Specific Pathogenic Bacteria Research Articles

Abortion and fetal death in sows.

Abortion in sows or the expulsion of foetuses between days 35 and 109 of gestation results in major financial losses. Abortion is the result of maternal failure due to factors interfering with either the endocrine control of pregnancy or causing endometrial damage. In addition, causes of fetal origin, due to infections with a special affinity for the fetus, can also lead to abortion. Many different non-infectious and infectious factors may be involved. Non-infectious risk factors include inappropriate ambient temperature, seasonal effects, different stress factors, and toxic substances. Microorganisms that may cause abortion can be classified as facultative pathogenic and specific pathogenic microorganisms. The first category includes mostly bacteria that are endemic in many pig farms and that are normally harmless commensals. They can cause abortion only in case of decreased immunity or other predisposing factors. Different specific pathogenic microorganisms, especially viruses and bacteria, can cause fetal death and abortion. Some may have a special affinity for the reproductive tract and the foetuses (e.g. Aujeszky's disease virus, parvovirus, Leptospira sp.), while others may cause clinical disease or fever in sows (e.g. swine influenza viruses, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae), subsequently leading to abortion. Diagnosis of fetal death and abortion is challenging due to the broad array of processes that may be involved, and the fact that the inciting cause may happen well in advance of the abortion. The diagnostic process should start with a thorough evaluation of the clinical problem and the farm. In case an infectious cause is suspected, proper samples should be collected, preferably from different sows and foetuses, for the detection of specific pathogens. Prevention of abortion mainly relies on the implementation of good management practices, hygiene and biosecurity measures, and for some pathogens also on vaccination.

Antibacterial Potential of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. Ex Fr.) P. Kumm.) Extract against Pathogenic Bacteria

This study investigated the antibacterial properties of Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. Ex Fr.) P. Kumm. extracts against various pathogenic bacteria. The fruiting bodies of fresh oyster mushrooms were collected from Mae Phai Boon Mushroom Farm in Ban Thung Nang Rao, Mueang District, Mahasarakham Province, and subjected to extraction using 95% ethanol and 95% ethyl acetate solvents. The effectiveness of the extracts in suppressing the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, encompassing Bacillus cereus, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Serratia marcescens, and Staphylococcus aureus, was assessed through the utilization of the paper disk diffusion technique. The results revealed that the crude extract obtained from the 95% ethanol solvent exhibited significant inhibitory effects against B. cereus, E. cloacae, P. aeruginosa, S. marcescens, and S. typhi, yielding inhibition zone diameters from 9.22 to 12.33 mm. In contrast, the crude extract from the 95% ethyl acetate solvent showed inhibitory activity only against E. coli, revealing an inhibition zone diameter of 12.00 mm. Additionally, the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the 95% ethanol crude extract against P. aeruginosa and S. marcescens established a value of 150 mg/ml, and concomitantly, the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) was also established at 150 mg/ml. However, it was observed that the 95% ethanol crude extract at a concentration of 15 mg/ml was incapable of suppressing the proliferation of E. coli in the MIC evaluations. These findings imply that the extracts originating from P. ostreatus possess inherent capacity as organic antibacterial agents targeting specific pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, these findings justify the necessity for additional scrutiny into their conceivable utilities within the domains of medicine and food preservation.

Phytopathogenic Pseudomonas syringae as a Threat to Agriculture: Perspectives of a Promising Biological Control Using Bacteriophages and Microorganisms

Pseudomonas syringae is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects a wide range of plants, causing significant economic losses in agricultural production. The pathogen exhibits a high degree of genetic and phenotypic diversity, which has led to the classification of P. syringae strains into different pathovars based on their host range and disease symptoms. Copper-based products have traditionally been used to manage infections in agriculture, but the emergence of copper-resistant strains has become a significant concern. Biological control is a promising strategy to manage P. syringae, as it offers an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to disease management. The review includes an overview of the biology and epidemiology of P. syringae, and of the mechanisms of action of various biological control agents, mainly microorganisms (antagonistic bacteria, and fungi) and bacteriophages. Specifically, this review highlights the renewed interest in bacteriophages (bacteria-infecting viruses) due to their advantages over other eco-friendly management methods, thanks to their bactericidal properties and potential to target specific pathogenic bacteria. The potential benefits and limitations of biological control are also examined, along with research directions to optimize the use of this approach for the management of P. syringae.

