Twelve Lactobacillus strains isolated from chicken intestine, which demonstrated a strong and moderate capacity to adhere to the ileal epithelial cells in vitro, were used to investigate their inhibitory ability against five strains of salmonella, i.e. Salmonella enteritidis 935/79, Salm. pullorum, Salm. typhimurium, Salm. blockley and Salm. enteritidis 94/448, and three serotypes of Escherichia coli, viz. E. coli O1:K1, O2:K1 and O78:K80. The results showed that all the 12 Lactobacillus isolates were able to inhibit the growth of the five strains of salmonella, and the three strains of E. coli in varying degrees. Generally, they were more effective in inhibiting the growth of salmonella than E. coli. Inhibition of the pathogenic bacteria was probably due to the production of organic acids by the Lactobacillus isolates.
Matched MeSH terms: Salmonella/growth & development
Red algae genus Laurencia (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales) are known to produce a wide range of chemically interesting secondary halogenated metabolites. This investigation delves upon extraction, isolation, structural elucidation and antibacterial activity of inherently available secondary metabolites of Laurencia majuscula Harvey collected from two locations in waters of Sabah, Malaysia. Two major halogenated compounds, identified as elatol (1) and iso-obtusol (2) were isolated. Structures of these compounds were determined from their spectroscopic data such as IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and optical rotation. Antibacterial bioassay against human pathogenic bacteria was conducted using disc diffusion (Kirby-Bauer) method. Elatol (1) inhibited six species of bacteria, with significant antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus epidermis, Klebsiella pneumonia and Salmonella sp. while iso-obtusol (2) exhibited antibacterial activity against four bacterial species with significant activity against K. pneumonia and Salmonella sp. Elatol (1) showed equal and better antibacterial activity compared with tested commercial antibiotics while iso-obtusol (2) only equaled the potency of commercial antibiotics against K. pneumonia and Salmonella sp. Further tests conducted using dilution method showed both compounds as having bacteriostatic mode of action against the tested bacteria.
Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) isolated from plant biomass have attracted considerable interests in polymer engineering. The limitations associated with CNF-based nanocomposites are often linked to the time-consuming preparation methods and lack of desired surface functionalities. Herein, we demonstrate the feasibility of preparing a multifunctional CNF-zinc oxide (CNF-ZnO) nanocomposite with dual antibacterial and reinforcing properties via a facile and efficient ultrasound route. We characterized and examined the antibacterial and mechanical reinforcement performances of our ultrasonically induced nanocomposite. Based on our electron microscopy analyses, the ZnO deposited onto the nanofibrous network had a flake-like morphology with particle sizes ranging between 21 to 34 nm. pH levels between 8-10 led to the formation of ultrafine ZnO particles with a uniform size distribution. The resultant CNF-ZnO composite showed improved thermal stability compared to pure CNF. The composite showed potent inhibitory activities against Gram-positive (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)) and Gram-negative Salmonella typhi (S. typhi) bacteria. A CNF-ZnO-reinforced natural rubber (NR/CNF-ZnO) composite film, which was produced via latex mixing and casting methods, exhibited up to 42% improvement in tensile strength compared with the neat NR. The findings of this study suggest that ultrasonically-synthesized palm CNF-ZnO nanocomposites could find potential applications in the biomedical field and in the development of high strength rubber composites.
Matched MeSH terms: Salmonella/growth & development