Assessment of Pathogenic Bacteria Transfer From Pristionchus Entomophagus (Nematoda: Diplogasteridae) to the Invasive Ant Myrmica Rubra and Its Potential Role in Colony Mortality in Coastal Maine

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Lynn Ishaq ◽  
Alice Hotopp ◽  
Samantha Silverbrand ◽  
Jonathan E. Dumont ◽  
Amy Michaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Serratia Marcescens ◽  
Digestive Tract ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Myrmica Rubra ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Soil Ecosystems ◽  
Environmental Bacteria

Abstract Background:Necromenic nematode Pristionchus entomophagus has been frequently found in nests of the invasive European ant Myrmica rubra in coastal Maine, United States. The nematodes may contribute to ant mortality and collapse of colonies by transferring environmental bacteria. M. rubra ants naturally hosting nematodes were collected from collapsed wild nests in Maine and used for bacteria identification. Virulence assays were carried out to validate acquisition and vectoring of environmental bacteria to the ants.Results:Multiple bacteria species, including Paenibacillus spp., were found in the nematodes’ digestive tract. Serratia marcescens, Serratia nematodiphila, and Pseudomonas fluorescens were collected from the hemolymph of nematode-infected Galleria mellonella larvae. Variability was observed in insect virulence in relation to the site origin of the nematodes. In vitro assays confirmed uptake of RFP-labeled Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA14 by nematodes. Bacteria were highly concentrated in the digestive tract of adult nematodes, a small amount of bacteria were observed in the digestive tract of juveniles with a more significant amount on their cuticle, and none on the cuticle of adults. RFP-labeled P. aeruginosa were not observed in hemolymph of G. mellonella larvae, indicating an apparent lack of bacterial transfer from juvenile nematodes to the insects despite larval mortality.Host species was the primary factor affecting bacterial community profiles. Spiroplasma sp. and Serratia marcescens sequences were shared across ants, nematodes, and nematode-exposed G. mellonella larvae. Alternative to the idea of transferring bacteria from environment to host, we considered whether nematode-exposure might disorder or depauperate the endobiotic community of an insect host. While total bacterial diversity was not statistically lower in nematode-exposed G. mellonella larvae when compared to controls, 16 bacterial sequence variants were less abundant in nematode-exposed larvae, while three were increased, including Serratia, Pseudomonas, and Proteus.Conclusions: This study suggests that transfer of bacteria from nematodes to ants is feasible, although largely serendipitous, and may possibly contributed to ant death and/or collapse of wild colonies in Maine. Hypothetically, the use of an engineered biological control, such as nematodes carrying specifically-seeded bacterial species, may be effective, especially if the pathogenic bacteria are normally found in soil ecosystems and represents a low risk for biosafety control.

Characterization of Serratia species and qualitative detection of Serratia marcescens in raw and pasteurized milk by an analytical method based on polymerase chain reaction

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 3453-3464
Author(s):  
Evelin Korcz ◽  
László Varga ◽  
Zoltán Kerényi
Keyword(s):  
Serratia Marcescens ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
In Vitro Assays ◽  
Pasteurized Milk ◽  
Milk Samples ◽  
Microbiological Methods

Serratia species are opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms primarily known as nosocomial infectious agents, which can also cause food quality problems. The appearance of the extracellular pigment-producing Serratia marcescens in cow’s milk causes its red discoloration, posing a challenge to the dairy industry and food certification laboratories. The detection of the bacterium by conventional procedures based on microbiological methods is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and in many cases does not lead to satisfactory results due to the competitive inhibitory effect of the accompanying microflora. Following the analysis of the relevant literature, the published endpoint PCR methods and the primers used for the detection of S. marcescens were evaluated in in silico and in vitro assays, and then the procedure was tested on farm milk samples. Using the method, a total of 60 raw and pasteurized milk samples were analyzed, more than half of which (i.e., 32) were identified as S. marcescens positive. The significance of our work is mainly represented by the application of the published test methods in food industry practice. Our results highlight to the importance of detecting this bacterial species.

