Dual Roles of Capsular Extracellular Polymeric Substances in Photocatalytic Inactivation of Escherichia coli: Comparison of E. coli BW25113 and Isogenic Mutants

Bacterial antioxidant mechanism in calcium peroxide aided sludge anaerobic fermentation

Although calcium peroxide (CaO₂) can enhance the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production in sludge anaerobic fermentation, the microbiological mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. In this study, it is aimed to elucidate the bacterial protective mechanisms in response to the oxidative stress induced by CaO₂. Results show that extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and anti-oxidant enzymes play vital roles in protecting bacterial cells from CaO₂. The addition of CaO₂ resulted in increased relative abundances of genes exoP and SRP54, which are associated with EPS secretion and transportation. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) played a crucial in alleviating oxidative stress. The dosage of CaO₂ significantly influences the succession of the bacterial community in the anaerobic fermentation system. With 0.3 g CaO₂/g VSS, the net income was approximately 4 USD/ton of sludge treated. The CaO₂-assisted anaerobic fermentation process has the potential to recover more resources from sludge and thus, benefit the environment.

Photocatalytic and oxidation mechanisms of Fe-Ag@AgCl: Effect on co-existing arsenic (III) and Escherichia coli

To address the drinking safety problems associated with high arsenic(III) (As(III)) and bacteria in underground water, core-shell Fe-Ag@AgCl nanowires were synthesized and exhibited excellent photocatalytic oxidation effects on co-existing As(III) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). With the introduction of Fe, the nanowires that were used 5 times could be easily magnetically collected, and the As(III) oxidation effect of these re-chlorinated nanowires increased from 39% to 60%. E. coli was completely inactivated within 60 min without photoreactivation after 20 min. Extracellular polymeric substances have play a protective role in the disinfection process. Quenching testing results confirmed that, except for the superoxide radical (•O₂^-), the subdominant active species were different for different objects: hole (h_VB⁺) to As(III) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) to E. coli. Therefore the system with co-existing As(III) and E. coli, the inactivation effect of Fe-Ag@AgCl on E. coli decreased remarkably with an increase in As(III) concentration, while the oxidation process of As(III) was not significantly affected by E. coli until E. coli was increased to 10⁸ cfu/mL. The photocatalytic process of co-existing As(III) and E. coli is displayed in a schematic diagram and was tested using desired results obtained from field groundwater in Xiantao City, Hubei Province. The function of Fe in band structures and density of states was analyzed using plane-wave density functional theory. These magnetic nanowires presented excellent photocatalytic ability on co-existing As(III) and E. coli, and provided new insights into drinking water safety in high-arsenic areas.

Inactivation of a pathogenic NDM-1-positive Escherichia coli strain and the resistance gene blaNDM-1 by TiO2/UVA photocatalysis

Proliferation of bla_NDM-1 in water and wastewater is particularly concerning because of multidrug-resistance and horizontal transfer of the gene. In the present study, a pathogenic NDM-1-positive Escherichia coli strain (named E. coli NDM-1) and the bla_NDM-1 gene were treated with titanium dioxide (TiO₂)/ultraviolet A (UVA) photocatalysis. Effects of catalyst dose, UVA intensity, and phosphate on bacteria and intracellular and extracellular bla_NDM-1 genes were determined. With increases in TiO₂ dose and UVA intensity, the inactivation rate of E. coli NDM-1 increased greatly in saline solution. However, phosphate in water hindered adsorption of bacteria to TiO₂ and partly changed the TiO₂ photocatalytic pathway, resulting in low degradation efficiency. Although inactivation of E. coli NDM-1 was highly efficient, TiO₂/UVA photocatalysis had little effect on removal of the bla_NDM-1 gene. During the 2-h photocatalytic experiments, E. coli cells decreased by 4.7-log, while the bla_NDM-1 gene decreased by 0.7- ~ 1.5-log. Moreover, the degradation rate of extracellular bla_NDM-1 was ~2.7 times higher than that of intracellular genes. Abundance and transformation frequency of residual bla_NDM-1 genes remained high, even when bacteria were completely inactivated, indicating potential health risks. Increases in treatment time and UVA irradiation intensity are needed to remove the bla_NDM-1 gene to sufficiently low levels.

