African Journal of
Microbiology Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Microbiol. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1996-0808
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJMR
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 5225

Table of Content: 9 April, 2012; 6(13)

April 2012

Preliminary studies on Luffa cylindrica: Comparative phytochemical and antimicrobial screening of the fresh and dried aerial parts

The Nigerian climate favours a wide variety of plants with vast antimicrobial and medicinal potentials, some of which have been used traditionally for decades. The fresh and dried aerial parts (leaves, flowers and stem) of Luffa cylindrica were extracted with water, chloroform and methanol and screened for secondary metabolites. Extracts were found to contain alkaloids, saponins and tannins. The extracts also...

Author(s): Aboh M. I., Okhale S. E. and Ibrahim K.  

April 2012

Bacterial contamination of operating theatre and other specialized care unit in a tertiary hospital in Northeastern Nigeria

1Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. 2Intensive care Unit, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria. 3School of Perioperative, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria. 4Department of Peadiatrics, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria. 5Department of Clinical Pharmacology and...

Author(s): Okon K. O., Osundi S., Dibal J., Ngbale T., Bello M., Akuhwa R.T., Balogun S. T. and Uba A.

April 2012

Bacteriological analysis of surface water collected from the Grand-Lahou lagoon, Côte d’ivoire

Bacterial population in Grand-Lahou lagoon surface waters was observed from June 2003 to June 2004. Bacteria indicator of fecal pollution such as Escherichia coli, Enterococcus fecalis, and sulfite-reducer anaerobes, and pathogenic bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella sp. as well as physico-chemical parameters (salinity, dissolved oxygen and...

Author(s): Adingra A. A., Kouadio A. N., Blé M. C. and Kouassi A. M.  

April 2012

Phenotypic detection of metallo-β-lactamase producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from Urmia hospitals

Detection of metallo-β-lactamase producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa is crucial for the optimal treatment of patients; however there are limited studies on metallo-β-lactamase producing P. aeruginosa isolates from West Azarbayejan, Iran. This study was designed to detect the metallo-β-lactamase in P. aeruginosa isolates. One hundred isolates were collected from clinical...

Author(s): Nima  Hosseini Jazani and Afshin Zahedi  

April 2012

Comparison of the effects of 70% alcohol, 10% povidone-iodine and 0.4% chlorhexidine which are used in umbilical care on colonization and umbilical cord separation time

This research has been designed and conducted as a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of three regimens of cord care on cord separation time and umbilical cord colonization. Umbilical cord cares of 70% alcohol, 10% povidone-iodine and 0.4% chlorhexidine were applied to 40 term neonates who were randomly assigned (N = 120). Wipe samples were taken from babies just after the delivery and re-taken from...

Author(s): Hüsniye Aydemir⊃, Özgür Alparslan⊃ and Yeltekin Demirel  

April 2012

Effect of “Tai Chi” quan exercise on oxidative status of aged practicers

Oxygen free radicals have been hypothesized to play an important role in the aging process. Some “Tai chi” quan practicers (n=53) aged between 51-70 was asked to implement “Tai chi” quan once every day and lasted 40 min. The experiment lasted one month. Blood was collected from every practicer. Activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the...

Author(s): Yanyang CHEN

April 2012

Technological characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from intestinal microbiota of marine fish in the Oran Algeria coast

In spite of overwhelming information about lactic acid bacteria (LAB), only a few studies are available for the LAB of marine environment. The purpose of the present study was the isolation and characterization of new strains of LAB from gastrointestinal tract of coastal fish: sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and bug (Boops boops). A total of 67 strains of LAB were isolated of which 16 strains displayed...

Author(s): Sahnouni F., Matallah-Boutiba A., Chemlal D. and Boutiba  Z.  

April 2012

Establishment and evaluation of a novel TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR for detection of Canine Parvovirus

Rapid, reliable and quantitative assays of virus universal detection are essential for fighting against Canine Parvovirus (CPV). A rapid fluorescence probe-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detecting Canine Parvovirus was established. Primers were designed according to VP2 protein gene by Primer Premier 5.0. In response, a sensitive assay with the TaqMan probe was developed and validated. Ten-fold...

Author(s): Lijun Shi, Huiqiong Yin, Zhanzhong Zhao, Jing Wang, WeiFeng Yuan, Hongfei Zhu, Jingang Zhang and Gang Li

April 2012

Expression of S1 glycoprotein gene of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in Escherichia coli

The objective of this work is to provide S1 protein as a recombinant antigen in order to be used in diagnostic kits. Various strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were detected by the S1 glycoprotein gene. A prevalent strain 4/91 was frequently isolated in material from Iran. In this study we extracted RNA from vaccine strain 4/91 of IBV and amplified the S1 gene using RT-PCR and then cloned the S1 glycoprotein...

