Analysis of microbial communities associated with plants, insects and soil has been a significant challenge for plant protection researchers, because of the lack of techniques with which to access these populations. A new molecular community profiling technique, 16S rRNA gene-based PCR followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), has been used to analyse microbial communities in ...

Anaerobic digestion is a common technology to biologically stabilize wasted solids produced in municipal wastewater treatment. Its efficiency is usually evaluated by calculating the reduction in volatile solids, which assumes no biomass growth associated with digestion. To determine whether this assumption is valid and further evaluate digestion efficiency, this study sampled 35 digester sludge...

We describe a new molecular approach to analyzing the genetic diversity of complex microbial populations. This technique is based on the separation of polymerase chain reaction-amplified fragments of genes coding for 16S rRNA, all the same length, by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). DGGE analysis of different microbial communities demonstrated the presence of up to 10 distinguish...

The characterization, analysis and validation of evidence that concludes the description of an intentional act of biocrime or bioterrorism represent the main target of microbial forensics. But, even nowadays with the most recent technical advances, it remains extremely difficult, labour-demanding and time consuming to investigate and confirm the origin of microbial strains and to identify the p...

The importance of physical isolation, defined as the spatial separation of two or more populations, to the evolution of organisms has been well studied in plants and animals yet its significance regarding microbial evolution has not been fully appreciated. Here we review the theoretical paradigm of physical isolation for the diversification of organisms in general and then provide a variety of ...

Background and objectives The skin harbors a dynamic community of microorganisms, where contact with humans, other animals and the environment can alter microbial communities. Most research on the human skin microbiome features Western populations living in hygienic conditions, yet these populations have vastly different patterns of environmental contact than the majority of people on Earth, in...

Humans are colonized by diverse populations of bacteria and fungi when in a healthy state and in the settings of disease, and the interactions between these microbial populations can be beneficial or detrimental to the host [1]. Among these microbial populations, Candida albicans is the fungus most commonly detected in association with humans [2], and numerous studies have described C. albicans...

Aqueous chlorine dioxide (ClO2) treatment was used for the inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter jejuni in chicken. Chicken breasts and legs were inoculated with 8~9 log CFU/g of Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter jejuni, respectively, and then treated with 0, 50, and 100 ppm of ClO2 solution. Aqueous ClO2 treatment decreased the populations of the pathogenic bacteria o...

The effect of the pesticide Lindane on microbial populations was analyzed in soil with a history of contamination with various chemicals, including this pesticide. Soil microcosms were amended with 100 mg Lindane/kg soil and microbial populations were monitored for 70 days. Bacterial cell concentrations, metabolic versatility (whole community Biolog), and genetic diversity (16S rDNA/denaturing ...

Microbial consortia form when multiple species colocalize and communally generate a function that none is capable of alone. Consortia abound in nature, and their cooperative metabolic activities influence everything from biodiversity in the global food chain to human weight gain. Here, we present an engineered consortium in which the microbial members communicate with each other and exhibit a "...