Natural competence for genetic transformation, i.e. the ability to take up DNA and stably integrate it in the genome, has so far only been observed in the bacterial kingdom (both in gram-negative and gram-positive species) and may contribute to survival under adverse growth conditions. Bacillus subtilis, the model organism for the Bacillus genus, possesses a well-characterized competence machin...

Coal and lignite play a major energy supply role in many European countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yet mining activities are a heavy source of ecosystem contamination, posing significant environmental threats. The primary goal of this study was to isolate and identify autochthonous lignite mine spoil bacteria and evaluate their potential in bioremediation of these polluted soils. Tw...

A potential antagonist, designated strain Bacillus subtilis MBCU5 was previously isolated from vermicompost-amended soils of Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. Crude allelochemicals from strain MBCU5 displayed strong antifungal activity against Macrophomina phaseolina as well as Rhizoctonia solani. These crude allelochemicals were tentatively identified as iturin, fengycin and surfactin through TLC a...

Larvae of Meloidogyne spp. were readily infected with the endoparasite Bacillus penetrans by exposure to an aqueous suspension of spores from infected root-knot nematode females, or by passage of larvae through a shallow layer (50 cm(3)) of spore-infested soil. Infection severely reduced motility of second-stage larvae through soil. Bacillus penetrans exhibited a distinct host specificity in th...

Microbial oxidation and precipitation of manganese at deep-sea hydrothermal vents are important oceanic biogeochemical processes, yet nothing is known about the types of microorganisms or mechanisms involved. Here we report isolation of a number of diverse spore-forming Mn(II)-oxidizing Bacillus species from Guaymas Basin, a deep-sea hydrothermal vent environment in the Gulf of California, wher...

In order to determine if variations in rRNA sequence could be used for discrimination of the members of the Bacillus cereus group, we analyzed 183 16S rRNA and 74 23S rRNA sequences for all species in the B. cereus group. We also analyzed 30 gyrB sequences for B. cereus group strains with published 16S rRNA sequences. Our findings indicated that the three most common species of the B. cereus gr...

STANOJEVIC, D., L. COMIC, O. STEFANOVIC and Sl. SOLUJIC-SUKDOLAK, 2009. Antimicrobial effects of sodium benzoate, sodium nitrite andpotassium sorbate and their synergistic action in vitro. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 15: 307-311 The aim of present work was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of sodium benzoate, sodium nitrite and potassium sorbate and their synergistic action (sodium nitrite + s...

Three hundred and sixty-eight strains of aerobic, endospore-forming bacteria which included type and reference cultures of Bacillus and environmental isolates were studied. Overall similarities of these strains for 118 unit characters were determined by the SSM, SJ and DP coefficients and clustering achieved using the UPGMA algorithm. Test error was within acceptable limits. Six cluster-groups ...

Pasteuria penetrans is a gram-positive, endospore-forming eubacterium that apparently is a member of the Bacillus-Clostridium clade. It is an obligate parasite of root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) and preferentially grows on the developing ovaries, inhibiting reproduction. Root knot nematodes are devastating root pests of economically important crop plants and are difficult to control. Con...

Introduction: Functional foods provide a buoyant growth sector. A particular dynamic area is the use of carotenoids, not only as colorants but also as food additives. One issue with these products is their instability both on the shelf and upon digestion. Specific bacteria from the Bacillus species were shown to produce carotenoids, which have been shown to exert superior stability throughout t...