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using the plant extract of Myristica fragrans and their antibacterial activity assessment

BACKGROUND: Zinc nanoparticles (Zn-NPs) are useful for targeting specific tissues and pathogenic bacteria, which has attracted many researchers to their green manufacture and applications.METHODS: In the current study, Myristica fragrans aqueous seed extracts were used to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). Solution combustion synthesis (SCS) was used to generate useful zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). Different methods were used to characterize the ZnO-NPs, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental dispersion analysis of X-rays (EDX) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Viable cell count and the broth-based turbidometry method were used to assess the antibacterial efficacy of green synthesized ZnO-NPs against three Gram-negative and two Gram-positive pathogens.RESULTS: The results of both the assay showed that the Zn nanoparticle from M. fragrans has significant highest antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis.CONCLUSIONS: As a result, the study suggests that Zn-NPs have potent antibacterial action and could be developed as a new class of antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of infections, particularly those that are resistant to several drugs.

An Effective Model for Predicting Phage-Host Interactions Via Graph Embedding Representation Learning With Multi-Head Attention Mechanism

In the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases, overuse of antibiotics may lead to not only bacterial resistance to antibiotics but also dysbiosis of beneficial bacteria which are essential for maintaining normal human life activities. Instead, phage therapy, which invades and lyses specific pathogenic bacteria without affecting beneficial bacteria, becomes more and more popular to treat bacterial infectious diseases. For the effective phage therapy, it requires to accurately predict potential phage-host interactions from heterogeneous information network consisting of bacteria and phages. Although many models have been proposed for predicting phage-host interactions, most methods fail to consider fully the sparsity and unconnectedness of phage-host heterogeneous information network, deriving the undesirable performance on phage-host interactions prediction. To address the challenge, we propose an effective model called GERMAN-PHI for predicting Phage-Host Interactions via Graph Embedding Representation learning with Multi-head Attention mechaNism. In GERMAN-PHI, the multi-head attention mechanism is utilized to learn representations of phages and hosts from multiple perspectives of phage-host associations, addressing the sparsity and unconnectedness in phage-host heterogeneous information network. More specifically, a module of GAT with talking-heads is employed to learn representations of phages and bacteria, on which neural induction matrix completion is conducted to reconstruct the phage-host association matrix. Results of comprehensive experiments demonstrate that GERMAN-PHI performs better than the state-of-the-art methods on phage-host interactions prediction. In addition, results of case study for two high-risk human pathogens show that GERMAN-PHI can predict validated phages with high accuracy, and some potential or new associated phages are provided as well.

Non-Digestible Oligosaccharides: A Novel Treatment for Respiratory Infections?

Emerging antimicrobial resistance in respiratory infections requires novel intervention strategies. Non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDOs) are a diverse group of carbohydrates with broad protective effects. In addition to promoting the colonization of beneficial gut microbiota and maintaining the intestinal homeostasis, NDOs act as decoy receptors, effectively blocking the attachment of pathogens on host cells. NDOs also function as a bacteriostatic agent, inhibiting the growth of specific pathogenic bacteria. Based on this fact, NDOs potentiate the actions of antimicrobial drugs. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in characterizing the anti-infective properties of NDOs. This focused review provides insights into the mechanisms by which representative NDOs may suppress respiratory infections by targeting pathogens and host cells. We summarized the most interesting mechanisms of NDOs, including maintenance of gut microbiota homeostasis, interference with TLR-mediated signaling, anti-oxidative effects and bacterial toxin neutralization, bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects, and anti-adhesion or anti-invasive properties. A detailed understanding of anti-infective mechanisms of NDOs against respiratory pathogens may contribute to the development of add-on therapy or alternatives to antimicrobials.

Role of gastrointestinal microbial populations, a terra incognita of the human body in the management of intestinal bowel disease and metabolic disorders.

Intestinal bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-mediated clinical condition that affects the gastrointestinal tract and is mediated by an inflammatory response. Although it has been extensively studied, the multifactorial aetiology of this disorder makes it difficult to fully understand all the involved mechanisms in its development and therefore its treatment. In recent years, the fundamental role played by the human microbiota in the pathogenesis of IBD has been emphasised. Microbial imbalances in the gut bacterial communities and a lower species diversity in patients suffering from inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders compared to healthy individuals have been reported as principal factors in the development of IBD. These served to support scientific arguments for the use of probiotic microorganisms in alternative approaches for the prevention and treatment of IBD. In a homeostatic environment, the presence of bacteria (including probiotics) on the intestinal epithelial surface activates a cascade of processes by which immune responses inhibited and thereby commensal organisms maintained. At the same time these processes may support activities against specific pathogenic bacteria. In dysbiosis, these underlying mechanisms will serve to provoke a proinflammatory response, that, in combination with the use of antibiotics and the genetic predisposition of the host, will culminate in the development of IBD. In this review, we summarised the main causes of IBD, the physiological mechanisms involved and the related bacterial groups most frequently associated with these processes. The intention was to enable a better understanding of the interaction between the intestinal microbiota and the host, and to suggest possibilities by which this knowledge can be useful for the development of new therapeutic treatments.

