Optimization of Hydrocarbons Biodegradation by Bacterial Strains Isolated from Wastewaters in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: Case Study of SAE 40/50 Used Oils and Diesel

Environmental pollution with petroleum and petrochemical products such as diesel and used oils has been recognized as one of the most serious current problem in the world, especially in developing countries. These petrochemical products devastate the soil, surface and underground waters and alter the microbial population at the polluted sites. Thus, the present work aims to optimize the biodegradation of diesel and two used oils (SAE 40 and SAE 50) by bacterial strains namely Acinetobacter S2 and Pseudomonas S7 using either nutrient factors (yeast extract, peptone or trace elements) or surfactants (tween 80 or Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate: SDS). The strains are incubated alone or together with the used oils or diesel supplemented or not with nutrient factors or surfactants for 14, 28, 42 and 56 days, respectively. For all the incubation period, the hydrocarbons degradation rates are determined by gravimetric assay. The results obtained show that nutrient factors increase significantly SAE 50 used oil biodegradation (p = 0.009). Similarly, tween 80 increases SAE 50 and SAE 40 used oils biodegradation but not diesel one. The results also show a significant difference between biodegradation rates at 14, 28, 42 and 56 days for all the hydro-carbons tested (p Acinetobacter S2 and Pseudomonas S7 increases the degradation over the one of the strains alone.

Preliminary Characterization of a Cellulase Producing Bacterial Strain Isolated from a Romanian Hypersaline Lake

Cellulases are a group of enzymes that are used in many biotechnological processes. Since most of the enzymes synthesised by mesophilic microorganisms are unstable in industrial environments, it is necessary to direct research towards extremophile cellulolytic microorganisms because the enzymes synthesised by them are stable and active even in harsh physicochemical conditions. In the present investigation, our aim was to isolate and identify some microbial cellulolytic strains from a hypersaline lake located in Romania and to determine their optimal growth conditions. Of a total of 25 microbial strains isolated, only one extreme halotolerant bacterial strain was able to produce an endoglucanase. Based on molecular identification, we identified this cellulolytic strain as a species of Bacillus genus, most closely related to Bacillus zhangzhouensis. Optimal growth conditions were found to be at 15°C, pH 7.5 and 2 M NaCl. Endoglucanase activity of this bacterial strain is influenced by both salinity and temperature. The most significant endoglucanase activity was detected in the presence of 3 M NaCl, after 72 h of incubation at 15°C. In this situation, the amount of glucose released from a volume of 0.5 mL of 2% (w/v) carboxymethyl cellulose substrate is equivalent to 2.05 mg. In conclusion, this study represents the first preliminary characterization of a B. zhangzhouensis strain that has the ability to degrade cellulose and that demonstrates tolerance to high salt concentrations.

Evaluatien of Near-lsogenic Rice Lines with 8 Genes for Bacterial Blight Resistance to Strains in China

A set of near-isogenic rice lines withmonogenic resistance to bacterial blight weredeveloped by IRRI.The Cultivar IR24 wasused as the recurred parent.They wereevaluated with 6 races of Xanthomonascampestris pv.oryzae(Xco)in the Philip-pines at the maximum tillering and the bootingstages by ZHANG and MEW at IRRI in 1989.

Assessment of Expression Cassettes and Culture Media for Different Escherichia coli Strains to Produce Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a value-added ketocarotenoid with great potential in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.Genetic engineering of heterologous hosts for astaxanthin production has attracted great attention.In this study,we assessed some key factors,including codon usage of the expressed genes,types of promoters,bacterial strains,and culture media,for engineered Escherichia coli to produce astaxanthin.The effect of codon usage was shown to be related to the types of promoters.E.coli DH5a was superior to other strains for astaxanthin production.Different culture media greatly affected the contents and yields of astaxanthin in engineered E.coli.When the expression cassette containing GadE promoter and its driving genes,HpCHY and CrBKT,was inserted into the plasmid pACCAR16DcrtX and expressed in E.coli DH5a,the engineered strain was able to produce 4.30±0.28 mg/g dry cell weight(DCW)or 24.16±2.03 mg/L of astaxanthin,which was a sevenfold or 40-fold increase over the initial production of 0.62±0.03 mg/g DCW or 0.61±0.05 mg/L.

Antibacterial behavior and related mechanisms of martensitic Cu-bearing stainless steel evaluated by a mixed infection model of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in vitro

Escherichia coli(E.coli)and Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)are the most typical pathogenic bacteria with a significantly high risk of bio-contamination,widely existing in hospital and public places.Recent studies on antibacterial materials and the related mechanisms have attracted more interests of researchers.However,the antibacterial behavior of materials is usually evaluated separately on the single bacterial strain,which is far from the practical condition.Actually,the interaction between the polymicrobial communities can promote the growing profile of bacteria,which may weaken the antibacterial effect of materials.In this work,a 420 copper-bearing martensitic stainless steel(420 CuSS)was studied with respect to its antibacterial activity and the underlying mechanism in a co-culturing infection model using both E.coli and S.au reus.Observed via plating and counting colony forming units(CFU),Cu releasing,and material characterization,420 CuSS was proved to present excellent antibacterial performance against the mixed bacteria with an approximately 99.4%of antibacterial rate.In addition,420 CuSS could effectively inhibit the biofilm formation on its surfaces,resulting from a synergistic antibacterial effect of Cu ions,Fe ions,reactive oxygen species(ROS),and proton consumption of bacteria.

