Microorganism adhesion using silicon dioxide: An experimental study.

In this study, spectrophotometry was used to measure changes in the absorbance properties of yeast, Gram-positive, and Gram-negative bacteria after their attachment to silicon dioxide microparticles (silica). The goal of this study was to determine whether spectrophotometry is an effective method to distinguish these microorganisms from one another and determine whether they have an affinity for silicon dioxide. The experiments were performed by examining the light absorption properties of yeast, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in a spectrophotometer, both with and without silicon dioxide microparticles. The experiments produced a number of promising results. First, the spectrophotometer graphs of yeast were noticeably different from those of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Second, the absorption of light in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria occurred at near infrared range (700-1500 nm) and, unlike yeast, the wavelengths increased when silicon dioxide microparticles were added to the suspension. When silicon dioxide microparticles were added to yeast, the absorption of light decreased during the entire wavelength interval of the spectrophotometer measurement. These results indicate that bacteria have an affinity for silicon dioxide, and that spectrophotometry may be used to distinguish yeast from bacteria and, possibly, different bacterial types from one another.

TpF1 from Treponema pallidum activates inflammasome and promotes the development of regulatory T cells.

Human syphilis is a multistage disease, with diverse and wide-ranging manifestations caused by Treponema pallidum. Despite the fact that a cell-mediated immune response takes part in the course of syphilis, T. pallidum often manages to evade host immunity and, in untreated individuals, may trigger chronic infection. With this study, we demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that Treponema pallidum induces a regulatory T (Treg) response in patients with secondary syphilis and we found that the miniferritin TpF1, produced by the bacterium, is able to expand this response and promote the production of TGF-ß. Accordingly, TpF1 stimulates monocytes to release IL-10 and TGF-ß, the key cytokines in driving Treg cell differentiation. Interestingly, we also found that TpF1 stimulates monocytes to synthesize and release several proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß, the latter following the activation of the multiprotein complex inflammasome. Collectively, these data strongly support a central role for TpF1 both in the inflammation process, which occurs in particular during the early stage of syphilis, and in the long-term persistence of the spirochete within the host by promoting Treg response and TGF-ß production.