Determination of assimilable organic carbon (aoc) in ozonated water with acinetobacter calcoaceticus

The effect of ozone application in drinking water on the production of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) was evaluated. The typical procedure to determine AOC is suggested by van der Kooij, which is the method of bacterial growth measurement by colony‐forming units using the strain P17 and/or NOX. The bacterial indicator species used for this study is Acinetobacter calcoaceticus which was isolated and identified while ozonating Nakdong river water. This strain could never be isolated from the raw water, but this strain was the predominant isolate in the ozonated water. Within a short incubation time, this organism was found to replicate well on acetate and oxalate as the sole carbon sources. The yield coefficients of this organism for acetate and oxalate are the same order of magnitude as the value of P17 and NOX. With full‐scale experiments, A. calcoaceticus concentration was found to increase after ozonation, but did not decrease upon chlorination. In laboratory‐scale experiments with Yongsan river water, aldehyes were found to be produced in proportion to the ozone dose. The raw water contains low concentrations of aldehydes, but has a high AOC concentration. A correlation between aldehyde production and AOC production was observed in the tested water with ozonation.     

Deciphering the Binding Interactions between Acinetobacter baumannii ACP and β-ketoacyl ACP Synthase III to Improve Antibiotic Targeting Using NMR Spectroscopy

Fatty acid synthesis is essential for bacterial viability. Thus, fatty acid synthases (FASs) represent effective targets for antibiotics. Nevertheless, multidrug-resistant bacteria, including the human opportunistic bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii, are emerging threats. Meanwhile, the FAS pathway of A. baumannii is relatively unexplored. Considering that acyl carrier protein (ACP) has an important role in the delivery of fatty acyl intermediates to other FAS enzymes, we elucidated the solution structure of A. baumannii ACP (AbACP) and, using NMR spectroscopy, investigated its interactions with β-ketoacyl ACP synthase III (AbKAS III), which initiates fatty acid elongation. The results show that AbACP comprises four helices, while Ca²⁺ reduces the electrostatic repulsion between acid residues, and the unconserved F47 plays a key role in thermal stability. Moreover, AbACP exhibits flexibility near the hydrophobic cavity entrance from D59 to T65, as well as in the α₁α₂ loop region. Further, F29 and A69 participate in slow exchanges, which may be related to shuttling of the growing acyl chain. Additionally, electrostatic interactions occur between the α₂ and α₃-helix of ACP and AbKAS III, while the hydrophobic interactions through the ACP α₂-helix are seemingly important. Our study provides insights for development of potent antibiotics capable of inhibiting A. baumannii FAS protein–protein interactions.     

2,2′-oxo-1,1′-azobenzene: microbial transformation of rye (Secale cereale L.) allelochemical in field soils byAcinetobacter calcoaceticus: III

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, a gram-negative bacterium isolated from field soil, was found to be responsible for the biotransformation of 2(3H)-benzoxazolinone (BOA) to 2,2-oxo-1,1-azobenzene (AZOB). Experiments were conducted to evaluate the transformation of BOA to AZOB by this microbe in sterile and nonsterile soil. Transformation studies with soils inoculated withA. calcoaceticus indicated that the production of AZOB increased linearly with the concentration of BOA in sterile soil and showed a quadratic trend in nonsterile soils. This also indicated that all soil types studied for the transformation experiments might containA. calcoaceticus capable of the conversion of benzoxazolinones.     

