Introduction to the 'IIOAB Letters'

The Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology (IIOAB), India (www.iioab.webs.com / www.iioab.ac.in) is a non-profit scientific organization that aims to provide a global platform for multidisciplinary research and advocacy. Other aspects of the organization are promotion of higher education, R&D, and to serve science, society, and the mankind. To fulfil its mission, IIOAB is now introducing a new open access, preer-reviewed, scientific international journal- the “IIOAB Letters” that will publish articles covering all aspects of biological sciences.  The journal is dedicated to students, who are our future, and will provide a platform to all scientific community to publish their articles.The journal is a collaborative effore of IIOAB and University Library Sysltem (ULS), Office of Scholarly Communication, Publishing and Web Services from University of Pittsburgh, USA. for puting their all valuable efforts in successfully launch the journal using Open Journal System (OJS).The journal will publish basic and applied research articles, invited review articles, interviews, letters, reports etc. This journal will also provide a global forum for ethical and business knowledge exchange through publishing papers from all over the world. Another aspect of the journal is rapid review and fast publication.  The journal will be indexed in well known indexing agencies soon.As an open access journal, the journal will be highly dynamic and interactive and all article will be available freely immediately after publication. Therefore, all published article will be visible to researchers, teachers, students, and scientific community and industry people without delay.We are simply convinced that this is the right time for introduction of this new journal and we are confident that the IIAOB Letters will be a very successful new launch and will be essential to all scientific community.  Comments, suggestions and criticisms are always welcome.Success of any journal depends on strong international and dedicated Editorial Board and fortunately, we have a respectable board consisting of highly qualified personalities from multidisciplinary Biological Science background and from across the geographal regions. During the end of this year, IIOAB Letters also will invite distinguished members for Editorial Board expansion. In the near future our efforts will be focused to increase the publication of high quality research papers and to get a good impact factor as soon as possible. The Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology (IIOAB), India (www.iioab.webs.com / www.iioab.ac.in) is a non-profit scientific organization that aims to provide a global platform for multidisciplinary research and advocacy. Other aspects of the organization are promotion of higher education, R&D, and to serve science, society, and the mankind. To fulfil its mission, IIOAB is now introducing a new open access, preer-reviewed, scientific international journal- the “IIOAB Letters” that will publish articles covering all aspects of biological sciences.  The journal is dedicated to students, who are our future, and will provide a platform to all scientific community to publish their articles. The journal is a collaborative effore of IIOAB and University Library Sysltem (ULS), Office of Scholarly Communication, Publishing and Web Services from University of Pittsburgh, USA. for puting their all valuable efforts in successfully launch the journal using Open Journal System (OJS). The journal will publish basic and applied research articles, invited review articles, interviews, letters, reports etc. This journal will also provide a global forum for ethical and business knowledge exchange through publishing papers from all over the world. Another aspect of the journal is rapid review and fast publication.  The journal will be indexed in well known indexing agencies soon.As an open access journal, the journal will be highly dynamic and interactive and all article will be available freely immediately after publication. Therefore, all published article will be visible to researchers, teachers, students, and scientific community and industry people without delay.  We are simply convinced that this is the right time for introduction of this new journal and we are confident that the IIAOB Letters will be a very successful new launch and will be essential to all scientific community.  Comments, suggestions and criticisms are always welcome. Success of any journal depends on strong international and dedicated Editorial Board and fortunately, we have a respectable board consisting of highly qualified personalities from multidisciplinary Biological Science background and from across the geographal regions. During the end of this year, IIOAB Letters also will invite distinguished members for Editorial Board expansion. In the near future our efforts will be focused to increase the publication of high quality research papers and to get a good impact factor as soon as possible

Comparative Assessment of Antibiotic Resistance in Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Healthy Human Adult and Infant Feces

Lactic acid bacteria are normal inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract of humans. Their occurrence in infant and adult feces is abundant. The current study assesses and compares the antibiotic resistance in lactic acid bacteria isolated from healthy human adult and healthy infant fecal samples. A total of 255 lactic acid bacteria isolates (126 from adult feces and 129 from infant feces) were isolated and characterized from 60 fecal samples. Lactobacillus spp., Pediococcus spp. and Enterococcus spp. were included in the study. The study was done using the WHONET software for the analysis of antibiotic susceptibility data of lactic acid bacteria. Most of the Lactobacillus and Pediococcus strains were sensitive to vancomycin. Enterococcus strains showed resistance against vancomycin. Ampicillin, ciprofloxacin and cefuroxime resistance were significantly (p<0.05) higher in Lactobacillus strains isolated from adult fecal samples than those isolated from infant fecal samples. A similar pattern was observed in Enterococcus strains with erythromycin, gentamycin and tobramycin resistance. Pediococcal isolates from adult feces showed significantly higher resistance against tobramycin, ciprofloxacin, gentamycin, cefotaxime and cefuroxime in comparison with infant fecal isolates. Antibiotic resistance was exhibited by lactic acid bacteria against most commonly used antibiotics and it was higher in strains isolated from adult fecal samples than in the strains isolated from infant fecal samples. The increasing trend in antibiotic resistance from infant to adult might be due to food habits and antibiotic intakes. Thus, the widespread antibiotic resistance in different lactic acid bacteriamay pose a food safety concern as well

PREVALENCE OF TSST PRODUCING COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS IN WOUND SAMPLES AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MRSA AGAINST TEA EXTRACT

