Artisanal tanneries: Potential application of inoculants formulated with lactic acid bacteria.

In artisanal tanneries, the skins are immersed in cereals fermented by natural microbial flora in order to reduce the pH of the skin, an essential condition for carrying out the final step. The environmental thermal variation alters the fermentation process and affects the quality of the final product. The aim of this work was to isolate lactic acid bacteria from cereals mixture fermented in an artisanal tannery and to evaluate in vitro the acidifying activity of the strains as a first step for the formulation of a starter culture. In most samples, a prevalence of cocci (95%) was observed with respect to bacilli. The best acidifying strains were identified by phenotypic and genotypic techniques as Enterococcus faecium CRL 1943 (rapid acidification at 37 °C) and Leuconostoc citreum CRL 1945 (high acidifying activity at 18 °C). In addition, the biomass production of the selected strains was analyzed at free and controlled pH (bioreactors 1.5 L). The production of biomass was optimal at controlled pH, with a higher growth (0.5-1.1 log units). Both strains were compatible, allowing their inclusion in a mixed culture. These lactic strains could contribute to the systematization of the tanning process.

Studies on the O-specific polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide from the Pseudomonas mediterranea strain C5P1rad1, a bacterium pathogenic of tomato and chrysanthemum.

An O-specific polysaccharide (OPS) was isolated from the lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas mediterranea strain C5P1rad1, the causal agents of tomato pith necrosis and Chrysanthemum stem rot, and studied by one- and two-dimensional 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the trisaccharide repeating unit of the OPS was established, which, to our knowledge, is unique among the known bacterial polysaccharide structures: →4)-ß-d-ManpNAc3NAcA-(1 â†’ 4)-ß-d-ManpNAc3NAcA-(1 â†’ 3)-α-d-QuipNAc4NAc-(1→ where QuiNAc4NAc and ManNAc3NAcA indicate 2,4-diacetamido-2,4,6-trideoxyglucose and 2,3-diacetamido-2,3-dideoxymannuronic acid, respectively. Pre-treatment of leaves with LPS or OPS preparations at 250 and 50 µg mL-1 did not inhibit development of a hypersensitivity reaction induced by P. mediterranea C5P1rad1 on tobacco, tomato and chrysanthemum plants. The same preparations at 250 µg mL-1 partially prevented elicitation of the hypersensitivity reaction by Pseudomonas syringae KVPT7RC on chrysanthemum but not tobacco and tomato.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. coryli, the Causal Agent of Bacterial Twig Dieback of Corylus avellana.

ABSTRACT Thirty-eight bacterial strains isolated from hazelnut (Corylus avellana) cv. Tonda Gentile delle Langhe showing a twig dieback in Piedmont and Sardinia, Italy, were studied by a polyphasic approach. All strains were assessed by fatty acids analysis and repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting using BOX and ERIC primer sets. Representative strains also were assessed by sequencing the 16S rDNA and hrpL genes, determining the presence of the syrB gene, testing their biochemical and nutritional characteristics, and determining their pathogenicity to hazelnut and other plants species or plant organs. Moreover, they were compared with reference strains of other phytopathogenic pseudomonads. The strains from hazelnut belong to Pseudomonas syringae (sensu latu), LOPAT group Ia. Both fatty acids and repetitive-sequence-based PCR clearly discriminate such strains from other Pseudomonas spp., including P. avellanae and other P. syringae pathovars as well as P. syringae pv. syringae strains from hazelnut. Also, the sequencing of 16S rDNA and hrpL genes differentiated them from P. avellanae and from P. syringae pv. syringae. They did not possess the syrB gene. Some nutritional tests also differentiated them from related P. syringae pathovars. Upon artificial inoculation, these strains incited severe twig diebacks only on hazelnut. Our results justify the creation of a new pathovar because the strains from hazelnut constitute a homogeneous group and a discrete phenon. The name of P. syringae pv. coryli is proposed and criteria for routine identification are presented.

Pretreatment with gangliosides reduces abnormal nociceptive responses associated with a rodent peripheral mononeuropathy.

A peripheral mononeuropathy was produced in adult male rats by placing loosely constrictive ligatures around the common sciatic nerve. As reported by others, this procedure reliably results in postoperative behavior indicative of hyperalgesia, allodynia, and potentially, spontaneous pain. In these experiments, thermal hyperalgesia was assessed by measuring foot-withdrawal latencies to radiant heat aimed at the plantar surface of rat hind paws. Behaviors potentially indicative of spontaneous pain were assessed by rating spontaneous hind paw guarding positions. Rats with sciatic nerve ligation were divided into 5 groups (n = 6/group). Three groups received injections (i.p.) of either 10, 20 or 40 mg/kg of cerebral ganglioside mixture, GA. The 4th group was injected with 10 mg/kg of the purified ganglioside GM1, and the 5th group received an equal volume of saline. All injections were given daily for 2 days before surgery, the day of surgery and 9 days after surgery. All animals were behaviorally assessed for 2 days prior to surgery, the day of surgery, as well as 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 days afterwards. All 5 groups had significantly reduced latencies to hind paw withdrawal on the side ipsilateral to sciatic nerve ligation. However, these hyperalgesic responses were significantly attenuated in rats receiving GA or GM1 pretreatment. These data suggest that this animal model of peripheral neuropathic pain is sensitive to pharmacological manipulations useful for understanding mechanisms of neuropathic pain, including mechanisms related to excitotoxic processes. Such studies could lead to development of clinical approaches to treat this disorder.