Salivaricin G32, a Homolog of the Prototype Streptococcus pyogenes Nisin-Like Lantibiotic SA-FF22, Produced by the Commensal Species Streptococcus salivarius.

Salivaricin G32, a 2667 Da novel member of the SA-FF22 cluster of lantibiotics, has been purified and characterized from Streptococcus salivarius strain G32. The inhibitory peptide differs from the Streptococcus pyogenes-produced SA-FF22 in the absence of lysine in position 2. The salivaricin G32 locus was widely distributed in BLIS-producing S.

Erythrophore cell response to food-associated pathogenic bacteria: implications for detection.

Cell-based biosensors have been proposed for use as function-based detectors of toxic agents. We report the use of Betta splendens chromatophore cells, specifically erythrophore cells, for detection of food-associated pathogenic bacteria. Evaluation of erythrophore cell response, using Bacillus spp.

The effect of ingestion of milk supplemented with salivaricin A-producing Streptococcus salivarius on the bacteriocin-like inhibitory activity of streptococcal populations on the tongue.

The colonization efficacies of salivaricin A (SalA)-producing Streptococcus salivarius strains 20P3 and 5 were compared when given in milk to 219 children, using either 2-day or 9-day dosing regimens. Colonization levels overall were superior for strain 5, and the 9-day dosing schedule resulted in higher levels of both initial colonization and strain persistence. The indigenous streptococcal tongue populations of 20 (10.

Production of the lantibiotic salivaricin A and its variants by oral streptococci and use of a specific induction assay to detect their presence in human saliva.

Salivaricin A (SalA), the first Streptococcus salivarius lantibiotic to be characterized, appears to be inhibitory to most Streptococcus pyogenes strains. A variant of the SalA structural gene (salA1) is present in more than 90% of S. pyogenes strains, but only strains of M serotype 4 and T pattern 4 produce the biologically active peptide.

Fatty acid methyl ester analysis to identify sources of soil in surface water.

Efforts to improve land-use practices to prevent contamination of surface waters with soil are limited by an inability to identify the primary sources of soil present in these waters. We evaluated the utility of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles of dry reference soils for multivariate statistical classification of soils collected from surface waters adjacent to agricultural production fields and a wooded riparian zone. Trials that compared approaches to concentrate soil from surface water showed that aluminum sulfate precipitation provided comparable yields to that obtained by vacuum filtration and was more suitable for handling large numbers of samples.

Blind and naive classification of toxicity by fish chromatophores.

Cellular and molecular pathways involved in the ability of animals to change color have been studied previously as biosensors and cytosensors of active and toxic agents, but such studies generally have been limited to just a few standardized agents. Here we describe the performance of cultured chromatophore pigment cells from the fin tissue of Siamese fighting fish as sensors of toxic agents under blind sampling conditions at the September 2002 EILATox-Oregon Workshop. Detection was accomplished by monitoring motor protein-mediated movements of cellular pigment in chromatophores at both the gross population level as well as in singly imaged cells.

Responses of fish chromatophore-based cytosensor to a broad range of biological agents.

A cytosensor based on living chromatophores from Betta splendens Siamese fighting fish was used to test several classes of biologically active agents. Tested agents include neurotransmitters, adenyl cyclase activators, cytoskeleton effectors, cell membrane effectors and protein synthesis inhibitors. Characteristic cell responses were analyzed, and potential cytosensor applications were considered.

Microplate quantification of plant leaf superoxide dismutases.

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) catalyze the dismutation of superoxide radicals in a broad range of organisms, including plants. Quantification of SOD activity in crude plant extracts has been problematic due to the presence of compounds that interfere with the dose-response of the assay. Although strategies exist to partially purify SODs from plant extracts, the requirement for purification limits the rapidity and practical number of assays that can be conducted.

Bacterial replacement therapy: adapting 'germ warfare' to infection prevention.

The individual bacterial members of our indigeneous microbiota are actively engaged in an on-going battle to prevent colonisation and overgrowth of their terrain by competing microbes, some of which might have pathogenic potential for the host. Humans have long attempted to intervene in these bacterial interactions. Ingestion of probiotic bacteria, particularly lactobacilli, is commonly practiced to promote well-balanced intestinal microflora.

Haemolysin-deficient variants of Streptococcus pyogenes and S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis may be overlooked as aetiological agents of pharyngitis.

Variants of large colony beta-haemolytic Lancefield group A, C and G streptococci that are non-haemolytic or alpha-haemolytic on sheep blood agar have been detected in clinical specimens due to their enhanced haemolytic activity when grown on a new selective and differential blood agar medium containing colistin, nalidixic acid and pH 7.5-adjusted PIPES buffer (CNA-P). The large colony Lancefield group C and G isolates were identified as Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp.