechanism of bioleaching assumes the action of a metal sulfide-attached cell oxidizing the mineral by an enzyme system with oxygen to sulfate and metal cations. Fundamental surface properties of sulfide particles and leaching-bacteria in bioleaching play the key role in the efficiency of this process. The aim of this work is to investigate of direct contact bioleaching mechanism on pyrite through attachment properties between indigenous acidophilic bacteria and pyrite surfaces. The bacteria were obtained from sulfur hot springs, Hatchobaru thermal electricity plant in Japan. And pyrite was collected from mine waste from Gwang-yang abandoned gold mines, Korea. In XRD analyses of the pyrite, x-ray diffracted d-value belong to pyrite was observed. The indigenous acidophilic bacteria grew well in a solution and over the course of incubation pH decreased and Eh increased. In relation to a bacterial growth-curve, the lag phase was hardly shown while the exponential phase was very fast. Bioleaching experiment result was showed that twenty days after the indigenous acidophilic bacteria were inoculated to a pyrite-leaching medium, the bacterial sample had a greater concentration of Fe and Zn than within the control sample. In SEM-EDS analyses, rod-shaped bacteria and round-shaped microbes were well attached to the surface of pyrite. The size of the rod-shaped bacteria ranged from 1.05~1.10 ? to 4.01~5.38 ?. Round-shaped microbes were more than 3.0 ? in diameter. Paired cells of rod-shaped bacteria were attached to the surface of pyrite linearly.

  13. Bacteria heap leaching test of a uranium ore

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Hui; Liu Jinhui; Wu Weirong; Han Wei

    2008-01-01

    Column bioleaching test of a uranium ore was carried out. The optimum acidity, spraying intensity, spray-pause time ratio were determined. The potential, Fe and U concentrations in the leaching process were investigated. The effect of bacteria column leaching was compared with that of acid column leaching. The results show that bacteria column leaching can shorten leaching cycle, and the leaching rate of uranium increases by 9.7%. (authors)

  14. Antimicrobial effect of Malaysian vegetables against enteric bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hassanain Al-Talib

    2016-03-01

    Conclusions: Garlic had excellent antimicrobial effects against enteric bacteria and was recommended to be given to patients with gastroenteritis. The other vegetables (pennywort, mint, parsley and celery showed no inhibitory effects on enteric bacteria but still can be used for its richness in vitamins and fibers. The performance of the well diffusion method was better than that of the disc diffusion method in detecting the antibacterial effects of green vegetables.

  15. Gene Expression Analysis of Four Radiation-resistant Bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Gao, Na; Ma, Bin-Guang; Zhang, Yu-Sheng; Song, Qin; Chen, Ling-Ling; Zhang, Hong-Yu

    2009-01-01

    To investigate the general radiation-resistant mechanisms of bacteria, bioinformatic method was employed to predict highly expressed genes for four radiation-resistant bacteria, i.e. Deinococcus geothermalis (D. geo), Deinococcus radiodurans (D. rad), Kineococcus radiotolerans (K. rad) and Rubrobacter xylanophilus (R. xyl). It is revealed that most of the three reference gene sets, i.e. ribosomal proteins, transcription factors and major chaperones, are generally highly expressed in the four ...

  16. Interactions between yeasts and bacteria in the smear surface-ripened cheeses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corsetti, A; Rossi, J; Gobbetti, M

    2001-09-19

    In the initial phase of ripening, the microflora of bacterial smear surface-ripened cheeses such as Limburger, Taleggio, Brick, Münster and Saint-Paulin and that of surface mould-ripened cheeses such as Camembert and Brie may be similar, but at the end of the ripening, bacteria such as Brevibacterium spp., Arthrobacter spp., Micrococcus spp., Corynebacterium spp. and moulds such as Penicillium camemberti are, respectively, the dominant microorganisms. Yeasts such as Candida spp., Cryptococcus spp., Debaryomyces spp., Geotrichum candidum, Pichia spp., Rhodotorula spp., Saccharomyces spp. and Yarrowia lipolytica are often and variably isolated from the smear surface-ripened cheeses. Although not dominant within the microorganisms of the smear surface-ripened cheeses, yeasts establish significant interactions with moulds and especially bacteria, including surface bacteria and lactic acid bacteria. Some aspects of the interactions between yeasts and bacteria in such type of cheeses are considered in this paper.

