No description available.

Yes / Highly branched poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (HB-PNIPAM), functionalized with vancomycin at the chain ends, acted as a bacterial adhesive and was incorporated into polyurethane foams to form semi-interpenetrating networks. The poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) was labelled with a solvatochromic dye, Nile red. It was found that the thermal response of the polymer was dependent on architecture and temperature dependent color changes were observed within the foam. The foams had open pore structures and the presence of the HB-PNIPAM substantially reduced the shrinkage of the foam as the temperature was increased upto 20 °C. The foams were selectively adhesive for Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacteria) compared to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-negative bacteria) and the presence of S. aureus was indicated by increased fluorescence intensity (590 to 800 nm).

No description available.

MSc (Microbiology) / Department of Microbiology / See the attached abstract below

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-144).

Orientadores: Arnaldo Yoshiteru Kuaye, Izildinha Moreno / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-08T11:59:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Nascimento_MaristeladaSilvado_D.pdf: 987996 bytes, checksum: b40b83ce1cfdfd6fe5e6d3a67301de6d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: A biopreservação é uma técnica utilizada para estender a vida útil e aumentar a segurança dos alimentos por meio do emprego de microbiota protetora e/ou seus peptídeos antimicrobianos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a atividade antimicrobiana de culturas produtoras de bacteriocinas sobre alguns patógenos Gram-positivos de ocorrência comum em produtos lácteos. As culturas bacteriocinogênicas Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis ATCC 11454, Lactobacillus plantarum ALC 01 e Enterococcus faecium FAIR-E 198 apresentaram comportamento distinto em relação à produção de bacteriocinas quando inoculadas em caldo MRS e em leite desnatado reconstituído (LDR) a 10%. Na avaliação do espectro de ação antimicrobiano pelo método de difusão em ágar por inoculação em poços, as bacteriocinas produzidas por Lb. plantarum ALC 01 e E. faecium FAIR-E 198 apresentaram atividade inibitória apenas sobre as linhagens de Listeria monocytogenes, já a nisina produzida por Lc. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454 demonstrou espectro de ação mais amplo, porém com menor atividade que as demais culturas bacteriocinogênicas. Na avaliação da compatibilidade de desenvolvimento associativo com fermentos lácticos comerciais, somente Lc. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454 apresentou atividade (halo de 6mm) sobre as linhagens constituintes de ambos os fermentos lácticos avaliados. A determinação da atividade acidificante foi realizada em LDR 10% após 8 e 24h de incubação a 35ºC; a adição de 0,1% e de 0,5% das culturas bacteriocinogênicas não afetou significativamente a capacidade de acidificação dos fermentos lácticos. Além disso, observou-se que o desenvolvimento associativo dos fermentos lácticos com Lb. Plantarum ALC 01 e E. faecium FAIR-E 198, em ambas as concentrações, proporcionou significativo aumento da atividade das bacteriocinas destas culturas, enquanto que a atividade da nisina de Lc. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454 foi suprimida. A atividade de aminopeptidases foi determinada após desenvolvimento das culturas lácticas em caldo MRS, Lb. Plantarum ALC 01 apresentou as maiores atividades. Também foi analisado o comportamento de patógenos Gram-positivos durante desenvolvimento associativo com as culturas produtoras de bacteriocinas e fermento láctico em LDR 10% a 35ºC por 48h. Lb. plantarum ALC 01 e E. faecium FAIR-E 198 não influenciaram significativamente o desenvolvimento de Bacillus cereus K1-B041 e de Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 27154 durante as primeiras 24h de incubação a 35ºC, contudo apresentaram forte ação inibitória sobre L monocytogenes Scott A. Já Lc. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454 afetou o desenvolvimento de todos os patógenos apenas durante as primeiras 12h de incubação. O fermento láctico demonstrou significativa ação inibitória sobre B. cereus K1-B041 (>7,37 log UFC/ml) e L monocytogenes Scott A (>6,26 log UFC/ml). Em queijo Minas Frescal, não foi observada diferença significativa entre a ação das culturas bacteriocinogênicas e o fermento láctico sobre L. monocytogenes Scott A e S. aureus ATCC 27154. B. cereus K1-B041 demonstrou susceptibilidade a Lb. plantarum ALC 01 e E. faecium FAIR-E 198 após 7 dias. Pelo método de diluição crítica não foi detectada atividade de bacteriocina nos queijos durante os 21 dias de estocagem a 8 ± 1ºC. A adição das culturas produtoras de bacteriocinas como adjuntas ao queijo Minas Frescal não promoveu alteração no pH e na acidez, contudo Lb. plantarum ALC 01 e E. faecium FAIR-E 198 promoveram aumento da proteólise primária e secundária. Embora os resultados obtidos demonstrem que as culturas bacteriocinogênicas avaliadas não possam ser empregadas como único método de conservação, estas podem atuar em sinergia com outros fatores para aumentar a eficiência no controle de patógenos Gram-positivos, especialmente L. monocytogenes, em produtos lácteos fermentados / Abstract: The biopreservation system, such as bacteriocinogenic lactic bacteria cultures and/or their bacteriocins, have received increasing attention and new approaches to control pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms have been developed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the action of bacteriocin-producing cultures (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454, Lactobacillus plantarum ALC 01 and Enterococcus faecium FAIR-E 198) on some Gram-positive pathogens in different culture media and dairy products. The bacteriocin production was influenced by the media. The antimicrobial activity of these cultures was evaluated by agar-well diffusion assay. The bacteriocins produced by Lb. plantarum ALC 01 and E. faecium FAIR-E 198 presented inhibitory activity on Listeria monocytogenes alone, on the other hand, the nisin produced by Lc. lactis subsp. Lactis ATCC 11454 demonstrated wide action spectrum, albeit with lower activity. In compatibility of associative development evaluation with the commercial starter culture, only Lc. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454 presented activity on the starter culture. The acidifier activity determination was carried out in skimmed milk after 8h and 24h of incubation at 35ºC. The addition of 0.1% and 0.5% of the bacteriocinogenic cultures did not affect the production of lactic acid by the starter culture. The associative development of the starter culture with Lb. plantarum ALC 01 and E. faecium FAIR-E 198 provided significant increase in bacteriocin activity of these cultures, while the activity of Lc. Lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454 nisin was suppressed. The aminopeptidase activity was determined after cellular lise of the lactic cultures previously grown in MRS broth. Lb plantarum ALC 01 presented the largest activity. Moreover, the behavior of Gram-positive pathogens was analyzed during co-culture with the bacteriocin-producing bacteria and with the starter culture in skimmed milk. Lb. plantarum ALC 01 and E. faecium FAIR-E 198 did not influence the development of Bacillus cereus K1-B041 and of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 27154 during the first 24h of incubation at 35ºC. They presented strong inhibition on L. monocytogenes Scott A. Lc. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454 affected the development of the pathogens studied during the first 12h of incubation. The starter culture demonstrated good inhibition of B. cereus K1-B041 (>7.37 log UFC/ml) and L monocytogenes Scott A (>6.26 log UFC/ml). In Minas Frescal cheese, significant difference was not observed between the action of the bacteriocinogenic cultures and the starter culture on L. monocytogenes Scott A and S. aureus ATCC 27154. B. cereus K1- B041 demonstrated susceptibility to Lb. plantarum ALC 01 and E. faecium FAIR-E 198 after 7 days. Bacteriocin activity was not detected in the cheeses during 21 days at 8 ± 1ºC. The addition of the bacteriocin-producing bacteria as an adjunct culture to the Minas Frescal cheese did not promote alteration in the pH and in the acidity, however Lb. plantarum ALC 01 and E. faecium FAIR-E 198 promoted an increase of the cheese proteolysis. Although the obtained results demonstrated that bacteriocinogenic cultures cannot be used as only method of conservation, these can be used as an additional barrier to optimize the control of Gram-positive pathogens, especially L. monocytogenes, in dairy products / Doutorado / Doutor em Tecnologia de Alimentos

