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Fulltext Studies on properties of rice straw/polymer nanocomposites based on polycaprolactone and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and evaluation of antibacterial activity

Khandanlou R, Ahmad MB, Shameli K, Saki E, Kalantari K

Int J Mol Sci, 2014;15(10):18466-83.
PMID: 25318051 DOI: 10.3390/ijms151018466

Modified rice straw/Fe3O4/polycaprolactone nanocomposites (ORS/Fe3O4/ PCL-NCs) have been prepared for the first time using a solution casting method. The RS/Fe3O4-NCs were modified with octadecylamine (ODA) as an organic modifier. The prepared NCs were characterized by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The XRD results showed that as the intensity of the peaks decreased with the increase of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs content in comparison with PCL peaks, the Fe3O4-NPs peaks increased from 1.0 to 60.0 wt. %. The TEM and SEM results showed a good dispersion of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs in the PCL matrix and the spherical shape of the NPs. The TGA analysis indicated thermal stability of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs increased after incorporation with PCL but the thermal stability of ORS/Fe3O4/PCL-NCs decreased with the increase of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs content. Tensile strength was improved with the addition of 5.0 wt. % of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs. The antibacterial activities of the ORS/Fe3O4/PCL-NC films were examined against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) by diffusion method using nutrient agar. The results indicated that ORS/Fe3O4/PCL-NC films possessed a strong antibacterial activity with the increase in the percentage of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs in the PCL.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/drug effects; Escherichia coli Infections/drug therapy
Optimising the production of succinate and lactate in Escherichia coli using a hybrid of artificial bee colony algorithm and minimisation of metabolic adjustment

Tang PW, Choon YW, Mohamad MS, Deris S, Napis S

J Biosci Bioeng, 2015 Mar;119(3):363-8.
PMID: 25216804 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2014.08.004

Metabolic engineering is a research field that focuses on the design of models for metabolism, and uses computational procedures to suggest genetic manipulation. It aims to improve the yield of particular chemical or biochemical products. Several traditional metabolic engineering methods are commonly used to increase the production of a desired target, but the products are always far below their theoretical maximums. Using numeral optimisation algorithms to identify gene knockouts may stall at a local minimum in a multivariable function. This paper proposes a hybrid of the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm and the minimisation of metabolic adjustment (MOMA) to predict an optimal set of solutions in order to optimise the production rate of succinate and lactate. The dataset used in this work was from the iJO1366 Escherichia coli metabolic network. The experimental results include the production rate, growth rate and a list of knockout genes. From the comparative analysis, ABCMOMA produced better results compared to previous works, showing potential for solving genetic engineering problems.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/genetics; Escherichia coli/growth & development; Escherichia coli/metabolism*
Membrane disruption and anti-quorum sensing effects of synergistic interaction between Lavandula angustifolia (lavender oil) in combination with antibiotic against plasmid-conferred multi-drug-resistant Escherichia coli

Yap PS, Krishnan T, Yiap BC, Hu CP, Chan KG, Lim SH

J Appl Microbiol, 2014 May;116(5):1119-28.
PMID: 24779580 DOI: 10.1111/jam.12444

The aim of this study was to investigate the mode of action of the lavender essential oil (LV) on antimicrobial activity against multi-drug-resistant Escherichia coli J53 R1 when used singly and in combination with piperacillin.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/drug effects*; Escherichia coli/genetics; Escherichia coli/ultrastructure
A mutant L-asparaginase II signal peptide improves the secretion of recombinant cyclodextrin glucanotransferase and the viability of Escherichia coli

Ismail NF, Hamdan S, Mahadi NM, Murad AM, Rabu A, Bakar FD, et al.

Biotechnol Lett, 2011 May;33(5):999-1005.
PMID: 21234789 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-011-0517-8

L-Asparaginase II signal peptide was used for the secretion of recombinant cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) into the periplasmic space of E. coli. Despite its predominant localisation in the periplasm, CGTase activity was also detected in the extracellular medium, followed by cell lysis. Five mutant signal peptides were constructed to improve the periplasmic levels of CGTase. N1R3 is a mutated signal peptide with the number of positively charged amino acid residues in the n-region increased to a net charge of +5. This mutant peptide produced a 1.7-fold enhancement of CGTase activity in the periplasm and significantly decreased cell lysis to 7.8% of the wild-type level. The formation of intracellular inclusion bodies was also reduced when this mutated signal peptide was used as judged by SDS-PAGE. Therefore, these results provide evidence of a cost-effective means of expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/enzymology*; Escherichia coli/genetics; Escherichia coli/metabolism*
A statistical approach for modelling the physical process of bacterial attachment to abiotic surfaces

