protecting the environment with achromobacter

achromobacter are gram-negative straight rod. they are motile and strictly aerobic. they are found in water and soil. they are used in petroleum industries to produce glycolipid. achromobacter produces biosurfactants. biosurfactants are surface active molecules with several applications in petrochemical, food and cosmetic industries. achromobacter also useful in oil spilling control, environmental protection, biodegradation and detoxification of oil contaminated industrial effluents and soil.

A biosurfactant, produced by Achromobacter sp. TMB1 is reported through this investigation having physiochemical properties useful for operational and remedial activities in petroleum industries.

Aflatoxins are potent carcinogenic and toxic substances that are produced primarily by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. We found that a bacterium remarkably inhibited production of norsolorinic acid, a precursor of aflatoxin, by A. parasiticus. This bacterium was identified as Achromobacter xylosoxidans based on its 16S ribosomal DNA sequence and was designated A. xylosoxidans NFRI-A1. A. xylosoxidans strains commonly showed similar inhibition. The inhibitory substance(s) was excreted into the medium and was stable after heat, acid, or alkaline treatment. Although the bacterium appeared to produce several inhibitory substances, we finally succeeded in purifying a major inhibitory substance from the culture medium using Diaion HP20 column chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography. The purified inhibitory substance was identified as cyclo(l-leucyl-l-prolyl) based on physicochemical methods. The 50% inhibitory concentration for aflatoxin production by A. parasiticus SYS-4 (= NRRL2999) was 0.20 mg ml−1, as determined by the tip culture method. High concentrations (more than 6.0 mg ml−1) of cyclo(l-leucyl-l-prolyl) further inhibited fungal growth. Similar inhibitory activities were observed with cyclo(d-leucyl-d-prolyl) and cyclo(l-valyl-l-prolyl), whereas cyclo(d-prolyl-l-leucyl) and cyclo(l-prolyl-d-leucyl) showed weaker activities. Reverse transcription-PCR analyses showed that cyclo(l-leucyl-l-prolyl) repressed transcription of the aflatoxin-related genes aflR, hexB, pksL1, and dmtA. This is the first report of a cyclodipeptide that affects aflatoxin production.

Both Achromobacter and Alcaligenes spp., along with the closely related Bordetella spp., currently are grouped together within the family Alcaligenaceae. The clinically relevant Achromobacter and Alcaligenes spp. include Alcaligenes faecalis, Achromobacter piechaudii, Achromobacter denitrificans, and Achromobacter xylosoxidans.2,5 The first 3 organisms listed are asaccharolytic and biochemically are similar to Bordetella spp. and Oligella ureolytica, also members of this family.6 Achromobacter xylosoxidans is saccharolytic and biochemically is similar to several organisms of uncertain taxonomic position, including Achromobacter groups B, E, and F and Ochrobactrum anthropi; the former Achromobacter groups A, C, and D are biovars of O. anthropi.7 Ochrobactrum spp. have been placed in the family Brucellaceae. The genus Oligella contains 2 species of clinical significance, O. urethralis and O. ureolytica.6 O. urethralis (formerly Moraxella urethralis) is nonmotile, shares several characteristics with Moraxella spp., and is thought to be a commensal of the genitourinary tract. O. ureolytica is motile and biochemically is similar to Bordetella bronchiseptica, including the property of rapid hydrolysis of urea.

Background: Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) due to Achromobacter has become a substantial concern in recent years. However, HAP due to Achromobacter in the elderly is rare.Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 15 elderly patients with HAP due to Achromobacter spp., in which the sequence types (STs), integrons, biofilm production and antibiotic resistance of the Achromobacter spp. were examined.Results: The mean age of the 15 elderly patients was 88.8 ± 5.4 years. All patients had at least three underlying diseases and catheters. Clinical outcomes improved in 10 of the 15 patients after antibiotic and/or mechanical ventilation treatment, but three patients had chronic infections lasting more than 1 year. The mortality rate was 33.3% (5/15). All strains were resistant to aminoglycosides, aztreonam, nitrofurantoin, and third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins (except ceftazidime and cefoperazone). Six new STs were detected. The most frequent ST was ST306. ST5 was identified in two separate buildings of the hospital. ST313 showed higher MIC in cephalosporins, quinolones and carbapenems, which should be more closely considered in clinical practice. All strains produced biofilm and had integron I and blaOXA-114-like. The main type was blaOXA-114q. The variable region of integron I was different among strains, and the resistance gene of the aminoglycosides was most commonly inserted in integron I. Additionally, blaPSE-1 was first reported in this isolate.Conclus...

Achromobacter

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Bacteria of the Achromobacter genus, more particularly xylosoxidans species, are responsible for various healthcare associated infections (HAI) which are increasingly described since the last decade. Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are considered as potential reservoirs in hospitals. We performed a retrospective study to estimate the frequencies of Achromobacter spp. HAI among patients from French West Indies, to determine characteristics of infected patients and establish a possible link between CF and infections. All adults with at least one Achromobacter spp. positive sample and infection criteria in accordance with European official definitions of HAI, hospitalized in University Hospital of Martinique from 2006 to 2016 for more than 48 h, were included. Patient clinical features, immune status and underlying diseases were obtained from medical files. A list of CF patients was given by clinicians. Antibiotic-susceptibility profiles of the strains were determined using an automated method. Mean incidence density was 0.038/1000 days of hospitalization. Achromobacter spp. HAI evolved as an endemic situation with a low but pretty much stable incidence rate over the 11-year observation period. An epidemic peak was noticed in 2013. Among the 66 included patients, 56.1% were immunocompetent and no one had CF. Pneumonia and bacteraemia were the two main HAI. Among the 79 isolated strains, 92.4% were resistant to at least 1 major antibiotic and 16.4% met the definition of multidrug-resistant bacteria. This microorganism, little known in our country because of the scarcity of CF patients, represents a threat for both immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients and a therapeutic challenge because of its high resistance.