• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.585-591
• /
• 2014

To evaluate the potential utility of pretreatment of raw biomass with a complex microbial system, we investigated the degradation of rice straw by BMC-9, a lignocellulose decomposition strain obtained from a biogas slurry compost environment. The degradation characteristics and corresponding changes in the bacterial community were assessed. The results showed that rapid degradation occurred from day 0 to day 9, with a peak total biomass bacterium concentration of $3.3{\times}10^8$ copies/ml on day 1. The pH of the fermentation broth declined initially and then increased, and the mass of rice straw decreased steadily. The highest concentrations of volatile fatty acid contents (0.291 mg/l lactic acid, 0.31 mg/l formic acid, 1.93 mg/l acetic acid, and 0.73 mg/l propionic acid) as well as the highest xylanse activity (1.79 U/ml) and carboxymethyl cellulase activity (0.37 U/ml) occurred on day 9. The greatest diversity among the microbial community also occurred on day 9, with the presence of bacteria belonging to Clostridium sp., Bacillus sp., and Geobacillus sp. Together, our results indicate that BMC-9 has a strong ability to rapidly degrade the lignocelluloses of rice straw under relatively inexpensive conditions, and the optimum fermentation time is 9 days.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.185-191
• /
• 2001

To obtain the basic information for degradation of remaining pesticide accumulated in cultivated soil of Honam area, the resistant bacterial strains were investigated in Chlorothalonil(TPN). Mancozeb, Bentazone, and Butachlor levels of 100, $500{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$, and degradation of TPN by TPN-resistant bacteria in sterilized soil was studied under TPN levels 0, 10, 50 and $100{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$. A number of resistance strains were decreased with higher at concentration level of pesticide, and were higher in greenhouse than upland or paddy soil. The resistance of bacteria was strong in other of Bentazone> Butachlor> TPN> Mancozeb. The percentage of bacterial strains of resistance for pesticides isolated from the cultivated soil were the highest in Acinetobacter spp. and Corynebacterium spp., and the lowest in Moraxella spp. A number of TPN-resistant strains were the highest at the TPN level of $10{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$, and 5 days after strains inoculation, and were higher in Pseudomonas spp. TD-25 than TC-23 or strains in non-sterilized soil. The degradation of TPN was fast in order of strain TD-25>strain in non-sterilized soil >TC-23.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.603-615
• /
• 2008

Dietary fiber is an inevitable component in pig diets. In non-ruminants, it may influence many physiological processes in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) such as transit time as well as nutrient digestion and absorption. Moreover, dietary fiber is also the main substrate of intestinal bacteria. The bacterial community structure is largely susceptible to changes in the fiber content of a pig's diet. Indeed, bacterial composition in the lower GIT will adapt to the supply of high levels of dietary fiber by increased growth of bacteria with cellulolytic, pectinolytic and hemicellulolytic activities such as Ruminococcus spp., Bacteroides spp. and Clostridium spp. Furthermore, there is growing evidence for growth promotion of beneficial bacteria, such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, by certain types of dietary fiber in the small intestine of pigs. Studies in rats have shown that both phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) play an important role in the fermentative activity and growth of the intestinal microbiota. This can be attributed to the significance of P for the bacterial cell metabolism and to the buffering functions of Ca-phosphate in intestinal digesta. Moreover, under P deficient conditions, ruminal NDF degradation as well as VFA and bacterial ATP production are reduced. Similar studies in pigs are scarce but there is some evidence that dietary fiber may influence the ileal and fecal P digestibility as well as P disappearance in the large intestine, probably due to microbial P requirement for fermentation. On the other hand, fermentation of dietary fiber may improve the availability of minerals such as P and Ca which can be subsequently absorbed and/or utilized by the microbiota of the pig's large intestine.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.21-29
• /
• 2010

