O cuidado a saúde incorpora continuamente, novas tecnologias relacionadas a produtos e processos que podem trazer riscos, especialmente, quando não possuem embasamento técnico-científico. Ampolas de plástico são amplamente utilizadas no preparo de injetáveis, no entanto, a contaminação biológica das soluções na sua abertura é ainda questionável. Sabe-se que o risco de infecção tem etiologia multifacetada envolvendo aspectos complexos da microbiota endógena e das condições ambientais. O objetivo do estudo é contribuir para com a segurança microbiológica da abertura de ampolas com base no procedimento de desinfecção e, assim, minimizar os riscos de contaminação biológica no preparo de injetáveis. Trata-se de um experimento de laboratório que permitiu avaliar a esterilidade do conteúdo das ampolas e, consequentemente produziu evidencias acerca da segurança microbiológica no preparo de injetáveis. Para determinação se a abertura de ampolas possibilita veiculação bacteriana para as soluções utilizaram-se dois métodos de desinfecção do gargalo um com suabe e outro com algodão ambos umedecidos em álcool a 70%. Das 120 ampolas de plástico com água esterilizada 60 tiveram seus gargalos contaminados intencionalmente com Serratia marcescens (ATTCC 14756) e outra metade com Staphylococcus aureus resistente à meticilina (MRSA) (ATTCC 43300) na ordem de 106 UFC/mL. Na abertura das respectivas ampolas utilizaram-se os princípios e o rigor de assepsia em termos de higiene das mãos e uso de luvas esterilizadas. Na avaliação da positividade das culturas uma alíquota da solução de cada ampola foi pipetada em caldo nutriente e incubada a 35ºC por 14 dias. A fricção dos gargalos das ampolas com suabe ou bolas de algodão embebidas em 3 ml de álcool a 70% não foi eficaz na redução da contaminação do conteúdo destas ampolas. Evidencia-se que houve maior contaminação nas ampolas, intencionalmente contamindas com Serratia marcescens, que receberam desinfecção com suabe 19 (63,3%) comparado as ampolas 15 (50%) que foram desinfetadas com bolas de algodão embebidas em álcool. As ampolas contaminadas com Staphylococcus aureus resistente à meticilina independentemente de utilizar suabe ou bolas de algodão embebidas em álcool, a contaminação do conteúdo das ampolas foi alta 24 (80%) e 18 (60%), respectivamente. Das 60 (100%) ampolas contaminadas com Serratia marcescens 34 (56,7%) apresentaram contaminação da água destilada e, das 60 (100%) ampolas contaminadas com Staphylococcus aureus resistente à meticilina, 42 (70%) apresentaram contaminação. A elucidação do processo de contaminação do conteúdo de ampolas de plástico durante sua abertura é urgente, especialmente considerando a possibilidade do contato da solução com o meio externo e vice- versa. Consta-se que a temática carece de mais investimentos de pesquisa dado a relevância do procedimento de desinfecção na redução da carga microbiana. / The health care incorporates continuously new technologies related to products and administration processes that may pose risks, especially when there is no technical- scientific basis. Plastic ampoules are widely used in the preparation of injectables, however, biological contamination in solutions at its opening is still questionable. It is known that the risk of infection presents a multifaceted etiology involving complex aspects of endogenous microbiota and environmental conditions. The present investigation was carried out in order to contribute to the microbiological safety of opening ampoules based on disinfection procedure and thereby minimize the risk of biological contamination in the preparation of injectables. This is a laboratory experiment that allowed to evaluate the sterility of ampoules´ contents and consequently produced evidences regarding the microbiological safety in the preparation of injectables. To determine whether the opening of ampoules allows the carrying of bacteria into the solutions it was used two methods of ampoule neck disinfection, one with cotton balls and another with cotton swab both soaked with 70% alcohol. Of the 120 plastic ampoules containing sterile water, 60 had the ampoules necks intentionally contaminated with Serratia marcescens (ATTCC 14756) and the other half with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ATTCC 43300) of the order of 106 CFU/mL. At the opening of respective ampoules it was used the principles of strict asepsis and rigor in terms of hand hygiene and use of sterile gloves. In the evaluation of positive cultures an aliquot of solution from each ampoule was pipetted in nutrient broth and incubated at 35 °C for 14 days. Rub the ampoules necks with swab or cotton balls soaked with 70% alcohol in 3 ml was not effective in decreasing contamination of contents of those ampoules. It is evident that there were more contamination in ampoules intentionally contaminated with Serratia marcescens which received disinfection with swabs 19 (63.3%) if compared ampoules disinfected with cotton balls soaked in alcohol 15 (50%). Ampoules contaminated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus neither swab nor cotton balls soaked in alcohol was effective, contamination of the contents of the ampoules 24 was high (80%) and 18 (60%), respectively. Of the 60 (100%) ampoules contaminated with Serratia marcescens 34 (56.7%) had distilled water contaminated, and from 60 (100%) ampoules contaminated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 42 (70%) were contaminated. The elucidation of contamination process of contents of plastic ampoules during its opening is an urgent need, especially considering the possibility of contact of the solution with the external environment and vice versa. The evidence suggests that the issue needs more research investments given the relevance of the disinfection procedure in decreasing microbial load.

