• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.449-457
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• 2021

The aim of the present study was to survey the frequency of inducible and constitutive phenotypes and inducible cross-resistant genes by regulating the methylation of 23S rRNA (ermA, ermB, and ermC) and macrolide efflux-related msrA gene in Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis strains. A total of 172 bacterial isolates (identified based on standard tests), were examined in this study. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by the disk diffusion method, and all isolates were evaluated with respect to inducible and constitutive phenotypes. The presence of ermA, ermB, ermC, and msrA genes was investigated by a PCR assay. The constitutive resistance phenotypes showed a higher distribution among the isolates. R phenotype was detected more among S. epidermidis isolates (46.25%). ermB, ermC, and msrA genes were detected more in methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) isolates that had R and HD phenotypes (>77% strains). The ermA gene had the lowest frequency among MRSA, MRSE, MSSA, and MSSE strains (<14% isolates). Distribution of inducible resistance genes in MRSA and MRSE strains, and possibly other species, leads to increased constitutive resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, and other similar antibiotics. Therefore, it can be challenging to treat infections caused by these resistant strains.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.282-290
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• 1985

Small size antibiotic resistance plasmids having molecular weights less than 10 Mdal were isolated and characterized from ten clinically isolated multiple resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Agarose gel electrophoresis profiles and antibiotic resistance patterns divided these strains into four groups. Strain 2-23-6, the representative strain of a group of five strains conferred two plasmids of molecular weights $1.6{\times}10^6\;dal\;and\;2.0{\times}10^6$ dal. The small plasmid (pSBK 112) specified macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramin type B (MLS) resistance gene which are expressed constitutively. Lage plasmid (pSBK 125) specified chloramphenicol resistance gene which is inducible. Strain 10-5 conferred a $3.0{\times}10^6$ dal plasmid (pSBK 141) which carry an inducible ampicillin resistance gene and strain P-H-2 conferred and $1.6{\times}10^6$ dal plasmid (pSBK 190) which carry a constitutive MLS resistance gene. Strain D-H-1 conferred four plasmids of molecular weights $0.8{\times}10^6$ dal (pSBK 201), $1.6{\times}10^6$ dal (pSBK 202), $2.5{\times}10^6$ dal (pSBK 203), and $1.2{\times}10^7$ dal (pDBK 204), respectively. Among those four plasmids, only pSBK 203 specified chloramphenicol resistance gene. Curing of constitutive MLS resistance using acriding orange or ethidium bromide in 2-23-6 and P-H-2 strains produced 'inducible' MLS resistance strains which are less resistant to MLS than the wild type strains, suggesting that there are two resistance genes in both strains; one is constitutive and the other is inducible.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 1990

Two macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS) antibiotic resistance genes, one expressed inducibly and the other expressed constitutively were recognized from a single Staphylococcus aureus DH1 strain. The inducible MLS resistance gene was isolated and cloned from the R-plasmid pDE1(7.4kb) and the constitutive gene was from chromosomal DNA. Base sequence of the inducible MLS resistance gene (1.2kb) was determined and found as same that of pE194. The restriction map of the cloned constitutive MLS resistance gene was compared with that of the inducible gene. Two genes have same restriction map except leader region. In the constitutive gene there is no leader region which is doing major role in inducible expression.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.533-537
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• 1997

The characteristics of the resistance phenotypes of Bacillus subtilis having ermk and its terminator region mutants were determined. Wild type ermK(pEC101) and pECMT109(methylase SD-region mutant) showed typical inducible resistance phenotype. pECMF1(terminator1 region mutant) and pECMT2(terminator2 region mutant) showed constitutive resistance to Kitasamycin but inducible resistance to tylosin. In contrast, pECMT3(terminator1 and terminator2 double mutant) and pECMT309(terminator1, terminator2 and methylase SD region triple mutant) showed constitutive resistance both to kitasamycin and tylosin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.2082-2089
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• 2015

Avian beta-defensin 9 (AvBD9) is a small cationic peptide consisting of 41 amino acids that plays a crucial rule in innate immunity and acquired immunity in chickens. Owing to its wide antibacterial spectrum, lack of a residue, and failure to induce bacterial drug resistance, AvBD9 is expected to become a substitute for conventional antibiotics in the livestock and poultry industries. Using the preferred codon of Pichia pastoris, the mature AvBD9 peptide was designed and synthesized, based on the sequence from GenBank. The P. pastoris constitutive expression vector pGHKα was used to construct a pGHKα-AvBD9 recombinant plasmid. Restriction enzyme digestion was performed using SacI and BglII to remove the ampicillin resistance gene, and the plasmid was electrotransformed into P. pastoris GS115. High-expression strains with G418 resistance were screened, and the culture supernatant was analyzed by Tricine-SDS-PAGE and western blot assay to identify target bands of about 6 kDa. A concentrate of the supernatant containing AvBD9 was used for determination of antimicrobial activity. The supernatant concentrate was effective against Escherichia coli, Salmonella paratyphi, Salmonella pullorum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterobacter cloacae. The fermentation product of P. pastoris carrying the recombinant AvBD9 plasmid was adjusted to 1.0 × 10⁸ CFU/ml and added to the drinking water of white feather broilers at different concentrations. The daily average weight gain and immune organ indices in broilers older than 7 days were significantly improved by the AvBD9 treatment.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-27
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• 2013

