This book provides the bird's eye view of the latest scientific research centered around the importance of gut bacteria in influencing our health and well-being and their impact on lifestyle diseases. The scientific information is presented in an easy-to-understand language while being interspersed with fun-facts and anecdotal accounts, which entertain the audience while helping them acquire this fundamental and relevant scientific knowledge. The authors explain in a lay-person friendly terminology about the role of gut bacteria in determining the state of both our physical andmental well-being. The authors then share insights about the role of gut bacteria in predisposition to various lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and response to stress, utilizing the latest published scientific research in peer-reviewed journals. -"What are the gut bacteria?" -"What are the various factors which affect their composition and numbers?" "How do they perform such vital functions?" -"How do they protect us from the biggest killers of today's mankind- the lifestyle diseases?" -And most importantly, "how can we harness this knowledge for our benefit?" This book answers these questions in an easy language for readers without any background in biology. The information provided in the book is useful to anyone who wants to lead a healthy life. It is worth reading even for the health care professionals as their current curriculum does not entail extensive information about the gut-bacteria and their significance in determining our health.

Since the appearance of Darwin's book, "The Origin of Species," adaptation is one of the processes that explains the diversity of species in ecosystems. Adaptive phenomena in the 19th century and until the mid-20th century have been analyzed in macroscopic biological systems, however since the second half of the 20th century and to date the development of disciplines such as Molecular Biology, has allowed us to delve into the mechanisms that regulate cell physiology. The molecular bases that allow explaining the adaptation processes of microorganisms to their environment have special relevance, because through their analysis it is possible to size the complexity of these mechanisms that involve receptors of a protein nature associated with transduction chains that transport the information flow to genomic DNA, and which subsequently involves the emission of a response through the expression of specific genes. From the point of view of the adaptive phenomenon analysis, the approach through the molecular bases makes it possible to understand the enormous diversity of the microbial world. Mainly for two reasons, on the one hand the presence of micro gradients in the bacterial ecological niches that are continuously fluctuating, which forces the microorganisms to a rapid adaptation phenomenon. And on the other hand, horizontal gene transfer phenomena, which allow bacteria the information exchange. These two elements carry great intensity in establishing new relationships. This phenomenon is especially relevant if it is related to a concept that Darwin cites in the Origin of Species, "The tangled riverbank", where it is emphasized that the new interactions establishment is the basic driving force for the new species generation. This mechanism is explained by the positive feedback loop generation, whereby ecosystems with high levels of biological diversity generate new interactions that lead to new species, which in turn tends to make the ecosystem network more complex. This complexity analyzed in its molecular bases allows to generate new research questions that can be applied to other knowledge areas, such as Biotechnology. The analysis of the molecular bases of the microorganisms adequacy, makes it possible to identify and characterize mechanisms that implemented in different pharmaceutical areas and agricultural industry has led to the product generation with high added value, a clear example of this economic development is the enzyme industry and even recombinant protein production. Finally, it is convenient to emphasize the need to incorporate the analysis of the molecular bases of adaptation from the perspective of omics techniques. Techniques that allow the study of processes and mechanisms to be approached from a global perspective. This book summarizes some topics of special relevance referring to adaptive processes of different microorganisms of special relevance both in basic and applied research.

This book provides readers with the latest developments in Listeria Monocytogenes research. Topics covered include its growth in biofilms in the food industry; molecular mechanisms involved in the food-related subsistence of Listeria Monocytogenes; an epidemiological update and the control possibilities for outbreaks of L. Monocytogenes; how to control L. Monocytogenes biofilms on food contact surfaces; methods for killing activities of macrophages against L. Monocytogenes infection; and a review of some of the most exciting developments in the analysis of the interaction between L. Monocytogenes and the host GI tract.