Nos últimos anos a incidência de infecções causadas por bactérias Gram-negativas multirresistentes aumentou expressivamente. Esse fenômeno não foi acompanhado pelo desenvolvimento de novos antimicrobianos, resultando em infecções cuja opção de tratamento é a combinação de antimicrobianos. Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa e Serratia marcescens são importantes agentes de infecções relacionadas à assistência à saúde (IRAS), e capazes de adquirir resistência a várias classes de antimicrobianos, como os carbapenêmicos e polimixinas. Os testes que avaliam sinergismo in vitropodem ser uma ferramenta importante na escolha do tratamento antibiótico adequado para infecções causadas por microrganismos multirresistentes. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar métodos de sinergismo in vitroque possam ser utilizados na rotina de laboratórios de microbiologia clínica como alternativa ao método considerado padrão ouro (time-kill). Foram selecionados para o estudo 48 isolados Gram-negativos não fermentadores (20 A. baumannii e 28 P. aeruginosa) e 14 fermentadores (S. marcescens) do banco de cepas do LIM-54 com diferentes mecanismos de resistência identificados por PCR e sequenciamento total do genoma. Foram realizados, concentração inibitória mínima dos antimicrobianos e avaliação do sinergismo pelos métodos time-kill (TK), disco aproximação (DA) e CIM:CIM razão.A concordância dos métodos foi avaliada por teste de kappa e os resultados discordantes foram classificados em tipos de erros baseado no FDA.Os isolados apresentaram alta proporção de resistência a meropenem e 7 isolados de A. baumanniiapresentaram resistência a colistina. A combinação de colistina com fosfomicina ou meropenem apresentou elevado efeito sinérgico para os isolados de A. baumanniiresistentes a colistina pelo DA e TK. Por outro lado, a combinação de fosfomicina-meropenem apresentou concordância boa pelo teste de kappa e baixo número de erros entre os métodos TK e DA para todos os isolados de A. baumannii. Para os isolados de P. aeruginosa não foram detectados efeitos sinérgicos pelos métodos DA e CIM:CIM razão.O método CIM:CIM razão apresentou alta concordância com o TK entre os isolados de A. baumannii resistentes a colistina. A combinação ceftazidima-avibactam com meropenem apresentou elevado efeito sinérgico para os isolados de S. marcescensportadores do gene blaKPC-2 pelo DA e TK. O método de DA apresentou uma boa correlação com o TK para a combinação de fosfomicina-meropenem e ceftazidima-avibactam-meropenem, com baixa porcentagem de erros menores, podendo ser utilizado para avaliar sinergismo in vitro para essas combinações. Não foi identificado no estudo efeito antagônico, portanto, foram encontrados somente erros menores / In recent years, the incidence of infections caused by multiresistant Gram-negative bacteria has increased. This event has not been accompanied by the development of new antimicrobials, resulting in infections which treatment option is the combination of antimicrobials. Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens are important causesof Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI), and able to acquire resistance to multiple classes of antimicrobials, such ascarbapenems and polymyxins. Synergism testing may be an important tool in choose the appropriate antibiotic treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro synergism methods that can be used in a clinical microbiology laboratory as an alternative to the method considered the gold standard (time-kill).For the study were selected 48 non-fermenting (20 A. baumannii and 28 P. aeruginosa)and 14 fermenting(S. marcescens) Gram-negativeisolates from LIM-54strains bench with different resistance mechanisms identified by PCR and total genome sequencing.Minimum antimicrobial inhibitory concentration and synergism evaluation by time-kill (TK), disk approximation (DA) and MIC: MIC ratio were performed. Agreement of the methods was evaluated by kappa test and the discordant results were classified in types of errors based on the FDA. The isolates showed high proportion of resistant to meropenem and 7A. baumannii isolates showed resistance to colistin. The combination of colistin with fosfomycin or meropenem showed high synergistic effect for colistin-resistant A. baumannii isolates by DA and TK.On the other hand, the combination of fosfomycin-meropenem showed good concordance by kappa test and low number of errors between TK and DA for all A. baumannii isolates.For P. aeruginosa isolates no synergistic effects were detected by DA and MIC: MIC ratio.The method MIC: MIC ratio showed high concordance with the TK among the colistin-resistant A. baumannii isolates.The combination ceftazidime-avibactam with meropenem showed high synergistic effect for the isolates of S. marcescenscarryingblaKPC-2 gene by DA and TK. The DA showed a good agreement with TK for the combination of fosfomycin-meropenem and ceftazidime-avibactam-meropenem, with a low percentage of minor errors, and could be used to evaluate synergism in vitro for these combinations

The potential value of the chitin biomass (e.g. food waste) is recently considered being ignored by landfill. Chitin can be a potential cheap carbon source for converting into value-added chemicals by microorganisms. Serratia marcescens is a chitinolytic bacterium that harbors endogenous chitinase systems. With goals of characterzing S. marcescens chitinolytic capabilities and applying S. marcescens to chemical production from chitin, my dissertation main content includes five chapters: 1) Chapter 1 highlights background information of chitin source, S. marcescens and potential metabolic engineering targets using chitin as a substrate; 2) Chapter 2 demonstrates that ChiR is a key regulator in regulating 9 chitinase-related genes in S. marcescens Db11 and manipulation of chiR can be a useful and efficient genetic target to enhance chitin utilization; 3) Chapter 3 reports the production of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) from chitin by a bottom-up approach of engineering the nonconventional chitinolytic bacterium, Serratia marcescens, including native constitutive promoter characterization and transcriptional and translational pathway balancing; 4) Chapter 4 describes improvement of S. marcescens chitinolytic capability by an adaptive evolution approach; 5) Chapter 5 elucidates S. marcescens intracellular metabolite profile using a constraint-based genome-scale metabolic model (iSR929) based on genomic annotation of S. marcescens Db11. Overall, the dissertation work is the first report of demonstrating the concept of chitin-based CBP using S. marcescens and the computational model and genetic molecular tools developed in this dissertation are valuable but not limited to design-build-test of S. marcescens for contributing to the field of biological science and metabolic engineering applications.

