Rapid Identification of Legionella Pathogenicity by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

Objective: To establish Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) can be used as a rapid and reliable method to distinguish virulent strain and mild strain of L. pneumophila.

Methods: Mortality data were collected from company departments through administrative documents, death certificates, etc.

The periplasmic PDZ domain-containing protein Prc modulates full virulence, envelops stress responses, and directly interacts with dipeptidyl peptidase of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae.

PDZ domain-containing proteases, also known as HtrA family proteases, play important roles in bacterial cells by modulating disease pathogenesis and cell-envelope stress responses. These proteases have diverse functions through proteolysis- and nonproteolysis-dependent modes. Here, we report that the genome of the causative agent of rice bacterial blight, Xanthomonas oryzae pv.

Enhancing electro-transformation competency of recalcitrant Bacillus amyloliquefaciens by combining cell-wall weakening and cell-membrane fluidity disturbing.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens has been a major workhorse for the production of a variety of commercially important enzymes and metabolites for the past decades. Some subspecies of this bacterium are recalcitrant to exogenous DNA, and transformation with plasmid DNA is usually less efficient, thereby limiting the genetic manipulation of the recalcitrant species. In this work, a methodology based on electro-transformation has been developed, in which the cells were grown in a semicomplex hypertonic medium, cell walls were weakened by adding glycine (Gly) and DL-threonine (DL-Thr), and the cell-membrane fluidity was elevated by supplementing Tween 80.

Isolation and identification of two xylanase-producing extremely alkali-tolerant strains of Bacillus halodurans from Turpan in China.

Bacillus halodurans XJU-1 and XJU-80 were characterized in terms of physiological and biochemical characteristics, and 16S rDNA sequence homology and DNA-DNA hybridization analysis. The two isolates can grow in nutrient broth at a broad range of pH values from 4.5 to 12.

[Clinical characteristic analysis of the first human case infected by influenza A (H5N1) in Jiangxi Province].

Objective: To describe the clinical, laboratory and radiological presentation of a human case infected by influenza A (H5N1), and to understand its management and prognosis.

Methods: The clinical and autopsy data of the first human case infected by influenza A (H5N1) in Jiangxi Province were collected and analyzed.

Results: The first case infected by influenza A (H5N1) in Jiangxi Province was confirmed by laboratory findings with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and influenza A (H5N1) isolation.