Bifidobacterium mellis sp. nov., isolated from the honey stomach of the honey bee Apis mellifera

: A novel Bifidobacterium strain, Bin7NT, was isolated from the honey stomach of the honey bee Apis mellifera. Cells are Gram-positive, non-motile, non-sporulating, facultative anaerobic and fructose 6-phosphate phosphoketolase-positive. Their optimal growth is at 37 °C in anaerobiosis in MRS (De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe) added with cysteine. The honey bee microbiota was composed of several phylotypes of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity revealed that strain Bin7NT grouped with Bifidobacterium species originating from honey bees and was closely related to Bifidobacterium asteroides DSM 20089T (99.67 % similarity). However, the highest average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values of 94.88 and 60.6 %, respectively, were obtained with Bifidobacterium choladohabitans JCM 34586T. The DNA G+C content of the type strain is 60.8 mol%. The cell-wall peptidoglycan is of the A4β l-Orn-d-Asp type. The main cellular fatty acids of strain Bin7NT are C18 : 1 ω9c, C16 : 0, C18 : 1 ω7c and C18 : 0. Phenotypic characterization and genotyping based on the genome sequences clearly show that this strain is distinct from the type strains of the so far recognized Bifidobacterium species. Thus, Bifidobacterium mellis sp. nov. (Bin7NT=DSM 29108T=CCUG 66113T) is proposed as novel Bifidobacterium species

Effect of bioactive compounds released from Brassicaceae defatted seed meals on bacterial load in pig manure.

Animal manure application to soils is considered to be one of the main cause of antibiotic and bacterial pathogen spread in the environment. Pig livestock, which is the source of one of the most used fertilizer for cultivated land, is also a hotspot for antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Besides harsh chemical and physical sanitization treatments for the abatement of antibiotics and bacterial load in livestock waste, more sustainable and environmentally friendly strategies need to be considered. In this context, the use of natural substances which are proved useful for pest and disease control is currently under exploration for their role in the reduction of bacterial pathogen population. Among these, plants and derived products from the Brassicaceae family, characterized by the presence of a defensive glucosinolate-myrosinase enzymatic system, have been successfully exploited for years in agriculture using the so-called biofumigation technique against crop diseases. Although the application of biofumigation to suppress a range of soil borne pests has been well documented, no studies have been examined to reduce bacterial population in animal waste. In the present study, the release and the antibacterial activity of bioactive compounds deriving from different Brassicaceae defatted seed meals against pathogens and bacterial population in pig manure is addressed. Rapistrum rugosum and Brassica nigra defatted seed meals were found to be the most active products against tested pathogens and able to significantly reduce the bacterial load in the manure

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. iuvenis subsp. nov., a novel subspecies isolated from the faeces of weaning infants

The species Bifidobacterium longum currently comprises four subspecies: B. longum subsp. longum, B. longum subsp. infantis, B. longum subsp. suis and B. longum subsp. suillum. Recently, several studies on B. longum suggested the presence of a separate clade containing four strains isolated from infants and one from rhesus macaque. These strains shared a phylogenetic similarity to B. longum subsp. suis DSM 20210T and B. longum subsp. suillum JCM1995T [average nucleotide identity (ANI) of 98.1%) while showed an ANI of 96.5% with both B. longum subsp. infantis and B. longum subsp. longum. The current work describes five novel additional B. longum strains isolated from Bangladeshi weaning infants and demonstrates their common phylogenetic origin with those of the previously proposed separated clade. Based on polyphasic taxonomic approach comprising loci multilocus sequence analysis and whole genome multilocus sequence typing, all ten examined strains have been confirmed as a distinct lineage within the species B. longum with B. longum subsp. suis and B. longum subsp. suillum as closest subspecies. Interestingly, these strains are present in weaning infants and primates as opposed to their closest relatives which have been typically isolated from pig and calves. These strains, similarly to B. longum subsp. infantis, show a common capacity to metabolize the human milk oligosaccharide 3-fucosyllactose. Moreover, they harbour a riboflavin synthesis operon, which differentiate them from their closest subspecies, B. longum subsp. suis and B. longum subsp. suillum. Based on the consistent results from genotypical, ecological and phenotypical analyses, a novel subspecies with the name Bifidobacterium longum subsp. iuvenis, with type strain NCC 5000T (=LMG 32752T =CCOS 2034T ), is proposed

