FIRst try - b. pumilus
”This initial attempt at an image, a triptych, focuses on the bacteria Bacillus pumilus. With the interposition of images, ranging from the microscopic world to the macroscopic landscapes where these microorganisms live, I try to create associations between these types of life and the influence they have on the existence of the earth and everything that coexists on it as a planet.” - Gabriela Torres-Ruiz
“Bacillus pumilus, from the latin pumilus the dwarf, is a very small bacterium with high mobility, Gram-positive, endospore-forming rod-shaped bacteria that grow under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. B. pumilus resides in soils, water, high altitudes stratospheric air (spores), deep-sea sediments, and some extreme environments, in fermented foods, decomposing plant and animal tissues, some colonize in the root area of some plants where B. pumilus has antibacterial and antifungal activity, that’s why it has been widely used in agriculture for their beneficial actions on plants, such as plant-growth-promoting effect. They exist in the human gastrointestinal tract, although the Bacillus genus is not considered as part of the normal microbiota composition in the human gut.
The strain has an open pan-genome with continuous evolution and adaptation, with spore’s production capacity pointed out as the crucial condition to facilitate their adaptation into different ecological niches. B.p. hat a vital role in the sustainable aquaculture production. Bacillus as gut probiotic significantly enhances growth, immune response, and disease resistance in several aquatic cultured organisms. The supplementation of Bacillus as pond probiotics or bioremediator aids to improve water quality by degrading the organic detritus and reducing the nitrogenous waste.
The proteases from B. pumilus are used in various industries. There are alternative solutions for concrete repair in cracks on the mortar surface based on bio-suspension using Bacillus pumilus.
Several Bacillus strains have a long history of safe use in fermented foods, and well known for their ability to secrete proteins, enzymes, antimicrobial compounds, and vitamins, which make this group a candidate to be used as probiotic bacteria in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The Bacillusspecies had a broader activity against various cancer cells in the mammary gland, colon, and liver. Recently, the protease activity of this genera has been related to the production of protein compounds that alleviate the progression and aggravation of Parkinson Disease, and have more beneficial effects for human health, including antioxidant activity.”