Gram-negative bacteria associated with brewery yeasts: reclassification of Obesumbacterium proteus biogroup 2 as Shimwellia pseudoproteus gen. nov., sp. nov., and transfer of Escherichia blattae to Shimwellia blattae comb. nov.

Phylogenetic analyses of type and reference strains of Obesumbacterium proteus biogroups 1 and 2 plus a novel isolate of biogroup 2 were carried out based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and partial sequences of four protein-coding genes (fusA, leuS, pyrG and rpoB). Both approaches revealed that O. proteus biogroup 1 strains were closely related to Hafnia alvei.

Composition of peats used in the preparation of malt for scotch whisky productioninfluence of geographical source and extraction depth.

Peat is burned during malt kilning to provide flavor compounds in Scotch malt whisky. The aim of this work was to establish whether peats from different locations in Scotland are chemically distinct and could impart different flavors. Peat samples from four locations (Islay, Orkney, St.

Evolution of pathogenicity in the Bacillus cereus group.

The Bacillus cereus group of bacteria comprises soil-dwelling saprophytes but on occasion these bacteria can cause a wide range of diseases in humans, including food poisoning, systemic infections and highly lethal forms of anthrax. While anthrax is almost invariably caused by strains from a single evolutionary lineage, Bacillus anthracis, variation in the virulence properties of strains from other lineages has not been fully addressed. Using multi-locus sequence data from 667 strains, we reconstructed the evolutionary history of the B.

A Bacillus thuringiensis strain producing a polyglutamate capsule resembling that of Bacillus anthracis.

Bacillus thuringiensis serovar Monterrey strain BGSC 4AJ1 produced a microscopically visible capsule that reacted with a fluorescent antibody specific for the poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid (PGA) capsule of Bacillus anthracis. PGA capsule biosynthesis genes with 75%, 81%, 72%, 65% and 63% similarity, respectively, to those of the B. anthracis capBCADE cluster were present on a plasmid (pAJ1-1).

Sneathiella chinensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel marine alphaproteobacterium isolated from coastal sediment in Qingdao, China.

The taxonomic position of strain LMG 23452(T), which was isolated from coastal sediment from an aquaculture site near Qingdao, China, in 2000, was determined. Strain LMG 23452(T) comprised Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, motile rods and was found to be a halotolerant, aerobic, chemoheterotroph that produces catalase and oxidase. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain LMG 23452(T) shared approximately 89 % sequence similarity with members of the genera Devosia, Hyphomonas, Ensifer and Chelatococcus, which belong to two different orders within the Alphaproteobacteria.

Multilocus sequence typing reveals that Bacillus cereus strains isolated from clinical infections have distinct phylogenetic origins.

Eight strains of Bacillus cereus isolated from bacteremia and soft tissue infections were assigned to seven sequence types (STs) by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Two strains from different locations had identical STs. The concatenated sequences of the seven STs were aligned with 65 concatenated sequences from reference STs and a neighbor-joining tree was constructed.

Lactobacillus suntoryeus sp. nov., isolated from malt whisky distilleries.

Eight strains of Lactobacillus with identical partial 16S rRNA gene sequences and similar randomly amplified polymorphic DNA patterns were isolated from fermentation samples from Japanese and Scottish malt whisky distilleries. Phylogenetic analysis of almost complete 16S rRNA gene sequences from three representative strains (two from Japan, one from Scotland) placed them in the genus Lactobacillus as members of the Lactobacillus acidophilus group. Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus gallinarum were the most closely related species, with 16S rRNA gene similarities of 99.

Population structure and evolution of the Bacillus cereus group.

Representative strains of the Bacillus cereus group of bacteria, including Bacillus anthracis (11 isolates), B. cereus (38 isolates), Bacillus mycoides (1 isolate), Bacillus thuringiensis (53 isolates from 17 serovars), and Bacillus weihenstephanensis (2 isolates) were assigned to 59 sequence types (STs) derived from the nucleotide sequences of seven alleles, glpF, gmk, ilvD, pta, pur, pycA, and tpi. Comparisons of the maximum likelihood (ML) tree of the concatenated sequences with individual gene trees showed more congruence than expected by chance, indicating a generally clonal structure to the population.

Identification of anthrax toxin genes in a Bacillus cereus associated with an illness resembling inhalation anthrax.

Bacillus anthracis is the etiologic agent of anthrax, an acute fatal disease among mammals. It was thought to differ from Bacillus cereus, an opportunistic pathogen and cause of food poisoning, by the presence of plasmids pXO1 and pXO2, which encode the lethal toxin complex and the poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid capsule, respectively. This work describes a non-B.

Taxonomic characterization and plant colonizing abilities of some bacteria related to Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus subtilis.

The phylogenetic relationships of 17 Bacillus strains isolated from plants and soil were determined from partial sequences of genes encoding 16S rRNA, gyraseA (gyrA) and the cheA histidine kinase. Five strains were closely related to Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis, three strains were more closely related to B.

Molecular typing of Bacillus thuringiensis serovars by RAPD-PCR.

One hundred and twenty-six strains of Bacillus thuringiensis representing 57 serovars were allocated to 58 genomic types using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR patterns. Serovars darmstadiensis, israelensis, kenyae, kumamotoensis, kurstaki, morrisoni, pakistani, sotto, thuringiensis and tolworthi each encompassed identical or closely related strains. Despite this genomic homogeneity, most of these serovars also included at least one variant strain.

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis of chromosomal DNA reveals a clonal population structure to Bacillus thuringiensis that relates in general to crystal protein gene content.

Seventy strains of Bacillus thuringiensis representing 21 serovars were allocated to 38 genomic groups using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of restriction enzyme-digested DNA. There was a broad correlation between PFGE type and serotype for serovars darmstadiensis, israelensis, kenyae, kumamotoensis, kurstaki, sotto, thuringiensis, and tolworthi, although some serovars included atypical strains. Serovars canadensis and entomocidus were heterogeneous.

Bacillus endophyticus sp. nov., isolated from the inner tissues of cotton plants (Gossypium sp.).

Four strains of aerobic, endospore-forming bacteria were isolated from the inner tissues of healthy cotton plants (Gossypium sp., Dushanbe, Tajikistan). The organisms had identical randomly amplified polymorphic DNA patterns that distinguished them from other bacilli that are commonly isolated from plant tissues, e.

Evolution of the lactic acid bacterial community during malt whisky fermentation: a polyphasic study.

The development of the lactic acid bacterial community in a commercial malt whisky fermentation occurred in three broad phases. Initially, bacteria were inhibited by strong yeast growth. Fluorescence microscopy and environmental scanning electron microscopy revealed, in this early stage, both cocci and rods that were at least partly derived from the wort and yeast but also stemmed from the distillery plant.

Characterization of lactobacilli from Scotch malt whisky distilleries and description of Lactobacillus ferintoshensis sp. nov., a new species isolated from malt whisky fermentations.

Sixty-four strains of Lactobacillus were isolated from fermentation samples from 23 malt whisky distilleries located in the major whisky producing regions of Scotland. The strains were assigned to 26 ribotype patterns. Strains of some ribotype patterns were widely distributed and recovered from distilleries throughout Scotland, while strains representing other ribotypes were particular to a specific region or even a certain distillery.

Anaerobic metabolism in NCIB 6346.

SUMMARYThe products of anaerobic metabolism of glucose and its derivatives sorbitol, gluconate and glucuronate by have been determined by proton NMR. Glucose was fermented through mixed-acid fermentation pathways to acetate, 2,3-butanediol, ethanol, formate, lactate, succinate and pyruvate. However, the bacterium was incapable of fermenting the three glucose derivatives.