scholarly journals An indoor system for the study of biological aerosols in open air conditions

1971 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Hood
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Laboratory Apparatus ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Biological Aerosols ◽  
Micro Organisms ◽  
Adequate Rate

SUMMARYAn indoor system designed for the study of survival of airborne micro-organisms in closed conditions has been successfully modified to allow the effect of open air to be measured. It was found that the unidentified open-air factors which are toxic for many species of microbes and rapidly lost when enclosed in conventional laboratory apparatus could be retained in the system by continuous ventilation at an adequate rate. The rate required allowed examination ofEscherichia coliin aerosols generated from small amounts of material because of the short periods of ventilation required for appreciable viable decay to occur.The validity of the system was tested by comparing the survival ofE. coliin true aerosols with its survival when the droplets were held on microthread. An investigation of the role of relative humidity in open-air toxicity was included.

scholarly journals Roles of the C-Terminal Amino Acids of Non-Hexameric Helicases: Insights from Escherichia coli UvrD

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1018
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Yokota
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
E Coli ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Terminal Amino

Helicases are nucleic acid-unwinding enzymes that are involved in the maintenance of genome integrity. Several parts of the amino acid sequences of helicases are very similar, and these quite well-conserved amino acid sequences are termed “helicase motifs”. Previous studies by X-ray crystallography and single-molecule measurements have suggested a common underlying mechanism for their function. These studies indicate the role of the helicase motifs in unwinding nucleic acids. In contrast, the sequence and length of the C-terminal amino acids of helicases are highly variable. In this paper, I review past and recent studies that proposed helicase mechanisms and studies that investigated the roles of the C-terminal amino acids on helicase and dimerization activities, primarily on the non-hexermeric Escherichia coli (E. coli) UvrD helicase. Then, I center on my recent study of single-molecule direct visualization of a UvrD mutant lacking the C-terminal 40 amino acids (UvrDΔ40C) used in studies proposing the monomer helicase model. The study demonstrated that multiple UvrDΔ40C molecules jointly participated in DNA unwinding, presumably by forming an oligomer. Thus, the single-molecule observation addressed how the C-terminal amino acids affect the number of helicases bound to DNA, oligomerization, and unwinding activity, which can be applied to other helicases.

scholarly journals Distribution of Lactoferrin Is Related with Dynamics of Neutrophils in Bacterial Infected Mice Intestine

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Liang ◽  
Zhen-Jie Wang ◽  
Guang Ye ◽  
Xue-You Tang ◽  
Yuan-Yuan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Mucosal Immunity ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Iron Binding ◽  
E Coli ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Activated Neutrophils ◽  
Binding Glycoprotein

Lactoferrin (Lf) is a conserved iron-binding glycoprotein with antimicrobial activity, which is present in secretions that recover mucosal sites regarded as portals of invaded pathogens. Although numerous studies have focused on exogenous Lf, little is known about its expression of endogenous Lf upon bacterial infection. In this study, we investigated the distribution of Lf in mice intestine during Escherichia coli (E. coli) K88 infection. PCR and immunohistology staining showed that mRNA levels of Lf significantly increased in duodenum, ileum and colon, but extremely decreased in jejunum at 8 h and 24 h after infection. Meanwhile, endogenous Lf was mostly located in the lamina propria of intestine villi, while Lf receptor (LfR) was in the crypts. It suggested that endogenous Lf-LfR interaction might not be implicated in the antibacterial process. In addition, it was interesting to find that the infiltration of neutrophils into intestine tissues was changed similarly to Lf expression. It indicated that the variations of Lf expression were rather due to an equilibrium between the recruitment of neutrophils and degranulation of activated neutrophils. Thus, this new knowledge will pave the way to a more effective understanding of the role of Lf in intestinal mucosal immunity.

