Search Results (424)

Cupriavidus necator is a well-studied microorganism with potential application in bioregenerative life support systems for single-cell protein and bioplastic production. Most studies have been carried out in autotrophy or heterotrophy, requiring O₂ as the final electron acceptor. In the context of inhabited missions, access to O₂ will primarily be limited to the crew. In this study, we investigated the capacity of C. necator to carry out nitrate respiration as a strategy to limit oxygen supply to the cultures by providing nitrate from another compartment of the Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS). Batch bioreactor experiments were carried out to determine the best conditions for nitrate utilization in terms of pH and aeration. Continuous cultures were then performed under two carbon sources (glucose vs. acetic acid) and two substrate limitations (nitrate vs. carbon). The optimal conditions were found to be pH 7.5 under anaerobiosis. They were applied in chemostats, where three steady-states were obtained at a low dilution rate. In all cases, the biomass consisted of a mixture of protein (from 29 ± 1% Cell Dry Weight (CDW) to 39 ± 2% CDW) and polyhydroxybutyrate (from 45 ± 2% CDW to 57 ± 3% CDW), which was found to be a key component for nitrate respiration metabolism. Microaerobic conditions were also tested in batch culture, reporting for the first time aerobic nitrate respiration in C. necator. Under these conditions, growth parameters improved during the nitrate phase; however, the specific growth rate during the nitrite phase was lower than that observed under strictly anaerobic conditions. Full article

Accurate microbiological diagnosis in companion animals relies heavily on appropriate sample collection, handling, storage, and transport. This systematic review, conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, aimed to assess current microbiological sampling procedures used in dogs and cats, from specimen collection to laboratory submission. Seventeen studies published in English over the past decade met the inclusion criteria. Considerable variability in sampling practices was observed across different anatomical systems. Although swabs were the most frequently employed sampling method, their use is limited by reduced representativeness and an increased risk of contamination, whereas tissue biopsies and aspirates provide more reliable diagnostic results. Sampling practices were generally more consistent for urine samples; however, pre-laboratory factors, such as prior antimicrobial exposure, as well as transport and storage conditions, were inconsistently reported, hindering reproducibility and standardisation. The anatomical site sampled and the suspected pathogen determined whether aerobic or combined aerobic–anaerobic cultures were recommended. Overall, the findings reveal considerable methodological gaps and underscore the need for harmonised, evidence-based guidelines to support accurate and clinically relevant bacterial culture in veterinary diagnostics. Standardised protocols, developed collaboratively by clinicians and diagnostic laboratories, have the potential to improve diagnostic consistency, strengthen antimicrobial stewardship, enhance surveillance, and ultimately benefit clinical outcomes within One Health initiatives. Full article

Astroviruses are non-enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses known to infect various mammals and birds, including humans, often causing gastrointestinal disorders. In recent years, astroviruses have also been linked to neurological and respiratory diseases across several species, including ruminants, mink, deer, and other mammals. Notably, astrovirus infections in goats have been documented in countries such as Switzerland and China, where novel genotypes have been identified in fecal samples. However, their role in the context of disease remains unclear, and reports focusing solely on goat astrovirus in the United States have not been published. A necropsy case of a Boer goat kid with a history of diarrhea was submitted for investigation following death in January 2025. Fresh tissues were received and used for histopathology and enteric pathogen testing, including parasitic, bacterial, and viral workups. Metagenomic-based next-generation sequencing (mNGS) was also applied for this case. Histological examination revealed severe necrotizing enterocolitis. The small intestine exhibited epithelial ulcerations, villus atrophy, hyperplastic and dilated crypts with necrotic debris, few intraenterocytic coccidian parasites, and increased inflammatory cells in the lamina propria. The large intestine showed similar findings with pleomorphic crypt enterocytes. Standard enteric pathogen tests were negative except for aerobic culture that identified Escherichia.coli and Enterococcus hirae. mNGS and bioinformatic analysis identified a novel astrovirus in the intestinal content that showed the highest nucleotide identity (86%) to the sheep strain Mamastrovirus 13 sheep/HA3 from China based on BLAST analysis. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the newly identified caprine astrovirus IL90175 clustered with astrovirus strains from small ruminants in Asia and Europe. This research reports the discovery, histopathologic features, and genetic characteristics of a gastrointestinal disease-causing astrovirus in a goat kid, which had not been previously described in the United States. Full article

Bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in dogs and cats. This study examined the correlations between routine urinalysis and culture-confirmed infections and described the etiologic agents and antimicrobial susceptibility to support stewardship. In 2023, 1787 urine samples (854 dogs, 933 cats) underwent urinalysis, aerobic culture with species identification, and disk-diffusion testing per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute standards; non-parametric statistics with effect sizes were applied. Pyuria was the strongest correlate of infection in both species. Low urine specific gravity was associated with infection and crystal detection, and urine pH correlated weakly with growth in dogs. Nitrite positivity was strongly associated with infection in dogs but showed no diagnostic value in cats. Hematuria showed a weak inverse association in dogs and no association in cats. Females and older animals were more frequently infected, and infections were slightly more common in summer. Most episodes were monomicrobial (85%), predominantly caused by Escherichia coli (48.4% of dogs; 51.5% of cats). E. coli remained broadly susceptible to nitrofurantoin and aminoglycosides. Fluoroquinolone activity was variable. Pseudomonas spp. showed the highest susceptibility to ceftazidime, cefepime, and aminoglycosides. These findings support culture when pyuria, dilute urine, or nitrite positivity is detected and favour short, targeted empiric therapy pending results, guided by a stepwise clinical decision pathway. Full article

Photocatalytic water sterilization has emerged as a promising sustainable technology for addressing microbial contamination across diverse sectors including healthcare, food production, and environmental management. This review examines the fundamental mechanisms and recent advances in photocatalytic water sterilization, with a particular emphasis on the differential bactericidal pathways against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria undergo a two-step inactivation process involving initial outer membrane lipopolysaccharide (LPS) degradation followed by inner membrane disruption, whereas Gram-positive bacteria exhibit simpler kinetics due to direct oxidative attacks on their thick peptidoglycan layer. Escherichia coli has long been used as the gold standard in photocatalytic sterilization studies owing to its aerobic nature and suitability for the colony-counting method. In contrast, Lactobacillus casei, a facultative anaerobe, can be cultured statically and evaluated rapidly using turbidity-based optical density measurements. Therefore, both organisms serve complementary roles depending on the experimental objectives—E. coli for precise quantification and L. casei for rapid, practical assessments of Gram-positive bacterial inactivation under laboratory conditions. We also describe sterilization using light alone while comparing it to photocatalytic sterilization and then discuss two innovative suspension-based photocatalyst systems: polystyrene bead-supported TiO₂/SiO₂ composites offering balanced reactivity and separability and magnetic TiO₂-SiO₂/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles enabling rapid magnetic recovery. Future research directions should prioritize enhancing visible-light efficiency using metal-doped TiO₂ such as Cu-doped systems; improving catalyst durability; developing new applications of photocatalysts, such as protecting RO membranes; and validating scalability across diverse industrial and medical water treatment applications. Full article

Tetanus is a life-threatening neurological disease affecting vertebrate species, including primates. Here, we present a case of severe generalized tetanus in a juvenile male chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) that was rescued from the illegal wildlife trade and admitted to a rehabilitation center in the Republic of Congo. Upon arrival, the chimpanzee presented with deep, contaminated constrictive wounds, trismus, generalized rigidity, and stimulus-induced tonic spasms accompanied by transient apnea, while remaining conscious. A presumptive clinical diagnosis was made, after which integrated care began immediately. This included meticulous wound debridement and irrigation, passive immunization with antitoxin, initiation of active immunization, metronidazole with adjunctive penicillin G, diazepam-based spasm control, multimodal analgesia, and low-stimulation nursing with oxygen supplementation, enteral nutrition, and temporary urinary catheterization. Aerobic wound culture yielded mixed flora, and a Gram stain of the feces showed large Gram-positive rods with terminal spores. Hematology tests revealed leucopenia with neutropenia and severe thrombocytopenia. The spasms ceased by day 5, at which point the diazepam dose was reduced and oral intake was increased. By week 8, he had made a full clinical recovery and was successfully reintegrated into his group. This case supports the use of pragmatic, sanctuary-adapted protocols and systematic vaccination. Full article

