Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “microbial physiology”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Induced thermotolerance under nonisothermal treatments of a heat sensitive and a resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus in media of different pH.

AIMS: The aim was to assess the induced thermotolerance under nonisothermal treatments of two strains of Staphylococcus aureus in media of different pH. METHODS AND RESULTS: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 was more heat resistant than S. aureus ATCC 13565 at any pH investigated under isothermal conditions. At pH 7.4, the D58 value of the resistant strain was approx. 30 times greater. Both strains showed a higher heat resistance at pH 4.0 than at pH 7.4. In contrast, under nonisothermal treatments (0.5-2 degrees C min(-1)), both strains were more heat resistant when treated at pH 7.4 than at pH 4.0 due to heat adaptation at the higher pH. At the slowest heating up rate tested at pH 7.4, the initially heat-sensitive strain nearly reached the thermotolerance of the heat-resistant strain. CONCLUSIONS: The induced thermotolerance under nonisothermal treatments depended on the treatment medium pH and the microbial strain tested. The induced thermotolerance in a sensitive strain can be greater than in a heat-resistant strain, showing similar resistance under nonisothermal conditions. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This work shows data of interest about mechanisms of microbial resistance and adaptation to heat. Moreover, it contributes to the development of more adequate combined processes for food preservation.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2006

Effect of starvation on expression of the ribosomal RNA rrnB P2 promoter during the lag phase of Pseudomonas fluorescens.

Mathematical modelling of food-borne pathogen survival and growth is an important and expanding area of food microbiology. Effective models have been developed for growth rate as influenced by the environment; however, reliable models which describe the lag phase prior to exponential growth are more difficult to obtain. In order to improve our understanding of the physiological changes that take place in the microbial cell during this adaptation period, the effect of starvation on the expression of a gene for ribosomal RNA (rRNA) synthesis-an important step in preparing the cells for growth-was examined. A strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens containing the Tn7-luxCDABE gene cassette regulated by the rRNA promoter rrnB P(2) was used as a model system. Growth was measured as optical density at 600 nm (OD(600)), and fitting was achieved with a two-phase linear model to obtain the parameters growth rate (R(OD)) and lag phase duration (LPD(OD)). The increase in bioluminescence (measured as natural log [ln] relative light units per unit OD(600)) after inoculation of stationary phase cells into fresh tryptic soy broth (TSB) followed an exponential association model, with lag (LPD(Exp)) and rate (R(Exp)) parameters. Starvation of cells in either spent TSB or in MOPS buffer resulted in time-dependent linear increases in both lag parameters and, in the case of TSB, a decrease in the R(Exp) parameter. The results show that models can be developed for expression of genes during the lag phase, which will improve our ability to make accurate predictions of food-borne pathogen growth.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2001

Factors that alter rumen microbial ecology.

Ruminant animals and ruminal microorganisms have a symbiotic relationship that facilitates fiber digestion, but domestic ruminants in developed countries are often fed an abundance of grain and little fiber. When ruminants are fed fiber-deficient rations, physiological mechanisms of homeostasis are disrupted, ruminal pH declines, microbial ecology is altered, and the animal becomes more susceptible to metabolic disorders and, in some cases, infectious disease. Some disorders can be counteracted by feed additives (for example, antibiotics and buffers), but these additives can alter the composition of the ruminal ecosystem even further.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Intracellular dynamics of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein in microorganisms from periodically operated biofilters.

Conventional biofilters are designed and operated as continuous flow processes where the reactors receive a constant stream of contaminated air. Recent research has shown that periodically operated biofilters can remove a greater mass of contaminants during shock loads than equally sized continuously loaded biofilters. Preliminary experiments were conducted to investigate effects of periodic operation on physiological state of biofilter microorganisms. Relative concentrations of two macromolecular components of microbial cells, RNA and protein, were quantified in biosolids samples removed from biofilters operated under different periodic and continuous loading strategies. Preliminary studies presented herein suggest that the physiological state of the microbial population present in the periodically operated biofilter differs from that of those present in the biofilter operated continuously supplied air.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2002

The roles of IFN gamma in protection against tumor development and cancer immunoediting.

