Encephalitozoon cuniculi is an obligate intracellular, spore-forming parasite belonging to the microsporidia that can cause disseminated infection in immunocompromised persons. E. cuniculi spores infect host cells by germination, i.e., by explosively everting the polar filament, through which the spore contents (sporoplasms) are subsequently injected into the cytoplasm. In addition, we observed...

Bacterial spores are forms of bacteria that are capable of surviving in harsh conditions. We have investigated thermal lysis of the spores and subsequently release of their DNA. We were able to heat water-based samples at ambient pressure to temperatures far above 100 °C without boiling, known as superheating process. It resulted in the breaking of spores in a matter of seconds. Successful rele...

The pressure resistances of the spores of six Bacillus strains were examined at 5 to 10(deg)C and were compared with their heat resistances. The pressure treatments (at 981 MPa for 40 min and at 588 MPa for 120 min) did not inactivate the spores of B. stearothermophilus IAM12043, B. subtilis IAM12118, and B. licheniformis IAM13417. However, these spores had large differences in heat resistance....

In some Bacillus species, manganese levels influence the resistance properties of spores. To determine if this was true for Bacillus cereus, bacteria were sporulated with different MnCl2 concentrations resulting in spores with 30-fold differences in core Mn 2+ levels. Spores with different Mn 2+ levels displayed no differences in resistance to dry heat, UV radiation, γ-radiation, or hydrogen pe...

Unique patterns of biomarkers were reproducibly characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)-mass spectrometry and were used to distinguish Bacillus species members from one another. Discrimination at the strain level was demonstrated for Bacillus cereus spores. Lipophilic biomarkers were invariant in Bacillus globigii spores produced in three different media and in B. g...

This paper discusses a process of developing the data analysis and modeling Pasteuria penetrans spore attachment in vitro planta, based on observation that number spores attaching to juveniles within given time increased by increasing exposure dose. Based this, P. was modeled using negative binomial distribution which permits decomposing observation’s variability into three components: randomne...

Many bacteria form metabolically inactive spores to survive harsh conditions. But how do spores decide to germinate when sensing of the environment is hampered by their inactivity? A new study shows how phenotypic variation leads to stochastic germination of spores.

Geobacillus stearothermophilus is a gram-positive, thermophilic bacterium, spores of which are very heat resistant. Raman spectroscopy and differential interference contrast microscopy were used to monitor the kinetics of germination of individual spores of G. stearothermophilus at different temperatures, and major conclusions from this work were as follows. 1) The CaDPA level of individual G. ...

BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile is the main cause of nosocomial infections including antibiotic associated diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon. During the course of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), C. difficile undergoes sporulation and releases spores to the colonic environment. The elevated relapse rates of CDI suggest that C. difficile spores has a mechanism(s) to ...

We tested the effectiveness of disinfectants and wipe methods against Clostridium difficile spores. Wiping with nonsporicidal agents (physical removal) was effective in removing more than 2.9 log(10) C. difficile spores. Wiping with sporicidal agents eliminated more than 3.90 log(10) C. difficile spores (physical removal and/or inactivation). Spraying with a sporicide eliminated more than 3.44 ...