scholarly journals Bacterial exposure leads to variable mortality but not a measurable increase in surface antimicrobials across ant species

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10412
Author(s):  
Omar Halawani ◽  
Robert R. Dunn ◽  
Amy M. Grunden ◽  
Adrian A. Smith

Social insects have co-existed with microbial species for millions of years and have evolved a diversity of collective defenses, including the use of antimicrobials. While many studies have revealed strategies that ants use against microbial entomopathogens, and several have shown ant-produced compounds inhibit environmental bacterial growth, few studies have tested whether exposure to environmental bacteria represents a health threat to ants. We compare four ant species’ responses to exposure to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria in order to broaden our understanding of microbial health-threats to ants and their ability to defend against them. In a first experiment, we measure worker mortality of Solenopsis invicta, Brachymyrmex chinensis, Aphaenogaster rudis, and Dorymyrmex bureni in response to exposure to E. coli and S. epidermidis. We found that exposure to E. coli was lethal for S. invicta and D. bureni, while all other effects of exposure were not different from experimental controls. In a second experiment, we compared the antimicrobial ability of surface extracts from bacteria-exposed and non-exposed S. invicta and B. chinensis worker ants, to see if exposure to E. coli or S. epidermidis led to an increase in antimicrobial compounds. We found no difference in the inhibitory effects from either treatment group in either species. Our results demonstrate the susceptibility to bacteria is varied across ant species. This variation may correlate with an ant species’ use of surface antimicrobials, as we found significant mortality effects in species which also were producing antimicrobials. Further exploration of a wide range of both bacteria and ant species is likely to reveal unique and nuanced antimicrobial strategies and deepen our understanding of how ant societies respond to microbial health threats.

2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 7250-7257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etsuko Sugawara ◽  
Hiroshi Nikaido

ABSTRACTAcinetobacter baumanniicontains RND-family efflux systems AdeABC and AdeIJK, which pump out a wide range of antimicrobial compounds, as judged from the MIC changes occurring upon deletion of the responsible genes. However, these studies may miss changes because of the high backgrounds generated by the remaining pumps and by β-lactamases, and it is unclear how the activities of these pumps compare quantitatively with those of the well-studied AcrAB-TolC system ofEscherichia coli. We expressedadeABCandadeIJKofA. baumannii, as well asE. coliacrAB, in anE. colihost from whichacrABwas deleted. TheA. baumanniipumps were functional inE. coli, and the MIC changes that were observed largely confirmed the substrate range already reported, with important differences. Thus, the AdeABC system pumped out all β-lactams, an activity that was often missed in deletion studies. When the expression level of the pump genes was adjusted to a similar level for a comparison with AcrAB-TolC, we found that bothA. baumanniiefflux systems pumped out a wide range of compounds, but AdeABC was less effective than AcrAB-TolC in the extrusion of lipophilic β-lactams, novobiocin, and ethidium bromide, although it was more effective at tetracycline efflux. AdeIJK was remarkably more effective than a similar level of AcrAB-TolC in the efflux of β-lactams, novobiocin, and ethidium bromide, although it was less so in the efflux of erythromycin. These results thus allow us to compare these efflux systems on a quantitative basis, if we can assume that the heterologous systems are fully functional in theE. colihost.


2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (02) ◽  
pp. 88-91
Author(s):  
Susanne Kloß ◽  
A. Wehrend ◽  
Astrid König ◽  
H. Bostedt

