scholarly journals Large Fraction of Dead and Inactive Bacteria in Coastal Marine Sediments: Comparison of Protocols for Determination and Ecological Significance

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 3509-3513 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Luna ◽  
E. Manini ◽  
R. Danovaro

ABSTRACT It is now universally recognized that only a portion of aquatic bacteria is actively growing, but quantitative information on the fraction of living versus dormant or dead bacteria in marine sediments is completely lacking. We compared different protocols for the determination of the dead, dormant, and active bacterial fractions in two different marine sediments and at different depths into the sediment core. Bacterial counts ranged between (1.5 ± 0.2) × 108 cells g−1 and (53.1 ± 16.0) × 108 cells g−1 in sandy and muddy sediments, respectively. Bacteria displaying intact membrane (live bacterial cells) accounted for 26 to 30% of total bacterial counts, while dead cells represented the most abundant fraction (70 to 74%). Among living bacterial cells, nucleoid-containing cells represented only 4% of total bacterial counts, indicating that only a very limited fraction of bacterial assemblage was actively growing. Nucleoid-containing cells increased with increasing sediment organic content. The number of bacteria responsive to antibiotic treatment (direct viable count; range, 0.3 to 4.8% of the total bacterial number) was significantly lower than nucleoid-containing cell counts. An experiment of nutrient enrichment to stimulate a response of the dormant bacterial fraction determined a significant increase of nucleoid-containing cells. After nutrient enrichment, a large fraction of dormant bacteria (6 to 11% of the total bacterial number) was “reactivated.” Bacterial turnover rates estimated ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 day−1 but were 50 to 80 times higher when only the fraction of active bacteria was considered (on average 3.2 day−1). Our results suggest that the fraction of active bacteria in marine sediments is controlled by nutrient supply and availability and that their turnover rates are at least 1 order of magnitude higher than previously reported.

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 268
Author(s):  
Daphne T. Lianou ◽  
Charalambia K. Michael ◽  
Natalia G. C. Vasileiou ◽  
Efthymia Petinaki ◽  
Peter J. Cripps ◽  
...  

Objectives were to investigate somatic cell counts (SCC) and total bacterial counts (TBC) in the raw bulk-tank milk of sheep flocks in Greece, to study factors potentially influencing increased SCC and TBC in the bulk-tank milk of sheep and to evaluate possible associations of SCC and TBC with milk content. Throughout Greece, 325 dairy sheep flocks were visited for collection of milk sampling for somatic cell counting, microbiological examination and composition measurement. Geometric mean SCC were 0.488 × 106 cells mL−1; geometric mean TBC were 398 × 103 cfu mL−1; 228 staphylococcal isolates were recovered form 206 flocks (63.4%). Multivariable analyses revealed annual incidence risk of clinical mastitis, age of the farmer and month into lactation period (among 53 variables) to be significant for SCC > 1.0 × 106 cells mL−1 and month into lactation period at sampling and availability of mechanical ventilators (among 58 variables) to be significant for TBC > 1500 × 103 cfu mL−1. Negative correlation of SCC with fat, total protein and lactose and positive correlation of SCC with added water were found. With SCC > 1.0 × 106 cells mL−1, significant reduction of protein content (2%) was observed, whilst in flocks with SCC > 1.5 × 106 cells mL−1, significantly lower annual milk production per ewe (42.9%) was recorded.


2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1864) ◽  
pp. 20171617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Broman ◽  
Varvara Sachpazidou ◽  
Mark Dopson ◽  
Samuel Hylander

An important characteristic of marine sediments is the oxygen concentration that affects many central metabolic processes. There has been a widespread increase in hypoxia in coastal systems (referred to as ‘dead zones’) mainly caused by eutrophication. Hence, it is central to understand the metabolism and ecology of eukaryotic life in sediments during changing oxygen conditions. Therefore, we sampled coastal ‘dead zone’ Baltic Sea sediment during autumn and spring, and analysed the eukaryotic metatranscriptome from field samples and after incubation in the dark under oxic or anoxic conditions. Bacillariophyta (diatoms) dominated the eukaryotic metatranscriptome in spring and were also abundant during autumn. A large fraction of the diatom RNA reads was associated with the photosystems suggesting a constitutive expression in darkness. Microscope observation showed intact diatom cells and these would, if hatched, represent a significant part of the pelagic phytoplankton biomass. Oxygenation did not significantly change the relative proportion of diatoms nor resulted in any major shifts in metabolic ‘signatures’. By contrast, diatoms rapidly responded when exposed to light suggesting that light is limiting diatom development in hypoxic sediments. Hence, it is suggested that diatoms in hypoxic sediments are on ‘standby’ to exploit the environment if they reach suitable habitats.


