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Aims Carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli has been categorized as a pathogen of critical priority by the World Health Organization as it is highly infectious with high mortality and morbidity rates and widespread transmission potential. Carbapenem resistance is primarily mediated by carbapenemase-encoding genes and, additionally, through intrinsic factors. In India, over the years, carbapenemase-encoding genes have been reported from diverse clinically significant pathogens. The present study identifies E. coli of clinical origin that harbours bla OXA-144. Methods and results The study isolate was obtained from a tertiary referral hospital in northeast India. Carbapenemase production was investigated through culture on chromogenic agar and Rapidec Carba NP test as per manufacturer's instructions. Susceptibility of the isolate was performed by the Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method and agar dilution method following CLSI guidelines. PCR targeting carbapenemase-encoding genes was performed, followed by transformation and conjugation experiments. Whole-genome sequencing of the isolate was done through the Illumina sequencing platform and the data were analysed using the Centre for Genomic Epidemiology database. BJD_EC180 is 6 919 180 bp in length and consists of six rRNA operons, 111 tRNA, and 6849 predicted protein-coding sequences. BJD_EC180 belonged to ST2437 and harboured the carbapenemase-encoding gene bla OXA-144 with ISAba1 upstream, along with multiple antibiotic resistance genes conferring clinical resistance towards beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, amphenicols, sulphonamides, tetracyclines, trimethoprim, and rifampin. Conclusions Carbapenem-resistant E. coli harbouring bla OXA-144 associated with insertion sequence pose a serious health threat as their mobilization into carbapenem non-susceptible strains that will contribute to the resistance burden and therefore, needs urgent monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thuja orientalis generally recognized as Chinese arborvitae, placed under the family Cupressaceae is a commonly available medicinal plant in India. Objectives: In present research work Thuja leaves essential oil stored in three temperatures for two-years storage periods was evaluated against fungi causing ring worm infection in man. Materials and Methods: Thuja oil was hydro-distilled and stored for 24 months in airtight amber glass bottles at three distinct temperatures. MIC was determined through semi solid agar diffusion method containing BHIA medium. Anti-dermtophytic activity of stored oil was examined in triplets after every fourth month of storage up to 2 years. Results: Oil stored in refrigerator was found to be more stable up to two year of storage time. No activity changes were observed in this condition against all test fungi. While variable temperature condition of room temperature was found less suitable for the storage of oil. MIC against Candida albicans was increased 40% after 2 years (>3.5 μL/mL) and 66% against Microsporum fulvum. Oil stored at 30ºC temperature condition was found more stable upto IV testing. Slightly changes were observed during Vth testing against C. albicans, M. fulvum and M. canis. Conclusion: Present study concluded that essential oil of Thuja put away in chilliness condition can reserved their quality and properties of antifungal behaviour for long time. Accordingly, putting away of volatile oil ointment items in coolness (beneath 8ºC) condition is best guidelines for long term use of therapeutic items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Candida species have emerged as the most opportunistic pathogens to cause UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). Aim: To explore the usefulness of Chromogenic medium in speciating clinical isolates of Candida and to determine their antifungal susceptibility. Methodology: A total of 100 Candida species were isolated from urine sample. Speciation of Candida was done based on the growth on Chromogenic medium and other methods like formation of Germ Tube Test. Results: Among the 100 clinical Candida isolates, only 24% of the Candida isolates were identified as Candida albicans and the rest were non albicans Candida species.22% Candida parapsilosis (22/100), 28% Candida krusei (28/100), 26% Candida tropicalis (26/100). Among the non albicans species Candida krusei was the commonest isolate followed by C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis. Conclusion: CHROM Agar can be used for rapid identification of most commonly isolated Candida species from urine samples. This will be useful to initiate appropriate antifungal therapy thereby reducing morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cotton is one of the most important cash crops in India. It is also called as "White gold" because of its agricultural as well as industrial importance. Myrothecium leaf blight is an emerging disease in cotton which is growing consistently throughout the country and has been reported to cause significant losses in major cotton growing tracts of odisha. Considering the importance of the disease, the present investigation has been taken up to study the physiology of the fungus. Methods: An experiment was conducted in vitro during 2016-18 to investigate the effect of temperature and pH on the growth of M. roridum. Seven different nutrient media viz. Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium, Potato Sucrose Agar (PSA) medium, Host Leaf Extract Agar (HEA) medium, Potato Carrot Agar (PCA) medium, Czapek'sdox Agar (ZA) medium, Richard's Agar (RA) medium and Oat meal agar medium (OMA) were tested under in-vitro conditions to ascertain a suitable medium for the growth of M. roridum. Result: The investigation in laboratory conditions has revealed that out of seven nutrient media tested, maximum radial growth was recorded in Potato Sucrose Agar (PSA) with an average radial growth of diameter 76.06 mm and the least growth was recorded on Richard's Agar with a diameter of 23.66 mm. The growth of the fungus was observed to be maximum at a temperature of 28°C with a diameter of 61.09 mm and the minimum average growth of 17.36 mm was recorded at 36°C. Studies on pH revealed that that the fungus grows well in neutral and slight alkaline medium (6.5-8.0). