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International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2022The agriculture sector has been put under tremendous strain by the world's growing population. The use of fertilizers and pesticides in conventional farming has had a... (Review)
Review
The agriculture sector has been put under tremendous strain by the world's growing population. The use of fertilizers and pesticides in conventional farming has had a negative impact on the environment and human health. Sustainable agriculture attempts to maintain productivity, while protecting the environment and feeding the global population. The importance of soil-dwelling microbial populations in overcoming these issues cannot be overstated. Various processes such as rhizospheric competence, antibiosis, release of enzymes, and induction of systemic resistance in host plants are all used by microbes to influence plant-microbe interactions. These processes are largely founded on chemical signalling. Producing, releasing, detecting, and responding to chemicals are all part of chemical signalling. Different microbes released distinct sorts of chemical signal molecules which interacts with the environment and hosts. Microbial chemicals affect symbiosis, virulence, competence, conjugation, antibiotic production, motility, sporulation, and biofilm growth, to name a few. We present an in-depth overview of chemical signalling between bacteria-bacteria, bacteria-fungi, and plant-microbe and the diverse roles played by these compounds in plant microbe interactions. These compounds' current and potential uses and significance in agriculture have been highlighted.
Topics: Agriculture; Bacteria; Fertilizers; Humans; Plants; Quorum Sensing; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 36012261
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23168998 -
Progress in Biophysics and Molecular... Dec 2020
Topics: Biological Evolution; COVID-19; Extracellular Vesicles; Hepacivirus; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Nobel Prize; SARS-CoV-2; Virology; Virus Diseases; Virus Replication; Viruses
PubMed: 33096122
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2020.10.004 -
Microbiology (Reading, England) May 2021
Topics: Bacteria; Microbiology; Minerals; Online Systems
PubMed: 33945459
DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001061 -
FEMS Microbiology Reviews Jan 2024Rhizosphere microbes play critical roles for plant's growth and health. Among them, the beneficial rhizobacteria have the potential to be developed as the biofertilizer...
Rhizosphere microbes play critical roles for plant's growth and health. Among them, the beneficial rhizobacteria have the potential to be developed as the biofertilizer or bioinoculants for sustaining the agricultural development. The efficient rhizosphere colonization of these rhizobacteria is a prerequisite for exerting their plant beneficial functions, but the colonizing process and underlying mechanisms have not been thoroughly reviewed, especially for the nonsymbiotic beneficial rhizobacteria. This review systematically analyzed the root colonizing process of the nonsymbiotic rhizobacteria and compared it with that of the symbiotic and pathogenic bacteria. This review also highlighted the approaches to improve the root colonization efficiency and proposed to study the rhizobacterial colonization from a holistic perspective of the rhizosphere microbiome under more natural conditions.
Topics: Alphaproteobacteria; Bacteria; Plant Roots; Rhizosphere; Soil Microbiology; Symbiosis
PubMed: 38093453
DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad066 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jan 2021This article presents a critical review of the peer-reviewed literature related to bioaerosol generation from activated sludge basins. Characterization techniques... (Review)
Review
This article presents a critical review of the peer-reviewed literature related to bioaerosol generation from activated sludge basins. Characterization techniques include a variety of culture- and nonculture-based techniques, each with unique features. Bioaerosols contain a variety of clinical pathogens including Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Clostridium perfringens, and Salmonella enteritidis; exposure to these microorganisms increases human health risks. Release mechanisms involve splashing and bubble burst dynamics. Larger bubbles emit more aerosol particles than smaller ones. Attenuation strategies include covering sources with lids, adjusting the method and intensity of aeration, and using free-floating carrier media. Future studies should combine culture and non-culture based methods, and expand chemical databases and spectral libraries in order to realize the full power of real-time online monitoring.
Topics: Aerosols; Air Microbiology; Humans; Sewage
PubMed: 32891995
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141852 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2023Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity can be altered by intercropping plant species, as well as N fertilizer applications. This study examined the effects of oat-pea...
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity can be altered by intercropping plant species, as well as N fertilizer applications. This study examined the effects of oat-pea intercropping and N fertilizer addition on the richness and diversity of mycorrhizal species, as well as identified the most common arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) genera recruited for oats and peas in two growing seasons (2019 and 2020). The AMF diversity was higher in an intercropped system compared to their respective monocropping system. Under drier conditions in 2019, arbuscular mycorrhizal richness decreased with N fertilizer addition in sole peas and increased with N fertilizer addition in sole oats, but no significant change in richness was observed in oat-pea intercropping. During the wetter growing season 2020, arbuscular mycorrhizal diversity increased when oat and pea were intercropped, compared to either sole oat or sole pea. Diversispora in sole pea was a significant indicator differentiating the root associated AMF community from sole oat. Claroideoglomus richness increased in peas in 2020, thus this genus could be moisture dependent. Paraglomus richness in oat-pea intercropping was similar to sole oat in 2019, and similar to sole pea in 2020. This can suggest that Paraglomus is an indicator of plant stress under intercropping, as based on the premise that stressed plants release more exudates, and the subsequent mycorrhizal associations favor these plants with higher exudation. Future investigations can further reveal the functions and benefits of these mycorrhizal genera in annual monocrop and intercropping systems.
