Decontamination of Aflatoxins by Lactic Acid Bacteria.

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolic products, which exert great hazards to human and animal health. Decontaminating aflatoxins from food ingredients to a threshold level is a prime concern for avoiding risks to the consumers. Biological decontamination processes of aflatoxins have received widespread attention due to their mild and environmental-friendly nature. Many reports have been published on the decontamination of aflatoxins by microorganisms, especially lactic acid bacteria (LAB), a well-explored probiotic and generally recognized as safe. The present review aims at updating the decontamination of produced aflatoxins using LAB, with an emphasis on the decontamination mechanism and influence factors for decontamination. This comprehensive analysis provides insights into the binding mechanisms between LAB and aflatoxins, facilitating the theoretical and practical application of LAB for decontaminating hazardous substances in food and agriculture.

Label-free and enzyme-free sensitive fluorescent method for detection of viable Escherichia coli O157:H7.

We have developed a label-free, enzyme-free, modification-free and DNA extraction-free fluorescent aptasensing (LEFA) method for detection of E. coli O157:H7 based on G-quadruplex formation using two ingeniously designed hairpin probes (GHP1 and GHP2). In the presence of E. coli O157:H7, it released the single stranded initiation sequence (IS) resulting in the toehold strand displacement between GHP1 and GHP2, which in turn led to the cyclic reuse of the production of DNA assemblies with numerous G-quadruplex structures and initiation sequences. Then these G-quadruplex structures can be recognized quickly by N-methyl mesoporphyrin IX (NMM) resulting in significantly enhanced fluorescence. The LEFA method was successfully implemented for detecting E. coli O157:H7 with a detection limit of 66 CFU/mL in pure culture, 10 CFU/mL and 1 CFU/mL after pre-incubation of the milk and tap water for 4 and 8 h, respectively. Moreover, the strategy could distinguish viable E. coli O157:H7 from dead E. coli O157:H7 and other species of pathogen cells. Furthermore, the whole process of the strategy is accomplished within 100 min. The results indicated that the approach may be used to effectively control potential microbial hazards in human health, food safety, and animal husbandry.

Isolation and antimicrobial activities of actinobacteria closely associated with liquorice plants Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and Glycyrrhiza inflate BAT. in Xinjiang, China.

A total of 218 actinobacteria strains were isolated from wild perennial liquorice plants Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and Glycyrrhiza. inflate BAT. Based on morphological characteristics, 45 and 32 strains from G. inflate and G. glabra, respectively, were selected for further analyses. According to 16S rRNA sequence analysis, most of the strains belonged to genus Streptomyces and a few strains represented the rare actinobacteria Micromonospora, Rhodococcus and Tsukamurella. A total of 39 strains from G. inflate and 27 strains from G. glabra showed antimicrobial activity against at least one indicator organism. The range of the antimicrobial activity of the strains isolated from G. glabra and G. inflate was similar. A total of 34 strains from G. inflate and 29 strains from G. glabra carried at least one of the genes encoding polyketide synthases, non-ribosomal peptide synthetase and FADH2-dependent halogenase. In the type II polyketide synthase KSα gene phylogenetic analysis, the strains were divided into two major clades: one included known spore pigment production-linked KSα sequences and other sequences were linked to the production of different types of aromatic polyketide antibiotics. Based on the antimicrobial range, the isolates that carried different KSα types were not separated from each other or from the isolates that did not carry KSα. The incongruent phylogenies of 16S rRNA and KSα genes indicated that the KSα genes were possibly horizontally transferred. In all, the liquorice plants were a rich source of biocontrol agents that may produce novel bioactive compounds.

Antibiotic and heavy metal resistance genes in sewage sludge survive during aerobic composting.

Municipal sewage sludge has been generated in increasing amounts with the acceleration of urbanization and economic development. The nutrient rich sewage sludge can be recycled by composting that has a great potential to produce stabilized organic fertilizer and substrate for plant cultivation. However, little is known about the metals, pathogens and antibiotic resistance transfer risks involved in applying the composted sludge in agriculture. We studied changes in and relationships between heavy metal contents, microbial communities, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), heavy metal resistance genes (HMRGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in aerobic composting of sewage sludge. The contents of most of the analyzed heavy metals were not lower after composting. The bacterial α-diversity was lower, and the community composition was different after composting. Firmicutes were enriched, and Proteobacteria and potential pathogens in the genera Arcobacter and Acinetobacter were depleted in the composted sludge. The differences in bacteria were possibly due to the high temperature phase during the composting which was likely to affect temperature-sensitive bacteria. The number of detected ARGs, HMRGs and MGEs was lower, and the relative abundances of several resistance genes were lower after composting. However, the abundance of seven ARGs and six HMRGs remained on the same level after composting. Co-occurrence analysis of bacterial taxa and the genes suggested that the ARGs may spread via horizontal gene transfer during composting. In summary, even though aerobic composting is effective for managing sewage sludge and to decrease the relative abundance of potential pathogens, ARGs and HMRGs, it might include a potential risk for the dissemination of ARGs in the environment.

The rhizospheres of traditional medicinal plants in Panxi, China, host a diverse selection of actinobacteria with antimicrobial properties.

