Molecular evaluation of the metabolism of estrogenic di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in Mycolicibacterium sp.

Background: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a widely detected plasticizer and a priority pollutant of utmost concern for its adverse impact on humans, wildlife and the environment. To eliminate such toxic burden, biological processes are the most promising ways to combat rampant environmental insults under eco-friendly conditions. The present study investigated the biochemical and molecular assessment of the catabolic potential of Mycolicibacterium sp.

The Production of Aquatic Fluorescent Organic Matter in a Simulated Freshwater Laboratory Model.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitous throughout aquatic systems. Fluorescence techniques can be used to characterize the fluorescing proportion of DOM, aquatic fluorescent organic matter (AFOM). AFOM is conventionally named in association with specific fluorescence "peaks," which fluoresce in similar optical regions as microbially-derived proteinaceous material (Peak T), and terrestrially-derived humic-like compounds (Peaks C/C+), with Peak T previously being investigated as a tool for bacterial enumeration within freshwaters.

Marimo actuated rover systems.

Background: The potential to directly harness photosynthesis to make actuators, biosensors and bioprocessors has been previously demonstrated in the literature. Herein, this capability has been expanded to more advanced systems - Marimo Actuated Rover Systems (MARS) - which are capable of autonomous, solar powered, movement.

Results: We demonstrate this ability is both a practical and viable alternative to conventional mobile platforms for exploration and dynamic environmental monitoring.

Real-time detection of volatile metabolites enabling species-level discrimination of bacterial biofilms associated with wound infection.

Aims: The main aim of this study was to investigate the real-time detection of volatile metabolites for the species-level discrimination of pathogens associated with clinically relevant wound infection, when grown in a collagen wound biofilm model.

Methods And Results: This work shows that Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes produce a multitude of volatile compounds when grown as biofilms in a collagen-based biofilm model. The real-time detection of these complex volatile profiles using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry and the use of multivariate statistical analysis on the resulting data can be used to successfully differentiate between the pathogens studied.

Laboratory In-Situ Production of Autochthonous and Allochthonous Fluorescent Organic Matter by Freshwater Bacteria.

This work investigates the origin and range of fluorescent organic matter (FOM) produced in-situ by environmentally sourced freshwater bacteria. Aquatic FOM is an essential component in global carbon cycling and is generally classified as either autochthonous, produced in-situ via microbial processes, or allochthonous, transported into aquatic systems from external sources. We have demonstrated that, within laboratory model systems, environmentally sourced mixed microbial communities and bacterial isolates can produce and/or export FOM associated with both autochthonous and allochthonous material.

An in vitro collagen perfusion wound biofilm model; with applications for antimicrobial studies and microbial metabolomics.

Background: The majority of in vitro studies of medically relevant biofilms involve the development of biofilm on an inanimate solid surface. However, infection in vivo consists of biofilm growth on, or suspended within, the semi-solid matrix of the tissue, whereby current models do not effectively simulate the nature of the in vivo environment. This paper describes development of an in vitro method for culturing wound associated microorganisms in a system that combines a semi-solid collagen gel matrix with continuous flow of simulated wound fluid.

Comparative Analysis of 37 Bacteriophages.

Members of the genus are ubiquitous in the environment and the multiple-drug resistant species is of significant clinical concern. This clinical relevance is currently driving research on bacterial viruses infecting , in an effort to implement phage therapy and phage-derived antimicrobials. Initially, a total of 42 phage genome sequences were available in the international nucleotide sequence databases, corresponding to a total of 2.

Visualization of Phage Genomic Data: Comparative Genomics and Publication-Quality Diagrams.

The presentation of bacteriophage genomes as diagrams allows the location and organization of features to be communicated in a clear and effective manner. A wide range of software applications are available for the clear and accurate visualization of genomic data. Several of these applications incorporate comparative analysis tools, allowing for insertions, deletions, rearrangements and variations in syntenic regions to be visualized.

Characterisation and genome sequence of the lytic Acinetobacter baumannii bacteriophage vB_AbaS_Loki.