New tool for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains differentiation through GCMS direct identification of exogenous VOC metabolites in headspace vials

In this paper, a chromatographic method for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a tool for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains identification was described. Direct Headspace gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (Headspace-GC-MS) has been used for the qualitative determination of VOCs emitted by certain bacterial strains (Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Serratia rubidae, Staphyloccocus aureus, Enterococcus casseliflavus, and Enterococcus faecalis). In the first stage of the study, pathogenic bacteria were cultured in broth-specific liquid culture medium directly (lauryl sulfate broth) into headspace vials. Subsequently, the VOC emissions were analyzed by airborne screening in the headspace vials. Thus, the objective was to analyze all the resulting volatile organic compounds in order to select only those compounds, which can be exclusively associated with specific pathogenic bacteria. Qualitative analysis by Headspace-GC-MS has proven to be a non-invasive, accurate, and fast method for identifying certain bacterial strains, based on VOCs emission. A considerable number of volatile organic compounds have been determined in the headspace air, a significant difference being observed between the VOCs emitted by bacterial cultures compared to the culture medium but also between the types of bacterial cultures themselves. The study presents preliminary results, which prove that the identification of the studied pathogenic bacteria is possible, based on the determination of certain types of VOCs in the headspace air of these cultures. This method can be used successfully for the rapid identification of bacterial culture types compared to classical methods.

An ultrasensitive fluorescence detection template of pathogenic bacteria based on dual catalytic hairpin DNA Walker@Gold nanoparticles enzyme-free amplification

Integrating the advantages of catalytic hairpin components and multi-foot DNA walker, we designed a 16S rRNA detection probe template for pathogen bacteria, which utilizes DNA ligation quencher and dual catalytic hairpin@DNA walker to induce signal recovery. The dual catalytic hairpin@DNA walker uses the walking position of the target on the AuNP as a foothold to promote the reaction, so that the biosensing of the low-abundance target sequence can induce signal recovery. During the entire experiment, no enzyme is required, which can avoid the limitation of enzyme degradation under unfavorable conditions and the inability to detect the target. Most importantly, the detection template has the advantages of high sensitivity, and its detection limit is significantly better than that of single hairpin DNA walker probe. As the detection system can sensitively and rapidly detect its targeted bacteria and not rely on any enzyme and sophisticated instrumentation, it has great potential for sensitive and specific pathogenic bacteria detection.

Smart fluorescence aptasensor using nanofiber functionalized with carbon quantum dot for specific detection of pathogenic bacteria in the wound

We developed for the first time a novel and smart nanofiber (NF) network with the electrospinning method to create an amplified fluorescent biosensing platform for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria in wound. The sensing platform is constructed based on surface modification of NFs by carbon quantum dots (CQDs) on the NF membrane surface, leading to large fluorescence signal amplification. CQDs synthesis was done from orto-phenylenediamine (OPD) with yellow emission fluorescence. Incorporation of CQDs leads to the uniform fluorescence of modified NFs. The proposed biosensing platform can also be applied to detect S. aureus bacteria with high sensitivity and selectivity via a specific aptamer. The linear sensing range for different S. aureus concentration from 10 to 108 CFU/mL and the detection limit of 10 CFU/mL was attained. For the first time these scaffolds were designed for the detection of specific pathogenic bacteria in wound using fluorescence signal of NFs, which can be seen by the naked eye under UV lamp. Enhancing in the fluorescence intensity after putting the modified NFs on skin wounds of mice for 2 h showed the successful application of this novel aptasensor.

Infected or Not Infected? Next-Generation DNA Sequencing Is Not the Answer...Yet: Commentary on an article by Roman M. Natoli, MD, PhD, et al.: "Poor Agreement Between Next-Generation DNA Sequencing and Bacterial Cultures in Orthopaedic Trauma Procedures".

