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Background Childhood immunization against hepatitis B is one of the most effective strategies for reducing the global burden of chronic hepatitis B infection and its sequelae. There are limited data from India on both the anti-Hep B antibody titres in children after vaccination and the age-related decline in the titres. This study was planned to estimate the proportion of children in the age group of 1–10 years who develop protective levels of anti-hepatitis B antibodies after childhood vaccination and to examine the change in antibody titres with age in these children. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out in children admitted to the hospital for various ailments. Basic demographic data, vaccination history and HBsAg status of the mother were recorded. All the enrolled children were evaluated for HBsAg and anti hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBS) titres. Institutional ethical clearance was obtained, and informed consent from the parents of the children was taken before drawing samples. Results We found that 68.86% Confidence Interval ((CI): 59.8–76.8%) of the children showed protective antibody titres after vaccination, while 31.14% (CI: 23.1–40.2%) of the children had titres less than 10 IU/L. Although 100% of children in the age group from birth to three years had titres more than 10 IU/L, this percentage showed a decline across the age groups, and 60% of children aged 9–10 years had titres less than 10 IU/L. Conclusion Childhood vaccination against hepatitis B is effective in 68% children, and the antibody levels showed a steady decline with increasing age.

COVID-19 is a multi system disorder and causes various abnormalities in liver function tests. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of abnormal liver function tests in patients of COVID-19 and to describe the association of liver function tests with clinical features and disease severity in these patients.We retrospectively evaluated and analyzed the liver function tests of all real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Western Maharashtra. The Institutional Ethics Committee of our hospital approved the study.Of the 533 patients included in our study, 50% had abnormal albumin levels while 40.1%, 43.5%, 9.3%, and 6.3% patients had deranged alanine transaminase (ALT) aspartate transaminase (AST), total protein and bilirubin levels, respectively. Hepatocellular injury was observed in 21 (3.9%) patients, and cholestatic liver injury was observed in seven (1.3%) patients. Abnormal liver function test (LFT) was significantly associated with disease severity but not with mortality.Abnormal LFT in patients of COVID-19 is associated with severe disease but not mortality. Liver injury is common in patients of COVID-19.

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease which causes reproductive disorders in goats and is considered as one of the important factors responsible for hampering the productivity of Indian goat husbandry. Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) was employed in the present study to detect anti-leptospira antibodies in suspected serum samples of goats. The caprine sera analyzed in the present study were collected from different states of India representing twelve agro-climatic zones. Out of 2075 caprine sera screened, we found agglutinins against various leptospiral serovars in 371 goats (seropositivity 17.88%).The present study indicates proclivity of leptospiral serovars to thrive in specific agro-climatic zones of India (Spatial Variation). The serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae was predominantly reported from sera collected from landlocked regions of Northern India (Upper and Middle Gangetic plains, Western and Eastern Himalayan region, Western dry region, Central and southern plateau and Hills). This lack of serovar diversity observed in landlocked regions is in stark contrast to the serovar epidemiology observed in peninsular and coastal belts of India (Gujarat, West and East coast plains and hills). The peninsular and coastal belts were bastions for a wide diversity of serovars such as Javanica, Australis, Autumnalis, Hardjoprajitno, Pyrogenes, Hebdomadis, Pomona and Djasiman which were encountered along with Icterohaemorrhagiae and Grippotyphosa. The vast majority of caprine sera screened from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an archipelago located in Bay of Bengal, were positive for serovar Pyrogenes whereas serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae and Grippotyphosa which were predominantly reported from mainland India were restricted to a few positive sera samples. Thus, our study clearly suggests differences in geographic distribution of leptospiral serovars between agro-climatic zones. All the caprine sera subjected to MAT were further (n = 2075) screened using recombinant LipL41 based Latex Agglutination Test. The sensitivity of rLipL41 based LAT for 371 MAT positive sera was 88.40% and the specificity with 1704 MAT negative sera was 94.40%. Further, Kappa value of 0.828 for rLipL41 based LAT indicates high agreement with MAT. The results obtained with LipL41 based LAT indicates that this test has direct field applicability in resource poor settings as it yielded high sensitivity and specificity for detection of anti-Leptospira antibodies in serum samples from goats.

