Exoautometabolic regulation of transgenes in microorganisms

Data on the existence of a specific system regulating the growth, size, and structure of enterobacterial populations are first summarized in terms of the chemical ecology concept formulated by S.S. Shvarts. The role of this system in transgene functioning is described using the example of the lux operon integrated into Escherichia coli. A relatively simple test for estimating such interactions is proposed.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 2, 2005, pp. 91–96.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Pshenichnov, Maslennikova, Nikitina.     

Faecal Coliform Bacteria in Febros River (Northwest Portugal): Temporal Variation, Correlation with Water Parameters, and Species Identification

Febros river water was sampled weekly, during 35 successive weeks, and analyzed for microbiological (total coliforms, faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci and enterococci) and chemical-physical (ammonia and temperature) parameters. All microbiological parameters were highly correlated with each other and with ammonia, suggesting that the simultaneous determination of all variables currently in use in the evaluation of the microbiological quality of waters is probably redundant, and could be simplified, and that ammonia should be tested as a sentinel parameter of the microbiological pollution load of Febros river. From the strains isolated from positive tubes of the faecal coliforms test (multiple tube fermentation technique) and retested in this assay, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca and Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae strains were positive, indicating that the faecal coliforms test is not totally specific for Escherichia coli, and can detect other bacteria. Considering that these Klebsiella spp. are not necessarily of faecal origin, it was concluded that the faecal coliforms test can overestimate true faecal pollution. From the strains isolated from positive tubes of the faecal coliforms procedure, only Escherichia coli strains were clearly positive in the β-D-glucuronidase test. All other species were negative or very weakly positive, suggesting that the assay of the β-D-glucuronidase activity is less prone to false positives than the faecal coliforms test in the quantification of Escherichia coli in environmental waters.     

Fecal source tracking by antibiotic resistance analysis on a watershed exhibiting low resistance

The ongoing development of microbial source tracking has made it possible to identify contamination sources with varying accuracy, depending on the method used. The purpose of this study was to test the efficiency of the antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA) method under low resistance by tracking the fecal sources at Turkey Creek, Oklahoma exhibiting this condition. The resistance patterns of 772 water-isolates, tested with nine antibiotics, were analyzed by discriminant analysis (DA) utilizing a five-source library containing 2250 isolates. The library passed various representativeness tests; however, two of the pulled-sample tests suggested insufficient sampling. The resubstitution test of the library individual sources showed significant isolate misclassification with an average rate of correct classification (ARCC) of 58%. These misclassifications were explained by low antibiotic resistance (Wilcoxon test P < 0.0001). Seasonal DA of stream E. coli isolates for the pooled sources human/livestock/deer indicated that in fall, the human source dominated (P < 0.0001) at a rate of 56%, and that human and livestock respective contributions in winter (35 and 39%), spring (43 and 40%), and summer (37 and 35%) were similar. Deer scored lower (17–28%) than human and livestock at every season. The DA was revised using results from a misclassification analysis to provide a perspective of the effect caused by low antibiotic resistance and a more realistic determination of the fecal source rates at Turkey Creek. The revision increased livestock rates by 13–14% (0.04 ≤ P ≤ 0.06), and decreased human and deer by 6–7%. Negative misclassification into livestock was significant (0.04 ≤ P ≤ 0.06). Low antibiotic resistance showed the greatest effect in this category.     

紫外线消毒中的光复活作用

近年来，紫外线消毒技术在水处理中得到了越来越广泛的应用，它主要是利用短波紫外对微生物的伤害作用，通过在DNA中形成环丁烷嘧啶二聚体，阻碍基因的正常复制，从而导致细菌失活。但是细菌体内的光裂解酶在远紫外光和可见光作用下能够使失活的细菌重新获得活性，这就是光复活作用。低压消毒设备处理后大肠杆菌表现出了一定的光复活能力，但中压消毒设备能够有效的抑制其光复活作用；而噬肺军团菌在低压和中压设备处理后都表现出了很强的光复活能力。在应用紫外线消毒技术时光复活作用的影响不容忽视。     

Application of compost in agricultural practice could potentially cause contamination of foodstuffs with pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7. This study investigated pathogenic bacteria in compost collected from the compost facilities, an

IntroductionIncreasing public interests have been concerned onsafety foods and the environmental aspects recently,especially on the so-called organic foods , which are madefromcrops grown with organic fertilizers or compost but notchemical fertilizers .Pu…     

