Refractoriness of the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) to the Lyme disease group spirochete Borrelia bissettii.

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, R S; Mun, J; Eisen, L; Eisen, R J

2006-08-01

The western fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis, is refractory to experimental infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, one of several Lyme disease spirochetes pathogenic for humans. Another member of the Lyme disease spirochete complex, Borrelia bissettii, is distributed widely throughout North America and a similar, if not identical, spirochete has been implicated as a human pathogen in southern Europe. To determine the susceptibility of S. occidentalis to B. bissettii, 6 naïve lizards were exposed to the feeding activities of Ixodes pacificus nymphs experimentally infected with this spirochete. None of the lizards developed spirochetemias detectable by polymerase chain reaction for up to 8 wk post-tick feeding, infected nymphs apparently lost their B. bissettii infections within 1-2 wk after engorgement, and xenodiagnostic L. pacificus larvae that co-fed alongside infected nymphs did not acquire and maintain spirochetes. In contrast, 3 of 4 naïve deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) exposed similarly to feeding by 1 or more B. bissettii-infected nymphs developed patent infections within 4 wk. These and previous findings suggest that the complement system of S. occidentalis typically destroys B. burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes present in tissues of attached and feeding I. pacificus nymphs, thereby potentially reducing the probability of transmission of these bacteria to humans or other animals by the resultant adult ticks.

Diversity of spirochetes in endodontic infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakamoto, Mitsuo; Siqueira, José F; Rôças, Isabela N; Benno, Yoshimi

2009-05-01

The diversity of spirochetes in primary endodontic infections of teeth with chronic apical periodontitis or acute apical abscesses was investigated using 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis. The prevalences of three common cultivable oral Treponema species were also determined using species-specific nested PCR. All detected spirochetes belonged to the genus Treponema. Overall, 28 different taxa were identified from the 431 clones sequenced: 9 cultivable and validly named species, 1 cultivable as-yet-uncharacterized strain, and 18 as-yet-uncultivated phylotypes, 17 of which were novel. The large majority of clones (94%) were from cultivable named species. The numbers of Treponema species/phylotypes per selected positive sample ranged from 2 to 12. Species-specific nested PCR detected T. denticola, T. socranskii, and T. maltophilum in 59 (66%), 33 (37%), and 26 (29%) of the 90 cases of primary endodontic infections, respectively. Clone library analysis revealed diverse Treponema species/phylotypes as part of the microbiota associated with asymptomatic and symptomatic (abscess) endodontic infections. Although several as-yet-uncultivated Treponema phylotypes were disclosed, including novel taxa, cultivable named species were more abundant and frequently detected.

Surface glycoconjugates of Lyme borreliosis spirochetes

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vancová, Marie; Nebesářová, Jana; Grubhoffer, Libor

2003-01-01

Roč. 9, Supplement 03 (2003), s. 506-507 ISSN 1431-9276. [Microscopy Conference 2003, Conference of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Elektronenmikroskopie /31./. Dresden, 07.09.2003-12.09.2003] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/03/1323 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6022909 Keywords : borreliosis * surface glycoconjugates * spirochete Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 1.648, year: 2003

Phylogenetic position of the spirochetal genus Cristispira

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paster, B.J.; Pelletier, D.A.; Dewhirst, F.E.

1996-01-01

a cell-laden crystalline styles of the oyster Crassostrea virginica. The amplified products were then cloned into Escherichia coli plasmids. Sequence comparisons of the gene coding for 16S rRNA (rDNA) insert of one clone, designated CP1, indicated that it was spirochetal. The sequence of the 16S r...

Culture and identification of Borrelia spirochetes in human vaginal and seminal secretions [version 3; referees: 2 approved, 2 not approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marianne J. Middelveen

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Recent reports indicate that more than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed yearly in the USA. Preliminary clinical, epidemiological and immunological studies suggest that infection with the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb could be transferred from person to person via intimate human contact without a tick vector. Failure to detect viable Borrelia spirochetes in vaginal and seminal secretions would argue against this hypothesis. Methods: Patients with and without a history of Lyme disease were selected for the study after informed consent was obtained. Serological testing for Bb was performed on all subjects. Semen or vaginal secretions were inoculated into BSK-H medium and cultured for four weeks. Examination of genital cultures and culture concentrates for the presence of spirochetes was performed using light and darkfield microscopy, and spirochete concentrates were subjected to Dieterle silver staining, anti-Bb immunohistochemical staining, molecular hybridization and PCR analysis for further characterization. Immunohistochemical and molecular testing was performed in three independent laboratories in a blinded fashion. Positive and negative controls were included in all experiments. Results: Control subjects who were asymptomatic and seronegative for Bb had no detectable spirochetes in genital secretions by PCR analysis. In contrast, spirochetes were observed in cultures of genital secretions from 11 of 13 subjects diagnosed with Lyme disease, and motile spirochetes were detected in genital culture concentrates from 12 of 13 Lyme disease patients using light and darkfield microscopy. Morphological features of spirochetes were confirmed by Dieterle silver staining and immunohistochemical staining of culture concentrates. Molecular hybridization and PCR testing confirmed that the spirochetes isolated from semen and vaginal secretions were strains of Borrelia, and all cultures were negative for treponemal

Infection history of the blood-meal host dictates pathogenic potential of the Lyme disease spirochete within the feeding tick vector.

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Bharti Bhatia

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Lyme disease in humans is caused by several genospecies of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l. complex of spirochetal bacteria, including B. burgdorferi, B. afzelii and B. garinii. These bacteria exist in nature as obligate parasites in an enzootic cycle between small vertebrate hosts and Ixodid tick vectors, with humans representing incidental hosts. During the natural enzootic cycle, infected ticks in endemic areas feed not only upon naïve hosts, but also upon seropositive infected hosts. In the current study, we considered this environmental parameter and assessed the impact of the immune status of the blood-meal host on the phenotype of the Lyme disease spirochete within the tick vector. We found that blood from a seropositive host profoundly attenuates the infectivity (>104 fold of homologous spirochetes within the tick vector without killing them. This dramatic neutralization of vector-borne spirochetes was not observed, however, when ticks and blood-meal hosts carried heterologous B. burgdorferi s.l. strains, or when mice lacking humoral immunity replaced wild-type mice as blood-meal hosts in similar experiments. Mechanistically, serum-mediated neutralization does not block induction of host-adapted OspC+ spirochetes during tick feeding, nor require tick midgut components. Significantly, this study demonstrates that strain-specific antibodies elicited by B. burgdorferi s.l. infection neutralize homologous bacteria within feeding ticks, before the Lyme disease spirochetes enter a host. The blood meal ingested from an infected host thereby prevents super-infection by homologous spirochetes, while facilitating transmission of heterologous B. burgdorferi s.l. strains. This finding suggests that Lyme disease spirochete diversity is stably maintained within endemic populations in local geographic regions through frequency-dependent selection of rare alleles of dominant polymorphic surface antigens.

Aerobic Mesophilic Bacteria Associated With Irish Potato ( Solanum ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A total of 15 samples of spoilt Irish potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) were collected from five grocery shops in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria and were analysed for aerobic mesophilic bacterial load. The isolated aerobic mesophilic bacteria were phenotypically characterized by biochemical tests and their susceptibility to ...

Association of spirochetal infection with Morgellons disease [v1; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/8g

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Marianne J Middelveen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Morgellons disease (MD is an emerging multisystem illness characterized by skin lesions with unusual filaments embedded in or projecting from epithelial tissue. Filament formation results from abnormal keratin and collagen expression by epithelial-based keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Recent research comparing MD to bovine digital dermatitis, an animal infectious disease with similar skin features, provided clues that spirochetal infection could play an important role in the human disease as it does in the animal illness. Based on histological staining, immunofluorescent staining, electron microscopic imaging and polymerase chain reaction, we report the detection of Borrelia spirochetes in dermatological tissue of  four randomly-selected MD patients. The association of MD with spirochetal infection provides evidence that this infection may be a significant factor in the illness and refutes claims that MD lesions are self-inflicted and that people suffering from this disorder are delusional. Molecular characterization of the Borrelia spirochetes found in MD patients is warranted.

Real-time high resolution 3D imaging of the lyme disease spirochete adhering to and escaping from the vasculature of a living host.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tara J Moriarty

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Pathogenic spirochetes are bacteria that cause a number of emerging and re-emerging diseases worldwide, including syphilis, leptospirosis, relapsing fever, and Lyme borreliosis. They navigate efficiently through dense extracellular matrix and cross the blood-brain barrier by unknown mechanisms. Due to their slender morphology, spirochetes are difficult to visualize by standard light microscopy, impeding studies of their behavior in situ. We engineered a fluorescent infectious strain of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease pathogen, which expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP. Real-time 3D and 4D quantitative analysis of fluorescent spirochete dissemination from the microvasculature of living mice at high resolution revealed that dissemination was a multi-stage process that included transient tethering-type associations, short-term dragging interactions, and stationary adhesion. Stationary adhesions and extravasating spirochetes were most commonly observed at endothelial junctions, and translational motility of spirochetes appeared to play an integral role in transendothelial migration. To our knowledge, this is the first report of high resolution 3D and 4D visualization of dissemination of a bacterial pathogen in a living mammalian host, and provides the first direct insight into spirochete dissemination in vivo.

Disproportionation of elemental sulfur by haloalkaliphilic bacteria from soda lakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Poser, Alexander; Lohmayer, Regina; Vogt, Carsten; Knoeller, Kay; Planer-Friedrich, Britta; Sorokin, Dimitry; Richnow, Hans-H; Finster, Kai

2013-11-01

Microbial disproportionation of elemental sulfur to sulfide and sulfate is a poorly characterized part of the anoxic sulfur cycle. So far, only a few bacterial strains have been described that can couple this reaction to cell growth. Continuous removal of the produced sulfide, for instance by oxidation and/or precipitation with metal ions such as iron, is essential to keep the reaction exergonic. Hitherto, the process has exclusively been reported for neutrophilic anaerobic bacteria. Here, we report for the first time disproportionation of elemental sulfur by three pure cultures of haloalkaliphilic bacteria isolated from soda lakes: the Deltaproteobacteria Desulfurivibrio alkaliphilus and Desulfurivibrio sp. AMeS2, and a member of the Clostridia, Dethiobacter alkaliphilus. All cultures grew in saline media at pH 10 by sulfur disproportionation in the absence of metals as sulfide scavengers. Our data indicate that polysulfides are the dominant sulfur species under highly alkaline conditions and that they might be disproportionated. Furthermore, we report the first organism (Dt. alkaliphilus) from the class Clostridia that is able to grow by sulfur disproportionation.

Comparing Residue Clusters from Thermophilic and Mesophilic Enzymes Reveals Adaptive Mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Sammond, Deanne W; Kastelowitz, Noah; Himmel, Michael E; Yin, Hang; Crowley, Michael F; Bomble, Yannick J

2016-01-01

Understanding how proteins adapt to function at high temperatures is important for deciphering the energetics that dictate protein stability and folding. While multiple principles important for thermostability have been identified, we lack a unified understanding of how internal protein structural and chemical environment determine qualitative or quantitative impact of evolutionary mutations. In this work we compare equivalent clusters of spatially neighboring residues between paired thermophilic and mesophilic homologues to evaluate adaptations under the selective pressure of high temperature. We find the residue clusters in thermophilic enzymes generally display improved atomic packing compared to mesophilic enzymes, in agreement with previous research. Unlike residue clusters from mesophilic enzymes, however, thermophilic residue clusters do not have significant cavities. In addition, anchor residues found in many clusters are highly conserved with respect to atomic packing between both thermophilic and mesophilic enzymes. Thus the improvements in atomic packing observed in thermophilic homologues are not derived from these anchor residues but from neighboring positions, which may serve to expand optimized protein core regions.

Comparing Residue Clusters from Thermophilic and Mesophilic Enzymes Reveals Adaptive Mechanisms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deanne W Sammond

Full Text Available Understanding how proteins adapt to function at high temperatures is important for deciphering the energetics that dictate protein stability and folding. While multiple principles important for thermostability have been identified, we lack a unified understanding of how internal protein structural and chemical environment determine qualitative or quantitative impact of evolutionary mutations. In this work we compare equivalent clusters of spatially neighboring residues between paired thermophilic and mesophilic homologues to evaluate adaptations under the selective pressure of high temperature. We find the residue clusters in thermophilic enzymes generally display improved atomic packing compared to mesophilic enzymes, in agreement with previous research. Unlike residue clusters from mesophilic enzymes, however, thermophilic residue clusters do not have significant cavities. In addition, anchor residues found in many clusters are highly conserved with respect to atomic packing between both thermophilic and mesophilic enzymes. Thus the improvements in atomic packing observed in thermophilic homologues are not derived from these anchor residues but from neighboring positions, which may serve to expand optimized protein core regions.

Mesophilic and thermophilic biotreatment of BTEX-polluted air in reactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammad, Balsam T; Veiga, María C; Kennes, Christian

2007-08-15

This study compares the removal of a mixture of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and all three xylene isomers (BTEX) in mesophilic and thermophilic (50 degrees C) bioreactors. In the mesophilic reactor fungi became dominant after long-term operation, while bacteria dominated in the thermophilic unit. Microbial acclimation was achieved by exposing the biofilters to initial BTEX loads of 2-15 g m(-3) h(-1), at an empty bed residence time of 96 s. After adaptation, the elimination capacities ranged from 3 to 188 g m(-3) h(-1), depending on the inlet load, for the mesophilic biofilter with removal efficiencies reaching 96%. On the other hand, in the thermophilic reactor the average removal efficiency was 83% with a maximum elimination capacity of 218 g m(-3) h(-1). There was a clear positive relationship between temperature gradients as well as CO(2) production and elimination capacities across the biofilters. The gas phase was sampled at different depths along the reactors observing that the percentage pollutant removal in each section was strongly dependant on the load applied. The fate of individual alkylbenzene compounds was checked, showing the unusually high biodegradation rate of benzene at high loads under thermophilic conditions (100%) compared to its very low removal in the mesophilic reactor at such load (<10%). Such difference was less pronounced for the other pollutants. After 210 days of operation, the dry biomass content for the mesophilic and thermophilic reactors were 0.300 and 0.114 g g(-1) (support), respectively, reaching higher removals under thermophilic conditions with a lower biomass accumulation, that is, lower pressure drop. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lyme Disease Spirochetes in Ticks Collected from Birds in Midwestern United States

Science.gov (United States)

T.H. Nicholls; S.M. Callister

1996-01-01

In a tick-spirochete survey conducted from fall 1989 through fall 1992 in northwestern Wisconsin, 4,256 birds (composed of 91 species) were examined for ticks. Infestations were recorded for 400 birds (composed of 30 species). Of 1,184 ticks taken from 335 birds (composed of 26 species), 60 (5%) Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard) from eight species of birds were...

Swimming Dynamics of the Lyme Disease Spirochete

Science.gov (United States)

Vig, Dhruv K.; Wolgemuth, Charles W.

2012-11-01

The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, swims by undulating its cell body in the form of a traveling flat wave, a process driven by rotating internal flagella. We study B. burgdorferi’s swimming by treating the cell body and flagella as linearly elastic filaments. The dynamics of the cell are then determined from the balance between elastic and resistive forces and moments. We find that planar, traveling waves only exist when the flagella are effectively anchored at both ends of the bacterium and that these traveling flat waves rotate as they undulate. The model predicts how the undulation frequency is related to the torque from the flagellar motors and how the stiffness of the cell body and flagella affect the undulations and morphology.

Novel spirochetes isolated from mosquitoes and black flies in the Czech Republic

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šikutová, Silvie; Halouzka, Jiří; Mendel, Jan; Knoz, J.; Rudolf, Ivo

2010-01-01

Roč. 35, č. 1 (2010), s. 50-55 ISSN 1081-1710 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/00/1234; GA ČR GA206/03/0726 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60930519 Keywords : Spirochetes * mosquitoes * black flies * tabanid flies * Czech Republic Subject RIV: FN - Epidemiology, Contagious Diseases ; Clinical Immunology Impact factor: 1.256, year: 2010

Genomic diversity within the haloalkaliphilic genus Thioalkalivibrio.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Anne-Catherine; Meier-Kolthoff, Jan P; Overmars, Lex; Richter, Michael; Woyke, Tanja; Sorokin, Dimitry Y; Muyzer, Gerard

2017-01-01

Thioalkalivibrio is a genus of obligate chemolithoautotrophic haloalkaliphilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Their habitat are soda lakes which are dual extreme environments with a pH range from 9.5 to 11 and salt concentrations up to saturation. More than 100 strains of this genus have been isolated from various soda lakes all over the world, but only ten species have been effectively described yet. Therefore, the assignment of the remaining strains to either existing or novel species is important and will further elucidate their genomic diversity as well as give a better general understanding of this genus. Recently, the genomes of 76 Thioalkalivibrio strains were sequenced. On these, we applied different methods including (i) 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, (ii) Multilocus Sequence Analysis (MLSA) based on eight housekeeping genes, (iii) Average Nucleotide Identity based on BLAST (ANIb) and MUMmer (ANIm), (iv) Tetranucleotide frequency correlation coefficients (TETRA), (v) digital DNA:DNA hybridization (dDDH) as well as (vi) nucleotide- and amino acid-based Genome BLAST Distance Phylogeny (GBDP) analyses. We detected a high genomic diversity by revealing 15 new "genomic" species and 16 new "genomic" subspecies in addition to the ten already described species. Phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses showed that the genus is not monophyletic, because four strains were clearly separated from the other Thioalkalivibrio by type strains from other genera. Therefore, it is recommended to classify the latter group as a novel genus. The biogeographic distribution of Thioalkalivibrio suggested that the different "genomic" species can be classified as candidate disjunct or candidate endemic species. This study is a detailed genome-based classification and identification of members within the genus Thioalkalivibrio. However, future phenotypical and chemotaxonomical studies will be needed for a full species description of this genus.

Filament formation associated with spirochetal infection: a comparative approach to Morgellons disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Middelveen MJ

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Marianne J Middelveen, Raphael B StrickerInternational Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD, USAAbstract: Bovine digital dermatitis is an emerging infectious disease that causes lameness, decreased milk production, and weight loss in livestock. Proliferative stages of bovine digital dermatitis demonstrate keratin filament formation in skin above the hooves in affected animals. The multifactorial etiology of digital dermatitis is not well understood, but spirochetes and other coinfecting microorganisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of this veterinary illness. Morgellons disease is an emerging human dermopathy characterized by the presence of filamentous fibers of undetermined composition, both in lesions and subdermally. While the etiology of Morgellons disease is unknown, there is serological and clinical evidence linking this phenomenon to Lyme borreliosis and coinfecting tick-borne agents. Although the microscopy of Morgellons filaments has been described in the medical literature, the structure and pathogenesis of these fibers is poorly understood. In contrast, most microscopy of digital dermatitis has focused on associated pathogens and histology rather than the morphology of late-stage filamentous fibers. Clinical, laboratory, and microscopic characteristics of these two diseases are compared.Keywords: Digital dermatitis, Morgellons disease, Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, spirochetes

Filament formation associated with spirochetal infection: a comparative approach to Morgellons disease

OpenAIRE

Middelveen, Marianne J; Stricker, Raphael B

2011-01-01

Marianne J Middelveen, Raphael B StrickerInternational Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD, USAAbstract: Bovine digital dermatitis is an emerging infectious disease that causes lameness, decreased milk production, and weight loss in livestock. Proliferative stages of bovine digital dermatitis demonstrate keratin filament formation in skin above the hooves in affected animals. The multifactorial etiology of digital dermatitis is not well understood, but spirochetes and other coi...

Response of Haloalkaliphilic Archaeon Natronococcus Jeotgali RR17 to Hypergravity

Science.gov (United States)

Thombre, Rebecca S.; Bhalerao, Aniruddha R.; Shinde, Vinaya D.; Dhar, Sunil Kumar; Shouche, Yogesh S.

2017-06-01

The survival of archaeabacteria in extreme inhabitable environments on earth that challenge organismic survival is ubiquitously known. However, the studies related to the effect of hypergravity on the growth and proliferation of archaea are unprecedented. The survival of organisms in hypergravity and rocks in addition to resistance to cosmic radiations, pressure and other extremities is imperative to study the possibilities of microbial travel between planets and endurance in hyperaccelerative forces faced during ejection of rocks from planets. The current investigation highlights the growth of an extremophilic archaeon isolated from a rocky substrate in hypergravity environment. The haloalkaliphilic archaeon, Natronococcus jeotgali RR17 was isolated from an Indian laterite rock, submerged in the Arabian sea lining Coastal Maharashtra, India. The endolithic haloarchaeon was subjected to hypergravity from 56 - 893 X gusing acceleration generated by centrifugal rotation. The cells of N. jeotgali RR17 proliferated and demonstrated good growth in hypergravity (223 X g). This is the first report on isolation of endolithic haloarchaeon N. jeotgali RR17 from an Indian laterite rock and its ability to proliferate in hypergravity. The present study demonstrates the ability of microbial life to survive and proliferate in hypergravity. Thus the inability of organismic growth in hypergravity may no longer be a limitation for astrobiology studies related to habitability of substellar objects, brown dwarfs and other planetary bodies in the universe besides planet earth.

Comparative economic assessment of ethanol production under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mistry, P.B.

1991-01-01

Key technical factors affecting the economics of bioethanol production are critically analyzed with special reference to the relative merits of thermophilic and mesophilic fermentation. A number of novel process schemes to take advantage of thermophilic operation are discussed. Analysis of the capital and operating costs for a range of flowsheets then provides a basis for critical study. Estimates for thermophilic production are compared with those for a sugar cane based mesophilic process (using S. cerevisiae). For the thermophilic fermentation, the basic kinetic and yield constants are based on projected values for a strain of B. stearothermophilus. Compared to mesophilic operation, thermophilic operation results in reduced capital, operating and feed costs. The feed cost still accounts for a large proportion (75%) of the total production cost. However, on a feed-cost-free basis, a reduction in production cost of up to 32% could be realized by changing to thermophilic operation from existing yeast-based processes, after minor process modifications. 20 refs., 10 figs., 8 tabs

Borrelia spirochetes in Russia: Genospecies differentiation by real-time PCR.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhacheva, T A; Kovalev, S Y

2014-10-01

Spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex are the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis which is widespread in Russia. Nowadays, three clinically important B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies, B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. bavariensis sp. nov., can be found in Russia, as well as B. miyamotoi, which belongs to the tick-borne relapsing fever group of spirochetes. Several techniques have been developed to differentiate Borrelia genospecies. However, most of them do not allow detection of all of these genospecies simultaneously. Also, no method based on the RT-PCR TaqMan approach has been proposed to differentiate the genetically closely related species B. bavariensis and B. garinii. In the present paper, we investigated two species of ticks, I. persulcatus and I. pavlovskyi (1343 and 92 adults, respectively). Two sets of primers and probes for RT-PCR, with uvrA, glpQ and nifS genes as targets, were designed to detect four Borrelia genospecies in positive samples. The average prevalence of Borrelia sp. was about 40%, with B. afzelii as the most prevalent genospecies. Mixed infections of B. bavariensis and B. garinii were found to be extremely rare. While B. bavariensis was predominant in I. persulcatus, I. pavlovskyi ticks were infected exclusively by B. garinii. The proposed technique proved to be efficient in selection of individual Borrelia species for further genetic analysis, in particular, for multilocus sequence typing. Also, it could be applied for the differentiation of Borrelia genospecies in clinical material. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

introduction aerobic mesophilic bacteria associated with irish potato

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ife, Osun State, Nigeria and were analysed for aerobic mesophilic bacterial load. The isolated aerobic ... Of significant note is the high multiple resistance pattern of Bacillus sp. strain B2 which showed ..... by chlorine dioxide. J. Food Science.

The Lipid A from the Haloalkaliphilic Bacterium Salinivibrio sharmensis Strain BAGT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Michela Corsaro

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Lipid A is a major constituent of the lipopolysaccharides (or endotoxins, which are complex amphiphilic macromolecules anchored in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. The glycolipid lipid A is known to possess the minimal chemical structure for LPSs endotoxic activity, able to cause septic shock. Lipid A isolated from extremophiles is interesting, since very few cases of pathogenic bacteria have been found among these microorganisms. In some cases their lipid A has shown to have an antagonist activity, i.e., it is able to interact with the immune system of the host without triggering a proinflammatory response by blocking binding of substances that could elicit such a response. However, the relationship between the structure and the activity of these molecules is far from being completely clear. A deeper knowledge of the lipid A chemical structure can help the understanding of these mechanisms. In this manuscript, we present our work on the complete structural characterization of the lipid A obtained from the lipopolysaccharides (LPS of the haloalkaliphilic bacterium Salinivibrio sharmensis. Lipid A was obtained from the purified LPS by mild acid hydrolysis. The lipid A, which contains different number of fatty acids residues, and its partially deacylated derivatives were completely characterized by means of electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron (ESI FT-ICR mass spectrometry and chemical analysis.

Evidence for frequent OspC gene transfer between Borrelia valaisiana sp. nov. and other Lyme disease spirochetes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, G.; van Dam, A. P.; Dankert, J.

1999-01-01

Molecular polymorphism of the ospC gene has been reported in Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii, the spirochetes causing human Lyme borreliosis. To assess the genetic relationship between ospC genes from the recently described Borrelia valaisiana sp. nov. and

In vitro production of thymine dimer by ultroviolet irradiation of DNA from mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yein, F.S.; Stenesh, J.

1989-01-01

Thymine dimer was produced in vitro by ultraviolet irradiation of DNA, isolated from the mesophile Bacillus licheniformis and the thermophile B. stearothermophilus. Irradiation was performed at three different temperaturs (35, 45 and 55 C) and the thymine dimer was isolated and determined. An HPLC procedure was developed that permitted temperature was greater for the thermophile than for the mesophile. Formation of thymine dimer increased with temperature for both organisms but more so for the thermophile; over the temperature range of 35-55 C, the average increase in thymine dimer production for the themrophile was about 4-times that for the mesophile. The melting out temperature, as a function of increasing irradiation temperature, was essentially unchanged for the mesophilic DNA, but decreased progressively for the thermophilic DNA. These results are discussed in terms of the macromolecular theory of to the macromolecular theory of the thermophily. (author). 31 refs.; 4 figs.; 3 tabs

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of biologically pretreated abattoir wastewaters in an upflow anaerobic filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gannoun, H.; Bouallagui, H.; Okbi, A.; Sayadi, S.; Hamdi, M.

2009-01-01

The hydrolysis pretreatment of abattoir wastewaters (AW), rich in organic suspended solids (fats and protein) was studied in static and stirred batch reactors without aeration in the presence of natural microbial population acclimated in a storage tank of AW. Microbial analysis showed that the major populations which contribute to the pretreatment of AW belong to the genera Bacillus. Contrary to the static pretreatment, the stirred conditions favoured the hydrolysis and solubilization of 80% of suspended matter into soluble pollution. The pretreated AW, in continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2 days, was fed to an upflow anaerobic filter (UAF) at an HRT of 2 days. The performance of anaerobic digestion of biologically pretreated AW was examined under mesophilic (37 deg. C) and thermophilic (55 deg. C) conditions. The shifting from a mesophilic to a thermophilic environment in the UAF was carried out with a short start-up of thermophilic condition. The UAF ran at organic loading rates (OLRs) ranging from 0.9 to 6 g COD/L d in mesophilic conditions and at OLRs from 0.9 to 9 g COD/L d in thermophilic conditions. COD removal efficiencies of 80-90% were achieved for OLRs up to 4.5 g COD/L d in mesophilic conditions, while the highest OLRs i.e. 9 g COD/L d led to efficiencies of 70-72% in thermophilic conditions. The biogas yield in thermophilic conditions was about 0.32-0.45 L biogas/g of COD removed for OLRs up to 4.5 g COD/L d. For similar OLR, the UAF in mesophilic conditions showed lower percentage of methanization. Mesophilic anaerobic digestion has been shown to destroy pathogens partially, whereas the thermophilic process was more efficient in the removal of indicator microorganisms and pathogenic bacteria at different organic loading rates.

Isolation and characterization of Treponema phagedenis-like spirochetes from digital dermatitis lesions in Swedish dairy cattle.

Science.gov (United States)

Pringle, Märit; Bergsten, Christer; Fernström, Lise-Lotte; Höök, Helena; Johansson, Karl-Erik

2008-10-20

Digital dermatitis in cattle is an emerging infectious disease. Ulcerative lesions are typically located on the plantar skin between the heel bulbs and adjacent to the coronet. Spirochetes of the genus Treponema are found in high numbers in the lesions and are likely to be involved in the pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to obtain pure cultures of spirochetes from cattle with digital dermatitis and to describe them further. Tissue samples and swabs from active digital dermatitis lesions were used for culturing. Pure isolates were subjected to, molecular typing through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and an intergenic spacer PCR developed for Treponema spp. as well as API-ZYM and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. The antimicrobial agents used were tiamulin, valnemulin, tylosin, aivlosin, lincomycin and doxycycline. Seven spirochete isolates from five herds were obtained. Both 16S rRNA gene sequences, which were identical except for three polymorphic nucleotide positions, and the intergenic spacer PCR indicated that all isolates were of one yet unnamed species, most closely related to Treponema phagedenis. The enzymatic profile and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern were also similar for all isolates. However it was possible to separate the isolates through their PFGE and RAPD banding pattern. This is the first report on isolation of a Treponema sp. from cattle with digital dermatitis in Scandinavia. The phylotype isolated has previously been cultured from samples from cattle in the USA and the UK and is closely related to T. phagedenis. While very similar, the isolates in this study were possible to differentiate through PFGE and RAPD indicating that these methods are suitable for subtyping of this phylotype. No antimicrobial resistance could be detected among the tested isolates.

Isolation and characterization of Treponema phagedenis-like spirochetes from digital dermatitis lesions in Swedish dairy cattle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Höök Helena

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Digital dermatitis in cattle is an emerging infectious disease. Ulcerative lesions are typically located on the plantar skin between the heel bulbs and adjacent to the coronet. Spirochetes of the genus Treponema are found in high numbers in the lesions and are likely to be involved in the pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to obtain pure cultures of spirochetes from cattle with digital dermatitis and to describe them further. Methods Tissue samples and swabs from active digital dermatitis lesions were used for culturing. Pure isolates were subjected to, molecular typing through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD and an intergenic spacer PCR developed for Treponema spp. as well as API-ZYM and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. The antimicrobial agents used were tiamulin, valnemulin, tylosin, aivlosin, lincomycin and doxycycline. Results Seven spirochete isolates from five herds were obtained. Both 16S rRNA gene sequences, which were identical except for three polymorphic nucleotide positions, and the intergenic spacer PCR indicated that all isolates were of one yet unnamed species, most closely related to Treponema phagedenis. The enzymatic profile and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern were also similar for all isolates. However it was possible to separate the isolates through their PFGE and RAPD banding pattern. Conclusion This is the first report on isolation of a Treponema sp. from cattle with digital dermatitis in Scandinavia. The phylotype isolated has previously been cultured from samples from cattle in the USA and the UK and is closely related to T. phagedenis. While very similar, the isolates in this study were possible to differentiate through PFGE and RAPD indicating that these methods are suitable for subtyping of this phylotype. No antimicrobial resistance could be detected among the tested isolates.

Differences in the catalytic mechanisms of mesophilic and thermophilic indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase enzymes at their adaptive temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaccardi, Margot J.; Mannweiler, Olga; Boehr, David D.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Catalytic mechanisms of thermophilic–mesophilic enzymes may differ. ► Product release is rate-determining for thermophilic IGPS at low temperatures. ► But at higher temperatures, proton transfer from the general acid is rate-limiting. ► Rate-determining step is different still for mesophilic IGPS. ► Both chemical and physical steps of catalysis are important for temperature adaptation. -- Abstract: Thermophilic enzymes tend to be less catalytically-active at lower temperatures relative to their mesophilic counterparts, despite having very similar crystal structures. An often cited hypothesis for this general observation is that thermostable enzymes have evolved a more rigid tertiary structure in order to cope with their more extreme, natural environment, but they are also less flexible at lower temperatures, leading to their lower catalytic activity under mesophilic conditions. An alternative hypothesis, however, is that complementary thermophilic–mesophilic enzyme pairs simply operate through different evolutionary-optimized catalytic mechanisms. In this communication, we present evidence that while the steps of the catalytic mechanisms for mesophilic and thermophilic indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase (IGPS) enzymes are fundamentally similar, the identity of the rate-determining step changes as a function of temperature. Our findings indicate that while product release is rate-determining at 25 °C for thermophilic IGPS, near its adaptive temperature (75 °C), a proton transfer event, involving a general acid, becomes rate-determining. The rate-determining steps for thermophilic and mesophilic IGPS enzymes are also different at their respective, adaptive temperatures with the mesophilic IGPS-catalyzed reaction being rate-limited before irreversible CO 2 release, and the thermophilic IGPS-catalyzed reaction being rate limited afterwards.

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of rendering plant and slaughterhouse wastes.

Science.gov (United States)

Bayr, Suvi; Rantanen, Marianne; Kaparaju, Prasad; Rintala, Jukka

2012-01-01

Co-digestion of rendering and slaughterhouse wastes was studied in laboratory scale semi-continuously fed continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) at 35 and 55 °C. All in all, 10 different rendering plant and slaughterhouse waste fractions were characterised showing high contents of lipids and proteins, and methane potentials of 262-572 dm(3)CH(4)/kg volatile solids(VS)(added). In mesophilic CSTR methane yields of ca 720 dm(3) CH(4)/kg VS(fed) were obtained with organic loading rates (OLR) of 1.0 and 1.5 kg VS/m(3) d, and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 50 d. For thermophilic process, the lowest studied OLR of 1.5 kg VS/m(3) d, turned to be unstable after operation of 1.5 HRT, due to accumulating ammonia, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and probably also long chain fatty acids (LCFAs). In conclusion, mesophilic process was found to be more feasible for co-digestion than thermophilic process, methane yields being higher and process more stable in mesophilic conditions. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dry co-digestion of sewage sludge and rice straw under mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Xiangqian; Wu, Guangxue; Wang, Jiaquan; Hu, Zhen-Hu

2015-12-01

Dry anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge can recover biogas as energy; however, its low C/N ratio limits it as a single substrate in the anaerobic digestion. Rice straw is an abundant agricultural residue in China, which is rich in carbon and can be used as carbon source. In the present study, the performance of dry co-digestion of sewage sludge and rice straw was investigated under mesophilic (35 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) conditions. The operational factors impacting dry co-digestion of sewage sludge and rice straw such as C/N ratio, moisture content, and initial pH were explored under mesophilic conditions. The results show that low C/N ratios resulted in a higher biogas production rate, but a lower specific biogas yield; low moisture content of 65 % resulted in the instability of the digestion system and a low specific biogas yield. Initial pH ranging 7.0-9.0 did not affect the performance of the anaerobic digestion. The C/N ratio of 26-29:1, moisture content of 70-80 %, and pH 7.0-9.0 resulted in good performance in the dry mesophilic co-digestion of sewage sludge and rice straw. As compared with mesophilic digestion, thermophilic co-digestion of sewage sludge and rice straw significantly enhanced the degradation efficiency of the substrates and the specific biogas yield (p sewage sludge under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.

Differences in the catalytic mechanisms of mesophilic and thermophilic indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase enzymes at their adaptive temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaccardi, Margot J; Mannweiler, Olga; Boehr, David D

2012-02-10

Thermophilic enzymes tend to be less catalytically-active at lower temperatures relative to their mesophilic counterparts, despite having very similar crystal structures. An often cited hypothesis for this general observation is that thermostable enzymes have evolved a more rigid tertiary structure in order to cope with their more extreme, natural environment, but they are also less flexible at lower temperatures, leading to their lower catalytic activity under mesophilic conditions. An alternative hypothesis, however, is that complementary thermophilic-mesophilic enzyme pairs simply operate through different evolutionary-optimized catalytic mechanisms. In this communication, we present evidence that while the steps of the catalytic mechanisms for mesophilic and thermophilic indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase (IGPS) enzymes are fundamentally similar, the identity of the rate-determining step changes as a function of temperature. Our findings indicate that while product release is rate-determining at 25°C for thermophilic IGPS, near its adaptive temperature (75°C), a proton transfer event, involving a general acid, becomes rate-determining. The rate-determining steps for thermophilic and mesophilic IGPS enzymes are also different at their respective, adaptive temperatures with the mesophilic IGPS-catalyzed reaction being rate-limited before irreversible CO2 release, and the thermophilic IGPS-catalyzed reaction being rate limited afterwards. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular interactions within the halophilic, thermophilic, and mesophilic prokaryotic ribosomal complexes: clues to environmental adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mallik, Saurav; Kundu, Sudip

2015-01-01

Using the available crystal structures of 50S ribosomal subunits from three prokaryotic species: Escherichia coli (mesophilic), Thermus thermophilus (thermophilic), and Haloarcula marismortui (halophilic), we have analyzed different structural features of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), proteins, and of their interfaces. We have correlated these structural features with the environmental adaptation strategies of the corresponding species. While dense intra-rRNA packing is observed in thermophilic, loose intra-rRNA packing is observed in halophilic (both compared to mesophilic). Interestingly, protein-rRNA interfaces of both the extremophiles are densely packed compared to that of the mesophilic. The intersubunit bridge regions are almost devoid of cavities, probably ensuring the proper formation of each bridge (by not allowing any loosely packed region nearby). During rRNA binding, the ribosomal proteins experience some structural transitions. Here, we have analyzed the intrinsically disordered and ordered regions of the ribosomal proteins, which are subjected to such transitions. The intrinsically disordered and disorder-to-order transition sites of the thermophilic and mesophilic ribosomal proteins are simultaneously (i) highly conserved and (ii) slowly evolving compared to rest of the protein structure. Although high conservation is observed at such sites of halophilic ribosomal proteins, but slow rate of evolution is absent. Such differences between thermophilic, mesophilic, and halophilic can be explained from their environmental adaptation strategy. Interestingly, a universal biophysical principle evident by a linear relationship between the free energy of interface formation, interface area, and structural changes of r-proteins during assembly is always maintained, irrespective of the environmental conditions.

Influence of variable feeding on mesophilic and thermophilic co-digestion of Laminaria digitata and cattle manure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarker, Shiplu; Møller, Henrik Bjarne; Bruhn, Annette

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Anaerobic co-digestion of L. digitata and cattle manure, at ∼35 and ∼50 °C. • Mesophilic co-digestion showed somewhat stable specific methane, but increased volumetric yield. • Thermophilic co-digester yielded higher methane at higher input of algae compared to control. • Mesophilic co-digester performed better in terms of various parameters except methane yield. - Abstract: In this study the effect of various feeding ratios on mesophilic (∼35 °C) and thermophilic (∼50 °C) co-digestion of brown algae Laminaria digitata and cattle manure was investigated. Algae input of 15% VS caused no influence on specific methane yield from mesophilic co-digester while deteriorated the process parameters such as the development of propionic acid in total volatile fatty acids (tVFA) pattern of the thermophilic co-digester. The accumulation of tVFA continued for the latter reactor as the feeding ratio of algae enhanced to 24% VS, but the specific methane yield improved dramatically. Same rise in feeding once again showed no improvement in specific methane yield from mesophilic co-digester even though the other process parameters stabilized or, enriched such as the gain in average volumetric methane yield. For the last feeding ratio at 41% VS algae, specific methane yield from mesophilic co-digester slightly increased which however was not still comparable with the ultimate methane yield from the cattle manure alone. The thermophilic co-digestion on the other hand yielded maximum specific methane, together with the improvement in different process characteristics, as the feeding of algae maximized at the final stage. The trend of methane production from this reactor nevertheless was sharply downward towards the end of the experiment suggesting that the optimum feeding ratio has already been achieved for the present experimental conditions

Azo dye reduction by mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic consortia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Santos, dos A.B.; Madrid, de M.P.; Stams, A.J.M.; Lier, van J.B.; Cervantes, F.J.

2005-01-01

The reduction of the azo dye model compounds Reactive Red 2 (RR2) and Reactive Orange 14 (RO14) by mesophilic (30 C) and thermophilic (55 C) anaerobic consortia was studied in batch assays. The contribution of fermentative and methanogenic microorganisms in both temperatures was evaluated in the

Complex Population Structure of Lyme Borreliosis Group Spirochete Borrelia garinii in Subarctic Eurasia

Science.gov (United States)

Comstedt, Pär; Asokliene, Loreta; Eliasson, Ingvar; Olsen, Björn; Wallensten, Anders; Bunikis, Jonas; Bergström, Sven

2009-01-01

Borrelia garinii, a causative agent of Lyme borreliosis in Europe and Asia, is naturally maintained in marine and terrestrial enzootic cycles, which primarily involve birds, including seabirds and migratory passerines. These bird groups associate with, correspondingly, Ixodes uriae and Ixodes ricinus ticks, of which the latter species may bite and transmit the infection to humans. Studies of the overlap between these two natural cycles of B. garinii have been limited, in part due to the absence of representative collections of this spirochete's samples, as well as of the lack of reliable measure of the genetic heterogeneity of its strains. As a prerequisite for understanding the epidemiological correlates of the complex maintenance of B. garinii, the present study sought to assess the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of this species' strains from its natural hosts and patients with Lyme borreliosis from subarctic Eurasia. We used sequence typing of the partial rrs-rrl intergenic spacer (IGS) of archived and prospective samples of B. garinii from I. uriae ticks collected predominantly on Commander Islands in North Pacific, as well as on the islands in northern Sweden and arctic Norway. We also typed B. garinii samples from patients with Lyme borreliosis and I. ricinus ticks infesting migratory birds in southern Sweden, or found questing in selected sites on the islands in the Baltic Sea and Lithuania. Fifty-two (68%) of 77 B. garinii samples representing wide geographical range and associated with I. ricinus and infection of humans contributed 12 (60%) of total 20 identified IGS variants. In contrast, the remaining 25 (32%) samples recovered from I. uriae ticks from a few islands accounted for as many as 10 (50%) IGS types, suggesting greater local diversity of B. garinii maintained by seabirds and their ticks. Two IGS variants of the spirochete in common for both tick species were found in I. ricinus larvae from migratory birds, an indication that B

Characterization of spirochetal isolates from arthropods collected in South Moravia, Czech Republic, using fatty acid methyl esters analysis

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Čechová, L.; Durnová, E.; Šikutová, Silvie; Halouzka, Jiří; Němec, M.

2004-01-01

Roč. 808, č. 2 (2004), s. 249-254 ISSN 1570-0232 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/03/0726 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6093917 Keywords : spirochetes * arthropods * fatty acid methyl esters Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 2.176, year: 2004

Cessation of clinical disease and spirochete shedding after tiamulin treatment in pigs experimentally infected with "Brachyspira hampsonii".

Science.gov (United States)

Wilberts, B L; Arruda, P H; Warneke, H L; Erlandson, K R; Hammer, J M; Burrough, E R

2014-10-01

With the emergence of "Brachyspira hampsonii" associated with swine dysentery in North America, identification of effective treatments and interventions is a pressing need. Denagard® (tiamulin hydrogen fumarate) Liquid Concentrate 12.5% is approved in the United States for treatment of dysentery caused by Brachyspira hyodysenteriae at 0.006% in the water. In this study, the effectiveness of tiamulin in resolving clinical disease, eliminating viable spirochete shedding, and reducing neutrophilic colitis following infection with either "B. hampsonii" or B. hyodysenteriae was evaluated. Seventy-eight 7-week-old crossbred pigs were divided into three groups [sham-inoculated (n = 18), "B. hampsonii"-inoculated (n = 30), and B. hyodysenteriae-inoculated (n = 30)]. Each inoculum group was divided into three subgroups which received either 0.006% tiamulin, 0.018% tiamulin, or no medication. Both levels of tiamulin resolved clinical disease within 24 h of treatment initiation, eliminated spirochete shedding within 72 h of treatment initiation, and resolved and/or prevented histologic lesions in pigs infected with either Brachyspira spp. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Start-up of a sequential dry anaerobic digestion of paunch under psychrophilic and mesophilic temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Nkemka, Valentine Nkongndem; Hao, Xiying

2018-04-01

The present laboratory study evaluated the sequential leach bed dry anaerobic digestion (DAD) of paunch under psychrophilic (22°C) and mesophilic (40°C) temperatures. Three leach bed reactors were operated under the mesophilic temperature in sequence at a solid retention time (SRT) of 40d with a new batch started 27d into the run of the previous one. A total of six batches were operated for 135d. The results showed that the mesophilic DAD of paunch was efficient, reaching methane yields of 126.9-212.1mLg -1 volatile solid (VS) and a VS reduction of 32.9-55.5%. The average daily methane production rate increased from 334.3mLd -1 to 571.4mLd -1 and 825.7mLd -1 when one, two and three leach bed reactors were in operation, respectively. The psychrophilic DAD of paunch was operated under a SRT of 100d and a total of three batches were performed in sequence for 300d with each batch starting after completion of the previous one. Improvements in the methane yield from 93.9 to 107.3 and 148.3mLg -1 VS and VS reductions of 24.8, 30.2 and 38.6% were obtained in the consecutive runs, indicating the adaptation of anaerobic microbes from mesophilic to psychrophilic temperatures. In addition, it took three runs for anaerobic microbes to reduce the volatile fatty acid accumulation observed in the first and second trials. This study demonstrates the potential of renewable energy recovery from paunch under psychrophilic and mesophilic temperatures. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrastructural analysis of volutin-acidocalciumosomes formation in some species of bacteria, spirochetes, yeast and protozoa during morphogenesis and under environment different factors action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hovnanyan, K.O.; Hovnanyan, M.K.; Navasardyan, L.A.; Trchounian, A.A.

2012-01-01

Ultrastructure organization of volutin granules in some species of bacteria, spirochetes, yeast and protozoa cellular architecture was studied during morphogenesis and under environment different factors action leading to pathological changes. As the result of complex electron microscopic studies of morphogenesis in some species of prokaryotes and eukaryotic organisms the formation of new structures of volutin-acidocal-ciumosomes has been established within cell cytoplasm. In addition, under the ionizing roentgen and irradiation as well as some antibiotics action morphometric changes and changes in optical properties were also shown. Electron microscopic identification of volutin granules changes in structural organization in bacteria, spirochetes, yeast and protozoa might serve as appropriate express-method for visual evaluation of damage and reparation processes during environment

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of TP0435 (Tp17) from the syphilis spirochete Treponema pallidum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brautigam, Chad A.; Deka, Ranjit K.; Norgard, Michael V.

2013-01-01

The soluble portion of TP0435, a putative periplasmic lipoprotein from the syphilis spirochete T. pallidum, has been purified and crystallized in a rhombohedral space group. A complete native data set has been collected to 2.4 Å resolution. Syphilis, caused by the bacterial spirochete Treponema pallidum, remains a prominent sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Despite sequencing of the genome of this obligate human pathogen 15 years ago, the functions of a large number of the gene products of T. pallidum are still unknown, particularly with respect to those of the organism’s periplasmic lipoproteins. To better understand their functions, a structural biology approach has been pursued. To this end, the soluble portion of the T. pallidum TP0435 lipoprotein (also known as Tp17) was cloned, hyper-expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to apparent homogeneity. The protein crystals obtained from this preparation diffracted to 2.4 Å resolution and had the symmetry of space group R3. In the hexagonal setting, the unit-cell parameters were a = b = 85.7, c = 85.4 Å

Anaerobic digestion in mesophilic and room temperature conditions: Digestion performance and soil-borne pathogen survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Le; Jian, Shanshan; Bi, Jinhua; Li, Yunlong; Chang, Zhizhou; He, Jian; Ye, Xiaomei

2016-05-01

Tomato plant waste (TPW) was used as the feedstock of a batch anaerobic reactor to evaluate the effect of anaerobic digestion on Ralstonia solanacearum and Phytophthora capsici survival. Batch experiments were carried out for TS (total solid) concentrations of 2%, 4% and 6% respectively, at mesophilic (37±1°C) and room (20-25°C) temperatures. Results showed that higher digestion performance was achieved under mesophilic digestion temperature and lower TS concentration conditions. The biogas production ranged from 71 to 416L/kg VS (volatile solids). The inactivation of anaerobic digestion tended to increase as digestion performance improved. The maximum log copies reduction of R. solanacearum and P. capsici detected by quantitative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) were 3.80 and 4.08 respectively in reactors with 4% TS concentration at mesophilic temperatures. However, both in mesophilic and room temperature conditions, the lowest reduction of R. solanacearum was found in the reactors with 6% TS concentration, which possessed the highest VFA (volatile fatty acid) concentration. These findings indicated that simple accumulation of VFAs failed to restrain R. solanacearum effectively, although the VFAs were considered poisonous. P. capsici was nearly completely dead under all conditions. Based on the digestion performance and the pathogen survival rate, a model was established to evaluate the digestate biosafety. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Functional responses and adaptation of mesophilic microbial communities to psychrophilic anaerobic digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunnigle, Eoin; Nielsen, Jeppe L; Fuszard, Matthew; Botting, Catherine H; Sheahan, Jerome; O'Flaherty, Vincent; Abram, Florence

2015-12-01

Psychrophilic (functions. Methanomicrobiales abundance increased at low temperature, which correlated with an increased contribution of CH4 production from hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis at 15°C. Methanosarcinales utilized acetate and H2/CO2 as CH4 precursors at both temperatures and a partial shift from acetoclastic to hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis was observed for this archaeal population at 15°C. An upregulation of protein expression was reported at low temperature as well as the detection of chaperones indicating that mesophilic communities experienced stress during long-term exposure to 15°C. Overall, changes in microbial community structure and function were found to underpin the adaptation of mesophilic sludge to psychrophilic AD. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A comparative study of thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and wheat straw: Process stability and microbial community structure shifts.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Xuchuan; Guo, Xianglin; Zuo, Jiane; Wang, Yajiao; Zhang, Mengyu

2018-05-01

Renewable energy recovery from organic solid waste via anaerobic digestion is a promising way to provide sustainable energy supply and eliminate environmental pollution. However, poor efficiency and operational problems hinder its wide application of anaerobic digestion. The effects of two key parameters, i.e. temperature and substrate characteristics on process stability and microbial community structure were studied using two lab-scale anaerobic reactors under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions. Both the reactors were fed with food waste (FW) and wheat straw (WS). The organic loading rates (OLRs) were maintained at a constant level of 3 kg VS/(m 3 ·d). Five different FW:WS substrate ratios were utilized in different operational phases. The synergetic effects of co-digestion improved the stability and performance of the reactors. When FW was mono-digested, both reactors were unstable. The mesophilic reactor eventually failed due to volatile fatty acid accumulation. The thermophilic reactor had better performance compared to mesophilic one. The biogas production rate of the thermophilic reactor was 4.9-14.8% higher than that of mesophilic reactor throughout the experiment. The shifts in microbial community structures throughout the experiment in both thermophilic and mesophilic reactors were investigated. With increasing FW proportions, bacteria belonging to the phylum Thermotogae became predominant in the thermophilic reactor, while the phylum Bacteroidetes was predominant in the mesophilic reactor. The genus Methanosarcina was the predominant methanogen in the thermophilic reactor, while the genus Methanothrix remained predominant in the mesophilic reactor. The methanogenesis pathway shifted from acetoclastic to hydrogenotrophic when the mesophilic reactor experienced perturbations. Moreover, the population of lignocellulose-degrading microorganisms in the thermophilic reactor was higher than those in mesophilic reactor, which explained the better

H+ and Na+ are involved in flagellar rotation of the spirochete Leptospira

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Islam, Md. Shafiqul; Morimoto, Yusuke V.; Kudo, Seishi; Nakamura, Shuichi

2015-01-01

Leptospira is a spirochete possessing intracellular flagella. Each Leptospira flagellar filament is linked with a flagellar motor composed of a rotor and a dozen stators. For many bacterial species, it is known that the stator functions as an ion channel and that the ion flux through the stator is coupled with flagellar rotation. The coupling ion varies depending on the species; for example, H + is used in Escherichia coli, and Na + is used in Vibrio spp. to drive a polar flagellum. Although genetic and structural studies illustrated that the Leptospira flagellar motor also contains a stator, the coupling ion for flagellar rotation remains unknown. In the present study, we analyzed the motility of Leptospira under various pH values and salt concentrations. Leptospira cells displayed motility in acidic to alkaline pH. In the presence of a protonophore, the cells completely lost motility in acidic to neutral pH but displayed extremely slow movement under alkaline conditions. This result suggests that H + is a major coupling ion for flagellar rotation over a wide pH range; however, we also observed that the motility of Leptospira was significantly enhanced by the addition of Na + , though it vigorously moved even under Na + -free conditions. These results suggest that H + is preferentially used and that Na + is secondarily involved in flagellar rotation in Leptospira. The flexible ion selectivity in the flagellar system could be advantageous for Leptospira to survive in a wide range of environment. - Highlights: • This is a study on input energy for motility in the spirochete Leptospira. • Leptospira biflexa exhibited active motility in acidic to alkaline pH. • Both H + and Na + are involved in flagellar rotation in Leptospira. • H + is a primary energy source, but Na + can secondarily enhance motility.

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of primary and secondary sludge. Effect of pre-treatment at elevated temperature

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gavala, Hariklia N.; Yenal, U.; Skiadas, Ioannis V.

2003-01-01

Anaerobic digestion is an appropriate technique for the treatment of sludge before final disposal and it is employed worldwide as the oldest and most important process for sludge stabilization. In general, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is more widely used compared to thermophilic...... digestion. Furthermore, thermal pre-treatment is suitable for the improvement of stabilization, enhancement of dewatering of the sludge, reduction of the numbers of pathogens and could be realized at relatively low cost especially at low temperatures. The present study investigates (a) the differences...... between mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge and (b) the effect of the pretreatment at 70 degreesC on mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of primary and secondary sludge. The pretreatment step showed very positive effect on the methane potential and production rate upon...

Two ways of experimental infection of Ixodes ricinus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) with spirochetes of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fišerová, Lenka; Černá, Kateřina; Horká, Helena; Kopecký, Jan

2008-01-01

Roč. 55, č. 2 (2008), s. 150-154 ISSN 0015-5683 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA524/05/0811; GA MŠk(CZ) LC06009 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Lyme disease spirochete * Borrelia burgdorferi * Borrelia baronii * Borrelia afzelii * tick * Ixodes ricinus Subject RIV: EC - Immunology Impact factor: 1.307, year: 2008

[Methylophaga murata sp. nov.: a haloalkaliphilic aerobic methylotroph from deteriorating marble].

Science.gov (United States)

Doronina, N V; Li, Ts D; Ivanova, E G; Trotsenko, Iu A

2005-01-01

The haloalkaliphilic methylotrophic bacterium (strain Kr3) isolated from material scraped off the deteriorating marble of the Moscow Kremlin masonry has been found to be able to utilize methanol, methylamine, trimethylamine, and fructose as carbon and energy sources. Its cells are gram-negative motile rods multiplying by binary fission. Spores are not produced. The isolate is strictly aerobic and requires vitamin B12 and Na+ ions for growth. It is oxidase- and catalase-positive and reduces nitrates to nitrites. Growth occurs at temperatures between 0 and 42 degrees C (with the optimum temperatures being 20-32 degrees C), pH values between 6 and 11 (with the optimum at 8-9), and NaCl concentrations between 0.05 and 3 M (with the optimum at 0.5-1.5 M). The dominant cellular phospholipids are phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, and cardiolipin. The major cellular fatty acids are palmitic (C16:0), palmitoleic (C16:1), and octadecenoic (C18:1) acids. The major ubiquinone is Q8. The isolate accumulates ectoine and glutamate, as well as a certain amount of sucrose, to function as osmoprotectants and synthesizes an exopolysaccharide composed of carbohydrate and protein components. It is resistant to heating at 70 degrees C, freezing, and drying; utilizes methanol, with the resulting production of formic acid, which is responsible for the marble-degrading activity of the isolate; and implements the 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate variant of the ribulose monophosphate pathway. The G+C content of its DNA is 44.6 mol%. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and DNA-DNA homology levels (23-41%) with neutrophilic and alkaliphilic methylobacteria from the genus Methylophaga, the isolate has been identified as a new species, Methylophaga murata (VKM B-2303T = NCIMB 13993T).

Going from Microbial Ecology to Genome Data and Back: Studies on a Haloalkaliphilic Bacterium Isolated from Soap Lake, Washington State

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melanie R. Mormile

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Soap Lake is a meromictic, alkaline (~pH 9.8 and saline (~14 to 140 g liter-1 lake located in the semiarid area of eastern Washington State. Of note is the length of time it has been meromictic (at least 2000 years and the extremely high sulfide level (~140 mM in its monimolimnion. As expected, the microbial ecology of this lake is greatly influenced by these conditions. A bacterium, Halanaerobium hydrogeniformans, was isolated from the mixolimnion region of this lake. H. hydrogeniformans is a haloalkaliphilic bacterium capable of forming hydrogen from 5- and 6-carbon sugars derived from hemicellulose and cellulose. Due to its ability to produce hydrogen under saline and alkaline conditions, in amounts that rival genetically modified organisms, its genome was sequenced. This sequence data provides an opportunity to explore the unique metabolic capabilities of this organism, including the mechanisms for tolerating the extreme conditions of both high salinity and alkalinity of its environment.

the influence of the dressing procedure on the (mesophilic) bacterial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

for 24 hours to determine the mesophilic bacterial count. Point values were transformed to/x + t before analyses of variance were conducted. Least significant difference (L.S.D.) tests were per- formed on all the mean values obtained from the carcass sites and the dressing line positions except in the case of position I of the ...

Comparing mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of chicken manure: Microbial community dynamics and process resilience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niu, Qigui; Takemura, Yasuyuki; Kubota, Kengo; Li, Yu-You

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Microbial community dynamics and process functional resilience were investigated. • The threshold of TAN in mesophilic reactor was higher than the thermophilic reactor. • The recoverable archaeal community dynamic sustained the process resilience. • Methanosarcina was more sensitive than Methanoculleus on ammonia inhibition. • TAN and FA effects the dynamic of hydrolytic and acidogenic bacteria obviously. - Abstract: While methane fermentation is considered as the most successful bioenergy treatment for chicken manure, the relationship between operational performance and the dynamic transition of archaeal and bacterial communities remains poorly understood. Two continuous stirred-tank reactors were investigated under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions feeding with 10%TS. The tolerance of thermophilic reactor on total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) was found to be 8000 mg/L with free ammonia (FA) 2000 mg/L compared to 16,000 mg/L (FA1500 mg/L) of mesophilic reactor. Biomethane production was 0.29 L/gV S in in the steady stage and decreased following TAN increase. After serious inhibition, the mesophilic reactor was recovered successfully by dilution and washing stratagem compared to the unrecoverable of thermophilic reactor. The relationship between the microbial community structure, the bioreactor performance and inhibitors such as TAN, FA, and volatile fatty acid was evaluated by canonical correspondence analysis. The performance of methanogenic activity and substrate removal efficiency were changed significantly correlating with the community evenness and phylogenetic structure. The resilient archaeal community was found even after serious inhibition in both reactors. Obvious dynamics of bacterial communities were observed in acidogenic and hydrolytic functional bacteria following TAN variation in the different stages

Comparing mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of chicken manure: Microbial community dynamics and process resilience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niu, Qigui; Takemura, Yasuyuki; Kubota, Kengo [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aza-Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Li, Yu-You, E-mail: yyli@epl1.civil.tohoku.ac.jp [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aza-Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an (China)

2015-09-15

Highlights: • Microbial community dynamics and process functional resilience were investigated. • The threshold of TAN in mesophilic reactor was higher than the thermophilic reactor. • The recoverable archaeal community dynamic sustained the process resilience. • Methanosarcina was more sensitive than Methanoculleus on ammonia inhibition. • TAN and FA effects the dynamic of hydrolytic and acidogenic bacteria obviously. - Abstract: While methane fermentation is considered as the most successful bioenergy treatment for chicken manure, the relationship between operational performance and the dynamic transition of archaeal and bacterial communities remains poorly understood. Two continuous stirred-tank reactors were investigated under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions feeding with 10%TS. The tolerance of thermophilic reactor on total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) was found to be 8000 mg/L with free ammonia (FA) 2000 mg/L compared to 16,000 mg/L (FA1500 mg/L) of mesophilic reactor. Biomethane production was 0.29 L/gV S{sub in} in the steady stage and decreased following TAN increase. After serious inhibition, the mesophilic reactor was recovered successfully by dilution and washing stratagem compared to the unrecoverable of thermophilic reactor. The relationship between the microbial community structure, the bioreactor performance and inhibitors such as TAN, FA, and volatile fatty acid was evaluated by canonical correspondence analysis. The performance of methanogenic activity and substrate removal efficiency were changed significantly correlating with the community evenness and phylogenetic structure. The resilient archaeal community was found even after serious inhibition in both reactors. Obvious dynamics of bacterial communities were observed in acidogenic and hydrolytic functional bacteria following TAN variation in the different stages.

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes in wild birds in northwestern California: associations with ecological factors, bird behavior and tick infestation.

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, Erica A; Eisen, Lars; Eisen, Rebecca J; Fedorova, Natalia; Hasty, Jeomhee M; Vaughn, Charles; Lane, Robert S

2015-01-01

Although Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) are found in a great diversity of vertebrates, most studies in North America have focused on the role of mammals as spirochete reservoir hosts. We investigated the roles of birds as hosts for subadult Ixodes pacificus ticks and potential reservoirs of the Lyme disease spirochete B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) in northwestern California. Overall, 623 birds representing 53 species yielded 284 I. pacificus larvae and nymphs. We used generalized linear models and zero-inflated negative binomial models to determine associations of bird behaviors, taxonomic relationships and infestation by I. pacificus with borrelial infection in the birds. Infection status in birds was best explained by taxonomic order, number of infesting nymphs, sampling year, and log-transformed average body weight. Presence and counts of larvae and nymphs could be predicted by ground- or bark-foraging behavior and contact with dense oak woodland. Molecular analysis yielded the first reported detection of Borrelia bissettii in birds. Moreover, our data suggest that the Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla), a non-resident species, could be an important reservoir for B. burgdorferi s.s. Of 12 individual birds (9 species) that carried B. burgdorferi s.l.-infected larvae, no birds carried the same genospecies of B. burgdorferi s.l. in their blood as were present in the infected larvae removed from them. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. Our study is the first to explicitly incorporate both taxonomic relationships and behaviors as predictor variables to identify putative avian reservoirs of B. burgdorferi s.l. Our findings underscore the importance of bird behavior to explain local tick infestation and Borrelia infection in these animals, and suggest the potential for bird-mediated geographic spread of vector ticks and spirochetes in the far-western United States.

Identification of a haloalkaliphilic and thermostable cellulase with improved ionic liquid tolerance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Tao; Datta, Supratim; Eichler, Jerry; Ivanova, Natalia; Axen, Seth D.; Kerfeld, Cheryl A.; Chen, Feng; Kyrpides, Nikos; Hugenholtz, Philip; Cheng, Jan-Fang; Sale, Kenneth L.; Simmons, Blake; Rubin, Eddy

2011-02-17

Some ionic liquids (ILs) have been shown to be very effective solvents for biomass pretreatment. It is known that some ILs can have a strong inhibitory effect on fungal cellulases, making the digestion of cellulose inefficient in the presence of ILs. The identification of IL-tolerant enzymes that could be produced as a cellulase cocktail would reduce the costs and water use requirements of the IL pretreatment process. Due to their adaptation to high salinity environments, halophilic enzymes are hypothesized to be good candidates for screening and identifying IL-resistant cellulases. Using a genome-based approach, we have identified and characterized a halophilic cellulase (Hu-CBH1) from the halophilic archaeon, Halorhabdus utahensis. Hu-CBH1 is present in a gene cluster containing multiple putative cellulolytic enzymes. Sequence and theoretical structure analysis indicate that Hu-CBH1 is highly enriched with negatively charged acidic amino acids on the surface, which may form a solvation shell that may stabilize the enzyme, through interaction with salt ions and/or water molecules. Hu-CBH1 is a heat tolerant haloalkaliphilic cellulase and is active in salt concentrations up to 5 M NaCl. In high salt buffer, Hu-CBH1 can tolerate alkali (pH 11.5) conditions and, more importantly, is tolerant to high levels (20percent w/w) of ILs, including 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Amim]Cl). Interestingly, the tolerances to heat, alkali and ILs are found to be salt-dependent, suggesting that the enzyme is stabilized by the presence of salt. Our results indicate that halophilic enzymes are good candidates for the screening of IL-tolerant cellulolytic enzymes.

A divergent spirochete strain isolated from a resident of the southeastern United States was identified by multilocus sequence typing as Borrelia bissettii

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Golovchenko, Maryna; Vancová, Marie; Clark, K.; Oliver, J. H., Jr.; Grubhoffer, Libor; Rudenko, Natalia

2016-01-01

Roč. 9, FEB 4 (2016), č. článku 68. ISSN 1756-3305 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 278976 - ANTIGONE Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Borrelia * Borrelia bissettii * MLST analysis * live spirochete * divergent strain Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 3.080, year: 2016

Mesophilic anaerobic stabilization of sewage sludge. Mesophile anaerobe Klaerschlammstabilisierung mit aerober Folgebehandlung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stoll, U.

1988-01-01

Sludges treated in two stages in experiments - 7 days of anaerobic treatment and 2 days of aerobic-thermophilic treatment - can be judged to be completely stabilized because of the stabilization parameters BOD/sub 5//COD ratio and respiratory activity. The degradation results obtained are comparable to or better than those of the 20-day digestion (reference process). For all aerobic processes under investigation a clear temperature increase in the aerobic reactor was measured because of the exothermal metabolic processes of the aerobic biocenosis. There was a temperature rise of 15/sup 0/C in the tests in the aerobic reactor even after longer digestion times of 15 and 20 days. The results of the epidemics and hygiene investigations show that a secondary aerobic-thermophilic stage after the mesophilic digestion with adequate marginal conditions - germ retention time of 23 hours in the aerobic reactor at process temperatures higher than 50/sup 0/C as well as charging in batch quantities - leads to a safe and complete decontamination. Under these process and operation conditions all salmonellae were killed and the number of the enterobacteriaceae in 1 g of sludge was always less than 1.000. (orig./EF).

A novel flagellar sheath protein, FcpA, determines filament coiling, translational motility and virulence for the Leptospira spirochete.

