Microbes with benefits
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This document lists various microbes and the products they are used to create, including: - Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used in bread, wine, cheese, yogurt, soy sauce, and vinegar production. - Bacillus thuringiensis and Burkholderia cepacia are used for insect pest control. - Lactobacillus reuteri is used for probiotic supplements. - Pseudomonas and Bacillus species are used in drain openers by producing enzymes to digest proteins and fats.
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Microbes with benefits
- 3. BREAD, AND WINE! Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- 4. CHEESE AND YOGURT! Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- 5. SOYA SAUCE AND VINEGAR! Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- 6. ANTIBIOTICS AND VITAMINS! Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- 7. ENZYMES AND HORMONES! Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- 8. INSECT PEST CONTROL! Bacillus thuringiensis Burkholderia cepacia
- 10. DRAIN OPENERS! Pseudomonas and Bacillus spp.
- 12. COPPER- EXTRACTING MICROBES Thiobacillus and Sulfolobus
- 13. PLASTICS MADE PERFECT Granules of PHB in the bacterium Azotobacter chroococcum
- 15. GLUE THAT STICK AN ELEPHANT TO A WALL Caulobacter crescentus
- 16. A FRIEND IN HOT SPRINGS Thermus aquaticus
- 17. A BIOTERRORIST WORM The worm Steinernema kills, by infecting insects with lethal Xenorhabdus bacteria
- 18. OIL-EATING MICROBES TO THE RESCUE Alcanivorax
- 19. A NUCLEAR-WASTE-EATING MICROBE? Kineococcus radiotolerans
- 20. WHEN A BACTERIAL INFECTION IS A GOOD THING! Bdellovibrio (pink) attacks E. coli (blue).
- 21. BOTULISM AND BOTOX Purified type A botulinum toxin
- 22. FUNGI FOR RS. 300,000 PER HALF KG! Tuber melanosporum
- 24. HARD TO SWALLOW! Anti listeria phages
- 25. PRESCRIPTION BACTERIOPHAGES? Escherichia coli infected with bacteriophages
- 26. Some Industrial Uses of Microbes Product or Process Contribution of Microorganism Artificial sweetener Amino acids synthesized by bacteria from sugar Bread Rising of dough produced by action of yeast; sour dough results from bacteria-produced acids Cheese Flavoring and ripening produced by bacteria and fungi; flavors dependent on the source of milk and the type of Microorganism Sour cream Produced by bacteria growing in cream Alcoholic beverages Alcohol produced by bacteria or yeast by fermentation of sugars in fruit juice or grain Soy sauce Produced by fungal fermentation of soybeans Vinegar Produced by bacterial fermentation of sugar Yogurt Produced by bacteria growing in skim milk
- 27. Some Industrial Uses of Microbes Product or Process Contribution of Microorganism Antibiotics Produced by bacteria and fungi Human growth hormone, human Insulin Produced by genetically engineered bacteria Laundry enzymes Isolated from bacteria Vitamins Isolated from bacteria Pest control chemicals Insect pests killed or inhibited by bacterial pathogens Drain opener Protein-digesting and fat-digesting enzymes produced by bacteria Diatomaceous earth (used in polishes and buffing Compounds) Composed of cell walls of microscopic algae
Editor's Notes
- Bismilah e rehman rahim
- Microorganisms play important roles in people’s lives; for example, pathogens have undeniably altered the course of history. However, today the topic of my presentation is “Microbes with benefits”. Microbes that have or will change the course of history for better.
- One of the most important microbiological event—one that has had a significant impact upon culture and society —was the domestication of the yeast used by bakers and brewers. Its name, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, means “sugar fungus [that makes] beer.” The earliest examples of leavened bread are from Egypt and show that bread-making was routine about 6000 years ago. Before that time, bread was unleavened and flat. Saccharomyces is naturally found on grapes, so it is likely that making wine started earlier than bread making. Of course, all those years before Leeuwenhoek and Pasteur, no one knew that the fermenting ingredient of wine was a living organism. Besides its role in baking and brewing, S. cerevisiae is an important tool for the study of cells. In fact Saccharomyces is the most intensely studied eukaryote. Complete sequence of the genes of S. cerevisiae was published in 1996—a first for any eukaryotic cell. Today, scientists are examining the use of Saccharomyces as a probiotic.
- Cheese also is produced by fermentation. First, bacteria ferment milk sugar to lactic acid. Then, cheese makers can introduce various microorganisms to produce the flavors they desire. Yogurt, fermented, semifluid milk product, used extensively as a health food. It is prepared from fresh whole or skim milk, boiled and concentrated by evaporation. Fermentation is caused by the addition of cultures of bacteria, usually Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, and sometimes Lactobacillus acidophilus.
- Vinegar, sour-tasting condiment and preservative prepared by two successive microbial processes, the first being an alcoholic fermentation effected by yeasts and the second an oxidation of alcohol to acetic acid by Acetobacter, a genus of aerobic
- Streptomycin, antibiotic agent produced by a filamentous (thready) soil bacterium, Streptomyces griseus.
- The bacterium Bacillus thringiensis has been used extensively in the United States to control such pests as alfalfa caterpillars, bollworms, corn borers, cabbageworms, tobacco budworms, and fruit tree leaf rollers. It is incorporated into a dusting powder that is applied to the crops these insects eat. The bacteria produce protein crystals that arc toxic to the digestive systems of the insects. The toxin gene has been inserted into some plants to make them insect resistant.
- As overuse of antimicrobials is increasing, more and more bacteria are becoming drug resistant. So alternative fields r being investigated to combat this menace. One such growing and interesting field is probiotics. It is the use of microorganisms for health Benefits. Probiotics include bacteria such as Lactobacillus and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Research suggests that they may be helpful in reducing symptoms of diarrhea and colitis and may relieve certain allergies. These probiotics compete with the pathogens for resources, thus keeping them in check. Much more research remains to be done, but the preliminary findings are encouraging.
- Using microbes to break down toxic chemicals in the environment, a process known as bioremediation, is often cheaper and quicker than conventional methods. bacterial enzymes are used in drain cleaners to remove clogs without adding harmful chemicals to the environment. In some cases, microorganisms indigenous to the environment are used; in others, genetically modified microbes are used. Among the most commonly used microbes are certain species of bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas (su-do-mo'nas) and Bacillus (basil'lus). Bacillus enzymes are also used in household detergents to remove spots from clothing.
- Gold, as found in nature, exists in two forms: goldore deposits, which are gold in its reduced form, usually found near the Earth’s crust, and gold dissolved in solution, as found in thermal springs and in seawater. Dissolved gold, which is gold in its oxidized forms, is largely useless to humans; it cannot be converted inexpensively into solid gold. Even though gold in either form is toxic when ingested by most living things, scientists have discovered that certain bacteria, such as Ralstonia metallidurans, can metabolize oxidized gold. When placed in a solution containing oxidized gold, these microorganisms reduce the gold and encase themselves in solid gold, which is their metabolic waste. Entrepreneurial minds may wonder whether Ralstonia could be potentially profitable. Although it is true that a great deal of dissolved gold is found in thermal springs and oceans, the gold is very dilute—only minute amounts are present in very large volumes of water. Moreover, were someone to perfect a way of using microorganisms to convert dissolved gold to great quantities of solid gold, they would be wise to keep it to themselves: so much solid gold could become available that its market value would plunge dramatically.
- An interesting industrial process carried out by bacteria is the recovery of valuable minerals such as copper from ores. The most important copper ores are copper sulfides, which may contain only a small percentage of copper. Bacteria of the genera Thiobacillus and Sulfolobus are able to oxidize sulfides—that is, cause a chemical reaction of sulfides with oxygen—yielding sulfuric acid. This action produces the acid conditions necessary to leach (remove) the copper from the ores. The use of bacteria in extracting minerals, though slow, is environmentally friendly compared with the standard process of smelting.
- Petroleum-based plastics play a considerable role in our life, appearing in packaging, bottles, specimen tubes, pipette tips and many other synthetic goods. Despite the good that plastic brings to our lives, there are problems with this artificial polymer. It is made from oil, exacerbating our dependence on foreign supplies of crude oil. 2. These plastic products are discarded, filling the landfills with millions of tons of plastic every year. U must have seen the Nala laiye or other nalaz full these plastic shopping bags. Because plastic is artificial, bacteria do not break it down effectively, and discarded plastic will remain in landfills for decades or centuries. What is needed is a functional “green” plastic—a plastic that is strong and light and that can be shaped and colored as needed, yet is naturally biodegradable. Enter the bacteria. Many bacterial cells, particularly Gram negative bacteria, use polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as a storage molecule and energy source, much as humans use fat. PHB and similar storage molecules turn out to be rather versatile plastics that are produced when bacteria metabolizing certain types of sugar are simultaneously deprived of an essential element, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium. The bacteria, faced with such a nutritionally stressed environment, convert the sugar to PHB, which they store as intracellular inclusions. Scientists harvest these biologically created molecules by breaking the cells open and treating the cytoplasm with chemicals to isolate the plastics and remove dangerous endotoxin. Purified PHB possesses many of the properties of petrochemically derived plastic—its melting point, crystal structure, molecular weight, and strength are very similar. Further, PHB has a singular, overwhelming advantage compared to artificial plastic: PHB is naturally and completely biodegradable— bacteria catabolize PHB into carbon dioxide and water.
- Palaces r built to last but unfortunately Nothing lasts forever, not even stone. Wind and rain wear away the surface. Acid rain reacts with the calcite crystals in limestone and marble. As years pass, stone slowly crumbles. Those who would preserve such historic structures face a dilemma. The microscopic pores that riddle limestone and marble make these materials particularly susceptible to decay. Sealing the stone’s pores can reduce weathering but can also lock in moisture that speeds the stone’s decay. A team of researchers at the University of Granada found that a soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus can be used to protect the stone of structures like Alhambra. In many natural environments, bacteria form calcite crystals like the ones in limestone. So they conducted tests using Myxococcus xanthus and samples of the limestone commonly used in historic Spanish buildings. They were pleasantly surprized to see that Myxococcus xanthus formed calcite crystals that lined the stone’s pores, rather than plugging them. The crystals formed by the bacteria are even more durable than the original stone, offering the potential for long-term protection.
- A swarmer cell of the Gram-negative bacterium Caulobacter crescentus attaches itself to an environmental substrate by secreting an organic adhesive from its prostheca as if it were a tube of glue. This polysaccharide-based bonding agent is the strongest known glue of biological origin, beating out such contenders as barnacle glue, mussel glue, and the adhesion of gecko lizard bristles. One way scientists gauge adhesive strength is to measure the force required to break apart two glued objects. Commercial superglues typically lose their grip when confronted with a shear force of 18 to 28 newtons (N) per square millimetera. Dental cements bond with strengths up to 30 N/mm2, but Caulobacter glue is more than twice as adhesive. It maintains its grip up to 68 N/mm2! That is equivalent to being able to hang an adult female elephant on a wall with a spot of glue the size of an American quarter. And remember, this bacterium lives in water, so its glue works even when submerged. Scientists are researching the biophysical and chemical mechanisms that give this biological glue such incredible gripping power. One critical component of the glue is N-acetylglucosamine, one of the sugar subunits of peptidoglycan found in bacterial cell walls. Scientists are struggling to characterize the other molecules that make up the glue. The problem? They cannot pry the glue free to analyze it. Some potential applications of such a bacterial superglue include use as a biodegradable suture in surgery, as a more durable dental adhesive, or to stick anti-biofilm disinfectants onto surfaces such as medical devices and ships’ hulls.
