-
Heliyon Mar 2024In water-stressed regions, treated acid mine drainage (AMD) water for irrigated agriculture is a potential solution to address freshwater scarcity. However, a...
Unlocking water potential in drylands: Quicklime and fly ash enhance soil microbiome structure, ecological networks and function in acid mine drainage water-irrigated agriculture.
In water-stressed regions, treated acid mine drainage (AMD) water for irrigated agriculture is a potential solution to address freshwater scarcity. However, a significant knowledge gap exists on the short and long-term effects of treated AMD water on soil health. This study used high-throughput Illumina sequencing and predictive metagenomic profiling to investigate the impact of untreated AMD (AMD), quicklime- (A1Q and A2Q) and quicklime and fly ash-treated AMD water (AFQ) irrigation on soil bacterial diversity, co-occurrence networks and function. Results showed that untreated AMD water significantly increased soil acidity, electrical conductivity (EC), sulfate (SO), and heavy metals (HM), including reduced microbial diversity, disrupted interaction networks, and functional capacity. pH, EC, Cu, and Pb were identified as key environmental factors shaping soil microbial diversity and structure. Predominantly, , , KB913035, , and , known for their adaptability to acidic conditions and metal resistance, were abundant in AMD soils. However, soils irrigated with treated AMD water exhibited significantly reduced acidity (pH > 6.5), HM and SO levels, with an enrichment of a balanced bacterial taxa associated with diverse functions related to soil health and agricultural productivity. These taxa included , , , , , , , , , and Moreover, treated AMD water contributed to higher connectivity and balance within soil bacterial co-occurrence networks compared to untreated AMD water. These results show that quicklime/fly ash treatments can help lessen impacts of AMD water on soil microbiome and health, suggesting its potential for irrigated agriculture in water-scarce regions.
PubMed: 38533070
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27985 -
Cell Reports. Medicine Dec 2023Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) has shown beneficial effects against atopic dermatitis (AD); however, the mechanisms and parameters underlying the efficacy of AIT...
Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) has shown beneficial effects against atopic dermatitis (AD); however, the mechanisms and parameters underlying the efficacy of AIT remain unclear. Here, we report that the community structure and function of the oral and gut microbiota are changed in patients with AD undergoing AIT. Transplantation of fecal microbiota from patients who respond well to AIT improves AD-like dermatitis in mice. The abundance of Brevundimonas vesicularis in the gut of AD patients has been found to be positively correlated with disease severity and is decreased following AIT. Furthermore, we find that B. vesicularis from the oral cavity might ectopically colonize the gut of AD patients. In AD model mice, meanwhile, B. vesicularis promotes the skewing of the Treg/Th17 balance toward Th17 polarization and attenuates the efficacy of ovalbumin-specific immunotherapy. Our findings provide potential strategies for the optimization of AIT for AD via the modulation of the gut microbiota.
Topics: Humans; Mice; Animals; Dermatitis, Atopic; Desensitization, Immunologic; Allergens; Intestines
PubMed: 38118418
DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101340 -
International Journal of Molecular... Nov 2023Drought stress is a significant threat to agricultural productivity and poses challenges to plant survival and growth. Research into microbial plant biostimulants faces...