载银活性碳纤维对大肠杆菌吸附作用的研究

以大肠杆菌（Ｅｓｃｈｅｒｉｃｈｉａｃｏｌｉ）为对象，通过细菌吸附实验研究了载银活性碳纤维（ＡＣＦ（Ａｇ））对大肠杆菌的吸附特性．借助扫描电子显微镜（ＳＥＭ）进行细菌分布形态的观察和细菌数量的计算．结果表明，大肠杆菌易分布于ＡＣＦ（Ａｇ）表面的沟槽处；ＡＣＦ（Ａｇ）吸附的细菌数量随银含量、比表面积的增加而增大．此外，细菌吸附量还与ＡＣＦ（Ａｇ）表面银颗粒的大小有关．对吸附细菌的动力学亦进行了研究．     

Detection of Escherichia coli in wastewater based on enzyme immunoassay

This research describes a fast detection method on the basis of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Escherichia coli in drainage of wastewater treatment plants. Optimized conditions such as the reaction format (sandwich or direct), the concentrations of diluted horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-E. coli conjugate, and anti-HPR antibody and pretreatment of E. coli were studied. Those results showed that the linear range of detection for E. coli was 10 cfu/mL-6 × 10⁴ cfu/mL. Compared with conventional methods, it is a convenient and sensitive detection method with low cost. Translated from Environmental Science, 2005, 26(5): 128–131 [译自: 环境科学]     

Enhanced production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) by filamentation-suppressed recombinantEscherichia coli in a defined medium

Fed-batch cultures of recombinantEscherichia coli strains were carried out for the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) in a chemically defined medium. TheE. coli strains used were XL1-Blue, harboring pSYL105, a stable high-copy number plasmid containing theAlcaligenes eutrophus polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) genes, and XL1-Blue, harboring pSYL107, which is pSYL105 containing theE. coli ftsZ gene to suppress filamentation. With XL1-Blue(pSYL105) the final cell mass and PHB concentration obtained in 62 h were 102 and 22.5 g/L, respectively. Fed-batch culture of XL1-Blue(pSYL107) under identical conditions resulted in a final cell mass and PHB concentration of 127.5 and 48.2 g/L, respectively. The PHB contents obtained with XL1-Blue(pSYL105) and XL1-Blue(pSYL107) were 22.1 and 37.8%, respectively. Therefore, PHB was more efficiently produced in a defined medium by employing filamentation-suppressed recombinantE. coli.     

UV/O3复合降解水中2,4-二氯酚的试验研究

以紫外光源为主要依托,变换反应器中的不同工艺条件,分别对紫外光、臭氧和紫外/臭氧三种不同于工艺条件对水中污染物2,4-二氯酚(2 ,4-DCP)的降解规律进行研究.结果表明,UV/O3复合对2,4-DCP的降解较UV、O3单独作用效果好;溶液的酸碱度影响UV/O3对2 ,4-DCP的降解;此外,溶液中含有细菌时,E. coli的杀灭效果仍表现为UV/O3＞O3＞UV.细菌的杀灭和2,4-DCP的降解均消耗羟基自由基,形成竞争反应,从而影响到2,4-DCP的降解效果.     

抗生素与LED209对大肠杆菌的联合毒性机制

抗生素是一把双刃剑,在提高医疗水平的同时会促进抗性基因的发展。群体感应抑制剂(quorum sensing inhibitors,QSIs)可有效地避免这一缺陷,有望成为抗生素的替代品而与抗生素有环境共存的可能,但目前尚缺乏它们的联合毒性机制及其相关的环境风险评价研究。本文以大肠杆菌为受试生物,测定了群体感应抑制剂N-苯基-4-(3-苯基硫代脲基)苯磺酰胺(LED209)与5种抗生素的单一和二元联合毒性。结果表明,LED209与5种抗生素的联合毒性作用均表现为拮抗,推测是LED209通过影响鞭毛合成,减弱了抗生素对大肠杆菌的生物有效性;同时通过拆分分子式,发现了拮抗作用可能源于LED209分子式中的含苯基和硫代脲基的L1分子,因此建议未来在LED209药物优化时,应尽可能的保留L1部分的基团,从而保证混合体系的最小环境风险。本研究不仅为联合用药提供依据,而且从环境风险评价角度为抗生素替代品LED209的结构优化提供理论指导。