  17. Commensal Bacteria Aid Mate-selection in the Fruit Fly, Bactrocera dorsalis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damodaram, Kamala Jayanthi Pagadala; Ayyasamy, Arthikirubha; Kempraj, Vivek

    2016-10-01

    Commensal bacteria influence many aspects of an organism's behaviour. However, studies on the influence of commensal bacteria in insect mate-selection are scarce. Here, we present empirical evidence that commensal bacteria mediate mate-selection in the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis. Male flies were attracted to female flies, but this attraction was abolished when female flies were fed with antibiotics, suggesting the role of the fly's microbiota in mediating mate-selection. We show that male flies were attracted to and ejaculated more sperm into females harbouring the microbiota. Using culturing and 16S rDNA sequencing, we isolated and identified different commensal bacteria, with Klebsiella oxytoca being the most abundant bacterial species. This preliminary study will enhance our understanding of the influence of commensal bacteria on mate-selection behaviour of B. dorsalis and may find use in devising control operations against this devastating pest.

  18. Isolation of oxalotrophic bacteria associated with Varroa destructor mites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maddaloni, M; Pascual, D W

    2015-11-01

    Bacteria associated with varroa mites were cultivated and genotyped by 16S RNA. Under our experimental conditions, the cultivable bacteria were few in number, and most of them proved to be fastidious to grow. Cultivation with seven different media under O2 /CO2 conditions and selection for colony morphology yielded a panel of species belonging to 13 different genera grouped in two different phyla, proteobacteria and actinobacteria. This study identified one species of actinobacteria that is a known commensal of the honey bee. Some isolates are oxalotrophic, a finding that may carry ramifications into the use of oxalic acid to control the number of phoretic mites in the managed colonies of honey bees. Oxalic acid, legally or brevi manu, is widely used to control phoretic Varroa destructor mites, a major drive of current honey bees' colony losses. Unsubstantiated by sanctioned research are rumours that in certain instances oxalic acid is losing efficacy, forcing beekeepers to increase the frequency of treatments. This investigation fathoms the hypothesis that V. destructor associates with bacteria capable of degrading oxalic acid. The data show that indeed oxalotrophy, a rare trait among bacteria, is common in bacteria that we isolated from V. destructor mites. This finding may have ramifications in the use of oxalic acid as a control agent. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  19. ENDOSPORES OF THERMOPHILIC FERMENTATIVE BACTERIA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Volpi, Marta

    2016-01-01

    solely based on endospores of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which presumably constitute only a small fraction of the total thermophilic endospore community reaching cold environments. My PhD project developed an experimental framework for using thermophilic fermentative endospores (TFEs) to trace...

  20. Use of tritium-labeled PCBs for investigation of PCBs biodegradation by soil bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, A.A.; Djuraeva, G.T.; Takhtobiri, K.S.; Yadgarov, H.T.; Zinovev, P. V.; Abdukarimov, A.A.

