Articles

Evaluation of in vitro alpha-glucosidase inhibitory, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of secondary metabolites from the endophytic fungus, Nigrospora sphaerica, isolated from Helianthus annuus

This study aimed to evaluate alpha-glucosidase inhibition and antimicrobial activity as well as cytotoxic activity of extracts from the endophytic fungus, Nigrospora sp., isolated from leaves of Helianthus annuus

Authors: Preuttiporn Supaphon and Sita Preedanon

Combined use of eBeam irradiation and the potential probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus Vahe for control of foodborne pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae

The implementation of electron beam radiation coupled with the use of probiotics is one of the newest food processing technologies that may be used to ensure food safety and improve shelf life of food products...

Authors: Marine H. Balayan, Astghik Z. Pepoyan, Anahit M. Manvelyan, Vardan V. Tsaturyan, Bagrat Grigoryan, Arusyak Abrahamyan and Michael L. Chikindas

Correction to: Phylogenetics and antibacterial properties of exopolysaccharides from marine bacteria isolated from Mauritius seawater

In the above-mentioned paper, the wrong figure was provided for figure 6.

Authors: Aadil Ahmad Aullybux, Daneshwar Puchooa, Theeshan Bahorun and Rajesh Jeewon

Numerical analysis of phenotypic properties, genomic fingerprinting, and multilocus sequence analysis of Bradyrhizobium strains isolated from root nodules of Lembotropis nigricans of the tribe Genisteae

The aim of this study was to estimate the level of genomic and phenotypic diversity as well as the genus and species position of bacterial strains isolated from root nodules of Lembotropis nigricans (family Fabac...

Authors: Magdalena Wójcik, Michał Kalita and Wanda Małek

Correction to: Novel qPCR probe systems for the characterization of subaerial biofilms on stone monuments

The term ‘subaerial biofilm’ (SAB) has been introduced for microbial communities that develop on solid mineral surfaces exposed to the atmosphere.

Authors: Angelo del Mondo, Antonino de Natale, Gabriele Pinto and Antonino Pollio

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Phytobacter nematintestini sp. nov., isolated from the intestine of Caenorhabditis elegans and conferring resistance to Bacillus nematocida infection

Authors: Lin Zhang, Xilei Song, Wenpeng Li, Suya Zhao, Ling Yang, Min Xia and Qiuhong Niu

Diversity of β-lactam resistance genes in gram-negative rods isolated from a municipal wastewater treatment plant

Urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs) are considered hot spots for the accumulation and transfer of antibiotic resistant bacteria and their genes. We investigated the prevalence, diversity, and genomic loc...

Authors: Marta Piotrowska, Sylwia Kowalska and Magdalena Popowska

A time travel story: metagenomic analyses decipher the unknown geographical shift and the storage history of possibly smuggled antique marble statues

In this study, three possibly smuggled marble statues of an unknown origin, two human torsi (a female and a male) and a small head, were subjected to molecular analyses. The aim was to reconstruct the history ...

Authors: Guadalupe Piñar, Caroline Poyntner, Hakim Tafer and Katja Sterflinger

Characterization and comparisons of microbiota in different intestinal segments between adult Chinese Shanxi Black Pigs and Large White Pigs

The carcass weight of Chinese Shanxi Black Pigs is relatively lower in comparison with that of the counterparts, i.e., Large White Pigs, although the former are resistant to harsh conditions. Since gut microfl...

Authors: Pengfei Gao, Yulong Guo, Ningfang Zhang, Wanfeng Zhang, Hejie Wang, Xiaohong Guo, Zhibian Duan, Min Du, Qiyuan Yang, Bugao Li, Yaping Li and Guoqing Cao

Correction to: Diversity and symbiotic divergence of endophytic and non-endophytic rhizobia of Medicago sativa

The authors wish to clarify that the right Fund No. of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is 31560666. The Fund No. in the original article was wrong. The authors apologise for this error.

Authors: Wenjuan Kang, Shangli Shi and Lin Xu

Phenotypic and genotypic evaluation of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from fish and fish processing plants

The aim of this study was to perform the phenotypic and genotypic evaluation of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from fish and equipment used in fish processing plants. The prevalence of selected gene-enco...

