scholarly journals Differential Microbial Diversity inDrosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis A. Ramírez-Camejo ◽  
Génesis Maldonado-Morales ◽  
Paul Bayman
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Klebsiella Oxytoca ◽  
Geotrichum Candidum ◽  
Alcaligenes Faecalis ◽  
Model System ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Tropical Fruits ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Fusarium Equiseti

Drosophila melanogasterhas become a model system to study interactions between innate immunity and microbial pathogens, yet many aspects regarding its microbial community and interactions with pathogens remain unclear. In this study wildD. melanogasterwere collected from tropical fruits in Puerto Rico to test how the microbiota is distributed and to compare the culturable diversity of fungi and bacteria. Additionally, we investigated whether flies are potential vectors of human and plant pathogens. Eighteen species of fungi and twelve species of bacteria were isolated from wild flies. The most abundant microorganisms identified were the yeastCandida inconspicuaand the bacteriumKlebsiellasp. The yeastIssatchenkia hanoiensiswas significantly more common internally than externally in flies. Species richness was higher in fungi than in bacteria, but diversity was lower in fungi than in bacteria. The microbial composition of flies was similar internally and externally. We identified a variety of opportunistic human and plant pathogens in flies such asAlcaligenes faecalis,Aspergillus flavus,A. fumigatus,A. niger,Fusarium equiseti/oxysporum, Geotrichum candidum,Klebsiella oxytoca,Microbacterium oxydans, andStenotrophomonas maltophilia. Despite its utility as a model system,D. melanogastercan be a vector of microorganisms that represent a potential risk to plant and public health.

Studies on the EC50 of Natural Monoterpenes as Fungal Inhibitors with Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSARs)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-60
Author(s):  
Mohamed E.I. Badawy ◽  
Entsar I. Rabea ◽  
Samir A.M. Abdelgaleil
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Molecular Descriptors ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Quantitative Structure ◽  
Qsar Study ◽  
Qsar Analysis ◽  
Pharmacophore Modelling ◽  
Structure Activity ◽  
Wide Range

Background:Monoterpenes are the main constituents of the essential oils obtained from plants. These natural products offered wide spectra of biological activity and extensively tested against microbial pathogens and other agricultural pests.Methods:Antifungal activity of 10 monoterpenes, including two hydrocarbons (camphene and (S)- limonene) and eight oxygenated hydrocarbons ((R)-camphor, (R)-carvone, (S)-fenchone, geraniol, (R)-linalool, (+)-menthol, menthone, and thymol), was determined against fungi of Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Botryodiplodia theobromae, Fusarium graminearum, Phoma exigua, Phytophthora infestans, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum by the mycelia radial growth technique. Subsequently, Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) analysis using different molecular descriptors with multiple regression analysis based on systematic search and LOOCV technique was performed. Moreover, pharmacophore modelling was carried out using LigandScout software to evaluate the common features essential for the activity and the hypothetical geometries adopted by these ligands in their most active forms.Results:The results showed that the antifungal activities were high, but depended on the chemical structure and the type of microorganism. Thymol showed the highest effect against all fungi tested with respective EC50 in the range of 10-86 mg/L. The QSAR study proved that the molecular descriptors HBA, MR, Pz, tPSA, and Vp were correlated positively with the biological activity in all of the best models with a correlation coefficient (r) ≥ 0.98 and cross-validated values (Q2) ≥ 0.77.Conclusion:The results of this work offer the opportunity to choose monoterpenes with preferential antimicrobial activity against a wide range of plant pathogens.

scholarly journals Biases in the metabarcoding of plant pathogens using rust fungi as a model system

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Makiola ◽  
Ian A. Dickie ◽  
Robert J. Holdaway ◽  
Jamie R. Wood ◽  
Kate H. Orwin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Model System ◽  
Rust Fungi

scholarly journals Higher Variability in Fungi Compared to Bacteria in the Foraging Honey Bee Gut

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie E. Decker ◽  
Priscilla A. San Juan ◽  
Magdalena L. Warren ◽  
Cory E. Duckworth ◽  
Cheng Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Model System ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Host Health ◽  
Gut Symbionts