Antibacterial activity of four Gracilaria species of red seaweeds collected from Mandapam Coast,Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve,India

Objective:To study the antibacterial activities of diethyl ether,toluene,ethanol and methanol extracts of red seaweeds such as Gracilaria crassa(G.crassa),Gracilaria folifera(G.folifera),Gracilaria debilis(G.debilis)and Gracilaria corticata.Methods:The crude extracts were tested against different types of Gram-positive and-negative bacterial strains and all the seaweed extracts were tested a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity.Antibacterial activity was made using paper disc diffusion method.Four organic solvents(diethyl ether,toluene,methanol and ethanol)were used separately in a Soxhlet apparatus for seven bacterial strains.Antibacterial activity of the known antibiotics such as chloramphenicol,streptomycin,kanamycin and ampicillin was determined by testing them against different test organisms.Results:The high antibacterial activity was noted in the extracts of G.crassa,G.folifera and G.debilis.However,G.crassa and G.debilis have good antibacterial activity.Pathogens like Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli were less susceptible to the methanol and diethyl ether extracts of G.folifera.The comparative study on the antibacterial activity was also made by using 200μg concentration of solvent extracts(diethyl ether,ethanol,toluene and methanol)and different five antibiotics such as chloramphenicol,streptomycin,kanamycin,amoxicillin and ampicillin.The bacterial strains tested were more sensitive to chloramphenicol,streptomycin,kanamycin,and ampicillin when compared to algal extracts.Conclusions:The present study proved that the extracts of G.crassa,G.folifera and G.debilis have high antibacterial activity.Although G.crassa and G.debilis showed good antibacterial activity,many known antibiotics are active against a few organisms individually.Hence,the extracts of seaweeds were active against all test organisms used and the activities were comparable to that of antibiotics and the seaweeds offer a feasible alternative for the development of new antibiotics.The results also suggest the need for a more dynamic search for pharmaceutically interesting substances from Indian seaweeds.

Improvement of the assimilable organic carbon （AOC） analytical method for reclaimed water

Microbial growth is an issue of concern that may cause hygienic and aesthetic problems during the transportation and usage of reclaimed water. Assimilable organic carbon （AOC） is an important parameter which determines the heterotrophic bacterial growth potential of water. Pseudomonas fluorescens P17 and Spirillum sp. NOX are widely used to measure AOC in drinking water. The AOC values of various reclaimed water samples determined by P 17 and NOX were compared with those determined by the new strains isolated from reclaimed water in this study. It showed that the conventional test strains were not suitable for AOC measurement of reclaimed water in certain cases. In addition to P17 and NOX, Stenotrophomonas sp. Z J2, Pseudomonas saponi- phila G3 and Enterobacter sp. G6, were selected as test strains for AOC measurement of reclaimed water. Key aspects of the bioassay including inoculum cell density, incubation temperature, incubation time and the pH of samples were evaluated for the newly selected test strains. Higher inoculum density （104 CFU.mL-1） and higher incubation temperature （25℃） could reduce the time required for the tests. The AOC results of various collected samples showed the advantages of the method proposed based on those five strains in evaluating the biologic stability of reclaimed water.

Optimization and modeling of glyphosate biodegradation by a novel Comamonas odontotermitis P2 through response surface methodology

Glyphosate is an important organophosphonate herbicide used to eliminate grasses and herbaceous plants in many vegetation management situations.Its extensive use is causing environmental pollution,and consequently,there is a need to remove it from the environment using an eco-friendly and cost-effective method.As a step to address this problem,a novel bacterial strain Comamonas odontotermitis F2,capable to utilize glyphosate as a carbon(C)and/or phosphorus(P)source,was isolated from a glyphostate-contaminated field soil in Australia and characterized.Response surface methodology(RSM)employing a 2^3 full factorial central composite design was used to optimize glyphosate degradation by C.odontotermitis P2 under various culture conditions.The strain C.odontotermitis P2 was proficient in degrading 1.5 g L^-1 glyphosate completely within 104 h.The optimal conditions for the degradation of glyphosate were found to be pH 7.4,29.9℃,and an inoculum density of 0.54 g L^-1,resulting in a maximum degradation of 90%.Sequencing of glyphosate oxidoreductase(GOX)and C-P lyase(phnJ)genes from C.odontotermitis P2 revealed 999c and 93%identities to already reported bacterial GOX and phnJ genes,respectively.The presence of these two genes in C.odontotermitis indicates its potential to degrade glyphosate through GOX and C-P lyase metabolic pathways.This study demonstrates the potential of C.odontotermitis P2 for efficient degradation of glyphosate,which can be exploited for remediation of glyphosate.