Previous studies have described the development of control methods against bacterial wilt diseases caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. This review focused on recent advances in control measures, such as biological, physical, chemical, cultural, and integral measures, as well as biocontrol efficacy and suppression mechanisms. Biological control agents (BCAs) have been dominated by bacteria (90%) and fungi (10%). Avirulent strains of R. solanacearum, Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., and Streptomyces spp. are well-known BCAs. New or uncommon BCAs have also been identified such as Acinetobacter sp., Burkholderia sp., and Paenibacillus sp. Inoculation methods for BCAs affect biocontrol efficacy, such as pouring or drenching soil, dipping of roots, and seed coatings. The amendment of different organic matter, such as plant residue, animal waste, and simple organic compounds, have frequently been reported to suppress bacterial wilt diseases. The combined application of BCAs and their substrates was shown to more effectively suppress bacterial wilt in the tomato. Suppression mechanisms are typically attributed to the antibacterial metabolites produced by BCAs or those present in natural products; however, the number of studies related to host resistance to the pathogen is increasing. Enhanced/modified soil microbial communities are also indirectly involved in disease suppression. New promising types of control measures include biological soil disinfection using substrates that release volatile compounds. This review described recent advances in different control measures. We focused on the importance of integrated pest management (IPM) for bacterial wilt diseases.

抄録全体を表示

Samples from three stations in Kranji Reservoir, Singapore (n = 21) were collected and analyzed for cyanomyovirus abundance and diversity. A total of 73 different g20 (viral capsid assembly protein genes) amino acid sequences were obtained from this study. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the 73 segments were distributed in six major clusters (α to ζ), with four unique subclusters, which were identified as KRM-I, KRM-II, KRM-III, and KRM-IV. The cyanophage community in Kranji Reservoir exhibited a large degree of diversity; the clones obtained in this study showed similarities to those from many different environments, including oceans, lakes, bays, and paddy floodwater, as well as clones from paddy field soils. However, the sequences in this study were generally found to be more closely related to the g20 sequences of freshwaters and brackish waters than those from marine environments. The rarefaction curves and Chao 1 indices from this study showed that the diversity of the cyanomyovirus community was greater during the Inter-monsoon periods than the Southwest and Northeast Monsoons. A few seasonal changes in the taxa were observed: (i) Cluster ζ was absent during the Southwest Monsoon, and (ii) most of the samples fell into Group 3 in the PCA score plot during the Northeast Monsoon, and the fraction of Cluster ɛ increased significantly.

抄録全体を表示

The effects of environmental factors such as pH and nutrient content on the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in soil has been extensively studied using experimental fields. However, how these environmental factors intricately influence the community structure of AOB and AOA in soil from farmers’ fields is unclear. In the present study, the abundance and diversity of AOB and AOA in soils collected from farmers’ sugarcane fields were investigated using quantitative PCR and barcoded pyrosequencing targeting the ammonia monooxygenase alpha subunit (amoA) gene. The abundances of AOB and AOA amoA genes were estimated to be in the range of 1.8 × 10⁵–9.2 × 10⁶ and 1.7 × 10⁶–5.3 × 10⁷ gene copies g dry soil⁻¹, respectively. The abundance of both AOB and AOA positively correlated with the potential nitrification rate. The dominant sequence reads of AOB and AOA were placed in Nitrosospira-related and Nitrososphaera-related clusters in all soils, respectively, which varied at the level of their sub-clusters in each soil. The relationship between these ammonia-oxidizing community structures and soil pH was shown to be significant by the Mantel test. The relative abundances of the OTU1 of Nitrosospira cluster 3 and Nitrososphaera subcluster 7.1 negatively correlated with soil pH. These results indicated that soil pH was the most important factor shaping the AOB and AOA community structures, and that certain subclusters of AOB and AOA adapted to and dominated the acidic soil of agricultural sugarcane fields.