The present study investigated the antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of leaves of Aegle marmelos and Murraya koenigii in dairy cows with endometritis. Sixteen cows with a history of repeat breeding were enrolled in the study. Endometritis was initially diagnosed on the basis of mucopurulent/cloudy cervico-vaginal discharge or presence of pus flakes in uterine lavage. The diagnosis was confirmed by endometrial cytology using >5% polymorphonuclear (PMN) as the cut-off point. Twelve of the 16 enrolled cows were diagnosed with endometritis and allocated to treatment (n = 6) and control (n = 6) groups. Cows in the treatment group were supplemented with 200 gm of Aegle marmelos and Murraya koenigii leaf powder daily for 9 days through oral route. The antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects were assessed by evaluating the changes in bacterial load, PMN cell count and oxidative parameters [malondialdehyde (MDA), ascorbic acid (ASCA), reduced glutathione (R-GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)], respectively. Results indicated significant reduction in the bacterial load and PMN cell count in the herb supplemented cows. The MDA concentration decreased drastically, whereas ASCA and R-GSH concentrations and TAC increased significantly in herb supplemented cows as compared to control. Although the SOD activity was not significantly different between the groups, there was a tendency of higher activity in herb supplemented cows. In conclusion, Aegle marmelos and Murraya koenigii reduce bacterial load and inflammation in endometritic dairy cows with a concurrent increase in the endogenous antioxidants.

Animal production has a key role in global economic development and food security. Ticks, specifically Rhipicephalus microplus cause substantial economic and health impacts on more than eighty percent of the world cattle population. Though synthetic acaricides play a major role in tick management, their injudicious usage has caused environmental pollution and also promote the establishment of multi-acaricide resistant tick populations which is a matter of great concern. To provide an effective tool for controlling these resistant ticks, the present work was aimed to develop safe and inexpensive antitick natural formulations. Our bioprospection studies of Ageratum conyzoides plant established it as a species potentially having strong acaricidal activity due to the presence of potent acaricidal phyto-chemicals. To develop a suitable antitick natural formulation, 41 samples/fractions/formulations were prepared from the dry powder of the whole aerial part of the A. conyzoides plant using different techniques and delivery matrices. The strongest antitick effect was recorded for formulation ACF6, which demonstrated 87 ± 6% mean mortality with 57 % inhibition of oviposition in treated female ticks. Ticks treated with the ACF6 formulation showed a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in cuticular protein (1.238 ± 0.01 mg/mL) as compared to control ticks (2.928 ± 0.01 mg/mL) but no significant difference in chitin content of treated ticks and control ticks was observed. The formulation was found safe in a rat model as no significant differences in biochemical and haematological parameters among treated and control rats were noted. Histopathological studies indicated no sign of hepatocellular necrosis and no significant changes in the weights of liver and spleen was recorded. The overall in vivo efficacy of the formulation was 85 % for experimentally infested cattle with direct mortality of more than 80 % within 96 h post-application. The lethal effect of the formulation was in the form of drying and dead ticks 1-2 d after application. The developed formulation has the potential to be adopted as an alternative tick control measure in an ecofriendly manner.

Gloriosa superba L. has economic significance due to colchicine, a bioactive compound used for gout. In present study metabolic and molecular variability in natural population of species was analyzed and correlated with edaphic and climatic factors. Thirty populations (wild) of G. superba were mapped from 10 different eco-regions of India at an elevation range of 10-1526 m, having no morphotypic variations. The two known biologically active alkaloids colchicine (ranged from 0.015-0.516%) and gloriosine (0.19-0.44%) were significantly varied (p 0.05) among populations, leading to the identification of four elite chemotypes. Molecular variability from ISSR data divides the population in different sub clusters at intra-specific level, presenting the high similarity percentage with bootstrap value of 66-100%. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that elite chemotypes are related to temperature, precipitation and aridity gradient. The rhizospheric soil selenium was significantly correlated with colchicine content in G. superba.

