scholarly journals Occurrence and molecular characterisation of Acanthamoeba isolated from recreational hot springs in Malaysia: evidence of pathogenic potential

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 813-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosnani Hanim Mohd Hussain ◽  
Ahmad Razali Ishak ◽  
Mohamed Kamel Abdul Ghani ◽  
Naveed Ahmed Khan ◽  
Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hot Springs ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Authorities

Abstract This study aimed to identify the Acanthamoeba genotypes and their pathogenic potential in five recreational hot springs in Peninsular Malaysia. Fifty water samples were collected between April and September 2018. Physical parameters of water quality were measured in situ while chemical and microbiological analyses were performed in the laboratory. All samples were filtered through the nitrocellulose membrane and tested for Acanthamoeba using both cultivation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by targeting the 18S ribosomal RNA gene. The pathogenic potential of all positive isolates was identified using thermo- and osmotolerance tests. Thirty-eight (76.0%) samples were positive for Acanthamoeba. Water temperature (P = 0.035), chemical oxygen demand (P = 0.026), sulphate (P = 0.002) and Escherichia coli (P < 0.001) were found to be significantly correlated with the presence of Acanthamoeba. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 24 samples belonged to genotype T4, nine (T15), two (T3) and one from each genotype T5, T11 and T17. Thermo- and osmotolerance tests showed that 6 (15.79%) of the Acanthamoeba strains were highly pathogenic. The existence of Acanthamoeba in recreational hot springs should be considered as a health threat among the public especially for high-risk people. Periodic surveillance of hot spring waters and posting warning signs by health authorities is recommended to prevent disease related to pathogenic Acanthamoeba.

scholarly journals In-Situ Metatranscriptomic Analyses Reveal the Metabolic Flexibility of the Thermophilic Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacterium Chloroflexusaggregans in a Hot Spring Cyanobacteria-Dominated Microbial Mat

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 652
Author(s):  
Shigeru Kawai ◽  
Joval N. Martinez ◽  
Mads Lichtenberg ◽  
Erik Trampe ◽  
Michael Kühl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Metabolism ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Microbial Mats ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Photosynthetic Bacterium ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Metabolic Flexibility

Chloroflexus aggregans is a metabolically versatile, thermophilic, anoxygenic phototrophic member of the phylum Chloroflexota (formerly Chloroflexi), which can grow photoheterotrophically, photoautotrophically, chemoheterotrophically, and chemoautotrophically. In hot spring-associated microbial mats, C. aggregans co-exists with oxygenic cyanobacteria under dynamic micro-environmental conditions. To elucidate the predominant growth modes of C. aggregans, relative transcription levels of energy metabolism- and CO2 fixation-related genes were studied in Nakabusa Hot Springs microbial mats over a diel cycle and correlated with microscale in situ measurements of O2 and light. Metatranscriptomic analyses indicated two periods with different modes of energy metabolism of C. aggregans: (1) phototrophy around midday and (2) chemotrophy in the early morning hours. During midday, C. aggregans mainly employed photoheterotrophy when the microbial mats were hyperoxic (400–800 µmol L−1 O2). In the early morning hours, relative transcription peaks of genes encoding uptake hydrogenase, key enzymes for carbon fixation, respiratory complexes as well as enzymes for TCA cycle and acetate uptake suggest an aerobic chemomixotrophic lifestyle. This is the first in situ study of the versatile energy metabolism of C. aggregans based on gene transcription patterns. The results provide novel insights into the metabolic flexibility of these filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs that thrive under dynamic environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Isolation and molecular identification of Acanthamoeba spp. from hot springs in Mazandaran province, northern Iran

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 807-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samira Dodangeh ◽  
Elham Kialashaki ◽  
Ahmad Daryani ◽  
Mehdi Sharif ◽  
Shahabeddin Sarvi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hot Springs ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Mazandaran Province ◽  
Northern Iran ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Granulomatous Amoebic Encephalitis ◽  
Amoebic Keratitis ◽  
Hot Tubs

