Evaluation of methanolic crude extract of Linum usitatissimum for the removal of biofilm in diabetic foot isolates

Linum usitatissimum L is a widely used traditionally for multiple ailments. The present research was carried out to explore the antimicrobial, and anti-biofilm activity of crude extract of Linum usitatissimum L (Lu. Cr). Phytochemical and proximate analyses were performed. The bandages of diabetic foot patients were collected from the various hospitals. The bandages were cultured to isolate the bacterial strains present on it. The disc diffusion method was used to identify the antimicrobial potential whereas the minimum inhibitory concentration of the Lu.Cr were also determined. Proximate analysis confirms moisture content 8.33%, ash content 4.33%, crude protein 21.20%, crude fat 49.2% and crude fiber 5.63%. It was revealed that Gram-positive bacteria are most prevalent among all study groups. Lu.Cr possess significant bactericidal potential against S. aureus among all other microbes. Owing to this potential, linseed coated bandages can be used alternatively for the treatment of diabetic foot.

Microbiological characteristics of bloodstream infections in a reference hospital in northeastern Brazil

Routine blood culture is used for the detection of bloodstream infections by aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and by common pathogenic yeasts. A retrospective study was conducted in a public hospital in Maceió-AL, by collecting data of all medical records with positive blood cultures. Out of the 2,107 blood cultures performed, 17% were positive with Staphylococcus coagulase negative (51.14%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (11.21%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (6.32%). Gram-positive bacteria predominated among positive blood cultures, highlighting the group of Staphylococcus coagulase-negative. While Gram-negative bacteria had a higher number of species among positive blood cultures.

In Vitro Antitumor Activity of Endophytic and Rhizosphere Gram-Positive Bacteria from Ibervillea sonorae (S. Watson) Greene against L5178Y-R Lymphoma Cells

Plant-associated microorganisms represent a potential source of new antitumor compounds. The aim of the present study was to isolate endophytic and rhizosphere Gram-positive bacteria from Ibervillea sonorae and produce extracts with antitumor activity. Methanol and ethyl acetate extracts were obtained from 28 d bacterial fermentation, after which murine L5178Y-R lymphoma cells growth inhibition was evaluated at concentrations ranging from 15.62 µg/mL to 500 µg/mL by the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide reduction colorimetric assay. IC50 and the selectivity index (SI) were calculated and compared with healthy control human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Identification of the isolated strains was performed using the 16S ribosomal gene and by MALDI-TOF MS mass spectrometry. The endophytic and rhizosphere bacterial extracts from strains ISE-B22, ISE-B26, ISE-B27, ISS-A01, ISS-A06, and ISS-A16 showed significant (p < 0.05) L5178Y-R cell growth inhibition, compared with an untreated control. The rhizosphere Micromonospora echinospora isolate ISS-A16 showed the highest (90.48%) percentage of lymphoma cells growth inhibition and SI (19.1) for PBMC, whereas the Bacillus subtilis ISE-B26 isolate caused significant (p < 0.01) growth inhibition (84.32%) and a SI of 5.2. Taken together, results of the present study evidenced antitumor effects by I. sonorae endophytic and rhizosphere bacteria culture extracts. Further research will involve the elucidation of the compounds that exert the antitumor activity and their evaluation in pre-clinical studies.

The Mechanism of Action of Ginkgolic Acid (15:1) against Gram-Positive Bacteria Involves Cross Talk with Iron Homeostasis

The increasing emergence of infectious diseases associated with multidrug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens has raised the urgent need to develop novel antibiotics. GA (15:1) is a natural product derived from Ginkgo biloba and possesses a wide range of bioactivities, including antimicrobial activity.

The Triprenylated Anthranoid Ferruginin A, a Promising Scaffold for the Development of Novel Antibiotics against Gram-Positive Bacteria

In today’s post-antibiotic era, the search for new antimicrobial compounds is of major importance and nature represents one of the primary sources of bioactive molecules. In this work, through a cheminformatics approach, we clustered an in-house library of natural products and their derivatives based on a combination of fingerprints and substructure search. We identified the prenylated emodine-type anthranoid ferruginin A as a novel antimicrobial compound. We tested its ability to inhibit and kill a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and compared its activity with that of two analogues, vismione B and ferruanthrone. Furthermore, the capability of these three anthranoids to disrupt staphylococcal biofilm was investigated, as well as their effect on the viability of human keratinocytes. Ferruginin A showed a potent activity against both the planktonic and biofilm forms of Gram-positive bacteria (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis) and had the best therapeutic index compared to vismione B and ferruanthrone. In conclusion, ferruginin A represents a promising scaffold for the further development of valuable antimicrobial agents.

