荧光定量PCR技术在临床微生物检测中的应用

荧光定量PCR技术是近些年来发展起来的一种核酸检测技术,它以灵敏度高、特异性强、重复性好、快速准确定量等特点被广泛应用于各个领域。现主要介绍荧光定量PCR技术在病毒、细菌、真菌和寄生虫4个临床微生物检测方面的应用进展。     

微生物鉴定系统在肠道病原菌检测中的应用

目的建立简便、快速、系统的病原菌生化检测方法。方法通过应用ATB微生物鉴定系统对112株可疑肠道病原菌菌株进行检测分析,并与国家标准法结合鉴定。结果ATB微生物鉴定系统在112株可疑肠道病原菌菌株中检测出肠道病原菌66株,鉴定结果与国家标准法结果一致,而对常规检测不能确定的37菌株也能给出明确的鉴定结果。结论该系统操作简便、快速,缩短了鉴定周期,提高了鉴定效率,检测范围广,可以作为肠道致病菌检测常规方法的辅助工具,有利于病原菌的快速检出。     

荧光酶标免疫分析在食品微生物检测中的应用

荧光酶标免疫分析是一种新型的快速检测微生物的方法,具有方便、快速、灵敏、准确等优点,已越来越多地被用于进出口食品中致病菌的检测。本文介绍了荧光酶标免疫分析法的原理、特点以及在食品微生物检测中的应用和未来发展方向。     

PCR技术在食品微生物检测中的应用

PCR技术以其高强的特异性和灵敏度以及检测速度快、准确性好等优点,广泛地应用在食品微生物检测的各个领域,尤其对培养困难的细菌检测和抗原结构复杂的细菌鉴定方面。介绍了几种PCR方法的原理,以及其在食品微生物检测中的应用情况。     

荧光原位杂交技术及其在环境微生物生态学中的应用研究

荧光原位杂交技术是一种能够同时对微生物进行定性、定量和研究微生物群落空间分布情况的有力工具。简要介绍了荧光原位杂交技术的方法,并对其在人为创制环境和自然环境中特征性微生物种群及群落生态学中的应用研究进行了讨论,指出了该种技术在应用中存在的问题与缺陷,最后对荧光原位杂交技术在堆肥微生物生态中的应用及与其他方法的组合应用进行了展望。     

生物传感器在微生物检测中的应用

生物传感器的产生在医药卫生,食品检验和环境监测等领域引起了一场革命,其简单,快速和准确的特点超越了以往诸多分析手段。本文介绍了生物传感器概念,介绍了生物传感器在微生物检测中的应用。     

PCR-SSCP技术在微生物检测中的应用

聚合酶链式反应-单链构象多态性(PCR-SSCP)是一种能够检测DNA突变的分子生物学分析技术,具有快速、简便、灵敏与适于大样本筛选的特点,近年来被广泛应用于生命科学领域的研究。对PCR-SSCP技术在微生物检测研究领域的应用和发展作简要的介绍。     

寡核苷酸芯片在微生物检测中的应用

近几年来发展起来的基因组研究技术———基因芯片技术为微生物检测提供了一种强有力的手段。目前国内外已广泛地开展了利用寡核苷酸芯片对多种微生物 (主要是病毒和细菌 ,少量有真菌 )进行相关检测的研究 ,并在对微生物病原体检测、种类鉴定、功能基因检测、基因分型、突变检测、基因组监测等方面获得了成功。由于寡核苷酸探针具有可根据研究需要任意设计、特异性高等特点 ,寡核苷酸芯片在微生物检测中有着巨大的应用价值 ,具有广阔的应用前景。     

荧光原位杂交技术及其在微生物生态学中的应用

综述了荧光原位杂交技术 (fluorescence in situ hybridization FISH)在微生物生态学领域的各种应用 ,同时就其发展过程、原理及种类做了介绍     

多重PCR检测技术在食品微生物检测中的应用

现代食品行业,有很多有害的微生物严重危害食品的品质和人们的健康,甚至会引起一些严重的疾病。食品安全是对食品按其原定用途进行制作和(或)食用时不会使消费者受到伤害的一种担保。食品安全急需一些快速、敏感、特异的检测方法,以及时发现致病菌,控制污染及其可能对人体健康产生的危害。多重PCR检测技术具有快速、简便微量等优点,克服了传统检测方法操作繁琐,检测时间较长等缺点,目前正在被应用于微生物致病菌,转基因产品以及肉类品种的鉴定上,具有广阔的发展前景。本文主要是介绍了多重PCR检测技术在食品微生物检测中的原理和应用,以期望在食品微生物检测方面做出贡献。     

Experimental use of a new surface acoustic wave sensor for the rapid identification of bacteria and yeasts

AIMS: Use of an electronic nose (zNose(TM)) to discriminate between volatile organic molecules delivered during bacterial/fungal growth on agar and in broth media. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cultures of bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) and yeasts (two Candida albicans strains) were grown on agar and in broth media and incubated for 24 h at 37 degrees C. Headspace samples from microbial cultures were analysed by the zNose(TM), a fast gas chromatography-surface acoustic wave detector. Olfactory images of volatile production patterns were observed to be different for the various species tested after 24 h. Moreover, some strains (two K. pneumoniae, two C. albicans) did not show changes in volatile production patterns within our species. CONCLUSIONS: Our experiments demonstrate that the electronic nose system can recognize volatile production patterns of pathogens at species level. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our results, although preliminary, promise exciting challenges for microbial diagnostics.     

