Rare occurrence of sunfish Mola mola (Linnaeus) from the coastal waters off Visakhapatnam (Bay of Bengal)

The occurrence of sunfish in any sea is a rare event. It is so rare that even fishermen engaged in fishing throughout their lives find it totally strange when they come across one. On 6 May, 1986, a local fisherman reported to the Zoology Department of the Andhra University that a very strange looking fish was part of that day's catch

Phytoplankton in relation to pollution in Visakhapatnam harbour, east coast of India

33-36Sporadic outbursts of phytoplankton, notably diatoms and phytoflagellates, are observed from Visakhapatnam harbour waters subjected to pollution. The harbour waters are characterised by high proportions of inorganic nutrients attributable to sewage and industrial waste discharges. High phytoplankton standing crop and chlorophyll concentrations accompanied by low species diversity at the harbour locations indicate severe eutrophication of waters in this area as against near normal conditions in the open sea

Phytoplankton characteristics and species assemblage patterns in northwest Bay of Bengal

158-160Qualitative and quantitative composition of phytoplankton of surface waters showed 109 species, represented by blue-green algae, diatoms and dinoflagellates. Among these, Trichodesmium thiebautii (29.34%), T. erythraeum (27.97%), Nitzschia seriata (10.06%), Rhizosolenia cylindrus (4.64%), Thallassiothrix longissima (2.05%), Dinophysis sp. (0.78%), Noctiluca scintillans (0.75%) and Ceratium sp. (0.6%) constituted the most important species. Miscellaneous species made up 23.8% to the total population. In general, there was a decrease in the overall abundance of phytoplankton offshore and increase in species diversity. Based on principal component analysis (PCA) it was possible to identify 5 assemblages of phytoplankton as determined by the prevailing hydrographical conditions

Phytoplankton Characteristics Of Chilka Lake, A Brackish Water Lagoon Along East-Coast Of India

274-277Examination of phytoplankton (September 1987) at 100 stations in Chilka lagoon revealed characteristic response gradients in species composition and abundance in relation to ambient water quality, particularly salinity. Altogether, 5 ecological zones could be distinguished in the study area each of which supported characteristic species of phytoplankton namely, Peridinium brevipes in zone I with relatively high salinity (av. 13.27 x 10-3); Oscillatoria limnetica (zone II, 6.99 x 10-3); O. limnetica and Stephanodiscus sp. (Zone III, 4.34 x 10-3) and Stephanodiscus sp. and Navicula sp. (zone IV, 1.24 x 10-3). In zone V, influenced by sea (salinity 6.32 x 10-3), in addition to several marine species, Stephanodiscus sp. occurred in large numbers

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Not AvailableThe occurrence of sunfish in any sea is a rare event. It is so rare that even fishermen engaged in fishing throughout their lives find it totally strange when they come across one. On 6 May, 1986, a local fisherman reported to the Zoology Department of the Andhra University that a very strange looking fish was part of that day's catch.Not Availabl

Differential Diagnosis of Malaria on Truelab Uno®, a Portable, Real-Time, MicroPCR Device for Point-Of-Care Applications.

BACKGROUND:Sensitive and specific detection of malarial parasites is crucial in controlling the significant malaria burden in the developing world. Also important is being able to identify life threatening Plasmodium falciparum malaria quickly and accurately to reduce malaria related mortality. Existing methods such as microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have major shortcomings. Here, we describe a new real-time PCR-based diagnostic test device at point-of-care service for resource-limited settings. METHODS:Truenat® Malaria, a chip-based microPCR test, was developed by bigtec Labs, Bangalore, India, for differential identification of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax parasites. The Truenat Malaria tests runs on bigtec's Truelab Uno® microPCR device, a handheld, battery operated, and easy-to-use real-time microPCR device. The performance of Truenat® Malaria was evaluated versus the WHO nested PCR protocol. The Truenat® Malaria was further evaluated in a triple-blinded study design using a sample panel of 281 specimens created from the clinical samples characterized by expert microscopy and a rapid diagnostic test kit by the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR). A comparative evaluation was done on the Truelab Uno® and a commercial real-time PCR system. RESULTS:The limit of detection of the Truenat Malaria assay was found to be <5 parasites/μl for both P. falciparum and P. vivax. The Truenat® Malaria test was found to have sensitivity and specificity of 100% each, compared to the WHO nested PCR protocol based on the evaluation of 100 samples. The sensitivity using expert microscopy as the reference standard was determined to be around 99.3% (95% CI: 95.5-99.9) at the species level. Mixed infections were identified more accurately by Truenat Malaria (32 samples identified as mixed) versus expert microscopy and RDTs which detected 4 and 5 mixed samples, respectively. CONCLUSION:The Truenat® Malaria microPCR test is a valuable diagnostic tool and implementation should be considered not only for malaria diagnosis but also for active surveillance and epidemiological intervention