Zusammenfassung: Gegenstand und Ziel: Im Gegensatz zur Hündin liegen bei der Katze bisher wenige Studien über die genitale Keimflora geschlechtsgesunder Tiere vor. Ziel der Untersuchung war daher, physiologische Daten über die aerobe Vaginalflora bei dieser Spezies zu gewinnen. Material und Methoden: Für die vorliegende Studie standen 26 gesunde, anöstrische Katzen zur Verfügung, die zu einer Ovariohysterektomie vorgestellt wurden. Nach einer klinischen Untersuchung wurden von allen Probanden unter sterilen Bedingungen Vaginaltupfer entnommen. Ergebnisse: In allen Proben konnte ein Bakterienwachstum mit durchschnittlich zwei verschiedenen Bakterienspezies nachgewiesen werden. Die Gesamtkeimgehalte wurden bei 50% der Vaginaltupferproben als gering-, bei 15% als mittel- und bei 35% als hochgradig beurteilt. Vorherrschend waren Mischkulturen aus zwei bis vier verschiedenen Keimarten. Monokulturen wurden aus 38% der Tupferproben isoliert. Am häufigsten gelang der Nachweis von E. coli variatio haemolytica (E. coli var. haem.) (58%) und Staphylococcus epidermidis (42%). Als weitere Spezies wurden E. coli, α-, β-hämolysierende Streptokokken, anhämolysierende Streptokokken, aerobe Bazillen, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus intermedius, Pasteurella multocida sowie Klebsiellen isoliert. Auffällig ist die hohe Nachweisrate von E. coli var. haem. mit 35% in Mischkulturen und 23% in Reinkultur. Schlussfolgerungen: Die physiologische Mikroflora der felinen Vaginalschleimhaut differiert deutlich von der der anöstrischen Hündin. Besonders die Dominanz von E. coli var. haem. in 38% der Mischkulturen und 23% der Monokulturen bei der Katze ist hervorzuheben. Klinische Relevanz: Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse geben eine erste Grundlage für die Interpretation mikrobiologischer Befunde feliner Vaginaltupfer.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiajun Wang ◽  
Jayesh Arun Bafna ◽  
Satya Prathyusha Bhamidimarri ◽  
Mathias Winterhalter

Biological channels facilitate the exchange of small molecules across membranes, but surprisingly there is a lack of general tools for the identification and quantification of transport (i.e., translocation and binding). Analyzing the ion current fluctuation of a typical channel with its constriction region in the middle does not allow a direct conclusion on successful transport. For this, we created an additional barrier acting as a molecular counter at the exit of the channel. To identify permeation, we mainly read the molecule residence time in the channel lumen as the indicator whether the molecule reached the exit of the channel. As an example, here we use the well-studied porin, OmpF, an outer membrane channel from <i>E. coli</i>. Inspection of the channel structure suggests that aspartic acid at position 181 is located below the constriction region (CR) and we subsequently mutated this residue to cysteine, where else cysteine free and functionalized it by covalent binding with 2-sulfonatoethyl methanethiosulfonate (MTSES) or the larger glutathione (GLT) blockers. Using the dwell time as the signal for transport, we found that both mono-arginine and tri-arginine permeation process is prolonged by 20% and 50% respectively through OmpF<sub>E181C</sub>MTSES, while the larger sized blocker modification OmpF<sub>E181C</sub>GLT drastically decreased the permeation of mono-arginine by 9-fold and even blocked the pathway of the tri-arginine. In case of the hepta-arginine as substrate, both chemical modifications led to an identical ‘blocked’ pattern observed by the dwell time of ion current fluctuation of the OmpF<sub>wt</sub>. As an instance for antibiotic permeation, we analyzed norfloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agent. The modulation of the interaction dwell time suggests possible successful permeation of norfloxacin across OmpF<sub>wt</sub>. This approach may discriminate blockages from translocation events for a wide range of substrates. A potential application could be screening for scaffolds to improve the permeability of antibiotics.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-60
Author(s):  
A.G. Salmanov ◽  
A.V. Rudenko