Abundance and biomass of heterotrophic microorganisms in Lake Tanganyika

1. This study focused on heterotrophic microorganisms in the two main basins (north and south) of Lake Tanganyika during dry and wet seasons in 2002. Bacteria (81% cocci) were abundant (2.28–5.30 × 10⁶ cells mL^?1). During the dry season, in the south basin, bacterial biomass reached a maximum of 2.27 g C m^?2 and phytoplankton biomass was 3.75 g C m^?2 (integrated over a water column of 100 m). 2. Protozoan abundance was constituted of 99% of heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF). Communities of flagellates and bacteria consisted of very small but numerous cells. Flagellates were often the main planktonic compartment, with a biomass of 3.42–4.43 g C m^?2. Flagellate biomass was in the same range and often higher than the total autotrophic biomass (1.60–4.72 g C m^?2). 3. Total autotrophic carbon was partly sustained by the endosymbiotic zoochlorellae Strombidium. These ciliates were present only in the euphotic zone and usually contributed most of the biomass of ciliates. 4. Total heterotrophic ciliate biomass ranged between 0.35 and 0.44 g C m^?2. In 2002, heterotrophic microorganisms consisting of bacteria, flagellates and ciliates represented a large fraction of plankton. These results support the hypothesis that the microbial food web contributes to the high productivity of Lake Tanganyika. 5. As the sole source of carbon in the pelagic zone of this large lake is phytoplankton production, planktonic heterotrophs ultimately depend on autochthonous organic carbon, most probably dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from algal excretion.     

Adaptive modifications in membranes of halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms

Halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms can grow in (hyper)saline environments, but only halophiles specifically require salt. Genotypic and phenotypic adaptations are displayed by halophiles; the halotolerants adapt phenotypically, but it is not established whether they show genotypic adaptation. This paper reviews the various strategies of haloadaptation of membrane proteins and lipids by halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms. Moderate halophiles and halotolerants adapt their membrane lipid composition by increasing the proportion of anionic lipids, often phosphatidylglycerol and/or glycolipids, which in the moderately halophilic bacteriumVibrio costicola appears to be part of an osmoregulatory response to minimize membrane stress at high salinities. Extreme halophiles possess typical archaebacterial ether lipids, which are genotypically adapted by having additional substitutions with negatively-charged residues such as sulfate. In contrast to the lipids, it is less clear whether membrane proteins are haloadapted, although they may be more acidic; very few depend on salt for their activity.     

Microbiological aspects of biowaste during composting in a monitored compost bin

AIMS: To determine the microbial succession of the dominating taxa and functional groups of microorganisms and the total microbial activity during the composting of biowaste in a monitored process. METHODS AND RESULTS: Biowaste (vegetable, fruit and garden waste) was composted in a monitored composting bin system. During the process, taxonomic and functional subpopulations of microorganisms were enumerated, and dominating colonies were isolated and identified. All counts decreased during the thermophilic phase of the composting, but increased again when the temperature declined. Total microbial activity, measured with an enzyme activity assay, decreased during the thermophilic phase, increased substantially thereafter, and decreased again during maturation. Bacteria dominated during the thermophilic phase while fungi, streptomycetes and yeasts were below the detection limit. Different bacterial populations were found in the thermophilic and mesophilic phases. In fresh wastes and during the peak-heating phase, all bacterial isolates were bacilli. During the cooling and maturation phase the bacterial diversity increased, including also other Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Among the fungi, Aspergillus spp. and Mucor spp. were predominant after the thermophilic phase. CONCLUSIONS: The microbial abundance, composition and activity changed substantially during composting and compost maturity was correlated with high microbial diversity and low activity. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: A more complete overview of the whole composting process of biowaste, based on microbial counts, species diversity and functional groups and abiotic parameters is presented, and the potential of a simple enzyme assay to measure total microbial activity was demonstrated.     

Quantification of the presence and activity of specific microorganisms in nature

Traditional techniques for assessment of microbial numbers and activity generally lack the specificity required for risk assessment following environmental release of genetically engineered microbial inocula. Immunological and molecular-based techniques, such as DNA probing and genetic tagging, were initially used to determine the presence or absence of microorganisms in environmental samples. Increasingly they are being developed for quantification of populations of specific organisms, either indigenous or introduced, in the environment. In addition, they are being used to quantify the activity of particular organisms or groups of organisms, greatly extending the range of techniques available to the microbial ecologist. This article reviews the use of traditional techniques for the quantification of microbial population size and activity and the application of molecular techniques, including DNA probing, genetic marking, use of fluorescent probes, and quantitative PCR, in combination with advanced cell detection techniques such as confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry.     

