scholarly journals Bacillus subtilis Spores Germinate in the Chicken Gastrointestinal Tract

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (16) ◽  
pp. 5254-5258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen T. Cartman ◽  
Roberto M. La Ragione ◽  
Martin J. Woodward

ABSTRACT A number of poultry probiotics contain bacterial spores. In this study, orally administered spores of Bacillus subtilis germinated in the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of chicks. Furthermore, 20 h after spores were administered, vegetative cells outnumbered spores throughout the GI tract. This demonstrates that spore-based probiotics may function in this host through metabolically active mechanisms.

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
André Jefremow ◽  
Markus F. Neurath

<b><i>Background:</i></b> About 1 year ago a novel virus – SARS-CoV-2 – began to spread around the world. It can lead to the disease COVID-19, which has caused more than 1 million deaths already. <b><i>Summary:</i></b> While it was first recognized as a disease leading to pneumonia and lung failure, we know by now that COVID-19 is more complex. COVID-19 is a systemic hyperinflammatory disease affecting not only the lungs, but also many other organs. Especially the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is often involved in COVID-19. <b><i>Key Messages:</i></b> This review provides an overview of the different affected organs of the GI tract and offers information on how gastroenterologists should take care of their patients with different GI disorders.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 667
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Tu ◽  
Peter Setlow ◽  
Stanley Brul ◽  
Gertjan Kramer

Bacterial endospores (spores) are among the most resistant living forms on earth. Spores of Bacillus subtilis A163 show extremely high resistance to wet heat compared to spores of laboratory strains. In this study, we found that spores of B. subtilis A163 were indeed very wet heat resistant and released dipicolinic acid (DPA) very slowly during heat treatment. We also determined the proteome of vegetative cells and spores of B. subtilis A163 and the differences in these proteomes from those of the laboratory strain PY79, spores of which are much less heat resistant. This proteomic characterization identified 2011 proteins in spores and 1901 proteins in vegetative cells of B. subtilis A163. Surprisingly, spore morphogenic protein SpoVM had no homologs in B. subtilis A163. Comparing protein expression between these two strains uncovered 108 proteins that were differentially present in spores and 93 proteins differentially present in cells. In addition, five of the seven proteins on an operon in strain A163, which is thought to be primarily responsible for this strain’s spores high heat resistance, were also identified. These findings reveal proteomic differences of the two strains exhibiting different resistance to heat and form a basis for further mechanistic analysis of the high heat resistance of B. subtilis A163 spores.


FEBS Letters ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 269-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C.C. Maia ◽  
P. Kerjan ◽  
J. Szulmajster

Author(s):  
Jaewon J. Lee ◽  
Scott Kopetz ◽  
Eduardo Vilar ◽  
John Paul Shen ◽  
Ken Chen ◽  
...  

COVID-19, the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread throughout the world and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, thus leading to a rapid surge in the efforts to understand the mechanisms of transmission, methods of prevention, and potential therapies. While COVID-19 frequently manifests as a respiratory infection,1 there is evidence for infection of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract1–4 with documented viral RNA shedding in the stool of infected patients.2,4 In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which are required for SARS-CoV-2 entry into mammalian cells,5 from single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets of five different parts of the GI tract: esophagus, stomach, pancreas, small intestine, and colon/rectum.


2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salim A. Bastaki ◽  
Nawal Osman ◽  
Jose Kochiyil ◽  
Mohamed Shafiullah ◽  
Rengasamy Padmanabhan ◽  
...  

