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Classification of Nonomuraea sp. ATCC 39727, An actinomycete that produces the glycopeptide antibiotic A40926, as Nonomuraea gerenzanensis sp. nov.
No full textStrain ATCC 39727, which produces the antibiotic A40926 (the natural precursor of the antibiotic dalbavancin), was isolated from a soil sample collected in India, and it was originally classified as a member of the genus Actinomadura on the base of morphology and cell-wall composition. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicates that the strain forms a distinct clade within the genus Nonomuraea, and it is most closely related to Nonomuraea angiospora DSM 43173T (98.72 % similarity) and Nonomuraea jabiensis A4036T (98.69 %). The strain forms an extensively branched substrate mycelium and aerial hyphae that form spiral chains of spores with ridged surfaces. The cell wall contains meso-diaminopimelic acid and the whole-cell sugars are glucose, ribose, galactose, mannose and madurose (madurose as the diagnostic sugar). The N-acyl type of muramic acid is acetyl. The predominant menaquinone is MK-9(H4), with minor amounts of MK-9(H2), MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H0). The polar-lipid profile includes diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, hydroxyphosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, hydroxyphosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and a series of uncharacterized phospholipids, glycolipids and phosphoglycolipids. The major cellular fatty acids are iso-C16: 0 and 10-methyl C17: 0. The genomic DNA G+C content is 71.2 mol%. Significant differences in the morphological, chemotaxonomic and biochemical data, together with DNA–DNA relatedness between strain ATCC 39727 and closely related type strains, clearly demonstrated that strain ATCC 39727 represents a novel species of the genus Nonomuraea, for which the name Nonomuraea gerenzanensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ATCC 39727T (=DSM 100948T). © 2015 IUMS
Classification of actinoplanes sp. ATCC 33076, an actinomycete that produces the glycolipodepsipeptide antibiotic ramoplanin, as actinoplanes ramoplaninifer sp. Nov
No full textStrain ATCC 33076, which produces the antibiotic ramoplanin, was isolated from a soil sample collected in India, and it was classified as a member of the genus Actinoplanes on the basis of morphology and cell-wall composition. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the strain forms a distinct clade within the genus Actinoplanes, and it is most closely related to Actinoplanes deccanensis IFO 13994T (98.71% similarity) and Actinoplanes atraurantiacus Y16T (98.33 %). The strain forms an extensively branched substrate mycelium; the sporangia are formed very scantily and are globose with irregular surface. Spores are oval and motile. The cell wall contains meso-diaminopimelic acid and the diagnostic sugars are xylose and arabinose. The predominant menaquinone is MK-9(H6), with minor amounts of MK-9(H4) and MK-9(H2). Mycolic acids are absent. The diagnostic phospholipids are phosphatidylethanolamine, hydroxyphosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. The major cellular fatty acids are anteiso-C17: 0 and iso-C16: 0, followed by iso-C15: 0and moderate amounts of anteiso-C15: 0, iso- C17: 0 and C18: 1ω9c. The genomic DNA G+C content is 71.4 mol%. Significant differences in the morphological, chemotaxonomic and biochemical data, together with DNA–DNA relatedness between strain ATCC 33076 and closely related type strains, clearly demonstrated that strain ATCC 33076 represents a novel species of the genus Actinoplanes, for which the name Actinoplanes ramoplaninifer sp. Nov. is proposed. The type strain is ATCC 33076T (=DSM 105064T=NRRL B-65484T). © 2017 IUMS
Mortality from extreme meteorological and hydrogeological events in Italy: a rising health threat connected to climate change. Safety in Extreme Environments
No full textThe aim of the present work is to assess mortality associated to extreme meteorological and hydrological events (storms, floods, landslides, avalanches) for the period 2003–2020 in Italy. These extreme events are particularly worrying phenomena due to their increasing frequency and intensity connected to climate change. The considerable rise of extreme meteorological events in Italy has been having a dramatic impact on the environment and territories, particularly on intrinsically fragile ones, and on resident populations. More than 90% of Italian municipalities are at risk for extreme events, with more than 8 million inhabitants exposed. Number of deaths and SMRates due to such extreme events (X International Classification of Diseases: X36, X37 and X38) in Italy were calculated from regional to municipal level by ENEA mortality database (data source ISTAT). Geographic maps were elaborated by QGIS software (QGIS, RRID:SCR_018507) version 3.28. In the selected period, 378 overall deaths were detected: 321 deaths due to landslides and avalanches, 28 to cataclysmic storm, and 29 to floods. The regions with the highest mortality levels and/or number of municipalities involved and the municipalities at highest risk were identified. In consideration of the forecasted increase of such extreme events in Italy, the knowledge of Italian areas at highest risk can be used in the decision-making processes to assess priorities, allocate financial resources, define warning measures, and undertake preventive or mitigation actions. Moreover, the attributable mortality levels can be a useful basis for further risk assessment research aimed at estimating the cost in terms of human lives’ loss associated to such events in future climatic scenarios
Analysis of a pool of small plasmids from soil heterotrophic cultivable bacterial communities
No full textIn this work the analysis of the plasmid presence on soil aerobic cultivable heterotrophic bacterial communities was carried out checking a panel of 1,200 isolates, in order to establish the frequency of plasmid presence as well as the degree of plasmid flow between strains affiliated to the same or different taxon. Bacterial communities were isolated from two different sites of a 13-year experimental field with a clay-silt texture. Plasmid molecules were detected at low frequency (27 isolates, 2%) with a size ranging between 2 Kb and 40 Kb. The RAPD analysis performed on the plasmidharboring isolates and the phylogenetic analysis of the whole community using the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed the existence of transfer of the same plasmids between strains belonging to the same species and, in some cases, to different species of the same genus. As it might be expected, even though the viable cells title did not differ significantly between the two samplings, the overall data disclosed an uneven distribution of both species and plasmid-harboring strains. © 2015, Papaleo et al.; Licensee Bentham Open
Changes in cystic fibrosis airway microbial community associated with a severe decline in lung function