2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 1157-1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Rusznyák ◽  
Denise M. Akob ◽  
Sándor Nietzsche ◽  
Karin Eusterhues ◽  
Kai Uwe Totsche ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTKarstic caves represent one of the most important subterranean carbon storages on Earth and provide windows into the subsurface. The recent discovery of the Herrenberg Cave, Germany, gave us the opportunity to investigate the diversity and potential role of bacteria in carbonate mineral formation. Calcite was the only mineral observed by Raman spectroscopy to precipitate as stalactites from seepage water. Bacterial cells were found on the surface and interior of stalactites by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Proteobacteria dominated the microbial communities inhabiting stalactites, representing more than 70% of total 16S rRNA gene clones. Proteobacteria formed 22 to 34% of the detected communities in fluvial sediments, and a large fraction of these bacteria were also metabolically active. A total of 9 isolates, belonging to the generaArthrobacter,Flavobacterium,Pseudomonas,Rhodococcus,Serratia, andStenotrophomonas, grew on alkaline carbonate-precipitating medium. Two cultures with the most intense precipitate formation,Arthrobacter sulfonivoransandRhodococcus globerulus, grew as aggregates, produced extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and formed mixtures of calcite, vaterite, and monohydrocalcite.R. globerulusformed idiomorphous crystals with rhombohedral morphology, whereasA. sulfonivoransformed xenomorphous globular crystals, evidence for taxon-specific crystal morphologies. The results of this study highlighted the importance of combining various techniques in order to understand the geomicrobiology of karstic caves, but further studies are needed to determine whether the mineralogical biosignatures found in nutrient-rich media can also be found in oligotrophic caves.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-418
Author(s):  
Piotr Perliński ◽  
Zbigniew J. Mudryk ◽  
Marta Zdanowicz

Abstract The abundance of bacteria inhabiting the sediment-water interface and their taxonomic composition were determined with the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method in a marine harbor channel in Ustka. Among bacteria inhabiting the studied layer Gammaproteobacteria (1.4 cells 108·dm−3) and Cytophaga-Flavobacterium (1.1 cells 108·dm−3) dominated. Vibrio and Pseudomonas represented only a small fraction of the total cell counts. All taxonomic groups of studied bacteria show significant positive correlation between their abundance. The total bacterial number varied from 3.3 to 23.5 cells 108·dm−3 and their biomass oscillated from 39.4 to 282.4 μg C·dm−3. This parameter differed along horizontal profiles, while there were no significant differences in the abundance of the studied taxonomic groups among the study sites of the channel in Ustka. The total number of bacteria as well as the abundance of bacterial phylogenetic groups were subject to seasonal fluctuation in the studied water basin.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Lengger ◽  
Y. A. Lipsewers ◽  
H. de Haas ◽  
J. S. Sinninghe Damsté ◽  
S. Schouten

Abstract. Thaumarchaeota are amongst the most abundant microorganisms in aquatic environments, however, their metabolism in marine sediments is still debated. Labeling studies in marine sediments have previously been undertaken, but focused on complex organic carbon substrates which Thaumarchaeota have not yet been shown to take up. In this study, we investigated the activity of Thaumarchaeota in sediments by supplying different 13C-labeled substrates which have previously been shown to be incorporated into archaeal cells in water incubations and/or enrichment cultures. We determined the incorporation of 13C-label from bicarbonate, pyruvate, glucose and amino acids into thaumarchaeal intact polar lipid-glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers (IPL-GDGTs) during 4–6 day incubations of marine sediment cores from three sites on the Iceland shelf. Thaumarchaeal intact polar lipids, in particular crenarchaeol, were detected at all stations and concentrations remained constant or decreased slightly upon incubation. No 13C incorporation in any IPL-GDGT was observed at stations 2 (clay-rich sediment) and 3 (organic-rich sediment). In bacterial/eukaryotic IPL-derived fatty acids at station 3, contrastingly, a large uptake of 13C label (up to + 80‰ ) was found. 13C was also respired during the experiment as shown by a substantial increase in the 13C content of the dissolved inorganic carbon. In IPL-GDGTs recovered from the sandy sediments at station 1, however, some enrichment in δ13C (1–4‰ ) was detected after incubation with bicarbonate and pyruvate. The low incorporation rates suggest a low activity of Thaumarchaeota in marine sediments and/or a low turnover rate of thaumarchaeal IPL-GDGTs due to their low degradation rates. Cell numbers and activity of sedimentary Thaumarchaeota based on IPL-GDGT measurements may thus have previously been overestimated.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1338
Author(s):  
Kamila Pachnowska ◽  
Krzysztof Cendrowski ◽  
Xymena Stachurska ◽  
Paweł Nawrotek ◽  
Adrian Augustyniak ◽  
...  