Une partie conséquente de mon travail a été d'effectuer un crible génétique en utilisant une bibliothèque de mutants générés par insertion aléatoire de Tn5-Sm, un minitransposon bactérien. Le crible a été réalisé dans un contexte défini: celui de mouches-hôtes auxquelles manquait le gène Eater, lequel code un récepteur de phagocytose (Kocks et al., 2005). Dans ces mouches, l'infection n'est plus contrôlée dans l'hémocoele par les hémocytes et les drosophiles mutantes succombent rapidement à une bactériémie. Plusieurs phénotypes bactériens étaient attendus à l'issue de ce crible. Une première catégorie de phénotype prévisible était une virulence accrue, par exemple si les bactéries mutantes devenaientcapables de traverser plus rapidement ou efficacement la barrière intestinale conséquemment à la perte d'un régulateur négatif. Un deuxième type de phénotype attendu était une virulence atténuée pouvant s'expliquer de plusieurs manières: 1- perte de résistance à l'environnement existant dans le lumen intestinal (enzymes digestives et lysozyme, radicaux libres et peptides antimicrobiens induits au niveau de l'épithélium intestinal dans le cadre d'une réponse immunitaire locale de l'hôte); 2- incapacité à traverser la matrice péritrophique; 3-incapacité à envahir les cellules épithéliales (adhésion, pénétration); 4- incapacité à résister aux défenses intracellulaires potentielles; 5- incapacité à sortir du côté basal des entérocytes 6- incapacité à proliférer dans l'hémolymphe ou perte de la résistance à l'action de la réponse immunitairesystémique qui est, quant à elle, fortement induite en l'absence de phagocytose, laquelle empêche chez les mouches sauvages la prolifération des bactéries ayant traversé la paroi intestinale. [...] Dans le cadre d'une infection intestinale, les mouches sauvages (et imd) succombaient en six jours alors que, de manière surprenante, les mouches mutantes de la voie Toll périssaient plus lentement, une situation opposée à celle du modèle de la piqûre septique. Quelques bactéries sont capables de traverser la paroi intestinale mais sont incapables de proliférer à moins que la réponse cellulaire ait été préalablement bloquée. L'épithélium intestinal apparaissait normal à la dissection et la presque totalité des bactéries ingérées étaient tuées dans l'intestin. Après avoir exclu l'hypothèse d'une toxine sécrétée dans le surnageant des bactéries adsorbées sur le filtre sur lequel viennent se nourrir les mouches, nous avons testé l'hypothèse qu'une suractivation de la réponse immunitaire était à l'origine du décès des mouches. La génétique mettant hors de cause les peptides antimicrobiens, la voie Toll n'étant apparemment pas activée dans l'épithélium intestinal, nous avons alors étudié laréponse oxydative induite par l'ingestion de bactéries (Ha et al., 2009), laquelle est capable de tuer les mouches lorsqu'elle n'est pas régulée correctement. Là-aussi, le résultat s'est avéré négatif. En fin de compte, j'ai pu établir que la mort des mouches était due à un état de famine, confirmé par des mesures des réserves métaboliques. Mes travaux ont permis d'établir un nouveau rôle de la voie Toll dans la résistance à la famine, en présence ou absence d'infection, qui sera peut-être à mettre en relation avec un rôle métabolique de la voie Toll consistant à bloquer la voie de réponse à l'insuline lors d'une infection. En conclusion, mes travaux permettent de mieux comprendre les relations hôte-pathogènequi s'établissent lors d'une infection intestinale.