Phytogeographical variation has an impact on up/down regulation of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. In the same context, present study was planned to evaluate the variation of forskolin content in Coleus forskohlii from Vidarbha region (Maharashtra), India having different topographical conditions. The chemotypic variation was further correlated with existing soil profile. The data revealed the similarity in morphological, macroscopic and microscopic characters of collected germplasms but there is significant (p < 0.05) variation in the content of chemical marker, forskolin. Physicochemical and phytochemical parameters are within the limits of API and serve as standard for commercial utility of samples. NBC-29 (Narkhed) and NBC-31 (Katol) are the first two high forskolin yielding samples, which are clustered together on the basis of forskolin content with similar soil profiles. Furthermore our study demonstrated that there is significant variation in available NPK and micronutrient content within the soil samples and may be reasoned for existing chemotypic variability in samples. Among the micronutrients, manganese and copper exhibit the positive correlation with forskolin. Thus, elite chemotype of C. forskohlii were identified among the samples collected from Vidarbha region and express the relevance of phyto-geographical conditions on the quantity of industrially viable metabolites, forskolin. This aids in site specific exploration of high metabolite yielding accession/samples to meet out the commercial demands and, supply and to promote the agriculture practices of this industrial crop for societal upliftment in area having similar phytogeographical locations.

In the present study, the tick isolates were collected from Assam state, of northeastern region (NER) and characterized using in vitro bioassay, biochemical and molecular assays. Comparing LC50 value of susceptible IVRI-I and larvae of field isolates, revealed that RF against deltamethrin was highest for Morigaon (MGN = 21.8) and lowest for Sonitpur (SNP = 3.3) isolate. The RF against cypermethrin was highest for Nagaon (NGO = 5.0) and lowest for Barpeta (BPT = 1.2) isolate. Against coumaphos, the highest RF of 4.5 was calculated for BPT (4.5) and lowest for NGO (1.3) isolate. While using adults based assay, highest RF of 24.68 against deltamethrin and lowest RF of 4.96 was determined for MGN and SNP isolate, respectively. In contrast to the results obtained using larvae, against cypermethrin, highest RF was recorded for Kamrup Metropolitan (KMP) while it was NGO isolate using larvae. In case of coumaphos, both larvae and adults of BPT isolate were also highly resistant and lowest RF was detected in SNP (2.30) isolate. All the isolates were susceptible to ivermectin. A significant correlation (p < 0.01) between deltamethrin resistance and higher expression of glutathioneS-transferase was observed while no correlation with esterase and monooxygenase enzymes activity was noted. For the development of possible ecofriendly control measure, different accessions of Argemone mexicana and Datura metel plant species were collected, extracted and screened against adult ticks. Two accessions, NEA-03 and NED-06 collected from Amlighat and Diphu (East Karbi Anglong) were more than 90 % effective. Further dose response study of these accessions determined the LC50 values of 4.86 and 3.96 %, respectively.The resistance status of the collected tick isolates was compared with the data generated from other regions having higher livestock population and possibility of exploitation of identified plant species for the development of natural antitick product is discussed.

In an attempt to identify plants having anti-tick properties, the 95% ethanolic and 50% hydro-ethanolic extracts of the fruits of Semecarpus anacardium and leaves of Datura stramonium were evaluated against reference tick lines of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. The 95% ethanolic extracts of S. anacardium and D. stramonium caused 50% and 20% mortality, respectively, within 72 h of treatment by adult immersion test. The LC90 value of the ethanolic fruit extract of S. anacardium was determined as 13.5% (CI 12.05-15.12). The extract was also found efficacious (73.3%±3.3%) against the multi-acaricide-resistant IVRI-V line of R.(B.) microplus. The S. anacardium extract significantly affected the reproductive physiology of treated ticks by inhibiting the oviposition and was found safe. The HPTLC fingerprinting profile revealed the presence of pyrocatechol as a marker compound. The acaricidal property of S. anacardium against chemical acaricide-resistant R. (B.) microplus was discussed.