Science.gov (United States)

Wunder, Elsio A; Figueira, Cláudio P; Benaroudj, Nadia; Hu, Bo; Tong, Brian A; Trajtenberg, Felipe; Liu, Jun; Reis, Mitermayer G; Charon, Nyles W; Buschiazzo, Alejandro; Picardeau, Mathieu; Ko, Albert I

2016-08-01

Leptospira are unique among bacteria based on their helical cell morphology with hook-shaped ends and the presence of periplasmic flagella (PF) with pronounced spontaneous supercoiling. The factors that provoke such supercoiling, as well as the role that PF coiling plays in generating the characteristic hook-end cell morphology and motility, have not been elucidated. We have now identified an abundant protein from the pathogen L. interrogans, exposed on the PF surface, and named it Flagellar-coiling protein A (FcpA). The gene encoding FcpA is highly conserved among Leptospira and was not found in other bacteria. fcpA(-) mutants, obtained from clinical isolates or by allelic exchange, had relatively straight, smaller-diameter PF, and were not able to produce translational motility. These mutants lost their ability to cause disease in the standard hamster model of leptospirosis. Complementation of fcpA restored the wild-type morphology, motility and virulence phenotypes. In summary, we identified a novel Leptospira 36-kDa protein, the main component of the spirochete's PF sheath, and a key determinant of the flagella's coiled structure. FcpA is essential for bacterial translational motility and to enable the spirochete to penetrate the host, traverse tissue barriers, disseminate to cause systemic infection and reach target organs. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Characterisation of community structure of bacteria in parallel mesophilic and thermophilic pilot scale anaerobe sludge digesters.

Science.gov (United States)

Tauber, T; Berta, Brigitta; Székely, Anna J; Gyarmati, I; Kékesi, Katalin; Márialigeti, K; Tóth, Erika M

2007-03-01

The aim of the present work was to compare the microbial communities of a mesophilic and a thermophilic pilot scale anaerobe sludge digester. For studying the communities cultivation independent chemotaxonomical methods (RQ and PLFA analyses) and T-RFLP were applied. Microbial communities of the mesophilic and thermophilic pilot digesters showed considerable differences, both concerning the species present, and their abundance. A Methanosarcina sp. dominated the thermophilic, while a Methanosaeta sp. the mesophilic digester among Archaea. Species diversity of Bacteria was reduced in the thermophilic digester. Based on the quinone patterns in both digesters the dominance of sulphate reducing respiratory bacteria could be detected. The PLFA profiles of the digester communities were similar though in minor components characteristic differences were shown. Level of branched chain fatty acids is slightly lower in the thermophilic digester that reports less Gram positive bacteria. The relative ratio of fatty acids characteristic to Enterobacteriaceae, Bacteroidetes and Clostridia shows differences between the two digesters: their importance generally decreased under thermophilic conditions. The sulphate reducer marker (15:1 and 17:1) fatty acids are present in low quantity in both digesters.

Mesophilic anaerobic co-digestion of municipal solid waste and sewage sludge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aghdam, Ehsan Fathi; Kinnunen, V.; Rintala, Jukka A.

2015-01-01

This paper presents mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), biowaste (BW), sewage sludge (SS), and co-digestion of BW and SS. Average methane yields of 386 ± 54, 385 ± 82, 198 ± 14, and 318 ± 59 L CH4/kg volatile solids (VS) were obtained for OFMSW...

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sulphate-containing wastewaters.

Science.gov (United States)

Colleran, E; Pender, S

2002-01-01

The effect of sulphate at an influent chemical oxygen demand (COD):sulphate ratio of 4 on the operational performance of anaerobic hybrid reactors treating molasses wastewater was investigated under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions in a long-term laboratory-scale study over a 1,081 day period. The presence of sulphate reduced the COD removal efficiency under both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. At 55 degrees C, effluent acetate levels were consistently greater than 4000 mg l(-1) indicating that thermophilic acetate-utilising methane-producing bacteria (MPB) or sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) had not developed in the reactor under the conditions applied. At 37 degrees C, acetate was exclusively utilised by acetoclastic methanogens, whereas H2-utilising SRB predominated over H2-utilising MPB in the competition for hydrogen. By contrast, hydrogenotrophic MPB were shown to outcompete H2-utilising SRB during long-term thermophilic operation. 16SrDNA analysis of the seed sludge and reactor biomass on conclusion of the 37 degrees C and 55 degrees C trials illustrated that the dominant methanogen present on conclusion of the thermophilic trial in the absence of influent sulphate was related to Methanocorpusculum parvuum, and was capable of growth on both acetate and hydrogen. By contrast, an organism closely related to Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum was the dominant methanogen present in the sulphate-fed reactor on completion of the thermophilic trial.

Comprehensive microbial analysis of combined mesophilic anaerobic-thermophilic aerobic process treating high-strength food wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Hyun Min; Ha, Jeong Hyub; Park, Jong Moon; Kim, Mi-Sun; Sommer, Sven G

2015-04-15

A combined mesophilic anaerobic-thermophilic aerobic process was used to treat high-strength food wastewater in this study. During the experimental period, most of solid residue from the mesophilic anaerobic reactor (R1) was separated by centrifugation and introduced into the thermophilic aerobic reactor (R2) for further digestion. Then, thermophilic aerobically-digested sludge was reintroduced into R1 to enhance reactor performance. The combined process was operated with two different Runs: Run I with hydraulic retention time (HRT) = 40 d (corresponding OLR = 3.5 kg COD/m(3) d) and Run II with HRT = 20 d (corresponding OLR = 7 kg COD/m(3)). For a comparison, a single-stage mesophilic anaerobic reactor (R3) was operated concurrently with same OLRs and HRTs as the combined process. During the overall digestion, all reactors showed high stability without pH control. The combined process demonstrated significantly higher organic matter removal efficiencies (over 90%) of TS, VS and COD and methane production than did R3. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) results indicated that higher populations of both bacteria and archaea were maintained in R1 than in R3. Pyrosequencing analysis revealed relatively high abundance of phylum Actinobacteria in both R1 and R2, and a predominance of phyla Synergistetes and Firmicutes in R3 during Run II. Furthermore, R1 and R2 shared genera (Prevotella, Aminobacterium, Geobacillus and Unclassified Actinobacteria), which suggests synergy between mesophilic anaerobic digestion and thermophilic aerobic digestion. For archaea, in R1 methanogenic archaea shifted from genus Methanosaeta to Methanosarcina, whereas genera Methanosaeta, Methanobacterium and Methanoculleus were predominant in R3. The results demonstrated dynamics of key microbial populations that were highly consistent with an enhanced reactor performance of the combined process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

H{sup +} and Na{sup +} are involved in flagellar rotation of the spirochete Leptospira

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Islam, Md. Shafiqul [Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-05 Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Morimoto, Yusuke V. [Quantitative Biology Center, RIKEN, 6-2-3 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka 565-0874 (Japan); Graduate School of Frontier BioSciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Kudo, Seishi [Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-05 Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Nakamura, Shuichi, E-mail: naka@bp.apph.tohoku.ac.jp [Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-05 Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Graduate School of Frontier BioSciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)

2015-10-16

Leptospira is a spirochete possessing intracellular flagella. Each Leptospira flagellar filament is linked with a flagellar motor composed of a rotor and a dozen stators. For many bacterial species, it is known that the stator functions as an ion channel and that the ion flux through the stator is coupled with flagellar rotation. The coupling ion varies depending on the species; for example, H{sup +} is used in Escherichia coli, and Na{sup +} is used in Vibrio spp. to drive a polar flagellum. Although genetic and structural studies illustrated that the Leptospira flagellar motor also contains a stator, the coupling ion for flagellar rotation remains unknown. In the present study, we analyzed the motility of Leptospira under various pH values and salt concentrations. Leptospira cells displayed motility in acidic to alkaline pH. In the presence of a protonophore, the cells completely lost motility in acidic to neutral pH but displayed extremely slow movement under alkaline conditions. This result suggests that H{sup +} is a major coupling ion for flagellar rotation over a wide pH range; however, we also observed that the motility of Leptospira was significantly enhanced by the addition of Na{sup +}, though it vigorously moved even under Na{sup +}-free conditions. These results suggest that H{sup +} is preferentially used and that Na{sup +} is secondarily involved in flagellar rotation in Leptospira. The flexible ion selectivity in the flagellar system could be advantageous for Leptospira to survive in a wide range of environment. - Highlights: • This is a study on input energy for motility in the spirochete Leptospira. • Leptospira biflexa exhibited active motility in acidic to alkaline pH. • Both H{sup +} and Na{sup +} are involved in flagellar rotation in Leptospira. • H{sup +} is a primary energy source, but Na{sup +} can secondarily enhance motility.

Screening for Genes Coding for Putative Antitumor Compounds, Antimicrobial and Enzymatic Activities from Haloalkalitolerant and Haloalkaliphilic Bacteria Strains of Algerian Sahara Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Okba Selama

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Extreme environments may often contain unusual bacterial groups whose physiology is distinct from those of normal environments. To satisfy the need for new bioactive pharmaceuticals compounds and enzymes, we report here the isolation of novel bacteria from an extreme environment. Thirteen selected haloalkalitolerant and haloalkaliphilic bacteria were isolated from Algerian Sahara Desert soils. These isolates were screened for the presence of genes coding for putative antitumor compounds using PCR based methods. Enzymatic, antibacterial, and antifungal activities were determined by using cultural dependant methods. Several of these isolates are typical of desert and alkaline saline soils, but, in addition, we report for the first time the presence of a potential new member of the genus Nocardia with particular activity against the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition to their haloalkali character, the presence of genes coding for putative antitumor compounds, combined with the antimicrobial activity against a broad range of indicator strains and their enzymatic potential, makes them suitable for biotechnology applications.

Anaerobic digestion of whole stillage from dry-grind corn ethanol plant under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Eskicioglu, Cigdem; Kennedy, Kevin J; Marin, Juan; Strehler, Benjamin

2011-01-01

Anaerobic digestion of whole stillage from a dry-grind corn-based ethanol plant was evaluated by batch and continuous-flow digesters under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions. At whole corn stillage concentrations of 6348 to 50,786 mg total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD)/L, at standard temperature (0 °C) and pressure (1 atm), preliminary biochemical methane potential assays produced 88±8 L (49±5 L CH4) and 96±19 L (65±14 L CH4) biogas per L stillage from mesophilic and thermophilic digesters, respectively. Continuous-flow studies for the full-strength stillage (TCOD=254 g/L) at organic loadings of 4.25, 6.30 and 9.05 g TCOD/L days indicated unstable performance for the thermophilic digester. Among the sludge retention times (SRTs) of 60, 45 and 30 days tested, the mesophilic digestion was successful only at 60 days-SRT which does not represent a practical operation time for a large scale bioethanol plant. Future laboratory studies will focus on different reactor configurations to reduce the SRT needed in the digesters. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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.

Immune Evasion and Recognition of the Syphilis Spirochete in Blood and Skin of Secondary Syphilis Patients: Two Immunologically Distinct Compartments

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Adriana R.; Ramirez, Lady G.; Zuluaga, Ana V.; Pillay, Allan; Abreu, Christine; Valencia, Carlos A.; La Vake, Carson; Cervantes, Jorge L.; Dunham-Ems, Star; Cartun, Richard; Mavilio, Domenico; Radolf, Justin D.; Salazar, Juan C.

2012-01-01

Background The clinical syndrome associated with secondary syphilis (SS) reflects the propensity of Treponema pallidum (Tp) to escape immune recognition while simultaneously inducing inflammation. Methods To better understand the duality of immune evasion and immune recognition in human syphilis, herein we used a combination of flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and transcriptional profiling to study the immune response in the blood and skin of 27 HIV(-) SS patients in relation to spirochetal burdens. Ex vivo opsonophagocytosis assays using human syphilitic sera (HSS) were performed to model spirochete-monocyte/macrophage interactions in vivo. Results Despite the presence of low-level spirochetemia, as well as immunophenotypic changes suggestive of monocyte activation, we did not detect systemic cytokine production. SS subjects had substantial decreases in circulating DCs and in IFNγ-producing and cytotoxic NK-cells, along with an emergent CD56−/CD16+ NK-cell subset in blood. Skin lesions, which had visible Tp by IHC and substantial amounts of Tp-DNA, had large numbers of macrophages (CD68+), a relative increase in CD8+ T-cells over CD4+ T-cells and were enriched for CD56+ NK-cells. Skin lesions contained transcripts for cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α), chemokines (CCL2, CXCL10), macrophage and DC activation markers (CD40, CD86), Fc-mediated phagocytosis receptors (FcγRI, FcγR3), IFN-β and effector molecules associated with CD8 and NK-cell cytotoxic responses. While HSS promoted uptake of Tp in conjunction with monocyte activation, most spirochetes were not internalized. Conclusions Our findings support the importance of macrophage driven opsonophagocytosis and cell mediated immunity in treponemal clearance, while suggesting that the balance between phagocytic uptake and evasion is influenced by the relative burdens of bacteria in blood and skin and the presence of Tp subpopulations with differential capacities for binding opsonic antibodies. They also

Immune evasion and recognition of the syphilis spirochete in blood and skin of secondary syphilis patients: two immunologically distinct compartments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana R Cruz

Full Text Available The clinical syndrome associated with secondary syphilis (SS reflects the propensity of Treponema pallidum (Tp to escape immune recognition while simultaneously inducing inflammation.To better understand the duality of immune evasion and immune recognition in human syphilis, herein we used a combination of flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry (IHC, and transcriptional profiling to study the immune response in the blood and skin of 27 HIV(- SS patients in relation to spirochetal burdens. Ex vivo opsonophagocytosis assays using human syphilitic sera (HSS were performed to model spirochete-monocyte/macrophage interactions in vivo.Despite the presence of low-level spirochetemia, as well as immunophenotypic changes suggestive of monocyte activation, we did not detect systemic cytokine production. SS subjects had substantial decreases in circulating DCs and in IFNγ-producing and cytotoxic NK-cells, along with an emergent CD56-/CD16+ NK-cell subset in blood. Skin lesions, which had visible Tp by IHC and substantial amounts of Tp-DNA, had large numbers of macrophages (CD68+, a relative increase in CD8+ T-cells over CD4+ T-cells and were enriched for CD56+ NK-cells. Skin lesions contained transcripts for cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, chemokines (CCL2, CXCL10, macrophage and DC activation markers (CD40, CD86, Fc-mediated phagocytosis receptors (FcγRI, FcγR3, IFN-β and effector molecules associated with CD8 and NK-cell cytotoxic responses. While HSS promoted uptake of Tp in conjunction with monocyte activation, most spirochetes were not internalized.Our findings support the importance of macrophage driven opsonophagocytosis and cell mediated immunity in treponemal clearance, while suggesting that the balance between phagocytic uptake and evasion is influenced by the relative burdens of bacteria in blood and skin and the presence of Tp subpopulations with differential capacities for binding opsonic antibodies. They also bring to light the extent of the

Changes of resistome, mobilome and potential hosts of antibiotic resistance genes during the transformation of anaerobic digestion from mesophilic to thermophilic.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Zhe; Zhang, Yu; Yu, Bo; Yang, Min

2016-07-01

This study aimed to reveal how antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their horizontal and vertical transfer-related items (mobilome and bacterial hosts) respond to the transformation of anaerobic digestion (AD) from mesophilic to thermophilic using one-step temperature increase. The resistomes and mobilomes of mesophilic and thermophilic sludge were investigated using metagenome sequencing, and the changes in 24 representative ARGs belonging to three categories, class 1 integron and bacterial genera during the transition period were further followed using quantitative PCR and 454-pyrosequencing. After the temperature increase, resistome abundance in the digested sludge decreased from 125.97 ppm (day 0, mesophilic) to 50.65 ppm (day 57, thermophilic) with the reduction of most ARG types except for the aminoglycoside resistance genes. Thermophilic sludge also had a smaller mobilome, including plasmids, insertion sequences and integrons, than that of mesophilic sludge, suggesting the lower horizontal transfer potential of ARGs under thermophilic conditions. On the other hand, the total abundance of 18 bacterial genera, which were suggested as the possible hosts for 13 ARGs through network analysis, decreased from 23.27% in mesophilic sludge to 11.92% in thermophilic sludge, indicating fewer hosts for the vertical expansion of ARGs after the increase in temperature. These results indicate that the better reduction of resistome abundance by thermophilic AD might be associated with the decrease of both the horizontal and vertical transferability of ARGs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leuconostoc Strains Unable to Split a Lactose Analogue Revealed by Characterisation of Mesophilic Dairy Starters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maarit Mäki

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Mesophilic starter cultures used in dairy industry have been traditionally characterised by metabolic and biochemical methods. As closely related species of lactic acid bacteria have often only minor differences in phenotypic traits, which may also be variable within certain species, clear identification is often complicated. Therefore, techniques of molecular biology have been applied for rapid detection and differentiation of lactic acid bacteria. In this work, some bacterial clones isolated from mesophilic starters, which were preliminary identified as lactococci by phenotypic methods, were found to be Leuconostoc strains by both PCR and PFGE. According to the results, genotypic differentiation methods used in combination with phenotypic tests provide a fast and convenient way to reliably identify lactic acid bacteria displaying atypical metabolic characteristics.

Mesophilic co-digestion of palm oil mill effluent and empty fruit bunches.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sang-Hyoun; Choi, Seon-Mi; Ju, Hyun-Jun; Jung, Jin-Young

2013-01-01

The palm oil mill industry generates palm oil mill effluent (POME) and empty fruit bunches (EFB) as by-products. This study reports the mesophilic co-digestion of POME with EFB. The biochemical methane potential (BMP) of POME and EFB was 0.397 L CH4/g volatile solids (VS) and 0.264 L CH4/g VS, respectively. In a series of batch tests at various EFB to POME ratios, the maximum methane production rate was achieved at an EFB:POME ratio of 0.25-0.31:1. Performance data from lab-scale digesters confirmed the positive synergism by the addition of EFB to POME, which was attributed to the balanced chemical composition, for example the chemical oxygen demand (COD) to total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) ratio. The EFB addition enhanced the acceptable organic loading rate, methane production, COD removal, and microbial activity. The mesophilic co-digestion of POME and EFB promises to be a viable recycling method to alleviate pollution problems and recover renewable energy in the palm oil mill industry.

Comparison of the microbial communities in solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) reactors operated at mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yueh-Fen; Nelson, Michael C; Chen, Po-Hsu; Graf, Joerg; Li, Yebo; Yu, Zhongtang

2015-01-01

The microbiomes involved in liquid anaerobic digestion process have been investigated extensively, but the microbiomes underpinning solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) are poorly understood. In this study, microbiome composition and temporal succession in batch SS-AD reactors, operated at mesophilic or thermophilic temperatures, were investigated using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. A greater microbial richness and evenness were found in the mesophilic than in the thermophilic SS-AD reactors. Firmicutes accounted for 60 and 82 % of the total Bacteria in the mesophilic and in the thermophilic SS-AD reactors, respectively. The genus Methanothermobacter dominated the Archaea in the thermophilic SS-AD reactors, while Methanoculleus predominated in the mesophilic SS-AD reactors. Interestingly, the data suggest syntrophic acetate oxidation coupled with hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis as an important pathway for biogas production during the thermophilic SS-AD. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that temperature was the most influential factor in shaping the microbiomes in the SS-AD reactors. Thermotogae showed strong positive correlation with operation temperature, while Fibrobacteres, Lentisphaerae, Spirochaetes, and Tenericutes were positively correlated with daily biogas yield. This study provided new insight into the microbiome that drives SS-AD process, and the findings may help advance understanding of the microbiome in SS-AD reactors and the design and operation of SS-AD systems.

Thermophilic versus Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge: A Comparative Review

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Getachew D. Gebreeyessus

2016-06-01

Full Text Available During advanced biological wastewater treatment, a huge amount of sludge is produced as a by-product of the treatment process. Hence, reuse and recovery of resources and energy from the sludge is a big technological challenge. The processing of sludge produced by Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs is massive, which takes up a big part of the overall operational costs. In this regard, anaerobic digestion (AD of sewage sludge continues to be an attractive option to produce biogas that could contribute to the wastewater management cost reduction and foster the sustainability of those WWTPs. At the same time, AD reduces sludge amounts and that again contributes to the reduction of the sludge disposal costs. However, sludge volume minimization remains, a challenge thus improvement of dewatering efficiency is an inevitable part of WWTP operation. As a result, AD parameters could have significant impact on sludge properties. One of the most important operational parameters influencing the AD process is temperature. Consequently, the thermophilic and the mesophilic modes of sludge AD are compared for their pros and cons by many researchers. However, most comparisons are more focused on biogas yield, process speed and stability. Regarding the biogas yield, thermophilic sludge AD is preferred over the mesophilic one because of its faster biochemical reaction rate. Equally important but not studied sufficiently until now was the influence of temperature on the digestate quality, which is expressed mainly by the sludge dewateringability, and the reject water quality (chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, and pH. In the field of comparison of thermophilic and mesophilic digestion process, few and often inconclusive research, unfortunately, has been published so far. Hence, recommendations for optimized technologies have not yet been done. The review presented provides a comparison of existing sludge AD technologies and the gaps that need to be filled so

Thermophilic versus Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge: A Comparative Review

Science.gov (United States)

Gebreeyessus, Getachew D.; Jenicek, Pavel

2016-01-01

During advanced biological wastewater treatment, a huge amount of sludge is produced as a by-product of the treatment process. Hence, reuse and recovery of resources and energy from the sludge is a big technological challenge. The processing of sludge produced by Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) is massive, which takes up a big part of the overall operational costs. In this regard, anaerobic digestion (AD) of sewage sludge continues to be an attractive option to produce biogas that could contribute to the wastewater management cost reduction and foster the sustainability of those WWTPs. At the same time, AD reduces sludge amounts and that again contributes to the reduction of the sludge disposal costs. However, sludge volume minimization remains, a challenge thus improvement of dewatering efficiency is an inevitable part of WWTP operation. As a result, AD parameters could have significant impact on sludge properties. One of the most important operational parameters influencing the AD process is temperature. Consequently, the thermophilic and the mesophilic modes of sludge AD are compared for their pros and cons by many researchers. However, most comparisons are more focused on biogas yield, process speed and stability. Regarding the biogas yield, thermophilic sludge AD is preferred over the mesophilic one because of its faster biochemical reaction rate. Equally important but not studied sufficiently until now was the influence of temperature on the digestate quality, which is expressed mainly by the sludge dewateringability, and the reject water quality (chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, and pH). In the field of comparison of thermophilic and mesophilic digestion process, few and often inconclusive research, unfortunately, has been published so far. Hence, recommendations for optimized technologies have not yet been done. The review presented provides a comparison of existing sludge AD technologies and the gaps that need to be filled so as to optimize

Microbial community changes in methanogenic granules during the transition from mesophilic to thermophilic conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Xinyu; Kougias, Panagiotis; Treu, Laura

2017-01-01

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor is one of the most applied technologies for various high-strength wastewater treatments. The present study analysed the microbial community changes in UASB granules during the transition from mesophilic to thermophilic conditions. Dynamicity...

Coordinated Expression of Borrelia burgdorferi Complement Regulator-Acquiring Surface Proteins during the Lyme Disease Spirochete's Mammal-Tick Infection Cycle▿

OpenAIRE

Bykowski, Tomasz; Woodman, Michael E.; Cooley, Anne E.; Brissette, Catherine A.; Brade, Volker; Wallich, Reinhard; Kraiczy, Peter; Stevenson, Brian

2007-01-01

The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, is largely resistant to being killed by its hosts’ alternative complement activation pathway. One possible resistance mechanism of these bacteria is to coat their surfaces with host complement regulators, such as factor H. Five different B. burgdorferi outer surface proteins having affinities for factor H have been identified: complement regulator-acquiring surface protein 1 (BbCRASP-1), encoded by cspA; BbCRASP-2, encoded by cspZ; and three ...

Thermal adaptation of mesophilic and thermophilic FtsZ assembly by modulation of the critical concentration.

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Luis Concha-Marambio

Full Text Available Cytokinesis is the last stage in the cell cycle. In prokaryotes, the protein FtsZ guides cell constriction by assembling into a contractile ring-shaped structure termed the Z-ring. Constriction of the Z-ring is driven by the GTPase activity of FtsZ that overcomes the energetic barrier between two protein conformations having different propensities to assemble into polymers. FtsZ is found in psychrophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic organisms thereby functioning at temperatures ranging from subzero to >100°C. To gain insight into the functional adaptations enabling assembly of FtsZ in distinct environmental conditions, we analyzed the energetics of FtsZ function from mesophilic Escherichia coli in comparison with FtsZ from thermophilic Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. Presumably, the assembly may be similarly modulated by temperature for both FtsZ orthologs. The temperature dependence of the first-order rates of nucleotide hydrolysis and of polymer disassembly, indicated an entropy-driven destabilization of the FtsZ-GTP intermediate. This destabilization was true for both mesophilic and thermophilic FtsZ, reflecting a conserved mechanism of disassembly. From the temperature dependence of the critical concentrations for polymerization, we detected a change of opposite sign in the heat capacity, that was partially explained by the specific changes in the solvent-accessible surface area between the free and polymerized states of FtsZ. At the physiological temperature, the assembly of both FtsZ orthologs was found to be driven by a small positive entropy. In contrast, the assembly occurred with a negative enthalpy for mesophilic FtsZ and with a positive enthalpy for thermophilic FtsZ. Notably, the assembly of both FtsZ orthologs is characterized by a critical concentration of similar value (1-2 μM at the environmental temperatures of their host organisms. These findings suggest a simple but robust mechanism of adaptation of FtsZ, previously shown

Neelaredoxin, an iron-binding protein from the syphilis spirochete, Treponema pallidum, is a superoxide reductase.

Science.gov (United States)

Jovanović, T; Ascenso, C; Hazlett, K R; Sikkink, R; Krebs, C; Litwiller, R; Benson, L M; Moura, I; Moura, J J; Radolf, J D; Huynh, B H; Naylor, S; Rusnak, F

2000-09-15

Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of venereal syphilis, is a microaerophilic obligate pathogen of humans. As it disseminates hematogenously and invades a wide range of tissues, T. pallidum presumably must tolerate substantial oxidative stress. Analysis of the T. pallidum genome indicates that the syphilis spirochete lacks most of the iron-binding proteins present in many other bacterial pathogens, including the oxidative defense enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase, but does possess an orthologue (TP0823) for neelaredoxin, an enzyme of hyperthermophilic and sulfate-reducing anaerobes shown to possess superoxide reductase activity. To analyze the potential role of neelaredoxin in treponemal oxidative defense, we examined the biochemical, spectroscopic, and antioxidant properties of recombinant T. pallidum neelaredoxin. Neelaredoxin was shown to be expressed in T. pallidum by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Recombinant neelaredoxin is a 26-kDa alpha(2) homodimer containing, on average, 0.7 iron atoms/subunit. Mössbauer and EPR analysis of the purified protein indicates that the iron atom exists as a mononuclear center in a mixture of high spin ferrous and ferric oxidation states. The fully oxidized form, obtained by the addition of K(3)(Fe(CN)(6)), exhibits an optical spectrum with absorbances at 280, 320, and 656 nm; the last feature is responsible for the protein's blue color, which disappears upon ascorbate reduction. The fully oxidized protein has a A(280)/A(656) ratio of 10.3. Enzymatic studies revealed that T. pallidum neelaredoxin is able to catalyze a redox equilibrium between superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, a result consistent with it being a superoxide reductase. This finding, the first description of a T. pallidum iron-binding protein, indicates that the syphilis spirochete copes with oxidative stress via a primitive mechanism, which, thus far, has not been described in pathogenic

Effect of feed to microbe ratios on anaerobic digestion of Chinese cabbage waste under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions: biogas potential and kinetic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kafle, Gopi Krishna; Bhattarai, Sujala; Kim, Sang Hun; Chen, Lide

2014-01-15

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the feed-to-microbe (F/M) ratios on anaerobic digestion of Chinese cabbage waste (CCW) generated from a kimchi factory. The batch test was conducted for 96 days under mesophilic (36.5 °C) (Experiment I) and thermophilic (55 °C) conditions (Experiment II) at F/M ratios of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0. The first-order kinetic model was evaluated for methane yield. The biogas yield in terms of volatile solids (VS) added increased from 591 to 677 mL/g VS under mesophilic conditions and 434 to 639 mL/g VS under thermophilic conditions when the F/M ratio increased from 0.5 to 2.0. Similarly, the volumetric biogas production increased from 1.479 to 6.771 L/L under mesophilic conditions and from 1.086 to 6.384 L/L under thermophilic conditions when F/M ratio increased from 0.5 to 2.0. The VS removal increased from 59.4 to 75.6% under mesophilic conditions and from 63.5 to 78.3% under thermophilic conditions when the F/M ratio increased from 0.5 to 2.0. The first-order kinetic constant (k, 1/day) decreased under the mesophilic temperature conditions and increased under thermophilic conditions when the F/M ratio increased from 0.5 to 2.0. The difference between the experimental and predicted methane yield was in the range of 3.4-14.5% under mesophilic conditions and in the range of 1.1-3.0% under thermophilic conditions. The predicted methane yield derived from the first-order kinetic model was in good agreement with the experimental results. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Filament formation associated with spirochetal infection: a comparative approach to Morgellons disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Middelveen, Marianne J; Stricker, Raphael B

2011-01-01

Bovine digital dermatitis is an emerging infectious disease that causes lameness, decreased milk production, and weight loss in livestock. Proliferative stages of bovine digital dermatitis demonstrate keratin filament formation in skin above the hooves in affected animals. The multifactorial etiology of digital dermatitis is not well understood, but spirochetes and other coinfecting microorganisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of this veterinary illness. Morgellons disease is an emerging human dermopathy characterized by the presence of filamentous fibers of undetermined composition, both in lesions and subdermally. While the etiology of Morgellons disease is unknown, there is serological and clinical evidence linking this phenomenon to Lyme borreliosis and coinfecting tick-borne agents. Although the microscopy of Morgellons filaments has been described in the medical literature, the structure and pathogenesis of these fibers is poorly understood. In contrast, most microscopy of digital dermatitis has focused on associated pathogens and histology rather than the morphology of late-stage filamentous fibers. Clinical, laboratory, and microscopic characteristics of these two diseases are compared.

Discrimination of thermophilic and mesophilic proteins

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Vaisman Iosif I

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a considerable literature on the source of the thermostability of proteins from thermophilic organisms. Understanding the mechanisms for this thermostability would provide insights into proteins generally and permit the design of synthetic hyperstable biocatalysts. Results We have systematically tested a large number of sequence and structure derived quantities for their ability to discriminate thermostable proteins from their non-thermostable orthologs using sets of mesophile-thermophile ortholog pairs. Most of the quantities tested correspond to properties previously reported to be associated with thermostability. Many of the structure related properties were derived from the Delaunay tessellation of protein structures. Conclusions Carefully selected sequence based indices discriminate better than purely structure based indices. Combined sequence and structure based indices improve performance somewhat further. Based on our analysis, the strongest contributors to thermostability are an increase in ion pairs on the protein surface and a more strongly hydrophobic interior.

Characterization of Probiotic Fermented Milk Prepared by Different Inoculation Size of Mesophilic and Thermophilic Lactic Acid Bacteria

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Sara Nasiri Boosjin

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Importance of development of novel probiotic fermented milk and challenge made for its acceptability is well known. In this research, the impact of different inoculation sizes of yogurt and DL-type starter culture (mesophilic and thermophilic LAB on titratable acidity, viscosity, sensorial and microbial properties of fermented milk was investigated; and finally, probiotic Langfil was produced.Materials and Methods: Fermented milk produced by 1, 2 and 3% v v-1 inocula consisting thermophilic: mesophilic starter cultures 10:90 (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris. Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus were analyzed for determination of titratable acidity, viscosity, viability of mesophilic starter cultures and sensory properties on days 5, 10, and 15 of storage at 4°C. Then, the most suitable treatments were selected for the producing probiotic Langfil, containing probiotic starter culture (2% v v-1 inoculums with equal ratio of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Lactococcus lactis and L. cremoris were counted on M17 agar, while Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus were counted aerobically on tomato juice agar and MRS bile agar, respectively. Bifidobacterium was cultured anaerobically on MRS bile agar. Sensory evaluation was carried out by ten trained panelists, based on a nine-point hedonic scale during the cold storage.Results and Conclusion: According to results, the best organoleptic properties were achieved in the product prepared with 2% the mesophilic and thermophilic starter cultures and 2% probiotic. This product had a high viscosity. An Iranian probiotic Langfil with desired properties was produced using the best treatment prepared.Conflict of interests: The authors declare no conflict of

Comparative microbiological-hygienic studies in mesophilic and thermophilic fouling of sewage sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pohlig-Schmitt, M.; Philipp, W.; Wekerle, J.; Strauch, D.

Investigations concerning the inactivation of microbial pathogens (bacteria, viruses and parasites) during anaerobic, alkaline dignestion of sludge are described. A thermophilic (54/sup 0/C) and a mesophilic (34/sup 0/C) operated biogas model plant were compared from the point of view of hygiene. Is was found that in the thermophilic process Salmonella senftenberg survived 13,5 h, Streptococcus faecium 55 h, Streptococcus faecalis 42 h and Klebsiella pneumoniae 0,5 h. Within 30 min eggs of Ascaris suum lost their infectivity Bovine Parvovirus was inactivated after 1 d to 2 d treatment. Survival times under mesophilic conditions of 13 d for Salmonella senftenberg and more than 8 mouth for Streptococcus faecium were found. Poliovirus Type 1 was inactivated in 8 d while Bovine Parvovirus survived no longer than 15 d. The results obtained in the thermophilic process were compared to those after heat treatment of the test microorganisms in ampules exposed in a wather-bath under defined conditions to 54/sup 0/C. It was found, that the bacteria survived only about half the time in this case. Poliovirus Type 1 was inactivated after 0,75 h and Bovine Parvovirus after 7 d exposure. (orig.RB)

Microbiological analysis of coliforms and mesophilic aerobic spore formers in gamma irradiated cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao L.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barata, Anderson Demetrio; Mansur Netto, Elias

1995-01-01

The presence of coliforms in processed foods is an useful indicator of post-sanitization and post processing contamination, and members of the mesophilic aerobic spore formers have great importance in food spoilage. Spore - forming aerobic bacilli have been observed in fermenting cocoa in Jamaica and West Africa. The results of this work has shown a considerable reduction of the mesophilic aerobic spore formers in irradiated Brazilian Comun Cocoa beans as long as the irradiation dose was increased from 1.05 to 3.99 kGy. The presence of coliforms irradiated has not been found even in the coroa beans with the dose of 1.05 kGy. (author). 4 refs., 1 tab

THAWING PROCEDURES FOR HOSPITAL-MADE ENTERAL FEEDINGS: SURVIVAL OF COLIFORM AND MESOPHILIC AEROBIC BACTERIA

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KATHIA ROSSI ROLIM LOPES

2009-07-01

Full Text Available

ABSTRACT: This study had the purpose to observe the effect of thawing procedures on survival of coliform and mesophilic aerobic bacteria in hospital-made enteral feedings. The samples are represented by three different lots. The tests were realized in three moments: immediately after the sample preparation and after freezing during 1 or 2 months. The thawing procedures were denominated convencional and alternative. The first, used by hospital, utilizes water bath at 50ºC, considering the time spent from the total thawing to its distribution in the infirmaries. The second was the fast thawing made by microwaving. The results showed that the reduction of the mesophiles and coliform was related to the time the samples were frozen. The results obtained indicate an advantage of the alternative method, which presented lower total and fecal coliform counts than the conventional one. KEYWORDS: Enteral feedings; thawing; food microbiology.

A novel process for volatile fatty acids production from syngas by integrating with mesophilic alkaline fermentation of waste activated sludge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rao, Yue; Wan, Jingjing; Liu, Yafeng

2018-01-01

The present study proposed and demonstrated a novel process for the bioconversion of syngas (mainly CO and H2) to valuable volatile fatty acids (VFA) by integrating with mesophilic alkaline fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS). The results showed that although pH 9 was suitable for VFA...... to the mesophilic alkaline fermentation of WAS at pH 10 not only resulted in the enrichment of some known bacteria related with syngas conversion, but also changed the microbial community compositions for the fermentation of WAS....

Mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria from meat and their spoilage potential in vitro and in beef.

Science.gov (United States)

Ercolini, Danilo; Russo, Federica; Nasi, Antonella; Ferranti, Pasquale; Villani, Francesco

2009-04-01

Mesophilic and psychrotrophic populations from refrigerated meat were identified in this study, and the spoilage potential of microbial isolates in packaged beef was evaluated by analyzing the release of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Fifty mesophilic and twenty-nine psychrotrophic isolates were analyzed by random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR, and representative strains were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Carnobacterium maltaromaticum and C. divergens were the species most frequently found in both mesophilic and psychrotrophic populations. Acinetobacter baumannii, Buttiauxella spp. and Serratia spp. were identified among the mesophilic isolates, while Pseudomonas spp. were commonly identified among the psychrotrophs. The isolates were further characterized for their growth at different temperatures and their proteolytic activity in vitro on meat proteins extracts at 7 degrees C. Selected proteolytic strains of Serratia proteamaculans, Pseudomonas fragi, and C. maltaromaticum were used to examine their spoilage potential in situ. Single strains of these species and mixtures of these strains were used to contaminate beef chops that were packed and stored at 7 degrees C. At time intervals up to 1 month, viable counts were determined, and VOC were identified by GC/MS. Generally, the VOC concentrations went to increase during the storage of the contaminated meats, and the profiles of the analyzed meat changed dramatically depending on the contaminating microbial species. About 100 volatiles were identified in the different contaminated samples. Among the detected volatiles, some specific molecules were identified only when the meat was contaminated by a specific microbial species. Compounds such as 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, 2-buten-1-ol, 2-hexyl-1-octanol, 2-nonanone, and 2-ethylhexanal were detectable only for C. maltaromaticum, which also produced the highest number of aldehydes, lactones, and sulfur compounds. The

Effect of high pressure on mesophilic lactic fermentation streptococci

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reps, A; Kuzmicka, M; Wisniewska, K [Chair of Food Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury, ul. Heweliusza 1, 10-724 Olsztyn (Poland)], E-mail: arnold.reps@uwm.edu.pl

2008-07-15

The research concerned the effect of high pressure on mesophilic lactic fermentation streptococci, present in two cheese-making commercial inocula produced by Christian-Hansen. Water solutions of inocula were pressurized at 50-800 MPa, at room temperature, for 30-120 min. Pressurization at 50-100 MPa slightly increased or reduced the number of lactic streptococci, depending on the inoculum and pressurization time. Pressurization at 200 MPa caused a reduction in the number of streptococci by over 99.9%, whereas the pressure of 400 MPa and above almost completely inactivated streptococci. Pressurization also reduced the dynamics of microorganism growth and acidification, to the degree depending on the pressure.

Interspecies Electron Transfer during Propionate and Butyrate Degradation in Mesophilic, Granular Sludge

OpenAIRE

Schmidt, J. E.; Ahring, B. K.

1995-01-01

Granules from a mesophilic upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor were disintegrated, and bacteria utilizing only hydrogen or formate or both hydrogen and formate were added to investigate the role of interspecies electron transfer during degradation of propionate and butyrate. The data indicate that the major electron transfer occurred via interspecies hydrogen transfer, while interspecies formate transfer may not be essential for interspecies electron transfer in this system during degrada...

Mesophilic and thermophilic alkaline fermentation of waste activated sludge for hydrogen production: Focusing on homoacetogenesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wan, Jingjing; Jing, Yuhang; Zhang, Shicheng

2016-01-01

The present study compared the mesophilic and thermophilic alkaline fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS) for hydrogen production with focus on homoacetogenesis, which mediated the consumption of H2 and CO2 for acetate production. Batch experiments showed that hydrogen yield of WAS increased...

Comprehensive microbial analysis of combined mesophilic anaerobic-thermophilic aerobic process treating high-strength food wastewater

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jang, Hyun Min; Ha, Jeong Hyub; Park, Jong Moon

2015-01-01

of phylum Actinobacteria in both R1 and R2, and a predominance of phyla Synergistetes and Firmicutes in R3 during Run II. Furthermore, R1 and R2 shared genera (Prevotella, Aminobacterium, Geobacillus and Unclassified Actinobacteria), which suggests synergy between mesophilic anaerobic digestion...

Temperature-Dependent Alkyl Glycerol Ether Lipid Composition of Mesophilic and Thermophilic Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria

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Arnauld Vinçon-Laugier

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The occurrence of non-isoprenoid alkyl glycerol ether lipids in Bacteria and natural environments is increasingly being reported and the specificity and diagenetic stability of these lipids make them powerful biomarkers for biogeochemical and environmental studies. Yet the environmental controls on the biosynthesis of these peculiar membrane lipids remain poorly documented. Here, the lipid content of two mesophilic (Desulfatibacillum aliphaticivorans and Desulfatibacillum alkenivorans and one thermophilic (Thermodesulfobacterium commune sulfate-reducing bacteria—whose membranes are mostly composed of ether lipids—was investigated as a function of growth temperature (20–40°C and 54–84°C, respectively. For all strains, the cellular lipid content was lower at sub- or supra-optimal growth temperature, but the relative proportions of dialkyl glycerols, monoalkyl glycerols and fatty acids remained remarkably stable whatever the growth temperature. Rather than changing the proportions of the different lipid classes, the three strains responded to temperature changes by modifying the average structural composition of the alkyl and acyl chains constitutive of their membrane lipids. Major adaptive mechanisms concerned modifications of the level of branching and of the proportions of the different methyl branched lipids. Specifically, an increase in temperature induced mesophilic strains to produce less dimethyl branched dialkyl glycerols and 10-methyl branched lipids relative to linear structures, and the thermophilic strain to decrease the proportion of anteiso relative to iso methyl branched compounds. These modifications were in agreement with a regulation of the membrane fluidity. In one mesophilic and the thermophilic strains, a modification of the growth temperature further induced changes in the relative proportions of sn-2 vs sn-1 monoalkyl glycerols, suggesting an unprecedented mechanism of homeoviscous adaptation in Bacteria. Strong

Chronic impacts of oxytetracycline on mesophilic anaerobic digestion of excess sludge: Inhibition of hydrolytic acidification and enrichment of antibiotic resistome.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Zhe; Zhang, Yu; Yang, Min

2018-07-01

We evaluated the chronic impact of oxytetracycline (OTC) on performance and antibiotic resistance development during the mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) of antibiotic-containing biomass. Mesophilic AD was conducted in a completely stirred tank reactor by constantly feeding municipal excess sludge spiked with increasing concentrations of OTC (0-1000 mg L -1 ) under a solid retention time of 20 days over a period of 265 days. Results showed that methane generation of mesophilic AD was inhibited when the OTC concentration in digested sludge was increased to around 18,000 mg kg -1 (OTC dose, 1000 mg L -1 ), due to the inhibition of fermenting and acidogenic bacteria. Metagenomic sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that tetracycline resistance genes were the most dominant type (38.47-43.76%) in the resistome, with tetG, tetX, tetM, tetR, tetQ, tetO, and tetL as the dominant resistant subtypes throughout the whole experimental period. The relative abundance of these tet genes increased from 2.10 × 10 -1 before spiking OTC (OTC concentration in digested sludge, 8.97 mg kg -1 ) to 2.83 × 10 -1 (p resistome variation were 29.35% and 21.51%, respectively. Thus, considering the inhibition of hydrolytic acidification and enrichment of antibiotic resistome, mesophilic AD is not suggested to directly treat the biomass containing OTC concentration higher than 200 mg L -1 . Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Distribution and removal of anaerobic antibiotic resistant bacteria during mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge].

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Juan; Wang, Yuan-Yue; Wei Yuan, Song

2014-10-01

Sewage sludge is one of the major sources that releasing antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistant genes (ARG) into the environment since it contains large amount of ARB, but there is little information about the fate of the anaerobic ARB in the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge. Therefore, the distribution, removal and seasonal changes of tetracycline and β-lactam antibiotics resistant bacteria in the mesophilic egg-shaped digesters of a municipal wastewater treatment plant were investigated for one year in this study. Results showed that there were higher amounts of ARB and higher resistance rate of β-lactam antibiotics than that of tetracycline antibiotics in the sewage sludge. All ARB could be significantly reduced during the mesophilic anaerobic digestion process by 1.48-1.64 log unit (P anaerobic digestion by 12.0% and 14.3%, respectively (P bacteria, there were more ARB in the sewage sludge in cold season than in warm season (P < 0.05).

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION MODEL ANALYSIS OF THE FERMENTATION PROCESS IN PSYCHROPHILIC AND MESOPHILIC CHAMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMOUNT OF BIOGAS SOURCED

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Dariusz Zdebik

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The paper presents problems concerning the modelling of anaerobic sludge stabilization, with the additional substrate (waste transported, dairy butchery sewage in psychrophilic fermentation conditions in the range 10–20 °C and mesophilic at 35 °C. Simulation test was conducted in the two digesters. Results of the study allowed to evaluate the effectiveness of conducting these processes in separate chambers, i.e. the psychrophilic and mesophilic chamber. During the simulations, terms of obtaining volatile fatty acids and biogas in conjunction with the operating conditions of the chambers indicated.

Anaerobic digestibility of Scenedesmus obliquus and Phaeodactylum tricornutum under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zamalloa, Carlos; Boon, Nico; Verstraete, Willy

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We investigate the digestion of two algae biomasses in hybrid flow-through reactors. ► We determine the bio-methane potential of these biomasses through batch assays. ► Conversion efficiencies of 20–50% with an HRT of 2.2 days are possible. ► We valorise microalgae biomass by anaerobic digestion in a high rate reactor. -- Abstract: Two types of non-axenic algal cultures, one dominated by the freshwater microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus and the other by the marine microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum, were cultivated in two types of simple photobioreactor systems. The production rates, expressed on dry matter (DM) basis, were in the order of 0.12 and 0.18 g DM L −1 d −1 for S. obliquus and P. tricornutum respectively. The biogas potential of algal biomass was assessed by performing standardized batch digestion as well as digestion in a hybrid flow-through reactor (combining a sludge blanket and a carrier bed), the latter under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Biomethane potential assays revealed the ultimate methane yield (B 0 ) of P. tricornutum biomass to be about a factor of 1.5 higher than that of S. obliquus biomass, i.e. 0.36 and 0.24 L CH 4 g −1 volatile solids (VS) added respectively. For S. obliquus biomass, the hybrid flow-through reactor tests operated at volumetric organic loading rate (Bv) of 2.8 gVS L −1 d −1 indicated low conversion efficiencies ranging between 26–31% at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2.2 days for mesophilic and thermophilic conditions respectively. When digesting P. tricornutum at a Bv of 1.9 gVS L −1 d −1 at either mesophilic or thermophilic conditions and at an HRT of 2.2 days, an overall conversion efficiency of about 50% was obtained. This work indicated that the hydrolysis of the algae cells is limiting the anaerobic processing of intensively grown S. obliquus and P. tricornutum biomass.

Use of T7 RNA polymerase to direct expression of outer Surface Protein A (OspA) from the Lyme disease Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, John J.; Lade, Barbara N.

1991-01-01

The OspA gene from a North American strain of the Lyme disease Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, was cloned under the control of transciption and translation signals from bacteriophage T7. Full-length OspA protein, a 273 amino acid (31kD) lipoprotein, is expressed poorly in Escherichia coli and is associated with the insoluble membrane fraction. In contrast, a truncated form of OspA lacking the amino-terminal signal sequence which normally would direct localization of the protein to the outer membrane is expressed at very high levels (less than or equal to 100 mg/liter) and is soluble. The truncated protein was purified to homogeneity and is being tested to see if it will be useful as an immunogen in a vaccine against Lyme disease. Circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy was used to characterize the secondary structure and study conformational changes in the protein. Studies underway with other surface proteins from B burgdorferi and a related spirochete, B. hermsii, which causes relapsing fever, leads us to conclude that a strategy similar to that used to express the truncated OspA can provide a facile method for producing variations of Borrelia lipoproteins which are highly expressed in E. coli and soluble without exposure to detergents.

Anaerobic biodigestion of sugarcane vinasse under mesophilic conditions using manure as inoculum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Eduardo de Farias Silva

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Sugarcane vinasse is one of the most polluting residues produced by Brazilian ethanol industries, mainly because of its harmful effects on the environmental, such as high organic matter load and acidity. Anaerobic digestion is a highly efficient wastewater treatment method that could potentially be used to treat sugarcane vinasse. This study examined the anaerobic biodigestion of sugarcane vinasse in mesophilic conditions (30 - 45°C by varying the inoculum concentration (0.5 to 5.5% and pH (6 - 8. Changes of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD, total solids content, and yield and composition of biogas after the biodigestion of the vinasse were assessed. The vinasse was efficiently digested under mesophilic anaerobic conditions over a 23-day Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT and a 5-day acidogenic phase with a consequent reduction of COD (54 - 83% and total solids (52 - 87%. Statistical analyses at a confidence level of 95% suggested that temperature, pH and inoculum concentration did not influence on the anaerobic biodigestion of the vinasse. The optimal operating parameters were found to be temperatures of 30 - 35°C, inoculum concentration of 0.5% and pH of 6 - 7. The results emphasize the promising use of the treated sugarcane vinasse as a biofertilizer for agriculture, indicating that the anaerobic digestion process is an excellent alternative for Brazilian ethanol industries.

Functional annotation of the mesophilic-like character of mutants in a cold-adapted enzyme by self-organising map analysis of their molecular dynamics.

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Fraccalvieri, Domenico; Tiberti, Matteo; Pandini, Alessandro; Bonati, Laura; Papaleo, Elena

2012-10-01

Multiple comparison of the Molecular Dynamics (MD) trajectories of mutants in a cold-adapted α-amylase (AHA) could be used to elucidate functional features required to restore mesophilic-like activity. Unfortunately it is challenging to identify the different dynamic behaviors and correctly relate them to functional activity by routine analysis. We here employed a previously developed and robust two-stage approach that combines Self-Organising Maps (SOMs) and hierarchical clustering to compare conformational ensembles of proteins. Moreover, we designed a novel strategy to identify the specific mutations that more efficiently convert the dynamic signature of the psychrophilic enzyme (AHA) to that of the mesophilic counterpart (PPA). The SOM trained on AHA and its variants was used to classify a PPA MD ensemble and successfully highlighted the relationships between the flexibilities of the target enzyme and of the different mutants. Moreover the local features of the mutants that mostly influence their global flexibility in a mesophilic-like direction were detected. It turns out that mutations of the cold-adapted enzyme to hydrophobic and aromatic residues are the most effective in restoring the PPA dynamic features and could guide the design of more mesophilic-like mutants. In conclusion, our strategy can efficiently extract specific dynamic signatures related to function from multiple comparisons of MD conformational ensembles. Therefore, it can be a promising tool for protein engineering.

Genome Sequence of Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris Strain T26, Isolated from Mesophilic Undefined Cheese Starter.

Science.gov (United States)

Pedersen, T B; Kot, W P; Hansen, L H; Sørensen, S J; Broadbent, J R; Vogensen, F K; Ardö, Y

2014-06-05

Leuconostoc is the main group of heterofermentative bacteria found in mesophilic dairy starters. They grow in close symbiosis with the Lactococcus population and are able to degrade citrate. Here we present a draft genome sequence of Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris strain T26. Copyright © 2014 Pedersen et al.

Effects of triclosan, diclofenac, and nonylphenol on mesophilic and thermophilic methanogenic activity and on the methanogenic communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Symsaris, Evangelos C.; Fotidis, Ioannis; Stasinakis, Athanasios S.

2015-01-01

In this study, a toxicity assay using a mesophilic wastewater treatment plant sludge-based (SI) and a thermophilic manure-based inoculum (MI), under different biomass concentrations was performed to define the effects of diclofenac (DCF), triclosan (TCS), and nonylphenol (NP) on anaerobic digestion...

Diversity, Localization, and Physiological Properties of Filamentous Microbes Belonging to Chloroflexi Subphylum I in Mesophilic and Thermophilic Methanogenic Sludge Granules

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Takeshi; Sekiguchi, Yuji; Imachi, Hiroyuki; Kamagata, Yoichi; Ohashi, Akiyoshi; Harada, Hideki

2005-01-01

We previously reported that the thermophilic filamentous anaerobe Anaerolinea thermophila, which is the first cultured representative of subphylum I of the bacterial phylum Chloroflexi, not only was one of the predominant constituents of thermophilic sludge granules but also was a causative agent of filamentous sludge bulking in a thermophilic (55°C) upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor in which high-strength organic wastewater was treated (Y. Sekiguchi, H. Takahashi, Y. Kamagata, A. Ohashi, and H. Harada, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:5740-5749, 2001). To further elucidate the ecology and function of Anaerolinea-type filamentous microbes in UASB sludge granules, we surveyed the diversity, distribution, and physiological properties of Chloroflexi subphylum I microbes residing in UASB granules. Five different types of mesophilic and thermophilic UASB sludge were used to analyze the Chloroflexi subphylum I populations. 16S rRNA gene cloning-based analyses using a 16S rRNA gene-targeted Chloroflexi-specific PCR primer set revealed that all clonal sequences were affiliated with the Chloroflexi subphylum I group and that a number of different phylotypes were present in each clone library, suggesting the ubiquity and vast genetic diversity of these populations in UASB sludge granules. Subsequent fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of the three different types of mesophilic sludge granules using a Chloroflexi-specific probe suggested that all probe-reactive cells had a filamentous morphology and were widely distributed within the sludge granules. The FISH observations also indicated that the Chloroflexi subphylum I bacteria were not always the predominant populations within mesophilic sludge granules, in contrast to thermophilic sludge granules. We isolated two mesophilic strains and one thermophilic strain belonging to the Chloroflexi subphylum I group. The physiological properties of these isolates suggested that these populations may contribute to the

Fate of antibiotic resistance genes in mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Hyun Min; Shin, Jingyeong; Choi, Sangki; Shin, Seung Gu; Park, Ki Young; Cho, Jinwoo; Kim, Young Mo

2017-11-01

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) sludge and non-CEPT (conventional sedimentation) sludge were comparatively operated under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The highest methane yield (692.46±0.46mL CH 4 /g VS removed in CEPT sludge) was observed in mesophilic AD of CEPT sludge. Meanwhile, thermophilic conditions were more favorable for the removal of total antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, no measurable difference in the fates and removal of ARGs and class 1 integrin-integrase gene (intI1) was observed between treated non-CEPT and CEPT sludge. However, redundancy analysis indicated that shifts in bacterial community were primarily accountable for the variations in ARGs and intI1. Network analysis further revealed potential host bacteria for ARGs and intI1. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of alkaline pretreatment on mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of a submerged macrophyte: Inhibition and recovery against dissolved lignin during semi-continuous operation.

Science.gov (United States)

Koyama, Mitsuhiko; Watanabe, Keiko; Kurosawa, Norio; Ishikawa, Kanako; Ban, Syuhei; Toda, Tatsuki

2017-08-01

The long-term effect of alkaline pretreatment on semi-continuous anaerobic digestion (AD) of the lignin-rich submerged macrophyte Potamogeton maackianus was investigated using mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. In pretreated reactors, dissolved lignin accumulated to high levels. CH 4 production under the pretreated condition was higher than that of the untreated condition, but decreased from Days 22 (mesophilic) and 42 (thermophilic). However, CH 4 production subsequently recovered, although dissolved lignin accumulated. Further, the change in the microbial community was observed between conditions. These results suggest that dissolved lignin temporarily inhibited AD, although acclimatization to dissolved lignin occurred during long-term operation. During the steady state period, mesophilic conditions achieved a 42% increase in the CH 4 yield using pretreatment, while thermophilic conditions yielded an 8% increment. Because volatile fatty acids accumulated even after acclimatization during the thermophilic pretreated condition and was discharged with the effluent, improvement of the methanogenic step would enable enhanced CH 4 recovery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Total mesophilic counts underestimate in many cases the contamination levels of psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in chilled-stored food products at the end of their shelf-life.

Science.gov (United States)

Pothakos, Vasileios; Samapundo, Simbarashe; Devlieghere, Frank

2012-12-01

The major objective of this study was to determine the role of psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in spoilage-associated phenomena at the end of the shelf-life of 86 various packaged (air, vacuum, modified-atmosphere) chilled-stored retail food products. The current microbiological standards, which are largely based on the total viable mesophilic counts lack discriminatory capacity to detect psychrotrophic LAB. A comparison between the total viable counts on plates incubated at 30 °C (representing the mesophiles) and at 22 °C (indicating the psychrotrophs) for 86 food samples covering a wide range - ready-to-eat vegetable salads, fresh raw meat, cooked meat products and composite food - showed that a consistent underestimation of the microbial load occurs when the total aerobic mesophilic counts are used as a shelf-life parameter. In 38% of the samples, the psychrotrophic counts had significantly higher values (+0.5-3 log CFU/g) than the corresponding total aerobic mesophilic counts. A total of 154 lactic acid bacteria, which were unable to proliferate at 30 °C were isolated. In addition, a further 43 with a poor recovery at this temperature were also isolated. This study highlights the potential fallacy of the total aerobic mesophilic count as a reference shelf-life parameter for chilled food products as it can often underestimate the contamination levels at the end of the shelf-life. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Natronolimnobius baerhuensis gen. nov., sp. nov. and Natronolimnobius innermongolicus sp. nov., novel haloalkaliphilic archaea isolated from soda lakes in Inner Mongolia, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Itoh, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Takashi; Zhou, Peijin; Takashina, Tomonori

2005-04-01

Three novel isolates of haloalkaliphilic archaea, strains IHC-005T, IHC-010, and N-1311T, from soda lakes in Inner Mongolia, China, were characterized to elucidate their taxonomic positions. The three strains were aerobic, Gram-negative chemoorganotrophs growing optimally at 37-45 degrees C, pH 9.0-9.5, and 15-20% NaCl. Cells of strains IHC-005T/IHC-010 were motile rods, while those of strain N-1311T were non-motile pleomorphic flats or cocci. The three strains contained diphytanyl and phytanyl-sesterterpanyl diether derivatives of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerophosphate methyl ester. No glycolipids were detected. On phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences, they formed an independent cluster in the Natro group of the family Halobacteriaceae. Comparison of their morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties, DNA G + C content and 16S rRNA gene sequences, and DNA-DNA hybridization study support the view that strains IHC-005T/IHC-010 and strain N-1311T represent separate species. Therefore, we propose Natronolimnobius baerhuensis gen. nov., sp. nov. for strains IHC-005T (=CGMCC 1.3597T =JCM 12253T)/IHC-010 (=CGMCC 1.3598 = JCM 12254) and Natronolimnobius innermongolicus sp. nov. for N-1311T (=CGMCC 1.2124T =JCM 12255T).

Biogas Upgrading via Hydrogenotrophic Methanogenesis in Two-Stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors at Mesophilic and Thermophilic Conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bassani, Ilaria; Kougias, Panagiotis; Treu, Laura

2015-01-01

This study proposes an innovative setup composed by two stage reactors to achieve biogas upgrading coupling the CO2 in the biogas with external H2 and subsequent conversion into CH4 by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. In this configuration, the biogas produced in the first reactor was transferred...... production and CO2 conversion was recorded. The consequent increase of pH did not inhibit the process indicating adaptation of microorganisms to higher pH levels. The effects of H2 on the microbial community were studied using high-throughput Illumina random sequences and full-length 16S rRNA genes extracted...... to the second one, where H2 was injected. This configuration was tested at both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. After H2 addition, the produced biogas was upgraded to average CH4 content of 89% in the mesophilic reactor and 85% in the thermophilic. At thermophilic conditions, a higher efficiency of CH4...

Protein dynamics and stability: The distribution of atomic fluctuations in thermophilic and mesophilic dihydrofolate reductase derived using elastic incoherent neutron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meinhold, Lars; Clement, David; Tehei, M.; Daniel, R.M.; Finney, J.L.; Smith, Jeremy C.

2008-01-01

The temperature dependence of the dynamics of mesophilic and thermophilic dihydrofolate reductase is examined using elastic incoherent neutron scattering. It is demonstrated that the distribution of atomic displacement amplitudes can be derived from the elastic scattering data by assuming a (Weibull) functional form that resembles distributions seen in molecular dynamics simulations. The thermophilic enzyme has a significantly broader distribution than its mesophilic counterpart. Furthermore, although the rate of increase with temperature of the atomic mean-square displacements extracted from the dynamic structure factor is found to be comparable for both enzymes, the amplitudes are found to be slightly larger for the thermophilic enzyme. Therefore, these results imply that the thermophilic enzyme is the more flexible of the two

Mesophilic and thermophilic conditions select for unique but highly parallel microbial communities to perform carboxylate platform biomass conversion.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily B Hollister

Full Text Available The carboxylate platform is a flexible, cost-effective means of converting lignocellulosic materials into chemicals and liquid fuels. Although the platform's chemistry and engineering are well studied, relatively little is known about the mixed microbial communities underlying its conversion processes. In this study, we examined the metagenomes of two actively fermenting platform communities incubated under contrasting temperature conditions (mesophilic 40°C; thermophilic 55 °C, but utilizing the same inoculum and lignocellulosic feedstock. Community composition segregated by temperature. The thermophilic community harbored genes affiliated with Clostridia, Bacilli, and a Thermoanaerobacterium sp, whereas the mesophilic community metagenome was composed of genes affiliated with other Clostridia and Bacilli, Bacteriodia, γ-Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Although both communities were able to metabolize cellulosic materials and shared many core functions, significant differences were detected with respect to the abundances of multiple Pfams, COGs, and enzyme families. The mesophilic metagenome was enriched in genes related to the degradation of arabinose and other hemicellulose-derived oligosaccharides, and the production of valerate and caproate. In contrast, the thermophilic community was enriched in genes related to the uptake of cellobiose and the transfer of genetic material. Functions assigned to taxonomic bins indicated that multiple community members at either temperature had the potential to degrade cellulose, cellobiose, or xylose and produce acetate, ethanol, and propionate. The results of this study suggest that both metabolic flexibility and functional redundancy contribute to the platform's ability to process lignocellulosic substrates and are likely to provide a degree of stability to the platform's fermentation processes.

454 pyrosequencing analyses of bacterial and archaeal richness in 21 full-scale biogas digesters.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundberg, Carina; Al-Soud, Waleed A; Larsson, Madeleine; Alm, Erik; Yekta, Sepehr S; Svensson, Bo H; Sørensen, Søren J; Karlsson, Anna

2013-09-01

The microbial community of 21 full-scale biogas reactors was examined using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene sequences. These reactors included seven (six mesophilic and one thermophilic) digesting sewage sludge (SS) and 14 (ten mesophilic and four thermophilic) codigesting (CD) various combinations of wastes from slaughterhouses, restaurants, households, etc. The pyrosequencing generated more than 160,000 sequences representing 11 phyla, 23 classes, and 95 genera of Bacteria and Archaea. The bacterial community was always both more abundant and more diverse than the archaeal community. At the phylum level, the foremost populations in the SS reactors included Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Spirochetes, and Euryarchaeota, while Firmicutes was the most prevalent in the CD reactors. The main bacterial class in all reactors was Clostridia. Acetoclastic methanogens were detected in the SS, but not in the CD reactors. Their absence suggests that methane formation from acetate takes place mainly via syntrophic acetate oxidation in the CD reactors. A principal component analysis of the communities at genus level revealed three clusters: SS reactors, mesophilic CD reactors (including one thermophilic CD and one SS), and thermophilic CD reactors. Thus, the microbial composition was mainly governed by the substrate differences and the process temperature. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mesophilic and hyperthermophilic adenylate kinases differ in their tolerance to random fragmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Segall-Shapiro, Thomas H; Nguyen, Peter Q; Dos Santos, Edgardo D; Subedi, Saurav; Judd, Justin; Suh, Junghae; Silberg, Jonathan J

2011-02-11

The extent to which thermostability influences the location of protein fragmentation sites that allow retention of function is not known. To evaluate this, we used a novel transposase-based approach to create libraries of vectors that express structurally-related fragments of Bacillus subtilis adenylate kinase (BsAK) and Thermotoga neapolitana adenylate kinase (TnAK) with identical modifications at their termini, and we selected for variants in each library that complement the growth of Escherichia coli with a temperature-sensitive adenylate kinase (AK). Mutants created using the hyperthermophilic TnAK were found to support growth with a higher frequency (44%) than those generated from the mesophilic BsAK (6%), and selected TnAK mutants complemented E. coli growth more strongly than homologous BsAK variants. Sequencing of functional clones from each library also identified a greater dispersion of fragmentation sites within TnAK. Nondisruptive fission sites were observed within the AMP binding and core domains of both AK homologs. However, only TnAK contained sites within the lid domain, which undergoes dynamic fluctuations that are critical for catalysis. These findings implicate the flexible lid domain as having an increased sensitivity to fission events at physiological temperatures. In addition, they provide evidence that comparisons of nondisruptive fission sites in homologous proteins could be useful for finding dynamic regions whose conformational fluctuations are important for function, and they show that the discovery of protein fragments that cooperatively function in mesophiles can be aided by the use of thermophilic enzymes as starting points for protein design. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mesophilic leaching of copper sulphide sludge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

VLADIMIR B. CVETKOVSKI

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Copper was precipitated using a sodium sulphide solution as the precipitation agent from an acid solution containing 17 g/l copper and 350 g/l sulphuric acid. The particle size of nearly 1 µm in the sulphide sludge sample was detected by optical microscopy. Based on chemical and X-ray diffraction analyses, covellite was detected as the major sulphide mineral. The batch bioleach amenability test was performed at 32 °C on the Tk31 mine mesophilic mixed culture using a residence time of 28 days. The dissolution of copper sulphide by direct catalytic leaching of the sulphides with bacteria attached to the particles was found to be worthy, although a small quantity of ferrous ions had to be added to raise the activity of the bacteria and the redox potential of the culture medium. Throughout the 22-day period of the bioleach test, copper recovery based on residue analysis indicated a copper extraction of 95 %, with copper concentration in the bioleach solution of 15 g/l. The slope of the straight line tangential to the exponential part of the extraction curve gave a copper solubilisation rate of 1.1 g/l per day. This suggests that a copper extraction of 95 % for the period of bioleach test of 13.6 days may be attained in a three-stage bioreactor system.