Chitinases have been shown to be potential agents for biological control of the plant diseases caused by various phytopathogenic fungi and insect pests, because fungal cell walls and insect exoskeletons contain chitin as a major structural component. Chitinase has also been found to increase the efficacy and potency of Bacillus thuringiensis crystal (Cry) proteins toxic to larvae of insect pests. The reason of this synergy is the presence of chitin in the structure of the outer membrane of larval midgut. In this study, the gene encoding chitinase A (chiA) from Serratia marcescens Bn10, a local isolate of Trabzon province was amplified by PCR and cloned into the E.coli/Bacillus shuttle vectors, pNW33N and pHT315. For the expression in B. thuringiensis, the promoter region of cry3Aa11 gene of B. thuringiensis Mm2 was placed at the upstream of chiA. The vectors carrying both chiA and promoter site of cry3Aa11 was first introduced into E. coli and then into Bacillus subtilis 168 which were used as intermediate hosts in this study. pHT315PC carying chiA was then introduced into Coleoptera-specific B. thuringiensis cells (strain 3023) and the specific chitinase activity of the recombinant B. thuringiensis was measured as 5056 U/min/mg which was 6.3 fold higher than that of the parental strain. The specific activity corresponded to about one third of that produced by S. marcescens Bn10. The chiA gene was next sequenced and characterized. The sequence was submitted to GeneBank (Accession No. DQ165083). Chitinase A of S. marcescens Bn10 was found to be a 563 residue protein with a calculated molecular mass of 60.9 kDa. The mean G+C content of the gene is 58.75%. The deduced amino acid sequence was 99.3&ndash / 91.5% identical to those of known chitinases from S. marcescens, Burkholderia cepacia and Enterobacter sp. It was found that the chitinase of S. marcescens Bn10 has six amino acids difference from the consensus sequence of aligned chitinases. The production of chitinase by the local isolate S. marcescens Bn10 in different cultural conditions was also investigated. Optimum temperature and pH for chitinase production was found to be 30 oC and 7.5, respectively. Varying the concentration of colloidal chitin and the inclusion of NAG into the medium had no effect on chitinase production. The effect of different parameters such as temperature, pH, substrate concentration and certain inhibitory elements on enzyme activity were next assayed. The highest activity was obtained at 45 oC and in a pH range of 4.0 to 9.0. Activity of chitinase increased with increasing substrate concentration up to 35 mg/mL. Ca2+, Co2+, Cu2+, EDTA, Fe2+, Mg2+, Mn2+ and Zn2+ were tested for their effects on the activity of enzyme. The enzyme was inhibited by only 4% in the presence of 10 mM EDTA, whereas 10 mM Co2+ included in the assay mixture increased the activity by 20%.

