scholarly journals Quantitative Detection of Bifidobacterium longum Strains in Feces Using Strain-Specific Primers

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1159
Author(s):  
Yue Xiao ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
Jianxin Zhao ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Genes ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Bifidobacterium Longum ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Quantitative Detection ◽  
Bioinformatics Pipeline ◽  
Genome Database ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Human And Mouse ◽  
Considerable Strain

We adopted a bioinformatics-based technique to identify strain-specific markers, which were then used to quantify the abundances of three distinct B. longum sup. longum strains in fecal samples of humans and mice. A pangenome analysis of 205 B. longum sup. longum genomes revealed the accumulation of considerable strain-specific genes within this species; specifically, 28.7% of the total identified genes were strain-specific. We identified 32, 14, and 49 genes specific to B. longum sup. longum RG4-1, B. longum sup. longum M1-20-R01-3, and B. longum sup. longum FGSZY6M4, respectively. After performing an in silico validation of these strain-specific markers using a nucleotide BLAST against both the B. longum sup. longum genome database and an NR/NT database, RG4-1_01874 (1331 bp), M1-20-R01-3_00324 (1745 bp), and FGSZY6M4_01477 (1691 bp) were chosen as target genes for strain-specific quantification. The specificities of the qPCR primers were validated against 47 non-target microorganisms and fecal baseline microbiota to ensure that they produced no PCR amplification products. The performance of the qPCR primer-based analysis was further assessed using fecal samples. After oral administration, the target B. longum strains appeared to efficiently colonize both the human and mouse guts, with average population levels of >108 CFU/g feces. The bioinformatics pipeline proposed here can be applied to the quantification of various bacterial species.

Galacto- and Fructo-oligosaccharides Utilized for Growth by Cocultures of Bifidobacterial Species Characteristic of the Infant Gut

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Sims ◽  
GW Tannock
Keyword(s):  
Breast Milk ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Bifidobacterium Longum ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Bifidobacterium Bifidum ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Infant Diet ◽  
Growth Substrates

Copyright © 2020 American Society for Microbiology. Bifidobacterial species are common inhabitants of the gut of human infants during the period when milk is a major component of the diet. Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum subspecies longum, and B. longum subspecies infantis have been detected frequently in infant feces, but B. longum subsp. infantis may be disadvantaged numerically in the gut of infants in westernized countries. This may be due to the different durations of breast milk feeding in different countries. Supplementation of the infant diet or replacement of breast milk using formula feeds is common in Western countries. Formula milks often contain galacto- and/or fructo-oligosaccharides (GOS and FOS, respectively) as additives to augment the concentration of oligosaccharides in ruminant milks, but the ability of B. longum subsp. infantis to utilize these potential growth substrates when they are in competition with other bifidobacterial species is unknown. We compared the growth and oligosaccharide utilization of GOS and FOS by bifidobacterial species in pure culture and coculture. Short-chain GOS and FOS (degrees of polymerization [DP] 2 and 3) were favored growth substrates for strains of B. bifidum and B. longum subsp. longum, whereas both B. breve and B. longum subsp. infantis had the ability to utilize both short- and longer-chain GOS and FOS (DP 2 to 6). B. breve was nevertheless numerically dominant over B. longum subsp. infantis in cocultures. This was probably related to the slower use of GOS of DP 3 by B. longum subsp. infantis, indicating that the kinetics of substrate utilization is an important ecological factor in the assemblage of gut communities.IMPORTANCE The kinds of bacteria that form the collection of microbes (the microbiota) in the gut of human infants may influence health and well-being. Knowledge of how the composition of the infant diet influences the assemblage of the bacterial collection is therefore important because dietary interventions may offer opportunities to alter the microbiota with the aim of improving health. Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis is a well-known bacterial species, but under modern child-rearing conditions it may be disadvantaged in the gut. Modern formula milks often contain particular oligosaccharide additives that are generally considered to support bifidobacterial growth. However, studies of the ability of various bifidobacterial species to grow together in the presence of these oligosaccharides have not been conducted. These kinds of studies are essential for developing concepts of microbial ecology related to the influence of human nutrition on the development of the gut microbiota.

