Mixed bacterial communities are commonly encountered in microbial infections of humans. Knowledge on the composition of species and viability of each species in these communities allows for a detailed description of the complexity of interspecies dynamics and contributes to the assessment of the severity of infections. Several assays exist for quantification of specific species in mixed communities, including analysis of quantitative terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms. While this method allows for species-specific cell enumeration, it cannot provide viability data. In this study, flow cytometry was applied to assess the viability of Staphylococcus aureus and Burkholderia cepacia in mixed culture by membrane integrity analysis using SYBR® Green I and propidium iodide staining. Both bacteria are relevant to pulmonary infections of cystic fibrosis patients. Fluorescence staining was optimized separately for each species in pure culture due to differences between species in cell wall structure and metabolic capabilities. To determine viability of species in mixed culture, a protocol was established as a compromise between optimum conditions determined before for pure cultures. This protocol allowed the detection of viable and dead cells of both species, exhibiting an intact and a permeabilized membrane, respectively. To discriminate between S. aureus and B. cepacia, the protocol was combined with Gram-specific fluorescent staining using wheat germ agglutinin. The established three-color staining method was successfully tested for viability determination of S. aureus and B. cepacia in mixed culture cultivations. In addition, growth of both species was monitored by quantitative terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms. The obtained data revealed alterations in viability during cultivations for different growth phases and suggest interspecies effects in mixed culture. Overall, this method allows for rapid simultaneous Gram-differentiation and viability assessment of bacterial mixed cultures and is therefore suitable for the analysis of dynamics of mixed communities of medical, environmental, and biotechnological relevance.
For starter culture production, fluidized bed drying is an efficient and cost-effective alternative to the most frequently used freeze drying method. However, fluidized bed drying also poses damaging or lethal stress to bacteria. Therefore, investigation of impact of process variables and conditions on viability of starter cultures produced by fluidized bed drying is of major interest. Viability of bacteria is most frequently assessed by plate counting. While reproductive growth of cells can be characterized by the number of colony-forming units, it cannot provide the number of viable-but-nonculturable cells. However, in starter cultures, these cells still contribute to the fermentation during food production. In this study, flow cytometry was applied to assess viability of Lactobacillus plantarum starter cultures by membrane integrity analysis using SYBR®Green I and propidium iodide staining. The enumeration method established allowed for rapid, precise and sensitive determination of viable cell concentration, and was used to investigate effects of fluidized bed drying and storage on viability of L. plantarum. Drying caused substantial membrane damage on cells, most likely due to dehydration and oxidative stress. Nevertheless, high bacterial survival rates were obtained, and granulates contained in the average 2.7 × 10(9) viable cells/g. Furthermore, increased temperatures reduced viability of bacteria during storage. Differences in results of flow cytometry and plate counting suggested an occurrence of viable-but-nonculturable cells during storage. Overall, flow cytometric viability assessment is highly feasible for rapid routine in-process control in production of L. plantarum starter cultures, produced by fluidized bed drying.
BackgroundBacterial species coexist commonly in mixed communities, for instance those occurring in microbial infections of humans. Interspecies effects contribute to alterations in composition of communities with respect to species and thus, to the course and severity of infection. Therefore, knowledge concerning growth and viability of single species in medically-relevant mixed communities is of high interest to resolve complexity of interspecies dynamics and to support development of treatment strategies. In this study, a flow cytometric method was established to assess the species-specific viability in defined three-species mixed cultures. The method enables the characterization of viability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia and Staphylococcus aureus, which are relevant to lung infections of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients. The method combines fluorescence detection by antibody and lectin labeling with viability fluorescence staining using SYBR®Green I and propidium iodide. In addition, species-specific cell enumeration analysis using quantitative terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (qT-RFLP) was used to monitor the growth dynamics. Finally, to investigate the impact of substrate availability on growth and viability, concentrations of main substrates and metabolites released were determined.ResultsFor each species, the time course of growth and viability during mixed culture cultivations was obtained by using qT-RFLP analysis in combination with flow cytometry. Comparison between mixed and pure cultures revealed for every species differences in growth properties, e.g. enhanced growth of P. aeruginosa in mixed culture. Differences were also observed for B. cepacia and S. aureus in the time course of viability, e.g. an early and drastic reduction of viability of S. aureus in mixed culture. Overall, P. aeruginosa clearly dominated the mixed culture with regard to obtained cell concentrations.ConclusionsIn combination with qT-RFLP analysis, the methods enabled monitoring of species-specific cell concentrations and viability during co-cultivation of theses strains. Experimental findings suggest that the predominance of P. aeruginosa over B. cepacia and S. aureus in mixed culture under the chosen cultivation conditions is promoted by more efficient substrate consumption of P. aeruginosa, and antagonistic interspecies effects induced by P. aeruginosa.
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In the presented approach, molecular dynamics simulations are used to get insights into the energies and mechanisms leading to a formation of two phases in polyethylene (PEG)/phosphate systems. MD simulations of single PEG molecules (5 -64 units) revealed an increasing hydrophobicity with increasing molecular weight for two reasons: (i) a dilution of hydrophilic end groups and (ii) the formation of stretches of helical secondary structure, further increasing the relative hydrophobic surface area. Both findings correlated well with experimentally determined Et(30) values. MD simulations for PEG/phosphate systems were run for different PEG molecular weights (282 Da, 591 Da, 1031 Da, and 1471 Da) and successfully applied multidimensional data clustering to develop models to predict phase formation (and thus binodal curves) and tie line positions based on MD data. Among others, the relative PEG hydrophobicity, the tendency of PEG to act as H-bond acceptor, and the entropy of surrounding water molecules could be linked to phase formation. After extensive validation of this MD-based approach, it is planned to study lysozyme distribution in these four systems to correlate partitioning coefficients with (i) surface properties, (ii) the interplay of PEG and water with the protein surface, and (iii) energy contributions of the single components in the system.
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