Mycobacteriocin typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from patients in south India, Hong Kong & Britain

A total of 148 strains of M. tuberculosis (south India, 118; Hong Kong, 24; Britain, 6) were screened for mycobacteriocin production by cross-streak method using 9 rapid growers (group IV mycobacteria) as indicator strains adapting the scheme suggested by Takeya and Tokiwa. Eighty six per cent (127 of 148) of the cultures were found typable into two types–type 11 (84%); and type 9 (2%). The remaining 14 per cent (21) cultures were untypable and exhibited different inhibition patterns not reported earlier. Since 98 per cent (125 of 127) of the typable cultures belonged to type 11, the limitation of the present indicator system for typing M. tuberculosis from south India is discussed

Cerebrospinal fluid adenosine deaminase and lysozyme levels in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis

Adenosine Deaminase Activity (ADA) and Lysozyme Activity (LYSA) were measured in the CSF of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) cases : 26 bacteriologically positive TBM (Group 1), 61 bacteriologically negative TBM (Group 2), 10 non-tuberculous meningitis (Group 3) and 17 control subjects (Group 4). The mean ADA levels in different groups in that order were found to be 11.6, 4.5, 4.4 and 0.8 U/l respectively. The mean LYSA levels in the same groups were 6.3, 2.1, 2.2 and 0.5 mcg/ml respectively. In bacteriologically positive TBM, the mean ADA and LYSA levels were significantly higher than the other three groups (p < 0.0001). An ADA level of 4U/l and LYSA tests were 96%, 82% and 85%, 95% respectively. When both the criteria were considered, the sensitivity and specificity were 91% and 93% respectively. Combination of both test definitions could give additional support to the diagnosis in 49% of 61 clinically suspected but bacteriologically negative TBM cases. Correlation of ADA and LYSA levels in CSF was found to be statistically significant (r = 0.59; p < 0.01)

Use of multiple media for the cultivation of mycobacteria from specimens other than sputum

An investigation was carried out on the efficacy of using multiple media in the isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from specimens other than sputum, during the period 1980-1984. Of a total of 3807 specimens examined, 818 were urine, 1428 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), 567 lymph glands, 94 pus samples, 224 operation specimens, 91 gastric aspirates, 108 ascitic fluid and 477 were other types of specimens. Each specimen was inoculated onto one set of media consisting of two slopes each of ‘Lowenstein-Jensen’ medium (LJ), LJ medium containing 0.5 per cent sodium pyruvate (LJP) and 7H11 oleic acid albumin medim (7H11) and two bottles of selective Kirchner’s liquid medium (KL). In all, 550 (14%) were positive by culture in any one of the four media used. Considering the different media individually, KL had the highest efficiency yielding 339 (62%) of the total 550 positive cultures. Also, KL detected 162 positives which were not positive by any of the other media. This was followed by LJ with 328 (60%) positives. LJ and KL when considered together detected 93 per cent of the positives and LJ, LJP and KL increased the positivity to 99 per cent. Thus LJ and KL seems to be the best combination for the isolation of mycobacteria from specimens other than sputum

Susceptibility of south Indian strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to tuberactinomycin

A total of 114 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from sputum samples of 114 patients of pulmonary tuberculosis in south India, were coded and tested for their in vitro susceptibility to tuberactinomycin (Tum) incorporated in Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium. Of these strains, 95 (83.3%) and 15 (13.2%) were susceptible to Tum at 25 and 50 mg/l respectively. Only 4 (3.5%) strains were inhibited at 100 mg/l or more. Of the 37 drug sensitive strains, 2 (5.4%) were not susceptible to Tum at 25 mg/l compared to 17 (22.1%) of 77 strains-resistant to one or more of antituberculosis drugs (P <0.02). The drug susceptibility pattern of the strains revealed that there was no significant association of resistance between Tum and streptomycin or rifampicin or ethambutol or ethionamide or isoniazid. However, 15 (53.6%) of 28 kanamycin (K) resistant strains were not susceptible to Tum at 25 mg/l. This cross resistance between Tum and K was further studied in 24 and 15 K sensitive and resistant strains respectively, by correlating their proportion resistance at 16 mg/l and it was found to have a significant positive correlation (r = 0.55; X0.01)

Speech identification and cortical potentials in individuals with auditory neuropathy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Present study investigated the relationship between speech identification scores in quiet and parameters of cortical potentials (latency of P1, N1, and P2; and amplitude of N1/P2) in individuals with auditory neuropathy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ten individuals with auditory neuropathy (five males and five females) and ten individuals with normal hearing in the age range of 12 to 39 yr participated in the study. Speech identification ability was assessed for bi-syllabic words and cortical potentials were recorded for click stimuli.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results revealed that in individuals with auditory neuropathy, speech identification scores were significantly poorer than that of individuals with normal hearing. Individuals with auditory neuropathy were further classified into two groups, Good Performers and Poor Performers based on their speech identification scores. It was observed that the mean amplitude of N1/P2 of Poor Performers was significantly lower than that of Good Performers and those with normal hearing. There was no significant effect of group on the latency of the peaks. Speech identification scores showed a good correlation with the amplitude of cortical potentials (N1/P2 complex) but did not show a significant correlation with the latency of cortical potentials.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results of the present study suggests that measuring the cortical potentials may offer a means for predicting perceptual skills in individuals with auditory neuropathy.</p

