Antioxidative effects of lactic acid bacteria on the colonic mucosa of iron-overloaded mice

The antioxidative effects of lactic acid bacteria on lipid peroxidation in the colonic mucosa were investigated. Among 49 strains of lactic acid bacteria, Streptococcus thermophilus YIT 2001 showed the highest inhibitory activity against lipid peroxidation in liposomes induced by ferrous iron. Feeding a diet containing 0.4% St. thermophilus YIT 2001 (2 x 10(8) colony-forming units per mouse per day) for 2 weeks caused a significant decrease of lipid peroxide (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance) in the colonic mucosa of iron-overloaded mice (0.07% Fe in the diet). The mucosal lipid peroxide level did not correlate with the soluble iron concentration of the cecal contents. Therefore, it is suggested that the antioxidative effect of St. thermophilus YIT 2001 in the colonic mucosa was not due to the removal of ferrous iron from the reaction system of lipid peroxidation.     

Cross protection of mice and swine given live-organism vaccine against challenge exposure with strains of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae representing ten serovars

Mice and swine vaccinated (subcutaneous inoculation) with live acriflavine-fast attenuated Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, strain Koganei 65-0.15 (serovar 2), were challenge exposed with 10 strains of E rhusiopathiae pathogenic for swine; the latter strains comprised serovars 9 and 10 and other previously undetermined. Vaccinated mice did not die after they were challenge exposed (subcutaneous inoculation) with serovars 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, or N, but vaccinated mice challenge exposed with strain 2553 (serovar 20) had 30% mortality. Nonvaccinated control mice died after they were challenge exposed with all serovars tested. One of 2 vaccinated swine challenge exposed (intradermal inoculation) with each of strains 911 (serovar 8), 2179 (serovar 10), or 2553 developed localized urticarial lesion at the site of intradermal inoculation. Vaccinated swine challenge exposed with serovars 4, 6, 7, 9, 15, 16, or N did not have clinical signs of acute swine erysipelas. Nonvaccinated control swine developed localized lesions at the site of intradermal challenge inoculation.     

Prevalence and characterization of Pasteurella multocida in rabbits and their environment in Japan

Prevalence and some properties of Pasteurella multocida in rabbits kept at laboratory animal facilities and commercial rabbitries, and in their environment were investigated. A total of 1,147 nasal swab samples from 1,147 rabbits and 126 samples from their environment were subjected to the isolation of P. multocida. The bacteria were isolated from 199 (29.8%) of 668 rabbits in laboratory animal facilities and from 1 (0.2%) of 479 rabbits in the rabbitries. Isolation rate of P. multocida was low (0.9%) or high (44.9%) in the facilities with or without the monitoring for the presence of the bacteria, respectively. The highest rate of the isolation from rabbits was recorded at 10 to 12 months of their housing time. Thirty-nine cultures (31.0%) of air and the surfaces of floors, tips of water bottles, and cages were positive for P. multocida and isolation rate of the bacteria was high (78.6%) in the air. Biological and biochemical properties of the isolates were identical except for indole production and raffinose fermentation. The isolates were susceptible to antibiotics tested except for clindamycin, serologically similar in the gel-diffusion precipitin test and weakly virulent for mice. The present results suggested that these P. multocida isolates were the causal agent of rabbits rhinitis (snuffles) in Japan.     

Serovars of Erysipelothrix species isolated from the tonsils of healthy cattle in Japan.

Serovars of 79 Erysipelothrix isolates recovered from the tonsils of healthy slaughtered cattle over a 1-year period in Japan were determined by an agar double-diffusion precipitation system using typing sera representing all the known serovars, 1 through 23 and type N, of Erysipelothrix. A total of 43 out of the 79 Erysipelothrix isolates could be classified into nine serovars but the remaining 36 isolates were untypable. Of 42 isolates identified as Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, 4, 6, 2, 3, 1,12, 13 and 1 isolates belonged to serovars 1b, 2, 5, 9, 12, 13, 19 and 21, respectively. One isolate belonged to Erysipelothrix tonsillarum serovar 3.     

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification of bacterial effector genes to detect Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae biovars 1 and 3

Journal of General Plant Pathology - Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was designed to rapidly detect biovars 1 and 3 of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), a serious, global...     

Phylogenetic and serological analyses reveal genetic diversity of Agrobacterium vitis strains in Japan

Twenty-eight strains of Agrobacterium vitis , including both tumorigenic and nonpathogenic phenotypes involving 26 isolated in Japan and strains NCPPB 3554^T and NCPPB 2562 isolated in Australia and Greece, respectively, were characterized by means of a slide agglutination test (SAT) using antisera prepared against somatic antigens. Phylogenetic analyses were also carried out, using the results of repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction and the partial nucleotide sequences of pyrG , recA and rpoD . The A. vitis strains separated into four serogroups (A to D) based on the SAT reactivity. The phylogenetic analyses showed A. vitis strains separated into four tumorigenic groups (A to D) and one nonpathogenic group (E). Serogroups A to C corresponded exactly to genetic groups A to C, respectively, whereas serogroup D further divided into two distinct genetic groups, D and E. Genetic group E was isolated in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, and all strains of it have been found to coexist with tumorigenic strains belonging to the other groups within the same galled grapevine tissues. These results suggest that A. vitis strains are genetically heterogeneous and can be separated into several genetic groups. The differences between the nucleotide sequences of pyrG , recA and rpoD of the genetic groups will enable the development of a simple and convenient monitoring method, which will increase understanding of the dynamics of each genetic group of A. vitis in the natural environment.     

Gray mold of pearl lupine caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis>

Severe blight of stems, leaves and pods caused by Botrytis cinerea was found on pearl lupine (Lupinus mutabilis), a legume crop, grown in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, in March–June 1996–2002. This disease was named “gray mold of pearl lupine” as a new disease. One of the fungal isolates obtained in this study was deposited in Genebank, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences as accession MAFF238557.     

Antimicrobial resistance, virulence profiles, and phylogenetic groups of fecal Escherichia coli isolates: a comparative analysis between dogs and their owners in Japan

In this study, fecal Escherichia coli isolates (n=188) from 34 dog-owner pairs and 26 healthy control humans (2 isolates per individual) were tested for susceptibility to 6 antimicrobials and screened for virulence genes. Genetic diversity between canine and owner isolates was evaluated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Canine isolates exhibited significantly different rates of resistance to four and two antimicrobials, compared to control and owner isolates, respectively. Of the genes examined, the prevalence of sfa, hly, and cnf genes in canine isolates were higher than in control isolates, but not than in owner isolates. These results suggest that characteristics of owner isolates are somewhat similar to canine isolates, compared to isolates from non-dog owners. In addition, PFGE analysis revealed that transfer of E. coli between owners and their dogs had occurred within 3/34 (8.8%) households. Considering the effects of dog ownership on the population of E. coli isolates from owners, further epidemiological studies are required.