Agrobacterium radiobacter Endophthalmitis Associated with Baerveldt Tube Exposure

<i>Agrobacterium radiobacter</i> is a Gram-negative bacillus and a rare cause of endophthalmitis. An 85-year-male presented with late-onset endophthalmitis associated with exposure of an inferonasal Baerveldt tube. The patient was initially treated with anterior chamber paracentesis and intravitreal antibiotics. Aqueous humor culture revealed <i>A. radiobacter</i> resistant to cefazolin, ceftazidime, amikacin, tobramycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Subsequently, the patient underwent explantation of the glaucoma drainage implant (GDI). After initial improvement, the patient had clinical worsening and was diagnosed with recurrence. Subsequent treatment involved explantation of the second GDI in addition to pars plana vitrectomy with silicone oil infusion, intraocular lens removal, and administration of intravitreal antibiotics. Visual acuity improved but remained at count fingers at 2 weeks. This is the first reported patient with <i>A. radiobacter</i> endophthalmitis associated with an exposed GDI. This report illustrates the resistant nature of this organism in addition to the efficacy of silicone oil administration and intraocular prosthesis explantation.

Strain ATCC 4720T is the authentic type strain of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which is not a later heterotypic synonym of Agrobacterium radiobacter

The original type strains of Agrobacterium radiobacter and Agrobacterium tumefaciens recorded in the eighth edition of Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology published in 1974 were NCIB 9042T and ATCC 4720T, respectively. However, in the list of the valid names of bacteria compiled in 1980, both strains were changed, A. radiobacter NCIB 9042T to ATCC 19358T and A. tumefaciens ATCC 4720T to ATCC 23308T. These changes were unjustified, particularly in the case of A. tumefaciens whose type strain was replaced by another strain from the same collection, although the original type strain ATCC 4720T was never lost and it is currently available in several culture collections. Therefore, we request that the type strain of A. tumefaciens be corrected from ATCC 23308T to ATCC 4720T.

Esters of Glucose-2-Phosphate: Occurrence and Chemistry

Phosphodiesters of glucose-2-phosphate (G2P) are found only in few natural compounds such as agrocinopine D and agrocin 84. Agrocinopine D is a G2P phosphodiester produced by plants infected by Agrobacterium fabrum C58 and recognized by the bacterial periplasmic binding protein AccA for being transported into the bacteria before cleavage by the phosphodiesterase AccF, releasing G2P, which promotes virulence by binding the repressor protein AccR. The G2P amide agrocin 84 is a natural antibiotic produced by the non-pathogenic Agrobacterium radiobacter K84 strain used as a biocontrol agent by competing with Agrobacterium fabrum C58. G2P esters are also found in irregular glycogen structures. The rare glucopyranosyl-2-phophoryl moiety found in agrocin 84 is the key structural signature enabling its action as a natural antibiotic. Likewise, G2P and G2P esters can also dupe the Agrobacterium agrocinopine catabolism cascade. Such observations illustrate the importance of G2P esters on which we have recently focused our interest. After a brief review of the reported phosphorylation coupling methods and the choice of carbohydrate building blocks used in G2P chemistry, a flexible access to glucose-2-phosphate esters using the phosphoramidite route is proposed.

Endophthalmitis Caused by Agrobacterium radiobacter following Intravitreal Aflibercept for Diabetic Retinopathy

Agrobacterium (Rhizobium) radiobacter is a gram-negative bacillus rarely implicated in ocular disease. A 79-year-old male who performed extensive yardwork following intravitreal injection with aflibercept for diabetic macular edema developed endophthalmitis caused by Agrobacterium radiobacter on post-injection day 7. The patient was treated with vitreous tap and intravitreal injection of vancomycin and ceftazidime with clearance of the infection and restoration of his baseline visual acuity at 20/80.

Biotechnological bases of use of natural mineral glauconite in soil-forming processes at development of technogenic massifs and liquidation of enterprises on extraction of minerals

To initiate the process of soil formation, it is necessary to introduce a culture of microorganisms capable of improving mineral nutrition, plant growth and resistance to adverse factors, regardless of the mineralogical composition of the surface. The advantage of the developed methods is the multifunctionality of the sorbent, which is an abiotic catalyst: the dangerous agent binds physically due to the formed fine-porous structure, and chemically due to the ion exchange processes occurring due to the nature of the layered glauconite silicate. The viability of immobilized glauconite bacterial cells of Agrobacterium radiobacter 204, Rhizobium leguminosarumbiovartrifolii, Flaviobacterium L 30 fulvum, Pseudomonas aureofaciens 1393 BS, amounted to no less than 4 months., while the original biological products are stored no more than 1 month. Key words: glauconite, sorbent, sorption capacity, heavy metals, microorganisms, immobilization on inorganic carriers.