The performance of a stable version of Baird-Parker's medium for isolating Staphylococcus aureus

Genomic and Metabolic Features of an Unexpectedly Predominant, Thermophilic, Assistant Starter Microorganism, Thermus thermophilus, in Chinese Inner Mongolian Cheese

Inner Mongolian cheese is a traditional dairy product in China. It is produced without rennet, using naturally acidified milk that is simmered to achieve whey separation. In order to analyse the impact of simmering on the microbial community structure, high-throughput sequencing was performed to obtain bacterial 16S rRNA sequences from cheeses from the Ordos (ES), Ulanqab (WS), Horqin (KS) and Xilingol (XS) grasslands of Inner Mongolia. The relative abundance of an unexpected microorganism, Thermus thermophilus, ranged from 2% to 9%, which meant that its dominance was second only to that of lactic acid bacteria (LABs). Genome sequencing and fermentation validation were performed in T. thermophilus N-1 isolated from the Ordos, and it was determined that T. thermophilus N-1 could ingest and metabolise lactose in milk to produce lactate during the simmering process. T. thermophilus N-1 could also produce acetate, propionate, citrate and other organic acids through a unique acetate production pathway and a complete propionate production pathway and TCA cycle, which may affect texture and flavour development in Inner Mongolian cheese. Simultaneously, the large amount of citrate produced by T. thermophilus N-1 provides a necessary carbon source for continuous fermentation by LABs after the simmering step. Therefore, T. thermophilus N-1 contributes to cheese fermentation as a predominant, thermophilic, assistant starter microorganism unique to Chinese Inner Mongolian cheese.

Essential Steps in Characterizing Bacteriophages: Biology, Taxonomy, and Genome Analysis

Because of the rise in antimicrobial resistance there has been a significant increase in interest in phages for therapeutic use. Furthermore, the cost of sequencing phage genomes has decreased to the point where it is being used as a teaching tool for genomics. Unfortunately, the quality of the descriptions of the phage and its annotation frequently are substandard. The following chapter is designed to help people working on phages, particularly those new to the field, to accurately describe their newly isolated viruses.

A note on the isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from raw minced meat

Conventional Baird-Parker medium (BP) and three modified BP-type media were tested for their suitability to detect and to enumerate Staphylococcus aureus in raw minced meat. BP with pig plasma gave the most rapid results without the need for extensive confirmatory tests. A method which combined a liquid modification of BP medium with BP agar supplemented with acriflavine, polymyxin and sulphamezathine, was cheaper, more sensitive, and did not necessitate additional identification. Conventional BP incubated at 37 degrees and 43 degrees C yielded less satisfactory results.