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main sources of dangerous chemicals that are dumped untreated into land and water bodies and have a negative influence on the ecosystem are industrial effluents. Seaweeds are currently used for treating industrial effluent effectively. The technology is at a maturing stage. This paper reviews the characterization and cultivation of seaweeds for wastewater treatment. In this present study, different extracts of four seaweeds such as Gracilaria edulis, Sargassum wightii, Turbinaria ornata, and Kappaphycus alvarezii, from the Mandapam coastal regions were analyzed. The seaweeds are used to treat the leather industry effluents collected from EKM leather processing company, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India. Among all, extracts of Gracilaria edulis survived at different concentrations of TDS: 15,000, 25000, and 35000 mg/l. Out of these different ranges, TDS of about 25000 mg/l seaweed named Gracilaria edulis reduced more amounts of chemicals present in the effluent like TDS (93.90%), phosphates (72.71%), nitrate (75.08%), nitrite (76.92%), and turbidity (99.01%) content. Additionally, we produce the quality and strength of agar gel from the cultivation of Gracilaria edulis by the Nikansui method. Finally, we got the extraction procedure to obtain a higher yield of about 10.26% and a maximum gel strength of 92.06 g·cm−2 while maintaining the melting point at 78°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterobacterales particularly which are resistant to carbapenem group of antibiotics (CRE) are precariously being reported worldwide. Last option for treating the infections caused by CRE are polymyxin E (Colistin) and polymyxin B. Resistance to polymyxins is on higher side because of its increased usage both clinically and non-clinically. In vitro evaluation tests for susceptibility of colistin is associated with lot of complexities due to its innate cationic properties. Hence it is essential for all diagnostic laboratory to standardize colistin testing method, so the present study was undertaken to evaluate the results of colistin broth disk elution (CBDE) and colistin agar test (CAT) in comparison with the reference broth microdilution (rBMD). About 100 CRE clinical isolates were tested, results of CBDE & CAT was compared with rBMD. Categorical agreement (CA) of CBDE was 98% with 2% of very major error (VME), CA of CAT was 99% with 1% of VME in comparison with rBMD. Because of increasing colistin resistance it is crucial to report colistin MIC with a validated method, so we would like to recommend CAT test for routine MIC reporting of colistin since it is feasible test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were undertaken to determine the effect of agar amendments on the growth of the asexual (anamorph) stage of the entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps robertsii (Hook.) G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) in culture. These were part of ongoing research whose aim was to develop methods for augmenting O. robertsii infested ghost moth (Hepialidae) larvae (āwheto) populations in forests, with a view to assisting their potential commercial harvest. The first experiment used full-strength potato-dextrose agar (PDA) with added yeast while the second used a reduced concentration of PDA. Amendments included mycosed host (ghost moth larva) tissue, leaf litter, soil, hinau (Elaeocarpus dentatus (J.R.Forst. et G.Forst.) Vahl var. dentatus) leaves, berries, seeds and roots and combinations of these amendments. The hinau leaf amendment treatment stood out, unexpectedly causing a 53% reduction in fungal growth in the first experiment and a 100% reduction in the second. Several of the other amendments were associated with a small (up to 15%) reduction in fungal growth in both experiments while in the second experiment, with a reduced-agar content, some combinations of amendments that avoided the use of hinau leaves were associated with an increase in fungal growth of 24%-43%. While these experiments did not achieve the original objectives of developing amended media recipes for increasing O. robertsii growth rates, they do indicate that hinau leaves may contain chemicals with anti-fungal properties. The results are discussed in relation to recent discoveries of chemicals with strong anti-fungal properties in the leaves of an Elaeocarpus species in India. More research into the nature of New Zealand endemic Eleaocarpus spp. phytochemistry and its anti-fungal properties is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Public health protection requires timely evaluation of pathogens in potable water to minimize outbreaks caused by microbial contaminations. The present study was aimed at assessing the microbiological quality of water obtained from Shantinagar (a rural area in the South Goa region of Goa, India) using 5-Bromo-4-Chloro-3-Indoxyl ß-D-glucuronide-Sorbitol MacConkey agar (BCIG-SMAC) medium and, propidium monoazide-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PMA-qPCR) assay for differential detection and quantification of viable Escherichia coli cells in water samples. Materials and Methods: Membrane filtration method was used for both BCIG-SMAC medium and PMA-qPCR methods. To determine the efficiency of detection of viable cells, we first evaluated the PMA treatment protocol and established the standard calibration curves using previously reported primers. Results: PMA-qPCR detected as low as 7 femtograms of DNA of E. coli per qPCR reaction whereas the limit of detection (LOD) of BCIG-SMAC medium was 1.8 CFU/100mL. A total of 71 water samples spanning 2017-2018 have been analyzed using BCIG-SMAC medium and