全国27所医院多重耐药鲍曼不动杆菌及铜绿假单胞菌对12种抗菌药物的敏感性

目的　研究医院感染相关多重耐药鲍曼不动杆菌（multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii,MDR-AB）及多重耐药铜绿假单胞菌（multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, MDR-PA）对12种抗菌药物的敏感性。方法　收集2011年8月至2012年7月全国27所教学医院分离的医院感染相关MDR-AB及MDR-PA菌株。所有菌株均分离自有明确感染意义的临床标本，严格排除痰及筛查性拭子。菌株收集后统一在微生物实验室采用微量肉汤稀释法，测定其对12种抗菌药物的最小抑菌浓度（minimum inhibitory concentration，MIC），并同时用CLSI M100-S24及M100-S23/S21鲍曼不动杆菌和铜绿假单胞菌的碳青霉烯类新旧折点进行对比分析。结果　本研究共收集到MDR-AB 664株，未发现全耐药鲍曼不动杆菌；收集到MDR-PA 268株，其中有4株全耐药铜绿假单胞菌。外科病房及ICU病房是多重耐药菌株的主要来源。MDR-AB对黏菌素的敏感率最高，为96.8%；替加环素的敏感率为72.6%，其余药物的敏感率均低于55%。MDR-PA对黏菌素的敏感率仅为72.4%，但对阿米卡星的敏感率（64.2%）明显高于MDR-AB（16.7%）。在CLSI折点改变后，MDR-AB对亚胺培南及美罗培南的敏感率仅分别下降了1.3%和0.6%，但MDR-PA对亚胺培南及美罗培南的敏感率分别下降了5.5%和8.6%。ICU病房来源的MDR-AB及MDR-PA对碳青霉烯酶类药物敏感率都明显低于外科及其他病房。不同地域来源多重耐药菌株的耐药谱有所差异。结论　黏菌素和替加环素对MDR-AB有良好的抗菌活性，黏菌素及阿米卡星对MDR-PA抗菌活性较好。     

凡纳滨对虾优势腐败菌鉴定及其致腐能力的初步研究

分析鉴定了凡纳滨对虾0℃与20℃贮藏条件下的菌相组成与优势腐败菌,并对优势腐败菌16SrDNA、生长动力学、致腐能力与菌落数的变化进行了测定。结果表明,0℃与20℃贮藏条件下,对虾优势腐败菌分别是希瓦氏菌(30%)、不动杆菌(16.7%)与希瓦氏菌(46.5%)、发光杆菌(17.7%)。7℃条件下,将一定浓度的希瓦氏菌与不动杆菌菌悬液接种到无菌对虾上,结果显示接种希瓦氏菌的样品其腐败代谢产物产量因子YTVB-N/CFU、YTMA/CFU分别为12.44×10-9、6.193×10-10,而接种不动杆菌的样品其YTVB-N/CFU、YTMA/CFU分别为8.937×10-9、5.548×10-10。结果表明,7℃条件下,希瓦氏菌的致腐能力强于不动杆菌,希瓦氏菌在对虾腐败过程中占主导作用,其分析结果与对虾菌相组成的鉴定结果相一致。     

Detection of viable antibiotic‐resistant/sensitive Acinetobacter baumannii in indoor air by propidium monoazide quantitative polymerase chain reaction

Acinetobacter baumannii represents a significant cause of nosocomial infections. Therefore, we combined real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the propidium monoazide (PMA‐qPCR) to assess the feasibility of detecting viable, airborne A. baumannii. The biological collection efficiencies of three samplers for collecting airborne A. baumannii were evaluated by PMA‐qPCR in a chamber study. After sampling, the effects of storage in collection fluid on A. baumannii were evaluated. The results showed that the culturable ratio of A. baumannii measured using the culture method was significantly correlated with the viable ratio measured using PMA‐qPCR, but was not significantly correlated with the qPCR results. It was indicated that the AGI‐30 impinger and the BioSampler were much more effective than the Nuclepore filter sampler for collecting airborne A. baumannii. The storage temperature was critical for aerosol samples, as the loss of viable A. baumannii was minimized when the PMA‐bound DNA was stored at ?20°C or if the collected cells were stored at 4°C and subsequently processed by PMA‐qPCR within 1 month. The PMA‐qPCR method was also to distinguish between colistin‐sensitive and colistin‐resistant A. baumannii, and no colistin‐sensitive A. baumannii was detected by PMA‐qPCR upon treatment of the BioSampler collection medium with 2 μg/ml colistin for 5 min.     

