Comparative antibacterial potential of selected aldehyde-based biocides and surfactants against planktonic Pseudomonas fluorescens

The antimicrobial efficacy of two aldehydebased biocides (glutaraldehyde, GTA, and orthophthalaldehyde, OPA) and two surfactants (cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, CTAB, and sodium dodecyl sulphate, SDS) was tested against planktonic Pseudomonas fluorescens. The antimicrobial effects were evaluated by respiratory activity as a measure of the oxygen uptake rate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release, outer membrane proteins (OMP) expression and cellular colour changes. The results were compared with the bacterial characteristics without chemical treatment. Tests in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA), in order to mimic a disinfection process in the real situation under dirty conditions, were performed according to the European Standard EN-1276. P. fluorescens was completely inactivated with OPA (minimum bactericidal concentration, MBC = 0.5 mM) and CTAB (MBC = 5 mM) and was resistant to GTA and SDS. Only CTAB promoted cellular disruption and consequent ATP release. The antimicrobial action of the chemicals tested was significantly reduced when BSA was introduced into the bacterial cultures, increasing markedly the MBC values. Additionally, the presence of BSA acted as a disruption protective agent when CTAB was applied and stimulated the bacterial respiratory activity when lower concentrations of SDS were tested. The OMP of the bacterial cells was affected by the application of both surfactants. OMP expression remained unaltered after biocide treatment. Bacterial colour change was noticed after treatment with biocides and surfactants. In summary, P. fluorescens was extremely resistant to GTA and SDS, with antimicrobial action being quenched markedly by the reaction with BSA.Instituto de Biotecnologia e Química Fina (IBQF).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - (Project CHEMBIO - POCI/BIO/61872/2004

Niche segregation in two closely related species of stickleback along a physiological axis: Explaining multidecadal changes in fish distribution from iron-induced respiratory impairment

Contains fulltext : 103562.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)8 p

Predicting Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, Total Organic Carbon, Dissolved Oxygen and Iron in Deep Waters of Swedish Lakes

In many lakes, the physical and chemical characteristics are monitored for surface waters but not for deep waters. Yet, deep waters may be important for understanding the dynamics of lake water chemistry variables over the year. In this study, multiple regression models have been created for five different variables, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total organic carbon, dissolved oxygen (DO) and iron, in the deep water for 61 Swedish temperate or subarctic lakes. The investigated season was February to October, depending on the data availability. Regressions used the corresponding variables from the surface water as well as different morphometric parameters as independent variables. It was possible to construct meaningful models (r2 &gt; 0.65; p &lt; 0.05) for most of the variables and months. However, it was not possible to attain this criterion for some months regarding the DO concentration. Surface water concentrations were in general most important for predicting corresponding deep water concentrations. An exception was that during summer, DO differed considerably between surface waters and deep waters and voluminous lakes had particularly high DO concentrations in deep waters. No cross-systems relationship could be found between deepwater hypoxia and total phosphorus in deep waters during summer when phosphorus diffusion from sediments is most likely. A mass-balance modelling example was applied to illustrate the use of the produced models. These findings may provide a better understanding of the dynamics of these five variables in temperate or subarctic lakes.</p