The Formation of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Bacterial Communities During Garlic Powder Processing

Chinese garlic powder (GP) is exported to all countries in the world, but the excess of microorganisms is a serious problem that affects export. The number of microorganisms has a serious impact on the pricing of GP. It is very important to detect and control the microorganism in GP. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contamination and drug resistance of microorganisms during the processing of GP. We used metagenomics and Illumina sequencing to study the composition and dynamic distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), but also the microbial community in three kinds of garlic products from factory processing. The results showed that a total of 126 ARG genes were detected in all the samples, which belonged to 11 ARG species. With the processing of GP, the expression of ARGs showed a trend to increase at first and then to decrease. Network analysis was used to study the co-occurrence patterns among ARG subtypes and bacterial communities and ARGs.

Antimicrobial TiO2 nanocomposite coatings for surfaces, dental and orthopaedic implants

Engineering of self-disinfecting surfaces to constrain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 is a challenging task for the scientific community because the human coronavirus spreads through respiratory droplets. Titania (TiO₂) nanocomposite antimicrobial coatings is one of the ideal remedies to disinfect pathogens (virus, bacteria, fungi) from common surfaces under light illumination. The photocatalytic disinfection efficiency of recent TiO₂ nanocomposite antimicrobial coatings for surfaces, dental and orthopaedic implants are emphasized in this review. Mostly, inorganic metals (e.g. copper (Cu), silver (Ag), manganese (Mn), etc), non-metals (e.g. fluorine (F), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P)) and two-dimensional materials (e.g. MXenes, MOF, graphdiyne) were incorporated with TiO₂ to regulate the charge transfer mechanism, surface porosity, crystallinity, and the microbial disinfection efficiency. The antimicrobial activity of TiO₂ coatings was evaluated against the most crucial pathogenic microbes such as Escherichia coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Legionella pneumophila, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, T2 bacteriophage, H1N1, HCoV-NL63, vesicular stomatitis virus, bovine coronavirus. Silane functionalizing agents and polymers were used to coat the titanium (Ti) metal implants to introduce superhydrophobic features to avoid microbial adhesion. TiO₂ nanocomposite coatings in dental and orthopaedic metal implants disclosed exceptional bio-corrosion resistance, durability, biocompatibility, bone-formation capability, and long-term antimicrobial efficiency. Moreover, the commercial trend, techno-economics, challenges, and prospects of antimicrobial nanocomposite coatings are also discussed briefly.

Effects of microbial inactivation approaches on quantity and properties of extracellular polymeric substances in the process of wastewater treatment and reclamation: A review

Microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have a profound role in various wastewater treatment and reclamation processes, in which a variety of technologies are used for disinfection and microbial growth inhibition. These treatment processes can induce significant changes in the quantity and properties of EPS, and altered EPS could further adversely affect the wastewater treatment and reclamation system, including membrane filtration, disinfection, and water distribution. To clarify the effects of microbial inactivation approaches on EPS, these effects were classified into four categories: (1) chemical reactions, (2) cell lysis, (3) changing EPS-producing metabolic processes, and (4) altering microbial community. Across these different effects, treatments with free chlorine, methylisothiazolone, TiO₂, and UV irradiation typically enhance EPS production. Among the residual microorganisms in EPS matrices after various microbial inactivation treatments, one of the most prominent is Mycobacterium. With respect to EPS properties, proteins and humic acids in EPS are usually more susceptible to treatment processes than polysaccharides. The affected EPS properties include changes in molecular weight, hydrophobicity, and adhesion ability. All of these changes can undermine wastewater treatment and reclamation processes. Therefore, effects on EPS quantity and properties should be considered during the application of microbial inactivation and growth inhibition techniques.

Transcriptome RNA Sequencing Data Set of Differential Gene Expression in Escherichia coli BW25113 Wild-Type and slyA Mutant Strains

Escherichia coli laboratory strains remain instrumental for the development of tools and techniques in molecular microbiology. The transcriptional regulator SlyA, associated with host-derived oxidative stress, antibiotic resistance, and virulence, is prominent in Enterobacteriaceae. Here, we announce a transcriptome data set detailing the global gene expression in E. coli BW25113 and its slyA mutant.