scholarly journals Discovery and Characterization of Low-Molecular Weight Inhibitors of Erwinia tracheiphila

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 989-998
Author(s):  
Cláudio M. Vrisman ◽  
Loïc Deblais ◽  
Yosra A. Helmy ◽  
Reed Johnson ◽  
Gireesh Rajashekara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Bacillus Species ◽  
Erwinia Tracheiphila ◽  
Static Activity ◽  
Low Toxicity

Plant pathogenic bacteria in the genus Erwinia cause economically important diseases, including bacterial wilt of cucurbits caused by Erwinia tracheiphila. Conventional bactericides are insufficient to control this disease. Using high-throughput screening, 464 small molecules (SMs) with either cidal or static activity at 100 µM against a cucumber strain of E. tracheiphila were identified. Among them, 20 SMs (SM1 to SM20), composed of nine distinct chemical moiety structures, were cidal to multiple E. tracheiphila strains at 100 µM. These lead SMs had low toxicity to human cells and honey bees at 100 µM. No phytotoxicity was observed on melon plants at 100 µM, except when SM12 was either mixed with Silwet L-77 and foliar sprayed or when delivered through the roots. Lead SMs did not inhibit the growth of beneficial Pseudomonas and Enterobacter species but inhibited the growth of Bacillus species. Nineteen SMs were cidal to Xanthomonas cucurbitae and showed >50% growth inhibition against Pseudomonas syringae pv. lachrymans. In addition, 19 SMs were cidal or static against Erwinia amylovora in vitro. Five SMs demonstrated potential to suppress E. tracheiphila when foliar sprayed on melon plants at 2× the minimum bactericidal concentration. Thirteen SMs reduced Et load in melon plants when delivered via roots. Temperature and light did not affect the activity of SMs. In vitro cidal activity was observed after 3 to 10 h of exposure to these five SMs. Here, we report 19 SMs that provide chemical scaffolds for future development of bactericides against plant pathogenic bacterial species.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Some Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants against Human Pathogenic Bacteria

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bishnu P. Marasini ◽  
Pankaj Baral ◽  
Pratibha Aryal ◽  
Kashi R. Ghimire ◽  
Sanjiv Neupane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibacterial Activity ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Inhibitory Action ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Cynodon Dactylon ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Dilution Method ◽  
Chloroform Fraction ◽  
Ethanolic Extracts

The worldwide increase of multidrug resistance in both community- and health-care associated bacterial infections has impaired the current antimicrobial therapy, warranting the search for other alternatives. We aimed to find thein vitroantibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of 16 different traditionally used medicinal plants of Nepal against 13 clinical and 2 reference bacterial species using microbroth dilution method. The evaluated plants species were found to exert a range ofin vitrogrowth inhibitory action against the tested bacterial species, andCynodon dactylonwas found to exhibit moderate inhibitory action against 13 bacterial species including methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus, imipenem-resistantPseudomonas aeruginosa, multidrug-resistantSalmonella typhi, andS. typhimurium. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of tested ethanolic extracts were found from 31 to >25,000 μg/mL. Notably, ethanolic extracts ofCinnamomum camphora, Curculigo orchioides, andCurcuma longaexhibited the highest antibacterial activity againstS. pyogeneswith a MIC of 49, 49, and 195 μg/mL, respectively; whereas chloroform fraction ofCynodon dactylonexhibited best antibacterial activity againstS. aureuswith a MIC of 31 μg/mL. Among all,C. dactylon, C. camphora, C. orchioides, andC. longaplant extracts displayed a potential antibacterial activity of MIC < 100 μg/mL.

