This thesis attempts to broaden what is known about bacterial symbionts within amoebae by the use of a number of different molecular methods. Initially a number of different amoeba strains were screened for bacterial symbionts by 16S rRNA gene PCR, then the symbionts were identified by comparative sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis. The amoeba strains containing bacterial symbionts were characterised by cell morphology, 18S rRNA gene sequencing, internal transcribed spacer sequencing and allozyme electrophoresis. Amoebae belonging to the genera Acanthamoeba, Naegleria, Ripidomyxa and Saccamoeba were identified as containing symbionts that belonged to a wide range of different bacterial genera. Relationships between bacterial symbionts and their host amoebae were analysed by the use of transmission electron microscopy and fluorescent in situ hybridisation using symbiont specific probes. Also described are attempts that were made to isolate and grow the bacterial symbionts outside of their host amoebae as well as experiments to try to transfer bacterial symbionts from one amoeba strain to another. Lastly the results from this study are discussed as a whole to put into perspective how they contribute to the body of knowledge of symbionts within protozoa.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-01T14:16:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1597259 bytes, checksum: eaba4f2d4108bede1b543c3806717952 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Bacteria play a fundamental role in the health of corals. The interest in the study of microorganisms associated with corals has increased since the confirmation that they can be pathogenic or mutualistic. In the coastal reefs of the State of Paraiba the cases of the pigmentation changes of scleractinian Siderastrea stellata, that probably occurs in the process of coral bleaching, are observed. The aim of this work was to analyze the density and diversity of culturable bacteria associated with healthy and with pattern pigmentation altered (pink) colonies of coral S. stellata of coral reefs of Cabo Branco, João Pessoa - PB, as well as the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of seawater in the study area over one year. Among the environmental variables (temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity) of the reefs and beach water of Cabo Branco, only turbidity showed higher differences among the sites studied. The thermotolerant fecal coliforms, enterococci and Escherichia coli of seawater at the study sites were within the limits recommended for saline water class I (CONAMA 274/00). In general, the values of density of total heterotrophic bacteria and Vibrio spp. were significantly higher in the seawater during the months of December, January and February. According to the results of the partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was found that bacteria isolated from healthy and pink S. stellata belonged to the classes Alpha-Proteobacteria and Gamma-Proteobacteria, and the variety of genera of bacteria were very different among the isolates from the two colonies. The high percentage of Vibrio spp., bacteria that are usually related to the diseases of corals, were observed among the isolates from pink colony. / Bactérias desempenham um papel fundamental na saúde dos corais. Devido à confirmação de que elas podem ser patogênicas ou mutualistas, aumentou o interesse no estudo de microrganismos associados aos corais. Nos recifes costeiros do Estado da Paraíba observam-se casos de alteração de pigmentação no escleractíneo Siderastrea stellata, que provavelmente ocorre no processo de branqueamento de corais. Neste trabalho objetivou-se analisar a quantidade e diversidade de bactérias cultiváveis associadas ao coral S. stellata sadio e com coloração alterada (roxo) dos recifes de corais de Cabo Branco, João Pessoa PB, bem como os parâmetros físico-químicos e microbiológicos de água do mar da área estudada durante um ano. Entre as variáveis ambientais (temperatura, salinidade, pH, oxigênio dissolvido, turbidez) da água dos recifes e da praia de Cabo Branco apenas a turbidez apresentou maiores diferenças entre os locais estudados. Na base das análises de coliformes termotolerantes, Escherichia coli e enterococos foi constatado que a água dos locais analisados se enquadra dentro dos parâmetros para águas salinas de classe I (CONAMA 274/00). Em geral, os valores da densidade de bactérias totais e Vibrio spp. foram significativamente maiores em água do mar nos meses de dezembro, janeiro e fevereiro. Na base de dados de sequenciamento parcial do gene RNAr 16S foi constatado que as bactérias isoladas de S. stellata sadia e roxa pertenceram ás classes de Alfa-proteobactéria e Gama-proteobactéria, sendo que a variedade dos gêneros de bactérias foi bastante distinta entre os isolados das duas colônias. Os isolados da colônia roxa apresentaram um alto percentual de Vibrio spp., que são bactérias geralmente relacionadas com as doenças de corais.