Escherichia coli laboratory strains remain instrumental for the development of tools and techniques in molecular microbiology. The transcriptional regulator SlyA, associated with host-derived oxidative stress, antibiotic resistance, and virulence, is prominent in Enterobacteriaceae. Here, we announce a transcriptome data set detailing the global gene expression in E. coli BW25113 and its slyA mutant.

Analyses of the Effect of Peptidoglycan on Photocatalytic Bactericidal Activity Using Different Growth Phases Cells of Gram-Positive Bacterium and Spheroplast Cells of Gram-Negative Bacterium

We conducted photocatalytic experiments focusing on the peptidoglycan layer to elucidate the details of the mechanism of photocatalytic sterilization. The previous study of our laboratory suggested that the presence of the peptidoglycan layer increases the bactericidal effect. To further verify it, the following experiments were performed: experiments on cells with different peptidoglycan layer thickness used Lactobacillus plantarum cells with different growth phases, experiments on cells with the thin peptidoglycan layer used Escherichia coli cells and spheroplast cells from which the peptidoglycan layer was removed from E. coli cells. The bactericidal effects increased as the growth progresses of L. plantarum. It was confirmed by TEM that the thickness of the peptidoglycan layer increased with cell growth. The survival rates of E. coli intact cells were significantly lower than those of spheroplast cells. These results strongly suggest that the peptidoglycan layer enhances the photocatalytic bactericidal effect. As a result of allowing the photocatalytic reaction to act on peptidoglycan, the amount of hydroxyl radical was smaller, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide was higher than in the absence of peptidoglycan. It is suggested that peptidoglycan may convert produced hydroxyl radical to hydrogen peroxide.

The formation mechanism of antibiotic-resistance genes associated with bacterial communities during biological decomposition of household garbage

Food wastes are significant reservoir of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) available for exchange with clinical pathogens. However, food wastes-related changes of antibiotic resistance in long-period decomposition have been overlooked. Here, we evaluated the comprehensive ARG profile and its association with microbial communities, explained how this might vary with household garbage decomposition. Average of 128, 150 and 91 ARGs were detected in meat, vegetable and fruit wastes, respectively, with multidrug and tetracycline as the predominant ARG types. ARG abundance significantly increased at initial stage of waste fermentation and then decreased. High abundance of Eubacterium-coprostanoligenes, Sporanaerobacter, Peptoniphilus, Peptostreptococcus might be explained for the high relative abundance of ARGs in meat, while high abundance of Advenella, Prevotella, Solobacterium was attributed to the high diversity of ARGs in vegetables. Significant correlations were observed among volatile organic compounds, mobile genetic elements and ARGs, implying that they might contribute to transfer and transport of ARGs. Network analysis revealed that aph(2')-Id-01, acrA-05, tetO-1 were potential ARG indicators, while Hathewaya, Paraclostridium and Prevotellaceae were possible hosts of ARGs. Our work might unveil underlining mechanism of the effects of food wastes decomposition on development and spread of ARGs in environment and also clues to ARG mitigation.

A novel application of In2S3 for visible-light-driven photocatalytic inactivation of bacteria: Kinetics, stability, toxicity and mechanism

Photocatalytic bacterial inactivation under visible light emerges as a new alternative to control microbial contamination by utilizing free and renewable sunlight. However, the exploration of highly effective and safe visible-light-driven (VLD) photocatalysts remains an important step toward accessing this new technology. Herein, an eco-friendly photocatalyst, namely Indium Sulfide (In₂S₃), was fabricated through a facile hydrothermal method for VLD photocatalytic inactivation of bacteria. The energy band gap of the as-prepared In₂S₃ was measured as 2.25 eV. As expected, the obtained In₂S₃ photocatalyst showed remarkable inactivation efficiency toward E. coli under fluorescent tubes irradiation. The photocatalytic inactivation kinetic was perfectly fitted by a mathematical model for bacteria inactivation. In addition, In₂S₃ exhibited high stability and could be reused. The leakage of In³⁺ was not significant and showed no toxic effect to the bacteria. Based on the results of scavenger study and ESR technology, the dominant reactive species causing In₂S₃ VLD photocatalytic bacterial inactivation were proposed as O₂^-, h⁺, H₂O₂ and e^-, rather than OH. The SEM study suggested that the damages to the intracellular components occurred prior to the destruction of cell wall. This study provides novel application of In₂S₃ for VLD photocatalytic inactivation of bacteria as well as comprehensive insight into the inactivation mechanism.