    2002-01-01

    The method for tritium labelling of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was developed. The strains of soil bacteria - destructors of chloro organic compounds was studied with the help of test-system based on the using of tritium-labeled PCBs. The strains of bacteria were grown on the agar synthetic medium and then were introduced into the synthetic medium containing tritium-labeled mixture of PCBs (commercial mark - SOVOL) as alone source of carbon. The samples were analysed after one and two months period of incubation. PCBs were extracted by hexane from fraction of bacteria and fraction of cultural medium and radioactivity was measured. The samples were analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) with following radioautography. Additionally samples were analyzed by gas chromatography. It was found that all selected strains survived in the medium with PCBs as alone source of carbon and bacteria accumulated PCBs from cultural medium. Accumulation of PCBs by strains of bacteria was different. The TLC analysis detected additional compounds labeled by tritium, that prove the degradation of PCBs in presence of bacteria. The gas chromatography analysis of cultural medium and bacteria detected redistribution in the system and qualitative changes of PCBs in bacteria. The strains of bacteria also were grown in model condition on the soil with tritium labeled PCBs. We found that some strains effectively destroy PCBs with decreasing level of tritium label in the soil. The using of tritium labeled PCBs' allows to introduce precise quantitative characteristics for study of accumulation and biodegradation PCBs by soil bacteria strains. Developed test-system is very useful tool for selection of new strains of soil bacteria - destructors of PCBs

  1. A direct pre-screen for marine bacteria producing compounds inhibiting quorum sensing reveals diverse planktonic bacteria that are bioactive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linthorne, Jamie S; Chang, Barbara J; Flematti, Gavin R; Ghisalberti, Emilio L; Sutton, David C

    2015-02-01

    A promising new strategy in antibacterial research is inhibition of the bacterial communication system termed quorum sensing. In this study, a novel and rapid pre-screening method was developed to detect the production of chemical inhibitors of this system (quorum-quenching compounds) by bacteria isolated from marine and estuarine waters. This method involves direct screening of mixed populations on an agar plate, facilitating specific isolation of bioactive colonies. The assay showed that between 4 and 46 % of culturable bacteria from various samples were bioactive, and of the 95 selectively isolated bacteria, 93.7 % inhibited Vibrio harveyi bioluminescence without inhibiting growth, indicating potential production of quorum-quenching compounds. Of the active isolates, 21 % showed further activity against quorum-sensing-regulated pigment production by Serratia marcescens. The majority of bioactive isolates were identified by 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) amplification and sequencing as belonging to the genera Vibrio and Pseudoalteromonas. Extracts of two strongly bioactive Pseudoalteromonas isolates (K1 and B2) were quantitatively assessed for inhibition of growth and quorum-sensing-regulated processes in V. harveyi, S. marcescens and Chromobacterium violaceum. Extracts of the isolates reduced V. harveyi bioluminescence by as much as 98 % and C. violaceum pigment production by 36 % at concentrations which had no adverse effect on growth. The activity found in the extracts indicated that the isolates may produce quorum-quenching compounds. This study further supports the suggestion that quorum quenching may be a common attribute among culturable planktonic marine and estuarine bacteria.

  2. Transformation and Stability of Cloned Polysaccharidase Genes in Gram-Positive Bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    EKİNCİ, Mehmet Sait

    2014-01-01

    Polysaccharidase genes from rumen bacteria were transferred to and expressed in ruminal and non-ruminal Gram-positive bacteria. The transformation efficiency and genetic stability of polysaccharidase genes in bacteria from different habitats were investigated. PCR amplification of cloned polysaccharidase genes from Escherichia coli, Lactococcus lactis, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus sanguis and S. bovis strain 26 showed that rearrangement of plasmid and the gene fragment did not occur. ...

  3. Antioxidant activity of probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from Mongolian airag

    OpenAIRE

    E Uugantsetseg; B Batjargal

    2014-01-01

    This research aimed to determine the antioxidant activity of probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from airag. In this study, 42 lactic acid bacteria were isolated from Mongolian airag. All isolates were identified by using morphological, biochemical and physiological methods. The isolated bacteria were studied for antagonistic effects on Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, 22 strains showed antibacterial activity. When we examined thei...

  4. Long-distance electron transport by cable bacteria in mangrove sediments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Burdorf, L.D.; Hidalgo-Martinez, S.; Cook, P.L.M.C.; Meysman, F.