<p dir="ltr"><i>Serratia marcescens </i>is a bacterium with a ubiquitous environmental distribution and the ability to cause opportunistic infections. This research explores three different group behaviors in <i>S. marcescen</i>s. These are biofilm formation, microbial hitchhiking, and responses to cannabinoid-induced stress. To study biofilm development, we used a crystal violet assay to measure biofilm and compared that to the bacterial growth of those cultures. We looked at the role of nutrients and temperature in biofilm produced by <i>S. marcescens</i> and tested four <i>S. marcescens</i> strains. We found that there were differences in the ratio of biofilm to growth when <i>S. marcescens</i> was grown in different media. The exact relationship between temperature and media composition requires more information than could be attained from these studies. Next, we wanted to investigate whether <i>S. marcescens</i> could also utilize movement of other, more highly motile species of bacteria through a process called microbial hitchhiking. <i>S. marcescens</i> was grown with a highly motile <i>Paenibacillus</i> sp. isolate. <i>S. marcescens</i> was tracked by the red pigment that it produces. It was observed that <i>S. marcescens</i> consistently spread farther across a surface when it was co-cultured with <i>Paenibacillus</i> sp. than when grown alone. This was repeated with three other <i>S. marcescens</i> strains and three different species of <i>Paenibacillus.</i><i> </i>Hitchhiking behavior was observed in all cases. To understand the mechanism by which <i>S. marcescens</i> hitchhikes on <i>Paenibacillus </i>spp., a <i>S. marcescens </i>flagellar mutant was used. Even in the absence of a flagellum, <i>S. marcescens</i> was still able to hitchhike implying that another mechanism must be involved. Finally, we evaluated the response of <i>S. marcescens </i>to cannabidiol (CBD) a phytocannabinoid with antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties, though it has limited potency against Gram-negative bacteria like <i>S. marcescens</i>. We found that CBD did not kill <i>S. marcescens </i>nor did it affect its biofilm development. Interestingly, <i>S. marcescens </i>cultures showed enhanced pigment production in response to high-dose CBD exposure compared to vehicle controls. This response was also observed with exposure to three additional phytocannabinoids. Results from these studies add to our understanding of how <i>S. marcescens</i> can access new areas and persist in a broad range of environments.</p>

PARENTE, T. M. L. Perfil de resistência a antibióticos e a terapia fotodinâmica antimicrobiana exibida por isolados ambientais, orais e extra-orais de Serratia marcescens. 2010. 90 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Biotecnologia) - Curso de Medicina - Campus de Sobral, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Sobral, 2010. / Submitted by Djeanne Costa (djeannecosta@gmail.com) on 2016-04-18T15:28:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2010_dis_tmlparente.pdf: 50723625 bytes, checksum: 536c8be1802258847a68d8c4bdad58aa (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Djeanne Costa (djeannecosta@gmail.com) on 2016-04-18T15:39:33Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2010_dis_tmlparente.pdf: 50723625 bytes, checksum: 536c8be1802258847a68d8c4bdad58aa (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-18T15:39:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2010_dis_tmlparente.pdf: 50723625 bytes, checksum: 536c8be1802258847a68d8c4bdad58aa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Serratia marcescens is widely distributed in nature, but has emerged in the last years as important nosocomial pathogen with resistance of many antimicrobial drugs. This study aimed to verify the susceptibility of Serratia marcescens isolates from environment, from oral infections and from extra-oral infections to different antibiotics and evaluate the antimicrobial effect of photodynamic antimicrobial therapy as biotechnology tools reducing bacterial growth in planktonic cells and biofilm. E-test® were performed for fifty-five strains and the PACT for the