Lack of constitutive beta-glucosidase (esculinase) in the genus Fusobacterium

Differentiation of Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A from pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica biotypes by detection of β-glucosidase activity: comparison of two chromogenic culture media and Vitek2

Aesculin hydrolysis (ESC) is one of the key reactions in differentiating pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica biotypes 1B, 2, 3, 4 and 5 from the less-pathogenic biotype 1A. Because the ESC reaction is caused by β-glucosidase (βGLU) activity of the bacteria, we studied whether two commonly used methods (BBL CHROMagar Orientation and Vitek2 Gram-negative identification card) could be used in assessing βGLU activity of 74 Yersinia strains. Both methods were sensitive (100 % and 97 %) and specific (100 % and 100 %) in differentiating βGLU-positive YE BT1A from βGLU-negative Y. enterocolitica biotypes. For a subset of strains (n = 69), a new selective CHROMagar Yersinia showed excellent agreement with the strains' βGLU activity. Thus all the methods evaluated in this study may be used to differentiate between YE BT1A and other Y. enterocolitica biotypes.

beta-Glucosidase activity in fetal bovine serum renders the plant glucoside, hypoxoside, cytotoxic toward B16-F10-BL-6 mouse melanoma cells

By using p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside as substrate, beta-glucosidase activity was observed in fetal bovine serum (FBS). This activity could be inhibited by heat inactivation of the serum. Gel chromatography of FBS indicated the presence of beta-glucosidase activity with an apparent molecular mass of 29 kDa. In McCoy's 5A medium supplemented with non-heat inactivated FBS, the diglucoside hypoxoside ([E]-1,5-bis[4'beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy-3'-hydroxyphenyl]pent-4-en - 1-yne) showed cytotoxicity toward B16-F10-BL-6 mouse melanoma cells. In incubations where the media were supplemented with FBS previously heat inactivated at 56 degrees C for 1 h or more, no cytotoxicity was observed in the presence of hypoxoside. The aglucone of hypoxoside, rooperol ([E]-1,5-bis[3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl]pent-4-en-1-yne), showed cytotoxicity regardless of whether the serum was heat inactivated or not. The kinetics of the heat inactivation of the beta-glucosidase activity in FBS coincided with the loss of apparent cytotoxicity of hypoxoside. High performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that rooperol could be generated by incubation of hypoxoside in non-heat inactivated FBS, but that this ability was lost in serum that was heat inactivated for 1 h or longer. Newborn bovine serum did not contain any beta-glucosidase activity whereas it was found in three different commercial sources of FBS. This observation is of practical importance because conventional heat inactivation of FBS at 56 degrees C for 30 min was not sufficient to inactivate the beta-glucosidase activity completely.

Bacteroides buccae and related taxa in necrotic root canal infections

Fifty-seven adults with apical periodontitis were examined for the presence of nonpigmented Bacteroides species in 62 infected root canals. Nonpigmented Bacteroides species were found in 35 canals. In four cases two nonpigmented Bacteroides species and in one case three nonpigmented Bacteroides species were found. Species belonging to the B. fragilis group were not isolated. The most frequently isolated species were B. buccae (15 strains), B. oris (12 strains), and B. oralis (7 strains). alpha-Fucosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, and beta-xylosidase appeared to be useful in the identification of B. buccae and B. oris. Corroding Bacteroides species were not found; all corroding strains were identified as Wolinella recta. The occurrence of nonpigmented Bacteroides species was compared with the severity of the periapical infection. A total of 13 B. buccae strains were found in acute infections and only 2 strains were found in asymptomatic infections, whereas other nonpigmented Bacteroides species were present in acutely infected and asymptomatic teeth with nearly equal frequency. Ultrastructural study of 13 B. buccae strains showed that 8 strains had a crystalline proteinaceous surface layer (S-layer) outside the outer membrane, but all 13 strains had areas of crystalline protein throughout in the outer membrane. The results suggest that B. buccae may have a specific role in the development of an acute opportunistic infection.