Author(s): Sepideh Ghani, Seyed Davood Hosseni, Mohammad Reza Zolfaghari and Shahin Masoodi

April 2012

Mutation of the Streptomyces clavuligerus by traditional and molecular breeding to increase the biosynthesis of clavulanic acid

Streptomyces clavuligerus produces a number of β-lactam compounds, including clavulanic acid. Here, we describe an efficient procedure for creating clavulanic acid high producing S. clavuligerus mutant by using traditional UV light treatment method and PCR-targeting system. After inducing S. clavuligerus B71 with UV light S. clavuligerus B71-14 was selected for its 1.91-fold...

Author(s): Zhihan Zuo, Yichen Liu, Yichen Zhang, Chen Wang and Cai Heng  

April 2012

A new mutation breeding method for Streptomyces albulus by an atmospheric and room temperature plasma

ε-Poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) is a novel food biopreservative with broad antimicrobial activity. To improve the fermentation efficiency of ε-PL, a plasma jet, driven by an active helium atom supplied with atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) biological breeding system, was used as a new method to generate mutations in Streptomyces albulus. After treating the spores...

Author(s): Hong Zong, Yao Zhan, Xiang Li, Lijuan Peng, Fengqin Feng and Duo Li  

April 2012

A comparison of two extraction methods for differentiating and characterising various Mycobacterium species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using GC-MS metabolomics

We investigated the capacity of a metabolomics research approach to characterise and differentiate between various infectious Mycobacterium species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and compared two extraction procedures; 1) extracting the fatty acid metabolome, and 2) extracting the total metabolome, prior to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and statistical data analyses. Both extraction...

Author(s): Ilse Olivier and Du Toit Loots

April 2012

Diversity and antimicrobial activity of fungal endophyte communities associated with plants of Brazilian savanna ecosystems

Fungal endophyte communities associated with leaves of Myrciaria floribunda, Alchornea castaneifolia, and Eugenia aff. bimarginata were examined, collected from Brazilian Cerrado ecosystems, and studied for their ability to produce antimicrobial activity. A total of 93 isolates of endophytic fungi were obtained and identified by sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the...

Author(s): Aline B. M. Vaz, Luciana R. Brandão, Mariana L. A. Vieira, Raphael S. Pimenta, Paula B. Morais, Marcos E. G. Sobral, Luiz H. Rosa and Carlos A. Rosa  

April 2012

Emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae carrying IMP-26 metallo-β-lactamase in class 1 integron and TEM-104 extended-spectrum β- Lactamase in conjugative plasmid

A clinical isolate of Enterobacter cloacae exhibiting reduced susceptibility to carbapenem and a positive EDTA-disc synergy test was studied for carbapenemase production. MICs were determined with standard procedures. Isoelectric focusing of cell extracts was used for detection of β-lactamases. PCR assays with primers specific for the blaIMP-26 gene and the conserved segments of class 1...

Author(s): Qing Ye, Wenxia Shao, Qingqing Wang, Xuejun Chen, Jianping Li and Mingming Zhou

April 2012

Bioprospecting of Leuconostoc mesenteroides strains isolated from Algerian raw camel and goat milk for technological properties useful as adjunct starters

Leuconostoc species are lactic acid bacteria widely used in milk fermentation. Based on morphological, physiological and biochemical analysis, 18 strains of Leuconostoc mesenteroides were isolated and identified from 10 samples of goat's milk and camel's milk. Strains were identified as follows 09 strains of L. mesenteroides subsp.mesenteroides and 09 strains of L....

Author(s): Zarour K., Benmechernene Z., Hadadji M., Moussa-Boudjemaa B., Henni D. J. and Kihal M.

April 2012

Comparison diversity and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in five different water treatment processes

A better understanding of the biology and ecology of the microbial populations in biological reactor systems is the key to developing and optimizing efficient and economic reactor systems. In the study, we have analyzed the diversity and community components of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in five different water treatment processes. All results indicated that the diversity and abundance of AOB were influenced by...

Author(s): Wei Bo and Wu Xin

April 2012

The effect of clove extract on the minimum inhibitory concentration of ciprofloxacin in fluoroquinolone resistant clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus

Multidrug resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus cause serious problems worldwide. We have characterized the quinolone resistant mechanisms in clinical isolates of S. aureus and tested their susceptibilities to other classes of antibiotics. Results of this study showed high level of resistance to quinolone in the selected isolates and suggested that resistance is due to mutations...