Favorable effects in vitro and in vivo of two clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on nutritionally deficient Staphylococcus aureus strains

1973 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 973-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Gadbois ◽  
J. De Repentigny ◽  
L. G. Mathieu
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Peritoneal Cavity ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Mixed Cultures ◽  
Rabbit Skin ◽  
Metabolic Activities

We have studied aspects of interbacterial ecology with nutritionally dependent Staphylococcus aureus strains; they were grown in association with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in systems of mixed cultures and infections in vitro in a semisynthetic medium and in vivo in mouse peritoneal cavity and rabbit skin. In mixed cultures and in P. aeruginosa culture filtrates, thymine and tryptophan deficiencies in staphylococci were partly overcome. This is probably because P. aeruginosa supplied the essential metabolites required to ensure growth; however, other metabolic activities could also be involved. Other experiments showed that the sensitivity of thymineless staphylococci to nucleoside inhibitions was alleviated. In mixed infections with P. aeruginosa, the S. aureus thymineless strain has shown a greater ability to survive in the peritoneal cavity of mice than when injected alone, even when one species was injected after the other with different doses of bacteria. The examination of the liquid from the peritoneal cavity of infected mice by fluorescence microscopy after fluorochroming with acridine orange or auramine O has revealed that Pseudomonas endotoxin seems to damage leucocytes and consequently reduces the phagocytosis of Staphylococcus cells.Necrosis in rabbit skin was mainly due to S. aureus when both species were injected together intradermally; the thymineless strain was less harmful than the parent strain.It seems that survival and even growth of nutritionally dependent strains of a bacterial species can be favored by the metabolic activities of another species in mixed cultures and infections, in this instance S. aureus by P. aeruginosa. This phenomenon among others could be a determinant of bacterial pathogenicity for nutritionally dependent pathogenic bacteria; thus associated organisms could determine the effective pathogenicity of nutritionally dependent bacteria by contributing essential nutrilites at the site where infection is initiated.

Catecholamines and in vitro growth of pathogenic bacteria: enhancement of growth varies greatly among bacterial species

Life Sciences ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 1527-1535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tesfaye Belay ◽  
Hernan Aviles ◽  
Monique Vance ◽  
Kimberly Fountain ◽  
Gerald Sonnenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
In Vitro Growth

scholarly journals The synthetic synergistic cinnamon oil CIN-102 is active against Madurella mycetomatis, the most common causative agent of mycetoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. e0009488
Author(s):  
Mickey Konings ◽  
Kimberly Eadie ◽  
Wilson Lim ◽  
Ahmed H. Fahal ◽  
Johan Mouton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Subcutaneous Tissue ◽  
Larval Survival ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Cinnamon Oil ◽  
Novel Treatments ◽  
Madurella Mycetomatis

Mycetoma is a devastating neglected tropical infection of the subcutaneous tissue and most commonly caused by the fungus Madurella mycetomatis. Treatment of mycetoma consists of a combination of a long term antifungal treatment with itraconazole and surgery. However, treatment is associated with low success rates. Therefore, there is a need to identify novel treatments for mycetoma. CIN-102 is a synthetic partial copy of cinnamon oils with activity against many pathogenic bacteria and fungi. In this study we determined the in vitro activity of CIN-102 against 21 M. mycetomatis isolates and its in vivo efficacy in a M. mycetomatis infected Galleria mellonella larval model. In vitro, CIN-102 was active against M. mycetomatis with MICs ranging from 32 μg/mL to 512 μg/mL. 128 μg/mL was needed to inhibit the growth in 50% of tested isolated. In vivo, concentrations below the MIC of 40 mg/kg and 80 mg/kg CIN-102 prolonged larval survival, but higher concentrations of CIN-102 did not.