The aim of this study was to compare, using culture methods, the microflora of the small and large intestines, distinguishing pathogenic bacteria, in free-living ruminants: roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus). Intestinal samples from six individuals of each species were collected immediately after hunting under aseptic conditions. Aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria, including Lactobacillus spp., Escherichia coli, Listeria spp., and Clostridium perfringens, were quantified using standard culture methods. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) revealed no significant differences (p > 0.05) between species in any of the microbial groups analyzed, although higher mean abundances were observed in red deer, particularly in the large intestine. The results indicate that interspecific variation in cultured microbiota may reflect individual and environmental factors rather than consistent taxonomic differences. Due to the high inter-individual variability and limited sample size, this study should be considered preliminary. The results demonstrate the predominance of viable aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacterial groups in culture-based analysis and provide reference data for future metagenomic studies. This study fills an important knowledge gap, as culture-dependent studies of the gut microbiota of wild cervids are still rare due to the logistical and ethical constraints associated with sampling wild animals. Full article

Background and Objectives: Despite the development of medicine, there is no clearly established scheme for the prediction of intra-amniotic infection (IAI). In this study, evaluation of some predictors of IAI confirmed in histopathological examination was performed. Materials and Methods: The study population included 70 patients all giving birth by cesarean section divided into two groups: study (n = 34) consisting of patients with histologically confirmed IAI and control (n = 36) without IAI. Biological material included the mother’s venous blood to determine C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and procalcitonin (PCT) concentrations; vaginal discharge to determine IL-6; cervical canal swabs to perform cultures for bacteria and fungi and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, and Chlamydia trachomatis; amniotic fluid to perform cultures for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and PCR for atypical pathogens, and to determine glucose, IL-6, and PCT concentrations; umbilical cord blood to determine PCT, CRP, Il-6 and blood culture. A fragment of the placenta and fetal membranes was taken for histopathological assessment of the inflammatory infiltrate. Results: Mothers’ serum CRP assessments as well as serum PCT assessments are of poor diagnostic value in the prediction of IAI confirmed in histopathological examination. Conclusions: The best predictive values of IAI confirmed in histopathological examination were amniotic fluid glucose and vaginal fluid IL-6 determinations. Full article

Jeju Island, a volcanic island located off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, harbors highly specialized microbial communities shaped by its unique geological and climatic diversity. In particular, Baengnokdam Crater Lake at the summit of Mt. Halla represents an extreme, oligotrophic volcanic habitat characterized by intense UV radiation, temperature fluctuations, and limited nutrients. From this environment, a novel bacterial strain, Brevibacillus sp. JNUCC 42, was isolated and subjected to comprehensive taxonomic, genomic, and biochemical analyses. The strain is a Gram-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium that grows optimally at 30 °C and pH 7.0–9.0 with moderate NaCl tolerance (≤3%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and genome-scale GBDP confirmed its affiliation to the genus Brevibacillus, forming a distinct lineage closely related to B. laterosporus DSM 25^T. Whole-genome sequencing generated a 4.93 Mb circular chromosome with a GC content of 40.7%. Comparative genomic analyses revealed ANI (87.1%) and dDDH (32.8%) values far below the species threshold, supporting its delineation as a novel species. Chemotaxonomic data further distinguished JNUCC 42 by its predominance of anteiso-C₁₅:₀ (37.24%) and iso-C₁₅:₀ (27.78%) fatty acids and the presence of a unique unidentified aminolipid not detected in the type strain. Genome mining identified 21 biosynthetic gene clusters, including NRPS, PKS, and NRPS–PKS hybrids, suggesting its potential to produce structurally diverse secondary metabolites. One of these metabolites, the cyclic dipeptide maculosin [cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr)], was purified from the culture extract and structurally characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Functional assays demonstrated that maculosin significantly inhibited α-MSH-induced melanogenesis and intracellular tyrosinase activity in B16F10 melanoma cells without cytotoxicity up to 100 µM. Collectively, these findings indicate that Brevibacillus sp. JNUCC 42 represents a novel species within the genus Brevibacillus and a promising microbial source of bioactive compounds with potential cosmeceutical applications. Full article