Interferon-gamma (IFN gamma) is a cytokine that plays physiologically important roles in promoting innate and adaptive immune responses. The absence of IFN gamma production or cellular responsiveness in humans and experimental animals significantly predisposes the host to microbial infection, a result that validates the physiologic importance of this cytokine in preventing infectious disease. Recently, an additional role for IFN gamma in preventing development of primary and transplanted tumors has been identified. Although there now appears to be a consensus that IFN gamma promotes host responses to tumors, the mechanisms by which this cytokine achieves its effects remain unclear. In this review, we briefly discuss key issues of the molecular cell biology of IFN gamma and its receptor that are most relevant to IFN gamma-dependent anti-tumor effects and then focus on the data implicating IFN gamma as a critical immune system component that regulates tumor development. Potential mechanisms underlying IFN gamma's anti-tumor effects are discussed and a preliminary integrative model of IFN gamma's actions on tumors is proposed. Finally, the capacity of IFN gamma and lymphocytes to not only provide protection against tumor development but also to sculpt the immunogenic phenotype of tumors that develop in an immunocompetent host is presented and introduced as a "cancer immunoediting" process.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Postnatal microbial colonization programs the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system for stress response in mice.

Indigenous microbiota have several beneficial effects on host physiological functions; however, little is known about whether or not postnatal microbial colonization can affect the development of brain plasticity and a subsequent physiological system response. To test the idea that such microbes may affect the development of neural systems that govern the endocrine response to stress, we investigated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) reaction to stress by comparing germfree (GF), specific pathogen free (SPF) and gnotobiotic mice. Plasma ACTH and corticosterone elevation in response to restraint stress was substantially higher in GF mice than in SPF mice, but not in response to stimulation with ether. Moreover, GF mice also exhibited reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression levels in the cortex and hippocampus relative to SPF mice. The exaggerated HPA stress response by GF mice was reversed by reconstitution with Bifidobacterium infantis. In contrast, monoassociation with enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, but not with its mutant strain devoid of the translocated intimin receptor gene, enhanced the response to stress. Importantly, the enhanced HPA response of GF mice was partly corrected by reconstitution with SPF faeces at an early stage, but not by any reconstitution exerted at a later stage, which therefore indicates that exposure to microbes at an early developmental stage is required for the HPA system to become fully susceptible to inhibitory neural regulation. These results suggest that commensal microbiota can affect the postnatal development of the HPA stress response in mice.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed2004

Viability of amoebae, fungal conidia, and yeasts: rapid assessment by flow cytometry.

Conventional methods for the evaluation of antimicrobials and disinfecting solutions with microorganisms involve culture-based techniques, which are time-consuming and underestimate the number of viable organisms. Rapid detection and viability measurements of microorganisms in homogenous and heterogenous microbial populations have been greatly enhanced by recent advances in the use of fluorescent stains in flow cytometry (FCM). FCM has been applied to enumerate, differentiate, and identify microorganisms, determine protein and DNA content of cells, analyze the physiological state of individual cells, and analyze the interaction of drugs, antibiotics, and antimicrobials with microbial cells. Four physiological states of cells can be distinguished by FCM: (1) reproductively viable, (2) metabolically active, (3) intact, and (4) permeabilized.FCM permits a rapid and quantitative measurement of the optical characteristics of cells as they pass through, in a single file, a focused beam of light. As cells are carried within a fast-flowing fluid stream and through the focus of exciting light, three parameters are measured: forward angle light scatter, side angle light scatter, and fluorescence emitted by dyes that have specific interaction with intracellular components of individual cells. FCM data that are presented in histogram and dot plots can be generated to give information on a variety of properties of interest among cells in the population as a whole.FCM offers major advantages in multiparameter data acquisition and multivariate data analysis, high-speed analysis, and cell-sorting capabilities. Disadvantages may be associated with the cost, which is usually over 100,000 (US Dollars) for a typical laser-based flow cytometer with just analyzing capabilities. Another disadvantage is that skilled personnel are usually required to operate these complex instruments so as to get optimum performance. A schematic overview of flow cytometry is presented in Fig. 1.

Amoeba↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Microbiological studies in the deepwater area of the Southern Caspian Sea].