Our objective was to study the toxicokinetics of aflatoxin (AF) in pregnant mice. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was administered intraperitoneally (IP) to groups of pregnant mice in single doses of 20 mg/kg on gestation day (GD) 13 and orally at the same gestational age. Controls received (IP and oral) a proportionate volume of solvent only. Maternal blood was collected at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 150 minutes posttreatment. Their AFB1 contents were determined. Aflatoxin B1 concentrations following maternal exposure to AFB1 were highly correlated with time after exposure. The serum concentrations were predictable and the highest serum levels were seen immediately at 15 minutes in mice given AFs IP and at 30 minutes in those given it orally. The absorption was 5.0 μg/min and elimination was 3.0 μg/min. The toxicokinetics of AFB1 have been delineated. Aflatoxins are easily and rapidly absorbed both from the gastrointestinal tract (GI) tract and through the peritoneum.


mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Kint ◽  
Carolina Alves Feliciano ◽  
Maria C. Martins ◽  
Claire Morvan ◽  
Susana F. Fernandes ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Clostridioides difficile is a major cause of diarrhea associated with antibiotherapy. After germination of C. difficile spores in the small intestine, vegetative cells are exposed to low oxygen (O2) tensions. While considered strictly anaerobic, C. difficile is able to grow in nonstrict anaerobic conditions (1 to 3% O2) and tolerates brief air exposure indicating that this bacterium harbors an arsenal of proteins involved in O2 detoxification and/or protection. Tolerance of C. difficile to low O2 tensions requires the presence of the alternative sigma factor, σB, involved in the general stress response. Among the genes positively controlled by σB, four encode proteins likely involved in O2 detoxification: two flavodiiron proteins (FdpA and FdpF) and two reverse rubrerythrins (revRbr1 and revRbr2). As previously observed for FdpF, we showed that both purified revRbr1 and revRbr2 harbor NADH-linked O2- and H2O2-reductase activities in vitro, while purified FdpA mainly acts as an O2-reductase. The growth of a fdpA mutant is affected at 0.4% O2, while inactivation of both revRbrs leads to a growth defect above 0.1% O2. O2-reductase activities of these different proteins are additive since the quadruple mutant displays a stronger phenotype when exposed to low O2 tensions compared to the triple mutants. Our results demonstrate a key role for revRbrs, FdpF, and FdpA proteins in the ability of C. difficile to grow in the presence of physiological O2 tensions such as those encountered in the colon. IMPORTANCE Although the gastrointestinal tract is regarded as mainly anoxic, low O2 tension is present in the gut and tends to increase following antibiotic-induced disruption of the host microbiota. Two decreasing O2 gradients are observed, a longitudinal one from the small to the large intestine and a second one from the intestinal epithelium toward the colon lumen. Thus, O2 concentration fluctuations within the gastrointestinal tract are a challenge for anaerobic bacteria such as C. difficile. This enteropathogen has developed efficient strategies to detoxify O2. In this work, we identified reverse rubrerythrins and flavodiiron proteins as key actors for O2 tolerance in C. difficile. These enzymes are responsible for the reduction of O2 protecting C. difficile vegetative cells from associated damages. Original and complex detoxification pathways involving O2-reductases are crucial in the ability of C. difficile to tolerate O2 and survive to O2 concentrations encountered in the gastrointestinal tract.


Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 412
Author(s):  
Luelle Robles ◽  
Ronny Priefer

Lactose intolerance has seen recognized as a clinical syndrome characterized by pain, abdominal distention, flatulence, and diarrhea after the consumption of lactose. Lactose is a common disaccharide found in dairy that requires lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) to break down into glucose and galactose. A deficiency in this enzyme results in flora bacteria further along in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) tract to metabolize the excess lactose to numerous gases, including H2. Recent studies show that the risk of symptoms after lactose ingestion depends on the dose of lactose, LPH expression, intestinal flora, and sensitivity of the gastrointestinal tract. Currently, there are several diagnostic tests that investigate the biological mechanism of lactose intolerance such as blood, biopsy, genetic, and breath tests. Due to its relatively low cost, availability, and non-invasiveness, the hydrogen breath test (HBT) has become a popular technology to aid in the diagnosis of many gastroenterological diseases, specifically lactose intolerance. Additionally, while administering the HBT there seems to be a lack of uniform criteria amongst the various studies, with many using their own guidelines, which may in turn cause inconsistency with the analysis of the results. With ever improving nanotechnology, novel approaches to expedite and lower the costs of the HBT has become an area of research with significant advancements.


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