    2016-01-01

    Cable bacteria are long, filamentoussulphur-oxidizing bacteria that induce long-distanceelectron transport in aquatic sediments. They turnthe seafloor into an electro-active environment, characterizedby currents and electrical fields, and whenpresent, they exert a strong impact on the

  5. Contaminant bacteria in traditional-packed honey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hening Tjaturina Pramesti

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Honey may be contaminated by microorganisms during its harvesting, processing, and packaging. Honey selected for clinical purposes must safe, sterile, and contain antimicrobial activity, so it must be evaluated using laboratory testing. The aim of this descriptive laboratory study was to isolate and identify the bacterial contaminant in the traditional-packed honey dealing with the use of honey for medical purposes. the colony forming units of honey sample cultured on blood agar were counted using Stuart bacterial colony counter. The suspected bacterial colonies were isolated and identified based on cultural morphology characteristics. The isolates of suspected bacterial colonies were stained according to Gram and Klein method and then were examined by the biochemical reaction. The results showed that there were two contaminant bacteria. Gram-positive cocci which were presumptively identified as coagulase-negative Staphylococci and gram-positive rods which were presumptively identified as Bacillus subtilis. In conclusion, the contaminant bacteria were regarded as low pathogen bacteria. The subtilin enzyme of B subtilis may cause an allergic reaction and coagulase-negative Staphylococci, Staphylococcus epidermidis is also an opportunist pathogen. Inevitably, for medical purposes, traditional-packed honey must be well filtered, water content above 18%, and standardized sterilization without loss of an antibacterial activity or change in properties.

  6. Adhesion of biodegradative anaerobic bacteria to solid surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schie, P.M. van; Fletcher, M.

    1999-11-01

    In order to exploit the ability of anaerobic bacteria to degrade certain contaminants for bioremediation of polluted subsurface environments, the authors need to understand the mechanisms by which such bacteria partition between aqueous and solid phases, as well as the environmental conditions that influence partitioning. They studied four strictly anaerobic bacteria, Desulfomonile tiedjei, Syntrophomonas wolfei, Syntrophobacter wolinii, and Desulfovibrio sp. strain G11, which theoretically together can constitute a tetrachloroethylene- and trichloroethylene-dechlorinating consortium. Adhesion of these organisms was evaluated by microscopic determination of the numbers of cells that attached to glass coverslips exposed to cell suspensions under anaerobic conditions. The authors studied the effects of the growth phase of the organisms on adhesion, as well as the influence of electrostatic and hydrophobic properties of the substratum. Results indicate that S. wolfei adheres in considerably higher numbers to glass surfaces than the other three organisms. Starvation greatly decreases adhesion of S. wolfei and Desulfovibrio sp. strain G11 but seems to have less of an effect on the adhesion of the other bacteria. The presence of Fe{sup 3+} on the substratum, which would be electropositive, significantly increased the adhesion of S. wolfei, whereas the presence of silicon hydrophobic groups decreased the numbers of attached cells of all species. Measurements of transport of cells through hydrophobic-interaction and electro-static-interaction columns indicated that all four species had negatively charged cell surfaces and that D. tiedjei and Desulfovibrio sp. strain G11 possessed some hydrophobic cell surface properties. These findings are an early step toward understanding the dynamic attachment of anaerobic bacteria in anoxic environments.

  7. Culturable diversity of halophilic bacteria in foreshore soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irshad, Aarzoo; Ahmad, Irshad; Kim, Seung Bum

    2014-01-01

    Halophilic bacteria are commonly found in natural environments containing significant concentration of NaCl such as inland salt lakes and evaporated sea-shore pools, as well as environments such as curing brines, salted food products and saline soils. Dependence on salt is an important phenotypic characteristic of halophilic bacteria, which can be used in the polyphasic characterization of newly discovered microorganisms. In this study the diversity of halophilic bacteria in foreshore soils of Daecheon, Chungnam, and Saemangeum, Jeonbuk, was investigated. Two types of media, namely NA and R2A supplemented with 3%, 5%, 9%, 15%, 20% and 30% NaCl were used. More than 200 halophilic bacteria were isolated and BOX-PCR fingerprinting analysis was done for the typing of the isolates. The BLAST identification results showed that isolated strains were composed of 4 phyla, Firmicutes (60%), Proteobacteria (31%), Bacteriodetes (5%) and Actinobacteria (4%). Isolates were affiliated with 16 genera and 36 species. Bacillus was the dominant genus in the phylum Firmicutes, comprising 24% of the total isolates. Halomonas (12%) and Shewanella (12%) were also found as the main genera. These findings show that the foreshore soil of Daecheon Beach and Saemangeum Sea of Korea represents an untapped source of bacterial biodiversity.

