An increase in the spread of antibiotic-resistant opportunistic microorganisms causes serious problems in the treatment of purulent infections, burns, and trophic ulcers. We tested the antimicrobial activity in vivo of three polyphenols, Resveratrol, Dihydroquercetin (Taxifolin), and Dihydromyricetin (Ampelopsin) from Norway spruce bark to promote the elimination of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans from wounds. Purulent infection was modelled on wounds in rats infected with suspensions containing 10⁹ CFU (colony-forming unit)/mL of pathogens. The wound area was treated daily with solutions of the polyphenols or placebo for 14 days after the beginning of the treatment. The animals were examined daily, and each stage of the wound healing (inflammation, granulation, and maturation (marginal epithelialisation) was documented. The planimetric analysis of the wound recovery percentage was performed on the 3rd, 10th, and 14th day after the start of curing. Then, one echelon (three or four animals from each subgroup) was withdrawn from the experiment on days 3 (three animals), 10 (three animals), and 14 (four animals) for microscopy analysis of cytological composition of their wound defects by microscopy and microbiological analysis of their contamination with pathogens. Our results show that they are also able to suppress mast cell infiltration and stimulate lymphocyte and macrophage (monocyte) infiltration into the wound. Resveratrol stimulated the replacement of the scar with normal tissue (with a clear boundary between the dermis and epidermis) and the restoration of hair follicles. Resveratrol turned out to be significantly better than some commercial antimicrobial (Levomecol) and antifungal (Clotrimazole) ointments and can be proposed as a promising drug for topical use for the treatment of trophic ulcers and burns.

Contemporary data on the mechanism of biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons and biodegradation genes (genomic organization and pathways of evolution) in diverse groups of microorganisms have been reviewed. Studies of this problem are topical, in view of the need in identification and construction of new strains degrading xenobiotics, particularly those halogenated. For this reason, emphasis is placed on specific features of explored metabolic pathways that can be used for constructing new enzymatic systems not present in nature. Sections on the mechanisms of genomic rearrangements involving biodegradation determinants are presented from the same standpoint. Part of the review is devoted to analyzing methods used for studying the population dynamics of bacterial communities involved in xenobiotic degradation in natural biotopes or industrial waste disposal plants. Particular attention is given to methods of gene systematics.

A gene cryIg coding for entomocidal protein δ‐endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. galleriae str. 11‐67 named CryIG has been cloned and sequenced (EMBL accession number X58120). The deduced amino acid sequence that contains 1156 amino acid residues shows only 28% of identical residues, when compared with other δ‐endotoxins of the CryI family. The extent of identity is substantially higher for some regions of the sequence (‘conserved blocks’), that presumably bear important structural or functional properties. This implies that CryIG δ‐endotoxin follows the same type of polypeptide chain folding as other Cryl proteins, whereas peculiarities of primary structure help to explain its unique specificity.