Volume 31, Issue 2, December 2015 ISSN 0204-8809 ACTA MICROBIOLOGICA BULGARICA Bulgarian Society for Microbiology Union of Scientists in Bulgaria Acta Microbiologica Bulgarica The journal publishes editorials, original research works, research reports, reviews, short communications, letters to the editor, historical notes, etc from all areas of microbiology An Official Publication of the Bulgarian Society for Microbiology (Union of Scientists in Bulgaria) Volume 31 / 2 (2015) Editor-in-Chief Angel S. Galabov Press Product Line Sofia Editor-in-Chief Angel S. Galabov Editors Maria Angelova Hristo Najdenski Editorial Board I. Abrashev, Sofia S. Aydemir, Izmir, Turkey L. Boyanova, Sofia E. Carniel, Paris, France M. Da Costa, Coimbra, Portugal E. DeClercq, Leuven, Belgium S. Denev, Stara Zagora D. Fuchs, Innsbruck, Austria S. Groudev, Sofia I. Iliev, Plovdiv A. Ionescu, Bucharest, Romania L. Ivanova, Varna V. Ivanova, Plovdiv I. Mitov, Sofia I. Mokrousov, Saint-Petersburg, Russia P. Moncheva, Sofia M. Murdjeva, Plovdiv R. Peshev, Sofia M. Petrovska, Skopje, FYROM J. C. Piffaretti, Massagno, Switzerland S. Radulovic, Belgrade, Serbia P. Raspor, Ljubljana, Slovenia B. Riteau, Marseille, France J. Rommelaere, Heidelberg, Germany G. Satchanska, Sofia E. Savov, Sofia A. Stoev, Kostinbrod S. Stoitsova, Sofia T. Tcherveniakova, Sofia E. Tramontano, Cagliari, Italy A. Tsakris, Athens, Greece F. Wild, Lyon, France Vol. 31, Issue 2 December 2015 ACTA MICROBIOLOGICA BULGARICA CONTENTS Review Articles Biohydrometallurgy in Bulgaria - Achievements and Perspectives Stoyan Groudev 81 Enteroviruses and Perspectives for Etiotropic Therapy of Enteroviral Infections Adelina Stoyanova, Angel S. Galabov 93 Regular Papers Anti-Influenza Virus Activity of 1-(4-Morpholinomethyl)-tetrahydro-2(1H)- pyrimidinone (Mopyridone) Angel S. Galabov, Sergey Uzunov, Vessela Hadjiathanassova, Emilia Velichkova, Paulina Dosseva-Runevska, Galina Gegova 107 Reasons for Two Consecutive Helicobacter pylori Treatment Failures Lyudmila Boyanova, Naiden Kandilarov, Galina Gergova, Ivan Mitov 115 Monoclonal Antibody against Lipooligosaccharide of Moraxella catarrhalis Decreases Resistance to Aminopenicillins Raina T. Gergova, Rumiana D. Markovska, Ivan G. Mitov 118 Promotion of the Synthesis of a Concanavalin A-reactive Polysaccharide Upon Growth of Escherichia coli O157:H(-) on Solid Medium at 37oC Tsvetelina Paunova-Krasteva, Radka Ivanova, Cristina DeCastro, Antonio Molinaro, Stoyanka R. Stoitsova 122 Antioxidant Activity of Helix aspersa maxima (Gastropod) Hemocyanin Yuliana Raynova, Andrey Marchev, Lyuba Doumanova, Atanas Pavlov, Krassimira Idakieva 127 Temperature Pre-Treatment Modulates Oxidative Protection of Aspergillus niger Cells Stressed by Paraquat and Hydrogen Peroxide Radoslav Abrashev, Pavlina Dolashka, Maria Angelova 132 Purification of Arabinomannan Synthesized by Cryptococcus laurentii AL100 Snezhana Rusinova-Videva, Nadya Radchenkova, Georgi Dobrev, Kostantza Pavlova 141 Spread and Manifestations of Pear Rust (Gymnosporangium sabine) on Different Pear Cultivars Antoniy Stoev, Georgi Kostadinov 145 Chronicle 6th Congress of European Microbiologists, Maastricht, The Netherlands, June 7-11, 2015 Galina Satchanska 149 Ninth Balkan Congress of Microbiology, Thessaloniki, October 22-24, 2015 151 70 Years Anniversary of Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of Plovdiv Marianna Murdjeva 152 Forth Congress of Virology (Days of Virology in Bulgaria) with International Participation, Sofia, May 19-20, 2016 153 ACTA MICROBIOLOGICA BULGARICA Review Biohydrometallurgy in Bulgaria - Achievements and Perspectives Stoyan Groudev University of Mining and Geology “Saint Ivan Rilski”, Sofia, Bulgaria Abstract The past and current research and industrial activities in the field of biohydrometallurgy in Bulgaria cover a large number of problems: microflora of different mineral deposits (such as of ores of non-ferrous metals, uranium and gold; non-metallic mineral raw materials such as coal, oil, kaolins, quartz sands, etc.); physiology, biochemistry and genetics of the microorganisms participating in the transformations of the above-mentioned mineral substrates; bioleaching of copper and other non-ferrous metals and uranium by means of in situ, dump, heap and reactor techniques; pretreatment of gold and silver-bearing sulphide concentrates and ores by means of chemolithotrophic bacteria to expose these precious metals; combined microbial and chemical leaching of precious metals from oxide ores; microbial removal of iron from quartz sands and kaolins, of sulphur from coal, of silicon from low-grade bauxites, of phosphorus from iron ores; improvement of the ceramic properties of kaolins; microbial enhanced oil recovery; electricity production from