Abstract Acanthamoeba is a free-living protozoan that can be found in natural and artificial environments such as hot tubs, surface water and springs and can cause severe diseases including amoebic keratitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. The present study was conducted owing to the lack of research regarding genotypes of Acanthamoeba in hot springs of Mazandaran province in northern Iran. Twenty-four water samples were collected from all hot springs in Mazandaran province. After filtration through nitrocellulose membrane, samples were cultured on non-nutrient agar medium enriched with TYIS-33. The cultures were microscopically examined for the presence of Acanthamoeba. Positive cultures were analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genotypes were determined by targeting the 18 S rRNA gene. The pathogenic potential of all positive isolates was identified using thermotolerance and osmotolerance tests. Eleven (47.8%) samples were positive for Acanthamoeba. Based on sequencing analysis, 100% of isolates belonged to the T4 genotype. Thermo- and osmo-tolerance tests showed that four (36.3%) Acanthamoeba strains were highly pathogenic. According to our research, the occurrence of Acanthamoeba in recreational hot springs could be a hazard for high risk persons. Posting warning signs and regular monitoring of these waters by health planners may therefore be useful for decreasing Acanthamoeba spp. infections.

scholarly journals ISOLATION OF THERMOPHILIC LIPASE PRODUCING BACTERIUM FROM HOT SPRINGS AT THE EAST COAST OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Tengku Hamid ◽  
◽  
Nur Abidin ◽  
Nurmusfirah Hasan ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hot Springs ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Thermophilic Bacteria ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Thermostable Enzymes ◽  
Thermophilic Microorganisms

Hot spring is a natural habitat for thermophilic bacteria and the primary source of thermostable enzymes useful in industrial applications. In Malaysia, the search for thermophilic organisms has been focused on hot springs, especially on the peninsular West coast. In this work, lipase or esterase producing thermophilic microorganisms were isolated from East coast hot springs in Pahang and Terengganu's states. Morphological and biochemical analysis were carried out on Isolates LH1, LH2, LH3, LH4, LH5, B2B2 and S1B4, which showed that they are gram positive, aerobic, spore forming, and motile organisms. All of the seven isolates showed the ability to grow at 45°C and formed hydrolysis zones on tributyrin agar plates. However, only isolate B2B2 and S1B4 were able to thrive at higher temperatures of up to 65°C. The genotypic characterisation was carried out using 16S rRNA sequencing. Bacillus and Geobacillus species were found to be the dominant bacteria isolated from these hot springs. From La hot spring, isolate LH1 (MT 645486), Isolates LH2 (MT645483), LH3 (MT645484), LH4 (MT 645485) and LH5 (MT 645487) were all closely related to Bacillus sp. (at 97.3-97.9%). Meanwhile, from Bentong and Sungai Lembing hot springs, isolates B2B2 (MT668631) and S1B4 (MT668632) were near related to either Geobacillus kaustophilus or Geobacillus thermoleovorans; each at 98.5% and 97.9% similarity, respectively. These strains from Geobacillus sp. were able to thrive at higher temperature and their thermostable esterases or lipases have properties useful for biotechnological applications.

scholarly journals Exotic Tourist Destinations and Transmission of Infections by Swimming Pools and Hot Springs—A Literature Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 2730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athena Mavridou ◽  
Olga Pappa ◽  
Olga Papatzitze ◽  
Chrysa Dioli ◽  
Anastasia Maria Kefala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hot Springs ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Swimming Pools ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Tourist Destinations ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Available Information

