First Polyphasic Study of Cheffia Reservoir (Algeria) Cyanobacteria Isolates Reveals Toxic Picocyanobacteria Genotype.

Monitoring water supply requires, among other quality indicators, the identification of the cyanobacteria community and taking into account their potential impact in terms of water quality. In this work, cyanobacteria strains were isolated from the Cheffia Reservoir and identified based on morphological features, the 16S rRNA gene, phylogenetic analysis, and toxin production by polymerase chain reaction PCR screening of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of cyanotoxins (mcyA, mcyE, sxtA, sxtG, sxtI, cyrJ, and anaC). Thirteen strains representing six different genera: Aphanothece, Microcystis, Geitlerinema, Lyngbya, Microcoleus, and Pseudanabaena were obtained. The results demonstrated the importance of morphological features in determining the genus or the species when incongruence between the morphological and phylogenetic analysis occurs and only the utility of the 16S rRNA gene in determining higher taxonomic levels. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed the polyphyly of cyanobacteria for the Microcystis and Oscillatoriales genera. Unexpectedly, Aphanothece sp. CR 11 had the genetic potential to produce microcystins. Our study gives new insight into species with picoplanktonic (or small) cell size and potentially toxic genotypes in this ecosystem. Thus, conventional water treatment methods in this ecosystem have to be adapted, indicating the requirement for pre-treatment methods that can effectively eliminate picocyanobacteria while preserving cell integrity to prevent toxin release.

Morphological, molecular, and biochemical study of cyanobacteria from a eutrophic Algerian reservoir (Cheffia).

The cyanobacteria management in water bodies requires a deep knowledge of the community composition. Considering the reliable and thorough information provided by the polyphasic approach in cyanobacteria taxonomy, here we assess the cyanobacterial community structure of the Cheffia reservoir from Algeria. Cyanobacteria were identified on the basis of morphological traits and next-generation sequencing (NGS); toxins-related genes were localized in addition to the identification of toxins; temperature and nutrient level of water samples were also determined. The polyphasic approach was essential for cyanobacteria investigation; 28 genera were identified through 16S rRNA metabarcoding with the dominance of taxa from Microcystis (34.2%), Aphanizomenon (20.1%), and Planktothrix (20.0%), and morphological analysis revealed the association in this water body of five species within the genus Microcystis: M. aeruginosa, M. novacekii, M. panniformis, M. ichthyoblabe, and M. flos-aquae. The presence of mcyE genotypes was detected; moreover, HPLC-PDA and LC-ESI-MS/MS revealed the production of microcystin-LR. Results obtained in our study are very important since this ecosystem is used for water supply and irrigation; as a consequence, a good water management plan is essential.

Diversity of Vaginal Lactic Acid Bacterial Microbiota in 15 Algerian Pregnant Women with and without Bacterial Vaginosis by using Culture Independent Method.

INTRODUCTION: Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is the most common lower genital tract disorder among women of reproductive age (pregnant and non-pregnant) and a better knowledge of Lactobacillus species richness in healthy and infected vaginal microbiota is needed to efficiently design better probiotic products to promote the maintenance of normal flora which will help prevent bacterial vaginosis. AIM: To evaluate and compare the diversity of lactic acid bacterial species in pregnant women with and without BV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A pilot study was carried out during November-2014 to March-2015 in University Badji Mokhtar, Annaba, Algeria. Vaginal swabs were collected from 15 pregnant women aged between 19 and 35 years (mean 27.6 years; n=15) living in the East of Algeria visiting Gynecology service, hospital Abdallah Nouaouria- El bouni, Annaba. Vaginal samples were gram-stained, and scored by the Nugent method. The cohort included cases of women with healthy "normal" vaginal flora, infected flora with bacterial vaginosis and women with "intermediate" flora. The vaginal LAB community from pregnant women was identified by culture independent method based on Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), with the 16S rRNA gene sequencing. RESULTS: A majority of LAB affiliated to the genus Lactobacillus was found in "normal" and "intermediate" flora (87.5% and 43.75% respectively), while a majority of LAB affiliated to the genus Enterococcus was identified in women with bacterial vaginosis and intermediate flora (60% and 46.75% respectively). Our results showed that the presence of Lactobacillus iners and Lactobacillus delbruekii promotes stability of the vaginal microbiota. CONCLUSION: This result confirms the findings of previous studies suggesting that the occurrence of predominant Lactobacillus negatively correlates with bacterial vaginosis incidence and their current use as probiotics. Lactobacillus iners and Lactobacillus delbruekii can be defined as critical for defense of the vagina. In addition, Enterococcus feacalis can be considered as an indicator of imbalance of the vaginal ecosystem.