The phenolic compounds are a major contaminant class often found in industrial wastewaters and the biological treatment is an alternative tool commonly employed for their removal. In this sense, monitoring microbial community dynamics is crucial for a successful wastewater treatment. This work aimed to monitor the structure and activity of the bacterial community during the operation of a laboratory-scale continuous submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR), using PCR and RT-PCR followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA libraries. Multivariate analyses carried out using DGGE profiles showed significant changes in the total and metabolically active dominant community members during the 4-week treatment period, explained mainly by phenol and ammonium input. Gene libraries were assembled using 16S rDNA and 16S rRNA PCR products from the fourth week of treatment. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of clones from the 16S rDNA library revealed a high diversity of taxa for the total bacterial community, with predominance of Thauera genus (ca. 50%). On the other hand, a lower diversity was found for metabolically active bacteria, which were mostly represented by members of Betaproteobacteria (Thauera and Comamonas), suggesting that these groups have a relevant role in the phenol degradation during the final phase of the SMBR operation.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.205-210
• /
• 2006

The widespread use and distribution of chloroethylene organic compounds is of serious concern owing to their carcinogenicity and toxicity to humans and wildlife. In an effort to develop active bacterial consortia that could be useful for bioremediation of chloroethylene-contaminated sites in Africa, 16 combinations of 5 dichloroethylene (DCE)-utilizing bacteria, isolated from South Africa and Nigeria, were assessed for their ability to degrade cis- and trans- DCEs as the sole carbon source. Three combinations of these isolates were able to remove up to 72% of the compounds within 7 days. Specific growth rate constants of the bacterial consortia ranged between 0.465 and $0.716\;d^{-1}$ while the degradation rate constants ranged between 0.184 and $0.205\;d^{-1}$ with $86.36{\sim}93.53\;and\;87.47{\sim}97.12%$ of the stoichiometric-expected chloride released during growth of the bacterial consortia in cis- and trans-DCE, respectively. Succession studies of the individual isolates present in the consortium revealed that the biodegradation process was initially dominated by Achromobacter xylosoxidans and subsequently by Acinetobacter sp. and Bacillus sp., respectively. The results of this study suggest that consortia of bacteria are more efficient than monocultures in the aerobic biodegradation of DCEs, degrading the compounds to levels that are up to 60% below the maximum allowable limits in drinking water.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.862-870
• /
• 2010

Cyperus rotundus L. is a perennial herb that was found to be dominating an area in northeast Brazil previously contaminated with petroleum. In order to increase our knowledge of microorganism-plant interactions in phytoremediation, the bacterial community present in the rhizosphere and roots of C. rotundus was evaluated by culture-dependent and molecular approaches. PCR-DGGE analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene showed that the bacterial community in bulk soil, rhizosphere, and root samples had a high degree of similarity. A complex population of alkane-utilizing bacteria and a variable nitrogen-fixing population were observed via PCR-DGGE analysis of alkB and nifH genes, respectively. In addition, two clone libraries were generated from alkB fragments obtained by PCR of bulk and rhizosphere soil DNA samples. Statistical analyses of these libraries showed that the compositions of their respective populations were different in terms of alkB gene sequences. Using culturedependent techniques, 209 bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizosphere and rhizoplane/roots of C. rotundus. Dot-blot analysis showed that 17 strains contained both alkB and nifH gene sequences. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that these strains are affiliated with the genera Bosea, Cupriavidus, Enterobacter, Gordonia, Mycoplana, Pandoraea, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, and Rhodococcus. These isolates can be considered to have great potential for the phytoremediation of soil with C. rotundus in this tropical soil area.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.25.1-25.13
• /
• 2020