A growing number of people undertake international travel, and yet faster growth of such travel is expected in the tropics. Information on the hazards presented by pool and hot spring waters in tropical countries is very limited. This review aims to collate available information on pool water quality, alongside data on cases and outbreaks associated with swimming in pools in tropical regions affecting both local populations and travellers. Bacteria species commonly causing cases and outbreaks in the tropics as well as elsewhere in the world were excluded, and the review focuses on studies related to pathogens that, with the exception of Cryptosporidium, are unusual in more temperate climates. Studies concerning subtropical countries were included in the light of climate change. Diseases transmitted by vectors breeding in poorly maintained, neglected or abandoned pools were also included. 83 studies dealing with Microsporidia, Leptospira spp., Schistosomas spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Acanthamoeba spp., Naegleria spp., Clostridium trachomatis, viruses, and vectors breeding in swimming pool and hot tub waters, and fulfilling predefined criteria, have been included in our survey of the literature. In conclusion, prevention strategies for pool safety in the tropics are imperative. Public health authorities need to provide guidance to westerners travelling to exotic destinations on how to protect their health in swimming pools.

scholarly journals Study on Geoheritage and Water Quality of Pos Hendrop Hot Spring, Lojing Highlands, Kelantan, Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-232
Author(s):  
Dony Adriansyah Nazaruddin ◽  
Zurfarahin Zulkarnain ◽  
Nur Syazwani Md Fadilah ◽  
Mohammad Muqtada Ali Khan ◽  
Arham Muchtar Achmad Bahar
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Class V ◽  
Good Potential ◽  
Class Iib ◽  
Field Works

Pos Hendrop hot spring is one of the hot springs in Lojing Highlands, in the state ofKelantan, Malaysia. The hot spring is located within the Main Range Granite and isamong the hottest hot spring in Malaysia. The aim of this paper is to discuss geoheritagepotentials and water quality of this hot spring. Desk study was carried out by reviewingsome literatures related to the topic and the study area. Field works were organized in January and August 2014 to collect data, samples, and photographs. This site hasgeoheritage values such as scientific, aesthetic, recreational, functional, and economicvalues. The in-situ water quality analysis which was conducted in 2014 during the dryand rainy seasons in Kelantan (January and August 2014) generally shows that the waterqualit y in t he measurement p oint s of t he hot sp ring area ranges from “ Class IIB” t o “Class V” based on t he Int erim Nat ional Wat er Qualit y St andard (INWQS) for M alay sia. T hishot spring also shows a good potential to attract the interests of geoscientists and generalpublic to visit the area. Some specific tourism and recreational activities can be done inthe site such as eggs boiling, bathing and heating, hot spring therapy, and skin treatment.It is recommended that this hot spring should be conserved and developed properly as a potential geoheritage site and for a sustainable geotourism development in LojingHighlands.

scholarly journals Acanthamoeba species isolated from marine water in Malaysia exhibit distinct genotypes and variable physiological properties

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosnani Hanim Mohd Hussain ◽  
Mohamed Kamel Abdul Ghani ◽  
Naveed Ahmed Khan ◽  
Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui ◽  
Tengku Shahrul Anuar
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Marine Water ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Physiological Tolerance ◽  
Physiological Properties ◽  
Acanthamoeba Species ◽  
Ph Level ◽  
Microbiological Analyses

Abstract The present study identifies the Acanthamoeba genotypes and their pathogenic potential in five marine waters in Malaysia. Fifty water samples were collected between January and May 2019. Physical parameters of water quality were measured in situ, whereas chemical and microbiological analyses were conducted in the laboratory. All samples had undergone filtration using nitrocellulose membrane and tested for Acanthamoeba using cultivation and polymerase chain reaction by targeting the 18S ribosomal RNA gene. The pathogenic potential of all positive isolates was identified using physiological tolerance tests. Thirty-six (72.0%) samples were positive for Acanthamoeba. Total coliforms (p = 0.013) and pH level (p = 0.023) displayed significant correlation with Acanthamoeba presence. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 27 samples belonged to genotype T4, four (T11), two (T18) and one from each genotype T5, T15 and T20. Thermo- and osmo-tolerance tests signified that three (8.3%) Acanthamoeba strains displayed highly pathogenic attributes. This study is the first investigation in Malaysia describing Acanthamoeba detection in marine water with molecular techniques and genotyping. The study outcomes revealed that the marine water in Malaysia could be an integral source of acanthamoebic strains potentially pathogenic in humans. Thus, the potential risk of this water should be monitored routinely in each region.

