An evaluation of the bacterial diversity at Tshipise, Mphephu and Sagole hot water springs, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Tshipise, Mphephu and Sagole are thermal hot water springs in the Limpopo Province of South Africa with temperatures of 58, 43 and 45°C; and pH of 8.85, 8.08 and 9.70, respectively. The bacterial diversity of the hot water springs was determined by pyrosequencing of the two 16S rRNA hypervariable regions V1-3 and V4-7. Analyses of the community DNA revealed that bacterial populations as detectable by the V1-3 or V4-7 region, respectively were dominated by the Bacteriodetes and Proteobacteria for Mphephu, and Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria for both Tshipise and Sagole. The major differences in the bacterial diversity between the springs was that no Cyanobacteria were detected for Mphephu and the level of Bacteriodetes detected for both Tshipise and Sagole was much lower compared to the levels detected at Mphephu. The Firmicutes were detected at all the springs but at a much lower abundance compared to the other main phyla detected. Various other phyla were detected at the hot springs at levels below 0.20% of the total sequences obtained. It is interesting that very diverse bacterial genera exist in the three hot water springs studied.This research was supported through a grant from Water Research Commission (WRC, SA, Project K5/1959/1).http://www.academicjournals.org/AJM

Antifungal and antibacterial activity and chemical composition of polar and non-polar extracts of Athrixia phylicoides determined using bioautography and HPLC

BACKGROUND: Athrixia phylicoides DC. (Asteraceae) is used medicinally in South Africa to treat a plethora of ailments, including heart problems, diabetes, diarrhoea, sores and infected wounds. It is also prepared in the form of a tea (hot decoction) taken as a refreshing, pleasant-tasting beverage with commercialization potential. METHODS: Extracts of the dried ground aerial parts were prepared using organic solvents (diethyl ether, dichloromethane/methanol, ethyl acetate and ethanol) and water. These extracts were subjected to HPLC, TLC and bioautography analysis with the aim of linking a range of peaks visualized in HPLC chromatography profiles to antibacterial and antifungal activity of the same extracts. RESULTS: HPLC revealed a group of compounds extracted by more than one solvent. Compounds identified include inositol, caffeic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, hymenoxin and oleanolic acid. The organic extracts displayed similar TLC profiles, and bioautography indicated approximately five antibacterial compounds, but only two antifungal compounds in these extracts. Bioautography indicated that cold water extracted the least antimicrobial compounds. CONCLUSIONS: Several previously unknown compounds were identified in Athrixia phylicoides extracts, and bioautography indicated a number of antibacterial and antifungal compounds. There were notable differences in chemical composition and bioactivity between the organic and aqueous extracts. Further research is necessary to fully characterize the active components of the extracts.The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africahttp://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/13/356am2014mn201

Variation in polyphenolic content of Athrixia phylicoides (L.) (bush tea) leaves with season and nitrogen application

The high concentrations of polyphenols present in leaves of bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides L.), a popular herbal beverage with medicinal properties, were examined in wild and cultivated populations to determine their magnitude of variation with season and application of nitrogenous fertilizers. Concentrations of total polyphenols in leaves of wild plants were lowest in March, April and September and highest in June and July, with nitrogenous fertilizer applications below 300 kg ha− 1 N further elevating polyphenol concentrations in leaves of cultivated plants grown under restricted lighting. These findings, which contradict the Carbon/Nutrient balance hypothesis, conclude that the most suitable conditions for cultivating bush tea to obtain plants with an optimal leaf polyphenol content are those of reduced light intensity during winter and in soils supplemented with a nitrogenous fertilizer

Indigenous knowledge system of bush tea from the local people in Venda

The article provides a report on a survey conducted in selected villages of Thohoyandou and Nzhelele in Venda, Limpopo Province of South Africa by means of personal interviews. The aim of the survey was to gather indigenous knowledge and to validate the uses of bush tea as claimed by the local people. The interviews were conducted with three types of respondents: a traditional healer, street sellers and bearers of indigenous knowledge (people who have knowledge about the plant). One important finding of the study was that the people from the area posses a remarkable knowledge of the plant identity and its uses to treat a wide range of physical aliments.http://www.indilinga.org.za

Metagenomic analysis of bacterial diversity of Siloam hot water spring, Limpopo, South Africa

The bacterial diversity of Siloam hot water spring was determined using 454 pyrosequencing of two 16S rRNA variable regions V1-3 and V4-7. Analysis of the community DNA revealed that the phyla Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi and Verrucomicrobia were the most abundant. The bacterial diversity detectable and classifiable was greater when the V4-7 variable region was used compared to the V1-3 region. The most abundant bacteria genera detected with region V1-3 were; Stenotrophomonas (23.3%), Aquaspirillum (5.11%), Zavarzinella (2.73%), Haliscomenobacteria (1.25%), Rheinheimera (1.14%) and Tepidomonas (1.14%). All the other detectable genera were below 0.6%. Genera detected with region V4-7 from most abundant were; Stenotrophomonas (17.96%), Zavarzinella (5.81%), Aquaspirillum (4.75%), Rheinheimera (3.52%), GPI (1.41%), Gemmata (1.41%) and Syntrophobacter (1.06%). All the other genera detected were below 0.7%. Siloam is one of the hottest thermal springs in South Africa (63°C), the water has a pH of 9.5 and is relatively high in fluoride and bromide; it is possible that the physicochemical properties could have some influence on the diversity of bacteria. This article reports on the first phylogenetic analysis of a South African thermal spring bacterial community.This research was supported through a grant from Water Research Commission (WRC, SA, Project K5/1959/1).http://www.academicjournals.org/AJBnf201

Bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC.) as an alternative herbal and medicinal plant in southern africa : opportunity for commercialization

Bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC.) is a plant indigenous to South Africa and is commonly known as bushman’s tea (English); Boesmanstee (Afrikaans); Icholocholo, itshelo, umthsanelo (Zulu). It is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. People of South Africa have predominantly used it throughout history as a medicinal tea, for cleansing or purifying the blood, treating boils, headaches, infested wounds, cuts and the solution may also be used as a foam bath. The foam bath brew can also be used as lotion dabbed on to the boil, skin eruption or cut. The tea is also excellent for coughs and colds and as a gargle for throat infections and loss of voice. It is also believed to have aphrodisiac properties in some parts of southern Africa. The leaves contain 5-hydroxy-6,7,8,3’,4’,5’-hexamethoxy flavon-3-ol as a new flavonol which is a recently discovered flavonoid. Today, herbal tea cultivation is a big business in many parts of the world. South Africa is well known for its indigenous herbal tea production such as honey bush, rooibos and bush tea. There are increasing demands for such products, especially in the light of growing health consciousness worldwide. This necessitated the establishment and revival of bush tea as a healthy herbal beverage alternative to caffeine-containing beverages. Current research suggests that there is a great need to standardize processing methods and production protocols for consistent quality