Comparative growth, cross stress resistance, transcriptomics of Streptococcus pyogenes cultured under low shear modeled microgravity and normal gravity.

Streptococcus pyogenes is commonly found on pharynx, mouth and rarely on skin, lower gastrointestinal tract. It is a potential pathogen causing tonsillitis, pneumonia, endocarditis. The present study was undertaken to study the effects of low shear modeled microgravity on growth, morphology, antibiotic resistance, cross-stress resistance to various stresses and alteration in gene expression of S. pyogenes. The growth analysis performed using UV-Visible spectroscopy indicated decrease in growth of S. pyogenes under low shear modeled microgravity. Morphological analysis by Bio-transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Bio-scanning electron microscopy (SEM) did not reveal much difference between normal and low shear modeled microgravity grown S. pyogenes. The sensitivity of S. pyogenes to antibiotics ampicillin, penicillin, streptomycin, kanamycin, hygromycin, rifampicin indicates that the bacterium is resistant to hygromycin. Further S. pyogenes cultured under low shear modeled microgravity was found to be more sensitive to ampicillin and rifampicin as compared with normal gravity grown S. pyogenes. The bacteria were tested for the acid, osmotic, temperature and oxidative cross stress resistances. The gene expression of S. pyogenes under low shear modeled microgravity analyzed by microarray revealed upregulation of 26 genes and down regulation of 22 genes by a fold change of 1.5.

Preparation and characterizations of silver incorporated polyurethane composite nanofibers via electrospinning for biomedical applications.

We report on the preparation and characterization of polyurethane (PU) nanofibers containing silver (Ag) nanoparticles were synthesized by using electrospinning. Two different approaches were adopted to incorporate the Ag nanoparticles in to PU nanofibers. In the first approach, a homogeneous solution of 10 wt% PU containing silver nitrate was electrospun to obtain PU-Ag composite nanofibers. And in the second approach, the pristine PU nanofibers were initially electrospun and then Ag nanoparticles were coated via wet casting method. The surface morphology, structure, bonding configuration, optical and thermal properties of the resultant products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The antibacterial activity was tested against four common food borne pathogenic bacteria, namely, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Klebsiella pneumoniae by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Our results demonstrated that no bactericidal activity was detected for the pristine PU nanofibers. Further on, antibacterial activity was observed to be more pronounced for the composite nanofibers which were attributed to the presence of Ag nanoparticles in the composite nanofibers. Overall, this study demonstrates the fabrication of cheap, stable and effective nanofiber mats with excellent antimicrobial activity that can be utilized to inhibit the microbial growth associated with food stuff.

Synthesis and characterization of bactericidal silver nanoparticles using cultural filtrate of simulated microgravity grown Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by biological method using cultural filtrate of Klebsiella pneumoniae cultured under simulated microgravity and silver nitrate solution as precursor. The nanoparticles exhibited typical plasmon absorption maximum of silver nanoparticles between 405 and 407 nm. Spherical silver nanoparticles were found to have size between 15 and 37 nm by TEM analysis. XRD pattern corresponding to planes (111), (200), (220) (311) revealed the crystalline nature of the biosynthesized silver nanoparticles. FTIR spectrum proposed stabilization of silver nanoparticles by the protein molecules present in the cultural filtrate. The silver nanoparticles exhibited high bactericidal activity against Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli and moderate bactericidal activity against Streptococcus pyogenes.

Influence of antimicrobial additives on the formation of rosin nanofibers via electrospinning.

In this study, we describe the influence of antimicrobial additives on the formation of rosin fibers by using electrospinning technique. Systematic experiments were performed to fabricate the rosin fibers via electrospinning and we tried to reduce the size of the fibers by mixing some additives such as triethylbenzylammonium chloride (TEBAC), chitosan and silver nitrate in the rosin polymer solution. The morphology, structure and thermal properties of the electrospun rosin fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and thermogravimetry (TGA). Rosin fibers with a diameter of the order of nanoscale were achieved by the use of TEBAC additive. The antimicrobial activity of the resultant fibers was checked by the antimicrobial disc diffusion test. All the rosin fibers showed excellent antibacterial activity against the gram negative bacteria and feeble activity against the gram positive bacteria. The present study demonstrated that the electrospun rosin fibers can be utilized for potential antimicrobial products.

