All posts by Postępy Mikrobiologii

MIKROBIOLOGICZNE ŹRÓDŁA BARWNIKÓW W TECHNOLOGII ŻYWNOŚCI

Microbiological sources of colorants in food technology
I. Stolarzewicz, A. Kapturowska, E. Białecka-Florjańczyk

1. Wstęp. 2. Barwniki syntetyczne. 3. Barwniki naturalne. 3.1. Barwniki identyczne z naturalnymi otrzymywane na drodze syntezy chemicznej. 4. Mikrobiologiczna produkcja barwników. 4.1. Grzyby jako potencjalne źródło barwników w technologii żywności. 4.2. Mikroalgi w produkcji barwników. 4.3. Bakterie i drożdże jako producenci związków o charakterze barwników. 5. Podsumowanie

Abstract: Recent years have brought intensive discussions concerning harmful inFuence of synthetic colorants used in food industry. It has focused the interest of both the food producers and the consumers on natural dyes. The aim of this review is to present novel methods of biosynthesis of natural colorants. The scope of the paper is not limited to those substances which are currently in use, but includes also some other compounds potentially useful in such applications are described. New sources of food colorants has been discovered among such organisms as algae (Dunaliella producing β-carotene), fungi (poliketides pigments), yeast (Ashbya gossypii producing riboFavin), bacteria. The highest expectations are connected with carotenoids, which are currently being intensively investigated. Their structural diversity opens up a wide range of potential new colorants. The most important method of their modification is cloning of crt genes and their expression in E. coli cells.

1. Introduction. 2. Synthetic colorants. 3. Natural colorants. 3.1. Nature-identical colorants produced by chemical synthesis. 4. Microbiological production of colorants. 4.1. Fungi as a potential source of colorants in food technology. 4.2. Microalgaes in the production of colorants. 4.3. Bacteria and yeast as producers of coloring compounds. 5. Conclusion

OZONOTERAPIA ORAZ ZASTOSOWANIE OZONU W DEZYNFEKCJI

Ozonotherapy and application of ozone as disinfectant
D. Białoszewski, E. Bocian, S. Tyski

1. Wprowadzenie. 2. Mechanizm działania ozonu. 3. Rozwój ozonoterapii. 4. Ozon w dezynfekcji wody i powietrza. 5. Zastosowanie ozonu w przemyśle spożywczym. 6. Zastosowanie ozonu w terapii. 7. Aktywność przeciwdrobnoustrojowa ozonu oceniana in vitro. 8. Podsumowanie

Abstract: Unquestionable bactericidal activity of ozone has been known for over 100 years. The possibility of artificial production of ozone in the specially constructed generators allows for studying the activity of ozone against microorganisms. Medical application (ozonotherapy) of ozone (gas naturally occurring in nature) is nothing more than one more method of physical therapy. In Poland, ozonotherapy was applied for the first time by professor Hubert Antoszewski, who working in Silesia and being a strong follower of this method, set up the Polish Society of Ozonotherapy (PTOT) located in Katowice. Ozonotherapy is still, despite the appearing increase in the number of major scientific reports about its efficacy, treated as a method of alternative medicine and for this reason it is not refunded by the health systems of many countries. Ozone is toxic to humans and when inhaled, it can cause serious health problems – if its concentration in air exceeds a safe value. Toxicity of ozone depends on its concentration, time of exposure and route of administration. Despite its toxicity, bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal activity, ozone is used in ozonotherapy in many medical fields, e.g. surgery, dermatology, laryngology, ophthalmology, gynecology and dentistry. Additionally, ozone is also applied for disinfection of water and air, and in food industry. The Department of Antibiotics and Microbiology at the National Medicines Institute in Warsaw, has performed studies concerning antimicrobial activity of ozonized water and oxygen-ozone gas mixture, according to the methodology developed in the relevant European Standards (EN). These studies were intended for evaluation of bactericidal and fungicidal activity of disinfectants and antiseptics. The present state of knowledge, taking into consideration the research related to ozone antimicrobial activity, allows us to treat ozonotherapy as an evidence-based method (EBM). Other applications of this physical method are still disputable despite many studies.

1. Introduction. 2. Mechanism of action of ozone. 3. Developement of ozonotherapy. 4. Ozone in water and air disinfection. 5. Use of ozone in the food industry. 6. Use of ozone in therapy. 7. Antimicrobial activity of ozone evaluated in vitro. 8. Summary

OPRYSZCZKOWE ZAPALENIE MÓZGU

Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE)
M. Popiel, E. Wietrak, T. Laskus

1. Wstęp. 2. Wirusowe zapalenia mózgu. 3. Opryszczkowe zapalenie mózgu. 3.1. Epidemiologia. 3.2. Patogeneza. 3.3. Objawy kliniczne. 3.4. Diagnostyka. 3.4.1. Reakcja łańcuchowej polimerazy (PCR – Polymerase Chain Reaction). 3.4.2. Badania serologiczne. 3.5. Leczenie. 4. Podsumowanie.