Drought stress is a significant threat to agricultural productivity and poses challenges to plant survival and growth. Research into microbial plant biostimulants faces difficulties in understanding complicated ecological dynamics, molecular mechanisms, and specificity; to address these knowledge gaps, collaborative efforts and innovative strategies are needed. In the present study, we investigated the potential role of (S1T13) as a microbial plant biostimulant to enhance drought tolerance in . We assessed the impact of S1T13 on Col-0 wild-type (WT) and mutant plants under drought conditions. Our results revealed that the inoculation of S1T13 significantly contributed to plant vigor, with notable improvements observed in both genotypes. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, we studied the role of ROS and their regulation by antioxidant genes and enzymes in plants inoculated with S1T13. Interestingly, the inoculation of S1T13 enhanced the activities of GSH, SOD, POD, and PPO by 33, 35, 41, and 44% in WT and 24, 22, 26, and 33% in , respectively. In addition, S1T13 upregulated the expression of antioxidant genes. This enhanced antioxidant machinery played a crucial role in neutralizing ROS and protecting plant cells from oxidative damage during drought stress. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of S1T13 on ABA and drought-stress-responsive genes. Similarly, S1T13 modulated the production of ABA and expression of , , , and by 31, 42, 37, 41, and 42% in WT and 20, 29, 27, 38, and 29% in . The improvement in plant vigor, coupled with the induction of the antioxidant system and modulation of ABA, indicates the pivotal role of S1T13 in enhancing the drought stress tolerance of the plants. Conclusively, the current study provides valuable insights for the application of multitrait S1T13 as a novel strain to improve drought stress tolerance in plants and could be added to the consortium of biofertilizers.
Topics: Arabidopsis; Antioxidants; Droughts; Reactive Oxygen Species; Stress, Physiological; Arabidopsis Proteins; Plants, Genetically Modified; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Abscisic Acid; Plant Proteins
PubMed: 38068913
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316590 -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... Dec 2022Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a common metabolic disorder characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Pu-erh tea and...
Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a common metabolic disorder characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Pu-erh tea and its ingredient theabrownin have known functions on the reduction of body weight gain and fat accumulation. However, few studies systematicly analyze the different contributions and mechanisms of their anti-metabolic syndrome functions through multi-omics combination analysis. Here, we used metagenomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics technology to investigate the anti-metabolic syndrome mechanism of Pu-erh tea and theabrownin in MS mice. Our results suggested that Pu-erh tea and theabrownin interventions could improve the physiological functions of liver, jejunum and adipose tissues in MS mice. Hepatic transcriptome revealed that both interventions could regulate the circadian rhythm pathway. Glycerophospholipid and linoleic acid metabolism were also modulated by both interventions through serum and brain metabolome analysis. Faecal metagenome demonstrated that both interventions could increase the relative abundance of Clostridiales bacterium 42_27, Blautia coccoides and Firmicutes bacterium ASF500, but decrease the relative abundance of Brevundimonas vesicularis. Otherwise, compared with Pu-erh tea, theabrownin markedly upregulated the levels of hepatic antioxidants (i.e., SOD, GSH), prominently downregulated hepatic inflammatory factors (i.e., IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α) and malondialdehyde oxidant, but modestly reduced obesity-associated short-chain fatty acids in faeces in MS mice. Taken together, our data provided insights into the homogeneous and heterogeneous natural biological functions of theabrownin and Pu-erh tea in the treatment of metabolic syndrome.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Liver; Metabolic Syndrome; Brain; Obesity; Tea
PubMed: 36461373
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.112176 -
RSC Advances Mar 20212,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a herbicide that is considered as a carcinogenic and highly toxic contaminant, and due to its biological and chemical...
Moving-bed biofilm reactor combined with three-dimensional electrochemical pretreatment (MBBR-3DE) for 2,4-D herbicide treatment: application for real wastewater, improvement of biodegradability.
