Probiotic effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus against vibriosis in juvenile shrimp (Penaeus monodon)

The application of effective probiotics in shrimp aquaculture is an excellent alternative for chemicals and antibiotics to prevent disease control. This study was carried out to evaluate the probiotic potential of Lactobacillus acidophilus 04 (home made curd isolate) on pathogenic Vibrio in shrimp Penaeus monodon juveniles. L. acidophilus showed antibacterial activity against Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio alginolyticus. The probiotic effect of L. acidophilus was tested by feeding juvenile shrimp (P. monodon) through feed (supplemented with 105 CFU g-1) for 30 days before and after an immersion challenge with V. alginolyticus at 105 CFU mL-1. Shrimp survival was determined after 10 days of challenge. The treatment with L. acidophilus 04 resulted in 20% final mortality as compared to 86.7% in the control group. Results of the study validated L. acidophilus 04 has potential probiotic principles to control pathogenic V. alginolyticus in shrimp aquaculture.Key words: Lactobacillus acidophilus, probiotic, shrimp, vibriosis

QUORUM QUENCHING POTENTIALS OF PROBIOTIC ENTEROCOCCUS DURANS LAB38 AGAINST METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

Objective: he focus of this study was to explore the nuance strategy to combat the virulence factors of the pathogens by probiotic Enterococcus durans LAB38Methods: Probiotic attributes was determined by bile salt tolerance (0.5%) and Artemia gnotobiotic assay. Quorum sensing (QS) inhibitory activity of the supernatant and ethyl acetate (EA) extract of LAB38 was evaluated by using the indicator strains, includes Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 (mini-Tn5 mutant of ATCC 31532), methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). Reporter strains, Vibrio harveyi BB170 (luxN mutant), BB886 (luxP mutant) and Escherichia coli pSB401 (pACYC184- derived) were used for bioluminescence-based target specificity analysis. GC-MS analysis of EA extract was performed using standard protocol. Results: LAB38 has shown bile salt tolerance and positive probiotic effect towards Artemia salina. In addition, 100 µg/ml EA extract has significantly reduced the violacein production (37 ± 1.4%) in CV026, biofilm formation in MRSA (94 ± 0.9 %) and PA (22 ± 0.08%). Further, 200 µg/ml of EA extract has shown inhibition against both autoinducer-1 and autoinducer-2 mediated QS system. Bioluminescence inhibition is directly proportional to the time of exposure. GC-MS result revealed that bromine, sulphur containing molecule and azulene derivative were found in the EA extract.Conclusion This is the first report on probiotic Enterococcus durans for quorum quenching activity. Hence, the bacterium could be used for future therapeutics application. Keywords: Autoinducer, Biofilm, Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Quorum quenching, Probiotics, CV026

Genetic determination and characterization of extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in a tertiary care hospital, India

145-150Extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are known to cause nosocomial outbreaks which emerged as one of the world’s extreme health threats in past two decades. In this context, the present study was aimed to isolate multi drug resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae and evaluated the ESBL production. The samples were collected from district Govt. hospital, Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu, India in the period of September 2014 to September 2015 and a total of 1400 nosocomial isolates were isolated. All the isolates were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing by Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method. E. coli (n = 160) had shown high antibiotic resistance pattern to Amikacin, Ceftazidime and Nalidixic acid while K. pneumoniae (n = 110) had shown high antibiotic resistance pattern to Ceftazidime and Nalidixic acid. Based on the phenotypic confirmatory test, 163 (60.4%) isolates (n = 89,  E. coli and n = 74, K. pneumoniae) were ESBL producer. ESBL-positive isolates were screened for the presence of ESBL encoding blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX-M-1, blaNDM-1, blaIMP1 and blaGES resistance genes by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR).  Among the ESBL producing genes, blaCTX-M-1 was the highest (90.8%) prevalence followed by blaTEM (77.3%), blaGES (19%) and blaNDM-1 (3.1%) alone or together.  The present study concluded that the highest prevalence of ESBL producing MDR E. coli and K. pneumoniae with multiple resistance genes demand for new therapeutic options

Intercropping transplanted pigeon pea With finger millet: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria boost yield while reducing fertilizer input

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and finger millet (Eleusine coracana) are staple food crops for millions of the rural population in Asia and Africa. We tested, in field trials over three consecutive seasons at two sites in India, an intercropping and biofertilization scheme to boost their yields under low-input conditions. Pigeon pea seedlings were raised during the dry season and transplanted row-wise into fields of finger millet, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (Pseudomonas) were added alone or in combination to both pigeon pea and finger millet. Our major findings are (i) effects of the biofertilizers were particularly pronounced at the site of low fertility; (ii) dual inoculation of AMF+PGPR to finger millet and pigeon pea crops showed increased grain yields more effectively than single inoculation; (iii) the combined grain yields of finger millet and pigeon pea in intercropping increased up to +128% due to the biofertilizer application; (iv) compared to direct sowing, the transplanting system of pigeon pea increased their average grain yield up to 267% across site, and the yield gains due to biofertilization and the transplanting system were additive. These technologies thus offer a tool box for sustainable yield improvement of pigeon pea and finger millet

Review on Thermal Behavior and Cooling Aspects of Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Motors–A Mechanical Approach

With the increasing demand for high-energy density motors for applications such as electric vehicles and aircraft propulsion, axial flux permanent magnet motors are promising. However, utmost care should be taken when designing an axial flux permanent magnet motor with a higher torque density because of thermal effects. To enhance the reliability and overall performance of a motor, efficient thermal management is important, because the torque density is restricted by maximum temperature. Therefore, this study comprehensively reviews different techniques used for the thermal modeling of motors. Computational fluid dynamics, the lumped parameter method, and finite element analysis were used to calculate the total heat transfer inside the motor. Various heat enhancement techniques for an axial flux permanent magnet motor have been presented, including core cooling (water jacket cooling, air cooling, and oil cooling) and winding cooling (direct slot cooling, end winding cooling, and fins). Finally, two case studies of an 8kW AFPM motor and a 65kW AFPM motor with a cooling arrangement are discussed

Role of Bacteria-Derived Exopolysaccharides in Inflammatory Bowel Disease with a Special Focus on Cyanobacterial Exopolysaccharides

International audienceInstances of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, are rapidly increasing in western and newly industrialized countries. Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are one of the strategies to enhance the gut microbiota and modulate the immune-inflammatory response deregulation in IBD patients. EPSs are produced by commensal bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Additionally, Cyanobacteria species are promising sources of novel EPS and have potential pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications. The presence of uronic acids and sulphate groups in Cyanobacterial EPSs is an important factor that gives EPSs an anionic charge that is not seen in other prokaryotic species. This feature may impact their physico-chemical characteristics and biological properties. Additionally, Cyanobacterial EPSs have a wide range of biotechnological applications that include use as thickeners, stabilizers, and gelling agents in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. The present review focuses on the role of EPSs in IBD, with a special focus on EPSs derived from Cyanobacteria. This review also covers the biological properties of Cyanobacterial EPS in immuno-inflammatory responses and against pathogens as well as its role in biotechnological applications. Overall, Cyanobacterial EPSs have therapeutic potential against IBD due to their anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties that can reduce inflammation and regulate the immune response and restore the gut microbiota of patients

Production of biodiesel from cyanobacteria (<i>Oscillatoria annae) </i>by alkali and enzyme mediated transesterification

959-967This study presents lipids from Oscillatoria annae BDU6, a freshwater cyanobacterium, to generate biodiesel. Efficient oil extraction from O. annae was achieved by ultrasonication in combination with organic solvents (50.9%) than homogenization (40.4%). Efficient conversion of triglycerides of O. annae into biodiesel was obtained by alkali mediated transesterification (86% w/v) when compared with lipase-mediated transesterification (76.5% w/v). RSM and CCRD were employed to optimize the growth medium to improve biomass of O. annae, which resulted in 3.2-fold increase in biomass yield (5.3 g-l dry wt/g of inoculum) compared to initial level (1.6 g-l dry wt/g of inoculum)

Improved Topical Drug Delivery: Role of Permeation Enhancers and Advanced Approaches

The delivery of drugs via transdermal routes is an attractive approach due to ease of administration, bypassing of the first-pass metabolism, and the large skin surface area. However, a major drawback is an inability to surmount the skin’s stratum corneum (SC) layer. Therefore, techniques reversibly modifying the stratum corneum have been a classical approach. Surmounting the significant barrier properties of the skin in a well-organised, momentary, and harmless approach is still challenging. Chemical permeation enhancers (CPEs) with higher activity are associated with certain side effects restricting their advancement in transdermal drug delivery. Furthermore, complexity in the interaction of CPEs with the skin has led to difficulty in elucidating the mechanism of action. Nevertheless, CPEs-aided transdermal drug delivery will accomplish its full potential due to advancements in analytical techniques, synthetic chemistry, and combinatorial studies. This review focused on techniques such as drug–vehicle interaction, vesicles and their analogues, and novel CPEs such as lipid synthesis inhibitors (LSIs), cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), and ionic liquids (ILs). In addition, different types of microneedles, including 3D-printed microneedles, have been focused on in this review

Epidemiology and zoonotic potential of Livestock-associated Staphylococcus aureus isolated at Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract Background Staphylococcus aureus is part of normal flora and also an opportunistic pathogen responsible for a wide range of infections in both humans and animals. Livestock-associated S. aureus (LA-SA) has gained importance in recent years due to its increased prevalence in recent years, becoming a worry in public health view. This study aimed to study the epidemiology of LA-SA strains in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, India. Methods A total of 255 samples were collected from bovine and other small ruminants like goats and sheep nares (n = 129 and n = 126 respectively). Nasal swab samples were collected from study animals with sterile sample collecting cotton swabs (Hi-Media, Mumbai). Samples were transported to the lab in Cary-Blair Transport media for further analysis. The samples were tested for S. aureus using antibiotic selection and PCR-based assays. The pathogenicity of the bacteria was assessed using chicken embryo models and liver cross-sections were used for histopathology studies. Results The prevalence rate in bovine-associated samples was 42.63% but relatively low in the case of small ruminants associated samples with 28.57% only. The overall prevalence of S. aureus is found to 35.6% and MRSA 10.98% among the study samples. The antibiogram results that LA-SA isolates were susceptible to aminoglycosides and tetracyclines but resistant to β-lactam drugs. The biofilm formation results showed that the LA-SA isolates are weak to high-capacity biofilm formers. The enterotoxigenic patterns revealed that most of the isolated strains are enterotoxigenic and possess classical enterotoxins. The survival analysis of chicken embryos suggested that the Bovine-associated strains were moderately pathogenic. Conclusion The study concluded that economically important livestock animals can act as reservoirs for multi-drug resistant and pathogenic which in-turn is a concern for public health as well as livestock health