AbstractMicrobial communities in the honey bee gut have emerged as a model system to understand the effects of host-associated microbes on animals and plants. The specific distribution patterns of bacterial associates among honey bee gut regions remains a key finding within the field. The mid- and hindgut of foraging bees house a deterministic set of core species that affect host health. In contrast, the crop, or honey stomach, contains a more diverse set of bacteria that is highly variable in composition among individual bees. Whether this contrast between the two gut regions also applies to fungi, another major group of gut-associated microbes, remains unclear despite their potential influence on host health. In honey bees caught foraging at four sites across the San Francisco Peninsula, we found that fungi were much less distinct in species composition between the crop and the mid- and hindgut than bacteria. Unlike bacteria, fungi were highly variable in composition throughout the gut, and much of this variation was attributable to bee collection site. These patterns suggest that the fungi may be passengers rather than functionally significant gut symbionts. However, many of the fungi we found in the bees have been recognized as plant pathogens. Assuming that some fungi remain viable after passage through the gut, the distribution patterns we report here point to the potential importance of honey bees as vectors of fungal pathogens and suggest a more prominent role of honey bees in plant pathogen transmission than generally thought.Importance (Nontechnical explanation of why the work was undertaken)Along with bacteria, fungi make up a significant portion of animal- and plant-associated microbial communities. However, we have only begun to describe these fungi, much less examine their effects on most animals and plants. The honey bee, Apis mellifera, has emerged as a model system for studying host-associated microbes. Honey bees contain well-characterized bacteria specialized to inhabit different regions of the gut. Fungi also exist in the honey bee gut, but their composition and function remain largely undescribed. Here we show that, unlike bacteria, fungi vary substantially in species composition throughout the honey bee gut, contingent on where the bees are sampled. This observation suggests that fungi may be transient passengers and therefore unimportant as gut symbionts. However, our findings also indicate that honey bees could be major vectors of infectious plant diseases as many of the fungi we found in the honey bee gut are recognized as plant pathogens.

scholarly journals Microbial Diversity Associated with Gwell, a Traditional French Mesophilic Fermented Milk Inoculated with a Natural Starter

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 982
Author(s):  
Lucas von Gastrow ◽  
Marie-Noëlle Madec ◽  
Victoria Chuat ◽  
Stanislas Lubac ◽  
Clémence Morinière ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Fermentation Process ◽  
Fermented Milk ◽  
Geotrichum Candidum ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Streptococcus Species ◽  
Culture Independent ◽  
History Of ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Culture Dependent

Gwell is a traditional mesophilic fermented milk from the Brittany region of France. The fermentation process is based on a back-slopping method. The starter is made from a portion of the previous Gwell production, so that Gwell is both the starter and final product for consumption. In a participatory research framework involving 13 producers, Gwell was characterized from both the sensory and microbial points of view and was defined by its tangy taste and smooth and dense texture. The microbial community of typical Gwell samples was studied using both culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. Lactococcus lactis was systematically identified in Gwell, being represented by both subspecies cremoris and lactis biovar diacetylactis which were always associated. Geotrichum candidum was also found in all the samples. The microbial composition was confirmed by 16S and ITS2 metabarcoding analysis. We were able to reconstruct the history of Gwell exchanges between producers, and thus obtained the genealogy of the samples we analyzed. The samples clustered in two groups which were also differentiated by their microbial composition, and notably by the presence or absence of yeasts identified as Kazachstania servazii and Streptococcus species.

Dry Stress and Survival Time of Enterobacter sakazakii and Other Enterobacteriaceae in Dehydrated Powdered Infant Formula

2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (9) ◽  
pp. 2111-2117 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUNCAL CAUBILLA BARRON ◽  
STEPHEN J. FORSYTHE
Keyword(s):  
Infant Formula ◽  
Salmonella Enteritidis ◽  
Klebsiella Oxytoca ◽  
Powdered Infant Formula ◽  
Enterobacter Sakazakii ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Sterile Product