The main objective of this study was the characterization of surface associated microbial communities in breweries. In addition, the beer-spoiling potential of isolated strains and biofilm samples was investigated. Some studies reported the identity of cultivatable organisms from industrial plants. However, there were no data available about the composition of biofilm communities from these habitats for cultivation-independent techniques. Consequently, the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) analysis, the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and the construction and investigation of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were applied to reveal the structure of these communities. All of these methods have different advantages and therefore, they complement each other to get a more reliable picture of the biofilm communities. The cultivation method was included in this study because it enables a verification of results from other studies. Furthermore, the obtained strains are genuine brewery isolates and can be used for physiological tests. Isolates were obtained from seven different sample sites (Chapter 1 and 5). They were identified and affiliated to 25 different genera. Some of these strains were inoculated in beer but none of them was able to grow in it (Chapter 1 and 5). However, these strains can still be harmful for the industry, e.g. if they are able to form biofilms. This aspect was investigated by analyzing the potential of the isolates to produce acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) (Chapter 6). These quorum sensing mediating molecules are involved in the maturation process of biofilms. Indeed, some strains were found to secrete these autoinducer molecules, they mainly belonged to the genus Pseudomonas. An abundant proportion among the isolates was constituted by members of the Enterobacteriaceae (Chapter 7). In the beginning of this study, there was a minor suspicion concerning their beer-spoiling potential. Indeed, all isolated Enterobacteriaceae were found to be able to multiply in non-alcoholic beer under access of oxygen but they represented no risk for filled beer. The beer-spoiling potential of biofilm communities was investigated by inoculating them in beer (Chapter 3). These enrichments allowed the detection of minor proportions of beer-spoiling organisms. About 25% of the biofilms contained microorganisms which were able to multiply in beer with 4.8% of ethanol (v/v). The absence of anaerobic beer-spoiling bacteria in most of the biofilms was confirmed by using specific FISH probes for Pectinatus and Megasphaera cells (Chapter 9). However, Pectinatus cells constituted one of the most abundant groups in two biofilm communities. These samples clearly demonstrated that brewery biofilms can become hazardous for the quality of the product. The acetic acid bacteria were supposed to be abundant brewery biofilm organisms. This was not confirmed by any method used (Chapter 8). Instead, FISH signals were found for many other taxa in considerable proportions, e.g. communities from the conveyors consisted of members of the Eukarya, Archaea, Alpha-, Beta-, Gammaproteobacteria, Cytophaga-Flavobacteria, Planctomycetales, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes (Chapter 1). Such diverse communities were also evidenced for three other biofilms analyzed by FISH (Chapter 2 and 9). Whereas the FISH technique allows the specific detection of single cells, the FAME analysis targets all organisms present, except the Archaea. The fatty acid profiles of 78 biofilms indicated significant differences between the communities, even between those which were exposed to similar conditions. In addition, repeated sampling of identical sites revealed a temporal variability of the microbial communities (Chapter 3). Characteristical fatty acids of beer-spoiling bacteria were almost absent. Typical fatty acids of Eukarya dominated nearly half of all biofilms. The high proportions of Eukarya in some biofilms was not confirmed, as these samples were also investigated by FISH. This divergence was found to be due to the higher biomass of eukaryotic cells compared to bacterial cells (Chapter 3). As some wild yeast strains were isolated and characterized, they are a potential source of these fatty acids. In contrast to the revealed bacterial diversity, most of the isolated yeasts were assigned to Saccharomyces or Candida spp. (Chapter 4). The Saccharomyces spp. showed a high beer-spoiling potential and many Candida species were able to form biofilms. The construction of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and the analysis of the clones with amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) was performed with two biofilm communities (Chapter 2). Clones with identical ARDRA patterns were grouped and some representatives were identified by sequencing. These clone sequences were affiliated to 30 different genera, most of which were members of the Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria and the Bacteroidetes. In addition, some clone sequences were assigned to uncultured organisms. Despite of the presence of 53 and 59 different ARDRA patterns in the two clone libraries, respectively, they had only four patterns in common. This result underlined the differences in the microbial composition of these communities. In conclusion, breweries represent a habitat with high cleaning and disinfecting pressure, which might have selected for a limited number of more resistant or adopted species. Instead, the community structures of biofilms in industrial environments were found to be diverse and variable in their compositions.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第20953号 / 理博第4405号 / 新制||理||1633(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 中野 伸一, 教授 木庭 啓介, 教授 中川 尚史 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

The use of the herbicide glyphosate and its formulations on protein-rich feedstuff for cattle leads to a considerable intake of glyphosate into the rumen of the animals, where glyphosate may potentially impair the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate pathway of the commensal microbiota, which could cause dysbiosis or proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. Here, we evaluated the effects of pure glyphosate and the formulations Durano TF and Roundup® LB plus in different concentrations on the fermentation pattern, community composition and metabolic activity of the rumen microbiota using the Rumen Simulation Technique (RUSITEC). Application of the compounds in three concentrations (0.1mg/l, 1.0mg/l or 10mg/l, n=4 each) for 9days did not affect fermentation parameters such as pH, redox potential, NH3-N concentration and production of short-chain fatty acids compared to a control group. Microbial protein synthesis and the degradation of different feed fractions did not vary among the treatments. None of the used compounds or concentrations did affect the microbial diversity or abundance of microbial taxa. Metaproteomics revealed that the present metabolic pathways including the shikimate pathway were not affected by addition of glyphosate, Durano TF or Roundup® LB plus. In conclusion, neither pure glyphosate, nor its formulations Durano TF and Roundup® LB plus did affect the bacterial communities of the rumen.

