Genome Sequence of a Novel Soil Actinomycete, sp. Strain SSC-01.

The family represents a diverse and important group of soil bacteria in the phylum Here, we report the genome sequence of a soil strain, sp. strain SSC-01, the second putative species of the genus. Iron acquisition and xylose metabolism are central pathways identified in the annotated genome.

Comparison of Commercial Kits for Recovery and Analysis of Bacterial DNA From Fingerprints.

In forensic science, fingerprints are a common source of evidentiary information. However, latent examination is not always successful and trace human DNA cannot always be obtained. Thus, examining the fingerprint microbiome may offer a suitable alternative to more traditional methods of forensic identification.

DIVERSITY OF THE TYPE 1 INTRON-ITS REGION OF THE 18S rRNA GENE IN PSEUDOGYMNOASCUS SPECIES FROM THE RED HILLS OF KANSAS.

Gypsum caves found throughout the Red Hills of Kansas have the state's most diverse and largest population of cave-roosting bats. White-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which threatens all temperate bat species, has not been previously detected in the gypsum caves as this disease moves westward from the eastern United States. Cave soil was obtained from the gypsum caves, and using the polymerase chain reaction, a 624-nucleotide DNA fragment specific to the Type 1 intron-internal transcribed spacer region of the 18S rRNA gene from Pseudogymnoascus species was amplified.

Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria associated with the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans).

Free-ranging Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) were captured from farm ponds located in the Flint Hills of Kansas and a zoo pond in Emporia, Kansas, USA, to evaluate their enteric bacterial flora and associated antibiotic resistance. Bacteria obtained from cloacal swabs were composed of six different Gram-negative genera. Although antibiotic resistance was present in turtles captured from both locations, 40 and 49% of bacteria demonstrated multiple antibiotic resistance to four of the antibiotics tested from the zoo captured and Flint Hills ponds turtles, respectively.

Escherichia coli expressing EAST1 toxin did not cause an increase of cAMP or cGMP levels in cells, and no diarrhea in 5-day old gnotobiotic pigs.

Background: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains are the leading bacterial cause of diarrhea to humans and farm animals. These ETEC strains produce heat-labile toxin (LT) and/or heat-stable toxins that include type I (STa), type II (STb), and enteroaggregative heat-stable toxin 1 (EAST1). LT, STa, and STb (in pigs) are proven the virulence determinants in ETEC diarrhea.

5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase from Staphylococcus aureus is insensitive to glyphosate.

The enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) catalyzes the penultimate step of the shikimate pathway, and is the target of the broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate. Kinetic analysis of the cloned EPSPS from Staphylococcus aureus revealed that this enzyme exerts a high tolerance to glyphosate, while maintaining a high affinity for its substrate phosphoenolpyruvate. Enzymatic activity is markedly influenced by monovalent cations such as potassium or ammonium, which is due to an increase in catalytic turnover.

Molecular characterization of antibiotic resistance in clinical Salmonella typhi isolated in Ghana.

Fifty-eight clinical Salmonella typhi strains isolated from patients suspected of suffering from typhoid fever were obtained at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, both located in Ghana, Africa. Each isolate was examined for susceptibility to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole by the disk diffusion assay. Five of the isolates were resistant to all five antibiotics while 10 isolates were resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, which are considered 'first line' antibiotics in the treatment of typhoid fever.

Prevalence of mycoplasma antibodies in lesser prairie-chicken sera.

Serologic testing by the serum plate agglutination (SPA) procedure was performed to detect the presence of cross-reacting antibodies to Mycoplasma meleagridis, Mycoplasma synoviae, and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) trapped over a 2-yr period in Finney and Kearny counties of southwestern Kansas. Sera examined from birds (n = 50) obtained in March-April 2000 tested positive for M meleagridis, M. synoviae, and M.