Sporotrichosis is caused by species of the genus Sporothrix. From 1998 to 2015, 4,703 cats were diagnosed at the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Even after the description of ...the Sporothrix species, the characterisation of feline isolates is not performed routinely.
To characterise the clinical isolates from cats at the species level and correlate them with the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the cats.
Forty seven Sporothrix spp. isolates from cats assisted at Fiocruz from 2010 to 2011 were included. Medical records were consulted to obtain the clinical and epidemiological data. The isolates were identified through their morphological and physiological characteristics. T3B polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting was used for molecular identification of the species.
In phenotypic tests, 34 isolates were characterised as S. brasiliensis, one as S. schenckii and 12 as Sporothrix spp. PCR identified all isolates as S. brasiliensis.
S. brasiliensis is the only etiological agent of feline sporotrichosis in Rio de Janeiro to date. None association was found between the isolates and the clinical and epidemiological data. In addition, we strongly recommend the use of molecular techniques for the identification of isolates of Sporothrix spp.
Mangrove ecosystems constitute a large portion of the coastline in the tropical and subtropical regions of Earth and are characterized by their salinity and tidal variation which results in frequent ...anaerobic conditions and a wide range of redox potential. Such conditions make mangroves hotspots for microbial diversity, and the microbial community plays essential roles in the functioning and maintenance of the ecosystem. The complex microbial communities that inhabit the sediment of mangroves plays a crucial role in the coupling of biogeochemical cycles between the land and ocean. Hence, the objectives of this work were to characterise Actinophytocola sp. K4-08, to assess the antibacterial ability of the crude extracts obtained from Actinophytocola sp. K4-08 growth culture and to determine potential compounds present in the extract through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiling. Actinophytocola sp. K4-08, a rare actinomycete was previously isolated from mangrove forest sediment in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. Actinophytocola sp. K4-08 colonies appeared in a round-irregular shape with formation of powdery white aerial mycelia spores around the colony and dense, white-creamed substrate hyphae in the middle. Scanning electron microscopy showed a regular round spore chain with short branching. This bacterium could tolerate up to 10% sodium chloride (NaCl) and able to uti-lise gentiobiose, D-raffinose, α-D-glucose, D-galactose, 3-methyl glucose, D-fucose, L-fucose, inosine, D-galacturonic acid, citric acid, acetic acid and formic acid as carbon sources and resistance to minocycline and aztreonam antibiotics. PKS-I and NRPS genes, usually related to secondary metabolite ability were detected in this bacterium. Three crude extracts were prepared – methanol, ethyl acetate and acetone. Methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis while acetone showed weak antibacterial activity. Further analysis was conducted on methanolic extract through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and GC-MS. Fourier-transform infrared spectrum produced peaks at 3,327; 2,927; 1,636; 1,411 and 1,018 cm–1 which corresponded to O–H stretching bond in alcohol, stretching C–H in alkane group, stretching of C=C in alkene group, C–H bending in alkane group and stretching carbonyl group in primary alcohol respectively. GC-MS profiling identified 9 compounds and they were 3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dimethylhexane-2,5-dione, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (2,4-DTBP), 1-docosene, hexadecanoic acid methyl ester, methyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate, 1-nonadecene, linoleic acid methyl ester, oleic acid methyl ester, and stearic acid methyl ester. Linoleic acid methyl ester, oleic acid methyl ester and hexadecanoic acid methyl ester are usually linked to antioxidant activity whereas 2,4-DTBP is secondary metabolite that is associated with many biological potentials. However, the findings of this study indicate the promising potential of rare actinomycete Actinophytocola sp. K4-08 to be developed as antibacterial agent towards the applications in the medicinal and pharmaceutical industries.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to identify the phenotypic features of a paroxysmal dyskinesia observed in Sphynx cats.
Methods
The owners of affected Sphynx cats were invited to provide video ...footage of abnormal episodes for review. Those that demonstrated episodes consistent with paroxysmal dyskinesia were then invited to complete an online questionnaire designed to allow further characterisation.