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth pre-treated at 80 degrees C.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrer, Ivet; Palatsi, Jordi; Campos, Elena; Flotats, Xavier

2010-10-01

Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) is a fast growing aquatic plant which causes environmental problems in continental water bodies. Harvesting and handling this plant becomes an issue, and focus has been put on the research of treatment alternatives. Amongst others, energy production through biomethanation has been proposed. The aim of this study was to assess the anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The effect of a thermal sludge pre-treatment at 80 degrees C was also evaluated. To this end, anaerobic biodegradability tests were carried out at 35 degrees C and 55 degrees C, with raw and pre-treated water hyacinth. According to the results, the thermal pre-treatment enhanced the solubilisation of water hyacinth (i.e. increase in the soluble to total chemical oxygen demand (COD)) from 4% to 12% after 30 min. However, no significant effect was observed on the methane yields (150-190 L CH(4)/kg volatile solids). Initial methane production rates for thermophilic treatments were two fold those of mesophilic ones (6-6.5L vs. 3-3.5 L CH(4)/kg COD x day). Thus, higher methane production rates might be expected from thermophilic reactors working at short retention times. The study of longer low temperature pre-treatments or pre-treatments at elevated temperatures coupled to thermophilic reactors should be considered in the future. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth pre-treated at 80 oC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrer, Ivet; Palatsi, Jordi; Campos, Elena; Flotats, Xavier

2010-01-01

Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) is a fast growing aquatic plant which causes environmental problems in continental water bodies. Harvesting and handling this plant becomes an issue, and focus has been put on the research of treatment alternatives. Amongst others, energy production through biomethanation has been proposed. The aim of this study was to assess the anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The effect of a thermal sludge pre-treatment at 80 o C was also evaluated. To this end, anaerobic biodegradability tests were carried out at 35 o C and 55 o C, with raw and pre-treated water hyacinth. According to the results, the thermal pre-treatment enhanced the solubilisation of water hyacinth (i.e. increase in the soluble to total chemical oxygen demand (COD)) from 4% to 12% after 30 min. However, no significant effect was observed on the methane yields (150-190 L CH 4 /kg volatile solids). Initial methane production rates for thermophilic treatments were two fold those of mesophilic ones (6-6.5 L vs. 3-3.5 L CH 4 /kg COD.day). Thus, higher methane production rates might be expected from thermophilic reactors working at short retention times. The study of longer low temperature pre-treatments or pre-treatments at elevated temperatures coupled to thermophilic reactors should be considered in the future.

Investigation of the bacteriophage community in induced lysates of undefined mesophilic mixed-strain DL-cultures using classical and metagenomic approaches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Muhammed, Musemma K.; Olsen, Mette L.; Kot, Witold

2018-01-01

To investigate the notion that starter cultures can be a reservoir of bacteriophages (phages) in the dairy environment, strains of three DL-starters (undefined mesophilic mixed-strain starters containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis and Leuconostoc species) were selected...

Structural prediction and comparative docking studies of psychrophilic β- Galactosidase with lactose, ONPG and PNPG against its counter parts of mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Ponnada Suresh; Pulicherla, Kk; Ghosh, Mrinmoy; Kumar, Anmol; Rao, Krs Sambasiva

2011-01-01

Enzymes from psychrophiles catalyze the reactions at low temperatures with higher specific activity. Among all the psychrophilic enzymes produced, cold active β-galactosidase from marine psychrophiles revalorizes a new arena in numerous areas at industrial level. The hydrolysis of lactose in to glucose and galactose by cold active β-galactosidase offers a new promising approach in removal of lactose from milk to overcome the problem of lactose intolerance. Herein we propose, a 3D structure of cold active β-galactosidase enzyme sourced from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis by using Modeler 9v8 and best model was developed having 88% of favourable region in ramachandran plot. Modelling was followed by docking studies with the help of Auto dock 4.0 against the three substrates lactose, ONPG and PNPG. In addition, comparative docking studies were also performed for the 3D model of psychrophilic β-galactosidase with mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes. Docking studies revealed that binding affinity of enzyme towards the three different substrates is more for psychrophilic enzyme when compared with mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes. It indicates that the enzyme has high specific activity at low temperature when compared with mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes.

Developing a mesophilic co-culture for direct conversion of cellulose to butanol in consolidated bioprocess.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhenyu; Cao, Guangli; Zheng, Ju; Fu, Defeng; Song, Jinzhu; Zhang, Junzheng; Zhao, Lei; Yang, Qian

2015-01-01

Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) of butanol production from cellulosic biomass is a promising strategy for cost saving compared to other processes featuring dedicated cellulase production. CBP requires microbial strains capable of hydrolyzing biomass with enzymes produced on its own with high rate and high conversion and simultaneously produce a desired product at high yield. However, current reported butanol-producing candidates are unable to utilize cellulose as a sole carbon source and energy source. Consequently, developing a co-culture system using different microorganisms by taking advantage of their specific metabolic capacities to produce butanol directly from cellulose in consolidated bioprocess is of great interest. This study was mainly undertaken to find complementary organisms to the butanol producer that allow simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulose to butanol in their co-culture under mesophilic condition. Accordingly, a highly efficient and stable consortium N3 on cellulose degradation was first developed by multiple subcultures. Subsequently, the functional microorganisms with 16S rRNA sequences identical to the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profile were isolated from consortium N3. The isolate Clostridium celevecrescens N3-2 exhibited higher cellulose-degrading capability was thus chosen as the partner strain for butanol production with Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC824. Meanwhile, the established stable consortium N3 was also investigated to produce butanol by co-culturing with C. acetobutylicum ATCC824. Butanol was produced from cellulose when C. acetobutylicum ATCC824 was co-cultured with either consortium N3 or C. celevecrescens N3-2. Co-culturing C. acetobutylicum ATCC824 with the stable consortium N3 resulted in a relatively higher butanol concentration, 3.73 g/L, and higher production yield, 0.145 g/g of glucose equivalent. The newly isolated microbial consortium N3 and strain C. celevecrescens N3

Selection of mesophilic microorganisms with biodesulfuration capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madero, A; Mogollon, L. I; Mora, A.L; Osorio, L.F

1998-01-01

The development of bio desulfurization (BDS) processes for hydrocarbons requires fast and reliable methods for the screening of microorganisms. This work shows the results of the screening process for indigenous Colombian strains with a BDS potential capacity. The main criteria for the screening were the qualitative and quantitative determination of 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2-HBP) as the typical metabolite of the 4S specific pathway. Microorganisms were cultured by two methodologies, A and B, using DBT as the model compound. The quantitative determination of metabolites was made by HPLC. Thirteen strains were evaluated, including the strain Rhodococcus rhodocrous IGTS8, by methods A and B. In method A, the inoculum was exposed to DBT since the beginning of the culture. Method B, employed two stages: (i) Growth period under limiting sulfur conditions, (ii) Transforming period, in which the pre-grown inoculum was exposed to the organic sulfur substrate. The culture of mesophilic microorganisms isolated by method B, served to find a mechanism for the organic sulfur metabolism, and the evaluation of the sulfur removal capability of five indigenous strains. In the cultures of these strains, 2- hydroxybiphenyl (2-HBP) was detected as a byproduct of DBT metabolism, both qualitatively and quantitatively

Sustainable organic loading rate and energy recovery potential of mesophilic anaerobic membrane bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment

KAUST Repository

Wei, Chunhai

2014-08-01

The overall performance of a mesophilic anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for synthetic municipal wastewater treatment was investigated under a range of organic loading rate (OLR). A very steady and high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (around 98%) was achieved over a broad range of volumetric OLR of 0.8-10gCOD/L/d. The sustainable volumetric and sludge OLR satisfying a permeate COD below 50mg/L for general reuse was 6gCOD/L/d and 0.63gCOD/gMLVSS (mixed liquor volatile suspended solids)/d, respectively. At a high sludge OLR of over 0.6gCOD/gMLVSS/d, the AnMBR achieved high methane production of over 300ml/gCOD (even approaching the theoretical value of 382ml/gCOD). A low biomass production of 0.015-0.026gMLVSS/gCOD and a sustainable flux of 6L/m2/h were observed. The integration of a heat pump and forward osmosis into the mesophilic AnMBR process would be a promising way for net energy recovery from typical municipal wastewater in a temperate area. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Acidogenic fermentation of Scenedesmus sp.-AMDD: Comparison of volatile fatty acids yields between mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruhn, Marvin; Frigon, Jean-Claude; Guiot, Serge R

2016-01-01

This study compared the acidogenic fermentation of Scenedesmus sp.-AMDD at laboratory-scale, under mesophilic (35°C) and thermophilic conditions (55°C). Preliminary batch tests were performed to evaluate best conditions for volatile fatty acid (VFA) production from microalgal biomass, with respect to the inoculum, pH and nutrients. The use of bovine manure as inoculum, the operating pH of 4.5 and the addition of a nutrient mix, resulted in a high VFA production of up to 222mgg(-1) total volatile solid (TVS), with a butyrate share of 27%. Both digesters displayed similar hydrolytic activity with 0.38±0.02 and 0.42±0.03 g soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD)g(-1) TVS for the digesters operated at 35 and 55°C, respectively. Mesophilic conditions were more favorable for VFA production, which reached 171±5, compared to 88±12 mg soluble CODg(-1) TVS added under thermophilic conditions (94% more). It was shown that in both digesters, butyrate was the predominant VFA. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sustainable organic loading rate and energy recovery potential of mesophilic anaerobic membrane bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment

KAUST Repository

Wei, Chunhai; Harb, Moustapha; Amy, Gary L.; Hong, Pei-Ying; Leiknes, TorOve

2014-01-01

The overall performance of a mesophilic anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for synthetic municipal wastewater treatment was investigated under a range of organic loading rate (OLR). A very steady and high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (around 98%) was achieved over a broad range of volumetric OLR of 0.8-10gCOD/L/d. The sustainable volumetric and sludge OLR satisfying a permeate COD below 50mg/L for general reuse was 6gCOD/L/d and 0.63gCOD/gMLVSS (mixed liquor volatile suspended solids)/d, respectively. At a high sludge OLR of over 0.6gCOD/gMLVSS/d, the AnMBR achieved high methane production of over 300ml/gCOD (even approaching the theoretical value of 382ml/gCOD). A low biomass production of 0.015-0.026gMLVSS/gCOD and a sustainable flux of 6L/m2/h were observed. The integration of a heat pump and forward osmosis into the mesophilic AnMBR process would be a promising way for net energy recovery from typical municipal wastewater in a temperate area. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Effect of hemicellulolytic enzymes on mesophilic methane fermentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oi, S; Matsui, Y; Iizuka, M; Yamamoto, T

1977-01-01

Mesophilic methane fermentation was examined using soybean seed coat, a waste from soybean processing for oil manufacture, with or without treatment with hemicellulolytic enzymes of Aspergillus niger, and the following results were obtained: (1) The methane fermentation bacteria acclimated to soybean seed coat medium were shown to consume monosaccharides and evolve methane in the following decreasing order: glucose, fructose, mannose > xylose, galactose, glucosamine, galacturonic acid > arabinose. The bacteria were also shown to form methane from a gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. (2) In fermentation of soybean seed coat treated with the fungal enzyme, about 70% of the total sugar content as consumed in four weeks, and the gas evolution was about twice that without the fungal enzyme. The gas evolved was composed of 60% methane and 36% carbon dioxide. In general, vigorous evolution of hydrogen and carbon dioxide occurred at a very early stage of fermentation, and was followed by formation of methane. The maximum gas evolution of the enzyme-treated mash took place in 6 days while that of untreated mash occurred one week later. Chemical oxygen demand of the supernatant of the former mash was decreased by fermentation to 7.0% of the initial level.

Effect of gamma irrigation followed by moderate temperature abuse on the psychrotrophic and mesophilic microbial association of frozen chicken

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osman, M.E.

2001-01-01

Commercially scalded, plucked and eviscerated broilers, aerobically packed into polyethylene bags were irradiated at - 18 deg C. A dose of 2.5 kilogay was effective in the elimination of salmonella spp. and staphylococcus aureus. Psychrotrophic and mesophilic aerobic colony counts of the non-irradiated chicken were of the order 10**4 and 10**5 gE-1, respectively. Radiation resulted in approximately two long cycles reduction in the count. The surviving microflora in frozen chicken after irradiation consisted mainly of lactobacillus spp. and micrococcus spp. which dominated the mesophilic flora. Moraxella spp. amounted to 70% of the total psychrotrophic flora. The microflora of frozen chicken after temperature abuse at 12 deg C were maily of the moraxella-acinetobacter group and to a lesser extent of Pseudomonas spp. The results demonstrated that the microflora after temperature abuse of irradiated chicken was similar to the microflora of non-irradiated chicken. This supports the view that irradiation of chicken does not entail a hazard, resulting from a shift in the micrflora in case frozen chicken are thawed and stored at increased temperatures

A new approach for concurrently improving performance of South Korean food waste valorization and renewable energy recovery via dry anaerobic digestion under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Dinh Duc; Yeop, Jeong Seong; Choi, Jaehoon; Kim, Sungsu; Chang, Soon Woong; Jeon, Byong-Hun; Guo, Wenshan; Ngo, Huu Hao

2017-08-01

Dry semicontinuous anaerobic digestion (AD) of South Korean food waste (FW) under four solid loading rates (SLRs) (2.30-9.21kg total solids (TS)/m 3 day) and at a fixed TS content was compared between two digesters, one each under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Biogas production and organic matter reduction in both digesters followed similar trends, increasing with rising SLR. Inhibitor (intermediate products of the anaerobic fermentation process) effects on the digesters' performance were not observed under the studied conditions. In all cases tested, the digesters' best performance was achieved at the SLR of 9.21kg TS/m 3 day, with 74.02% and 80.98% reduction of volatile solids (VS), 0.87 and 0.90m 3 biogas/kg VS removed , and 0.65 (65% CH 4 ) and 0.73 (60.02% CH 4 ) m 3 biogas/kg VS fed , under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, respectively. Thermophilic dry AD is recommended for FW treatment in South Korea because it is more efficient and has higher energy recovery potential when compared to mesophilic dry AD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced fertilization effect of a compost obtained from mixed herbs waste inoculated with novel strains of mesophilic bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitrijević Snežana M.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Mixed medicinal plant waste was composted with addition of novel bacterial strains belonging to the genera Streptomyces, Paenybacillus, Bacillus and Hymenobacter. The composting was followed by assessment of chemical and biological parameters including C/N ratio, loss of organic matter, phosphorous and potassium content as well as CO2 generation and dehydrogenase activity during 164 days. The selected mesophilic bacterial starters had a potential to significantly reduce the period of mixed herb waste decomposition, from about 6 months to about 2.5 months. Based on the seed germination index of four plants (Fagopirum esculentum, Thymus vulgaris, Cynara scolimus and Lavandula officinalis the germination and radial root growth of the investigated plants was improved by the inoculated compost. The germination index of all tested species on the mature inoculated composts was in average 60% higher compared to the control compost. The research indicates that the mesophilic starter addition into the herbs waste can contribute to the speed of waste decomposition and lead to the improvement of biofertilization effect of the obtained compost. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR 31035

Stability of the 'L12 stalk' in ribosomes from mesophilic and (hyper)thermophilic Archaea and Bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Shcherbakov, D; Dontsova, M; Tribus, M; Garber, M; Piendl, W

2006-01-01

The ribosomal stalk complex, consisting of one molecule of L10 and four or six molecules of L12, is attached to 23S rRNA via protein L10. This complex forms the so-called 'L12 stalk' on the 50S ribosomal subunit. Ribosomal protein L11 binds to the same region of 23S rRNA and is located at the base of the 'L12 stalk'. The 'L12 stalk' plays a key role in the interaction of the ribosome with translation factors. In this study stalk complexes from mesophilic and (hyper)thermophilic species of the archaeal genus Methanococcus and from the Archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus, as well as from the Bacteria Escherichia coli, Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Thermus thermophilus, were overproduced in E.coli and purified under non-denaturing conditions. Using filter-binding assays the affinities of the archaeal and bacterial complexes to their specific 23S rRNA target site were analyzed at different pH, ionic strength and temperature. Affinities of both archaeal and bacterial complexes for 23S rRNA vary by more than two orders of magnitude, correlating very well with the growth temperatures of the organisms. A cooperative effect of binding to 23S rRNA of protein L11 and the L10/L12(4) complex from mesophilic and thermophilic Archaea was shown to be temperature-dependent.

Empowering a mesophilic inoculum for thermophilic nitrification: Growth mode and temperature pattern as critical proliferation factors for archaeal ammonia oxidizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Courtens, Emilie N P; Vandekerckhove, Tom; Prat, Delphine; Vilchez-Vargas, Ramiro; Vital, Marius; Pieper, Dietmar H; Meerbergen, Ken; Lievens, Bart; Boon, Nico; Vlaeminck, Siegfried E

2016-04-01

Cost-efficient biological treatment of warm nitrogenous wastewaters requires the development of thermophilic nitrogen removal processes. Only one thermophilic nitrifying bioreactor was described so far, achieving 200 mg N L(-1) d(-1) after more than 300 days of enrichment from compost samples. From the practical point of view in which existing plants would be upgraded, however, a more time-efficient development strategy based on mesophilic nitrifying sludge is preferred. This study evaluated the adaptive capacities of mesophilic nitrifying sludge for two linear temperature increase patterns (non-oscillating vs. oscillating), two different slopes (0.25 vs. 0.08 °C d(-1)) and two different reactor types (floc vs. biofilm growth). The oscillating temperature pattern (0.25 °C d(-1)) and the moving bed biofilm reactor (0.08 °C d(-1)) could not reach nitrification at temperatures higher than 46 °C. However, nitrification rates up to 800 mg N L(-1) d(-1) and 150 mg N g(-1) volatile suspended solids d(-1) were achieved at a temperature as high as 49 °C by imposing the slowest linear temperature increase to floccular sludge. Microbial community analysis revealed that this successful transition was related with a shift in ammonium oxidizing archaea dominating ammonia oxidizing bacteria, while for nitrite oxidation Nitrospira spp. was constantly more abundant than Nitrobacter spp.. This observation was accompanied with an increase in observed sludge yield and a shift in maximal optimum temperature, determined with ex-situ temperature sensitivity measurements, predicting an upcoming reactor failure at higher temperature. Overall, this study achieved nitrification at 49 °C within 150 days by gradual adaptation of mesophilic sludge, and showed that ex-situ temperature sensitivity screening can be used to monitor and steer the transition process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of gamma irradiation followed by moderate temperature a buse on the psychrotrophic and mesophilic microbial association of frozen chicken

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osman, M. E.

2001-01-01

commercially scalded, plucked and eviscerated broilers, aerobically packed into polyethylene bags were irradiated at -18 C. A dose of 2.5 kilo gay was effective in the elimination of salmonella spp and staphylococcus aureus. Psychrotrophic and mesophilic aerobic colony counts of the non-irradiated chicken were of the order 10 4 and 10 5 g -1 , respectively. Radiation resulted in approximately tow long cycles reduction in the count. The surviving microflora in frozen chicken after irradiation consisted mainly of lactobacillus spp. and micrococcus spp. which dominated the mesophilic flora. moraxella spp.amounted to 70% of the total Psychrotrophic flora. The microflora of frozen chicken after temperature abuse at 12 C were mainly of the moraxella-acinetobacter group and to a lesser extent of pseudomonas spp. The results demonstrated that the microflora after temperature abuse irradiated chicken was similar to the microflora of non-abuse irradiated chicken. This supports the view that irradiation of chicken dose not entail a hazard, resulting from a shift in the microflora in case frozen chicken are thawed and stored at increased temperatures.(Author)

Rapid establishment of thermophilic anaerobic microbial community during the one-step startup of thermophilic anaerobic digestion from a mesophilic digester.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Zhe; Zhang, Yu; Li, Yuyou; Chi, Yongzhi; Yang, Min

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to explore how fast the thermophilic anaerobic microbial community could be established during the one-step startup of thermophilic anaerobic digestion from a mesophilic digester. Stable thermophilic anaerobic digestion was achieved within 20 days from a mesophilic digester treating sewage sludge by adopting the one-step startup strategy. The succession of archaeal and bacterial populations over a period of 60 days after the temperature increment was followed by using 454-pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR. After the increase of temperature, thermophilic methanogenic community was established within 11 days, which was characterized by the fast colonization of Methanosarcina thermophila and two hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Methanothermobacter spp. and Methanoculleus spp.). At the same time, the bacterial community was dominated by Fervidobacterium, whose relative abundance rapidly increased from 0 to 28.52 % in 18 days, followed by other potential thermophilic genera, such as Clostridium, Coprothermobacter, Anaerobaculum and EM3. The above result demonstrated that the one-step startup strategy could allow the rapid establishment of the thermophilic anaerobic microbial community. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Previously unclassified bacteria dominate during thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic pre-treatment of primary sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Pervin, Hasina M; Batstone, Damien J; Bond, Philip L

2013-06-01

Thermophilic biological pre-treatment enables enhanced anaerobic digestion for treatment of wastewater sludges but, at present, there is limited understanding of the hydrolytic-acidogenic microbial composition and its contribution to this process. In this study, the process was assessed by comparing the microbiology of thermophilic (50-65 °C) and mesophilic (35 °C) pre-treatment reactors treating primary sludge. A full-cycle approach for the 16S rRNA genes was applied in order to monitor the diversity of bacteria and their abundance in a thermophilic pre-treatment reactor treating primary sludge. For the thermophilic pre-treatment (TP), over 90% of the sequences were previously undetected and these had less than 97% sequence similarity to cultured organisms. During the first 83 days, members of the Betaproteobacteria dominated the community sequences and a newly designed probe was used to monitor a previously unknown bacterium affiliated with the genus Brachymonas. Between days 85 and 183, three phylotypes that affiliated with the genera Comamonas, Clostridium and Lysobacter were persistently dominant in the TP community, as revealed by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). Hydrolytic and fermentative functions have been speculated for these bacteria. Mesophilic pre-treatment (MP) and TP communities were different but they were both relatively dynamic. Statistical correlation analysis and the function of closely allied reference organisms indicated that previously unclassified bacteria dominated the TP community and may have been functionally involved in the enhanced hydrolytic performance of thermophilic anaerobic pre-treatment. This study is the first to reveal the diversity and dynamics of bacteria during anaerobic digestion of primary sludge. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

H(+) and Na(+) are involved in flagellar rotation of the spirochete Leptospira.

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Md Shafiqul; Morimoto, Yusuke V; Kudo, Seishi; Nakamura, Shuichi

2015-10-16

Leptospira is a spirochete possessing intracellular flagella. Each Leptospira flagellar filament is linked with a flagellar motor composed of a rotor and a dozen stators. For many bacterial species, it is known that the stator functions as an ion channel and that the ion flux through the stator is coupled with flagellar rotation. The coupling ion varies depending on the species; for example, H(+) is used in Escherichia coli, and Na(+) is used in Vibrio spp. to drive a polar flagellum. Although genetic and structural studies illustrated that the Leptospira flagellar motor also contains a stator, the coupling ion for flagellar rotation remains unknown. In the present study, we analyzed the motility of Leptospira under various pH values and salt concentrations. Leptospira cells displayed motility in acidic to alkaline pH. In the presence of a protonophore, the cells completely lost motility in acidic to neutral pH but displayed extremely slow movement under alkaline conditions. This result suggests that H(+) is a major coupling ion for flagellar rotation over a wide pH range; however, we also observed that the motility of Leptospira was significantly enhanced by the addition of Na(+), though it vigorously moved even under Na(+)-free conditions. These results suggest that H(+) is preferentially used and that Na(+) is secondarily involved in flagellar rotation in Leptospira. The flexible ion selectivity in the flagellar system could be advantageous for Leptospira to survive in a wide range of environment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mesophilic anaerobic digestion of a mixture of cheese whey and dairy manure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lo, K.V.; Liao, P.H.; Chiu, C.

1988-01-01

Mesophilic anaerobic digestion of a mixture of cheese whey and dairy manure was investigated using an anaerobic rotating biological contact reactor operated over a range of hydraulic retention time at various organic loading rates. Dairy manure provided nutrients and acted as a buffer to the cheese whey. Rates of production of methane from the mixture were between those of cheese whey and screened dairy manure and in agreement with calculated theoretical methane production rates. Methane production rate showed a linear relationship with the organic loading rate. The highest methane production rate was 3.74 liter methane litre/sup -1/ day/sup -1/. Reduction in the chemical oxygen demand ranged from 46.3% to 67.5%. Anaerobic digestion of such mixtures could be used as an initial waste treatment for cheese whey.

The cyclic-di-GMP signaling pathway in the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth A. Novak

2014-05-01

Full Text Available In nature, the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi cycles between the unrelated environments of the Ixodes tick vector and mammalian host. In order to survive transmission between hosts, B. burgdorferi must be able to not only detect changes in its environment, but also rapidly and appropriately respond to these changes. One manner in which this obligate parasite regulates and adapts to its changing environment is through cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP signaling. c-di-GMP has been shown to be instrumental in orchestrating the adaptation of B. burgdorferi to the tick environment. B. burgdorferi possesses only one set of c-di-GMP-metabolizing genes (one diguanylate cyclase and two distinct phosphodiesterases and one c-di-GMP-binding PilZ-domain protein designated as PlzA. While studies in the realm of c-di-GMP signaling in B. burgdorferi have exploded in the last few years, there are still many more questions than answers. Elucidation of the importance of c-di-GMP signaling to B. burgdorferi may lead to the identification of mechanisms that are critical for the survival of B. burgdorferi in the tick phase of the enzootic cycle as well as potentially delineate a role (if any c-di-GMP may play in the transmission and virulence of B. burgdorferi during the enzootic cycle, thereby enabling the development of effective drugs for the prevention and/or treatment of Lyme disease.

Comparative study on the selective chalcopyrite bioleaching of a molybdenite concentrate with mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Romano, P; Blázquez, M L; Alguacil, F J; Muñoz, J A; Ballester, A; González, F

2001-03-01

This study evaluates different bioleaching treatments of a molybdenite concentrate using mesophilic and thermophilic bacterial cultures. Further studies on the chemical leaching and the electrochemical behavior of the MoS(2) concentrate were carried out. Bioleaching tests showed a progressive removal of chalcopyrite from the molybdenite concentrate with an increase in temperature. Chemical leaching tests support the idea of an indirect attack of the concentrate. Electrochemical tests indicate that chalcopyrite dissolution is favored when molybdenite is present. Therefore, this type of bioleaching treatment could be applied to purify molybdenite flotation concentrates by selectively dissolving chalcopyrite.

Direct measurement of helical cell motion of the spirochete leptospira.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Shuichi; Leshansky, Alexander; Magariyama, Yukio; Namba, Keiichi; Kudo, Seishi

2014-01-07

Leptospira are spirochete bacteria distinguished by a short-pitch coiled body and intracellular flagella. Leptospira cells swim in liquid with an asymmetric morphology of the cell body; the anterior end has a long-pitch spiral shape (S-end) and the posterior end is hook-shaped (H-end). Although the S-end and the coiled cell body called the protoplasmic cylinder are thought to be responsible for propulsion together, most observations on the motion mechanism have remained qualitative. In this study, we analyzed the swimming speed and rotation rate of the S-end, protoplasmic cylinder, and H-end of individual Leptospira cells by one-sided dark-field microscopy. At various viscosities of media containing different concentrations of Ficoll, the rotation rate of the S-end and protoplasmic cylinder showed a clear correlation with the swimming speed, suggesting that these two helical parts play a central role in the motion of Leptospira. In contrast, the H-end rotation rate was unstable and showed much less correlation with the swimming speed. Forces produced by the rotation of the S-end and protoplasmic cylinder showed that these two helical parts contribute to propulsion at nearly equal magnitude. Torque generated by each part, also obtained from experimental motion parameters, indicated that the flagellar motor can generate torque >4000 pN nm, twice as large as that of Escherichia coli. Furthermore, the S-end torque was found to show a markedly larger fluctuation than the protoplasmic cylinder torque, suggesting that the unstable H-end rotation might be mechanically related to changes in the S-end rotation rate for torque balance of the entire cell. Variations in torque at the anterior and posterior ends of the Leptospira cell body could be transmitted from one end to the other through the cell body to coordinate the morphological transformations of the two ends for a rapid change in the swimming direction. Copyright © 2014 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc

Biodegradation of phthalate esters during the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gavala, Hariklia N.; Alatriste-Mondragon, Felipe; Iranpour, R.

2003-01-01

of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di-ethyl phthalate (DEP) and di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) was investigated and their relative rates of anaerobic degradation were calculated. Also, the biological removal of PAE during the anaerobic digestion of sludge in bench-scale digesters was investigated using DBP...... and DEHP as model compounds of one biodegradable and one recalcitrant PAE respectively. The degradation of all the PAE tested in this study (DEP, DBP and DEHP) is adequately described by first-order kinetics. Batch and continuous experiments showed that DEP and DBP present in sludge are rapidly degraded...... under mesophilic anaerobic conditions (a first-order kinetic constant of 8.04 x 10(-2) and 13.69 x 10(-2) -4.35 day(-1) respectively) while DEHP is degraded at a rate between one to two orders of magnitude lower (0.35 x 10(-2) -3.59 x 10(-2) day(-1)). It is of high significance that experiments...

Identification of a defined linear epitope in the OspA protein of the Lyme disease spirochetes that elicits bactericidal antibody responses: Implications for vaccine development.

Science.gov (United States)

Izac, Jerilyn R; Oliver, Lee D; Earnhart, Christopher G; Marconi, Richard T

2017-05-31

The lipoprotein OspA is produced by the Lyme disease spirochetes primarily in unfed ticks. OspA production is down-regulated by the blood meal and it is not produced in mammals except for possible transient production during late stage infection in patients with Lyme arthritis. Vaccination with OspA elicits antibody (Ab) that can target spirochetes in the tick midgut during feeding and inhibit transmission to mammals. OspA was the primary component of the human LYMErix™ vaccine. LYMErix™ was available from 1998 to 2002 but then pulled from the market due to declining sales as a result of unsubstantiated concerns about vaccination induced adverse events and poor efficacy. It was postulated that a segment of OspA that shares sequence similarity with a region in human LFA-1 and may trigger putative autoimmune events. While evidence supporting such a link has not been demonstrated, most efforts to move forward with OspA as a vaccine component have sought to eliminate this region of concern. Here we identify an OspA linear epitope localized within OspA amino acid residues 221-240 (OspA 221-240 ) that lacks the OspA region suggested to elicit autoimmunity. A peptide consisting of residues 221-240 was immunogenic in mice. Ab raised against OspA 221-240 peptide surface labeled B. burgdorferi in IFAs and displayed potent Ab mediated-complement dependent bactericidal activity. BLAST analyses identified several variants of OspA 221-240 and a closely related sequence in OspB. It is our hypothesis that integration of the OspA 221-240 epitope into a multivalent-OspC based chimeric epitope based vaccine antigen (chimeritope) could result in a subunit vaccine that protects against Lyme disease through synergistic mechanisms. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Survival, injury and inactivation of Escherichia coli 0157:H7, salmonella and aerobic mesophilic bacteria in apple juice and cider amended with nisin-edta

Science.gov (United States)

For health reasons, people are consuming fresh juices or minimally processed fruit and vegetable juices, thereby, exposing themselves to the risk of foodborne illness if such juices are contaminated with bacteria pathogens. Behavior of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmon...

Phylogenetic analysis of the spirochete Borrelia microti, a potential agent of relapsing fever in Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Naddaf, Saied Reza; Ghazinezhad, Behnaz; Bahramali, Golnaz; Cutler, Sally Jane

2012-09-01

We report a role for Borrelia microti as a cause of relapsing fever in Iran supported by robust epidemiological evidence. The molecular identity of this spirochete and its relation with other relapsing fever borreliae have, until now, been poorly delineated. We analyzed an isolate of B. microti, obtained from Ornithodoros erraticus ticks, by sequencing four loci (16S rRNA, flaB, glpQ, intragenic spacer [IGS]) and comparing these sequences with those of other relapsing fever borreliae. Phylogenetic analysis using concatenated sequences of 16S rRNA, flaB, and glpQ grouped B. microti alongside three members of the African group, B. duttonii, B. recurrentis, and B. crocidurae, which are distinct from B. persica, the most prevalent established cause of tick-borne relapsing fever in Iran. The similarity values for 10 concatenated sequences totaling 2,437 nucleotides ranged from 92.11% to 99.84%, with the highest homologies being between B. duttonii and B. microti and between B. duttonii and B. recurrentis. Furthermore, the more discriminatory IGS sequence analysis corroborated the close similarity (97.76% to 99.56%) between B. microti and B. duttonii. These findings raise the possibility that both species may indeed be the same and further dispel the one-species, one-vector theory that has been the basis for classification of relapsing fever Borrelia for the last 100 years.

Antibiotic Multiresistance Analysis of Mesophilic and Psychrotrophic Pseudomonas spp. Isolated from Goat and Lamb Slaughterhouse Surfaces throughout the Meat Production Process

OpenAIRE

Lavilla Lerma, Leyre; Benomar, Nabil; Casado Muñoz, María del Carmen; Gálvez, Antonio; Abriouel, Hikmate

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance profiles of pseudomonads isolated from surfaces of a goat and lamb slaughterhouse, which were representative of areas that are possible sources of meat contamination. Mesophilic (85 isolates) and psychrotrophic (37 isolates) pseudomonads identified at the species level generally were resistant to sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim, rifampin, and cefta...

Bioleaching of multiple heavy metals from contaminated sediment by mesophile consortium.

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Min; Zhou, Shuang; Li, Mingming; Zhu, Jianyu; Liu, Xinxing; Chai, Liyuan

2015-04-01

A defined mesophile consortium including Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, and Leptospirilum ferriphilum was applied in bioleaching sediments contaminated with multiple heavy metals. Flask experiments showed that sulfur favored the acidification in the early stage while pyrite led to a great acidification potential in the later stage. An equal sulfur/pyrite ratio got the best acidification effect. Substrate utilization started with sulfur in the early stage, and then the pH decline and the community shift give rise to the utilization of pyrite. Solubilization efficiency of Zn, Cu, Mn, and Cd reached 96.1, 93.3, 92.13, and 87.65%, respectively. Bioleaching efficiency of other elements (As, Hg, Pb) was not more than 30%. Heavy metal solubilization was highly negatively correlated with pH variation. Logistic models were well fitted with the solubilization efficiency, which can be used to predict the bioleaching process. The dominant species in the early stage of bioleaching were A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans, and the abundance of L. ferriphilum increased together with pyrite utilization and pH decline.

Importance of storage time in mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Lü, Fan; Xu, Xian; Shao, Liming; He, Pinjing

2016-07-01

Storage was used as a pretreatment to enhance the methanization performance of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste. Food wastes were separately stored for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 12days, and then fed into a methanogenic reactor for a biochemical methane potential (BMP) test lasting up to 60days. Relative to the methane production of food waste stored for 0-1day (285-308mL/g-added volatile solids (VSadded)), that after 2-4days and after 5-12days of storage increased to 418-530 and 618-696mL/g-VSadded, respectively. The efficiency of hydrolysis and acidification of pre-stored food waste in the methanization reactors increased with storage time. The characteristics of stored waste suggest that methane production was not correlated with the total hydrolysis efficiency of organics in pre-stored food waste but was positively correlated with the storage time and acidification level of the waste. From the results, we recommend 5-7days of storage of food waste in anaerobic digestion treatment plants. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Thermo-resistance Acquisition of A Mesophilic Bacterium with The Aid of Vector Particles Originating from Thermophiles

Science.gov (United States)

Sugitate, T.; Inaba, N.; Kurusu, Y.; Hoaki, T.; Chiura, H. X.

2004-12-01

The present study was aimed to examine whether virus-like particles (VLPs) would be able to transfer and express the thermo-resistance gene of thermophilic microbes in the mesophilic auxotrophic Escherichia coli AB1157 mutant. A hyper-thermophilic archaea, Thermococcus kodakaraensis B41, that was isolated from the Suiyo Seamount APSK06 boring core, released particles (KD-VLPs) during culture. Transduction towards recipient E. coli AB1157 was carried out using KD-VLP as the gene transfer mediator, in order to examine the lethal effect and thermo-resistant gene transfer capability of the particle. The colony forming ability of the cells was examined in 7 % of gelrite supplemented-LB plates (LB-gelrite plates) at 50, 56, and 70 ° C. Regardless of UV irradiation, KD-VLP showed a reduced efficiency of plating (EOP) of recipient viable cell population to ca 65 %. Four colonies were formed in LB-gelrite plates at 50 ° C, which were named as KD-E-Trans, and the gene transfer frequency was estimated to be 5.12 × 10-8 cfu/particle. Obtained KD-E-Trans was cultured in LB liquid medium employing the same high temperature conditions. The cells grew 1.6 ˜ 6 fold of the inocula in 13 days at all the examined temperatures, and the generation time of the transductants were as follows: ca 28 hours at 50 ° C, ca 73 hours at 56 ° C, ca 266 hours at 70 ° C. Thus, the gene transfer of thermo-resistance to mesophilic E. coli from another Domain with the aid of KD-VLPs was demonstrated.

Surface exposed amino acid differences between mesophilic and thermophilic phosphoribosyl diphosphate synthase

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hove-Jensen, Bjarne; McGuire, James N

2004-01-01

The amino acid sequence of 5-phospho-alpha-D-ribosyl 1-diphosphate synthase from the thermophile Bacillus caldolyticus is 81% identical to the amino acid sequence of 5-phospho-alpha-D-ribosyl 1-diphosphate synthase from the mesophile Bacillus subtilis. Nevertheless the enzyme from the two organisms...... possesses very different thermal properties. The B. caldolyticus enzyme has optimal activity at 60-65 degrees C and a half-life of 26 min at 65 degrees C, compared to values of 46 degrees C and 60 s at 65 degrees C, respectively, for the B. subtilis enzyme. Chemical cross-linking shows that both enzymes...... are hexamers. Vmax is determined as 440 micromol.min(-1).mg protein(-1) and Km values for ATP and ribose 5-phosphate are determined as 310 and 530 microM, respectively, for the B. caldolyticus enzyme. The enzyme requires 50 mM Pi as well as free Mg2+ for maximal activity. Manganese ion substitutes for Mg2...

Molecular dynamics of mesophilic-like mutants of a cold-adapted enzyme: insights into distal effects induced by the mutations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Papaleo

Full Text Available Networks and clusters of intramolecular interactions, as well as their "communication" across the three-dimensional architecture have a prominent role in determining protein stability and function. Special attention has been dedicated to their role in thermal adaptation. In the present contribution, seven previously experimentally characterized mutants of a cold-adapted α-amylase, featuring mesophilic-like behavior, have been investigated by multiple molecular dynamics simulations, essential dynamics and analyses of correlated motions and electrostatic interactions. Our data elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the ability of single and multiple mutations to globally modulate dynamic properties of the cold-adapted α-amylase, including both local and complex unpredictable distal effects. Our investigation also shows, in agreement with the experimental data, that the conversion of the cold-adapted enzyme in a warm-adapted variant cannot be completely achieved by the introduction of few mutations, also providing the rationale behind these effects. Moreover, pivotal residues, which are likely to mediate the effects induced by the mutations, have been identified from our analyses, as well as a group of suitable candidates for protein engineering. In fact, a subset of residues here identified (as an isoleucine, or networks of mesophilic-like salt bridges in the proximity of the catalytic site should be considered, in experimental studies, to get a more efficient modification of the features of the cold-adapted enzyme.

Effect of Increasing Total Solids Contents on Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste under Mesophilic Conditions: Performance and Microbial Characteristics Analysis

OpenAIRE

Yi, Jing; Dong, Bin; Jin, Jingwei; Dai, Xiaohu

2014-01-01

The total solids content of feedstocks affects the performances of anaerobic digestion and the change of total solids content will lead the change of microbial morphology in systems. In order to increase the efficiency of anaerobic digestion, it is necessary to understand the role of the total solids content on the behavior of the microbial communities involved in anaerobic digestion of organic matter from wet to dry technology. The performances of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste...

Converting mesophilic upflow sludge blanket (UASB) reactors to thermophilic by applying axenic methanogenic culture bioaugmentation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Xinyu; Treu, Laura; Kougias, Panagiotis G.

2018-01-01

on the microbial consortium. The adaptation of microbial community to a new environment or condition can be accelerated by a process known as “bioaugmentation” or “microbial community manipulation”, during which exogenous microorganisms harbouring specific metabolic activities are introduced to the reactor....... The aim of the current study was to rapidly convert the operational temperature of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors from mesophilic to thermophilic conditions by applying microbial community manipulation techniques. Three different bioaugmentation strategies were compared and it was proven...... that the injection of axenic methanogenic culture was the most efficient approach leading to improved biomethanation process with 40% higher methane production rate compared to the control reactor. Microbial community analyses revealed that during bioaugmentation, the exogenous hydrogenotrophic methanogen could...

Identification and characterization of a mesophilic phytase highly resilient to high-temperatures from a fungus-garden associated metagenome.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Hao; Wu, Xiang; Xie, Liyuan; Huang, Zhongqian; Peng, Weihong; Gan, Bingcheng

2016-03-01

Phytases are enzymes degrading phytic acid and thereby releasing inorganic phosphate. While the phytases reported to date are majorly from culturable microorganisms, the fast-growing quantity of publicly available metagenomic data generated in the last decade has enabled bioinformatic mining of phytases in numerous data mines derived from a variety of ecosystems throughout the world. In this study, we are interested in the histidine acid phosphatase (HAP) family phytases present in insect-cultivated fungus gardens. Using bioinformatic approaches, 11 putative HAP phytase genes were initially screened from 18 publicly available metagenomes of fungus gardens and were further overexpressed in Escherichia coli. One phytase from a south pine beetle fungus garden showed the highest activity and was then chosen for further study. Biochemical characterization showed that the phytase is mesophilic but possesses strong ability to withstand high temperatures. To our knowledge, it has the longest half-life time at 100 °C (27 min) and at 80 °C (2.1 h) as compared to all the thermostable phytases publicly reported to date. After 100 °C incubation for 15 min, more than 93 % of the activity was retained. The activity was 3102 μmol P/min/mg at 37 °C and 4135 μmol P/min/mg at 52.5 °C, which is higher than all the known thermostable phytases. For the high activity level demonstrated at mesophilic temperatures as well as the high resilience to high temperatures, the phytase might be promising for potential application as an additive enzyme in animal feed.

Study of physiological properties of some probiotics in multiple cultures with mesophilic lactic acid bacteria by Flora Danica Ch. Hansen commercial starter

OpenAIRE

DANIELA PARASCHIV; AIDA VASILE; MADALINA CONSTANTIN; ALEXANDRU CIOBANU; GABRIELA BAHRIM

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to establish the growth ability and stability of probiotic strains Lactobacillus acidophilus (commercial code La-5®), Lactobacillus casei ssp. paracasei (commercial code L. casei 431®) and Bifidobacterium bifidus (commercial code BB-12®) in multiple cultures with mesophilic lactic bacteria, Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis ssp. diacetylactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides spp. cremoris, as Flora Danica Chr. Hansen co...

A mesophilic Clostridium species that produces butanol from monosaccharides and hydrogen from polysaccharides.

Science.gov (United States)

Bramono, Sandhi Eko; Lam, Yuen Sean; Ong, Say Leong; He, Jianzhong

2011-10-01

A unique mesophilic Clostridium species strain BOH3 is obtained in this study, which is capable of fermenting monosaccharides to produce butanol and hydrolyzing polysaccharides to produce hydrogen (H(2)) and volatile fatty acids (VFAs). From 30 g/L of glucose and xylose each, batch culture BOH3 was able to produce 4.67 and 4.63 g/L of butanol. Enhancement treatments by increasing the inoculated cells improved butanol production to 7.05 and 7.41 g/L, respectively. Hydrogen production (2.47 and 1.93 mmol) was observed when cellulose and xylan (10 g/L each) were used, suggesting that strain BOH3 possesses xylanolytic and cellulolytic capabilities. These unique features reveal the strain's novelty as most wild-type solventogenic strains have not been reported to have such properties. Therefore, culture BOH3 is promising in generating butanol and hydrogen from renewable feedstock. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mesophilic anaerobic treatment of sludge from saline fish farm effluents with biogas production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gebauer, R. [Finnmark University College, Alta (Norway). Dept. of Aquaculture and Natural Sciences

2004-06-01

The mesophilic anaerobic treatment of sludge from saline fish farm effluents (total solids (TS): 8.2-10.2 wt%, chemical oxygen demand (COD): 60-74 g/l, sodium (Na): 10-10.5 g/l) was carried out in continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) at 35 {sup o}C. COD stabilization between 36% and 55% and methane yields between 0.114 and 0.184 l/g COD added were achieved. However, the process was strongly inhibited, presumably by sodium, and unstable, with propionic acid being the main compound of the volatile fatty acids (VFA). When diluting the sludge 1:1 with tap water (Na: 5.3 g/l), the inhibition could be overcome and a stable process with low VFA concentrations was achieved. The results of the study are used to make recommendations for the configuration of full-scale treatment plants for the collected sludge from one salmon farming licence and to estimate the energy production from these plants. (Author)

Laboratory scale studies on the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of cheese whey in different digester configurations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lo, K.V.; Liao, P.H.

1988-02-01

A two-phase system consisting of two reactors in series was used to study the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of cheese whey. A completely-mixed reactor and an anaerobic rotating biological contact reactor were used in series. The results indicated that ethanol and volatile fatty acids were the major products in the first reactor. Acidogenic pretreatment prior to the methanogenic phase resulted in an increase in methane production in the second reactor over that in one-stage digestion. High treatment efficiency in terms of reduction of chemical oxygen demand was also obtained for the two-phase digestion than that of the one-stage digestion. When comparing the system's performance in terms of methane production rate, the two-phase digestion had no advantage over the one-stage digestion.

The Effect of Different Additives and Medium on the Bioleaching of Molybdenite for Cu and Mo Extraction Using Mix Mesophilic Microorganism

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Hadi Abdollahia

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Bioleaching processes for extraction of Cu and Mo from molybdenite cons. are more environmentally friendly and consume less energy than conventional technologies, yet less economically efficient. One necessary step towards arriving at a cost-effective bioleaching process is using appropriate methodology to optimize pertinent factors in such processes. To this end, the present study employed Response Surface Methodology to optimize important factors in a molybdenite bioleaching process by mix mesophilic microorganism using shake flasks. The effect of change in the levels of molybdenite concentration, pyrite and silver ion concentration as additives - in the range 3-9%, 1-5%, and 0-1.2gr/l, respectively - on the rate of Cu and Mo bioleaching was studied using a Central Composite Design. The results showed a statistically significant effect of silver ion and molybdenite concentration, and to a lesser pyrite concentration, on the rate of bioleaching of Cu and Mo. Further, different mediums and additives were evaluated for copper and molybdenum extraction from molybdenite concentrate in bioleaching process. Small amounts of silver (100mgr/l AgSO4 dramatically accelerated the copper dissolution process. Addition of FeS2 and sulfur with ferrous sulfate accelerated the acidification and raised the oxidation-reduction potential of solution (medium with an inoculation of 15% (v/v of active and adapted indigenous mesophilic bacteria, thus resulting in an overall increase in Mo dissolution efficiency.

Biological treatment of refinery spent caustics under halo-alkaline conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

de Graaff, Marco; Bijmans, Martijn F M; Abbas, Ben; Euverink, Gert-J W; Muyzer, Gerard; Janssen, Albert J H

2011-08-01

The present research demonstrates the biological treatment of refinery sulfidic spent caustics in a continuously fed system under halo-alkaline conditions (i.e. pH 9.5; Na(+)= 0.8M). Experiments were performed in identical gas-lift bioreactors operated under aerobic conditions (80-90% saturation) at 35°C. Sulfide loading rates up to 27 mmol L(-1)day(-1) were successfully applied at a HRT of 3.5 days. Sulfide was completely converted into sulfate by the haloalkaliphilic sulfide-oxidizing bacteria belonging to the genus Thioalkalivibrio. Influent benzene concentrations ranged from 100 to 600 μM. At steady state, benzene was removed by 93% due to high stripping efficiencies and biodegradation. Microbial community analysis revealed the presence of haloalkaliphilic heterotrophic bacteria belonging to the genera Marinobacter, Halomonas and Idiomarina which might have been involved in the observed benzene removal. The work shows the potential of halo-alkaliphilic bacteria in mitigating environmental problems caused by alkaline waste. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Continuous dark fermentative hydrogen production by mesophilic microflora: Principles and progress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hawkes, Freda R.; Hussy, Ines; Kyazze, Godfrey; Dinsdale, Richard; Hawkes, Dennis L. [School of Applied Sciences, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd RCT CF37 1DL (United Kingdom)

2007-02-15

Continuous, dark fermentative hydrogen production technology using mixed microflora at mesophilic temperatures may be suitable for commercial development. Clostridial-based cultures from natural sources have been widely used, but more information on the need for heat treatment of inocula and conditions leading to germination and sporulation are required. The amount of nutrients given in the literature vary widely. Hydrogen production is reported to proceed without methane production in the reactor in the pH range 4.5-6.7, with hydraulic retention times optimally between a few hours and 3 days depending on substrate. Higher substrate concentrations should be more energy-efficient but there are product inhibition limitations, for example from unionised butyric acid. Inhibition by H{sub 2} can be reduced by stirring, sparging or extraction through membranes. Of the reactor types investigated, while granules have the best performance with soluble substrate, for particulate feedstock biofilm reactors or continuous stirred tank reactors may be most successful. A second stage is required to utilise the fermentation end products which, when cost-effective reactors are developed, may be photofermentation or microbial fuel cell technologies. Anaerobic digestion is a currently-available technology and the two-stage process is reported to give greater conversion efficiency than anaerobic digestion alone. (author)

Biogas from mesophilic anaerobic digestion of cow dung using gelatin as additive

Science.gov (United States)

Salam, Bodius; Rahman, Md Mizanur; Sikder, Md Asif R.; Islam, Majedul

2017-06-01

A research work was conducted to investigate the enhanced production ability of biogas from mesophilic anaerobic digestions of cow dung (CD) using gelatin as additive. Five laboratory scale digesters were constructed to digest cow dung, where one set up was used for digestion of cow dung without additive and the other set up were used for digestion with additive. Gelatin additive was added in the slurry of amount 0.29, 0,57, 0.85 and 1.14% (wt.). The digesters were made of glass conical flask of 1-liter capacity each. Cow dung was used 335 gm and water was used 365 gm in each experiment. In the slurry, total solid content was maintained 8% (wt.) for all the observations. The digesters were fed on batch basis. The digesters were operated at ambient temperatures of 26 - 35°C. The total gas yield was obtained about 14.4 L/kg CD for digestion without additive and about 65% more biogas for digestion with 0.29% gelatin additive. The retention time for digestion without additive was 38 days and with additive retention time varied between 24 and 52 days.

Microbiological analysis of coliforms and mesophilic aerobic spore formers in gamma irradiated cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao L.); Analise microbiologica de coliformes e aerobicos mesofilos em amendoas de cacau (Theobroma cacao L.) irradiadas com radiacao gama

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barata, Anderson Demetrio; Mansur Netto, Elias [Minas Gerais Univ., Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Faculdade de Farmacia

1995-12-31

The presence of coliforms in processed foods is an useful indicator of post-sanitization and post processing contamination, and members of the mesophilic aerobic spore formers have great importance in food spoilage. Spore - forming aerobic bacilli have been observed in fermenting cocoa in Jamaica and West Africa. The results of this work has shown a considerable reduction of the mesophilic aerobic spore formers in irradiated Brazilian Comun Cocoa beans as long as the irradiation dose was increased from 1.05 to 3.99 kGy. The presence of coliforms irradiated has not been found even in the coroa beans with the dose of 1.05 kGy. (author). 4 refs., 1 tab.

Pan-Cellulosomics of Mesophilic Clostridia: Variations on a Theme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bareket Dassa

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The bacterial cellulosome is an extracellular, multi-enzyme machinery, which efficiently depolymerizes plant biomass by degrading plant cell wall polysaccharides. Several cellulolytic bacteria have evolved various elaborate modular architectures of active cellulosomes. We present here a genome-wide analysis of a dozen mesophilic clostridia species, including both well-studied and yet-undescribed cellulosome-producing bacteria. We first report here, the presence of cellulosomal elements, thus expanding our knowledge regarding the prevalence of the cellulosomal paradigm in nature. We explored the genomic organization of key cellulosome components by comparing the cellulosomal gene clusters in each bacterial species, and the conserved sequence features of the specific cellulosomal modules (cohesins and dockerins, on the background of their phylogenetic relationship. Additionally, we performed comparative analyses of the species-specific repertoire of carbohydrate-degrading enzymes for each of the clostridial species, and classified each cellulosomal enzyme into a specific CAZy family, thus indicating their putative enzymatic activity (e.g., cellulases, hemicellulases, and pectinases. Our work provides, for this large group of bacteria, a broad overview of the blueprints of their multi-component cellulosomal complexes. The high similarity of their scaffoldin clusters and dockerin-based recognition residues suggests a common ancestor, and/or extensive horizontal gene transfer, and potential cross-species recognition. In addition, the sporadic spatial organization of the numerous dockerin-containing genes in several of the genomes, suggests the importance of the cellulosome paradigm in the given bacterial species. The information gained in this work may be utilized directly or developed further by genetically engineering and optimizing designer cellulosome systems for enhanced biotechnological biomass deconstruction and biofuel production.

Effect of feedstock composition and organic loading rate during the mesophilic co-digestion of olive mill wastewater and swine manure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kougias, Panagiotis; Kotsopoulos, T.A.; Martzopoulos, G.G.

2014-01-01

In the present study, the optimisation of the mesophilic anaerobic co-digestion process of olive mill wastewaters (OMW) together with swine manure (SM) was investigated. Batch and continuous mode experiments were performed in order to define the most efficient mixing ratio and to determine...... yield of the reactors fed with 40% OMW reached 373mL CH4/gVS (78% of the theoretical yield). The findings of the present study proved that the co-digestion of OMW together with SM is a sustainable solution, capable to efficiently treat simultaneously these residual residues. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd....

Isolation of cultivable thermophilic lactic acid bacteria from cheeses made with mesophilic starter and molecular comparison with dairy-related Lactobacillus helveticus strains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Marie Elisabeth Penderup; Ardö, Ylva Margareta; Vogensen, Finn Kvist

2009-01-01

-related Lact. helveticus strains indicated that one isolate was a Lact. helveticus. Partial sequencing of 16S rRNA confirmed this, and the remaining four strains were identified as Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus fermentum and Enterococcus faecium. The rep-PCR profile of the isolated Lact. helveticus......Aims: To isolate cultivable thermophilic lactic acid bacteria from cheeses made with mesophilic starter and compare them with dairy-related Lactobacillus helveticus strains using molecular typing methods. Methods and Results: The number of thermophilic bacteria in seven commercial cheeses...

Performance of mesophilic anaerobic granules for removal of octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) from aqueous solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An Chunjiang; He Yanling; Huang Guohe; Liu Yonghong

2010-01-01

The performance of mesophilic anaerobic granules to degrade octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) was investigated under various conditions. The results of batch experiments showed that anaerobic granules were capable of removing HMX from aqueous solution with high efficiency. Both biotic and abiotic mechanisms contributed to the removal of HMX by anaerobic granules under mesophilic conditions. Adsorption appeared to play a significant role in the abiotic process. Furthermore, HMX could be biodegraded by anaerobic granules as the sole substrate. After 16 days of incubation, 99.04% and 96.42% of total HMX could be removed by 1 g VSS/L acclimated and unacclimated granules, respectively. Vancomycin, an inhibitor of acetogenic bacteria, caused a significant inhibition of HMX biotransformation, while 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid, an inhibitor of methanogenic bacteria, only resulted in a slight decrease of metabolic activity. The presence of the glucose, as a suitable electron donor and carbon source, was found to enhance the degradation of HMX by anaerobic granules. Our study showed that sulfate had little adverse effects on biotransformation of HMX by anaerobic granules. However, nitrate had significant inhibitory effect on the extent of HMX removal especially in the initial period. This study offered good prospects of using high-rate anaerobic technology in the treatment of munition wastewater.

Propensity for biofilm formation by aerobic mesophilic and thermophilic spore forming bacteria isolated from Chinese milk powders.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadiq, Faizan A; Flint, Steve; Yuan, Lei; Li, Yun; Liu, TongJie; He, GuoQing

2017-12-04

Biofilms on the surface of dairy manufacturing plants are potential reservoirs of microbial contamination. These microbial aggregates may harbour pathogenic and spoilage organisms which contaminate dairy products. The biofilm forming capacity of many spore forming isolates of dairy origin has not been given much attention. The present study explored the biofilm forming potential of 148 isolates, comprising mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria, with particular emphasis on Bacillus licheniformis on polystyrene and stainless steel (SS) surfaces. We concluded that only four species are of significance for biofilm development on the surface of SS in the presence of skimmed milk, namely, B. licheniformis, Geobacillus stearothermophilus, Geobacillus thermoleovorans group and Anoxybacillus flavithermus. The maximum number of cells recovered from the biofilms developed on SS coupons in the presence of skimmed milk for these four species was as follows: 4.8, 5.2, 4.5 and 5.3logCFU/cm 2 , respectively. Number of cells recovered from biofilms on 1cm 2 SS coupons increased in the presence of tryptic soy broth (TSB) for all mesophiles including B. licheniformis, while decreased for G. stearothermophilus, G. thermoleovorans group and A. flavithermus. The crystal violet staining assay on polystyrene proved to be inadequate to predict cell counts on SS for the bacteria tested in our trial in the presence of either TSB or skimmed milk. The results support the idea that biofilm formation is an important part of bacterial survival strategy as only the most prevalent isolates from milk powders formed good biofilms on SS in the presence of skimmed milk. Biofilm formation also proved to be a strain-dependent characteristic and interestingly significant variation in biofilm formation was observed within the same RAPD groups of B. licheniformis which supports the previously reported genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity within the same RAPD based groups. The work reported in this manuscript

Development and Diversity of Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc Bacteriophages in Dairies Using Undefined Mesophilic DL-Starter Cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Muhammed, Musemma Kedir

complete loss of fermentation. Dairy phages have for long time been studied using traditional culture-dependent methods but not using metagenomic approaches. Part of this project was devoted to develop a method for dairy metavirome extraction and analysis. Several whey mixtures derived by defined......Bacteriophages (phages) attacking strains of Lactococcus (Lc.) lactis and Leuconostoc species, used as starter cultures in mesophilic dairy productions, produce huge problems through waste of ingredients, increased processing time, reduced product quality, consistency and safety, and occasionally...... in dairies using undefined starters and of mostly Lc. lactis c2 phages in dairies using defined cultures. Certain evidence indicating possible co-induction of temperate P335 phages and smaller Lc. lactis satellite phages was obtained. Also addressed was the issue of accurate and simultaneous quantification...

Synergetic effect of pH and biochemical components on bacterial diversity during mesophilic anaerobic fermentation of biomass-origin waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Lü, F; Shao, L M; Bru, V; Godon, J J; He, P J

2009-02-01

To investigate the synergetic effect of pH and biochemical components on bacterial community structure during mesophilic anaerobic degradation of solid wastes with different origins, and under acidic or neutral conditions. The bacterial community in 16 samples of solid wastes with different biochemical compositions and origins was evaluated during mesophilic anaerobic degradation at acidic and neutral pH. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) were used to compare the communities. Multivariate analysis of the DGGE and SSCP results revealed that most of the dominant microbes were dependent on the content of easily degradable carbohydrates in the samples. Furthermore, the dominant microbes were divided into two types, those that preferred an acid environment and those that preferred a neutral environment. A shift in pH was found to change their preference for medium substrates. Although most of the substrates with similar origin and biochemical composition had similar microbial diversity during fermentation, some microbes were found only in substrates with specific origins. For example, two microbes were only found in substrate that contained lignocellulose and animal protein without starch. These microbes were related to micro-organisms that are found in swine manure, as well as in other intestinal or oral niches. In addition, the distribution of fermentation products was less sensitive to the changes in pH and biochemical components than the microbial community. Bacterial diversity during anaerobic degradation of organic wastes was affected by both pH and biochemical components; however, pH exerted a greater effect. The results of this study reveal that control of pH may be an effective method to produce a stable bacterial community and relatively similar product distribution during anaerobic digestion of waste, regardless of variation in the waste feedstocks.

Domain-swapping of mesophilic xylanase with hyper-thermophilic glucanase

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Liu Liangwei

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Domain fusion is limited at enzyme one terminus. The issue was explored by swapping a mesophilic Aspergillus niger GH11 xylanase (Xyn with a hyper-thermophilic Thermotoga maritima glucanase (Glu to construct two chimeras, Xyn-Glu and Glu-Xyn, with an intention to create thermostable xylanase containing glucanase activity. Results When expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3, the two chimeras exhibited bi-functional activities of xylanase and glucanase. The Xyn-Glu Xyn moiety had optimal reaction temperature (Topt at 50 °C and thermal in-activation half-life (t1/2 at 50 °C for 47.6 min, compared to 47 °C and 17.6 min for the Xyn. The Glu-Xyn Xyn moiety had equivalent Topt to and shorter t1/2 (5.2 min than the Xyn. Both chimera Glu moieties were more thermostable than the Glu, and the three enzyme Topt values were higher than 96 °C. The Glu-Xyn Glu moiety optimal pH was 5.8, compared to 3.8 for the Xyn-Glu Glu moiety and the Glu. Both chimera two moieties cooperated with each other in degrading substrates. Conclusions Domain-swapping created different effects on each moiety properties. Fusing the Glu domain at C-terminus increased the xylanase thermostability, but fusing the Glu domain at N-terminus decreased the xylanase thermostability. Fusing the Xyn domain at either terminus increased the glucanase thermostability, and fusing the Xyn domain at C-terminus shifted the glucanase pH property 2 units higher towards alkaline environments. Fusing a domain at C-terminus contributes more to enzyme catalytic activity; whereas, fusing a bigger domain at N-terminus disturbs enzyme substrate binding affinity.

Influence of temperature shifts on survival, growth, and toxin production by psychrotrophic and mesophilic strains of Bacillus cereus in potatoes and chicken gravy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahakarnchanakul, W; Beuchat, L R

1999-03-15

A study was done to determine the influence of temperature on growth and toxin production characteristics of psychrotrophic and mesophilic strains of Bacillus cereus when inoculated into mashed potatoes and chicken gravy containing various concentrations of sodium chloride and held at temperatures different from those at which cells had been cultured. Logarithmic growth phase cells (10 h, 30 degrees C) of psychrotrophic (F3802A/84) and mesophilic (B4ac-1) strains of Bacillus cereus were inoculated into rehydrated commercially processed instant mashed potatoes and chicken gravy supplemented with 0, 2, or 4% sodium chloride. Growth, survival, and diarrheal toxin production in potatoes and gravy held at 30, 37, and 10 degrees C (strain F3802A/84) or 30, 40, and 10 degrees C (strain B4ac-1) were monitored. Both strains grew in both foods containing no added sodium chloride or 2% sodium chloride when held at 30, 37, or 40 degrees C for 2 days. Strain B4ac-1 grew better than strain F3802A/84 in foods containing 4% sodium chloride. Maximum amounts of enterotoxin (1024 ng/g) were produced by strain B4ac-1 in chicken gravy held at 30 and 40 degrees C. Strain F3802A/84 grew to populations of 7 log10 CFU/g in foods containing no added sodium chloride or 2% sodium chloride at 10 degrees C. Strain F3802A/84 produced the highest amount of enterotoxin (1024 ng/g) at 30 degrees C in chicken gravy containing 0.7 or 2% sodium chloride; however, little or low amounts of toxin (4-16 ng/g) were produced in chicken gravy at 10 degrees C. Compared to strain B4ac-1, cells of strain F3802A/84 subjected to a downward shift in incubation temperature (10 degrees C) grew more rapidly in chicken gravy. Strain B4ac-1 produced the highest amount of toxin (1024 ng/g) at 30 degrees C in gravy containing 4% sodium chloride and at 40 degrees C in gravy containing 0.7% sodium chloride. Toxin was not detected in inoculated mashed potatoes. Results of this study indicate that shifts in incubation

Following changes in total number of mesophilic bacteria and torry meter readings in samples of fresh trout packaged in modified atmosphere and vacuum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milijašević Milan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Today, food must be healthy, subjected to minimal processing, and attractively packaged, as the expectations of consumers are ever higher. Consumers are highly sensitive to the use of additives in the food industry. There is a constant demand for fresh food that does not contain any unnecessarily added chemicals. In order to prevent spoilage of food items, an efficient and intelligent concept for preserving freshness has been developed - packaging in a modified atmosphere. Changes in a certain composition of the atmosphere within the packaging have resulted in a longer shelf life and a satisfactory quality of the food articles. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP is well-known and has been applied in practice in the food processing industry for more than one century. The objective of these investigations was to determine the growth of the total number of mesophilic bacteria in the meat of trout packaged in a vacuum and a modified atmosphere and torry meter reading results due to changes in the dielectric characteristics of the skin that take place during the period of storage of the fresh fish. California trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss with an average weight of 293 g was used for the experimental part of the investigations. Four groups of fish samples were set up for the research. The first three groups of samples were packaged in a modified atmosphere with a different ratio of gases: Group I - 60%CO2+40%N2; Group II - 40%CO2+60%N2; Group III - 90%CO2+10%N2. Group IV comprised samples packaged in a vacuum. Investigations were carried out on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 of storage. The total number of mesophilic bacteria in the examined samples was determined according to the method ISO 4833. Measurements of changes in the dielectric characteristics of the fish skin were performed using a torry meter apparatus (The Torry Fish Freshness Meter. The results have shown that packaging of fresh trout in a modified atmosphere (60% CO2 + 40% N2 and 40% CO2 + 60% N2

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of winery wastewater sludge and wine lees: An integrated approach for sustainable wine production.

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Da Ros, C; Cavinato, C; Pavan, P; Bolzonella, D

2017-12-01

In this work, winery wastes generated by a cellar producing approximately 300,000 hL of wine per year was monitored for a period of one year. On average, 196 L of wastewater, 0.1 kg of waste activated sludge (dry matter) and 1.6 kg of wine lees were produced per hectoliter of wine produced. Different winery wastes, deriving from different production steps, namely waste activated sludge from wastewater treatment and wine lees, were co-treated using an anaerobic digestion process. Testing was conducted on a pilot scale for both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The process was stable for a long period at 37 °C, with an average biogas production of 0.386 m 3 /kg COD fed . On the other hand, for thermophilic conditions, volatile fatty acids accumulated in the reactor and the process failed after one hydraulic retention time (23 days). In order to fix the biological process, trace elements (iron, cobalt and nickel) were added to the feed of the thermophilic reactor. Metals augmentation improved process stability and yields at 55 °C. The pH ranged between 7.8 and 8.0, and specific gas production was 0.450 m 3 /kg COD fed , which corresponded to dry matter and COD removals of 34% and 88%, respectively. Although the observed performances in terms of biogas production were good, the thermophilic process exhibited some limitations related to both the necessity of metals addition and the worse dewaterability properties. In fact, while the mesophilic digestates reached a good dewatering quality via the addition of 6.5 g of polymer per kg of dry matter, the required dosage for the thermophilic sludge was greater than 10 g/kg of dry matter. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolation and characterization of mesophilic, oxalate-degrading Streptomyces from plant rhizosphere and forest soils

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Sahin, Nurettin

2004-10-01

The present work was aimed at the isolation of additional new pure cultures of oxalate-degrading Streptomyces and its preliminary characterization for further work in the field of oxalate metabolism and taxonomic studies. Mesophilic, oxalate-degrading Streptomyces were enriched and isolated from plant rhizosphere and forest soil samples. Strains were examined for cultural, morphological (spore chain morphology, spore mass colour, diffusible and melanin pigment production), physiological (antibiosis, growth in the presence of inhibitory compounds, assimilation of organic acids and enzyme substrates) and chemotaxonomic characters (cellular lipid components and diagnostic cell-wall diamino acid). The taxonomic data obtained were analysed by using the simple matching (SSM) and Jaccard (SJ) coefficients, clustering was achieved using the UPGMA algorithm. All strains were able to utilize sodium-, potassium-, calcium- and ammonium-oxalate salts. Based on the results of numerical taxonomy, isolates were grouped into five cluster groups with a ≥70% SSM similarity level. Streptomyces rochei was the most common of the cluster groups, with a Willcox probability of P>0.8. Streptomyces antibioticus, S. anulatus, S. fulvissimus, S. halstedii and S. violaceusniger are newly reported as oxalate-utilizing Streptomyces.