Powdered infant formula is not a sterile product, and opportunistic pathogens could multiply in the reconstituted product, resulting in neonatal infections. In this study, the generation of sublethally injured Enterobacteriaceae during desiccation and their persistence in dehydrated powdered infant formula was assessed during a 2.5-year period. The study included 27 strains of Enterobacter sakazakii, Enterobacter cloacae, Salmonella Enteritidis, Citrobacter koseri, Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Escherichia vulneris, Pantoea spp., Klebsiella oxytoca, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The number of sublethally injured cells generated during desiccation was lower for K. oxytoca, Pantoea spp., Salmonella Enteritidis, and capsulated strains of E. sakazakii than for the other Enterobacteriaceae. The Enterobacteriaceae could be divided into three groups with respect to their long-term survival in the desiccated state. C. freundii, C. koseri, and E. cloacae were no longer recoverable after 6 months, and Salmonella Enteritidis, K. pneumoniae, and E. coli could not be recovered after 15 months. Pantoea spp., K. oxytoca, and E. vulneris persisted over 2 years, and some capsulated strains of E. sakazakii were still recoverable after 2.5 years.

Extracellular hydrolytic enzymes in the fungal genus Verticillium: adaptations for pathogenesis

1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 856-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Bidochka ◽  
Susan Burke ◽  
Luna Ng
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Extracellular Enzymes ◽  
Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Verticillium Lecanii ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Broad Array ◽  
Fungal Genus

The insect and plant pathogens within the fungal genus Verticillium showed enzymatic adaptation (production and regulation) directed to the degradation of some of the polymers found in the integument of their respective hosts. For example, the facultative plant pathogens (V. albo-atrum and V. dahliae) produced greater levels of cellulase and xylanase than the facultative insect pathogen (V. lecanii). Verticillium lecanii produced extracellular subtilisin-like protease when grown in insect cuticle medium but not in plant cell wall medium, while the plant pathogen V. albo-atrum showed a diminished regulatory component in the production of this enzyme. The opportunistic pathogens (V. fungicola and V. coccosporum) and the saprobic species (V. rexianum) were less specific in the production and regulation of several proteases as well as cellulases and xylanases. A dendrogram based on cluster analysis compiled from fungal API-ZYM profiles showed commonalties in a broad array of extracellular enzymes within a host-pathogen group (i.e. insect or plant pathogen). The opportunistic pathogens were dispersed throughout the dendrogram, suggestive of the diversity in type and expression of extracellular enzymes.Key words: extracellular enzymes, pathogenic fungi.

scholarly journals Uncovering the Role of Metabolism in Oomycete–Host Interactions Using Genome-Scale Metabolic Models

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sander Y. A. Rodenburg ◽  
Michael F. Seidl ◽  
Dick de Ridder ◽  
Francine Govers
Keyword(s):  
Systems Biology ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Metabolic Model ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Biochemical Reactions ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
A Genome ◽  
The Many ◽  
Genome Scale

Metabolism is the set of biochemical reactions of an organism that enables it to assimilate nutrients from its environment and to generate building blocks for growth and proliferation. It forms a complex network that is intertwined with the many molecular and cellular processes that take place within cells. Systems biology aims to capture the complexity of cells, organisms, or communities by reconstructing models based on information gathered by high-throughput analyses (omics data) and prior knowledge. One type of model is a genome-scale metabolic model (GEM) that allows studying the distributions of metabolic fluxes, i.e., the “mass-flow” through the network of biochemical reactions. GEMs are nowadays widely applied and have been reconstructed for various microbial pathogens, either in a free-living state or in interaction with their hosts, with the aim to gain insight into mechanisms of pathogenicity. In this review, we first introduce the principles of systems biology and GEMs. We then describe how metabolic modeling can contribute to unraveling microbial pathogenesis and host–pathogen interactions, with a specific focus on oomycete plant pathogens and in particular Phytophthora infestans. Subsequently, we review achievements obtained so far and identify and discuss potential pitfalls of current models. Finally, we propose a workflow for reconstructing high-quality GEMs and elaborate on the resources needed to advance a system biology approach aimed at untangling the intimate interactions between plants and pathogens.

scholarly journals Microbial threat– a growing challenge for plant biosecurity

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon McKirdy ◽  
Brendan Rodoni ◽  
Jane Moran ◽  
Shashi Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Travel And Tourism ◽  
Increasing Risk ◽  
Global Food ◽  
Lower Production

