Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and epifluorescence microscopy were used to obtain comparative measurements of total bacterial counts, and to enumerate abundances of various bacterial morphotypes in an eutrophic freshwater habitat. Although particulate matter would have been expected to interfere with counting by obscuring large areas of the electron microscope grids, estimates of total ...

The effect of coccoid forms of a vaculating cytotoxin A positive Helicobacter pylori strain on Mus musculus (Swiss mice) and Rattus norvegicus (Albino rats) was studied. Two groups of Swiss mice and Albino rats were used. The first group of mice and rats was orally inoculated with coccoid forms of Helicobacter pylori, whereas, the second group of mice and rats were untreated and used as a contr...

After characterization of preferred conditions for Helicobacter pylori survival in the sessile state, it was observed that the bacterium transforms from spiral to coccoid under mild circumstances, whereas under extreme ones it is unable to undergo shape modification. This strongly supports the view that transformation into the coccoid form is an active, biologically led process, switched on by ...

Recently, we reported that Campylobacter jejuni, an important gastrointestinal pathogen, has the genetic determinants to produce a capsular polysaccharide (Karlyshev et al., Mol. Microbiol. 35:529-541, 2000). Despite these data, the presence of a capsule in these bacteria has remained controversial. In this study we stain C. jejuni cells with the cationic dye Alcian blue and demonstrate for the...

Coccoid cells of the bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus have been mechanically trapped in lithographically patterned substrates and imaged under growth media using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in order to follow cellular processes. The cells are not perturbed as there is no chemical linkage to the surface. Confinement effects are minimized compared to trapping the cells in porous membrane...

The composition and microbial community structure of the drinking water system biofilms were investigated using microstructure analysis and 454 pyrosequencing technique in Xiamen city, southeast of China. SEM (scanning electron microscope) results showed different features of biofilm morphology in different fields of PVC pipe. Extracellular matrix material and sparse populations of bacteria (ma...

Photoheterotrophic microbes, which are capable of utilizing dissolved organic materials and harvesting light energy, include coccoid cyanobacteria (Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus), aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic (AAP) bacteria, and proteorhodopsin (PR)-containing bacteria. Our knowledge of photoheterotrophic microbes is largely incomplete, especially for high-latitude waters such as the Arc...

Bacteria of the genus Ehrlichia are Gram-negative and coccoid-shaped microorganisms that cause ehrlichiosis - a serious infectious disease that often leads to death. These bacteria present a strong zoonotic potential and primates may act as reservoir hosts. This study involved a molecular analysis to detect these microorganisms in blood samples collected from nineteen primates of the genus Call...

the species of lactobacillus are widely present in many natural environments that areimportant in fermented processes. among these species some belong to the lactic acid bacteria group that areuseful in fermented food. one of the species of lactobacilli group such as l. plantarum provides health benefits,but their identification is one of the main issue. in order to proceed with this project, c...

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are capable of forming complex intracellular bacterial communities (IBC) within the superficial umbrella cells of the bladders of C3H and BALB/c mice. By using time-lapse fluorescence videomicroscopy to observe infected mouse bladder explants, we discovered that IBCs formed by uropathogenic E. coli progressed through four distinct developmental stages that ...