thirty strains more resistant to antimicrobials tested. The antimicrobial effect of toluidine blue O, associated with 4,72 J cm-2 of a light-emitting diode , was evaluated. Before and after the treatments, bacterial inocula were analysed with regard to the number of colony- forming units. For antimicrobials, we observed that the 55 strains analyzed, 13 (23.63%) were resistant to doxycycline, but only one (1.81%) isolate showed resistance to ciprofloxacin, another to tobramycin and another to cefotaxime, 24 ( 43.63%) strains had intermediate sensitivity to doxycycline, all were sensitive to imipenem and most were sensitive to ciprofloxacin, tobramycin and cefotaxime Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in resistance of samples of different origins for drugs DX, CT, and IP. Considering the resistance to CI, the environmental samples were significantly more resistant than samples oral and extra-oral. For the drug TM, the oral samples were significantly more sensitive than the other samples. The irradiation of planktonic and biofilm cultures in the absence of TBO (L+S-), incubation with TBO alone (L-S+) and untreated control group (L-S-) had no significant effect on the viability of strains of S. marcescens studied (p <0.05). Significant decreases in bacterial viability was observed only when planktonic and biofilm culture of environmental strains, oral and extra-oral S. marcescens were exposed to toluidine blue O and LED light at the same time (L+S+). Significant reductions in bacterial counts were observed by antimicrobial photodynamic therapy ranging from 10-11 to 10-7.The association of TBO and light, with energy density 4,72 J cm-2, was effective in reducing the viability of bacterial strains in environmental, oral and extra-oral S. marcescens and can be a useful biotechnological tool in the control of bacterial resistance / Serratia marcescens se encontra largamente distribuída na natureza, mas tem emergido nos últimos anos como um importante patógeno nosocomial resistente a diversos antimicrobianos. Este estudo teve como objetivo verificar a susceptibilidade de isolados ambientais, orais e extra-orais de Serratia marcescens a diferentes antibióticos e avaliar a terapia fotodinâmica antimicrobiana na redução do crescimento bacteriano em culturas de células planctônicas e biofilme. O teste de susceptibilidade antimicrobiano E-test® foi realizado para as 55 cepas e o TFA para as 30 cepas mais resistentes aos antimicrobianos testados. O efeito antimicrobiano do azul de o-toluidina associado com 4,72 J cm-2 de luz emitida por um diodo (LED) foi avaliado. Antes e após os tratamentos, os inóculos bacterianos foram analisados com consideração do número de unidades formadoras de colônias. Considerando o perfil antimicrobiano observamos que das 55 cepas analisadas, 13 (23,63%) apresentaram resistência à doxiciclina, mas apenas um (1,81%) isolado apresentou resistência ao ciprofloxacino, outro à tobramicina e outro à cefotaxima; 24 (43,63%) cepas apresentaram sensibilidade intermediária à doxiciclina, todas foram sensíveis ao imipenem e a maioria foi sensível ao ciprofloxacino, à tobramicina e à cefotaxima. A análise estatística demonstrou não haver diferenças significativas no perfil de resistência das amostras de diferentes origens em relação as drogas DX, CT e IP. Considerando a resistência a CI, as amostras ambientais foram significativamente mais resistentes do que as amostras orais e extra-orais. Para a droga TM, as amostras orais foram significantemente mais sensíveis do que as demais amostras. A irradiação das culturas planctônicas e biofilmes na ausência de TBO (L+C-), a incubação com TBO sozinho (L-C+) e o grupo controle não tratado (L-C-) não apresentou efeitos significativos na viabilidade das cepas de S. marcescens estudadas (p < 0,05). Decréscimos significativos na viabilidade bacteriana foram observados somente quando cultura planctônica e biofilme de cepas ambientais, orais e extra-orais de S. marcescens foram expostas ao azul de orto toluidina e luz LED ao mesmo tempo (L+C+). Reduções significativas nas contagens bacterianas foram observadas pela Terapia Fotodinâmica Antimicrobiana com variação de 10-11 a 10-7. A associação de TBO e LED, com densidade de energia de 4,72 J cm-2 , foi efetivo na redução da viabilidade bacteriana em cepas ambientais, orais e extra-orais de S. marcescens podendo ser uma ferramenta biotecnológica útil no controle da resistência bacteriana

