Urea is one of the major components of the human urine and its breakdown by the uropathogens occurs mainly through the activity of the enzyme urease. However, a few reports suggest the presence of an alternate enzyme system for urea breakdown namely urea carboxylase (UC) and allophanate hydrolase (AH). We have previously reported the UC and AH system in the genome of a urease-negative uropathogen Kalamiella piersonii YU22 of the novel genus Kalamiella (reclassified recently as Pantoea).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiofilm formation associated with quorum sensing (QS) is a community behaviour displayed by many gram-negative pathogenic bacteria that provide survival advantages in hostile conditions. The inhibitors of QS interrupt bacterial communication and coordinated cell signalling for community aggregation in the biofilm. Thymol, a natural monoterpenoid, was tested against QS in Chromobacterium violaceum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDevelopment of drug resistance in opportunistic pathogens is one of the major healthcare challenges associated with infection management. Combination therapy has many advantages due to the simultaneous action of two drugs on two separate cellular targets. However, selection of the drugs should offer safety and synergistic interaction against most of the strains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSilver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained attention due to their exceptional physicochemical properties and biological activities, owing to which they are extensively used in biomedical field. We synthesized AgNPs by rapid microwave-assisted method using fucoidan as a reducing agent. The synthesized fucoidan-AgNPs (F-AgNPs) were characterized for the structural and functional properties.
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