scholarly journals Inorganic salts and compatible solutes help mesophilic bacteria inhabit the high temperature waters of a Trans-Himalayan sulfur-borax spring

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nibendu Mondal ◽  
Chayan Roy ◽  
Aditya Peketi ◽  
Masrure Alam ◽  
Tarunendu Mapder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hot Springs ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Compatible Solutes ◽  
Spring Water ◽  
Colony Forming Units ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Culture Growth ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Growth Experiments

AbstractWhile geographically-/geologically-distinct hot springs harbor different levels of microbial diversity, some of them encompass several such taxa which have no strain reported for laboratory growth at >45°C. We, therefore, hypothesized that native geomicrobial factors could be potent determinants of the microbial habitability of hot spring environments. To test this hypothesis, aquatic microbial communities were revealed metataxonomically, and considered in the context of spring-water chemistry, along the 85-14°C hydrothermal gradient of a sulfur-boron spring namedLotus Pondlocated at 4,436 m, within the Puga geothermal area of the Indian Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh. Water samples were studied from four distinct sites alongLotus Pond’s spring-water transit from the vent to an adjacent river calledRulang. Insinuations obtained from geomicrobiological data were tested via pure-culture growth experiments in habitat-inspired media. Microbial diversities were found to be high at all the sample-sites; majority of the genera identified at the 70-85°C sites were found to have no report of laboratory growth at >45°C; concurrently, these sample-sites had high concentrations of the kosmotropic solutes boron, lithium, sodium, sulfide, thiosulfate and sulfate, which are known to biophysically stabilize macromolecules. Based on the universal thermodynamic status of these solutes, we conjectured that they may be instrumental in helping mesophiles withstand highin situtemperatures. Corroboratively, growth experiments with a mesophilic, 80°C-isolate,ParacoccusSMMA_5 showed that at 50°C and 70°C, depending on the incubation-time, lithium/boron/sulfate/sodium/glycine-betaine either increases the number of colony-forming units present in the culture or arrests decline of the same. Incubations at 70°C, followed by fluorescein diacetate staining and flow cytometry, showed that these solutes keep more cells under viable condition than in ready-to-divide state. We concluded that kosmotropes and compatible solutes help mesophiles overcome the chaotropic effects of heat by augmenting such indigenous, entropy-minimizing biophysical mechanisms that apparently trade-off cell division for cell viability.

scholarly journals Genomic and Transcriptomic Evidence Supports Methane Metabolism in Archaeoglobi

mSystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Fan Liu ◽  
Jing Chen ◽  
Livia S. Zaramela ◽  
Li-Ying Wang ◽  
Serge Maurice Mbadinga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Oil Reservoir ◽  
Dissimilatory Sulfate Reduction ◽  
Last Common Ancestor ◽  
Metabolic Versatility ◽  
Methane Metabolism ◽  
Methyl Coenzyme M Reductase

ABSTRACT Euryarchaeal lineages have been believed to have a methanogenic last common ancestor. However, members of euryarchaeal Archaeoglobi have long been considered nonmethanogenic and their evolutionary history remains elusive. Here, three high-quality metagenomic-assembled genomes (MAGs) retrieved from high-temperature oil reservoir and hot springs, together with three newly assembled Archaeoglobi MAGs from previously reported hot spring metagenomes, are demonstrated to represent a novel genus of Archaeoglobaceae, “Candidatus Methanomixophus.” All “Ca. Methanomixophus” MAGs encode an M methyltransferase (MTR) complex and a traditional type of methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) complex, which is different from the divergent MCR complexes found in “Ca. Polytropus marinifundus.” In addition, “Ca. Methanomixophus dualitatem” MAGs preserve the genomic capacity for dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Comparative phylogenetic analysis supports a laterally transferred origin for an MCR complex and vertical heritage of the MTR complex in this lineage. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed concomitant in situ activity of hydrogen-dependent methylotrophic methanogenesis and heterotrophic fermentation within populations of “Ca. Methanomixophus hydrogenotrophicum” in a high-temperature oil reservoir. IMPORTANCE Current understanding of the diversity, biology, and ecology of Archaea is very limited, especially considering how few of the known phyla have been cultured or genomically explored. The reconstruction of “Ca. Methanomixophus” MAGs not only expands the known range of metabolic versatility of the members of Archaeoglobi but also suggests that the phylogenetic distribution of MCR and MTR complexes is even wider than previously anticipated.

