Investigation of keratinase activity by thermo-alkanophilic Nocardiopsis sp. SD6 isolated from feather waste soil / Subhasish Saha... [et. al.]

The aim of the study was to isolate keratinolytic actinobacteria from feather waste soil, poultry farm soil in Tiruchirappalli and Nammakkal District, Tamil Nadu, India and their keratinase activity were investigated by feather degradation. Totally 91 isolates were obtained from feather waste soil and poultry waste soil samples. Among the 91 isolates, 32 positive isolates were selected after grown on modified starch casein agar (SCA) medium with additional casein. All 32 proteolytic isolates were subjected for casein hydrolysis and four significant isolates were selected based on their growth on basal liquid medium containing chicken feather. The isolate SD6 was tentatively identified one of the best among 4 isolates. The isolate SD6 was characterized by morphological, biochemical and molecular property inducing 16s rRNA analysis based and has been identified as Nocardiopsis sp. SD6 (JF907189). The isolate was grown on modified starch casein broth (SCB). Supernatant from centrifuged culture was examined for protease and keratinase activity. The optimum temperature and pH for enzyme activity for both proteolytic and keratinolytic was found at 50°C, pH 8 respectively. Extracellular keratinase enzyme was separated from the culture supernatant by centrifugation and precipitated with ammonium sulphate (80% saturation) and followed by dialysis using dialysis membrane 150. Native PAGE was performed with the enzyme sample and visible bands were observed after de-staining. Zymogram gel electrophoresis was employed to identify the keratinase enzymes band and three bands in the gel were found with positive keratinase activity

Probiotic Effect of Lactobacillus Isolates Against Bacterial Pathogens in Fresh Water Fish

A total of 59 Lactobacillus isolates were isolated from 5 different fresh water fish such as Cat fish ( Clarias orientalis) , Hari fish (Anguilla sp), Rohu fish ( Labeo rohita), Jillabe fish (Oreochromis sp) and Gende fish ( Punitus carnaticus). Among the 59 isolates only 4 Lactobacillus isolates were selected for further study. Based on morphological and biochemical characteristics, the isolates were identified as Lactobacillus sp. The pathogen were isolated from infected cat fishes, characterized and identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas sp and Aeromonas salmonicida. The Lactobacillus isolates were screened for antagonistic activity against Aeromonas, Vibrio sp. by agar diffusion assay. Among the 4 isolates, Lactobacilli RLD2 showed significant antagonistic activity against Aeromonas and Vibrio sp alone. and was further evaluated by standard plate count assay for the viability of pathogen. The isolate was multiplied and the fish feed was supplement with Lactobacillus isolates. The results reveal that the size, weight of the fish was statically increased in comparison to that of control fish. The present study concluded that the Lactobacillus isolates could be used as probiotic bacteria in aquaculture, to manage aeromonasis

Five Pond-centred Outbreaks of Cholera in Villages of West Bengal, India: Evidence for Focused Interventions

In rural West Bengal, outbreaks of cholera are often centred around ponds that is a feature of the environment. Five investigations of laboratory-confirmed, pond-centred outbreaks of cholera were reviewed. Case-control odds ratios were approximated with relative risks (RRs) as the incidence was low. The environment was investigated to understand how the pond(s) could have become contaminated and could have infected villagers. The five outbreaks of cholera in 2004-2008 led to 277 cases and three deaths (median attack rate: 51/1,000 people; case fatality: 1.1%; median age of case-patients: 22 years; median duration: 13 days, range: 6-15 days). Factors significantly (p<0.05) associated with cholera in the case-control (n=4) and cohort investigations (n=1) included washing utensils in ponds (4 outbreaks of cholera, RR range: 6-12), bathing (3 outbreaks of cholera, RR range: 3.5-9.3), and exposure to pond water, including drinking (2 outbreaks of cholera, RR range: 2.1-3.2), mouth washing (1 outbreak of cholera, RR: 4.8), and cooking (1 outbreak of cholera, RR: 3.0). Initial case-patients contaminated ponds through washing soiled clothes (n=4) or defaecation (n=1). Ubiquitous ponds used for many purposes transmit cholera in West Bengal. Focused health education, hygiene, and sanitation must protect villagers, particularly following the occurrence of an index case in a village that has ponds

Genetic characterization of HIV-1 from semen and blood from clade C-infected subjects from India and effect of therapy in these body compartments

AbstractBiologic and genetic differences between HIV-1 clade C in India and clade B in US suggest that the effect of anti-viral therapy in various body compartments may differ between these two clades. We examined the effect of therapy on viral loads in semen and blood of HIV-1-clade C infected subjects from India and evaluated whether HIV-1 in the semen is different from that in blood in these subjects. HIV-1 RNA was detected in semen and blood at all stages of the disease. Viral loads in semen and blood were strongly correlated with each other, but not with the CD4+ T cell count. Anti-viral treatment reduced viral load drastically in blood and semen within one month of post therapy. Genetic characterization of HIV-1 in the semen and blood demonstrated that they were highly compartmentalized. These data have important implications of sexual transmission of HIV-1 in clade C HIV-1 infected subjects