Adhesion Forces and Coaggregation between Vaginal Staphylococci and Lactobacilli

Urogenital infections are the most common ailments afflicting women. They are treated with dated antimicrobials whose efficacy is diminishing. The process of infection involves pathogen adhesion and displacement of indigenous Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus jensenii. An alternative therapeutic approach to antimicrobial therapy is to reestablish lactobacilli in this microbiome through probiotic administration. We hypothesized that lactobacilli displaying strong adhesion forces with pathogens would facilitate coaggregation between the two strains, ultimately explaining the elimination of pathogens seen in vivo. Using atomic force microscopy, we found that adhesion forces between lactobacilli and three virulent toxic shock syndrome toxin 1-producing Staphylococcus aureus strains, were significantly stronger (2.2–6.4 nN) than between staphylococcal pairs (2.2–3.4 nN), especially for the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 (4.0–6.4 nN) after 120 s of bond-strengthening. Moreover, stronger adhesion forces resulted in significantly larger coaggregates. Adhesion between the bacteria occurred instantly upon contact and matured within one to two minutes, demonstrating the potential for rapid anti-pathogen effects using a probiotic. Coaggregation is one of the recognized mechanisms through which lactobacilli can exert their probiotic effects to create a hostile micro-environment around a pathogen. With antimicrobial options fading, it therewith becomes increasingly important to identify lactobacilli that bind strongly with pathogens

Metagenomic analysis of the bacterial microbiota associated with cultured oysters (Crassostrea sp.) in estuarine environments

In this work, we identified the bacterial microbiota associated with farmed oystersin estuarine regions of four states in the north eastern region of Brazil. During the drought and rainy seasons, for eight months, twenty oysters were sampled seasonally from seven different marine farms. In the laboratory, DNA extraction, amplification, and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene were performed to establish the taxonomic units. We identified 106 genera of bacteria belonging to 103 families, 70 orders, 39 classes, and 21 phyla. Out of the total, 40 of the genera represented bacteria potentially pathogenic to humans; of these, nine are known to cause foodborne diseases and six are potentially pathogenic to oysters. The most prevalent genera were Mycoplasma, Propionigenium, Psychrilyobacter, and Arcobacter. The results indicate the need for more systematic monitoring of bacteria of the genus Mycoplasma in oyster farming operations in the Brazilian north eastern region. Currently, Mycoplasma is not one of the microorganisms analysed and monitored by order of Brazilian legislation during the oyster production and/or commercialization process, even though this genus was the most prevalent at all sampling points and presents pathogenic potential both for oysters and for consumers

Enthalpy of interaction between coaggregating and non-coaggregating oral bacterial pairs - a microcalorimetric study

Bacterial adhesion and coaggregation are involved in the development of oral biofilms, called dental plaque. Although various techniques have already been used to study different aspects of these bacterial interactions, microcalorimetry has not yet been applied. This paper describes how isothermal reaction calorimetry can be employed to determine the enthalpy of coaggregation between two oral bacterial pairs. For most biological processes, the enthalpy tends to reach a minimum value, reflecting the most stable state, which is directly related to the heat content of the system. The calorimeter consists of four measuring units where reaction ampoules are filled with 1.5 ml of an Actinomyces naeslundii 147 suspension, while reference ampoules are filled with buffer only. After equilibration at 25 °C, 80 µl of a streptococcal suspension was titrated into the reaction ampoules. To study possible saturation of the binding sites on the actinomyces surface, three consecutive injections with streptococcal suspensions were done. Following each injection, a 20-µl aliquot was taken from the ampoule kept outside the calorimeter and the number of free (Sf) and bound (Sb) streptococci was determined microscopically. Experiments were carried out with a coaggregating streptococcal strain (Streptococcus oralis J22) and a non-coaggregating strain (Streptococcus sanguis PK1889), serving as a control. The coaggregation enthalpy was exothermic, that is, heat was released in the reaction ampoule upon coaggregation and the heat released by the coaggregating pair minus the heat released by the non-coaggregating pair yielded a coaggregation enthalpy of -0.015×10-6 mJ/bound streptococcus for the first injection. Upon consecutive injections, the coaggregation enthalpy decreased to -0.0004×10-6 mJ/bound streptococcus. Comparison with enthalpy changes reported for lectin–carbohydrate binding suggests that a huge number of binding sites are involved in the formation of one bacterial coaggregate

The use of a pilot scale loop system to reproduce microflora adhering to industrial stainless steel pipelines.