Acinetobacter baumannii is known for its multidrug antibiotic resistance. New approaches to treating drug-resistant bacterial infections are urgently required. Cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (CRAMP) is a murine antimicrobial peptide that exerts diverse immune functions, including both direct bacterial cell killing and immunomodulatory effects. In this study, we sought to identify the role of CRAMP in the host immune response to multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Wild-type (WT) and CRAMP knockout mice were infected intranasally with the bacteria. CRAMP^-/- mice exhibited increased bacterial colony-forming units (CFUs) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid after A. baumannii infection compared to WT mice. The loss of CRAMP expression resulted in a significant decrease in the recruitment of immune cells, primarily neutrophils. The levels of IL-6 and CXCL1 were lower, whereas the levels of IL-10 were significantly higher in the BAL fluid of CRAMP^-/- mice compared to WT mice 1 day after infection. In an in vitro assay using thioglycollate-induced peritoneal neutrophils, the ability of bacterial phagocytosis and killing was impaired in CRAMP^-/- neutrophils compared to the WT cells. CRAMP was also essential for the production of cytokines and chemokines in response to A. baumannii in neutrophils. In addition, the A. baumannii-induced inhibitor of κB-α degradation and phosphorylation of p38 MAPK were impaired in CRAMP^-/- neutrophils, whereas ERK and JNK phosphorylation was upregulated. Our results indicate that CRAMP plays an important role in the host defense against pulmonary infection with A. baumannii by promoting the antibacterial activity of neutrophils and regulating the innate immune responses.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.71-75
• /
• 1990

The isolates biodigrading crude oil were examined to characterize thier properties. Isolates which were identified as Acinetobacter lwoffii G1, Klebsiella pneumoniae L25, Pseudomonas maltophilia N246, Xanthomonas campestris M12, and Xanthomonas sp. M28. The optimum concentration of crude oil was 0.15% for the bacterial growth. X. campestris M12, Xanthomonas sp. M28, and K. penumoniae L25 showed the maximal growth at the concentration of 3.5% sodium chloride, indicating that they were derived from sea water. Among the isolates, X. campestris M12, Xanthomonas sp. M28 specially utilized hexadecane and octane, and P. maltophilia N246 utilized octane with optimum concentration of 0.2-0.3% as sole carbon source. The utilization of components of saturate fraction by K. pneumoniae L25 was examined by gas-liquid chromatography. The short-chain saturates are used before the long chain ones although they almost disappear within 8 days of incubation at $30^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.67-73
• /
• 2007

The present study compared the microbial diversity and activity during the application of various bioremediation processes to crude oil-contaminated soil. Five different treatments, including natural attenuation (NA), biostimulation (BS), biosurfactant addition (BE), bioaugmentation (BA), and a combined treatment (CT) of biostimulation, biosurfactant addition, and bioaugmentation, were used to analyze the degradation rate and microbial communities. After 120 days, the level of remaining hydrocarbons after all the treatments was similar, however, the highest rate (k) of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) degradation was observed with the CT treatment (P<0.05). The total bacterial counts increased during the first 2 weeks with all the treatments, and then remained stable. The bacterial communities and alkane monooxygenase gene fragment, alkB, were compared by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The DGGE analyses of the BA and CT treatments, which included Nocardia sp. H17-1, revealed a simple dominant population structure, compared with the other treatments. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H') and Simpson dominance index (D), calculated from the DGGE profiles using 16S rDNA, showed considerable qualitative differences in the community structure before and after the bioremediation treatment as well as between treatment conditions.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.614-621
• /
• 2020

Antibiotic pollution is one of the factors contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment. Advanced oxidation and irradiation processes have been introduced to eliminate antibiotics from water and wastewater. However, few studies have reported the toxic effects of residual antibiotics and their byproducts induced by a treatment system. In this study, we compared the efficacies of chemical (high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)) and biological (antimicrobial susceptibility test) assays for measuring the concentrations of residual antibiotics after gamma irradiation for degrading amoxicillin, cephradine, lincomycin, and tetracycline. The concentrations of residual antibiotics estimated using the two assay methods were almost identical, except cephradine. In the case of cephradine, inhibited bacterial growth was observed that was equivalent to twice the concentration measured by HPLC in the samples subjected to gamma irradiation. The observed inhibition of bacterial growth suggested the generation of potentially toxic intermediates following antibiotic degradation. These results indicate that biological and chemical assays should be used in concert for monitoring antibiotic contamination and the toxic derivatives of antibiotic degradation. The results demonstrate that these four antibiotics can be decomposed by 2.0 kGy gamma-irradiation without toxic effects of their byproducts.