Microbiology Research最新文献

{"title":"Xylella fastidiosa: A Glimpse of the Portuguese Situation","authors":"Talita Loureiro, Maria Manuel Mesquita, Maria de Lurdes Enes Dapkevicius, Luís Serra, Ângela Martins, Isabel Cortez, Patrícia Poeta","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040108","url":null,"abstract":"Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is classified as a quarantine pest due to its consequences on economically significant crops. Its main form of transmission in Europe is through the insect Philaenus spumarius. Due to climate change, the populations of insect vectors have become more extensive, resulting in the dissemination of the bacteria over longer periods, but the destruction of these insects raises issues due to their role in nature. Upon infection, Xf causes the occlusion of xylem vessels via bacterial aggregates and tylosis production by the plant as a response to infection. Although symptomatic manifestations of Xf are often linked to water stress, a variety of plant species have been found to carry the pathogen without symptoms, making it all too easy to evade detection when relying on visual inspections. Beyond water stress, other conditions (individual plant resistance/tolerance, bacterial concentrations, transpiration rates, and interactions between subspecies) may be implicated in symptom development. A thorough understanding of how this disease develops, especially its capacity to spread from the initial focus and establish a systemic infection, is imperative. This review focuses on the Xf infection process, the development of symptoms, its spread within Portugal, and the actions that have been taken to counter it.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135590561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Report of the First Case of Candida auris Identified in Jordan","authors":"Jamal Wadi Al-Ramahi, Rola Ali Ghanem, Omar Helmy Sayyouh, Dima Al-Jammal, Mayar M. Said, Salwa Nasrat, Mona El-Shokry, Mahmoud Gazo, Tamer Saied Osman","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040107","url":null,"abstract":"Candida auris (C. auris) is an opportunistic budding yeast that has been identified across 41 countries, including several countries in the Middle East. The increasing global concern stems from the pathogen’s acquired resistance to antifungal drugs and its ability to form biofilms, which allows it to survive on hospital surfaces and medical devices for up to 14 days, compromising infection prevention measures in hospitals. In this report, we present the first (reported) case of C. auris isolated from a urine sample from a 48-year-old female living in Jordan. The patient succumbed to illness five days following admission to hospital. The isolate was identified retrospectively through the national surveillance system in Jordan and was confirmed by real-time PCR. Antifungal susceptibility was carried out using the microbroth dilution technique and the isolate was found to be susceptible to all tested antifungal drugs. Overall, the report emphasizes the need for active surveillance for the rapid identification of high-risk patients colonized with C. auris. It also stresses the importance of understanding the inter-clade difference in the susceptibility pattern of C. auris to facilitate the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135696427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of a Real-Time PCR Method for the Detection of European and Siberian Subtypes of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus","authors":"Benedikte N. Pedersen, Andrew Jenkins, Katrine M. Paulsen, Coraline Basset, Åshild K. Andreassen","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040106","url":null,"abstract":"The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is transmitted to humans through tick bites. In recent years, the appearance of the Siberian subtype of TBEV in Ixodes ricinus in Finland, together with deaths from the normally mild European subtype in the same country, have raised concerns about a possible spread of virulent variants of TBEV in Western Europe. Thus, there is a need to monitor the spread of strains, particularly of the European and Siberian subtypes. In this study, we develop a new real-time PCR method targeting Siberian and European subtypes of TBEV. The primers amplify a 176 bp fragment of the E gene, which is suitable for subsequent strain identification by Sanger sequencing. This study pioneers a new approach to primer design where the melting temperature (Tm) of primers annealed to representative mismatched target sequences is empirically determined and used to guide improvements in primer sequence. This allowed the range of TBEV strains detected to be extended to cover most European and Siberian strains tested, in addition to a strain of the Far-Eastern subtype. The limit of detection was 10–100 DNA copies per reaction and amplification efficiency varied between 83% and 94%, depending on the TBEV strain. Experimental determination of primer Tm proved to be a fruitful approach and will be a useful tool for future primer design and diagnostics.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135292721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antiproliferative Activity of Mycelium vs. Fruiting Body: Ganoderma subincrustatum and G. weberianum from Sonora, Mexico","authors":"Damian López-Peña, Heriberto Torres-Moreno, Max Vidal-Gutiérrez, Ramón Enrique Robles-Zepeda, Aldo Gutiérrez, Martín Esqueda","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040105","url":null,"abstract":"The genus Ganoderma has been little studied in arid areas worldwide. Ganoderma subincrustatum and Ganoderma weberianum strains were obtained from the Sonoran Desert, Sonora, Mexico. Ganoderma spp. synthesize triterpenoids such as ganoderic acids with antiproliferative activity because they inhibit specific targets, induce apoptosis, and increase the activity of killer cells. Mycelium and fruiting body chloroform extracts from G. subincrustatum and G. weberianum were tested on HeLa, A549, L-929, and RAW 264.7 cell lines. Extracts from the fruiting body present higher antiproliferative activity than mycelium. All extracts induced vesicle and cellular debris formation in all cell lines, being non-selective for cancerous cells. Chloroform extract from G. subincrustatum fruiting bodies presented higher activity