Exploring a unique water ecosystem under long-term exposure to hexavalent chromium - An in situ study of natural diatom (Bacillariophyceae) communities.

This paper reports the third in a series of three studies of a unique aquatic phytobial consortium that developed in a polluted ditch situated near an old chromium waste landfill. The ditch is a specific ecological niche having increased loads of several chemical compounds, including extreme hexavalent chromium concentrations up to two thousand times the allowed limit (0.02 mg dm in Poland) in the more polluted section B; the moderate concentrations in section A are twice the limit.

The in vitro effects of probiotic bacteria on genital pathogens of female dogs.

Background: An important aspect in the microbiology of the reproductive system of small animals is the potential occurrence of probiotic bacteria, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of the genus Lactobacillus. The presence of these microorganisms is significant due to their strong antibacterial and antifungal properties. This study aimed to select probiotic strains from the oral cavity and vagina that have outstanding antibacterial properties against typical genital pathogens of the female dog reproductive tract.

The vaginal microflora changes in various stages of the estrous cycle of healthy female dogs and the ones with genital tract infections.

Background: Inflammatory diseases of reproductive tract in bitches are a common problem in veterinary practice. The inflammation can lead to serious health problems. Research to determine the correlation between the health status of females, phase of the cycle, age and bacterial flora of the genital tract has been ongoing for years, but the results obtained by individual authors are often contradictory.

Integrative Approach Helps Clarify Confusing Taxonomy of the Pseudopediastrum boryanum Species Complex (Chlorophyceae), Including Recognition of five Distinct Species.

Sixteen monoclonal strains classified into six morphotypes typical of, or close to, intraspecific taxa of Pseudopediastum boryanum, including P. alternans (ALT), P. boryanum var.

Assessing morphological congruence in Dinobryon species and their stomatocysts, including a newly established Dinobryon pediforme-stomatocyst connection.

The chrysophyte genus Dinobryon Ehrenberg consists of 44 taxa, which occur in freshwaters, rarely marine waters, mostly in temperate regions of the world. The taxa of Dinobryon produce characteristic solitary or dendroid colonies and resting stages called stomatocysts. Only 20 Dinobryon taxa have information on produced stomatocysts and only four stomatocysts are reliably linked with vegetative stages using modern identification standards employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses.