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A pilus is a hair-like appendage found on the surface of many bacteria and archaea. The terms pilus and fimbria can be used interchangeably, although some researchers reserve the term pilus for the appendage required for bacterial conjugation. All pili in the latter sense are primarily composed of pilin proteins, which are oligomeric.
An endospore is a dormant, tough, and non-reproductive structure produced by some bacteria in the phylum Firmicutes. The name "endospore" is suggestive of a spore or seed-like form, but it is not a true spore. It is a stripped-down, dormant form to which the bacterium can reduce itself. Endospore formation is usually triggered by a lack of nutrients, and usually occurs in gram-positive bacteria. In endospore formation, the bacterium divides within its cell wall, and one side then engulfs the other. Endospores enable bacteria to lie dormant for extended periods, even centuries. There are many reports of spores remaining viable over 10,000 years, and revival of spores millions of years old has been claimed. There is one report of viable spores of Bacillus marismortui in salt crystals approximately 250 million years old. When the environment becomes more favorable, the endospore can reactivate itself to the vegetative state. Most types of bacteria cannot change to the endospore form. Examples of bacterial species that can form endospores include Bacillus cereus, Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus thuringiensis, Clostridium botulinum, and Clostridium tetani.
Polymyxins are antibiotics. Polymyxins B and E are used in the treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infections. They work mostly by breaking up the bacterial cell membrane. They are part of a broader class of molecules called nonribosomal peptides.
Probiotics are live microorganisms promoted with claims that they provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the gut flora. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria-host interactions and unwanted side effects in rare cases. There is little evidence that probiotics bring the health benefits claimed for them.
Diazotrophs are bacteria and archaea that fix atmospheric nitrogen gas into a more usable form such as ammonia.
Paenibacillus is a genus of facultative anaerobic, endospore-forming bacteria, originally included within the genus Bacillus and then reclassified as a separate genus in 1993. Bacteria belonging to this genus have been detected in a variety of environments, such as: soil, water, rhizosphere, vegetable matter, forage and insect larvae, as well as clinical samples. The name reflects: Latin paene means almost, so the paenibacilli are literally "almost bacilli". The genus includes P. larvae, which causes American foulbrood in honeybees, P. polymyxa, which is capable of fixing nitrogen, so is used in agriculture and horticulture, the Paenibacillus sp. JDR-2 which is a rich source of chemical agents for biotechnology applications, and pattern-forming strains such as P. vortex and P. dendritiformis discovered in the early 90s, which develop complex colonies with intricate architectures as shown in the pictures:
American foulbrood, caused by the spore-forming bacteria Paenibacillus larvae ssp. larvae, is a highly infectious bee disease. It is the most widespread and destructive of the bee brood diseases.
Mycobacterium alvei is a species of the phylum Actinobacteria, belonging to the genus Mycobacterium.
Paenibacillus popilliae is a soil-dwelling, Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium. It is responsible for a disease of the white grubs of Japanese beetles.
Agarase is an enzyme with systematic name agarose 4-glycanohydrolase. It is found in agarolytic bacteria and is the first enzyme in the agar catabolic pathway. It is responsible for allowing them to use agar as their primary source of Carbon and enables their ability to thrive in the ocean.
Beekeeping in New Zealand is reported to have commenced in 1839. It has since become an established industry as well a hobby activity.
Hafnia is a genus of Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria in the family Hafniaceae.
Ascosphaera is a genus of fungi in the family Ascosphaeraceae. It was described in 1955 by mycologists Charles F. Spiltoir and Lindsay S. Olive. Members of the genus are insect pathogens. The type species, A. apis, causes chalkbrood disease in honey bees. The reproductive ascospores of the fungus are produced within a unique structure, the spore cyst, or sporocyst.
Paenibacillus vortex is a species of pattern-forming bacteria, first discovered in the early 1990s by Eshel Ben-Jacob's group at Tel Aviv University. It is a social microorganism that forms colonies with complex and dynamic architectures. P. vortex is mainly found in heterogeneous and complex environments, such as the rhizosphere, the soil region directly influenced by plant roots.
Paenibacillus dendritiformis is a species of pattern-forming bacteria, first discovered in the early 90s by Eshel Ben-Jacob's group. It is a social microorganism that forms colonies with complex and dynamic architectures. The genus Paenibacillus comprises facultative anaerobic, endospore-forming bacteria originally included within the genus Bacillus and then reclassified as a separate genus in 1993. Bacteria belonging to this genus have been detected in a variety of environments such as: soil, water, rhizosphere, vegetable matter, forage and insect larvae.
Flavobacterium denitrificans is a species of N2O-producing facultative aerobic bacteria first isolated from the gut of the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa. It is a Gram-negative, motile rod with type strain ED5T (=DSM 15936T =ATCC BAA-842T).
Annie Dorothy Betts was a British apiculturist, bee disease expert, author and editor. She made scientifically significant observations on honeybees, wrote books on apiculture, and edited the journal Bee World.
Heather Hendrickson is a microbiologist and a Senior Lecturer in Molecular Bioscience in the School of Natural and Computational Science at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. Her research is focussed on the evolution of bacterial cell shape, and the discovery of bacteriophages that can attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the bee disease American foulbrood.
Paenibacillus larvae is a species of bacterium, found worldwide, which causes American foulbrood, a fatal disease of the larvae of honeybees. It is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, which forms spores which can remain viable for at least thirty-five years.
References
- ↑ Cohen, Inon; Ron, Ilan G; Ben-Jacob, Eshel (2000). "From branching to nebula patterning during colonial development of the Paenibacillus alvei bacteria". Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications. 286 (1–2): 321–336. doi:10.1016/S0378-4371(00)00335-6.
- ↑ Simpson, Mike. "Bee Parasites, Predators and Diseases". American foulbrood - barrier systems. Retrieved 17 October 2014.[ permanent dead link ]
- ↑ Djukic, M.; Becker, D.; Poehlein, A.; Voget, S.; Daniel, R. (26 October 2012). "Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus alvei DSM 29, a Secondary Invader during European Foulbrood Outbreaks". Journal of Bacteriology. 194 (22): 6365–6365. doi:10.1128/JB.01698-12. PMC 3486397 . PMID 23105091.
