, 2007). Rhizobium leguminosarum swarmer cells are resistant to a number of different classes of antibiotics. Similar to the swarming cells of Salmonella (Kim & Surette, 2003) and P. aeruginosa (Lai et al., 2009), this multiresistant phenotype is transient to the swarming state. Reduced permeability of the outer membrane as well as alteration of the cell wall structure might result in decreased effectiveness of antibiotics targeting the cell

wall (Kim et al., 2003; Kim & Surette, 2004). It is believed see more that this reduction in outer membrane permeability may also provide cross-protection against toxins produced by the host as well as other competing bacteria (Kim & Surette, 2004). Similarly, the mechanism responsible for the increased resistance of R. leguminosarum swarmer cells to antibiotics may also provide resistance to antimicrobial compounds produced by the host plant and by other soil bacteria. Because this is the first report on swarming in R. leguminosarum, additional experiments are needed to determine the role of swarming in plant–microorganism interactions. We gratefully acknowledge the support for this work from a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery

Grant to M.F.H. D.D.T. was supported by a Government of Canada graduate scholarship, the Bettina Bahlsen Torin 1 chemical structure scholarship, and the Graeme Bell and Norma Kay Sullivan-Bell Graduate Scholarship in Biology. We thank Rhonda G. Clark and Glen Ong, who constructed the 3841c− strain and the GFP-labeled VF39SM, respectively. We also thank Jan Michiels for valuable information on possible swarming conditions. Fig. S1. Swarming patterns of Rhizobium leguminosarum VF39SM on swarm medium supplemented with 0.1% of the following: (a) glycerol; (b) erythritol; (c) mannitol;

and (d) rhamnose. Video Clip S1. A time-lapse video of Rhizobium leguminosarum VF39SM swarming motility. Please note: Wiley-Blackwell is not Calpain responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing material) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. “
“Bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus curvatus CWBI-B28wt is not completely effective against Listeria monocytogenes in food models. There is evidence suggesting that bacteriocin-degrading proteolytic enzymes produced by the CWBI-B28wt strain and/or present in the food matrix contribute to this rebound of Listeria growth. To limit this problem, we have partially characterized an approximately 10-kb plasmid responsible for bacteriocin production in L. curvatus CWBI-B28wt. This plasmid was transferred by high-voltage electroporation into a less proteolytic, but technologically competent Lactobacillus strain.