Effect of preconditioning cobalt and nickel based dental alloys with Bacillus sp. extract on their surface physicochemical properties and theoretical prediction of Candida albicans adhesion.

Biofilm formation on dental biomaterials is implicated in various oral health problems. Thus the challenge is to prevent the formation of this consortium of microorganisms using a safe approach such as antimicrobial and anti-adhesive natural products. Indeed, in the present study, the effects of an antifungal extract of Bacillus sp., isolated from plant rhizosphere, on the surface physicochemical properties of cobalt and nickel based dental alloys were studied using the contact angle measurements. Furthermore, in order to predict the adhesion of Candida albicans to the treated and untreated dental alloys, the total free energy of adhesion was calculated based on the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek approach. Results showed hydrophobic and weak electron-donor and electron-acceptor characteristics of both untreated dental alloys. After treatment with the antifungal extract, the surface free energy of both dental alloys was influenced significantly, mostly for cobalt based alloy. In fact, treated cobalt based alloy became hydrophilic and predominantly electron donating. Those effects were time-dependent. Consequently, the total free energy of adhesion of C. albicans to this alloy became unfavorable after treatment with the investigated microbial extract. A linear relationship between the electron-donor property and the total free energy of adhesion has been found for both dental alloys. Also, a linear relationship has been found between this latter and the hydrophobicity for the cobalt based alloy. However, the exposure of nickel based alloy to the antifungal extract failed to produce the same effect.

Enterococcus bulliens sp. nov., a novel lactic acid bacterium isolated from camel milk.

Four lactic acid bacteria isolates obtained from fresh dromedary camel milk produced in Dakhla, a city in southern Morocco, were characterised in order to determine their taxonomic position. The four isolates had highly similar MALDI-TOF MS and RAPD fingerprints and identical 16S rRNA gene sequences. Comparative sequence analysis revealed that the 16S rRNA gene sequence of the four isolates was most similar to that of Enterococcus sulfureus ATCC 49903(T) and Enterococcus italicus DSM 15952(T) (99.33 and 98.59% similarity, respectively). However, sequence analysis of the phenylalanyl-tRNA synthase (pheS), RNA polymerase (rpoA) and ATP synthase (atpA) genes revealed that the taxon represented by strain LMG 28766(T) was well separated from E. sulfureus LMG 13084(T) and E. italicus LMG 22039(T), which was further confirmed by DNA-DNA hybridization values that were clearly below the species demarcation threshold. The novel taxon was easily differentiated from its nearest neighbour species through sequence analysis of protein encoding genes, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and multiple biochemical tests, but had a similar percentage G+C content of about 39%. We therefore propose to formally classify these isolates as Enterococcus bulliens sp. nov., with LMG 28766(T) (=CCMM B1177(T)) as the type strain.

Streptococcus moroccensis sp. nov. and Streptococcus rifensis sp. nov., isolated from raw camel milk.

Two catalase- and oxidase-negative Streptococcus-like strains, LMG 27682(T) and LMG 27684(T), were isolated from raw camel milk in Morocco. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing assigned these bacteria to the genus Streptococcus with Streptococcus rupicaprae 2777-2-07(T) as their closest phylogenetic neighbour (95.9% and 95.7% similarity, respectively). 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the two strains was 96.7%. Although strains LMG 27682(T) and LMG 27684(T) shared a DNA-DNA hybridization value that corresponded to the threshold level for species delineation (68%), the two strains could be distinguished by multiple biochemical tests, sequence analysis of the phenylalanyl-tRNA synthase (pheS), RNA polymerase (rpoA) and ATP synthase (atpA) genes and by their MALDI-TOF MS profiles. On the basis of these considerable phenotypic and genotypic differences, we propose to classify both strains as novel species of the genus Streptococcus, for which the names Streptococcus moroccensis sp. nov. (type strain, LMG 27682(T)  = CCMM B831(T)) and Streptococcus rifensis sp. nov. (type strain, LMG 27684(T)  = CCMM B833(T)) are proposed.