SATP (YaaH), a succinate–acetate transporter protein in Escherichia coli

2013 ◽  
Vol 454 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Sá-Pessoa ◽  
Sandra Paiva ◽  
David Ribas ◽  
Inês Jesus Silva ◽  
Sandra Cristina Viegas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Acetic Acid ◽  
Succinic Acid ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Transporter Protein ◽  
Affinity Constants ◽  
In Trans

In the present paper we describe a new carboxylic acid transporter in Escherichia coli encoded by the gene yaaH. In contrast to what had been described for other YaaH family members, the E. coli transporter is highly specific for acetic acid (a monocarboxylate) and for succinic acid (a dicarboxylate), with affinity constants at pH 6.0 of 1.24±0.13 mM for acetic acid and 1.18±0.10 mM for succinic acid. In glucose-grown cells the ΔyaaH mutant is compromised for the uptake of both labelled acetic and succinic acids. YaaH, together with ActP, described previously as an acetate transporter, affect the use of acetic acid as sole carbon and energy source. Both genes have to be deleted simultaneously to abolish acetate transport. The uptake of acetate and succinate was restored when yaaH was expressed in trans in ΔyaaH ΔactP cells. We also demonstrate the critical role of YaaH amino acid residues Leu131 and Ala164 on the enhanced ability to transport lactate. Owing to its functional role in acetate and succinate uptake we propose its assignment as SatP: the Succinate–Acetate Transporter Protein.

scholarly journals Molecular survey of mcr1 and mcr2 plasmid mediated colistin resistance genes in Escherichia coli isolates of animal origin in Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayhan Ilbeigi ◽  
Mahdi Askari Badouei ◽  
Hossein Vaezi ◽  
Hassan Zaheri ◽  
Sina Aghasharif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Colistin Resistance ◽  
E Coli ◽  
High Level ◽  
Farming Industry

Abstract Objectives The emergence of colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from human and animal sources is one of the major public health concerns as colistin is the last-resort antibiotic for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. We aimed to determine the prevalence of the prototype widespread colistin resistance genes (mcr-1 and mcr-2) among commensal and pathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from food-producing and companion animals in Iran. Results A total of 607 E. coli isolates which were previously collected from different animal sources between 2008 and 2016 used to uncover the possible presence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance genes (mcr-1 and mcr-2) by PCR. Overall, our results could not confirm the presence of any mcr-1 or mcr-2 positive E. coli among the studied isolates. It is concluded that despite the important role of food-producing animals in transferring the antibiotic resistance, they were not the main source for carriage of mcr-1 and mcr-2 in Iran until 2016. This study suggests that the other mcr variants (mcr-3 to mcr-9) might be responsible for conferring colistin resistance in animal isolates in Iran. The possible linkage between pig farming industry and high level of mcr carriage in some countries needs to be clarified in future prospective studies.

Changes in Aerobic Plate and Escherichia coli–Coliform Counts and in Populations of Inoculated Foodborne Pathogens on Inshell Walnuts during Storage

2016 ◽  
Vol 79 (7) ◽  
pp. 1143-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN C. FRELKA ◽  
GORDON R. DAVIDSON ◽  
LINDA J. HARRIS
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Sampling Time ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Plate Counts ◽  
Forced Air

ABSTRACT After harvest, inshell walnuts are dried using low-temperature forced air and are then stored in bins or silos for up to 1 year. To better understand the survival of bacteria on inshell walnuts, aerobic plate counts (APCs) and Escherichia coli–coliform counts (ECCs) were evaluated during commercial storage (10 to 12°C and 63 to 65% relative humidity) over 9 months. APCs decreased by 1.4 to 2.0 log CFU per nut during the first 5 months of storage, and ECCs decreased by 1.3 to 2.2 log CFU per nut in the first month of storage. Through the remaining 4 to 8 months of storage, APCs and ECCs remained unchanged (P > 0.05) or decreased by <0.15 log CFU per nut per month. Similar trends were observed on kernels extracted from the inshell walnuts. APCs and ECCs were consistently and often significantly higher on kernels extracted from visibly broken inshell walnuts than on kernels extracted from visibly intact inshell walnuts. Parameters measured in this study were used to determine the survival of five-strain cocktails of E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella inoculated onto freshly hulled inshell walnuts (~8 log CFU/g) after simulated commercial drying (10 to 12 h; 40°C) and simulated commercial storage (12 months at 10°C and 65% relative humidity). Populations declined by 2.86, 5.01, and 4.40 log CFU per nut for E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella, respectively, after drying and during the first 8 days of storage. Salmonella populations changed at a rate of −0.33 log CFU per nut per month between days 8 and 360, to final levels of 2.83 ± 0.79 log CFU per nut. E. coli and L. monocytogenes populations changed by −0.17 log CFU per nut per month and −0.26 log CFU per nut per month between days 8 and 360, respectively. For some samples, E. coli or L. monocytogenes populations were below the limit of detection by plating (0.60 log CFU per nut) by day 183 or 148, respectively; at least one of the six samples was positive at each subsequent sampling time by either plating or by enrichment.