Background/Introduction Murraya koenigii Linn. (Family: Rutaceae), commonly known as curry patta, is a deciduous shrub found abundantly throughout India and in other tropical parts of the Asian subcontinent. It is traditionally used for several medicinal and folklore purposes as astringent, aromatic, demulcent, depurative, anthelmintic, febrifuge, stomachic, appetizing, carminative, anodyne, constipation, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, tonic, etc. The leaves are rich in carbazole alkaloids, a class of compounds that are suggested to have stimulating effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Purpose/Aim The study was performed to evaluate the CNS stimulating and analgesic activities of M. koenigii leaves. Methods The leaves were extracted with ethanol and phytochemically screened. The CNS stimulating activity was tested by a rat forced swim test and barbiturate-induced sleeping time model, and the analgesic activity was evaluated by the hot-plate and tail-flick test models. Results The yield of leaf extract was 9.75%. The CNS stimulating activities were exhibited by selected doses in both the models; in the rat forced swim test model, the duration of sleep at 600 mg/kg was significantly (p

Indian cattle ticks have developed resistance to commonly used acaricides and an attempt has been made to formulate an ecofriendly herbal preparation for the control of acaricide resistant ticks. A 95% ethanolic extract of Ricinus communis was used to test the efficacy against reference acaricide resistant lines by in vitro assay. In in vitro assay, the extract significantly affects the mortality rate of ticks in dose-dependent manner ranging from 35.0 ± 5.0 to 95.0 ± 5.0% with an additional effect on reproductive physiology of ticks by inhibiting 36.4-63.1% of oviposition. The leaf extract was found effective in killing 48.0, 56.7 and 60.0% diazinon, deltamethrin and multi-acaricide resistant ticks, respectively. However, the cidal and oviposition limiting properties of the extract were separated when the extract was fractionated with hexane, chloroform, n-butanol and water. The HPTLC finger printing profile of R. communis leaf extract under λ(max.) - 254 showed presence of quercetin, gallic acid, flavone and kaempferol which seemed to have synergistic acaricidal action. In vivo experiment resulted in 59.9% efficacy on Ist challenge, however, following 2nd challenge the efficacy was reduced to 48.5%. The results indicated that the 95% ethanolic leaf extract of R. communis can be used effectively in integrated format for the control of acaricide resistant ticks.

Raw materials (roots) of Rauvolfia serpentina were found associated with various storage moulds. During mycological screening, total 887 fungal isolates were recovered and among them Aspergillus flavus exhibited the highest relative density (35.74%). The essential oil (EO) of Ocimum sanctum was isolated through Clevenger's hydro-distillation apparatus and investigated against A. flavus LHPRS7, isolated from raw materials. The GC–MS analysis of EO showed 41 considerable peaks. Eugenol (61.30%) was found as major component followed by β-Caryophyllene (11.89%) and Germacrene D (9.14%). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of O. Sanctum against A. flavus was found at 0.3 μl ml−1 while aflatoxin B1 production was completely checked at 0.2 μl ml−1. The O. sanctum EO exhibited broad fungitoxic spectrum and also found efficacious in reducing fungal incidence during in vivo study. The EO reduces the number of A. flavus isolates up to 62.94, 67.87 and 74.01% fumigated at concentration 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 μl ml−1 respectively. The HPTLC (high performance thin layer chromatography) analysis of raw materials in in vivo study reveals that alkaloid ajmaline was firmly degraded by fungal contamination while in the samples fumigated with O. sanctum EO, ajmaline was protected from fungal degradation due to antifungal efficacy of EO. The prospects of exploitation of O. sanctum EO as acceptable plant based additive in qualitative as well as quantitative control of biodeterioration of herbal raw materials have been discussed.