Over fifty years of scientific and industrial developments focused on the amino acid producer bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum has successfully yielded up to 2.93 and 1.95 million tons/year of L glutamic acid and L-lysine, respectively. As a result of this biotechnological effort, a massive amount of knowledge decidedly applicable to the development of new products has been gained. Nowadays, this knowledge is used to enlarge the portfolio of C. glutamicum industrial products, since they are highly relevant as chemicals, biodegradable polymers, ingredients, or additives in food, feed, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. This book addresses production of these new metabolites (C. glutamicum applications) and their potential under the expert point of view of those groups directly involved in their developments. Thus, amino acids out of the traditional glutamic acid or lysine, as L valine; food colorants such as carotenoids; dicarboxylic acids used as building blocks (e.g: succinate); alpha hydroxy acids as L lactate, D lactate or glycolate; biodegradable polyester (eg.: polyhydroxybutyrate); alcohols for biofuel as isobutanol as well as bioremediation applications of the new developments around C. glutamicum described in this book. Those industrial relevant compounds come to the market parallel with the developing application of new technologies. Hence, cell activity as a whole by means of the Proteomics or Transcriptomics approaches, as well as the methodologies that mimic the large fermetor conditions in a scale-down format are also reviewed in the book. Additionally, a historical description and an updated review of the taxonomical environment of Corynebacterium genus open an essential manual for enterprises, researchers and academia involved in Actinobacteria, secondary metabolite production and industrial applications. This book reviews the evolution of almost sixty years of development, initially focused on amino acid production, which unleashes the idea of C. glutamicum as a biorefinery due to its ability to generate hundreds of products demanded by the market.

Molecular Biology has proved to be one of the more fruitful technological approaches to science, being both very powerful and able to generate valuable intellectual property. This book aims to present examples in the application of molecular biology and genetic engineering in bacteriology. The book discusses the diverse roles of bacteria in ecosystems and it gives significant contributions from biotechnology approaches.

This important book discusses the ethical code regarding possible introduction of exogenous bacterial species into the environment, as well as various other applications of bacteria in environmental biotechnology.

A valuable handbook containing reviews, practical methods and standard operating procedures. * A valuable and practical working handbook containing introductory and specialist content that tackles a major and growing field of environmental, microbiological and ecotoxicological monitoring and analysis * Includes introductory reviews, practical analytical chapters and a comprehensive listing of almost thirty Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) * For use in the laboratory, in academic and government institutions and industrial settings

Biofilms are naturally occurring clusters of microorganisms that stick to non-biological surfaces, like rocks in a stream. This book contains eight chapters that examine biofilms from a variety of perspectives, including the latest research in this field. Chapter One comprehensively studies the role of endophytic microbes as a potential and alternative source of antimicrobial and antibiofilm bioactive components. Chapter Two discusses how to manage oral microbial biofilm using chemical and herbal medicine. Chapter Three highlights the importance of marine biofouling and the role of coccoid cyanobacteria in this process. Chapter Four focuses on biofilm development, its impact on human health and the problems that are associated with biofilm control. Chapter Five examines microbial biofilms and their role in the environment including agriculture and bioremediation. Chapter Six reviews natural terpenoids and provides descriptions of their structural origin, biological roles and multifunctional properties, such as promoting activity on health-beneficial bacteria. Chapter Seven explains the concepts of biofilm development and the importance of honey and its implications in human health and disease control. Chapter Eight thoroughly studies the potential of honey as antibiofilm, anti-quorum sensing and dispersal agent.

Frontiers in Bacteriology Research opens with a summary regarding the role of plants, substrate/filter material, microbial biodiversity, chemical variation, system designs and operational parameters as they relate to the removal of toxic elements in constructed wetlands. The authors discuss oxidoreductases, a large class of enzymes that catalyze several biological oxidation/reduction reactions by transferring electrons from electron donors to electron acceptors. The increasing rate of Clostridium difficile infections and associated control methods are also discussed. Clostridium difficile is an important pathogen that causes diarrhea associated with the use of antibiotics. Recent progress in research concerning the antibacterial activities of different carbon-based nanomaterials is presented. Graphene, graphene oxide, graphene and carbon quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and nanodiamonds are discussed. In closing, data reporting on the activity of lectins against resistant bacteria, alone or in conjunction with other drugs, is reviewed.