Abstract: Encephalitis is a severe neurological disease, usually caused by viral infection. Most cases of viral encephalitis have unclear etiology. Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) comprises about 10–20% of cases of viral encephalitis, and is the most common cause of encephalitis with known etiology. HSE is associated with 30% mortality in treated patients, while mortality in the untreated patients is as high as 70%. Rapid and correct diagnosis of HSE is essential for fast introduction of right treatment, which leads to significant reduction in mortality and lowers the risk of neurological complications.

1. Introduction. 2. Viral encephalitis. 3. Herpes simplex encephalitis. 3.1. Epidemiology. 3.2. Pathogenesis. 3.3. Clinical symptoms. 3.4. Diagnostics. 3.4.1. Polymerase Chain Reaction. 3.4.2. Serology. 3.5. Treatment. 4. Summary

CHARAKTERYSTYKA BIAŁEK WIRUSA EPSTEINA-BARR – ICH UDZIAŁ W ZAKAŻENIU LATENTNYM I POWIĄZANIE Z PROCESAMI NOWOTWORZENIA

Characterization of Epstein-Barr virus proteins – their participation in latency and relation to oncogenesis
A. Żuk-Wasek

1. Wprowadzenie. 2. Perspektywa historyczna. 3. Budowa genomu. 4. Zakażenie pierwotne – mechanizmy wnikania wirionów i replikacji EBV. 5. Molekularne podstawy zakażenia latentnego EBV. 6. Białka fazy latentnej.  7. Reaktywacja zakażenia latentnego. 8. Wirusowe homologi białek komórkowych. 9. Właściwości onkogenne EBV. 10. Nowotwory powiązane z EBV. 11. Podsumowanie

Abstract: Although the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects more than 90% of the human population, the infection can have a broad range of health consequences. The primary infection usually occurs during childhood, without any symptoms or with a mild illness. During adolescent infection mononucleosis occurs in around 50% of individuals. This most extensively studied gammaherpesvirus is also associated with various human malignancies such as Hodgkin`s and non-Hodgkin`s lymphomas, Burkitt`s lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, AIDS-related lymphoproliferative disorders and X-linked lymphoproliferative disorder (Duncan`s disease). All these tumors are associated with the EBV latency cycle. Latently infected lymphocytes express the six nuclear antigens (EBNA-1, -2, -3A, -3B, -3C and -LP), three latent membrane proteins (LMP-1, -2A and -2B) and small, non-polyadenylated RNAs (EBER-1 and EBER-2). EBV can transform and immortalise resting B-cells in cultures, which suggests that it may have oncogenic specificity. EBV has broad spectrum of proteins, which mimic cellular proteins regulating cell cycle (BCRF-1, BDLF-2, BARF-1 and BHRF-1). These proteins interact with or exhibit homology to a wide variety of antiapoptotic molecules, cytokines and signal transducers, hence promoting EBV infection, immortalization and transformation.

1. Introduction. 2. Historical perspectives. 3. Genome structure. 4. Primary infection-mechanisms of virion invasion and EBV replication. 5. Molecular aspects of latent EBV infection. 6. Latent proteins. 7. Reactivation from latency. 8. Viral homologues of cellular proteins. 9. Oncogenic properties of EBV. 10. Cancers connected with EBV. 11. Summary

JAK ZDOBYĆ I WYKORZYSTAĆ WIEDZĘ O WIELOGATUNKOWYCH BIOFILMACH?

How to gain and use knowledge about multi-species biofilms?
E. Trafny

1. Wprowadzenie. 2. Metody badań wielogatunkowych biofilmów. 3. Wielogatunkowy biofilm płytki nazębnej. 4. Wielogatunkowe biofilmy w wodzie. 5. Wielogatunkowe biofilmy w środowisku przemysłowym. 6. Wielogatunkowe biofilmy a rozwój zakażeń.

Abstract: Multi-species biofilms form in many natural settings: water, soil or even on dust particles in the air. These biofilms can be also found in the industrial water distribution systems, on surfaces of the metalworking fluids tanks, in food production plants, etc. Many chronic infections involve multi-species biofilms; moreover, commensal vaginal flora or dental plaque bacteria may create such complex microbial consortia. In order to study the composition of microbial community several molecular methods have to be employed; among them metagenomics and proteomics are the most promising. Confocal microscopy in conjunction with fluorescence in situ hybridization as well as the atomic force microscopy are both very useful techniques to study the three-dimensional structure of the mixed-species biofilms. However, many technical obstacles may occur with these consortia during experimentation, e.g., how to grow multi-species biofilms with high reproducibility regarding the quantitative composition of these communities, and whether it is possible to quantitative by assess the metabolic activity and virulence of particular species when grown together in multi-species biofilm. The knowledge of specific traits of multi-species biofilms may contribute to better understanding of the etiology of infectious diseases, increase the effciency of energy production in microbial fuel cells and lower the cost of biofouling prevention.

1. Introduction. 2. Research methods in the multi-species biofilm studies. 3. Dental plaque multi-species biofilm. 4. Multi-species biofilms in water. 5. Multi-species biofilms in industrial environment. 6. Multi-species biofilms and the development of infections.