For the first time, microbiological monitoring was performed in the deepwater area of the Southern Caspian Sea. It revealed seasonal and interannual variations in total microbial content and concentrations of saprophytes and other physiological groups of bacteria in water and bottom sediments. The biomass, generation time, and bacterial production were determined. The most profound variations in microbial content, biomass, and production were found to occur in the water column and in bottom sediments at depths to 200-250 m.

Azerbaijan↗
PubMed2005

Microbial indicators of heavy metal contamination in urban and rural soils.

Urban soils and especially their microbiology have been a neglected area of study. In this paper, we report on microbial properties of urban soils compared to rural soils of similar lithogenic origin in the vicinity of Aberdeen city. Significant differences in basal respiration rates, microbial biomass and ecophysiological parameters were found in urban soils compared to rural soils. Analysis of community level physiological profiles (CLPP) of micro-organisms showed they consumed C sources faster in urban soils to maintain the same level activity as those in rural soils. Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni were the principal elements that had accumulated in urban soils compared with their rural counterparts with Pb being the most significant metal to distinguish urban soils from rural soils. Sequential extraction showed the final residue after extraction was normally the highest proportion except for Pb, for which the hydroxylamine-hydrochloride extractable Pb was the largest part. Acetic acid extractable fraction of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were higher in urban soils and aqua regia extractable fraction were lower suggesting an elevated availability of heavy metals in urban soils. Correlation analyses between different microbial indicators (basal respiration, biomass-C, and sole C source tests) and heavy metal fractions indicated that basal respiration was negatively correlated with soil Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn inputs while soil microbial biomass was only significantly correlated with Pb. However, both exchangeable and iron- and manganese-bound Ni fractions were mostly responsible for shift of the soil microbial community level physiological profiles (sole C source tests). These data suggest soil microbial indicators can be useful indicators of pollutant heavy metal stress on the health of urban soils.

Biological Availability↗
PubMed2001

Quality assurance criteria for probiotic bacteria.

Acid and bile stability and intestinal mucosal adhesion properties are among the criteria used to select probiotic microbes. The quality control of probiotic cultures in foods traditionally has relied solely on tests to ensure that an adequate number of viable bacteria are present in the products throughout their shelf lives. Viability is an important factor, but not the only criterion for quality assurance. To be effective, probiotic strains must retain the functional health characteristics for which they were originally selected. Such characteristics include the ability to survive transit through the stomach and small intestine and to colonize the human gastrointestinal tract. In vitro test protocols can be readily adopted to examine the maintenance of a strain's ability to tolerate acidic conditions, survive and grow in the presence of bile, and metabolize selective substrates. Molecular techniques are also available to examine strain stability. Adhesion characterization may be an important quality-control method for assessing gut barrier effects. Adhesion has been related to shortening the duration of diarrhea, immunogenic effects, competitive exclusion, and other health effects. Adhesion properties should be carefully monitored, including adhesion to intestinal cells (eg, Caco-2) and human intestinal mucus. This article outlines the types of in vitro testing that can be used to ensure quality control of functional probiotic strains.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1988

Evolution of a bacteria/plasmid association.

Associations between bacteria and their accessory elements (viruses, plasmids and transposons) range from antagonistic to mutualistic. A number of previous studies have demonstrated that plasmid carriage reduces bacterial fitness in the absence of selection for specific functions such as antibiotic resistance. Many studies have demonstrated increased fitness of evolving microbial populations in laboratory environments, but we are aware of only one study in which fitness gains were partitioned between a plasmid and its host. Here, we examine the evolution of an association between a plasmid and its bacterial host. Carriage of the non-conjugative plasmid pACYC184 initially reduced the fitness of Escherichia coli B in the absence of antibiotic. We then cultured plasmid-bearing bacteria for 500 generations in the presence of antibiotic. The fitness of each combination of host and plasmid, with and without the culture history, was determined by competing it against a baseline strain. The results indicate adaptation by the host genome, but no plasmid adaptation. We also competed the evolved host, transformed with the baseline plasmid, against its isogenic plasmid-free counterpart. The plasmid now increased the fitness of its host.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2004

Morphological and physiological changes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by oxidative stress from hyperbaric air.