DETECTION OF ALFACORONAVIRUSES, BETACORONAVIRUSES AND ASTROVIRUSES IN BAT FECAL SAMPLES FROM MOSCOW REGION

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.V. Korneenko ◽  
◽  
А.E. Samoilov ◽  
I.V. Artyushin ◽  
M.V. Safonova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
Viral Genome ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Moscow Region ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Genus Level ◽  
Zoonotic Viruses ◽  
Reservoir Hosts ◽  
Blastn Search

In our study we analyzed viral RNA in bat fecal samples from Moscow region (Zvenigorod district) collected in 2015. To detect various virus families and genera in bat fecal samples we used PCR amplification of viral genome fragments, followed by high-throughput sequencing. Blastn search of unassembled reads revealed the presence of viruses from families Astroviridae, Coronaviridae and Herpesviridae. Assembly using SPAdes 3.14 yields contigs of length 460–530 b.p. which correspond to genome fragments of Coronaviridae and Astroviridae. The taxonomy of coronaviruses has been determined to the genus level. We also showed that one bat can be a reservoir of several virus genuses. Thus, the bats in the Moscow region were confirmed as reservoir hosts for potentially zoonotic viruses.

scholarly journals A Combined Analysis of Gut and Skin Microbiota in Infants with Food Allergy and Atopic Dermatitis: A Pilot Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1682
Author(s):  
Ewa Łoś-Rycharska ◽  
Marcin Gołębiewski ◽  
Marcin Sikora ◽  
Tomasz Grzybowski ◽  
Marta Gorzkiewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atopic Dermatitis ◽  
Food Allergy ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Skin Microbiota ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Healthy Infants ◽  
Α Diversity

The gut microbiota in patients with food allergy, and the skin microbiota in atopic dermatitis patients differ from those of healthy people. We hypothesize that relationships may exist between gut and skin microbiota in patients with allergies. The aim of this study was to determine the possible relationship between gut and skin microbiota in patients with allergies, hence simultaneous analysis of the two compartments of microbiota was performed in infants with and without allergic symptoms. Fifty-nine infants with food allergy and/or atopic dermatitis and 28 healthy children were enrolled in the study. The skin and gut microbiota were evaluated using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. No significant differences in the α-diversity of dermal or fecal microbiota were observed between allergic and non-allergic infants; however, a significant relationship was found between bacterial community structure and allergy phenotypes, especially in the fecal samples. Certain clinical conditions were associated with characteristic bacterial taxa in the skin and gut microbiota. Positive correlations were found between skin and fecal samples in the abundance of Gemella among allergic infants, and Lactobacillus and Bacteroides among healthy infants. Although infants with allergies and healthy infants demonstrate microbiota with similar α-diversity, some differences in β-diversity and bacterial species abundance can be seen, which may depend on the phenotype of the allergy. For some organisms, their abundance in skin and feces samples may be correlated, and these correlations might serve as indicators of the host’s allergic state.

scholarly journals Identification, Detection, and Enumeration of Human Bifidobacterium Species by PCR Targeting the Transaldolase Gene

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 2420-2427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Requena ◽  
Jeremy Burton ◽  
Takahiro Matsuki ◽  
Karen Munro ◽  
Mary Alice Simon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
16S Rdna ◽  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Gene Sequence ◽  
Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Bifidobacterium Longum ◽  
Bifidobacterium Adolescentis ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Real Time Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Pcr Targeting