Мета роботи — вивчити резистентність до антибіотиків бактеріальних збудників інфекцій сечових шляхів (ІСШ), виділених у пацієнтів урологічного стаціонару в м. Києві. Матеріали і методи. Досліджено 1612 штамів бактерій, виділених із сечі хворих з ІСШ (цистит, уретрит, пієлонефрит), госпіталізованих в урологічне відділення ДУ «Інститут урології НАМН України» у м. Києві протягом 2016 р. Серед пацієнтів переважали жінки — 1201 (74,5 %). Вік хворих становив від 17 до 74 років. Для збору даних використано медичну документацію лікарні. Мікробіологічні дослідження виконано у лабораторії мікробіології ДУ «Інститут урології НАМН України». Аналізували результати культурального дослідження зразків сечі, зібраних за наявності клінічних ознак ІСШ. Дослідження клінічного матеріалу та інтерпретацію отриманих результатів проводили загальноприйнятими методами. Вивчено чутливість уропатогенів до 31 антибіотика дискодифузійним методом відповідно до рекомендацій Інституту клінічних та лабораторних стандартів США (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)). Результати та обговорення. Аналіз мікробного спектра сечі виявив домінування серед уропатогенів штамів Escherichia coli (32,0 %), Enterococcus faecalis (19,5 %), Klebsiella pneumoniae (10,9 %), Staphylococcus epidermidis (8,9 %), S. haemolyticus (6,5 %) та Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6,4 %). Частка Enterococcus faecium, Enterobacter aerogenes і Streptococcus viridans становила відповідно 2,5, 2,2 і 1,6 %, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Acinetobacter baumannii, Proteus vulgaris та Providencia rettgeri — менше 1,0 %. У більшості випадків (69,7 %) мікроорганізми виділено у монокультурі, у решті випадків — у мікробних асоціа- ціях. Високу резистентність до тестованих антибіотиків виявили штами E. aerogenes (45,1 %), E. cloacae (45,7 %), E. faecium (40,9 %), E. faecalis (40,7 %), E. coli (39,9 %), P. aeruginosa (34,0 %), K. pneumoniae (28,6 %). Найбільш активними до уропатогенів були іміпенем (E. coli — 87,6 %, P. aeruginosa — 75,7 %, E. cloacae — 67,3 %, E. aerogenes — 72,6 %, K. pneumoniae — 93,2 %), меропенем (E. coli — 89,1 %, P. aeruginosa — 76,7 %, K. pneumoniae — 82,6 %), лефлоцин (E. coli — 74,5 %, ентерококи — 78,7 %, P. aeruginosa — 76,7 %, E. cloacae — 73,9 %, E. aerogenes — 80,4 %, K. pneumoniae — 83,5 %), амоксицилін/клавуланат (ентерококи — 84,6 %), фурагін (ентерококи — 82,6 %), цефоперазон (K. pneumoniae — 89,2 %, P. aeruginosa — 73,8 %), цефтріаксон (K. pneumoniae — 80,1 %). Висновки. Антибіотикорезистентність збудників ІСШ — важлива терапевтична проблема. Найбільшою активністю до уропатогенів характеризуються іміпенем, меропенем, лефлоцин, амоксицилін/ клавуланат, фурагін, цефоперазон, цефтріаксон, які можна розглядати як препарат вибору для призначення стартової терапії ІСШ. Необхідно здійснювати постійний моніторинг за резистентністю до дії антибіотиків. Політику використання антибіотиків у кожному стаціонарі слід визначати залежно від локальних даних щодо резистентності до протимікробних препаратів.


1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 267-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Augoustinos ◽  
N. A. Grabow ◽  
B. Genthe ◽  
R. Kfir

A fluorogenic β-glucuronidase assay comprising membrane filtration followed by selective enumeration on m-FC agar at 44.5°C and further confirmation using tlie 4-metliylumbelliferyl-β-D-glucuronide (MUG) containing medium was evaluated for the detection of Escherichia coli in water. A total of 200 typical blue and non-typical blue colonies were isolated from sea and fresh water samples using initial selective enumeration on m-FC agar. Pure cultures of the selected colonies were further tested using the MUG assay and identified using the API 20E method. Of the colonies tested which were shown to be positive using the MUG assay 99.4% were Escherichia coli. The results of this study indicate the combination of the m-FC method followed by the MUG assay to be highly efficient for the selection and confirmation of E. coli from a wide range of environmental waters.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1406
Author(s):  
Rita Cava-Roda ◽  
Amaury Taboada-Rodríguez ◽  
Antonio López-Gómez ◽  
Ginés Benito Martínez-Hernández ◽  
Fulgencio Marín-Iniesta