Use of cetylpyridinium chloride for the storage of sputum samples and isolation of M. tuberculosis

Of 220 sputum specimens collected from pulmonary tuberculosis patients, 85 were culture positive when the sputum aliquots were stored with cetypyridinium chloride (CPC) and processed on 7th day (CPC method), whereas only 70 were culture positive when the aliquots of the same specimens were stored without CPC and processed by sodium hydroxide (NaOH) method. The difference in the culture positivity was statistically significant. The number of positive, cultures obtained by the CPC method (85) was comparable to that obtained by the NaOH method before storage (95) and the difference was not statistically significant

Synonymous Codon Usage Analysis of Thirty Two Mycobacteriophage Genomes

Synonymous codon usage of protein coding genes of thirty two completely sequenced mycobacteriophage genomes was studied using multivariate statistical analysis. One of the major factors influencing codon usage is identified to be compositional bias. Codons ending with either C or G are preferred in highly expressed genes among which C ending codons are highly preferred over G ending codons. A strong negative correlation between effective number of codons (Nc) and GC3s content was also observed, showing that the codon usage was effected by gene nucleotide composition. Translational selection is also identified to play a role in shaping the codon usage operative at the level of translational accuracy. High level of heterogeneity is seen among and between the genomes. Length of genes is also identified to influence the codon usage in 11 out of 32 phage genomes. Mycobacteriophage Cooper is identified to be the highly biased genome with better translation efficiency comparing well with the host specific tRNA genes

Genetic variability for grain yield and water use efficiency in blackgram genotypes

Transpiration efficiency (TE, g biomass kg-1 water transpired) is the preferred measure for examining po- tential genetic variation in crop water use efficiency (WUE). TE was assessed gravimetrically from sowing to grain harvest in fifteen blackgram accessions, two checks and two local varieties under well-watered conditions during kharif season. TEbiomass varied from 2.87 - 5.27 g kg-1 and TEseed varied from 1.10 - 2.03 g kg-1 among genotypes. High coefficient of variability was observed for seed yield and TEseed.Total biomass, TEbiomass, HI and water transpired recorded medium coefficient of variability. High heritability in broad sense was observed for seed yield, TEseed and total biomass. High genetic advance as percent of mean was observed for seed yield, TEseed, total biomass and TEbiomass. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for seed yield, total biomass and TEseed.TEseed is significantly positively correlated with TEbiomass (0.883**), seed yield/ plant (0.805**), HI (0.757**) and biomass (0.572*). TEbiomass, seed yield per plant, total biomass and HI were the important components of TEseed as revealed by correlation studies.D2 analysis partitioned the nineteen genotypes in to five clusters. The maximum inter cluster distance was observed between cluster II and V (24.94) and III and IV (22.6). Genotypes IC436665, IC343952 and Local II (Cluster III) had high mean values for TEbiomass and TEseed along with total biomass and seed yield. These genotypes should be useful in future breeding programs for higher water use efficiency

Mycobacteriophage Genome Database

Mycobacteriophage genome database (MGDB) is an exclusive repository of the 64 completely sequenced mycobacteriophages with annotated information. It is a comprehensive compilation of the various gene parameters captured from several databases pooled together to empower mycobacteriophage researchers. The MGDB (Version No.1.0) comprises of 6086 genes from 64 mycobacteriophages classified into 72 families based on ACLAME database. Manual curation was aided by information available from public databases which was enriched further by analysis. Its web interface allows browsing as well as querying the classification. The main objective is to collect and organize the complexity inherent to mycobacteriophage protein classification in a rational way. The other objective is to browse the existing and new genomes and describe their functional annotation

Assessment of Heavy Metal of Water and Its Impact on Fishes of Kachpoor Lake, Kamareddy, Telangana, India

This research article provides a comprehensive analysis of bioaccumulation and its impacts on freshwater fish. It examines the gradual buildup of heavy metals including mercury, lead, zinc, cadmium, and arsenic in fish tissues as a consequence of industrial pollution, agricultural runoff, and atmospheric deposition. The study highlights the adverse effects of bioaccumulation on fish health, including impaired reproductive capabilities, abnormal development, and organ damage. Furthermore, it emphasizes the risks associated with the consumption of contaminated aquatic food, which poses significant threats to human health. The paper advocates for addressing heavy metal contamination in aquatic ecosystems through the adoption of effective waste management strategies, the reduction of industrial emissions, sustainable agricultural practices, and the continuous monitoring of fish populations. Such measures are critical in minimizing the accumulation of heavy metals in freshwater fish, thereby protecting both aquatic life and public health