Soil plant productivity is improved by manipulation of soil microflora. The soil microflora is manipulated by addition of a bacterium belonging to Rhizobium (Rhizobiales) to the soil.

A medium for Bacillus cereus group detection, which is favorable in growth of Bacillus cereus regardless of the temperature condition, and further is excellent in selectivity; and a method for detecting a Bacillus cereus group using the medium. The medium for Bacillus cereus group detection includes a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C substrate having a detectable chromogenic or fluorescent free radical; and trimethoprim. The medium further includes a β-lactam antibiotic. The medium further includes an antifungal agent. The method for detecting further includes inoculating a sample into the medium to culture the sample; and determining a detectable colony on the medium.

The present disclosure provides recombinant bacterial cells that have been engineered with genetic circuitry which allow the recombinant bacterial cells to sense a patient's internal environment and respond by turning an engineered metabolic pathway on or off. When turned on, the recombinant bacterial cells complete all of the steps in a metabolic pathway to achieve a therapeutic effect in a host subject. These recombinant bacterial cells are designed to drive therapeutic effects throughout the body of a host from a point of origin of the microbiome. Specifically, the present disclosure provides recombinant bacterial cells comprising a heterologous gene encoding a branched chain amino acid catabolism enzyme. The disclosure further provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising the recombinant bacteria, and methods for treating disorders involving the catabolism of branched chain amino acids using the pharmaceutical compositions disclosed herein.

The present invention relates to a process of converting feather materials into keratin-rich microfibers and soluble protein hydrolysate, the process comprising using a microbial hydrolysis technique.

Herein a Bacillus exosporium antigen delivery (BEAD) system that provides a means to introduce recombinant proteins or small molecules into the exosporium of members of the B. cereus family of bacteria, i.e. B. anthracis, B. cereus, and B. thuringiensis, is disclosed. The system results in the surface display of recombinant proteins or small molecules such that they can stimulate an immune response. In addition, methods of making and using the system are described.

The present invention relates to a primer set for detecting food poisoning bacteria by using a next-generation sequencing method and a method for detecting food poisoning bacteria by using the primer set. Specifically, with the primer set in accordance with the present invention, 16 kinds of food poisoning bacteria can be detected at one time, for a shorter time, and with high accuracy, and the primer set can be useful for simultaneous detection of food poisoning bacteria.

A method for controlling self-propelled particles includes providing the particles to a liquid crystalline medium having predesigned local ordering. The method may control at least one of: a local concentration, trajectory, and net flow of self-propelled particles.

A method of producing Bacillus spores comprising a step of culturing the Bacillus bacterium using a liquid medium having a C/N ratio (weight ratio of carbon content to nitrogen content) of greater than 4 and less than 9.5.

Provided is a mutant of the wild type phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C of Bacillus cereus. The mutations involved comprise the amino acid residue at position 63 being mutated from asparagine to aspartic acid, the amino acid residue at position 131 being mutated from asparagine to serine, and the amino acid residue at position 134 being mutated from asparagine to aspartic acid, and may comprise the amino acid residue at position 56 being mutated from tyrosine to alanine, lysine, asparagine, glutamine, histidine or tryptophan, and further, may also comprise the amino acid residue at position 106 being mutated from methionine to valine. Also provided are a polynucleotide molecule encoding the mutant, a nucleic acid construct and a host cell comprising the polynucleotide molecule, a composition comprising the mutant, and the use of the mutant, the polynucleotide molecule, the nucleic acid construct and the host cell.

The disclosure relates to isolated microorganismsincluding novel strains of the microorganismsmicrobial consortia, and agricultural compositions comprising the same. Furthermore, the disclosure teaches methods of utilizing the described microorganisms, microbial consortia, and agricultural compositions comprising the same, in methods for imparting beneficial properties to target plant species. In particular aspects, the disclosure provides methods of increasing desirable plant traits in agronomically important crop species.