L’hème est une molécule essentielle à de nombreuses fonctions bactériennes. Cependant, cette molécule génère des radicaux libres qui lui confèrent des propriétés toxiques. Nous avons caractérisé les mécanismes de l’homéostasie de l’hème impliquant le transporteur d’efflux HrtBA. Chez L. lactis nous avons démontré que HrtBA empêche l’accumulation membranaire et intracellulaire d’hème exogène par un mécanisme ménaquinone dépendant. HrtBA est aussi présent chez de nombreux pathogènes. Chez S. agalactiae, la transcription de HrtBA est régulée par un système à deux composants HssRS. Le senseur HssS reconnait l’hème exogène internalisé. Pour élucider le rôle de l’hème de l’hôte dans la virulence de S. agalactiae, un modèle d’infection systémique chez la souris utilisant la luminescence (lux) et l’imagerie in vivo (IVIS) a été mis en place. Le suivi de la luminescence de bactéries hypersensibles à l’hème (ΔhrtBA) montre que l’hème de l’hôte est toxique et que la capacité de S. agalactiae à assurer son homéostasie est déterminante pour ’linfection. De manière similaire, en montrant que le métabolisme respiratoire est indispensable pour l’infection (ΔcydA), S. agalactiae dépend donc de sa capacité à acquérir l’hème de l’hôte pour être infectieuse. En utilisant le promoteur de HrtBA couplé à l’opéron lux, nous avons étudié la capacité de S. agalactiae à détecter et acquérir l’hème in vivo au cours de l’infection. Nos résultats montrent que l’hème de l’hôte est particulièrement biodisponible dans le foie. Au contraire dans le cerveau, l’hème n’est pas détecté par la bactérie. Nos résultats démontrent que l’hème de l’hôte est un paramètre important des capacités d’adaptation de S. agalactiae à son hôte lors de l’infection. Bloquer HrtBA ou le senseur d’hème HssS pourrait constituer une cible pour la recherche antibiotique chez S. agalactiae ou d’autres pathogènes. Enfin, nous avons démontré chez E. faecalis que l’expression de HrtBA est aussi dépendante d’un système à deux composants. Nous avons utilisé la même stratégie que pour S. agalactiae pour créer un senseur d’hème spécifique qui a permis de démontrer pour la première fois que E. faecalis rencontre et utilise l’hème du tractus digestif. / Heme is a redox-reactive molecule with essential function in bacterial metabolism. However, this molecule generates reactive oxygen species responsible for its toxicity. We characterized the mechanism of heme homeostasis involving the efflux transporter HrtBA. In L. lactis, we demonstrated that HrtBA prevents from membrane and intracellular accumulation of internalized exogenous heme thanks to a menaquinone dependent mechanism. HrtBA is also present in several pathogens. In S. agalactiae, the transcription of HrtBA is regulated by a two-component system HssRS. The HssS sensor recognizes internalized exogenous heme. To clarify the role of heme of the host in the virulence of S. agalactiae, a systemic infection model in mice using luminescence (lux) and in vivo imaging (IVIS) has been set up. The monitoring of luminescence generated by heme hypersensitive (ΔhrtBA) bacteria shows that heme of host is toxic and that the capability of S. agalactiae to control heme homeostasis is crucial for infection. In the same way, by demonstrating that respiratory metabolism is crucial for infection (ΔcydA), we demonstrated that S. agalactiae depends on its capacity to acquire the heme of the host to become infectious. By using the HrtBA promoter coupled with lux operon, we studied the capacity of S. agalactiae to detect and to acquire heme in vivo during the infection. Our results show that host heme is especially biodisponible in the liver. On the contrary, heme is not detected by bacteria in the brain. Our results prove that heme of the host is an important parameter for the adaptation of S. agalactiae to its host during infection. Blocking HrtBA or heme sensor HssS could so be a target for antibiotic research against S. agalactiae and other pathogens. Finally, we show in E. faecalis that HrtBA expression also depends on a two-component system. We used the same strategy as in S. agalactiae to create a specific heme sensor that allowed us to demonstrate for the first time that E. faecalis meets and uses heme in the digestive tract.

