PREVALENCE AND DRUG RESISTANCE IN ACINETOBACTER SP. ISOLATED FROM INTENSIVE CARE UNITS PATIENTS IN PUNJAB, INDIA

Objective: This study was designed to study the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Acinetobacter sp. as isolated from patients lodged in intensive care units (ICUs) of a tertiary care hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.Methods: The clinical samples were simultaneously streaked on Blood agar and MacConkey agar. The identification of the bacterial isolates was carried out with the aid of Gram stain, motility test and along with a combination of other commonly employed biochemical tests. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of all the bacterial isolates was carried out on Muller-Hinton agar through Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method.Results: Acinetobacter sp. formed a fair allowance contributing at 42% among all ICU culture positive samples. The respiratory tract samples had a major share at 63.15% for all samples attributed to be positive for Acinetobacter sp. nosocomial etiology. The antibiotic sensitivity pattern portrayed that more than 95% of Acinetobacter sp. isolates were multiple drug resistant (MDR) whereas >50% Acinetobacter sp. showed extensive drug resistant (XDR). The last resort for such Acinetobacter sp. nosocomial infections is left to colistin and polymyxin B.Conclusion: Acinetobacter sp. is a highly prevalent microorganism among ICU patients of Ludhiana, Punjab, India, while its potential to acquire resistance toward commonly used antibiotics represents it as a grave threat to the health-care industry, therefore signifying the need for its regular monitoring in the health-care setups

In vitro Phosphate Solubilization by Enterobacter spp. Isolated from Wheat Rhizosphere

Phosphorus is one of the very important minerals required for the proper plant growth. The availability of phosphorous to plants for uptake and utilization is impaired in alkaline and calcareous soil due to the formation of poorly soluble calcium phosphate minerals. Adding fertilizer phosphorous at normal rates and with conventional methods does not result in optimal yield and crop quality in these soils. The use of phosphate solubilizing bacteria can prove to be effective measure to provide phosphorous to the wheat plants to increase the productivity. In the present investigation, a total of 15 isolates were obtained from wheat rhizosphere soil samples. The isolates were subjected to primary and secondary screening and IKas4 and IH37 which showed highest phosphate solubilization during secondary screening were selected for subsequent studies. The condition for in vitro phosphate solubilization by the selected isolates was optimized. The isolate IH37 and the isolate IKas4 showed maximum phosphate solubilization of 0.070 µg and 0.99 µg P/ml respectively. The bacterial isolates were gram negative, non-spore forming rods. On the basis of the 16SrDNA sequencing isolates IKas4 and IH37 were identified as Enterobacter aerogenes and Enterobacter sp. respectively

Cellulase Production by Bacillus Subtilis M1 Using Pretreated Groundnut Shell Based Liquid State Fermentation

Groundnut shell which is rich in natural cellulose was assessed as a substrate for production of cellulase enzyme by cellulolytic bacteria. In the present investigation the bacterial isolate Bacillus subtilis M1 was found to be capable of producing high amount of endoglucanase and exoglucanase on alkali treated groundnut shell. The effect of some nitrogen sources, amino acids and Ca++ ionsin the medium containing pretreated groundnut shell were also evaluated. It was observed that 2% substrate concentration, 1mM calcium concentration were optimum for cellulase production. Ammonium nitrate was found to be the best among nitrogen sources tested. Asparagine, tryptophan and methionine were found to be stimulatory for cellulase activity

An Overview on Co-Pyrolysis of Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Wastes

Continuous urbanization and modernization have increased the burning of fossil fuels to meet energy needs across the globe, emanating environmental pollution and depleting fossil fuels. Therefore, a shift towards sustainable and renewable energy is necessary. Several techniques to exploit biomass to yield energy are trending, with pyrolysis one of them. Usually, a single feedstock is employed in pyrolysis for anoxygenic generation of biochar together with bio-oil at elevated temperatures (350–600 °C). Bio-oil produced through pyrolysis can be upgraded to crude oil after some modification. However, these modifications of bio-oil are one of the major drawbacks for its large-scale adoption, as upgradation increases the overall cost. Therefore, in recent years the scientific community has been researching co-pyrolysis technology that involves the pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass waste with non-biodegradable waste. Co-pyrolysis reduces the need for post-modification of bio-oil, unlike pyrolysis of a single feedstock. This review article discusses the recent advancements and technological challenges in waste biomass co-pyrolysis, the mechanism of co-pyrolysis, and factors that affect co-pyrolysis. The current study critically analyzes different recent research articles presented in databases such as PubMed, MDPI, ScienceDirect, Springer, etc. Hence, this review is one-of-a-kind in that it attempts to explain each and every aspect of the co-pyrolysis process and its current progress in the scientific field. Consequently, this review also compiles the remarkable achievements in co-pyrolysis and recommendations for the future