In-vitro evaluation of cisplatin nanoparticles encompass natural polymer

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Bhavani J ◽  
Sunil Kumar Prajapati ◽  
Ravichandran S
Keyword(s):  
Antibacterial Activity ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Dilution Method ◽  
Bacterial Strains ◽  
Active Components ◽  
Synthetic Drugs

Opportunistic bacterial infections are common in the various parts of human body. In recent years bacterial species have shown resistance against a number of synthetic drugs. This study measured the antibacterial activity of bacterial strains against five common pathogenic bacteria related strains. Cup plate method and two fold serial dilution method were used to evaluated by antibacterial activity by the help of different bacterial related strains. The results revealed that Cisplatin (CIP) using natural as a polymer showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at 250 mg/ml to 500 mg/ml of the broth against all bacterial strains. CIP using natural as a polymer was prepared different doses1000 μg/ml and 2000 μg/ ml and measured zone of inhibition dose dementedly reduced when compared to standard. The CIP using natural as a polymer exhibited strong anti-bacterial activity against five different species of bacteria and this may be attributed to various active components. Our research work has been indicated Nanoparticles containing CIP using natural as a polymer formulated for the enhanced anti-cancer activity through antimicrobial mechanism. 

scholarly journals The Role of Iron and Siderophores in Infection, and the Development of Siderophore Antibiotics

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (Supplement_7) ◽  
pp. S529-S537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcom G P Page
Keyword(s):  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Membrane Receptors ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Resistant Bacteria

Abstract Iron is an essential nutrient for bacterial growth, replication, and metabolism. Humans store iron bound to various proteins such as hemoglobin, haptoglobin, transferrin, ferritin, and lactoferrin, limiting the availability of free iron for pathogenic bacteria. However, bacteria have developed various mechanisms to sequester or scavenge iron from the host environment. Iron can be taken up by means of active transport systems that consist of bacterial small molecule siderophores, outer membrane siderophore receptors, the TonB-ExbBD energy-transducing proteins coupling the outer and the inner membranes, and inner membrane transporters. Some bacteria also express outer membrane receptors for iron-binding proteins of the host and extract iron directly from these for uptake. Ultimately, iron is acquired and transported into the bacterial cytoplasm. The siderophores are small molecules produced and released by nearly all bacterial species and are classified according to the chemical nature of their iron-chelating group (ie, catechol, hydroxamate, α-hydroxyl-carboxylate, or mixed types). Siderophore-conjugated antibiotics that exploit such iron-transport systems are under development for the treatment of infections caused by gram-negative bacteria. Despite demonstrating high in vitro potency against pathogenic multidrug-resistant bacteria, further development of several candidates had stopped due to apparent adaptive resistance during exposure, lack of consistent in vivo efficacy, or emergence of side effects in the host. However, cefiderocol, with an optimized structure, has advanced and has been investigated in phase 1 to 3 clinical trials. This article discusses the mechanisms implicated in iron uptake and the challenges associated with the design and utilization of siderophore-mimicking antibiotics.

Filtration effects of zebra mussels on pathogens and total bacterial burden in the Odra Lagoon (South Baltic)

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 1354-1360
Author(s):  
G. Daeschlein ◽  
C. Fenske ◽  
S. Scholz ◽  
S. Dahlke ◽  
M. Jünger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Burkholderia Cepacia ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Antimicrobial Effect ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
North East ◽  
Wastewater Pollution

As a result of their mode of filter feeding, zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha Pall.) have been observed to purify natural water bodies and in vitro. Therefore, the possibility of using zebra mussels for water purification was investigated in a slightly brackish water body of a large lagoon. In this study, water samples were taken above, near and at distance from zebra mussel beds (MB) in the Odra Lagoon in North East Germany. Near typical bacterial species like Aeromonas spp. pathogenic bacteria with potential relation to hospital wastewater pollution (Burkholderia cepacia, Staphylococcus aureus, Weeksella spp.) were detected. There were no correlations found between either total bacteria or pathogens and distance to MB and no antimicrobial effect of the mussels could be deduced. For bioremediation in larger water bodies like lagoons, natural zebra MB do not seem to play a major antimicrobial role and the effect of artificial mussel grids especially against hospital pathogens should be investigated.

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