Antibiotic resistance in multidrug resistant bacteria cause high mortality rates worldwide, where there has been over 1,000,000 deaths reported as of the year 2019. Antibiotics were thought to be the cure for fighting infectious diseases and preventing further spreading of infection. This became a major problem due to bacteria evolving and developing mechanisms for resistance. The purpose of this review was to see if there are differences in the resistance mechanism of gram negative and gram positive bacteria, focusing mainly on the six most common multidrug resistant pathogenic bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecium, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The results show that there is a difference in the resistance mechanism between gram positive and gram negative multidrug resistant bacteria. The difference in resistant mechanisms is due to the cell wall compositions of gram negative and gram positive bacteria. The main difference as to why the gram negative bacteria have more resistance is due to the outer membrane. Antibiotics have a hard time to diffuse through and into the cell, that is they can easily decrease their outer membrane permeability. Gram positive bacteria lack an outer membrane which makes them become more susceptible to antibiotics. The most common antibiotic resistance mechanisms in gram negative bacteria are outer membrane mechanisms such as lipid A and lipopolysaccharide modification as well as mutations in porin channels. On the other hand, the most common resistance mechanisms for gram positive bacteria are point mutations especially in penicillin binding proteins as well mutations in the rpoB gene. One important gram positive bacteria is Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which developed a new mechanism against antibiotics, a missense mutation and mutation on the promoter region in penicillin binding protein 4. Recently new research has come forward showing that N-chlorotaurine (NCT) inhibits resistance in both gram positive and gram negative multidrug resistant bacteria. The research on NCT is still fairly new and only time will tell if this method of inhibiting resistance will be used in the future. This review highlights the importance and concern of multidrug resistance bacteria, especially due to bacteria being able to rapidly evolve when antibiotics are used incorrectly. It is important to understand the differences in resistance between gram negative and gram positive bacteria and how resistance spreads. This knowledge can be used to develop antibiotics that treat infections. It is however still a challenge to overcome resistance in multidrug resistant bacteria due to evolutionary adaptation especially through horizontal gene transfer, where resistant bacteria can adapt to changing conditions. / Antibiotikaresistens hos multiresistenta gramnegativa och grampositiva bakterier orsakar hög dödlighet över hela världen, där det har rapporterats över 1,000,000 dödsfall för år 2019. Antibiotika ansågs vara botemedlet för att bekämpa infektionssjukdomar och förhindra ytterligare spridning av infektioner. Detta blev ett stort problem på grund av att bakterier utvecklades mekanismer för resistens, vilket gör att de kan överleva när de behandlas med antibiotika. Syftet med denna studien är att se om det finns skillnader i resistensmekanismener för gramnegativa och grampositiva bakterier, med fokus på de sex vanligaste multiresistenta bakterierna; Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecium, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae och Streptococcus pneumoniae. Resultaten visar att det finns en skillnad i resistensmekanismen mellan grampositiva och gramnegativa multiresistenta bakterier. Skillnaden i resistenta mekanismer beror på cellväggssammansättningen av gramnegativa och grampositiva bakterier. Den största skillnaden till varför de gramnegativa bakterierna har mer resistens beror på det yttre membranet. Antibiotika har svårt att penetrera genom och in i cellen genom att minska deras yttre membranpermeabilitet. Grampositiva bakterier saknar ett yttre membran som gör att de blir mer mottagliga för antibiotika. De vanligaste antibiotikaresistensmekanismerna hos gramnegativa bakterier är yttre membranmekanismer som lipid A och lipopolysackaridmodifiering samt mutationer i porinkanaler. De vanligaste resistensmekanismerna för grampositiva bakterier är punktmutationer, särskilt i penicillinbindande proteiner samt mutationer i rpoB genen. En viktig grampositiv bakterie är Meticillin-resistent Staphylococcus aureus, som utvecklade en ny mekanism mot antibiotika, en missense-mutation och mutation på promotorregionen i penicillinbindande protein 4. Nyligen har ny forskning kommit fram som visar att N-klorotaurin (NCT) hämmar resistens i både grampositiva och gramnegativa multiresistenta bakterier. Forskningen om NCT är fortfarande ny och bara tiden kommer att utvisa om denna metod för att hämma resistens kommer att användas i framtiden. Den här studien belyser vikten och oron för multidresistena bakterier, särskilt på grund av att bakterier snabbt kan utveckla antibiotikaresistens när antibiotika används på fel sätt. Det är viktigt att förstå skillnaderna i resistens mellan gramnegativa och grampositiva bakterier och hur resistens sprids inom resistenta bakterier. Denna kunskap kan användas för att utveckla antibiotika som behandlar infektioner orsakade av både gramnegativa och grampositiva bakterier. Det är fortfarande en utmaning att övervinna resistens hos multiresistenta bakterier på grund av evolutionär anpassning särskilt genom horisontell genöverföring, där resistenta bakterier kan anpassa sig till förändrande förhållanden.