  8. Culturable diversity of halophilic bacteria in foreshore soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aarzoo Irshad

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Halophilic bacteria are commonly found in natural environments containing significant concentration of NaCl such as inland salt lakes and evaporated sea-shore pools, as well as environments such as curing brines, salted food products and saline soils. Dependence on salt is an important phenotypic characteristic of halophilic bacteria, which can be used in the polyphasic characterization of newly discovered microorganisms. In this study the diversity of halophilic bacteria in foreshore soils of Daecheon, Chungnam, and Saemangeum, Jeonbuk, was investigated. Two types of media, namely NA and R2A supplemented with 3%, 5%, 9%, 15%, 20% and 30% NaCl were used. More than 200 halophilic bacteria were isolated and BOX-PCR fingerprinting analysis was done for the typing of the isolates. The BLAST identification results showed that isolated strains were composed of 4 phyla, Firmicutes (60%, Proteobacteria (31%, Bacteriodetes (5% and Actinobacteria (4%. Isolates were affiliated with 16 genera and 36 species. Bacillus was the dominant genus in the phylum Firmicutes, comprising 24% of the total isolates. Halomonas (12% and Shewanella (12% were also found as the main genera. These findings show that the foreshore soil of Daecheon Beach and Saemangeum Sea of Korea represents an untapped source of bacterial biodiversity.

  9. Enumeration and biomass estimation of planktonic bacteria and viruses by transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borsheim, K.Y.; Bratbak, G.; Heldal, M.

    1990-01-01

    Bacteria and virus particles were harvested from water samples by ultracentrifugation directly onto Formvar-coated electron microscopy grids and counted in a transmission electron microscope. With this technique, we have counted and sized bacteria and viruses in marine water samples and during laboratory incubations. By X-ray microanalysis, we could determine the elemental composition and dry-matter content of individual bacteria. The dry weight/volume ratio for the bacteria was 600 fg of dry weight microns-3. The potassium content of the bacteria was normal compared with previous estimates from other bacterial assemblages; thus, this harvesting procedure did not disrupt the bacterial cells. Virus particles were, by an order of magnitude, more abundant than bacteria in marine coastal waters. During the first 5 to 7 days of incubation, the total number of viruses increased exponentially at a rate of 0.4 day-1 and thereafter declined. The high proliferation rate suggests that viral parasitism may affect mortality of bacteria in aquatic environments

  10. A flow-cytometric gram-staining technique for milk-associated bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holm, Claus; Jespersen, Lene

    2003-05-01

    A Gram-staining technique combining staining with two fluorescent stains, Oregon Green-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and hexidium iodide (HI) followed by flow-cytometric detection is described. WGA stains gram-positive bacteria while HI binds to the DNA of all bacteria after permeabilization by EDTA and incubation at 50 degrees C for 15 min. For WGA to bind to gram-positive bacteria, a 3 M potassium chloride solution was found to give the highest fluorescence intensity. A total of 12 strains representing some of the predominant bacterial species in bulk tank milk and mixtures of these were stained and analyzed by flow cytometry. Overall, the staining method showed a clear differentiation between gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial populations. For stationary-stage cultures of seven gram-positive bacteria and five gram-negative bacteria, an average of 99% of the cells were correctly interpreted. The method was only slightly influenced by the growth phase of the bacteria or conditions such as freezing at -18 degrees C for 24 h. For any of these conditions, an average of at least 95% of the cells were correctly interpreted. When stationary-stage cultures were stored at 5 degrees C for 14 days, an average of 86% of the cells were correctly interpreted. The Gram-staining technique was applied to the flow cytometry analysis of bulk tank milk inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. These results demonstrate that the technique is suitable for analyzing milk samples without precultivation.