PMA-qPCR, of which 95.77% (68/71) and 7.04% (5/71) were found to be total E. coli and E. coli O157:H7, respectively. PMA-qPCR study showed the viable counts of total viable E. coli cells ranging from 3 CFU/100mL to 8.2×102 CFU/100mL. The total E. coli CFU/100mL quantified by PMA-qPCR significantly exceeded (paired t-test; P<0.05) the number on BCIG-SMAC medium. Conclusion: The present study indicates that the microbiological quality of environmental water samples analyzed do not comply with the regulatory standard. Therefore, special attention is warranted to improve the overall portable quality of water in the perspective of public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birds kept in zoological gardens and aviaries are aesthetically pleasing but may act as pollinators for pathogenic fungi such as Cryptococcus neoformans. Occurrence of cryptococcosis in human is associated with exposure to the avian droppings. The preference of avian species as hosts has not been fully explored for C. neoformans. The present study was undertaken to detect the occurrence and antifungal susceptibility of C. neoformans in the excreta of wild birds kept in a zoological garden in India. A total of 161 pooled weathered dry and moist droppings were collected from apparently healthy caged wild birds during summer. The study detected occurrence (5.59%) of C. neoformans in blue and yellow macaw, chattering lory, pigeons, Chinese silver pheasant, kalij pheasant, ring necked pheasant and golden pheasant. All the isolates produced mucoid creamy colonies in Sabouraud's dextrose agar (SDA) and Corn meal agar-Tween 80, and brown coloured colonies in bird seed agar. Negative staining with India ink showed characteristic encapsulated budding yeasts with blastoconidia. None of the isolates exhibited any growth in the Sabouraud's dextrose agar with cycloheximide or produced urease. All of the isolates produced CNLAC1 outer gene in PCR. The MIC study revealed resistance to amphotericin B, ketoconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, and flucytosine. Occurrence of C. neoformans in Chinese silver pheasant, kalij pheasant, ring necked pheasant, and golden pheasant has not been reported previously. The results are important from a public health point of view as the zoological garden is often situated in a crowded location and is frequently visited by children and the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Levonadifloxacin is a novel antibiotic belonging to the benzoquinolizine subclass of fluoroquinolones with potent activity against MRSA and quinolone-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. IV levonadifloxacin and its oral prodrug alalevonadifloxacin have recently been approved in India for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs) including diabetic foot infections.Objectives: To investigate the in vitro activity of levonadifloxacin against contemporary clinical isolates collected from multiple tertiary care hospitals across India in the Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiling of Indian Resistotypes (ASPIRE) surveillance study.Methods: A total of 1376 clinical isolates, consisting of staphylococci (n = 677), streptococci (n = 178), Enterobacterales (n = 320), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 140) and Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 61), collected (2016-18) from 16 tertiary hospitals located across 12 states in India, were included in the study. The MICs of levonadifloxacin and comparator antibiotics were determined using the reference agar dilution method and broth microdilution method.Results: Levonadifloxacin exhibited potent activity against MSSA (MIC50/90: 0.5/1 mg/L), MRSA (MIC50/90: 0.5/1 mg/L) and levofloxacin-resistant S. aureus (MIC50/90: 1/1 mg/L) isolates. Similarly, potent activity of levonadifloxacin was also observed against CoNS including MDR isolates (MIC50/90: 1/2 mg/L). Against Streptococcus pneumoniae, levonadifloxacin (MIC50/90: 0.5/0.5 mg/L) showed superior activity compared with levofloxacin (MIC50/90: 1/2 mg/L). Among levofloxacin-susceptible Enterobacterales, 80.6% of isolates were inhibited at ≤2 mg/L levonadifloxacin.Conclusions: Levonadifloxacin displayed potent activity against contemporary MRSA and fluoroquinolone-resistant staphylococcal isolates, thus offering a valuable IV as well as an oral therapeutic option for the treatment of ABSSSIs. Furthermore, levonadifloxacin exhibited a broad-spectrum activity profile as evident from its activity against streptococci and levofloxacin-susceptible Gram-negative isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Escherichia coli STs and associated resistance mechanisms carried by the community in North-East India.Methods: E. coli (108) were isolated from sewage collected from 19 sites across the city of Silchar by plating on MacConkey agar with/without selection (50 mg/L cefotaxime). Species identification was confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS for 82 isolates. Common resistance mechanisms were determined by WGS of pooled E. coli isolates. PFGE combined with specific probes determined the presence of common resistance mechanisms in all isolates. Phylotypes, multilocus STs, core-genome multilocus STs, resistance genes and virulence genes were determined by in silico analysis of 38 genomes.Results and Conclusions: Analysis of isolates collected without selection (n=33) indicated that cefotaxime resistance in E. coli was 42% (14/33) and estimated meropenem resistance at 9%. The remaining 58% (19/33) were additionally susceptible to ampicillin, trimethoprim, ciprofloxacin and aminoglycosides. The most common ST among the cefotaxime-resistant E. coli was ST167 (29%), followed by ST410 (17%) and ST648 (10%). E. coli ST131 was absent from the collection. Sixty-three isolates were resistant to cefotaxime and harboured blaCTX-M-15 [54% (34/63)] or blaCMY-42 [46% (29/63)], of which 10% (6/63) harboured both genes. Carbapenem resistance was due to blaNDM-5, found in 10/63 cefotaxime-resistant isolates, and/or