Commentary Infections of the musculoskeletal system continue to be a vexing challenge for orthopaedic surgeons. Postoperative infections, particularly those in cases in which implants are used for fixation or reconstruction, are common complications in orthopaedic surgery. Metallic implants serve as a nidus for the formation of biofilm, on which bacteria can survive, colonize, and hide from the immune system1. The presence of a biofilm prevents systemic antibiotics from effectively eradicating pathogenic bacteria, leading to high rates of reoperation in which the wounds undergo irrigation, debridement, and implant removal. The infection rates in orthopaedic trauma and arthroplasty cases have been reported to range from 1% to 30%2,3. The diagnosis of a surgical site infection, particularly indolent infection, can be challenging4. The clinical signs can be subtle, often without fever or obvious purulence. Systemic markers are not always reliable, and tissue and fluid bacterial cultures can lack sensitivity5-7. Often, the diagnosis of surgical site infection is made by the treating surgeon on the basis of radiographic findings of implant loosening or new radiolucencies at the bone-implant interface. However, these findings also can be found in cases of aseptic loosening. Therefore, there is a critical need for sensitive and specific assays to identify and characterize pathogenic bacteria in orthopaedic surgical wounds. Assays that can detect bacterial DNA through highly sensitive molecular biology techniques have the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy. Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) is under investigation as a tool to diagnose infection by identifying the presence of bacterial DNA (specifically, the gene for 16S ribosomal RNA) and characterizing the bacterial species through DNA sequencing8. The potential advantages of NGS include the ability to identify the presence of bacteria with use of a very small sample. In addition, such techniques do not require the varied culture environments needed to identify specific bacterial species. Point-of-care NGS analysis of musculoskeletal tissue and implant biofilm, if accurate, would be a major advance in orthopaedic care. Natoli et al. report on a prospective study in which patients undergoing “clean” orthopaedic trauma procedures (i.e., procedures for the treatment of closed fractures, hardware removal, or nonunion management) had intraoperative tissue sent for both bacterial culture and NGS. The authors found very little correlation between bacterial cultures and NGS results. Only 3 of 9 positive culture cases were also positive on NGS, with common species in only 2 of the 3. The vast majority of bacteria identified by NGS were either nonpathogenic bacteria or bacteria that are infrequently associated with clinical infection. The authors also found no correlation between the diagnostic assay results and the outcome of clinical infection. Two of 9 patients who had positive cultures developed a clinical infection, only 1 of 27 patients with a positive NGS finding developed an infection, and the NGS speciation in the latter case did not match the culture results of the clinical infection. It should be noted that the study was not designed to follow patients for clinical infection, and therefore some infections may have been missed. It is clear from the data by Natoli et al., as well as data from the shoulder arthroplasty literature9,10 and lower extremity arthroplasty literature11, that NGS should not be considered as a substitute for, or even a complement to, bacterial cultures in clean trauma cases. NGS is extremely sensitive and can identify bacteria that are generally innocuous and clinically unimportant or that present at sufficiently low levels so as to not result in clinical infection. These “false positive” results could lead to overtreatment and increased morbidity. Nevertheless, advances that can address the limitations of conventional bacterial culturing methods are desperately needed. Further work on developing molecular biology techniques that can detect and characterize specific pathogenic bacteria with greater sensitivity than cultures would allow for a more accurate approach12. In addition, NGS can be studied in cases of clinic infection to determine the agreement between culture results showing pathogenic bacteria and specific NGS findings for these pathogens. In the meantime, the study by Natoli et al. takes an important step toward improving our understanding of the clinical utility and the limitations of NGS in the diagnosis of surgical site infections, specifically in orthopaedic trauma surgery.

JCS/JHRS 2021 guideline focused update on non-pharmacotherapy of cardiac arrhythmias.

JCS/JHRS 2021 guideline focused update on non-pharmacotherapy of cardiac arrhythmias.

