Methods Using Marine Aquatic Photoautotrophs along the Qatari Coastline to Remediate Oil and Gas Industrial Water.

Qatar and other Gulf States have a diverse range of marine vegetation that is adapted to the stressful environmental conditions of seawater. The industrial wastewater produced by oil and gas activities adds further detrimental conditions for marine aquatic photosynthetic organisms on the Qatari coastlines. Thus, these organisms experience severe stress from both seawater and industrial wastewater.

Metagenomic approaches and opportunities in arid soil research.

Arid soils present unique challenges and opportunities for studying microbial diversity and bioactive potential due to the extreme environmental conditions they bear. This review article investigates soil metagenomics as an emerging tool to explore complex microbial dynamics and unexplored bioactive potential in harsh environments. Utilizing advanced metagenomic techniques, diverse microbial populations that grow under extreme conditions such as high temperatures, salinity, high pH levels, and exposure to metals and radiation can be studied.

Isolation of the Endophytic Fungus from a Halophyte () and Assessment of Its Potential in Tomato Seedling Protection.

Living in diverse environmentally harsh conditions, the plant exhibits a unique survival mechanism. As a result, the endophytes residing within the plant produce specific compounds that promote the plant's growth and defend it against pathogens. Plants and algae symbiotically harbor endophytes, i.

Molecular identification and biocontrol of ochratoxigenic fungi and ochratoxin A in animal feed marketed in the state of Qatar.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a toxic fungal metabolite produced by some and species. This work was designed to explore the presence of OTA and ochratoxigenic fungi in feed grains marketed in Qatar and their biological control by a bacterium (). Significantly higher levels of OTA were detected in mixed grains samples (144.

Occurrence of Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Fungi in Cereals and Application of Yeast Volatiles for Their Biological Control.

Fungal infections in cereals lead to huge economic losses in the food and agriculture industries. This study was designed to investigate the occurrence of toxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins in marketed cereals and explore the effect of the antagonistic yeast volatiles against key toxigenic fungal strains. spp.

Endophytes and Halophytes to Remediate Industrial Wastewater and Saline Soils: Perspectives from Qatar.

Many halophytes are considered to be salt hyperaccumulators, adopting ion extrusion and inclusion mechanisms. Such plants, with high aboveground biomass, may play crucial roles in saline habitats, including soil desalination and phytoremediation of polluted soils and waters. These plants cause significant changes in some of the soil's physical and chemical properties; and have proven efficient in removing heavy metals and metabolizing organic compounds from oil and gas activities.

Detection of multimycotoxins in camel feed and milk samples and their comparison with the levels in cow milk.

Camel milk has been considered as an important source of nutrients and is commercialized in many countries of the world including the Middle East. This study aimed to investigate the presence of mycotoxins in camel feed and milk samples in comparison with the cow milk. Fumonisins (FUM), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEN) were detected in 14%, 39%, and 39% of the tested camel feed samples, respectively.

Bacillus thuringiensis strain QBT220 pBtoxis plasmid structural instability enhances δ-endotoxins synthesis and bioinsecticidal activity.

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) spherical parasporal crystal contains several insecticidal proteins used as environmentally safe alternative to toxic chemical pesticides. The exploration of a Bti strain isolated from Qatar QBT220 genes encoding the δ-endotoxins responsible of the insecticidal activities revealed the alteration of a 14-kb DNA region including the δ-endotoxins cry10A and cyt1C genes of pBtoxis plasmid.

Prevalence of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in Arabic coffee (Coffea arabica): Protective role of traditional coffee roasting, brewing and bacterial volatiles.

Fungal infection and synthesis of mycotoxins in coffee leads to significant economic losses. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of toxigenic fungi, their metabolites, and the effect of traditional roasting and brewing on ochratoxin A (OTA) and aflatoxins (AFs) contents of naturally contaminated coffee samples. In addition, in vivo biocontrol assays were performed to explore the antagonistic activities of Bacillus simplex 350-3 (BS350-3) on the growth and mycotoxins synthesis of Aspergillus ochraceus and A.

Diversity, Concentration and Dynamics of Culturable Fungal Bioaerosols at Doha, Qatar.

This research was conducted to investigate the dynamics of airborne fungi using viable culture collection and in respect to different abiotic variables, including seasonal and intra-diurnal variations. A gravimetric method was used to sample airborne fungal deposition on potato dextrose agar plates on alternate days, for a year between April 2015 to March 2016. From 176 settle plate exposures, a total of 1197 mould and 283 yeast colony-forming units (CFU), 21 genera and 62 species were retrieved.

strains isolated from Qatari soil, synthesizing δ-endotoxins highly active against the disease vector insect .

is a Gram-positive soil bacterium that has been recognized as an effective bioinsecticide active against plant, animal and human pathogenic and disease vector insects. During its sporulation phase, produces crystals consisting of δ-endotoxins, which upon ingestion kill specifically insect larvae. subsp.

Isolation of a Novel Strain QKM-4 and Evidence of Its Volatilome Production and Binding Potentialities in the Biocontrol of Toxigenic Fungi and Their Mycotoxins.

To overcome the economic losses associated with fungi and their toxic metabolites, environmentally safe and efficient approaches are needed. To this end, biological control using yeasts and safe bacterial strains and their products are being explored to replace synthetic fungicides. In the present study, the biocontrol effect of a yeast strain of , QKM-4, against the growth and mycotoxin synthesis potential of key toxigenic fungi was evaluated.

Fungal food spoilage of supermarkets' displayed fruits.

