The diversity of thermophilic bacteria was investigated in four hot springs, three salt marshes and 12 desert sites in Morocco. Two hundred and forty (240) thermophilic bacteria were recovered, identified and characterized. All isolates were Gram positive, rod-shaped, spore forming and halotolerant. Based on BOXA1R-PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the recovered isolates were dominated by the genus Bacillus (97.5%) represented by B. licheniformis (119), B. aerius (44), B. sonorensis (33), B. subtilis (subsp. spizizenii (2) and subsp. inaquosurum (6)), B. amyloliquefaciens (subsp. amyloliquefaciens (4) and subsp. plantarum (4)), B. tequilensis (3), B. pumilus (3) and Bacillus sp. (19). Only six isolates (2.5%) belonged to the genus Aeribacillus represented by A. pallidus (4) and Aeribacillus sp. (2). In this study, B. aerius and B. tequilensis are described for the first time as thermophilic bacteria. Moreover, 71.25%, 50.41% and 5.41% of total strains exhibited high amylolytic, proteolytic or cellulolytic activity respectively.

Chryseomonas luteola has only rarely been reported as a human bacterial pathogen. It has been shown that this organism in particular affects patients with health or indwelling disorders. Most reported cases showed septicemia, meningitis, endocarditis, or peritonitis. Two C. luteola infections observed in Morocco are described in the present study

The bacterial diversity occurring in traditional Moroccan soft white cheese, produced in eight different regions in Morocco, was studied. A total of 164 lactic acid bacteria were isolated, purified and identified by whole-cell protein fingerprinting and rep-PCR genomic fingerprinting. The majority of the strains belonged to the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc and Enterococcus. Sixteen species were identified: Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus garvieae, Lactococcus raffinolactis, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Leuconostoc citreum, Eterococcus durans, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus saccharominimus and Streptococcus sp.

Four isolates, which were obtained from Belgian, Moroccan and Romanian dairy products, constituted a homogeneous but unidentified taxon after screening with whole-cell protein fingerprinting. Complete 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis classified representative strains in the genus Enterococcus. Highest sequence similarities of 98?6 and 98?0 % were obtained with the species Enterococcus sulfureus and Enterococcus saccharolyticus, respectively. Growth characteristics, biochemical features, tRNA intergenic length polymorphism analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization and DNA G+C contents of selected strains demonstrated that they represent a single, novel Enterococcus species. It differs phenotypically from other enterococci in characteristics commonly considered as typical of this genus: no growth in 6?5 % NaCl or 0?4 % sodium azide, and no acid production from a wide range of carbohydrates. The name Enterococcus saccharominimus sp. nov. is proposed for this novel species; the type strain (LMG 21727 T =CCM 7220 T ) was isolated from contaminated pasteurized cow's milk.

Aims:  To identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) present in Moroccan dairy products to establish and preserve their microbial species diversity. Methods and Results:  Thirty‐seven samples were collected from different farms. A total of 146 LAB were isolated and subjected to (GTG)5‐PCR analysis. Comparison of the profiles with data available at the Moroccan Coordinated Collections of Micro‐organisms allowed identification of 85 isolates. The remaining 61 were subjected to SDS‐PAGE analysis of whole cell proteins. Comparison of the profiles with data available at the Belgian Coordinated Collections of Micro‐organisms allowed identification of 43 isolates. Several of the remaining 18 isolates exhibited identical protein electrophoretic fingerprints. Therefore, eight representatives of them were subjected to partial pheS gene sequencing which allowed identification of all remaining isolates. In raw milk, six genera were found while in ‘lben’, three were found. This is the first report of Leuconostoc kimchii in dairy products. Conclusions:  LAB diversity was established using a stepwise polyphasic identification approach. It used the expertise of both research bodies involved in this study and proved to be cost‐effective for the identification of all isolates. Significance and Impact of the Study:  To establish LAB diversity in Moroccan dairy products which could be a source of strains with specific properties.

To study the biodiversity of halophilic bacteria in a protected wetland located in Loukkos (Northwest, Morocco), a total of 124 strains were recovered from sediment samples from a marsh and salterns. 120 isolates (98%) were found to be moderately halophilic bacteria; growing in salt ranges of 0.5 to 20%. Of 124 isolates, 102 were Gram-positive while 22 were Gram negative. All isolates were identified based on 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis and characterized phenotypically and by screening for extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. The Gram-positive isolates were dominated by the genus Bacillus (89%) and the others were assigned to Jeotgalibacillus, Planococcus, Staphylococcus and Thalassobacillus. The Gram negative isolates were dominated by the genus Vibrio (41%) and the others were assigned to Halomonas, Psychrobacter, Marinobacterium, Pseudoalteromonas, Salinivibrio and Photobacterium. The growth of strains obtained under different physico-chemical conditions and the screening for hydrolytic enzymes showed a high diversity even within the same species.

Diamond coatings on Co cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co) hard metal tools are widely used for cutting non-ferrous metals. It is difficult to deposit diamond onto cutting tools, which generally have a complex geometry, using a single step growth process. This paper focuses on the deposition of polycrystalline diamond films onto dental tools, which possess 3D complex or cylindrical shape, employing a novel single step chemical vapour deposition (CVD) growth process. The diamond deposition is carried out in a hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) reactor with a modified filament arrangement. The filament is mounted vertically with the drill held concentrically in between the filament coils, as opposed to the commonly used horizontal arrangement. This is a simple and inexpensive filament arrangement. In addition, the problems associated with adhesion of diamond films on WC-Co substrates are amplified in dental tools due to the very sharp edges and unpredictable cutting forces. The presence of Co, used as a binder in hard metals, generally causes poor adhesion. The amount of metallic Co on the surface can be reduced using a two step pre-treatment employing Murakami etching followed by an acid treatment. Diamond films are examined in terms of their growth rate, morphology, adhesion and cutting efficiency. We found that in the diamond coated dental tool the wear rate was reduced by a factor of three as compared to the uncoated tool.

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