Applied Microbiology: Theory & Technology
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Published By Universal Wiser Publisher Pte. Ltd

2717-5936, 2717-5928

Author(s):  
Junqiu Wu ◽  
Yue Zhao ◽  
Ran Zhao ◽  
Liming Jia ◽  
Zimin Wei

To explore the eutrophication degree in the typical lakes and reservoirs of the northeast region of China, the bioavailability of dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) of the lakes has been examined in this study. The laboratory incubation was carried out at 20 °C for 55 days and the concentrations of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), DOP and the microbial biomass have been detected. Results showed that, during the process of incubation, the concentrations of TDP and DRP were increased, whereas the DOP was decreased, which leads to the decreased mineralization rate. In addition, the changes of microbial biomass were fluctuant, but they had significantly positive effects on the concentration changes and mineralization rate of DOP (p < 0.05). The correlation analysis among the phosphate fractions showed that the TDP significantly promoted the DRP concentration, mineralization rate of DOP and the cumulative mineralization of DOP. The kinetics model was conducted to predict the further mineralization of DOP and to analyze the pollution degree of the eight lakes and reservoirs. Accordingly, the lakes with high DRP and TDP had worse water quality and are prone to algae blooms.


Author(s):  
Mita Shikder ◽  
Kazi Ahsan Ahmed ◽  
Tasnin Al Hasib ◽  
Pranta Ray ◽  
Abul Bashar Ripon Khalipha ◽  
...  

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is a causative agent of the potentially fatal coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Coronavirus targets the human respiratory system primarily. It can also infect the gastrointestinal, hepatic, and central nervous systems of humans, avians, bats, livestock, mice, and many other wild animals, as these are primary targets of the pathogen. This study aims to screen out the most potent inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) spike glycoproteins among the selected drugs, and computational tools have been utilized for this purpose. The selected drugs have been designed to explore their structural properties in this study by molecular orbital calculation. To inhibit the spike glycoproteins, the performance of these drugs was also examined by molecular docking calculation. In improving the performance of drugs, non-bond interactions play a significant role. To determine the chemical reactivity of all the medicines, HOMO and LUMO energy values were also calculated. The combined calculations exhibited that Ledipasvir among the selected drugs can be the most potent drug to treat SARS-CoV-2 compared to other medications.


Author(s):  
Jessica Das Senjuti ◽  
Abrar Hamim Fayz ◽  
Afia Ibnat Ava ◽  
Priangka Bhattacharya Pingki ◽  
Rashed Noor

The emergence of deadly viruses is one of the epitomes of major global health threats. Currently the world is going through the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in extreme morbidity and mortality, which is caused by the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Besides, SARS-CoV-2, recent global perturbation caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection, dengue caused by dengue virus (DENV), zika virus (ZIKV) infection, etc. are worth being noted. Although an array of research on the genome sequences within spatial geographical locations, infectious components, viral transmissibility and dynamics, treatment strategies using in silico model, animal/cell culture, and patient trials of these emerging viruses is being conducted, the human population is still at risk of being exposed to the emerging and re-emerging viral infections posing a most dreadful threat to the global public health. Besides the genomic characterization and the proteomic studies for drug repurposing or repositioning as well as the possible candidate vaccine development, the general awareness among the mass public about the preventive care against these emerging viruses is also an important concern. Lots of works have been reported on SARS-CoV-2 since its commencement on December 2019. Besides the elucidation of the respiratory viruses, present review briefly pointed on the viruses from Flaviviridae family, Paramyxoviridae family, Filoviridae family and Bunyaviridae family


Author(s):  
Masuma Afrin Taniya ◽  
Jessica Das Senjuti ◽  
Rashed Noor

Dengue is a flavivirus transmitted by Aedes aegypti, leading to mosquito-borne illness causing significant morbidity and mortality each year. A majority of dengue cases around the world are caused by four serotypes-dengue virus (DENV) 1-4. The recent outbreak has broken all the previous record of infections with 101, 354 dengue cases, which has increased the urgency of finding an effective way to reduce the level of infection. CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene drive is a novel technology that can be used to reduce the transmission by Aedes mosquitoes. Ae. aegypti can be engineered to express anti-DENV, 1C19-based, single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody, to provide protection against all four DENV serotypes by neutralizing them. Anti-DENV scFv-antibody transgene can be incorporated into a clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR associated (Cas); i.e., the CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive system gene for effective suppression of dengue infection. CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive system allows it to pass down this phenotype across the wild population in the urban area. However, the incautious release of gene drive in the environment can swipe away the entire population. This technology can greatly impact on the environment, creating an imbalance in the ecosystem if not applied carefully. Rigorous studies and mass level cooperation are needed among the scientists, local authorities and the government to make the informed decisions on the outcome of this technology.