Dieses Lehrbuch bietet Antworten auf Fragen wie "Wie funktioniert diese mikrobiologische Methode ganz praktisch? Wie kann ich meine Forschung um eine sinnvolle Methode erweitern?" Vergleichbar einem Kochbuch sind Zutaten und einzelne Handgriffe ubersichtlich aufgelistet und mit praktischen Tipps und Gefahrenhinweisen versehen. Ob zu Fluoreszenzmikroskopie, Genomik oder Isolierung und Kultivierung von Bakterien, Archaeen und Pilzen - erfahrene MikrobiologInnen finden hier ebenso schnelle Hinweise wie Quereinsteiger, die ihr Arbeitsgebiet mikrobiologisch erweitern wollen. Die fachkundigen PraktikerInnen Astrid Brandis-Heep, Erika Kothe und Timo Zimmermann haben ubersichtlich praktische Methoden und Ratschlage fur den Laboralltag zusammengestellt, die - mikrobiologisches Grundwissen vorausgesetzt - Masterstudierenden, Doktoranden, Postdocs und fortgeschrittenen Arbeitsgruppen sowohl im Alltag als auch fur eine Neuausrichtung Ihrer Forschung entscheidende Hinweise geben.

Bacteriocins are a heterogeneous group of peptides or proteins with antimicrobial activity synthesised ribosomally and released extracellularly by bacteria belonging to nearly all taxonomic groups. These are classified according to their genetic, structural and biochemical characteristics. Use of bacteriocinogenic cultures to improve the safety of food products would represent an attractive alternative to the use of chemical preservatives, based on the long history of safe use of naturally occurring bacteriocin producing food-grade bacteria. Chapter One in this book discusses the effects of bacteriocin production in situ by bacteria in food products and evidence for the probiotic properties of bacteriocin producers are collected in order to identify processes in which the application of bacteriocinogenic cultures can be effectively implemented. Chapter Two examines the importance of the use of bacteriocins in food preservation and also their potential use in human health. Chapter Three discusses a broad range of bacteriocin applications focusing not only on food biopreservation but also on biofilm control. Chapter Four reviews the recent applications of bacteriocin-producing PC in meats and meat products throughout the world. Chapter Five evaluates the effect of mild pressure treatments in the survival of Pediococcus acidilactici HA-6111-2 and on its bacteriocin production capacity.

The book will provide an overview of the advancement of fundamental knowledge and applications of antimicrobial peptides in biomedical, agricultural, veterinary, food, and cosmetic products. Antimicrobial peptides stand as potentially great alternatives to current antibiotics, and most research in this newly-created area has been published in journals and other periodicals. It is the editors' opinion that it is timely to sum up the most important achievements in the field and provide the scientific community in a reference book. The goals of this project include illustrating the achievements made so far, debating the state of the art, and drawing new perspectives.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development is striving to protect human health and the environment from adverse impacts resulting from acts of terror by investigating the effectiveness and applicability of technologies for homeland security (HS)-related applications. EPA has identified detection of pathogenic micro-organisms in environmental samples following a terrorist attack as a critical component of an effective response. Detection of such pathogens would require development and validation of sampling techniques that could be used by multiple laboratories following a homeland security event. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), has extensive knowledge of potential biological hazards. In this book, CDC, in collaboration with EPA, developed and improved methods for extraction of Bacillus anthracis (BA) spores from soil. This book also investigates the efficacy of four chemical decontaminants for inactivating Bacillus anthracis (causative agent for anthrax) spores in soil.

Listeria monocytogenes has emerged as one of the major food-borne pathogens, characterised by high hospitalisation and case fatality rates in humans. In this book the authors present current research in the study of this foodborne pathogen. Topics discussed include the natural approaches for controlling L. monocytogenes; L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods and intervention strategies; carbohydrate utilisation by L. monocytogenes and its influence on virulence gene expression; ozone and atmospheric cold plasma for control of L. monocytogenes; the potential of visible light as a means of controlling L. monocytogenes in the food chain; spatial distribution of L. monocytogenes and pseudomonas fluorescens in mixed biofilms; the main hygienic aspects of the processing and marketing of L. monocytogenes and Salmosalar; detection of L. monocytogenes and Listeria spp. in food and feed products; prevalence and control of L. monocytogenes in food processing environments; antimicrobial resistance, and growth kinetics of L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods; novel technologies for controlling L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods; the effect of soil abiotic and biotic factors on the preservation and reproduction of L. monocytogenes; the structure and function of the pathogen; and the prevalence of L. monocytogenes and occurrence of Listeriosis from ready-to-eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

