Hospital Wastewater Sludge: An Unaddressed Environmental Reservoir for Emerging and Rare Nosocomial Pathogens

Nosocomial infections cause significant mortality and financial losses each year. Most of these infections are caused by multidrug resistant (MDR) opportunistic pathogens and therefore are difficult to treat by standard therapies. Though hospitals are considered as ecological niches for nosocomial pathogens, environmental reservoirs for the same are still underexplored. The present study addressed this issue by systematically profiling the pathogenic diversity of hospital wastewater sludge hypothesized as an important reservoir for nosocomial pathogens within a hospital setting using Illumina Miseq Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) approach. The NGS data showed that i) nosocomial pathogens dominated the hospital sludge bacterial profile and majority of them fell in the category of either emerging or rare pathogens ii) Majority of the pathogens formed part of the low abundant microbiota represented by 3.56% of the reads iii) Nearly 14% of the reads were represented by the unculturable bacteria iv) Of the 580 species-level operational taxonomic units (OTUs) identified in this study, 166 matched with potential human pathogens v) Enterobacter cloacae (56.45%) was the most dominant species followed by  Pseudomonas putida (6.07%), Fusobacterium ulcerans (3.08%) Acidaminococcus fermentans (2.03%) respectively. Aeromonas hydrophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pantoea agglomerans formed the less dominant species. This study points towards the catastrophic effect on public health and environment that may result from the co-treatment of hospital wastewater with domestic wastewater in municipal wastewater treatment plants and the use of resultant sludge in agriculture which is a common method of sludge disposal practiced in developing countries. Keywords: Hospital sludge, Next Generation Sequencing, Nosocomial Pathogens, Emerging Pathogens, Rare Pathogens &nbsp

Detailed Visual Cortical Responses Generated by Retinal Sheet Transplants in Rats with Severe Retinal Degeneration.

To combat retinal degeneration, healthy fetal retinal sheets have been successfully transplanted into both rodent models and humans, with synaptic connectivity between transplant and degenerated host retina having been confirmed. In rodent studies, transplants have been shown to restore responses to flashes of light in a region of the superior colliculus corresponding to the location of the transplant in the host retina. To determine the quality and detail of visual information provided by the transplant, visual responsivity was studied here at the level of visual cortex where higher visual perception is processed. For our model, we used the transgenic Rho-S334ter line-3 rat (both sexes), which loses photoreceptors at an early age and is effectively blind at postnatal day 30. These rats received fetal retinal sheet transplants in one eye between 24 and 40 d of age. Three to 10 months following surgery, visually responsive neurons were found in regions of primary visual cortex matching the transplanted region of the retina that were as highly selective as normal rat to stimulus orientation, size, contrast, and spatial and temporal frequencies. Conversely, we found that selective response properties were largely absent in nontransplanted line-3 rats. Our data show that fetal retinal sheet transplants can result in remarkably normal visual function in visual cortex of rats with a degenerated host retina and represents a critical step toward developing an effective remedy for the visually impaired human population.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa lead to profound vision loss in millions of people worldwide. Many patients lose both retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors. Hence, there is a great demand for the development of efficient techniques that allow for long-term vision restoration. In this study, we transplanted dissected fetal retinal sheets, which can differentiate into photoreceptors and integrate with the host retina of rats with severe retinal degeneration. Remarkably, we show that transplants generated visual responses in cortex similar in quality to normal rats. Furthermore, transplants preserved connectivity within visual cortex and the retinal relay from the lateral geniculate nucleus to visual cortex, supporting their potential application in curing vision loss associated with retinal degeneration

Isolation of Halophilic Bacteria and Their Screening for Extracellular Enzyme Production

617-622Halophiles are those microorganisms which are found at high salt concentration. These microorganisms have the capability to form a wide array of bioactive substances that have different applications in various industries. This work focussed at the isolation and screening of various halophilic bacterial strains from different places in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Using a complete medium with different salt concentrations, 70 halophilic bacteria were isolated from 4 different sites. These isolated bacteria were then examined and screened out for the synthesis of different extracellular enzymes, such as cellulase, lipase and amylase. Out of the total, 24 isolates were found positive for amylase, 9 for lipase and 16 for cellulase. These enzymes can perform the hydrolytic activity at high salt concentrations. The various halophilic bacterial strains isolated from various places show a prospective for use in a range of biotechnological and molecular biology experiments and the extremozymes obtained from these bacteria have great industrial importance

Isolation of Halophilic Bacteria and Their Screening for Extracellular Enzyme Production

Halophiles are those microorganisms which are found at high salt concentration. These microorganisms have the capability to form a wide array of bioactive substances that have different applications in various industries. This work focussed at the isolation and screening of various halophilic bacterial strains from different places in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Using a complete medium with different salt concentrations, 70 halophilic bacteria were isolated from 4 different sites. These isolated bacteria were then examined and screened out for the synthesis of different extracellular enzymes, such as cellulase, lipase and amylase. Out of the total, 24 isolates were found positive for amylase, 9 for lipase and 16 for cellulase. These enzymes can perform the hydrolytic activity at high salt concentrations. The various halophilic bacterial strains isolated from various places show a prospective for use in a range of biotechnological and molecular biology experiments and the extremozymes obtained from these bacteria have great industrial importance

The Ionized Gas and Nuclear Environment in NGC 3783. I. Time-Averaged 900 ks Chandra Grating Spectroscopy

