Identification and characterization of and other group isolates from spinach by whole genome sequencing.

(Bt), used as a biological control agent (BCA), can persist on plants, and from there can be introduced into the final food product. In routine food safety diagnostics, these Bt residues cannot be distinguished from natural populations of present in plants and all are enumerated as "presumptive ." In this study, information on eventual use of Bt biopesticides, brand, application times and intervals provided by three food processing companies in Belgium, were integrated with quantitative data on presumptive measured from fresh to frozen food products.

Microbial biostimulants - the need for clarification in EU regulation.

The European Union (EU) has adopted regulation 2019/1009 on fertilizing products with effect from July 2022. However, conflicts exist between the identity of microorganisms designated as biostimulants in the regulation and their affiliation according to recent phylogenetic sequence-based systematics. Here the problems are described, and possible solutions are proposed.

Airborne Spread of Methicillin Resistant From a Swine Farm.

Spread of livestock-associated methicillin resistant (LA-MRSA) to farmworkers has been recognized as a risk when working in LA-MRSA positive stables, due to LA-MRSA being present on airborne dust particles. Based on this, airborne spread of LA-MRSA through stable vents is a concern that is addressed in this study. The aim of the investigation was to quantify the airborne spread of LA-MRSA from a MRSA positive swine farm.

Identification and Characterization of 33 Isolates from Agricultural Fields from Eleven Widely Distributed Countries by Whole Genome Sequencing.

The phylogeny, identification, and characterization of 33 isolates originating from 17 agricultural soils from 11 countries were analyzed on the basis of whole genome sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses revealed all isolates are divided into six groups, which follows the generally accepted phylogenetic division of isolates. Four different identification methods resulted in a variation in the identity of the isolates, as none of the isolates were identified as the same species by all four methods-only the recent identification method proposed directly reflected the phylogeny of the isolates.

A New High-Throughput Screening Method for Phages: Enabling Crude Isolation and Fast Identification of Diverse Phages with Therapeutic Potential.

Bacteriophage therapy and application of phages for biocontrol necessitate acquisition of suitable phages. The exclusivity of phage-host relations and the risk of phage resistance instigate a need to rapidly isolate and characterize novel phages and continually build sizeable phage libraries. Current methods for phage isolation are both laborious and time consuming, suitable for the isolation of a limited number of phages.

Application of Cytosense flow cytometer for the analysis of airborne bacteria collected by a high volume impingement sampler.

Characterization of airborne bacterial cells requires efficient collection, concentration, and analysis techniques, particularly to overcome the challenge of their dilute nature in outdoor environments. This study aims to establish a rapid and reliable approach for quantification of bacteria in air samples. To do this, a high volume impingement sampler was applied to collect airborne bacteria from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).

Glyphosate has limited short-term effects on commensal bacterial community composition in the gut environment due to sufficient aromatic amino acid levels.

Recently, concerns have been raised that residues of glyphosate-based herbicides may interfere with the homeostasis of the intestinal bacterial community and thereby affect the health of humans or animals. The biochemical pathway for aromatic amino acid synthesis (Shikimate pathway), which is specifically inhibited by glyphosate, is shared by plants and numerous bacterial species. Several in vitro studies have shown that various groups of intestinal bacteria may be differently affected by glyphosate.

Do Multi-year Applications of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis for Control of Mosquito Larvae Affect the Abundance of B. cereus Group Populations in Riparian Wetland Soils?

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) is a soil-borne bacterium affiliated to the Bacillus cereus group (Bcg) and has been used in biocontrol products against nematoceran larvae for several decades. However, knowledge is limited on whether long-term Bti application can affect the structure of indigenous communities of Bcg and the overall abundance of Bti.

Effects of Bacillus cereus Endospores on Free-Living Protist Growth.

We studied the predator-prey interactions between heterotrophic protists and endospores of Bacillus cereus group bacteria, in order to gain insight on survival and dispersal of B. cereus endospores in the environment. It has been hypothesised that the spore stage protects against digestion by predating protists.

Bacterial Human Virulence Genes across Diverse Habitats As Assessed by Analysis of Environmental Metagenomes.

The occurrence and distribution of clinically relevant bacterial virulence genes across natural (non-human) environments is not well understood. We aimed to investigate the occurrence of homologs to bacterial human virulence genes in a variety of ecological niches to better understand the role of natural environments in the evolution of bacterial virulence. Twenty four bacterial virulence genes were analyzed in 46 diverse environmental metagenomic datasets, representing various soils, seawater, freshwater, marine sediments, hot springs, the deep-sea, hypersaline mats, microbialites, gutless worms and glacial ice.

Chromosome-Directed PCR-Based Detection and Quantification of Bacillus cereus Group Members with Focus on B. thuringiensis Serovar israelensis Active against Nematoceran Larvae.

Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis is a wide-spread soil bacterium affiliated with the B. cereus group (Bcg) and is widely used in biocontrol products applied against mosquito and black fly larvae. For monitoring and quantification of applied B.

Characteristics and phylogeny of Bacillus cereus strains isolated from Maari, a traditional West African food condiment.

