Biodiversity of Bacterial Ecosystems in Traditional Egyptian Domiati Cheese

Bacterial biodiversity occurring in traditional Egyptian soft Domiati cheese was studied by PCR-temporal temperature gel electrophoresis (TTGE) and PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Bands were identified using a reference species database (J.-C. Ogier et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70:5628-5643, 2004); de novo bands having nonidentified migration patterns were identified by DNA sequencing. Results reveal a novel bacterial profile and extensive bacterial biodiversity in Domiati cheeses, as reflected by the numerous bands present in TTGE and DGGE patterns. The dominant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) identified were as follows: Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactococcus garvieae, Aerococcus viridans, Lactobacillus versmoldensis, Pediococcus inopinatus, and Lactococcus lactis. Frequent non-LAB species included numerous coagulase-negative staphylococci, Vibrio spp., Kocuria rhizophila, Kocuria kristinae, Kocuria halotolerans, Arthrobacter spp./Brachybacterium tyrofermentans. This is the first time that the majority of these species has been identified in Domiati cheese. Nearly all the dominant and frequent bacterial species are salt tolerant, and several correspond to known marine bacteria. As Domiati cheese contains 5.4 to 9.5% NaCl, we suggest that these bacteria are likely to have an important role in the ripening process. This first systematic study of the microbial composition of Domiati cheeses reveals great biodiversity and evokes a role for marine bacteria in determining cheese type.     

Effect of Raw-Milk Cheese Consumption on the Enterococcal Flora of Human Feces

Enterococci are one of the major facultative anaerobic bacterial groups that reside in the human gastrointestinal tract. In the present study, the composition of the enterococcal fecal flora in three healthy humans was analyzed before, during, and after the daily consumption of ~125 g of a raw-milk Cheddar-type cheese containing 3.2 × 10⁴ enterococci/g of cheese. Enterococcal counts ranged between 1.4 × 10² and 2.5 × 10⁸ CFU/g of feces and differed from subject to subject and from week to week. The cheese contained mainly Enterococcus casseliflavus and a small population of Enterococcus faecalis. Clonal relationships were determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Before and after consumption of the cheese, samples from humans contained mainly Enterococcus faecium, with some of the clones being resident. During consumption of the cheese, one particular transient clone of E. faecalis, clone Fs2, which was present in small numbers in the cheese, largely dominated the feces. Two clones of E. casseliflavus from the cheese were also found in the feces of one of the subjects during cheese consumption. These results suggest that a clone need not be present in a food in high numbers to establish itself in the intestine.     

Future of Endemic Flora of Biodiversity Hotspots in India

India is one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries of the world, which represents 11% of world''s flora in about 2.4% of global land mass. Approximately 28% of the total Indian flora and 33% of angiosperms occurring in India are endemic. Higher human population density in biodiversity hotspots in India puts undue pressure on these sensitive eco-regions. In the present study, we predict the future distribution of 637 endemic plant species from three biodiversity hotspots in India; Himalaya, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, based on A1B scenario for year 2050 and 2080. We develop individual variable based models as well as mixed models in MaxEnt by combining ten least co-related bioclimatic variables, two disturbance variables and one physiography variable as predictor variables. The projected changes suggest that the endemic flora will be adversely impacted, even under such a moderate climate scenario. The future distribution is predicted to shift in northern and north-eastern direction in Himalaya and Indo-Burma, while in southern and south-western direction in Western Ghats, due to cooler climatic conditions in these regions. In the future distribution of endemic plants, we observe a significant shift and reduction in the distribution range compared to the present distribution. The model predicts a 23.99% range reduction and a 7.70% range expansion in future distribution by 2050, while a 41.34% range reduction and a 24.10% range expansion by 2080. Integration of disturbance and physiography variables along with bioclimatic variables in the models improved the prediction accuracy. Mixed models provide most accurate results for most of the combinations of climatic and non-climatic variables as compared to individual variable based models. We conclude that a) regions with cooler climates and higher moisture availability could serve as refugia for endemic plants in future climatic conditions; b) mixed models provide more accurate results, compared to single variable based models.     

Relation of Cheddar Cheese Ripening to Bacterial Lipolysis

This investigation was undertaken to find the relationship between fat hydrolysis and lipolytic activities of lactic acid bacteria participated in Cheddar cheese ripening. Increases in titratable acidities due to lactic fermentation were completed at early stage of ripening. Ripening indices (ratio of water-soluble nitrogen to total nitrogen) increased rapidly until 90 days and thereafter gradually up to 150 days. Considerable amounts of free fatty acids were released from cheese fat throughout the ripening period. Cheese bacteria were enumerated on the media of tomato-glucose-agar and acetate-agar. About 70% of bacteria isolated from cheese at age of 150 days were classified into Lactobacillus casei and L. plantarum. Lipolytic activities of lactobacilli isolated were detected definitely on double-layered agar plates containing Victoria blue-stained olive oil. Lipase activities were determined in cheese extracts during ripening.     