Author(s): Nouran Hamed Assar, Yasser Musa Ibrahim, Ahmed Megahed Abouwarda and Magdy Ali Amin

April 2012

Flagellin gene based phylogenetic analysis of Pakistani strain of Borrelia anserina isolated from Argas ticks

Fowl spirochaetosis is an acute septicemic disease of avian species caused by Borrelia anserina and is transmitted by a soft tick known as Argas persicus. In this study, theArgas ticks were collected for the isolation and characterization of the B. anserina. Of the 220 tick samples, 40 (18%) showed granular growth in BSK-H medium. Morphological examination was performed by using the dark field...

Author(s): Bilal Aslam, Iftikhar Hussain, Muhammad Shahid Mahmood, Sajjad-ur-Rahman and Abu Baker Siddique

April 2012

Preparation, purification and regeneration optimizing research of protoplasts from Rhizoctonia solani

The aim of this work was to study the standardization of conditions to obtain and regenerate protoplasts of Rhizoctonia solani. The optimal way of harvesting 1.67 × 109protoplasts per gram from Rhizoctonia solani was to deal with 12 h aged mycelium in 0.6 M MgSO4 stabilizer (pH 5.2) combining cellulase and driselase at 35°C for 3 h. Meanwhile, the most suitable condition for...

Author(s): Haitao Feng,#, Zhiguang Sun,#, HaoJie Li, Peigang Qin, Changqing Tang, Rongtao Fu, Yao Liu, Ping Li, and Aiping Zheng,    

April 2012

Resistance of β-lactamase–producing Klebsiella pneumoniae to Imipenem with Ompk36 loss

The present study investigated the mechanisms involved in decreased imipenem susceptibility in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis was used for homology analysis, and a modified Hodge test was used to detect carbapenemase expression. An ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) synergy test was used to screen for metallo-β-lactamase. An E-test and a conjugation experiment were used to detect...

Author(s): M. J. Jiang, Sh. P. Zhao and J. M. Li

April 2012

The diagnostic value of pleural effusion pro-calcitonin level in different etiologies of exudative pleural effusion

Pleural effusion etiologies are diagnosed based on serum and plural fluid characteristics. However, diagnosis of different etiologies such as Tuberculosis (TB) or malignancy is still a challenge. Pro-Calcitonin (PCT) may have diagnostic value in exudative pleural effusion. The aim of this study was to assess PCT level in plural fluid and to find an appropriate cut off point for different etiologies of plural effusion....

Author(s): Majid Malekmohammad, Parisa Adimi Naghan, Payam Tabarsi, Mihan Pourabdollah, Seyed Amir Mohajerani, Farzaneh Fotoohi and Seyed Mohammad Reza Hashemian

April 2012

First notification on the presence of brucellosis in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Mexico by serological tests

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) of three farms located in the south of Veracruz, México. Card test and rivanol were used in serial for detection of antibodies against Brucella spp. From a total of 565 buffaloes, 99 were tested and the overall seroprevalence of brucellosis was 13% by card test and 7% by...

Author(s): Rafael Suazo-Cortez, Dora Romero-Salas, José Alfredo Villagómez-Cortés and David Itzcoatl Martínez –Herrera

April 2012

A comparative study of bacterial community structures in the sediments from brominated flame retardants contaminated river and non-contaminated reservoir

The bacterial community structure in sediments was studied by rapid amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) combined with phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA clone libraries. Comparative analyses were carried out on two sediment samples collected from a non-contaminated reservoir, and a brominated flame retardants contaminated Lian River, and two sediment samples enriched with decabromodiphenyl oxide for one...

Author(s): Houbo Wu, Hengzhi Zhao,  Chen Wen, Yatao Guo, Jun Guo, Meiying Xu, and Xiang Li

April 2012

High prevalence of Trichomonas gallinae in domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) in subtropical southern China

Domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica) as the main host of Trichomonas gallinaeplays an important role in the spread of T. gallinae, but limited information about the prevalence of T. gallinae in domestic pigeons in China is available. In the present investigation, a total of 319 domestic pigeons on seven commercial farms in Guangdong Province, Southern China were examined microscopically in...