Discrete steel fibres can increase significantly the bending and the shear resistance of concrete structural elements when Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) is designed in such a way that fibre reinforcing mechanisms are optimized. To assess the fibre reinforcement effectiveness in shallow structural elements failing in bending and in shear, experimental and numerical research were performed. Uniaxial compression and bending tests were executed to derive the constitutive laws of the developed SFRC. Using a cross-section layered model and the material constitutive laws, the deformational behaviour of structural elements failing in bending was predicted from the moment-curvature relationship of the representative cross sections. To evaluate the influence of the percentage of fibres on the shear resistance of shallow structures, three point bending tests with shallow beams were performed. The applicability of the formulation proposed by RILEM TC 162-TDF for the prediction of the shear resistance of SFRC elements was evaluated. Inverse analysis was adopted to determine indirectly the values of the fracture mode I parameters of the developed SFRC. With these values, and using a softening diagram for modelling the crack shear softening behaviour, the response of the SFRC beams failing in shear was predicted.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2001

Three Pseudomonas strains (Bk8, Bk9, Bk10) selected from soil for their ability to degrade herbicide diuron were tested for their heavy metal resistance. The growth of these catabolic strains on a minimal medium with various concentrations of $Cd^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Ni^{2+}$, and $Hg^{2+}$ revealed a minimal effect on the carbon source for the inhibitory effect of the metals. One of these strains, namely, Bk8, exhibited a high resistance to the heavy metals as compared to the two other strains. This strain harbors plasmid pBk8 (110 kb) and contains at least fur determinants encoding heavy metal resistance. Nickel and zinc resistance are encoded by genes located on the chromosome, while cadmium and mercury resistance are on plasmid pBk8. Accordingly, the characteristics of strain Bk8 suggest that it would be useful in the bioremediation of aromatic compounds in the presence of toxic heavy metals as co-contaminants.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.207-222
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• 2019

This paper has presented an effective and accurate meso-scale finite element model for simulating the fracture process of concrete under compression-shear loading. In the proposed model, concrete is parted into four important phases: aggregates, cement matrix, interfacial transition zone (ITZ), and the initial defects. Aggregate particles were modelled as randomly distributed polygons with a varying size according to the sieve curve developed by Fuller and Thompson. With regard to initial defects, only voids are considered. Cohesive elements with zero thickness are inserted into the initial mesh of cement matrix and along the interface between aggregate and cement matrix to simulate the cracking process of concrete. The constitutive model provided by ABAQUS is modified based on Wang's experiment and used to describe the failure behaviour of cohesive elements. User defined programs for aggregate delivery, cohesive element insertion and modified facture constitutive model are developed based on Python language, and embedded into the commercial FEM package ABAQUS. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed model are firstly identified by comparing the numerical results with the experimental ones, and then it is used to investigate the effect of meso-structure on the macro behavior of concrete. The shear strength of concrete under different pressures is also involved in this study, which could provide a reference for the macroscopic simulation of concrete component under shear force.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.286-290
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and genetic mechanisms of erythromycin resistance in staphylococci. A total of 102 erythromycin resistant non-duplicate clinical isolates of staphylococci [78. coagulase negative stapylococci (CNS), 24 Staphylococcus aureus] were collected between October 2003 and August 2004 in Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in Turkey. The majority of the isolates were from blood and urine specimens. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined by the agar dilution procedure and the resistance phenotypes by the double disk induction test. A multiplex PCR was performed, using primers specific for erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), and msrA genes.. Among the 78 CNS isolates, 57.8% expressed the $MLS_{B}-constitutive$, 20.6% the $MLS_{B}-inducible$, and 21.6% the $MS_B$ phenotypes. By PCR, 78.2% of these isolates harbored the erm(C) gene, 8.9% erm(A), 6.4% erm(B), and 11.5% msrA genes. In S. aureus, the constitutive $MLS_B$ (58.3 %) was more common than the inducible phenotype (20.8%). erm(A) was detected in 50% and erm(C) in 62.5% of the isolates, while 37.5% contained both erm(A) and erm(C). erm(C)-associated macrolide resistance was the most prevalent in CNS, while ermC) and erm(A, C) was the most prevalent in S. aureus.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.282-287
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• 2003

The production of superoxide dismutase (SOD) varied in Deinococcus radiophilus, the UV resistant bacterium, depending upon different phases of growth, UV irradiation, and superoxide treatment. A gradual increase in total SOD activity occurred up to the stationary phases. The electrophoretic resolution of the SOD in cell extracts of D. radiophilus at each growth phase revealed the occurrence of MnSOD throughout the growth phases. The SOD profiles of D. radiophilus at the exponential phase received oxidative stress by the potassium superoxide treatment or UV irradiation also revealed the occurrence of a single SOD. However, these treatments caused an increase in SOD activity. The data strongly suggest that D. radiophilus has only one species of SOD as a constitutive enzyme, which seems to be a membrane-associated protein.