Plant bioactive compounds have antimicrobial and antioxidant activities that allow them to be used as a substitute for synthetic chemical additives in both food and food packaging. To improve its sensory and bactericidal effects, its use in the form of effective combinations has emerged as an interesting possibility in the food industry. In this study, the antimicrobial activities of essential oils (EOs) of cinnamon bark, cinnamon leaves, and clove and the pure compounds vanillin, eugenol, and cinnamaldehyde were investigated individually and in combination against Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7. The possible interactions of combinations of pure compounds and EOs were performed by the two-dimensional checkerboard assay and isobologram methods. Vanillin exhibited the lowest antimicrobial activity (MIC of 3002 ppm against L. monocytogenes and 2795 ppm against E. coli O157:H7), while clove and cinnamon bark EOs exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity (402–404 against L. monocytogenes and 778–721 against E. coli O157:H7). For L. monocytogenes, pure compound eugenol, the main component of cinnamon leaves and clove, showed lower antimicrobial activity than EOs, which was attributed to the influence of the minor components of the EOs. The same was observed with cinnamaldehyde, the main component of cinnamon bark EO. The combinations of vanillin/clove EO and vanillin/cinnamon bark EO showed the most synergistic antimicrobial effect. The combination of the EOs of cinnamon bark/clove and cinnamon bark/cinnamon leaves showed additive effect against L. monocytogenes but indifferent effect against E. coli O157:H7. For L. monocytogenes, the best inhibitory effects were achieved by cinnamon bark EO (85 ppm)/vanillin (910 ppm) and clove EO (121 ppm)/vanillin (691 ppm) combinations. For E. coli, the inhibitory effects of clove EO (104 ppm)/vanillin (1006 ppm) and cinnamon leaves EO (118 ppm)/vanillin (979 ppm) combinations were noteworthy. Some of the tested combinations increased the antimicrobial effect and would allow the effective doses to be reduced, thereby offering possible new applications for food and active food packaging.


1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 1659-1665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt G. Naber ◽  
Ursula Theuretzbacher ◽  
Martina Kinzig ◽  
Orlin Savov ◽  
Fritz Sörgel

ABSTRACT Twelve healthy volunteers participated in this randomized crossover study to compare the concentrations and recovery levels of fleroxacin and pefloxacin in urine and to assess their bactericidal activities against 12 strains of urinary pathogens with different susceptibilities over a wide range of MICs. The volunteers received a single oral dose of 400 mg of fleroxacin or 800 mg of pefloxacin. The mean cumulative renal excretion of unchanged fleroxacin,N-demethyl-fleroxacin, and N-oxide-fleroxacin accounted for 67, 7, and 6% of the total dose, respectively. The total urinary recovery of pefloxacin and the active metabolite norfloxacin was 34%. In the time-kill and the urinary bactericidal titer (UBT) studies, only the subjects’ urine not supplemented with broth was used. With most tested organisms and both quinolones it took more than 8 h to achieve a reduction in CFU of 99.9% (3 log units). Overall, there was a good correlation between UBTs and MICs for the strains. Against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 the median UBTs were similar for both antibiotics and at least 1:8 for 96 h; against the E. coli strain for which the MIC was 0.5 μg/ml the UBT was at least 1:4 for 48 h. The UBTs of both drugs against Klebsiella pneumoniae were at least 1:16 for 72 h. The UBTs for Staphylococcus aureus (the MIC for which was 16 μg/ml) of both antibiotics were low, and in some of the samples, no bactericidal titers were observed. UBTs for Proteus mirabilis of pefloxacin are significantly higher than those of fleroxacin. For Pseudomonas aeruginosa the median UBTs were present for the 24-to-48-h interval. The same is true forEnterococcus faecalis. Against Staphylococcus saprophyticus, UBTs were present for at least 48 h with both quinolones. Overall, a single oral dose of 400 mg of fleroxacin exhibits UBTs comparable to those of 800 mg of pefloxacin. Therefore, it may be expected that half of the dose of fleroxacin gives comparable results in the treatment of urinary tract infections; this should be substantiated in comparative clinical trials.