Cannabis is the only plant which contains cannabinoids and thanks to these compounds it has enormous potential. This thesis deals with the analysis of technical hemp. Effects of cannabinoids and methods used for cannabis analysis are discussed in the theoretical part. The experimental part includes spectrophotometric characterization of cannabis, it´s antimicrobial effects and thin layer chromatography analysis. Three sorts of Cannabis sativa L. were analyzed, namely Finola, Fedora and Kompolti. Firstly, the content of polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activity in prepared tinctures were determined. Moreover, antimicrobial test were performed using disk test and turbidity determination. Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeast organism were tested. It was found that cannabis tinctures possess good antimicrobial effects. Some of them are comparable with synthetic antibiotics. Finally, thin layer chromatography enabled visualization of cannabinoids in prepared tinctures.

Projet I : Les endospores représentent un état de dormance des bactéries leur permettant de résister à des conditions extrêmes et de persister pendant des années. La formation d'endospores a façonné l'évolution puisqu’elle se produit exclusivement chez les Firmicutes. Plusieurs études ont rapporté la formation d'endospores chez des espèces en dehors des Firmicutes, en particulier chez deux espèces de Protéobactéries, Rhodobacter johrii et Serratia marscescens, et une espèce d'Actinobacteries, Mycobacterium marinum. Le fait d’identifier les endospores en dehors des Firmicutes pourrait affecter la forme de l'arbre de vie et aiderait dans notre lutte contre les agents pathogènes humains. Par conséquent, nous avons visé d’étudier l'endosporulation chez ces trois espèces en utilisant des approches avancées d'imagerie et d'analyse, y compris la microscopie corrélative alliant la microscopie optique et électronique (CLEM), la tomographie de cryo- électron (cryo-ET) et la lipidomique. Nous avons utilisé la bactérie sporulante bien caractérisée Bacillus subtilis comme contrôle positif de la sporulation. L'examen de R. johrii, S. marcescens et M. marinum en utilisant CLEM et cryo-ET a montré que les objets à phase brillante ne ressemblaient à aucun stade de l'endosporulation. Les cryo-tomogrammes ont montré que les objets à phase brillante chez S. marcescens étaient des débris cellulaires agrégés de cellules mortes, alors qu'ils présentaient des structures granulaires typiques des cellules bactériennes chez les R. johrii et M. marinum. L'analyse lipidomique chez R. johrii a identifié les structures granulaires comme des granules de stockage potentiels enrichis en triacylglycérides (TAG). Nous pensons que les TAG peuvent fournir une source d'énergie pour résister à l'épuisement des nutriments. Des approches biochimiques et bioinformatiques supplémentaires ont soutenu nos conclusions selon lesquelles R. johrii, S. marcescens et M. marinum sont des bactéries non sporulantes. Projet II : Les plasmides jouent un rôle vital dans la propagation des gènes de résistance au sein et entre les espèces bactériennes. Par conséquent, il est essentiel de comprendre les systèmes bactériens impliqués dans le transfert et la maintenance des plasmides pour mieux aider dans notre lutte contre la propagation de la résistance aux antibiotiques. Dans cette thèse de doctorat, nous avons cherché à caractériser l'opéron alp7ARC, en utilisant l'homologue de l'actine bactérienne Alp7A pour séparer le plasmide pLS20 codant pour la résistance à la tétracycline dans B. subtilis. La stabilité du plasmide s'est avérée dépendante de l'opéron alp7ARC, indiquant un rôle essentiel dans la ségrégation plasmidique. Nos résultats préliminaires sur Alp7A ont montré qu'il s'assemble dans une nouvelle nanostructure tubulaire plutôt que des filaments, suggérant un nouveau mécanisme de ségrégation de l'ADN