Antioxidant, Antibacterial and Dyeing Potential of Crude Pigment Extract of Gonatophragmium triuniae and Its Chemical Characterization

Filamentous fungi synthesize natural products as an ecological function. In this study, an interesting indigenous fungus producing orange pigment exogenously was investigated in detail as it possesses additional attributes along with colouring properties. An interesting fungus was isolated from a dicot plant, Maytenus rothiana. After a detailed study, the fungal isolate turned out to be a species of Gonatophragmium belonging to the family Acrospermaceae. Based on the morphological, cultural, and sequence-based phylogenetic analysis, the identity of this fungus was confirmed as Gonatophragmium triuniae. Although this fungus grows moderately, it produces good amounts of pigment on an agar medium. The fermented crude extract isolated from G. triuniae has shown antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 0.99 mg/mL and antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (with MIC of 3.91 μg/mL against Bacillus subtilis, and 15.6 μg/mL and 31.25 μg/mL for Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus, respectively). Dyeing of cotton fabric mordanted with FeSO4 using crude pigment was found to be satisfactory based on visual observation, suggesting its possible use in the textile industry. The orange pigment was purified from the crude extract by preparative HP-TLC. In addition, UV-Vis, FTIR, HRMS and NMR (1H NMR, 13C NMR), COSY, and DEPT analyses revealed the orange pigment to be “1,2-dimethoxy-3H-phenoxazin-3-one” (C14H11NO4, m/z 257). To our understanding, the present study is the first comprehensive report on Gonatophragmium triuniae as a potential pigment producer, reporting “1,2-dimethoxy-3H-phenoxazin-3-one” as the main pigment from the crude hexane extract. Moreover, this is the first study reporting antioxidant, antibacterial, and dyeing potential of crude extract of G. triuniae, suggesting possible potential applications of pigments and other bioactive secondary metabolites of the G. triuniae in textile and pharmaceutical industry.

A Time-Course Study on a Food Contact Material (FCM)-Certified Coating Based on Titanium Oxide Deposited onto Aluminum

Aluminum is the second most widely used metal worldwide. It is present as an additive in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food, and food contact materials (FCM). In this study, we confirm the bactericidal effect of a special anodizing method, based on TiO2 nanoparticles (DURALTI®) deposited on aluminum disks with different roughness and subjected to two sanitizing treatments: UV and alcohol 70%. Consequently, we perform a time-course evaluation against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria to better frame the time required to achieve the best result. Approximately 106 CFU/mL of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922; Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 1402; Yersinia enterocolitica ATCC 9610; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27588; Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538; Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212; Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 and Listeria monocytogenes NCTT 10888 were inoculated onto each aluminum surface and challenged with UV and alcohol 70% at 0, 15”, 30”, 1′, 5′, 15′, 30′, 1, 2, 4 and 6 h. DURALTI® coating already confirmed its ability to induce a 4-logarithmic decrease (from 106 to 102 CFU/mL) after 6 h. Once each sanitizing treatment was applied, an overall bacterial inhibition occurred in a time ranging from 15′′ to 1′. The results are innovative in terms of preventing microbial adhesion and growth in the food industry.

Bacteriological Identification among Patients Attending at Jimma University Veterinary Clinic

Findings of conducted study showed that the predominant bacteria in Jimma University Veterinary Clinic. Among predominant bacteria identified includes; Escherichia coli 46 (34.3%), Klebsiella 23(17.2%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus 40(29.9%) and Streptococcus spp 25(18.7%). Among 4 species of bacteria isolated, 2 were gram negative and 2 of them was gram positive bacteria. Among the antibiotic susceptibility test, Staphylococcus aureus showed the total resistant on penicillin while tetracycline showed to have the highest sensitivity. Escherichia coli showed the total resistant on gentamicin (100%). Veterinary Clinic is at risk of acquiring bacterial infections due to the presence of mentioned bacteria during this study. The big issue is that these infections resist to antibiotics used in treatment according to results of the study. Health care workers in Veterinary Clinic should improve hygiene to control clinic acquired infections and much attention should be done during diagnosis to improve treatment of patients.

Investigation of the Antibacterial Properties of Silver-Doped Amorphous Carbon Coatings Produced by Low Pressure Magnetron Assisted Acetylene Discharges

Hospital-acquired infections are responsible for a significant part of morbidity and mortality. Among the possible modes of transmission, this study focuses on environmental surfaces by developing innovative antibacterial coatings that can be applied on interior fittings in hospitals. This work aims to optimize a coating made of an amorphous carbon matrix doped with silver (a-C:H:Ag) produced by a hybrid PVD/PECVD process and to evaluate its antibacterial activity. We present a coating characterization (chemical composition and morphology) as well as its stability in an ageing process and after multiple exposures to bacteria. The antibacterial activity of the coatings is demonstrated against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria through several bioassays. Moreover, the data suggest a crucial role of silver diffusion towards the surface and nanoparticle formation to explain the very promising anti-bacterial activities reported in this work.

Difference of Procalcitonin Levels in Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis Patients of Indonesia Army Central Hospital Gatot Soebroto in 2016

Introduction: Procalcitonin is known as a marker of infection and indicator for severity of infections. In sepsis, elevated procalcitonin levels in blood have a significant value that can be used as a sepsis biomarker. The aim of this study was to determine the mean difference of procalcitonin levels in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial sepsis patients.Methods: This study used quantitative method with cross sectional approach. The sample of this study were bacterial sepsis patients of Indonesia Army Central Hospital Gatot Soebroto in 2016 which were divided into two groups: Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial sepsis patients with the number of each group was 30 samples. The data were analyzed by using independent t test.Results: This study showed that mean levels of procalcitonin in Gram-positive bacterial sepsis patients was 6.47 ng/ml and Gram-negative was 66.04 ng/ml. There was a significant difference between mean levels of procalcitonin in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial sepsis patients of Indonesia Army Central Hospital Gatot Soebroto in 2016 with p value = 0.000 (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The mean difference of procalcitonin levels in Gram-negative bacterial sepsis patients were higher than Gram-positive bacterial sepsis patients, because Gram-negative bacteria have lipopolysaccharide which is a strong immunostimulator and increases TNF-α production higher than Gram-positive bacteria.