Actinobacteria are a prolific source of antibiotics. Since the rate of discovery of novel antibiotics is decreasing, actinobacteria from unique environments need to be explored. In particular, actinobacterial biocontrol strains from medicinal plants need to be studied as they can be a source of potent antibiotics. We combined culture-dependent and culture-independent methods in analyzing the actinobacterial diversity in the rhizosphere of seven traditional medicinal plant species from Panxi, China, and assessed the antimicrobial activity of the isolates. Each of the plant species hosted a unique set of actinobacterial strains. Out of the 64 morphologically distinct isolates, half were Streptomyces sp., eight were Micromonospora sp., and the rest were members of 18 actinobacterial genera. In particular, Ainsliaea henryi Diels. hosted a diverse selection of actinobacteria, although the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequence identity ranges of the isolates and of the 16S rRNA gene clone library were not congruent. In the clone library, 40% of the sequences were related to uncultured actinobacteria, emphasizing the need to develop isolation methods to assess the full potential of the actinobacteria. All Streptomyces isolates showed antimicrobial activity. While the antimicrobial activities of the rare actinobacteria were limited, the growth of Escherichia coli, Verticillium dahliae, and Fusarium oxysporum were inhibited only by rare actinobacteria, and strains related to Saccharopolyspora shandongensis and Streptosporangium roseum showed broad antimicrobial activity.

Metagenome and analysis of metabolic potential of the microbial community in pit mud used for Chinese strong-flavor liquor production.

Complex microbiomes of pit mud (PM) play significant roles in imbuing flavors and qualities of Chinese strong-flavor liquor (CSFL) during fermentation. However, understanding both of the taxonomic and functional diversity of the whole microorganisms in PM still remain a major challenge. Here, PM microbiomes were investigated based on metagenomic sequencing, assembly and binning. Metagenomic data revealed that Euryarchaeota was the predominant phylum, followed by Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. For further functional exploration, 703 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), including 304 novel strains, 197 novel species, and 94 novel genera were reconstructed. Three primary groups of Firmicutes (n = 406), Euryarchaeota (n = 130) and Bacteroidetes (n = 74), particularly genus of them Syntrophomonas, Thermacetogenium and Clostridium, methanogens (Methanobacterium, Methanoculleus, and Methanosarcina), Proteiniphilum and Prevotella, contained most of metabolic potential genes. Additionally, Chloroflexi was firstly reported to have potential to be involved in the caproic acid (CA) production. Bacteroidetes could be the key phylum to synthesize terpenes, and Armatimonadetes, Firmicutes, Ignavibacteriae and Verrucomicrobia may possess the same metabolic potential as well. Overall, this study will significantly improve our understanding of the diverse PM microbiome and help guide the future exploration of microbial resources for modifying PM fermentation processes.

Recovery of Salmonella isolated from eggs and the commercial layer farms.

BACKGROUND: Salmonella is recognized as a common bacterial cause of foodborne diarrheal illness worldwide, and animal or its food products have been the most common vehicles of the Salmonella infections. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of Salmonella in two commercial layer farms and to determine the genetic relatedness between these strains. The Salmonella isolates were serotyped by slide agglutination using commercial antisera and analyzed for genetic relatedness using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). RESULTS: The internal environment had the highest prevalence of Salmonella (14/15, 93.3%), followed by external environment (60/96, 62.5%) and egg samples (23/84, 27.3%). The prevalence of Salmonella in the environment was significantly higher than that in egg samples (p < 0.05). The occurrence of Salmonella in the internal environment (93.3%) was relatively higher than in the external environment (55.6-77.2%). The 111 isolates were distributed among 15 PFGE types, and the PFGE results suggested that there existed cross-contamination between these strains not only from eggs, but also from the environments. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated ongoing Salmonella cross-contamination inside or outside of the layer farms, and that Salmonella could also spread along the egg production line.

Maize rhizosphere in Sichuan, China, hosts plant growth promoting Burkholderia cepacia with phosphate solubilizing and antifungal abilities.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria promote plant growth by direct and indirect mechanisms. We isolated twelve bacterial strains showing different degrees of phosphate solubilizing activity from maize rhizosphere. Four isolates solubilized over 300 µg mL⁻¹ phosphate from insoluble Ca3(PO4)2, with isolate SCAUK0330 solubilizing over 450 µg mL⁻¹. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis SCAUK0330 was identified as Burkholderia cepacia. SCAUK0330 grew at 10-40 °C and pH 4.0-10.0, tolerated up to 5% NaCl, and showed antagonism against nine pathogenic fungi. SCAUK0330 promoted the growth of both healthy and Helminthosporium maydis infected maize plants, indicating that the isolate was a good candidate to be applied as a biofertilizer and a biocontrol agent under a wide range of environmental conditions.The expression of a single SCAUK0330 gene gave E. coli a pH decrease linked ability to solubilize phosphate. The nucleotide and the deduced amino acid sequences of this phosphate solubilization linked gene showed high degree of sequence identity with B. cepacia E37gabY. The production of gluconic acid is considered as the principle mechanism for phosphate solubilization. In agreement with the proposed periplasmic location of the gluconic acid production, the predicted signal peptide and transmembrane regions implied that GabY is membrane bound.