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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Characterization Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Excrement And Functional Microbiome Of Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus), Bridgette Gray Jul 2023

Characterization Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Excrement And Functional Microbiome Of Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus), Bridgette Gray

Theses

Black vultures, Coragyps atratus, are obligate scavenging birds that consume and dispose of decaying carcasses and carrion. They fulfill a key ecological niche in the environments in which they live. It has been observed that these vultures sometimes excrete bodily waste onto their legs. This adaptive behavior could help aid them in controlling bacteria and other microbes they encounter while stepping into a carcass to eat. This study directly examined the antimicrobial properties of the excrement of black vultures across various bacterial species utilizing a zone of inhibition test and a nematode species utilizing a survival assay. The black vulture …


Identification And Creation Of Novel Bacteriocins With Potential Food And Clinical Applications, David Lynch Jan 2023

Identification And Creation Of Novel Bacteriocins With Potential Food And Clinical Applications, David Lynch

Theses

Bacteriocins represent a heterogeneous group of small, ribosomal-synthesized, potent antibacterial peptides produced by bacteria, capable of inhibiting bacteria both closely related or indeed those from other genera than the producer. In addition to their role as food preservatives, bacteriocins have potent activity against medically significant pathogens and are considered attractive alternatives to antibiotics, due to their inherent heat stability, potency at nanomolar scale, resistance to proteases and low levels of acquired resistance in commercial applications. The aim of this thesis was to identify, purify and bioengineer novel bacteriocins from Staphylococcus and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), with a view to expanding …


Isolation And Characterisation Of Soil-Derived Bacteria With Antimicrobial Activity Against Antibiotic Resistant Pathogens, Ellen Twomey Jan 2023

Isolation And Characterisation Of Soil-Derived Bacteria With Antimicrobial Activity Against Antibiotic Resistant Pathogens, Ellen Twomey

Theses

Bacteriocins are a diverse range of ribosomally synthesized bioactive peptides, recognised predominantly for their potent antimicrobial activity against other strains closely related to the producer. The focus of this thesis was to explore this activity and examine the potential of bacteriocins to inhibit the growth of clinically relevant pathogens. Although evidence exists in the literature to suggest that bacteriocins could be applied in a similar fashion to conventional antibiotics, to date they are only utilised as preservative in food to prevent the growth of foodborne illness causing organisms. Isolating and screening bacterial strains in order to identify bacteriocin producers has …


Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated From Fresh Vegetable Products: Potential Probiotic And Postbiotic Characteristics Including Immunomodulatory Effects, Fatima Khaled Alameri Nov 2022

Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated From Fresh Vegetable Products: Potential Probiotic And Postbiotic Characteristics Including Immunomodulatory Effects, Fatima Khaled Alameri

Theses

The ability to perform effectively in the gastrointestinal system (GIT) is one of the most significant criteria for selecting the best probiotic bacteria. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the potential probiotic characteristics of some selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from vegetable products. Probiotic characteristics included tolerance to acid and bile, cholesterol removing ability, bile salt hydrolysis, resistance against lysozyme and antibiotics, production of exopolysaccharides (EPS), antimicrobial and hemolytic activities, and cell surface characteristics (auto-aggregation, co-aggregation, and hydrophobicity). Out of 46 isolates, 17 isolates that exhibited remarkable survivability under gastrointestinal conditions were selected for further analysis. Almost all …


Elucidation Of Multi-Origin Inula Helenium L. For Antimicrobial Activity And Heavy Metal Profiling As An Exemplar For The Use And Regulation Of Plants As Antibiotics., Ciara Ruth Kenny Jan 2021

Elucidation Of Multi-Origin Inula Helenium L. For Antimicrobial Activity And Heavy Metal Profiling As An Exemplar For The Use And Regulation Of Plants As Antibiotics., Ciara Ruth Kenny

Theses

An impending post-antibiotic era looms, thus new sources of therapeutic chemical entities are crucial to sustain effective antimicrobial chemotherapy worldwide. Plant natural products are a source of accessible, structurally diverse compounds that provide therapeutic potential. The pharmacological applications of plants in medicine can be guided by the attestation of traditional use or the application of this knowledge to uncover new leads in the drug discovery process. The range of modified in vitro methods commonly used to investigate preclinical antimicrobial efficacy of plant-derived natural products, and the associated limitations and challenges in the provision of new antimicrobial drugs from plants is …