Bacterial Growth Enhancement Value and Nutritional Quality of Compounded Milk Media from Commercial Milk Brands

Background and Objective: Milk agar is recommended for enumeration of microorganisms in dairy products. Most of the commonly used media are imported to Nigeria and hence available in-house substitutes are necessary. In this study, microbial growth enhancement values of compounded milk agar were compared to imported milk agar using two milk brands. Dawadawa (fermented locust beans), yeast powder and peptone in the proportions of 1: 3: 5, respectively, were used as nutrient sources. Material and Methods: Growth enhancement values of the compounded media were assessed on three bacterial species of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus plantarum. Furthermore, imported milk agar served as the control. Results and Conclusion: Significant differences were seen in nutritional contents of the compounded milk agar and imported milk agar as well as the elemental compositions of compounded milk agar and imported milk agar. No significant differences were seen between the total viable counts of Staphylococcus aureus and Lactobacillus plantarum on compounded milk agar and imported milk agar. However, significant differences were reported in the total viable counts of Escherichia coli on compounded milk agar and imported milk agar. Media containing Cowbell milk powder recorded the highest total viable counts (1.3 ´ 105, 1.8 ´ 106 and 2.0 ´ 106 CFU ml-1) for Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus plantarum, respectively. In conclusion, the Cowbell milk powder in combination with yeast extract and peptone is the best milk of choice for compounding milk agar when using local resources. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Whole genomic sequence of Enterobacter sichuanensis AJI 2411 – a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria

DATA AVAILABILITY : Data will be made available on request.Enterobacter sichuanensis AJI 2411 is a rhizobacteria displaying plant growth promoting potentials, which was isolated from the rhizosphere of soybeans in Ede, Osun State, Nigeria. The full genome of Enterobacter sichuanensis AJI 2411 was sequenced and reported in this study to shed light on the molecular mechanisms that aids the bacteria’s plant growth-promoting abilities.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/geneam2024Veterinary Tropical DiseasesSDG-15:Life on lan

Harnessing Immunoinformatics for Precision Vaccines:Designing Epitope-Based Subunit Vaccines against Hepatitis E Virus

Background/Objectives: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an RNA virus recognized to be spread mainly by fecal-contaminated water. Its infection is known to be a serious threat to public health globally, mostly in developing countries, in which Africa is one of the regions sternly affected. An African-based vaccine is necessary to actively prevent HEV infection. Methods: This study developed an in silico epitope-based subunit vaccine, incorporating CTL, HTL, and BL epitopes with suitable linkers and adjuvants. Results: The in silico-designed vaccine construct proved immunogenic, non-allergenic, and non-toxic and displayed appropriate physicochemical properties with high solubility. The 3D structure was modeled and subjected to protein docking with Toll-like receptors 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9, which showed a stable binding efficacy, and the dynamics simulation indicated steady interaction. Furthermore, the immune simulation predicted that the designed vaccine would instigate immune responses when administered to humans. Lastly, using a codon adaptation for the E. coli K12 bacterium produced optimum GC content and a high CAI value, which was followed by in silico integration into a pET28 b (+) cloning vector. Conclusions: Generally, these results propose that the design of an epitope-based subunit vaccine can function as an outstanding preventive vaccine candidate against HEV, although validation techniques via in vitro and in vivo approaches are required to justify this statement

Biological Activity of Selected Compounds from Annona muricata Seed as Antibreast Cancer Agents: Theoretical Study

Several natural products have been of help to humans, and its effect is noticeable in the medicinal world. Soursop with botanical name Annona muricata L. possesses antidiarrhea, anticold fever, antirheumatism, and antineuralgia properties. In this work, five selected molecular compounds were studied against type 3 of 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSD). Its anticancer activity was investigated using the quantum chemical method via Spartan 14 software, molecular docking via Discovery studio 2017, AutoDock Tool 1.5.6, AutoDock Vina 1.1.2, and PyMol 1.7.4.4 and the molecular dynamic simulation method via AMBER14 molecular dynamics package. Many descriptors (EHOMO, ELUMO, dipole moment, energy bandgap, area, volume, polarizability, polar surface area, Log P, hydrogen bond donor, and hydrogen bond acceptor) which describe the anticancer activity of the studied compounds were obtained. Also, the docking study revealed the inhibiting ability of the studied compound, and it was observed that compound C possesses a greater ability to inhibit than other studied compounds as well as the standard (5FU)

The Growth Enhancement Potentials of Indigenous Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria on Sweet Pepper (Caspicum annum) through Seed Bacterization

The demand for food is rising as the world's population is rising. The second sustainable development goal's objectives of achieving global food security and agricultural sustainability call for swift and coordinated action. The use of traditional mineral fertilizers has increased dramatically in response to the rise in food demand, but this has its drawbacks. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) which is a free-living bacteria actively colonize plant roots and aids it growth. They provide an environmentally friendly way to boost plant output. Due to the  high nutritional content and wide range of medicinal applications of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), it constitute one of the most significant vegetable crops in the world.. sweet pepper (Capsicum annum ) was evaluated through a pot study under the treatment of six bacterial strains. Bacterization of sweet pepper seeds was done via the immersion of seeds in a suspension of bacteria (108 CFU/ml) modified with 2% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), The treated seeds were planted in sterilized planting bags with sterilized sand, Effects of bacterized seeds of Capsicum annuum on the shoot height revealed that the highest shoot height was observed at week 8 by isolate AU4(Burkholderia sp) at (9.66±12.15), followed by AU6 (Burkholderia sp ) at week 6 (6.26±0.05). The highest leaf number of Capsicum annuum after bacterization was observed at week 8(9.00±0.0) and 10(9.00±0.0), while the observed control at week 8(6.00±1.0) week 10(7.00±0.0). Plant growth-promoting bacteria applied via seed bacterization has shown potential for increasing the growth parameters of sweet pepper. This could be a formidable substitute for the use of chemical fertilizers. The use of Burkholderia vietnamiensis AU2011 and Burkholderia sp have shown potential for the increment of the agronomical parameter of  C. annuum

Faecal microbial transplant

Faecal Microbial Transplantation (FMT), have been shown to be successfully managed along with a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, including Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). FMT is a medical procedure that involves a donor transferring healthy gut bacteria to the recipient. The effectiveness of FMT is thought to be due to the ability of the healthy gut to restore balance to the recipient's microbiome, which is the community of microorganisms that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract. One of the key advantages of FMT is that it is a relatively simple and low-cost treatment option, compared to other therapies that may be more invasive or require long-term medication use. However, FMT is not without its limitations, including the potential for the transfer of infectious agents from the donor to the recipient and the potential for negative side effects in some patients. In this research, we discuss the current state of the evidence on FMT, including its potential benefits and risks, as well as future directions for research in this area