Five actinophages highly specific for Streptomyces mediterranei were isolated from lysed broth cultures. Studies were performed on the effect of plating conditions on plaque formation. The development of phage-resistant strains of S. mediterranei not only eliminated the phage but also significantly increased rifamycin yields. The phage-resistant cultures proved to be more unstable than the orig...

Variations in the polyomavirus major capsid protein VP1 underlie important biological differences between highly pathogenic large-plaque and relatively nonpathogenic small-plaque strains. These polymorphisms constitute major determinants of virus spread in mice and also dictate previously recognized strain differences in sialyloligosaccharide binding. X-ray crystallographic studies have shown t...

Three cephalosporin-related antibiotics and nine other antimicrobial agents were studied for in vitro effectiveness against 54 recently isolated strains of Salmonella. Minimal inhibitory concentrations determined by the plate dilution method demonstrated the following percentages of resistance: ampicillin, 6%; tetracycline, 13%; streptomycin, 52%; sulfadiazine, 94%; cephaloglycin, 96%; and linc...

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a rapid and effective method to detect Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a leading pathogen causing seafood-borne gastroenteritis. A newly designed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay including a short enrichment period was optimized. This assay correctly detected all the target strains (n=61) but none of the non-target strains (n=34). Ve...

Effects of different heavy metals on Vibrio harveyi, V. fischeri, Photobacterium phosphoreum and P. leiognathi were examined. Checkerboard assay was used for the detection of the natural metal tolerance levels of a large number of marine luminous eubacteria. 57 strains of luminous bacteria were investigated for their natural patterns of heavy metal tolerance. The behaviors of these strains were...

Yerba-mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil) is mainly consumed as "chimarrão", a hot drink highly appreciated in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. This study evaluated the antioxidant potential of aqueous extracts of I. paraguariensis precipitated with ethanol. The leaves were processed as for tea product (TM) and oxidized (OX). The antioxidant potential was evaluated in cells of Saccharomy...

With increasing rates of antibiotic resistance, bacterial infections have become more difficult to treat, elevating the importance of surveillance and prevention. Effective surveillance relies on the availability of rapid, cost-effective, and informative typing methods to monitor bacterial isolates. PCR-based typing assays are fast and inexpensive, but their utility is limited by the lack of ta...

DNA fingerprinting with the moderately repetitive sequence Ca3 has repeatedly identified groups of genetically similar strains of Candida albicans that are more frequently isolated than other groups of strains from human hosts in a geographical locale. Members of these groups are found in approximately 30% of healthy individuals and in up to 70% of patients suffering from candidiasis. The high ...

In an effort to establish an animal colon tumor model suitable for biological and chemotherapy studies, 82 colon tumors were induced and transplanted in four different inbred strains of mice. Four colon tumors survived the first transplant and are now in serial passage. All are suitable for chemotherapy trials. Two tumors are highly metastatic, and at least one of these is known to be suitable ...