Author(s): S. B. Qiu,, C. Yan, D. H. Zhou, J. Hou, Q. Q. Wang, Y. Lin, H. C. Fu, J. Zhang, Y. B. Weng, H. Q. Song and R. Q. Lin,

April 2012

Sequence variation in Toxoplasma gondii MIC13 gene among isolates from different hosts and geographical locations

Toxoplasma gondii, a eukaryotic parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa, can infect almost any nucleated mammalian and avian cells. Micronemes are sub-cellular organelles of apicomplexan parasites which can secrete microneme proteins (MICs) playing a key role in the invasion process of T. gondii and are potential vaccine candidate molecules against toxoplasmosis. In this work, we examined sequence variation...

Author(s): Di Ren, Dong-Hui Zhou, Min-Jun Xu, Yang Zhou, Jian-Fa Yang, Ze-Ping Lin, Rui-Qing Lin, Song-Ming Wu, Shao-Qi Lin, Feng-Cai Zou and Zi-Guo Yuan,  

April 2012

Comparison of methods for total community DNA extraction and purification from soilless substrate

Four protocols of soilless substrate DNA extraction were tested in three soilless substrates with different characterization, in order to find an efficient unbiased DNA extraction procedure which could analyze the microbial community structure in soilless substrate samples. Total DNA was extracted from each soilless substrate by the four protocols, and then was purified by Sephadex G-200 spin column after being...

Author(s): Shu Wang#, Zheng Li#, and Guosheng Fan  

April 2012

Microbiological studies on the in vitro inhibitory effect of Streptomyces collinus albescens against some phytopathogenic fungi

This study was carried out with the isolation of Streptomyces bacteria from soil samples of Dilam city. Seventy two (72) Streptomyces isolates were isolated and purified using starch nitrate agar medium. On the other hand, nine (9) phytopathogenic fungi were isolated from rotted roots of six different plants, namely Triticum aestivum (wheat),Trifolium...

Author(s): Al-Askar, A. A.  

April 2012

Growth properties of Staphylococcus aureus in biofilm formed on polystyrene plate

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen. Indwelling device-associated infections commonly involve the formation of S. aureus biofilm on metal or polymeric surfaces. Additionally, S. aureus biofilm in the food industry poses a serious contamination risk. It is of great importance to investigate the growth properties of S. aureus cultivated in biofilm condition for efficiently...

Author(s): Ji-Lu Sun, Shao-Kang Zhang, Xiao-Xue Chen, Jing-Yu Chen and Bei-Zhong Han

April 2012

Phenotypical examination of the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance in Staphylococcus isolates

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the phenotypic characteristics of the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLSB) resistance in Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) strains isolated from various clinical samples in our hospital. The study was conducted on 516 Staphylococcus isolates isolated from various clinical samples in Microbiology Laboratory of...

Author(s): Erdal OZBEK, Hakan TEMIZ, Fikret TEKAY, Raike KALAYCI and Hasan AKKOC

April 2012

Isolation and identification of Listeria monocytogenes from local cheese and evaluation of bacteria growth and proliferation in Hela cell culture

Listeria monocytogenes is Gram-positive, spore-free and facultative anaerobic frequently transmitted to humans via water, meat and its products as well as raw vegetables. It is able to grow both intra and extra-cellular. The main way of bacteria transmission to human is through food material. The aim of this study is to isolate the bacteria from cheese using cold-enrichment and detection of it in Hela cell culture...

Author(s): Mohammad Ahmadi Jebelli, Jamileh Nowroozi, Jalil Vand Yousefi and Rohani Kargar Moakhar

April 2012

A novel multiplex real time PCR for rapid and accurate identification of the genus Mycobacterium and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex species

Mycobacteria are a heterogeneous group of bacteria in terms of their genotypic features and disease association. The accurate and rapid detection of genus Mycobacterium andMycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) isolates from primary culture is important due to timely and appropriate antibiotic therapy. In this study, we developed a novel multiplex real time PCR for rapid identification...

Author(s): Hadi Rezaei Yazdi, Bahram Nasr Esfahani, Sharareh Moghim, Hajieh Ghasemian Safaei, Hamid Zarkesh Esfahani, Jamshid Faghri, Hossein Fazeli and Tooba Radaei

April 2012

The impact of the Listeria monocytogenes large plasmid on its interaction with HeLa cells and Acanthamoeba polyphaga trophozoites

Plasmids have been studied in Listeria monocytogenes, and plasmids with different sizes and functions have been reported. However, the role of large plasmids in the ecology of L. monocytogenes, in particular their impact on bacterial interactions with eukaryotes, has not been fully understood. In this study, the potential role of L. monocytogenes large plasmid DNA for invasion and...