Background And Aim: Post-harvest fungal infection of fruits and vegetables is mainly caused by fungal pathogens that can be harmful to both human and animals as they produce mycotoxins, post-harvest diseases in fruits and vegetables are a serious problem that results in the loss of a large percentage of crops reaching 50% in some fruits. This study aims at screening the post-purchasing shelf-life of four highly consumed fruits and vegetables and at identifying the fungal strains behind their spoilage in Qatar.

Materials And Methods: Fruits and vegetables were collected from the market to study their post-purchasing shelf-life and to identify the fungal types involved in samples rotting.

In-vitro Application of a Qatari strain (QBC03) in the Biocontrol of Mycotoxigenic Fungi and in the Reduction of Ochratoxin A biosynthesis by .

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by certain filamentous fungi, causing human and animal health issues upon the ingestion of contaminated food and feed. Among the safest approaches to the control of mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxin detoxification is the application of microbial biocontrol agents. is known for producing metabolites active against a broad number of pathogenic fungi.

Investigation and Application of Volatile Compounds for the Biological Control of Toxigenic and spp.

The present study was designed to investigate the antagonistic activity of BL350-2 against mycotoxigenic strains of and . In vitro coincubation for 5 days indicated BA1 as the most sensitive strain, with a growth inhibition of 62%, followed by MG7 (60%), MC12 (53%), MC05 (50%), CM5 (49%), SB01 (47%), and MD1 (44%). Likewise, the majority of the tested strains on exposure to bacterial volatiles showed complete inhibition of mycotoxin synthesis.

Application of Low-Fermenting Yeast for the Control of Toxigenic Fungi , and and Their Mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins are important contaminants of food and feed. In this study, low fermenting yeast () and its derivatives were applied against toxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins. , and and their mycotoxins were exposed to yeast volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and cells, respectively.

Diversity of Strains From Qatar as Shown by Crystal Morphology, δ-Endotoxins and Gene Content.

(Bt) based insecticidal formulations have been recognized as one of the most successful, environmentally safe and sustainable method of controlling insect pests. Research teams worldwide are in search of Bt diversity giving more choices of bio-insecticides and alternatives to address insect resistance. In fact, there are many unexplored ecologies that could harbor novel Bt strains.

The Replacement of five Consecutive Amino Acids in the Cyt1A Protein of Bacillus thuringiensis Enhances its Cytotoxic Activity against Lung Epithelial Cancer Cells.

Cyt1A protein is a cytolytic protein encoded by the gene of subsp. (Bti) as part of the parasporal crystal proteins produced during the sporulation. Cyt1A protein is unique compared to the other endotoxins present in these parasporal crystals.

Co-occurrence of mycotoxins in commercial formula milk and cereal-based baby food on the Qatar market.

The present study was conducted to explore the occurrence of mycotoxins in commercial baby foods in Doha-Qatar. LCMS/MS- and HPLC-based analysis of baby food (n = 67) for 12 mycotoxins confirmed the presence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1, 33%), ochratoxin A (OTA, 31%), deoxynivalenol (DON, 27%), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1, 22%), fumonisin B2 (FB2, 10%), zearalenone (ZEN, 4%) and T-2 toxin (2%). Noodles exhibited the maximum contamination percentage, with 33% of the samples being contaminated above the EU maximum limits, for at least one mycotoxin.

Patulin and patulin producing Penicillium spp. occurrence in apples and apple-based products including baby food.

Introduction: Patulin has raised the international attention because of its health risk. In fact, it has mutagenic, neurotoxic, immunotoxic, genotoxic and gastrointestinal effects in animals. In the present work, patulin and patulin-producing Penicillium spp.

Community structure and activity of a highly dynamic and nutrient-limited hypersaline microbial mat in Um Alhool Sabkha, Qatar.

The Um Alhool area in Qatar is a dynamic evaporative ecosystem that receives seawater from below as it is surrounded by sand dunes. We investigated the chemical composition, the microbial activity and biodiversity of the four main layers (L1-L4) in the photosynthetic mats. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration and distribution (measured by HPLC and hyperspectral imaging, respectively), the phycocyanin distribution (scanned with hyperspectral imaging), oxygenic photosynthesis (determined by microsensor), and the abundance of photosynthetic microorganisms (from 16S and 18S rRNA sequencing) decreased with depth in the euphotic layer (L1).

Characterization of Tunisian Bacillus thuringiensis strains with abundance of kurstaki subspecies harbouring insecticidal activities against the lepidopteran insect Ephestia kuehniella.

The study of 257 crystal-producing Bacillus thuringiensis isolates from bioinsecticide free soil samples collected from different sites in Tunisia, was performed by PCR amplification, using six primer pairs specific for cry1, cry2, cry3, cry4, and vip3A genes, by the investigation of strain plasmid pattern, crystal morphology and delta-endotoxin content and by the assessment of insecticidal activities against the lepidopteran insect Ephestia kuehniella. Based on plasmid pattern study, 11 representative strains of the different classes were subjected to morphological and molecular analyses. The comparison of the PFGE fingerprints confirmed the heterogeneity of these strains.

Isolation and characterization of extracellular bioflocculants produced by bacteria isolated from Qatari ecosystems.

Compared with conventional synthetic flocculants, bioflocculants has special advantages such as safety, strong effect, biodegradable and harmlessness to humans and the environment, so they may potentially be applied in drinking and wastewater treatment, downstream processing, and fermentation processes. To utilize bioflocculants widely in industrial fields, it is desirable to find various microorganisms with high bioflocculant-producing ability and improve the flocculating efficiency of the bioflocculant. In the present study, screening of new flocculant-producing microorganisms was carried out using samples collected from different Qatari ecosystems.