A herd of approximately 300 Spanish meat goats in central Alabama experienced sporadic ocular, respiratory, and reproductive diseases over two years, prompting diagnostic investigation at Auburn University’s JT Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital. Five representative doelings exhibiting ocular lesions were examined. Clinical signs included conjunctivitis, corneal opacity, uveitis, and, in one severe case, systemic illness. Initial treatment with topical and systemic antibiotics provided incomplete resolution, raising suspicion of infectious keratoconjunctivitis of atypical etiology. Comprehensive diagnostic testing was performed, including aerobic and Mycoplasma cultures, Giemsa staining, and molecular assays. Moraxella bovoculi was cultured; however, Giemsa staining revealed Chlamydia elementary bodies, and a FRET-qPCR with DNA sequencing confirmed high Chlamydia pecorum loads (up to 1.1 × 10⁷ copies/swab). Mycoplasma testing was negative. Extended treatment with systemic and topical oxytetracycline led to gradual clinical improvement, with C. pecorum DNA declining over 22,000-fold and becoming undetectable after five weeks. This case represents the first documented report of C. pecorum–associated keratoconjunctivitis in goats in the United States. The findings underscore the diagnostic importance of molecular assays for detecting intracellular pathogens that may be missed by culture. The protracted treatment course highlights the therapeutic challenges posed by chlamydial infections due to their intracellular persistence. Additionally, the concurrent detection of M. bovoculi suggests the potential for mixed infections influencing disease severity. These results emphasize C. pecorum as an emerging pathogen of caprine ocular disease with implications for herd health and management. Full article

This study optimized γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) formation in Vietnamese fermented pork (nem chua) using a central composite design to tune salt, sugar, and monosodium glutamate (MSG) under co-inoculation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CP1.2 and Pediococcus acidilactici CP1.4. Fermentations proceeded at room temperature; pH, titratable acidity, GABA (colorimetry), formal nitrogen, ammoniacal nitrogen (indophenol blue), and microbial counts were measured, with a packaging comparison between polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE). Response surface analysis (R² = 0.8897) predicted an optimum at 2.0% salt, ~15.9–16.0% sugar, and ~2.9–3.0% MSG, yielding 7.44 mg/g GABA. Validation at these conditions achieved higher GABA (8.32 ± 0.24 mg/g), with pH near 4.70 and lactic acid ~18.5 g/kg. Across seven storage days, GABA peaked at day 1 (8.72–8.84 mg/g) and declined to 4.74–5.07 mg/g (day 7) as acidity increased. PE tended to preserve GABA better and reduced aerobic counts relative to PP, whereas PP limited ammoniacal nitrogen later in storage; lactic acid bacteria remained abundant (≥9.4 log CFU/g). Sensory attributes (color, aroma, taste, firmness) decreased over time but were higher in PE. The results show that balanced seasoning ratios, starter cultures, and packaging can maximize GABA enrichment while maintaining safety and quality in nem chua, providing a practical basis for scale-up of GABA-enhanced fermented meat products and tailoring shelf-life with packaging. Full article

Background and Objectives: Odontogenic infections are common emergencies in oral and maxillofacial surgery. They are typically polymicrobial, with aerobes guiding initial empirical therapy. However, regional data on their microbiology and resistance patterns in Romania are limited. This study aimed to characterize the aerobic microbial profile of odontogenic infections in Southwestern Romania and assess the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated pathogens. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted over 12 months at a tertiary referral hospital. Pus samples collected intraoperatively were cultured aerobically. Bacterial identification used biochemical methods and the VITEK 2 system. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion and automated MIC testing, interpreted according to EUCAST v13.0 (2023). Results: Of 110 patients, 96 (87.3%) yielded positive aerobic cultures, producing 97 isolates. Streptococcus spp. were predominant (49.5%), followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci (24.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (14.4%), Enterobacterales (7.2%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.1%). Streptococcus spp. remained susceptible to penicillin G (82.3%), amoxicillin–clavulanate (76.4%), and clindamycin (70.5%), but only 55.0% to erythromycin. Most S. aureus isolates were methicillin-susceptible (92.9%), while coagulase-negative staphylococci showed high methicillin resistance (59.3%) yet full susceptibility to linezolid, vancomycin, and teicoplanin. Enterobacterales were resistant to ampicillin (90%) and amoxicillin–clavulanate (65%) but remained susceptible to ceftriaxone (80%) and ciprofloxacin (85%). P. aeruginosa isolates were fully susceptible to piperacillin–tazobactam, ceftazidime, cefepime, and meropenem. Conclusions: This study provides regional data on aerobic pathogens in odontogenic infections. High resistance to penicillin and macrolides limits empirical use. Amoxicillin–clavulanate and clindamycin retain moderate activity, while glycopeptides, linezolid, and carbapenems preserved full efficacy. Surgical drainage remains central to management, and antibiotic therapy should be guided by local susceptibility patterns. These data provide baseline information to inform empirical therapy and stewardship efforts and highlight the need for multicenter studies including anaerobic and molecular analyses. Full article