Wang Y, Lee SM, Gentle IR, Dykes GA

Biofouling, 2020 11;36(10):1227-1242.
PMID: 33412938 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2020.1865934

A statistical approach using a polynomial linear model in combination with a probability distribution model was developed to mathematically represent the process of bacterial attachment and study its mechanism. The linear deterministic model was built based on data from experiments investigating bacterial and substratum surface physico-chemical factors as predictors of attachment. The prediction results were applied to a normal-approximated binomial distribution model to probabilistically predict attachment. The experimental protocol used mixtures of Streptococcus salivarius and Escherichia coli, and mixtures of porous poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethyl dimethacrylate) and aluminum sec-butoxide coatings, at varying ratios, to allow bacterial attachment to substratum surfaces across a range of physico-chemical properties (including the surface hydrophobicity of bacterial cells and the substratum, the surface charge of the cells and the substratum, the substratum surface roughness and cell size). The model was tested using data from independent experiments. The model indicated that hydrophobic interaction was the most important predictor while reciprocal interactions existed between some of the factors. More importantly, the model established a range for each factor within which the resultant attachment is unpredictable. This model, however, considers bacterial cells as colloidal particles and accounts only for the essential physico-chemical attributes of the bacterial cells and substratum surfaces. It is therefore limited by a lack of consideration of biological and environmental factors. This makes the model applicable only to specific environments and potentially provides a direction to future modelling for different environments.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli
Fulltext Molecular characterization of multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli isolates from tropical environments in Southeast Asia

Hara H, Yusaimi YA, Zulkeflle SNM, Sugiura N, Iwamoto K, Goto M, et al.

J Gen Appl Microbiol, 2019 Jan 24;64(6):284-292.
PMID: 29877296 DOI: 10.2323/jgam.2018.02.003

The emergence of antibiotic resistance among multidrug-resistant (MDR) microbes is of growing concern, and threatens public health globally. A total of 129 Escherichia coli isolates were recovered from lowland aqueous environments near hospitals and medical service centers in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Among the eleven antibacterial agents tested, the isolates were highly resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (83.7%) and nalidixic acid (71.3%) and moderately resistant to ampicillin and chloramphenicol (66.7%), tetracycline (65.1%), fosfomycin (57.4%), cefotaxime (57.4%), and ciprofloxacin (57.4%), while low resistance levels were found with aminoglycosides (kanamycin, 22.5%; gentamicin, 21.7%). The presence of relevant resistance determinants was evaluated, and the genotypic resistance determinants were as follows: sulfonamides (sulI, sulII, and sulIII), trimethoprim (dfrA1 and dfrA5), quinolones (qnrS), β-lactams (ampC and blaCTX-M), chloramphenicol (cmlA1 and cat2), tetracycline (tetA and tetM), fosfomycin (fosA and fosA3), and aminoglycosides (aphA1 and aacC2). Our data suggest that multidrug-resistant E. coli strains are ubiquitous in the aquatic systems of tropical countries and indicate that hospital wastewater may contribute to this phenomenon.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/drug effects*; Escherichia coli/genetics*; Escherichia coli/isolation & purification
Fulltext Effects of feeding and induction strategy on the production of BmR1 antigen in recombinant E. coli

Norsyahida A, Rahmah N, Ahmad RM

Lett Appl Microbiol, 2009 Nov;49(5):544-50.
PMID: 19832937 DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-765X.2009.02694.x

To investigate the effects of feeding and induction strategies on the production of BmR1 recombinant antigen.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/genetics; Escherichia coli/growth & development; Escherichia coli/metabolism*
Enhanced secretory production of hemolysin-mediated cyclodextrin glucanotransferase in Escherichia coli by random mutagenesis of the ABC transporter system

Low KO, Mahadi NM, Abdul Rahim R, Rabu A, Abu Bakar FD, Abdul Murad AM, et al.