Effect of maize silage addition on biomethane recovery from mesophilic co-digestion of chicken and cattle manure to suppress ammonia inhibition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yangin-Gomec, Cigdem; Ozturk, Izzet

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Daily biomethane and total energy productions improved 1.2 fold when maize silage is co-digested with the animal wastes. • Heat produced is sufficient for successful mesophilic co-digestion with an energy saving ∼36 × 10 3 kW h with maize silage. • Excess heat up to 16 × 10 3 kW h can be utilized elsewhere in the premises of the biogas plant. • Biogas plants including co-digestion of manure with a suitable co-substrate are becoming net producers of renewable energy. • pH values above 7.4 may cause severe inhibition of methanogenic cultures for an unadapted process to NH 3 . - Abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate the biogas recovery potential if mesophilic (35 ± 2 °C) anaerobic co-digestion of two different types of manure sources (from chicken and cattle) is applied at a biogas plant. In order to evaluate the improvement in biogas production in the presence of the co-substrate, maize silage is digested together with the animal manure. Results indicated that daily biomethane and total energy (power + heat) productions improved about 1.2 fold when maize silage is co-digested with cattle and chicken wastes. The heat and power energy potentials from the produced biogas were determined using the conversion rates of a CHP unit. Significant energy recovery could be achieved for both cases; i.e. total methane productions were calculated as 5800 and 6580 m 3 /day corresponding to total energy productions of some 45.05 × 10 3 and 51.06 × 10 3 kW h without and with maize silage addition, respectively. A heat analysis was also performed where the resulting biomethane productions were the basis of the heat requirements. Results indicated that the major part of the heating requirements consisted of slurry heating to the operating temperature (in this study 35 °C). When the overall heat requirements are compared to the heat potential from a CHP unit, it is clear that the heat produced is sufficient for successful mesophilic co

Comparing the Bio-Hydrogen Production Potential of Pretreated Rice Straw Co-Digested with Seeded Sludge Using an Anaerobic Bioreactor under Mesophilic Thermophilic Conditions

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Asma Sattar

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Three common pretreatments (mechanical, steam explosion and chemical used to enhance the biodegradability of rice straw were compared on the basis of bio-hydrogen production potential while co-digesting rice straw with sludge under mesophilic (37 °C and thermophilic (55 °C temperatures. The results showed that the solid state NaOH pretreatment returned the highest experimental reduction of LCH (lignin, cellulose and hemi-cellulose content and bio-hydrogen production from rice straw. The increase in incubation temperature from 37 °C to 55 °C increased the bio-hydrogen yield, and the highest experimental yield of 60.6 mL/g VSremoved was obtained under chemical pretreatment at 55 °C. The time required for maximum bio-hydrogen production was found on the basis of kinetic parameters as 36 h–47 h of incubation, which can be used as a hydraulic retention time for continuous bio-hydrogen production from rice straw. The optimum pH range of bio-hydrogen production was observed to be 6.7 ± 0.1–5.8 ± 0.1 and 7.1 ± 0.1–5.8 ± 0.1 under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, respectively. The increase in temperature was found useful for controlling the volatile fatty acids (VFA under mechanical and steam explosion pretreatments. The comparison of pretreatment methods under the same set of experimental conditions in the present study provided a baseline for future research in order to select an appropriate pretreatment method.

"Hot cores" in proteins: Comparative analysis of the apolar contact area in structures from hyper/thermophilic and mesophilic organisms

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Bossa Francesco

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A wide variety of stabilizing factors have been invoked so far to elucidate the structural basis of protein thermostability. These include, amongst the others, a higher number of ion-pairs interactions and hydrogen bonds, together with a better packing of hydrophobic residues. It has been frequently observed that packing of hydrophobic side chains is improved in hyperthermophilic proteins, when compared to their mesophilic counterparts. In this work, protein crystal structures from hyper/thermophilic organisms and their mesophilic homologs have been compared, in order to quantify the difference of apolar contact area and to assess the role played by the hydrophobic contacts in the stabilization of the protein core, at high temperatures. Results The construction of two datasets was carried out so as to satisfy several restrictive criteria, such as minimum redundancy, resolution and R-value thresholds and lack of any structural defect in the collected structures. This approach allowed to quantify with relatively high precision the apolar contact area between interacting residues, reducing the uncertainty due to the position of atoms in the crystal structures, the redundancy of data and the size of the dataset. To identify the common core regions of these proteins, the study was focused on segments that conserve a similar main chain conformation in the structures analyzed, excluding the intervening regions whose structure differs markedly. The results indicated that hyperthermophilic proteins underwent a significant increase of the hydrophobic contact area contributed by those residues composing the alpha-helices of the structurally conserved regions. Conclusion This study indicates the decreased flexibility of alpha-helices in proteins core as a major factor contributing to the enhanced termostability of a number of hyperthermophilic proteins. This effect, in turn, may be due to an increased number of buried methyl groups in

Thermophilic Alkaline Fermentation Followed by Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion for Efficient Hydrogen and Methane Production from Waste-Activated Sludge: Dynamics of Bacterial Pathogens as Revealed by the Combination of Metagenomic and Quantitative PCR Analyses.

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Wan, Jingjing; Jing, Yuhang; Rao, Yue; Zhang, Shicheng; Luo, Gang

2018-03-15

Thermophilic alkaline fermentation followed by mesophilic anaerobic digestion (TM) for hydrogen and methane production from waste-activated sludge (WAS) was investigated. The TM process was also compared to a process with mesophilic alkaline fermentation followed by a mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MM) and one-stage mesophilic anaerobic digestion (M) process. The results showed that both hydrogen yield (74.5 ml H 2 /g volatile solids [VS]) and methane yield (150.7 ml CH 4 /g VS) in the TM process were higher than those (6.7 ml H 2 /g VS and 127.8 ml CH 4 /g VS, respectively) in the MM process. The lowest methane yield (101.2 ml CH 4 /g VS) was obtained with the M process. Taxonomic results obtained from metagenomic analysis showed that different microbial community compositions were established in the hydrogen reactors of the TM and MM processes, which also significantly changed the microbial community compositions in the following methane reactors compared to that with the M process. The dynamics of bacterial pathogens were also evaluated. For the TM process, the reduced diversity and total abundance of bacterial pathogens in WAS were observed in the hydrogen reactor and were further reduced in the methane reactor, as revealed by metagenomic analysis. The results also showed not all bacterial pathogens were reduced in the reactors. For example, Collinsella aerofaciens was enriched in the hydrogen reactor, which was also confirmed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis. The study further showed that qPCR was more sensitive for detecting bacterial pathogens than metagenomic analysis. Although there were some differences in the relative abundances of bacterial pathogens calculated by metagenomic and qPCR approaches, both approaches demonstrated that the TM process was more efficient for the removal of bacterial pathogens than the MM and M processes. IMPORTANCE This study developed an efficient process for bioenergy (H 2 and CH 4 ) production from WAS and elucidates the

Co-digestion of bovine slaughterhouse wastes, cow manure, various crops and municipal solid waste at thermophilic conditions: a comparison with specific case running at mesophilic conditions.

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Pagés-Díaz, J; Sárvári-Horváth, I; Pérez-Olmo, J; Pereda-Reyes, I

2013-01-01

A co-digestion process was evaluated when mixing different ratios of agro-industrial residues, i.e. bovine slaughterhouse waste (SB); cow manure (M); various crop residues (VC); and municipal solid waste (MSW) by anaerobic batch digestion under thermophilic conditions (55 °C). A selected study case at mesophilic condition (37 °C) was also investigated. The performance of the co-digestion was evaluated by kinetics (k(0)). The best kinetic results were obtained under thermophilic operation when a mixture of 22% w/w SB, 22% w/w M, 45% w/w VC and 11% w/w MSW was co-digested, which showed a proper combination of high values in r(s)CH(4) and k(0) (0.066 Nm(3)CH(4)/kgVS*d, 0.336 d(-1)) during the anaerobic process. The effect of temperature on methane yield (Y(CH4)), specific methane rate (r(s)CH(4)) and k(0) was also analyzed for a specific study case; there a mixture of 25% w/w of SB, 37.5% w/w of M, 37.5% of VC and 0% of MSW was used. Response variables were severely affected by mesophilic conditions, diminishing to at least 45% of the thermophilic values obtained for a similar mixture. The effect of temperature suggested that thermophilic conditions are suitable to treat these residues.

Cyclic di-GMP is essential for the survival of the lyme disease spirochete in ticks.

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Ming He

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP is a bacterial second messenger that modulates many biological processes. Although its role in bacterial pathogenesis during mammalian infection has been documented, the role of c-di-GMP in a pathogen's life cycle within a vector host is less understood. The enzootic cycle of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi involves both a mammalian host and an Ixodes tick vector. The B. burgdorferi genome encodes a single copy of the diguanylate cyclase gene (rrp1, which is responsible for c-di-GMP synthesis. To determine the role of c-di-GMP in the life cycle of B. burgdorferi, an Rrp1-deficient B. burgdorferi strain was generated. The rrp1 mutant remains infectious in the mammalian host but cannot survive in the tick vector. Microarray analyses revealed that expression of a four-gene operon involved in glycerol transport and metabolism, bb0240-bb0243, was significantly downregulated by abrogation of Rrp1. In vitro, the rrp1 mutant is impaired in growth in the media containing glycerol as the carbon source (BSK-glycerol. To determine the contribution of the glycerol metabolic pathway to the rrp1 mutant phenotype, a glp mutant, in which the entire bb0240-bb0243 operon is not expressed, was generated. Similar to the rrp1 mutant, the glp mutant has a growth defect in BSK-glycerol medium. In vivo, the glp mutant is also infectious in mice but has reduced survival in ticks. Constitutive expression of the bb0240-bb0243 operon in the rrp1 mutant fully rescues the growth defect in BSK-glycerol medium and partially restores survival of the rrp1 mutant in ticks. Thus, c-di-GMP appears to govern a catabolic switch in B. burgdorferi and plays a vital role in the tick part of the spirochetal enzootic cycle. This work provides the first evidence that c-di-GMP is essential for a pathogen's survival in its vector host.

The formation of illite from nontronite by mesophilic and thermophilic bacterial reaction

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Jaisi, Deb P.; Eberl, Dennis D.; Dong, Hailiang; Kim, Jinwook

2011-01-01

The formation of illite through the smectite-to-illite (S-I) reaction is considered to be one of the most important mineral reactions occurring during diagenesis. In biologically catalyzed systems, however, this transformation has been suggested to be rapid and to bypass the high temperature and long time requirements. To understand the factors that promote the S-I reaction, the present study focused on the effects of pH, temperature, solution chemistry, and aging on the S-I reaction in microbially mediated systems. Fe(III)-reduction experiments were performed in both growth and non-growth media with two types of bacteria: mesophilic (Shewanella putrefaciens CN32) and thermophilic (Thermus scotoductus SA-01). Reductive dissolution of NAu-2 was observed and the formation of illite in treatment with thermophilic SA-01 was indicated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). A basic pH (8.4) and high temperature (65°C) were the most favorable conditions for the formation of illite. A long incubation time was also found to enhance the formation of illite. K-nontronite (non-permanent fixation of K) was also detected and differentiated from the discrete illite in the XRD profiles. These results collectively suggested that the formation of illite associated with the biologically catalyzed smectite-to-illite reaction pathway may bypass the prolonged time and high temperature required for the S-I reaction in the absence of microbial activity.

A comparative molecular dynamics study of thermophilic and mesophilic β-fructosidase enzymes.

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Mazola, Yuliet; Guirola, Osmany; Palomares, Sucel; Chinea, Glay; Menéndez, Carmen; Hernández, Lázaro; Musacchio, Alexis

2015-09-01

Arabidopsis thaliana cell wall invertase 1 (AtcwINV1) and Thermotoga maritima β-fructosidase (BfrA) are among the best structurally studied members of the glycoside hydrolase family 32. Both enzymes hydrolyze sucrose as the main substrate but differ strongly in their thermal stability. Mesophilic AtcwINV1 and thermophilic BfrA have divergent sequence similarities in the N-terminal five bladed β-propeller catalytic domain (31 %) and the C-terminal β-sandwich domain (15 %) of unknown function. The two enzymes were subjected to 200 ns molecular dynamics simulations at 300 K (27 °C) and 353 K (80 °C). Regular secondary structure regions, but not loops, in AtcwINV1 and BfrA showed no significant fluctuation differences at both temperatures. BfrA was more rigid than AtcwINV1 at 300 K. The simulation at 353 K did not alter the structural stability of BfrA, but did increase the overall flexibility of AtcwINV1 exhibiting the most fluctuating regions in the β-propeller domain. The simulated heat treatment also increased the gyration radius and hydrophobic solvent accessible surface area of the plant enzyme, consistent with the initial steps of an unfolding process. The preservation of the conformational rigidity of BfrA at 353 K is linked to the shorter size of the protein loops. Shortening of BfrA loops appears to be a key mechanism for thermostability.

Does host complement kill Borrelia burgdorferi within ticks?

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Rathinavelu, Sivaprakash; Broadwater, Anne; de Silva, Aravinda M

2003-02-01

The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, inhabits the gut lumen of the tick vector. At this location the spirochete is exposed to host blood when a tick feeds. We report here on studies that were done with normal and complement-deficient (C3-knockout) mice to determine if the host complement system killed spirochetes within the vector. We found that spirochete numbers within feeding nymphs were not influenced by complement, most likely because host complement was inactivated within the vector. The Lyme disease outer surface protein A (OspA) vaccine is a transmission-blocking vaccine that targets spirochetes in the vector. In experiments with mice hyperimmunized with OspA, complement was not required to kill spirochetes within nymphs and to block transmission from nymphs to the vaccinated host. However, host complement did enhance the ability of OspA antibody to block larvae from acquiring spirochetes. Thus, the effects of OspA antibody on nymphal transmission and larval acquisition appear to be based on different mechanisms.

High-solid mesophilic methane fermentation of food waste with an emphasis on Iron, Cobalt, and Nickel requirements.

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Qiang, Hong; Lang, Dong-Li; Li, Yu-You

2012-01-01

The effect of trace metals on the mesophilic methane fermentation of high-solid food waste was investigated using both batch and continuous experiments. The continuous experiment was conducted by using a CSTR-type reactor with three run. During the first run, the HRT of the reactor was stepwise decreased from 100 days to 30 days. From operation day 50, the reactor efficiency deteriorated due to the lack of trace metals. The batch experiment showed that iron, cobalt, and nickel combinations had a significant effect on food waste. According to the results of the batch experiment, a combination of iron, cobalt, and nickel was added into the CSTR reactor by two different methods at run II, and III. Based on experimental results and theoretical calculations, the most suitable values of Fe/COD, Co/COD, and Ni/COD in the substrate were identified as 200, 6.0, and 5.7 mg/kg COD, respectively. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shifts in bacterial and archaeal community structures during the batch biomethanation of Ulva biomass under mesophilic conditions.

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Kim, Jaai; Jung, Heejung; Lee, Changsoo

2014-10-01

Mesophilic biomethanation of Ulva biomass was performed in a batch bioreactor, and a high organic removal of 77% was obtained on the basis of chemical oxygen demand (COD) after a month of operation. The estimated methane yield was 0.43 ± 0.02 L CH4/g COD(removed) which is close to the theoretical methane potential. Transitions of bacterial and archaeal community structures, associated with process performance data, were investigated using a combination of molecular fingerprinting and biostatistical tools. During the operation, archaeal community structure had no significant changes while bacterial community structure shifted continuously and dynamically. The reactor completely stabilized volatile fatty acids (primarily acetate and propionate) accumulated from the acidogenesis phase, with Methanosaeta- and Methanolinea-related microbes respectively being the main aceticlastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Methanolinea- and Syntrophobacter-related populations were likely the key members to form a syntrophic propionate-degrading consortium. A Methanolinea-related population was likely the dominant methane producer in the experimental reactor. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermo- and mesophilic aerobic batch biodegradation of high-strength distillery wastewater (potato stillage)--utilisation of main carbon sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Krzywonos, Małgorzata; Cibis, Edmund; Lasik, Małgorzata; Nowak, Jacek; Miśkiewicz, Tadeusz

2009-05-01

The aim of the study was to ascertain the extent to which temperature influences the utilisation of main carbon sources (reducing substances determined before and after hydrolysis, glycerol and organic acids) by a mixed culture of thermo- and mesophilic bacteria of the genus Bacillus in the course of aerobic batch biodegradation of potato stillage, a high-strength distillery effluent (COD=51.88 g O(2)/l). The experiments were performed at 20, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and 63 degrees C, at pH 7, in a 5l working volume stirred-tank bioreactor (Biostat B, B. Braun Biotech International) with a stirrer speed of 550 rpm and aeration at 1.6 vvm. Particular consideration was given to the following issues: (1) the sequence in which the main carbon sources in the stillage were assimilated and (2) the extent of their assimilation achieved under these conditions.

Does Host Complement Kill Borrelia burgdorferi within Ticks?

OpenAIRE

Rathinavelu, Sivaprakash; Broadwater, Anne; de Silva, Aravinda M.

2003-01-01

The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, inhabits the gut lumen of the tick vector. At this location the spirochete is exposed to host blood when a tick feeds. We report here on studies that were done with normal and complement-deficient (C3-knockout) mice to determine if the host complement system killed spirochetes within the vector. We found that spirochete numbers within feeding nymphs were not influenced by complement, most likely because host complement was inactivated within ...

Production of an acidic and thermostable lipase of the mesophilic fungus Penicillium simplicissimum by solid-state fermentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gutarra, Melissa L E; Godoy, Mateus G; Maugeri, Francisco; Rodrigues, Maria Isabel; Freire, Denise M G; Castilho, Leda R

2009-11-01

The production of a lipase by a wild-type Brazilian strain of Penicillium simplicissimum in solid-state fermentation of babassu cake, an abundant residue of the oil industry, was studied. The enzyme production reached about 90 U/g in 72 h, with a specific activity of 4.5 U/mg of total proteins. The crude lipase showed high activities at 35-60 degrees C and pH 4.0-6.0, with a maximum activity at 50 degrees C and pH 4.0-5.0. Enzyme stability was enhanced at pH 5.0 and 6.0, with a maximum half-life of 5.02 h at 50 degrees C and pH 5.0. Thus, this lipase shows a thermophilic and thermostable behavior, what is not common among lipases from mesophilic filamentous fungi. The crude enzyme catalysed the hydrolysis of triglycerides and p-nitrophenyl esters (C4:0-C18:0), preferably acting on substrates with medium-chain fatty acids. This non-purified lipase in addition to interesting properties showed a reduced production cost making feasible its applicability in many fields.

Ability of industrial anaerobic ecosystems to produce methane from ethanol in psychrophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mabala, Jojo Charlie

2012-01-01

potential for adaptation depended on the presence of very specific methanogenic Archaea populations. When placing the adapted ecosystems in temperatures different from the original temperature, only mesophilic ecosystems adapted to psychrophilic temperatures. As expected, specific methanogenic activity was always obtained at the original temperature of the ecosystem. Analysis of bacterial and archaeal communities at the end of the acclimation period revealed that acclimation of thermophilic and mesophilic ecosystems to lower temperatures only modified slightly the structure of microbial communities. On the other hand, more significant changes were obtained when the incubation temperature was increased in comparison to the original temperature of the ecosystem. In summary, the study of the effect of incubation temperature (5 deg. C to 55 deg. C) on the fermentation activity and microbial population structure is a good model for laboratory study to understand the impact of abiotic factor on the structural and functional dynamics of a complex microbial community. (author) [fr

A physiologically based kinetic model for bacterial sulfide oxidation.

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Klok, Johannes B M; de Graaff, Marco; van den Bosch, Pim L F; Boelee, Nadine C; Keesman, Karel J; Janssen, Albert J H

2013-02-01

In the biotechnological process for hydrogen sulfide removal from gas streams, a variety of oxidation products can be formed. Under natron-alkaline conditions, sulfide is oxidized by haloalkaliphilic sulfide oxidizing bacteria via flavocytochrome c oxidoreductase. From previous studies, it was concluded that the oxidation-reduction state of cytochrome c is a direct measure for the bacterial end-product formation. Given this physiological feature, incorporation of the oxidation state of cytochrome c in a mathematical model for the bacterial oxidation kinetics will yield a physiologically based model structure. This paper presents a physiologically based model, describing the dynamic formation of the various end-products in the biodesulfurization process. It consists of three elements: 1) Michaelis-Menten kinetics combined with 2) a cytochrome c driven mechanism describing 3) the rate determining enzymes of the respiratory system of haloalkaliphilic sulfide oxidizing bacteria. The proposed model is successfully validated against independent data obtained from biological respiration tests and bench scale gas-lift reactor experiments. The results demonstrate that the model is a powerful tool to describe product formation for haloalkaliphilic biomass under dynamic conditions. The model predicts a maximum S⁰ formation of about 98 mol%. A future challenge is the optimization of this bioprocess by improving the dissolved oxygen control strategy and reactor design. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 for simulating anaerobic mesophilic sludge digestion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendes, Carlos; Esquerre, Karla; Matos Queiroz, Luciano

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The behavior of a anaerobic reactor was evaluated through modeling. • Parametric sensitivity analysis was used to select most sensitive of the ADM1. • The results indicate that the ADM1 was able to predict the experimental results. • Organic load rate above of 35 kg/m 3 day affects the performance of the process. - Abstract: Improving anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge by monitoring common indicators such as volatile fatty acids (VFAs), gas composition and pH is a suitable solution for better sludge management. Modeling is an important tool to assess and to predict process performance. The present study focuses on the application of the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) to simulate the dynamic behavior of a reactor fed with sewage sludge under mesophilic conditions. Parametric sensitivity analysis is used to select the most sensitive ADM1 parameters for estimation using a numerical procedure while other parameters are applied without any modification to the original values presented in the ADM1 report. The results indicate that the ADM1 model after parameter estimation was able to predict the experimental results of effluent acetate, propionate, composites and biogas flows and pH with reasonable accuracy. The simulation of the effect of organic shock loading clearly showed that an organic shock loading rate above of 35 kg/m 3 day affects the performance of the reactor. The results demonstrate that simulations can be helpful to support decisions on predicting the anaerobic digestion process of sewage sludge

Application of Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 for simulating anaerobic mesophilic sludge digestion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mendes, Carlos, E-mail: carllosmendez@gmail.com; Esquerre, Karla, E-mail: karlaesquerre@ufba.br; Matos Queiroz, Luciano, E-mail: lmqueiroz@ufba.br

2015-01-15

Highlights: • The behavior of a anaerobic reactor was evaluated through modeling. • Parametric sensitivity analysis was used to select most sensitive of the ADM1. • The results indicate that the ADM1 was able to predict the experimental results. • Organic load rate above of 35 kg/m{sup 3} day affects the performance of the process. - Abstract: Improving anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge by monitoring common indicators such as volatile fatty acids (VFAs), gas composition and pH is a suitable solution for better sludge management. Modeling is an important tool to assess and to predict process performance. The present study focuses on the application of the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) to simulate the dynamic behavior of a reactor fed with sewage sludge under mesophilic conditions. Parametric sensitivity analysis is used to select the most sensitive ADM1 parameters for estimation using a numerical procedure while other parameters are applied without any modification to the original values presented in the ADM1 report. The results indicate that the ADM1 model after parameter estimation was able to predict the experimental results of effluent acetate, propionate, composites and biogas flows and pH with reasonable accuracy. The simulation of the effect of organic shock loading clearly showed that an organic shock loading rate above of 35 kg/m{sup 3} day affects the performance of the reactor. The results demonstrate that simulations can be helpful to support decisions on predicting the anaerobic digestion process of sewage sludge.

Study of physiological properties of some probiotics in multiple cultures with mesophilic lactic acid bacteria by Flora Danica Ch. Hansen commercial starter

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DANIELA PARASCHIV

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to establish the growth ability and stability of probiotic strains Lactobacillus acidophilus (commercial code La-5®, Lactobacillus casei ssp. paracasei (commercial code L. casei 431® and Bifidobacterium bifidus (commercial code BB-12® in multiple cultures with mesophilic lactic bacteria, Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis ssp. diacetylactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides spp. cremoris, as Flora Danica Chr. Hansen commercial starters. Under the controlled fermentative conditions described below, a good starter combination, for the high rate of cells multiplication and for the good viability during storage, was identified in the mixture of L. casei 431®, BB-12® and Flora Danica, in ratio of 1:1:1 (9 log CFU/mL for each starter culture.

Anaerobic carbon monoxide metabolism by Pleomorphomonas carboxyditropha sp. nov., a new mesophilic hydrogenogenic carboxydotroph.

Science.gov (United States)

Esquivel-Elizondo, Sofia; Maldonado, Juan; Krajmalnik-Brown, Rosa

2018-06-01

Carbon monoxide (CO)-metabolism and phenotypic and phylogenetic characterization of a novel anaerobic, mesophilic and hydrogenogenic carboxydotroph are reported. Strain SVCO-16 was isolated from anaerobic sludge and grows autotrophically and mixotrophically with CO. The genes cooS and cooF, coding for a CO dehydrogenase complex, and genes similar to hycE2, encoding a CO-induced hydrogenase, were present in its genome. The isolate produces H2 and CO2 from CO, and acetate and formate from organic substrates. Based on the 16S rRNA sequence, it is an Alphaproteobacterium most closely related to the genus Pleomorphomonas (98.9%-99.2% sequence identity). Comparison with other previously characterized Pleomorphomonas showed that P. diazotrophica and P. oryzae do not metabolize CO, and P. diazotrophica does not grow anaerobically with organic substrates. Average nucleotide identity values between strain SVCO-16 and P. diazotrophica, P. oryzae or P. koreensis were 86.66 ± 0.21%. These values are below the boundary to define species (95%-96%). Digital DNA-DNA hybridization estimates between strain SVCO-16 and reference strains were also below the 70% threshold for species delineation: 29.1%-34.5%. Based on the differences in CO metabolism, genome analyses and cellular fatty acid composition, the isolate should be classified into the genus Pleomorphomonas as a representative of a novel species, Pleomorphomonas carboxyditropha. The type strain of Pleomorphomonas carboxyditropha is SVCO-16T (strain deposit numbers, DSM 106132T and TSD-119T).

Stability of endoglucanases from mesophilic fungus and thermophilic bacterium in acidified polyols.

Science.gov (United States)

Chong, Barrie Fong; Harrison, Mark D; O'Hara, Ian M

2014-01-01

Recent developments in chemical pretreatments of lignocellulosic biomass using polyols as co-solvents (e.g., glycerol and ethylene glycol) at temperatures less than 100°C may allow the effective use of thermostable and non-thermostable cellulases in situ during the saccharification process. The potential of biomass saccharifying enzymes, endoglucanases (EG) from a thermophilic bacterium (Thermotoga maritima) and a mesophilic fungus (Trichoderma longibrachiatum), to retain their activity in aqueous buffer, acidified glycerol, and acidified ethylene glycol used as co-solvents at pretreatment temperatures at or below 100°C were examined. The results show that despite its origin, T. longibrachiatum EG (Tl-EG) retained 75% of its activity after exposure to 100°C for 5 min in aqueous buffer while T. maritima EG (Tm-EG) retained only 5% activity. However, at 90°C both enzymes retained over 87% of their activity. In acidified (0.1% (w/w) H2SO4) glycerol, Tl-EG retained similar activity (80%) to that obtained in glycerol alone, while Tm-EG retained only 35%. With acidified ethylene glycol under these conditions, both Tl-EG and Tm-EG retained 36% of their activity. The results therefore show that Tl-EG is more stable in both acidified glycerol and ethylene glycol than Tm-EG. A preliminary kinetic study showed that pure glycerol improved the thermal stability of Tl-EG but destabilized Tm-EG, relative to the buffer solution. The half-lives of both Tl-EG and Tm-EG are 4.5 min in acidified glycerol, indicating that the effectiveness of these enzymes under typical pretreatment times of greater than 15 min will be considerably diminished. Attempts have been made to explain the differences in the results obtained between the two enzymes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hydrolytic activities of extracellular enzymes in thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic sequencing-batch reactors treating organic fractions of municipal solid wastes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyun-Woo; Nam, Joo-Youn; Kang, Seok-Tae; Kim, Dong-Hoon; Jung, Kyung-Won; Shin, Hang-Sik

2012-04-01

Extracellular enzymes offer active catalysis for hydrolysis of organic solid wastes in anaerobic digestion. To evidence the quantitative significance of hydrolytic enzyme activities for major waste components, track studies of thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic sequencing-batch reactors (TASBR and MASBR) were conducted using a co-substrate of real organic wastes. During 1day batch cycle, TASBR showed higher amylase activity for carbohydrate (46%), protease activity for proteins (270%), and lipase activity for lipids (19%) than MASBR. In particular, the track study of protease identified that thermophilic anaerobes degraded protein polymers much more rapidly. Results revealed that differences in enzyme activities eventually affected acidogenic and methanogenic performances. It was demonstrated that the superior nature of enzymatic capability at thermophilic condition led to successive high-rate acidogenesis and 32% higher CH(4) recovery. Consequently, these results evidence that the coupling thermophilic digestion with sequencing-batch operation is a viable option to promote enzymatic hydrolysis of organic particulates. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Search for the algorithm of genes distribution during the process of microbial evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Pikuta, Elena V.

2015-09-01

Previous two and three dimensional graph analysis of eco-physiological data of Archaea demonstrated specific geometry for distribution of major Prokaryotic groups in a hyperboloid function. The function of a two-sheet hyperboloid covered all known biological groups, and therefore, could be applied for the entire evolution of life on Earth. The vector of evolution was indicated from the point of hyper temperature, extreme acidity and low salinity to the point of low temperature and increased alkalinity and salinity. According to this vector, the following groups were chosen for the gene screening analysis. In the vector "High-Temperature → Low-Temperature" within extreme acidic pH (0-3), it is: 1) the hyperthermophilic Crenarchaeota - order Sulfolobales, 2) moderately thermophilic Euryarchaeota - Class Thermoplasmata, and 3) mesophilic acidophiles- genus Thiobacillus and others. In the vector "Low pH → High pH" the following groups were selected in three temperature ranges: a) Hyperthermophilic Archaea and Eubacteria, b) moderately thermophilic - representatives of the genera Anaerobacter and Anoxybacillus, and c) mesophilic haloalkaliphiles (Eubacteria and Archaea). The genes associated with acidophily (H+ pump), chemolitho-autotrophy (proteins of biochemichal cycles), polymerases, and histones were proposed for the first vector, and for the second vector the genes associated with halo-alkaliphily (Na+ pumps), enzymes of organotrophic metabolisms (sugar- and proteolytics), and others were indicated for the screening. Here, an introduction to the phylogenetic constant (ρη) is presented and discussed. This universal characteristic is calculated for two principally different life forms -Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes; Existence of the second type of living forms is impossible without the first one. The number of chromosomes in Prokaryotic organisms is limited to one (with very rare exceptions, to two), while in Eukaryotic organisms this number is larger. Currently

Exploring the association between Morgellons disease and Lyme disease: identification of Borrelia burgdorferi in Morgellons disease patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Middelveen, Marianne J; Bandoski, Cheryl; Burke, Jennie; Sapi, Eva; Filush, Katherine R; Wang, Yean; Franco, Agustin; Mayne, Peter J; Stricker, Raphael B

2015-02-12

Morgellons disease (MD) is a complex skin disorder characterized by ulcerating lesions that have protruding or embedded filaments. Many clinicians refer to this condition as delusional parasitosis or delusional infestation and consider the filaments to be introduced textile fibers. In contrast, recent studies indicate that MD is a true somatic illness associated with tickborne infection, that the filaments are keratin and collagen in composition and that they result from proliferation and activation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in the skin. Previously, spirochetes have been detected in the dermatological specimens from four MD patients, thus providing evidence of an infectious process. Based on culture, histology, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and molecular testing, we present corroborating evidence of spirochetal infection in a larger group of 25 MD patients. Irrespective of Lyme serological reactivity, all patients in our study group demonstrated histological evidence of epithelial spirochetal infection. Strength of evidence based on other testing varied among patients. Spirochetes identified as Borrelia strains by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or in-situ DNA hybridization were detected in 24/25 of our study patients. Skin cultures containing Borrelia spirochetes were obtained from four patients, thus demonstrating that the organisms present in dermatological specimens were viable. Spirochetes identified by PCR as Borrelia burgdorferi were cultured from blood in seven patients and from vaginal secretions in three patients, demonstrating systemic infection. Based on these observations, a clinical classification system for MD is proposed. Our study using multiple detection methods confirms that MD is a true somatic illness associated with Borrelia spirochetes that cause Lyme disease. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal treatment for this spirochete-associated dermopathy.

Biogas production and methanogenic archaeal community in mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, D; Kurola, J M; Lähde, K; Kymäläinen, M; Sinkkonen, A; Romantschuk, M

2014-10-01

Over 258 Mt of solid waste are generated annually in Europe, a large fraction of which is biowaste. Sewage sludge is another major waste fraction. In this study, biowaste and sewage sludge were co-digested in an anaerobic digestion reactor (30% and 70% of total wet weight, respectively). The purpose was to investigate the biogas production and methanogenic archaeal community composition in the anaerobic digestion reactor under meso- (35-37 °C) and thermophilic (55-57 °C) processes and an increasing organic loading rate (OLR, 1-10 kg VS m(-3) d(-1)), and also to find a feasible compromise between waste treatment capacity and biogas production without causing process instability. In summary, more biogas was produced with all OLRs by the thermophilic process. Both processes showed a limited diversity of the methanogenic archaeal community which was dominated by Methanobacteriales and Methanosarcinales (e.g. Methanosarcina) in both meso- and thermophilic processes. Methanothermobacter was detected as an additional dominant genus in the thermophilic process. In addition to operating temperatures, the OLRs, the acetate concentration, and the presence of key substrates like propionate also affected the methanogenic archaeal community composition. A bacterial cell count 6.25 times higher than archaeal cell count was observed throughout the thermophilic process, while the cell count ratio varied between 0.2 and 8.5 in the mesophilic process. This suggests that the thermophilic process is more stable, but also that the relative abundance between bacteria and archaea can vary without seriously affecting biogas production. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recombinant thermoactive phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) from Thermosynechococcus elongatus and its coupling with mesophilic/thermophilic bacterial carbonic anhydrases (CAs) for the conversion of CO2 to oxaloacetate.

Science.gov (United States)

Del Prete, Sonia; De Luca, Viviana; Capasso, Clemente; Supuran, Claudiu T; Carginale, Vincenzo

2016-01-15

With the continuous increase of atmospheric CO2 in the last decades, efficient methods for carbon capture, sequestration, and utilization are urgently required. The possibility of converting CO2 into useful chemicals could be a good strategy to both decreasing the CO2 concentration and for achieving an efficient exploitation of this cheap carbon source. Recently, several single- and multi-enzyme systems for the catalytic conversion of CO2 mainly to bicarbonate have been implemented. In order to design and construct a catalytic system for the conversion of CO2 to organic molecules, we implemented an in vitro multienzyme system using mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes. The system, in fact, was constituted by a recombinant phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus, in combination with mesophilic/thermophilic bacterial carbonic anhydrases (CAs), for converting CO2 into oxaloacetate, a compound of potential utility in industrial processes. The catalytic procedure is in two steps: the conversion of CO2 into bicarbonate by CA, followed by the carboxylation of phosphoenolpyruvate with bicarbonate, catalyzed by PEPC, with formation of oxaloacetate (OAA). All tested CAs, belonging to α-, β-, and γ-CA classes, were able to increase OAA production compared to procedures when only PEPC was used. Interestingly, the efficiency of the CAs tested in OAA production was in good agreement with the kinetic parameters for the CO2 hydration reaction of these enzymes. This PEPC also revealed to be thermoactive and thermostable, and when coupled with the extremely thermostable CA from Sulphurhydrogenibium azorense (SazCA) the production of OAA was achieved even if the two enzymes were exposed to temperatures up to 60 °C, suggesting a possible role of the two coupled enzymes in biotechnological processes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous addition of zero-valent iron and activated carbon on enhanced mesophilic anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tongyu; Qin, Yujie; Cao, Yan; Han, Bin; Ren, Junyi

2017-10-01

The performance of biogas generation and sludge degradation was studied under different zero-valent iron/activated carbon (ZVI/AC) ratios in detail in mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge. A good enhancement of methane production was obtained at the 10:1 ZVI/AC ratio, and the cumulative methane production was 132.1 mL/g VS, 37.6% higher than the blank. The methane content at the 10:1 ZVI/AC ratio reached 68.8%, which was higher than the blank (55.2%) and the sludge-added AC alone (59.6%). For sludge degradation, the removal efficiencies of total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD), proteins, and polysaccharides were all the highest at the 10:1 ZVI/AC ratio. The concentration of available phosphorus (AP) decreased after anaerobic digestion process. On the other hand, the concentrations of available nitrogen (AN) and available potassium (AK) increased after the anaerobic digestion process and showed a gradually decreasing trend with increasing ZVI/AC ratio. The concentrations of AN and AK were 2303.1-4200.3 and 274.7-388.3 mg/kg, showing a potential for land utilization.

Performance evaluation of a mesophilic (37 deg. C) upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor in treating distiller's grains wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Mengchun; She Zonglian; Jin Chunji

2007-01-01

The performance of a laboratory-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating distiller's grains wastewater was investigated for 420 days at 37 deg. C. After a successful start-up, 80-97.3% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies were achieved at hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 82-11 h with organic loading rates (OLR) of 5-48.3 kg COD m -3 d -1 . The biogas mainly consisted of methane and carbon dioxide, and the methane and carbon dioxide content in the biogas was 57-60 and 38-41%, respectively. The yield coefficient of methane production was 0.3182 l CH 4 g -1 COD removed until OLR at 33.3 kg COD m -3 d -1 , but afterwards began to decrease. The volatile fatty acid (VFA) in the effluent mainly consisted of acetate and propionate, accounting for more than 95% of total VFA as COD, and other VFA was detected at insignificant concentrations. The mesophilic granules developed in this study showed an excellent specific methanogenic activity (SMA) at 0.91 and 1.12 g methane COD g -1 VSS -1 d -1 using sucrose and acetate as individual substrates on day 200, respectively

Financial appraisal of wet mesophilic AD technology as a renewable energy and waste management technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolan, T; Cook, M B; Angus, A J

2011-06-01

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has the potential to support diversion of organic waste from landfill and increase renewable energy production. However, diffusion of this technology has been uneven, with countries such as Germany and Sweden taking the lead, but limited diffusion in other countries such as the UK. In this context, this study explores the financial viability of AD in the UK to offer reasons why it has not been more widely used. This paper presents a model that calculates the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) on a twenty year investment in a 30,000 tonnes per annum wet mesophilic AD plant in the UK for the treatment of source separated organic waste, which is judged to be a suitable technology for the UK climate. The model evaluates the financial significance of the different alternative energy outputs from this AD plant and the resulting economic subsidies paid for renewable energy. Results show that renewable electricity and renewable heat sales supported by renewable electricity and renewable heat tariffs generates the greatest IRR (31.26%). All other uses of biogas generate an IRR in excess of 15%, and are judged to be a financially viable investment. Sensitivity analysis highlights the financial significance of: economic incentive payments and a waste management gate fee; and demonstrates that the fate of the digestate by-product is a source of financial uncertainty for AD investors. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-temperature fermentation. How can processes for ethanol production at high temperatures become superior to the traditional process using mesophilic yeast?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdel-Banat, Babiker M.A.; Hoshida, Hisashi; Nonklang, Sanom; Akada, Rinji [Yamaguchi Univ. Graduate School of Medicine, Ube (Japan). Dept. of Applied Molecular Bioscience; Ano, Akihiko [Iwata Chemical Co. Ltd. (Japan)

2010-01-15

The process of ethanol fermentation has a long history in the production of alcoholic drinks, but much larger scale production of ethanol is now required to enable its use as a substituent of gasoline fuels at 3%, 10%, or 85% (referred to as E3, E10, and E85, respectively). Compared with fossil fuels, the production costs are a major issue for the production of fuel ethanol. There are a number of possible approaches to delivering cost-effective fuel ethanol production from different biomass sources, but we focus in our current report on high-temperature fermentation using a newly isolated thermotolerant strain of the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus. We demonstrate that a 5 C increase only in the fermentation temperature can greatly affect the fuel ethanol production costs. We contend that this approach may also be applicable to the other microbial fermentations systems and propose that thermotolerant mesophilic microorganisms have considerable potential for the development of future fermentation technologies. (orig.)

Functional organization of a single nif cluster in the mesophilic archaeon Methanosarcina mazei strain Gö1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Ehlers

2002-01-01

Full Text Available The mesophilic methanogenic archaeon Methanosarcina mazei strain Gö1 is able to utilize molecular nitrogen (N2 as its sole nitrogen source. We have identified and characterized a single nitrogen fixation (nif gene cluster in M. mazei Gö1 with an approximate length of 9 kbp. Sequence analysis revealed seven genes with sequence similarities to nifH, nifI1, nifI2, nifD, nifK, nifE and nifN, similar to other diazotrophic methanogens and certain bacteria such as Clostridium acetobutylicum, with the two glnB-like genes (nifI1 and nifI2 located between nifH and nifD. Phylogenetic analysis of deduced amino acid sequences for the nitrogenase structural genes of M. mazei Gö1 showed that they are most closely related to Methanosarcina barkeri nif2 genes, and also closely resemble those for the corresponding nif products of the gram-positive bacterium C. acetobutylicum. Northern blot analysis and reverse transcription PCR analysis demonstrated that the M. mazei nif genes constitute an operon transcribed only under nitrogen starvation as a single 8 kb transcript. Sequence analysis revealed a palindromic sequence at the transcriptional start site in front of the M. mazei nifH gene, which may have a function in transcriptional regulation of the nif operon.

Physiology of alkaliphilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria from soda lakes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Banciu, H.L.

2004-01-01

The inorganic sulfur oxidation by obligate haloalkaliphilic chemolithoautotrophs was only recently discovered and investigated. These autotrophic sulfur oxidizing bacteria (SOB), capable of oxidation of inorganic sulfur compounds at moderate to high salt concentration and at high pH, can be divided

Anaerobic digestion of onion residuals using a mesophilic Anaerobic Phased Solids Digester

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romano, Rowena T.; Zhang, Ruihong

2011-01-01

The anaerobic digestion of onion residual from an onion processing plant was studied under batch-fed and continuously-fed mesophilic (35 ± 2 o C) conditions in an Anaerobic Phased Solids (APS) Digester. The batch digestion tests were performed at an initial loading of 2.8 gVS L -1 and retention time of 14 days. The biogas and methane yields, and volatile solids reduction from the onion residual were determined to be 0.69 ± 0.06 L gVS -1 , 0.38 ± 0.05 L CH 4 gVS -1 , and 64 ± 17%, respectively. Continuous digestion tests were carried out at organic loading rates (OLRs) of 0.5-2.0 gVS L -1 d -1 . Hydrated lime (Ca(OH) 2 ) was added to the APS-Digester along with the onion residual at 16 mg Ca(OH) 2 gVS -1 to control the pH of the biogasification reactor above 7.0. At steady state the average biogas yields were 0.51, 0.56, and 0.62 L gVS -1 for the OLRs of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 gVS L -1 d -1 respectively. The methane yields at steady state were 0.29, 0.32, and 0.31 L CH 4 gVS -1 for the OLRs of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 gVS L -1 d -1 respectively. The study shows that the digestion of onion residual required proper alkalinity and pH control, which was possible through the use of caustic chemicals. However, such chemicals will begin to have an inhibitory effect on the microbial population at high loading rates, and therefore alternative operational parameters are needed. -- Highlights: → An APS-Digester was used to study biogas production from onion solid residues. → Biogas and methane yields from onion solids were determined. → Study showed substantial findings for treating onion solid residues.

Analysis of nanomechanical properties of Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes under the influence of lytic factors in an in vitro model using atomic force microscopy

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Małgorzata Tokarska-Rodak

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Atomic force microscopy (AFM is an experimental technique which recently has been used in biology, microbiology, and medicine to investigate the topography of surfaces and in the evaluation of mechanical properties of cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the complement system and specific anti-Borrelia antibodies in in vitro conditions on the modification of nanomechanical features of B. burgdorferi B31 cells. Material and methods: In order to assess the influence of the complement system and anti-Borrelia antibodies on B. burgdorferi s.s. B31 spirochetes, the bacteria were incubated together with plasma of identified status. The samples were applied on the surface of mica disks. Young’s modulus and adhesive forces were analyzed with a NanoScope V, MultiMode 8 AFM microscope (Bruker by the PeakForce QNM technique in air using NanoScope Analysis 1.40 software (Bruker.Results/Conclusion: The average value of flexibility of spirochetes’ surface expressed by Young’s modulus was 10185.32 MPa, whereas the adhesion force was 3.68 nN. AFM is a modern tool with a broad spectrum of observational and measurement abilities. Young’s modulus and the adhesion force can be treated as parameters in the evaluation of intensity and changes which take place in pathogenic microorganisms under the influence of various lytic factors. The visualization of the changes in association with nanomechanical features provides a realistic portrayal of the lytic abilities of the elements of the innate and adaptive human immune system.

Demand-driven biogas production from sugar beet silage in a novel fixed bed disc reactor under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Terboven, Christiane; Ramm, Patrice; Herrmann, Christiane

2017-10-01

A newly developed fixed bed disc reactor (FBDR) which combines biofilm formation on biofilm carriers and reactor agitation in one single system was assessed for its applicability to demand-driven biogas production by variable feeding of sugar beet silage. Five different feeding patterns were studied at an organic loading of 4g VS L -1 d -1 under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. High methane yields of 449-462L N kg VS were reached. Feeding variable punctual loadings caused immediate response with 1.2- to 3.5-fold increase in biogas production rates within 15min. Although variable feeding did not induce process instability, a temporary decrease in pH-value and methane concentration below 40% occurred. Thermophilic temperature was advantageous as it resulted in a more rapid, higher methane production and less pronounced decrease in methane content after feeding. The FBDR was demonstrated to be well-suited for flexible biogas production, but further research and comparison with traditional reactor systems are required. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enrichment of acetogenic bacteria in high rate anaerobic reactors under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, P; Forbes, C; McHugh, S; O'Reilly, C; Fleming, G T A; Colleran, E

2010-07-01

The objective of the current study was to expand the knowledge of the role of acetogenic Bacteria in high rate anaerobic digesters. To this end, acetogens were enriched by supplying a variety of acetogenic growth supportive substrates to two laboratory scale high rate upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactors operated at 37 degrees C (R1) and 55 degrees C (R2). The reactors were initially fed a glucose/acetate influent. Having achieved high operational performance and granular sludge development and activity, both reactors were changed to homoacetogenic bacterial substrates on day 373 of the trial. The reactors were initially fed with sodium vanillate as a sole substrate. Although % COD removal indicated that the 55 degrees C reactor out performed the 37 degrees C reactor, effluent acetate levels from R2 were generally higher than from R1, reaching values as high as 5023 mg l(-1). Homoacetogenic activity in both reactors was confirmed on day 419 by specific acetogenic activity (SAA) measurement, with higher values obtained for R2 than R1. Sodium formate was introduced as sole substrate to both reactors on day 464. It was found that formate supported acetogenic activity at both temperatures. By the end of the trial, no specific methanogenic activity (SMA) was observed against acetate and propionate indicating that the methane produced was solely by hydrogenotrophic Archaea. Higher SMA and SAA values against H(2)/CO(2) suggested development of a formate utilising acetogenic population growing in syntrophy with hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Throughout the formate trial, the mesophilic reactor performed better overall than the thermophilic reactor. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Active sulfur cycling by diverse mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms in terrestrial mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan.

Science.gov (United States)

Green-Saxena, A; Feyzullayev, A; Hubert, C R J; Kallmeyer, J; Krueger, M; Sauer, P; Schulz, H-M; Orphan, V J

2012-12-01

Terrestrial mud volcanoes (TMVs) represent geochemically diverse habitats with varying sulfur sources and yet sulfur cycling in these environments remains largely unexplored. Here we characterized the sulfur-metabolizing microorganisms and activity in four TMVs in Azerbaijan. A combination of geochemical analyses, biological rate measurements and molecular diversity surveys (targeting metabolic genes aprA and dsrA and SSU ribosomal RNA) supported the presence of active sulfur-oxidizing and sulfate-reducing guilds in all four TMVs across a range of physiochemical conditions, with diversity of these guilds being unique to each TMV. The TMVs varied in potential sulfate reduction rates (SRR) by up to four orders of magnitude with highest SRR observed in sediments where in situ sulfate concentrations were highest. Maximum temperatures at which SRR were measured was 60°C in two TMVs. Corresponding with these trends in SRR, members of the potentially thermophilic, spore-forming, Desulfotomaculum were detected in these TMVs by targeted 16S rRNA analysis. Additional sulfate-reducing bacterial lineages included members of the Desulfobacteraceae and Desulfobulbaceae detected by aprA and dsrA analyses and likely contributing to the mesophilic SRR measured. Phylotypes affiliated with sulfide-oxidizing Gamma- and Betaproteobacteria were abundant in aprA libraries from low sulfate TMVs, while the highest sulfate TMV harboured 16S rRNA phylotypes associated with sulfur-oxidizing Epsilonproteobacteria. Altogether, the biogeochemical and microbiological data indicate these unique terrestrial habitats support diverse active sulfur-cycling microorganisms reflecting the in situ geochemical environment. © 2012 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Symbiosis and the origin of eukaryotic motility

Science.gov (United States)

Margulis, L.; Hinkle, G.

1991-01-01

Ongoing work to test the hypothesis of the origin of eukaryotic cell organelles by microbial symbioses is discussed. Because of the widespread acceptance of the serial endosymbiotic theory (SET) of the origin of plastids and mitochondria, the idea of the symbiotic origin of the centrioles and axonemes for spirochete bacteria motility symbiosis was tested. Intracellular microtubular systems are purported to derive from symbiotic associations between ancestral eukaryotic cells and motile bacteria. Four lines of approach to this problem are being pursued: (1) cloning the gene of a tubulin-like protein discovered in Spirocheata bajacaliforniesis; (2) seeking axoneme proteins in spirochets by antibody cross-reaction; (3) attempting to cultivate larger, free-living spirochetes; and (4) studying in detail spirochetes (e.g., Cristispira) symbiotic with marine animals. Other aspects of the investigation are presented.

Characterization of the planktonic microbiome in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors during adaptation of mesophilic methanogenic granules to thermophilic operational conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Xinyu; Treu, Laura; Kougias, Panagiotis

2017-01-01

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) technology refers to reactor technology where granules, i.e. self-immobilised microbial associations, are the biological catalysts involved in the anaerobic digestion process. During the start-up period, UASB reactors operate at relatively long HRT and there......Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) technology refers to reactor technology where granules, i.e. self-immobilised microbial associations, are the biological catalysts involved in the anaerobic digestion process. During the start-up period, UASB reactors operate at relatively long HRT...... and therefore the liquid phase of the reactor becomes a favourable environment for microbial growth. The current study aimed to elucidate the dynamicity of the suspended microbial community in UASB reactors, during the transition from mesophilic to thermophilic conditions. High throughput 16S rRNA amplicon...... sequencing was used to characterize the taxonomic composition of the microbiome. The results showed that the microbial community was mainly composed by hydrolytic and fermentative bacteria. Results revealed relevant shifts in the microbial community composition, which is mainly determined by the operational...

The impact of furfural concentrations and substrate-to-biomass ratios on biological hydrogen production from synthetic lignocellulosic hydrolysate using mesophilic anaerobic digester sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Akobi, Chinaza; Hafez, Hisham; Nakhla, George

2016-12-01

This study evaluated the impact of furfural (a furan derivative) on hydrogen production rates and yields at initial substrate-to-microorganism ratios (S°/X°) of 4, 2, 1, and 0.5gCOD/gVSS and furfural concentrations of 4, 2, 1, and 0.5g/L. Fermentation studies were carried out in batches using synthetic lignocellulosic hydrolysate as substrate and mesophilic anaerobic digester sludge as seed. Contrary to other literature studies where furfural was inhibitory, this study showed that furfural concentrations of up to 1g/L enhanced hydrogen production with yields as high as 19% from the control (batch without furfural). Plots of hydrogen yields against gfurfural/gsugars and hydrogen yields versus gfurfural/gbiomass showed negative linear correlation indicating that these parameters influence biohydrogen production. Regression analysis indicated that gfurfural/gsugars initial exerted a greater effect on the degree of inhibition of hydrogen production than gfurfural/gVSS final . Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bacteria and archaea communities in full-scale thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digesters treating food wastewater: Key process parameters and microbial indicators of process instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Joonyeob; Shin, Seung Gu; Han, Gyuseong; Koo, Taewoan; Hwang, Seokhwan

2017-12-01

In this study, four different mesophilic and thermophilic full-scale anaerobic digesters treating food wastewater (FWW) were monitored for 1-2years in order to investigate: 1) microbial communities underpinning anaerobic digestion of FWW, 2) significant factors shaping microbial community structures, and 3) potential microbial indicators of process instability. Twenty-seven bacterial genera were identified as abundant bacteria underpinning the anaerobic digestion of FWW. Methanosaeta harundinacea, M. concilii, Methanoculleus bourgensis, M. thermophilus, and Methanobacterium beijingense were revealed as dominant methanogens. Bacterial community structures were clearly differentiated by digesters; archaeal community structures of each digester were dominated by one or two methanogen species. Temperature, ammonia, propionate, Na + , and acetate in the digester were significant factors shaping microbial community structures. The total microbial populations, microbial diversity, and specific bacteria genera showed potential as indicators of process instability in the anaerobic digestion of FWW. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Mesophilic and Thermophilic Temperature Condition to Biogas Production (Methane from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME with Cow Manures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Fajar Fajar

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Biogas is an environmentally friendly renewable energy source. Biogas can be used using Palm Oil Mill Effluents (POME. However, the % yield of biogas productivity is still not optimum due to the low conversion. The biogas productivity can be optimized by adding methanogen bacteria which increase the methane production through the anaerobic fermentation process. This study aims to utilize cow manures as the source of methanogen bacteria in methane production from POME. Furthermore, this study specifically aims to obtain the optimum productivity condition of biogas production by the composition ratio of POME and cow manures to the amount of fermentation time at 35oC and 50oC for mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria, respectively. The ratio of POME and cow mature were A1 (100:0, A2 (80:20, A3 (70:30, A4 (60:40, and A5 (0:100. The highest yield of biogas production was A2 ratio using the thermophilic condition which showed 51.33% mol with the total solid decline of 73.43%, COD removal of 77.01%, and BOD removal of 70.02%.

Tubulinlike protein from Spirochaeta bajacaliforniensis

Science.gov (United States)

Bermudes, D.; Fracek, S. P. Jr; Laursen, R. A.; Margulis, L.; Obar, R.; Tzertzinis, G.

1987-01-01

Tubulin proteins are the fundamental subunits of all polymeric microtubule-based eukaryotic structures. Long, hollow structures each composed of 13 protofilaments as revealed by electron microscopy, microtubules (240 angstroms in diameter) are nearly ubiquitous in eukaryotes. These proteins have been the subject of intense biochemical and biophyiscal interest since the early 1970s and are of evolutionary interest as well. If tubulin-based structures (i.e., neurotubules, mitotic spindle tubules, centrioles, kinetosomes, axonemes, etc.) evolved from spirochetes by way of motility symbioses, tubulin homologies with spirochete proteins should be detectable. Tubulin proteins are widely thought to be limited to eukaryotes. Yet both azotobacters and spirochetes have shown immunological cross-reactivity with antitubulin antibodies. In neither of these studies was tubulin isolated nor any specific antigen identified as responsible for the immunoreactivity. Furthermore, although far less uniform in structure than eukaryotic microtubules, various cytoplasmic fibers and tubules (as seen by electron microscopy) have been reported in several types of prokaryotes (e.g., Spirochaeta; large termite spirochetes; treponemes; cyanobacteria; and Azotobacter. This work forms a part of our long-range study of the possible prokaryotic origin of tubulin and microtubules. Spirochetes are helically shaped gram-negative motile prokaryotes. They differ from all other bacterial in that the position of their flagella is periplasmic: their flagella lie between the inner and outer membranes of the gram-negative cell wall. Some of the largest spirochetes have longitudinally aligned 240 angstrom microtubules. Unfortunately, in spite of many attempts, all of the larger spirochetes (family Pillotaceae) with well-defined cytoplasmic tubules and antitubulin immunoreactivity are not cultivable. However, a newly described spirochete species (Spirochaeta bajacaliforniensis) possessing cytoplasmic fibers

Complete genome sequence of Desulfurivibrio alkaliphilus strain AHT2

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Melton, Emily Denise; Sorokin, Dimitry Y.; Overmars, Lex; Chertkov, Olga; Clum, Alicia; Pillay, Manoj; Ivanova, Natalia; Shapiro, Nicole; Kyrpides, Nikos C.; Woyke, Tanja; Lapidus, Alla L.; Muyzer, Gerard

2016-01-01

Desulfurivibrio alkaliphilus strain AHT2^T is a strictly anaerobic sulfidogenic haloalkaliphile isolated from a composite sediment sample of eight hypersaline alkaline lakes in the Wadi al Natrun valley in the Egyptian Libyan Desert. D. alkaliphilus AHT2^T is Gram-negative and

Microbial community structure in a thermophilic aerobic digester used as a sludge pretreatment process for the mesophilic anaerobic digestion and the enhancement of methane production.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Hyun Min; Park, Sang Kyu; Ha, Jeong Hyub; Park, Jong Moon

2013-10-01

An effective two-stage sewage sludge digestion process, consisting of thermophilic aerobic digestion (TAD) followed by mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD), was developed for efficient sludge reduction and methane production. Using TAD as a biological pretreatment, the total volatile suspended solid reduction (VSSR) and methane production rate (MPR) in the MAD reactor were significantly improved. According to denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis, the results indicated that the dominant bacteria species such as Ureibacillus thermophiles and Bacterium thermus in TAD were major routes for enhancing soluble organic matter. TAD pretreatment using a relatively short SRT of 1 day showed highly increased soluble organic products and positively affected an increment of bacteria populations which performed interrelated microbial metabolisms with methanogenic species in the MAD; consequently, a quantitative real-time PCR indicated greatly increased Methanosarcinales (acetate-utilizing methanogens) in the MAD, resulting in enhanced methane production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A clinical and histopathological comparison of the effectiveness of salicylic acid to a compound of inorganic acids for the treatment of digital dermatitis in cattle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Capion, N.; Larsson, E. K.; Nielsen, O. L.

2018-01-01

; however, the demand for effective nonantibiotic alternatives is increasing. The objective was to evaluate the performance of 3 nonantibiotic topical treatments (salicylic acid and a compound of inorganic acids in a 20% solution and in a dry form) on DD in a commercial dairy herd. Within the 30-d test...... of spirochetes present in the epidermis), 2 (moderate number of spirochetes present and reaching an intermediary level in the epidermis), and 3 (large number of spirochetes present and reaching the deepest part of the epidermis or the superficial dermis). The improvement rate was 10/14 (71%) for salicylic acid......, 11/15 (73%) for the inorganic acid solution, and 8/13 (62%) for the inorganic acid powder. The analysis showed no difference among treatments. The association between clinical score and histopathological score was determined by an odds ratio. The odds ratio of a healed lesion having spirochetes...

Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Middelveen, Marianne J; Sapi, Eva; Burke, Jennie; Filush, Katherine R; Franco, Agustin; Fesler, Melissa C; Stricker, Raphael B

2018-04-14

Lyme disease is a tickborne illness that generates controversy among medical providers and researchers. One of the key topics of debate is the existence of persistent infection with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi , in patients who have been treated with recommended doses of antibiotics yet remain symptomatic. Persistent spirochetal infection despite antibiotic therapy has recently been demonstrated in non-human primates. We present evidence of persistent Borrelia infection despite antibiotic therapy in patients with ongoing Lyme disease symptoms. In this pilot study, culture of body fluids and tissues was performed in a randomly selected group of 12 patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms who had been treated or who were being treated with antibiotics. Cultures were also performed on a group of ten control subjects without Lyme disease. The cultures were subjected to corroborative microscopic, histopathological and molecular testing for Borrelia organisms in four independent laboratories in a blinded manner. Motile spirochetes identified histopathologically as Borrelia were detected in culture specimens, and these spirochetes were genetically identified as Borrelia burgdorferi by three distinct polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based approaches. Spirochetes identified as Borrelia burgdorferi were cultured from the blood of seven subjects, from the genital secretions of ten subjects, and from a skin lesion of one subject. Cultures from control subjects without Lyme disease were negative for Borrelia using these methods. Using multiple corroborative detection methods, we showed that patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms may have ongoing spirochetal infection despite antibiotic treatment, similar to findings in non-human primates. The optimal treatment for persistent Borrelia infection remains to be determined.

Financial appraisal of wet mesophilic AD technology as a renewable energy and waste management technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolan, T.; Cook, M.B.; Angus, A.J.

2011-01-01

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has the potential to support diversion of organic waste from landfill and increase renewable energy production. However, diffusion of this technology has been uneven, with countries such as Germany and Sweden taking the lead, but limited diffusion in other countries such as the UK. In this context, this study explores the financial viability of AD in the UK to offer reasons why it has not been more widely used. This paper presents a model that calculates the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) on a twenty year investment in a 30,000 tonnes per annum wet mesophilic AD plant in the UK for the treatment of source separated organic waste, which is judged to be a suitable technology for the UK climate. The model evaluates the financial significance of the different alternative energy outputs from this AD plant and the resulting economic subsidies paid for renewable energy. Results show that renewable electricity and renewable heat sales supported by renewable electricity and renewable heat tariffs generates the greatest IRR (31.26%). All other uses of biogas generate an IRR in excess of 15%, and are judged to be a financially viable investment. Sensitivity analysis highlights the financial significance of: economic incentive payments and a waste management gate fee; and demonstrates that the fate of the digestate by-product is a source of financial uncertainty for AD investors. - Research highlights: → Diffusion of AD technology is less rapid in the UK than other EU countries. → UK AD is financially viable if the energy output is supported by government subsidy. → Sensitivity analysis highlights the financial need for a waste management gate fee. → Digestate by-product creates a significant financial uncertainty for AD investors.

Financial appraisal of wet mesophilic AD technology as a renewable energy and waste management technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dolan, T. [School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL (United Kingdom); Cook, M.B. [Design Group, Department of Design, Development, Environment and Materials, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, Bucks (United Kingdom); Angus, A.J., E-mail: a.angus@cranfield.ac.uk [School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL (United Kingdom)

2011-06-01

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has the potential to support diversion of organic waste from landfill and increase renewable energy production. However, diffusion of this technology has been uneven, with countries such as Germany and Sweden taking the lead, but limited diffusion in other countries such as the UK. In this context, this study explores the financial viability of AD in the UK to offer reasons why it has not been more widely used. This paper presents a model that calculates the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) on a twenty year investment in a 30,000 tonnes per annum wet mesophilic AD plant in the UK for the treatment of source separated organic waste, which is judged to be a suitable technology for the UK climate. The model evaluates the financial significance of the different alternative energy outputs from this AD plant and the resulting economic subsidies paid for renewable energy. Results show that renewable electricity and renewable heat sales supported by renewable electricity and renewable heat tariffs generates the greatest IRR (31.26%). All other uses of biogas generate an IRR in excess of 15%, and are judged to be a financially viable investment. Sensitivity analysis highlights the financial significance of: economic incentive payments and a waste management gate fee; and demonstrates that the fate of the digestate by-product is a source of financial uncertainty for AD investors. - Research highlights: {yields} Diffusion of AD technology is less rapid in the UK than other EU countries. {yields} UK AD is financially viable if the energy output is supported by government subsidy. {yields} Sensitivity analysis highlights the financial need for a waste management gate fee. {yields} Digestate by-product creates a significant financial uncertainty for AD investors.

A tick gut protein with fibronectin III domains aids Borrelia burgdorferi congregation to the gut during transmission

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Narasimhan, Sukanya; Coumou, Jeroen; Schuijt, Tim J.; Boder, Eric; Hovius, Joppe W.; Fikrig, Erol

2014-01-01

Borrelia burgdorferi transmission to the vertebrate host commences with growth of the spirochete in the tick gut and migration from the gut to the salivary glands. This complex process, involving intimate interactions of the spirochete with the gut epithelium, is pivotal to transmission. We utilized

An organic solvent-, detergent-, and thermo-stable alkaline protease from the mesophilic, organic solvent-tolerant Bacillus licheniformis 3C5.

Science.gov (United States)

Rachadech, W; Navacharoen, A; Ruangsit, W; Pongtharangkul, T; Vangnai, A S

2010-01-01

Bacillus licheniformis 3C5, isolated as mesophilic bacterium, exhibited tolerance towards a wide range of non-polar and polar organic solvents at 45 degrees C. It produced an extracellular organic solvent-stable protease with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 32 kDa. The inhibitory effect of PMSF and EDTA suggested it is likely to be an alkaline serine protease. The protease was active over abroad range of temperatures (45-70 degrees C) and pH (8-10) range with an optimum activity at pH 10 and 65 degrees C. It was comparatively stable in the presence ofa relatively high concentration (35% (v/v)) of organic solvents and various types of detergents even at a relatively high temperature (45 degrees C). The protease production by B. licheniformis 3C5 was growth-dependent. The optimization of carbon and nitrogen sources for cell growth and protease production revealed that yeast extract was an important medium component to support both cell growth and the protease production. The overall properties of the protease produced by B. licheniformis 3C5 suggested that this thermo-stable, solvent-stable, detergent-stable alkaline protease is a promising potential biocatalyst for industrial and environmental applications.

In vivo photosystem I reduction in thermophilic and mesophilic cyanobacteria: The thermal resistance of the process is limited by factors other than the unfolding of the partners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duran, Raul V.; Hervas, Manuel; Rosa, Miguel A. de la; Navarro, Jose A.