blaOXA-181, found in 4/63 isolates. NDM-5 was encoded by IncX3 and/or IncFII plasmids and CMY-42 was mostly encoded by IncI plasmids. NDM-5 appears to have replaced NDM-1 in this region and CMY-42 appears to be in the process of replacing CTX-M-15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaweeds are an integral part of coastal ecosystems and offer invaluable ecosystem services supporting the life of many marine forms. The economic value of seaweeds significantly contributes to the sustainable development of rural coastal regions. Seaweeds are consumed as food in some Asian countries, but their utilization for production of phycocolloids is widespread across the globe, with an estimated value of more than one billion US$. In India, seaweeds have been utilized exclusively for the production of phycocolloids but recently they are used for the production of plant growth stimulants for agricultural applications. The domestic agar and alginate industry totally depends on the supplies from natural seaweed beds with some occasional imports. The recent success achieved in both upstream and downstream technologies in production and processing of seaweeds has boosted the prospects for commercialization of seaweed resources in the country. The present article briefly appraises the current status of Indian seaweed resources and their utilization, as well as developments in seaweed farming technologies, the status of seaweed industry and recent efforts to transform seaweed farming into a social enterprise. It also highlights the challenges encountered for mainstreaming these resources so as to evolve into a marine industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae have been recognized in the last several years as source of novel anti-viral, anti-algal, antibacterial and antifungal metabolites. Cladophora glomerata is a branched filamentous green algae commonly found in freshwater bodies. The aim of the present work is to study the antimicrobial screening of the cell extracts of naturally occurring freshwater green algae Cladophora glomerata against clinically significant microorganisms both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria and pathogenic fungi. In this study four test pathogens were considered, these test bacterial strains were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and fungal strain was Candida krusei. Crude metabolites were extracted using four different solvents namely chloroform, methanol, butanol and petroleum benzene. The antimicrobial activities of crude extracts were evaluated using agar cup diffusion methods. Among the solvents highest antimicrobial activity was detected in methanol extracts against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, i.e. Bacillus subtilis (19.66±0.57 mm) followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.66±0.57 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (15.33±0.57 mm) respectively. Moderate activity were detected in chloroform extract against Bacillus subtilis (14.00±0.57 mm) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.33Ü.00 mm) respectively. The less activity was detected in petroleum benzene extract against Staphylococcus aureus (10.66±1.00 mm) and no activity was found against fungal pathogen Candida krusei. The present finding that may serve as leads for the development of new pharmaceuticals addressing the novel therapeutic needs of mankind. It is concluded that the branched filamentous green algae Cladophora glomerata occurring in natural freshwater bodies represents a new source of antimicrobial formulation with stable and biologically active compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lactobacillus dominated vaginal microenvironment is associated with lower risk of genital infections. Numerous studies have reported geographic and ethnic variations in vaginal microbiome structure between healthy individuals from different race and ethnicity. India has a great diversity, so it is intriguing to find out if such divergences exist in vaginal lactobacilli. The present study aimed to investigate predominant Lactobacillus species in vaginas of healthy Indian women and screen isolates for lactic acid and H2O2 production. Methodology: 203 premenopausal women asymptomatic for any vaginal complaints were recruited. The lactobacilli isolates on MRS agar were identified by Multiplex-PCR and 16sRNA gene sequencing. RAPD was used to differentiate strains of same species. H2O2 and lactic acid was evaluated on TMB-HRP MRS agar and BCP-MRS agar respectively. Results: Lactobacilli were recovered from 107/109 (98.2%) women with normal microflora. L. iners 64.7% (68), L. crispatus 26.7% (28), L. reuteri 21.9% (23), L. jensenii 16.2% (17) and L. gasseri 15.2% (16) were the most frequently occurring vaginal lactobacilli in normal women. The vaginal microflora was dominated by either by a single (80%, n = 84) or a combination (20%, n = 21) of Lactobacillus species. Though most frequently identified, L. iners, coexisted only with other Lactobacillus species. All isolates were acid producers but H2O2 was produced by 94.2% isolates. Conclusions: Our study reports prevalent vaginal lactobacilli which could be explored as probiotics. Presence of heterogeneous Lactobacillus population highlights the cumulative effects of different lactobacilli maintaining vaginal health. Contrasting observations about L. iners reiterates its puzzling role in vaginal immunity, advocating further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roles of nutrients and other environmental variables in development of cyanobacterial bloom and its toxicity are complex and not well understood. We have monitored the photoautotrophic growth, total microcystin concentration, and microcystins synthetase gene (mcyA) expression in lab-grown strains of Microcystis NIES 843 (reference strain), KW (Wangsong Reservoir, South Korea), and Durgakund (Varanasi, India) under different nutrient regimes (nitrogen, phosphorus, and boron). Higher level of nitrogen and boron resulted in increased growth (avg. 5 and 