Authors: Krzysztof Skowron, Natalia Wiktorczyk, Katarzyna Grudlewska, Ewa Wałecka-Zacharska, Zbigniew Paluszak, Stefan Kruszewski and Eugenia Gospodarek-Komkowska

Characterization of an extracellular polysaccharide produced by a Saharan bacterium Paenibacillus tarimensis REG 0201M

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the novel molecular characteristics and rheological properties of the polysaccharide produced by a bacterium isolated from extremophilic environment (Algerian Sahara)....

Authors: Nadia Boukhelata, Farida Taguett and Yahia Kaci

Obituary Dr. Valter Tandoi

Authors: Simona Rossetti

Isolation and characterization of a new fructophilic Lactobacillus plantarum FPL strain from honeydew

In the present study, a Lactobacillus plantarum FPL strain exhibiting fructophilic behavior has been isolated for the first time from honeydew. It is a probably syntrophic bacterium inhabiting the gastrointestina...

Authors: Klaudia Gustaw, Magdalena Michalak, Magdalena Polak-Berecka and Adam Waśko

Erratum to: Radio-protective and antioxidative activities of astaxanthin from newly isolated radio-resistant bacterium Deinococcus sp. strain WMA-LM9

Authors: Wasim Sajjad, Manzoor Ahmad, Salman Khan, Sunniya Ilyas, Fariha Hasan, Cem Celik, Kerry McPhail and Aamer Ali Shah

Erratum to: Identification and characterization of the rhizosphere phosphate-solubilizing bacterium Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis JW-SD2, and its plant growth-promoting effects on poplar seedlings

Authors: Qingwei Zeng, Xiaoqin Wu and Xinyi Wen

Erratum to: Expression of SOD and production of reactive oxygen species in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus caused by hydrocarbon oxidation

Authors: Ivan Sazykin, Marina Sazykina, Ludmila Khmelevtsova, Margarita Khammami, Shorena Karchava, Maria Zhuravleva and Elena Kudeevskaya

Erratum to: Identification of N-Hexadecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C16-AHL) as signal molecule in halophilic bacterium Halomonas smyrnensis AAD6

Authors: Gennaro Roberto Abbamondi, Salim Suner, Adele Cutignano, Laura Grauso, Barbara Nicolaus, Ebru Toksoy Oner and Giuseppina Tommonaro

Erratum to: Screening and characterization of a non-insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis strain producing parasporal protein with selective toxicity against human colon cancer cell lines

Authors: Periyasamy Abirami, Kkani Poornima, Chandrasekaran Binuramesh, Ponnusamy Suguna, Viswanathan Saranya, Selvanayagam Peter and Rajaiah Shenbagarathai

Erratum to: Biosurfactant production by AL 1.1, a Bacillus licheniformis strain isolated from Antarctica: production, chemical characterization and properties

Authors: Jonathan Coronel-León, Guillermo de Grau, Ariadna Grau-Campistany, Maribel Farfan, Francesc Rabanal, Angels Manresa and Ana María Marqués

Soil chemical properties affect the reaction of forest soil bacteria to drought and rewetting stress

Reaction of soil bacteria to drought and rewetting stress may depend on soil chemical properties. The objectives of this study were to test the reaction of different bacterial phyla to drought and rewetting st...

Authors: Marcin Chodak, Marcin Gołębiewski, Justyna Morawska-Płoskonka, Katarzyna Kuduk and Maria Niklińska

Antimicrobial activity of low-pressure plasma treatment against selected foodborne bacteria and meat microbiota

The effects of helium and argon plasma treatments on inactivation of both pure bacterial cultures inoculated onto the surface of agarized media and the surface microbiota of meat were investigated. Cold plasma...

Authors: Natalia Ulbin-Figlewicz, Andrzej Jarmoluk and Krzysztof Marycz

Assortment of carbon sources in medium for Yarrowia lipolytica lipase production: A statistical approach

Glycerol is considered an important renewable feedstock as well as an undesirable side-product of biodiesel production. The aim of this study was to determine whether supplementing a culture medium with a comb...

Authors: Agata Urszula Fabiszewska, Danuta Kotyrba and Dorota Nowak

Environmental scanning electron microscopy analysis of Proteus mirabilis biofilms grown on chitin and stainless steel

Proteus mirabilis is a human pathogen able to form biofilms on the surface of urinary catheters. Little is known about P. mirabilis biofilms on natural or industrial surfaces and the pote...

