Clinical presentation and management of leuconostoc bacteremia in patient with prolonged ICU stay: Case report

A 54 years old female came to emergency with the complaints of pain in abdomen, recurrent vomiting, abdominal distention and not able to pass flatus since two days. Patient was managed in intensive care unit and was empirically put on Meropenem and Targocid. She developed multiple episodes of loose motion, and stool culture was sent which was positive for Clostridium defficle. Therefore, patient was put on Vancomycin and Metrogyl. The blood cultures reported growth of Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides. Infection with Leuconostoc may cause fever, intravenous catheter-related sepsis, bacteremia, abdominal pain, gastroenteritis, colitis or meningitis. To summarize this rare organism which is most commonly seen in immunocompromised patients, was isolated in a previously healthy individual, post Vancomycin therapy with prolonged ICU stays.

Bioprocessing of Barley and Lentil Grains to Obtain In Situ Synthesis of Exopolysaccharides and Composite Wheat Bread with Improved Texture and Health Properties

A comprehensive study into the potential of bioprocessing techniques (sprouting and sourdough fermentation) for improving the technological and nutritional properties of wheat breads produced using barley and lentil grains was undertaken. Dextran biosynthesis in situ during fermentation of native or sprouted barley flour (B or SB) alone or by mixing SB flour with native or sprouted lentil flour (SB-L or SB-SL) by Weissella paramesenteroides SLA5, Weissella confusa SLA4, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 or Weissella confusa DSM 20194 was assessed. The acidification and the viscosity increase during 24 h of fermentation with and without 16% sucrose (on flour weight), to promote the dextran synthesis, were followed. After the selection of the fermentation parameters, the bioprocessing was carried out by using Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 (the best LAB dextran producer, up to 2.7% of flour weight) and a mixture of SB-SL (30:70% w/w) grains, enabling also the decrease in the raffinose family oligosaccharides. Then, the SB-SL sourdoughs containing dextran or control were mixed with the wheat flour (30% of the final dough) and leavened with baker’s yeast before baking. The use of dextran-containing sourdough allowed the production of bread with structural improvements, compared to the control sourdough bread. Compared to a baker’s yeast bread, it also markedly reduced the predicted glycemic index, increased the soluble (1.26% of dry matter) and total fibers (3.76% of dry matter) content, giving peculiar and appreciable sensory attributes.

Metagenome-assembled genomes contributes to unravel the microbiome of cocoa fermentation

Metagenomic studies about cocoa fermentation have mainly reported on the analysis of short reads for determination of Operational Taxonomic Units. However, it is also important to determine MAGs, which are genomes deriving from the assembly of metagenomics. For this research, all the cocoa metagenomes from public databases were downloaded, resulting in five datasets: one from Ghana and four from Brazil. Besides, in silico approaches were used to describe putative phenotypes and metabolic potential of MAGs. A total of 17 high-quality MAGs were recovered from these microbiomes, as follows: (i) fungi - Yamadazyma tenuis (n=1); (ii) lactic acid bacteria - Limosilactobacillus fermentum (n=5), Liquorilactobacillus cacaonum (n=1) , Liquorilactobacillus nagelli (n=1), Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides (n=1) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum (n=1); (iii) acetic acid bacteria - Acetobacter senegalensis (n=2) and Kozakia baliensis (n=1) and (iv) Bacillus subtilis (n=1) Brevundimonas sp. (n=2) and Pseudomonas sp. (n=1). Medium-quality MAGs were also recovered from cocoa microbiomes, including some detected for the first time in this environment ( Liquorilactobacillus vini , Komagataeibacter saccharivorans and Komagataeibacter maltaceti ) and other previously described ( Fructobacillus pseudoficulneus and Acetobacter pasteurianus ). Taken all together, the MAGs were useful to provide an additional description of the microbiome of cocoa fermentation, revealing previously overlooked microorganisms, with prediction of key phenotypes and biochemical pathways. Importance The production of chocolate starts with the harvesting of cocoa fruits and the spontaneous fermentation of the seeds, in a microbial succession that depends on yeasts, lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria in order to eliminate bitter and astringent compounds present in the raw material, which will be further roasted and grinded to originate the cocoa powder that will enter the food processing industry. The microbiota of cocoa fermentation is not completely know, and yet it advanced from culture-based studies to the advent of Next Generation DNA sequencing, with the generation of a myriad of data, that need bioinformatic approaches to be properly analysed. Although the majority metagenomic of studies have been based on short reads (OTUs), it is also important to analyse entire genomes to determine more precisely possible ecological roles of different species. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) are very useful for this purpose, and in this paper, MAGs from cocoa fermentation microbiomes were described, as well the possible implications of their phenotypic and metabolic potentials are discussed.