6.5 Chl a mg/L, resp.), total microcystin concentrations (avg. 1.185 and 7.153 mg/L, resp.), and mcyA transcript but its expression was not directly correlated with total microcystin concentrations in the target strains. Interestingly, Durgakund strain had much lower microcystin content and lacked microcystin-YR variant over NIES 843 and KW. It is inferred that microcystin concentration and its variants are strain specific. We have also examined the heterotrophic bacteria associated with cyanobacterial bloom in Durgakund Pond and Wangsong Reservoir which were found to be enriched in Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria and that could influence the bloom dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food grade agar in India has been almost exclusively obtained from Gracilaria edulis , but the industrial production overwhelmingly relies on exploitation of natural resources. United Nations efforts through Food and Agriculture Organization under Bay of Bengal Program highlighted the necessity of undertaking commercial farming of this species along Indian coast for socio-economic benefits. The pilot-scale experiments established viability of large-scale cultivation by floating raft method. Nevertheless, drastic reduction in yield and quality during summer months due to enhanced sedimentation and severe epiphytism is found to be a major hindrance. Altering the positioning of rafts from horizontal to vertical alignment improved the growth and yield under open sea condition at two different locations along south east coast of India. The average yield in horizontal raft was found to be 3.08 ± 0.61 kg fr wt raft −1 with corresponding DGR of 1.87 ± 0.63% day −1 while same in case of vertical rafts was 13.76 ± 3.86 kg fr wt raft −1 and 5.00 ± 0.5% day −1 in Gulf of Mannar under 45 days growth cycle. The corresponding values along Palk Bay were 2.98 ± 0.52 g fr wt raft −1 and 1.38 ± 0.42% day −1 for horizontal raft and 13.02 ± 6.06 kg fr wt raft −1 and 4.14 ± 1.18% day −1 for vertical raft. ANOVA clearly indicated that raft position significantly influenced the biomass yield and DGR at Palk Bay (F = 75.77; F = 112.81) as well as Gulf of Mannar (F = 27.21; F = 59.16) at p = 0.001. The increment of 1.9–2.6% in fresh weight of individual frond was reported in vertically aligned rafts. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based unsteady numerical simulations have confirmed that vertical alignment of raft facilitates relatively free movement of water due to which sedimentation and epiphytism are either minimised or eliminated. Thus these studies can help us to deduce important conclusions pertaining to management of sustained commercial cultivation of this alga in Indian waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onychomycosis is a major public health problem with high incidence, associated morbidity and long lasting treatment with anti-fungal agents. This study was carried out to know the clinico-mycological pattern of onychomycosis which can help in the control of this infection. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of various causative agents of onychomycosis, to identify the clinical pattern and to analyze the risk factors. This was a prospective study carried over a period of one year from Ist February 2010 to 31st january 2011 on samples from 150 patients with clinically suspected nail infections attending the dermatology department of SKIMS Medical college, Kashmir. The nails were evaluated clinically and the nail samples were subjected to direct microscopy and culture. 66.6% samples were positive by direct microscopy and culture. Males were infected more than females. The commonest age group infected was 21-30 years. Finger nails were affected more frequently than toe nails and distolateral subungal onychomycosis was the most common clinical type seen in 66% patients. The etiological agents were dermatophytes (62.68%), NDM (29.85%), yeasts (7.46%). Among dermatophytes T. rubrum was the commonest etiological agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred and thirty five randomly selected homegardens were surveyed in the Golaghat and Jorhat districts of Upper Assam to assess the economic prospects of agar (Aquilaria malaccensis Lam.) cultivation and the socioeconomic background of the growers. Almost 50% of the households had agriculture as the main vocation and all households practiced homegardening, despite variability in garden size based on socioeconomic factors. Homegarden products including agar and tea contributed to 1 to 45% (mean 14% ±1.15) of the total annual income of the family. Returns from agar to an individual family ranged from Rs 3,000 (US$ 60: from 10 trees after 10 years) to 9,00,000 (USS 18,000: from 500 trees after 20 years) with an average of Rs 1,14,393 (US$ 2,288: from 106 trees after 13 years). Low input needs and flexibility in site requirements as well as suitability for intercropping make agar a preferred cash crop in the homegardens of Upper Assam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain JC1-a motile, gram-negative, rod shaped, violet-pigmented bacterium was enriched in Mc Conkey broth from demineralized water sample from Sri Krishna Pharmaceuticals, Hyderabad, India and isolated on nutrient agar plates. This strain characterizes the polyphasic taxonomic approach and identified as Chromobacterium pseudoviolaceum. Strain JC1 showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with the type strains of C. pseudoviolaceum (99.7%), C. violaceum (99.5%) and C. piscinae (99.1%) of the family Nicceriaceae. From phenotypic, molecular, physiological and biochemical properties, strain JC1 was tentatively identified as C. pseudoviolaceum. The violet pigment produced by the strain JC1 was identified as violacein based on whole cell absorption maxima in various organic solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