Results
Ten Sphynx cats were included in the study. All affected cats were <4 years of age at the onset of the episodes (range 0.5–4.0). The episodes had a duration of <5 mins in 9/10 cats (range 0.5–10), while episode frequency was variable between and within individual cats. The episodes were characterised by impaired ambulation due to muscle hypertonicity, most commonly affecting the hips and pelvic limbs (9/10) and shoulders and thoracic limbs (8/10). The head and neck (6/10), tail (5/10), and back and abdomen (3/10) were also involved in some cats. Sudden movement, excitement and stress were identified as possible triggers for the episodes in three cats. Therapeutic intervention was not attempted in 7/10 cases, although two cats were reported to become free of the episodes while receiving acetazolamide. The two cats that were followed beyond 2 years from onset entered spontaneous remission. None of the owners believed that the abnormal episodes had affected the quality of life of their cat.
Conclusions and relevance
The phenotype of paroxysmal dyskinesia in Sphynx cats presented in this study appears to share similarities with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia described in human classification systems. Some cats appear to achieve episode freedom spontaneously. Subsequent research should focus on evaluating response to treatment and determining an underlying genetic cause.
Summary
β‐Mannanase was purified 2619.05‐fold from the Lactobacillus plantarum (M24) bacterium by ammonium sulphate precipitation and ion exchange chromatography (DEAE‐Sephadex). The purified enzyme ...gave two protein bands at a level of approximately 36.4 and 55.3 kDa in the SDS‐PAGE. The purified mannanase enzyme has shown its maximum activity at 50 °C and pH 8, and it has been also determined that the enzyme was stable at 5–11 pH range and over 50 °C. The Vmax and Km values have been identified as 82 mg mannan mL−1 and 0.178 mm, respectively. The effects of some metal ions such as Fe2+, Ca2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ on the mannanase enzyme have been also investigated, and it has been determined that all metal ions had significant effects on the activation of the mannanase enzyme. In addition, the effectiveness of the purified mannanase enzyme on the clarification of some fruit juices such as orange, apricot, grape and apple has been investigated. During the clarification processes, the enzyme was more effective than crude extracts on the clarification of the peach juice with a ratio of 223.1% at most.
Clarification of orange, apricot, grape, apple and peach juices were prepared using purified mannanase enzyme. All yield values were calculated against blank sample which was consisted of distilled water.
Plant-associated bacteria can have beneficial effects on the growth and health of their host. Nevertheless, the role of endophytic bacteria present in seeds has not been investigated in depth. In ...this study, the cultivable endophytic population of seeds from Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to 2 μm cadmium for several generations (Cd seeds) was compared with a population isolated from seeds of plants that were never exposed to Cd (control seeds). We observed obvious differences between the two types of seed concerning genera present and phenotypic characteristics of the different isolates. Sinorhizobium sp. and Micrococcus sp. were only found in control seeds, while Pseudomonas sp., Bosea sp. and Paenibacillus sp. were only found in Cd seeds. Sphingomonas sp., Rhizobium sp., Acidovorax sp., Variovorax sp., Methylobacterium sp., Bacillus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. occurred in varying numbers in both types of seed. Metal tolerance and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity were predominantly found in strains isolated from Cd seeds, while the production of siderophores, indole-3-acetic acid and organic acids was more prevalent in endophytes isolated from control seeds. These data support the hypothesis that certain endophytes are selected for transfer to the next generation and that their presence might be important for subsequent germination and early seedling development.
We have made a detailed phenotypic characterisation of the type strains of 21 species within the genus
Halomonas and have also studied any possible intraspecific variation of strains within
H. ...eurihalina, H. halophila, H. maura and
H. salina. We used 234 morphological, physiological, biochemical, nutritional and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Nutritional assays were carried out using both classical and miniaturized (BIOLOG system) identification methods. Two different numerical analyses were made using the TAXAN program; the first included the differential data from all the tests carried out whilst the second used only the 57 tests with the highest diagnostic scores (≥ 0.5). The results of both analyses were quite similar and demonstrated the phenotypic heterogeneity of the
Halomonas species in question. At a 62% similarity level the type species were grouped into three phena, the main difference between them being the capacity of those included within phenon A (
H. aquamarina, H. meridiana, H. cupida, H. pantelleriensis and
H. halmophila) to produce acids from sugars. The species grouped in phenon C (
H. campisalis, H. desiderata and
H. subglasciescola) used fewer organic substrates than the others. The remaining strains were included in phenon B.
H. marisflavi was clearly distinct and thus was not included in any of the three phena. High phenotypic similarity (more than 88%) was found between
Halomonas campisalis and
Halomonas desiderata.