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a herbicide that is considered as a carcinogenic and highly toxic contaminant, and due to its biological and chemical stability, its degradation is very difficult. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate a hybrid system's efficiency of three-dimensional electrochemical (3DE) process and a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) in removing 2,4-D herbicides from aqueous solutions. In this experimental study, the electrochemical degradation of 2,4-D herbicide in a 3DE process with a G/β-PbO anode was first investigated as a pretreatment process. Then, in the post-treatment stage, MBBR with continuous flow was used. The amount of aeration in the MBBR reactor was 4 L min, and the amount of dissolved oxygen (DO) was in the range of 3-5 mg L. The effect of various parameters such as hydraulic retention time (HRT) and filling ratio were investigated. The amount of sewage injection was set between 0.001-0.004 L min. Routine microbiological biochemical tests were used to detect bacteria. BOD/COD, COD/TOC, AOS, and COS ratio parameters were used to determine the biodegradability of 2.4-D due to the effluent of the 3DE process. The results showed that with increasing current density, decreasing pH, decreasing herbicide concentration and increasing electrolysis time, the herbicide degradation efficiency increased by 3DE pretreatment process. Based on the results of MBBR post-treatment process efficiency, with increasing HRT and filling ratio, the herbicide removal efficiency increased. According to the results, the highest removal efficiencies of 2,4-D and COD herbicides were obtained during HRT of 24 h, and the filling ratio of 70% were 97.33% and 88.95%, respectively. The consortium of 2,4-D degrading bacteria identified in this study included , spp., spp., spp., spp., spp., spp., , and . In the MBBR biological process, the reaction kinetics followed the Grau second-order model ( = 0.98). In general, the results showed that the combined process of 3DE with G/β-PbO anode and MBBR biological process has relatively high efficiency in 2,4-D herbicide degradation and can be used as a suitable complementary treatment method in wastewater containing non-degradable compounds such as phenoxy herbicides, , 2,4-D should be used.
PubMed: 35423457
DOI: 10.1039/d0ra10821a -
Case Reports in Nephrology and Dialysis 2021Gram-negative peritonitis in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients is difficult to treat and may result in catheter loss. is a Gram-negative rod bacterium which rarely...
Gram-negative peritonitis in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients is difficult to treat and may result in catheter loss. is a Gram-negative rod bacterium which rarely causes infections in humans. A 41-year-old male receiving continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis for 5 months developed culture-negative peritonitis. He failed initial empiric treatment with intraperitoneal vancomycin and levofloxacin and thereafter intravenous gentamicin. resistant to levofloxacin was isolated from the peritoneal fluid 21 days after his initial symptoms. Despite treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone and oral amoxicillin-clavulanate, the infection persisted, which required removal of the peritoneal catheter in order to cure this infection. We describe the features of infection in our patient and the rarely reported additional cases.
PubMed: 34901199
DOI: 10.1159/000517140 -
Journal of Asthma and Allergy 2021This study aimed to investigate the gut microbiome profile in different inflammatory phenotypes of treatment-naive newly diagnosed asthmatic adults, to gain insight on...
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate the gut microbiome profile in different inflammatory phenotypes of treatment-naive newly diagnosed asthmatic adults, to gain insight on the associations between intestinal microbiota and phenotypic features that characterize asthma heterogeneity to develop new treatments for asthma.
METHODS
Fresh stool samples were obtained from 20 healthy subjects and 47 newly diagnosed asthmatic patients prior to any interventions. The asthmatics were divided into allergic and non-allergic cohorts. Intestinal microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing. Demographic and clinical parameters were collected. Alpha and beta diversity analysis were calculated to detect differences within sample phylotype richness and evenness between controls and asthmatic patients. Statistically significant differences between samples were analyzed for all used metrics, and features of gut bacterial community structure were evaluated in relation to extensive clinical characteristics of asthmatic patients.
RESULTS
Gut microbial compositions were significantly different between asthmatic and healthy groups. Alpha-diversity of the gut microbiome was significantly lower in asthmatics than in controls. The microbiome between allergic and non-allergic asthmatic patients were also different, and 28 differential species were identified. PPAR signaling pathway, carotenoid biosynthesis, and flavonoid biosynthesis were significantly positively correlated with allergy-associated clinical index, including FENO value, blood eosinophil counts, and serum IgE and IL-4 levels. A combination of , and showed an AUC of 0.743 in the specific allergic/non-allergic cohort. When integrating , flavone, flavonol biosynthesis, and serum IL-4 values, the AUC achieved 0.929 to classify asthmatics. At the same time, and its associated functional pathway exhibited an AUC of 0.78 to distinguish allergic asthmatics from those without allergies.
CONCLUSION
We demonstrated a distinct taxonomic composition of gut microbiota in different asthmatic phenotypes, highlighting their significant relationships. Our study may support considerations of intestinal microbial signatures in delineating asthma phenotypes.