- PCR is a process that enzymatically replicates DNA into millions or billions of identical copies of DNA without using living cells. It uses; many. From studying the genes and their products to detecting hereditary diseases to paternity tests to detecting pathogens, and diagnosing infectious diseases. The temperature required to perform PCR is about 94°C. This temperature, which is almost that of boiling water, is the temperature required to break the hydrogen bonds of DNA and unzip the double helix, but this temperature also permanently denatures most DNA polymerase enzymes. Enter Thermus aquaticus, a bacterium that thrives in hot springs such as those of Yellowstone National Park. Since this bacterium loves hot water, its enzymes are heat-stable, and its DNA polymerase—called Taq polymerase or Taq—was the first polymerase used for PCR replication of DNA. Though Science magazine declared Taq “Molecule of the Year” in 1989, scientists now have many other heat-stable polymerases from bacterial and archaeal hyperthermophiles available for PCR.
- Bioterrorism has been defined as the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs to cause illness or death. A nematode, Steinernema, is by that definition a bioterrorist, releasing a mutualistic bacterial symbiont, Xenorhabdus. Steinernema preys on insects, including ants, termites, fleas, and ticks. They crawls into an insect’s mouth or anus and then crosses the intestinal walls to enter the insect’s blood. The worm then releases its symbiotic Xenorhabdus to kill the insect. The bacterial enzymes turn the insect’s body into a slimy porridge of nutrients within 48 hours. Meanwhile, Steinernema matures, mates, and reproduces within the insect’s liquefying body. The nematodes’ offspring feed on the fluid until they are old enough to emerge from the insect’s skeleton, but not before taking up a supply of bacteria for their own future bioterroist raids on new insect hosts. So whats the human benefit? Farmers can benefit. They can use Steinernema and its bacterium to control insect pests without damaging their crops, animals, or people.
- Despite our persistent bad behavior the ecosystem has proved to be surprisingly resilient, thanks in part to the bioremediation efforts of oil-eating microbes. Every year there are incidents of oil spills in different seas around the globe. One such spill occurred in April 2010, one of the worst oil spills in history. An explosion led to the release of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Large scale efforts were immediately started to minimize damage to the marine caused by this oil spill. But by August, the cleanup crews had removed only about two percent of the oil from the Gulf. The huge oil slick, however, had seemingly disappeared. Where did all the oil go? While some of the oil simply evaporated, scientists determined that a significant portion of the oil was devoured by oil-eating fungi and bacteria, such as Alcanivorax. Alcanivorax is a bacterium that is named for its voracious appetite for alkanes, which are a major component of petroleum. Alcanivorax, along with other species of oil-eating bacteria and fungi, metabolized much of the oil, converting it into carbon dioxide and water.
- Gamma rays emitted by radioactive decay are usually deadly. However, the bacterium Kineococcus radiotolerans can survive not only exposure to gamma rays but also toxic chemicals and desiccation. Scientists are studying this bacterium in the hope that it will prove useful in cleaning up nuclear wastes. K. radiotolerans is an extremophile, a microbe that can survive in extremely hostile environments. K. radiotolerans is notable among extremophiles because it tolereates radiation thousands of times what it would take to kill a person. The microbe can also break down herbicides, chlorinated compounds, and other toxic substances. So it may one day be shaped into a biological tool that can clean up environments contaminated with radioactive wastes.
- Gram-negative bacteria are common opportunistic and nosocomial pathogens of the cardiovascular system, producing bacteremia, toxemia, endocarditis, and other serious conditions. However, Gram-negative bacteria can themselves be the target of bacterial pathogens, specifically cells of Bdellovibrio and Micavibrio. These Gram-negative predators are voracious eaters of other Gram-negative bacteria which r their only diet! Bdellovibrio attackes GNR such as Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enters its periplasm, digests its host, replicates, and lyses the bacterium. Micavibrio also attaches to its victim’s outer membrane, but remains outside the cell, replicating by binary fission while literally sucking the life (and cytoplasm) from its target. These predators can attack both free-swimming and biofilm-associated Gram-negative bacteria. Scientists hope to identify, isolate, and utilize the unusual enzymes that allow Bdellovibrio and Micavibrio to exclusively attach to and kill Gram-negative bacteria. Alternatively, researchers are considering using the bacterial predators as living antimicrobial poultices on skin or wound infections or as living, intravenous, antimicrobial treatments for cardiovascular infections—a patient would be infected to get rid of an infection.