Author(s): Alisha Akya, Andrew Pointon and Connor Thomas

April 2012

Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory potential of polysaccharide from Pleurotus pulmonarius LAU 09

The Pleurotus pulmonarius LAU 09 was characterized to the species level and registered at the GenBank database (accession number: JF736658). P. pulmonarius LAU 09 formed a phylogenetic cluster with P. pulmonarius complex with bootstrap value of 77%, which confirmed the close evolutionary lineage with previous characterized P. pulmonariuscomplex. The polysaccharide obtained from P....

Author(s): Adebayo E. A., Oloke J. K., Majolagbe O. N., Ajani R. A. and Bora T. C.  

April 2012

Characterization of a novel plasmid, pSW, isolated from Salmonella enterica servar Typhimurium JOL401

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium JOL401 was isolated from chicken in South Korea. A novel plasmid, pSW, harbored in JOL401, consists of 2,216 base pairs (bps) and three putative open reading frames (ORFs). pSW was 86 and 82% homologous to pSGI15 from Salmonella enterica and pJHCMW1 from Klebsiella pneumonia, respectively, both of which are ColE1-type plasmids that undergo theta-type...

Author(s): Sam Woong Kim#, Se Won Kim, Tae Wan Kim#, and Sang Wan Gal    

April 2012

Uptake of toxic Cr (VI) by biomass of exo-polysaccharides producing bacterial strains

Chromium (VI) is a toxic heavy metal, carcinogen and environmental pollutant. Microorganisms and the microbial products, however, possess the ability to remove it efficiently from the environment especially the dilute external solutions. Both the dead microbial biomass and the microbes are considered as an alternate tool to the conventional costly chemical techniques used for removal of the toxic metal from the polluted...

Author(s): Sikander Sultan, Khansa Mubashar and Mohammad Faisal  

April 2012

Microbial quality and content aflatoxins of commercially available eggs in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Contamination of eggs and egg products with microorganisms that possibly affect eggs quality and pathogen transmission induced food-borne infection or intoxication to consumers, which cause public health hazards. A total of 135 table eggs (75 processed and 60 unwashed) were collected randomly from different markets and groceries in Taif city (Saudi Arabia). Every three eggs were represented as one egg pooled sample...

Author(s): Abdul Aziz S. Bahobail, Sabry A. Hassan, and Bahig A. El-Deeb

April 2012

Effect of rice root exudates and strain combination on biofilm formation of Paenibacillus polymyxa and Paenibacillus macerans

Effect of strain combination and rice root exudates on biofilm formation of Paenibacillus polymyxa and Paenibacillus macerans were examined. These results indicated that bacterial growth was unaffected, but biofilm formation was reduced by strain combination compared to strain alone. In addition, rice root exudates are not favored for bacterial growth, but favored for biofilm formation compared to LB...

Author(s): Yu Shi, Yanli Wang, Qing Zhou, He Liu, Bin Li, Ju Luo, Guanlin Xie and Guochang Sun

April 2012

Antagonistic activity of Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma viride isolated from soil of date palm field against Fusarium oxysporum

Fusarium oxysporum has a worldwide distribution and is responsible for severe vascular wilt or root rot. Currently, no effective curative treatments to control the fusarium wilt exist. Thus the study was undertaken to find out the antagonistic potential of Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma viride isolated from the soil of date palm field against F. oxysporum in vitro. All species...

Author(s): Kahkashan Perveen and Najat A. Bokhari

April 2012

In-vitro antimicrobial activity of aqueous and methanol extracts of Tetracarpidium conophorum on some susceptible and multiresistant bacteria

There is an increasing interest in the investigation of different plant extracts as potential sources of new antimicrobial agents in view of numerous multiresistant Gram negative bacteria and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We investigated in vitro antimicrobial activity of aqueous and methanol extracts of Tetracarpidium conophorum (African walnut) on some selected...

Author(s): D. Olusoga Ogbolu and A. O. Terry Alli

April 2012

Phylogenetic studies of Oesophagostomum asperum from goats based on sequences of internal transcribed spacers of ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

In the present study, the phylogenetic position of Oesophagostomum asperum was examined based on the sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of ribosomal DNA. The DNA fragment spanning 3’ end of 18S rDNA, complete ITS-1, 5.8S, ITS-2 rDNA, and 5’ end of 28S rDNA was amplified from six nematodes morphologically identified as Oesophagostomum asperum from 3 infected Cashmere goats (one...

Author(s): San-Ke Yu, Bing Hu, Yan Deng, Hong-Mei Li, Wan-Xin Ren, Qing-Qing Bian, Man Gao, Xing-Ye Wang, Mei-Mei Cong, Jun-Ke Song, Qing Lin, Min-Jun Xu and Guang-Hui Zhao,