No description available.

Despite the wealth of research into strategies for microbiome modulation, studies of microbiome management in pig hosts have found mixed results. A refined understanding of the patterns of microbiome assembly during the host’s early life, when management strategies are most commonly applied, is necessary for the development of successful management practices. Here, we study the development of the pig gut microbial community in a monitoring experiment, sampling the microbiome of pigs in a commercial farm intensively during the first month of life. We found that the community’s taxonomic richness increased linearly with host age. Furthermore, rapid changes across communities occurred in stages, and non-linear patterns in relative abundance were commonly observed among dominant taxa across host age, consistent with primary succession. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the patterns of microbiome assembly during host development, and identify successional stages as windows of opportunity for future research.

No description available.

As doenças respiratórias são responsáveis, na suinocultura, por grandes perdas econômicas e entre os agentes destacam-se os micoplasmas. Foram coletadas 126 amostras de muco nasal/tonsilar, e fragmentos de 78 pulmões, 2 de traquéia e 2 de tonsila. No isolamento foi utilizado o meio FRIIS modificado, na identificação, a Multiplex-PCR e na tipificação, a PFGE e sequenciamento do gene 16S rRNA. Foram obtidos 59 isolados identificados como M. hyopneumoniae (1,70%), M. flocculare (3,40%) e M. hyorhinis (94,90%). A PFGE dos isolados de M. hyorhinis, resultou em 10 e 9 perfis com a enzima AvaI e XhoI, respectivamente. O sequenciamento do gene 16S rRNA dos isolados M. hyorhinis apresentaram baixo polimorfismo quando comparados entre si e com a cepa de referência. A sequência do gene 16S rRNA do isolado de M. hyopneumoniae, quando comparada a seqüência da cepa J e os isolados 7448 e 232, resultaram em polimorfismo. O M. hyopneumoniae continua sendo o mais difícil de isolar. Os dendrogramas obtidos da PFGE resultaram em grande heterogeneidade entre os isolados de M. hyorhinis. O seqüenciamento do gene 16S rRNA permitiu o estudo de variabilidade interespecífica e intraespecífica dos isolados de micoplasmas. / Economic losses in swine production are common due the respiratory diseases in these animals. M. hyopneumoniae and M. hyorhinis are the most frequent microbial agents. The aim of this study was recover this isolates in FRIIS medium, indentify them by Multiplex PCR and detect their genotypic variations by PFGE and sequencing the 16s rRNA gene. One hundred twenty six swabs from tonsil and nasal mucus of swine with respiratory disturbances were analyzed. It was included 78 lungs, two trachea and two tonsils. It was obtained 59 isolates; 1.70% of M. hyopneumoniae, 3.40% of M. flocculare and 94.90% of M. hyorhinis. The PFGE of M. hyorhinis, allowed obtain 10 profiles with enzyme AvaI and nine profiles with XhoI. A low polymorphism of gene 16sRNS was detected in M. hyorhinis isolates when compared with the type strain at the GenBank. The M. hyopneumoniae isolates resulted in polymorphisms when comparated with strain J, 7448 and 232. M. hyopneumoniae is still the most difficult to isolate. M. hyorhinis isolates of different herds showed a large heterogenicity with enzymes AvaI e XhoI. The sequencing of gene 16S rRNA allowed analyse the interespecífic and intraespecífic variations of mycoplasmas isolated.