The use of a pilot scale loop system to reproduce microflora adhering to industrial stainless steel pipelines

The wet-heat resistance of Bacillus weihenstephanensis KBAB4 spores produced in a two-step sporulation process depends on sporulation temperature but not on previous cell history.

International audienceWhile bacterial spores are mostly produced in a continuous process, this study reports a two-step sporulation methodology. Even though spore heat resistance of numerous spore-forming bacteria is known to be dependent on sporulation conditions, this approach enables the distinction between the vegetative cell growth phase in nutrient broth and the sporulation phase in specific buffer. This study aims at investigating whether the conditions of growth of the vegetative cells, prior to sporulation, could affect spore heat resistance. For that purpose, wet-heat resistance of Bacillus weihenstephanensis KBAB4 spores, produced via a two-step sporulation process, was determined from vegetative cells harvested at four different stages of the growth kinetics, i.e. early exponential phase, late exponential phase, transition phase or early stationary phase. To assess the impact of the temperature on spore heat resistance, sporulation was performed at 10 °C, 20 °C and 30 °C from cells grown during a continuous or a discontinuous temperature process, differentiating or not the growth and sporulation temperatures. Induction of sporulation seems possible for a large range of growth stages. Final spore concentration was not significantly affected by the vegetative cell growth stage while it was by the temperature during growing and sporulation steps. The sporulation temperature influences the heat resistance of B. weihenstephanensis KBAB4 spores much more than growth temperature prior to sporulation. Spores produced at 10 °C were up to 3 times less heat resistant than spores produced at 30 °C

Enthalpy of interaction between coaggregating and non-coaggregating oral bacterials pairs - a microcalorimetric study

Bacterial adhesion and coaggregation are involved in the development of oral biofilms, called dental plaque. Although various techniques have already been used to study different aspects of these bacterial interactions, microcalorimetry has not yet been applied. This paper describes how isothermal reaction calorimetry can be employed to determine the enthalpy of coaggregation between two oral bacterial pairs. For most biological processes, the enthalpy tends to reach a minimum value, reflecting the most stable state, which is directly related to the heat content of the system. The calorimeter consists of four measuring units where reaction ampoules are filled with 1.5 ml of an Actinomyces naeslundii 147 suspension, while reference ampoules are filled with buffer only. After equilibration at 25 °C, 80 µl of a streptococcal suspension was titrated into the reaction ampoules. To study possible saturation of the binding sites on the actinomyces surface, three consecutive injections with streptococcal suspensions were done. Following each injection, a 20-µl aliquot was taken from the ampoule kept outside the calorimeter and the number of free (Sf) and bound (Sb) streptococci was determined microscopically. Experiments were carried out with a coaggregating streptococcal strain (Streptococcus oralis J22) and a non-coaggregating strain (Streptococcus sanguis PK1889), serving as a control. The coaggregation enthalpy was exothermic, that is, heat was released in the reaction ampoule upon coaggregation and the heat released by the coaggregating pair minus the heat released by the non-coaggregating pair yielded a coaggregation enthalpy of -0.015×10-6 mJ/bound streptococcus for the first injection. Upon consecutive injections, the coaggregation enthalpy decreased to -0.0004×10-6 mJ/bound streptococcus. Comparison with enthalpy changes reported for lectin–carbohydrate binding suggests that a huge number of binding sites are involved in the formation of one bacterial coaggregate