No full textCystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease resulting in chronic polymicrobial infections of the airways and progressive decline in lung function. To gain insight into the underlying causes of severe lung diseases, we aimed at comparing the airway microbiota detected in sputum of CF patients with stable lung function (S) versus those with a substantial decline in lung function (SD). Microbiota composition was investigated by using culture-based and culture-independent methods, and by performing multivariate and statistical analyses. Culture-based methods identified some microbial species associated with a worse lung function, i.e. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Rothia mucilaginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Candida albicans, but only the presence of S. pneumoniae and R. mucilaginosa was found to be associated with increased severe decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). Terminal-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis revealed a higher bacterial diversity than that detected by culture-based methods. Molecular signatures with a statistically significant odds ratio for SD status were detected, and classified as Pseudomonas, Burkholderia and Shewanella, while for other Terminal Restriction Fragments (T-RFs) no species assignation was achieved. The analysis of T-RFLP data using ecological biodiversity indices showed reduced Evenness in SD patients compared to S ones, suggesting an impaired ecology of the bacterial community in SD patients. Statistically significant differences of the ecological biodiversity indices among the three sub-groups of FEV1 (normal/mild vs moderate vs severe) were also found, suggesting that the patients with moderate lung disease experienced changes in the airway assembly of taxa. Overall, changes in CF airway microbial community associated with a severe lung function decline were detected, allowing us to define some discriminatory species as well as some discriminatory T-RFs that represent good candidates for the development of predictive biomarkers of substantial decline in lung function. © 2015 Paganin et al
Soil bacterial community response to differences in agricultural management along with seasonal changes in a Mediterranean region
No full textLand-use change is considered likely to be one of main drivers of biodiversity changes in grassland ecosystems. To gain insight into the impact of land use on the underlying soil bacterial communities, we aimed at determining the effects of agricultural management, along with seasonal variations, on soil bacterial community in a Mediterranean ecosystem where different land-use and plant cover types led to the creation of a soil and vegetation gradient. A set of soils subjected to different anthropogenic impact in a typical Mediterranean landscape, dominated by Quercus suber L., was examined in spring and autumn: a natural cork-oak forest, a pasture, a managed meadow, and two vineyards (ploughed and grass covered). Land uses affected the chemical and structural composition of the most stabilised fractions of soil organic matter and reduced soil C stocks and labile organic matter at both sampling season. A significant effect of land uses on bacterial community structure as well as an interaction effect between land uses and season was revealed by the EP index. Cluster analysis of culture-dependent DGGE patterns showed a different seasonal distribution of soil bacterial populations with subgroups associated to different land uses, in agreement with culture-independent T-RFLP results. Soils subjected to low human inputs (cork-oak forest and pasture) showed a more stable bacterial community than those with high human input (vineyards and managed meadow). Phylogenetic analysis revealed the predominance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes phyla with differences in class composition across the site, suggesting that the microbial composition changes in response to land uses. Taken altogether, our data suggest that soil bacterial communities were seasonally distinct and exhibited compositional shifts that tracked with changes in land use and soil management. These findings may contribute to future searches for bacterial bio-indicators of soil health and sustainable productivity. © 2014 Bevivino et al
Pyrosequencing unveils cystic fibrosis lung microbiome differences associated with a severe lung function decline
No full textChronic airway infection is a hallmark feature of cystic fibrosis (CF) disease. In the present study, sputum samples from CF patients were collected and characterized by 16S rRNA gene-targeted approach, to assess how lung microbiota composition changes following a severe decline in lung function. In particular, we compared the airway microbiota of two groups of patients with CF, i.e. patients with a substantial decline in their lung function (SD) and patients with a stable lung function (S). The two groups showed a different bacterial composition, with SD patients reporting a more heterogeneous community than the S ones. Pseudomonas was the dominant genus in both S and SD patients followed by Staphylococcus and Prevotella. Other than the classical CF pathogens and the most commonly identified non-classical genera in CF, we found the presence of the unusual anaerobic genus Sneathia. Moreover, the oligotyping analysis revealed the presence of other minor genera described in CF, highlighting the polymicrobial nature of CF infection. Finally, the analysis of correlation and anti-correlation networks showed the presence of antagonism and ecological independence between members of Pseudomonas genus and the rest of CF airways microbiota, with S patients showing a more interconnected community in S patients than in SD ones. This population structure suggests a higher resilience of S microbiota with respect to SD, which in turn may hinder the potential adverse impact of aggressive pathogens (e.g. Pseudomonas). In conclusion, our findings shed a new light on CF airway microbiota ecology, improving current knowledge about its composition and polymicrobial interactions in patients with CF. © 2016 Bacci et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Detection of Burkholderia cenocepacia in natural environment using culture-based and culture indipendent methods
No full textBurkholderia cepacia complex species: health hazards and biotechnological potential
No full textThe Burkholderia cepacia complex is a group of nine closely related bacterial species that have useful properties in the natural environment as plant pest antagonists, plant growth promoters and degradative agents of toxic substances. Because these species are human opportunistic pathogens, especially in cystic fibrosis patients, biotechnological applications that involve environmental releases have been severely restricted. Recent progress in understanding the taxonomy, epidemiology and ecology of the B. cepacia complex species has unravelled considerable variability in their pathogenicity and ecological properties, which has set the basis for a reassessment of the risk posed by individual species to human health
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