抄録全体を表示

The stinkbug Cavelerius saccharivorus, which harbors Burkholderia species capable of degrading the organophosphorus insecticide, fenitrothion, has been identified on a Japanese island in farmers’ sugarcane fields that have been exposed to fenitrothion. A clearer understanding of the ecology of the symbiotic fenitrothion degraders of Burkholderia species in a free-living environment is vital for advancing our knowledge on the establishment of degrader-stinkbug symbiosis. In the present study, we analyzed the composition and abundance of degraders in sugarcane fields on the island. Degraders were recovered from field samples without an enrichment culture procedure. Degrader densities in the furrow soil in fields varied due to differences in insecticide treatment histories. Over 99% of the 659 isolated degraders belonged to the genus Burkholderia. The strains related to the stinkbug symbiotic group predominated among the degraders, indicating a selection for this group in response to fenitrothion. Degraders were also isolated from sugarcane stems, leaves, and rhizosphere in fields that were continuously exposed to fenitrothion. Their density was lower in the plant sections than in the rhizosphere. A phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences demonstrated that most of the degraders from the plants and rhizosphere clustered with the stinkbug symbiotic group, and some were identical to the midgut symbionts of C. saccharivorus collected from the same field. Our results confirmed that plants and the rhizosphere constituted environmental reservoirs for stinkbug symbiotic degraders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the composition and abundance of the symbiotic fenitrothion degraders of Burkholderia species in farmers’ fields.

抄録全体を表示

Wet and dry anaerobic fermentation processes are operated for biogas production from organic matter, resulting in wet and dry digestates as by-products, respectively. The application of these digestates to soil as fertilizer has increased in recent years. Therefore, we herein compared the effects of applying wet digestates (pH 8.2, C/N ratio 4.5), dry digestates (pH 8.8, C/N ratio 23.4), and a chemical fertilizer to Japanese paddy and upland soils on short-term nitrification under laboratory aerobic conditions. Chloroform-labile C, an indicator of microbial biomass, was only minimally affected by these applications, indicating that a small amount of labile N was immobilized by microbes. All applications led to rapid increases in NO₃ -N contents in both soils, and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, but not archaea may play a critical role in net nitrification in the amended soils. The net nitrification rates for both soils were the highest after the application of dry digestates, followed by wet digestates and then the chemical fertilizer in order of decreasing soil pH. These results suggest that the immediate effects of applying digestates, especially dry digestates with the highest pH, on nitrate leaching need to be considered when digestates are used as alternative fertilizers.

抄録全体を表示

Diazotrophs had not previously been identified among bacterial species in the phylum Bacteroidetes until the rapid expansion of bacterial genome sequences, which revealed the presence of nitrogen fixation (nif) genes in this phylum. We herein determined the draft genome sequences of Bacteroides graminisolvens JCM 15093^T and Geofilum rubicundum JCM 15548^T. In addition to these and previously reported ‘Candidatus Azobacteroides pseudotrichonymphae’ and Paludibacter propionicigenes, an extensive survey of the genome sequences of diverse Bacteroidetes members revealed the presence of a set of nif genes (nifHDKENB) in strains of Dysgonomonas gadei, Dysgonomonas capnocytophagoides, Saccharicrinis fermentans, and Alkaliflexus imshenetskii. These eight species belonged to and were distributed sporadically within the order Bacteroidales. Acetylene reduction activity was detected in the five species examined, strongly suggesting their diazotrophic nature. Phylogenetic analyses showed monophyletic clustering of the six Nif protein sequences in the eight Bacteroidales species, implying that nitrogen fixation is ancestral to Bacteroidales and has been retained in these species, but lost in many other lineages. The identification of nif genes in Bacteroidales facilitates the prediction of the organismal origins of related sequences directly obtained from various environments.

抄録全体を表示

Rice shoot-associated bacterial communities at the panicle initiation stage were characterized and their responses to elevated surface water-soil temperature (ET), low nitrogen (LN), and free-air CO₂ enrichment (FACE) were assessed by clone library analyses of the 16S rRNA gene. Principal coordinate analyses combining all sequence data for leaf blade- and leaf sheath-associated bacteria revealed that each bacterial community had a distinct structure, as supported by PC1 (61.5%), that was mainly attributed to the high abundance of Planctomycetes in leaf sheaths. Our results also indicated that the community structures of leaf blade-associated bacteria were more sensitive than those of leaf sheath-associated bacteria to the environmental factors examined. Among these environmental factors, LN strongly affected the community structures of leaf blade-associated bacteria by increasing the relative abundance of Bacilli. The most significant effect of FACE was also observed on leaf blade-associated bacteria under the LN condition, which was explained by decreases and increases in Agrobacterium and Pantoea, respectively. The community structures of leaf blade-associated bacteria under the combination of FACE and ET were more similar to those of the control than to those under ET or FACE. Thus, the combined effects of environmental factors need to be considered in order to realistically assess the effects of environmental changes on microbial community structures.

