The steady increase of lgE-dependent allergic diseases after the Second World War is a unique phenomenon in the history of humankind. Numerous cross-sectional studies, comprehensive longitudinal cohort studies of chil...The steady increase of lgE-dependent allergic diseases after the Second World War is a unique phenomenon in the history of humankind. Numerous cross-sectional studies, comprehensive longitudinal cohort studies of children living in various types of environment, and mechanistic experimental studies have pointed to the disappearance of ＂protective factors＂ related to major changes in lifestyle and environment. A common unifying concept is that of the immunoregulatory role of the gut microbiota. This review focuses on the protection against allergic disorders that is provided by the farming environment and by exposure to microbial diversity. It also questions whether and how microbial bioengineering will be able in the future to restore an interplay that was beneficial to the proper immunological development of children in the past and that was irreversibly disrupted by changes in lifestyle. The protective ＂farming environment＂ includes independent and additional influences： contact with animals, stay in barns/stables, and consumption of unprocessed milk and milk products, by mothers during pregnancy and by children in early life. More than the overall quanti- ty of microbes, the biodiversity of the farm microbial environment appears to be crucial for this protection, as does the biodiversity of the gut microbiota that it may provide. Use of conventional probiotics, especially various species or strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, has not fulfilled the expectations of allergists and pediatricians to prevent allergy. Among the specific organisms present in cowsheds that could be used for prevention, Acinetobacter （A.） lwoffii F78, Lactococcus （ L.） lactis G121, and Staphylococcus （S.） sciuri W620 seem to be the most promising, based on experimental studies in mouse models of allergic respiratory diseases. However, the development of a new generation of probiotics based on very productive research on the farming environment faces several obstacles that cannot be overcome without a close collaboration between microbiologists, immunologists, and bioengineers, as well as pediatricians, allergists, specialists of clinical trials, and ethical committees.展开更多
Escherichia coli O157：H7 is known to cause food borne illness globally. Treatment of infections caused by this organism is difficult because the administration of antibiotics might precipitate kidney complications; t...Escherichia coli O157：H7 is known to cause food borne illness globally. Treatment of infections caused by this organism is difficult because the administration of antibiotics might precipitate kidney complications; therefore there is the need to search for alternative therapy. In this study, the therapeutic and immunomodulatory effects of raw maize ＂ogi＂ was investigated on rats infected with Escherichia coli 0157：H7. Infected rats treated with maize ＂ogi＂ slurry 1.0 mL once or twice daily and maize ＂ogi＂ liquor, 1.0 mL twice daily recovered 72 h while those that were treated with less than 1.0 mL recovered by 96 h. Without treatment with ＂ogi＂ however, the rats started recovering by 120 h. The treatment caused the white blood cells which had already gone up as a result of the infection to reduce significantly （P 〈 0.05） by 24 h of administration of raw fermented maize ＂ogi＂ components to the infected rats. It also caused a significant decrease in the lymphocyte counts of the infected and treated rats by 24 h. On the other hand, there was an increase in the neutrophil count irrespective of the different volumes and different components of raw ＂ogi＂ used by 24 h but by the 72 h of treatment, it started to decrease and by 120 h reduced to normal levels. Since the administration of raw maize ＂ogi＂ either slurry or liquor caused the duration of infection in rats infected with Escherichia coli 0157：H7 to reduce from 120 h to 72 h, it is therefore suggested that people having diarrhoea caused by this organism could drink fermented raw maize ＂ogi＂ slurry or liquor to treat the infection.展开更多
Variations in temperature and moisture play an important role in soil organic matter(SOM) decomposition. However, relationships between changes in microbial community composition induced by increasing temperature and ...Variations in temperature and moisture play an important role in soil organic matter(SOM) decomposition. However, relationships between changes in microbial community composition induced by increasing temperature and SOM decomposition are still unclear.The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of temperature and moisture levels on soil respiration and microbial communities involved in straw decomposition and elucidate the impact of microbial communities on straw mass loss. A 120-d litterbag experiment was conducted using wheat and maize straw at three levels of soil moisture(40%, 70%, and 90% of water-holding capacity)and temperature(15, 25, and 35?C). The microbial communities were then assessed by phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) analysis.With the exception of fungal PLFAs in maize straw at day 120, the PLFAs indicative of Gram-negative bacteria and fungi decreased with increasing temperatures. Temperature and straw C/N ratio significantly affected the microbial PLFA composition at the early stage, while soil microbial biomass carbon(C) had a stronger effect than straw C/N ratio at the later stage. Soil moisture levels exhibited no significant effect on microbial PLFA composition. Total PLFAs significantly influenced straw mass loss at the early stage of decomposition, but not at the later stage. In addition, the ratio of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial PLFAs was negatively correlated with the straw mass loss. These results indicated that shifts in microbial PLFA composition induced by temperature, straw quality, and microbial C sources could lead to changes in straw decomposition.展开更多