PubMed: 34408443
DOI: 10.2147/JAA.S320088 -
Veterinaria Italiana May 2021Bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common condition affecting dogs. Urine culture and antimicrobial susceptibility test, associated with the identification of...
Bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common condition affecting dogs. Urine culture and antimicrobial susceptibility test, associated with the identification of underlying cause, are of primary importance in order to select a correct treatment, especially in presence of comorbidities. Two cases of immunecompromised dogs affected by urinary tract infection (UTI) have been described: the first, probably immunosuppressed due to old age, was in poor body condition, with severe odontolithiasis and periodontitis; the second was affected by chronic kidney disease in advanced stage. Urine cultures isolated two rare and atypical pathogens, Moellerella wisconsensis and Brevundimonas vesicularis, both showing sensitivity versus floroquinolones which were selected for the treatment. After a 4 weeks treatment, a second culture demonstrated the resolution of infection in both cases, in absence of clinical signs.To date neither of the two bacteria have been reported as cause of UTI in dog.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Caulobacteraceae; Diagnosis, Differential; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Gammaproteobacteria; Immunocompromised Host; Male; Pedigree; Urinalysis; Urinary Tract Infections
PubMed: 34313102
DOI: 10.12834/VetIt.2110.12149.1 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2021On recreational sandy beaches, there are guidelines for the management of bacterial pollution in coastal waters regarding untreated sewage, urban wastewater, and...
On recreational sandy beaches, there are guidelines for the management of bacterial pollution in coastal waters regarding untreated sewage, urban wastewater, and industrial wastewater. However, terrestrial plant debris on coastal beaches can be abundant especially after floods and whilst it has rarely been considered a concern, the bacterial population associated with this type of pollution from the viewpoint of public health has not been adequately assessed. In this study, microbes associated with plant debris drifting onto Kizaki Beach in Japan were monitored for 8 months throughout the rainy season, summer, typhoon season, and winter. Here we show that faecal-indicator bacteria in the plant debris and sand under the debris were significantly higher than the number of faecal bacteria in the sand after a 2015 typhoon. When we focused on specific pathogenic bacteria, Brevundimonas vesicularis and Pseudomonas alcaligenes were commonly detected only in the plant debris and sand under the debris during the survey period. The prompt removal of plant debris would therefore help create safer beaches.
Topics: Bathing Beaches; Caulobacteraceae; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Plants; Pseudomonas alcaligenes; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 34075178
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91066-w -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology May 2020Resistance to the "last-resort" antibiotics, such as carbapenems, has led to very few antibiotics being left to treat infections by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Spread...
Resistance to the "last-resort" antibiotics, such as carbapenems, has led to very few antibiotics being left to treat infections by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Spread of carbapenem resistance (CR) has been well characterized for the clinical environment. However, there is a lack of information about its environmental distribution. Our study reveals that CR is present in a wide range of Gram-negative bacteria in the coastal seawater environment, including four phyla, eight classes, and 30 genera. These bacteria were likely introduced into seawater via stormwater flows. Some CR isolates found here, such as , , , , , , and , are further relevant to human health. We also describe a novel metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) for marine isolates with CR, which has likely been horizontally transferred to or In contrast, another MBL of the New Delhi type was likely acquired by environmental isolates from , , or utilizing a plasmid. Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that the aquatic environment is both a reservoir and a vector for novel CR genes. Resistance against the "last-resort" antibiotics of the carbapenem family is often based on the production of carbapenemases, and this has been frequently observed in clinical samples. However, the dissemination of carbapenem resistance (CR) in the environment has been less well explored. Our study shows that CR is commonly found in a range of bacterial taxa in the coastal aquatic environment and can involve the exchange of novel metallo-β-lactamases from typical environmental bacteria to potential human pathogens or vice versa. The outcomes of this study contribute to a better understanding of how aquatic and marine bacteria can act as reservoirs and vectors for CR outside the clinical setting.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Aquatic Organisms; Carbapenems; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Fresh Water; Gram-Negative Bacteria; New South Wales
PubMed: 32198174
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02939-19