Thesis (M. Tech. Environmental health) -- Central University of technology, Free State, 2011 / Microbial pathogens play an important role in the food industry where they could cause disease and subsequently significant economic losses. Limited information is available on the situation with regard to Listeria in food products in South Africa. However, much research is being done in the rest of the world on Listeria indicating serious problems as a result of resistance development against various antimicrobial agents, including the organic acids. It is hypothesised that the situation with regard to resistance development may be more serious than generally admitted. Isolation of 200 different food samples was done by using a slightly modified EN ISO 11290-1/A1:2004 standard method. Identification of presumptive positive colonies was confirmed as Listeria by API (Analytical profile index) Listeria. API positive cultures were subjected to 16S rDNA sequencing to compare and confirm identification. Isolates and standard strains were screened for resistance to food preservatives such as organic acids and antibiotics used in the current treatment regime for Listeria infections. The organisms evaluated included isolated strains namely Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria welshimeri, Listeria innocua and their corresponding ATCC (American type culture colletion) strains. An agar dilution method as described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 11 antibiotics and 13 organic acids and salts for all the isolates. Overall antibiotic susceptibility patterns of all the isolates indicated high level susceptibility to all the antibiotics tested. Susceptibility to all the organic acids was notably reduced at pH 7 in all the isolates and control strains. Eight highly susceptible strains were selected for induction and represented each of the species isolated. These isolates were exposed to increasing concentrations of three antibiotics and three organic acids. MICs were again determined for all the induced strains for five antibiotics and three organic acids. Proteins extracted from the induced strains were separated on discontinuous SDS-PAGE slab gels to generate total protein profiles. Notable variations were observed in MICs, although induction with antibiotics as well as organic acids did not result in general resistance development. However, evidence was provided that continuous exposure to antimicrobial agents may cause Listeria spp. to develop resistance to different antimicrobial agents. Further research and in depth studies on mechanisms involved in the development of resistance to food preservatives would, therefore, be required. Finally, it is concluded that Listeria monocytogenes may be a possible threat in the Central South African food industry, which deserves more attention. The situation may actually pose a problem that is overseen, because only a small percentage of people that get sick from food, would seek medical advice.