  11. Biotherapeutic effects of probiotic bacteria on candidiasis in immunodeficient mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, R D; Pierson, C; Warner, T; Dohnalek, M; Farmer, J; Roberts, L; Hilty, M; Balish, E

    1997-10-01

    Four species of probiotic bacteria were assessed for their capacities to protect athymic bg/bg-nu/nu and euthymic bg/bg-nu/+ mice from mucosal and systemic candidiasis. Each bacterial species and Candida albicans colonized the gastrointestinal tracts of both strains of mice. The presence of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus casei GG, or Bifidobacterium animalis) in the gastrointestinal tracts prolonged the survival of adult and neonatal bg/bg-nu/nu mice compared to that of isogenic mice colonized with C. albicans alone. The incidence of systemic candidiasis in bg/bg-nu/nu mice was significantly reduced by each of the four probiotic bacterial species. The numbers of C. albicans present in the alimentary tracts of euthymic bg/bg-nu/+ mice were significantly reduced by L. casei GG and B. animalis. None of the probiotic bacteria species completely prevented mucosal candidiasis, but B. animalis reduced its incidence and severity. Probiotic bacteria also modulated antibody- and cell-mediated immune responses to C. albicans. The prolonged survival of mice, decreased severity of mucosal and systemic candidiasis, modulation of immune responses, decreased number of C. albicans in the alimentary tract, and reduced numbers of orogastric infections demonstrated not only that probiotic bacteria have biotherapeutic potential for prophylaxis against and therapy of this fungal disease but also that probiotic bacteria protect mice from candidiasis by a variety of immunologic (thymic and extrathymic) and nonimmunologic mechanisms in this model.

  12. Bacteria in the Tatahouine meteorite: nanometric-scale life in rocks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillet, P h; Barrat, J A; Heulin, T h; Achouak, W; Lesourd, M; Guyot, F; Benzerara, K

    2000-02-15

    We present a study of the textural signature of terrestrial weathering and related biological activity in the Tatahouine meteorite. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images obtained on the weathered samples of the Tatahouine meteorite and surrounding soil show two types of bacteria-like forms lying on mineral surfaces: (1) rod-shaped forms (RSF) about 70-80 nm wide and ranging from 100 nm to 600 nm in length; (2) ovoid forms (OVF) with diameters between 70 and 300 nm. They look like single cells surrounded by a cell wall. Only Na, K, C, O and N with traces of P and S are observed in the bulk of these objects. The chemical analyses and electron diffraction patterns confirm that the RSF and OVF cannot be magnetite or other iron oxides, iron hydroxides, silicates or carbonates. The sizes of the RSF and OVF are below those commonly observed for bacteria but are very similar to some bacteria-like forms described in the Martian meteorite ALH84001. All the previous observations strongly suggest that they are bacteria or their remnants. This conclusion is further supported by microbiological experiments in which pleomorphic bacteria with morphology similar to the OVF and RSF objects are obtained from biological culture of the soil surrounding the meteorite pieces. The present results show that bacteriomorphs of diameter less than 100 nm may in fact represent real bacteria or their remnants.

  13. Sediment Biogeochemistry After the Entrance of Cable Bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Risgaard-Petersen, Nils

    fields which may strongly modify ionic transports. They form pH extremes, and accelerate the dissolution of iron sulfides, and carbonates in subsurface sediment. They further promote the formation of iron oxides and carbonates at the sediment surface and stimulate the removal of sulfides......, sulfide-rich coastal sediments, salt marshes seasonally hypoxic basins, subtidal coastal mud plains, as well as freshwater sediments and waterlogged soils. In this talk I will review our current knowledge on how cable bacteria influence the biogeochemistry of sediments. The cable bacteria form electric...... and the formation of sulfate[3] Field studies conducted in the marine environment indicate that some of these effects are expressed in a way that marine systems with active cable bacteria populations have elevated phosphorus-retention{Sulu-Gambari, 2016 #1501} and acts as strong buffers against adverse stage...