fruity aroma-producing strain WG4 was isolated from a water sample collected from the Western Ghats, India. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of strain WG4 indicated that Chryseobacterium indologenes, a member of the family 'Flavobacteriaceae' is the closest related species with a pair-wise sequence similarity of 98.6%. Strain WG4 produces a fruity aroma when grown on nutrient or trypticase soy agar plates. The fruity aroma is more when the strain WG4 is grown on agar plates compared to their growth in broth. The aromatic compounds produced by the strain WG4 were identified as ester compounds and were confirmed as ethyl-2-methylbutyrate and ethyl-3-methylbutyrate based on Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and using standard reference compounds. Even after repeated subcultures strain WG4 produced the same aroma in high intensity. Thus, strain WG4 could serve as a source for the production of these flavour compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of alkali pre-treatments on the properties of agar obtained from Gelidiella acerosa and Gelidium pusillum growing along the West and South coast of India was studied in order to evaluate its potential for industrial use. Agar samples were extracted by hot water extraction and termed native agar, and alkali pre-treatment was carried out with various NaOH concentrations e.g. 4%, 6%, 8%, 10% and 15%, to optimise the alkali concentration for preparation of alkali-treated agar. Gelidiella acerosa and Gelidium pusillum produced superior quality agar polymers having greater gel strengths 2,000 ± 50 and 1,400 ± 50 g cm and lower sulphate contents ≤0.30% and ≤0.50%, respectively, as opposed the low gel strength and high sulphate content agars reported in the literature. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties of agars were identical with the commercially available agars. The results of this study revealed that Indian agarophytes may be used for production of superior quality agar and agaroses, which may be used for food and biological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a common method used to predict engraftment status in post-allogeneic haematopoeitic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients. Different populations have different copies of repeated DNA sequence and hence, different percentage of informativeness between patient and donor. PCR amplification of four highly polymorphic VNTR markers (YNZ-22, D1S80, D1S111 and ApoB) was conducted on 60 patient-donor pairs. The informativeness of the markers was analysed using 3% agarose gel electrophoresis. We developed an algorithm for identification of informative VNTR markers in 60 post-allogeneic HSCT patients. YNZ-22 was the most informative (72%), followed by D1S80 (63%) and D1S111 (60%), while the least informative was ApoB (47%). The degree of informativeness achieved was 95%, which could discriminate 57 patient-donor pairs, when all four markers were combined. Since population genetic studies on VNTR loci are not well established in Southeast Asia, the present study is useful to determine reliable markers during the initial screening step of chimerism analysis. By following this algorithm, we are able to reduce time and cost of finding a suitable VNTR marker in our cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Azadirachta indica A. Juss (syn. Melia azadirachta) is well known in India and popularly known as Indian neem. To evaluate antibacterial potential, the agar well diffusion assay was used against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Penicillin and Dimethyl sulfoxide were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Methanol extract showed the highest and chloroform extract showed moderate to good antibacterial activity. Proteus vulgaris and Micrococcus luteus were the most susceptible bacteria while Bacillus subtilis was more resistant bacterium to the hexane, chloroform and methanol extracts of neem. The study recommended for the isolation and separation of bioactive compounds responsible for the antibacterial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-eclampsia is a hypertensive disorder characterised by endothelial dysfunction and is one of the leading cause of preterm birth. Increasing oxidative stress and antioxidant disequilibria promote apoptosis and may play a defining role in the development of pre-eclampsia. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is an effective molecular chaperone, playing a role in cell protection from damage in response to stress stimuli. This study focus on the expression of HSP70 in endothelial cells during pre-eclampsia compared with normotensive pregnant women. The conjugated diene (CD), lipid hydro peroxide (LHP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) analysis and glutathione redox ratio (GRR) are the stress specific parameters assessed in the placental endothelial cells of normotensive and pre-eclamptic subjects to evaluate the oxidative stress status. As the synthesis of HSP70 is regulated by a transcription factor, heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), its expression was also analysed. There was a significant decrease in the viability ( P < 0.05) of the endothelial cells isolated from pre-eclamptic subjects compared to normotensive subjects. The level of CD ( P < 0.01) and LHP ( P < 0.01) was increased with a simultaneous decrease in GRR ( P < 0.05) and TAC ( P < 0.05) levels in the endothelial cells of pre-eclamptic subjects compared to normotensive subjects. The expression of HSP70 ( P < 0.05) and HSF1 ( P < 0.05) was increased in pre-eclamptic subjects compared to normotensive subjects. The over expression of HSP70 and HSF1 seen in the pre-eclamptic endothelial cells suggests its possible protective role as stress specific natural adaptive response against the generated stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) integrity plays a significant role in cell function. There are limited studies with regard to the role of DNA damage in bipolar affective disorder (BP). In the present study, we have assessed DNA integrity, conformation, and stability in the brain region of bipolar depression (BD) patients (n=10) compared