2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 2438-2441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynep Baharoglu ◽  
Didier Mazel

ABSTRACTAntibiotic resistance development has been linked to the bacterial SOS stress response. InEscherichia coli, fluoroquinolones are known to induce SOS, whereas other antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol, do not. Here we address whether various antibiotics induce SOS inVibrio cholerae. Reporter green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions were used to measure the response of SOS-regulated promoters to subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics. We show that unlike the situation withE. coli, all these antibiotics induce SOS inV. cholerae.


mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Sánchez-Gorostiaga ◽  
Pilar Palacios ◽  
Rocío Martínez-Arteaga ◽  
Manuel Sánchez ◽  
Mercedes Casanova ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWhen deprived of FtsZ,Escherichia colicells (VIP205) grown in liquid form long nonseptated filaments due to their inability to assemble an FtsZ ring and their failure to recruit subsequent divisome components. These filaments fail to produce colonies on solid medium, in which synthesis of FtsZ is induced, upon being diluted by a factor greater than 4. However, once the initial FtsZ levels are recovered in liquid culture, they resume division, and their plating efficiency returns to normal. The potential septation sites generated in the FtsZ-deprived filaments are not annihilated, and once sufficient FtsZ is accumulated, they all become active and divide to produce cells of normal length. FtsZ-deprived cells accumulate defects in their physiology, including an abnormally high number of unsegregated nucleoids that may result from the misplacement of FtsK. Their membrane integrity becomes compromised and the amount of membrane proteins, such as FtsK and ZipA, increases. FtsZ-deprived cells also show an altered expression pattern, namely, transcription of several genes responding to DNA damage increases, whereas transcription of some ribosomal or global transcriptional regulators decreases. We propose that the changes caused by the depletion of FtsZ, besides stopping division, weaken the cell, diminishing its resiliency to minor challenges, such as dilution stress.IMPORTANCEOur results suggest a role for FtsZ, in addition to its already known effect in the constriction ofE. coli, in protecting the nondividing cells against minor stress. This protection can even be exerted when an inactive FtsZ is produced, but it is lost when the protein is altogether absent. These results have implications in fields like synthetic biology or antimicrobial discovery. The construction of synthetic divisomes in the test tube may need to preserve unsuspected roles, such as this newly found FtsZ property, to guarantee the stability of artificial containers. Whereas the effects on viability caused by inhibiting the activity of FtsZ may be partly overcome by filamentation, the absence of FtsZ is not tolerated byE. coli, an observation that may help in the design of effective antimicrobial compounds.


2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1148-1152 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELLEN J. VAN LOO ◽  
D. BABU ◽  
PHILIP G. CRANDALL ◽  
STEVEN C. RICKE

Liquid smoke extracts have traditionally been used as flavoring agents, are known to possess antioxidant properties, and serve as natural alternatives to conventional antimicrobials. The antimicrobial efficacies of commercial liquid smoke samples may vary depending on their source and composition and the methods used to extract and concentrate the smoke. We investigated the MICs of eight commercial liquid smoke samples against Salmonella Enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. The commercial liquid smoke samples purchased were supplied by the manufacturer as water-based or concentrated extracts of smoke from different wood sources. The MICs of the commercial smokes to inhibit the growth of foodborne pathogens ranged from 0.5 to 6.0% for E. coli, 0.5 to 8.0% for Salmonella, and 0.38 to 6% for S. aureus. The MIC for each liquid smoke sample was similar in its effect on both E. coli and Salmonella. Solvent-extracted antimicrobials prepared using pecan shells displayed significant differences between their inhibitory concentrations depending on the type of solvent used for extraction. The results indicated that the liquid smoke samples tested in this study could serve as effective natural antimicrobials and that their inhibitory effects depended more on the solvents used for extraction than the wood source.


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