2005-01-01

Photosystem I reduction by plastocyanin and cytochrome c 6 in cyanobacteria has been extensively studied in vitro, but much less information is provided on this process inside the cell. Here, we report an analysis of the electron transfer from both plastocyanin and cytochrome c 6 to photosystem I in intact cells of several cyanobacterial species, including a comparative study of the temperature effect in mesophilic and thermophilic organisms. Our data show that cytochrome c 6 reduces photosystem I by following a reaction mechanism involving complex formation, whereas the copper-protein follows a simpler collisional mechanism. These results contrast with previous kinetic studies in vitro. The effect of temperature on photosystem I reduction leads us to conclude that the thermal resistance of this process is determined by factors other than the proper stability of the protein partners

Field Studies on Lyme Disease in North America

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Piesman

1991-01-01

Full Text Available The primary tick vector of Borrelia burgdorferi in eastern and central North America is Ixodes dammini; in western North America, Ixodes pacificus. Searching for the appropriate vector is the first step in determining whether a region is endemic and enzootic for the spirochete B burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, followed by examination of the ticks (questing or already attached to hosts and wildlife for the spirochete. Questing ticks can be collected through a variety of methods. The two major animal hosts for I dammini are the white-footed mouse Peromyscus leucopus and the white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus. Sampling strategies should consider habitat and season. All three life stages of the vector tick should be located, indicating a self-sustaining population. Although B burgdorferi can be detected in many ways, there is no substitute for isolating the spirochete in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly II medium for definitive proof of the presence of the Lyme disease spirochete.

Genome sequence of a mesophilic hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanocella paludicola, the first cultivated representative of the order Methanocellales.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanae Sakai

Full Text Available We report complete genome sequence of a mesophilic hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanocella paludicola, the first cultured representative of the order Methanocellales once recognized as an uncultured key archaeal group for methane emission in rice fields. The genome sequence of M. paludicola consists of a single circular chromosome of 2,957,635 bp containing 3004 protein-coding sequences (CDS. Genes for most of the functions known in the methanogenic archaea were identified, e.g. a full complement of hydrogenases and methanogenesis enzymes. The mixotrophic growth of M. paludicola was clarified by the genomic characterization and re-examined by the subsequent growth experiments. Comparative genome analysis with the previously reported genome sequence of RC-I(MRE50, which was metagenomically reconstructed, demonstrated that about 70% of M. paludicola CDSs were genetically related with RC-I(MRE50 CDSs. These CDSs included the genes involved in hydrogenotrophic methane production, incomplete TCA cycle, assimilatory sulfate reduction and so on. However, the genetic components for the carbon and nitrogen fixation and antioxidant system were different between the two Methanocellales genomes. The difference is likely associated with the physiological variability between M. paludicola and RC-I(MRE50, further suggesting the genomic and physiological diversity of the Methanocellales methanogens. Comparative genome analysis among the previously determined methanogen genomes points to the genome-wide relatedness of the Methanocellales methanogens to the orders Methanosarcinales and Methanomicrobiales methanogens in terms of the genetic repertoire. Meanwhile, the unique evolutionary history of the Methanocellales methanogens is also traced in an aspect by the comparative genome analysis among the methanogens.

Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marianne J. Middelveen

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Lyme disease is a tickborne illness that generates controversy among medical providers and researchers. One of the key topics of debate is the existence of persistent infection with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, in patients who have been treated with recommended doses of antibiotics yet remain symptomatic. Persistent spirochetal infection despite antibiotic therapy has recently been demonstrated in non-human primates. We present evidence of persistent Borrelia infection despite antibiotic therapy in patients with ongoing Lyme disease symptoms. Methods: In this pilot study, culture of body fluids and tissues was performed in a randomly selected group of 12 patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms who had been treated or who were being treated with antibiotics. Cultures were also performed on a group of ten control subjects without Lyme disease. The cultures were subjected to corroborative microscopic, histopathological and molecular testing for Borrelia organisms in four independent laboratories in a blinded manner. Results: Motile spirochetes identified histopathologically as Borrelia were detected in culture specimens, and these spirochetes were genetically identified as Borrelia burgdorferi by three distinct polymerase chain reaction (PCR-based approaches. Spirochetes identified as Borrelia burgdorferi were cultured from the blood of seven subjects, from the genital secretions of ten subjects, and from a skin lesion of one subject. Cultures from control subjects without Lyme disease were negative for Borrelia using these methods. Conclusions: Using multiple corroborative detection methods, we showed that patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms may have ongoing spirochetal infection despite antibiotic treatment, similar to findings in non-human primates. The optimal treatment for persistent Borrelia infection remains to be determined.

Anaerobic mesophilic co-digestion of ensiled sorghum, cheese whey and liquid cow manure in a two-stage CSTR system: Effect of hydraulic retention time.

Science.gov (United States)

Dareioti, Margarita Andreas; Kornaros, Michael

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on hydrogen and methane production using a two-stage anaerobic process. Two continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) were used under mesophilic conditions (37°C) in order to enhance acidogenesis and methanogenesis. A mixture of pretreated ensiled sorghum, cheese whey and liquid cow manure (55:40:5, v/v/v) was used. The acidogenic reactor was operated at six different HRTs of 5, 3, 2, 1, 0.75 and 0.5d, under controlled pH5.5, whereas the methanogenic reactor was operated at three HRTs of 24, 16 and 12d. The maximum H2 productivity (2.14L/LRd) and maximum H2 yield (0.70mol H2/mol carbohydrates consumed) were observed at 0.5d HRT. On the other hand, the maximum CH4 production rate of 0.90L/LRd was achieved at HRT of 16d, whereas at lower HRT the process appeared to be inhibited and/or overloaded. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Drivers of microbial community composition in mesophilic and thermophilic temperature-phased anaerobic digestion pre-treatment reactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Pervin, Hasina M; Dennis, Paul G; Lim, Hui J; Tyson, Gene W; Batstone, Damien J; Bond, Philip L

2013-12-01

Temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) is an emerging technology that facilitates improved performance and pathogen destruction in anaerobic sewage sludge digestion by optimising conditions for 1) hydrolytic and acidogenic organisms in a first-stage/pre-treatment reactor and then 2) methogenic populations in a second stage reactor. Pre-treatment reactors are typically operated at 55-65 °C and as such select for thermophilic bacterial communities. However, details of key microbial populations in hydrolytic communities and links to functionality are very limited. In this study, experimental thermophilic pre-treatment (TP) and control mesophilic pre-treatment (MP) reactors were operated as first-stages of TPAD systems treating activated sludge for 340 days. The TP system was operated sequentially at 50, 60 and 65 °C, while the MP rector was held at 35 °C for the entire period. The composition of microbial communities associated with the MP and TP pre-treatment reactors was characterised weekly using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) supported by clone library sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The outcomes of this approach were confirmed using 454 pyrosequencing of gene amplicons and fluorescence in-situ hybridisation (FISH). TP associated bacterial communities were dominated by populations affiliated to the Firmicutes, Thermotogae, Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi. In particular there was a progression from Thermotogae to Lutispora and Coprothermobacter and diversity decreased as temperature and hydrolysis performance increased. While change in the composition of TP associated bacterial communities was attributable to temperature, that of MP associated bacterial communities was related to the composition of the incoming feed. This study determined processes driving the dynamics of key microbial populations that are correlated with an enhanced hydrolytic functionality of the TPAD system. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Effect of increasing total solids contents on anaerobic digestion of food waste under mesophilic conditions: performance and microbial characteristics analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Yi

Full Text Available The total solids content of feedstocks affects the performances of anaerobic digestion and the change of total solids content will lead the change of microbial morphology in systems. In order to increase the efficiency of anaerobic digestion, it is necessary to understand the role of the total solids content on the behavior of the microbial communities involved in anaerobic digestion of organic matter from wet to dry technology. The performances of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste with different total solids contents from 5% to 20% were compared and the microbial communities in reactors were investigated using 454 pyrosequencing technology. Three stable anaerobic digestion processes were achieved for food waste biodegradation and methane generation. Better performances mainly including volatile solids reduction and methane yield were obtained in the reactors with higher total solids content. Pyrosequencing results revealed significant shifts in bacterial community with increasing total solids contents. The proportion of phylum Chloroflexi decreased obviously with increasing total solids contents while other functional bacteria showed increasing trend. Methanosarcina absolutely dominated in archaeal communities in three reactors and the relative abundance of this group showed increasing trend with increasing total solids contents. These results revealed the effects of the total solids content on the performance parameters and the behavior of the microbial communities involved in the anaerobic digestion of food waste from wet to dry technologies.

Effect of Increasing Total Solids Contents on Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste under Mesophilic Conditions: Performance and Microbial Characteristics Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Jingwei; Dai, Xiaohu

2014-01-01

The total solids content of feedstocks affects the performances of anaerobic digestion and the change of total solids content will lead the change of microbial morphology in systems. In order to increase the efficiency of anaerobic digestion, it is necessary to understand the role of the total solids content on the behavior of the microbial communities involved in anaerobic digestion of organic matter from wet to dry technology. The performances of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste with different total solids contents from 5% to 20% were compared and the microbial communities in reactors were investigated using 454 pyrosequencing technology. Three stable anaerobic digestion processes were achieved for food waste biodegradation and methane generation. Better performances mainly including volatile solids reduction and methane yield were obtained in the reactors with higher total solids content. Pyrosequencing results revealed significant shifts in bacterial community with increasing total solids contents. The proportion of phylum Chloroflexi decreased obviously with increasing total solids contents while other functional bacteria showed increasing trend. Methanosarcina absolutely dominated in archaeal communities in three reactors and the relative abundance of this group showed increasing trend with increasing total solids contents. These results revealed the effects of the total solids content on the performance parameters and the behavior of the microbial communities involved in the anaerobic digestion of food waste from wet to dry technologies. PMID:25051352

Effect of increasing total solids contents on anaerobic digestion of food waste under mesophilic conditions: performance and microbial characteristics analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Jing; Dong, Bin; Jin, Jingwei; Dai, Xiaohu

2014-01-01

The total solids content of feedstocks affects the performances of anaerobic digestion and the change of total solids content will lead the change of microbial morphology in systems. In order to increase the efficiency of anaerobic digestion, it is necessary to understand the role of the total solids content on the behavior of the microbial communities involved in anaerobic digestion of organic matter from wet to dry technology. The performances of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste with different total solids contents from 5% to 20% were compared and the microbial communities in reactors were investigated using 454 pyrosequencing technology. Three stable anaerobic digestion processes were achieved for food waste biodegradation and methane generation. Better performances mainly including volatile solids reduction and methane yield were obtained in the reactors with higher total solids content. Pyrosequencing results revealed significant shifts in bacterial community with increasing total solids contents. The proportion of phylum Chloroflexi decreased obviously with increasing total solids contents while other functional bacteria showed increasing trend. Methanosarcina absolutely dominated in archaeal communities in three reactors and the relative abundance of this group showed increasing trend with increasing total solids contents. These results revealed the effects of the total solids content on the performance parameters and the behavior of the microbial communities involved in the anaerobic digestion of food waste from wet to dry technologies.

Investigation of the bacteriophage community in induced lysates of undefined mesophilic mixed-strain DL-cultures using classical and metagenomic approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhammed, Musemma K; Olsen, Mette L; Kot, Witold; Neve, Horst; Castro-Mejía, Josué L; Janzen, Thomas; Hansen, Lars H; Nielsen, Dennis S; Sørensen, Søren J; Heller, Knut J; Vogensen, Finn K

2018-05-02

To investigate the notion that starter cultures can be a reservoir of bacteriophages (phages) in the dairy environment, strains of three DL-starters (undefined mesophilic mixed-strain starters containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis and Leuconostoc species) were selected and induced by mitomycin C, and the whole starters were induced spontaneously as well as by mitomycin C. Frequency of induction of 17%, 26% and 12% was estimated among the isolates of the three starters, with majority of the induced phages mostly showing morphological similarity to known P335 phages, and with a fraction of them showing atypical features. Sequences of P335 quasi-species phages were found to be the most frequent entities in almost all metaviromes derived from the induced lysates. However, sequences of Sk1virus phages (previously 936 phages) were emerged as the predominant entities following spontaneous induction of one of the starters, suggesting a phage-carrier state. Sequences of other phages such as 949, 1706, C2virus (previously c2 phages) and Leuconostoc species could also be observed but with a lower relative frequency. Taken together, the majority of the P335 quasi-species phages could represent the induced viral community of the starters and the remaining phage groups mainly represent the background ambient viral community. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Plasticity in early immune evasion strategies of a bacterial pathogen.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard, Quentin; Smith, Alexis A; Yang, Xiuli; Koci, Juraj; Foor, Shelby D; Cramer, Sarah D; Zhuang, Xuran; Dwyer, Jennifer E; Lin, Yi-Pin; Mongodin, Emmanuel F; Marques, Adriana; Leong, John M; Anguita, Juan; Pal, Utpal

2018-04-17

Borrelia burgdorferi is one of the few extracellular pathogens capable of establishing persistent infection in mammals. The mechanisms that sustain long-term survival of this bacterium are largely unknown. Here we report a unique innate immune evasion strategy of B. burgdorferi , orchestrated by a surface protein annotated as BBA57, through its modulation of multiple spirochete virulent determinants. BBA57 function is critical for early infection but largely redundant for later stages of spirochetal persistence, either in mammals or in ticks. The protein influences host IFN responses as well as suppresses multiple host microbicidal activities involving serum complement, neutrophils, and antimicrobial peptides. We also discovered a remarkable plasticity in BBA57-mediated spirochete immune evasion strategy because its loss, although resulting in near clearance of pathogens at the inoculum site, triggers nonheritable adaptive changes that exclude detectable nucleotide alterations in the genome but incorporate transcriptional reprograming events. Understanding the malleability in spirochetal immune evasion mechanisms that ensures their host persistence is critical for the development of novel therapeutic and preventive approaches to combat long-term infections like Lyme borreliosis.

Impacts of zero valent iron, natural zeolite and Dnase on the fate of antibiotic resistance genes during thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digestion of swine manure.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Junya; Sui, Qianwen; Zhong, Hui; Meng, Xiaoshan; Wang, Ziyue; Wang, Yawei; Wei, Yuansong

2018-06-01

This study investigated the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during mesophilic (mAD) and thermophilic digestion (tAD) of swine manure through zero valent iron (ZVI), natural zeolite and Dnase addition. Changes of microbial community, intI1, heavy metal resistance genes (MRGs) and virulence factors (VFs) were followed to clarify the influencing factors to ARGs reduction. Results showed that AD could realize ARGs reduction with tAD superior to mAD, and ZVI and natural zeolite could further enhance the reduction, especially for natural zeolite addition at mAD. The reduction efficiency of the relative abundance of ARGs was increased by 33.3% and 138.5% after ZVI and natural zeolite addition, respectively, but Dnase deteriorated ARGs reduction at mAD. Most of ARGs could be reduced effectively except sulII and tetM. Network analysis and partial redundancy analysis indicated that co-occurrence of MRGs followed by microbial community contributed the most to the variation of ARGs fate among treatments. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sexual transmission of Lyme disease: challenging the tickborne disease paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Stricker, Raphael B; Middelveen, Marianne J

2015-01-01

Lyme disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi has become a major worldwide epidemic. In this article, we explore the clinical, epidemiological and experimental evidence for sexual transmission of Lyme disease in animal models and humans. Although the likelihood of sexual transmission of the Lyme spirochete remains speculative, the possibility of Lyme disease transmission via intimate human contact merits further study.

Halophilic and haloalkaliphilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sorokin, D.Y.; Banciu, H.; Robertson, L.A.; Kuenen, J.G.; Muntyan, M.S.; Muyzer, G.; Rosenberg, E.; DeLong, F.; Delong, E.; Lory, S.; Stackebrandt, E.; Thompson, F.

2013-01-01

Chemotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) represent an important functional group of microorganisms responsible for the dark oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds generated by sulfidogens. Until recently, only a single genus of halophilic SOB (Halothiobacillus) has been described, and nothing was

Performance evaluation of a completely stirred anaerobic reactor treating pig manure at a low range of mesophilic conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Jianbin; Dong, Renjie; Clemens, Joachim; Wang, Wei

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The biogas process can run stably at 20 °C at extremely low OLR after long-term acclimation of bacteria. • A biogas plant running at 28 °C seems as efficient as that operated at 38 °C at low OLR of 1.3 g ODM L −1 d −1 . • Lower temperature operation is inadvisable for the commercial biogas plant running at rather high OLR. • The estimated sludge yield at 28 °C is higher than that at 38 °C. - Abstract: Many Chinese biogas plants run in the lower range of mesophilic conditions. This study evaluated the performance of a completely stirred anaerobic reactor treating pig manure at different temperatures (20, 28 and 38 °C). The start-up phase of the reactor at 20 °C was very long and extremely poor performance was observed with increasing organic loading rate (OLR). At an OLR of 4.3 g ODM L −1 d −1 , methane production at 28 °C was comparable (3% less) with that at 38 °C, but the risk of acidification was high at 28 °C. At low OLR (1.3 g ODM L −1 d −1 ), the biogas process appeared stable at 28 °C and gave same methane yields as compared to the reactor operating at 38 °C. The estimated sludge yield at 28 °C was 0.065 g VSS g −1 COD removed, which was higher than that at 38 °C (0.016 g VSS g −1 COD removed )

Genome-Guided Analysis and Whole Transcriptome Profiling of the Mesophilic Syntrophic Acetate Oxidising Bacterium Syntrophaceticus schinkii.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahid Manzoor

Full Text Available Syntrophaceticus schinkii is a mesophilic, anaerobic bacterium capable of oxidising acetate to CO2 and H2 in intimate association with a methanogenic partner, a syntrophic relationship which operates close to the energetic limits of microbial life. Syntrophaceticus schinkii has been identified as a key organism in engineered methane-producing processes relying on syntrophic acetate oxidation as the main methane-producing pathway. However, due to strict cultivation requirements and difficulties in reconstituting the thermodynamically unfavourable acetate oxidation, the physiology of this functional group is poorly understood. Genome-guided and whole transcriptome analyses performed in the present study provide new insights into habitat adaptation, syntrophic acetate oxidation and energy conservation. The working draft genome of Syntrophaceticus schinkii indicates limited metabolic capacities, with lack of organic nutrient uptake systems, chemotactic machineries, carbon catabolite repression and incomplete biosynthesis pathways. Ech hydrogenase, [FeFe] hydrogenases, [NiFe] hydrogenases, F1F0-ATP synthase and membrane-bound and cytoplasmic formate dehydrogenases were found clearly expressed, whereas Rnf and a predicted oxidoreductase/heterodisulphide reductase complex, both found encoded in the genome, were not expressed under syntrophic growth condition. A transporter sharing similarities to the high-affinity acetate transporters of aceticlastic methanogens was also found expressed, suggesting that Syntrophaceticus schinkii can potentially compete with methanogens for acetate. Acetate oxidation seems to proceed via the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway as all genes involved in this pathway were highly expressed. This study shows that Syntrophaceticus schinkii is a highly specialised, habitat-adapted organism relying on syntrophic acetate oxidation rather than metabolic versatility. By expanding its complement of respiratory complexes, it might overcome

The effect of temperature on the fatty acids and isozymes of a psychrotrophic and two mesophilic species of Xenorhabdus, a bacterial symbiont of entomopathogenic nematodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, H. [Wisconsin Univ., Dept. of Biological Sciences, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Gordon, R. [Prince Edward Island Univ., Dept. of Biology, Charlottetown, PE (Canada); Gow, J. A. [Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John' s NF (Canada)

2001-05-01

Generation times relative to temperature were determined for four strains of Xenorhabdus bacteria that represented three geographically distinct species in order to study the capacity of these bacteria to adapt to changes in temperature, as shown by changes in fatty acid composition. Species of the genus Xenorhabdus are carried in the gut of non-feeding infective juvenile nematodes where they release antibacterial and antifungal compounds, to create a non-competitive environment for nematode and bacterial growth. One of the species investigated was psychotropic (i.e. thriving at low temperatures), the other two mesophilic (i.e. growing at moderate temperatures). Results showed that as temperatures declined, proportions of two of the major fatty acids increased significantly in all strains, while the proportion of the prevalent fatty acid (palmitic acid) decreased. Certain other fatty acids decreased with declining temperatures in all strains. The synthesis of isozymes in response to changing temperatures was also investigated. Results showed a broad capacity for physiological temperature adaptation among strains of different climatic origin. It is suggested that these results support the proposition that entomopathogenic bacteria associated with nematodes adjust to temperature changes physiologically by altering the synthesis of isozymes. 36 refs.,6 tabs.

Activation of Murine Macrophages by Lipoprotein and Lipooligosaccharide of Treponema denticola

OpenAIRE

Rosen, Graciela; Sela, Michael N.; Naor, Ronit; Halabi, Amal; Barak, Vivian; Shapira, Lior

1999-01-01

We have recently demonstrated that the periodontopathogenic oral spirochete Treponema denticola possesses membrane-associated lipoproteins in addition to lipooligosaccharide (LOS). The aim of the present study was to test the potential of these oral spirochetal components to induce the production of inflammatory mediators by human macrophages, which in turn may stimulate tissue breakdown as observed in periodontal diseases. An enriched lipoprotein fraction (dLPP) from T. denticola ATCC 35404 ...

Correlation between antibiotic and biocide resistance in mesophilic and psychrotrophic Pseudomonas spp. isolated from slaughterhouse surfaces throughout meat chain production.

Science.gov (United States)

Lavilla Lerma, Leyre; Benomar, Nabil; Casado Muñoz, María del Carmen; Gálvez, Antonio; Abriouel, Hikmate

2015-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate biocide susceptibility in mesophilic and psychrotrophic pseudomonads isolated from surfaces of a goat and lamb slaughterhouse, which was representative of the region. To determine biocide resistance in pseudomonads, we determined for the first time the epidemiological cut-off values (ECOFFs) of benzalkonium, cetrimide, chlorhexidine, hexachlorophene, P3 oxonia, polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMG), topax 66 and triclosan being generally very similar in different Pseudomonas spp. with some exceptions. Thus, resistance of pseudomonads was mainly shown to triclosan, and in lesser extent to cetrimide and benzalkonium chloride depending on the species, however they were highly susceptible to industrial formulations of biocides. By means of statistical analysis, positive correlations between antibiotics, biocides and both antimicrobials in pseudomonads were detected suggesting a co- or cross resistance between different antimicrobials in goat and lamb slaughterhouse environment. Cross-resistance between biocides and antibiotics in pseudomonads were especially detected between PHMG or triclosan and different antibiotics depending on the biocide and the population type. Thus, the use of those biocides as disinfectant in slaughterhouse zones must be carefully evaluated because of the selection pressure effect of antimicrobials on the emergence of resistant bacteria which could be spread to the consumer. It is noteworthy that specific industrial formulations such as topax 66 and oxonia P3 showed few correlations with antibiotics (none or 1-2 antibiotics) which should be taken into consideration for disinfection practices in goat and lamb slaughterhouse. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genomic Characterization of Dairy Associated Leuconostoc Species and Diversity of Leuconostocs in Undefined Mixed Mesophilic Starter Cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Frantzen, Cyril A; Kot, Witold; Pedersen, Thomas B; Ardö, Ylva M; Broadbent, Jeff R; Neve, Horst; Hansen, Lars H; Dal Bello, Fabio; Østlie, Hilde M; Kleppen, Hans P; Vogensen, Finn K; Holo, Helge

2017-01-01

Undefined mesophilic mixed (DL-type) starter cultures are composed of predominantly Lactococcus lactis subspecies and 1-10% Leuconostoc spp. The composition of the Leuconostoc population in the starter culture ultimately affects the characteristics and the quality of the final product. The scientific basis for the taxonomy of dairy relevant leuconostocs can be traced back 50 years, and no documentation on the genomic diversity of leuconostocs in starter cultures exists. We present data on the Leuconostoc population in five DL-type starter cultures commonly used by the dairy industry. The analyses were performed using traditional cultivation methods, and further augmented by next-generation DNA sequencing methods. Bacterial counts for starter cultures cultivated on two different media, MRS and MPCA, revealed large differences in the relative abundance of leuconostocs. Most of the leuconostocs in two of the starter cultures were unable to grow on MRS, emphasizing the limitations of culture-based methods and the importance of careful media selection or use of culture independent methods. Pan-genomic analysis of 59 Leuconostoc genomes enabled differentiation into twelve robust lineages. The genomic analyses show that the dairy-associated leuconostocs are highly adapted to their environment, characterized by the acquisition of genotype traits, such as the ability to metabolize citrate. In particular, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris display telltale signs of a degenerative evolution, likely resulting from a long period of growth in milk in association with lactococci. Great differences in the metabolic potential between Leuconostoc species and subspecies were revealed. Using targeted amplicon sequencing, the composition of the Leuconostoc population in the five commercial starter cultures was shown to be significantly different. Three of the cultures were dominated by Ln. mesenteroides subspecies cremoris. Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides dominated in two of the

Comparative study of two purified inulinases from thermophile Thielavia Terrestris NRRL 8126 and mesophile Aspergillus Foetidus NRRL 337 grown on Cichorium Intybus l

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Eman Mohamed Fawzi

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Thirty fungal species grown on Cichorium intybus L. root extract as a sole carbon source, were screened for the production of exo-inulinase activities. The thermophile Thielavia terrestris NRRL 8126 and mesophile Aspergillus foetidus NRRL 337 gave the highest production levels of inulinases I & II at 50 and 24 ºC respectively. Yeast extract and peptone were the best nitrogen sources for highest production of inulinases I & II at five and seven days of incubation respectively. The two inulinases I & II were purified to homogeneity by gel-filtration and ion-exchange chromatography with 66.0 and 42.0 fold of purification respectively. The optimum temperatures of purified inulinases I & II were 75 and 50 ºC respectively. Inulinase I was more thermostable than the other one. The optimum pH for activity was found to be 4.5 and 5.5 for inulinases I & II respectively. A comparatively lower Michaelis-Menten constant (2.15 mg/ml and higher maximum initial velocity (115 µmol/min/mg of protein for inulinase I on inulin demonstrated the exoinulinase's greater affinity for inulin substrate. These findings are significant for its potential industrial application. The molecular mass of the inulinases I & II were estimated to be 72 & 78 kDa respectively by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

assesment of mesophilic co assesment of mesophilic co-digestion

African Journals Online (AJOL)

eobe

(fossil) and its attendant pollution menace have provided the avenue to consider alternative ... that anaerobic co-digestion of cow dung with lemon grass produced a high quality biogas. .... for wealth creation as they are harnessed as feed ... enhanced methane yield production [15, 16, 17, 18,. 19]. .... The values given by the.

A fuzzy-logic-based model to predict biogas and methane production rates in a pilot-scale mesophilic UASB reactor treating molasses wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turkdogan-Aydinol, F. Ilter; Yetilmezsoy, Kaan

2010-01-01

A MIMO (multiple inputs and multiple outputs) fuzzy-logic-based model was developed to predict biogas and methane production rates in a pilot-scale 90-L mesophilic up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating molasses wastewater. Five input variables such as volumetric organic loading rate (OLR), volumetric total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) removal rate (R V ), influent alkalinity, influent pH and effluent pH were fuzzified by the use of an artificial intelligence-based approach. Trapezoidal membership functions with eight levels were conducted for the fuzzy subsets, and a Mamdani-type fuzzy inference system was used to implement a total of 134 rules in the IF-THEN format. The product (prod) and the centre of gravity (COG, centroid) methods were employed as the inference operator and defuzzification methods, respectively. Fuzzy-logic predicted results were compared with the outputs of two exponential non-linear regression models derived in this study. The UASB reactor showed a remarkable performance on the treatment of molasses wastewater, with an average TCOD removal efficiency of 93 (±3)% and an average volumetric TCOD removal rate of 6.87 (±3.93) kg TCOD removed /m 3 -day, respectively. Findings of this study clearly indicated that, compared to non-linear regression models, the proposed MIMO fuzzy-logic-based model produced smaller deviations and exhibited a superior predictive performance on forecasting of both biogas and methane production rates with satisfactory determination coefficients over 0.98.

A fuzzy-logic-based model to predict biogas and methane production rates in a pilot-scale mesophilic UASB reactor treating molasses wastewater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turkdogan-Aydinol, F. Ilter, E-mail: aydin@yildiz.edu.tr [Yildiz Technical University, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, 34220 Davutpasa, Esenler, Istanbul (Turkey); Yetilmezsoy, Kaan, E-mail: yetilmez@yildiz.edu.tr [Yildiz Technical University, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, 34220 Davutpasa, Esenler, Istanbul (Turkey)

2010-10-15

A MIMO (multiple inputs and multiple outputs) fuzzy-logic-based model was developed to predict biogas and methane production rates in a pilot-scale 90-L mesophilic up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating molasses wastewater. Five input variables such as volumetric organic loading rate (OLR), volumetric total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) removal rate (R{sub V}), influent alkalinity, influent pH and effluent pH were fuzzified by the use of an artificial intelligence-based approach. Trapezoidal membership functions with eight levels were conducted for the fuzzy subsets, and a Mamdani-type fuzzy inference system was used to implement a total of 134 rules in the IF-THEN format. The product (prod) and the centre of gravity (COG, centroid) methods were employed as the inference operator and defuzzification methods, respectively. Fuzzy-logic predicted results were compared with the outputs of two exponential non-linear regression models derived in this study. The UASB reactor showed a remarkable performance on the treatment of molasses wastewater, with an average TCOD removal efficiency of 93 ({+-}3)% and an average volumetric TCOD removal rate of 6.87 ({+-}3.93) kg TCOD{sub removed}/m{sup 3}-day, respectively. Findings of this study clearly indicated that, compared to non-linear regression models, the proposed MIMO fuzzy-logic-based model produced smaller deviations and exhibited a superior predictive performance on forecasting of both biogas and methane production rates with satisfactory determination coefficients over 0.98.

Rational Design of Disulfide Bonds Increases Thermostability of a Mesophilic 1,3-1,4-β-Glucanase from Bacillus terquilensis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chengtuo Niu

Full Text Available 1,3-1,4-β-glucanase is an important biocatalyst in brewing industry and animal feed industry, while its low thermostability often reduces its application performance. In this study, the thermostability of a mesophilic β-glucanase from Bacillus terquilensis was enhanced by rational design and engineering of disulfide bonds in the protein structure. Protein spatial configuration was analyzed to pre-exclude the residues pairs which negatively conflicted with the protein structure and ensure the contact of catalytic center. The changes in protein overall and local flexibility among the wild-type enzyme and the designated mutants were predicted to select the potential disulfide bonds for enhancement of thermostability. Two residue pairs (N31C-T187C and P102C-N125C were chosen as engineering targets and both of them were proved to significantly enhance the protein thermostability. After combinational mutagenesis, the double mutant N31C-T187C/P102C-N125C showed a 48.3% increase in half-life value at 60°C and a 4.1°C rise in melting temperature (Tm compared to wild-type enzyme. The catalytic property of N31C-T187C/P102C-N125C mutant was similar to that of wild-type enzyme. Interestingly, the optimal pH of double mutant was shifted from pH6.5 to pH6.0, which could also increase its industrial application. By comparison with mutants with single-Cys substitutions, the introduction of disulfide bonds and the induced new hydrogen bonds were proved to result in both local and overall rigidification and should be responsible for the improved thermostability. Therefore, the introduction of disulfide bonds for thermostability improvement could be rationally and highly-effectively designed by combination with spatial configuration analysis and molecular dynamics simulation.

Borrelia host adaptation Regulator (BadR) regulates rpoS to modulate host adaptation and virulence factors in Borrelia burgdorferi

OpenAIRE

Miller, Christine L.; Rajasekhar Karna, S. L.; Seshu, J.

2013-01-01

The RpoS transcription factor of Borrelia burgdorferi is a “gatekeeper” because it activates genes required for spirochetes to transition from tick to vertebrate hosts. However, it remains unknown how RpoS becomes repressed to allow the spirochetes to transition back from the vertebrate host to the tick vector. Here we show that a putative carbohydrate-responsive regulatory protein, designated BadR (Borrelia host adaptation Regulator), is a transcriptional repressor of rpoS. BadR levels are e...

The Tick Salivary Protein Salp15 Inhibits the Killing of Serum-Sensitive Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Isolates▿

OpenAIRE

Schuijt, Tim J.; Hovius, Joppe W. R.; van Burgel, Nathalie D.; Ramamoorthi, Nandhini; Fikrig, Erol; van Dam, Alje P.

2008-01-01

Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, is transmitted by ticks. During transmission from the tick to the host, spirochetes are delivered with tick saliva, which contains the salivary protein Salp15. Salp15 has been shown to protect spirochetes against B. burgdorferi-specific antibodies. We now show that Salp15 from both Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes scapularis protects serum-sensitive isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato against complement-mediated killing. I. ricinus Salp15 show...

Borrelia burgdorferi requires glycerol for maximum fitness during the tick phase of the enzootic cycle.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher J Pappas

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of Lyme disease, is a vector-borne pathogen that cycles between a mammalian host and tick vector. This complex life cycle requires that the spirochete modulate its gene expression program to facilitate growth and maintenance in these diverse milieus. B. burgdorferi contains an operon that is predicted to encode proteins that would mediate the uptake and conversion of glycerol to dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Previous studies indicated that expression of the operon is elevated at 23°C and is repressed in the presence of the alternative sigma factor RpoS, suggesting that glycerol utilization may play an important role during the tick phase. This possibility was further explored in the current study by expression analysis and mutagenesis of glpD, a gene predicted to encode glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Transcript levels for glpD were significantly lower in mouse joints relative to their levels in ticks. Expression of GlpD protein was repressed in an RpoS-dependent manner during growth of spirochetes within dialysis membrane chambers implanted in rat peritoneal cavities. In medium supplemented with glycerol as the principal carbohydrate, wild-type B. burgdorferi grew to a significantly higher cell density than glpD mutant spirochetes during growth in vitro at 25°C. glpD mutant spirochetes were fully infectious in mice by either needle or tick inoculation. In contrast, glpD mutants grew to significantly lower densities than wild-type B. burgdorferi in nymphal ticks and displayed a replication defect in feeding nymphs. The findings suggest that B. burgdorferi undergoes a switch in carbohydrate utilization during the mammal to tick transition. Further, the results demonstrate that the ability to utilize glycerol as a carbohydrate source for glycolysis during the tick phase of the infectious cycle is critical for maximal B. burgdorferi fitness.

Contrasting the genetic patterns of microbial communities in Soda lakes with and without cyanobacterial bloom

OpenAIRE

Andreote, A. P. D.; Dini-Andreote, F.; Rigonato, J.; Machineski, G. S.; Souza, B. C. E.; Barbiéro, Laurent; Rezende, A. T.; Fiore, M. F.

2018-01-01

Soda lakes have high levels of sodium carbonates and are characterized by salinity and elevated pH. These ecosystems are found across Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, North, Central, and South America. Particularly in Brazil, the Pantanal region has a series of hundreds of shallow soda lakes (ca. 600) potentially colonized by a diverse haloalkaliphilic microbial community. Biological information of these systems is still elusive, in particular data on the description of the main taxa involved...

Microbial ecology of halo-alkaliphilic sulfur bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Foti, M.J.

2007-01-01

The research of this thesis focussed on the investigation of the microbial diversity in soda lakes, giving a special attention to the micro-organisms involved in the sulphur cycle. The present PhD was part of a bigger project aiming to develop a biological process for the removal of hydrogen

Biodegradation Potential of Halo(alkali)philic Prokaryotes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sorokin, D.Y.; Janssen, A.J.H.; Muyzer, G.

2012-01-01

Oil and gas exploitation and downstream processing may generate large volumes of contaminated aqueous wastewaters. Without treatment, the discharge of these streams into the environment would lead to considerable environmental problems. A combination of physicochemical and biological treatment

Induction of lyme arthritis in LSH hamsters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitz, J.L.; Schell, R.F.; Hejka, A.; England, D.M.; Konick, L.

1988-01-01

In studies of experimental Lyme disease, a major obstacle has been the unavailability of a suitable animal model. We found that irradiated LSH/Ss Lak hamsters developed arthritis after injection of Borrelia burgdorferi in the hind paws. When nonirradiated hamsters were injected in the hind paws with B. burgdorferi, acute transient synovitis was present. A diffuse neutrophilic infiltrate involved the synovia and periarticular structures. The inflammation was associated with edema, hyperemia, and granulation tissue. Numerous spirochetes were seen in the synovial and subsynovial tissues. The histopathologic changes were enhanced in irradiated hamsters. The onset and duration of the induced swelling were dependent on the dose of radiation and the inoculum of spirochetes. Inoculation of irradiated hamsters with Formalin-killed spirochetes or medium in which B. burgdorferi had grown for 7 days failed to induce swelling. This animal model should prove useful for studies of the immune response to B. burgdorferi and the pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis

Species Distribution and Prevalence of Putative Virulence Factors in Mesophilic Aeromonas spp. Isolated from Fresh Retail Sushi

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Sunniva Hoel

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Aeromonas spp. are ubiquitous bacteria that have received increasing attention as human pathogens because of their widespread occurrence in food, especially seafood and vegetables. The aim of this work was to assess the species identity and phylogenetic relationship of 118 Aeromonas strains isolated from fresh retail sushi from three producers, and to characterize the isolates with respect to genetic and phenotypic virulence factors. We also evaluate the potential hazard associated with their presence in ready-to-eat seafood not subjected to heat treatment. Mesophilic Aeromonas salmonicida was most prevalent (74%, followed by A. bestiarum (9%, A. dhakensis (5%, A. caviae (5%, A. media (4%, A. hydrophila (2%, and A. piscicola (1%. All isolates were considered potentially pathogenic due to the high prevalence of genes encoding hemolysin (hlyA (99%, aerolysin (aerA (98%, cytotoxic enterotoxin (act (86%, heat-labile cytotonic enterotoxin (alt (99%, and heat-stable cytotonic enterotoxin (ast (31%. The shiga-like toxins 1 and 2 (stx-1 and stx-2 were not detected. Moreover, there was heterogeneity in toxin gene distribution among the isolates, and the combination of act/alt/hlyA/aerA was most commonly detected (63%. β-hemolysis was species-dependent and observed in 91% of the isolates. All A. media and A. caviae strains were non-hemolytic. For isolates belonging to this group, lack of hemolysis was possibly related to the absence of the act gene. Swimming motility, linked to adhesion and host invasion, occurred in 65% of the isolates. Partial sequencing of the gyrB gene demonstrated its suitability as a genetic marker for Aeromonas species identification and for assessment of the phylogenetic relationship between the isolates. The gyrB sequence divergence within a given species ranged from 1.3 to 2.9%. A. bestiarum, A. salmonicida, and A. piscicola were the most closely related species; their sequences differed by 2.7–3.4%. The average gyrB sequence

mesophilic co mesophilic co-digestion of cattle paunch with poultry

African Journals Online (AJOL)

eobe

poultry droppings shows that three digesters had highest cumulative biogas production ... Farm animal wastes contain mostly biodegradable matter and are malodorous, this makes it suitable for anaerobic digestion. Currently there is no organized system of treatment .... 52.8litres respectively, though within a close range.

Pulmonary hemorrhage resulting from leptospirosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauro Razuk Filho

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world, although the mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of spirochetes of the genus Leptospira are largely unknown. Human infection occurs either by direct contact with infected animals or indirectly, through contact with water or soil contaminated with urine, as the spirochetes easily penetrate human skin. The present report exposes the case of a female patient, diagnosed with leptospirosis after having had contact with a dog infected by Leptospira sp. that developed pulmonary hemorrhage, acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute renal failure.

The Use of a Fractional Factorial Design to Determine the Factors That Impact 1,3-Propanediol Production from Glycerol by Halanaerobium hydrogeniformans

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Shivani Kalia

2016-08-01

Full Text Available In recent years, biodiesel, a substitute for fossil fuels, has led to the excessive production of crude glycerol. The resulting crude glycerol can possess a high concentration of salts and an alkaline pH. Moreover, current crude glycerol purification methods are expensive, rendering this former commodity a waste product. However, Halanaerobium hydrogeniformans, a haloalkaliphilic bacterium, possesses the metabolic capability to convert glycerol into 1,3-propanediol, a valuable commodity compound, without the need for salt dilution or adjusting pH when grown on this waste. Experiments were performed with different combinations of 24 medium components to determine their impact on the production of 1,3-propanediol by using a fractional factorial design. Tested medium components were selected based on data from the organism’s genome. Analysis of HPLC data revealed enhanced production of 1,3-propanediol with additional glycerol, pH, vitamin B12, ammonium ions, sodium sulfide, cysteine, iron, and cobalt. However, other selected components; nitrate ions, phosphate ions, sulfate ions, sodium:potassium ratio, chloride, calcium, magnesium, silicon, manganese, zinc, borate, nickel, molybdenum, tungstate, copper and aluminum, did not enhance 1,3-propanediol production. The use of a fractional factorial design enabled the quick and efficient assessment of the impact of 24 different medium components on 1,3-propanediol production from glycerol from a haloalkaliphilic bacterium.

The Use of a Fractional Factorial Design to Determine the Factors That Impact 1,3-Propanediol Production from Glycerol by Halanaerobium hydrogeniformans.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalia, Shivani; Trager, Jordan; Sitton, Oliver C; Mormile, Melanie R

2016-08-20

In recent years, biodiesel, a substitute for fossil fuels, has led to the excessive production of crude glycerol. The resulting crude glycerol can possess a high concentration of salts and an alkaline pH. Moreover, current crude glycerol purification methods are expensive, rendering this former commodity a waste product. However, Halanaerobium hydrogeniformans, a haloalkaliphilic bacterium, possesses the metabolic capability to convert glycerol into 1,3-propanediol, a valuable commodity compound, without the need for salt dilution or adjusting pH when grown on this waste. Experiments were performed with different combinations of 24 medium components to determine their impact on the production of 1,3-propanediol by using a fractional factorial design. Tested medium components were selected based on data from the organism's genome. Analysis of HPLC data revealed enhanced production of 1,3-propanediol with additional glycerol, pH, vitamin B12, ammonium ions, sodium sulfide, cysteine, iron, and cobalt. However, other selected components; nitrate ions, phosphate ions, sulfate ions, sodium:potassium ratio, chloride, calcium, magnesium, silicon, manganese, zinc, borate, nickel, molybdenum, tungstate, copper and aluminum, did not enhance 1,3-propanediol production. The use of a fractional factorial design enabled the quick and efficient assessment of the impact of 24 different medium components on 1,3-propanediol production from glycerol from a haloalkaliphilic bacterium.

Microbial communities associated with the anthropogenic, highly alkaline environment of a saline soda lime, Poland

OpenAIRE

Kalwasi?ska, Agnieszka; Felf?ldi, Tam?s; Szab?, Attila; Deja-Sikora, Edyta; Kosobucki, Przemys?aw; Walczak, Maciej

2017-01-01

Soda lime is a by-product of the Solvay soda process for the production of sodium carbonate from limestone and sodium chloride. Due to a high salt concentration and alkaline pH, the lime is considered as a potential habitat of haloalkaliphilic and haloalkalitolerant microbial communities. This artificial and unique environment is nutrient-poor and devoid of vegetation, due in part to semi-arid, saline and alkaline conditions. Samples taken from the surface layer of the lime and from the depth...

Notes from the Field: Tickborne Relapsing Fever Outbreak at an Outdoor Education Camp - Arizona, 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Jefferson M; Schumacher, Mare; Peoples, Marie; Souders, Nina; Horn, Kimberly; Fox, Lisa; Scott, Michele; Brady, Shane; Weiss, Joli; Komatsu, Ken; Nieto, Nathan

2015-06-19

Tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) is a bacterial infection characterized by recurring episodes of fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, and nausea. In North America, TBRF primarily is caused by Borrelia hermsii spirochetes transmitted by Ornithodoros hermsii ticks. Once infected, these soft ticks are infectious for life and transmit the spirochete to sleeping humans quickly (possibly within 30 seconds) during short feeds (15-90 minutes). On August 10, 2014, the Coconino County Public Health Services District in Arizona was notified by a local hospital that five high school students who attended the same outdoor education camp had been hospitalized with fever, headache, and myalgias. Hantavirus infection initially was suspected because of reported exposure to rodent droppings, but after detecting spirochetes on peripheral blood smears from all five hospitalized students, TBRF was diagnosed. The camp was instructed to close immediately, and the health department, in collaboration with local university experts, investigated to identify additional cases, determine the cause, and prevent further infections. A total of 11 cases (six confirmed and five probable) were identified.

Morgellons disease: a filamentous borrelial dermatitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Middelveen MJ

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Marianne J Middelveen, Raphael B Stricker International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD, USA Abstract: Morgellons disease (MD is a dermopathy characterized by multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although MD was initially considered to be a delusional disorder, recent studies have demonstrated that the dermopathy is associated with tickborne infection, that the filaments are composed of keratin and collagen, and that they result from proliferation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in epithelial tissue. Culture, histopathological and molecular evidence of spirochetal infection associated with MD has been presented in several published studies using a variety of techniques. Spirochetes genetically identified as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto predominate as the infective agent in most of the Morgellons skin specimens studied so far. Other species of Borrelia including Borrelia garinii, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Borrelia hermsii have also been detected in skin specimens taken from MD patients. The optimal treatment for MD remains to be determined. Keywords: Morgellons disease, dermatitis, Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, spirochetes

Contagem de bactérias mesófilas aeróbias e características físico-químicas do leite humano armazenado em embalagem de polietileno / Aerobic mesophilic bacteria count and physical and chemical characteristics of breast milk stored in polyethylene packages

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Mayara de Simas Mesquita

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Objetivo: Avaliar a contaminação por bactérias mesófilas aeróbias em leite humano ordenhado pasteurizado (LHOP e a influência da embalagem de polietileno sobre as características físico-químicas do leite humano (LH cru e pasteurizado. Metodologia: Foram analisadas 55 amostras de leite humano ordenhado (LHO, oriundas do Banco de Leite Humano (BLH do Hospital Maternidade Herculano Pinheiro (HMHP e do Instituto Fernandes Figueira (IFF. Na determinação das condições higiênico-sanitárias do LHOP, foi realizada contagem de bactérias mesófilas aeróbias. A acidez Dornic, o valor energético, gordura, lactose e proteínas em LH cru e pasteurizado foram realizados antes e após o armazenamento de 15 dias nas embalagens. Foram realizadas análises descritivas e da influência da embalagem sobre os parâmetros, segundo ANOVA. Valores p < 0,05 foram considerados significativos. Resultados: A ocorrência de mesófilos no LHOP variou de 0 a 12%. O LH cru e pasteurizado apresentaram acidez < 8oDornic, indicando boas práticas de manejo e condições higiênico-sanitárias adequadas. Gordura, valor energético, lactose e proteínas do LH nas embalagens de polietileno e vidro variaram, respectivamente, 3,2–3,5%, 65–68 Kcal/dL, 6,0% e 0,9–1,3%. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas nas características físico-químicas do LH entre as embalagens. Conclusão: A embalagem de polietileno pode ser uma alternativa viável para uso em BLH. ======================================================= Objective: To determine the aerobic mesophilic bacteria count in pasteurized human milk and to evaluate the influence of polyethylene bags on the physicochemical characteristics of raw and pasteurized human milk. Methods: 55 samples of human milk coming from the Human Milk Bank of Herculano Pinheiro Hospital and Fernandes Figueira Institute were analyzed. An aerobic mesophilic bacteria count was performed when determining the sanitary hygienic

Microbial communities associated with the anthropogenic, highly alkaline environment of a saline soda lime, Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalwasińska, Agnieszka; Felföldi, Tamás; Szabó, Attila; Deja-Sikora, Edyta; Kosobucki, Przemysław; Walczak, Maciej

2017-07-01

Soda lime is a by-product of the Solvay soda process for the production of sodium carbonate from limestone and sodium chloride. Due to a high salt concentration and alkaline pH, the lime is considered as a potential habitat of haloalkaliphilic and haloalkalitolerant microbial communities. This artificial and unique environment is nutrient-poor and devoid of vegetation, due in part to semi-arid, saline and alkaline conditions. Samples taken from the surface layer of the lime and from the depth of 2 m (both having pH ~11 and EC e up to 423 dS m -1 ) were investigated using culture-based (culturing on alkaline medium) and culture-independent microbiological approaches (microscopic analyses and pyrosequencing). A surprisingly diverse bacterial community was discovered in this highly saline, alkaline and nutrient-poor environment, with the bacterial phyla Proteobacteria (representing 52.8% of the total bacterial community) and Firmicutes (16.6%) showing dominance. Compared to the surface layer, higher bacterial abundance and diversity values were detected in the deep zone, where more stable environmental conditions may occur. The surface layer was dominated by members of the genera Phenylobacterium, Chelativorans and Skermanella, while in the interior layer the genus Fictibacillus was dominant. The culturable aerobic, haloalkaliphilic bacteria strains isolated in this study belonged mostly to the genus Bacillus and were closely related to the species Bacillus pseudofirmus, B. cereus, B. plakortidis, B. thuringensis and B. pumilus.

Desulfohalophilus alkaliarsenatis gen. nov., sp. nov., an extremely halophilic sulfate- and arsenate-respiring bacterium from Searles Lake, California

Science.gov (United States)

Blum, Jodi Switzer; Kulp, Thomas R.; Han, Sukkyun; Lanoil, Brian; Saltikov, Chad W.; Stolz, John F.; Miller, Laurence G.; Oremland, Ronald S.

2012-01-01

A haloalkaliphilic sulfate-respiring bacterium, strain SLSR-1, was isolated from a lactate-fed stable enrichment culture originally obtained from the extreme environment of Searles Lake, California. The isolate proved capable of growth via sulfate-reduction over a broad range of salinities (125–330 g/L), although growth was slowest at salt-saturation. Strain SLSR-1 was also capable of growth via dissimilatory arsenate-reduction and displayed an even broader range of salinity tolerance (50–330 g/L) when grown under these conditions. Strain SLSR-1 could also grow via dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia. Growth experiments in the presence of high borate concentrations indicated a greater sensitivity of sulfate-reduction than arsenate-respiration to this naturally abundant anion in Searles Lake. Strain SLSR-1 contained genes involved in both sulfate-reduction (dsrAB) and arsenate respiration (arrA). Amplicons of 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from DNA extracted from Searles Lake sediment revealed the presence of close relatives of strain SLSR-1 as part of the flora of this ecosystem despite the fact that sulfate-reduction activity could not be detected in situ. We conclude that strain SLSR-1 can only achieve growth via arsenate-reduction under the current chemical conditions prevalent at Searles Lake. Strain SLSR-1 is a deltaproteobacterium in the family Desulfohalobiacea of anaerobic, haloalkaliphilic bacteria, for which we propose the name Desulfohalophilus alkaliarsenatis gen. nov., sp. nov.

Outer surface protein B is critical for Borrelia burgdorferi adherence and survival within Ixodes ticks.

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Girish Neelakanta

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Survival of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks and mammals is facilitated, at least in part, by the selective expression of lipoproteins. Outer surface protein (Osp A participates in spirochete adherence to the tick gut. As ospB is expressed on a bicistronic operon with ospA, we have now investigated the role of OspB by generating an OspB-deficient B. burgdorferi and examining its phenotype throughout the spirochete life cycle. Similar to wild-type isolates, the OspB-deficient B. burgdorferi were able to readily infect and persist in mice. OspB-deficient B. burgdorferi were capable of migrating to the feeding ticks but had an impaired ability to adhere to the tick gut and survive within the vector. Furthermore, the OspB-deficient B. burgdorferi bound poorly to tick gut extracts. The complementation of the OspB-deficient spirochete in trans, with a wild-type copy of ospB gene, restored its ability to bind tick gut. Taken together, these data suggest that OspB has an important role within Ixodes scapularis and that B. burgdorferi relies upon multiple genes to efficiently persist in ticks.

[Biosynthesis of the bioprotectant ectoin by aerobic methylotrophic bacteria from methanol].

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Doronina, N V; Ezhov, V A; Beschastnyĭ, A P; Trotsenko, Iu A

2010-01-01

It is shown that neutrophilic methylobacteria Methylophaga thalassica and M. marina have higher rates of growth and ectoin accumulation compared to the haloalkaliphilic species M. alcalica and M. natronia and methanotrophs Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum and M. kenyense. The conditions of M. thalassica cultivation in methanol-containing medium were optimized. The yield of this process reached 60 g/l of absolutely dry biomass containing 15-19% (9-11 g/l) ectoine. The scheme of ectoin isolation from the biomass by extraction and subsequent purification, which allowed obtaining preparations of different degree of purity, was developed.

Milk contamination in different points of the dairy process. ii mesophilic, psychrotrophic and proteolytic microorganisms/ Contaminação do leite em diferentes pontos da produção leiteira: ii microrganismos mesófilos, psicrotróficos e proteolíticos

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Viviane Vieira Gusmão

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Psychrotrophics microorganisms are able to multiply under refrigeration temperatures. They can produce heat-resistant extracellular enzymes that cause organoleptic and structural changes in milk and dairy products. With the objective of determining the frequency of microorganisms in the dairy process, four farms were evaluated in Londrina city – Brazil and different points were assessed. Mesophilic (48hs at 35oC, psychrotrophic (25hs at 21oC and proteolytic (72hs at 22oC microorganisms were researched, and the proteolytic predominant microflora were determined by using the Gram stain technique. The main psychrotrophic contamination points were the residual water on milk cans, on bulk tank and bad cleaned teats, and milk cans and teats were the most important sources of proteolytics. Gram negative bacilli represented 69% of the microorganisms in the refrigerated milk that means 45% of the total proteolytics microorganisms in the dairy process. Gram negative bacilli is most frequent on bad cleaned teats, teatcups, residual water in milk cans and bulk tank. The psychrotroph count in the refrigerated milk was more than the mesophilic count, showing that that psychrotrophics are the best indicatator for refrigerated milk contamination. The psycrotrophics count at all points assessed were greater than the ideal limit (10% of the mesophilic count. Thus as refrigeration at 4oC is not sufficient to control the multiplication of the psycrotrophics group, good practices should be associated to avoid or control milk contamination by psycrotrophics.Os psicrotróficos são microrganismos que têm capacidade de multiplicação em temperaturas de refrigeração. Produzem enzimas termorresistentes como proteases e lipases que promovem alterações organolépticas no leite e comprometem a produção de derivados. Com o objetivo de determinar a freqüência desses microrganismos a produção do leite, foram estudadas 04 propriedades da região de Londrina, PR

Tick-borne relapsing fever imported from West Africa: diagnosis by quantitative buffy coat analysis and in vitro culture of Borrelia crocidurae.

Science.gov (United States)

van Dam, A P; van Gool, T; Wetsteyn, J C; Dankert, J

1999-06-01

West African tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is difficult to diagnose due to the low number of spirochetes in the bloodstream of patients. Previously, the causative microorganism, Borrelia crocidurae, had never been cultured in vitro. TBRF was rapidly diagnosed for two patients returning from western Africa with fever of unknown origin by quantitative buffy coat (QBC) analysis. Diagnosis was confirmed by intraperitoneal inoculation of blood specimens from patients into laboratory mice. In vitro experiments showed that QBC analysis may be as much as 100-fold more sensitive than thick smear. Spirochetes were also cultured from blood samples from both patients in modified Kelly's medium and were identified as B. crocidurae by partial sequencing of the PCR-amplified rrs gene.

Minimal role of eastern fence lizards in Borrelia burgdorferi transmission in central New Jersey oak/pine woodlands

Science.gov (United States)

Rulison, Eric L.; Kerr, Kaetlyn T; Dyer, Megan C; Han, Seungeun; Burke, Russell L.; Tsao, Jean I.; Ginsberg, Howard S.

2014-01-01

The Eastern fence lizard, Sceloporus undulatus, is widely distributed in eastern and central North America, ranging through areas with high levels of Lyme disease, as well as areas where Lyme disease is rare or absent. We studied the potential role of S. undulatus in transmission dynamics of Lyme spirochetes by sampling ticks from a variety of natural hosts at field sites in central New Jersey, and by testing the reservoir competence of S. undulatus for Borrelia burgdorferi in the laboratory. The infestation rate of ticks on fence lizards was extremely low (proportion infested = 0.087, n = 23) compared to that on white footed mice and other small mammals (proportion infested = 0.53, n = 140). Of 159 nymphs that had fed as larvae on lizards that had previously been exposed to infected nymphs, none was infected with B. burgdorferi, compared with 79.9% of 209 nymphs that had fed as larvae on infected control mice. Simulations suggest that changes in the numbers of fence lizards in a natural habitat would have little effect on the infection rate of nymphal ticks with Lyme spirochetes. We conclude that in central New Jersey S. undulatus plays a minimal role in the enzootic transmission cycle of Lyme spirochetes.

Lignocellulose-derived thin stillage composition and efficient biological treatment with a high-rate hybrid anaerobic bioreactor system

KAUST Repository

Oosterkamp, Margreet J.; Mé ndez-Garcí a, Celia; Kim, Chang-H.; Bauer, Stefan; Ibá ñ ez, Ana B.; Zimmerman, Sabrina; Hong, Pei-Ying; Cann, Isaac K.; Mackie, Roderick I.

2016-01-01

Results showed that thin stillage contains easily degradable compounds suitable for anaerobic digestion and that hybrid reactors can efficiently convert thin stillage to methane under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Furthermore, we found that optimal conditions for biological treatment of thin stillage were similar for both mesophilic and thermophilic reactors. Bar-coded pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene identified different microbial communities in mesophilic and thermophilic reactors and these differences in the microbial communities could be linked to the composition of the thin stillage.

Yannick J. Bomble, Ph.D. | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

) Characterization, modeling, and engineering of biomass degrading enzymes from mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria (2016) "Comparing Residue Clusters from Thermophilic and Mesophilic Enzymes Reveals Adaptive Yannick.Bomble@nrel.gov | 303-384-7729 Research Interests Development of thermophilic bacteria for improved

Lyme neuroborreliosis in 2 horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Imai, D M; Barr, B C; Daft, B; Bertone, J J; Feng, S; Hodzic, E; Johnston, J M; Olsen, K J; Barthold, S W

2011-11-01

Lyme neuroborreliosis--characterized as chronic, necrosuppurative to nonsuppurative, perivascular to diffuse meningoradiculoneuritis--was diagnosed in 2 horses with progressive neurologic disease. In 1 horse, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto was identified by polymerase chain reaction amplification of B burgdorferi sensu stricto-specific gene targets (ospA, ospC, flaB, dbpA, arp). Highest spirochetal burdens were in tissues with inflammation, including spinal cord, muscle, and joint capsule. Sequence analysis of ospA, ospC, and flaB revealed 99.9% sequence identity to the respective genes in B burgdorferi strain 297, an isolate from a human case of neuroborreliosis. In both horses, spirochetes were visualized in affected tissues with Steiner silver impregnation and by immunohistochemistry, predominantly within the dense collagenous tissue of the dura mater and leptomeninges.

Influence of moisture conditions and mineralization of soil solution on structure of litter macrofauna of the deciduous forests of Ukraine steppe zone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Brygadyrenko

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The accounting of litter mesofauna was carried out in the territory of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Nikolaev,Donetsk regions of Ukrainein the natural forest ecosystems in 2001–2014. 339 forest ecosystems were surveyed; xeromesophilic conditions of moistening were characteristic for 47 trial sites, mesophilic conditions – for 99 sites, hygro-mesophilic conditions – for 50 sites, meso-hygrophilic conditions – for 89 sites, hygrophilic conditions – for 54 sites; trophotope C was represented by 35 trial sites, Dc – by 44, Dac – by 76, Dn – by 128, De – by 37, E – by 19 forest ecosystems, accordingly. The relative number of saprophages reaches maximum values in hygro-mesophilic, meso-hygrophilic and hygrophilic conditions, and minimum values – in mesophilic conditions of moistening. The share of rare species is maximum in hygro-mesophilic conditions of moistening. The minimum quantity of mass species is also observed in conditions of hygro-mesophilic and meso-hygrophilic deciduous forests. With the growth of moistening of the soil, quantity of species of Carabidae, Formicidae and other dominant families remains without significant changes. The relative number of Formicidae is maximum in xeromesophilic and mesophilic conditions of soil moistening. In these hygrotopes, as well as in hygro-mesophilic conditions of moistening the Julidae numbers are maximum. The Isopoda percent in mesofauna significantly grows in meso-hygrophilic and hygrophilic conditions of moistening. The share of other dominant taxonomical groups in the structure of litter mesofauna remains without significant changes in numbers. In the majority of the analysed hygrotopes 7–8 families are withing the structure of dominants. In the conditions of salinization (trophotopes De and E, and also on light sandy loam soils, the numbers of litter mesofauna decrease. Share of saprophages is minimum in trophotopes Dc and E, while it increases in trophotopes C, Dac, Dn

Competitive advantage of Borrelia burgdorferi with outer surface protein BBA03 during tick-mediated infection of the mammalian host.

Science.gov (United States)

Bestor, Aaron; Rego, Ryan O M; Tilly, Kit; Rosa, Patricia A

2012-10-01

Linear plasmid lp54 is one of the most highly conserved and differentially expressed elements of the segmented genome of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. We previously reported that deletion of a 4.1-kb region of lp54 (bba01 to bba07 [bba01-bba07]) led to a slight attenuation of tick-transmitted infection in mice following challenge with a large number of infected ticks. In the current study, we reduced the number of ticks in the challenge to more closely mimic the natural dose and found a profound defect in tick-transmitted infection of the bba01-bba07 mutant relative to wild-type B. burgdorferi. We next focused on deletion of bba03 as the most likely cause of this mutant phenotype, as previous studies have shown that expression of bba03 is increased by culture conditions that simulate tick feeding. Consistent with this hypothesis, we demonstrated increased expression of bba03 by spirochetes in fed relative to unfed ticks. We also observed that a bba03 deletion mutant, although fully competent by itself, did not efficiently infect mice when transmitted by ticks that were simultaneously coinfected with wild-type B. burgdorferi. These results suggest that BBA03 provides a competitive advantage to spirochetes carrying this protein during tick transmission to a mammalian host in the natural infectious cycle.

Secondary syphilis in HIV positive individuals: correlation with histopathologic findings, CD4 counts, and quantity of treponemes in microscopic sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa, Gabriela; Procop, Gary W; Schold, Jesse D; Piliang, Melissa P

2016-10-01

Although syphilis is uncommon, infection rates are much higher in HIV-infected individuals than the general population. A proposed explanation is impaired cellular immunity with HIV infection. A search of one institution yielded 10 patients with a diagnosis of secondary syphilis on skin biopsy, positive syphilis serology and available CD4 counts. We evaluated 11 biopsies from the 10 patients. We correlated the patients' CD4 counts with the histologic findings and with the number of treponemes on skin biopsies, highlighted by immunohistochemistry (IHC). We also compared the detection of spirochetes in silver stained sections (e.g. Warthin-Starry) with T. pallidum IHC. All biopsies were assessed for various histologic features. The sensitivity of IHC to detect treponemes was 64% and of silver stain was 9% (p-value 0.04). The number of treponemes on the biopsies was determined by IHC. High numbers of spirochetes (i.e. >100 per 10 hpf) were only seen in patients with CD4 counts less than 250 cells/ml. The most consistent histologic finding was a moderate to severe lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. Although the study is small, it appears that a higher number of spirochetes is associated with CD4 counts less than 250 cell/ml. The T. pallidum IHC stain was vastly superior to the Warthin-Starry stain. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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.

Relationships between botanical and chemical composition of forages: a multivariate approach to grasslands in the Western Italian Alps.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravetto Enri, Simone; Renna, Manuela; Probo, Massimiliano; Lussiana, Carola; Battaglini, Luca M; Lonati, Michele; Lombardi, Giampiero

2017-03-01

Plant composition of species-rich mountain grasslands can affect the sensorial and chemical attributes of dairy and meat products, with implications for human health. A multivariate approach was used to analyse the complex relationships between vegetation characteristics (botanical composition and plant community variables) and chemical composition (proximate constituents and fatty acid profile) in mesophilic and dry vegetation ecological groups, comprising six different semi-natural grassland types in the Western Italian Alps. Mesophilic and dry grasslands were comparable in terms of phenology, biodiversity indices and proportion of botanical families. The content of total fatty acids and that of the most abundant fatty acids (alpha-linolenic, linoleic and palmitic acids) were mainly associated to nutrient-rich plant species, belonging to the mesophilic grassland ecological group. Mesophilic grasslands showed also higher values of crude protein, lower values of fibre content and they were related to higher pastoral values of vegetation compared to dry grasslands. The proximate composition and fatty acid profile appeared mainly single species dependent rather than botanical family dependent. These findings highlight that forage from mesophilic grasslands can provide higher nutritive value for ruminants and may be associated to ruminant-derived food products with a healthier fatty acid profile. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Mechanism and Effect of Temperature on Variations in Antibiotic Resistance Genes during Anaerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Wei; Qian, Xun; Gu, Jie; Wang, Xiao-Juan; Duan, Man-Li

2016-07-01

Animal manure comprises an important reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), but the variation in ARGs during anaerobic digestion at various temperatures and its underlying mechanism remain unclear. Thus, we performed anaerobic digestion using dairy manure at three temperature levels (moderate: 20 °C, mesophilic: 35 °C, and thermophilic: 55 °C), to analyze the dynamics of ARGs and bacterial communities by quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that 8/10 detected ARGs declined and 5/10 decreased more than 1.0 log during thermophilic digestion, whereas only four and five ARGs decreased during moderate and mesophilic digestion, respectively. The changes in ARGs and bacterial communities were similar under the moderate and mesophilic treatments, but distinct from those in the thermophilic system. Potential pathogens such as Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Corynebacterium were removed by thermophilic digestion but not by moderate and mesophilic digestion. The bacterial community succession was the dominant mechanism that influenced the variation in ARGs and integrons during anaerobic digestion. Thermophilic digestion decreased the amount of mesophilic bacteria (Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria) carrying ARGs. Anaerobic digestion generally decreased the abundance of integrons by eliminating the aerobic hosts of integrons (Actinomycetales and Bacilli). Thermophilic anaerobic digestion is recommended for the treatment and reuse of animal manure.

Mechanism and Effect of Temperature on Variations in Antibiotic Resistance Genes during Anaerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Wei; Qian, Xun; Gu, Jie; Wang, Xiao-Juan; Duan, Man-Li

2016-07-22

Animal manure comprises an important reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), but the variation in ARGs during anaerobic digestion at various temperatures and its underlying mechanism remain unclear. Thus, we performed anaerobic digestion using dairy manure at three temperature levels (moderate: 20 °C, mesophilic: 35 °C, and thermophilic: 55 °C), to analyze the dynamics of ARGs and bacterial communities by quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that 8/10 detected ARGs declined and 5/10 decreased more than 1.0 log during thermophilic digestion, whereas only four and five ARGs decreased during moderate and mesophilic digestion, respectively. The changes in ARGs and bacterial communities were similar under the moderate and mesophilic treatments, but distinct from those in the thermophilic system. Potential pathogens such as Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Corynebacterium were removed by thermophilic digestion but not by moderate and mesophilic digestion. The bacterial community succession was the dominant mechanism that influenced the variation in ARGs and integrons during anaerobic digestion. Thermophilic digestion decreased the amount of mesophilic bacteria (Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria) carrying ARGs. Anaerobic digestion generally decreased the abundance of integrons by eliminating the aerobic hosts of integrons (Actinomycetales and Bacilli). Thermophilic anaerobic digestion is recommended for the treatment and reuse of animal manure.

