Search results for: bacterial species

Authors: Lekha Logu

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The coordination behavior of the newly synthesized Schiff base ligands, 4-bromo-2-((p-tolyl imino) methyl) phenol obtained by condensing para-toluidine with 5-bromo salicylaldehyde and N-(3,4-dichloro benzylidene)-4-methylbenzenamine obtained by condensing Para-toluidine with 3,4-dichloro benzaldehyde in ethanolic medium has been explored in this current study. The synthesized Schiff’s base ligands were complexed with lanthanide nitrate salts yielding [LnL(NO3)2(H2O)2]NO3, (Ln=Pr, Sm). Elemental analysis, conductance measurement, and spectral techniques like Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) have been used to characterize Schiff’s base ligands and their lanthanide metal complexes. An attempt has been made on these complexes for their antimicrobial activity against the gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial species like Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumonia and fungal species like Canadida and Aspergillus.

Keywords: lanthanide complexes, Schiff's base, antimicrobial assay, synthesis, characterization

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Authors: O. E. Obayemi, M. A. Ayoade, O. O. Komolafe

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Fish survey was carried out for an annual cycle covering both rainy and dry seasons using cast nets, gill nets and traps at two different reservoirs. The objective was to examined the fish assemblages of the reservoirs and provide more additional information on the reservoir. The fish species in the reservoirs comprised of twelve species of six families. The results of the study also showed that five species of fish were caught in reservoir five while ten fish species were captured in reservoir six. Species such as Malapterurus electricus, Ctenopoma kingsleyae, Mormyrus rume, Parachanna obscura, Sarotherodon galilaeus, Tilapia mariae, C. guntheri, Clarias macromystax, Coptodon zilii and Clarias gariepinus were caught during the sampling period. There was a significant difference (p=0.014, t = 1.711) in the abundance of fish species in the two reservoirs. Seasonally, reservoirs five (p=0.221, t = 1.859) and six (p=0.453, t = 1.734) showed there was no significant difference in their fish populations. Also, despite being impacted with gold mining the diversity indices were high when compared to less disturbed waterbodies. The study concluded that the environments recorded low abundant fish species which suggests the influence of mining on the abundance and diversity of fish species.

Keywords: Igun, fish, Shannon-Wiener Index, Simpson index, Pielou index

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Authors: Mohamed Trigui, Fatma Masmoudi, Imen Zouari

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Massive utilizations of chemical fertilizer and chemical pesticides in agriculture sector to improve the farming productivity have created increasing environmental damages. Then, agriculture must become sustainable, focusing on production systems that respect the environment and help to reduce climate change. Isolation and microbial identification of new bacterial strains from naturally saline habitats and compost extracts could be a prominent way in pest management and crop production under saline conditions. In this study, potential mechanisms involved in plant growth promotion and suppressive activity against fungal diseases of a compost extract produced from poultry manure/olive husk compost and halotolerant and halophilic bacterial strains under saline stress were investigated. On the basis of the antimicrobial tests, different strains isolated from Sfax solar saltern (Tunisia) and from compost extracts were selected and tested for their plant growth promoting traits, such as siderophores production, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization and the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes (protease and lipase) under in-vitro conditions. Among 450 isolated bacterial strains, 16 isolates showed potent antifungal activity against the tested plant pathogenic fungi. Their identification based on 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed they belonged to different species. Some of these strains were also characterized for their plant growth promoting capacities. Obtained results showed the ability of four strains belonging to Bacillus genesis to ameliorate germination rate and root elongation compared to the untreated positive controls. Combinatorial capacity of halotolerant bacteria with antimicrobial activity and plant growth promoting traits could be promising sources of interesting bioactive substances under saline stress.