J Biotechnol, 2010 Dec;150(4):453-9.
PMID: 20959127 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.10.001

The hemolysin transport system was found to mediate the release of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) into the extracellular medium when it was fused to the C-terminal 61 amino acids of HlyA (HlyAs(61)). To produce an improved-secretion variant, the hly components (hlyAs, hlyB and hlyD) were engineered by directed evolution using error-prone PCR. Hly mutants were screened on solid LB-starch plate for halo zone larger than the parent strain. Through screening of about 1 × 10(4) Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) transformants, we succeeded in isolating five mutants that showed a 35-217% increase in the secretion level of CGTase-HlyAs(61) relative to the wild-type strain. The mutation sites of each mutant were located at HlyB, primarily along the transmembrane domain, implying that the corresponding region was important for the improved secretion of the target protein. In this study we describe the finding of novel site(s) of HlyB responsible for enhancing secretion of CGTase in E. coli.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/enzymology*; Escherichia coli Proteins/metabolism*
Fulltext Microtiter miniature shaken bioreactor system as a scale-down model for process development of production of therapeutic alpha-interferon2b by recombinant Escherichia coli

Tan JS, Abbasiliasi S, Kadkhodaei S, Tam YJ, Tang TK, Lee YY, et al.

BMC Microbiol, 2018 01 04;18(1):3.
PMID: 29439680 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-017-1145-9

BACKGROUND: Demand for high-throughput bioprocessing has dramatically increased especially in the biopharmaceutical industry because the technologies are of vital importance to process optimization and media development. This can be efficiently boosted by using microtiter plate (MTP) cultivation setup embedded into an automated liquid-handling system. The objective of this study was to establish an automated microscale method for upstream and downstream bioprocessing of α-IFN2b production by recombinant Escherichia coli. The extraction performance of α-IFN2b by osmotic shock using two different systems, automated microscale platform and manual extraction in MTP was compared.
RESULTS: The amount of α-IFN2b extracted using automated microscale platform (49.2 μg/L) was comparable to manual osmotic shock method (48.8 μg/L), but the standard deviation was 2 times lower as compared to manual osmotic shock method. Fermentation parameters in MTP involving inoculum size, agitation speed, working volume and induction profiling revealed that the fermentation conditions for the highest production of α-IFN2b (85.5 μg/L) was attained at inoculum size of 8%, working volume of 40% and agitation speed of 1000 rpm with induction at 4 h after the inoculation.
CONCLUSION: Although the findings at MTP scale did not show perfect scalable results as compared to shake flask culture, but microscale technique development would serve as a convenient and low-cost solution in process optimization for recombinant protein.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/genetics; Escherichia coli/growth & development; Escherichia coli/metabolism*
Role of the cell envelope in the antibacterial activities of polymyxin B and polymyxin B nonapeptide against Escherichia coli

Sahalan AZ, Dixon RA

Int J Antimicrob Agents, 2008 Mar;31(3):224-7.
PMID: 18083010

The role of membrane permeabilisation and disruption in the mechanism of action of some polymyxin analogues against Gram-negative organisms is contentious. The effects of polymyxin B (PMB) and its analogue polymyxin B nonapeptide (PMBN) on Escherichia coli envelopes should correlate, but previous work by other workers suggests that PMBN has a different mode of action. This study has reassessed the biochemical techniques used previously and has shown that, in contrast to previous studies, PMBN (a well-characterised antibacterial synergist) readily releases periplasmic proteins and lipopolysaccharide from treated E. coli at subinhibitory concentrations in normal physiological buffer conditions. We conclude that, when tested with appropriate methodology, PMBN closely correlates with the early effects of PMB on the cell envelope of E. coli and this study shows that it is now consistent with the accepted interactions of membrane-active agents against Gram-negative cells.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/drug effects*; Escherichia coli Proteins/metabolism
Fulltext Survivability of Acanthamoeba strains isolated from clinical and environmental specimens during axenization. [Kemandirian strain Acanthamoeba pencilan klinikal dan persekitaran semasa proses aksenisasi]

Nurul Farhana Jufri, Anisah Nordin, Mohamed Kamel Abd. Ghani, Yusof Suboh, Noraina Abd. Rahim

Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia, 2011;9(2):1-3.
MyJurnal

Acanthamoeba is a free living protozoa that can cause keratitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. Physiological characteristics of this amoeba are found to have a medical importance in which it can be related to the pathogenicity potential of the organism. This study was carried out to investigate the physiological characteristics of survivability during axenization. Six Acanthamoeba strains from three clinical isolates (HSB 1, HKL 48 and HKL 95) and three environmental isolates (PHS 2, PHS 11 and PHS 15) were used in this study. Axenization test was done by treating cysts with hydrochloric acid (3%) and Page saline containing Gentamicin (100 μg/ml). Cysts were then cultured into PYG enrich media, incubated at 30oC and the presence and proliferation of trophozoites of Acanthamoeba were observed. This study showed that PHS 15, HSB 1, HKL 48 and HKL 95 could be axenized but they have poor proliferation rate in PYG enrich media. The result showed that the difference between both clinical and environmental isolates was observed in two strains; PHS 2 and PHS 11. This indicates that there is a possibility that the physiological traits of strains from both isolates are the same and strains from the environment are able to show the pathogenic potential and capable of causing infection to human.
Keywords: Axenization, Survivability, Acanthamoeba, Clinical and environmental strains

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli
Fulltext Pemencilan Acanthamoeba spp. daripada persekitaran akuatik

Nurul Fariza Rossle, Mohamed Kamel Abd Ghani, Anisah Nordin, Yusof Suboh, Noraina Ab Rahim

Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia, 2010;8(2):15-19.
MyJurnal

Kajian ini dijalankan untuk memencilkan Acanthamoeba spp. daripada pelbagai persekitaran akuatik di Semenanjung Malaysia. Sebanyak 160 sampel diambil dengan 140 sampel menggunakan kaedah swab manakala 20 sampel lagi menggunakan kaedah pensampelan air dengan botol Schott 500 ml yang steril. Sampel swab diambil daripada kepala paip air (50), sinki (50), serta kolam renang (40) manakala sampel air diambil dari laut. Sampel swab diinokulasi secara terus ke atas agar tanpa nutrien (NNA) yang dilapisi dengan Escherichia coli matian haba secara aseptik. Sampel air dituras menggunakan membran turas bersaiz liang 0.45 µm sebelum membran turas itu dipindahkan secara aseptik ke atas piring NNA yang dilapisi dengan E. coli matian haba. Semua piring dieram pada suhu 30°C dan diperiksa setiap hari untuk kehadiran Acanthamoeba spp. sehingga hari ke-14 sebelum disahkan negatif. Secara keseluruhannya, terdapat 20% sampel yang positif untuk kehadiran Acanthamoeba. Acanthamoeba spp. paling banyak dipencilkan daripada sampel air laut dengan peratusan sebanyak 40% manakala paling sedikit dipencilkan daripada swab paip air dengan peratusan sebanyak 4% sahaja. Pencilan positif Acanthamoeba spp. daripada sinki dan kolam renang masing-masing adalah 20% dan 30%. Ketiga-tiga kumpulan genus Acanthamoeba dalam bentuk sista dapat ditemui dalam sampel yang diambil.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli
Fulltext Emergence of ST131 H30-Rx Subclones among Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolates from two large hospitals of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Yun, Mei Lai, Myo, Thura Zaw, Nor Amalina Emran, Lin, Zaw

Borneo Journal of Medical Sciences, 2017;11(3):19-24.
MyJurnal

Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) carries multiple drug resistance (MDR) genes as well as virulence genes. Drug resistant characteristics give a management problem to health care personnel. Four MDR Escherichia coli ST131 H30-Rx subclones were identified among 80 Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) isolates by using 4 allelic-specific Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) in two hospitals of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. There is emergence of multidrug resistant E. coli in Kota Kinabalu.

Matched MeSH terms: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli
Fulltext Novel Plasmid-Mediated Colistin Resistance Gene mcr-3 in Escherichia coli

Yin W, Li H, Shen Y, Liu Z, Wang S, Shen Z, et al.

mBio, 2017 06 27;8(3).
PMID: 28655818 DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00543-17