to age-matched controls (n=8). Genomic DNA was isolated from 10 postmortem BD patients' brain regions (frontal cortex, Pons, medulla, thalamus, cerebellum, hypothalamus, Parietal, temporal, occipital lobe, and hippocampus) and from the agematched control subjects. DNA from the frontal cortex, pons, medulla, and thalamus showed significantly higher number of strand breaks in BD (P<0.01) compared to the age-matched controls. However, DNA from the hippocampus region was intact and did not show any strand breaks. The stability studies also indicated that the melting temperature and ethidium bromide binding pattern were altered in the DNA of BD patients' brain regions, except in the hippocampus. The conformation studies showed B-A or secondary B-DNA conformation (instead of the normal B-DNA) in BD patients' brain regions, with the exception of the hippocampus. The levels of redox metals such as Copper (Cu) and Iron (Fe) were significantly elevated in the brain regions of the sufferers of BD, while the Zinc (Zn) level was decreased. In the hippocampus, there was no change in the Fe or Cu levels, whereas, the Zn level was elevated. There was a clear correlation between Cu and Fe levels versus strand breaks in the brain regions of the BD. To date, as far as we are aware, this is a new comprehensive database on stability and conformations of DNA in different brain regions of patients affected with BD. The biological significance of these findings is discussed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the last 10 years, different studies have shown interesting geographical variations in the prevalence of different Malassezia species in pityriasis versicolor. Aim: Identification of Malassezia species isolated from patients with pityriasis versicolor. Methods: In 100 patients with pityriasis versicolor, Malassezia species were identified by culture in Sabouraud's dextrose agar containing cycloheximide with olive oil overlay and modified Dixon agar and by doing biochemical tests (catalase reaction, assimilation of glycine, and Tween utilisation tests). Results: In 10 patients, 10% KOH smear was negative, while in 90 patients the smear showed characteristic "spaghetti and meatball" appearance. Of these 90 cases, growth was obtained on modified Dixon's agar in 87 cases. Fifty of the isolates (57.5%) were M. globosa, 15 (17.2%) were M. sympodialis, seven (8.0%) were suspected M. sympodialis, 6 (6.9%) each of the isolates were M. furfur and M. obtusa, and three (3.4%) isolates were M. restricta. Conclusion: M. globosa was the most common species, followed by M. sympodialis, M. furfur, M. obtusa, and M. restricta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract   Gracilaria edulis, G. crassa, G. foliifera, and G. corticata are naturally occurring agarophytes of Indian waters. These agarophytes were evaluated for their agar contents using an improved process recently reported by us (US Patent 2005/0267296A1). The effect of different concentrations of NaOH in the alkali treatment was studied for optimizing the extraction conditions. These Gracilaria species of Indian waters produced agars, both native and alkali treated, with different properties confirming the heterogeneity of the agar polymers in this genera, as one would expect. Among these, G. edulis and G. crassa produced agar polymers having high gel strengths of 490 ± 8.16 and 800 ± 15.4 g cm−2, respectively, with 8% NaOH treatment as opposed the low gel strength agars that have been reported in the literature to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf of Mannar on the southeast coast of India, which has recently been declared as biosphere reserve, is the main harvesting place of Gelidiella acerosa for the Indian agar industry. The biomass harvested from natural stocks was estimated to be over 10 000 tonnes dry weight (DW) in the last two decades and is a serious cause of concern on long term sustainability of this valuable resource from this region. The present study reports the seasonal variation in the biomass and agar yield and quality from G. acerosa in four different habitats such as Rameswaram (rocky intertidal), Ervadi (lower intertidal), Sethukarai (subtidal) and Krusadai Island (lagoon reef area). A maximum biomass of 260 ± 26 g DW m−2 was recorded from Ervadi, whereas Sethukarai showed the highest percentage cover (69.83 ± 4.83%) and density (208.20 ± 30.16 plants m−2). Biomass, percentage cover and density were lowest in Rameswaram and significantly lower ( P < 0.001) than the other three stations. A single peak in biomass was observed with autumn maxima in Ervadi and Rameswaram and southwest monsoon maxima in Sethukarai and Krusaidai Island. Length of G. acerosa was maximum (9.65 ± 0.25 cm) in Ervadi and the branch index value was maximum (24.70 ± 4.01 br−1 g−1 DW) for Rameswaram. Agar yield (37.24 ± 7.59%) and gel strength (448.66 ± 6.50 g/cm2) were higher in Sethukarai plants. The agar yields attained a peak in the northeast monsoon and decreased in summer, whereas a reverse trend was observed for gel strength. Evidently, agar yield showed a strong negative correlation with gel strength ( P < 0.0001) and gelling ( P < 0.0001) and melting temperatures ( P < 0.01). The single annual peak in biomass observed in the present study, as compared with two peaks reported earlier, are attributed to the continuous overharvesting that would have had an effect on the overall annual biomass production. The findings of this study reveal that a single harvest during the autumn months (January to March) could yield optimum biomass with moderate agar and that would be the best for sustainable usage and conservation of this resource from this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the in vitro clonal propagation of the Casuarina equisetifolia from mature tree-derived explants. It mentions that carbendazim, sucrose and agar were used during the inoculation of the explants in Gupta and Durzan in India. The author claims that fungal contamination has made in vitro establishment of cultures difficult.

