The diversity and stability of the fecal bacterial microbiota in weaning pigs was studied after introduction of an exogenous Lactobacillus reuteri strain, MM53, using a combination of cultivation and techniques based on genes encoding 16S rRNA (16S rDNA). Piglets (n = 9) were assigned to three treatment groups (control, daily dosed, and 4th-day dosed), and fresh fecal samples were collected dai...

Attempts to isolate human genes and characterize molecular defects underlying inherited diseases are in rapid progress. The evolving possibilities of improved diagnosis by analysis at the DNA level have prompted the need for efficient methods that enable rapid detection of mutations. For diseases caused predominantly by large gene deletions or expansion of a trinucleotide repeat, simple PCR-bas...

A combination of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and oligonucleotide probing was used to investigate the influence of soil pH on the compositions of natural populations of autotrophic beta-subgroup proteobacterial ammonia oxidizers. PCR primers specific to this group were used to amplify 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) from soils maintained for 36 years at a range of pH values, and PCR ...

The large discharges of wastewater in different natural receiving environments, particularly the marine environment, have massively contributed to pollution. This study examined physicochemical and microbiological quality discharged along Mediterranean Sea. investigation is one few works carried out by scientists with countries. Wastewater sampling was Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy. A...

BACKGROUND Hereditary hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome is an autosomic dominant disorder caused by heterogeneous mutations on the iron-responsive element (IRE) of ferritin L-chain mRNA. The mutations described to date were identified by direct sequencing of DNA from probands with hyperferritinemia often associated to bilateral cataracts. A direct genetic approach on a large population is use...

AIMS A microcosm-enrichment approach was used to investigate bacterial populations that may represent 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D)-degrading micro-organisms in compost-amended soil. METHODS AND RESULTS After 8 weeks of incubation, with repeated application of 1,3-D, volatilization fluxes were much lower for compost-amended soil (CM) than with the unamended soils, indicating accelerated degrada...

The rhizobacterial communities of 29 pioneer plants belonging to 12 species were investigated in an alpine ecosystem to assess if plants from different species could select for specific rhizobacterial communities. Rhizospheres and unvegetated soils were collected from a floristic pioneer stage plot at 2,400 m a.s.l. in the forefield of Weisskugel Glacier (Matsch Valley, South Tyrol, Italy), aft...

Seagrass meadows represent one of the highest productive marine ecosystems and are of great ecological and economic values. Recently, they have been confronted with worldwide decline. Fungi play important roles in sustaining the ecosystem health as degraders of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but fewer studies have been conducted in seagrass ecosystems. Hence, we investigated the dynam...