The mobile colistin resistance gene mcr-1 has attracted global attention, as it heralds the breach of polymyxins, one of the last-resort antibiotics for the treatment of severe clinical infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. To date, six slightly different variants of mcr-1, and a second mobile colistin resistance gene, mcr-2, have been reported or annotated in the GenBank database. Here, we characterized a third mobile colistin resistance gene, mcr-3 The gene coexisted with 18 additional resistance determinants in the 261-kb IncHI2-type plasmid pWJ1 from porcine Escherichia colimcr-3 showed 45.0% and 47.0% nucleotide sequence identity to mcr-1 and mcr-2, respectively, while the deduced amino acid sequence of MCR-3 showed 99.8 to 100% and 75.6 to 94.8% identity to phosphoethanolamine transferases found in other Enterobacteriaceae species and in 10 Aeromonas species, respectively. pWJ1 was mobilized to an E. coli recipient by conjugation and contained a plasmid backbone similar to those of other mcr-1-carrying plasmids, such as pHNSHP45-2 from the original mcr-1-harboring E. coli strain. Moreover, a truncated transposon element, TnAs2, which was characterized only in Aeromonas salmonicida, was located upstream of mcr-3 in pWJ1. This ΔTnAs2-mcr-3 element was also identified in a shotgun genome sequence of a porcine E. coli isolate from Malaysia, a human Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate from Thailand, and a human Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolate from the United States. These results suggest the likelihood of a wide dissemination of the novel mobile colistin resistance gene mcr-3 among Enterobacteriaceae and aeromonads; the latter may act as a potential reservoir for mcr-3IMPORTANCE The emergence of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 has attracted substantial attention worldwide. Here, we examined a colistin-resistant Escherichia coli isolate that was negative for both mcr-1 and mcr-2 and discovered a novel mobile colistin resistance gene, mcr-3 The amino acid sequence of MCR-3 aligned closely with phosphoethanolamine transferases from Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonas species originating from both clinical infections and environmental samples collected in 12 countries on four continents. Due to the ubiquitous profile of aeromonads in the environment and the potential transfer of mcr-3 between Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonas species, the wide spread of mcr-3 may be largely underestimated. As colistin has been and still is widely used in veterinary medicine and used at increasing frequencies in human medicine, the continuous monitoring of mobile colistin resistance determinants in colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria is imperative for understanding and tackling the dissemination of mcr genes in both the agricultural and health care sectors.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/drug effects*; Escherichia coli/genetics*; Escherichia coli/isolation & purification
Developing correlation equations for converting among coliforms, E. coli and HPC for rainwater disinfection by sunlight

M.T. Amin, M.Y. Han, Tschung-il Kim, A.A. Alazba, M.N. Amin

Sains Malaysiana, 2013;42:1273-1281.

The application of solar disinfection for treating stored rainwater was investigated by the authors using indicator organisms. The multiple tube fermentation technique and pour plate method were used for the detection of microbial quality indicators like total and fecal coliforms, E. coli and heterotrophic plate count. These techniques have disadvantages mainly that these are laborious and time consuming. The correlation of total coliform with that of exposure time is proposed under different factors of weather, pH and turbidity. Statistical tools like root mean square error and coefficient of determination were used to validate these proposed equations. The correlation equations of fecal coliform, E. coli and heterotrophic plate count with total coliform are suggested by using four regression analysis including Reciprocal Quadratic, Polynomial Regression (2 degree), Gaussian Model and Linear Regression in order to reduce the tedious experimental work in similar types of experiments and treatment systems.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli
Toxicity assessment of reduced graphene oxide and titanium dioxide nanomaterials on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria under normal laboratory lighting condition

Ahmad NS, Abdullah N, Yasin FM

Toxicol Rep, 2020;7:693-699.
PMID: 32528857 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.04.015

Toxicity effect of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials (NMs) on Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria was assessed. For both strains, study demonstrated that the toxicity was time and concentration dependent which led to reduction in growth rate and cell death. Upon NMs exposure, an instantaneous cell death in E. coli culture was observed. This is in contrast with B. subtilis, in which the culture growth remained in the log phase; however their growth rate constant,

μ
g

was reduced by ∼70%. The discrepancy between E. coli and B. subtilis was due to strain-specific response upon contact with NMs. TEM, SEM and EDX analysis revealed direct physical surface-surface interaction, as evidence from the adherence of NMs on the cell surface.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli
Fulltext Enhanced Thermal Stability and Synergistic Effects of Magnesium and Iron Borate Composites against Pathogenic Bacteria

Ahmad P, Khandaker MU, Khan A, Rehman F, Din SU, Ali H, et al.