Author(s):  
Ragavy Radhakrishnan ◽  
Uthirappan Mani ◽  
Arumugam Gnanamani ◽  
Muthiah Shanmugavel

This work was initiated to investigate the myco-fabrication of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using a fungal strain, Aspergillus tamarii 5152 (A. tamarii MTCC 5152). The biosynthesized gold nanoparticles were characterized by visual observation, and using UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy, DSC, TGA, Zeta-potential, DLS and SEM analyses. NADH-dependent cofactor analysis and photocatalysis assays were carried out for NADH-dependent AuNPs biosynthesis and dye degradation ability. A maximum surface plasmon resonance peak for the AuNPs was recorded at 535 nm, followed by the identification of protein capping effect of the extract by FTIR spectroscopy. The average size (Z) of the nanoparticles observed was 39.15 nm, while SEM images showed crystallized rod-shaped structures ranging from 55-91 nm. A negative zeta potential of 10.5 mV showed repulsion between the nanoparticles, which indicates the stabilizing power of the fungal extract. Further, it was observed that NADH acts as a cofactor for the nanoparticle biosynthesis. The AuNPs were found to degrade crystal violet dye by 63%. From this study, it can be understood that the process of fungal mediated biosynthesis of AuNPs by A. tamarii MTCC 5152 is simple, less expensive, and could be utilized for bioremediation of toxic dye accumulation.


Author(s):  
Wei Cheng ◽  
Xuejing Yu ◽  
Xingguo Wang

Herbaspirillum camelliae WT00C, as a tea-plant endophytic bacterium, not only colonizes specifically in tea plants but also promotes tea-plant growth and selenium enrichment. Different from diazotrophic endophytes H. seropedicae, H. frisingense and H. rubrisubalbicans, H. camelliae WT00C does not display nitrogen-fixing activity. To understand the molecular mechanisms of promoting the growth of tea plant and Se-enrichment, we sequenced and annotated the genome of H. camelliae WT00C. The results showed that the genome was composed of 6,079,821 base pairs with a total of 5,537 genes. The genomic survey also revealed that H. camelliae WT00C was a multifunctional bacterium metabolizing a variety of carbon and nitrogen sources and defending against biotic and abiotic stress. Although this bacterium did not have intact nitrogen-fixing genes, its genome held the genes responsible for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deamination, siderophore synthesis, ammonia formation, urea metabolism, glutathione and selenocompound metabolisms. Biosynthesis of IAA, siderophore, ammonia, urea and ACC deaminase could explain why two bacterial strains promote tea-plant growth and development. Selenocompound metabolism in this bacterium might also benefit tea-plant growth and Se-enrichment. In addition, the genome of H. camelliae also contained a multitude of protein secretion systems T1SS, T3SS, T4SS and T6SS, in which T4SS did not exhibit in other members of the genus Herbaspirillum.


Author(s):  
Low Chin Wen ◽  
Regina Leong ◽  
Zhi Ling ◽  
Swee-Sen Teo

The problem of food wastage is becoming an increasingly worrying topic as the world is heading towards sustainability to preserve the quality and the perseverance of life on Earth. Such food waste is inclusive of fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) which make up a substantial 60% of all food wasted around the globe. Hence the purpose of this study is to valorize the FFV waste into eco-enzymes for the purpose of wastewater treatment, as having clean water sources and cleaning greywater and blackwater before discharge back into the environment are an important factors in preserving public health worldwide. Only a total of 1% of the world's freshwater is accessible for human consumption, therefore it is important to save and recycle this precious resource. The objective of this study was to fully utilize the food waste in wastewater treatment. The production of eco-enzyme is done via the process of fermentation of FFV. In this study, eco-enzymes were generated from waste derived from vegetable and fruit. The vegetable eco-enzyme was fermented via S. cerevisiae for a total of 7 days. The fruit-produced eco-enzyme was fermented with brown sugar for three months with the native bacterial population present within the fruit as the fermentation agent. The eco-enzymes produced were used to treat the water samples collected from Menjalara Lake (3°11'42.2"N 101°37'39.7"E) and Keroh River (3°12'25.0"N 101°38'27.9"E). In addition, household rice-rinsed water was obtained from Kajang (3°07'38.0"N 101°51'83.0"E). After the fermentation, the eco-enzymes solutions were acidic with a pH range of 4.1-5.24, which could be due to the metabolization of carbohydrates into volatile and organic acids. The effectiveness of the eco-enzyme treatments was assessed via measuring Ca2+, Na+, K+, NO3- and pH. It was found that the fruit-produced eco-enzyme was effective in reducing NO3-, in all three water samples. But both the fruit-produced eco-enzyme and vegetable-produced eco-enzyme were not effective in reducing the concentration of Ca2+, Na+ and K+. Further improvements that can be done are the prolonging of treatment duration from five days to 30 days. Other than that, experimentation with different concentrations to reduce the introduction of excess metal ions into the treated water samples.