- Clostridium botulinum produces botulinum toxins, some of the deadliest toxins known. Purified type A botulinum toxin is marketed as Botox, extremely small doses of which are injected into facial muscles that cause skin wrinkles. The toxin paralyzes or weakens the muscles, smoothing the skin. Such treatments last approximately six months and must be repeated in order to maintain the desired effects.
- These fleshy fungi are called Truffles. These rare and intensely flavored ascomycetes are one of the most luxurious and expensive foods on Earth, selling on average for more than $800 per pound. There are many different varieties of truffles. The most coveted include Tuber melanosporum, a black truffle that is also known as the “black diamond,” and Tuber magnatum, a white truffle. These two can sell for $3000 per pound! Because truffles are very difficult to find, truffle hunters often use pigs and dogs trained to sniff them out.
- A bacteriophage is a virus that inserts its DNA into a bacterium. Commonly called a phage, it adheres only to a select bacterial strain for which each phage type has a specific adhesion factor. Phages can be used to identify and classify bacteria. Such identification is called phage typing. Scientists at San Diego State University have taken phage specificity a step further. They successfully linked a fluorescent dye to the DNA of phages of the bacterium Salmonella and used the phages to detect and identify Salmonella species. Such fluorescent phages rapidly and accurately detect specific strains of Salmonella in mixed bacterial cultures. Fluorescent phages have advantages over fluorescent antibodies: unlike antibodies, phages are not metabolized by bacteria. Phages are also more stable over time and are not as sensitive to vagaries in temperature, pH, and ionic strength. Further, fluorescent phages have a long shelf life; they protect the fluorescent dye inside their phage coat until the dyed DNA is injected. There are numerous uses for test kits using fluorescent phages. It can be used to detect bacterial contamination of wells, streams and lakes. It ma y also be used to identify potentially fatal Escherichia coli strain O157:H7 or Shigella dysentriae serotypes in meat and vegetables, or bacteria used for biological warfare.
- Bacteriophages, literally means “bacteria eaters,”. Here is another novel smart bomb-like use of phages. A phage injects its genetic material into a bacterial cell, causing the bacterial cells to produce hundreds of new phages before bursting out of the bacterium and killing it. Researchers are developing phage solutions to control bacteria in medical settings, in food, and in Patients. In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the nonmedical use of a phage that specifically kills Listeria monocytogenes a deadly food contaminant.The approved anti-Listeria phage is available in a solution that food processors, delicatessen owners, and even consumers can spray on food to reduce the number of Listeria cells. To some people the idea may hard to swallow— as deliberately contaminating food and equipment with viruses sounds like poor hygiene.
- Bacteriophages were discovered in 1917 by a canadian scientist Felix Herelle. They r so numerous that it has been estimated that abt half of the bacteria on Earth succumb to phages every two days! A single phage can become 10 trillion phages within two hours, killing 99.9% of its host bacteria. Phage therapy was used in the early 1900s to combat dysentery, typhus, and cholera, but was largely abandoned in the 1940s in the United States, eclipsed by the development of antibiotics such as penicillin. Phage therapy continued in the USSR and Eastern Europe, where research is still centered. Today, motivated by the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, scientists in the U.S. and Western Europe have renewed interest in investigating phage therapy. Each type of phage attacks a specific strain of bacteria. This means that phage treatment is effective only if the phages are carefully matched to the disease-causing bacterium. It also means that phage treatment, unlike the use of antibiotics, can be effective without killing the body’s helpful bacteria.