Biomed Res Int, 2022;2022:3605054.
PMID: 36420094 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3605054

A simple process based on the dual roles of both magnesium oxide (MgO) and iron oxide (FeO) with boron (B) as precursors and catalysts has been developed for the synthesis of borate composites of magnesium and iron (Mg2B2O5-Fe3BO6) at 1200°C. The as-synthesized composites can be a single material with the improved and collective properties of both iron borates (Fe3BO6) and magnesium borates (Mg2B2O5). At higher temperatures, the synthesized Mg2B2O5-Fe3BO6 composite is found thermally more stable than the single borates of both magnesium and iron. Similarly, the synthesized composites are found to prevent the growth of both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) pathogenic bacteria on all the tested concentrations. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of the synthesized composite increases with an increase in concentration and is more pronounced against S. aureus as compared to E. coli.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli
Fulltext Phylogenetically Diverse Escherichia coli Strains from Chicken Coharbor Multiple Carbapenemase-Encoding Genes (bla NDM -bla OXA-blaIMP)

Aklilu E, Harun A, Singh KKB, Ibrahim S, Kamaruzzaman NF

Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:5596502.
PMID: 34660793 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5596502

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has been a public health risk in several countries, and recent reports indicate the emergence of CRE in food animals. This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence, resistance patterns, and phylogenetic diversity of carbapenem-resistant E. coli (CREC) from chicken. Routine bacteriology, PCR detection of E. coli species, multiplex PCR to detect carbapenemase-encoding genes, and phylogeny of CRE E. coli were conducted. The results show that 24.36% (19/78) were identified as CREC based on the phenotypic identifications of which 17 were positive for the tested carbapenemases genes. The majority, 57.99% (11/19), of the isolates harbored multiple carbapenemase genes. Four isolates harbored all bla NDM, bla OXA, and bla IMP, and five and two different isolates harbored bla NDM and bla OXA and bla OXA and bla IMP, respectively. The meropenem, imipenem, and ertapenem MIC values for the isolates ranged from 2 μg/mL to ≥256 μg/mL. Phylogenetic grouping showed that the CREC isolates belonged to five different groups: groups A, B1, C, D, and unknown. The detection of CREC in this study shows that it has become an emerging problem in farm animals, particularly, in poultry farms. This also implies the potential public health risks posed by CRE from chicken to the consumers.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/classification*; Escherichia coli/genetics; Escherichia coli/isolation & purification
Production of acetoin from hydrothermally pretreated oil mesocarp fiber using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli in a bioreactor system

Mohd Yusoff MZ, Akita H, Hassan MA, Fujimoto S, Yoshida M, Nakashima N, et al.

Bioresour Technol, 2017 Dec;245(Pt A):1040-1048.
PMID: 28946206 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.08.131

Acetoin is used in the biochemical, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Several effective methods for acetoin production from petroleum-based substrates have been developed, but they all have an environmental impact and do not meet sustainability criteria. Here we describe a simple and efficient method for acetoin production from oil palm mesocarp fiber hydrolysate using engineered Escherichia coli. An optimization of culture conditions for acetoin production was carried out using reagent-grade chemicals. The final concentration reached 29.9gL(-1) with a theoretical yield of 79%. The optimal pretreatment conditions for preparing hydrolysate with higher sugar yields were then determined. When acetoin was produced using hydrolysate fortified with yeast extract, the theoretical yield reached 97% with an acetoin concentration of 15.5gL(-1). The acetoin productivity was 10-fold higher than that obtained using reagent-grade sugars. This approach makes use of a compromise strategy for effective utilization of oil palm biomass towards industrial application.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli
Exploration of cassava plant xylem for water treatment: preparation, characterization and filtration capability

Hashim A, Hashim NA, Mohd Junaidi MU, Kamarudin D, Hussain MA

Water Sci Technol, 2022 Sep;86(5):1055-1065.
PMID: 36358045 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2022.253

Flood is among the natural disasters that commonly happened in Malaysia every year. During the flood, victims faced clean water shortages and deterioration of the environment resulting in long waiting times for aid to access. Hence, affordable and efficient filters are needed to supply clean water in the affected areas. Application of xylem tissue inside plant stem has the potential as a filter for water filtration. This research focuses on xylem tissue in Malaysian tropical plants from cassava stem. Cassava stems were prepared in a small-scale set-up as the xylem was used as a filter. Effects of cross-sectional area and hydrostatic pressure were analyzed and the results showed a directly proportional relationship with permeate flow rate. Upon filtration with red dye solution, total dye removal was achieved using a xylem with a minimal length of 3 cm and onwards. While for bacteria removal, E. coli bacteria have been removed when tested with a bacteria count plate. Thus, this study demonstrated the potential of the xylem tissue of the cassava plant as affordable and available natural raw materials to be used as water filters during an emergency.

Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli

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