Biodiversity and abundance of benthic macro invertebrates community of Datte-da-Talab pond, Birpur (J&K) India

A Perennial pond "Datte Da Talab" has a dense population of benthic communities and it plays an important role in the exchange of nutrient cycles in the aquatic ecosystem. Fourteen (14) different species were identified in the present investigation belonging to three groups viz. Annelida (3 taxa), Arthropoda (8 taxa) and Mollusca (3 taxa). Arthropoda represented by Chironomus chironomus, Chironomus pupae, Pentaneura sp., Culicodes sp., Tabanus sp., Berosus sp., Paracymus sp., Hydroglyphus sp. and Canthydrus sp. The population of Mollusca was represented by Melanoides tuberculata, Physa sp. and Gyralus sp. Annelida dominated by Tubifex tubifex, Branchiura sp. and Dero digitata. Arthropoda was the dominant group among all and it constitutes 43.19 % of the total macrobenthic invertebrates collected. Mollusca were the second dominant group and contribute 38.55 % of total macrobenthic population. Whereas group Annelida was the least abundant among all and it shared 18.26 % of total macrobenthic fauna of pond. The maximum abundance of macrobenthic organisms recorded from station IV and minimum at the station I, which was 11558 and 7712 individuals/m2sediment respectively. The relative species diversity, species richness, dominance and evenness were calculated. The value of Simpson index ranged between H' = 0.48 to 0.69. The value of Shannon-Weiner index was higher (I = 1.66) at station III. Species richness in term of Maraglef's index and Menhinick's index varied between minimum valued R1= 1.08 (Station IV) to a maximum value R1 = 1.22 (Station III) and a minimum valued R2= 0.105 (Station IV) to a maximum value R2 = 0.133 (Station III) respectively. The minimum evenness value was observed at station I and maximum at station III the values being E = 0.581 and E = 0.668 respectively. The pond was investigated monthly during the year 2011-2012 for various physico-chemical parameters and macrobenthic invertebrates. Among physico-chemical parameters Depth, Transparency, pH, Water Temperature, Air Temperature, Weather conditions, Dissolved oxygen, Free carbon dioxide, Carbonates, Bicarbonates, Calcium, Magnesium, Chlorides, Phosphates, Sulphates and Nitrates were monitored which showed well marked seasonal fluctuations

Bacteriological Profile and their Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern in Bloodstream Infections in a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India

Blood is a sterile, liquid connective tissue. When infected with microbes, grave consequences can occur, such as shock, multiple organ failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and death. The World Health Organization reported 49 million cases of sepsis and 11 million sepsis-related deaths in 2017, accounting for approximately 20% of deaths annually worldwide. Rapid identification of the causative organism and timely, appropriate treatment are required to reduce mortality due to bloodstream infections. This study was conducted to analyze the patterns of various bacteria causing bloodstream infections and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns. All blood samples received for diagnosing bloodstream infections at the Microbiology Department of Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, were included in the study, the duration of which was 1 year, from January to December 2020. Blood samples of 5–10 ml from adult and 5 ml from pediatric patients, were collected under aseptic conditions, stored in BACTEC bottles, and processed in an automated BACTEC system before antimicrobial therapy. After 7 days of incubation, if no microbial growth was observed, the sample was reported as sterile for aerobic organisms. When growth was observed, broth from positive blood culture bottles was subcultured on blood and MacConkey agar for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing using Vitek 2 according to CLSI (Clinical Lab Standard Institute) guidelines and the manufacturer’s instructions. A total of 441 (14.5%) bacteria were isolated from 3007 blood samples from patients with suspected bacteremia. Contamination was observed at a rate of 2.5%. Gram-positive cocci (49%) were the predominant organisms recovered, followed by Gram-negative bacilli (34%). Gram-positive cocci were coagulase-negative Staphylococci (46%), Staphylococcus aureus (7%), and Enterococcus spp. (6%). Among the Gram-negative bacilli, E.coli (14%), Klebsiella spp. (13%), Acinetobacter baumannii (7%), Pseudomonas spp. (7%), Salmonella typhi (2%), Enterobacter spp. (1%), and Serratia spp. (1%) and single isolates of Aeromonas spp., Morganella morgani, Pantoea spp., Proteus mirabilis, and Providentia rettgeri were identified. Linezolid, teicoplanin, and vancomycin were the most effective drugs for treating Gram-positive bacteremia. Tigecycline, carbapenems, and aminoglycosides were the most effective treatments for Gram-negative bacteremia. The results stress the need for continued screening and surveillance in routine blood culture techniques to start empiric therapy for bloodstream infections