Metagenomic Analysis of Dairy Bacteriophages: Extraction Method and Pilot Study on Whey Samples Derived from Using Undefined and Defined Mesophilic Starter Cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhammed, Musemma K; Kot, Witold; Neve, Horst; Mahony, Jennifer; Castro-Mejía, Josué L; Krych, Lukasz; Hansen, Lars H; Nielsen, Dennis S; Sørensen, Søren J; Heller, Knut J; van Sinderen, Douwe; Vogensen, Finn K

2017-10-01

Despite being potentially highly useful for characterizing the biodiversity of phages, metagenomic studies are currently not available for dairy bacteriophages, partly due to the lack of a standard procedure for phage extraction. We optimized an extraction method that allows the removal of the bulk protein from whey and milk samples with losses of less than 50% of spiked phages. The protocol was applied to extract phages from whey in order to test the notion that members of Lactococcus lactis 936 (now Sk1virus ), P335, c2 (now C2virus ) and Leuconostoc phage groups are the most frequently encountered in the dairy environment. The relative abundance and diversity of phages in eight and four whey mixtures from dairies using undefined mesophilic mixed-strain cultures containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis and Leuconostoc species (i.e., DL starter cultures) and defined cultures, respectively, were assessed. Results obtained from transmission electron microscopy and high-throughput sequence analyses revealed the dominance of Lc. lactis 936 phages (order Caudovirales , family Siphoviridae ) in dairies using undefined DL starter cultures and Lc. lactis c2 phages (order Caudovirales , family Siphoviridae ) in dairies using defined cultures. The 936 and Leuconostoc phages demonstrated limited diversity. Possible coinduction of temperate P335 prophages and satellite phages in one of the whey mixtures was also observed. IMPORTANCE The method optimized in this study could provide an important basis for understanding the dynamics of the phage community (abundance, development, diversity, evolution, etc.) in dairies with different sizes, locations, and production strategies. It may also enable the discovery of previously unknown phages, which is crucial for the development of rapid molecular biology-based methods for phage burden surveillance systems. The dominance of only a few phage groups in the dairy environment signifies the depth of knowledge

Starter culture development for improving the flavour of Proosdij-type cheese

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ayad, E.H.E.; Verheul, A.; Bruinenberg, P.; Wouters, J.T.M.; Smit, G.

2003-01-01

The use of the additional mesophilic strain B851, which has specific flavour forming abilities, was tested for improving the flavour development of a Proosdij-type cheese made with a combination of an acidifying mesophilic and an adjunct thermophilic culture. This strain was selected because of its

Combined thermophilic aerobic process and conventional anaerobic digestion: effect on sludge biodegradation and methane production.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumas, C; Perez, S; Paul, E; Lefebvre, X

2010-04-01

The efficiency of hyper-thermophilic (65 degrees Celsius) aerobic process coupled with a mesophilic (35 degrees Celsius) digester was evaluated for the activated sludge degradation and was compared to a conventional mesophilic digester. For two Sludge Retention Time (SRT), 21 and 42 days, the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) solubilisation and biodegradation processes, the methanisation yield and the aerobic oxidation were investigated during 180 days. The best results were obtained at SRT of 44 days; the COD removal yield was 30% higher with the Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion/Thermophilic Aerobic Reactor (MAD-TAR) co-treatment. An increase of the sludge intrinsic biodegradability is also observed (20-40%), showing that the unbiodegradable COD in mesophilic conditions becomes bioavailable. However, the methanisation yield was quite similar for both processes at a same SRT. Finally, such a process enables to divide by two the volume of digester with an equivalent efficiency. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Survival of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and Horizontal Gene Transfer Control Antibiotic Resistance Gene Content in Anaerobic Digesters.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Jennifer H; Novak, John T; Knocke, William R; Pruden, Amy

2016-01-01

Understanding fate of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) vs. their antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during wastewater sludge treatment is critical in order to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance through process optimization. Here, we spiked high concentrations of tetracycline-resistant bacteria, isolated from mesophilic (Iso M1-1-a Pseudomonas sp.) and thermophilic (Iso T10-a Bacillus sp.) anaerobic digested sludge, into batch digesters and monitored their fate by plate counts and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) of their corresponding tetracycline ARGs. In batch studies, spiked ARB plate counts returned to baseline (thermophilic) or 1-log above baseline (mesophilic) while levels of the ARG present in the spiked isolate [tet(G)] remained high in mesophilic batch reactors. To compare results under semi-continuous flow conditions with natural influent variation, tet(O), tet(W), and sul1 ARGs, along with the intI1 integrase gene, were monitored over a 9-month period in the raw feed sludge and effluent sludge of lab-scale thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digesters. sul1 and intI1 in mesophilic and thermophilic digesters correlated positively (Spearman rho = 0.457-0.829, P < 0.05) with the raw feed sludge. There was no correlation in tet(O) or tet(W) ratios in raw sludge and mesophilic digested sludge or thermophilic digested sludge (Spearman rho = 0.130-0.486, P = 0.075-0.612). However, in the thermophilic digester, the tet(O) and tet(W) ratios remained consistently low over the entire monitoring period. We conclude that the influent sludge microbial composition can influence the ARG content of a digester, apparently as a result of differential survival or death of ARBs or horizontal gene transfer of genes between raw sludge ARBs and the digester microbial community. Notably, mesophilic digestion was more susceptible to ARG intrusion than thermophilic digestion, which may be attributed to a higher rate of ARB survival and/or horizontal gene

Risk factors for intestinal pathogens in Danish finishing pig herds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stege, H.; Jensen, Tim Kåre; Møller, Kristian

2001-01-01

The objective of this investigation was to identify risk factors for infection with the intestinal bacteria: Lawsonia intracellularis, Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, Serpulina intermedia, Brachyspira innocens, Brachyspira pilosicoli and swine-pathogenic Escherichia coli (serogroups O138, O139, O141....... intermedia, B. innocens, B. pilosicoli) (OR's = 0.43 and 0.06, respectively). 2. Home-mixed (and/or non-pelleted) feed was associated with reduced prevalences of L. intracellularis and weakly beta -haemolytic spirochetes (OR's = 0.6 and 0.4, respectively). 3. Providing straw to finishers was associated...... with a reduced prevalence of weakly beta -haemolytic spirochetes (OR = 0.28-0.32). 4. Not using antimicrobial growth promoters for piglets was associated with an increased prevalence of S. intermedia (OR = 11.11). 5. Rare occurrence of post-weaning diarrhoea (as opposed to common) was associated...

Mechanism and Effect of Temperature on Variations in Antibiotic Resistance Genes during Anaerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Wei; Qian, Xun; Gu, Jie; Wang, Xiao-Juan; Duan, Man-Li

2016-01-01

Animal manure comprises an important reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), but the variation in ARGs during anaerobic digestion at various temperatures and its underlying mechanism remain unclear. Thus, we performed anaerobic digestion using dairy manure at three temperature levels (moderate: 20 °C, mesophilic: 35 °C, and thermophilic: 55 °C), to analyze the dynamics of ARGs and bacterial communities by quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that 8/10 detected ARGs declined and 5/10 decreased more than 1.0 log during thermophilic digestion, whereas only four and five ARGs decreased during moderate and mesophilic digestion, respectively. The changes in ARGs and bacterial communities were similar under the moderate and mesophilic treatments, but distinct from those in the thermophilic system. Potential pathogens such as Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Corynebacterium were removed by thermophilic digestion but not by moderate and mesophilic digestion. The bacterial community succession was the dominant mechanism that influenced the variation in ARGs and integrons during anaerobic digestion. Thermophilic digestion decreased the amount of mesophilic bacteria (Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria) carrying ARGs. Anaerobic digestion generally decreased the abundance of integrons by eliminating the aerobic hosts of integrons (Actinomycetales and Bacilli). Thermophilic anaerobic digestion is recommended for the treatment and reuse of animal manure. PMID:27444518

Effect of temperature on selenium removal from wastewater by UASB reactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Dessì, Paolo; Jain, Rohan; Singh, Satyendra; Seder-Colomina, Marina; van Hullebusch, Eric D; Rene, Eldon R; Ahammad, Shaikh Ziauddin; Carucci, Alessandra; Lens, Piet N L

2016-05-01

The effect of temperature on selenium (Se) removal by upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors treating selenate and nitrate containing wastewater was investigated by comparing the performance of a thermophilic (55 °C) versus a mesophilic (30 °C) UASB reactor. When only selenate (50 μM) was fed to the UASB reactors (pH 7.3; hydraulic retention time 8 h) with excess electron donor (lactate at 1.38 mM corresponding to an organic loading rate of 0.5 g COD L(-1) d(-1)), the thermophilic UASB reactor achieved a higher total Se removal efficiency (94.4 ± 2.4%) than the mesophilic UASB reactor (82.0 ± 3.8%). When 5000 μM nitrate was further added to the influent, total Se removal was again better under thermophilic (70.1 ± 6.6%) when compared to mesophilic (43.6 ± 8.8%) conditions. The higher total effluent Se concentration in the mesophilic UASB reactor was due to the higher concentrations of biogenic elemental Se nanoparticles (BioSeNPs). The shape of the BioSeNPs observed in both UASB reactors was different: nanospheres and nanorods, respectively, in the mesophilic and thermophilic UASB reactors. Microbial community analysis showed the presence of selenate respirers as well as denitrifying microorganisms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lipid exchange between Borrelia burgdorferi and host cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jameson T Crowley

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, has cholesterol and cholesterol-glycolipids that are essential for bacterial fitness, are antigenic, and could be important in mediating interactions with cells of the eukaryotic host. We show that the spirochetes can acquire cholesterol from plasma membranes of epithelial cells. In addition, through fluorescent and confocal microscopy combined with biochemical approaches, we demonstrated that B. burgdorferi labeled with the fluorescent cholesterol analog BODIPY-cholesterol or (3H-labeled cholesterol transfer both cholesterol and cholesterol-glycolipids to HeLa cells. The transfer occurs through two different mechanisms, by direct contact between the bacteria and eukaryotic cell and/or through release of outer membrane vesicles. Thus, two-way lipid exchange between spirochetes and host cells can occur. This lipid exchange could be an important process that contributes to the pathogenesis of Lyme disease.

Morgellons disease: a filamentous borrelial dermatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Middelveen, Marianne J; Stricker, Raphael B

2016-01-01

Morgellons disease (MD) is a dermopathy characterized by multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although MD was initially considered to be a delusional disorder, recent studies have demonstrated that the dermopathy is associated with tickborne infection, that the filaments are composed of keratin and collagen, and that they result from proliferation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in epithelial tissue. Culture, histopathological and molecular evidence of spirochetal infection associated with MD has been presented in several published studies using a variety of techniques. Spirochetes genetically identified as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto predominate as the infective agent in most of the Morgellons skin specimens studied so far. Other species of Borrelia including Borrelia garinii , Borrelia miyamotoi , and Borrelia hermsii have also been detected in skin specimens taken from MD patients. The optimal treatment for MD remains to be determined.

Histopathology of Lyme arthritis in LSH hamsters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hejka, A.; Schmitz, J.L.; England, D.M.; Callister, S.M.; Schell, R.F.

1989-01-01

The authors studied the histopathologic evolution of arthritis in nonirradiated and irradiated hamsters infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. Nonirradiated hamsters injected in the hind paws with B. burgdorferi developed an acute inflammatory reaction involving the synovium, periarticular soft tissues, and dermis. This acute inflammatory reaction was short-lived and was replaced by a mild chronic synovitis as the number of detectable spirochetes in the synovium, periarticular soft tissues, and perineurovascular areas diminished. Exposing hamsters to radiation before inoculation with B. burgdorferi exacerbated and prolonged the acute inflammatory phase. Spirochetes also persisted longer in the periarticular soft tissues. A major histopathologic finding was destructive and erosive bone changes of the hind paws, which resulted in deformation of the joints. These studies should be helpful in defining the immune mechanism participating in the onset, progression, and resolution of Lyme arthritis

Status on Science and Application of Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

1994-01-01

Thermophilic anaerobic processes are often regarded as less stable than mesophilic processes. In the paper this postulate is examined and disproved based on real operational data from of full-scale mesophilic and thermophilic biogas plants. The start-up produce for the thermophilic plants was...... for thermophilic digestion along with the implications for the methanogenic bacteria active at these temperatures....

Transformation of monothioarsenate by haloalkaliphilic, anoxygenic photosynthetic purple sulfur bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwardson, Christian F; Planer-Friedrich, Britta; Hollibaugh, James T

2014-12-01

Thioarsenates are the dominant arsenic species in arsenic-rich, alkaline, and sulfidic waters, but bacterial interactions with these compounds have only recently been examined. Previous studies have shown that microorganisms play a role in the transformation of monothioarsenate to arsenate, including use of monothioarsenate as a chemolithotrophic electron donor coupled with oxygen as an electron acceptor. We obtained enrichment cultures from two saline, alkaline lakes (Mono Lake, CA and Big Soda Lake, NV) that are able to use monothioarsenate as the sole electron donor for anoxygenic photosynthesis. These anoxic cultures were able to convert a 1 mM mixture of thioarsenates completely to arsenate in c. 13 days and 4 mM monothioarsenate to arsenate in c. 17 days. This conversion was light dependent; thus, monothioarsenate can be used as the sole electron donor for anoxygenic photosynthesis. Both of the Mono Lake and Big Soda Lake enrichment cultures were dominated by an organism closely related to Ectothiorhodospira species. We tested additional strains of purple sulfur bacteria and found widespread ability to use monothioarsenate as an electron donor. The ability of bacteria to transform thioarsenates directly via anoxygenic photosynthesis adds a new perspective to the well-studied arsenic and sulfur cycles. © 2014 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genomic Analysis of the Evolution of Phototrophy among Haloalkaliphilic Rhodobacterales

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kopejtka, Karel; Tomasch, J.; Zeng, Y.; Tichý, Martin; Sorokin, D. Y.; Koblížek, Michal

2017-01-01

Roč. 9, č. 7 (2017), s. 1950-1962 ISSN 1759-6653 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP501/12/G055; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1416 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : Anoxygenic photosynthesis * bacteriochlorophyll * horizontal gene transfer Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology OBOR OECD: Microbiology Impact factor: 3.979, year: 2016

Asymptomatic and chronic carriage of Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)

Science.gov (United States)

Since 1970, periodic outbreaks of leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic spirochetes in the genus Leptospira, have caused morbidity and mortality of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) along the Pacific coast of North America. Yearly seasonal epizootics of varying magnitude occur between the ...

Hemicellulose conversion by anaerobic digestion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, S; Honry, M P; Christopher, R W

1985-01-01

This research was undertaken to study the digestibility of the hemicellulose fractions of an aquatic biomass, a land-based biomass and a biomass-waste blend under various fermentation conditions. The conversion of hemicellulose was higher than those of cellulose and protein under the mesophilic condition. Hemicellulose was converted at a much lower efficency than cellulose during thermophilic digestion. In contrast, cellulose conversion was about the same under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Cellulose was utilized in preference to hemicellulose during mesophilic fermentation of nitrogen-supplemented Bermuda grass. It was speculated that Bermuda grass cellulose was converted at a higher efficiency than hemicellulose in the pressure of external nitrogen because the metabolism of the breakdown product (glucose) of cellulose required the least investment of enzymes and energy. 4 references.

Borrelia burgdorferi requires the alternative sigma factor RpoS for dissemination within the vector during tick-to-mammal transmission.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Star M Dunham-Ems

2012-02-01

Full Text Available While the roles of rpoS(Bb and RpoS-dependent genes have been studied extensively within the mammal, the contribution of the RpoS regulon to the tick-phase of the Borrelia burgdorferi enzootic cycle has not been examined. Herein, we demonstrate that RpoS-dependent gene expression is prerequisite for the transmission of spirochetes by feeding nymphs. RpoS-deficient organisms are confined to the midgut lumen where they transform into an unusual morphotype (round bodies during the later stages of the blood meal. We show that round body formation is rapidly reversible, and in vitro appears to be attributable, in part, to reduced levels of Coenzyme A disulfide reductase, which among other functions, provides NAD+ for glycolysis. Our data suggest that spirochetes default to an RpoS-independent program for round body formation upon sensing that the energetics for transmission are unfavorable.

Lyme disease: the promise of Big Data, companion diagnostics and precision medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Stricker, Raphael B; Johnson, Lorraine

2016-01-01

Lyme disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi has become a major worldwide epidemic. Recent studies based on Big Data registries show that >300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in the USA, and up to two-thirds of individuals infected with B. burgdorferi will fail conventional 30-year-old antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease. In addition, animal and human evidence suggests that sexual transmission of the Lyme spirochete may occur. Improved companion diagnostic tests for Lyme disease need to be implemented, and novel treatment approaches are urgently needed to combat the epidemic. In particular, therapies based on the principles of precision medicine could be modeled on successful “designer drug” treatment for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C virus infection featuring targeted protease inhibitors. The use of Big Data registries, companion diagnostics and precision medicine will revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. PMID:27672336

The Complement Binding and Inhibitory Protein CbiA of Borrelia miyamotoi Degrades Extracellular Matrix Components by Interacting with Plasmin(ogen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ngoc T. T. Nguyen

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The emerging relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia (B. miyamotoi is transmitted by ixodid ticks and causes the so-called hard tick-borne relapsing fever or B. miyamotoi disease (BMD. More recently, we identified a surface-exposed molecule, CbiA exhibiting complement binding and inhibitory capacity and rendering spirochetes resistant to complement-mediated lysis. To gain deeper insight into the molecular principles of B. miyamotoi-host interaction, we examined CbiA as a plasmin(ogen receptor that enables B. miyamotoi to interact with the serine protease plasmin(ogen. Recombinant CbiA was able to bind plasminogen in a dose-dependent fashion. Moreover, lysine residues appear to play a crucial role in the protein-protein interaction as binding of plasminogen was inhibited by the lysine analog tranexamic acid as well as increasing ionic strength. Of relevance, plasminogen bound to CbiA can be converted by urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPa to active plasmin which cleaved both, the chromogenic substrate S-2251 and its physiologic substrate fibrinogen. Concerning the involvement of specific amino acids in the interaction with plasminogen, lysine residues located at the C-terminus are frequently involved in the binding as reported for various other plasminogen-interacting proteins of Lyme disease spirochetes. Lysine residues located within the C-terminal domain were substituted with alanine to generate single, double, triple, and quadruple point mutants. However, binding of plasminogen to the mutated CbiA proteins was not affected, suggesting that lysine residues distant from the C-terminus might be involved in the interaction.

History of Morgellons disease: from delusion to definition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Middelveen MJ

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Marianne J Middelveen,1 Melissa C Fesler,2 Raphael B Stricker2 1Atkins Veterinary Services, Calgary, AB, Canada; 2Union Square Medical Associates, San Francisco, CA, USA Abstract: Morgellons disease (MD is a skin condition characterized by the presence of multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although the condition may have a longer history, disease matching the above description was first reported in the US in 2002. Since that time, the condition that we know as MD has become a polemic topic. Because individuals afflicted with the disease may have crawling or stinging sensations and sometimes believe they have an insect or parasite infestation, most medical practitioners consider MD a purely delusional disorder. Clinical studies supporting the hypothesis that MD is exclusively delusional in origin have considerable methodological flaws and often neglect the fact that mental disorders can result from underlying somatic illness. In contrast, rigorous experimental investigations show that this skin affliction results from a physiological response to the presence of an infectious agent. Recent studies from that point of view show an association between MD and spirochetal infection in humans, cattle, and dogs. These investigations have determined that the cutaneous filaments are not implanted textile fibers, but are composed of the cellular proteins keratin and collagen and result from overproduction of these filaments in response to spirochetal infection. Further studies of the genetics, pathogenesis, and treatment of MD are warranted. Keywords: Morgellons disease, dermopathy, Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, spirochetes

Physiology of thermophilic bacteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ljungdahl, L G

1979-01-01

Thermophilic micro-organisms have all of the properties normally found in mesophilic micro-organisms. These include metabolic pathways, regulatory mechanisms such as allosteric or feedback control, repression and induction of protein synthesis, growth yields and metabolic rates. The main difference between thermophiles and mesophiles is the former's capacity to grow at high temperatures. The basis for this capacity is the thermophile's capability to synthesize proteins, complex structures and membranes that are stable or are stabilized and functional at thermophilic temperatures. It is proposed that the maximum and minimum growth temperatures are normally determined by properties associated with proteins, and that the membrane plays a lesser role in determining these temperatures. Enzymes and other proteins from thermophiles, except for having higher thermostability, are very similar to corresponding proteins from mesophiles. The higher thermostability is generally dependent on subtle changes in the composition and sequence of the amino acids and rarely dependent on non-proteinaceous factors. Although over 100 proteins have been purified from thermophiles and compared with corresponding proteins from mesophiles, the exact nature of the higher thermostability has yet to be determined in a protein from a thermophile.

[Neurosyphilis, the great imitator: a diagnostic challenge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hogebrug, J.; Koopmans †, P.P.; Oostrom, I.I.H. van; Schellekens, A.F.A.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Neurosyphilis is a tertiary form of syphilis and is caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. Today, more than one type of neurosyphilis often manifest simultaneously, which can pose difficulties to the diagnostic process. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 45-year-old man presented with an attack

Tick-borne relapsing fever imported from West Africa: diagnosis by quantitative buffy coat analysis and in vitro culture of Borrelia crocidurae

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dam, A. P.; van Gool, T.; Wetsteyn, J. C.; Dankert, J.

1999-01-01

West African tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is difficult to diagnose due to the low number of spirochetes in the bloodstream of patients. Previously, the causative microorganism, Borrelia crocidurae, had never been cultured in vitro. TBRF was rapidly diagnosed for two patients returning from

Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto ospC Alleles Associated with Human Lyme Borreliosis Worldwide in Non-Human-Biting Tick Ixodes affinis and Rodent Hosts in Southeastern United States

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rudenko, Natalia; Golovchenko, Maryna; Hönig, Václav; Mallátová, N.; Krbková, L.; Mikulášek, P.; Fedorovova, N.; Belfiore, N. M.; Grubhoffer, Libor; Lane, R. S.; Oliver, J. H., Jr.

2013-01-01

Roč. 79, č. 5 (2013), s. 1444-1453 ISSN 0099-2240 Grant - others:NIH(US) R37AI-24899 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : North America * disease spirochete * genetic diversity * Europe * transmission Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.952, year: 2013

Het voorkomen van tekebeten en Erythema migrans in de huisartsenpraktijken in Nederland.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mil, de E.L.; Pelt, van W.; Docters-van Leeuwen, B.; Veen, van der A.; Schellekens, J.F.P.; Borgdorff, M.W.

1995-01-01

Lyme disease is a bacterial, infectious disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. The aim of this study was to get information about the geographic distribution of the occurrence of tick bites and erythema migrans in the Netherlands and the association with possible risk factors.

Spitting Image: Tick Saliva Assists the Causative Agent of Lyme Disease in Evading Host Skin's Innate Immune Response

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hovius, Joppe W. R.

2009-01-01

Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted through ticks. Inhibition of host skin's innate immune response might be instrumental to both tick feeding and B. burgdorferi transmission. The article by Marchal et al. describes how tick saliva suppresses B.

Identification and functional characterisation of Complement Regulator Acquiring Surface Protein-1 of serum resistant Borrelia garinii OspA serotype 4

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Burgel, Nathalie D.; Kraiczy, Peter; Schuijt, Tim J.; Zipfel, Peter F.; van Dam, Alje P.

2010-01-01

B. burgdorferi sensu lato (sl) is the etiological agent of Lyme borreliosis in humans. Spirochetes have adapted themselves to the human immune system in many distinct ways. One important immune escape mechanism for evading complement activation is the binding of complement regulators Factor H (CFH)

Detoxification of biomass derived acetate via metabolic conversion to ethanol, acetone, isopropanol, or ethyl acetate

Science.gov (United States)

Sillers, William Ryan; Van Dijken, Hans; Licht, Steve; Shaw, IV, Arthur J.; Gilbert, Alan Benjamin; Argyros, Aaron; Froehlich, Allan C.; McBride, John E.; Xu, Haowen; Hogsett, David A.; Rajgarhia, Vineet B.

2017-03-28

One aspect of the invention relates to a genetically modified thermophilic or mesophilic microorganism, wherein a first native gene is partially, substantially, or completely deleted, silenced, inactivated, or down-regulated, which first native gene encodes a first native enzyme involved in the metabolic production of an organic acid or a salt thereof, thereby increasing the native ability of said thermophilic or mesophilic microorganism to produce lactate or acetate as a fermentation product. In certain embodiments, the aforementioned microorganism further comprises a first non-native gene, which first non-native gene encodes a first non-native enzyme involved in the metabolic production of lactate or acetate. Another aspect of the invention relates to a process for converting lignocellulosic biomass to lactate or acetate, comprising contacting lignocellulosic biomass with a genetically modified thermophilic or mesophilic microorganism.

Leptospirosis in dogs and cats: epidemiology, clinical disease, zoonotic implications and prevention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Azocar-Aedo, L.; Smits, H. L.; Monti, G.

2014-01-01

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. The genus includes a large number of serovars that may be sheed in the urine of infected animals creating a highly infectious source of transmission. Numerous species of wild and domestic

Prevalence of Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes Ticks in Europe and the United States

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Crowder, C. D.; Carolan, H. E.; Rounds, M. A.; Hönig, Václav; Mothes, B.; Haag, H.; Nolte, O.; Luft, B. J.; Grubhoffer, Libor; Ecker, D. J.; Schutzer, S. E.; Eshoo, M. W.

2014-01-01

Roč. 20, č. 10 (2014), s. 1678-1682 ISSN 1080-6040 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : ionization mass spectrometry * polymerase chain reaction * Lyme disease * burgdorferi * spirochete * infection * vector * meningoencephalitis * identification * pathogens Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases , Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 6.751, year: 2014

Lyme Disease: A Challenge for Outdoor Educators.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitcombe, Mark

1989-01-01

Describes signs and symptoms of Lyme disease; life cycle and feeding habits of the deer tick (Ixodes dammini), which transmits the spirochete bacterium; tick control measures; outdoor precautions; and veterinary considerations. Discusses the disease's potential impact on outdoor education, and suggests a reasoned, nonhysterical approach. Contains…

A Three Year Retrospective Study on Seroprevalence of Syphilis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2014-03-01

Mar 1, 2014 ... Introduction. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a serious public health problem in developing countries, including. Ethiopia (1). Syphilis is STIs caused by the spirochete. Treponema pallidum and constitutes a major public health problem worldwide (2). Syphilis is an important cause of morbidity and ...

Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. Volume 16, Number 7, July 2009

Science.gov (United States)

2009-07-01

a zoonotic tick-borne disease that is caused by infection with a spirochetal bacterium of the genus Borrelia. It has a worldwide distribution and is...pollution (indoor and outdoor), infestation-related allergens (e.g., cockroaches, mice, rats), and stress (e.g., violence ).12 This report suggests that

Serologic evidence for Borrelia hermsii infection in rodents on federally owned recreational areas in California.

Science.gov (United States)

Fritz, Curtis L; Payne, Jessica R; Schwan, Tom G

2013-06-01

Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is endemic in mountainous regions of the western United States. In California, the principal agent is the spirochete Borrelia hermsii, which is transmitted by the argasid tick Ornithodoros hermsi. Humans are at risk of TBRF when infected ticks leave an abandoned rodent nest in quest of a blood meal. Rodents are the primary vertebrate hosts for B. hermsii. Sciurid rodents were collected from 23 sites in California between August, 2006, and September, 2008, and tested for serum antibodies to B. hermsii by immunoblot using a whole-cell sonicate and a specific antigen, glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (GlpQ). Antibodies were detected in 20% of rodents; seroprevalence was highest (36%) in chipmunks (Tamias spp). Seroprevalence in chipmunks was highest in the Sierra Nevada (41%) and Mono (43%) ecoregions and between 1900 and 2300 meters elevation (43%). The serological studies described here are effective in implicating the primary vertebrate hosts involved in the maintenance of the ticks and spirochetes in regions endemic for TBRF.

Spirochetes, including Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, in mosquitoes

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sanogo, Yibayiri Osée; Halouzka, Jiří; Hubálek, Zdeněk

2000-01-01

Roč. 62, 3 Suppl. (2000), s. 288-289 ISSN 0002-9637. [Annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene /49./. Houston, 29.10.2000-02.11.2000] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/00/1234 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6093917 Keywords : Borrelia burgdorferi Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 1.765, year: 2000

Fibronectin tetrapeptide is target for syphilis spirochete cytadherence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, D.D.; Baseman, J.B.; Alderete, J.F.

1985-01-01

The syphilis bacterium, Treponema pallidum, parasitizes host cells through recognition of fibronectin (Fn) on cell surfaces. The active site of the Fn molecule has been identified as a four-amino acid sequence, arg-gly-asp-ser (RGDS), located on each monomer of the cell-binding domain. The synthetic heptapeptide gly-arg-gly-asp-ser-pro-cys (GRGDSPC), with the active site sequence RGDS, specifically competed with 125 I-labeled cell-binding domain acquisition by T. pallidum. Additionally, the same heptapeptide with the RGDS sequence diminished treponemal attachment to HEp-2 and HT1080 cell monolayers. Related heptapeptides altered in one key amino acid within the RGDS sequence failed to inhibit Fn cell-binding domain acquisition or parasitism of host cells by T. pallidum. The data support the view that T. pallidum cytadherence of host cells is through recognition of the RGDS sequence also important for eukaryotic cell-Fn binding

Dancing to a Different Tune: Adaptive Evolution Fine-Tunes Protein Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

efficiency at low temperatures when the enzymes from mesophilic bacteria were evolved to have stabilities as high as their thermophilic homologs. The work...wild-type enzyme . This unfolding temperature is relatively high for a non- thermophilic enzyme ,15 as mesophilic enzymes typically unfold below 60 °C...The work described in this thesis provides a case study exploring the molecular changes underlying adaptive evolution in a key allosteric enzyme . It

A rigidifying salt-bridge favors the activity of thermophilic enzyme at high temperatures at the expense of low-temperature activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Sonia Y; Yeung, Rachel C Y; Yu, Tsz-Ha; Sze, Kong-Hung; Wong, Kam-Bo

2011-03-01

Thermophilic enzymes are often less active than their mesophilic homologues at low temperatures. One hypothesis to explain this observation is that the extra stabilizing interactions increase the rigidity of thermophilic enzymes and hence reduce their activity. Here we employed a thermophilic acylphosphatase from Pyrococcus horikoshii and its homologous mesophilic acylphosphatase from human as a model to study how local rigidity of an active-site residue affects the enzymatic activity. Acylphosphatases have a unique structural feature that its conserved active-site arginine residue forms a salt-bridge with the C-terminal carboxyl group only in thermophilic acylphosphatases, but not in mesophilic acylphosphatases. We perturbed the local rigidity of this active-site residue by removing the salt-bridge in the thermophilic acylphosphatase and by introducing the salt-bridge in the mesophilic homologue. The mutagenesis design was confirmed by x-ray crystallography. Removing the salt-bridge in the thermophilic enzyme lowered the activation energy that decreased the activation enthalpy and entropy. Conversely, the introduction of the salt-bridge to the mesophilic homologue increased the activation energy and resulted in increases in both activation enthalpy and entropy. Revealed by molecular dynamics simulations, the unrestrained arginine residue can populate more rotamer conformations, and the loss of this conformational freedom upon the formation of transition state justified the observed reduction in activation entropy. Our results support the conclusion that restricting the active-site flexibility entropically favors the enzymatic activity at high temperatures. However, the accompanying enthalpy-entropy compensation leads to a stronger temperature-dependency of the enzymatic activity, which explains the less active nature of the thermophilic enzymes at low temperatures.

A rigidifying salt-bridge favors the activity of thermophilic enzyme at high temperatures at the expense of low-temperature activity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonia Y Lam

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Thermophilic enzymes are often less active than their mesophilic homologues at low temperatures. One hypothesis to explain this observation is that the extra stabilizing interactions increase the rigidity of thermophilic enzymes and hence reduce their activity. Here we employed a thermophilic acylphosphatase from Pyrococcus horikoshii and its homologous mesophilic acylphosphatase from human as a model to study how local rigidity of an active-site residue affects the enzymatic activity.Acylphosphatases have a unique structural feature that its conserved active-site arginine residue forms a salt-bridge with the C-terminal carboxyl group only in thermophilic acylphosphatases, but not in mesophilic acylphosphatases. We perturbed the local rigidity of this active-site residue by removing the salt-bridge in the thermophilic acylphosphatase and by introducing the salt-bridge in the mesophilic homologue. The mutagenesis design was confirmed by x-ray crystallography. Removing the salt-bridge in the thermophilic enzyme lowered the activation energy that decreased the activation enthalpy and entropy. Conversely, the introduction of the salt-bridge to the mesophilic homologue increased the activation energy and resulted in increases in both activation enthalpy and entropy. Revealed by molecular dynamics simulations, the unrestrained arginine residue can populate more rotamer conformations, and the loss of this conformational freedom upon the formation of transition state justified the observed reduction in activation entropy.Our results support the conclusion that restricting the active-site flexibility entropically favors the enzymatic activity at high temperatures. However, the accompanying enthalpy-entropy compensation leads to a stronger temperature-dependency of the enzymatic activity, which explains the less active nature of the thermophilic enzymes at low temperatures.

Tick saliva affects both proliferation and distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes in mouse organs and increases transmission of spirochetes to ticks

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Horká, Helena; Černá-Kýčková, Kateřina; Skallová, Anna; Kopecký, Jan

2009-01-01

Roč. 299, č. 5 (2009), s. 373-380 ISSN 1438-4221 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA600960811; GA MŠk(CZ) LC06009 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Borrelia burgdorferi * Ixodes ricinus * saliva-activated transmission * real-time PCR Subject RIV: EC - Immunology Impact factor: 2.802, year: 2009

De ziekte van Lyme

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coumou, J.; Hovius, J. W. R.

2011-01-01

Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is the most prevalent vector-borne illness in the United States of America and Europe. In the Netherlands, the disease is endemic with an estimated yearly incidence of 133 cases per 100.000 inhabitants. Lyme disease is caused by spirochetes of Borrelia burgdorferi

First detection of Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes ricinus ticks from northern Italy.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ravagnan, Silvia; Tomassone, Laura; Montarsi, Fabrizio; Krawczyk, Aleksandra Iwona; Mastrorilli, Eleonora; Sprong, Hein; Milani, Adelaide; Rossi, Luca; Capelli, Gioia

2018-01-01

Borrelia miyamotoi is a spirochete transmitted by several ixodid tick species. It causes a relapsing fever in humans and is currently considered as an emerging pathogen. In Europe, B. miyamotoi seems to occur at low prevalence in Ixodes ricinus ticks but has a wide distribution. Here we report the

New Strategy for a Suitable Fast Stabilization of the Biomethanization Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Güelfo, L. A.; Álvarez-Gallego, C. J.; Sales Márquez, D.; Romero García, L. I.

2012-01-01

The start-up strategies for thermophilic anaerobic reactors usually consist of an initial mesophilic stage (35°C), with an approximate duration of 185 days, and a subsequent thermophilic stage (55°C), which normally requires around 60 days to achieve the system stabilizatio. During the first 8–10 days of the mesophilic stage, the reactor is not fed so that the inoculum, which is generally a mesophilic anaerobic sludge, may be adapted to the organic solid waste. Between mesophilic and thermophilic conditions the reactor is still not fed in an effort to prevent possible imbalances in the proces. As a consequence, the start-up and stabilization of the biomethanization performance described in the literature require, at least, around 245 days. In this sense, a new strategy for the start-up and stabilization phases is presented in this study. This approach allows an important reduction in the overall time necessary for these stages in an anaerobic continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) operated at thermophilic-dry conditions for treating the organic fraction of the municipal solid waste (OFMSW): 60 days versus 245 days of conventional strategies. The new strategy uses modified SEBAC technology to adapt an inoculum to the OFMSW and the operational conditions prior to seeding the CSTR. PMID:23193374

New Strategy for a Suitable Fast Stabilization of the Biomethanization Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. A. Fernández-Güelfo

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The start-up strategies for thermophilic anaerobic reactors usually consist of an initial mesophilic stage (35°C, with an approximate duration of 185 days, and a subsequent thermophilic stage (55°C, which normally requires around 60 days to achieve the system stabilizatio. During the first 8–10 days of the mesophilic stage, the reactor is not fed so that the inoculum, which is generally a mesophilic anaerobic sludge, may be adapted to the organic solid waste. Between mesophilic and thermophilic conditions the reactor is still not fed in an effort to prevent possible imbalances in the proces. As a consequence, the start-up and stabilization of the biomethanization performance described in the literature require, at least, around 245 days. In this sense, a new strategy for the start-up and stabilization phases is presented in this study. This approach allows an important reduction in the overall time necessary for these stages in an anaerobic continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR operated at thermophilic-dry conditions for treating the organic fraction of the municipal solid waste (OFMSW: 60 days versus 245 days of conventional strategies. The new strategy uses modified SEBAC technology to adapt an inoculum to the OFMSW and the operational conditions prior to seeding the CSTR.

Protein Thermostability Is Owing to Their Preferences to Non-Polar Smaller Volume Amino Acids, Variations in Residual Physico-Chemical Properties and More Salt-Bridges.

Science.gov (United States)

Panja, Anindya Sundar; Bandopadhyay, Bidyut; Maiti, Smarajit

2015-01-01

Protein thermostability is an important field for its evolutionary perspective of mesophilic versus thermophilic relationship and for its industrial/ therapeutic applications. Presently, a total 400 (200 thermophilic and 200 mesophilic homologue) proteins were studied utilizing several software/databases to evaluate their amino acid preferences. Randomly selected 50 homologous proteins with available PDB-structure of each group were explored for the understanding of the protein charges, isoelectric-points, hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, tyrosine phosphorylation and salt-bridge occurrences. These 100 proteins were further probed to generate Ramachandran plot/data for the gross secondary structure prediction in and comparison between the thermophilic and mesophilic proteins. Present results strongly suggest that nonpolar smaller volume amino acids Ala (χ2 = 238.54, psalt bridges in this study. The average percentage of salt-bridge of thermophiles is found to be higher by 20% than their mesophilic homologue. The GLU-HIS and GLU-LYS salt-bridge dyads are calculated to be significantly higher (psalt-bridges and smaller volume nonpolar residues (Gly, Ala and Val) and lesser occurrence of bulky polar residues in the thermophilic proteins. A more stoichiometric relationship amongst these factors minimized the hindrance due to side chain burial and increased compactness and secondary structural stability in thermophilic proteins.

Progress in food irradiation: Belgium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hespeels, L.

1982-01-01

The Belgian ''Institut National des Radioelements - National Institut voor Radio-Elementen, I.R.E.'' at Fleurus performed the studies described in this report over the years of 1979-82. Subjected to treatment with gamma radiation were: natural gums, dried vegetables, animal protein, egg products, mush rooms, tea leaves, herb teas and gelatine, and the preservation effect on mesophilic, coli-form bacteria as well as on thermophilic and mesophilic spores of Bacillus was examined. The foodstuffs were further tested for mesophilic Chlostridium spores, pathogenic staphylococci, Salmonellae, moulds and yeasts. A slightly increased radiation tolerance following several treatments, but reduced sensitivity to antibiotics was found. Gamma irradiation has shown to be a good preservation method of industrially manufactures enxymes. On whole someness studied, there was no indication of increased mutagenicity or increase in the number of reversions of Salmonella. (AJ) [de

Impacto dos mediadores redox na remoção de cor de corantes azo e antraquinônico por lodo granular anaeróbio sob condições mesofílicas e termofílicas Impact of redox mediators on colour removal of azo and anthraquinone dyes by anaerobic granular sludge under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Bezerra dos Santos

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Investigou-se o efeito de diferentes mediadores redox (MR na remoção de cor de corantes azo e antraquinônico pelo uso de lodo granular anaeróbio sob condições mesofílicas (30ºC e termofílicas (55ºC. Comprovou-se em experimento em batelada que a adição de concentrações catalíticas de MR pode ter um efeito marcante nas taxas de descoloração do corante azo Reactive Red 2 (RR2, mas o mesmo comportamento não pode ser obtido com o corante antraquinônico Reactive Blue 5 (RB5. Entretanto, com ambos os corantes, o simples aumento da temperatura de incubação para condições termofílicas fez acelerar consideravelmente os processos de descoloração, comparados com condições mesofílicas. Por exemplo, a constante de primeira ordem "k" da redução dos corantes RR2 e RB5, foi aumentada em 6,2 e 11 vezes, respectivamente, à 55ºC quando comparado com 30ºC. Por fim, comprovou-se em experimentos de fluxo contínuo, a boa performance do tratamento termofílico na descoloração redutiva de corantes azo.The effect of different redox mediators (RM on colour removal of azo and anthraquinone dyes was investigated with anaerobic granular sludge under mesophilic (30ºC and thermophilic (55ºC conditions. Batch experiments revealed that an addition of catalytic concentrations of RM provided a remarkable effect on the decolourisation rates of the azo dye Reactive Red 2 (RR2, but the same effect could not be obtained with the anthraquinone dye Reactive Blue 5 (RB5. Nevertheless, for both dyes, the temperature increase to thermophilic conditions was an effective strategy to considerably accelerate the decolourisation process compared to mesophilic conditions. For instance, the first-order rate constant "k" of RR2 and RB5 reduction, was increased in 6.2 and 11-fold, respectively, at 55ºC in comparison with 30ºC. Such an effect of the temperature on the reductive decolourisation of azo dye was also verified in continuous flow experiments.

Lyme Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, George C.

1991-01-01

This overview of the public health significance of Lyme disease includes the microbiological specifics of the infectious spirochete, the entomology and ecology of the ticks which are the primary disease carrier, the clinical aspects and treatment stages, the known epidemiological patterns, and strategies for disease control and for expanded public…

Lignocellulose-derived thin stillage composition and efficient biological treatment with a high-rate hybrid anaerobic bioreactor system

KAUST Repository

Oosterkamp, Margreet J.

2016-06-06

Background This study aims to chemically characterize thin stillage derived from lignocellulosic biomass distillation residues in terms of organic strength, nutrient, and mineral content. The feasibility of performing anaerobic digestion on these stillages at mesophilic (40 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) temperatures to produce methane was demonstrated. The microbial communities involved were further characterized. Results Energy and sugar cane stillage have a high chemical oxygen demand (COD of 43 and 30 g/L, respectively) and low pH (pH 4.3). Furthermore, the acetate concentration in sugar cane stillage was high (45 mM) but was not detected in energy cane stillage. There was also a high amount of lactate in both types of stillage (35–37 mM). The amount of sugars was 200 times higher in energy cane stillage compared to sugar cane stillage. Although there was a high concentration of sulfate (18 and 23 mM in sugar and energy cane stillage, respectively), both thin stillages were efficiently digested anaerobically with high COD removal under mesophilic and thermophilic temperature conditions and with an organic loading rate of 15–21 g COD/L/d. The methane production rate was 0.2 L/g COD, with a methane percentage of 60 and 64, and 92 and 94 % soluble COD removed, respectively, by the mesophilic and thermophilic reactors. Although both treatment processes were equally efficient, there were different microbial communities involved possibly arising from the differences in the composition of energy cane and sugar cane stillage. There was more acetic acid in sugar cane stillage which may have promoted the occurrence of aceticlastic methanogens to perform a direct conversion of acetate to methane in reactors treating sugar cane stillage. Conclusions Results showed that thin stillage contains easily degradable compounds suitable for anaerobic digestion and that hybrid reactors can efficiently convert thin stillage to methane under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions

Lignocellulose-derived thin stillage composition and efficient biological treatment with a high-rate hybrid anaerobic bioreactor system.

Science.gov (United States)

Oosterkamp, Margreet J; Méndez-García, Celia; Kim, Chang-H; Bauer, Stefan; Ibáñez, Ana B; Zimmerman, Sabrina; Hong, Pei-Ying; Cann, Isaac K; Mackie, Roderick I

2016-01-01

This study aims to chemically characterize thin stillage derived from lignocellulosic biomass distillation residues in terms of organic strength, nutrient, and mineral content. The feasibility of performing anaerobic digestion on these stillages at mesophilic (40 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) temperatures to produce methane was demonstrated. The microbial communities involved were further characterized. Energy and sugar cane stillage have a high chemical oxygen demand (COD of 43 and 30 g/L, respectively) and low pH (pH 4.3). Furthermore, the acetate concentration in sugar cane stillage was high (45 mM) but was not detected in energy cane stillage. There was also a high amount of lactate in both types of stillage (35-37 mM). The amount of sugars was 200 times higher in energy cane stillage compared to sugar cane stillage. Although there was a high concentration of sulfate (18 and 23 mM in sugar and energy cane stillage, respectively), both thin stillages were efficiently digested anaerobically with high COD removal under mesophilic and thermophilic temperature conditions and with an organic loading rate of 15-21 g COD/L/d. The methane production rate was 0.2 L/g COD, with a methane percentage of 60 and 64, and 92 and 94 % soluble COD removed, respectively, by the mesophilic and thermophilic reactors. Although both treatment processes were equally efficient, there were different microbial communities involved possibly arising from the differences in the composition of energy cane and sugar cane stillage. There was more acetic acid in sugar cane stillage which may have promoted the occurrence of aceticlastic methanogens to perform a direct conversion of acetate to methane in reactors treating sugar cane stillage. Results showed that thin stillage contains easily degradable compounds suitable for anaerobic digestion and that hybrid reactors can efficiently convert thin stillage to methane under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Furthermore, we found

MICROBIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF RETAIL HERBS AND SPICES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Santoro

2009-12-01

Full Text Available In the present study, 80 samples of herbs and spices were analyzed for the presence of Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp., , Escherichia coli, total and fecal coliforms, Enterobacteriacaee, total mesophilic and psychrophilic aerobic organisms, and fungi. Samples were packaged in polyethylene bags or glass containers.High levels of mesophilic aerobic microorganisms were found in most of the samples. B. cereus was present in 27 samples, Clostrium perfringens was isolated from 3 samples, Salmonella spp. was not detected.

Characterization of acetate-utilizing methanogenic bacteria, depending on varying acetate concentrations, in a biogas plant. Phase 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahring, B.K.

1994-12-01

The present report contains the results of a project concerning behaviour of acetate-utilizing methanogenic bacteria in mesophilic and thermophilic biogas plants, collected in 1992 - 1994 period. Labelled acetates (2-C 14 -CH 3 COOH) have been used to characterize the types of methane bacteria populations in the Danish biogas plants, the optimum acetate concentration for these bacteria and acetate metabolism in mesophilic and thermophilic biogas reactors with low acetate concentrations. 2 publications are included. (EG)

Avaliação microbiológica e físico-química de leites uht produzidos no Estado do Paraná - Brasil

OpenAIRE

Dos Santos Bersot, Luciano; Galvão, Júlia Arantes; Raymundo, Nelson Kodama Lançoni; Barcellos, Vinicius Cunha; Pinto, José Paes de Almeida Nogueira [UNESP; Maziero, Maike Taís

2010-01-01

The present work analyzed 150 UHT whole milk samples from three different brands, commercialized in city of Palotina (Paraná, Brazil), between October of 2004 and February of 2005. Mesophilic aerobic bacteria counting results were compared to the Agriculture Ministry of Brazil official standards (RTIQ) for UHT milk. 36 (24%) of the sample presented higher mesophilic bacteria counting according to the standards. Also, were proceeded physic-chemical analyses of those samples. 7.3% of the acidit...

Avaliação da qualidade microbiológica e nutritiva de carnes exóticas

OpenAIRE

Sfaciotte, Ricardo Antonio Pilegi; Universidade Estadual de Maringá; Vignoto, Vanessa Karla Capoia; Universidade Estadual de Maringá; Cardozo, Rejane Machado; Universidade Estadual de Maringá; Munhoz, Patrícia Marques; Universidade Estadual de Maringá; Pinto, Adriana Aparecida; Universidade Estadual de Maringá; Wosiacki, Sheila Rezler; Universidade Estadual de Maringá; Ferraro, Gisela Cristiane; Universidade Estadual de Maringá; Barbosa, Maria José Baptista; Universidade Estadual de Maringá

2015-01-01

Vacuum-packed and frozen of ostrich (Struthio camelus), alligator (Caiman latirostris) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) meat samples were obtained in an authorized commercial store in Maringá/Paraná. Of each kind meat were analyzed 6 samples, where were studied counts of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, aerobic bacteria psichrophilic, coliforms, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp., and protein and fat analysis. The results of aerobic mesophilic bacteria ranged between <1.0 a 3.6 log CFU/g, bein...

Integrated biogas upgrading and hydrogen utilization in an anaerobic reactor containing enriched hydrogenotrophic methanogenic culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Gang; Angelidaki, Irini

2012-01-01

Biogas produced by anaerobic digestion, is mainly used in a gas motor for heat and electricity production. However, after removal of CO2, biogas can be upgraded to natural gas quality, giving more utilization possibilities, such as utilization as autogas, or distant utilization by using...... the existing natural gas grid. The current study presents a new biological method for biogas upgrading in a separate biogas reactor, containing enriched hydrogenotrophic methanogens and fed with biogas and hydrogen. Both mesophilic- and thermophilic anaerobic cultures were enriched to convert CO2 to CH4...... by addition of H2. Enrichment at thermophilic temperature (55°C) resulted in CO2 and H2 bioconversion rate of 320 mL CH4/(gVSS h), which was more than 60% higher than that under mesophilic temperature (37°C). Different dominant species were found at mesophilic- and thermophilic-enriched cultures, as revealed...

A comparison of structural and evolutionary attributes of Escherichia coli and Thermus thermophilus small ribosomal subunits: signatures of thermal adaptation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saurav Mallik

Full Text Available Here we compare the structural and evolutionary attributes of Thermus thermophilus and Escherichia coli small ribosomal subunits (SSU. Our results indicate that with few exceptions, thermophilic 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA is densely packed compared to that of mesophilic at most of the analogous spatial regions. In addition, we have located species-specific cavity clusters (SSCCs in both species. E. coli SSCCs are numerous and larger compared to T. thermophilus SSCCs, which again indicates densely packed thermophilic 16S rRNA. Thermophilic ribosomal proteins (r-proteins have longer disordered regions than their mesophilic homologs and they experience larger disorder-to-order transitions during SSU-assembly. This is reflected in the predicted higher conformational changes of thermophilic r-proteins compared to their mesophilic homologs during SSU-assembly. This high conformational change of thermophilic r-proteins may help them to associate with the 16S ribosomal RNA with high complementary interfaces, larger interface areas, and denser molecular contacts, compared to those of mesophilic. Thus, thermophilic protein-rRNA interfaces are tightly associated with 16S rRNA than their mesophilic homologs. Densely packed 16S rRNA interior and tight protein-rRNA binding of T. thermophilus (compared to those of E. coli are likely the signatures of its thermal adaptation. We have found a linear correlation between the free energy of protein-RNA interface formation, interface size, and square of conformational changes, which is followed in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic SSU. Disorder is associated with high protein-RNA interface polarity. We have found an evolutionary tendency to maintain high polarity (thereby disorder at protein-rRNA interfaces, than that at rest of the protein structures. However, some proteins exhibit exceptions to this general trend.

Analysis of the lipidated recombinant outer surface protein A from Borrelia burgdorferi by mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouchon, B.; Klein, Michele; Bischoff, Rainer; Van Dorsselaer, A.; Roitsch, C.

1997-01-01

The outer surface protein A, OspA, from the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is a lipoprotein of 25 kDa. The recombinant OspA (rOspA) expressed in Escherichia coli has been purified and analyzed by electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS). A heterogenous spectrum gave a measured mass of 28,462 +/- 9 Da

Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in Amblyomma americanum ticks in the southeastern United States: the case of selective compatibility

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rudenko, Natalia; Golovchenko, Maryna; Clark, K.; Oliver, J.; Grubhoffer, Libor

2016-01-01

Roč. 5, MAY 25 (2016), č. článku e48. ISSN 2222-1751 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 278976 - ANTIGONE Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : lyme disease spirochete * Dermacentor variabilis * Ixodes scapularis * Ixodidae * Acari * strain Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 5.605, year: 2016

Ticks infected via co-feeding transmission can transmit Lyme borreliosis to vertebrate hosts

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Belli, A.; Sarr, A.; Rais, O.; Rego, Ryan O. M.; Voordouw, M.J.

2017-01-01

Roč. 7, JUL 10 (2017), č. článku 5006. ISSN 2045-2322 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Ixodes ricinus ticks * disease spirochete * borne pathogens * r-0 model * vector * mice * immunity * persistence Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine OBOR OECD: Veterinary science Impact factor: 4.259, year: 2016

Effect of temperature on removal of antibiotic resistance genes by anaerobic digestion of activated sludge revealed by metagenomic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tong; Yang, Ying; Pruden, Amy

2015-09-01

As antibiotic resistance continues to spread globally, there is growing interest in the potential to limit the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from wastewater sources. In particular, operational conditions during sludge digestion may serve to discourage selection of resistant bacteria, reduce horizontal transfer of ARGs, and aid in hydrolysis of DNA. This study applied metagenomic analysis to examine the removal efficiency of ARGs through thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digestion using bench-scale reactors. Although the relative abundance of various ARGs shifted from influent to effluent sludge, there was no measureable change in the abundance of total ARGs or their diversity in either the thermophilic or mesophilic treatment. Among the 35 major ARG subtypes detected in feed sludge, substantial reductions (removal efficiency >90%) of 8 and 13 ARGs were achieved by thermophilic and mesophilic digestion, respectively. However, resistance genes of aadA, macB, and sul1 were enriched during the thermophilic anaerobic digestion, while resistance genes of erythromycin esterase type I, sul1, and tetM were enriched during the mesophilic anaerobic digestion. Efflux pump remained to be the major antibiotic resistance mechanism in sludge samples, but the portion of ARGs encoding resistance via target modification increased in the anaerobically digested sludge relative to the feed. Metagenomic analysis provided insight into the potential for anaerobic digestion to mitigate a broad array of ARGs.

Resurgence of persisting non-cultivable Borrelia burgdorferi following antibiotic treatment in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emir Hodzic

Full Text Available The agent of Lyme borreliosis, Borrelia burgdorferi, evades host immunity and establishes persistent infections in its varied mammalian hosts. This persistent biology may pose challenges to effective antibiotic treatment. Experimental studies in dogs, mice, and non-human primates have found persistence of B. burgdorferi DNA following treatment with a variety of antibiotics, but persisting spirochetes are non-cultivable. Persistence of B. burgdorferi DNA has been documented in humans following treatment, but the significance remains unknown. The present study utilized a ceftriaxone treatment regimen in the C3H mouse model that resulted in persistence of non-cultivable B. burgdorferi in order to determine their long-term fate, and to examine their effects on the host. Results confirmed previous studies, in which B. burgdorferi could not be cultured from tissues, but low copy numbers of B. burgdorferi flaB DNA were detectable in tissues at 2, 4 and 8 months after completion of treatment, and the rate of PCR-positive tissues appeared to progressively decline over time. However, there was resurgence of spirochete flaB DNA in multiple tissues at 12 months, with flaB DNA copy levels nearly equivalent to those found in saline-treated mice. Despite the continued non-cultivable state, RNA transcription of multiple B. burgdorferi genes was detected in host tissues, flaB DNA was acquired by xenodiagnostic ticks, and spirochetal forms could be visualized within ticks and mouse tissues by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry, respectively. A number of host cytokines were up- or down-regulated in tissues of both saline- and antibiotic-treated mice in the absence of histopathology, indicating host response to the presence of non-cultivable, despite the lack of inflammation in tissues.

T2 Magnetic Resonance Assay-Based Direct Detection of Three Lyme Disease-Related Borrelia Species in Whole-Blood Samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, Jessica L; Giese, Heidi; Bandoski-Gralinski, Cheryl; Townsend, Jessica; Jacobson, Beck E; Shivers, Robert; Schotthoefer, Anna M; Fritsche, Thomas R; Green, Clayton; Callister, Steven M; Branda, John A; Lowery, Thomas J

2017-08-01

In early Lyme disease (LD), serologic testing is insensitive and seroreactivity may reflect active or past infection. In this study, we evaluated a novel assay for the direct detection of three species of Borrelia spirochetes in whole blood. The T2 magnetic resonance (T2MR) assay platform was used to amplify Borrelia DNA released from intact spirochetes and to detect amplicon. Analytical sensitivity was determined from blood spiked with known concentrations of spirochetes, and the assay's limit of detection was found to be in the single-cell-per-milliliter range: 5 cells/ml for B. afzelii and 8 cells/ml for Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia garinii Clinical samples ( n = 66) from confirmed or suspected early LD patients were also analyzed. B. burgdorferi was detected using T2MR in 2/2 (100%) of blood samples from patients with confirmed early LD, based on the presence of erythema migrans and documentation of seroconversion or a positive real-time blood PCR. T2MR detected B. burgdorferi in blood samples from 17/54 (31%) of patients with probable LD, based on the presence of erythema migrans without documented seroconversion or of documented seroconversion in patients with a compatible clinical syndrome but without erythema migrans. Out of 21 clinical samples tested by real-time PCR, only 1 was positive and 13 were negative with agreement with T2MR. An additional 7 samples that were negative by real-time PCR were positive with T2MR. Therefore, T2MR enables a low limit of detection (LoD) for Borrelia spp. in whole blood samples and is able to detect B. burgdorferi in clinical samples. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Prolonged Leptospira Urinary Shedding in a 10-Year-Old Girl

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emilie Chow

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We present a case of leptospirosis in a previously healthy girl following a trip to Costa Rica. While she was clinically asymptomatic, she had spirochetes cultured from her urine six weeks following her trip. Prolonged urinary shedding following infection with Leptospira is possible in humans and often has subtle manifestations in children.

Characterization and evolution of dermal filaments from patients with Morgellons disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Middelveen MJ

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Marianne J Middelveen,1 Peter J Mayne,1 Douglas G Kahn,2 Raphael B Stricker11International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD, USA; 2Department of Pathology, Olive View–UCLA Medical Center, Sylmar, CA, USAAbstract: Morgellons disease is an emerging skin disease characterized by formation of dermal filaments associated with multisystemic symptoms and tick-borne illness. Some clinicians hypothesize that these often colorful dermal filaments are textile fibers, either self-implanted by patients or accidentally adhering to lesions, and conclude that patients with this disease have delusions of infestation. We present histological observations and electron microscopic imaging from representative Morgellons disease samples revealing that dermal filaments in these cases are keratin and collagen in composition and result from proliferation and activation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in the epidermis. Spirochetes were detected in the dermatological specimens from our study patients, providing evidence that Morgellons disease is associated with an infectious process.Keywords: Morgellons disease, digital dermatitis, Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, spirochetes, keratin, keratinocytes, collagen, fibroblasts

Synanthropic Mammals as Potential Hosts of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Panama.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio E Bermúdez

Full Text Available Synanthropic wild mammals can be important hosts for many vector-borne zoonotic pathogens. The aim of this study was determine the exposure of synanthropic mammals to two types of tick-borne pathogens in Panama, spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR and Borrelia relapsing fever (RF spirochetes. One hundred and thirty-one wild mammals were evaluated, including two gray foxes, two crab-eating foxes (from zoos, four coyotes, 62 opossum and 63 spiny rats captured close to rural towns. To evaluate exposure to SFGR, serum samples from the animals were tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA using Rickettsia rickettsii and Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii antigen. Immunoblotting was performed using Borrelia turicatae protein lysates and rGlpQ, to assess infection caused by RF spirochetes. One coyote (25% and 27 (43% opossums showed seroreactivity to SFGR. Of these opossums, 11 were seroreactive to C. R. amblyommii. Serological reactivity was not detected to B. turicatae in mammal samples. These findings may reflect a potential role of both mammals in the ecology of tick-borne pathogens in Panama.

Use of natural compounds to improve the microbial stability of Amaranth-based homemade fresh pasta.

Science.gov (United States)

Del Nobile, M A; Di Benedetto, N; Suriano, N; Conte, A; Lamacchia, C; Corbo, M R; Sinigaglia, M

2009-04-01

A study on the use of natural antimicrobial compounds to improve the microbiological stability of refrigerated amaranth-based homemade fresh pasta is presented in this work. In particular, the antimicrobial activity of thymol, lemon extract, chitosan and grapefruit seed extract (GFSE) has been tested against mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria, total coliforms, Staphylococcus spp., yeasts and moulds. A sensory analysis on both fresh and cooked pasta was also run. Results suggest that chitosan and GFSE strongly increase the microbial acceptability limit of the investigated spoilage microorganisms, being the former the most effective. Thymol efficiently reduces the growth of mesophilic bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria and Staphylococcus spp., whereas it does not affect, substantially, the growth cycle of total coliforms. Lemon extract is the less effective in preventing microbial growth. In fact, it is able to delay only total mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacterial evolution. From a sensorial point of view no significant differences were recorded between the control samples and all the types of loaded amaranth-based pasta.

Simulation of Bioleaching Heat Effects for Enhancement of Copper Recovery from Sarcheshmeh Chalcopyrite

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmoudian, Ali Reza; Sadrnezhaad, S. K.; Manafi, Zahra

2014-08-01

A heat-transfer model was formulated to determine the distribution of temperature within a bioheap of chalcopyrite of Sarcheshmeh copper mine. Bioleaching employs mixed mesophilic and thermophilic microbes for Cu extraction. Thermophiles are better than mesophiles to dissolve CuFeS2. The solution irrigation and aeration rates were taken into account as the main operational factors. The model was validated by comparing the temperature profiles of test columns with those of bioheap. The model was used to find the optimal ratio of irrigation to aeration. It was found that when the solution was fed at a flow rate of 5 kg/m2 h and air was blown at a flow rate of 7.5 kg/m2 h, the transition from a mesophilic to thermophilic state inside the heap was possible. In this situation, the maximum temperature rise inside the heap was about 332 K (59 °C) after 60 days.

Inhibitory effects on anaerobic digestion of swine manure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheung, P.W.S.; Zhou, H. [Univ. of Guelph, School of Engineering, Guelph, Ontario (Canada)]. E-mail: hzhou@uoguelph.ca; Hacker, R. [Univ. of Guelph, Dept. of Animal and Poultry Science, Guelph, Ontario (Canada)

2002-06-15

This paper presents a laboratory study using anaerobic digestion for swine manure under both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, with emphasis on the effects of inhibitory chemicals on biogas production. A series of batch tests were conducted to examine the effects of various process parameters by varying temperature, pH, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations. As well, continuous anaerobic digestion tests were conducted using a completely stirred reactor system with a sludge retention time of 15 days. The results showed that at the initial stage, biogas was generated rapidly in the thermophilic reactor, but was more and more inhibited during the later stage with the presence of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. In contrast, the biogas production was initially delayed in the mesophilic reactor but afterwards had an even higher total gas production. In order to take advantages of both temperature effects in each reactor, the dual-stage system that consists of a thermophilic reactor followed by a mesophilic reactor was suggested. (author)

Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of Lurgi coal gasification wastewater in a UASB reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, W.; Ma, W.C.; Han, H.J.; Li, H.Q.; Yuan, M. [Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin (China)

2011-02-15

Lurgi coal gasification wastewater (LCGW) is a refractory wastewater, whose anaerobic treatment has been a severe problem due to its toxicity and poor biodegradability. Using a mesophilic (35 {+-} 2{sup o}C) reactor as a control, thermophilic anaerobic digestion (55 {+-} 2{sup o}C) of LCGW was investigated in a UASB reactor. After 120 days of operation, the removal of COD and total phenols by the thermophilic reactor could reach 50-55% and 50-60% respectively, at an organic loading rate of 2.5 kg COD/(m{sup 3} d) and HRT of 24h: the corresponding efficiencies were both only 20-30% in the mesophilic reactor. After thermophilic digestion, the wastewater concentrations of the aerobic effluent COD could reach below 200 mg/L compared with around 294 mg/L if mesophilic digestion was done and around 375 mg/L if sole aerobic pre-treatment was done. The results suggested that thermophilic anaerobic digestion improved significantly both anaerobic and aerobic biodegradation of LCGW.

Inhibitory effects on anaerobic digestion of swine manure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheung, P.W.S.; Zhou, H.; Hacker, R.

2002-01-01

This paper presents a laboratory study using anaerobic digestion for swine manure under both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, with emphasis on the effects of inhibitory chemicals on biogas production. A series of batch tests were conducted to examine the effects of various process parameters by varying temperature, pH, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations. As well, continuous anaerobic digestion tests were conducted using a completely stirred reactor system with a sludge retention time of 15 days. The results showed that at the initial stage, biogas was generated rapidly in the thermophilic reactor, but was more and more inhibited during the later stage with the presence of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. In contrast, the biogas production was initially delayed in the mesophilic reactor but afterwards had an even higher total gas production. In order to take advantages of both temperature effects in each reactor, the dual-stage system that consists of a thermophilic reactor followed by a mesophilic reactor was suggested. (author)

Identification of anaerobic arsenite-oxidizing and arsenate-reducing bacteria associated with an alkaline saline lake in Khovsgol, Mongolia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamamura, Natsuko; Itai, Takaaki; Liu, Yitai; Reysenbach, Anna-Louise; Damdinsuren, Narantuya; Inskeep, William P

2014-10-01

Microbial arsenic transformation pathways associated with a saline lake located in northern Mongolia were examined using molecular biological and culturing approaches. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences recovered from saline lake sediments and soils were affiliated with haloalkaliphiles, including Bacillus and Halomonas spp. Diverse sequences of arsenate respiratory reductase (arrA) and a new group of arsenite oxidase (arxA) genes were also identified. Pure cultures of arsenate-reducing Nitrincola strain and anaerobic arsenite-oxidizing Halomonas strain were isolated. The chemoorganotrophic Halomonas strain contains arxA gene similar to that of a chemoautotrophic arsenite-oxidizing Alkalilimnicola ehrlichii strain MLHE-1. These results revealed the diversity of arsenic transformation pathways associated with a geographically distinct saline system and the potential contribution of arx-dependent arsenite oxidation by heterotrophic bacteria.

