Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences

Microbial ecology; Natural antibacterial substances; Bacteriocins; Mutacins

Research Activities:

MUTACINS

Since the discovery of penicillin, Man has struggled against microorganisms using antibiotics. On the other hand, microorganisms continually develop resistance mechanisms towards these different antibiotics. Many approaches are actually used to develop new effective antimicrobial agents. The research activities of our laboratories concern the study of new natural antimicrobial agents from bacteria, cyanobacteria, yeasts, micro-algae and fungi. Our objectives are the detection, the purification, the characterisation, and the study of the mode of action of these new natural antibiotics. The results of our researches could eventually lead to the use of these new substances in our perpetual struggle against undesirable microorganisms.

ASSESSMENT OF BATHING WATER QUALITY BACTERIAL INDICATORS IN THE TROPICS

The water quality of marine beaches is important for the Caribean islands. The assessment of the bathing waters is actually based on two bacterial indicators: Escherichia coli and enterococci. Under the tropics they are not adequate because they can survive long periods and even re-grow. Alternative indicators (Clostridium, Bacteroides sp., and coliphages) will be tested. Water samples from Barbados and Dominica will be analysed to detect a correlation between indicators and human pathogens. The indicators showing the best correlation will be proposed for tropical bacterial indicators of bathing water quality.

Recent Publications:

Nicolas GG, G LaPointe MC Lavoie. 2011. Production, purification, sequencing and activity spectra of mutacins D-123.1 and F-59.1. BMC Microbiology 11:69. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/11/69

Nicolas CG, MC Lavoie. 2011. Streptococcus mutans et les streptocoques buccaux dans la plaque dentaire. Rev Can Microbiol 57 : 1–20.

Nicolas CG, M Frenette, MC Lavoie. 2010. Mannose phosphotransferase systems defective Streptococcus salivarius mutants show reduce sensitivity to mutacins I-T9 and R-3B. Can. J. Microbiol. 56:692-696.

Nicolas G, G La Pointe, MC Lavoie. 2010. Comparative antimicrobial activities of two new mutacins. West Indian Med J 2010; 59 (6): 602-606.

Prospero JM, E Blades, R Naidu, MC Lavoie. 2009. Reply to: African Dust and Asthma in the Caribbean - Medical & Statistical Perspectives by M A Monteil & R Antoine. International Journal of Biometeorology. 53:383-385.

Prospero JM, E Blades, R Naidu, G Mathison, H Thani, MC. Lavoie. 2008. Relationship Between African Dust Carried in the Atlantic Trade Winds and Surges in Pediatric Asthma Attendances in the Caribbean. Int J Biometeorol. 52:823-32.

Workman, SN, FE Been, SR Crawford and MC Lavoie. 2008. Bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances from Campylobacter spp. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 93:435-436.

Workman, SN, GE Mathison, MC Lavoie. 2008. Campylobacter in poultry in Barbados: a farm-to-fork study. International Journal of Food Microbiology.121:106-111.

Nicolas GG, MC Lavoie, G LaPointe. 2007. Molecular Genetics, Genomics and      Biochemistry of Mutacins. Genes, Genomes and Genomics 1(2), 193-208.

Douglas KO, AM Kilpatrick, PN Levett, MC Lavoie. 2007. A Quantitative Risk Assessment of West Nile Virus Introduction into Barbados. West Indian Med J 56 (5): 394-397.

Nicolas GG, M Mota-Meira, G LaPointe, and MC Lavoie. 2007. Mutacins and their            Potential Utilization in Food Preservation. Food 1(2): 161-171

Douglas, KO, MC Lavoie, LM Kim, CL. Afonso, and DL Suarez. 2007. Isolation and Genetic Characterization of Avian Influenza Viruses and a Newcastle Disease Virus from Wild Birds in Barbados: 2003–2004. Avian Dis 51:781–787.

Walters, C, M Mota-Meira, MC Lavoie. 2006. Antimicrobial substances from marine bacteria, Conference Proceedings, 15th Annual Meeting The Caribbean Academy of Sciences, Gosier, Guadeloupe, May 21-23, 2006, p. 159-160.

Douglas, KO, DL Suarez, MC Lavoie. 2006. Influenza A Virus Surveillance of Migratory Waterfowl in Barbados,West Indies. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1081: 169–170.

Nicolas, G, H Morency, G LaPointe, MC Lavoie. 2006. Mutacin H-29B is identical to mutacin II (J-T8). BMC Microbiology  6:36

Roach, JC, PN Levett, MC Lavoie. 2006. Identification of Streptococcus iniae by commercial bacterial identification systems. J Microbiol Meth 67:20-26. (UWI)

Workman, SN, S Sobers, GE Mathison, MC Lavoie. 2006. Human Campylobacter-associated enteritis on the Caribbean island of Barbados. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 74:623-627.

Patent:

Marc C. Lavoie, Marilaine Mota-Meira, Gisèle LaPointe, Christophe Lacroix.2001. Lantibiotic from Streptococcus mutans, method of production and use there of.  US patent Bureau No. 6218362 B1, 17/04/2001.