Evaluation of lactic acid bacteria viability and anti-diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli activities of non-alcoholic fermented beverage ‘Kunu’

Kunu is a non-alcoholic fermented cereal beverage consumed primarily as a refreshing drink. This study investigated the effects of storage conditions on viability of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) in kunu and the antibacterial effects of Kunu against diarrhoea caused by Escherichia coli strains. Kunu was prepared according to local traditional method. Viability counts of LAB in kunu stored at two different conditions, cold (4 ℃ average) and room temperature (26 ℃ average), were evaluated. Isolated LAB from kunu were identified by partial sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. Five pathotypes of diarrhoea caused by E. coli strains were co-cultured with kunu to evaluate its antimicrobial activities. Viable LAB count in kunu ranged from 5.0 x 109 to 1.0 x 1011 cfu/mL. Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides were identified from kunu. There is a drastic decrease (2-5 log reduction) in E. coli strains co-cultured with kunu. The observed high viable counts of beneficial LAB in kunu with its antimicrobial activities against diarrhoeaogenic E. coli strains indicates that kunu is not just a refreshing drink, but it also has antimicrobial potential against diarrhoea caused by E. coli.

Influence of Fermentation of Pasteurised Papaya Puree with Different Lactic Acid Bacterial Strains on Quality and Bioaccessibility of Phenolic Compounds during In Vitro Digestion

This study describes the impact of utilising different strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the fermentation of papaya puree and their effect on the quality parameters and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds during simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Papaya was processed into puree; pasteurised and fermented at 37 °C for 2 days; and stored for 7 days at 4 °C using LAB strains Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 75 (L75*D2; L75*D7), Weissella cibaria64 (W64*D2; W64*D7) and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides 56 (L56*D2; L56*D7), respectively. Non-fermented samples at 0 (PPD0), 2 (PPD2) and 7 days (PPD7) served as controls. pH was reduced with fermentation and was lowest in L56*D2 (3.03) and L75*D2 (3.16) after storage. The colour change (ΔE) increased with the fermentation and storage of purees; L75*D7 showed the highest ΔE (13.8), and its sourness reduced with storage. The fermentation by W64*D7 and L75*D7 increased the % recovery of chlorogenic, vanillic, syringic, ellagic, ferulic acids, catechin, epicatechin and quercetin in the intestinal fraction compared to the L56*D7 and PPD7. Fermentation by W64*D7 and L75*D7 significantly improved the antioxidant capacity of the dialysed fraction compared to the L56*D7 or PPD7. L56*D7-fermented papaya puree showed the highest inhibitory effect of α-glucosidase activity followed by L75*D7. L75*D7 had a significantly higher survival rate. LAB fermentation affected the bioacessibilities of phenolics and was strain dependent. This study recommends the use of Lpb. plantarum 75 for fermenting papaya puree.

Systematic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for D-lactic acid production with near theoretical yield

D-lactic acid is a chiral three-carbon organic acid that can improve the thermostability of polylactic acid. Here, we systematically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce D-lactic acid from glucose, a renewable carbon source, at near theoretical yield. Specifically, we screened D-lactate dehydrogenase (DLDH) variants from lactic acid bacteria in three different genera and identified the Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides variant (LpDLDH) as having the highest activity in yeast. We then screened single-gene deletions to minimize the production of the side products ethanol and glycerol as well as prevent the conversion of D-lactic acid back to pyruvate. Based on the results of the DLDH screening and the single-gene deletions, we created a strain called ASc-d789M which overexpresses LpDLDH and contains deletions in glycerol pathway genes GPD1 and GPD2 and lactate dehydrogenase gene DLD1, as well as downregulation of ethanol pathway gene ADH1 using the L-methionine repressible promoter to minimize impact on growth. ASc-d789M produces D-lactic acid at a titer of 17.09 g/L in shake-flasks (yield of 0.89 g/g glucose consumed or 89% of the theoretical yield). Fed-batch fermentation resulted in D-lactic acid titer of 40.03 g/L (yield of 0.81 g/g glucose consumed). Altogether, our work represents progress towards efficient microbial production of D-lactic acid.