Maari is a spontaneously fermented food condiment made from baobab tree seeds in West African countries. This type of product is considered to be safe, being consumed by millions of people on a daily basis. However, due to the spontaneous nature of the fermentation the human pathogen Bacillus cereus occasionally occurs in Maari.

Characterization of three Bacillus cereus strains involved in a major outbreak of food poisoning after consumption of fermented black beans (Douchi) in Yunan, China.

Three Bacillus cereus strains isolated from an outbreak of food poisoning caused by the consumption of fermented black beans (douchi) containing B. cereus is described. The outbreak involved 139 persons who had nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Occurrence and expression of bacterial human virulence gene homologues in natural soil bacteria.

The presence and in vitro expression of homologues to 22 bacterial human virulence determinants amongst culturable soil bacteria were investigated. About 25% of the bacterial isolates contained virulence gene homologues representing toxin (hblA, cytK2), adhesin (fimH), regulator (phoQ) and resistance (yfbI) determinants in pathogenic bacteria. The homologues of the toxin genes were found in Actinobacteria and Firmicutes (hblA), and in Firmicutes and Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria (cytK2).

Widespread occurrence of bacterial human virulence determinants in soil and freshwater environments.

The occurrence of 22 bacterial human virulence genes (encoding toxins, adhesins, secretion systems, regulators of virulence, inflammatory mediators, and bacterial resistance) in beech wood soil, roadside soil, organic agricultural soil, and freshwater biofilm was investigated by nested PCR. The presence of clinically relevant bacterial groups known to possess virulence genes was tested by PCR of 16S and 23S rRNA genes. For each of the virulence genes detected in the environments, sequencing and NCBI BLAST analysis confirmed the identity of the PCR products.

Long-term survival of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki in a field trial.

Long-term survival of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki DMU67R has been investigated in a field trial. An experimental cabbage plot was sprayed with DMU67R in 1993 and was allowed to lie fallow since then.

Estimating the effects of Cry1F Bt-maize pollen on non-target Lepidoptera using a mathematical model of exposure.

In farmland biodiversity, a potential risk to the larvae of non-target Lepidoptera from genetically modified (GM) Bt-maize expressing insecticidal Cry1 proteins is the ingestion of harmful amounts of pollen deposited on their host plants. A previous mathematical model of exposure quantified this risk for Cry1Ab protein. We extend this model to quantify the risk for sensitive species exposed to pollen containing Cry1F protein from maize event 1507 and to provide recommendations for management to mitigate this risk.

Diagnostic properties of three conventional selective plating media for selection of Bacillus cereus, B. thuringiensis and B. weihenstephanensis.

The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic properties of the two selective plating media and a chromogenic medium for identification of Bacillus cereus. The 324 isolates were B. cereus (37%), Bacillus weihenstephanensis (45%) or Bacillus thuringiensis (18%), as identified by a new combination of techniques.

Characterization of polyvalent and safe Bacillus thuringiensis strains with potential use for biocontrol.

Sixteen Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains were screened for their anti-insect, antibacterial and antifungal determinants by phenotypic tests and PCR targeting major insecticidal proteins and complements, chitinases, lactonases, beta-1,3-glucanases and zwittermicinA. Six strains had genes of at least two major insecticidal toxins and of insecticidal complements. With regard to fungal biocontrol, all the strains inhibited Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus flavus growth and four strains had all or most of the antifungal determinants examined, with strain Bt HD932 showing the widest antifungal activity spectrum.

Persistence of Bacillus thuringiensis bioinsecticides in the gut of human-flora-associated rats.

The capability of two bioinsecticide strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (ssp. israelensis and ssp. kurstaki) to germinate and persist in vivo in the gastrointestinal tract of human-flora-associated rats was studied.

Detection and phylogenic analysis of one anthrax virulence plasmid pXO1 conservative open reading frame ubiquitous presented within Bacillus cereus group strains.

The presence of one of the anthrax virulence plasmid pXO1 conserved fragments was analyzed in 24 Bacillus cereus and B. thuringiensis strains, including 6 B. thuringiensis subspecies, by polymerase chain reactions.

Characterization of emetic Bacillus weihenstephanensis, a new cereulide-producing bacterium.

Cereulide production has until now been restricted to the species Bacillus cereus. Here we report on two psychrotolerant Bacillus weihenstephanensis strains, MC67 and MC118, that produce cereulide. The strains are atypical with regard to pheno- and genotypic characteristics normally used for identification of emetic B.

Occurrence and pathogenic potential of Bacillus cereus group bacteria in a sandy loam.

The major part (94%) of the Bacillus cereus-like isolates from a Danish sandy loam are psychrotolerant Bacillus weihenstephanensis according to their ability to grow at temperatures below 7 degrees C and/or two PCR-based methods, while the remaining 6% are B. cereus. The Bacillus mycoides-like isolates could also be divided into psychrotolerant and mesophilic isolates.

Detection of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki HD1 on cabbage for human consumption.

The objectives of the study were to develop a specific procedure for quantification and identification of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki HD1, which is used as a biopesticide, and to quantify its presence in different kinds of cabbage for human consumption. We found that B. thuringiensis kurstaki HD1 can be distinguished from other B.