Increase in air or oxygen pressure in microbial cell cultures can cause oxidative stress and consequently affect cell physiology and morphology. The behaviour of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown under hyperbaric atmospheres of air and pure oxygen was studied. A limit of 1.0 MPa for the air pressure increase (i.e. 0.21 MPa of oxygen partial pressure) in a fed-batch culture of S. cerevisiae was established. Values of 1.5 MPa air pressure and 0.32 MPa pure oxygen pressure strongly inhibited the metabolic activity and the viability of the cells. Also, morphological changes were observed, especially cell-size distribution and the genealogical age profile. Pressure caused cell compression and an increase in number of aged cells. These effects were attributed to oxygen toxicity since similar results were obtained using air or oxygen, if oxygen partial pressure was equal to or higher than 0.32 MPa. The activity of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (cytosolic and mitochondrial isoformes) indicated that the enzymes have different roles in oxidative stress cell protection, depending on other factors that affect the cell physiological state.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2006

Mycorrhizoremediation--an enhanced form of phytoremediation.

Study of plant roots and the diversity of soil micro biota, such as bacteria, fungi and microfauna associated with them, is important for understanding the ecological complexities between diverse plants, microbes, soil and climates and their role in phytoremediation of contaminated soils. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are universal and ubiquitous rhizosphere microflora forming symbiosis with plant roots and acting as biofertilizers, bioprotactants, and biodegraders. In addition to AMF, soils also contain various antagonistic and beneficial bacteria such as root pathogens, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria including free-living and symbiotic N-fixers, and mycorrhiza helping bacteria. Their potential role in phytoremediation of heavy metal (HM) contaminated soils and water is becoming evident although there is need to completely understand the ecological complexities of the plant-microbe-soil interactions and their better exploitation as consortia in remediation strategies employed for contaminated soils. These multitrophic root microbial associations deserve multi-disciplinary investigations using molecular, biochemical, and physiological techniques. Ecosystem restoration of heavy metal contaminated soils practices need to incorporate microbial biotechnology research and development. This review highlights the ecological complexity and diversity of plant-microbe-soil combinations, particularly AM and provides an overview on the recent developments in this area. It also discusses the role AMF play in phytorestoration of HM contaminated soils, i.e. mycorrhizoremediation.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed1995

Molecular characterization of plasminogen activators in human gingival crevicular fluid.

Plasminogen activators (PAs), a family of serine proteases, and their inhibitors (PAIs) are important in fibrinolysis, wound healing and tissue remodelling. Previous studies revealed differences in the localization of PA activity between healthy and diseased gingival tissues, suggesting that PAs and PAIs could play a part in periodontal homeostasis and disease. PAs and PAIs are synthesized by most of the cells types making up the periodontium and can be identified in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). These studies sought to characterize the molecular species of PAs and their inhibitors in GCF collected from clinically healthy sites. PA enzymatic activity in GCF samples demonstrated by fibrin zymography revealed the presence of only tissue-type PA (tPA) activity. No urokinase-type PA (uPA) enzymatic activity was detected. tPA enzymatic activity appeared predominantly as an uncomplexed 70-kDa species, although some samples contained enzyme-inhibitor complexes. Quantitation of total tPA by enzyme immunoassay showed a mean concentration of 1.6 ng/microl. Analysis of GCF samples for uPA by immunoblotting and enzyme immunoassay disclosed the presence of small amounts of uPA (0.2 ng/microl), which were present predominantly in activator-inhibitor complexes. Immunoblotting showed specific PAI-2 immunoreactivity bands in high molecular-weight complexes and low molecular-weight degradation products, but less than nanogram amounts of free PAI-2 molecules. Enzyme immunoassay revealed that PAI-2 was present in an at least a seven times greater amount than PAI-1. These observations support the hypothesis that PA-generated proteolysis and its regulation by endogenous inhibitors has a role in the diverse biochemical mechanisms underlying periodontal physiology and pathology including host-microbial interaction, polymorphonuclear leucocyte infiltration, turnover and migration of epithelial cells, connective tissue degradation and remodelling, fibrinolysis and wound healing.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Antiviral drug resistance.

Recently the first report of zidovudine-resistant human immunodeficiency virus obtained from AIDS patients was published. Resistance to antiviral agents may result from single point mutations in the virus genome. Several mechanisms of resistance have already been elucidated at the biochemical level but the clinical significance of drug resistance is much more difficult to establish. Most attention is now focused on the immunocompromised host where clinically important resistance has been encountered most frequently. Hugh Field and Siân Goldthorpe describe the mechanisms of resistance in viruses that are currently targets for chemotherapy and discuss the likely future role of drug-resistant virus infections in man.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed2026

Multi-omics insights into the physiological mechanisms of bile acid accumulation in the gallbladder in brumation-like snakes.

Hibernation/brumation represents an important physiological adaptation for animals to cope with seasonal environmental changes. Field observations suggested increased gallbladder weight in the Five-pacer viper (Deinagkistrodon acutus) during brumation, and our quantitative measurements confirmed this increase together with bile acid accumulation. By integrating a multi-omic approach, this study elucidates the regulatory mechanisms of bile acid accumulation in the gallbladder during brumation. Results showed that taurocholic acid (TCA) and taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA) were the major components in the gallbladder of the brumation-like group, with significantly elevated concentrations of bile acids, whereas bile acid concentrations in serum and intestinal contents were markedly reduced, indicating suppression of the enterohepatic circulation and consequent accumulation of bile acids in the gallbladder. Hepatic transcriptomic analysis revealed significant downregulation of bile acid synthesis and regulatory genes in brumation-like snakes. In contrast, the alternative synthesis pathway gene sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) and some transporter genes were slightly upregulated. Further, some modification genes and regulatory genes showed no significant differences between active and brumation-like states. Gut microbiota analysis demonstrated Akkermansia muciniphila, Bacteroides fragilis, and Citrobacter freundii were more enriched in the active group, which were common microbes related to bile acid metabolism, and the correlation analysis confirmed this relationship. Taken together, these findings indicate that the "physiological bile acid accumulation" observed in snakes during brumation-like state is jointly driven by suppressed hepatic synthesis, reduced enterohepatic circulation, and remodeled microbial community structure. The study provides novel comparative physiological insights into extreme metabolic homeostasis in animals.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Response of Vibrio parahaemolyticus to ethanol shock.

In this study, the growth and survival of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the presence of 0.0-8.0% ethanol was first examined. V. parahaemolyticus was then exposed to a sub-lethal dose of 5.0% ethanol for 30 and 60 min (ethanol shock). Morphological changes and alterations in cell leakage, thermal tolerance at 47 degrees C, and susceptibility to 8% ethanol and low temperature (4 and -18 degrees C) of V. parahaemolyticus caused by ethanol shock were investigated. In addition, recoveries of the ethanol-shocked cells of V. parahaemolyticus on thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose agar (TCBS) and TSA-3.0% NaCl were also compared. The findings revealed that the presence of ethanol in TSB-3.0% NaCl at 6.0-8.0% and 5.0% or less, exerted bactericidal and partial growth inhibition effect, respectively, on V. parahaemolyticus. Recovery of ethanol-shocked cells of V. parahaemolyticus was significantly (P<0.05) less on TCBS than on TSA-3.0% NaCl. A significantly (P<0.05) marked increase of protein and nucleic acid material in the supernatant of cell suspension was found after cells of V. parahaemolyticus were exposed to ethanol shock. Extensive cell disruption, wrinkling and cell-wall pitting, indicative of cell-surface damage were also noted on the ethanol-shocked cells. Ethanol-shocked cells of V. parahaemolyticus exhibited a similar yet higher susceptibility at 4 and -18 degrees C compared with the control cells. Moreover, there was a marked increase in the thermal tolerance and resistance to 8.0% ethanol with cells of V. parahaemolyticus after ethanol shock. Finally, the duration of ethanol shock testing did not affect the extent of increased thermal tolerance. While cells of V. parahaemolyticus subjected to ethanol shock for 60 min showed an increase in their resistance to 8.0% ethanol, they also showed an increase in susceptibility at -18 degrees C, than those ethanol shocked for 30 min.

Adaptation, Physiological↗