ABSTRACT Methods that enabled the identification, detection, and enumeration of Bifidobacterium species by PCR targeting the transaldolase gene were tested. Bifidobacterial species isolated from the feces of human adults and babies were identified by PCR amplification of a 301-bp transaldolase gene sequence and comparison of the relative migrations of the DNA fragments in denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Two subtypes of Bifidobacterium longum, five subtypes of Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and two subtypes of Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum could be differentiated using PCR-DGGE. Bifidobacterium angulatum and B. catenulatum type cultures could not be differentiated from each other. Bifidobacterial species were also detected directly in fecal samples by this combination of PCR and DGGE. The number of species detected was less than that detected by PCR using species-specific primers targeting 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Real-time quantitative PCR targeting a 110-bp transaldolase gene sequence was used to enumerate bifidobacteria in fecal samples. Real-time quantitative PCR measurements of bifidobacteria in fecal samples from adults correlated well with results obtained by culture when either a 16S rDNA sequence or the transaldolase gene sequence was targeted. In the case of samples from infants, 16S rDNA-targeted PCR was superior to PCR targeting the transaldolase gene for the quantification of bifidobacterial populations.

scholarly journals Slow Genetic Divergence of Helicobacter pylori Strains during Long-Term Colonization

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 4818-4822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelie Lundin ◽  
Britta Björkholm ◽  
Ilya Kupershmidt ◽  
Magnus Unemo ◽  
Peter Nilsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Genetic Divergence ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Genetic Change ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Single Strain ◽  
Divergent Gene ◽  
Asymptomatic Adult ◽  
H Pylori

ABSTRACT The genetic variability of Helicobacter pylori is known to be high compared to that of many other bacterial species. H. pylori is adapted to the human stomach, where it persists for decades, and adaptation to each host results in every individual harboring a distinctive bacterial population. Although clonal variants may exist within such a population, all isolates are generally genetically related and thus derived from a common ancestor. We sought to determine the rate of genetic change of H. pylori over 9 years in two asymptomatic adult patients. Arbitrary primed PCR confirmed the relatedness of individual subclones within a patient. Furthermore, sequencing of 10 loci (∼6,000 bp) in three subclones per time and patient revealed only two base pair changes among the subclones from patient I. All sequences were identical among the patient II subclones. However, PCR amplification of the highly divergent gene amiA revealed great variation in the size of the gene between the subclones within each patient. Thus, both patients harbored a single strain with clonal variants at both times. We also studied genetic changes in culture- and mouse-passaged strains, and under both conditions no genetic divergence was found. These results suggest that previous estimates of the rate of genetic change in H. pylori within an individual might be overestimates.

scholarly journals Genotyping pattern of the vacuolating cytotoxin A and cytotoxin associated gene A of the Helicobacter pylori strains detected in fecal samples of household dogs

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asieh Bolandi ◽  
Saam Torkan ◽  
Iman Alavi
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
16S Rrna Gene ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
The Status ◽  
Cytotoxin Associated Gene A ◽  
H Pylori

In despite of the high clinical impact of Helicobacter pylori, its exact sources and routes of transmission are unknown. Dogs may play an imperative role in the transmission of H. pylori to humans. The current investigation was done to study the status of vacA and cagA genotypes in the H. pylori strains of dogs. One-hundred and fifty fecal samples were collected from healthy and complicated household dogs. Genomic DNA was extracted from fecal samples and presence of 16S rRNA gene was studied using the PCR amplification. Distribution of vacA and cagA genotypes were studied by the multiplex PCR. Thirteen out of 150 fecal samples (8.66%) were positive for H. pylori 16S rRNA gene. Prevalence of H. pylori in healthy and complicated dogs were 5.55% and 8.57%, respectively. Male had the higher prevalence of H. pylori (P=0.038). The most commonly detected genotypes among the H. pylori strains were vacAs1A (61.53%), cagA (38.46%), vacAm1a (38.46%), vacAs2 (30.76%) and vacAm2 (30.76%). The most commonly detected combined genotypes were s1aCagA (30.76%), s1am1a (23.07%), s2m1a (23.07%) and s2CagA (23.07%). Iranian household dogs harbor H. pylori in their fecal samples similar in genotypes of the vacA and cagA alleles which suggest that complicated and even healthy dogs may be the latent host of the H. pylori and its genotypes. However, supplementary studies are required to found the exact role of dogs as a definitive host of the H. pylori.

scholarly journals LncRNA2Target v2.0: a comprehensive database for target genes of lncRNAs in human and mouse

