A 60Co source was used to determine the effects of thermoradiation on Achromobacter aquamarinus, Staphylococcus aureus, and vegetative and spore cells of Bacillus subtilis var. globigii. The rate of inactivation of these cultures, except vegetative-cell populations of B. subtilis, was exponential and in direct proportion to temperature. The D10 (dose that inactivates 90% of the microbial popula...

Loss of small, acid-soluble spore protein alpha reduced spore UV resistance 30- to 50-fold in Bacillus subtilis strains deficient in pyrimidine dimer repair, but gave only a 5- to 8-fold reduction in UV resistance in repair-proficient strains. However, both repair-proficient and -deficient spores lacking this protein had identical heat and gamma-radiation resistance.

The folding process required for helical macrofiber formation after the outgrowth of Bacillus subtilis spores was found to be blocked by very low concentrations of penicillin G (1 to 3 ng/ml). Under such conditions, growth and septation without cell separation resulted in characteristic disorganized multicellular structures. Higher concentrations (4 and 10 ng/ml) were needed to inhibit spore ou...

DivIVA is involved in Bacillus subtilis cell division and is located at the cell poles. Previous experiments suggested that the cell division proteins FtsZ and PBP 2B are required for polar targeting of DivIVA. By using outgrowing spores, we show that DivIVA accumulates at the cell poles independent of the presence of FtsZ or PBP 2B.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate responses of potential indicator bacteria (i.e. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis) to the ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the UV/hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) disinfection processes of surface waters with different qualities in terms of humic content. The UV and the UV/H₂O₂ processes were applied to waters containing various conce...

Alpha/beta-type small, acid-soluble spore proteins (SASP) are essential for the resistance of DNA in spores of Bacillus species to damage. An alpha/beta-type SASP, Ssp2, from Clostridium perfringens was expressed at significant levels in B. subtilis spores lacking one or both major alpha/beta-type SASP (alpha- and alpha- beta- strains, respectively). Ssp2 restored some of the resistance of alph...

Spores of wild-type and mutant Bacillus subtilis strains lacking various structural components were exposed to simulated Martian atmospheric and UV irradiation conditions. Spore survival and mutagenesis were strongly dependent on the functionality of all of the structural components, with small acid-soluble spore proteins, coat layers, and dipicolinic acid as key protectants.

BACKGROUND Due to their efficacy and convenience, alcohol-based hand sanitizers have been widely adopted as the primary method of hand hygiene in healthcare settings. However, alcohols lack activity against bacterial spores produced by pathogens such as Clostridium difficile and Bacillus anthracis. We hypothesized that sporicidal activity could be induced in alcohols through alteration of physi...

The presence of two kinds of l-amino acid dehydrogenase in resting spores of Bacillus subtilis was indicated. One of them was l-alanine dehydrogenase, which used only l-alanine as a substrate, and the other was nonspecific dehydrogenase, which used l-valine, l-isoleucine, l-leucine, and l-alanine (slightly) as substrates. Several properties of these dehydrogenases were compared.

Sodium hypochlorite was an excellent disinfectant at low temperatures. With the addition of ethylene glycol to prevent freezing, hypochlorite solutions at low free available chlorine concentrations, were effective against Bacillus subtilis var. niger spores from 0 to -40 C. The effectiveness of this decontaminant was influenced by temperature, pH, and concentration, with pH 7.2 the optimum for ...