MicrobiologyOpen

The study describes the analysis of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) abundance and the overall bacterial diversity of cattle farm soils that have been treated with animal manure compost. Our results showed that ARB abundance was greatest in fresh manure and significantly lower in composted manure. However, the application of composted manure on paddock soil led to a significant increase in soil ARB abundance. The paper discusses this apparent conflict and raises hypotheses for future studies to explain it.

Filamentous fungi capable of degrading patulin were isolated. Acremonium sp. TUS-MM1 transforms patulin into less-toxic molecules by secreting a highly reactive compound. In addition, once patulin enters the cells, strain TUS-MM1 can transform it into desoxypatulinic acid to reduce its toxicity.

In this study, a novel chitinolytic Jeongeupia species “wiesaeckerbachi” was isolated from soil samples, characterized biochemically, and sequenced with the long-read platform PacBio Sequel IIe. In silico analysis unraveled genomic differences to the closest related type strain Jeongeupia naejangsanensis TAS4-2 in addition to an usually extensive chitinolytic machinery.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen frequently associated with antibiotic resistance and present in a wide range of environments. In this study, five antibiotic-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates recovered from bivalves, of which four also carried heavy metal resistance genes, were selected for complete genome sequencing. This study shows the co-occurrence of antibiotic- and heavy metal resistance genes on a transferable IncFIB plasmid from K. pneumoniae from marine bivalves and further highlights the importance of the marine environment and seafood as a possible dissemination route for antimicrobial resistance.

In this study, we report the identification of phage-displayed scFv-antibodies able to recognize the staphylococcal superantigen-like proteins SS1, SSL5, and SSL10. All three SSLs bind to and inhibit host immune components and contribute to Staphylococcus aureus immune evasion. We were able to show in vitro that one scFv was able to inhibit SSL1 and maintain matrix metallopeptidase (MMP9) activity in a concentration-dependent manner.

Biocorrosion and microbial mineral transformation can affect the safety of deep geological repositories for high-level nuclear waste storage. We analyzed the composition and evaluated the importance of mineral-associated microbial communities in Opalinus Clay for safety purposes. Rock-attached communities were dominated by phyla capable of corrosive biofilm formation. Based on the abundance of potential iron-reducing bacteria and available electron acceptors, iron reduction appeared to be the most important process. Site-specific mineralogy and geochemistry have selected for subcommunities and specific metabolic functions.

High salinity affects the morphology and viability of colonial strains of the cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa producing different amounts of mucilage. We demonstrate that the collective organization of colonies embedded in an extracellular polymeric substance improves their ability to cope with osmotic shock when compared to unicellular strains. These results suggest Microcystis survival and a potential proliferation in mesohaline estuaries after transfer from freshwater.

The simultaneous extraction of intracellular DNA (iDNA) and extracellular DNA (eDNA) can be improved by using a highly concentrated sodium phosphate buffer with a detergent mix or EDTA. This improved protocol allows for higher recovery of iDNA from various environmental samples, including low-biomass iron-bearing rock samples, while buffers based solely on sodium phosphate are recommended for studies focusing on eDNA. These modifications may contribute to a more accurate characterization of modern and past ecosystems in environmental studies

The complete genomes of four Halobacterium salinarum strains were compared in detail. Two strains (91-R6^T and 63-R2) were isolated in 1934 by Lochhead from cow and buffalo hides. From the results of these comparisons, we conclude that strain 63-R2 is the immediate ancestor of the two, widely used laboratory strains NRC-1 and R1.

The processes that govern how environmental microbes assemble across the tissues within mosquitoes remain poorly resolved. We use ecological network analyses to examine how environmental bacteria assemble to form bacteriomes among Aedes albopictus host tissues. Broadly, these data demonstrate that mosquito tissue microbiomes are nested within environmental sources, and form specialized modules based on tissue type.

Here we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize and compare the bacterial communities of hatched and unhatched eggshells from loggerhead and green sea turtles to those in the cloaca of nesting sea turtles and sand within and surrounding the nests. Significant differences were identified between hatched and unhatched egg microbiota with the differences associated predominately with Pseudomonas spp., found in higher abundances in unhatched eggs than hatched eggs. Microbiota similarities indicate that the nest sand environment played a larger role than the nesting mother's cloaca in influencing egg microbiota. However, additional unknown sources may contribute to pathogenic bacteria introduction into unhatched eggs.

Molecular mechanisms of regulation by a beta-alanine-responsive Lrp-type transcription factor from Acidianus hospitalis.

The aim of the study was to develop a multiplex PCR for identification of Glaesserella parasuis and its virulence marker vtaA distinguishing between highly virulent and non-virulent strains. Furthermore, Mycoplasma hyorhinis and Mycoplasma hyosynoviae can be identified targeting 16S rRNA. The developed multiplex PCR provides a simple one-tube assay, which can be performed rapidly and cost-efficiently allowing an efficient throughput of samples in veterinary diagnostic laboratories.

We conducted an investigation of microbiome impacts during spatial competition among coral reef sponges. Microbiome diversity and composition in zones of direct contact were indistinguishable from no-contact zones and control sponges. These findings indicate that allelopathic interactions and competitive outcomes in sponges are not mediated by microbiome damage or destabilization.

In this article, the tolerance of Anabaena sp. to lindane was studied as well as the expression of its potential lin genes. Our goal was to obtain information to create strategies for lindane bioremediation and also to find the induction of genes in the presence of lindane that can be used in the development of whole-cell biosensors.

This study revealed additional genomic and taxonomic diversity of tumorigenic agrobacteria. Tumorigenic strains isolated from rhododendron represent a novel species of the genus Rhizobium for which the name Rhizobium rhododendri sp. nov. is proposed. Both species of the “tumorigenes” clade (R. rhododendri and R. tumorigenes), contain multipartite genomes. Synteny and phylogenetic analyses indicated that a large putative chromid of R. rhododendri resulted from the cointegration of an ancestral megaplasmid and two putative chromids, following its divergence from R. tumorigenes.

In this study, we found that hooded vulture has a high prevalence of ESBL-producing bacteria. Based on these data, hooded vultures as top predators may function as a bioindicator for the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). Furthermore, this study highlights how vultures are exposed to anthropogenic impact, not only posing a threat to the birds but also serving as vectors for further dissemination of ARB in the environment and transmission to humans.

Biofilms exposed to biological and synthetic surfactants may experience an increased prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes. Of the nine total classes tested, eight were present in biofilm exposed to a biological surfactant, five were present after exposure to a synthetic surfactant, and four were present in our control.