  14. Isolation of endophyic bacteria from purwoceng (Pimpinella alpina Kds.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tri Widayat

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available AbstrakLatar belakang: Purwoceng (Pimpinella alpina Kds. merupakan tanaman obat langka yang berkhasiat sebagai afrodisiak. Tanaman yang mengandung kumarin tersebut berinteraksi dengan bakteri endofi t. Senyawa kumarin dalam industri dimanfaatkan untuk bahan aditif makanan dan parfum. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan bakteri endofi t dari tanaman purwoceng, menganalisis kemampuan tumbuh bakteri endofi t dalam medium yang mengandung kumarin, dan pengaruh bakteri tersebut terhadap jumlah kumarin dalam medium pertumbuhan.Metode: Isolasi bakteri endofi t dilakukan secara langsung dari akar dan daun purwoceng. Seleksi bakteri endofi t penghasil kumarin dilakukan berdasarkan kemampuan bertahan hidup pada medium cair ammoniumsalt sugar (ASS yang mengandung infusa herba purwoceng. Pengaruh bakteri terhadap jumlah kumarin di dalam medium pertumbuhan diuji melalui percobaan kultivasi isolat bakteri terpilih pada medium yang sama. Jumlah kumarin dalam kultur dideteksi menggunakan teknik kromatografi lapis tipis (KLT.Hasil: Sembilan isolat bakteri endofi t yang berhasil diisolasi dari akar dan daun tanaman purwoceng mampu bertahan hidup pada medium basal yang diberi infusa herba purwoceng dengan waktu generasi (g 2,7-5,07jam dan kecepatan pertumbuhan spesifi k (μ 0,14-0,26/jam. Kultivasi isolat terpilih menunjukkan bahwa BAP5 menghasilkan senyawa dengan Rf 0,27 yang diduga sebagai turunan kumarin. Bakteri BAP5 mampu tumbuh dengan jumlah kumarin 1072 arbitrary unit (AU dalam medium.Kesimpulan: Bakteri endofi t dapat diisolasi dari tanaman purwoceng dan secara in vitro mampu mempertahankan jumlah kumarin yang terkandung di dalam medium. (Health Science Indones 2012;1:31-6Kata kunci: bakteri endofi t, purwoceng, Pimpinella alpina Kds, kumarinAbstractBackground: Purwoceng (Pimpinella alpina Kds. is a medicinal plant species used as aphrodisiac. Like any other plants, the coumarin containing plant probably interacts with endophytic bacteria. Coumarin

  15. Bacteria-Targeting Nanoparticles for Managing Infections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radovic-Moreno, Aleksandar Filip

    Bacterial infections continue to be a significant concern particularly in healthcare settings and in the developing world. Current challenges include the increasing spread of drug resistant (DR) organisms, the side effects of antibiotic therapy, the negative consequences of clearing the commensal bacterial flora, and difficulties in developing prophylactic vaccines. This thesis was an investigation of the potential of a class of polymeric nanoparticles (NP) to contribute to the management of bacterial infections. More specifically, steps were taken towards using these NPs (1) to achieve greater spatiotemporal control over drug therapy by more targeted antibiotic delivery to bacteria, and (2) to develop a prophylactic vaccine formulation against the common bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. In the first part, we synthesized polymeric NPs containing poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-block-poly(L-histidine)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLGA-PLH-PEG). We show that these NPs are able to bind to bacteria under model acidic infection conditions and are able to encapsulate and deliver vancomycin to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in vitro. Further work showed that the PLGA-PLH-PEG-based NPs demonstrated the potential for competition for binding bacteria at a site of infection from soluble protein and model phagocytic and tissue-resident cells in a NP composition dependent manner. The NPs demonstrated low toxicity in vitro, were well tolerated by mice in vivo, and circulated in the blood on timescales comparable to control PLGA-PEG NPs. In the second part, we used PLGA-PLH-PEG-based NPs to design a prophylactic vaccine against the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, the most common cause of bacterial STD in the world. Currently, no vaccines against this pathogen are approved for use in humans. We first formulated NPs encapsulating the TLR7 agonist R848 conjugated to poly(lactic acid) (R848-PLA

