The antimotility action of a trifluoromethyl ketone on some gram-negative bacteria

The inhibition of bacterial motility was studied by a trifluoro methyl ketone derivative on two Escherichia coli strains (wild strain having a proton pump system and the proton pump-deficient mutant strain) and two Helicobacter pylori strains (clarithromycin susceptible and clarithromycin resistant). Evidence is presented of the inhibitory action of 1-(2-benzoxazolyl)-3,3,3-trifluoro-2-propanone (TF18) on the proton motive forces of the two bacterial strains by affecting the action of biological motor and proton efflux in the membranes. The swimming, the forward motion was more sensitive than the vibration or tumbling to the inhibition. We suppose that the inhibiton of bacterial motility is related to the virulence of bacteria: consequently the pathogenicity can be reduced in the presence of TF18.     

Generation of vaccine strains of gram-negative bacteria with reduced adverse reactions

The main shortcoming of the modem live and killed vaccines based on gram-negative bacterial strains is their ability to cause adverse reactions. The majority of the adverse reactions are associated with the effect of biological activity of lipopolysaccharide. The report covers the problems concerned with biogenesis of the lipid A, lipopolysaccharide structural component, responsible for its endotoxic activity, as well as with genes determining lipid A synthesis. The special attention is paid to gene-engineering technique for reduction of adverse reactions of vaccine strains that are based on the knock-out mutagenesis of genes waaM and/or waaN responsible for addition of lauroyl and myristoyl residues to the distal glucosamine unit lipid A, generating acyloxyacyl moieties.     

Evaluation of Sellers medium in identification of some gram-negative bacteria

The agar-slant medium of Sellers was evaluated as an identification aid in the differentiation between gram-negative bacilli of medical interest (Enterobacteriaceae excluded) and some of their saprophytic associates. With Sellers medium, a larger number of bacterial species and genera could be differentiated than with the oxidation-fermentation medium of Hugh and Leifson. Some species whose reclassification was recently suggested reacted on Sellers medium accordingly. Sellers medium (in a single tube) was found to be a distinct aid in the identification of a number of gram-negative bacteria which usually required several tests and an assortment of media.     

Lipopolysaccharide neutralizing Peptide-porphyrin conjugates for effective photoinactivation and intracellular imaging of gram-negative bacteria strains

A simple and specific strategy based on the bioconjugation of a photosensitizer protophophyrin IX (PpIX) with a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding antimicrobial peptide YI13WF (YVLWKRKRKFCFI-Amide) has been developed for the effective fluorescent imaging and photodynamic inactivation of Gram-negative bacterial strains. The intracellular fluorescent imaging and photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) studies supported our hypothesis that the PpIX-YI13WF conjugates could serve as efficient probes to image the bacterial strains and meanwhile indicated the potent activities against Gram-negative bacterial pathogens especially for those with antibiotics resistance when exposed to the white light irradiation. Compared to the monomeric PpIX-YI13WF conjugate, the dimeric conjugate indicated the stronger fluorescent imaging signals and higher photoinactivation toward the Gram-negative bacterial pathogens throughout the whole concentration range. In addition, the photodynamic bacterial inactivation also demonstrated more potent activity than the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of dimeric PpIX-YI13WF conjugate itself observed for E. coli DH5a (～4 times), S. enterica (～8 times), and other Gram-negative strains including antibiotic-resistant E. coli BL21 (～8 times) and K. pneumoniae (～16 times). Moreover, both fluorescent imaging and photoinactivation measurements also demonstrated that the dimeric PpIX-YI13WF conjugate could selectively recognize bacterial strains over mammalian cells and generate less photo damage to mammalian cells. We believed that the enhanced fluorescence and bacterial inactivation were probably attributed to the higher binding affinity between dimeric photosensitizer peptide conjugate and LPS components on the surface of bacterial strains, which were the results of efficient multivalent interactions.     

Effects of quinolone carboxylic acid derivatives on the ultrastructure of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria

The impact of oxolinic acid, pefloxacin and ciprofloxacin on the structure of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens was studied. The concentration dependent effects were revealed. Comparative estimation of the action of the compounds by the content of normal, dead and changed cells in the cultures showed that ciprofloxacin had advantages. The results of the pefloxacin use were close. The time course of the oxolinic acid effect was analogous whereas the changes in the cells induced by the acid were less pronounced. Investigation of the ultrastructural changes demonstrated that the response of the gram-negative bacteria to the action of the compounds was of one type. There was noted formation of filamentous structures and vacuolized cells at low concentrations and large egg-shaped cells at high concentrations of the compounds. In the gram-positive bacteria there were detected large cells with much thicker cell walls at low concentrations of the compounds while at the high concentrations the cell walls were on the contrary thinner, the cell stiffness was lost and the cells acquired a festoon-like shape. The compounds induced significant changes in the nucleoids, cell walls and membranes. Along with insignificant changes in the nucleoid structure there were constantly detected coarse impairments of the cell walls and membranes which should be considered in estimating the effect of the quinolone carboxylic acid derivatives.     

Effects of antimicrobial agents fed to chickens on some gram-negative enteric bacilli

Total and antimicrobial agent-resistant aerobic and facultative anaerobic gram-negative enteric bacilli in fecal samples of broiler chickens fed growth-promotional levels of antimicrobial agents were determined quantitatively. Two 8-week studies were conducted utilizing groups of chickens fed antimicrobial-supplemented rations; the second study involved feed "pasteurization" as a means of minimizing colonization from the feed. Dilution/spread-plating/replica-plating techniques on selective media were used to obtain counts of total organisms and those resistant to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, ampicillin, or kanamycin. The predominant aerobic and facultative anaerobic gram-negative organism was Escherichia coli, which was detected in all samples at levels ranging from 10(5) to over 10(10) CFU/g of feces. Less common were Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas sp., which varied in occurrence and levels from group to group (range, less than 10(3) to 10(8) CFU/g). Resistance to all antimicrobials (except chloramphenicol in E. coli) was commonly observed at incidences exceeding 10(3) CFU/g in the total populations. Colonization of the chickens' intestinal tracts by susceptible and resistant strains of E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas sp. appeared to result from their presence in the environment of the newly hatched chickens. Ration pasteurization did affect P. mirabilis, which appeared to colonize from the feed. The results suggest that colonization by, and proliferation of, antimicrobial-resistant aerobic and facultative anaerobic gram-negative enteric bacilli in chicken intestinal tracts may be less dependent on selection through antimicrobial supplementation of the ration than on their prevalence in environments from which they can colonize newborns.