Faecal Microbiota Characterisation of Potamochoerus porcus Living in a Controlled Environment

Intestinal bacteria establish a specific relationship with the host animal, which causes the acquisition of gut microbiota with a unique composition classified as the enterotype. As the name suggests, the Red River Hog is a wild member of the pig family living in Africa, in particular through the West and Central African rainforest. To date, very few studies have analysed the gut microbiota of Red River Hogs (RRHs) both housed under controlled conditions and in wild habitats. This study analysed the intestinal microbiota and the distribution of Bifidobacterium species in five Red River Hog (RRH) individuals (four adults and one juvenile), hosted in two different modern zoological gardens (Parco Natura Viva, Verona, and Bioparco, Rome) with the aim of disentangling the possible effects of captive different lifestyle and host genetics. Faecal samples were collected and studied both for bifidobacterial counts and isolation by means of culture-dependent method and for total microbiota analysis through the high-quality sequences of the V3-V4 region of bacterial 16S rRNA. Results showed a host-specific bifidobacterial species distribution. Indeed, B. boum and B. thermoacidophilum were found only in Verona RRHs, whereas B. porcinum species were isolated only in Rome RRHs. These bifidobacterial species are also typical of pigs. Bifidobacterial counts were about 106 CFU/g in faecal samples of all the individuals, with the only exception for the juvenile subject, showing 107 CFU/g. As in human beings, in RRHs a higher count of bifidobacteria was also found in the young subject compared with adults. Furthermore, the microbiota of RRHs showed qualitative differences. Indeed, Firmicutes was found to be the dominant phylum in Verona RRHs whereas Bacteroidetes was the most represented in Roma RRHs. At order level, Oscillospirales and Spirochaetales were the most represented in Verona RRHs compared with Rome RRHs, where Bacteroidales dominated over the other taxa. Finally, at the family level, RRHs from the two sites showed the presence of the same families, but with different levels of abundance. Our results highlight that the intestinal microbiota seems to reflect the lifestyle (i.e., the diet), whereas age and host genetics are the driving factors for the bifidobacterial population

NON-HUMAN PRIMATES BIFIDOBACTERIACEAE: A RESERVOIR FOR APPLICATION FOR ANIMAL WELL-BEING

After discover of bifidobacteria in human infant from H. Tissier in 1900, Bifidobacteriaceae microorganisms have been extensively studied mostly in the gastrointestinal tracts of human and other animals both from ecological and practical application point of view. Their importance is mainly related to their strict link with human and animal health due to many probiotic features such as modulation of immune system, antagonistic activity towards pathogens, alleviation of lactose intolerance, production of useful metabolites. Recently the BoCC-BUSCoB (Bologna Culture Collection - Bologna University Scardovi Collection of Bifidobacteria) has extensively studied the presence of bifidobacteria in non-human primates. Bifidobacteriaceae new species have been isolated from old world monkeys (Lemur catta and Eulemuris macaco), new world monkeys (Callithrix jacchus, Saguinus oedipus, Saguinus imperator, Terophitecus gelada) and hominidis (orangutan and chimpanzee). The study of non-human primates \u201cprobiotic microbiota\u201d, where bifidobacteria represent one of the most important probiotic group, is very important especially in the view of their application for the well-being of animals in controlled environment. The exploitation of probiotic properties of strains isolated from non-human primates requires the existence of isolates in culture collections, which assure the maintenance with appropriate methodologies of bifidobacterial cultures for intended health and biotechnological uses

Bifidobacterial occurrence in giant bats: the two new species Bifidobacterium vespertilionis and Bifidobacterium rousettii