against all cell lines. Fractions F7 and F15 from this extract exhibited an IC50 of 37.9 and 41.9 µg/mL on the A549 cell line, respectively; however, chloroform crude extract showed higher activity (IC50 of <25 µg/mL) in all cell lines. Flow cytometry assays of F7 revealed cell death by apoptosis in A549 cells. NMR suggested the presence of ganoderic acids in F7. In future research, it will be interesting to characterize these fractions (metabolites, their bioactivities, and mechanism of action).","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135387043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Uncovering a Rarely Diagnosed Disease: Severe Leptospirosis with Multiorgan Failure in Slovakia","authors":"Ondrej Zahornacky, Štefan Porubčin, Alena Rovňáková, Ján Fedačko, Pavol Jarčuška","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040104","url":null,"abstract":"Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria from the genus Leptospira. The infection occurs mainly in developing countries in the tropical zone and countries with lower hygiene standards. The highest incidence is observed especially in environments associated with the presence of rodents, mainly rats, which are a potential source of infection. The clinical manifestations and severity of leptospirosis are highly variable. This case report describes the a 53-year-old patient (male) without comorbidities, who was admitted to an infectious disease department in the east of Slovakia for jaundice, general fatigue, weakness, and fever (health difficulties for approximately 7 days at home). The clinical laboratory picture of the patient was dominated by significant hyperbilirubinemia, acute renal failure, hepatopathy, severe thrombocytopenia, and involvement of the lung parenchyma in the sense of bilateral interstitial pneumonia on chest X-ray. A double combination of antibiotics (ceftriaxone and clarithromycin) were added to the treatment. During hospitalization, a diagnosis of leptospirosis was suspected based on medical history and the results of laboratory tests and was subsequently confirmed serologically. The antibiotic regimen was de-escalated to cephalosporin (ceftriaxone) monotherapy with adequate laboratory and clinical effects (on the 4th day). The patient was discharged after a total of 18 days in good clinical condition.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"95 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135580006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of Biocontrol Potential of Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas fluorescens UM270 against Postharvest Fungal Pathogens","authors":"Luzmaria R. Morales-Cedeño, Ignacio A. Barajas-Barrera, Fannie I. Parra-Cota, Valeria Valenzuela-Ruiz, Sergio de los Santos-Villalobos, Pedro D. Loeza-Lara, Alejandra Herrera-Pérez, Ma. del Carmen Orozco-Mosqueda, Gustavo Santoyo","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040103","url":null,"abstract":"Fungal pathogens are the main causal agents of postharvest diseases of fruits and vegetables. To prevent this problem and avoid the use of harmful chemical fungicides, safer and greener alternatives have been sought. One of these alternatives is the use of plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). In this study, we evaluated in vitro four well-known PGPB strains (Pseudomonas fluorescens UM270, Bacillus toyonensis COPE52, Bacillus sp. E25, and Bacillus thuringiensis CR71) for their biocontrol potential against nineteen postharvest fungal pathogens. In vivo assays were also performed, and bacterial cells were inoculated on harvested strawberries and grapes with the pathogens Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria alternata, and Fusarium brachygibbosum to evaluate loss of firmness and disease incidence. Our results show that the four strains antagonized fungi in direct and indirect confrontation assays. Stronger antagonism was observed by the action of diffusible metabolites (DMs) compared to volatile organic compound (VOC) activity. All PGPB significantly improved the fruit firmness and reduced disease incidence caused by the fungal pathogens tested. However, strain UM270 showed excellent biocontrol activity, reducing the disease incidence of Fusarium brachygibbosum, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria alternata on strawberry fruits by 60%, 55%, and 65%, respectively. Diffusible antifungals and VOCs such as 2,4-diacetyl phloroglucinol, siderophores, auxins, fengycins, and N, N-dimethyl-hexadecyl amine, among others, might be responsible for the beneficial activities observed. These results suggest excellent biocontrol activities to inhibit postharvest pathogenic fungi and improve harvested fruit quality.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"61 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135580007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biocide Syntheses Bee Venom-Conjugated ZnO@αFe2O3 Nanoflowers as an Advanced Platform Targeting Multidrug-Resistant Fecal Coliform Bacteria Biofilm Isolated from Treated Wastewater","authors":"Mohamed Sharaf, Eman Jassim Mohammed, Eman M. Farahat, Amani A. Alrehaili, Abdulsalam Alkhudhayri, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, Abdullah A. Zahra, Shadi A. Zakai, Amr Elkelish, Maha AlHarbi, Mai Farag Saad","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040102","url":null,"abstract":"This study targeted developing a novel Zinc oxide with alpha hematite nanoflowers (NFs)-loaded bee venom (Bv) (Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs) as a bio-natural product from bees to combine both the advantages of combination magnetic properties and the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties on isolated coliform bacteria from the effluent of wastewater treatment plants. About 24 isolates of treated wastewater isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR). The phylogenetic grouping of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumonia) showed that the largest group was Group A, followed by Group B2 and Group B1. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), The X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM− EDX) validated the coating operation’s contact with Bv onto ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs. According to high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), pattern analyses for prepared nanoformulations exhibited a spherical shape of αFe2O3 (~9–15 nm), and floral needle shapes with uniform distribution of size with aggregation of ZnOαFe2O3 and Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs around (~100–200 nm). The toxicity of Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs was comparable up to 125 µg mL−1, when it reached 64.79% (IC50, 107.18 µg mL−1). The antibacterial activity showed different zones of inhibition against different isolates. The biofilm inhibitory activity of NPs and NFs showed a highly significant reduction (p < 0.001) in treated biofilms with ZnO@αFe2O3 and Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3. In essence, ZnO@αFe2O3 and Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs are promising antimicrobials for inhibiting the growth and biofilm of MDR E. coli and K. pneumonia isolates, thereby, biocontrol of wastewater.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135580008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Glutathione Concentration in Dunaliella salina: A Growth-Phase-Dependent Study","authors":"Midori Kurahashi, Angelica Naka, Kazuhiko Enokida, Yasuhiko Morita","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040101","url":null,"abstract":"The microalga Dunaliella salina can produce antioxidants such as glutathione, which is an essential and powerful regulator of major cell functions. Changes in the glutathione concentration occur due to a microalga’s response to oxidative stress, which usually occurs when cells are exposed to environmental stressors or reach senescence. This study represents one of the few examples where changes in the glutathione concentration were tracked over the entire growth cycle of an alga. We found significant differences in the glutathione concentration depending on the growth stage. During the early lag growth phase, D. salina had relatively low levels of glutathione (190–280 µmol/1012 cell), which gradually increased as it entered the log phase (280–500 µmol/1012 cell) but then decreased as it entered the stationary phase (320–370 µmol/1012 cell). We also observed that the ratio between the reduced form of glutathione (GSH) and the oxidized form (GSSG) decreased with time, probably as a result of senescence or a lack of nutrients.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135863459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Isolation and Characterization of Fungal Endophytes from Petiveria alliacea and Their Antimicrobial Activities in South Florida","authors":"Ganesh Khadka, Thirunavukkarasu Annamalai, Kateel G. Shetty, Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh, Krish Jayachandran","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14030100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14030100","url":null,"abstract":"Microorganisms associated with medicinal plants are of great interest as they are the producers of important bioactive compounds effective against common and drug-resistant pathogens. The characterization and biodiversity of fungal endophytes of the Petiveria alliacea plant and their antimicrobial production potential are of great interest as they are known for their antimicrobial and anticancer properties. In this study, we investigated the endophytic fungal microbiome associated with P. alliacea, and the endophytic fungal isolates were classified into 30 morphotypes based on their cultural and morphological characteristics. Ethyl acetate extract of fungal endophytes was obtained by liquid–liquid partitioning of culture broth followed by evaporation. The crude extract dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide was screened for antimicrobial activity against three bacterial strains (Escherichia coli ATTC 25902, Staphylococcus aureus ATTC 14775, Bacillus subtilis NRRL 5109) and two fungal strains (Candida albicans ATTC 10231 and Aspergillus fumigatus NRRL 5109). Among the crude extracts from endophytes isolated from leaves, 65% of them showed antimicrobial activity against the bacteria tested. Similarly, 71 and 88% of the fungal crude extracts from endophytes isolated from root and stem, respectively, showed inhibitory activities against at least one of the bacterial strains tested. Crude extracts (at a concentration of 10 mg/mL) from ten of the fungal isolates have shown a zone of inhibition of more than 12 mm against both Gram-positive and negative bacteria tested. Sequenced data from isolates showing strong inhibitory activity revealed that Fusarium solani, F. proliferatum, and Fusarium oxysporium are the major endophytes responsible for bioactive potential. These results indicate that Petiveria alliacea harbors fungal endophytes capable of producing antimicrobial metabolites. Future studies need to focus on testing against drug-resistant bacteria (ESKAPE group) and other pathogenic bacteria and fungi.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135107475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Different Types of Metallophores Produced by Salmonella enterica: A Review","authors":"Yehya Mohsen, Nathalie Tarchichi, Rana Barakat, Inas Kawtharani, Rayane Ghandour, Zeinab Ezzeddine, Ghassan Ghssein","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14030099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14030099","url":null,"abstract":"Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium are the main causes of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. This Gram-negative rods bacterium possesses several virulence factors that enable it to survive the host’s nutritional immunity. Toxins and metallophores are among these factors. Heavy metals, in particular, are essential for the survival of all living organisms including bacteria. During infection, S. enterica competes with the host for the available heavy metals by secreting metallophores, which are secondary metabolites. Once produced in the extracellular medium, metallophores complex heavy metals thus allowing Salmonella to acquire metal ions through importing them via channels embedded in their membranes. This review highlights the biosynthesis, export, import, and genetic regulation of different metallophores synthesized by this germ.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"101 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135107283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}