Combined, these data demonstrate the in vitro efficacy of S. aureus-specific bacteriophage cocktails against S. aureus growing on porous titanium and warrant further in vivo studies in a clinically relevant animal model to evaluate the potential application of bacteriophage in the management of PJI caused by S. aureus.

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Diminuition of the fat reserve and concomitant increase of carbohydrate during germination of oil seeds have been well established (3, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13,16). Few studies, however, have compared illuminated and unilluminated seedlings, or have controlled the environmental conditions to the degree necessary for calculation of a rate constant and for prediction of fat content at various stages of growth. MacLachlan (9) found a greater utilization of fat during soybean germination in the light than in the dark. He concluded that there was no preferential utilization of unsatuirated fatty acids, because no change was observed in the average unsaturation of the fatty acids in the cotyledons. But Holman (6), also using soybeans , reported a decrease in the iodine value of the fat reserve and a preferential utilization of linoleic and linolenic acid. Crombie and Comber (2) found that during the germination of seeds of the watermelon (Citruillus vulgaris) all the major fatty acids, except oleic, disappeared at rates proportional to the quantities present in the seed fat. Oleic acid was metabolized relativelv faster than the other fatty acids. A better understanding of the relations of fats to general metabolism may be expectedI to result from quantitative physiological and chemical studies of germinating fatty seeds. The extent to which reserve fats and current photosynthate contribute to the material and energy requirements for seedling growth represents one aspect of the broad problem. There is also a need for more analytical data on the changes that occur in the fatty acid composition of the glycerides as the fat reserve is utilized. The experiments reported in this paper were un-dertaken to study the rate of utilization and the composition of the fat reserve during cotton seed germination under various growth condlitions. To correlate the decrease in fat content with the growth of the seedlings, measurements were made of the development of the root, hypoeotyl, and cotyledon. MIATERIALS AND METHODS Cotton seeds of the 1953 crop (Gossypium hirsu-tum L., var. Fox, kindly supplied by the Delta and Pine Land Co. of Scott, M\iss.) were reduced in moisture to 6 % by drying with calcium oxide and then stored in sealed metal containers at 10 C (18). Small lots of seed were delinted in sulfuric acid for three minutes, rinsed thoroughly, soaked for 30 minutes in distilled water, and then allowed to germinate in the dark at 30 ± 10 C on wet filter paper. After 22 hours the seedlings with roots 7 to 12 mm long were supported on a layer of bobbinet (cloth netting with hexagonal mesh 3 by 3 mm) stretched over a glass rod frame provided with 4-cm legs. The frame was placed in a Pyrex dish which was filled to the level of the bobbinet with a culture solution having the following composition: 0.0040 M Ca (NO3)2 .4 H,0, 0.0030 M KNO3, 0.0016 M MgSO4 7 H20, 0.0012 I KH2PO4, 0.0005 M (NH4)2SO4, 0.00004 I FeCl2 4 H20, 0.00002 M K3C;H507 HaO (potas-sium citrate), and the following amounts in parts per million, of the microtrophic elements:...

Bacteriophage therapy has demonstrated promising results towards the control of bacterial infections within the aquaculture industry as an alternative therapy to antibiotics. This current research describes the efficacy of bacteriophage therapy in controlling vibriosis within abalone (Haliotis laevigata). Two bacteriophages were isolated and used in in vitro assays to determine the effect of each specific phage on the growth of specific Vibrio harveyi isolates. To demonstrate efficacy, an in vivo bioassay was performed using abalone (H. laevigata) at a water temperature of 24 °C. Characterisation of the two isolated phages revealed they were from the family, Siphoviridae. The phages had different antimicrobial abilities towards

Phage therapy offers a potential alternate strategy for the treatment of peri-prosthetic joint infection (PJI), particularly where limited effective antibiotics are available. We undertook preclinical trials to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of a phage cocktail, alone and in combination with vancomycin, to reduce bacterial numbers within the infected joint using a clinically-relevant model of Staphylococcus aureus-induced PJI. Infected animals were randomised to 4 treatment groups, with treatment commencing 21-days post-surgery: bacteriophage alone, vancomycin alone, bacteriophage and vancomycin, and sham. At day 28 post-surgery, animals were euthanised for microbiological and immunological assessment of implanted joints. Treatment with phage alone or vancomycin alone, led to 5-fold and 6.2-fold reductions, respectively in bacterial load within peri-implant tissue compared to sham-treated animals. Compared to sham-treated animals, a 22.5-fold reduction in S. aureus burden was observed within joint tissue of animals that were administered phage in combination with vancomycin, corresponding with decreased swelling in the implanted knee. Microbiological data were supported by evidence of decreased inflammation within the joints of animals administered phage in combination with vancomycin, compared to sham-treated animals. Our findings provide further support for phage therapy as a tolerable and effective adjunct treatment for PJI.

No abstract

This study aimed to test multidrug resistant isolates from hospitalised green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and their environment in North Queensland, Australia, for in vitro susceptibility to bacteriophages. Seventy-one Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from green turtle eye swabs and water samples. Broth microdilution tests were used to determine antibiotic susceptibility. All isolates were resistant to at least two antibiotics, with 24% being resistant to seven of the eight antibiotics. Highest resistance rates were detected to enrofloxacin (77%) and ampicillin (69.2%). More than 50% resistance was also found to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (62.5%), ceftiofur (53.8%), and erythromycin (53.3%). All the enriched phage filtrate mixtures resulted in the lysis of one or more of the multidrug resistant bacteria, including Vibrio harveyi and V. parahaemolyticus. These results indicate that antibiotic resistance is common in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from hospitalised sea turtles and their marine environment in North Queensland, supporting global concern over the rapid evolution of multidrug resistant genes in the environment. Using virulent bacteriophages as antibiotic alternatives would not only be beneficial to turtle health but also prevent further addition of multidrug resistant genes to coastal waters.

Summary Green turtles are endangered marine herbivorous hindgut fermenters that contribute to a variety of marine ecosystems. Debilitated turtles are often rehabilitated in turtle hospitals. Since accurate diagnosis of disease is difficult, broad‐spectrum antibiotics are routinely used as a general treatment, potentially causing collateral damage to the gut microbiome of the patient. Here, we evaluated the concept of the application of bacteriophage (phages) to eliminate targeted intestinal bacteria as an alternative to a broad‐spectrum antibiotic (enrofloxacin) in clinically healthy, captive green turtles. Additionally, the impact of a broad‐spectrum antibiotic (enrofloxacin) and phage therapy on the gut bacterial communities of green turtles was evaluated. Gut bacterial communities in faecal samples were analysed by sequencing the V1‐V3 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA. Bacteria‐specific phage cocktails significantly (P < 0.05) reduced targeted Acinetobacter in phage‐treated turtles during the therapy. Compared to control, no significant difference was observed in the bacterial diversity and compositions in phage‐treated turtles. In contrast, bacterial diversity was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in antibiotic‐treated turtles at day 15 and throughout the trial. The alteration in the bacterial microbiota of antibiotic‐treated turtles was largely due to an increase in abundance of Gram‐positive Firmicutes and a concurrent decrease in Gram‐negative Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. Additionally, we observed the relative abundance of several bacteria at lower taxonomic level was much less affected by phages than by antibiotics. These data offer the proof of concept of phage therapy to manipulate transient as well as indigenous bacterial flora in gut‐related dysbiosis of turtles.