Pandoraea thiooxydans DSM 25325(T) is a thiosulfate-oxidizing bacterium isolated from rhizosphere soils of a sesame plant. Here, we present the first complete genome of P. thiooxydans DSM 25325(T). Several genes involved in thiosulfate oxidation and biodegradation of aromatic compounds were identified.
Serving raw oysters with lemon juice is a delicacy in many restaurants in
Malaysia. Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) live in the seacoast and they share the same
environment as Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Consumption of raw oysters contaminated with V.
parahaemolyticus can lead to severe gastroenteritis. A study was performed to determine
whether lemon (Citrus limon) juice is able to inhibit the growth of V. parahaemolyticus after
being inoculated in raw oysters. Methods: Frozen oysters bought from a local supplier
weighing 6 g each were minced and placed in two bottles using sterile technique.
Approximately 1 ml of 107 CFU of V. parahaemolyticus (ATCC strain 17802) was added and
mixed in both bottles. The mixture was treated with 1 ml of lemon juice in only one of the
bottles and the other bottle served as a control. At every 30 s intervals for 2 min, 1 g of the
sample was taken for enumeration of viable cells onto thiosulphate citrate bile salt sucrose
(TCBS). Results: After 30 s of treatment with the lemon juice, it was observed that the
number of colonies in the treated samples reduced from 7 Log to 3 Log. Subsequently, no
viable V. parahaemolyticus was seen. It was also observed that there were 3 Log reductions
of V. parahaemolyticus after 30 s in untreated samples, however the number of colonies
remained stable until the end of the experiment. Conclusion: This study therefore shows
that lemon juice has some antimicrobial effect on V. parahaemolyticus in raw oysters.
Serving raw oysters with lemon juice is a delicacy in many restaurants in
Malaysia. Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) live in the seacoast and they share the same
environment as Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Consumption of raw oysters contaminated with V.
parahaemolyticus can lead to severe gastroenteritis. A study was performed to determine
whether lemon (Citrus limon) juice is able to inhibit the growth of V. parahaemolyticus after
being inoculated in raw oysters. Methods: Frozen oysters bought from a local supplier
weighing 6 g each were minced and placed in two bottles using sterile technique.
Approximately 1 ml of 107 CFU of V. parahaemolyticus (ATCC strain 17802) was added and
mixed in both bottles. The mixture was treated with 1 ml of lemon juice in only one of the
bottles and the other bottle served as a control. At every 30 s intervals for 2 min, 1 g of the
sample was taken for enumeration of viable cells onto thiosulphate citrate bile salt sucrose
(TCBS). Results: After 30 s of treatment with the lemon juice, it was observed that the
number of colonies in the treated samples reduced from 7 Log to 3 Log. Subsequently, no
viable V. parahaemolyticus was seen. It was also observed that there were 3 Log reductions
of V. parahaemolyticus after 30 s in untreated samples, however the number of colonies
remained stable until the end of the experiment. Conclusion: This study therefore shows
that lemon juice has some antimicrobial effect on V. parahaemolyticus in raw oysters.
This goal of this study was to investigate the presence of Vibrio cholerae in street food,
namely satar and otak-otak, using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP),
multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (mPCR) and conventional plating on Thiosulphate
Citrate Bile-Salt Sucrose (TCBS) agar methods. A total of 78 satar and 35 otak-otak were
purchased from different districts of Terengganu (Besut, Setiu, Kuala Terengganu and
Kemaman). V. cholerae was found in satar with LAMP (10.3%), mPCR (10.3%) and
plating (0%). No V. cholerae was found in otak-otak using the three methods. This might
be due to V. cholerae able to survive in satar after grilling due to its thickness which may
contribute to undercooking. This study concluded that low presence of V. cholerae in satar
and otak-otak can be detected by molecular methods but not the conventional plating
method. LAMP assay is a useful tool for rapid detection of pathogens in food due to its
simplicity, highly sensitive and visual interpretation capability. Though the prevalence of
V. cholerae was low in the samples, proper handling of this food will help in reducing the
risk of acquiring infection from V. cholerae in contaminated samples.
Water from the dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) is known to contaminate with microbial from the biofilm that formed in the tubing system. The water quality from DUWLs is important to patients and dental health care professionals as they could be infected either directly from the contaminated water or aerosol that is generated during dental procedures. Suppliers claimed that dental units supplied to the hospital can only use a specific disinfectant which is uneconomic compared with the others. The aims of this study were to evaluate and compare the efficacy of different disinfectant on the water quality of DUWLs. Four disinfectants (Calbenium, A-dec ICX tablet, Dentel 5, Metassys) and distil water were evaluated. 350 mL water sample was collected separately, from the outlet of high-speed handpiece, scaler, 3-ways syringe and cup filler into a sterile thiosulfate bag on the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 12th and 24th weeks of the study. The samples were tested on the following day for total viable count (TVC). There is significant difference in the efficacies of the different disinfectants. Only one disinfectant consistently produces water quality within the recommended level of American Dental Association (ADA). Within the limitation of this study, it was found that there is alternative disinfectant that can reduce the TVC to the level recommended by ADA. However, the water qualities produced with these disinfectants were not consistent although they did not cause any technical problem to the dental units during the period of study.
Adhesion of the barley husk to the underlying caryopsis requires the development of a cuticular cementing layer on the caryopsis surface. Differences in adhesion quality among genotypes have previously been correlated with cementing layer composition, which is thought to influence caryopsis cuticle permeability, the hypothesised mechanism of adhesion mediation. It is not yet known whether differences in adhesion quality among genotypes are determined by changes in caryopsis cuticle permeability. We examined changes in candidate cementing layer biosynthetic and regulatory genes to investigate the genetic mechanisms behind husk adhesion quality. We used both commercially relevant UK malting cultivars and older European lines to ensure phenotypic diversity in adhesion quality. An ethylene responsive transcription factor (NUD) is required for the development of the cementing layer. To examine correlations between gene expression, cementing layer permeability and husk adhesion quality we also treated cultivars with ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid) which breaks down to ethylene, and silver thiosulphate which inhibits ethylene reception, and measured caryopsis cuticle permeability. Differential adhesion qualities among genotypes are not determined by NUD expression during development of the cementing material alone, but could result from differences in biosynthetic gene expression during cementing layer development in response to longer-term NUD expression patterns. Altered caryopsis cuticle permeability does result in altered adhesion quality, but the correlation is not consistently positive or negative. Cuticle permeability is therefore not the mechanism that determines husk adhesion quality, but is likely a consequence of the required cuticular compositional changes that determine adhesion.
Introduction: The outbreaks of foodborne diseases have been linked to the consumption of contaminated seafood. This research aims to screen the bacteria from the sea cucumbers Acaudina molpadioides collected from Pulau Langkawi. Methods: A total of 22 sea cucumber samples were collected randomly from Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia. The samples were isolated and identified for the presence of bacteria using the conventional culture-based method. Presumptive bacteria colonies were subjected to various biochemical and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Results: There were no bacterial growth in Hektoen Enteric (HE) agar and Thiosulphate-Citrate-Bile Salt (TCBS) agar. Positive samples were isolated from MacConkey (MAC) agar with 6 samples were Staphylococcus spp. (27.27%), 14 samples were Proteus spp. (63.63%) and 2 samples were Bacillus spp. (9.01%). Among these isolates, highest resistance was found against Ampicillin (45%) followed by Tetracycline (40%). Conclusion: The results indicate that the sea cucumbers Acaudina molpadioides were contaminated with potential bacteria. There is a need for adequate consumer protection measures.