Agrobacterium is a plant pathogen which causes the "crown-gall" disease, a neoplastic growth that results from the transfer of a well-defined DNA segment ("transferred DNA," or "T-DNA") from the bacterial Ti (tumor-inducing) plasmid to the host cell, its integration into the host genome, and the expression of oncogenes contained on the T-DNA. The molecular machinery, needed for T-DNA generation and transport into the host cell and encoded by a series of chromosomal (chv) and Ti-plasmid virulence (vir) genes, has been the subject of numerous studies over the past several decades. Today, Agrobacterium is the tool of choice for plant genetic engineering with an ever expanding host range that includes many commercially important crops, flowers, and tree species. Furthermore, its recent application for the genetic transformation of non-plant species, from yeast to cultivated mushrooms and even to human cells, promises this bacterium a unique place in the future of biotechnological applications.

The book is a comprehensive volume describing Agrobacterium's biology, interactions with host species, and uses for genetic engineering.

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, blue-green bacteria or cyanophyta, is a phylum of bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis. They are a significant component of the marine nitrogen cycle and an important primary producer in many areas of the ocean, but are also found in habitats other than the marine environment; in particular, cyanobacteria are known to occur in both freshwater and hypersaline inland lakes. They are found in almost every conceivable environment, from oceans to fresh water to bare rock to soil. Cyanobacteria are the only group of organisms that are able to reduce nitrogen and carbon in aerobic conditions, a fact that may be responsible for their evolutionary and ecological success. Certain cyanobacteria also produce cyanotoxins. This new book presents a broad variety of international research on this important organism.

More than eighty years ago, before we knew much about the structure of cells, Russian botanist Boris Kozo-Polyansky brilliantly outlined the concept of symbiogenesis, the symbiotic origin of cells with nuclei. It was a half-century later, only when experimental approaches that Kozo-Polyansky lacked were applied to his hypotheses, that scientists began to accept his view that symbiogenesis could be united with Darwin's concept of natural selection to explain the evolution of life. After decades of neglect, ridicule, and intellectual abuse, Kozo-Polyansky's ideas are now endorsed by virtually all biologists.

Kozo-Polyansky's seminal work is presented here for the first time in an outstanding annotated translation, updated with commentaries, references, and modern micrographs of symbiotic phenomena.

A collection of 17 reproduced typescripts, most double spaced, without introduction or preface. The topics include a comparison of conventional typing with molecular typing of recent isolates of group B Streptococci from the UK, identifying a common structural binding domain in fibronectin-binding p

Bacterial surface or secreted polysaccharides are molecules that can function as barriers to protect bacterial cells against environmental stresses, as well as act as adhesins or recognition molecules. In some cases, these molecules are immunodominant antigens eliciting a vigorous immune response, while in other cases the expression of polysaccharides camouflages the bacteria from the immune system. Until recently, most studies on the enzymatic steps and regulation of these molecules were performed on the enteric gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. With the advent of modern bacterial genetics, techniques such as construction and characterization of polysaccharide mutants, cloning of genes and complementation of these mutations, and expression of polysaccharides in heterologous bacterial hosts has prompted investigations into the roles and functions of these molecules for many different bacteria. Here, we present the genetic analysis of polysaccharides from a number of bacteria pathogenic to humans and one symbiotic with plants in hopes that similarities in the experimental approaches as well as finding s from such investigations may lead to a general understanding of polysaccharide synthesis and regulation in various bacteria. Features

Alkali Cation Transport Systems in Prokaryotes is the first book that brings together the physiological, structural, and molecular biological aspects of the transport of sodium, potassium, and ammonium across the bacterial cell membrane. Sodium translocation plays a major role in energy coupling of some prokaryotes, and much of the book is devoted to new and exciting developments in this field. Over 30 experts have contributed to this excellent reference for microbiologists, biochemists, molecular biologists, cell biologists, chemotherapists, and researchers interested in bioenergetics.

This first major reference work dedicated to the mannifold industrial and medical applications of bacteriophages provides both theoretical and practical insights into the emerging field of bacteriophage biotechnology. The book introduces to bacteriophage biology, ecology and history and reviews the latest technologies and tools in bacteriophage detection, strain optimization and nanotechnology. Usage of bacteriophages in food safety, agriculture, and different therapeutic areas is discussed in detail. This book serves as essential guide for researchers in applied microbiology, biotechnology and medicine coming from both academia and industry.