抄録全体を表示

We analyzed a metagenome of the bacterial community associated with the taproot of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) in order to investigate the genes involved in plant growth-promoting traits (PGPTs), namely 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase, indole acetic acid (IAA), N₂ fixation, phosphate solubilization, pyrroloquinoline quinone, siderophores, and plant disease suppression as well as methanol, sucrose, and betaine utilization. The most frequently detected gene among the PGPT categories encoded β-1,3-glucanase (18 per 10⁵ reads), which plays a role in the suppression of plant diseases. Genes involved in phosphate solubilization (e.g., for quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase), methanol utilization (e.g., for methanol dehydrogenase), siderophore production (e.g. isochorismate pyruvate lyase), and ACC deaminase were also abundant. These results suggested that such PGPTs are crucially involved in supporting the growth of sugar beet. In contrast, genes for IAA production (iaaM and ipdC) were less abundant (~1 per 10⁵ reads). N₂ fixation genes (nifHDK) were not detected; bacterial N₂ -fixing activity was not observed in the ¹⁵N₂ -feeding experiment. An analysis of nitrogen metabolism suggested that the sugar beet microbiome mainly utilized ammonium and nitroalkane as nitrogen sources. Thus, N₂ fixation and IAA production did not appear to contribute to sugar beet growth. Taxonomic assignment of this metagenome revealed the high abundance of Mesorhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, and Streptomyces, suggesting that these genera have ecologically important roles in the taproot of sugar beet. Bradyrhizobium-assigned reads in particular were found in almost all categories of dominant PGPTs with high abundance. The present study revealed the characteristic functional genes in the taproot-associated microbiome of sugar beet, and suggest the opportunity to select sugar beet growth-promoting bacteria.

抄録全体を表示

Eighty-two out of the 100 hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial species that have been already isolated from oil-contaminated Kuwaiti sites, characterized by 16S rRNA nucleotide sequencing, and preserved in our private culture collection, grew successfully in a mineral medium free of any nitrogenous compounds with oil vapor as the sole carbon source. Fifteen out of these 82 species were selected for further study based on the predominance of most of the isolates in their specific sites. All of these species tested positive for nitrogenase using the acetylene reduction reaction. They belonged to the genera Agrobacterium, Sphingomonas, and Pseudomonas from oily desert soil and Nesiotobacter, Nitratireductor, Acinetobacter, Alcanivorax, Arthrobacter, Marinobacter, Pseudoalteromonas, Vibrio, Diatzia, Mycobacterium, and Microbacterium from the Arabian/Persian Gulf water body. A PCR-DGGE-based sequencing analysis of nifH genes revealed the common occurrence of the corresponding genes among all the strains tested. The tested species also grew well and consumed crude oil effectively in NaNO₃ -containing medium with and without nitrogen gas in the top space. On the other hand, these bacteria only grew and consumed crude oil in the NaNO₃ -free medium when the top space gas contained nitrogen. We concluded that most hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria are diazotrophic, which allows for their wide distribution in the total environment. Therefore, these bacteria are useful for the cost-effective, environmentally friendly bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminants.

抄録全体を表示

Styrene is a toxic pollutant commonly found in waste effluents from plastic processing industries. We herein identified and characterized microorganisms for bioconversion of the organic eco-pollutant styrene into a valuable biopolymer medium-chain-length poly(hydroxyalkanoate) (mcl-PHA). Twelve newly-isolated styrene-degrading Pseudomonads were obtained and partial phaC genes were detected by PCR in these isolates. These isolates assimilated styrene to produce mcl-PHA, forming PHA contents between 0.05±0.00 and 23.10±3.25% cell dry mass (% CDM). The best-performing isolate was identified as Pseudomonas putida NBUS12. A genetic analysis of 16S rDNA and phaZ genes revealed P. putida NBUS12 as a genetically-distinct strain from existing phenotypically-similar bacterial strains. This bacterium achieved a final biomass of 1.28±0.10 g L⁻¹ and PHA content of 32.49±2.40% CDM. The extracted polymer was mainly comprised of 3-hydroxyhexanoate (C₆ ), 3-hydroxyoctanoate (C₈ ), 3-hydroxydecanoate (C₁₀ ), 3-hydroxydodecanoate (C₁₂ ), and 3-hydroxytetradecanoate (C₁₄ ) monomers at a ratio of 2:42:1257:17:1. These results collectively suggested that P. putida NBUS12 is a promising candidate for the biotechnological conversion of styrene into mcl-PHA.

