Applied and Environmental Microbiology

ABSTRACT Midurethral slings (MUS) are synthetic mesh implants used to treat stress urinary incontinence in women. Positioned via retropubic or transobturator approaches, they support the mid-urethra to maintain closure during increases in intra-abdominal pressure. Although generally effective, long-term MUS complications have been associated with chronic inflammation, pain, and infection, with ex…

ABSTRACT In two randomized controlled field studies, we investigated the effect of biochar-amended dairy manure composting on the concentrations and prevalence of generic and antibiotic-resistant E. coli and enterococci. Fresh dairy manure mixed with sawdust and biochar was randomly distributed into plastic reactors and composted for 6 months. Pre-compost (biochar, sawdust, fresh dairy manure), m…

ABSTRACT α-Amylases (EC 3.2.1.1) are among the most important industrial enzymes in starch saccharification, detergent, paper, and textile industries. Canonical α-amylases typically contain Ca 2+ in their structure, which is not directly involved in catalysis but essential in maintaining the structural integrity of α-amylases. Ca 2+ ions are easily removed by chelating reagents, which may affect …

ABSTRACT In Sphingomonas melonis TY, the TetR-family NdpR and AraC-family NdpR2 coregulate nicotine catabolism. Despite overlapping target promoters, their hierarchical relationship remained unclear. Here, we elucidate a multi-layered cascade regulatory network where NdpR directly binds to the ndpR2 promoter and represses its transcription. Structural and mutational analyses elucidate the structu…

ABSTRACT Advances in microscopy have enabled the widespread application of in vivo pathogen tracking approaches to bacterial pathogenesis. Pasteurella multocida ( P. multocida ) is a major zoonotic pathogen causing severe respiratory diseases in livestock. However, genetic manipulation of clinical swine-derived isolates remains hindered by the lack of stable genetic tools. As a result, no genetic…

ABSTRACT Cell differentiation is essential for the survival and adaptation of organisms. In Bacillus species, sporulation is a tightly coordinated program that culminates in mother cell lysis, a critical step for spore release. Despite its importance, the mechanisms modulating the process remain poorly understood. Here, we show that MclX regulates mother cell lysis by inhibiting SpoIIID, a sporul…

ABSTRACT Although genes involved in isoprocarb (IPC) degradation, including the IPC hydrolase gene ipcH and the 2-isopropylphenol (IPP) hydroxylation gene cluster ippA1A2 , have been identified in Rhodococcus sp. D-6, the transcriptional regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we characterized a PucR-type transcriptional regulator, IppR, which controls the inducible expression of the…

ABSTRACT Polymyxins are last-resort antibiotics for infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii . This makes the rise of bacteria exhibiting polymyxin E (colistin) resistance, largely through modification of lipid A moieties, concerning and suggests that it is important to document the potential so…

ABSTRACT Fungi and bacteria are ubiquitous in the near-surface atmosphere, and these airborne microbes can have important impacts on ecosystem and human health. Previous work has established that plant leaves and soils are the most likely sources of airborne microbes in natural, inland systems. Yet, the relative importance of these sources on the amounts and types of airborne microbes remain poor…

Global plastics pollution is a major environmental challenge, and we still have limited knowledge of marine microbiota involved in possible remediation. Our research shows that marine Flavobacteria harbor the potential for PET degradation using dienelactone hydrolases (DLHs, EC 3.1.1.45). The widespread distribution of these microorganisms and the notion that these enzymes are secreted may imply …

In January 2025, Santé publique France detected several cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in adults caused by a rare serotype of Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i>, STEC O77g:H18. Epidemiological and traceability investigations linked the consumption of raw-milk cheese to these cases. The outbreak strain belonged to sequence type 69 (ST69) and harbored a Shiga toxin (stx) subtyp…

The accumulation of coal gangue poses significant environmental challenges, necessitating the development of eco-friendly utilization strategies. This study demonstrates that the thermophilic bacterium <i>Bacillus aerius</i> acts synergistically with coal gangue to promote alfalfa growth in sandy soils while improving soil fertility. The combined treatment enhanced plant morphological traits, soi…

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly fatal viral disease that poses a severe threat to the global swine industry. Developing a safe and effective vaccine remains an urgent and complex challenge. Lactobacillus plantarum (<i>L. plantarum</i>), recognized as a food-grade antigen delivery vehicle, has demonstrated great promise in vaccine development and application for various infectious diseases. …

Understanding the role of cave ecosystems in preventing disease invasion is essential, as caves where bats roost act as natural reservoirs of bacteria. This study focused on the cave walls where bats hibernate, examining the composition of bacterial communities during hibernation and identifying bacteria that inhibit the pathogen <i>Pseudogymnoascus destructans</i> (<i>Pd</i>), the pathogen respo…

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is an environmental threat due to its low pH and high metal content. Biological treatment of AMD using acidophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria (aSRB) represents a potential solution for this problem, but their substrate specificity and low tolerance to extreme acidity (pH ≤3.0) and toxic metals limit their application. Here, we used an indigenous aSRB-containing consortium …

Well-characterized induction systems that offer tightly regulated, graded, and homogeneous control of gene expression are essential tools for basic and applied microbiology. Tetracycline-based induction systems are widely used non-toxic expression systems in bacteria; however, the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and industrially relevant model organism <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> currently lacks…

Modulation of plant-microbe interactions with signaling molecules offers a promising strategy to promote plant growth and stress adaptation. However, identifying effective signaling molecules and elucidating the mechanisms for regulating the rhizosphere microbiome remain major challenges. In this study, the roles and mechanisms of <i>Bacillus</i> volatile compounds as potential signaling molecule…

<i>Avibacterium paragallinarum</i> is the etiological agent of infectious coryza, a significant respiratory ailment associated with growth inhibition and diminished egg production in poultry. Given the increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, there is an imperative need for the development of genetically engineered vaccines; however, the lack of effective tools for genetic manip…

Bacterial biofilms dominate microbial life; however, their evolutionary genetics remain incompletely understood. Extensive replication of biofilm selection experiments by secondary school students can provide valuable insights into mechanisms of adaptation. Notably, mutations in a conserved phosphodiesterase, PFLU0185/<i>bmo</i>, dominate evolved populations without changing colony morphology. Ph…

The automatic, real-time classification of <i>Plasmopara viticola</i> spores presented in this study offers a significant advancement in disease risk forecasting. By integrating airborne spore detection, this approach reduces the likelihood of false-positive recommendations, applying fungicides when weather conditions are favorable, but disease risk is low and false negatives, when spores are pre…