Este estudo identificou a presença e a viabilidade de Streptococcus spp., Propionibacterium acnes e Enterococcus faecalis antes e após os procedimentos endodônticos, utilizando o método de reação de cadeia de polimerase (PCR) baseado em RNA ribossômico (rRNA) e seus respectivos genes (rDNA). Foram coletadas amostras de 20 dentes com infecção primária antes (S1) e após o preparo químico-cirúrgico (S2), e depois do emprego do Ca(OH)2 como medicação intracanal (S3). DNA e RNA foram extraídos da mesma amostra de canal radicular e utilizados como moldes para reação de PCR com iniciadores específicos para a região 16S rRNA das espécies analisadas. Streptococcus espécies foram detectados em 20% e 25% das amostras S1 utilizando os métodos baseados em rRNA e rDNA, respectivamente; enquanto P. acnes foi detectado apenas pela análise de rRNA, estando presente em 10% das amostras S1. Após o preparo químico-cirúrgico, Streptococcus spp. foram detectado em 10% das amostras S2 quando se utilizou rDNA, porém não foi detectado pelo método baseado em rRNA, indicando ausência de células viáveis. Por outro lado, P. acnes foi detectado por ambos os métodos nas amostras S2, com prevalência de 10% e 5% quando se utilizou rRNA e rDNA como molde para PCR, respectivamente. Nas amostras S3, P. acnes foi a única espécie detectada nos ensaios baseados em rRNA, presente em 10% dos casos, enquanto o método baseado em rDNA falhou em detectar essa espécie. Por sua vez, E. faecalis não foi detectado em nenhuma amostra pelos métodos utilizados. Portanto, concluise que a suscetibilidade bacteriana aos procedimentos endodônticos varia entre as espécies Gram-positivas. Enquanto Streptococcus spp. foram suscetíveis, P. acnes persistiu ativo em canais radiculares após o preparo químico-cirúrgico e medicação intracanal. Esses dados sugerem que há necessidade de novas estratégias para a eliminação de espécies resisitentes ao tratamento endodôntico. / This study identified the presence and viability of Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus faecalis and Propionibacterium acnes before and after endodontic procedures, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and their genes (rDNA ). Samples of 20 teeth with primary infection were collected before (S1) and after chemical-surgical preparation (S2), and after Ca(OH)2 as temporary dressing (S3). DNA and RNA were extracted from the same root canal sample and used as templates for PCR with specific primers for 16S rRNA region of the analyzed species. Streptococcus species were detected in 20% and 25% of the S1 samples using methods based on rRNA and rDNA, respectively; while P. acnes was only detected by analysis of rRNA, present in 10% of the samples S1. After chemicalsurgical preparation, Streptococcus spp. were detected in 10% of S2 samples when using rDNA as template, but they were not detected by the method based on rRNA, indicating the absence of viable cells. Furthermore, P. acnes was detected by both methods in samples S2, with a prevalence of 10% and 5% when using as template rRNA and rDNA for PCR, respectively. In S3 samples, P. acnes was the only species detected in assays based on rRNA, present in 10% of cases, while the rDNA-based method failed to detect this species. E. faecalis was not detected in any sample by the methods used. Therefore, it is concluded that bacterial susceptibility to endodontic procedures may vary among Gram-positive species. While Streptococcus spp. were susceptible, P. acnes persisted active in root canals after chemicalsurgical preparation and dressing. These data suggest the need for new strategies to eliminate resisitant species to endodontic treatment.