Biodecolorization and biodegradation of reactive Levafix Blue E-RA granulate dye by the white rot fungus Irpex lacteus.

The treatment of effluents from textile industry with microorganisms, especially bacteria and fungi, has recently gained attention. The present study was conducted using white rot fungi Irpex lacteus, Trametes hirsuta, Trametes sp., and Lentinula edodes for the decolorization of reactive textile Levafix Blue E-RA granulate dye. I. lacteus resulted in the best decolorization and degradation of the dye within four days. Therefore, more detailed studies were carried out using I. lacteus. The decolorization was evaluated at various concentration, pH values, and temperatures. The activities of laccase, manganese peroxidase, and lignin peroxidase enzymes were estimated to reveal the roles of enzymes in decolorization. The colorless nature of the fungal cells revealed that decolorization occurred through degradation, and confirmed by analysis of the metabolites by UV-visible spectroscopy and High Performance Liquid Chromatography after decolorization. The metabolites were identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, and functional group analysis was performed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The degraded dye metabolites were assessed for phytotoxicity using Vigna radiata and Brassica juncea, which demonstrated nontoxic nature of the metabolites formed after degradation of dye.

Bioremediation of the heavy metal complex dye Isolan Dark Blue 2SGL-01 by white rot fungus Irpex lacteus.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the decolorization and degradation of the chromium metal complex dye Isolan Dark Blue 2SGL-01 by Irpex lacteus, a white rot lignolytic fungus. I. lacteus effectively decolorized the sulphonated reactive dye at a high concentration of 250 mg/l over a wide range of pH values of 5-9 and temperatures between 20 and 35°C. Complete (100%) decolorization occurred within 96h, and I. lacteus demonstrated resistance to the metallic dye. UV-vis spectroscopy, HPLC, GC-MS, and FT-IR analyses of the extracted metabolites confirmed that the decolorization process occurred due to degradation of the dye and not merely by adsorption. GC-MS analysis indicated the formation of 1(2H)-naphthalenone, 3,4-dihydro- and 2-naphthalenol as the main metabolite. ICP analysis demonstrated the removal of 13.49% chromium, and phytotoxicity studies using germinated seeds of Vigna radiata and Brassica juncea demonstrated the nontoxic nature of the metabolites formed during the degradation of Isolan Dark Blue 2SGL-01 dye.

Phylogenetic analysis of culturable marine bacteria in sediments from the South Korean Yellow Sea.

Biogeochemical and microbiological characterization of marine sediments taken from the Yellow Sea of South Korea was carried out. One hundred and thirty six bacterial strains were isolated, characterized and phylogenetic relationship was evaluated. The gene sequences of 16S rDNA regions were examined to study the phylogenetic analysis of bacterial community in the marine sediments. Among 136 isolates, 5 bacterial isolates were identified as novel members, remaining 131 isolates were fall into 5 major linkages of bacterial phyla represented as follows: Firmicutes, alpha, gamma-Proteobacteria, High G + C and Bacteroidetes. Bacterial community in sediments mainly dominated by Firmicutes (58.77%) and followed by gamma-Pateobacteria (38.16%). Gamma-Proteobacteria domain highly diverged and mainly consists of the genera Vibrio, Marinobacterium, Photobacterium, Pseudoalteromonas, Oceanisphaera, Halomonas, Alteromonas, Stenotrophomonas and Pseudomonas. Total N and Organic matter content in Yellow Sea of South Korea were relatively high. The Total-N content in the sediments was varied from 177.31 to 1974.96 (mg/kg) and organic matter ranged from 0.82 to 4.23 (g/100 g). The current research work provides clear explanation obtained for the phylogenetic affiliation of the culturable bacterial community in sediments of South Korean Yellow Sea and revealed the relationship with biogeochemical characteristics of the sediments.