Kinetic model for effects of ethanol and phosphate on cell growth and emulsan production inAcinetobacter calcoaceticus RAG-1

A mathematical kinetic model was proposed to describe the cell growth and the emulsan production in batch cultivations ofAcinetobacter calcoaceticus RAG-1. Ethanol and phosphate concentrations were chosen as the key variables, which affected the cell growth and emulsan production in the batch cultivations. The cell growth was inhibited by high concentrations of ethanol and was slightly affected by intracellular phosphate level. And the emulsan production was related to the intracellular phosphate level dependent upon the extracellular phosphate concentration. Kinetic model for the cell growth was formulated using the ethanol inhibition term and the intracellular phosphate level. The relationship between extracellular and intracelluiar phosphate level was expressed by the concept of active transport. Kinetic model for the emulsan production was represented using growth-associated term and intracellular phosphate inhibition term. Release of emulsan was presumed as the primary release from the surface of viable cell and the secondary release by cell lysis. The model predicted the experimental results with good agreement.     

Quantification of the Bactericidal,Fungicidal, and Sporicidal Efficacy of the JLA Ltd. Ozone Laundering System

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the bactericidal, fungicidal, and sporicidal efficacy of the in-use concentration of ozone in solution generated continuously by the JLA Limited OTEX validated ozone laundering system against a range of typical microorganisms associated with laundering applications. The study used the JLA HC 100 laundering machine as the containment vessel. Test microbial suspensions were introduced directly into the drum of the laundering machine containing a known level of water in the presence of soluble ozone. Using standard microbiological techniques, the numbers of surviving bacteria, mold spores or bacterial spores were determined, and reductions in viable counts were calculated. The following test organisms were employed: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Enterococcus faecalis, E. coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Aspergillus niger (spores), and Clostridium difficile (spores). All tests used multiple contact times of 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 15 minutes at 20 °C±2 °C. Levels of ≤0.25 mg/L of dissolved ozone had minimal effect on the bacteria. Levels of >0.45 mg/L ozone showed good biocidal activity, except against Acinetobacter baumannii, which showed strong resistance to ozone. Against fungal spores, dissolved ozone levels of >1.2 mg/L were required to obtain a 2.8 log reduction. For Clostridium difficile spores, a dissolved ozone level between 0.90 and 1.20 mg/L gave >1.6 log reduction with no discernable spore recovery. In every instance, the control tests (no ozone) recovered levels of microorganisms that proved that the action of the laundering machine has no antimicrobial activity, and that the log reductions obtained are solely due to the effects of dissolved ozone.     

Thermostable ethanol tolerant xylanase from a cold-adapted marine species Acinetobacter johnsonii

A xylanase-producing bacterium, isolated from deep sea sediments, was identified as the cold-adapted marine species Acinetobacter Johnsonii. A cold-adapted marine species Acinetobacter Johnsonii could grow at 4 ℃. The optimum temperature and pH of xylanase from a cold-adapted marine species Acinetobacter Johnsonii were 55 ℃ and pH 6.0. Xylanase from a cold-adapted marine species Acinetobacter Johnsonii remained at 80% activity after incubation for 1 h at 65 ℃. The xylanase activity was 1.2-fold higher in 4% ethanol solution than in ethanol free solution. Gibbs free energy of denaturation, ΔG, was higher in 4% ethanol solution than in ethanol free solution. Thermostable ethanol tolerant xylanase was valuable for bioethanol production by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process with xylan as a carbon source.     

乙酸钙不动杆菌引发生物泡沫及其控制措施的研究——以福州祥坂污水处理厂为例

本文以福州祥坂污水处理厂为例,研究了生物泡沫大规模爆发的背景条件和早期异常症状,并通过对乙酸钙不动杆菌的生理特性分析,提出控制生物泡沫的物理和化学方法,指出结合早期症状和乙酸钙不动杆菌的生理特性,及时、合理调整工艺运行条件是最省时省力且有效的控制措施。