scholarly journals Productivity and Community Composition of Low Biomass/High Silica Precipitation Hot Springs: A Possible Window to Earth’s Early Biosphere?

Life ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff R. Havig ◽  
Trinity L. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Martian Surface ◽  
Silica Precipitation ◽  
Terrestrial Hot Springs ◽  
High Silica ◽  
Oxygenic Phototrophs

Terrestrial hot springs have provided a niche space for microbial communities throughout much of Earth’s history, and evidence for hydrothermal deposits on the Martian surface suggest this could have also been the case for the red planet. Prior to the evolution of photosynthesis, life in hot springs on early Earth would have been supported though chemoautotrophy. Today, hot spring geochemical and physical parameters can preclude the occurrence of oxygenic phototrophs, providing an opportunity to characterize the geochemical and microbial components. In the absence of the photo-oxidation of water, chemoautotrophy in these hot springs (and throughout Earth’s history) relies on the delivery of exogenous electron acceptors and donors such as H2, H2S, and Fe2+. Thus, systems fueled by chemoautotrophy are likely energy substrate-limited and support low biomass communities compared to those where oxygenic phototrophs are prevalent. Low biomass silica-precipitating systems have implications for preservation, especially over geologic time. Here, we examine and compare the productivity and composition of low biomass chemoautotrophic versus photoautotrophic communities in silica-saturated hot springs. Our results indicate low biomass chemoautotrophic microbial communities in Yellowstone National Park are supported primarily by sulfur redox reactions and, while similar in total biomass, show higher diversity in anoxygenic phototrophic communities compared to chemoautotrophs. Our data suggest productivity in Archean terrestrial hot springs may be directly linked to redox substrate availability, and there may be high potential for geochemical and physical biosignature preservation from these communities.

scholarly journals The Italian Solfatara as an analog for Mars fumarolic alteration

2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 1565-1577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Flahaut ◽  
Janice L. Bishop ◽  
Simone Silvestro ◽  
Dario Tedesco ◽  
Isabelle Daniel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amorphous Silica ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Acid Leaching ◽  
Definitive Evidence ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
In Situ Detection ◽  
Sulfate Leaching

Abstract The first definitive evidence for continental vents on Mars is the in situ detection of amorphous silica-rich outcrops by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. These outcrops have been tentatively interpreted as the result of either acid sulfate leaching in fumarolic environments or direct precipitation from hot springs. Such environments represent prime targets for upcoming astrobiology missions but remain difficult to identify with certainty, especially from orbit. To contribute to the identification of fumaroles and hot spring deposits on Mars, we surveyed their characteristics at the analog site of the Solfatara volcanic crater in central Italy. Several techniques of mineral identification (VNIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, XRD) were used both in the field and in the laboratory on selected samples. The faulted crater walls showed evidence of acid leaching and alteration into the advanced argillic-alunitic facies, with colorful deposits containing alunite, jarosite, and/or hematite. Sublimates containing various Al and Fe hydroxyl-sulfates were observed around the active fumarole vents at 90 °C. One vent at 160 °C was characterized by different sublimates enriched in As and Hb sulfide species. Amorphous silica and alunite assemblages that are diagnostic of silicic alteration were also observed at the Fangaia mud pots inside the crater. A wide range of minerals was identified at the 665 m diameter Solfatara crater that is diagnostic of acid-steam heated alteration of a trachytic, porous bedrock. Importantly, this mineral diversity was captured at each site investigated with at least one of the techniques used, which lends confidence for the recognition of similar environments with the next-generation Mars rovers.

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