Investigations on the inactivation of selected bacteria and viruses during mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic alkaline cofermentation of biological waste materials, food residues and other animal residues; Seuchenhygienische Untersuchungen zur Inaktivierung ausgewaehlter Bakterien und Viren bei der mesophilen und thermophilen anaeroben alkalischen Faulung von Bio- und Kuechenabfaellen sowie anderen Rest- und Abfallstoffen tierischer Herkunft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoferer, M. [Hohenheim Univ., Stuttgart (Germany). Inst. fuer Umwelt- und Tierhygiene sowie Tiermedizin mit Tierklinik

2001-07-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the inactivation kinetics of a number of different bacteria (Salmonella Senftenberg, Escherichia coli O157, Enterococcus faecium) and viruses (Bovine Enterovirus (ECBO), Equine Rhinovirus (ERV), Poliovirus, Bovine Parvovirus (BPV)) during the process of anaerobic cofermentation. Experiments were conducted in a semi-technical biogas plant at the University of Hohenheim. The fermenter was fed with a mixture of slurry from pigs or cattle (75%) and leftovers (25%) and was run under mesophilic (30 C + 35 C) as well as under thermophilic temperature conditions (50 C + 55 C). Volume and filter-sandwich germ-carriers were specifically developed and/or optimised for these analyses. Parallel to the experiments at the University of Hohenheim and under almost identical process conditions, various viruses (African Swine Fever Virus, Pseudorabies Virus, Classical Swine Fever Virus, Foot and Mouth Disease Virus, Swine Vesicular Disease Virus) were examined at the Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals in Tuebingen. The results obtained at each research institution are directly compared. (orig.)

Updates on Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex with respect to public health

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rudenko, Natalia; Golovchenko, Maryna; Grubhoffer, Libor; Oliver, J. H., Jr.

2011-01-01

Roč. 2, č. 3 (2011), s. 123-128 ISSN 1877-959X R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC06009; GA ČR GA206/09/1782 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Spirochetes * Borrelia * Genetic diversity * Lyme borreliosis * Distribution * New species Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 2.370, year: 2011

Whole-Genome Sequences of Borrelia bissettii Borrelia valaisiana and Borrelia spielmanii

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schutzer S. E.; Dunn J.; Fraser-Liggett C. M.; Qiu W.-G.; Kraiczy P.; Mongodin E. F.; Luft B. J.; Casjens S. R.

2012-01-01

It has been known for decades that human Lyme disease is caused by the three spirochete species Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii. Recently, Borrelia valaisiana, Borrelia spielmanii, and Borrelia bissettii have been associated with Lyme disease. We report the complete genome sequences of B. valaisiana VS116, B. spielmanii A14S, and B. bissettii DN127.

Supplementary Material for: Lignocellulose-derived thin stillage composition and efficient biological treatment with a high-rate hybrid anaerobic bioreactor system

KAUST Repository

Oosterkamp, Margreet

2016-01-01

Abstract Background This study aims to chemically characterize thin stillage derived from lignocellulosic biomass distillation residues in terms of organic strength, nutrient, and mineral content. The feasibility of performing anaerobic digestion on these stillages at mesophilic (40 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) temperatures to produce methane was demonstrated. The microbial communities involved were further characterized. Results Energy and sugar cane stillage have a high chemical oxygen demand (COD of 43 and 30 g/L, respectively) and low pH (pH 4.3). Furthermore, the acetate concentration in sugar cane stillage was high (45 mM) but was not detected in energy cane stillage. There was also a high amount of lactate in both types of stillage (35–37 mM). The amount of sugars was 200 times higher in energy cane stillage compared to sugar cane stillage. Although there was a high concentration of sulfate (18 and 23 mM in sugar and energy cane stillage, respectively), both thin stillages were efficiently digested anaerobically with high COD removal under mesophilic and thermophilic temperature conditions and with an organic loading rate of 15–21 g COD/L/d. The methane production rate was 0.2 L/g COD, with a methane percentage of 60 and 64, and 92 and 94 % soluble COD removed, respectively, by the mesophilic and thermophilic reactors. Although both treatment processes were equally efficient, there were different microbial communities involved possibly arising from the differences in the composition of energy cane and sugar cane stillage. There was more acetic acid in sugar cane stillage which may have promoted the occurrence of aceticlastic methanogens to perform a direct conversion of acetate to methane in reactors treating sugar cane stillage. Conclusions Results showed that thin stillage contains easily degradable compounds suitable for anaerobic digestion and that hybrid reactors can efficiently convert thin stillage to methane under mesophilic and

Detection of spirochetes in, and isolation from, culicine mosquitoes

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sanogo, Yibayiri Osée; Halouzka, Jiří; Hubálek, Zdeněk; Němec, M.

2000-01-01

Roč. 47, č. 1 (2000), s. 79-80 ISSN 0015-5683 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA6087601 Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 0.844, year: 2000 http://folia.paru.cas.cz/pdfs/showpdf.php?pdf=20510

Ribotyping on small-sized spirochetes isolated from subgingival plaque

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fiehn, N E; Bangsborg, J M; Colding, H

1995-01-01

distinct bands were observed for the 2:4:2 isolates and the T. denticola strains. For each of the endonucleases used, identical band patterns were always observed for this group of isolates, and these patterns differed persistently from the T. denticola strains. For the 1:2:1 strains, up to 11 distinct...... bands were observed after digestion with HindIII, whereas a maximum of 6 bands were observed when PstI or ClaI was used. By using ClaI, the examined 1:2:1 isolates were separated into 8 groups, whereas PstI and HindIII separated these isolates into 5 groups. The ribotyping showed that the tested 1...

Cryopreservation of an avian spirochete strain in liquid nitrogen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Labruna M.B.

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Soros de aves experimentalmente infectadas, contendo espiroquetas viáveis, foram submetidos a dois procedimentos antes da criopreservação: glicerol na diluição de 1/2 (v/v, designado como soro com glicerol a 50% (GS, e dimetilsulfóxido na proporção de 1/10 (v/v, designado como soro com DMSO a 10% (DS. Após 15 meses de estocagem em nitrogênio líquido, amostras dos tratamentos GS e DS foram descongeladas e suas infectividades foram testadas em frangos susceptíveis. Apesar de ambos os procedimentos terem mantidos a infectividade da bactéria, DMSO a 10% no soro de frango apresentou-se mais satisfatório como criopreservante.

Methane production from marine, green macro-algae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansson, G.

1983-01-01

Fermentation studies have been carried out to produce methane from green algae native to Scandinavian water and suitable for large scale cultivation. Long term semi-continuous fermentations during mesophilic and thermophilic conditions were performed as well as batch fermentations in flasks and syringes. A mixed inoculum was prepared from sediments, rotting seaweed, sewage sludge and rumen contents. Methane production from the seaweed substrate, consisting of ground green algae without any nutrient additions, started immediately in this culture, mesophilicly as well as thermophilicly. Fermentations were carried out with retention times from 27 to 11 days and loading rates from 1.1 to 2.6 g volatile solids (VS added) per litre per day. In the mesophilic fermentation, gas yields were 250-350 ml CH/sub 4//g VS added and the VS-reduction was around 50-55% at all tested retention times and loading rates. The level of volatile fatty acids was very low in this system. In the thermophilic digestor, gas yields were somewhat lower although the VS-reduction was around 50% also in this systems. The VFA-levels were higher and the culture more sensitive to disturbances. Thus no advantages were found with the thermophilic fermentation. In mesophilic batch fermentations the gas production was rather rapid and almost completed after 12-15 days, in agreement with the continuous fermentations. The gas yields in batch experiments were high, 350-480 ml CH/sub 4//g VS added. (Refs. 20).

Anaerobic digestion of macroalgal biomass and sediments sourced from the Orbetello lagoon, Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Migliore, G.; Alisi, C.; Sprocati, A.R.; Massi, E.; Ciccoli, R.; Lenzi, M.; Wang, A.; Cremisini, C.

2012-01-01

The anaerobic digestion of marine macroalgae biomass could meet two currently important needs, the mitigation of the eutrophication effects and the production of renewable energy. Because of the abundance of seaweed biomass its conversion can be highly desirable and convenient, mostly for countries with long coastlines or eutrophic environments. The aim of the present work is to carry out an exploratory study of biogas production from macroalgal biomass collected from the Orbetello lagoon (Tuscany, Italy) by solely exploiting the intrinsic degradation potential of the ecosystem. A fresh algae mix and sediments has been used, as both feed and inoculum of an anaerobic digestion process under psychro-mesophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, in batch reactors, without any washing and drying treatment. The presence of sediment proved to be crucial in order to achieve a good methane yield (methane yield of 380 dm 3 kg −1 VS added ) comparable with literature data obtained through different approaches. The results gave evidence that such an approach will have to be considered when planning a selective anaerobic digestion of macroalgae that could be useful in local applications for coasts and eutrophic lagoons affected by seasonal or frequent algal blooms. -- Highlights: ► Biogas production from macroalgal biomass with minimal energy input is proposed. ► Psychro-mesophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic conditions were compared. ► Highly adapted bacterial pool was crucial to achieve a good methane yield. ► The applied process exploits the intrinsic degradation potential of the ecosystem.

Microbiological Safety of Kitchen Sponges Used in Food Establishments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tesfaye Wolde

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Kitchen sponges are among the possible sources of contaminants in food establishments. The main purpose of the current study was, therefore, to assess the microbiological safety of sponges as it has been used in selected food establishments of Jimma town. Accordingly, the microbiological safety of a total of 201 kitchen sponges randomly collected from food establishments was evaluated against the total counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and yeast and molds. The mean counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria ranged from 7.43 to 12.44 log CFU/mm3. The isolated genera were dominated by Pseudomonas (16.9%, Bacillus (11.1%, Micrococcus (10.6%, Streptococcus (7.8%, and Lactobacillus (6% excluding the unidentified Gram positive rods (4.9% and Gram negative rods (9.9%. The high microbial counts (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, and yeast and molds reveal the existence of poor kitchen sponge sanitization practice. Awareness creation training on basic hygienic practices to food handlers and periodic change of kitchen sponges are recommended.

Microbiological properties of poultry breast meat treated with high-intensity ultrasound.

Science.gov (United States)

Piñon, M I; Alarcon-Rojo, A D; Renteria, A L; Carrillo-Lopez, L M

2018-01-03

Lactic acid, psychrophilic, and mesophilic bacteria, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus were enumerated on chicken breasts after treatment with different high intensity ultrasound (frequency 40 kHz, intensity 9.6 W/cm -2 ) application times (0, 30, and 50 min) and packaging atmospheres (aerobic and vacuum) after a 7-day storage. The experiment was performed in commercial 7-week-old chicken breasts. Counts were performed prior to and immediately after ultrasonication, and on the 7th day of chill-storage. After sonication and storage, mesophiles, psychrophiles, LAB and S. aureus increased statistically. Psychrophiles decreased significantly under anaerobic packaging. There were no differences among ultrasonication times in terms of mesophiles, psychrophiles, LAB, E. coli and Salmonella spp. S. aureus numbers had a significant reduction after 50 min sonication. Under these experimental conditions, high-intensity ultrasound for 50 min is a control method of S. aureus and the anaerobic packaging reduces numbers of psychrophiles in chicken breast. The effect of ultrasound is only significant after the storage time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of anaerobic digestion processes for short sludge-age waste activated sludge combined with anammox treatment of digestate liquor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Huoqing; Batstone, Damien; Keller, Jurg

2016-01-01

The need to reduce energy input and enhance energy recovery from wastewater is driving renewed interest in high-rate activated sludge treatment (i.e. short hydraulic and solids retention times (HRT and SRT, respectively)). This process generates short SRT activated sludge stream, which should be highly degradable. However, the evaluation of anaerobic digestion of short SRT sludge has been limited. This paper assesses anaerobic digestion of short SRT sludge digestion derived from meat processing wastewater under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions. The thermophilic digestion system (55°C) achieved 60 and 68% volatile solids destruction at 8 day and 10 day HRT, respectively, compared with 50% in the mesophilic digestion system (35°C, 10 day HRT). The digestion effluents from the thermophilic (8-10 day HRT) and mesophilic systems were stable, as assessed by residual methane potentials. The ammonia rich sludge dewatering liquor was effectively treated by a batch anammox process, which exhibited comparable nitrogen removal rate as the tests using a control synthetic ammonia solution, indicating that the dewatering liquor did not have inhibiting/toxic effects on the anammox activity.

Multiple Syntrophic Interactions in a Terephthalate-Degrading Methanogenic Consortium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lykidis, Athanasios; Chen, Chia-Lung; Tringe, Susannah G.; McHardy, Alice C.; Copeland, Alex 5; Kyrpides, Nikos C.; Hugenholtz, Philip; Liu, Wen-Tso

2010-08-05

Terephthalate (TA) is one of the top 50 chemicals produced worldwide. Its production results in a TA-containing wastewater that is treated by anaerobic processes through a poorly understood methanogenic syntrophy. Using metagenomics, we characterized the methanogenic consortium tinside a hyper-mesophilic (i.e., between mesophilic and thermophilic), TA-degrading bioreactor. We identified genes belonging to dominant Pelotomaculum species presumably involved in TA degradation through decarboxylation, dearomatization, and modified ?-oxidation to H{sub 2}/CO{sub 2} and acetate. These intermediates are converted to CH{sub 4}/CO{sub 2} by three novel hyper-mesophilic methanogens. Additional secondary syntrophic interactions were predicted in Thermotogae, Syntrophus and candidate phyla OP5 and WWE1 populations. The OP5 encodes genes capable of anaerobic autotrophic butyrate production and Thermotogae, Syntrophus and WWE1 have the genetic potential to oxidize butyrate to COsub 2}/H{sub 2} and acetate. These observations suggest that the TA-degrading consortium consists of additional syntrophic interactions beyond the standard H{sub 2}-producing syntroph ? methanogen partnership that may serve to improve community stability.

Electron transport chain in a thermotolerant yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Mejía-Barajas, Jorge A; Martínez-Mora, José A; Salgado-Garciglia, Rafael; Noriega-Cisneros, Ruth; Ortiz-Avila, Omar; Cortés-Rojo, Christian; Saavedra-Molina, Alfredo

2017-04-01

Yeasts capable of growing and surviving at high temperatures are regarded as thermotolerant. For appropriate functioning of cellular processes and cell survival, the maintenance of an optimal redox state is critical of reducing and oxidizing species. We studied mitochondrial functions of the thermotolerant Kluyveromyces marxianus SLP1 and the mesophilic OFF1 yeasts, through the evaluation of its mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ m ), ATPase activity, electron transport chain (ETC) activities, alternative oxidase activity, lipid peroxidation. Mitochondrial membrane potential and the cytoplasmic free Ca 2+ ions (Ca 2+ cyt) increased in the SLP1 yeast when exposed to high temperature, compared with the mesophilic yeast OFF1. ATPase activity in the mesophilic yeast diminished 80% when exposed to 40° while the thermotolerant SLP1 showed no change, despite an increase in the mitochondrial lipid peroxidation. The SLP1 thermotolerant yeast exposed to high temperature showed a diminution of 33% of the oxygen consumption in state 4. The uncoupled state 3 of oxygen consumption did not change in the mesophilic yeast when it had an increase of temperature, whereas in the thermotolerant SLP1 yeast resulted in an increase of 2.5 times when yeast were grown at 30 o , while a decrease of 51% was observed when it was exposed to high temperature. The activities of the ETC complexes were diminished in the SLP1 when exposed to high temperature, but also it was distinguished an alternative oxidase activity. Our results suggest that the mitochondria state, particularly ETC state, is an important characteristic of the thermotolerance of the SLP1 yeast strain.

Search for Borrelia sp. in ticks collected from potential reservoirs in an urban forest reserve in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil: a short report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

IP da Costa

2002-07-01

Full Text Available A total of 128 ticks of the genus Amblyomma were recovered from 5 marsupials (Didelphis albiventris - with 4 recaptures - and 17 rodents (16 Bolomys lasiurus and 1 Rattus norvegicus captured in an urban forest reserve in Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Of the ticks collected, 95 (78.9% were in larval form and 22 (21.1% were nymphs; the only adult (0.8% was identified as A. cajennense. Viewed under dark-field microscopy in the fourth month after seeding, 9 cultures prepared from spleens and livers of the rodents, blood of the marsupials, and macerates of Amblyomma sp. nymphs revealed spiral-shaped, spirochete-like structures resembling those of Borrelia sp. Some of them showed little motility, while others were non-motile. No such structures could be found either in positive Giemsa-stained culture smears or under electron microscopy. No PCR amplification of DNA from those cultures could be obtained by employing Leptospira sp., B. burgdorferi, and Borrelia sp. primers. These aspects suggest that the spirochete-like structures found in this study do not fit into the genera Borrelia or Leptospira, requiring instead to be isolated for proper identification.

Effectiveness of Stevia Rebaudiana Whole Leaf Extract Against the Various Morphological Forms of Borrelia Burgdorferi in Vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Theophilus, P. A. S.; Victoria, M. J.; Socarras, K. M.; Filush, K. R.; Gupta, K.; Luecke, D. F.; Sapi, E.

2015-01-01

Lyme disease is a tick-borne multisystemic disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Administering antibiotics is the primary treatment for this disease; however, relapse often occurs when antibiotic treatment is discontinued. The reason for relapse remains unknown, but recent studies suggested the possibilities of the presence of antibiotic resistant Borrelia persister cells and biofilms. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of whole leaf Stevia extract against B. burgdorferi spirochetes, persisters, and biofilm forms in vitro. The susceptibility of the different forms was evaluated by various quantitative techniques in addition to different microscopy methods. The effectiveness of Stevia was compared to doxycycline, cefoperazone, daptomycin, and their combinations. Our results demonstrated that Stevia had significant effect in eliminating B. burgdorferi spirochetes and persisters. Subculture experiments with Stevia and antibiotics treated cells were established for 7 and 14 days yielding, no and 10% viable cells, respectively compared to the above-mentioned antibiotics and antibiotic combination. When Stevia and the three antibiotics were tested against attached biofilms, Stevia significantly reduced B. burgdorferi forms. Results from this study suggest that a natural product such as Stevia leaf extract could be considered as an effective agent against B. burgdorferi. PMID:26716015

Lyme disease: the next decade

Science.gov (United States)

Stricker, Raphael B; Johnson, Lorraine

2011-01-01

Although Lyme disease remains a controversial illness, recent events have created an unprecedented opportunity to make progress against this serious tick-borne infection. Evidence presented during the legally mandated review of the restrictive Lyme guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has confirmed the potential for persistent infection with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, as well as the complicating role of tick-borne coinfections such as Babesia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella species associated with failure of short-course antibiotic therapy. Furthermore, renewed interest in the role of cell wall-deficient (CWD) forms in chronic bacterial infection and progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of biofilms has focused attention on these processes in chronic Lyme disease. Recognition of the importance of CWD forms and biofilms in persistent B. burgdorferi infection should stimulate pharmaceutical research into new antimicrobial agents that target these mechanisms of chronic infection with the Lyme spirochete. Concurrent clinical implementation of proteomic screening offers a chance to correct significant deficiencies in Lyme testing. Advances in these areas have the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease in the coming decade. PMID:21694904

Community size and metabolic rates of psychrophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria in Arctic marine sediments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knoblauch, C.; Jørgensen, BB; Harder, J.

1999-01-01

The numbers of sulfate reducers in two Arctic sediments within situ temperatures of 2.6 and -1.7 degrees C were determined. Most-probable-number counts were higher at 10 degrees C than at 20 degrees C, indicating the predominance of a psychrophilic community. Mean specific sulfate reduction rates...... of 19 isolated psychrophiles were compared to corresponding rates of 9 marine, mesophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria. The results indicate that, as a physiological adaptation to the permanently cold Arctic environment, psychrophilic sulfate reducers have considerably higher specific metabolic rates than...... their mesophilic counterparts at similarly low temperatures....

Effect of low dose irradiation of pork loins on the microflora, sensory characteristics and fat stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattison, M.L.; Kraft, A.A.; Olson, D.G.; Walker, H.W.; Rust, R.E.; James, D.B.

1986-01-01

The effects of low dose (100 krad) irradiation on microflora, sensory characteristics, and development of oxidative rancidity of vacuum packaged pork loins was investigated after irradiation and during low temperature (4 0 C) storage up to 21 days. Irradiation reduced numbers of mesophiles, psychrotrophs, anaerobic bacteria (P<0.01), and staphylococci (P<0.05), with the effect on mesophiles and psychrotrophic spoilage organisms the greatest. Effect of irradiation on sensory characteristics of pork loin was minimal with no detectable differences between irradiated and nonirradiated pork after 14 days of storage. Irradiation of pork did not affect cooking loss or thiobarbituric acid values

Cold adaptation of the mononuclear molybdoenzyme periplasmic nitrate reductase from the Antarctic bacterium Shewanella gelidimarina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simpson, Philippa J.L. [School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006 (Australia); Codd, Rachel, E-mail: rachel.codd@sydney.edu.au [School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006 (Australia); School of Medical Sciences (Pharmacology) and Bosch Institute, University of New South Wales, New South Wales 2006 (Australia)

2011-11-04

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cold-adapted phenotype of NapA from the Antarctic bacterium Shewanella gelidimarina. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Protein homology model of NapA from S. gelidimarina and mesophilic homologue. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Six amino acid residues identified as lead candidates governing NapA cold adaptation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Molecular-level understanding of designing cool-temperature in situ oxyanion sensors. -- Abstract: The reduction of nitrate to nitrite is catalysed in bacteria by periplasmic nitrate reductase (Nap) which describes a system of variable protein subunits encoded by the nap operon. Nitrate reduction occurs in the NapA subunit, which contains a bis-molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (Mo-MGD) cofactor and one [4Fe-4S] iron-sulfur cluster. The activity of periplasmic nitrate reductase (Nap) isolated as native protein from the cold-adapted (psychrophilic) Antarctic bacterium Shewanella gelidimarina (Nap{sub Sgel}) and middle-temperature adapted (mesophilic) Shewanella putrefaciens (Nap{sub Sput}) was examined at varied temperature. Irreversible deactivation of Nap{sub Sgel} and Nap{sub Sput} occurred at 54.5 and 65 Degree-Sign C, respectively. When Nap{sub Sgel} was preincubated at 21-70 Degree-Sign C for 30 min, the room-temperature nitrate reductase activity was maximal and invariant between 21 and 54 Degree-Sign C, which suggested that Nap{sub Sgel} was poised for optimal catalysis at modest temperatures and, unlike Nap{sub Sput}, did not benefit from thermally-induced refolding. At 20 Degree-Sign C, Nap{sub Sgel} reduced selenate at 16% of the rate of nitrate reduction. Nap{sub Sput} did not reduce selenate. Sequence alignment showed 46 amino acid residue substitutions in Nap{sub Sgel} that were conserved in NapA from mesophilic Shewanella, Rhodobacter and Escherichia species and could be associated with the Nap{sub Sgel} cold-adapted phenotype. Protein homology modeling of Nap{sub Sgel} using a

Cold adaptation of the mononuclear molybdoenzyme periplasmic nitrate reductase from the Antarctic bacterium Shewanella gelidimarina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, Philippa J.L.; Codd, Rachel

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► Cold-adapted phenotype of NapA from the Antarctic bacterium Shewanella gelidimarina. ► Protein homology model of NapA from S. gelidimarina and mesophilic homologue. ► Six amino acid residues identified as lead candidates governing NapA cold adaptation. ► Molecular-level understanding of designing cool-temperature in situ oxyanion sensors. -- Abstract: The reduction of nitrate to nitrite is catalysed in bacteria by periplasmic nitrate reductase (Nap) which describes a system of variable protein subunits encoded by the nap operon. Nitrate reduction occurs in the NapA subunit, which contains a bis-molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (Mo–MGD) cofactor and one [4Fe–4S] iron–sulfur cluster. The activity of periplasmic nitrate reductase (Nap) isolated as native protein from the cold-adapted (psychrophilic) Antarctic bacterium Shewanella gelidimarina (Nap Sgel ) and middle-temperature adapted (mesophilic) Shewanella putrefaciens (Nap Sput ) was examined at varied temperature. Irreversible deactivation of Nap Sgel and Nap Sput occurred at 54.5 and 65 °C, respectively. When Nap Sgel was preincubated at 21–70 °C for 30 min, the room-temperature nitrate reductase activity was maximal and invariant between 21 and 54 °C, which suggested that Nap Sgel was poised for optimal catalysis at modest temperatures and, unlike Nap Sput , did not benefit from thermally-induced refolding. At 20 °C, Nap Sgel reduced selenate at 16% of the rate of nitrate reduction. Nap Sput did not reduce selenate. Sequence alignment showed 46 amino acid residue substitutions in Nap Sgel that were conserved in NapA from mesophilic Shewanella, Rhodobacter and Escherichia species and could be associated with the Nap Sgel cold-adapted phenotype. Protein homology modeling of Nap Sgel using a mesophilic template with 66% amino acid identity showed the majority of substitutions occurred at the protein surface distal to the Mo–MGD cofactor. Two mesophilic ↔ psychrophilic

Antimicrobial susceptibility of porcine Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli isolated in Sweden between 1990 and 2010

OpenAIRE

Pringle Märit; Landén Annica; Unnerstad Helle; Molander Benedicta; Bengtsson Björn

2012-01-01

Abstract Background The anaerobic spirochetes Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli cause diarrheal diseases in pigs. Their fastidious nature has hampered standardization of methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. For monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility wild type cutoff values are needed to define where the wild type distribution of MICs ends and no approved cutoffs are available for Brachyspira spp. In this study antimicrobial susceptibility data for both spe...

Mesophilic and psychrophilic digestion of liquid manure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zeeman, G.

1991-01-01

IN GENERAL

In this thesis the possibilities for digestion of cow and pig manure are described for a completely stirred tank reactor system (CSTR) and an accumulation system (AC-system).
For this purpose were researched:
1. Anaerobic digestion

Adaptation to environmental temperature is a major determinant of molecular evolutionary rates in archaea.

Science.gov (United States)

Groussin, Mathieu; Gouy, Manolo

2011-09-01

Methods to infer the ancestral conditions of life are commonly based on geological and paleontological analyses. Recently, several studies used genome sequences to gain information about past ecological conditions taking advantage of the property that the G+C and amino acid contents of bacterial and archaeal ribosomal DNA genes and proteins, respectively, are strongly influenced by the environmental temperature. The adaptation to optimal growth temperature (OGT) since the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) over the universal tree of life was examined, and it was concluded that LUCA was likely to have been a mesophilic organism and that a parallel adaptation to high temperature occurred independently along the two lineages leading to the ancestors of Bacteria on one side and of Archaea and Eukarya on the other side. Here, we focus on Archaea to gain a precise view of the adaptation to OGT over time in this domain. It has been often proposed on the basis of indirect evidence that the last archaeal common ancestor was a hyperthermophilic organism. Moreover, many results showed the influence of environmental temperature on the evolutionary dynamics of archaeal genomes: Thermophilic organisms generally display lower evolutionary rates than mesophiles. However, to our knowledge, no study tried to explain the differences of evolutionary rates for the entire archaeal domain and to investigate the evolution of substitution rates over time. A comprehensive archaeal phylogeny and a non homogeneous model of the molecular evolutionary process allowed us to estimate ancestral base and amino acid compositions and OGTs at each internal node of the archaeal phylogenetic tree. The last archaeal common ancestor is predicted to have been hyperthermophilic and adaptations to cooler environments can be observed for extant mesophilic species. Furthermore, mesophilic species present both long branches and high variation of nucleotide and amino acid compositions since the last archaeal

Viral Diversity Threshold for Adaptive Immunity in Prokaryotes

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberger, Ariel D.; Wolf, Yuri I.; Lobkovsky, Alexander E.; Gilmore, Michael S.; Koonin, Eugene V.

2012-01-01

ABSTRACT Bacteria and archaea face continual onslaughts of rapidly diversifying viruses and plasmids. Many prokaryotes maintain adaptive immune systems known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated genes (Cas). CRISPR-Cas systems are genomic sensors that serially acquire viral and plasmid DNA fragments (spacers) that are utilized to target and cleave matching viral and plasmid DNA in subsequent genomic invasions, offering critical immunological memory. Only 50% of sequenced bacteria possess CRISPR-Cas immunity, in contrast to over 90% of sequenced archaea. To probe why half of bacteria lack CRISPR-Cas immunity, we combined comparative genomics and mathematical modeling. Analysis of hundreds of diverse prokaryotic genomes shows that CRISPR-Cas systems are substantially more prevalent in thermophiles than in mesophiles. With sequenced bacteria disproportionately mesophilic and sequenced archaea mostly thermophilic, the presence of CRISPR-Cas appears to depend more on environmental temperature than on bacterial-archaeal taxonomy. Mutation rates are typically severalfold higher in mesophilic prokaryotes than in thermophilic prokaryotes. To quantitatively test whether accelerated viral mutation leads microbes to lose CRISPR-Cas systems, we developed a stochastic model of virus-CRISPR coevolution. The model competes CRISPR-Cas-positive (CRISPR-Cas+) prokaryotes against CRISPR-Cas-negative (CRISPR-Cas−) prokaryotes, continually weighing the antiviral benefits conferred by CRISPR-Cas immunity against its fitness costs. Tracking this cost-benefit analysis across parameter space reveals viral mutation rate thresholds beyond which CRISPR-Cas cannot provide sufficient immunity and is purged from host populations. These results offer a simple, testable viral diversity hypothesis to explain why mesophilic bacteria disproportionately lack CRISPR-Cas immunity. More generally, fundamental limits on the adaptability of biological

Development of a gene cloning system in a fast-growing and moderately thermophilic Streptomyces species and heterologous expression of Streptomyces antibiotic biosynthetic gene clusters

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Streptomyces species are a major source of antibiotics. They usually grow slowly at their optimal temperature and fermentation of industrial strains in a large scale often takes a long time, consuming more energy and materials than some other bacterial industrial strains (e.g., E. coli and Bacillus). Most thermophilic Streptomyces species grow fast, but no gene cloning systems have been developed in such strains. Results We report here the isolation of 41 fast-growing (about twice the rate of S. coelicolor), moderately thermophilic (growing at both 30°C and 50°C) Streptomyces strains, detection of one linear and three circular plasmids in them, and sequencing of a 6996-bp plasmid, pTSC1, from one of them. pTSC1-derived pCWH1 could replicate in both thermophilic and mesophilic Streptomyces strains. On the other hand, several Streptomyces replicons function in thermophilic Streptomyces species. By examining ten well-sporulating strains, we found two promising cloning hosts, 2C and 4F. A gene cloning system was established by using the two strains. The actinorhodin and anthramycin biosynthetic gene clusters from mesophilic S. coelicolor A3(2) and thermophilic S. refuineus were heterologously expressed in one of the hosts. Conclusions We have developed a gene cloning and expression system in a fast-growing and moderately thermophilic Streptomyces species. Although just a few plasmids and one antibiotic biosynthetic gene cluster from mesophilic Streptomyces were successfully expressed in thermophilic Streptomyces species, we expect that by utilizing thermophilic Streptomyces-specific promoters, more genes and especially antibiotic genes clusters of mesophilic Streptomyces should be heterologously expressed. PMID:22032628

Apport des analyses isotopiques et moléculaires pour la caractérisation des communautés fonctionnelles et des voies métaboliques au cours de la méthanogenèse dans des boues d'épuration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Driss Limam, R.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Characterization of functional communities and metabolic pathways during methanogenesis in wastewater sludge by isotopic and molecular analysis. Description of the subject. Investigation of the relationships between methanogenic community and metabolic pathway dynamics during methanogenesis. Objectives. The objective was to use an isotopic approach coupled with molecular analysis to identify metabolisms and to understand the dynamics of Archaea under different temperature conditions. Method. Sludge was incubated anaerobically under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Biogas production was monitored, together with stable isotopic signatures of produced CH4 and CO2. Results. Isotopic signature values for CH4 indicated a change in methanogenic metabolism with time and temperature. CH4 was predominantly produced from H2/CO2 and acetoclastic metabolism at the beginning of the mesophilic incubations and after acetate injection. A progressive shift towards an acetoclastic metabolism was observed at the end of mesophilic incubations. This period was associated with stability within archaeal communities as monitored by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA and FISH with oligonucleotidic probes targeting specifically the Archaea 16S rRNA gene. At the beginning of the thermophilic incubations and after acetate injection, methane was generated mostly from H2/CO2. At the end of the thermophilic incubations, an acetoclastic metabolism was observed and intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA and FISH showed important shifts in archaeal communities. Conclusions. Isotopic methods coupled with molecular analyses enabled us to better understand methanogenesis and the involvement of archaeal populations, which varied according to temperature. We also observed a preadaptation of archaeal communities in thermophilic conditions, which could be due to the fact that mesophilic microorganisms were progressively eliminated during the thermophilic incubation

Saponification of fatty slaughterhouse wastes for enhancing anaerobic biodegradability.

Science.gov (United States)

Battimelli, Audrey; Carrère, Hélène; Delgenès, Jean-Philippe

2009-08-01

The thermochemical pretreatment by saponification of two kinds of fatty slaughterhouse waste--aeroflotation fats and flesh fats from animal carcasses--was studied in order to improve the waste's anaerobic degradation. The effect of an easily biodegradable compound, ethanol, on raw waste biodegradation was also examined. The aims of the study were to enhance the methanisation of fatty waste and also to show a link between biodegradability and bio-availability. The anaerobic digestion of raw waste, saponified waste and waste with a co-substrate was carried out in batch mode under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The results showed little increase in the total volume of biogas, indicating a good biodegradability of the raw wastes. Mean biogas volume reached 1200 mL/g VS which represented more than 90% of the maximal theoretical biogas potential. Raw fatty wastes were slowly biodegraded whereas pretreated wastes showed improved initial reaction kinetics, indicating a better initial bio-availability, particularly for mesophilic runs. The effects observed for raw wastes with ethanol as co-substrate depended on the process temperature: in mesophilic conditions, an initial improvement was observed whereas in thermophilic conditions a significant decrease in biodegradability was observed.

Bioleaching of a low grade sphalerite concentrate produced from flotation tailings

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Javad Mehrabani

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In this research work, the zinc extraction was investigated, using bioleaching process from a low grade zinc concentrate which was produced from the accumulated flotation tailings. Zinc content was initially upgraded to 11.97% by flotation process. Bioleaching experiments were designed and carried out by a mixed culture of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, Leptospirilium ferrooxidans, as well as a mixed moderate thermophile bacteria in the shake flasks. Effect of two types bacteria, indigenous bacteria accompany by concentrate sample, and added mixture of bacteria were evaluated. The term of indigenous bacteria refers to the bacteria which initially exist in the natural concentrate sample. The results showed that more than 87% and 94% of Zn was dissolved in the bioleaching condition of mesophile and moderate thermophile bacteria, respectively. Comparing bioleaching and leaching tests indicated that mesophile bacteria improved Zn extraction 36%, in which contribution of concentrate indigenous bacteria (test condition of non-inoculation and added mesophile mixed bacteria were equal to 34% and 66% of that improvement, respectively. In addition, moderate thermophile bacteria improved sphalerite leaching up to 38% in which contribution of concentrate indigenous bacteria and added moderate bacteria were about 50% separately.

Discovery of Microorganisms and Enzymes Involved in High-Solids Decomposition of Rice Straw Using Metagenomic Analyses

Science.gov (United States)

D’haeseleer, Patrik; Khudyakov, Jane; Burd, Helcio; Hadi, Masood; Simmons, Blake A.; Singer, Steven W.; Thelen, Michael P.; VanderGheynst, Jean S.

2013-01-01

High-solids incubations were performed to enrich for microbial communities and enzymes that decompose rice straw under mesophilic (35°C) and thermophilic (55°C) conditions. Thermophilic enrichments yielded a community that was 7.5 times more metabolically active on rice straw than mesophilic enrichments. Extracted xylanase and endoglucanse activities were also 2.6 and 13.4 times greater, respectively, for thermophilic enrichments. Metagenome sequencing was performed on enriched communities to determine community composition and mine for genes encoding lignocellulolytic enzymes. Proteobacteria were found to dominate the mesophilic community while Actinobacteria were most abundant in the thermophilic community. Analysis of protein family representation in each metagenome indicated that cellobiohydrolases containing carbohydrate binding module 2 (CBM2) were significantly overrepresented in the thermophilic community. Micromonospora, a member of Actinobacteria, primarily housed these genes in the thermophilic community. In light of these findings, Micromonospora and other closely related Actinobacteria genera appear to be promising sources of thermophilic lignocellulolytic enzymes for rice straw deconstruction under high-solids conditions. Furthermore, these discoveries warrant future research to determine if exoglucanases with CBM2 represent thermostable enzymes tolerant to the process conditions expected to be encountered during industrial biofuel production. PMID:24205054

Discovery of microorganisms and enzymes involved in high-solids decomposition of rice straw using metagenomic analyses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amitha P Reddy

Full Text Available High-solids incubations were performed to enrich for microbial communities and enzymes that decompose rice straw under mesophilic (35°C and thermophilic (55°C conditions. Thermophilic enrichments yielded a community that was 7.5 times more metabolically active on rice straw than mesophilic enrichments. Extracted xylanase and endoglucanse activities were also 2.6 and 13.4 times greater, respectively, for thermophilic enrichments. Metagenome sequencing was performed on enriched communities to determine community composition and mine for genes encoding lignocellulolytic enzymes. Proteobacteria were found to dominate the mesophilic community while Actinobacteria were most abundant in the thermophilic community. Analysis of protein family representation in each metagenome indicated that cellobiohydrolases containing carbohydrate binding module 2 (CBM2 were significantly overrepresented in the thermophilic community. Micromonospora, a member of Actinobacteria, primarily housed these genes in the thermophilic community. In light of these findings, Micromonospora and other closely related Actinobacteria genera appear to be promising sources of thermophilic lignocellulolytic enzymes for rice straw deconstruction under high-solids conditions. Furthermore, these discoveries warrant future research to determine if exoglucanases with CBM2 represent thermostable enzymes tolerant to the process conditions expected to be encountered during industrial biofuel production.

DIAGNOSIS OF EGG MARKETING CONDITION IN SINOP - MT

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M. Ribeiro

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The eggs, when manipulated in inadequate sanitary conditions, are considered as ways for development and multiplication of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the microbiological quality of eggs marketed out at Sinop – MT, through the identification of Salmonella spp., count of aerobic mesophile bacteria and enterobacteria. We collected 12 eggs from each establishment, three supermarkets and three fairs. Were not identified Salmonella spp. in egg shells and internal content. Escherichia coli was isolated from the internal contents of eggs come from an street fair. In aerobic mesophilic counts were obtained from eggs supermarkets counts CFU/g/egg shell of 5,8 x 105, 1,21 x 105 e 4,7 x 103. In relation to the fairs, the counts were 7,2 x 104, 5,66 x 104 e 8,7 x 103. The absence of Salmonella spp. the evaluated eggs classifies them as fit for consumption for compliance with current legislation. However, the presence of E. coli and the values of aerobic mesophilic counts and Enterobacteriaceae highlight the need to establish measures to reduce bacterial contamination of shell eggs sold out at Sinop, MT.

Suitability of biocompost as a bedding material for stabled horses: respiratory hygiene and management practicalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Seedorf, J; Schröder, M; Köhler, L; Hartung, J

2007-03-01

Bedding material in stables has an important influence on air hygiene and information on the suitability of biocompost and wood shavings is incomplete. To compare the suitability and benefit of biocompost and wood shavings as bedding in horse stables and to determine key air factors for the evaluation of the potential impact of these materials on respiratory health. The study was conducted in a naturally ventilated stable with 4 horses. Air hygiene parameters were measured 24 h/day for 7 days with each bedding type: ammonia (NH3), inhalable and respirable dust, endotoxins, colony forming units (CFU) of total mesophilic bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes and thermophilic actinomycetes. Both bedding materials were analysed for general chemical composition, particle size distribution and natural microbial content. The animals' behaviour was monitored by video cameras, and their health and cleanliness status determined by clinical and visual examination. Concentrations of NH3, dust, endoxins and fungi were significantly higher during the monitoring period with wood shavings than with biocompost. In contrast concentrations of mesophilic bacteria, mesophilic actinomycetes and thermophilic actinomycetes microbial pollutants were highest with biocompost. The water content of bulk biocompost was considerably higher than that of wood shavings. Particles market.

Anaerobic digestion as final step of a cellulosic ethanol biorefinery:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Uellendahl, Hinrich; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

2010-01-01

) and mesophilic (388C) operation of the UASB reactor was investigated. At an OLR of 3.5 kg- VS/(m3 day) a methane yield of 340 L/kg-VS was achieved for thermophilic operation (538C) while 270 L/kg-VS was obtained under mesophilic conditions (388C). For loading rates higher than 5 kg-VS/(m3 day) the methane yields...... of suspended matter reduced the degradation efficiency. The retention time of the anaerobic system could be reduced from 70 to 7 h by additional removal of suspended matter by clarification. Implementation of the biogas production from the fermentation effluent accounted for about 30% higher carbon utilization...

Respiratory arsenate reductase as a bidirectional enzyme

Science.gov (United States)

Richey, C.; Chovanec, P.; Hoeft, S.E.; Oremland, R.S.; Basu, P.; Stolz, J.F.

2009-01-01

The haloalkaliphilic bacterium Alkalilimnicola ehrlichii is capable of anaerobic chemolithoautotrophic growth by coupling the oxidation of arsenite (As(III)) to the reduction of nitrate and carbon dioxide. Analysis of its complete genome indicates that it lacks a conventional arsenite oxidase (Aox), but instead possesses two operons that each encode a putative respiratory arsenate reductase (Arr). Here we show that one homolog is expressed under chemolithoautotrophic conditions and exhibits both arsenite oxidase and arsenate reductase activity. We also demonstrate that Arr from two arsenate respiring bacteria, Alkaliphilus oremlandii and Shewanella sp. strain ANA-3, is also biochemically reversible. Thus Arr can function as a reductase or oxidase. Its physiological role in a specific organism, however, may depend on the electron potentials of the molybdenum center and [Fe–S] clusters, additional subunits, or constitution of the electron transfer chain. This versatility further underscores the ubiquity and antiquity of microbial arsenic metabolism.

Absence of Lyme disease spirochetes in larval ixodes ricinus ticks

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Richter, D.; Debski, A.; Hubálek, Zdeněk; Matuschka, F.-R.

2012-01-01

Roč. 12, č. 1 (2012), s. 21-27 ISSN 1530-3667 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 10284 - EDEN Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60930519 Keywords : blood meal * Borrelia * Ixodes * Lyme disease * Vertical transmission Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 2.277, year: 2012

Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis: Microbial and Immunologic Studies

Science.gov (United States)

1983-10-01

Fusobacterium nucleatum and Bacteroides strains isolated from ANUG patients, chronic periodontitis patients, non-oral abscesses and healthy gingival sulci...34 Odd ii 4n....00p IdaOdifir 0’ block flumber) Periodontal Disease Spirochetes Microbiology Fusobacteria immunology Bacteroides 20. AN3T7RAC~r C4.tft...and serological etudies with ’We 7. nucleatum isolates from patients with ANUG, chronic periodontitis , Juvenile periodontitis , and adults and children

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks removed from skin of people and circumstances of being bitten – research from the area of Poland, 2012–2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edyta Gałęziowska

2018-03-01

Infestation of ticks infected with Lyme disease spirochete in this study proved to be variable and depend on the season, the area of tick attack and the region in Poland. The results of the study clearly show that ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi inhabit all regions of Poland. The results are consistent with National Institute of Hygiene data which indicates that Lyme disease cases are recorded in all regions of Poland.

Borrelia burgdorferi infection and immunity in mice deficient in the fifth component of complement.

OpenAIRE

Bockenstedt, L K; Barthold, S; Deponte, K; Marcantonio, N; Kantor, F S

1993-01-01

When immunocompetent mice are inoculated with Borrelia burgdorferi, they develop acute arthritis and carditis that undergo spontaneous regression despite the persistence of infection. Specific T- and/or B-cell immunity appears to be necessary for resolution of disease manifestations. Humoral immune responses to B. burgdorferi are also important in prevention of B. burgdorferi infection, in that passive transfer of immune sera or protective monoclonal antibodies prevents the spirochete from es...

Quality-control ranges for antimicrobial susceptibility testing by broth dilution of the Brachyspira hyodysenteriae type strain (ATCC 27164(T))

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pringle, M.; Aarestrup, Frank Møller; Bergsjø, B.

2006-01-01

There are no approved standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the fastidious spirochete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. An interlaboratory study was performed to establish MIC quality control ranges for six antimicrobial agents for the type strain of B. hyodysenteriae using broth diluti....... The results showed that B. hyodysenteriae B78(T) ATCC 27164(T) is a suitable quality control strain. This is a first step toward standardization of methods regarding this anaerobe....

Selected cases from the film interpretation session of the Society of Gastrointestinal Radiologists, October 6-11, 1980, Maui, Hawaii

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lichtenstein, J.E.

1981-10-15

With the aid of endoscopic, biopsy and double-contrast techniques, the development of thickened folds of the mucosa, multiple polypoid lesions, and fibropurulent ulceration of the greater curvature of the stomach into severe acute gastritis with superficial ulcerations and noncaseating granuloma was followed. VDRL serology was noted to be positive while spirochetes were not identified. Biopsy and X-ray examination after penicillin treatment revealed a marked regression of the gastric changes.

(Arbo)viruses in high European Arctic

OpenAIRE

ELSTEROVÁ, Jana

2016-01-01

Since an ongoing climate change covers strongly the polar areas. Higher temperatures and related climate parameters bring the emergence of new parasites and their pathogens to higher latitudes. This may influence zoonotic diseases including arthropod-transmitted diseases. The tick species Ixodes uriae, parasitizing seabirds in the Arctic, may transmit many pathogens including various arboviruses, Borrelia spirochetes and Babesia apicomplexans. In the study we diagnosed 89 individuals of seabi...

Deanne W. Sammond | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

"Comparing Residue Clusters from Thermophilic and Mesophilic Enzymes Reveals Adaptive Mechanisms improving the function of cellulases Consolidated bioprocessing-engineering thermophilic bacteria to produce

Purification and biochemical characterization of the haloalkaliphilic archaeon Natronococcus occultus extracellular serine protease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Studdert, C A; Herrera Seitz, M K; Plasencia, I

2001-01-01

A serine protease was purified from Natronococcus occultus stationary phase culture medium (328-fold, yield 19%) and characterized at the biochemical level. The enzyme has a native molecular mass of 130 kDa, has chymotrypsin-like activity, is stable and active in a broad pH range (5.5-12), is rat......A serine protease was purified from Natronococcus occultus stationary phase culture medium (328-fold, yield 19%) and characterized at the biochemical level. The enzyme has a native molecular mass of 130 kDa, has chymotrypsin-like activity, is stable and active in a broad pH range (5.......5-12), is rather thermophilic (optimal activity at 60 degrees C in 1-2 M NaCl) and is dependent on high salt concentrations for activity and stability (1-2 M NaCl or KCl). Polyclonal antibodies were raised against the purified protease. In Western blots, they presented no cross-reactivity with culture medium from...... other halobacteria nor with commercial proteases except subtilisin. The amino acid sequences of three tryptic peptides obtained from Natronococcus occultus protease did not show significant similarity to other known proteolytic enzymes. This fact, in addition to its high molecular mass suggests...

History of Morgellons disease: from delusion to definition.

Science.gov (United States)

Middelveen, Marianne J; Fesler, Melissa C; Stricker, Raphael B

2018-01-01

Morgellons disease (MD) is a skin condition characterized by the presence of multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although the condition may have a longer history, disease matching the above description was first reported in the US in 2002. Since that time, the condition that we know as MD has become a polemic topic. Because individuals afflicted with the disease may have crawling or stinging sensations and sometimes believe they have an insect or parasite infestation, most medical practitioners consider MD a purely delusional disorder. Clinical studies supporting the hypothesis that MD is exclusively delusional in origin have considerable methodological flaws and often neglect the fact that mental disorders can result from underlying somatic illness. In contrast, rigorous experimental investigations show that this skin affliction results from a physiological response to the presence of an infectious agent. Recent studies from that point of view show an association between MD and spirochetal infection in humans, cattle, and dogs. These investigations have determined that the cutaneous filaments are not implanted textile fibers, but are composed of the cellular proteins keratin and collagen and result from overproduction of these filaments in response to spirochetal infection. Further studies of the genetics, pathogenesis, and treatment of MD are warranted.

First detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato DNA in king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus halli).

Science.gov (United States)

Schramm, Frédéric; Gauthier-Clerc, Michel; Fournier, Jean-Charles; McCoy, Karen D; Barthel, Cathy; Postic, Danièle; Handrich, Yves; Le Maho, Yvon; Jaulhac, Benoît

2014-10-01

The hard tick Ixodes uriae parasitises a wide range of seabird species in the circumpolar areas of both Northern and Southern hemispheres and has been shown to be infected with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the bacterial agents of Lyme borreliosis. Although it is assumed that seabirds represent viable reservoir hosts, direct demonstrations of infection are limited to a single study from the Northern hemisphere. Here, the blood of 50 tick-infested adult king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus halli) breeding in the Crozet Archipelago (Southern Indian Ocean) was examined for B. burgdorferi sl exposure by serology and for spirochetemia by in vitro DNA amplification. Four birds were found positive by serology, whereas B. burgdorferi sl DNA was detected in two other birds. Our data therefore provide the first direct proof of Borrelia burgdorferi sl spirochetes in seabirds of the Southern hemisphere and indicate a possible reservoir role for king penguins in the natural maintenance of this bacterium. Although the bacterial genetic diversity present in these hosts and the infectious period for tick vectors remain to be elucidated, our results add to a growing body of knowledge on the contribution of seabirds to the complex epizootiology of Lyme disease and the global dissemination of B. burgdorferi sl spirochetes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Inefficient co-feeding transmission of Borrelia afzelii in two common European songbirds

Science.gov (United States)

Heylen, Dieter J. A.; Sprong, Hein; Krawczyk, Aleksandra; Van Houtte, Natalie; Genné, Dolores; Gomez-Chamorro, Andrea; van Oers, Kees; Voordouw, Maarten J.

2017-01-01

The spirochete bacterium Borrelia afzelii is the most common cause of Lyme borreliosis in Europe. This tick-borne pathogen can establish systemic infections in rodents but not in birds. However, several field studies have recovered larval Ixodes ricinus ticks infected with B. afzelii from songbirds suggesting successful transmission of B. afzelii. We reviewed the literature to determine which songbird species were the most frequent carriers of B. afzelii-infected I. ricinus larvae and nymphs. We tested experimentally whether B. afzelii is capable of co-feeding transmission on two common European bird species, the blackbird (Turdus merula) and the great tit (Parus major). For each bird species, four naïve individuals were infested with B. afzelii-infected I. ricinus nymphal ticks and pathogen-free larval ticks. None of the co-feeding larvae tested positive for B. afzelii in blackbirds, but a low percentage of infected larvae (3.33%) was observed in great tits. Transstadial transmission of B. afzelii DNA from the engorged nymphs to the adult ticks was observed in both bird species. However, BSK culture found that these spirochetes were not viable. Our study suggests that co-feeding transmission of B. afzelii is not efficient in these two songbird species. PMID:28054584

Positive IgG Western Blot for Borrelia burgdorferi in Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Palacios Ricardo

1999-01-01

Full Text Available In order to evaluate the presence of specific IgG antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in patients with clinical manifestations associated with Lyme borreliosis in Cali, Colombia, 20 serum samples from patients with dermatologic signs, one cerebrospinal fluid (CSF sample from a patient with chronic neurologic and arthritic manifestations, and twelve serum samples from individuals without clinical signs associated with Lyme borreliosis were analyzed by IgG Western blot. The results were interpreted following the recommendations of the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC for IgG Western blots. Four samples fulfilled the CDC criteria: two serum specimens from patients with morphea (localized scleroderma, the CSF from the patient with neurologic and arthritic manifestations, and one of the controls. Interpretation of positive serology for Lyme disease in non-endemic countries must be cautious. However these results suggest that the putative "Lyme-like" disease may correlate with positivity on Western blots, thus raising the possibility that a spirochete genospecies distinct from B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, or a Borrelia species other than B. burgdorferi sensu lato is the causative agent. Future work will focus on a survey of the local tick and rodent population for evidence of spirochete species that could be incriminated as the etiologic agent.

Lyme disease: the next decade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raphael B Stricker

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Raphael B Stricker, Lorraine JohnsonInternational Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD, USAAbstract: Although Lyme disease remains a controversial illness, recent events have created an unprecedented opportunity to make progress against this serious tick-borne infection. Evidence presented during the legally mandated review of the restrictive Lyme guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA has confirmed the potential for persistent infection with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, as well as the complicating role of tick-borne coinfections such as Babesia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella species associated with failure of short-course antibiotic therapy. Furthermore, renewed interest in the role of cell wall-deficient (CWD forms in chronic bacterial infection and progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of biofilms has focused attention on these processes in chronic Lyme disease. Recognition of the importance of CWD forms and biofilms in persistent B. burgdorferi infection should stimulate pharmaceutical research into new antimicrobial agents that target these mechanisms of chronic infection with the Lyme spirochete. Concurrent clinical implementation of proteomic screening offers a chance to correct significant deficiencies in Lyme testing. Advances in these areas have the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease in the coming decade.Keywords: Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, L-forms, cysts, biofilms, proteomics

T cells exacerbate Lyme borreliosis in TLR2-deficient mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carrie E. Lasky

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Infection of humans with the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, causes Lyme borreliosis and can lead to clinical manifestations such as, arthritis, carditis and neurological conditions. Experimental infection of mice recapitulates many of these symptoms and serves as a model system for the investigation of disease pathogenesis and immunity. Innate immunity is known to drive the development of Lyme arthritis and carditis, but the mechanisms driving this response remain unclear. Innate immune cells recognize B. burgdorferi surface lipoproteins primarily via Toll-like receptor (TLR2; however, previous work has demonstrated TLR2-/- mice had exacerbated disease and increased bacterial burden. We demonstrate increased CD4 and CD8 T cell infiltrates in B. burgdorferi-infected joints and hearts of C3H TLR2-/- mice. In vivo depletion of either CD4 or CD8 T cells reduced Borrelia-induced joint swelling and lowered tissue spirochete burden, while depletion of CD8 T cells alone reduced disease severity scores. Exacerbation of Lyme arthritis correlated with increased production of CXCL9 by synoviocytes and this was reduced with CD8 T cell depletion. These results demonstrate T cells can exacerbate Lyme disease pathogenesis and prolong disease resolution possibly through dysregulation of inflammatory responses and inhibition of bacterial clearance.

Veterinary research, monitoring and advisory services in connection with the establishment and operation of a communal biomass conversion plant. Partial project 2 (VET-BIO-2). Veterinaer forskning, overvaagning og raadgivning i forbindelse med etablering og drift af biogasfaellesanlaeg. Delprojekt 2 (VET-BIO-2); Forsknings- og overvaagningsprogram vedroerende bakterier og parasitter med henblik paa opstilling af et driftsovervaagningsprogram for biogasfaellesanlaeg

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Munch, B.; Bonde Larsen, A.

1990-01-15

From Feb. '88 through June '89, contents of Salmonella, M. paratuberculosis, total coliforms, faecal streptococci, eggs of Ascaris suum, eggs and larvae of Trichostrongylus spp., and oocysts of bovine Eimeria spp. were quantified in 481 samples of raw and treated biomass collected bi-monthly for up to 12 months from five biogas plants. All five were run semi- continuously, two being thermophilic, one mesophilic, and two mesophilic with thermophilic pre-treatment. Herds delivering slurry to each plant ranged rom 6 - 33 cattle and/or pig herds, and daily input of biomass from 40 - 100 tons. Slurry was treated when mixed with other types of biomass, e.g. waste from pig or poultry slaughterhouses, fish industries or oil mills, and separate samples of these biomasses were examined. It is concluded that thermophilic as well as mesophilic digestion with, thermophilic pre-treatment may be capable of reducing numbers of vegetative pathogenic bacteria and intestinal parasites potentially present in incoming material, thus to allow for unrestricted use of the degassed biomass in this respect. This requires a reducing capacity on faecal streptococci of at least 3-4 log{sub 10} units by digestons based on or including a thermophillic treatment, corresponding to a maximal concentration of these bacteria in treated biomass in the order of magnitude of 10{sup 2} per ml. Minimum temperature and biomass retention time in the reactors as registered automatically, together with determinations of faecal streptococci in the end-product, are suggested as suitable monitoring parameters in these cases, to check on compliance with criteria for unrestricted use of treated biomass. For mesophilic biogas plants adequate restrictions on the use of the end-product will depend on individual process technology and local conditions. (author) 24 refs.

In situ Removal of Hydrogen Sulfide During Biogas Fermentation at Microaerobic Condition.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Mengmeng; Zhang, Yima; Ye, Yuanyuan; Lin, Chunmian

2016-11-01

In this paper, rice straw was used as a raw material to produce biogas by anaerobic batch fermentation at 35 °C (mesophilic) or 55 °C (thermophilic). The hydrogen sulfide in biogas can be converted to S 0 or sulfate and removed in-situ under micro-oxygen environment. Trace oxygen was conducted to the anaerobic fermentation tank in amount of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, or 10.0 times stoichiometric equivalence, respectively, and the control experiment without oxygen addition was carried out. The results showed that the initial H 2 S concentrations of biogas are about 3235 ± 185 mg/m 3 (mesophilic) or 3394 ± 126 mg/m 3 (thermophilic), respectively. The desulfurization efficiency is 72.3 % (mesophilic) or 65.6 % (thermophilic), respectively, with oxygen addition by stoichiometric relation. When the oxygen feeded in amount of 2∼4 times, theoretical quantity demanded the removal efficiency of hydrogen sulfide could be over 92 %, and the oxygen residue in biogas could be maintained less than 0.5 %, which fit the requirement of biogas used as vehicle fuel or combined to the grid. Though further more oxygen addition could promote the removal efficiency of hydrogen sulfide (about 93.6 %), the oxygen residue in biogas would be higher than the application limit concentration (0.5 %). Whether mesophilic or thermophilic fermentation with the extra addition of oxygen, there were no obvious changes in the gas production and methane concentration. In conclusion, in-situ desulfurization can be achieved in the anaerobic methane fermentation system under micro-oxygen environment. In addition, air could be used as a substitute oxygen resource on the situation without strict demand for the methane content of biogas.

Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever Imported from West Africa: Diagnosis by Quantitative Buffy Coat Analysis and In Vitro Culture of Borrelia crocidurae

OpenAIRE

van Dam, Alje P.; van Gool, Tom; Wetsteyn, José C. F. M.; Dankert, Jacob

1999-01-01

West African tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is difficult to diagnose due to the low number of spirochetes in the bloodstream of patients. Previously, the causative microorganism, Borrelia crocidurae, had never been cultured in vitro. TBRF was rapidly diagnosed for two patients returning from western Africa with fever of unknown origin by quantitative buffy coat (QBC) analysis. Diagnosis was confirmed by intraperitoneal inoculation of blood specimens from patients into laboratory mice. In v...

Expanding the Genetic Toolbox for Leptospira Species by Generation of Fluorescent Bacteria ▿

OpenAIRE

Aviat, Florence; Slamti, Leyla; Cerqueira, Gustavo M.; Lourdault, Kristel; Picardeau, Mathieu

2010-01-01

Our knowledge of the genetics and molecular basis of the pathogenesis associated with Leptospira, in comparison to those of other bacterial species, is very limited. An improved understanding of pathogenic mechanisms requires reliable genetic tools for functional genetic analysis. Here, we report the expression of gfp and mRFP1 genes under the control of constitutive spirochetal promoters in both saprophytic and pathogenic Leptospira strains. We were able to reliably measure the fluorescence ...

Selected cases from the film interpretation session of the Society of Gastrointestinal Radiologists, October 6-11, 1980, Maui, Hawaii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lichtenstein, J.E.

1981-01-01

With the aid of endoscopic, biopsy and double-contrast techniques, the development of thickened folds of the mucosa, multiple polypoid lesions, and fibropurulent ulceration of the greater curvature of the stomach into severe acute gastritis with superficial ulcerations and noncaseating granuloma was followed. VDRL serology was noted to be positive while spirochetes were not identified. Biopsy and X-ray examination after penicillin treatment revealed a marked regression of the gastric changes. (APR) [de

Lyme Disease: What the Wilderness Provider Needs to Know.

Science.gov (United States)

Forrester, Joseph D; Vakkalanka, J Priyanka; Holstege, Christopher P; Mead, Paul S

2015-12-01

Lyme disease is a multisystem tickborne illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and is the most common vectorborne disease in the United States. Prognosis after initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy is typically good if treated early. Wilderness providers caring for patients who live in or travel to high-incidence Lyme disease areas should be aware of the basic biology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment of Lyme disease. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Influence of temperature on the fixation and penetration of silver during the chalcopyrite leaching using moderate thermophilic microorganisms; Influencia de la temperatura en la fijacion y penetracion de la plata durante la lixiviacion de calcopirita con microorganismos termofilos moderados

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cancho, L.; Blazquez, M. L.; Munoz, J. A.; Gonzalez, F.; Ballester, A.

2004-07-01

Bio leaching of chalcopyrite using mesophilic microorganisms considerable improves in the presence of silver. However, the studies carried out with moderate thermophilic microorganisms do not show a significant improvement with regard to the use of mesophilic bacteria. The main objective of the present work has been to study the silver fixation on chalcopyrite ar 35 and 45 degree centigree and its influence on the microbiological attack. Different observations using SEM, EDS microanalysis and concentration profiles using electron microprobe have been carried out. The study of the different samples showed that silver fixation was more favourable at 35 degree centigree than at 45 degree centigree. In addition, bacterial action improved silver penetration through attack cracks. (Author)

Influence of temperature on the fixation and penetration of silver during the chalcopyrite leaching using moderate thermophilic microorganisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cancho, L.; Blazquez, M. L.; Munoz, J. A.; Gonzalez, F.; Ballester, A.

2004-01-01

Bio leaching of chalcopyrite using mesophilic microorganisms considerable improves in the presence of silver. However, the studies carried out with moderate thermophilic microorganisms do not show a significant improvement with regard to the use of mesophilic bacteria. The main objective of the present work has been to study the silver fixation on chalcopyrite ar 35 and 45 degree centigree and its influence on the microbiological attack. Different observations using SEM, EDS microanalysis and concentration profiles using electron microprobe have been carried out. The study of the different samples showed that silver fixation was more favourable at 35 degree centigree than at 45 degree centigree. In addition, bacterial action improved silver penetration through attack cracks. (Author)

Relative Numbers of Certain Microbial Groups Present in Compost Used for Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) Propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Fordyce, C.

1970-01-01

The relative numbers of microorganisms associated with compost during mushroom production were studied by the dilution plate method. Thermophilic actinomycetes and fungi were isolated with a very high frequency early in the growing season. Although numbers of thermophilic bacteria diminished slowly during the season, the thermophilic fungi and actinomycetes diminished rapidly with the latter disappearing after 6 weeks. Mesophilic fungi other than Agaricus or Trichoderma remained relatively stable throughout the growing period. Agaricus could be isolated between the first and third break. Trichoderma became dominant after the fourth break. The mesophilic bacterial counts diminished during the most productive portion of the mushroom cropping season and then increased to much higher numbers toward the end of the season. PMID:5529631

Engineering Deinococcus geothermailis for Bioremediation of High-Temperature Radioactive Waste Environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brim, Hassan; Venkateswaran, Amudhan; Kostandarithes, Heather M.; Fredrickson, Jim K.; Daly, Michael J.

2003-01-01

Deinococcus geothermalis is an extremely radiation-resistant thermophilic bacterium closely related to the mesophile Deinococcus radiodurans, which is being engineered for in situ bioremediation of radioactive wastes

Differential stability of TATA box binding proteins from archaea with different optimal growth temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Kopitz, Annette; Soppa, Jörg; Krejtschi, Carsten; Hauser, Karin

2009-09-01

The TATA box binding protein (TBP) is involved in promoter recognition, the first step of transcription initiation. TBP is universally conserved and essential in archaea and eukaryotes. In archaea, TBPs have to be stable and to function in species that cover an extremely wide range of optimal growth temperatures (OGTs), from below 0 °C to more than 100 °C. Thus, the archaeal TBP family is ideally suited to study the evolutionary adaptation of proteins to an extremely wide range of temperatures. We characterized the thermostability of one mesophilic and one thermophilic TBP by infrared spectroscopy. Transition temperatures ( Tms) of thermal unfolding have been determined using TBPs from Methanosarcina mazei (OGT 37 °C) and from Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus (OGT 65 °C). Furthermore, the influence of protein and salt concentration on thermostability has been characterized. Together with previous studies, our results reveal that the Tms of archaeal TBPs are closely correlated with the OGTs of the respective species. Noteworthy, this is also true for the TBP from M. mazei representing the first characterized TBP from a mesophilic archaeon. In contrast, the only characterized eukaryotic TBP of the mesophilic plant Arabidopsis thaliana has a Tm more than 40 °C above the OGT.

Bioleaching of a low grade sphalerite concentrate produced from tailings flotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehrabani, J. V.; Shafaei, S. Z.; Noaparast, M.; Mousavi, S. M.

2016-01-01

In this research, the zinc extraction from a low grade zinc concentrate produced from the accumulated flotation tailings was investigated using the bio leaching process. Zinc content was initially upgraded to 11.97% through flotation process. Bio leaching experiments were designed and carried out by a mixed culture of Acidithiobacillus ferro oxidans, Acidithiobacillus thio oxidans, Leptospirilium ferro oxidans, as well as a mixed moderate thermophile bacteria in the shake flasks. The effect of two bacteria types, the indigenous bacteria accompanied by concentrate sample and added mixture of bacteria, were evaluated. The term of indigenous bacteria refers to the bacteria which initially exists in the natural concentrate sample. The results showed that more than 87% and 94% of Zn was dissolved in the bio leaching condition of mesophile and moderate thermophile bacteria, respectively. Comparing the bio leaching and leaching tests indicate that mesophile bacteria improves the Zn extraction by 36%, in which the contribution of concentrate indigenous bacteria (test condition of non-inoculation) and added mesophile mixed bacteria were equal to 34% and 66%, respectively. In addition, moderate thermophile bacteria improves the sphalerite leaching up to 38% in which contribution of the concentrate indigenous bacteria and added moderate thermophile bacteria were about 50% separately.

Structure and dynamics of the microbial communities underlying the carboxylate platform for biofuel production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hollister, Emily B.; Gentry, Terry J. [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Soil and Crop Sciences; Forrest, Andrea K.; Holtzapple, Mark T. [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Wilkinson, Heather H.; Ebbole, Daniel J. [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology; Malfatti, Stephanie A.; Tringe, Susannah G. [DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA (United States)

2010-09-15

The carboxylate platform utilizes a mixed microbial community to convert lignocellulosic biomass into chemicals and fuels. While much of the platform is well understood, little is known about its microbiology. Mesophilic (40 C) and thermophilic (55 C) fermentations employing a sorghum feedstock and marine sediment inoculum were profiled using 16S rRNA tag-pyrosequencing over the course of a 30-day incubation. The contrasting fermentation temperatures converted similar amounts of biomass, but the mesophilic community was significantly more productive, and the two temperatures differed significantly with respect to propionic and butyric acid production. Pyrotag sequencing revealed the presence of dynamic communities that responded rapidly to temperature and changed substantially over time. Both temperatures were dominated by bacteria resembling Clostridia, but they shared few taxa in common. The species-rich mesophilic community harbored a variety of Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and {gamma}-Proteobacteria, whereas the thermophilic community was composed mainly of Clostridia and Bacilli. Despite differences in composition and productivity, similar patterns of functional class dynamics were observed. Over time, organisms resembling known cellulose degraders decreased in abundance, while organisms resembling known xylose degraders increased. Improved understanding of the carboxylate platform's microbiology will help refine platform performance and contribute to our growing knowledge regarding biomass conversion and biofuel production processes. (orig.)