Objective: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a potential pathogen for hospital-acquired infections. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of MRSA using tea extract. Methods: All S. aureus isolates obtained from wound samples were studied for antibiotic resistance pattern using 23 different antibiotics. Based on coagulase negative, S. aureus isolates were identified for toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST) gene and analyzed using PCR method. The antibacterial activities of tea extract were tested against MRSA using agar well-diffusion method. Results: A total of 100 wound samples were collected from hospital, where 75% of samples showed presence of S. aureus. About 100% resistance to cefoperazone, ampicillin, penicillin, rifampicin, novobiocin, and vancomycin antibiotics was observed. The isolates showed less resistance <50% toward chloramphenicol (30%), ciprofloxacin (25%), gentamycin (52%), amikacin (38%), and imipenem (33%). Twenty-five isolates were selected for MRSA characterization based on multiple drug resistance pattern. Coagulase-negative S. aureus isolates showed presence of TSST gene. Tea extract (2%) showed effective antibacterial activity against MRSA strains. Conclusion: The study showed the presence of MRSA at higher level and suggesting to out further epidemiological study on such infections. However, cost-effective and easily available tea extract was found to be the best antimicrobial agent for preventing such bacterial infection and to reduce the risk of emerging resistance

Development of RT-PCR Based Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2

In the 2020, COVID-19 pandemic disease created an havoc situation world widely and mainly caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has been challenging task for researchers, scientists and medico-pharmaceutical organisations to find out rapid and reliable diagnosis methods. Among the all testing services, a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) is the more accurate, rapid and authenticated molecular technique used for most of the diagnosis of major diseases. It has been a global priority to fix the rapid diagnosis method to combat against the pandemic COVID-19. Thus, the present chapter mainly focussing on the progress of RT-PCR method development though various processes of data collection on isolation of whole genome sequence, its primer and method designing. In this scenario, India suddenly become the global leader for vaccine development and hence the challenges and RT-PCR kit development in India and rest of the world has been be discussed. World wide many Government and private agencies and industries have taken an initiative for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 hence this chapter also summarised the scope of RT-PCR to combat pandemic situation in future

Advances on Probiotics Utilization in Poultry Health and Nutrition

Poultry is one of the most rapidly expanding food production sectors, especially in developing countries. The poultry birds are safe and in good health due to the antibiotic supplemented feeds. However, the increasing awareness regarding antibiotic resistance has led to a dire need for the development of antibiotic-free poultry. Therefore, in addition to the daunting challenge of sufficing the need for poultry food of the increasing population, the industry should also ensure that the production is based on sustainable practices. In poultry farming there are several alternatives to the antibiotics, and one of them is probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial and safe micro-organisms for preservation of the host’s health and well-being. There are convincing experimental shreds of evidence that discuss the impact of probiotics on the positive modulation of poultry’s immunity, growth performance, feed utilization and general health condition. Therefore, this review shed light on the concept, impact and mode of action of probiotics in sustainable poultry production. By discussing the results obtained from the recent studies about the ability of probiotics to maintain the poultry animal’s performance level, this chapter condensed the valuable information and open several avenues for further investigation and development of the probiotic applications in the poultry industry with a special focus on its effect in improving poultry’s’ health and nutritional value

Lignocellulose-derived arabinose for energy and chemicals synthesis through microbial cell factories: a review

The exploration of natural substrates for microbial conversion to synthesize industrial platform and fuel chemicals seems to be inevitable within a circular bioeconomy context. Hemicellulose is a natural carbohydrate polymer consisting of a variety of pentose (C5) sugar monomers such as arabinose, mannose, erythrose, and xylose. Among the C5 sugars, L-arabinose (L-Ara) is the second-most-abundant pentose sugar in the lignocellulosic biomass after xylose. L-Ara has been used as an industrial carbon source to produce several value-added chemicals such as putrescine, which is used to synthesize polymers in the textile industry; sugar alcohols that are used as sweeteners in diet foods; and amino acids such as L-lysine, L-glutamate, L-arginine, and L-ornithine, which are used in nutritional supplements, fertilizers, and other products in the food and beverage industries. L-Ara, a natural non-caloric sweetener, is used as a substitute in the food and beverage industry, when the risk of blood sugar and lipid levels could be reduced. Major use of L-Ara is also found in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors to treat several conditions, including mineral absorption disorder, constipation, and diabetes, among others. In recent years, there has been a rising interest in synthesizing various sugar alcohols and derivatives, including arabitol, xylitol, and 2,3-butanediol, through the modification of producer organisms either genetically or metabolically to produce value-added products. Understanding the current demand and the need to increase the diversified production of industrial green chemicals with the reduced waste of useful lignocellulosic resources, this review focuses on the background of L-Ara and its various sources, microbes that utilize L-Ara to produce high-value-added products, and the future prospects for strain improvements to increase the yield of high-value-added products

Recent Advances in Feedstock and Lipase Research and Development towards Commercialization of Enzymatic Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a biodegradable, renewable, and carbon-neutral alternative to petroleum diesel that can contribute to the global effort of minimizing the use of fossil fuels and meeting the ever-growing energy demands and stringent environmental constraints. The aim of this work was to (1) review the recent progress in feedstock development, including first, second, third, and fourth-generation feedstocks for biodiesel production; (2) discuss recent progress in lipase research and development as one of the key factors for establishing a cost-competitive biodiesel process in terms of enzyme sources, properties, immobilization, and transesterification efficiency; and (3) provide an update of the current challenges and opportunities for biodiesel commercialization from techno-economic and social perspectives. Related biodiesel producers, markets, challenges, and opportunities for biodiesel commercialization, including environmental considerations, are critically discussed