Authors: Milagro Fernández-Delgado, Zoilabet Duque, Héctor Rojas, Paula Suárez, Monica Contreras, María A. García-Amado and Carlos Alciaturi

Biotransformation of acetophenone and its halogen derivatives by Yarrowia lipolytica strains

The ability of 16 strains of Yarrowia lipolytica to biotransform acetophenone and its derivatives has been studied. Thirteen of these strains were derived from a wild-type strain Y. lipolytica A-101; six had the ...

Authors: Tomasz Janeczko, Wojciech Bąkowski, Ewa Walczak, Małgorzata Robak, Jadwiga Dmochowska-Gładysz and Edyta Kostrzewa-Susłow

Influence of long-term fertilization on soil microbial biomass, dehydrogenase activity, and bacterial and fungal community structure in a brown soil of northeast China

In this study, the effect of mineral fertilizer and organic manure were evaluated on soil microbial biomass, dehydrogenase activity, bacterial and fungal community structure in a long-term (33 years) field exp...

Authors: Peiyu Luo, Xiaori Han, Yan Wang, Mei Han, Hui Shi, Ning Liu and Hongzhi Bai

Characterization of microbial communities in heavy crude oil from Saudi Arabia

The complete mineralization of crude oil into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and cellular constituents can be carried out as part of a bioremediation strategy. This involves the transformation of c...

Authors: Majed Albokari, Ibrahim Mashhour, Mohammed Alshehri, Chris Boothman and Mousa Al-Enezi

The rapid identification of lactic acid bacteria present in Chilean winemaking processes using culture-independent analysis

A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes was developed to identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that are commonly present in wine...

Authors: Carolina Ilabaca, Carla Jara and Jaime Romero

Impurities of crude glycerol and their effect on metabolite production

Glycerol is a valuable raw material for the production of industrially useful metabolites. Among many promising applications for the use of glycerol is its bioconversion to high value-added compounds, such as ...

Authors: Dorota Samul, Katarzyna Leja and Włodzimierz Grajek

Expression of bacteriocin divercin AS7 in Escherichia coli and its functional analysis

Bacteriocins are small peptides with antimicrobial activity, that are produced by bacteria. Four classes of bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria have been defined. Class IIa bacteriocins are promising...

Authors: Agnieszka K. Olejnik-Schmidt, Marcin T. Schmidt, Anna Sip, Tomasz Szablewski and Włodzimierz Grajek

Erratum to: Proportion of prokaryotes enumerated as viruses by epifluorescence microscopy

Authors: Carlos Mendes, Luísa Santos, Ângela Cunha, Newton C. M. Gomes and Adelaide Almeida

Metagenomic analyses reveal phylogenetic diversity of carboxypeptidase gene sequences in activated sludge of a wastewater treatment plant in Shanghai, China

Activated sludge of wastewater treatment plants carries a diverse microflora. However, up to 80–90 % of microorganisms in activated sludge cannot be cultured by current laboratory techniques, leaving an enzyme...

Authors: Hao Jin, Bailin Li, Xu Peng and Lanming Chen

Assessment of biological colonization of historic buildings in the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp

The objective of this study was to assess biological colonization of wooden and brick buildings in the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp, and to identify the organisms colonizing the examined bui...

Authors: Katarzyna Rajkowska, Anna Otlewska, Anna Koziróg, Małgorzata Piotrowska, Paulina Nowicka-Krawczyk, Mariusz Hachułka, Grzegorz J. Wolski, Alina Kunicka-Styczyńska, Beata Gutarowska and Agnieszka Żydzik-Białek

Erratum to: The phenotypic, phylogenetic and symbiotic characterization of rhizobia nodulating Lotus sp. in Tunisian arid soils

Authors: Mokhtar Rejili, Mosbah Mahdhi, José Alfonso Domínguez-Núñez and Mohamed Mars

Lactobacillus salivarius and L. gasseri down-regulate Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans exotoxins expression

Beneficial microbes, such as lactobacilli establish a symbiosis with the host and confer health-associated effects, by limiting the growth of indigenous pathogens and challenging microbes introduced by altered...

Authors: Lorenzo Nissen, Barbara Sgorbati, Bruno Biavati and Georgios N. Belibasakis

Low metabolic activity of biofilm formed by Enterococcus faecalis isolated from healthy humans and wild mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

It is widely known that Enterococcus faecalis virulence is related to its biofilm formation. Although Enterococci are common commensal organisms of the gastrointestinal tract, the difference between commensal and...