Visible light-activated 1-D core-shell paramagnetic Fe-Ag@AgCl as an innovative method for photocatalytic inactivation of E. coli

Innovative paramagnetic one-dimensional (1-D) core-shell Fe-Ag@AgCl visible light-driven photocatalysts are synthesized through a template-assisted electrodeposition method trailed by FeCl₃ in-situ oxidation. The metallic nature of Fe-Ag@AgCl is confirmed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and crystal nature through X-ray diffraction (XRD). The controllable diameter of Fe-Ag is obtained through the selection of hollow size of the polycarbonate (PC) template. Electron impedance spectroscopy (EIS) confirms through the introduction of Fe to the Ag core that has prolonged the recombination of electron and hole. Escherichia coli (E. coli) are employed as the target bacteria to evaluate the photocatalytic disinfection performances. A total of 1.30 mg of Fe-Ag@AgCl is proved to be able to completely inactivate 10⁷ CFU (colony forming units)/mL after 120 min of visible light irradiation. The transition electron microscopy (TEM) confirms the stability of the material after the photo reaction. As Fe-Ag@AgCl possesses magnetic properties, the material is recovered through the application of an external magnetic field. SEM images and results of 3D emission extraction matrix (EEM) depict that the bacteria cell death is caused by membrane permeability changes caused by the reduction of membrane associated proteins.

Formation of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) during drinking water disinfection: A microbiological prospect of disinfection byproducts

Disinfection processes might alter the chemical structure of biological recalcitrant natural organic matter (NOM) in source water to form assimilable organic carbon (AOC), which can be readily utilized by microbes for growth. However, AOC has not been classified as disinfection byproducts (DBPs) before and little is known about the chemical and structural nature of AOC. This study, for the first time, considers the disinfection-induced AOC as DBPs from a microbiological perspective. The AOC formation by three types of disinfection processes, i.e., chlorination, UVC irradiation (254 nm) and photocatalysis represented by TiO₂-UVA in drinking water containing two reference NOM materials of Suwannee River and Nordic Reservoir (SRNOM and NRNOM, respectively) were comparatively benchmarked using Pseudomonas aeruginosa as inoculum. Results showed that chlorination caused a substantial increase in AOC content, whereas TiO₂-UVA led to a moderate increase in AOC content and UVC rendered the AOC content unchanged, independent of the types of NOM. Molecular weight indicated by spectral slope ratio and fluorescence fingerprint were found to not provide critical information about the AOC formation potential. FTIR and FT-ICR-MS results indicated that the AOC formation by chlorination was attributed to the oxidation and chlorine substitution on aromatic molecules to form molecules with carboxylic- and alcohol- functionalities, as well as chlorinated aromatics. These molecules could be metabolized and assimilated by Pseudomonas species by a catechol pathway. The results obtained in this study can provide valuable insight regarding the selection of proper technologies for disinfection to prevent microbial growth/regrowth in the distributing system and is intended to encourage more thinking and research on AOC as a new prospect of DBPs during disinfection of drinking water.

The effect of nanoparticles on soil and rhizosphere bacteria and plant growth in lettuce seedlings

Nanomaterials are increasingly being considered for use in agricultural applications, where they have been suggested for a range of uses including fertilizer and pesticide applications. Among nanomaterial applications, agricultural use has a particularly high likelihood of introducing significant quantities of nanomaterials to the environment. The focus of this work was on conducting preliminary experiments examining how nanomaterials might influence rhizosphere bacteria, and in turn influence plant growth. For this work, buttercrunch lettuce seeds were grown in the presence of suspensions of three different nanoparticles. Two of the studied nanomaterials, amine-modified polystyrene nanospheres and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, caused significant decreases in both rhizosphere bacterial counts and plant root and stem growth. In contrast, sulfate-modified polystyrene nanospheres actually increased rhizosphere bacterial counts, but had no significant impact on growth. Only the amine-modified polystyrene nanospheres were found to attach to root surfaces, suggesting that nanomaterial attachment to root surfaces is not a requirement for hindered plant growth. It was hypothesized that attachment of amine-modified polystyrene and TiO2 nanomaterials to bacteria themselves could be changing the bacteria surface properties, and ultimately reducing bacterial affinity for root surfaces.