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen in healthcare and community settings. While over 100 of Acinetobacter phages have been described in the literature, relatively few have been sequenced. This work describes the characterisation and genome annotation of a new lytic Acinetobacter siphovirus, vB_AbaS_Loki, isolated from activated sewage sludge.

Genome Sequence of vB_AbaS_TRS1, a Viable Prophage Isolated from Acinetobacter baumannii Strain A118.

A novel temperate phage, vB_AbaS_TRS1, was isolated from cultures of Acinetobacter baumannii strain A118 that had been exposed to mitomycin C. Phage TRS1 belongs to the Siphoviridae family of bacteriophages and encapsulates a 40,749-bp genome encoding 70 coding sequences and a single tRNA.

Fluorescence spectroscopy for wastewater monitoring: A review.

Wastewater quality is usually assessed using physical, chemical and microbiological tests, which are not suitable for online monitoring, provide unreliable results, or use hazardous chemicals. Hence, there is an urgent need to find a rapid and effective method for the evaluation of water quality in natural and engineered systems and for providing an early warning of pollution events. Fluorescence spectroscopy has been shown to be a valuable technique to characterize and monitor wastewater in surface waters for tracking sources of pollution, and in treatment works for process control and optimization.

A proposed new bacteriophage subfamily: "Jerseyvirinae".

Based on morphology and comparative nucleotide and protein sequence analysis, a new subfamily of the family Siphoviridae is proposed, named "Jerseyvirinae" and consisting of three genera, "Jerseylikevirus", "Sp3unalikevirus" and "K1glikevirus". To date, this subfamily consists of 18 phages for which the genomes have been sequenced. Salmonella phages Jersey, vB_SenS_AG11, vB_SenS-Ent1, vB_SenS-Ent2, vB_SenS-Ent3, FSL SP-101, SETP3, SETP7, SETP13, SE2, SS3e and wksl3 form the proposed genus "Jerseylikevirus".

Characterisation of dissolved organic matter fluorescence properties by PARAFAC analysis and thermal quenching.

The fluorescence intensity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aqueous samples is known to be highly influenced by temperature. Although several studies have demonstrated the effect of thermal quenching on the fluorescence of DOM, no research has been undertaken to assess the effects of temperature by combining fluorescence excitation - emission matrices (EEM) and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) modelling. This study further extends previous research on thermal quenching by evaluating the impact of temperature on the fluorescence of DOM from a wide range of environmental samples, in the range 20 °C - 0 °C.

Application of bacterial bioluminescence to assess the efficacy of fast-acting biocides.

Traditional microbiological techniques are used to provide reliable data on the rate and extent of kill for a range of biocides. However, such techniques provide very limited data regarding the initial rate of kill of fast-acting biocides over very short time domains. This study describes the application of a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli expressing the Photorhabdus luminescens lux operon as a whole-cell biosensor.

Multivariate analysis of bacterial volatile compound profiles for discrimination between selected species and strains in vitro.

Volatile compounds (VCs) are produced by all microorganisms as part of their normal metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine whether bacterial VC profiles could be used to discriminate between selected bacterial species and strains in vitro. Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry (SIFT-MS) was used to quantify the concentration of 23 microbial VCs within the head-space of various bacterial monocultures, during both the logarithmic and stationary growth phases.

Can fluorescence spectrometry be used as a surrogate for the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) test in water quality assessment? An example from South West England.

The fluorescence intensities of tryptophan-like, tyrosine-like and humic-like materials were determined using excitation-emission-matrices (EEMs) for a wide range of samples including natural surface waters, sewage and industrial effluents and waters that have experienced known pollution events from the South West of England (n=469). Fluorescence intensities reported in arbitrary fluorescence units (AFU) were correlated with standard five day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD(5)) values which were used as an indicator of the amount of biodegradable organic material present. Tryptophan-like fluorescence, which has been found to relate to the activity of the biological community, showed the strongest correlation with BOD(5).