The emerging trend towards the reduction of SO2 in winemaking has created a need to look for alternative methods to ensure the protection of wine against the growth of undesired species of microorganisms and to safely remove wine microorganisms. This study describes the possible application of silica nanospheres as a wine stabilisation agent, with Oenococcus oeni (DSM7008) as a model strain. The experiment was conducted firstly on model solutions of phosphate-buffered saline and 1% glucose. Their neutralising effect was tested under stirring with the addition of SiO2 (0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/mL). Overall, the highest concentration of nanospheres under continuous stirring resulted in the greatest decrease in cell counts. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses showed extensive damage to the bacterial cells after stirring with silica nanomaterials. Then, the neutralising effect of 0.5 mg/mL SiO2 was tested in young red wine under stirring, where cell counts were reduced by over 50%. The obtained results suggest that silica nanospheres can serve as an alternative way to reduce or substitute the use of sulphur dioxide in the microbial stabilisation of wine. In addition, further aspects of following investigations should focus on the protection against enzymatic and chemical oxidation of wine.


2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (8) ◽  
pp. 2300-2311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva J. Scharinger ◽  
Richard Dietrich ◽  
Ina Kleinsteuber ◽  
Erwin Märtlbauer ◽  
Kristina Schauer

ABSTRACTCronobacter sakazakiiis a foodborne pathogen associated with rare but often lethal infections in neonates. Powdered infant formula (PIF) represents the most frequent source of infection. Out of the identified serotypes (O1 to O7), O1, O2, and O3 are often isolated from clinical and PIF samples. Serotype-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) suitable for application in enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for the rapid detection ofC. sakazakiihave not yet been developed. In this study, we created specific MAbs with the ability to bind toC. sakazakiiof serotypes O1, O2, and O3. Characterization by indirect EIAs, immunofluorescence, motility assays, and immunoblotting identified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and exopolysaccharide (EPS) as the antigenic determinants of the MAbs. The established sandwich EIAs were highly sensitive and were able to detect between 2 × 103and 9 × 106CFU/ml. Inclusivity tests confirmed that 93% of serotype O1 strains, 100% of O2 strains, and 87% of O3 strains were detected at low cell counts. No cross-reactivity with >100 strains ofCronobacterspp. and otherEnterobacteriaceaewas observed, except for that withC. sakazakiiserotype O3 andCronobactermuytjensiiserotype O1. Moreover, the sandwich EIAs detectedC. sakazakiiin PIF samples artificially contaminated with 1 to 10 bacterial cells per 10 g of sample after 15 h of preenrichment. The use of these serotype-specific MAbs not only allows the reliable detection ofC. sakazakiistrains but also enables simultaneous serotyping in a simple sandwich EIA method.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Kearns ◽  
John H. Angell ◽  
Evan M. Howard ◽  
Linda A. Deegan ◽  
Rachel H. R. Stanley ◽  
...  

1971 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Hall ◽  
D. F. Brown ◽  
R. B. Read

When pasteurized whole eggs from breakers were examined by the Direct Microscopic Count (DMC) procedure, the bacterial count frequently appeared to be too low to correlate with the observed state of decomposition. The DMC of whole egg was found to decrease during pasteurization. To determine why, DMC's were done using the North Aniline Oil - Methylene Blue Stain and the Levowitz-Weber modification of the Newman-Lampert stain. Total bacterial counts also were made using the Petroff-Hausser counting chamber. Results indicated that the reduction in count resulted from lysis of some of the bacterial cells in egg rather than to loss of stainability. Crystalline lysozyme at the concentration found in egg and whole egg preparations produced similar reductions in the DMC of bacteria isolated from egg.


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