Removal of water-borne microorganisms in floating media filter-microfiltration system for water treatment

Floating plastic media pre-filter (PP) in combination with microfiltration membrane (MF) was applied to the removal of water-borne microorganism from surface water. The system was operated with and without coagulant addition. Jar-test results suggested that alum and polyaluminum chloride could effectively remove turbidity, fecal coliforms (FC) and algae at their optimum doses. Nevertheless, none of those coagulants could accomplish high coliphage (CP) removal. Microorganism removal in the system was increasing along with time in the PP unit operated at 5-m³/m²/h filtration rate but opposite trend was observed at higher filtration rates (10-15 m³/m²/h). Different coagulant types and filtration rates employed in the PP unit also affected microorganism removal in MF unit. The operation of PP unit at a filtration rate of 15 m³/m²/h and MF unit at a filtration rate of 0.6 m³/m²/d could achieve satisfactory turbidity and overall microorganism removal.     

Viable Cell Detection by the Combined Use of Fluorescent Glucose and Fluorescent Glycine

The combined use of a fluorescent glucose (2NBDG) and a fluorescent glycine (NBD-Gly) was tried for the detection of viable cells of significant foodborne pathogenic strains in addition to several Escherichia coli strains and coliforms. Thirty-five out of 41 strains showed marked uptake of 2NBDG but 6 strains were not able to take in 2NBDG. Five out of these 6 strains showed NBD-Gly uptake.     

吸收胞外电子的电活性微生物

可吸收胞外电子的电活性微生物(Electroactive microorganisms,EAMs)可利用胞外固态载体的电子将二氧化碳或其他氧化态物质还原成胞外有机物、还原态无机物或自身生命活动所需的有机物。该类EAMs的出现拓宽了人们对微生物多样性的认识,在生物质能合成、污染物治理与化学物质检测等方面具有重要的应用价值。本文介绍了代表性的可吸收胞外电子EAMs的物质转化与电能转化率等基本特性,重点阐述该类EAMs基于膜蛋白的直接吸收电子机制,及基于电子穿梭体的间接吸收电子机制,提出了其在微生物电合成系统与微生物传感器中的应用前景,并从EAMs机理研究、生物膜微观机制及工程应用的角度展望其今后的研究方向。     

Preparation of reference strains for validation and comparison of mycoplasma testing methods

Aims: To optimize growth conditions for preparation of stocks of mycoplasma reference strains to obtain highly viable and disperse samples with low ratios of genomic copy (GC) number to that of colony forming units (CFU). These stocks are required for assessment of relative limits of detection (LOD) of alternative nucleic acid testing (NAT)‐based methods in comparison to the conventional microbiological methods. Methods and Results: A kinetics study was used to assess the changes in ratios between the numbers of GC and CFU at different growth phases of six different mycoplasma cultures Acholeplasma laidlawii, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma arginini, Mycoplasma fermentans, Mycoplasma orale and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. All tested mycoplasmas demonstrated low GC/CFU ratios (≤10) within the log and early stationary growth phases. A significant increase in GC/CFU ratios was observed at the very late stationary and death phases, when the titre of cultures has declined. Similar patterns of GC/CFU profiles were observed for A. laidlawii and Myc. gallisepticum co‐cultured with suspension of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Conclusions: Tested mycoplasma strains harvested at the exponential‐early stationary phases of growth demonstrated the lowest GC/CFU ratios and low propensity to form filamentous structures or aggregates under proposed conditions and can be used for the preparation of a mycoplasma reference panel for methods comparability study. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study shows that the preparation and use of viable mycoplasma reference strains with low CG/CFU ratios is the most reliable way to adequately evaluate the LOD of alternative NAT‐based mycoplasma testing methods.     

A photobioreactor system for precision cultivation of photoautotrophic microorganisms and for high-content analysis of suspension dynamics

Small-scale photobioreactors for cultivation of photoautotrophic microbes are required for precise characterization of the growth parameters of wild-type and engineered strains of these organisms, for their screening, and for optimization of culture conditions. Here, we describe the design and use of a flat-cuvette photobioreactor that allows accurate control of culture irradiance, temperature, pH, and gas composition combined with real-time monitoring by a built-in fluorometer and densitometer. The high-power LED light source generates precise irradiance levels that are programmed by user-designed protocols. The irradiance, temperature, and gas composition may be static or dynamically modulated, while optical density and pH may be stabilized in turbidostat and pH-stat modes, respectively. We demonstrate that the instrument is able to detect minute variations of growth caused, for example, by sudden dilution or by circadian rhythms. The sensitivity of the instrument is sufficient to monitor suspension optical density as low as 10(-2). This newly designed photobioreactor can significantly contribute to the study and use of photoautotrophic microbes in systems biology and biotechnology.