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In Vitro Susceptibility of Prototheca to pH and Salt Concentration

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Abstract

Prototheca sp. can assume high economic significance in the dairy industry and pose a potential risk for the public health. We investigated the in vitro susceptibility of Prototheca isolates retrieved from mastitic milk (P. zopfii and P. blaschkeae) to different pH buffers and salt concentrations using a microbroth assay adapted from the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Different pH buffer solutions ranging from pH 1 to pH 12 and different sodium chloride concentrations, 4.5, 9 and 18%, were tested. P. zopfii strains presented an optimal growth between pH 5 and 9, a complete growth inhibition at pH 3, and limited growth at pH 1 and 12, whereas P. blaschkeae strains showed higher susceptibility to all pH values except for pH 3 where it demonstrated a moderate growth when compared to P. zopfii strains. When salinity was incremented, P. blaschkeae was more resistant than P. zopfii, although a reduction in growth for all strains of Prototheca was observed. This study demonstrated differences in the in vitro susceptibilities of P. zopfii and P. blaschkeae to different pH and salt concentrations and intend to be a contribution on the understanding of some of the physiologic features that can be associated with the survival of these microalgae in the environment.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal, grant SFRH/BD/28892/2006.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Largo Prof. Abel Salazar, 2, 4099-003, Porto, Portugal

    Sara Marques, Eliane Silva, Júlio Carvalheira & Gertrude Thompson

  2. Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica (UMIB), Universidade do Porto, Largo Professor Abel Salazar, 2, 4099-003, Porto, Portugal

    Sara Marques, Eliane Silva & Gertrude Thompson

  3. Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), Universidade do Porto, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, no 7, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal

    Júlio Carvalheira

  4. Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas do ICBAS, ICAV, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, no 7, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal

    Gertrude Thompson

Authors
  1. Sara Marques
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  2. Eliane Silva
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  3. Júlio Carvalheira
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  4. Gertrude Thompson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gertrude Thompson.

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Marques, S., Silva, E., Carvalheira, J. et al. In Vitro Susceptibility of Prototheca to pH and Salt Concentration. Mycopathologia 169, 297–302 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-009-9254-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-009-9254-0

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