Background Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is one of the commonest procedures in neurosurgical practice. A significant problem encountered in shunt procedures is infection, with infection rate ranging from 2 to 27%, often with poor outcome. The objectives of the study were to retrospectively evaluate the infection rate associated with central nervous system (CNS) shunts, assess the frequency of the pathogens as well as their antibiotic sensitivity pattern to aim at suitable prophylaxis. Methods Materials and Methods. Retrospective study conducted in the Microbiology Department, SGPGI, Lucknow from December 2017 to August 2018. A total of 168 CSF samples were received with a suspected shunt infection. Samples were analyzed by wet mount, India ink, gram stain and inoculated on blood agar and MacConkey agar. Identification and AST were done by MALDI- TOF system (VITEK-MS) and Vitek 2.0 automated sensitivity system. Results During the study period, 37/168(22.02%) CSF were positive by culture. Most frequently isolated pathogen was Acinetobacter baumannii 20/37(54.05%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus 06/37 (16.20%), Enterococcus faecalis 04/37(10.81%) coagulase negative staphylococci- CONS 04/37(10.81%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 2/37 (5.40%)and Escherichia coli 1/37(2.70%). 100% of A. baumannii and E. coli strains were found to be XDR and carbapenem-resistant showing susceptibility to minocycline and colistin only. All strains of K.pneumoniae were MDR. 66.7% S.aureus were MRSA and showed 100% resistance to fluoroquinolone. A similar pattern was seen in CONS. 25% of Enterococci were found to be vancomycin resistant. Conclusion Discussion and Conclusion. The antibiotic sensitivity pattern suggests aminoglycosides, colistin and vancomycin to be a better choice of antibiotics either prophylactically/therapeutically, which may result in effective sterilization of the CSF. Infections following VP shunt procedure are secondary to catheter blockage complicating the results of surgery and are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sharp rise in mercury-resistant bacteria (MRB) capable of tolerating very high concentration of Hg was observed over the last 3–4 years in the coastal environs of India. While none or negligible colony-forming units (CFU) of bacteria were counted on seawater nutrient agar with 0.5 ppm ( 2.5 mM) Hg (II) as HgCl2 until 1997, from 13 to over 75% of the CFU grew on 20 times higher, 50 mM, Hg concentrations from almost every recently examined marine sample. Although exceptionally high counts of MRB (96% of CFU) were recorded from samples collected from the polluted zones off Mumbai, the MRB capable of growth on seawater nutrient agar with 50 mM Hg were quite abundant in most samples collected from many locations with few or no pollution effects. We noticed for the first time the occurrence of aerobic heterotrophic bacterial isolates capable of growth with 250 mM Hg. Such MRB grew with higher concentrations of many other toxic xenobiotics than the Hg sensitive ones. Based on the unusually high populations of viable MRB and some simple experiments, we propose that many marine bacterial species are selected, possibly through acquisition of plasmids and/or transposable elements and modifying Hg, whose concentration, according to recent studies, is on the rise in marine habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses a study done from May 2011 to April 2012 at the department of Microbiology, Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, India to determine the multi-drug resistance in clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacilli. Topics discussed include overnight growth of test organism from Mueller-Hinton agar plate, screen positive isolates for possible extended spectrum ß-lactamases production, and disc antagonism test for chromosomal inducible AmpCß-lactamase.

The article discusses a study that examined the candidemia profile in clinically diagnosed consecutive cases of fungemia at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry, India by germ tube production, morphology on corn meal agar and color production in Hichrom candida agar. Results indicated that more isolates were sensitive to amphotericin B compared to those sensitive to fluconazole by disc diffusion method.

The article provides information on the preservation of Leishmania donovani promastigotes on blood-agar slants. Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Science has developed a method to maintain parasites Leishmania donovani promastigotes in Patma, India. A chart was provided that indicates the number of Leishmania promastigotes after the storage time.

Background Legionellosis is a form of pneumonia caused by Gram-negative bacilli belonging to the Legionella genus. In India, sporadic cases of legionellosis have been reported, but the incidence of this infection is still believed to be underestimated. We conducted a proactive clinical–environmental surveillance in a tertiary healthcare center to determine the frequency of legionellosis, and to identify the pathogen in the hospital water systems. Methods During February 2015–February 2019, we enrolled 533 cases (310 males, 223 females) with a diagnosis of pneumonia; a respiratory secretion was collected from each patient and tested for L.pneumophila by using a real-time PCR targeting mip gene. To identify Legionella spp. present in hospital water systems, we collected 201 hospital water samples and were analyzed by cultivation in BCYE agar. Legionella speciation and identification of Lp1 was done by real-time PCR assay. Results Among 533 cases, 11(2.1%) [6 male, 5 female] tested positive for L.pneumophila by real-time PCR. Of these, all were community-acquired sporadic cases not associated with a cluster or outbreak. Risk factors including smoking, alcohol use, malignancy, underlying respiratory disease, hypertension were identified in 8 (72.7%) cases. The duration of hospitalization for Legionella patients was 8–24 days; 5/11 (45.5%) patients were admitted to intensive care units. Of 11 patients 8 (72.7%) survived, and 3(27.3%) died. Among the 201 water samples tested, 38 (18.9%) tested positive for L.pneumophila by culture. The presence of Lp1 was detected in 25 (12.4%) water samples. Legionella spp. was recurrently isolated from patient areas, cooling towers, residential areas, and other areas inside the hospital campus. Conclusion The study indicates a low prevalence of legionellosis in this region. Even though Legionella colonization was detected in the hospital water system, no cases of hospital-acquired legionellosis were discovered during the study period. However, considering the risk of nosocomial legionellosis to patients we formulated Legionella control strategies in this hospital. Point-of-use filters were installed to the potable water units from where Legionella was isolated and repeat sampling from these sites were found to be negative for the contagion. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1999, severe losses have been observed on seedlings of muskmelon in four commercial fields in the Doddaballapura, Nanjangud, Malvalli and Arasikere regions of Karnataka, India. Losses occurred during the months of October and November. Disease symptoms included stem necrosis with an exudation of gummy material, angular water-soaked lesions on the leaves and rotten fruits. The presence of black pycnidia was observed on the stems, leaves and fruits. A fungus was isolated from diseased stems, leaves and seeds, by plating surface-sterilized plant tissues onto potato dextruse agar medium.