The results of our work should allow researchers to minimise the tests required to arrive at a reliable phenotypic characterisation of
Halomonas isolates and to select those of most use to differentiate
Halomonas species from each other.
In the context of studying the influence of N-fertilization on N₂ and N₂O flux rates in relation to the soil bacterial community composition in fen peat grassland, a group of bacterial strains was ...isolated that performed dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium and concomitantly produced N₂O. The amount of nitrous oxide produced was influenced by the C/N ratio of the medium. The potential to generate nitrous oxide was increased by higher availability of nitrate-N. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA and the rpoB gene sequences demonstrated that the investigated isolates belong to the genus Proteus, showing high similarity with the respective type strains of Proteus vulgaris and Proteus penneri. DNA–DNA hybridization studies revealed differences at the species level. These differences were substantiated by MALDI-TOF MS analysis and several distinct physiological characteristics. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that the soil isolates represent a novel species for which the name Proteus terrae sp. nov. (type strain N5/687ᵀ =DSM 29910ᵀ =LMG 28659ᵀ) is proposed.
The purpose of this study was to characterise 172 Salmonella Typhimurium isolates taken from the pork chain for their biofilm forming abilities and to analyse their potential to survive on food ...processing surfaces. Many Salmonella have the ability to form biofilms. These natural structures, elaborated by bacteria are important in food production because their formation contributes to bacterial survival. Adherent bacterial cells are more resilient to displacement strategies including physical and chemical procedures as a consequence of their altered more resistant phenotype. By improving our understanding of the nature of biofilms, this data could positively contribute to the development and implementation of eradication strategies. In this study, Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 and DT104b were investigated for their ability to form biofilms on a range of different surfaces under defined environmental growth conditions. Phenotypic characterisation involved examining colony morphology on indicator agars, assessing their ability to survive chlorine-based challenges and investigating their ability to attach to stainless steel and to plastic surfaces. All bacterial isolates were investigated for the presence of Salmonella genomic island I (SGI1) which is thought to enhance efficient biofilm formation. It was found that the majority of strains possess biofilm forming capabilities but successful attachment is highly dependent on the surface on which the biofilm is forming. The strains readily attached to stainless steel and plastic surfaces and survived high chlorine concentrations. Molecular and phenotypic comparisons of strong and weak biofilm forming strains indicate that biofilm development is not solely dependent on the acquirement of SGI1.
► We analyse Salmonella Typhimurium isolates from the pork chain to produce biofilms. ► Low cellulose production in the majority of biofilm forming isolates is observed. ► Isolates readily attach to stainless steel and plastic surfaces. ► Isolates survive high concentrations of chlorine treatment. ► Air−broth interface and nutrient availability are important for attachment.
We investigated phenotypic differences in Hanwoo cattle cloned from somatic cells of a single adult. Ten genetically identical Hanwoo were generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer from a single ...adult. Weights at birth, growing pattern, horn and noseprint patterns were characterized to investigate phenotypic differences. The weights of clones at 6 and 12 months were slightly heavier than that of the donor. A horn pattern analysis revealed that seven clones had exactly the same horn pattern as the donor cow, whereas three were different. Although similarities such as general appearance can often be used to identify individual cloned animals, no study has characterized noseprint patterns for this end. A noseprint pattern analysis of all surviving clones showed that all eight animals had distinct noseprints. Four were similar to the donor, and the remaining four had more secondary-like characteristics. BMB reports 2012; 45(1): 38-43
Petrovská Klobása is an artisan Serbian sausage made only from meat and spices without any additives or starter cultures. In order to characterise lactic acid bacteria (LAB) microflora, a total ...number of 404 LAB strains were isolated from 15 samples collected during 90
days of the fermentation and 120
days of storage of one batch of Petrovská Klobása. The isolates were preliminarily identified by phenotypic tests and subjected to (GTG)
5-PCR fingerprinting. Representatives of each group were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. The results showed that among the isolates,
Lactobacillus sakei and
Leuconostoc mesenteroides predominate with 36.4% and 37.1% of total LAB strains, respectively.
Pediococcus pentosaceus was also isolated in high proportion (18.4%) whereas
Enterococcus durans and
Enterococcus caseliflavus made only 1% and 6% of the total isolates, correspondingly. The analysis of vacuum packed and modified atmosphere packed (MAP) samples showed higher presence of
L. mesenteroides and
L. sakei in the total microflora.
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