organic wastes by means of microbial fuel cells. Several of the above-mentioned activities are connected with the solution of essential environmental problems: prevention of the generation and/or treatment of toxic waters polluted by heavy metals, radionu- clides, arsenic, oil, organochemicals, etc. by means of active and/or passive systems, reactive zones, rock filters, etc.; treatment of soils polluted with the above-mentioned pollutants by different reactors, heap and in situ techniques; bioremediation of post-mining landscapes and wastes. Keywords: biohydrometallurgy, bioleaching, bioremediation, chemolithotrophic bacteria, mineral biotech- nology Резюме Научните и промишлени дейнсоти в областта на биохидрометалургията в миналото и понастоящем в България обхващат голям брой проблеми: микрофлора на различни минерални находища (на руди на цветни метали, уран и злато; неметални минерални суровини като въглища, нефт, каолини, кварцови пясъщи и т.н.); физиология биохимия и генетика на микроорганизм,и участващи в трансформациите на посочените минерални субстрати; биологично излугване на мед и други цветни метали и уран посредством техники, приложенени in situ, в насипища и реактори; предварително третиране на златни и сребърни сулфидни концентрати и руди чрез хемолитотрофни бактерии за разкриване на тези благородни метали от минералните структури; комбинирано микробно и химично излугване на благородни метали от окисни руди; микробно отстраняване на желязо от кварцови пясъци и каолини, на сяра от въглища, на силиций от нискокачествени боксити, на фосфор от железни руди; подобряване на керамичните свойства на каолини; микробно повишаване на добива на нефт; получаване на електричество от органични отпадъци чрез микробни горивни клетки. Редица от горепосочените дейности са свързани с решаването на съществени екологични проблеми: предотвратяване на генерирането и/или третиране на токсични води, замърсени от тежки метали, радионуклиди, арсен, нефт, органохимикали и т.н., посредством активни и/или пасивни системи, действащи in situ зони, скални филтри и т.н.; третиране на почви, замърсени с горепосочените замърсители, чрез техники, приложени в реактори, конструирани насипища и in situ; биоремедиация на ландшафти и отпадъци след рудодобив. 81 Introduction 1978; Karavaiko and Groudev, 1985; Karavaiko et The first studies in the field of biohydromet- al., 1988). The data from these studies made possi- allurgy in Bulgaria were started in 1967 by a joint ble the efficient application of the relevant process- group of investigators and students from the Uni- es under real commercial-scale conditions. versity of Mining and Geology “Saint Ivan Rilski” Until now, there were five commercial-scale - Sofia and the University of Sofia “Saint Kliment operations for dump bioleaching of copper from Ohridski”. In the course of time, engineers from low-grade ores and mining wastes. One of them, the then-existing institute NIPRORUDA and from located near to the Vlaikov Vrah copper mine, for some industrial enterprises were involved in these a long period of time (1972 - 2003) was the larg- activities. est operation of this type in Europe. More than The realization of efficient large-scale bio- forty million tons of ore with an average copper technologies for processing different mineral raw content of about 0.15 % were leached by indige- materials and recovery of the relevant valuable nous populations of acidophilic chemolithotroph- components required preliminary studies on the ic bacteria, mainly of the species Acidithiobacillus chemical and mineral composition and structure of ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and the raw materials, the composition of the indige- Leptospirillum ferrooxidans. The growth and ac- nous microflora of the relevant deposits, as well as tivity of these bacteria were stimulated by suitable on the real participation and potential of this mi- changes in the levels of some essential environ- croflora in the processes of mineral transformations mental factors such as humidity, pH and content and leaching of different components. Initially, spe- of air and nutrients (mainly of ammonium and cial attention was paid to the oxidation of sulphide phosphate ions) in the ore dumps. Initially, cop- minerals, ferrous iron and elemental sulphur by dif- per was recovered from the pregnant leach solu- ferent acidophilic chemolithotrophic bacteria, the tions by cementation with metallic iron (Fe0) but mechanisms and the optimum conditions for these later solvent extraction followed by electrolysis processes, which were essential for the leaching was used for this purpose (Groudev and Genchev, of copper, other non-ferrous metals and uranium 1976; Groudev et al., 1978; Groudev and Groud- from the relevant mineral