Miang, a traditional fermented tea leaf (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) consumed in northern Thailand, was simulated in laboratory conditions using non-filamentous fungi process (NFP) and microbial community was periodically investigated for over 6 months of fermentation by both culture-dependent and -independent techniques. The viable cell numbers of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeast, and Bacillus enumerated by the culture-dependent technique markedly surged over 3 days of initial fermentation and then smoothly declined by the end of fermentation. LAB were found as the main microbial population throughout the fermentation period followed by yeast and Bacillus. High-throughput sequencing of microbial community during fermentation revealed that Firmicutes (86.9-96.0%) and Proteobacteria (4.0-12.4%) were the dominant bacterial phyla, whereas Ascomycota was found to be the main fungal phylum with an abundance of over 99% in the fungal community. The dominant bacterial family was Lactobacillaceae (39.7-79.5%) fivity. Lactic acid and butyric acid reached maximum of 50.9 and 48.9 mg/g dry weight (dw) at 9 and 63 days of fermentation, respectively. This study provided essential information for deeper understanding of the Miang fermentation process based on the chemical and biological changes during production.Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a ubiquitous beta-herpesvirus, is able to establish lifelong latency after initial infection. Periodical reactivation occurs after immunosuppression, remaining a major cause of death in immunocompromised patients. HCMV has to reach a structural and functional balance with the host at its earliest entry. Virion-carried mediators are considered to play pivotal roles in viral adaptation into a new cellular environment upon entry. Additionally, one clear difference between primary infection and reactivation is the idea that virion-packaged factors are already formed such that those molecules can be used swiftly by the virus. In contrast, virion-carried mediators have to be transcribed and translated; thus, they are not readily available during reactivation. Hence, understanding virion-carried molecules helps to elucidate HCMV reactivation. In this article, the impact of virion-packaged molecules on viral structure, biological behavior, and viral life cycle will be reviewed.The attachment of foodborne pathogens to leaf surfaces is a complex process that involves multiple physical, chemical, and biological factors. Here, we report the results from a study designed to specifically determine the contribution of spinach leaf surface topography as it relates to leaf axis (abaxial and adaxial) and leaf age (15, 45, and 75 days old) to the ability of Escherichia coli to resist removal by surface wash, to avoid inactivation by chlorine, and to disperse through splash impact. We used fresh spinach leaves, as well as so-called "replicasts" of spinach leaf surfaces in the elastomer polydimethylsiloxane to show that leaf vein density correlated positively with the failure to recover E. coli from surfaces, not only using a simple water wash and rinse, but also a more stringent wash protocol involving a detergent. Such failure was more pronounced when E. coli was surface-incubated at 24°C compared to 4°C, and in the presence, rather than absence, of nutrients. Leaf venation also contributed to the ability of E. coli to survive a 50 ppm available chlorine wash and to laterally disperse by splash impact. Our findings suggest that the topographical properties of the leafy green surface, which vary by leaf age and axis, may need to be taken into consideration when developing prevention or intervention strategies to enhance the microbial safety of leafy greens.Bacterial biofilms do serious harm to the diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) because they play a crucial role in infection invasion and spread. selleck screening library Staphylococcus aureus, the predominant Gram-positive bacteria in diabetic foot infection (DFI), is often associated with colonization and biofilm formation. Through biofilm formation tests in vitro, we observed that S. aureus bacteria isolated from DFU wounds were more prone to form biofilms than those from non-diabetic patients, while there was no difference in blood sugar between the biofilm (+) diabetics (DB+) and biofilm (-) diabetics (DB-). Furthermore, we found that advanced glycation end products (AGEs) promoted the biofilm formation of S. aureus in clinical isolates and laboratory strains in vitro, including a methicillin-resistant strain. Analysis of biofilm components demonstrated that the biofilms formed mainly by increasing extracellular DNA (eDNA) release; remarkably, the S. aureus global regulator sigB was upregulated, and its downstream factor lrgA was downregulated after AGE treatments. Mechanism studies using a sigB-deleted mutant (Newman-ΔsigB) confirmed that AGEs decreased expression of lrgA via induction of sigB, which is responsible for eDNA release and is a required component for S. aureus biofilm development. In conclusion, the present study suggests that AGEs promote S. aureus biofilm formation via an eDNA-dependent pathway by regulating sigB. The data generated by this study will provide experimental proof and theoretical support to improve DFU infection healing.The species Pantoea agglomerans includes strains that are agronomically relevant for their growth-promoting or biocontrol traits. Molecular analysis demonstrated that the IPDC pathway involved in the conversion of tryptophan (Trp) to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is highly conserved among P. agglomerans strains at both gene and protein levels. Results also indicated that the promoter region controlling the inducible expression of ipdC gene differs from the model system Enterobacter cloacae, which is in accordance with the observation that P. agglomerans accumulates higher levels of IAA when cells are collected in the exponential phase of growth. To assess the potential applications of these microorganisms for IAA production, P. agglomerans C1, an efficient auxin-producer strain, was cultivated in 5 L fermenter so as to evaluate the effect of the medium formulation, the physiological state of the cells, and the induction timing on the volumetric productivity. Results demonstrated that higher IAA levels were obtained by using a saline medium amended with yeast extract and saccharose and by providing Trp, which acts both as a precursor and an inducer, to a culture in the exponential phase of growth.