The value of next-generation sequencing for the diagnosis of Streptococcus suis meningitis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the value of next-generation sequencing for the diagnosis of Streptococcus suis meningitis. Patients with meningitis in the Department of Neurology of the Hainan General Hospital were recruited and divided into a next-generation sequencing group and a control group. In the next-generation sequencing group, we used the next-generation sequencing method to detect the specific pathogenic bacteria in the patients. In the control group, we used the cerebrospinal fluid bacterial culture method to detect the specific pathogenic bacteria in the patients. A total of 28 participants were recruited for this study, with 14 participants in each group. The results showed similarities in both the average age and average course of the disease between the two groups (p>0.05). The white blood cell count, percentage of neutrophils, and level of C-reactive protein in the next-generation sequencing group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05). There were similarities in both the temperature and intracranial pressure between the two groups (p>0.05). In the next-generation sequencing group, all patients (100%) were detected as having had the S. suis meningitis infection by next-generation sequencing, while only 6 (43%) patients in the control group had been detected as having the S. suis meningitis infection by cerebrospinal fluid bacterial culture. The positive detection rate of S. suis by the next-generation sequencing method was significantly higher compared with using a cerebrospinal fluid bacterial culture. Therefore, the next-generation sequencing method is valuable for the diagnosis of S. suis meningitis and is worthy of clinical application.

Antimicrobial Effects of Ethanol, Methanol and Ethyl Acetate Teucrium polium and Citrullus colocynthis extract on Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common pathogen in a wide range of infections, from urinary tract infections to bacteremia. Intrinsic resistance to antimicrobial agents in this bacterium worsens the condition of the treatment of infections caused by it. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of ethanol, methanol, and ethyl acetate Teucrium polium Extract and Citrullus colocynthis on a p. aeruginosa isolated from Zabol hospital. P. aeruginosa specimens were collected from Zabol city. Plant extracts were prepared using a rotary machine and the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum trace concentration were determined by microdilution method. The lowest inhibitory concentration of methanolic extract of C. colocynthis against p. aeruginosa was 1.25 mg / ml while the lowest inhibitory concentration of ethyl acetate extract of C. colocynthis was 0.62 mg / ml, two strains were inhibited in this concentration and the highest inhibitory concentration was 5 mg, 6 strains of bacteria in this concentration has been restrained. The results of this study showed that watermelon extract of T. polium Extract and C. colocynthis have a significant antibacterial effect. Extract from this plant can be used to deal with specific pathogenic bacteria.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Bioguided Isolation of Active Compounds from Rhamnus alaternus against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Panton-Valentine Leucocidin Positive Strains (MSSA-PVL).

Despite intensified efforts to develop an effective antibiotic, S. aureus is still a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The multidrug resistance of bacteria has considerably increased the difficulties of scientific research and the concomitant emergence of resistance is to be expected. In this study we have investigated the in vitro activity of 15 ethanol extracts prepared from Moroccan medicinal plants traditionally used for treatment of skin infections. Among the tested species I. viscosa, C. oxyacantha, R. tinctorum, A. herba alba, and B. hispanica showed moderate anti-staphylococcal activity. However, R. alaternus showed promising growth-inhibitory effects against specific pathogenic bacteria especially methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Panton-Valentine leucocidin positive (MSSA-PVL) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The bioguided fractionation of this plant using successive chromatographic separations followed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) including EIMS and HREIMS analysis yielded the emodin (1) and kaempferol (2). Emodin being the most active with MICs ranging between 15.62 and 1.95 µg/mL and showing higher activity against the tested strains in comparison with the crude extract, its mechanism of action and the structure-activity relationship were interestingly discussed. The active compound has not displayed toxicity toward murine macrophage cells. The results obtained in the current study support the traditional uses of R. alaternus and suggest that this species could be a good source for the development of new anti-staphylococcal agents.

Plant debris are hotbeds for pathogenic bacteria on recreational sandy beaches

On recreational sandy beaches, there are guidelines for the management of bacterial pollution in coastal waters regarding untreated sewage, urban wastewater, and industrial wastewater. However, terrestrial plant debris on coastal beaches can be abundant especially after floods and whilst it has rarely been considered a concern, the bacterial population associated with this type of pollution from the viewpoint of public health has not been adequately assessed. In this study, microbes associated with plant debris drifting onto Kizaki Beach in Japan were monitored for 8 months throughout the rainy season, summer, typhoon season, and winter. Here we show that faecal-indicator bacteria in the plant debris and sand under the debris were significantly higher than the number of faecal bacteria in the sand after a 2015 typhoon. When we focused on specific pathogenic bacteria, Brevundimonas vesicularis and Pseudomonas alcaligenes were commonly detected only in the plant debris and sand under the debris during the survey period. The prompt removal of plant debris would therefore help create safer beaches.