In the gut of many mammals, the diversity of Bifidobacterium species is still not well studied. The species in the genus were previously isolated from various hosts like cow, rabbit, pig, non-human primates, and human being. In the present work, for the first time, Bifidobacterium species were isolated from the new host Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus). Several studies have suggested the importance of isolating and identifying novel strains of the genus Bifidobacterium from various animals, including humans, in order to understand how they are mostly distributed and, especially, which are their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, thus allowing the reconstruction of a more robust bifidobacterial phylogeny. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe the presence and diversity of cultivable bifidobacteria in the faeces of Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus).Bifidobacterial strains were isolated from feces of Rousettus aegyptiacus housed in Parco Natura Viva in Italy. Based on BOX-PCR and ERIC profiles, the 14 isolates were categorized into six groups. Comparative sequence analysis of 16S rRNA genes revealed that the studied strains were classified into five clusters. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strains in Cluster I (RST 8 and RST 16T), Cluster II (RST 9T and RST 27), Cluster III (RST 7 and RST 11), Cluster IV (RST 19), Cluster V (RST 17) were closest to Bifidobacterium avesanii DSM 100685T (96.3%), Bifidobacterium callitrichos DSM 23973T (99.2% and 99.7%), Bifidobacterium tissieri DSM 100201T(99.7 and 99.2%), Bifidobacterium reuteri DSM 23975T(98.9%), Bifidobacterium myosotis DSM 100196T(99.3%), respectively. Strains in Cluster III, Cluster IV and Cluster V were identified as the known species, whereas strains in Cluster I and Cluster II represent two novel species for which the names Bifidobacterium vespertilionis sp. nov. (RST 16T = BCRC 81138T) and Bifidobacterium rousetti sp. nov. (RST 9T = BCRC 81136T)

Physiological and genomic characterization of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum isolated from Indri indri in Madagascar

Aims: Indri indri is a lemur of Madagascar which is critically endangered. The analysis of the microbial ecology of the intestine offers tools to improve conservation efforts. This study aimed to achieve a functional genomic analysis of three Lactiplantibacillus plantarum isolates from indris. Methods and results: Samples were obtained from 18 indri; 3 isolates of Lp. plantarum were obtained from two individuals. The three isolates were closely related to each other, with <10 single nucleotide polymorphisms, suggesting that the two individuals shared diet-associated microbes. The genomes of the three isolates were compared to 96 reference strains of Lp. plantarum. The three isolates of Lp. plantarum were not phenotypically resistant to antibiotics but shared all 17 genes related to antimicrobial resistance that are part of the core genome of Lp. plantarum. The genomes of the three indri isolates of Lp. plantarum also encoded for the 6 core genome genes coding for enzymes related to metabolism of hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids. The phenotype for metabolism of hydroxycinnamic acids by indri isolates of Lp. plantarum matched the genotype. Conclusions: Multiple antimicrobial resistance genes and gene coding for metabolism of phenolic compounds were identified in the genomes of the indri isolates, suggesting that Lp. plantarum maintains antimicrobial resistance in defense of antimicrobial plant secondary pathogens and that their metabolism by intestinal bacteria aids digestion of plant material by primate hosts

Potential Applications of Essential Oils for Environmental Sanitization and Antimicrobial Treatment of Intensive Livestock Infections

The extensive use of antibiotics has contributed to the current antibiotic resistance crisis. Livestock infections of Salmonella spp, Clostridium spp. and E. coli antimicrobial-resistant bacteria represent a public threat to human and animal health. To reduce the incidence of these zoonoses, essential oils (EOs) could be effective antibiotic alternatives. This study aims at identifying EOs safe for use, effective both in complementary therapy and in the environmental sanitization of intensive farming. Natural products were chemo-characterized by gas chromatography. Three S. Typhimurium, three C. perfringens and four E. coli strains isolated from poultry and swine farms were used to assess the antimicrobial properties of nine EOs and a modified GR-OLI (mGR-OLI). The toxicity of the most effective ones (Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Cz; Origanum vulgare, Ov) was also evaluated on porcine spermatozoa and Galleria mellonella larvae. Cz, Ov and mGR-OLI showed the strongest antimicrobial activity; their volatile components were also able to significantly inhibit the growth of tested strains. In vitro, Ov toxicity was slightly lower than Cz, while it showed no toxicity on G. mellonella larvae. In conclusion, the study confirms the importance of evaluating natural products to consolidate the idea of safe EO applications in reducing and preventing intensive livestock infections