par Alp7A. Nous avons également étudié la structure d'Alp7A in vivo en utilisant une combinaison d'approches, notamment la biologie moléculaire, la Cryo-ET et la fLM. Nous avons également utilisé la CLEM pour localiser Alp7A dans des cellules entières à une résolution macromoléculaire. En outre, nous avons étudié la structure et la fonction d'Alp7A in vitro en transfectant B. subtilis et E. coli avec diverses constructions plasmidiques incorporant des mutations dans le gène d’Alp7A. Nous avons déployé différentes méthodes pour la purification de la protéine Alp7A, y compris la séparation par chromatographie, et le fractionnement au sulfate d'ammonium. J'ai discuté des divers défis que nous avons rencontrés dans ces expériences, tels que la contamination, l'instabilité de la protéine Alp7A et l'épaisseur bactérienne. Enfin, j'ai proposé des approches expérimentales alternatives qui aideraient à étudier le mécanisme de ségrégation des plasmides par Alp7ARC. / Project I: Endospores represent a dormant state of bacteria that allows them to withstand extreme conditions and persist for years. Endospore formation has shaped evolution, whereby it exclusively occurs in Firmicutes. Several studies have reported endospore formation in species outside of Firmicutes, particularly in two species of Proteobacteria, Rhodobacter johrii and Serratia marcescens, and one species of Actinobacteria, Mycobacterium marinum. Identifying endospores outside of Firmicutes would affect the shape of the tree of life and aid in our fight against human pathogens. Therefore, we aimed to investigate endosporulation in these three species using advanced imaging and analytical approaches, including correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM), cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), and lipidomics. We used the well-characterized sporulating bacterium Bacillus subtilis as a positive control of sporulation. Examination of R. johrii, S. marcescens, and M. marinum using CLEM and cryo-ET showed that phase-bright objects did not resemble any stages of endosporulation. Cryo-tomograms revealed that the phase-bright objects in S. marcescens were aggregated cellular debris of dead cells, whereas they displayed granular structures typical of bacterial cells in R. johrii and M. marinum. Lipidomic analysis in R. johrii identified the granular structures as potential storage granules enriched with triacyl-glycerides (TAGs). We speculate that TAGs may provide an energy source to withstand the nutrient depletion. Additional biochemical and bioinformatics approaches supported our conclusions that R. johrii, S. marcescens, and M. marinum are non-sporulating bacteria. Project II: Plasmids play a vital role in the spread of resistance genes within and across bacterial species. Therefore, it is essential to understand the bacterial systems involved in the transfer and maintenance of plasmids to better aid in our fight against the spread of antibiotic resistance. In this doctorate, we aimed to characterize the alp7ARC operon, employing the bacterial actin homolog Alp7A to segregate the tetracycline resistance-encoding plasmid pLS20 in B. subtilis. The stability of the plasmid was shown to be dependent on the alp7ARC operon, indicating an essential role in plasmid segregation. Preliminary results on Alp7A showed that it assembles into a novel tubular nanostructure rather than filaments, suggesting a novel mechanism for DNA segregation by Alp7A. We further studied the structure of Alp7A in vivo using combination of approaches, including molecular biology, cryo-ET, and fLM. We also used CLEM to localize Alp7A in whole cells to a macromolecular resolution. Besides, we investigated the structure and function of Alp7A in vitro by transfecting E. coli with various plasmid constructs and purification by several methods, including affinity chromatography and ammonium sulfate precipitation. I discussed the diverse challenges we encountered in these experiments, such as bacterial thickness, contamination, and Alp7A protein instability. Finally, I proposed alternative experimental approaches for investigating the mechanism of plasmid segregation by Alp7ARC.