Authors: Włodzimierz Meissner, Tomasz A. Jarzembowski, Hanna Rzyska, Claudia Botelho and Anna Pałubicka

Erratum to: Correlations between 23S rRNA genes and erythromycin resistance in Campylobacter jejuni

Authors: Takuya Nakajima, Akihiro Tazumi, Shigeyuki Nakanishi, Jiru Xu, Lei Han, Naoaki Misawa, John E. Moore, Beverley C. Millar and Motoo Matsuda

Erratum to: Cellulase production by solid state fermentation using bagasse with Penicillium decumbens L-06

Authors: Chuannan Long, Yueqin Ou, Ping Guo, Yuntao Liu, Jingjing Cui, Minnan Long and Zhong Hu

The application of genetics methods to differentiation of three Lactobacillus species of human origin

In recent decades, the interest in probiotics as diet supplements or drugs has increased. In order to determine a specific bacterial isolate to be probiotic, it is necessary to describe precisely its probiotic...

Authors: Tomasz Gosiewski, Agnieszka Chmielarczyk, Magdalena Strus, Monika Brzychczy-Włoch and Piotr B. Heczko

Acknowledgement

Authors:

Transferable integrons of Gram-negative bacteria isolated from the gut of a wild boar in the buffer zone of a national park

The aim of this study was to determine the presence of integron-bearing Gram-negative bacteria in the gut of a wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) shot in the buffer zone of a national park. Five Gram-negative strains of E...

Authors: Joanna Mokracka, Ryszard Koczura and Adam Kaznowski

GFP-tagged multimetal-tolerant bacteria and their detection in the rhizosphere of white mustard

The introduction of rhizobacteria that tolerate heavy metals is a promising approach to support plants involved in phytoextraction and phytostabilisation. In this study, soil of a metal-mine wasteland was anal...

Authors: Zofia Piotrowska-Seget, Grażyna Beściak, Tytus Bernaś and Jacek Kozdrój

Optimization of xylanase production by Streptomyces sp. P12-137 using response surface methodology and central composite design

Response surface methodology and central composite design were used to optimize a biosynthesis medium for the production of xylanases by Streptomyces sp. P12-137 in submerged fermentation culture at pH 5.0, with ...

Authors: Gigi Coman and Gabriela Bahrim

Purification and characterization of chitinase from Alcaligenes faecalis AU02 by utilizing marine wastes and its antioxidant activity

Marine waste is an abundant renewable source for the recovery of several value added metabolites with potential industrial applications. This study describes the production of chitinase on marine waste, with t...

Authors: Neelamegam Annamalai, Mayavan Veeramuthu Rajeswari, Shanmugam Vijayalakshmi and Thangavel Balasubramanian

Degradation of a benzene–toluene mixture by hydrocarbon-adapted bacterial communities

We examined the rate of degradation of a benzene–toluene mixture in aerobic microcosms prepared with samples of an aquifer that lies below a petrochemical plant (SIReN, UK). Five samples exposed to different c...

Authors: Arturo Aburto and Mariana Peimbert

A comparative study of biodegradation of vinyl acetate by environmental strains

Four Gram-negative strains, E3_2001, EC1_2004, EC3_3502 and EC2_3502, previously isolated from soil samples, were subjected to comparative studies in order to select the best vinyl acetate degrader for waste g...

Authors: Izabela Greń, Agnieszka Gąszczak, Urszula Guzik, Grażyna Bartelmus and Sylwia Łabużek

Lipid biosynthesis in Cunninghamella bainieri 2A1 in N-limited and N-excess media

Lipid biosynthesis and fatty acids composition of oleaginous zygomycetes, namely Cunninghamella bainieri 2A1, cultured in media with excess or limited nitrogen were quantitatively determined at different times of...

Authors: Ekhlass M. Taha, Othman Omar, Wan Mohtar Wan Yusoff and Aidil Abdul Hamid

Detection of viable but non cultivable Escherichia coli after UV irradiation using a lytic Qβ phage

In order to qualify the germicidal efficacy of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system, we generally determine the reduction of viable bacteria after UV-C irradiation. However, the simple count of viable and cult...

Authors: Myriam Ben Said, Otaki Masahiro and Abdennaceur Hassen