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A Study of Local Medicinal Plants’ Antibacterial Activity Against
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria of Clinical Importance
-- S S Humnabadkar and B M Kareppa
The antimicrobial activity of plant extracts was evaluated with antibiotic susceptible and resistant microorganisms. Extracts from the following plants were utilized: Ocimum basilucum (basil), Psidium guajava (guava), Punica granatum (pomegranate), Syzygium cumini (jambolan). The highest antimicrobial potentials were observed for the extracts of clove, jambolan and pomegranate, which inhibited the multidrug resistant P. aeruginosa. The results obtained with P. aeruginosa were particularly interesting, since it was inhibited by jambolan and pomegranate extracts. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Role of Cytokines in Probiotic-Mediated Immune Modulation:
An Assessment
--Parvinder Kaur
Probiotics—microorganisms that have a favorable influence on physiological and pathological processes of the host by their effect on the intestinal flora—may play a role in improving human health. The most intriguing aspect of probiotic modulation of immune response is through its effects on cytokine production. Thus, the role of cytokines in probiotic-mediated immune modulation is reviewed, especially by Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium as candidate probiotics. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Economically Viable Wheat Bran Extracts Media
for the Mass Production of Biosurfactant
from Pseudomonas aeruginosa
-- P Saravana Kumari and K Mani
Biosurfactants have become the most essential parts of several industrial processes. So the industrial demand for the biosurfactants is increasing 2.8% annually. The huge requirement can be satisfied by the non-economical, large-scale production of biosurfactants from cheap, easily available substrates. Biosurfactant-producing, high yielding Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus licheniformis were isolated from oil-contaminated soil and compared to the standard biosurfactant-producing bacteria B. licheniformis MTCC 429 in mineral salt broth medium with 2% paraffin (MSB). Soil bacterial isolate, B. licheniformis showed higher surface tension reduction and emulsification activities in MSB. Another soil bacterium, P. aeruginosa showed maximum reduction in surface tension from 0.072 N/m to 0.020 N/m and 86.66% of emulsificationin in mass production media having 2% of wheat bran extract. Biosurfactant produced in 2% of wheat extract medium was purified by acid precipitation and yielded 40 mg/ mL. Medium prepared from 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0% of rice bran extract has not supported the growth of any organism. So, the biosurfactants can be mass produced from 2% wheat bran extract medium inoculated with indigenous bacteria P. aeruginosa, and it can be used for industrial purposes. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Production of Polyhydroxybutyrate Using Cane Molasses
as a Sole Carbon Substrate by Bacillus sp. 112A
--M Thirumala and S Vishnuvardhan Reddy
A strain of Bacillus sp. (112A) showed intracellular inclusion bodies when grown in the presence of molasses. The inclusion bodies were stained with Nile blue suggesting polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). The Bacillus sp. 112A strain produced PHA at different concentration of molasses as carbon source. The highest amount of PHA produced was 1.9 g/L in the presence of 1% molasses as carbon substrate in the medium. This strain also produced PHA under nitrogen, potassium, sulphur and phosphate limiting conditions, where it could produce high amount of PHA under nitrogen limiting condition than other limiting conditions. The produced polymer was extracted, quantified and later analyzed by GC and TEM, where TEM showed not all the cells contained heavy PHA bodies, suggesting the potential for increasing the overall yield. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Bacteriological Assessment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater
and Its Public Health Implications in Nigeria
-- J D Bala, I Z Yusuf and F Tahir
A total of 108 wastewater samples were collected for a period of three (3) months and analyzed for bacteriological properties. Wastewaters were collected from the point of discharge (PA), point of contact with the external environment (PB) and downstream of Chanchaga river (PC). The results of this study revealed that the Chanchaga river and its environment were polluted by wastewater discharge from the factory. The downstream of Chanchaga river (PC) had higher bacterial counts than the other sampling sites. The bacteria isolated were E. coli, Salmonella sp., Klebsiella sp., Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Clostridium sp. and Streptococcus faecalis. The mean total viable counts ranged from 4.8 × 104 cfu/mL to 3.0 × 108 cfu/mL, 2.0 × 107 cfu/mL to 4.0 × 108 cfu/mL for total coliform counts, 1.3 × 103 cfu/mL to 3.0 × 108 cfu/mL for Salmonella/Shigella counts, 340 MPN/ 100 mL to = 1600 MPN/100 mL for fecal coliform (E. coli) and no Clostridium were detected in PA, while PB and PC had Clostridium counts of 2.0 × 103 cfu/mL and 1.0 × 103 cfu/mL, respectively, only in June. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the data showed that there were significant differences between the counts at 5% level of significance (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between the mean total viable counts, total coliform counts and Salmonella/Shigella counts for PA and PB. The PC fecal coliform (E. coli) counts were higher than the acceptable maximum limits (0 cfu/mL) prescribed by WHO for potable water. The results of this study revealed that discharged untreated pharmaceutical wastewater into the environment and Chanchaga river pollutes the river with pathogenic bacteria. This poses a health risk and could be hazardous to human health, especially to the communities that use water from the river for domestic purposes. Therefore, there is a need for wastewater treatment facility to be installed in the pharmaceutical factory to reduce the risk of health hazard to the users of Chanchaga river and for constant monitoring of the industrial wastewater discharged into the environment. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
In Vitro Multiplication and Conservation
of Wild Momordica sahyadrica
-- P ERajasekharan, Sunitha Bhaskaran, K Joseph John,
Eapen P Koshy and V T Antony
The present investigation outlines the in vitro propagation and conservation of Momordica sahyadrica species. The explants from in vitro grown seedling were cultured on modified MS medium. Shoot differentiation was obtained on MS medium supplemented with BAP. Shoot as well as root differentiation was obtained on medium containing BAP + IBA/NAA. Multiple shoots with roots were formed on MS medium without hormones (MSO). Rooting was induced on shoots in medium containing IBA and 40% of the plants survived successfully when transferred to the field. In vitro grown shoots were conserved under SCC for six months without subculture. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Understanding Biotechnology: A Gift of Nature
-- Vivek Kumar Srivastava and Ashish Shukla
Biotechnology is a collective term for a group of technologies that use biological matter or processes to generate new and useful products and processes. Biotechnology is a key technology for the new millennium. It has an immense range of applications in agriculture, medicine, food processing, environmental protection, mining, and even nanoelectronics. On the other hand, the potential for altering the genetic structure and characteristics of living organisms, including humans, plants and animals, has resulted in many concerns about safety and ethical implications of the new technologies. When assessing the Indian legal framework for biotechnology, attention must be paid both to international compromises and internal norms. The majority of the agencies that enact rules and control activities in the biotechnology field pertain to four ministries of the central government. Biotechnology can be approached from different angles. Some describe it as “a field of technological activity, in which biochemical, genetic, microbiological and engineering techniques are combined for the pursuit of technical and applied aspects of research into biological materials and, in particular, into biological processing”, such as the application of science and technology to living organisms, as well as parts, products and models thereof, to alter living or non-living materials for production of knowledge, goods and services. Research in this paper asks: what have been the impacts of GM crops on poverty and food security? Effective regulation is an essential component of any innovation process. Despite much international attention given to GM crops and food products, genetic engineering in health has been the main focus for modern biotechnology for the past several decades. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
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