Author(s):  
Prafullya Kumar Mudi ◽  
Smriti Pradhan ◽  
Amrita Sahu ◽  
Dipanwita Saha ◽  
Bhaskar Biswas

The present study reports the synthesis, crystal structure and evaluation of biological activities of a Schiff base, [L = (Z)-2-methoxy-6-(((2-methoxyphenyl) imino) methyl) phenol]. X-ray structure of Schiff base reveals that the compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic system with Pca space group. The Schiff base adopts two methoxy groups, one phenolic-OH and one azomethine group and exists in a Z-stereomer. Investigation on the self-assembled structure of the Schiff base exhibits the formation of a 3D supramolecular architecture through intermolecular O...H hydrogen bonding interactions. The bactericidal activity of the Schiff base has been examined against some pathogenic bacteria.


Author(s):  
Mun Wei Se Hoo ◽  
Swee-Sen Teo

Water pollution, mainly caused by rapid industrialization and population growth, has been one of the major threats to the sustainability of living organisms. The urgency to preserve and restore the freshwater system has never been clearer, as only 1% of the world's total water supply is suitable for human consumption. Recently, biological treatment using Effective Microorganisms Activated Solution (EMAS) shows potential in reducing pollution in wastewater and river water bodies. Thus, this study aims to assess the water quality of water bodies in Malaysia, namely Kerayong River and Pandan Perdana Lake, and assess the effectiveness and optimum concentration of EMAS on polluted water. The results obtained showed that high levels of NO2- , NO3- and NH3 were found in excess in Kerayong River, indicating pollution occurs whereas none of the tested parameters were detected in excess in Pandan Perdana Lake, hence showing it was not contaminated. The effectiveness of EMAS on synthetic wastewater was assessed through the measurement of few parameters which include Ca2+, Na+ , K+ , NO3- , NH4+ , pH and microbe concentration. It was found that in all concentrations of EMAS, ammonium ion concentration was effectively reduced, and microbe concentration was increased (p < 0.05). EMA (1 mL/L) and EMB (0.2 mL/L) samples had significantly lower nitrate concentration compared to the control samples. EMAS were not capable to reduce dissolved water minerals such as Ca2+, Na+ and K+ , but further contributes to the increase of dissolved minerals in the water. Whereas no significant effect of EMAS on pH of water samples was observed as all water samples fall within pH of 4.31 to 4.56 throughout 5 days. EMAS concentration of 1 mL/L was the optimum concentration for reducing ammonium and nitrate concentration.


Author(s):  
Dmitry A. Kovalev ◽  
Sergey V. Pisarenko ◽  
Anna Yu. Evchenko ◽  
Dmitry G. Ponomarenko ◽  
Olga V. Bobrysheva ◽  
...  

Brucellosis is one of the most pressing global zoonotic diseases, which is endemic in many regions of the world. It is believed that Brucella melitensis is the most pathogenic species of Brucella genus for humans. However, the processes underlying the pathogenicity of this pathogen remain not fully understood. In our study, we report on the first complete genome of the clinical B. melitensis strain isolated in Russia, perform structural and functional analysis of the genomic sequence, and evaluate the expression level of genes associated with virulence based on Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data. The obtained information on the genetic similarities and differences between B. melitensis strains can be used to study the mechanisms responsible for the pathogenicity of Brucella spp., as well as in the process of developing new therapeutic and preventive strategies for controlling brucellosis.


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