Background/Objectives: To investigate the long-term changes in conjunctival bacterial flora before and after dacryoendoscopic recanalization for lacrimal passage obstruction using silicone tube intubation. Methods: This prospective study included 135 eyes with lacrimal passage obstruction that underwent lacrimal passage recanalization and were followed for at least one year. The silicone tubes inserted during surgery were removed three months postoperatively in all cases. The study period was from November 2018 to January 2025. Conjunctival samples were obtained before surgery and at 12 months postoperatively. Aerobic cultures were performed to detect bacterial flora. The culture positivity rate, number of bacterial species identified, and proportion of commensal bacteria were compared before and after surgery. Results: The bacterial culture positivity rate significantly decreased from 36.3% preoperatively to 20.0% postoperatively (p = 0.003). The number of bacterial species detected decreased from 15 to 6, with Gram-negative bacilli decreasing from 6 species to 1. In contrast, the proportion of commensal bacteria such as coagulase-negative staphylococci and Corynebacterium spp. relatively increased from 49.1% to 80.7%. No drug-resistant bacteria were detected postoperatively. Conclusions: Dacryoendoscopic recanalization for lacrimal passage obstruction was shown to achieve long-term normalization of the conjunctival bacterial flora by reducing pathogenic and drug-resistant bacteria and increasing commensal bacteria. These findings suggest that the procedure prior to intraocular surgery in patients with lacrimal obstruction may reduce the risk of postoperative infection. Full article

Sant’Agostino green table olives, traditionally processed in Apulia and flavoured with Foeniculum vulgare, represent a niche product whose microbial ecology remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to characterise the microbiota of the final product (both brine and fruit) after six months of storage with wild fennel. Four production batches were analysed using a combined culture-dependent and culture-independent approach. Microbiological counts revealed variable levels of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, yeasts, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and staphylococci, with yeasts and LAB being predominant. Ten LAB strains were identified, including Enterococcus faecium, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. jonggajibkimchii, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus. Yeast isolates belonged to Candida tropicalis, Torulaspora delbrueckii, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Amplicon sequencing (MiSeq Illumina) revealed distinct bacterial profiles between fruit and brine samples, with taxa from Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Alphaproteobacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and other Gammaproteobacteria. Enterococcus and Leuconostoc were consistently detected, while Lactobacillus sensu lato appeared only in one fruit and one brine sample. These findings provide new insights into the microbial diversity of Sant’Agostino olives and contribute to the understanding of their fermentation ecology and potential for quality and safety enhancement. Full article

Background/Objectives: Lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and osteoarthritis disproportionately affect women due to hormonal, metabolic, and socio-cultural factors. Emerging evidence suggests that combining structured exercise with nano-curcumin, a bioavailable phytochemical formulation with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may provide synergistic benefits. This scoping review systematically synthesizes available evidence on the combined effects of nano-curcumin supplementation and exercise interventions on health outcomes in women with lifestyle-related diseases. Methods: Following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the PRISMA-ScR framework, a comprehensive database search was conducted in March 2025 and updated in June 2025. Records were retrieved from Scopus (n = 30), Web of Science (n = 22), PubMed (n = 18), and other sources (n = 71), yielding a total of 141 studies. After screening and deduplication, eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. All the studies were conducted in Iran with small sample sizes (12–53 participants) and short intervention durations (6–16 weeks). Therefore, the current evidence is geographically and demographically limited. Results: Across the included trials, the combined interventions produced additive or synergistic improvements in oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines, lipid and glucose metabolism, cardiovascular function, pulmonary capacity, muscle fitness, and psychological outcomes (e.g., depression). When paired with nano-curcumin supplementation at different concentrations, high-intensity interval training, aerobic exercise, Pilates, and resistance training consistently outperformed exercise or supplementation alone in modulating antioxidant defenses, reducing systemic inflammation, and improving metabolic risk factors. Conclusions: The integration of exercise and nano-curcumin supplementation appears to confer superior benefits for women with lifestyle-related diseases compared with either approach alone. These findings highlight the potential of combining phytochemicals with lifestyle interventions to optimize women’s health outcomes. However, most available evidence originates from small, short-term studies in single geographic regions. Large-scale, multicenter, randomized controlled trials with diverse populations are warranted to establish standardized protocols and optimal dosing strategies, and to assess long-term safety and efficacy. Full article