scholarly journals Drinking water and diarrhoeal disease due to Escherichia coli

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Diarrhoeal Disease ◽  
Central Place ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Related Disease ◽  
Direct Damage ◽  
Water Microbiology

Escherichia coli has had a central place in water microbiology for decades as an indicator of faecal pollution. It is only relatively recently that the role of E. coli as pathogen, rather than indicator, in drinking water has begun to be stressed. Interest in the role of E. coli as a cause of diarrhoeal disease has increased because of the emergence of E. coli O157:H7 and other enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, due to the severity of the related disease. There are enterotoxigenic, enteropathogenic, enterohaemorrhagic, enteroinvasive, enteroaggregative and diffusely adherent strains of E. coli. Each type of E. coli causes diarrhoeal disease through different mechanisms and each causes a different clinical presentation. Several of the types cause diarrhoea by the elaboration of one or more toxins, others by some other form of direct damage to epithelial cells. This paper discusses each of these types in turn and also describes their epidemiology, with particular reference to whether they are waterborne or not.

The HiPIP from the acidophilic Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is correctly processed and translocated in Escherichia coli, in spite of the periplasm pH difference between these two micro-organisms

Microbiology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 151 (5) ◽  
pp. 1421-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Bruscella ◽  
Laure Cassagnaud ◽  
Jeanine Ratouchniak ◽  
Gaël Brasseur ◽  
Elisabeth Lojou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Acidithiobacillus Ferrooxidans ◽  
Biochemical Properties ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Iron Sulfur Cluster ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Iron Sulfur ◽  
Sulfur Protein ◽  
Tat System ◽  
Micro Organisms

The gene encoding a putative high-potential iron–sulfur protein (HiPIP) from the strictly acidophilic and chemolithoautotrophic Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC 33020 has been cloned and sequenced. This potential HiPIP was overproduced in the periplasm of the neutrophile and heterotroph Escherichia coli. As shown by optical and EPR spectra and by electrochemical studies, the recombinant protein has all the biochemical properties of a HiPIP, indicating that the iron–sulfur cluster was correctly inserted. Translocation of this protein in the periplasm of E. coli was not detected in a ΔtatC mutant, indicating that it is dependent on the Tat system. The genetic organization of the iro locus in strains ATCC 23270 and ATCC 33020 is different from that found in strains Fe-1 and BRGM. Indeed, in A. ferrooxidans ATCC 33020 and ATCC 23270 (the type strain), iro was not located downstream from purA but was instead downstream from petC2, encoding cytochrome c 1 from the second A. ferrooxidans cytochrome bc 1 complex. These findings underline the genotypic heterogeneity within the A. ferrooxidans species. The results suggest that Iro transfers electrons from a cytochrome bc 1 complex to a terminal oxidase, as proposed for the HiPIP in photosynthetic bacteria.

Quantitative Determination of the Role of Lettuce Leaf Structures in Protecting Escherichia coli O157:H7 from Chlorine Disinfection

2001 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAZUE TAKEUCHI ◽  
JOSEPH F. FRANK
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Leaf Surface ◽  
Dead Cell ◽  
Escherichia Coli O157 ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Chlorine Disinfection ◽  
Sytox Green ◽  
Tissue Surface ◽  
Confocal Scanning

