User:Hsaeedm/Delftia lacustris

Delftia lacustris is a Gram-negative staining, rod-shaped bacterium from the Comamonadaceae family. It was isolated from mesotrophic lake water in Denmark and lives in fresh water environments. One of its functions is the ability to degrade peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan is the basic component of the bacterium cell wall. It provides structure to the cell and protects the cytoplasmic membrane in bacterium. It also performs chitinase and lysozyme degradation.

Environmental use
Delftia lacustris has low tolerance to salinity but is highly resistant to some metals. Wu reveals how the mechanisms of peptidoglycan degradation in Strain LZ-C in D. lacustris reacts to heavy metals and salinity in water. It is resistant to toxicity from the heavy metals Cr(VI), Hg(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II). It is also resistant to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that includes: naphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, benzene, toluene, and 2-methylnaphthalene. In addition to resistance, the use of peptidoglycan degradation was tested on polluted water filled with petroleum and oil to observe the effective removal of phenol and selenite. Selenite was successfully degraded but phenol could only be degraded at the concentration of 50 g/mL.

Agriculture
Through degradation and enzymatic activities, it is thought that Delftia lacustris can act as a biocontrol agent in order to isolate pathogens in plants. A study done by Janahiraman, tested the control of different pathogens in tomato plants. This included monitoring hemolytic activity, response to antibiotics, and plant growth to account for how well the bacterium isolated the pathogens. Based on the results of the study, the tomato plants had a large amount of protection from pathogens when D. lacustris was used. There was also a record of high enzymatic activity occurring in the plants that had D. lacustris.

Disease
Although Delftia lacustris is most known for pepidoglycan degradation, it is also reported as a causative agent for nosocomial bacteremia, endocarditis, keratitis, and ocular infections". There were four cases that involved infections by D. lacustris, which all included men of at least 40 years of age. All patients demonstrated symptoms of pain in the areas of the lungs, kidney, liver, and abdomen.