Australia is relatively free from many of the plant pathogens that seriously impact on agricultural production and natural environment in other countries. This provides a valuable competitive advantage for Australia?s plant industries in terms of securing market access and maintaining lower production costs. The increasing growth in global trade, travel and tourism is exposing Australia?s plant industries and environment to ever-increasing risk of exotic microbial pathogens. At risk are approximately $14 billion per annum in crop exports, the environment and its associated tourism, the sustainability of regional communities with plant industries contributing approximately $25 billion annually, and indirectly animal and human health and safety. In addition, biosecurity threats are recognised as a serious risk to global food security.

scholarly journals Insights into the desert living skin microbiome: geography, soil depth, and crust type affect biocrust microbial communities and networks in Mojave Desert, USA

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuttapon Pombubpa ◽  
Nicole Pietrasiak ◽  
Paul De Ley ◽  
Jason E Stajich
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Green Algal ◽  
Crust Type

AbstractBiocrusts are the living skin of drylands, comprising diverse microbial communities that are essential to desert ecosystems. Although we have extensive knowledge on biocrust ecosystem function and what drives biodiversity in lichen and moss dominated biocrusts, much less is understood about the impacts of diversity among microbial communities. Moreover, most biocrust microbial composition studies have primarily focused on bacteria. We used amplicon-based metabarcode sequencing to explore composition of both fungal and bacterial communities in biocrusts. Specifically we tested how geography, soil depth, and crust type structured biocrust microbial communities or fungal-bacterial networks. Microbial communities were surveyed from biocrust surface and subsurface soils collected from Joshua Tree National Park, Granite Mountain, Kelso Dunes, and Cima volcanic flows located within the Mojave Desert, USA. Five biocrust types were examined: Light-algal, Cyano-lichen, Green-algal lichen, Smooth moss, and Rough moss crust types. We found the primary characteristics structuring biocrust microbial diversity were 1) geography, as central and southern Mojave sites displayed different community signatures, 2) presence of plant associated fungi (plant pathogens and wood saprotrophs), indicator, and endemic species were identified at each site, 3) soil depth patterns, as surface and subsurface microbial communities were distinctly structured, and 4) the crust type, which predicted distinct microbial compositions. Network analysis showed that Cyanobacteria and Dothideomycetes (Pleosporales) were the major hubs of overall biocrust microbial community. Such hierarchical spatial organization of biocrust communities and their associated biotic networks can have pronounced impacts to ecosystem functions. Our findings provide crucial insights for dryland restoration and sustainable management.

A taxonomic and phylogenetic re-appraisal of the genus Curvularia (Pleosporaceae): human and plant pathogens

Phytotaxa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 212 (3) ◽  
pp. 175 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIMUTHU SANDARENU MANAMGODA ◽  
AMY Y. ROSSMAN ◽  
LISA A. CASTLEBURY ◽  
EKACHAI CHUKEATIROTE ◽  
KEVIN HYDE
Keyword(s):  
Internal Transcribed Spacer ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Translation Elongation Factor ◽  
Translation Elongation ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Host ◽  
Associated Species

Curvularia is an important genus whose species are widely distributed phytopathogens as well as opportunistic pathogens on human and animals. The purpose of this study is to re-evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of the species in the genus Curvularia using ITS (nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer), GPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) and TEF (translation elongation factor) gene regions and to provide modern descriptions and illustrations of Curvularia australis, Curvularia buchloës, C. cymbopogonis, C. hawaiiensis, C. neoindica, C. neergaardii, C. nicotiae, C. nodulosa, C. ryleyi, and C. subpapendorfii which lack recent descriptions with details of host and distribution. A multi-gene phylogenetic tree based on ITS, GPDH and TEF gene regions is used to define species of a fresh collections obtained from various hosts and geographic locations in the world. Both human and plant associated species of Curvularia are included in the phylogenetic analysis. Some species that have previously been described from humans are herein reported from plant material as pathogens or saprobes and vice versa. Novel host associations are reported for C. asianensis, C. borreriae, C. hominis, C. muehlenbeckiae, C. trifolii and C. verruculosa.

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