Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of antituberculous compound producing actinomycete strain D25 isolated from Thar Desert soil, Rajasthan

During the course of the anti-infective drug discovery programme, actinomycete strain D25 was recovered from the Thar Desert soil, Rajasthan, India. Actinomycin type of compound isolated from the strain D25 showed promising activity against multi drug resistant and extensively drug resistant M. tuberculosis isolates. The present study reports the characteristics and phylogenetic status of the actinomycete strain D25. Phenotypic and cell wall characteristics revealed that the strain belongs to the genus Streptomyces. Further 16s rRNA analysis confined the genus Streptomyces with 97% similarity to the closely related species Streptomyces althioticus KCTC 9752. The 16s rRNA sequence was submitted to GenBank with the accession number JN604533.1. According to Bossard et al. (2003) strain D25 was found to be a novel species of the genus Streptomyces from Thar Desert soil, Rajasthan

Impregnation of S-layer protein isolated from extremophilic Bacillus Licheniformis NARW 02 onto titanium phosphate ceramic enhances uranium removal from aqueous solution

In the present study, bioceramic was prepared by impregnating surface layer protein (S-layer) isolated from extremophilic bacteria Bacillus licheniformis NARW 02 onto sol–gel-derived titanium phosphate (TiP) ceramic. The prepared bioceramic was used for adsorption of uranium ions from aqueous solution and compared with control lacking S-layer protein. The distribution coefficient value of TiP and bioceramic for uranium adsorption was 100.65 and 432.48 ml/g respectively. This study indicates that the bacterial S-layer can be potentially used to enhance the adsorption efficiency of the ceramics used in separation of uranium from waste water

Assessment of panel slides prepared by phenol ammonium sulphate and NALC methods for proficiency testing

BACKGROUND: Existing methods for the preparation of panel slides necessitate handling high-grade acid-fast bacilli positive sputum samples. OBJECTIVE: To compare panel slides prepared using the phenol ammonium sulphate sediment (PhAS) method with those prepared using the N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NALC) method in proficiency testing. METHODS: Pooled sputum specimens of known smearpositives and -negatives were divided into two parts: one part was used for preparing panel slides using the NALC method and the other using PhAS, a non-hazardous method. Respectively 413 and 384 smears of different grades were prepared in three batches using the PhAS and NALC methods. Smear grade and quality were recorded by 121 microscopists during proficiency testing in different states. Agreement between reference and reported results was analysed using the kappa test. RESULTS: The overall agreement was 96% for the PhAS method and 91% for the NALC method. There were 37 errors using the NALC method compared to 21 for the PhAS method (P < 0.223). Smear quality was equally good in both methods; however, the cell count was s ignificantly higher in the PhAS than in the NALC method. CONCLUSION: The PhAS method, a non-hazardous procedure with good-quality smears, may be further explored for the preparation of panel slides

Mycobacteria in environmental clean-up

Mycobacteria are a diverse group of rod-shaped acid-fast bacteria that include more than 70 different species. The obligate pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae cause tuberculosis and leprosy respectively. Most other mycobacteria live in the soil and water in both rural and urban settings throughout the world. There is no standard naming convention for this group of microorganisms. They may be referred to as nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT), atypical mycobacteria and/or environmental mycobacteria. They can be found in aerosols, rivers and swamps, in treated city water, public swimming pools, hot spas, humidifiers, aquariums, garden soils, food, and many other places. Because they are protected by their waxy lipid-rich cell wall, mycobacteria are resistant to disinfectants and water treatment measures. Almost half of the NTM species identified are associated with opportunistic infections in animals and humans, and several have caused sporadic outbreaks. But, certain species of mycobacteria play an important role in environmental clean-up processes such as biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), crude oils and chemical dyes and other recalcitrant molecules. This article will focus on the role of certain species of NTM in bioremediation of major environmental pollutant, PAHs

Simulating Urban Growth Using the Cellular Automata Markov Chain Model in the Context of Spatiotemporal Influences for Salem and Its Peripherals, India