Combining Individual-Based Modeling and Food Microenvironment Descriptions To Predict the Growth of Listeria monocytogenes on Smear Soft Cheese

An individual-based modeling (IBM) approach was developed to describe the behavior of a few Listeria monocytogenes cells contaminating smear soft cheese surface. The IBM approach consisted of assessing the stochastic individual behaviors of cells on cheese surfaces and knowing the characteristics of their surrounding microenvironments. We used a microelectrode for pH measurements and micro-osmolality to assess the water activity of cheese microsamples. These measurements revealed a high variability of microscale pH compared to that of macroscale pH. A model describing the increase in pH from approximately 5.0 to more than 7.0 during ripening was developed. The spatial variability of the cheese surface characterized by an increasing pH with radius and higher pH on crests compared to that of hollows on cheese rind was also modeled. The microscale water activity ranged from approximately 0.96 to 0.98 and was stable during ripening. The spatial variability on cheese surfaces was low compared to between-cheese variability. Models describing the microscale variability of cheese characteristics were combined with the IBM approach to simulate the stochastic growth of L. monocytogenes on cheese, and these simulations were compared to bacterial counts obtained from irradiated cheeses artificially contaminated at different ripening stages. The simulated variability of L. monocytogenes counts with the IBM/microenvironmental approach was consistent with the observed one. Contrasting situations corresponding to no growth or highly contaminated foods could be deduced from these models. Moreover, the IBM approach was more effective than the traditional population/macroenvironmental approach to describe the actual bacterial behavior variability.     

Examination of the Bacterial Biodiversity of Coastal Eroded Surface Soils from the Padza de Dapani (Mayotte Island)

To better understand microbial populations present in atypical soil environments, and to discern any relations between these environments and their bacterial communities, we examined the “Padza de Dapani” on the island of Mayotte off the east coast of Africa. This area is not a true (hot) desert, but resembles one in many places due to extensive soil erosion. We collected surface soil samples from five different sites of the Padza de Dapani in Mayotte. We examined bacterial biodiversity using pyrosequencing of PCR-amplified 16S V1–V3 rDNA sequences from total extracted DNA. Our results show that in the acidic (pH 4.6–6), oligotrophic (organic carbon; 0.1–0.7 g/kg of soil) and mineralized (Fe: 18 g/100 g; Al: 12 g/100 g) Dapani Padza soil samples, members of the Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria phyla dominated the bacterial communities, as was also observed in samples from Saudi Arabia hot desert sands.

Interestingly, members belonging to the genera Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter and Bacillus were also found to be very abundant in our samples. These were also seen in hot Asian deserts sand samples, such as those from the Gobi (Mongolia) and Taklamaken (China) deserts, thus possibly pointing to microbial populations characteristic of denuded soils.     

Bacterial Flora of the Schistosome Vector Snail Biomphalaria glabrata

[This corrects the article on p. 671 in vol. 38.].     

鄂西南地区种子植物多样性与区系特征

根据《恩施植物志》内容,结合近年来野外实地调查记录,统计鄂西南地区种子植物信息,并对其物种多样性、科属组成及区系地理特征进行了分析。结果表明:(1)鄂西南地区种子植物共3 053种,占湖北省74.79%,全国的11.20%,隶属于164科1 008属,其中裸子植物9科28属45种,被子植物155科980属3 008种,且草本植物达1 576种;研究区内植物生活型多样化,多年生和落叶物种占优势,珍稀濒危物种多,生物多样性高。(2)鄂西南地区物种较多的科为蔷薇科(210种)、菊科(198种)、百合科(131种)、禾本科(126种)和豆科(111种),表征科中桦木科的重要值最大(22.00);大科、大属的优势性明显,少种科和少种属较多,体现出科属水平上的多样性。(3)研究区内种子植物科的区系划分为11个分布区类型,14个亚型,其中热带成分77科(65.25%),温带成分38科(32.20%),中国特有2科(1.69%),以热带成分为主;属级水平上共15个分布区类型、23个亚型,热带成分388属(41.06%),温带成分485属(51.32%),中国特有57属(6.03%);种级水平上划分为15个分布区类型,温带成分1 572种(59.70%)、热带成分934种(35.47%),中国特有分布型110种(4.18%),属、种水平上温带成分更占优势。研究认为,鄂西南地区种子植物区系具有温带和热带双重性质和过渡性特征,区系起源有一定的古老性,地理成分复杂。     

Effect of Nutrient Inflow on the Bacterial Flora in the River Sakuragawa,Japan

The relationship between nutrient level and microorganisms in the waters of the River Sakuragawa, Japan, was studied from 1976 to 1977. Statistical analyses show that the organic nutrients for the bacteria were mainly autochthonous, and that the water system of the River Sakuragawa was never polluted enough to fall into a condition that could be classified as dystrophic.     

The Bacterial Flora of the Rumen of Healthy and Bloating Calves

Rumen samples from five healthy milk-fed calves and one healthy calf given a milk-replacer diet containing yeast protein had pH values of 6.5–8.0, total counts of ca. 10¹⁰/ml and viable counts of 10⁸-10¹⁰/ml. The facultatively and strictly anaerobic, and obligately aerobic, components of the floras were enumerated and identified. Similar tests performed on samples from two calves bloating on the yeast diet had pH values of 4.8 and 5.3, and although total and viable counts were of the same order as those from healthy calves, obligately aerobic bacteria were not detected and counts of lactobacilli were elevated. Infusion of the rumen of a calf with yeast diet caused a reduction in pH from 7.3–5.1 and an increase of at least 100-fold in the numbers of organisms capable of forming copious gas from yeast diet. Results suggest that milk or milk-replacer diet normally does not enter the rumen to any extent but when it does, due perhaps to poor palatability, bloat may ensue.     

The Aerobic Bacterial Flora of the Anal Sac of the Red Fox

Sixty-five samples of anal sac fluid taken aseptically from 20 living Red Foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ) yielded a wide range of bacterial species when cultured aerobically. Only Proteus and Streptococcus spp. were regularly present in large numbers even though large numbers of Escherichia coli were present in the foxes'faeces.