文摘The steady increase of lgE-dependent allergic diseases after the Second World War is a unique phenomenon in the history of humankind. Numerous cross-sectional studies, comprehensive longitudinal cohort studies of children living in various types of environment, and mechanistic experimental studies have pointed to the disappearance of ＂protective factors＂ related to major changes in lifestyle and environment. A common unifying concept is that of the immunoregulatory role of the gut microbiota. This review focuses on the protection against allergic disorders that is provided by the farming environment and by exposure to microbial diversity. It also questions whether and how microbial bioengineering will be able in the future to restore an interplay that was beneficial to the proper immunological development of children in the past and that was irreversibly disrupted by changes in lifestyle. The protective ＂farming environment＂ includes independent and additional influences： contact with animals, stay in barns/stables, and consumption of unprocessed milk and milk products, by mothers during pregnancy and by children in early life. More than the overall quanti- ty of microbes, the biodiversity of the farm microbial environment appears to be crucial for this protection, as does the biodiversity of the gut microbiota that it may provide. Use of conventional probiotics, especially various species or strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, has not fulfilled the expectations of allergists and pediatricians to prevent allergy. Among the specific organisms present in cowsheds that could be used for prevention, Acinetobacter （A.） lwoffii F78, Lactococcus （ L.） lactis G121, and Staphylococcus （S.） sciuri W620 seem to be the most promising, based on experimental studies in mouse models of allergic respiratory diseases. However, the development of a new generation of probiotics based on very productive research on the farming environment faces several obstacles that cannot be overcome without a close collaboration between microbiologists, immunologists, and bioengineers, as well as pediatricians, allergists, specialists of clinical trials, and ethical committees.
文摘Escherichia coli O157：H7 is known to cause food borne illness globally. Treatment of infections caused by this organism is difficult because the administration of antibiotics might precipitate kidney complications; therefore there is the need to search for alternative therapy. In this study, the therapeutic and immunomodulatory effects of raw maize ＂ogi＂ was investigated on rats infected with Escherichia coli 0157：H7. Infected rats treated with maize ＂ogi＂ slurry 1.0 mL once or twice daily and maize ＂ogi＂ liquor, 1.0 mL twice daily recovered 72 h while those that were treated with less than 1.0 mL recovered by 96 h. Without treatment with ＂ogi＂ however, the rats started recovering by 120 h. The treatment caused the white blood cells which had already gone up as a result of the infection to reduce significantly （P 〈 0.05） by 24 h of administration of raw fermented maize ＂ogi＂ components to the infected rats. It also caused a significant decrease in the lymphocyte counts of the infected and treated rats by 24 h. On the other hand, there was an increase in the neutrophil count irrespective of the different volumes and different components of raw ＂ogi＂ used by 24 h but by the 72 h of treatment, it started to decrease and by 120 h reduced to normal levels. Since the administration of raw maize ＂ogi＂ either slurry or liquor caused the duration of infection in rats infected with Escherichia coli 0157：H7 to reduce from 120 h to 72 h, it is therefore suggested that people having diarrhoea caused by this organism could drink fermented raw maize ＂ogi＂ slurry or liquor to treat the infection.
文摘Variations in temperature and moisture play an important role in soil organic matter(SOM) decomposition. However, relationships between changes in microbial community composition induced by increasing temperature and SOM decomposition are still unclear.The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of temperature and moisture levels on soil respiration and microbial communities involved in straw decomposition and elucidate the impact of microbial communities on straw mass loss. A 120-d litterbag experiment was conducted using wheat and maize straw at three levels of soil moisture(40%, 70%, and 90% of water-holding capacity)and temperature(15, 25, and 35?C). The microbial communities were then assessed by phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) analysis.With the exception of fungal PLFAs in maize straw at day 120, the PLFAs indicative of Gram-negative bacteria and fungi decreased with increasing temperatures. Temperature and straw C/N ratio significantly affected the microbial PLFA composition at the early stage, while soil microbial biomass carbon(C) had a stronger effect than straw C/N ratio at the later stage. Soil moisture levels exhibited no significant effect on microbial PLFA composition. Total PLFAs significantly influenced straw mass loss at the early stage of decomposition, but not at the later stage. In addition, the ratio of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial PLFAs was negatively correlated with the straw mass loss. These results indicated that shifts in microbial PLFA composition induced by temperature, straw quality, and microbial C sources could lead to changes in straw decomposition.