抄録全体を表示

The growth rate and biomass yield efficiency of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria are markedly lower than those of most other autotrophic bacteria. Among the anammox bacterial genera, the growth rate and biomass yield of the marine anammox bacterium “Candidatus Scalindua sp.” is still lower than those of other anammox bacteria enriched from freshwater environments. The activity and growth of marine anammox bacteria are generally considered to be affected by the presence of salinity and organic compounds. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of salinity and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on the anammox activity, inorganic carbon uptake, and biomass yield efficiency of “Ca. Scalindua sp.” enriched from the marine sediments of Hiroshima Bay, Japan, were investigated in batch experiments. Differences in VFA concentrations (0–10 mM) were observed under varying salinities (0.5%–4%). Anammox activity was high at 0.5%–3.5% salinity, but was 30% lower at 4% salinity. In addition, carbon uptake was higher at 1.5%–3.5% salinity. The results of the present study clearly demonstrated that the biomass yield efficiency of the marine anammox bacterium “Ca. Scalindua sp.” was significantly affected by salinity. On the other hand, the presence of VFAs up to 10 mM did not affect anammox activity, carbon uptake, or biomass yield efficiency.

抄録全体を表示

The gut microbiota of many phylogenetically lower termites is dominated by the cellulolytic flagellates of the genus Trichonympha, which are consistently associated with bacterial symbionts. In the case of Endomicrobia, an unusual lineage of endosymbionts of the Elusimicrobia phylum that is also present in other gut flagellates, previous studies have documented strict host specificity, leading to the cospeciation of “Candidatus Endomicrobium trichonymphae” with their respective flagellate hosts. However, it currently remains unclear whether one Trichonympha species is capable of harboring more than one Endomicrobia phylotype. In the present study, we selected single Trichonympha cells from the guts of Zootermopsis nevadensis and Reticulitermes santonensis and characterized their Endomicrobia populations based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequences. We found that each host cell harbored a homogeneous population of symbionts that were specific to their respective host species, but phylogenetically distinct between each host lineage, corroborating cospeciation being caused by vertical inheritance. The experimental design of the present study also allowed for the identification of an unexpectedly large amount of tag-switching between samples, which indicated that any high-resolution analysis of microbial community structures using the pyrosequencing technique has to be interpreted with great caution.

抄録全体を表示

Next-generation sequencing of the V1–V2 and V3 variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene generated a total of 674,116 reads that described six distinct bacterial biofilm communities from both water meters and pipes. A high degree of reproducibility was demonstrated for the experimental and analytical work-flow by analyzing the communities present in parallel water meters, the rare occurrence of biological replicates within a working drinking water distribution system. The communities observed in water meters from households that did not complain about their drinking water were defined by sequences representing Proteobacteria (82–87%), with 22–40% of all sequences being classified as Sphingomonadaceae. However, a water meter biofilm community from a household with consumer reports of red water and flowing water containing elevated levels of iron and manganese had fewer sequences representing Proteobacteria (44%); only 0.6% of all sequences were classified as Sphingomonadaceae; and, in contrast to the other water meter communities, markedly more sequences represented Nitrospira and Pedomicrobium. The biofilm communities in pipes were distinct from those in water meters, and contained sequences that were identified as Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Desulfovibrio, and Sulfuricurvum. The approach employed in the present study resolved the bacterial diversity present in these biofilm communities as well as the differences that occurred in biofilms within a single distribution system, and suggests that next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons can show changes in bacterial biofilm communities associated with different water qualities.

抄録全体を表示

Viable Legionella spp. in environmental water samples were characterized phylogenetically by a clone library analysis combining the use of ethidium monoazide and quantitative PCR. To examine the diversity of Legionella spp., six cooling tower water samples and three bath water samples were collected and analyzed. A total of 617 clones were analyzed for their 16S rRNA gene sequences and classified into 99 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The majority of OTUs were not clustered with currently described Legionella spp., suggesting the wide diversity of not-yet-cultured Legionella groups harbored in cooling tower water environments.

抄録全体を表示

We herein investigated sclerotia that were obtained from cool-temperate forests in Mt. Chokai and Mt. Iwaki in north Japan and tentatively identified as the resting bodies of Cenococcum geophilum. The profiles of sclerotia-associated fungal communities were obtained through T-RFLP combined with clone library techniques. Our results showed that sclerotia in Mt. Chokai and Mt. Iwaki were predominated by Arthrinium arundinis and Inonotus sp., respectively. The results of the present study suggested that these sclerotia-associated species were responsible for the formation of sclerotia or sclerotia were originally formed by C. geophilum, but were subsequently occupied by these species after C. geophilum germinated or failed to survive due to competition.

抄録全体を表示