A review on the interactions between engineered nanoparticles with extracellular and intracellular polymeric substances from wastewater treatment aggregates

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) will inevitably enter wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to their widespread application; thus, it is necessary to study the migration and transformation of nanoparticles in sewage treatment systems. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) such as polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids, humic acids and other polymers are polymers released by microorganisms under certain conditions. Intracellular polymeric substances (IPSs) are microbial substances contained in the body with compositions similar to those of extracellular polymers. In this review, we summarize the characteristics of EPSs and IPSs from sewage-collecting microbial aggregates containing pure bacteria, activated sludge, granular sludge and biofilms. We also further investigate the dissolution, adsorption, aggregation, deposition, oxidation and other chemical transformation processes of nanoparticles, such as metals, metal oxides, and nonmetallic oxides. In particular, the review deeply analyzes the migration and transformation mechanisms of nanoparticles in EPS and IPS matrices, including physical, chemical, biological interactions mechanisms. Moreover, various factors, such as ionic strength, ionic valence, pH, light, oxidation-reduction potential and dissolved oxygen, influencing the interaction mechanisms are discussed. In recent years, studies on the interactions between EPSs/IPSs and nanoparticles have gradually increased, but the mechanisms of these interactions are seldom explored. Therefore, developing a systematic understanding of the migration and transformation mechanisms of ENPs is significant.

Bactericidal activity of the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy against different species of bacteria related with implant infection

The Ti-6Al-4V alloy is one of the most commonly used in orthopedic surgery. Despite its advantages, there is an increasing need to use new titanium alloys with no toxic elements and improved biomechanical properties, such as Ti-13Nb-13Zr. Prosthetic joint infections (PJI) are mainly caused by Gram-positive bacteria; however, Gram-negative bacteria are a growing problem due to associated multidrug resistance. In this study, the bacterial adherence and viability on the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy have been compared to that of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy using 16 collection and clinical strains of bacterial species related to PJI: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. When compared with the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, bacterial adherence on the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy was significantly higher in most staphylococcal and P. aeruginosa strains and lower for E. coli strains. The proportion of live bacteria was significantly lower for both Gram-negative species on the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy than on the Ti-6Al-4V alloy pointing to some bactericidal effect of the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy. This bactericidal effect appears to be a consequence of the formation of hydroxyl radicals, since this effect is neutralized when dimethylsulfoxide was added to both the saline solution and water used to wash the stain. The antibacterial effect of the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy against Gram-negative bacteria is an interesting property useful for the prevention of PJI caused by these bacteria on this potential alternative to the Ti-6Al-4V alloy for orthopedic surgery.

Interaction between bacterial cell membranes and nano-TiO2 revealed by two-dimensional FTIR correlation spectroscopy using bacterial ghost as a model cell envelope

The interaction between microorganisms and nanoparticles is a crucial step towards understanding the subsequent biological effect. In this study, the interaction between TiO₂ nanoparticles and bacterial cell membrane was investigated by Two-dimensional Correlation Fourier Transformation Infrared spectroscopy (2D-FTIR-COS) using bacterial ghosts (BGs), which are non-living bacterial cell envelopes devoid of cytoplasm. The synchronous map of 2D-FTIR-COS results indicated that the functionalities in proteins of BGs preferentially interacted with TiO₂ nanoparticles; whereas the interaction of TiO₂ nanoparticles with characteristic functionality in polysaccharides (COH) and phospholipids (PO) were very weak or insensitive. This conclusion was further corroborated by settling of TiO₂ nanoparticles in the presence of pure protein, polysaccharide and phospholipid represented by bovine serum albumin (BSA), alginate and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Additionally, the asynchronous map of 2D-FTIR-COS indicated a sequential order of functionalities bonded to TiO₂ nanoparticles with the order of: COO^- > aromatic CC stretching > NH, amide II > CO, ketone. These findings contribute to deeper understanding of the interaction between TiO₂ nanoparticles and bacterial cell membrane in aquatic systems.