Diversity of Nontuberculoid Mycobacterium Species in Biofilms of Urban and Semiurban Drinking Water Distribution Systems

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous and have been isolated from a variety of environmental sources, including water. Various NTM were isolated from biofilms in drinking water distribution systems in two urban and two semiurban areas in South Africa. Most of the isolates belonged to opportunistic pathogenic species of the NTM group, but none belonged to the Mycobacterium avium complex

Assessment of toll-like receptors in the ileum of weanling pigs - responses to feed antibiotic chlortetracycline and gnotobiotic conditions.

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Adhesion of Type 1-Fimbriated Escherichia coli to Abiotic Surfaces Leads to Altered Composition of Outer Membrane Proteins

Phenotypic differences between planktonic bacteria and those attached to abiotic surfaces exist, but the mechanisms involved in the adhesion response of bacteria are not well understood. By the use of two-dimensional (2D) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, we have demonstrated that attachment of Escherichia coli to abiotic surfaces leads to alteration in the composition of outer membrane proteins. A major decrease in the abundance of resolved proteins was observed during adhesion of type 1-fimbriated E. coli strains, which was at least partly caused by proteolysis. Moreover, a study of fimbriated and nonfimbriated mutants revealed that these changes were due mainly to type 1 fimbria-mediated surface contact and that only a few changes occurred in the outer membranes of nonfimbriated mutant strains. Protein synthesis and proteolytic degradation were involved to different extents in adhesion of fimbriated and nonfimbriated cells. While protein synthesis appeared to affect adhesion of only the nonfimbriated strain, proteolytic activity mostly seemed to contribute to adhesion of the fimbriated strain. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry, six of the proteins resolved by 2D analysis were identified as BtuB, EF-Tu, OmpA, OmpX, Slp, and TolC. While the first two proteins were unaffected by adhesion, the levels of the last four were moderately to strongly reduced. Based on the present results, it may be suggested that physical interactions between type 1 fimbriae and the surface are part of a surface-sensing mechanism in which protein turnover may contribute to the observed change in composition of outer membrane proteins. This change alters the surface characteristics of the cell envelope and may thus influence adhesion