Third generation cephalosporins and piperacillin/tazobactam have distinct impacts on the microbiota of critically ill patients

Effective implementation of antibiotic stewardship, especially in critical care, is limited by a lack of direct comparative investigations on how different antibiotics impact the microbiota and antibiotic resistance rates. We investigated the impact of two commonly used antibiotics, third-generation cephalosporins (3GC) and piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP) on the endotracheal, perineal and faecal microbiota of intensive care patients in Australia. Patients exposed to either 3GC, TZP, or no β-lactams (control group) were sampled over time and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was performed to examine microbiota diversity and composition. While neither treatment significantly affected diversity, numerous changes to microbiota composition were associated with each treatment. The shifts in microbiota composition associated with 3GC exposure differed from those observed with TZP, consistent with previous reports in animal models. This included a significant increase in Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcaceae abundance in endotracheal and perineal microbiota for those administered 3GC compared to the control group. Culture-based analyses did not identify any significant changes in the prevalence of specific pathogenic or antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Exposure to clinical antibiotics has previously been linked to reduced microbiota diversity and increased antimicrobial resistance, but our results indicate that these effects may not be immediately apparent after short-term real-world exposures.

Anthocyanin-containing purple potatoes ameliorate DSS-induced colitis in mice

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a major form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is on the rise worldwide. Approximately three million people suffer from IBD in the United States alone, but the current therapeutic options (e.g., corticosteroids) come with adverse side effects including reduced ability to fight infections. Thus, there is a critical need for developing effective, safe and evidence-based food products with anti-inflammatory activity. This study evaluated the antiinflammatory potential of purple-fleshed potato using a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) murine model of colitis. Mice were randomly assigned to control (AIN-93G diet), P15 (15% purple-fleshed potato diet) and P25 (25% purple-fleshed potato diet) groups. Colitis was induced by 2% DSS administration in drinking water for six days. The results indicated that purple-fleshed potato supplementation suppressed the DSS-induced reduction in body weight and colon length as well as the increase in spleen and liver weights. P15 and P25 diets suppressed the elevation in the intestinal permeability, colonic MPO activity, mRNA expression and protein levels of pro-inflammatory interleukins IL-6 and IL-17, the relative abundance of specific pathogenic bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and pks+ E. coli, and the increased flagellin levels induced by DSS treatment. P25 alone suppressed the elevated systemic MPO levels in DSS-exposed mice, and elevated the relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) as well as attenuated colonic mRNA expression level of IL-17 and the protein levels of IL-6 and IL-1β. Therefore, the purple-fleshed potato has the potential to aid in the amelioration of UC symptoms.

Antimicrobial Effects of Ethanol Extract of Eremurus persicus Leaves on Staphylococcus Aureus under Laboratory Conditions

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of ethanol extractof Eremurus persicus leaves on Staphylococcus aureus under laboratory condition. Methods: The ethanol extract of paste leaves were collected using a rotary machine. 12 strain of Staphylococcus aureus were collected from urinary tract infection of Zabol city (Iran). Results: The results showed that MIC and also MBC of Eremurus persicus ethanol extract against Staphylococcus aureus were 5 and 2.55 ppm, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that ethanol extract of Eremurus persicus leaves has a significant antibacterial effect and can be used to deal with specific pathogenic bacteria.

Assessment of Causal Direction Between Gut Microbiota and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

BackgroundRecent studies have shown that the gut microbiota is closely related to the pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), but the causal nature is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the causal relationship between intestinal bacteria and IBD and to identify specific pathogenic bacterial taxa via the Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.Materials and MethodsMR analysis was performed on genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics of gut microbiota and IBD. Specifically, the TwinsUK microbiota GWAS (N = 1,126 twin pairs) was used as exposure. The UK inflammatory bowel disease (UKIBD) and the Understanding Social Program (USP) study GWAS (N = 48,328) was used as discovery outcome, and the British IBD study (N = 35,289) was used as replication outcome. SNPs associated with bacteria abundance at the suggestive significance level (α = 1.0 × 10–5) were used as instrumental variables. Bacteria were grouped into families and genera.ResultsIn the discovery sample, a total of 30 features were available for analysis, including 15 families and 15 genera. Three features were nominally significant, including one family (Verrucomicrobiaceae, 2 IVs, beta = −0.04, p = 0.05) and two genera (Akkermansia, 2 IVs, beta = 0.04, p = 0.05; Dorea, 2 IVs, beta = −0.07, p = 0.04). All of them were successfully replicated in the replication sample (Verrucomicrobiaceae and Akkermansia Preplication = 0.02, Dorea Preplication = 0.01) with consistent effect direction.ConclusionWe identified specific pathogenic bacteria features that were causally associated with the risk of IBD, thus offering new insights into the prevention and diagnosis of IBD.