Viability of Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells on lettuce leaves after 200 mg/liter (200 ppm) chlorine treatment and the role of lettuce leaf structures in protecting cells from chlorine inactivation were evaluated by confocal scanning microscopy (CSLM). Lettuce samples (2 by 2 cm) were inoculated by immersing in a suspension containing 109 CFU/ml of E. coli O157: H7 for 24 ± 1 h at 4°C. Rinsed samples were treated with 200 mg/liter (200 ppm) chlorine for 5 min at 22°C. Viability of E. coli O157:H7 cells was evaluated by CSLM observation of samples stained with Sytox green (dead cell stain) and Alexa 594 conjugated antibody against E. coli O157:H7. Quantitative microscopic observations of viability were made at intact leaf surface, stomata, and damaged tissue. Most E. coli O157:H7 cells (68.3 ± 16.2%) that had penetrated 30 to 40 μm from the damaged tissue surface remained viable after chlorine treatment. Cells on the surface survived least (25.2 ± 15.8% survival), while cells that penetrated 0 to 10 μm from the damaged tissue surface or entered stomata showed intermediate survival (50.8 ± 13.5 and 45.6 ± 9.7% survival, respectively). Viability was associated with the depth at which E. coli O157:H7 cells were in the stomata. Although cells on the leaf surface were mostly inactivated, some viable cells were observed in cracks of cuticle and on the trichome. These results demonstrate the importance of lettuce leaf structures in the protection of E. coli O157:H7 cells from chlorine inactivation.

scholarly journals Detection and Quantification of Superoxide Formed within the Periplasm of Escherichia coli

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (17) ◽  
pp. 6326-6334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei Korshunov ◽  
James A. Imlay
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Phagocytic Cells ◽  
Free Living ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Superoxide Formation ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Copper Zinc ◽  
Primary Substrate

ABSTRACT Many gram-negative bacteria harbor a copper/zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) in their periplasms. In pathogenic bacteria, one role of this enzyme may be to protect periplasmic biomolecules from superoxide that is released by host phagocytic cells. However, the enzyme is also present in many nonpathogens and/or free-living bacteria, including Escherichia coli. In this study we were able to detect superoxide being released into the medium from growing cultures of E. coli. Exponential-phase cells do not normally synthesize CuZnSOD, which is specifically induced in stationary phase. However, the engineered expression of CuZnSOD in growing cells eliminated superoxide release, confirming that this superoxide was formed within the periplasm. The rate of periplasmic superoxide production was surprisingly high and approximated the estimated rate of cytoplasmic superoxide formation when both were normalized to the volume of the compartment. The rate increased in proportion to oxygen concentration, suggesting that the superoxide is generated by the adventitious oxidation of an electron carrier. Mutations that eliminated menaquinone synthesis eradicated the superoxide formation, while mutations in genes encoding respiratory complexes affected it only insofar as they are likely to affect the redox state of menaquinone. We infer that the adventitious autoxidation of dihydromenaquinone in the cytoplasmic membrane releases a steady flux of superoxide into the periplasm of E. coli. This endogenous superoxide may create oxidative stress in that compartment and be a primary substrate of CuZnSOD.

scholarly journals Determination of nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin susceptibility among urinary Escherichia coli isolates

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 3274
Author(s):  
Rachana Kanaujia ◽  
Amit Kumar ◽  
Malay Bajpai
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Urinary Tract ◽  
Urinary Tract Infections ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Therapeutic Alternatives ◽  
Micro Organisms ◽  
Staphylococcus Spp

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infections. For treatment of UTIs, there are limited antibiotics due to increased resistance among uropathogens. Two older antibiotics; Nitrofurantoin and Fosfomycin have become novel oral therapeutic options against uropathogens. Aim of the study was to identify UTI causing micro-organisms and evaluate in-vitro activity of nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin against most common isolated organism (E. coli).Methods: Results of urine samples culture and susceptibility testing over a period of 1 year were analysed and included in this study.Results: Micro-organisms were isolated from 568 urine samples. Most commonly isolated organism was Escherichia coli (40.50%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (20.07%) and Staphylococcus spp. (17.07%). Susceptibility of E. coli to nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin was 91.74% and 65.65% respectively. Conclusion: Good activity of nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin against E. coli indicates that these two drugs are potential therapeutic alternatives for urinary tract infections.

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