  16. Isolation, Characterization, and Genetic Diversity of Ice Nucleation Active Bacteria on Various Plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DIANA ELIZABETH WATURANGI

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Ice nucleation active (INA bacteria is a group of bacteria with the ability to catalyze the ice formation at temperature above -10 °C and causing frost injury in plants. Since, most of the literature on INA bacteria were from subtropical area, studies of INA bacteria from tropical area are needed. We sampled eight fruits and 36 leaves of 21 plant species, and then identified through biochemical and genetic analysis. INA bacteria were characterized for INA protein classification, pH stability, and optimization of heat endurance. We discovered 15 INA bacteria from seven plants species. Most of bacteria are oxidase and H2S negative, catalase and citrate positive, gram negative, and cocoid formed. These INA bacteria were classified in to three classes based on their freezing temperature. Most of the isolates were active in heat and pH stability assay. Some isolates were analysed for 16S rRNA gene. We observed that isolates from Morinda citrifolia shared 97% similiarity with Pseudomonas sp. Isolate from Piper betle shared 93% similarity with P. pseudoalcaligenes. Isolate from Carica papaya shared 94% similarity with Pseudomonas sp. While isolate from Fragaria vesca shared 90% similarity with Sphingomonas sp.

  17. Isolation, Characterization, and Genetic Diversity of Ice Nucleation Active Bacteria on Various Plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DIANA ELIZABETH WATURANGI

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Ice nucleation active (INA bacteria is a group of bacteria with the ability to catalyze the ice formation at temperature above -10 oC and causing frost injury in plants. Since, most of the literature on INA bacteria were from subtropical area, studies of INA bacteria from tropical area are needed. We sampled eight fruits and 36 leaves of 21 plant species, and then identified through biochemical and genetic analysis. INA bacteria were characterized for INA protein classification, pH stability, and optimization of heat endurance. We discovered 15 INA bacteria from seven plants species. Most of bacteria are oxidase and H2S negative, catalase and citrate positive, gram negative, and cocoid formed. These INA bacteria were classified in to three classes based on their freezing temperature. Most of the isolates were active in heat and pH stability assay. Some isolates were analysed for 16S rRNA gene. We observed that isolates from Morinda citrifolia shared 97% similiarity with Pseudomonas sp. Isolate from Piper betle shared 93% similarity with P. pseudoalcaligenes. Isolate from Carica papaya shared 94% similarity with Pseudomonas sp. While isolate from Fragaria vesca shared 90% similarity with Sphingomonas sp.

  18. Programmed survival of soil bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Lars Bogø; Molin, Søren; Sternberg, Claus

    Biological containment systems have been developed for Pseudomonas putida and related soil bacteria. The systems are based on combinations of lethal genes and regulated gene expression. Two types of killing function have been employed: 1) A membrane protein interfering with the membrane potential...

  19. Synthetic Biology in Streptomyces Bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Medema, Marnix H.; Breitling, Rainer; Takano, Eriko

    2011-01-01

    Actinomycete bacteria of the genus Streptomyces are major producers of bioactive compounds for the biotechnology industry. They are the source of most clinically used antibiotics, as well as of several widely used drugs against common diseases, including cancer . Genome sequencing has revealed that

  20. Alternative sources of Legionella bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Heijnsbergen, H.H.L.

    2017-01-01

    Legionella bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease (LD) in humans. Symptoms of LD can range from mild disease to severe pneumonia with sometimes fatal outcome. In the Netherlands, the most important infective agent is Legionella pneumophila. L. pneumophila infection is associated with aquatic