We present results from a 900 ks exposure of NGC 3783 with the High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer on board the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The resulting X-ray spectrum has the best combination of signal-to-noise and resolution ever obtained for an AGN. This spectrum reveals absorption lines from H-like and He-like ions of N, O, Ne, Mg, Al, Si, and S. There are also possible absorption lines from H-like and He-like Ar and Ca. We also identify inner-shell absorption from lower-ionization ions such as Si_VII-Si_XII and S_XII-S_XIV. The iron absorption spectrum is very rich; L-shell lines of Fe_XVII-Fe_XXIV are detected, strong complex of M-shell lines, and probable resonance lines from Fe_XXV. The absorption lines are blueshifted relative to the systemic velocity by a mean velocity of -590+-150 km/s. We resolve many of the absorption lines, and their mean FWHM is 820+-280 km/s. We do not find correlations between the velocity shifts or the FWHMs with the ionization potentials of the ions. Most absorption lines show asymmetry, having more extended blue wings than red wings. In O_VII we have resolved this asymmetry to be from an additional absorption system at ~ -1300 km/s. The two X-ray absorption systems are consistent in velocity shift and FWHM with the ones identified in the UV lines of C IV, N V, and H I. Equivalent width measurements for all lines are given and column densities are calculated for several ions. We resolve the narrow Fe_K\alpha line at 6398.2+-3.3 eV to have a FWHM of 1720+-360 km/s, which suggests that this narrow line may be emitted from the outer part of the broad line region or the inner part of the torus. We also detect a `Compton shoulder' redward of the narrow Fe_K\alpha line which indicates that it arises in cold, Compton-thick gas.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures (2 in color), emulateapj5, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement

HST STIS Observations of PG 0946+301: the Highest Quality UV Spectrum of a BALQSO

We describe deep (40 orbits) HST/STIS observations of the BALQSO PG 0946+301 and make them available to the community. These observations are the major part of a multi-wavelength campaign on this object aimed at determining the ionization equilibrium and abundances (IEA) in broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs. We present simple template fits to the entire data set, which yield firm identifications for more than two dozen BALs from 18 ions and give lower limits for the ionic column densities. We find that the outflow's metalicity is consistent with being solar, while the abundance ratio of phosphorus to other metals is at least ten times solar. These findings are based on diagnostics that are not sensitive to saturation and partial covering effects in the BALs, which considerably weakened previous claims for enhanced metalicity. Ample evidence for these effects is seen in the spectrum. We also discuss several options for extracting tighter IEA constraints in future analyses, and present the significant temporal changes which are detected between these spectra and those taken by the HST/FOS in 1992.Comment: 32 pages, 7 figures, to appear in ApJ. See also companion paper by Arav, Korista and De Koo

Mississippi Floods : Designing A Shifting Landscape

xv, 162 hlm., bibl., ill., index,29.5 c

Is dairy wastewater safe for production of edible microbial biomass: A case study of Saras dairy plant at Jaipur, India

Mismanagement of wastewater at large scale may lead to catastrophic environmental and health consequences. Microbial remediation of wastewater is one of the most effective low-cost solutions. There are also initiatives to use wastewater for production edible biomass as an alternative for protein diets. While much researches were oriented towards maximum recovery of biomass and applications, less were focused on mutagenicity of dairy wastewater. In this study, we examined wastewater of one of the largest dairy industries in Rajasthan for its suitability for microbial biomass production and mutagenicity. Influent wastewater was collected from Saras dairy plant, Jaipur, for over a week. Physiochemical properties of wastewater were examined, such as; temperature, pH, salinity, TSS, TDS, turbidity, conductivity, BOD, COD, total carbon, and total nitrogen. SOS chromotest and Salmonella fluctuation test (TA 98, TA 100 and TA 102) were carried out at variable concentration of wastewater to assess mutagenic activity. Results indicated ideal pH, temperature and salinity, for microbial remediation. High TOC and TKN were also observed in the investigated wastewater, which is few of the prerequisites for single cell production. The ratio of BOD and COD was between 0.3-0.4, making the wastewater ideal for microbial growth. No mutagenic activity was observed by SOS chromotest, all three concentrations (C 0.01, C 0.1, and C 0.2) investigated in this study were <1.5 IF. Likewise, mutagenic ratio for all three types of Salmonella revertants were below 1.2 threshold, for investigated concentrations (C 0.5, C 1, and C 10) of wastewater. Conclusively, examined influent wastewater is less likely to induce mutagenic activity at the investigated concentration. Through physiochemical analysis, the investigated wastewater assumed to be candidate substrate for microbial biomass production

Vibrio vulnificus Diarrhea in a Child with Respiratory Infection

Vibrio vulnificus is a rare cause of disease and it is often unrecognized and underreported. It is a lactose-fermenting, halophilic vibrio causing severe disease in immunocompromised patients, but causing a mild type of gastroenteritis in healthy people, usually associated with consumption of seafood. We report here a case of diarrhea due to V. vulnificus in a male child who was admitted for fever, loose motions and productive cough. There was no history of consumption of any seafood; so, the source of infection could not be traced. As V. vulnificus is a rare entity, clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for the bacteria, when patients present with gastrointestinal illness, fever or shock, with or without ingestion of raw seafood. Pediatricians should also be alert as the bacterium causes a potentially fatal disease in children