Endotoxin Structures in the Psychrophiles Psychromonas marina and Psychrobacter cryohalolentis Contain Distinctive Acyl Features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles R. Sweet

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Lipid A is the essential component of endotoxin (Gram-negative lipopolysaccharide, a potent immunostimulatory compound. As the outer surface of the outer membrane, the details of lipid A structure are crucial not only to bacterial pathogenesis but also to membrane integrity. This work characterizes the structure of lipid A in two psychrophiles, Psychromonas marina and Psychrobacter cryohalolentis, and also two mesophiles to which they are related using MALDI-TOF MS and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME GC-MS. P. marina lipid A is strikingly similar to that of Escherichia coli in organization and total acyl size, but incorporates an unusual doubly unsaturated tetradecadienoyl acyl residue. P. cryohalolentis also shows structural organization similar to a closely related mesophile, Acinetobacter baumannii, however it has generally shorter acyl constituents and shows many acyl variants differing by single methylene (-CH2- units, a characteristic it shares with the one previously reported psychrotolerant lipid A structure. This work is the first detailed structural characterization of lipid A from an obligate psychrophile and the second from a psychrotolerant species. It reveals distinctive structural features of psychrophilic lipid A in comparison to that of related mesophiles which suggest constitutive adaptations to maintain outer membrane fluidity in cold environments.

Factors controlling pathogen destruction during anaerobic digestion of biowastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, S.R.; Lang, N.L.; Cheung, K.H.M.; Spanoudaki, K.

2005-01-01

Anaerobic digestion is the principal method of stabilising biosolids from urban wastewater treatment in the UK, and it also has application for the treatment of other types of biowaste. Increasing awareness of the potential risks to human and animal health from environmental sources of pathogens has focused attention on the efficacy of waste treatment processes at destroying pathogenic microorganisms in biowastes recycled to agricultural land. The degree of disinfection achieved by a particular anaerobic digester is influenced by a variety of interacting operational variables and conditions, which can often deviate from the ideal. Experimental investigations demonstrate that Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. are not damaged by mesophilic temperatures, whereas rapid inactivation occurs by thermophilic digestion. A hydraulic, biokinetic and thermodynamic model of pathogen inactivation during anaerobic digestion showed that a 2 log 10 reduction in E. coli (the minimum removal required for agricultural use of conventionally treated biosolids) is likely to challenge most conventional mesophilic digesters, unless strict maintenance and management practices are adopted to minimise dead zones and by-pass flow. Efficient mixing and organic matter stabilisation are the main factors controlling the rate of inactivation under mesophilic conditions and not a direct effect of temperature per se on pathogenic organisms

Life at extreme conditions: neutron scattering studies of biological molecules suggest that evolution selected dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaccai, Joseph Giuseppe

2008-01-01

The short review concentrates on recent work performed at the neutrons in biology laboratories of the Institut Laue Langevin and Institut de Biologie Structurale in Grenoble. Extremophile organisms have been discovered that require extreme conditions of temperature, pressure or solvent environment for survival. The existence of such organisms poses a significant challenge in understanding the physical chemistry of their proteins, in view of the great sensitivity of protein structure and stability to the aqueous environment and to external conditions in general. Results of neutron scattering measurements on the dynamics of proteins from extremophile organisms, in vitro as well as in vivo, indicated remarkably how adaptation to extreme conditions involves forces and fluctuation amplitudes that have been selected specifically, suggesting that evolutionary macromolecular selection proceeded via dynamics. The experiments were performed on a halophilic protein, and membrane adapted to high salt, a thermophilic enzyme adapted to high temperature and its mesophilic (adapted to 37 degC) homologue; and in vivo for psychrophilic, mesophilic, thermophilic and hyperthermophilic bacteria, adapted respectively to temperatures of 4 degC, 37 degC, 75 degC and 85 degC. Further work demonstrated the existence of a water component of exceptionally low mobility in an extreme halophile from the Dead Sea, which is not present in mesophile bacterial cells. (author)

Structure and dynamics of the microbial communities underlying the carboxylate platform for biofuel production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hollister, Emily B; Gentry, Terry J [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Soil and Crop Sciences; Forrest, Andrea K; Holtzapple, Mark T [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Wilkinson, Heather H; Ebbole, Daniel J [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology; Malfatti, Stephanie A; Tringe, Susannah G [DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA (United States)

2010-09-15

The carboxylate platform utilizes a mixed microbial community to convert lignocellulosic biomass into chemicals and fuels. While much of the platform is well understood, little is known about its microbiology. Mesophilic (40 C) and thermophilic (55 C) fermentations employing a sorghum feedstock and marine sediment inoculum were profiled using 16S rRNA tag-pyrosequencing over the course of a 30-day incubation. The contrasting fermentation temperatures converted similar amounts of biomass, but the mesophilic community was significantly more productive, and the two temperatures differed significantly with respect to propionic and butyric acid production. Pyrotag sequencing revealed the presence of dynamic communities that responded rapidly to temperature and changed substantially over time. Both temperatures were dominated by bacteria resembling Clostridia, but they shared few taxa in common. The species-rich mesophilic community harbored a variety of Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and {gamma}-Proteobacteria, whereas the thermophilic community was composed mainly of Clostridia and Bacilli. Despite differences in composition and productivity, similar patterns of functional class dynamics were observed. Over time, organisms resembling known cellulose degraders decreased in abundance, while organisms resembling known xylose degraders increased. Improved understanding of the carboxylate platform's microbiology will help refine platform performance and contribute to our growing knowledge regarding biomass conversion and biofuel production processes. (orig.)

Prevalence of Lyme disease among forestry workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr Paweł Kocbach

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background: The aim of the study is to assess the incidence of Lyme disease, established diagnosis based on medical history and clinical symptoms, serology, duration of exposure in the workplace and occupational disease certification among forestry workers in selected districts of the Warmia and Mazury region. Material and Methods: The study consisted of annual screening of 332 employees in 6 forest districts under the supervision of the Health Center Medica in Ostróda. Serological tests were performed in all serum samples and IgG and IgM antibodies were determined by ELISA test. Positive results were confirmed by Western-blot test. Diagnosis was made based on medical history and clinical symptoms. Results were presented by the division of selected forest districts, gender, duration of exposure in the workplace and genospecies of spirochete Borrelia responsible for the disease development. Results: Lyme disease incidence was found in all selected forest districts. Positive results in Western-blot test were determined in 120 people (63.1% of all the surveyed. However, after taking a detailed medical history of the patients Lyme disease was diagnosed in 91 people which makes 27.4% of all the examined. Among patients with diagnosed disease, IgG antibodies were found in 76 people, IgM in 25 people, while both IgM and IgG in 10 people. There was also variation in the involvement of genospecies generating the disease; spirochete B. afzeli – 46% for IgG antibodies, whereas spirochete B. burgdorferi – 50% of all cases for IgM antibodies. At the same time the relationship between the extended duration of occupational exposure to tick bites and the increased incidence of Lyme disease was confirmed, indicating the group of workers employed for at least 25 years. Conclusions: Forestry districts of the Warmia and Mazury region, creates extremely dangerous occupational conditions because of exposure to tick bites. At the same time the duration of

Lyme borreliosis: insights into tick- / host-borrelia relations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Grubhoffer, Libor; Golovchenko, Maryna; Vancová, Marie; Zacharovová, Klára; Rudenko, Natalia; Oliver, J. H., Jr.

2005-01-01

Roč. 52, č. 4 (2005), s. 279-294 ISSN 0015-5683 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA524/03/1326; GA ČR GA206/03/1323 Grant - others:National Institutes of Health(US) R37 AI-24899; Science and Technology Collaboration AVCR-NRC Canada(CZ) Z60220518/58-8500 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Borrelia spirochetes * ticks * lectins * glycoproteins Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 1.138, year: 2005

Seroepidemiology of leptospirosis among febrile patients in a rapidly growing suburban slum and a flood-vulnerable rural district in Mozambique, 2012â2014: Implications for the management of fever

OpenAIRE

Policarpo Ribeiro; Nilesh Bhatt; Sádia Ali; Vanessa Monteiro; Edmilson da Silva; Ilana Teruszkin Balassiano; Carolina Aquino; Nilsa de Deus; Onelia Guiliche; Argentina Felisbela Muianga; Pascoal Jorge Alho; Virginia Lara Evaristo; Ivan Manhiça; Marco Medeiros; Eduardo Samo Gudo

2017-01-01

Objective: Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world and is caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. In Mozambique, the disease is largely ignored and its epidemiology is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of leptospirosis in febrile patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed between July 2012 and September 2015 among febrile patients. A total of 373 paired serum samples were drawn from febrile patients; 208 we...

In silico evaluation of PCR - primers for detection of Lyme Borrelia

OpenAIRE

Sultan, Nasir

2016-01-01

Lyme borreliosis (LB) or Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in US and Europe. The etiologic is some species of tick-borne spirochetes Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi sl) complex. The most common clinical symptoms of LB is the erythema migrans (EM). The pathogen is transmitted to humans through the tick bite of Ixodes species, and spread to cause more severe manifestations such as Acrodermatitis Chronica Atrophicans (ACA), Lyme arthritis, and neuroborrelios...

A 16-kilodalton lipoprotein of the outer membrane of Serpulina (Treponema) hyodysenteriae.

OpenAIRE

Thomas, W; Sellwood, R; Lysons, R J

1992-01-01

Serpulina (Treponema) hyodysenteriae P18A and VS1 were extracted by using the detergent Triton X-114 and separated into detergent and aqueous phases. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western immunoblot analysis confirmed that a membrane-associated 16-kDa antigen was hydrophobic, since it was found in the detergent phase. A 45-kDa antigen partitioned into the aqueous phase, suggesting that it was hydrophilic and may be of periplasmic origin. When spirochetes were g...

An Unexpected Case of Lyme Disease in a Soldier Serving in Northern Iraq

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-01

MILITARY MEDICINE, 175,5:367,2010 An Unexpected Case of Lyme Disease in a Soldier Serving in Northern Iraq CPT Jeremy B. Fisher, SP USA *; CPT...Christopher E. Curtis, MC USAt 188143 ABSTRACT Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Cases have been...Turkey.3-S We report an unexpected case of Lyme disease from Iraq. CASE REPORT A 28-year-old active duty Army male, on a deployment to northern Iraq

Prevalent Bacterial Species and Novel Phylotypes in Advanced Noma Lesions

OpenAIRE

Paster, B. J.; Falkler, Jr., W. A.; Enwonwu, C. O.; Idigbe, E. O.; Savage, K. O.; Levanos, V. A.; Tamer, M. A.; Ericson, R. L.; Lau, C. N.; Dewhirst, F. E.

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the bacterial diversity in advanced noma lesions using culture-independent molecular methods. 16S ribosomal DNA bacterial genes from DNA isolated from advanced noma lesions of four Nigerian children were PCR amplified with universally conserved primers and spirochetal selective primers and cloned into Escherichia coli. Partial 16S rRNA sequences of approximately 500 bases from 212 cloned inserts were used initially to determine species identity or cl...

Microwave enhanced digestion of aerobic SBR sludge | Kennedy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

MWs) for improving characteristics of aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) sludge to enhance mesophilic anaerobic digestion. Effects of pretreatment temperature, MW irradiation intensity and solids concentration on sludge characterisation ...

Relationship between concentrations of microbiological agents in the air of agricultural settings and occurrence of work-related symptoms in exposed persons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara Mackiewicz

2015-09-01

related symptoms and the concentration of total airborne microorganisms (R=0.748555; P=0.020317, mesophilic bacteria (R=0.7573; P=0.029548, Gram-negative bacteria (R=0.835938; P=0.019129, and endotoxins (R=0.705356; P=0.03378. The correlations between the concentrations of thermophilic actinomycetes and fungi, on one side, and frequency of work-related symptoms on the other, did not attain the threshold of significance (P=0.087049 and P=0.062963, respectively. Results of the meta-analysis confirm harmful health effects of the total airborne microorganisms, total airborne mesophilic bacteria, airborne Gram-negative bacteria, and airborne bacterial endotoxin on the occupationally-exposed agricultural workers, and indicate a need for the establishment of internationally recognized occupational exposure limits for these microbial agents.

[Study on the quantitative and qualitative composition of moulds colonizing sunflower seeds (Helianthus annus L.)].

Science.gov (United States)

Janda, Katarzyna; Wolska, Jolanta; Debia, Kamila

2015-01-01

The aim of study was to estimate the qualitative and quantitative composition of moulds colonizing sunflower seeds on RBCA, YpSs, DG18 media at 25, 37, and 45°C. Twenty samples of sunflower seeds (not roasted and not salted) were used for the analysis. The highest number of moulds were xerophilic species isolated on DG18 at 25°C (33), followed by mesophilic species (29) on RBCA medium at 25°C, and mesophilic (22) and thermophilic species (10) on YpSs medium at 37, and 45°C, respectively. Eurotium herbariorum was isolated from all samples. A total of 287 strains belonging to 52 mould species were isolated from sunflower seeds. The study revealed new species not previously isolated from sunflower seeds mycobiota.

Rapid outer-surface protein C DNA tattoo vaccination protects against Borrelia afzelii infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagemakers, A; Mason, L M K; Oei, A; de Wever, B; van der Poll, T; Bins, A D; Hovius, J W R

2014-12-01

Borrelia afzelii is the predominant Borrelia species causing Lyme borreliosis in Europe. Currently there is no human vaccine against Lyme borreliosis, and most research focuses on recombinant protein vaccines against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. DNA tattooing is a novel vaccination method that can be applied in a rapid vaccination schedule. We vaccinated C3H/HeN mice with B. afzelii strain PKo OspC (outer-surface protein C) using a codon-optimized DNA vaccine tattoo and compared this with recombinant protein vaccination in a 0-2-4 week vaccination schedule. We also assessed protection by DNA tattoo in a 0-3-6 day schedule. DNA tattoo and recombinant OspC vaccination induced comparable total IgG responses, with a lower IgG1/IgG2a ratio after DNA tattoo. Two weeks after syringe-challenge with 5 × 10(5) B. afzelii spirochetes most vaccinated mice had negative B. afzelii tissue DNA loads and all were culture negative. Furthermore, DNA tattoo vaccination in a 0-3-6 day regimen also resulted in negative Borrelia loads and cultures after challenge. To conclude, DNA vaccination by tattoo was fully protective against B. afzelii challenge in mice in a rapid vaccination protocol, and induces a favorable humoral immunity compared to recombinant protein vaccination. Rapid DNA tattoo is a promising vaccination strategy against spirochetes.

[Expression changes of major outer membrane protein antigens in Leptospira interrogans during infection and its mechanism].

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Linli; Ge, Yumei; Hu, Weilin; Yan, Jie

2013-03-01

To determine expression changes of major outer membrane protein(OMP) antigens of Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Lai strain Lai during infection of human macrophages and its mechanism. OmpR encoding genes and OmpR-related histidine kinase (HK) encoding gene of L.interrogans strain Lai and their functional domains were predicted using bioinformatics technique. mRNA level changes of the leptospiral major OMP-encoding genes before and after infection of human THP-1 macrophages were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR. Effects of the OmpR-encoding genes and HK-encoding gene on the expression of leptospiral OMPs during infection were determined by HK-peptide antiserum block assay and closantel inhibitive assays. The bioinformatics analysis indicated that LB015 and LB333 were referred to OmpR-encoding genes of the spirochete, while LB014 might act as a OmpR-related HK-encoding gene. After the spirochete infecting THP-1 cells, mRNA levels of leptospiral lipL21, lipL32 and lipL41 genes were rapidly and persistently down-regulated (P Expression levels of L.interrogans strain Lai major OMP antigens present notable changes during infection of human macrophages. There is a group of OmpR-and HK-encoding genes which may play a major role in down-regulation of expression levels of partial OMP antigens during infection.

Immunological and molecular characterization of Leptospira interrogans isolated from a bovine foetus.

Science.gov (United States)

Monte, Leonardo Garcia; Ridieri, Karine Forster; Jorge, Sérgio; Oliveira, Natasha Rodrigues; Hartwig, Daiane Drawanz; Amaral, Marta Gonçalves; Hartleben, Cláudia Pinho; Dellagostin, Odir Antonio

2015-06-01

Cattle are commonly infected with pathogenic leptospires, and similarly to rodents, they excrete the bacteria in their urine and can transmit the pathogen from animal to animal or animal to human. Thus, surveillance and monitoring systems for detection of new Leptospira serovars are important for the control of leptospirosis. Here, we report the isolation of a spirochete from a stillborn bovine foetus and its characterization by immunological and molecular techniques. A variable number tandem repeat profile using seven discriminatory primers identified the spirochete as belonging to species Leptospira interrogans serogroup Australis serovar Muenchen. A phenotypic analysis using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against leptospiral membrane-associated proteins confirmed the expression of important virulence and pathogenicity factors (LipL32 and LigBrep). Out of 120 reference sera tested, 22 positive (36.66%) and 9 negative (15%) also reacted with the new isolate. Furthermore, the serovar Muenchen isolate was virulent in hamster model. The animal inoculated developed acute lethal infection characterized by hepatic, pulmonary and renal lesions. Local isolates exhibited unique characteristics that differed from those of reference strains; therefore, isolation of leptospires is useful in the surveillance of local pathogenic serovars. In conclusion, the data obtained from this study can contribute to the epidemiological understanding and control of leptospirosis in southern Brazil. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Natronobacillus azotifigens gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic diazotrophic haloalkaliphile from soda-rich habitats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sorokin, I.D.; Zadorina, E.V.; Kravchenko, I.K.; Boulygina, E.S.; Tourova, T.P.; Sorokin, D.Y.

2009-01-01

Gram-positive bacteria capable of nitrogen fixation were obtained in microoxic enrichments from soda soils in south-western Siberia, north-eastern Mongolia, and the Lybian desert (Egypt). The same organisms were obtained in anoxic enrichments with glucose from soda lake sediments in the Kulunda

Production of extracellular lipase by a new strain Staphylococcus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SAM

2014-07-09

Jul 9, 2014 ... mesophilic and solvent tolerant lipase with industrial potential. Key words: ..... amount of enzyme production indicating the inducible nature of the .... biodiesel production, oleochemical industry, polymer syn- thesis and ...

Pseudo-affinity chromatography of rumen microbial cellulase on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

2011-06-06

Jun 6, 2011 ... was shown that freeze drying and precipitation of enzyme using ammonium sulphate were the best. Based on ... potassium sodium tartrate, di-potassium hydrogen phosphate anhy- ..... Cellulosomes from mesophilic bacteria.

Backbone and side-chain 1H, 15N and 13C resonance assignments of two Sac10b family members Mvo10b and Mth10bTQQA from archaea.

Science.gov (United States)

Xuan, Jinsong; Yao, Hongwei; Feng, Yingang; Wang, Jinfeng

2017-10-01

The Sac10b family proteins, also named as Alba, are small, basic, nucleic acid-binding proteins widely distributed in archaea. They possess divergent physiological functions such as binding to both DNA and RNA with a high affinity and involving in genomic DNA compaction, RNA transactions and transcriptional regulations. The structures of many Sac10b family proteins from hyperthermophilic archaea have been reported, while those from thermophilic and mesophilic archaea are largely unknown. As was pointed out, the homologous members from thermophilic and mesophilic archaea may have functions different from the hyperthermophilic members. Therefore, comparison of these homologous members can provide biophysical and structural insight into the functional diversity and thermal adaptation mechanism. The present work mainly focused on the NMR study of two Sac10b family members, Mvo10b and Mth10b, from the mesophilic and thermophilic archaea, respectively. To overcome the difficulties caused by the oligomerization and conformation heterogeneity of Mth10b, a M13T/L17Q/I20Q/P56A mutant Mth10b (Mth10bTQQA) was constructed and used together with Mvo10b for multi-dimensional NMR experiments. The resonance assignments of Mvo10b and Mth10bTQQA are reported for further structural determination which is a basis for understanding the functional diversity and their thermal adaption mechanisms.

Persistence of pathogenic prion protein during simulated wastewater treatment processes

Science.gov (United States)

Hinckley, G.T.; Johnson, C.J.; Jacobson, K.H.; Bartholomay, C.; Mcmahon, K.D.; McKenzie, D.; Aiken, Judd M.; Pedersen, J.A.

2008-01-01

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs, prion diseases) are a class of fatal neurodegenerative diseases affecting a variety of mammalian species including humans. A misfolded form of the prion protein (PrP TSE) is the major, if not sole, component of the infectious agent. Prions are highly resistant to degradation and to many disinfection procedures suggesting that, if prions enter wastewater treatment systems through sewers and/or septic systems (e.g., from slaughterhouses, necropsy laboratories, rural meat processors, private game dressing) or through leachate from landfills that have received TSE-contaminated material, prions could survive conventional wastewater treatment Here, we report the results of experiments examining the partitioning and persistence of PrPTSE during simulated wastewater treatment processes including activated and mesophilic anaerobic sludge digestion. Incubation with activated sludge did not result in significant PrPTSE degradation. PrPTSE and prion infectivity partitioned strongly to activated sludge solids and are expected to enter biosolids treatment processes. A large fraction of PrPTSE survived simulated mesophilic anaerobic sludge digestion. The small reduction in recoverable PrPTSE after 20-d anaerobic sludge digestion appeared attributable to a combination of declining extractability with time and microbial degradation. Our results suggest that if prions were to enter municipal wastewater treatment systems, most would partition to activated sludge solids, survive mesophilic anaerobic digestion, and be present in treated biosolids. ?? 2008 American Chemical Society.

Dynamics of antibiotic resistance genes and presence of putative pathogens during ambient temperature anaerobic digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Resende, J A; Diniz, C G; Silva, V L; Otenio, M H; Bonnafous, A; Arcuri, P B; Godon, J-J

2014-12-01

This study was focused on evaluating the persistency of antimicrobial resistance (AR) genes and putative pathogenic bacteria in an anaerobic digesters operating at mesophilic ambient temperature, in two different year seasons: summer and winter. Abundance and dynamic of AR genes encoding resistance to macrolides (ermB), aminoglycosides (aphA2) and beta-lactams (blaTEM -1 ) and persistency of potentially pathogenic bacteria in pilot-scale anaerobic digesters were investigated. AR genes were determined in the influent and effluent in both conditions. Overall, after 60 days, reduction was observed for all evaluated genes. However, during the summer, anaerobic digestion was more related to the gene reduction as compared to winter. Persistency of potentially pathogenic bacteria was also evaluated by metagenomic analyses compared to an in-house created database. Clostridium, Acinetobacter and Stenotrophomonas were the most identified. Overall, considering the mesophilic ambient temperature during anaerobic digestion (summer and winter), a decrease in pathogenic bacteria detection through metagenomic analysis and AR genes is reported. Although the mesophilic anaerobic digestion has been efficient, the results may suggest medically important bacteria and AR genes persistency during the process. This is the first report to show AR gene dynamics and persistency of potentially pathogenic bacteria through metagenomic approach in cattle manure ambient temperature anaerobic digestion. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Sensory quality of Camembert-type cheese: Relationship between starter cultures and ripening molds.

Science.gov (United States)

Galli, Bruno Domingues; Martin, José Guilherme Prado; da Silva, Paula Porrelli Moreira; Porto, Ernani; Spoto, Marta Helena Fillet

2016-10-03

Starter cultures and ripening molds used in the manufacture of moldy cheese aimed at obtaining characteristic flavors and textures considerably differ among dairy industries. Thus, the study of variables inherent to the process and their influence on sensory patterns in cheese can improve the standardization and control of the production process. The aim of this work was to study the influence of three different variables on the sensory quality of Camembert-type cheese: type of lactic bacteria, type of ripener molds and inoculation method. Batches of Camembert-type cheese were produced using O or DL-type mesophilic starter culture, ripened with Penicillium camemberti or Penicillium candidum and mold inoculation was made directly into the milk or by spraying. All batches were sensorially evaluated using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) with panelists trained for various attributes. Among the combinations analyzed, those resulting in more typical Camembert-type cheese were those using O-type mesophilic starter culture and P. candidum maturation mold directly applied into the milk or sprayed and those using DL-type mesophilic starter and P. camemberti ripener mold applied by surface spraying. These results demonstrate, therefore, that the combination of different ripener molds, inoculation methods and starter cultures directly influences the sensory quality of Camembert-type cheese, modifying significantly its texture, appearance, aroma and taste. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combined effect of γ-irradiation and bacterial-fermented dextrose on microbiological quality of refrigerated pork sausages

Science.gov (United States)

Dussault, D.; Benoit, C.; Lacroix, M.

2012-08-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a concentrated fermented dextrose (FD), a natural antimicrobial product, combined with low dose γ-irradiation (1.5 kGy) on the microbiological quality of fresh pork sausages. Fresh pork sausages containing the FD (0.25%, 0.5% and 0.75%) were prepared in a meat pilot plant and were irradiated using a UC-15A irradiator equipped with a 60Cobalt source. The γ-irradiation treatment alone was able to reduce the initial psychrophilic and mesophilic bacteria by more than 2 log CFU/g and kept the lactobacillus population under the detection limit (100 CFU/g). Results also showed that the FD alone was able to extend the shelf life of the sausages from 5 days up to 13 days. At day 13, the FD or irradiation alone showed 2 log CFU/g less mesophilic bacteria than the control. After combining FD and irradiation another reduction of the microbial count of 1 log CFU/g was observed. When combining the irradiation treatment with the FD results it showed a reduced growth rate of the psychrophilic and mesophilic bacteria compared to both treatments alone. This study demonstrated that FD with low dose gamma irradiation act in synergy to reduce the multiplication of the total bacterial flora in fresh sausages.

The Microbiologic Quality of the Air in Broiler Houses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvana Popescu

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper was to assess the microbiologic quality of air in broiler houses. The number of bacteria (mesophile, staphylococci, streptococci and gram-negatives and fungi was determined in 6 broiler houses with chicken of different ages (1-6 weeks old through specific methods. The results were statistically processed by using the SPSS software, version 17. The number of bacteria and fungi varied in the 6 broiler houses, ranging from 2.25 x 105 to 2.17 x 106 for the total number of mesophilic bacteria, between 3.5 x 104 – 1.27 x 106 for staphylococci, 7.4 x 104 – 5.01 x 105 for streptococci, 3.5 x 103 – 1.53 x 104 for gram-negatives and from 1.67 x 104 to 8.13 x 104 for fungi, respectively. The number of bacteria and fungi were significantly lower for the younger chicken (p < 0.05. The proportions of groups with hygienic significance within the total mesophilic bacteria number were: 15.7% - 68.6% staphylococci, 6.7% - 45.6% streptococci and 0.2% - 4.5% gram-negatives. The comparative appraisal of the microbiologic quality in the broiler houses showed better air quality in the youngest chicken’s house (one week of age. The obtained results indicate the necessity for increased ventilation and for air disinfection during the chicken’s fattening period.

CHARACTERIZATION OF AUTOCHTHONUS LACTIC FLORA OF A CAMPANIAN CHILLI CHEESE PRODUCED FROM RAW SHEEP MILK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Mormile

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The natural lactic flora of the artisanal chilli “Tramonti” cheese, a typical product manufactured in the “Lattari mountains”, area of Salerno province (Italy, was investigated. Particular attention was paid to the growth dynamics assessment and to the molecular identification of the indigenous lactic acid bacteria involved in the ripening of this cheese made with raw sheep milk without starter cultures. One batch was monitored taking 4 sample on 0, 30, 50 and 105 ripening days. Lactobacillus and Lactococcus were enumerated and randomly isolated on MRS and LM17 agar (32ºC x 48h -mesophilic flora- and 42°C x 48h -thermophilic flora, respectively. N. 66 presumptive lactic acid bacteria isolates, gram positive and catalase negative, were genotipically identified by Ribotyping. Mesophilic Lactobacillus remained at levels of 107 cfu/g during whole maturation time and thermophilic Lactobacillus, from initial values of 105 cfu/g, reached concentratios of 106 cfu/g at the end of maturation. Mesophilic and thermophilic Lactococcus showed, on average, levels of 106 since the beginning of the ripening. Ribotyping allowed to detect 4 lactic acid bacteria species: Enterococcus faecium (65,15%, Lactococcus lactis spp. cremoris (24,24%, Enterococcus faecalis (6,06% and Enterococcus durans (4,54%, showing the diversity of indigenous lactic acid bacteria of chilli “Tramonti” cheese.

1342-IJBCS-Article-Ifeoma Mbeayi Nwooha

African Journals Online (AJOL)

KODJIO NORBERT

solids, copper, iron, alkalinity, appearance, taste, colour, aerobic mesophilic count, coliform counts were evaluated. ... water supply schemes are being adapted to ... Therefore an adequate supply of ... to the flourishing demand for such street.

Louse-borne relapsing fever in a refugee from Somalia arriving in Belgium.

Science.gov (United States)

Darcis, Gilles; Hayette, Marie-Pierre; Bontems, Sebastien; Sauvage, Anne-Sophie; Meuris, Christelle; Van Esbroeck, Marjan; Leonard, Philippe

2016-03-01

We report a case of louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) in a refugee from Somalia who had arrived in Belgium a few days earlier. He complained of myalgia and secondarily presented fever. Blood smears revealed spirochetes later identified as Borrelia recurrentis. LBRF should be considered in countries hosting refugees, particularly those who transit through endemic regions. © International Society of Travel Medicine, 2016. All rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hydrophobic environment is a key factor for the stability of thermophilic proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Gromiha, M Michael; Pathak, Manish C; Saraboji, Kadhirvel; Ortlund, Eric A; Gaucher, Eric A

2013-04-01

The stability of thermophilic proteins has been viewed from different perspectives and there is yet no unified principle to understand this stability. It would be valuable to reveal the most important interactions for designing thermostable proteins for such applications as industrial protein engineering. In this work, we have systematically analyzed the importance of various interactions by computing different parameters such as surrounding hydrophobicity, inter-residue interactions, ion-pairs and hydrogen bonds. The importance of each interaction has been determined by its predicted relative contribution in thermophiles versus the same contribution in mesophilic homologues based on a dataset of 373 protein families. We predict that hydrophobic environment is the major factor for the stability of thermophilic proteins and found that 80% of thermophilic proteins analyzed showed higher hydrophobicity than their mesophilic counterparts. Ion pairs, hydrogen bonds, and interaction energy are also important and favored in 68%, 50%, and 62% of thermophilic proteins, respectively. Interestingly, thermophilic proteins with decreased hydrophobic environments display a greater number of hydrogen bonds and/or ion pairs. The systematic elimination of mesophilic proteins based on surrounding hydrophobicity, interaction energy, and ion pairs/hydrogen bonds, led to correctly identifying 95% of the thermophilic proteins in our analyses. Our analysis was also applied to another, more refined set of 102 thermophilic-mesophilic pairs, which again identified hydrophobicity as a dominant property in 71% of the thermophilic proteins. Further, the notion of surrounding hydrophobicity, which characterizes the hydrophobic behavior of residues in a protein environment, has been applied to the three-dimensional structures of elongation factor-Tu proteins and we found that the thermophilic proteins are enriched with a hydrophobic environment. The results obtained in this work highlight the

Temperature-driven adaptation of the bacterial community in peat measured by using thymidine and leucine incorporation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ranneklev, S B; Bååth, E

2001-03-01

The temperature-driven adaptation of the bacterial community in peat was studied, by altering temperature to simulate self-heating and a subsequent return to mesophilic conditions. The technique used consisted of extracting the bacterial community from peat using homogenization-centrifugation and measuring the rates of thymidine (TdR) or leucine (Leu) incorporation by the extracted bacterial community at different temperatures. Increasing the peat incubation temperature from 25 degrees C to 35, 45, or 55 degrees C resulted in a selection of bacterial communities whose optimum temperatures for activity correlated to the peat incubation temperatures. Although TdR and Leu incorporations were significantly correlated, the Leu/TdR incorporation ratios were affected by temperature. Higher Leu/TdR incorporation ratios were found at higher temperatures of incubation of the extracted bacterial community. Higher Leu/TdR incorporation ratios were also found for bacteria in peat samples incubated at higher temperatures. The reappearance of the mesophilic community and disappearance of the thermophilic community when the incubation temperature of the peat was shifted down were monitored by measuring TdR incorporation at 55 degrees C (thermophilic activity) and 25 degrees C (mesophilic activity). Shifting the peat incubation temperature from 55 to 25 degrees C resulted in a recovery of the mesophilic activity, with a subsequent disappearance of the thermophilic activity. The availability of substrate for bacterial growth varied over time and among different peat samples. To avoid confounding effects of substrate availability, a temperature adaptation index was calculated. This index consisted of the log(10) ratio of TdR incorporation at 55 and 25 degrees C. The temperature index decreased linearly with time, indicating that no thermophilic activity would be detected by the TdR technique 1 month after the temperature downshift. There were no differences between the slopes of the

Bayesian prediction of bacterial growth temperature range based on genome sequences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Dan Børge; Vesth, Tammi Camilla; Hallin, Peter Fischer

2012-01-01

Background: The preferred habitat of a given bacterium can provide a hint of which types of enzymes of potential industrial interest it might produce. These might include enzymes that are stable and active at very high or very low temperatures. Being able to accurately predict this based...... on a genomic sequence, would thus allow for an efficient and targeted search for production organisms, reducing the need for culturing experiments. Results: This study found a total of 40 protein families useful for distinction between three thermophilicity classes (thermophiles, mesophiles and psychrophiles...... that protein families associated with specific thermophilicity classes can provide effective input data for thermophilicity prediction, and that the naive Bayesian approach is effective for such a task. The program created for this study is able to efficiently distinguish between thermophilic, mesophilic...

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...

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...

Studies on the bactericidal effect of ionizing radiation on pig manure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kleiner, U; Trenner, P [Ministerium fuer Land-, Forst- und Nahrungsgueterwirtschaft der DDR, Eberswalde. Inst. fuer Angewandte Tierhygiene

1983-03-01

Pig manure was treated with electrons and gamma rays at radiation doses of 4, 8, 15 and 30 kGy, resp. The mesophile bacteria were significantly reduced by all electron doses, but with repropagation at the 7. post-irradiation day. Gamma radiation at 4 and 8 kGy resulted also in not lasting reduction of mesophile bacteria. 15 kGy caused a significant and persistent elimination of the germs. 15 kGy electron irradiation and 8 kGy gamma irradiation killed the proteolytic bacteria. Euterococci and lactose-splitting bacteria were killed at 4 kGy irradiation of both kinds. Lasting elimination of manure specific germs was reached with 15 kGy ..gamma..-rays and more than 30 kGy electrons, resp. All the treatments are expensive and cannot be recommended.

Intestinal spirochetosis: first cases reported in Brazil and the use of immunohistochemistry as an aid in histopathological diagnosis Espiroquetose intestinal: primeiros casos no Brasil e o uso de técnicas imunohistoquímicas como ajuda no diagnóstico histopatológico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. de Brito

1996-02-01

Full Text Available Colonization of the colon and rectum by intestinal spirochetes is detected for the first time in Brazil in 4 of 282 (1.41% patients who had undergone sigmoidoscopy and/or colonoscopy with a histopathological diagnosis of chronic non specific-colitis. This frequency is probably understimated, since surgically obtained specimens were not considered in the present study. Histopathological diagnosis was performed using routine stains like hematoxylin-eosin which showed the typical, of 3-µm thick hematoxyphilic fringe on the brush border of the surface epithelium, and by silver stains like the Warthin-Starry stain. Immunohistochemical procedures using two, polyclonal, primary antibodies, one against Treponema pallidum and the other against Leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae cross-reacted with spirochetal antigen/s producing a marked contrast of the fringe over the colonic epithelium, preserving the spiral-shaped morphology of the parasite. In one case with marked diarrhea, immunohistochemistry detected spirochetal antigen/s within a cell in an intestinal crypt, thus demonstrating that the infection can be more widely disseminated than suspected using routine stains. Immunohistochemical procedures, thus, greatly facilitate the histological diagnosis of intestinal spirochetosis and may contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy performed in one case showed that the spirochete closely resembled the species designated as Brachyspira aalborgi.A colonização do colo e reto por espiroquetas intestinais foi detectada pela primeira vez no Brasil em 4 de 282 (1,41% pacientes submetidos a sigmoidoscopia e/ou colonoscopia com o diagnóstico histopatológico de colite crônica inespecífica. A frequência é provavelmente menor que a real, urna vez que espécimens cirúrgicos não foram considerados no presente estudo. O diagnóstico histopatol

Biodigestion of cassava peels blended with pig dung for methane ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

OKOROIGWE

2013-10-02

Oct 2, 2013 ... Biogas production from cassava (Manihot esculentus) peels and pig dung under a mesophilic ... is a gap to be filled up by further investigation. Ezekoye ..... Biofertilizer and Chemical Fertilizer Application on Maize Production.

Optimisation Study on the Production of Anaerobic Digestate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR. AMIN

optimise the production of ADC from organic fractions of domestic wastes and the effects of ADC amendments on soil .... (22%), cooked meat (9%), lettuce (11%), carrots. (3%), potato (44%) ... seed was obtained from a mesophilic anaerobic.

Measuring Borrelia burgdorferi Motility and Chemotaxis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kai; Li, Chunhao

2018-01-01

Swimming plate, cell motion tracking, and capillary tube assays are very useful tools to quantitatively measure bacterial motility and chemotaxis. These methods were modified and applied to study Borrelia burgdorferi motility and chemotaxis. By using these methods, numerous motility and chemotaxis mutants have been characterized and several chemoattractants were identified. With the assistance of these tools, the role of motility and chemotaxis in the pathogenicity of B. burgdorferi has been established. In addition, these tools also facilitate the study of motility and chemotaxis in other spirochetes.

Search for tick-borne pathogens in the Svalbard archipelago and Jan Mayen

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Elsterová, Jana; Černý, Jiří; Müllerová, Jana; Šíma, Radek; Coulson, S.J.; Lorentzen, E.; Strøm, H.; Grubhoffer, Libor

2015-01-01

Roč. 34, 20 October 2015 (2015), s. 27466 ISSN 0800-0395 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) EE2.3.30.0032; GA ČR GAP502/11/2116; GA ČR GAP302/12/2490; GA ČR GP13-12816P EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 278976 Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) LM2010009 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : tick * Ixodes uriae * tick-borne pathogens * arboviruses * Borrelia spirochetes * Babesia apicomplexans Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 1.728, year: 2015

Determinants of Infectivity of Pathogens in Vector Ticks

Science.gov (United States)

1990-11-15

of group 1. Perhaps with i’,creased age , group 2 nymphs developed a systemic infection. We plan to follow group 1 as it ages , to see if this might be...may facilitate the formation of the unusual forms of Borrelia that we observed. The large swollen forms have been seen in spirochetes in aged cultures...Helminthol. 40:337-342. Lees, A.D. (1948). The sensory phisiology of the sheep Ixodes ricinus L. J. Exp. Biol. 25:145-207. Lemaux, P.G., Herendeen, S.L

Taxonomy and functional roles of biogas microbiota binned from multiple metagenomes of anaerobic digestion systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Angelidaki, Irini; Treu, Laura; Campanaro, Stefano

Anaerobic digestion, a biologically mediated process, is a worldwide spread technology for biogas production. This work represents the first comprehensive catalogue of microbial genomes populating mesophilic and thermophilic biogas reactors treating manure, agro-industrial organic residues. High ...

Microbiology and physiology of anaerobic fermentations of cellulose. Progress report, September 1, 1979-May 15, 1980

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peck, H.D. Jr.; Ljungdahl, L.G.

1980-01-01

Reseach progress is reported for the period September, 1979 to May, 1980. Studies on the mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms fermenting cellulose to various products (ethanol, acetate, CO/sub 2/, H/sub 2/, and methane) are summarized. (ACR)

Microbiological variation amongst fresh and minimally processed vegetables from retail establishers - a public health study in Pakistan

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Sair, A.T.

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Fresh and minimally processed ready to eat vegetables are very attractive eatables amongst consumers as convenient, healthy and readily available foods, especially in the South Asian states. They provide numerous nutrients, phytochemicals, and vitamins but also harbor extensive quantity of potentially pathogenic bacteria. The aim of this study was to determine microbiological variation amongst fresh vegetables that were commercially available to the public at numerous retail establishments in Pakistan in order to present an overview of the quality of fresh produce. A total of 133 samples, collected from local distributors and retailers were tested for aerobic mesophilic and psychrotrophic, coliform and yeast and mould counts. Standard plating techniques were used to analyze all samples. Mesophilic count ranged from 3.1 to 10.3 log CFU/g with lowest and highest counts observed in onions and fresh cut vegetables. Psychrotrophic microorganisms count was as high as mesophilic microorganisms. Maximum counts for coliform were found in fresh cut vegetables with 100% samples falling over 6 log CFU/g. These results were consistent with yeast and moulds as well. In our study, Escherichia coli was determined as an indicator organism for 133 samples of fresh and minimally processed vegetables. Fresh cut vegetables showed the highest incidence of presumptive E. coli (69.9%. The results showed a poor quality of fresh vegetables in Pakistan and point to the implementation of good hygiene practices and food safety awareness amongst local distributors, food handlers at retail establishments.

Chemically pretreating slaughterhouse solid waste to increase the efficiency of anaerobic digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Flores-Juarez, Cyntia R; Rodríguez-García, Adrián; Cárdenas-Mijangos, Jesús; Montoya-Herrera, Leticia; Godinez Mora-Tovar, Luis A; Bustos-Bustos, Erika; Rodríguez-Valadez, Francisco; Manríquez-Rocha, Juan

2014-10-01

The combined effect of temperature and pretreatment of the substrate on the anaerobic treatment of the organic fraction of slaughterhouse solid waste was studied. The goal of the study was to evaluate the effect of pretreating the waste on the efficiency of anaerobic digestion. The effect was analyzed at two temperature ranges (the psychrophilic and the mesophilic ranges), in order to evaluate the effect of temperature on the performance of the anaerobic digestion process for this residue. The experiments were performed in 6 L batch reactors for 30 days. Two temperature ranges were studied: the psychrophilic range (at room temperature, 18°C average) and the mesophilic range (at 37°C). The waste was pretreated with NaOH before the anaerobic treatment. The result of pretreating with NaOH was a 194% increase in the soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) with a dose of 0.6 g NaOH per g of volatile suspended solids (VSS). In addition, the soluble chemical oxygen demand/total chemical oxygen demand ratio (sCOD/tCOD) increased from 0.31 to 0.7. For the anaerobic treatment, better results were observed in the mesophilic range, achieving 70.7%, 47% and 47.2% removal efficiencies for tCOD, total solids (TS), and volatile solids (VS), respectively. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth media in anaerobic fermentative processes: The underestimated potential of thermophilic fermentation and anaerobic digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendriks, A T W M; van Lier, J B; de Kreuk, M K

Fermentation and anaerobic digestion of organic waste and wastewater is broadly studied and applied. Despite widely available results and data for these processes, comparison of the generated results in literature is difficult. Not only due to the used variety of process conditions, but also because of the many different growth media that are used. Composition of growth media can influence biogas production (rates) and lead to process instability during anaerobic digestion. To be able to compare results of the different studies reported, and to ensure nutrient limitation is not influencing observations ascribed to process dynamics and/or reaction kinetics, a standard protocol for creating a defined growth medium for anaerobic digestion and mixed culture fermentation is proposed. This paper explains the role(s) of the different macro- and micronutrients, as well as the choices for a growth medium formulation strategy. In addition, the differences in nutrient requirements between mesophilic and thermophilic systems are discussed as well as the importance of specific trace metals regarding specific conversion routes and the possible supplementary requirement of vitamins. The paper will also give some insight into the bio-availability and toxicity of trace metals. A remarkable finding is that mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes are quite comparable at their optimum temperatures. This has consequences for the trace metal requirements of thermophiles under certain conditions. Under non-limiting conditions, the trace metal requirement of thermophilic systems is about 3 times higher than for mesophilic systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural evidence for solvent-stabilisation by aspartic acid as a mechanism for halophilic protein stability in high salt concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Lenton, Samuel; Walsh, Danielle L; Rhys, Natasha H; Soper, Alan K; Dougan, Lorna

2016-07-21

Halophilic organisms have adapted to survive in high salt environments, where mesophilic organisms would perish. One of the biggest challenges faced by halophilic proteins is the ability to maintain both the structure and function at molar concentrations of salt. A distinct adaptation of halophilic proteins, compared to mesophilic homologues, is the abundance of aspartic acid on the protein surface. Mutagenesis and crystallographic studies of halophilic proteins suggest an important role for solvent interactions with the surface aspartic acid residues. This interaction, between the regions of the acidic protein surface and the solvent, is thought to maintain a hydration layer around the protein at molar salt concentrations thereby allowing halophilic proteins to retain their functional state. Here we present neutron diffraction data of the monomeric zwitterionic form of aspartic acid solutions at physiological pH in 0.25 M and 2.5 M concentration of potassium chloride, to mimic mesophilic and halophilic-like environmental conditions. We have used isotopic substitution in combination with empirical potential structure refinement to extract atomic-scale information from the data. Our study provides structural insights that support the hypothesis that carboxyl groups on acidic residues bind water more tightly under high salt conditions, in support of the residue-ion interaction model of halophilic protein stabilisation. Furthermore our data show that in the presence of high salt the self-association between the zwitterionic form of aspartic acid molecules is reduced, suggesting a possible mechanism through which protein aggregation is prevented.

Airborne Microorganisms in Tie-stall Dairy Barns from Brasov County

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Silvana Popescu

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was the assessment of the airborne microorganisms in tie-stall dairy cattle barns, through determination of the total number of bacteria (mesophilic bacteria, staphylococci, streptococci and gram-negative bacteria and fungi. We investigated 8 dairy cattle barns with tie-stalls in Brasov County during the winter of 2009. The mean numbers of bacteria and fungi in the morning and in the evening were: 1.02 °— 105 - 1.26 °— 105 CFU/m3 for mesophilic bacteria, 5.34 °— 104 - 5.91 °— 104 CFU/m3 for staphylococci, 2.93 °— 104 - 3.60 °— 104 CFU/m3 for streptococci, 2.17 °— 103 - 3.48 °— 103 CFU/m3 for gram-negative bacteria and 1.54 °— 104 - 2.75 °— 104 CFU/m3 for fungi. In the investigated cattle houses staphylococci represented 52.35 – 46.90%, streptococci were 28.73 – 28.57%, and the gram-negative bacteria were 2.13 – 2.76% within the overall number of mesophilic bacteria. The numbers of bacteria and fungi were slightly elevated in the evening comparative to the morning, but the differences were statistically insignificant (p>0.05. The great numbers of bacteria and fungi in the air of dairy cattle tie-stall barns indicate an elevated risk of disease for animals and human workers.

A robust nitrifying community in a bioreactor at 50°C opens up the path for thermophilic nitrogen removal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Courtens, E.N.P.; Spieck, E.; Vilchez-Vargas, R.; Bodé, S.; Boeckx, P.; Schouten, S.; Jáuregui, R.; Pieper, D.H.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Boon, N.

2016-01-01

The increasing production of nitrogen-containing fertilizers is crucial to meet the global food demand, yet high losses of reactive nitrogen associated with the food production/consumption chain progressively deteriorate the natural environment. Currently, mesophilic nitrogen-removing microbes

Influence of high temperature and ethanol on thermostable lignocellulolytic enzymes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovgaard, Pernille Anastasia; Jørgensen, Henning

2013-01-01

the influence of temperature and ethanol on enzyme activity and stability in the distillation step, where most enzymes are inactivated due to high temperatures. Two enzyme mixtures, a mesophilic and a thermostable mixture, were exposed to typical process conditions [temperatures from 55 to 65 °C and up to 5...... % ethanol (w/v)] followed by specific enzyme activity analyses and SDS-PAGE. The thermostable and mesophilic mixture remained active at up to 65 and 55 °C, respectively. When the enzyme mixtures reached their maximum temperature limit, ethanol had a remarkable influence on enzyme activity, e.g., the more...... ethanol, the faster the inactivation. The reason could be the hydrophobic interaction of ethanol on the tertiary structure of the enzyme protein. The thermostable mixture was more tolerant to temperature and ethanol and could therefore be a potential candidate for recycling after distillation....

Appréciation et amélioration de la qualité bactériologique du poisson commercialisé au Burundi. Cas de Stolothrissa tanganicae et Luciolates stappersii

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sindayigaya, E.

1990-01-01

Full Text Available Appreciation and improvement of the bacteriological quality of fish commercialized in Burundi. Cases of Stolothrissa tanganicae and Luciolates stappersii. The bacteriological quality of Stolothrissa tanganicae and Luciolates stappersii has been estimated by determining the aerobic mesophilic flora, Staphylococcus aureus as pathogenic bacteria, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus faecalis as fecal contamination indices. The freshness has been evaluated by the determination of the total volatile bases (T.V.B.. At the arrival of fresh fish on the market, the aerobic mesophilic flora was sometimes high due to inadequate handling and processing on board. Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus can be found in fresh fish. The determination of the T.V.B. and the bacteriological analysis provided concordant informations. An improvement of bacteriological quality has been obtained by a combination of the traditional conservation methods : drying, salting and smoking.

Spore prevalence and toxigenicity of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis isolates from U.S. retail spices.

Science.gov (United States)

Hariram, Upasana; Labbé, Ronald

2015-03-01

Recent incidents of foodborne illness associated with spices as the vehicle of transmission prompted this examination of U.S. retail spices with regard to Bacillus cereus. This study focused on the levels of aerobic-mesophilic spore-forming bacteria and B cereus spores associated with 247 retail spices purchased from five states in the United States. Samples contained a wide range of aerobic-mesophilic bacterial spore counts (spices had high levels of aerobic spores (> 10(7) CFU/g). Using a novel chromogenic agar, B. cereus and B. thuringiensis spores were isolated from 77 (31%) and 11 (4%) samples, respectively. Levels of B. cereus were spice isolates to form spores, produce diarrheal toxins, and grow at moderately abusive temperatures makes retail spices an important potential vehicle for foodborne illness caused by B. cereus strains, in particular those that produce diarrheal toxins.

[Bioregeneration of the solutions obtained during the leaching of nonferrous metals from waste slag by acidophilic microorganisms].

Science.gov (United States)

Fomchenko, N V; Murav'ev, M I; Kondrat'eva, T F

2014-01-01

The bioregeneration of the solutions obtained after the leaching of copper and zinc from waste slag by sulfuric solutions of ferric sulfate is examined. For bioregeneration, associations of mesophilic and moderately thermqophilic acidophilic chemolithotrophic microorganisms were made. It has been shown that the complete oxidation of iron ions in solutions obtained after the leaching of nonferrous metals from waste slag is possible at a dilution of the pregnant solution with a nutrient medium. It has been found that the maximal rate of oxidation of iron ions is observed at the use of a mesophilic association of microorganisms at a threefold dilution of the pregnant solution with a nutrient medium. The application ofbioregeneration during the production of nonferrous metals from both waste and converter slags would make it possible to approach the technology of their processing using the closed cycle of workflows.

Morganella psychrotolerans sp. nov., a histamine-producing bacterium isolated from various seafoods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Emborg, Jette; Dalgaard, Paw; Ahrens, Peter

2006-01-01

Morganella morganii subsp. morganii (strain LMG 7874T) and Morganella morganii subsp. sibonii (strain DSM 14850T), respectively. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed a similarity of 98.6 % between mesophilic and psychrotolerant isolates. However, fragments of seven protein-encoding housekeeping...... genes (atpD, dnaN, gyrB, hdc, infB, rpoB and tuf) all showed less than 90.9 % sequence similarity between the two groups. The psychrotolerant isolates grew at 0-2 {degrees}C and also differed from the mesophilic M. morganii isolates with respect to growth at 37 {degrees}C and in 8.5 % (w/v) Na......Cl and fermentation of D-galactose. The psychrotolerant strains appear to represent a novel species, for which the name Morganella psychrotolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is U2/3T (=LMG 23374T=DSM 17886T)....

Anaerobic digestion in combination with 2nd generation ethanol production for maximizing biofuels yield from lignocellulosic biomass – testing in an integrated pilot-scale biorefinery plant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Uellendahl, Hinrich; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

An integrated biorefinery concept for 2nd generation bioethanol production together with biogas production from the fermentation effluent was tested in pilot-scale. The pilot plant comprised pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, hexose and pentose fermentation into ethanol and anaerobic digestion......-VS/(m3•d) a methane yield of 340 L/kg-VS was achieved for thermophilic operation while 270 L/kg-VS was obtained under mesophilic conditions. Thermophilic operation was, however, less robust towards further increase of the loading rate and for loading rates higher than 5 kg-VS/(m3•d) the yield was higher...... for mesophilic than for thermophilic operation. The effluent from the ethanol fermentation showed no signs of toxicity to the anaerobic microorganisms. Implementation of the biogas production from the fermentation effluent accounted for about 30% higher biofuels yield in the biorefinery compared to a system...

Anaerobic co-digestion of winery waste and waste activated sludge: assessment of process feasibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Da Ros, C; Cavinato, C; Cecchi, F; Bolzonella, D

2014-01-01

In this study the anaerobic co-digestion of wine lees together with waste activated sludge in mesophilic and thermophilic conditions was tested at pilot scale. Three organic loading rates (OLRs 2.8, 3.3 and 4.5 kgCOD/m(3)d) and hydraulic retention times (HRTs 21, 19 and 16 days) were applied to the reactors, in order to evaluate the best operational conditions for the maximization of the biogas yields. The addition of lee to sludge determined a higher biogas production: the best yield obtained was 0.40 Nm(3)biogas/kgCODfed. Because of the high presence of soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) and polyphenols in wine lees, the best results in terms of yields and process stability were obtained when applying the lowest of the three organic loading rates tested together with mesophilic conditions.

Strategies for the anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste: an overview

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartmann, H.; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

2006-01-01

Different process strategies for anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) are reviewed weighing high-solids versus low-solids, mesophilic versus thermophilic and single-stage versus multi-stage processes. The influence of different waste characteristics...... such as composition of biodegradable fractions, C:N ratio and particle size is described. Generally, source sorting of OFMSW and a high content of food waste leads to higher biogas yields than the use of mechanically sorted OFMSW. Thermophilic processes are more efficient than mesophilic processes in terms of higher...... biogas yields at different organic loading rates (OLR). Highest biogas yields are achieved by means of wet thermophilic processes at OLRs lower than 6 kg-VS(.)m(-3) d(-1). High-solids processes appear to be relatively more efficient when OLRs higher than 6 kg-VS(.)m(-3) d(-1) are applied. Multi...

Collateral Effects of Antibiotics: Carbadox and Metronidazole Induce VSH-1 and Facilitate Gene Transfer among Brachyspira hyodysenteriae Strains▿

Science.gov (United States)

Stanton, Thaddeus B.; Humphrey, Samuel B.; Sharma, Vijay K.; Zuerner, Richard L.

2008-01-01

Brachyspira hyodysenteriae is an anaerobic spirochete and the etiologic agent of swine dysentery. The genome of this spirochete contains a mitomycin C-inducible, prophage-like gene transfer agent designated VSH-1. VSH-1 particles package random 7.5-kb fragments of the B. hyodysenteriae genome and transfer genes between B. hyodysenteriae cells. The chemicals and conditions inducing VSH-1 production are largely unknown. Antibiotics used in swine management and stressors inducing traditional prophages might induce VSH-1 and thereby stimulate lateral gene transfer between B. hyodysenteriae cells. In these studies, VSH-1 induction was initially detected by a quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR assay evaluating increased transcription of hvp38 (VSH-1 head protein gene). VSH-1 induction was confirmed by detecting VSH-1-associated 7.5-kb DNA and VSH-1 particles in B. hyodysenteriae cultures. Nine antibiotics (chlortetracycline, lincomycin, tylosin, tiamulin, virginiamycin, ampicillin, ceftriaxone, vancomycin, and florfenicol) at concentrations affecting B. hyodysenteriae growth did not induce VSH-1 production. By contrast, VSH-1 was detected in B. hyodysenteriae cultures treated with mitomycin C (10 μg/ml), carbadox (0.5 μg/ml), metronidazole (0.5 μg/ml), and H2O2 (300 μM). Carbadox- and metronidazole-induced VSH-1 particles transmitted tylosin and chloramphenicol resistance determinants between B. hyodysenteriae strains. The results of these studies suggest that certain antibiotics may induce the production of prophage or prophage-like elements by intestinal bacteria and thereby impact intestinal microbial ecology. PMID:18359835

Comparison of PCR-Based Diagnosis with Centrifuged-Based Enrichment Method for Detection of Borrelia persica in Animal Blood Samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Naddaf, S R; Kishdehi, M; Siavashi, Mr

2011-01-01

The mainstay of diagnosis of relapsing fever (RF) is demonstration of the spirochetes in Giemsa-stained thick blood smears, but during non fever periods the bacteria are very scanty and rarely detected in blood smears by microscopy. This study is aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of different methods developed for detection of low-grade spirochetemia. Animal blood samples with low degrees of spirochetemia were tested with two PCRs and a nested PCR targeting flaB, GlpQ, and rrs genes. Also, a centrifuged-based enrichment method and Giemsa staining were performed on blood samples with various degrees of spirochetemia. The flaB-PCR and nested rrs-PCR turned positive with various degrees of spirochetemia including the blood samples that turned negative with dark-field microscopy. The GlpQ-PCR was positive as far as at least one spirochete was seen in 5-10 microscopic fields. The sensitivity of GlpQ-PCR increased when DNA from Buffy Coat Layer (BCL) was used as template. The centrifuged-based enrichment method turned positive with as low concentration as 50 bacteria/ml blood, while Giemsa thick staining detected bacteria with concentrations ≥ 25000 bacteria/ml. Centrifuged-based enrichment method appeared as much as 500-fold more sensitive than thick smears, which makes it even superior to some PCR assays. Due to simplicity and minimal laboratory requirements, this method can be considered a valuable tool for diagnosis of RF in rural health centers.

Activation of murine macrophages by lipoprotein and lipooligosaccharide of Treponema denticola.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, G; Sela, M N; Naor, R; Halabi, A; Barak, V; Shapira, L

1999-03-01

We have recently demonstrated that the periodontopathogenic oral spirochete Treponema denticola possesses membrane-associated lipoproteins in addition to lipooligosaccharide (LOS). The aim of the present study was to test the potential of these oral spirochetal components to induce the production of inflammatory mediators by human macrophages, which in turn may stimulate tissue breakdown as observed in periodontal diseases. An enriched lipoprotein fraction (dLPP) from T. denticola ATCC 35404 obtained upon extraction of the treponemes with Triton X-114 was found to stimulate the production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-1 (IL-1) by mouse macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. Induction of NO by dLPP was at 25% of the levels obtained by Salmonella typhosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at similar concentrations, while IL-1 was produced at similar levels by both inducers. dLPP-mediated macrophage activation was unaffected by amounts of polymyxin B that neutralized the induction produced by S. typhosa LPS. dLPP also induced NO and TNF-alpha secretion from macrophages isolated from endotoxin-unresponsive C3H/HeJ mice to an extent similar to the stimulation produced in endotoxin-responsive mice. Purified T. denticola LOS also produced a concentration-dependent activation of NO and TNF-alpha in LPS-responsive and -nonresponsive mouse macrophages. However, macrophage activation by LOS was inhibited by polymyxin B. These results suggest that T. denticola lipoproteins and LOS may play a role in the inflammatory processes that characterize periodontal diseases.

Intracellular localization of Treponema denticola chymotrypsin-like proteinase in chronic periodontitis

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Emilia Marttila

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Treponema denticola is an important periodontal pathogen capable of tissue invasion. Its chymotrypsin-like proteinase (CTLP can degrade a number of basement membrane components in vitro, thus suggesting a contribution to tissue invasion by the spirochete. The aim of this study was to analyze the localization of CTLP in chronic periodontitis tissues ex vivo. A polyclonal antibody specific to T. denticola cell-bound CTLP was used to detect the spirochetes in the gingival tissues of patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis (n=25 by immunohistochemistry and periodic acid-Schiff staining (PAS. The presence of T. denticola in the periodontal tissue samples was analyzed by PCR. Periodontal tissue samples of 12 of the 25 patients were found to be positive for T. denticola by PCR. Moreover, CTLP could be detected in the periodontal tissues of all these patients by immunohistochemistry. In the epithelium, the CTLP was mostly intracellular. Typically, the positive staining could be seen throughout the whole depth of the epithelium. When detected extracellularly, CTLP was localized mainly as granular deposits. The connective tissue stained diffusely positive in four cases. The positive staining co-localized with the PAS stain in nine cases. T. denticola and its CTLP could be detected in diseased human periodontium both intra- and extracellularly. The granular staining pattern was suggestive of the presence of T. denticola bacteria, whereas the more diffused staining pattern was indicative of the recent presence of the bacterium and shedding of the cell-bound proteinase.

Tick borne illness-Lyme disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Bush, Larry M; Vazquez-Pertejo, Maria T

2018-05-01

Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borneillness in the United States. Thecausative spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted by 4 species of Ixodes tick species. Over 90% of US cases occur in northeasternstates from Maine to Virginia, and in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. Infection also takes place in northern California and Oregon. Lyme borreliosis is also diagnosed in parts of Europe, China, and Japan. The white-footed mouse is the primary animal reservoir for B. burgdorferi in the U.S. and the preferred host for nymphal and larval forms of the deer tick. Deer are hosts for the adult ticks but do not carry the spirochete. Signs and symptomsof infection occur in 3 stages; early localized, typified by erythema migrans; early disseminated with a flu-like syndrome, neurologic, and cardiac manifestations; and late, characteristically with arthritis. Although, the term 'Chronic Lyme Disease' has been assigned to many patients with a variety of unexplained symptoms, experts in the field question the validity of this diagnosis and warn against prolonged unproven antimicrobial therapies. Diagnosis relies upon clinical evaluation and is supported by serologic testing using a 2-step process which requires careful interpretation. Treatmentvaries with stage of disease, but normally includes doxycycline, amoxicillin,and ceftriaxone. Currently, no preventative vaccine is available. In some geographic areas, patients may be confected with Babesia, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma since the same Ixodes ticks transmit these pathogens. Copyright © 2018 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Characterizing a thermostable Cas9 for bacterial genome editing and silencing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mougiakos, Ioannis; Mohanraju, Prarthana; Bosma, Elleke F.; Vrouwe, Valentijn; Finger Bou, Max; Naduthodi, Mihris I.S.; Gussak, Alex; Brinkman, Rudolf B.L.; Kranenburg, Van Richard; Oost, Van Der John

2017-01-01

CRISPR-Cas9-based genome engineering tools have revolutionized fundamental research and biotechnological exploitation of both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. However, the mesophilic nature of the established Cas9 systems does not allow for applications that require enhanced stability, including

Stabilization of enzymes against thermal stress and freeze-drying by mannosylglycerate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramos, A.; Raven, N.; Sharp, R.J.; Bartolucci, S.; Rossi, M.; Cannio, R.; Lebbink, J.; Oost, van der J.; Vos, de W.M.; Santos, H.

1997-01-01

2-O-(beta)-Mannosylglycerate, a solute that accumulates in some (hyper)thermophilic organisms, was purified from Pyrococcus furiosus cells, and its effect on enzyme stabilization in vitro was assessed. Enzymes from hyperthermophilic, thermophilic, and mesophilic sources were examined. The

Characterizing a thermostable Cas9 for bacterial genome editing and silencing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mougiakos, Ioannis; Mohanraju, Prarthana; Bosma, Elleke Fenna

2017-01-01

CRISPR-Cas9-based genome engineering tools have revolutionized fundamental research and biotechnological exploitation of both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. However, the mesophilic nature of the established Cas9 systems does not allow for applications that require enhanced stability, including...

Complete genome sequence of the photoautotrophic and bacteriochlorophyll e-synthesizing green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum limnaeum DSM 1677T

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tank, Marcus; Liu, Zhenfeng; Frigaard, Niels-Ulrik

2017-01-01

Chlorobaculum limnaeum DSM 1677T is a mesophilic, brown-colored, chlorophototrophic green sulfur bacterium that produces bacteriochlorophyll e and the carotenoid isorenieratene as major pigments. This bacterium serves as a model organism in molecular research on photosynthesis, sulfur metabolism...

ADP-dependent Phosphofructokinases in Mesophilic and Thermophilic Methanogenic Archaea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhees, C.H.; Tuininga, J.E.; Kengen, S.W.M.; Stams, A.J.M.; Oost, van der J.; Vos, de W.M.

2001-01-01

Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is a key enzyme of the glycolytic pathway in all domains of life. Two related PFKs, ATP-dependent and PPi-dependent PFK, have been distinguished in bacteria and eucarya, as well as in some archaea. Hyperthermophilic archaea of the order Thermococcales, including Pyrococcus

Whole-Genome Sequences of Two Borrelia afzelii and Two Borrelia garinii Lyme Disease Agent Isolates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Casjens, S.R.; Dunn, J.; Mongodin, E. F.; Qiu, W.-G.; Luft, B. J.; Fraser-Liggett, C. M.; Schutzer, S. E.

2011-12-01

Human Lyme disease is commonly caused by several species of spirochetes in the Borrelia genus. In Eurasia these species are largely Borrelia afzelii, B. garinii, B. burgdorferi, and B. bavariensis sp. nov. Whole-genome sequencing is an excellent tool for investigating and understanding the influence of bacterial diversity on the pathogenesis and etiology of Lyme disease. We report here the whole-genome sequences of four isolates from two of the Borrelia species that cause human Lyme disease, B. afzelii isolates ACA-1 and PKo and B. garinii isolates PBr and Far04.

Severe Leptospirosis with Multiple Organ Failure Successfully Treated by Plasma Exchange and High-Volume Hemofiltration

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Vincent Bourquin

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Leptospirosis is a spirochetal zoonosis with complex clinical features including renal and liver failure. Case report. We report the case of a Swiss fisherman presenting with leptospirosis. After initial improvement, refractory septic shock and severe liver and kidney failure developed. The expected mortality was estimated at 90% with clinical scores. The patient underwent plasma exchanges and high-volume hemofiltration (HVHF with complete recovery of hepatic and kidney functions. Discussion. Plasma exchanges and HVHF may confer survival benefit on patients with severe leptospirosis, refractory septic shock, and multiple-organ failure.