Topics: Mycorrhizae; Avena; Pisum sativum; Fertilizers; Glomeromycota; Edible Grain; Plant Roots; Soil Microbiology; Fungi; Soil
PubMed: 36624112
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22743-7 -
Microbiology (Reading, England) Feb 2024tGrowth of microorganisms and interpretation of growth data are core skills required by microbiologists. While science moves forward, it is of paramount importance that...
tGrowth of microorganisms and interpretation of growth data are core skills required by microbiologists. While science moves forward, it is of paramount importance that essential skills are not lost. The bacterial growth curve and the information that can gleaned from it is of great value to all of microbiology, whether this be a simple growth experiment, comparison of mutant strains or the establishment of conditions for a large-scale multi-omics experiment. Increasingly, the basics of plotting and interpreting growth curves and growth data are being overlooked. This primer article serves as a refresher for microbiologists on the fundamentals of microbial growth kinetics.
Topics: Food Microbiology; Kinetics
PubMed: 38329407
DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001428 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2023Biofilms are microbial aggregation membranes that are formed when microorganisms attach to the surfaces of living or nonliving things. Importantly, biofilm properties... (Review)
Review
Biofilms are microbial aggregation membranes that are formed when microorganisms attach to the surfaces of living or nonliving things. Importantly, biofilm properties provide microorganisms with protection against environmental pressures and enhance their resistance to antimicrobial agents, contributing to microbial persistence and toxicity. Thus, bacterial biofilm formation is part of the bacterial survival mechanism. However, if foodborne pathogens form biofilms, the risk of foodborne disease infections can be greatly exacerbated, which can cause major public health risks and lead to adverse economic consequences. Therefore, research on biofilms and their removal strategies are very important in the food industry. Food waste due to spoilage within the food industry remains a global challenge to environmental sustainability and the security of food supplies. This review describes bacterial biofilm formation, elaborates on the problem associated with biofilms in the food industry, enumerates several kinds of common foodborne pathogens in biofilms, summarizes the current strategies used to eliminate or control harmful bacterial biofilm formation, introduces the current and emerging control strategies, and emphasizes future development prospects with respect to bacterial biofilms.
Topics: Humans; Food; Refuse Disposal; Bacteria; Biofilms; Foodborne Diseases; Food Microbiology
PubMed: 36985403
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28062432 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Dec 2022The scientific community is making significant efforts to be inclusive and to promote diversity and equity. The microbial sciences are not the exception, and...
The scientific community is making significant efforts to be inclusive and to promote diversity and equity. The microbial sciences are not the exception, and organizations, such as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), are implementing strategic plans to advance these initiatives. However, one unexplored topic is whether the recruitment of minoritized microbiologists should use tailored programs for the success of trainees and faculty. Some challenges and opportunities are presented for consideration while developing recruitment, retention, and advancement programs in the microbial sciences.
Topics: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion; Environmental Microbiology; Societies; United States; Humans; Male; Female
PubMed: 36394343
DOI: 10.1128/aem.01514-22 -
International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2022Water quality testing is vital to protect human health. Current testing relies mainly on culture-based detection of faecal indicator organisms such as . However,...
BACKGROUND
Water quality testing is vital to protect human health. Current testing relies mainly on culture-based detection of faecal indicator organisms such as . However, bacterial cultures are a slow process, taking 24-48 h and requiring specialised laboratories and trained personnel. Access to such laboratories is often sparse in developing countries and there are many fatalities deriving from poor water quality. Endotoxin is a molecular component of Gram-negative bacterial cell walls and can be used to detect their presence in drinking water.
METHOD
The current study used a novel assay (BacterisK) to rapidly detect endotoxin in various water samples and correlate the results with content measured by culture methods. The data generated by the BacterisK assay are presented as an 'endotoxin risk' (ER).
RESULTS
The ER values correlate with and thus endotoxin can be used as a marker of faecal contamination in water. Moreover, the BacterisK assay provides data in near real-time and can be used in situ allowing water quality testing at different spatial and temporal locations.
CONCLUSION
We suggest that BacterisK can be used as a convenient risk assessment tool to assess water quality where results are required quickly or access to laboratories is lacking.
Topics: Humans; Endotoxins; Water Quality; Escherichia coli; Feces; Biological Assay; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 36554408
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416528