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (D1) ◽  
pp. D140-D144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Cheng ◽  
Pingping Wang ◽  
Rui Tian ◽  
Song Wang ◽  
Qinghua Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Genes ◽  
Comprehensive Database ◽  
Human And Mouse

Multiplex Quantitative PCR Assays for the Detection and Quantification of the Six Major Non-O157 Escherichia coli Serogroups in Cattle Feces†

2016 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. B. SHRIDHAR ◽  
L. W. NOLL ◽  
X. SHI ◽  
B. AN ◽  
N. CERNICCHIARO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Virulence Genes ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Culture Methods ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Cattle Feces ◽  
Before And After

ABSTRACT Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serogroups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145, called non-O157 STEC, are important foodborne pathogens. Cattle, a major reservoir, harbor the organisms in the hindgut and shed them in the feces. Although limited data exist on fecal shedding, concentrations of non-O157 STEC in feces have not been reported. The objectives of our study were (i) to develop and validate two multiplex quantitative PCR (mqPCR) assays, targeting O-antigen genes of O26, O103, and O111 (mqPCR-1) and O45, O121, and O145 (mqPCR-2); (ii) to utilize the two assays, together with a previously developed four-plex qPCR assay (mqPCR-3) targeting the O157 antigen and three virulence genes (stx1, stx2, and eae), to quantify seven serogroups and three virulence genes in cattle feces; and (iii) to compare the three mqPCR assays to a 10-plex conventional PCR (cPCR) targeting seven serogroups and three virulence genes and culture methods to detect seven E. coli serogroups in cattle feces. The two mqPCR assays (1 and 2) were shown to be specific to the target genes, and the detection limits were 4 and 2 log CFU/g of pure culture–spiked fecal samples, before and after enrichment, respectively. A total of 576 fecal samples collected from a feedlot were enriched in E. coli broth and were subjected to quantification (before enrichment) and detection (after enrichment). Of the 576 fecal samples subjected, before enrichment, to three mqPCR assays for quantification, 175 (30.4%) were quantifiable (≥4 log CFU/g) for at least one of the seven serogroups, with O157 being the most common serogroup. The three mqPCR assays detected higher proportions of postenriched fecal samples (P < 0.01) as positive for one or more serogroups compared with cPCR and culture methods. This is the first study to assess the applicability of qPCR assays to detect and quantify six non-O157 serogroups in cattle feces and to generate data on fecal concentration of the six serogroups.

scholarly journals Comparison of human and mouse tissues with focus on genes with no 1-to-1 homology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jieun Jeong ◽  
Manolis Kellis
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Adaptive Immune Response ◽  
Mouse Skin ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Therapy Targets ◽  
Mouse Tissues ◽  
Tissues Expression ◽  
Human And Mouse

We assembled a panel of 28 tissue pairs of human and mouse with RNA-Seq data on gene expression. We focused on genes with no 1-to-1 homology, because they pose special challenges. In this way, we identified expression patterns that identify and explain differences between the two species and suggest target genes for therapeutic applications. Here we mention three examples. One pattern is observed by defining the aggregate expression of immunoglobulin genes (which have no homology) as a measure of different levels of an immune response. In Lung, we used this statistic to find genes that have significantly higher expression in low/moderate response, and thus they may be therapy targets: increasing their expression or mimicking their function with medications may help in recovery from inflammation in the lungs. Some of the observed associations are common to human and mouse; other associations involve genes involved in cell-to-cell signaling or in regeneration but were not known to be important in Lung. Second pattern is that in the Small Intestine, mouse expresses much less antimicrobial defensins, while it has much higher expression of enzymes that are found to improve adaptive immune response. Such enzymes may be tested if they improve probiotic supplements that help in gut inflammation and other diseases. Another pattern involves a many-to-many homology group of defensins that did not have a described function. In human tissues, expression of its genes was found only in a study of a disease of hair covered skin, but several of its genes are highly expressed in two tissues of our panel: mouse Skin and to a lesser degree mouse Vagina. This suggests that those genes or their homologs in other species may provide non-antibiotic medications for hair covered skin and other tissues with microbiome that includes fungi.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document