Urbanization is one of the biggest challenges for developing countries, and predicting urban growth can help planners and policymakers understand how spatial growth patterns interact. A study was conducted to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use/land cover changes in Salem and its surrounding communities from 2001 to 2020 and to simulate urban expansion in 2030 using cellular automata (CA)–Markov and geospatial techniques. The findings showed a decrease in aerial vegetation cover and an increase in barren and built-up land, with a rapid transition from vegetation cover to bare land. The transformed barren land is expected to be converted into built-up land in the near future. Urban growth in the area is estimated to be 179.6 sq km in 2030, up from 59.6 sq km in 2001, 76 sq km in 2011, and 133.3 sq km in 2020. Urban sprawl is steadily increasing in Salem and the surrounding towns of Omalur, Rasipuram, Sankari, and Vazhapadi, with sprawl in the neighboring towns surpassing that in directions aligned toward Salem. The city is being developed as a smart city, which will result in significant expansion and intensification of the built-up area in the coming years. The study’s outcomes can serve as spatial guidelines for growth regulation and monitoring

A Hybrid Spatial–Analytical Network Process Model for Groundwater Inventory in a Semi-Arid Hard Rock Aquifer System—A Case Study

Growing agricultural, industrial, and residential needs have increased the demand for groundwater resources. Targeting groundwater has become a challenging endeavour because of the complex interplay between varying climatic, geological, hydrological, and physiographic elements. This study proposes a hybrid RS, GIS, and ANP method to delineate groundwater zones. The resource was evaluated using seven surface hydrological and six subsurface aquifer parameters. The analytic network process model was used to determine the global priority vectors of each subclass. Surface and subsurface groundwater potential maps were created by assigning the resulting weights and spatially integrating them. Later, an integrated potential map was created by combining them. The validation of the obtained results using water level data demonstrates that the integrated map accurately predicted the zones. The area under study has 172.94 km2 of good groundwater potential. An area of 393.01 km2 is classified as having a moderate potential, and an area of 410 km2 is classified as having low potential. These findings will be beneficial to regional policymaking and long-term groundwater management. The results show that an integrated approach using ANP can better determine the groundwater potential zones in semi-arid zones

A Hybrid Spatial&ndash;Analytical Network Process Model for Groundwater Inventory in a Semi-Arid Hard Rock Aquifer System&mdash;A Case Study

Growing agricultural, industrial, and residential needs have increased the demand for groundwater resources. Targeting groundwater has become a challenging endeavour because of the complex interplay between varying climatic, geological, hydrological, and physiographic elements. This study proposes a hybrid RS, GIS, and ANP method to delineate groundwater zones. The resource was evaluated using seven surface hydrological and six subsurface aquifer parameters. The analytic network process model was used to determine the global priority vectors of each subclass. Surface and subsurface groundwater potential maps were created by assigning the resulting weights and spatially integrating them. Later, an integrated potential map was created by combining them. The validation of the obtained results using water level data demonstrates that the integrated map accurately predicted the zones. The area under study has 172.94 km2 of good groundwater potential. An area of 393.01 km2 is classified as having a moderate potential, and an area of 410 km2 is classified as having low potential. These findings will be beneficial to regional policymaking and long-term groundwater management. The results show that an integrated approach using ANP can better determine the groundwater potential zones in semi-arid zones

Bioprospecting of marine derived actinomycetes with special reference to antimycobacterial activity

407-410Present study consists the bioprospecting of marine actinomycetes with special reference to antimycobacterial activity. Totally 49 actinomycetes were isolated from sediment samples collected from mangrove area of Pitchavaram coastal areas of Parangipettai and Andaman &amp; Nicobar Islands and by using starch casein agar medium. Based on the cultural and microscopic characteristics, 30 isolates were identified as Streptomyces sp. and 19 as rare actinomycetes including 11 Micromonospora sp. Bioactive substance from all the isolates were produced by shake flask fermentation method using yeast extract malt extract broth. Culture filtrate and mycelial methanol extracts were tested against drug sensitive and drug resistant clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis and standard strain Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv by luciferase reporter phage (LRP) assay. Culture filtrate and/or mycelial methanol extracts from 41 out of 49 actinomycetes inhibited at least one of the M. tuberculosis strains tested. Culture filtrates from actinomycetes strains viz., R6 (Streptomyces sp), M1A6 (Micromonospora sp), M1A15 (Actinosynnemma sp), M1A18 (Micromonospora sp) and M1A23 (rare actinomycete) showed more than 90% reduction in RLU by LRP assay. Isolation of active compounds from these potent strains probably would lead to the discovery of novel antiTB drugs