Compreender a ecologia microbiana durante a ensilagem é fundamental para neutralizar pontos críticos relacionados à produção de silagens de qualidade por meio da prevenção do crescimento de bactérias oportunistas que possam comprometer a segurança da cadeia alimentar animal e o rendimento da forragem ensilada. Ensilar GSR de milho possibilita a compra estratégica em momentos de baixa nos preços do grão. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar por meio de sequenciamento massivo do gene 16S rRNA o efeito da reconstituição da umidade do grão de milho na dinâmica da comunidade bacteriana para confecção dessa silagem. Foram amostrados milhos plantados em dois distintos locais. As plantas usadas no estudo incluíram dois híbridos contrastantes, \"dent\" (AG 1051) e outro \"flint\" (IAC 8390) ensilados de duas maneiras: grão úmido (GU), com a umidade original e grãos secos reconstituídos (GSR) à 30 % U, ambos ensilados por 0 ou 120 dias. Utilizando a plataforma de sequenciamento Ion Torrent, foi possível observar uma redução significativa (P < 0,05) no número de OTUs ao se comparar silagens GSR aos 0 dias em relação aos 120 dias em ambos os híbridos e locais de cultivo do milho. As PCoAs evidenciaram variação na estrutura da comunidade bacteriana em função do período de estocagem do grão com separação nítida das comunidades provenientes de amostras recém colhidas daquelas provenientes de silagens estocadas por 120 dias. Também foi revelado que Proteobacteria (41,8 %), Firmicutes (41,6 %) e Actinobacteria (13,2 %) foram os filos mais abundantes nas silagens, tendo sido evidenciado a ocorrência de sucessão de um microbioma dominado por Proteobacteria e Actinobacteria (aos 0 dias) para um microbioma dominado por Firmicutes, representado principalmente pela ordem Lactobacillales nas silagens terminais (120 dias). Observamos o mesmo efeito ao considerar a amostra local, híbrido e maturidade fisiológica. Os fatores que apresentaram maior influência na distribuição da comunidade bacteriana foram o período de estocagem (36,16 %) e o estágio de maturação do milho (13,3 %). A ordem Lactobacillales foi diferencialmente abundante no milho estocado por 120 dias (70 % da variação) e Enterobacteriales (45 % da variação) aos 0 dias. Em relação ao estágio de maturação do grão observamos variação significativa na abundância relativa de Enterobacteriales em GU (25 % da variação) e Actinomycetales em GSR (21 % da variação). Houve correlação (P = 0,002) do pH com a estrutura da comunidade das silagens, sendo que as maiores variações de pH se deram comparando as amostras no tempo 0 - 120 dias de estocagem. A ordem Lactobacillales foi negativamente correlacionada com o pH (r = - 0,85), enquanto que Enterobacteriales (r = 0,58) e Actinomycetales (r = 0,46) foram positivamente correlacionadas com o pH. A reconstituição do grão de milho não exerceu efeito negativo sobre a população bacteriana das silagens terminais, destacando a viabilidade desta técnica. Até o momento, não há trabalhos publicados apresentando a estrutura e composição da comunidade bacteriana de silagens de GSR por meio de sequenciamento massivo do gene 16S rRNA, confirmando a importância e o ineditismo deste trabalho. / Understanding microbial ecology during ensiling is critical to neutralize critical points related to optimal silage making by preventing the growth of opportunistic bacteria that may compromise the safety of the animal food chain and the yield of silage fodder. Ensiling GSR makes it possible to buy strategically at times of low grain prices. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of reconstitution of corn grain on the dynamics of the bacterial community aiming high moisture corn silage processing by means of a massive sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Harvest was performed in two different locations. The plants used in the study included two contrasting hybrids, dent (AG 1051) and another flint (IAC 8390) hybrids, ensiled in two ways: wet grain (GU), ensiled with the original moisture or rehydrated dry grains (GSR) ensiled with 30 % of moisture, both ensiled for 0 or 120 days. Using the Ion Torrent sequencing platform, a significant reduction (P <0.05) in the number of OTUs was observed when comparing GSR silages at day 0 versus 120 days in both hybrids and maize growing sites. The PCoAs evidenced variation in the structure of the bacterial community as a function of the storage period of the grain with clear separation of the communities coming from freshly harvested samples from silage stored for 120 days. It was also revealed that Proteobacteria (41,8 %), Firmicutes (41,6 %) and Actinobacteria (13,2 %) were the most abundant phyla in the silages, evidencing the occurrence of succession of a microbiome dominated by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria (at 0 day) for a microbiome dominated by Firmicutes, represented mainly by the order Lactobacillales in the terminal silages (120 days). We observed the same effect when considering the local sample, hybrid and physiological maturity. The factors that had the greatest influence on the distribution of the bacterial community were the storage period (36,16 %) and the stage of maturity of the plant (13,3 %). The Lactobacillales order was differentially abundant in the corn stored for 120 days (70% of the variation) and Enterobacteriales (45 % of the variation) at day 0. In relation to the stage of maturity we observed a significant variation in the relative abundance of Enterobacteriales in GU (25 % of the variation) and Actinomycetales in GSR (21 % of the variation). There was a correlation (P = 0.002) of the pH with the community structure of the silages, and the highest pH variations were obtained by comparing the samples in the 0 - 120 days of storage. The order Lactobacillales was negatively correlated with pH (r = -0.85), while Enterobacteriales (r = 0.58) and Actinomycetales (r = 0.46) were positively correlated with pH. The reconstitution of the corn grain did not have a negative effect on the bacterial population of the terminal silages, highlighting the viability of this technique. To date, there are no published papers presenting the structure and composition of the bacterial community of GSR silages by means of massive sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, confirming the importance and novelty of this work.