Molecular Identification and Detection of Quorum Quenching Pathogenic Microorganisms

Abstract

Soil health and fertility are directly threatened by plastic pollution, which is a major environmental problem that directly affects food security and human health. Little knowledge exists regarding the behaviour, characteristics and determination of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in soil. In actuality, most of the annual 300 million metric tons of plastic generated eventually finds its way into the environment, where the soil acts as a long-term sink for this plastic garbage. In plastic degrading bacteria, fungi and insects, the production and detection of freely moving chemical signals, such as N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), mediate quorum sensing (QS) to control a variety of biological factors, including virulence factor synthesis. A novel enrichment technique has been developed to achieve the goal of isolating soil bacteria that can prevent QS by deactivating AHL. AHL-degrading bacteria have been discovered in soil samples. Autoinduer inhibitor A (aiiA) homologue genes were found in 12 isolates using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, and three strains were chosen for additional examination. The aforementioned isolates showed rapid in vitro degradation of synthetic 3-oxo-C6-homoserine lactone, according to an assay for AHL inactivation. These isolates belonged to members of the genus Bacillus, according to 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis and morphological phenotypes. Our analysis indicates that the selection process may be used to separate soil Bacillus species, and some other Bacillus species in the soil showed quorum quenching (QQ) activity. The use of biosensors to detect QS signaling molecules has the potential to provide timely diagnostic information towards mitigating the multidrug-resistant bacteria epidemic.