Objective To evaluate the pharmacognostical comparison (Botanical study, physicochemical parameters, HPTLC analysis) in stem barks of four Ficus species (family-Moraceae) viz. F. religiosa L, F. glomerata Roxb, F. retusa auct. & F. carica . Methods Estimation of Phytochemical markers viz: β-sitosterol and lupeol was quantified by HPTLC method and antioxidant studies by carried by DPPH method. Results HPTLC method showed considerable amount of variation with two reference standard viz: β-sitosterol and lupeol content in stem bark of F. religiosa , F. glomerata, F. retusa & F. carica and it were found 0.084, 0.041, 0.059 & 0.131 and 0.020, 0.043, 0.069 & 0.049 respectively. The antioxidant potential of ethanolic extract of stem bark of F. religiosa , F. retusa , F. glomerata & F. carica were found 46.86%, 42.56%, 31.25% & 25.63% at 0.1mg/mL concentration. Conclusion The present work was taken up with a view to lay down standards which will contribute significantly to quality control of these medicinally useful Ficus species. It also provides suitable criteria to differentiate the stem barks of four Ficus species.

The phylogenetic relationships of five isolates of Pasteurella multocida serotype B:2 belonging to buffalo, cattle, pig, sheep and goat were investigated by comparative sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene. The 1468 bp fragment of 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison showed that the isolates of cattle (PM75), pig (PM49) and sheep (PM82) shared 99.9% homology with the buffalo isolate (vaccine strain P52) whereas, the goat isolate (PM86) shared 99.8% homology with the vaccine strain. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of these isolates were also found monophyletic with type B reference strain NCTC 10323 of P. multocida subsp. multocida. The present study indicated the close relationships of haemorrhagic septicaemia causing P. multocida serotype B:2 isolates of buffalo and cattle with other uncommon hosts (pig, sheep and goat).

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of treating repeat breeder dairy crossbred cows with different doses of GnRH analogue through i.m. at the time of artificial insemination, on pregnancy rates from their first service after treatment and overall pregnancy rates. One hundred and thirty seven crossbred dairy cows with a history of repeat breeding and eligible after 6-8 infertile services but clinically free of diseases were selected for the study. The animals were randomly divided into three groups. Group 1 (n = 55) cows were treated intramuscularly with each 20 microg Buserelin-acetate (Receptal, Hoechst Roussel Vet GmbH) at the time of artificial insemination. Group 2 (n = 40) cows were treated intramuscularly with each 10 microg Buserelin-acetate at the time of artificial insemination. Group 3 (n = 42) cows were treated intramuscularly with saline as control at the time of artificial insemination. The first service pregnancy rates in Groups 1-3 were 45, 25 and 17%, respectively. Similarly, the overall conception rates in Groups 1-3 were 87, 58 and 48%, respectively. The results indicated that the pregnancy rate in crossbred cows could be improved by the GnRH treatment. The higher dose of GnRH significantly increased (P0.05) the first service as well as overall pregnancy rate in a dose dependent manner in repeat breeder crossbred cow bred previously 6-8 times unsuccessfully.

Avian strains of Pasteurella multocida were typed by employing restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) and single enzyme-amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to evaluate their applicability for epidemiological studies of fowl cholera outbreaks. A total of 72 strains isolated from different avian species (chicken, duck, turkey, quail and goose) belonging to various geographical regions of India were characterized. REA using two different enzymes HhaI and HpaII produced 9 and 18 clusters respectively, whereas Single enzyme-AFLP recognized 32 patterns out of 72 strains typed. The study indicated that REA using HpaII is a simple and resource efficient method, however, further typing with more stringent and rapid method like Single enzyme-AFLP, could drastically enhance investigation in epidemiological studies of fowl cholera outbreaks.