Generation of single-chain Fv antibody fragments against Mu-2-related death-inducing gene in Escherichia coli

Molecular Biology Reports - Mu-2-related death-inducing (MuD) gene is involved in apoptosis in tumor cells. Although we have previously produced mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that specifically...     

Inactivation of Giardia lamblia cysts with ozone

Giardia lamblia cysts were inactivated in water with ozone at pH 7.0 and 5 and 25 degrees C. The concentration-time products for 99% inactivation were 0.53 and 0.17 mg-min/liter at 5 and 25 degrees C, respectively. These products were significantly lower than those reported for chlorine.     

Virulence and antimicrobial resistance potential of Aeromonas spp. associated with shellfish

Aeromonas spp. are associated with seafood-related outbreaks worldwide. In seafood industry, shellfish play a major role in global seafood production. With this emerging trend of shellfish consumption, shellfish-related bacterial infections are being reported frequently. Aeromonas spp. are natural contaminants found in shellfish. Although 36 species have been identified, some species including Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas caviae and Aeromonas veronii biotype sobria have dragged major attention as foodborne pathogenic bacteria. The ability to elaborate a variety of virulence factors of Aeromonas spp. contributes to the pathogenic activities. Also, emerging antimicrobial resistance in Aeromonas spp. has become a huge challenge in seafood industry. Furthermore, multidrug resistance increases the risk of consumer health. Studies have supplied pieces of evidence about the emerging health risk of Aeromonas spp. isolated from seafood. Therefore, the present review was intended to highlight the prevalence, virulence and antimicrobial resistance of Aeromonas spp. isolated from various types of shellfish.     

Redox responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to the green peach aphid,Myzus persicae

The green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) is a phloem-feeding insect that causes economic damage on a wide array of crops. Using a luminol-based assay, a superoxide-responsive reporter gene (Zat12::luciferase), and a probe specific to hydrogen peroxide (HyPer), we demonstrated that this aphid induces accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Arabidopsis thaliana. Similar to the apoplastic oxidative burst induced by pathogens, this response to aphids was rapid and transient, with two peaks occurring within 1 and 4 hr after infestation. Aphid infestation also induced an oxidative response in the cytosol and peroxisomes, as measured using a redox-sensitive variant of green fluorescent protein (roGFP2). This intracellular response began within minutes of infestation but persisted 20 hr or more after inoculation, and the response of the peroxisomes appeared stronger than the response in the cytosol. Our results suggest that the oxidative response to aphids involves both apoplastic and intracellular sources of ROS, including ROS generation in the peroxisomes, and these different sources of ROS may potentially differ in their impacts on host suitability for aphids.     

Prevalence of virulence and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes harbouring Vibrio spp. isolated from cockles (Tegillarca granosa) marketed in Korea

This study aimed to examine incidence, virulence and antimicrobial properties in Aeromonas spp. isolated from cockles (Tegillarca granosa) in Korea. Firstly, genomic DNA was extracted from 32 Aeromonas spp. isolates, and PCR screening for virulence, antimicrobial resistance genes was carried out. The disk diffusion assay was used to examine antimicrobial susceptibility. Aeromonas spp. isolates comprised, A. hydrophila (n = 8), A. veronii (n = 15), A. media (n = 2), A. salmonicida (n = 2), A. allosaccharophila (n = 1), A. bestiarum (n = 1), A. culicicola (n = 1), A. enteropelogenes (n = 1) and A. rivipollensis (n = 1). High prevalence of virulence-related genes reported as; act (69%), alt (47%), ast (41%), aerA (56%), lip (50%), ahyB (47%), ser (28%), fla (66%), gcat (44%), ascV (50%) and hlyA (72%). All isolates were multidrug resistant, while highest resistance level observed for ampicillin (100%), followed by imipenem (81%), rifampicin (78%), cephalothin (72%), piperacillin (47%) and Colistin sulfate (31%). The presence of bla_SHV, bla_CTX, tetE, aac(6’)-Ib, strA-strB, qnrS, qnrB and IntI1 genes were reported in varying combinations. Nevertheless, bla_TEM, bla_IMP, tetA, tetB, qnrA, qnrB and aphAI-IAB genes and the class1 integron were not detected. The high occurrence of virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes in cockles reveals that it can be a potential health risk source for consumers.     

Inactivation of Giardia lamblia cysts with ozone.

Giardia lamblia cysts were inactivated in water with ozone at pH 7.0 and 5 and 25 degrees C. The concentration-time products for 99% inactivation were 0.53 and 0.17 mg-min/liter at 5 and 25 degrees C, respectively. These products were significantly lower than those reported for chlorine.