Keywords: abiotic stress, biofertilizer, biotic stress, compost extract, halobacteria, plant growth promoting (PGP), soil fertility

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Authors: O. O. Fola-Matthews, O. O. Soyinka, D. N. Bitalo

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Nigeria is one of the major shark fishing nations in Africa, but its fisheries managers still record catch data in aggregates ‘sharks’ with no species-specific details. This is because most of the shark specimens look identical in morphology, and field identification of some closely related species is tricky. This study uses DNA barcoding as a method to identify shark species from five different landing areas off the Nigerian Coast. 100 dorsal fins were sampled in order to provide a Chondrichthyan sequence that would be matched to reference specimens in a DNA barcode database

Keywords: BOLD, DNA barcoding, nigeria, sharks

Procedia PDF Downloads 168

Authors: Desouky Abd El Haleem, Sahar Zaki

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This work was conducted to develop a one-step multiplex PCR system for rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of three different bacterial pathogens, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella spp, directly in wastewater without prior isolation on selective media. As a molecular confirmatory test after isolation of the pathogens by classical microbiological methods, PCR-RFLP of their amplified 16S rDNA genes was performed. It was observed that the developed protocols have significance impact in the ability to detect sensitively, rapidly and specifically the three pathogens directly in water within short-time, represents a considerable advancement over more time-consuming and less-sensitive methods for identification and characterization of these kinds of pathogens.

Keywords: multiplex PCR, bacterial pathogens, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp.

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Authors: Imen Labidi, Said Nouira

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Dung beetles Scarabaeides of Tunisia constitute a major component of soil fauna, especially in the Mediterranean region. In the first phase of the present study, an intensive investigation of this group following the gathering of all the bibliographic, museological data and based on a recent collection of 17020 specimens in 106 localities in Tunisia, allowed to confirm with certainty the presence of 94 species distributed in 43 genera, 4 families and 3 sub-families. Only 81 species distributed in 38 genres, 4 families, and 3 sub-families, have been found during our prospections. The population of dung beetles Scarabaeides is composed of 58% of Aphodiidae, 39.51% of Scarabaeidae, and 8.64% of Geotrupidae. Biogeographic affinities of the species were determined and showed that 42% of the identified species have a wide Palaearctic distribution, the endemism is very low, only 3 species are endemic to Tunisia Mecynodes demoflysi, Neobodilus marani, and Thorectes demoflysi, 29 species have a wide distribution, 35 are northern and 17 are southern species. Moreover, others are dependent on very specific Biotopes like Sisyphus schaefferi linked to the northwest of Tunisia and Scarabaeus semipunctatus related to the coastal area north of Tunisia.

Keywords: dung beetles, Tunisia, composition, biogeography

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Authors: Magdalena Smoktunowicz, Renata Wawrzyniak, Malgorzata Waleron, Krzysztof Waleron

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Pectobacterium spp. were previously classified into the Erwinia genus founded in 1917 to unite at that time all Gram-negative, fermentative, nonsporulating and peritrichous flagellated plant pathogenic bacteria. After work of Waldee (1945), on Approved Lists of Bacterial Names and bacteriology manuals in 1980, they were described either under the species named Erwinia or Pectobacterium. The Pectobacterium genus was formally described in 1998 of 265 Pectobacterium strains. Currently, there are 21 species of Pectobacterium bacteria, including Pectobacterium betavasculorum since 2003, which caused soft rot on sugar beet tubers. Based on the biochemical experiments carried out for this, it is known that these bacteria are gram-negative, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, facultatively anaerobic, using gelatin and causing symptoms of soft rot on potato and sugar beet tubers. The mere fact of growing on sugar beet may indicate a metabolism characteristic only for this species. Metabolomics, broadly defined as the biology of the metabolic systems, which allows to make comprehensive measurements of metabolites. Metabolomics, in combination with genomics, are complementary tools for the identification of metabolites and their reactions, and thus for the reconstruction of metabolic networks. The aim of this study was to apply the GC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics to study the metabolism of P. betavasculorum in different growing conditions. The metabolomic profiles of biomass and biomass media were determined. For sample preparation the following protocol was used: extraction with 900 µl of methanol: chloroform: water mixture (10: 3: 1, v: v) were added to 900 µl of biomass from the bottom of the tube and up to 900 µl of nutrient medium from the bacterial biomass. After centrifugation (13,000 x g, 15 min, 4oC), 300µL of the obtained supernatants were concentrated by rotary vacuum and evaporated to dryness. Afterwards, two-step derivatization procedure was performed before GC-MS analyses. The obtained results were subjected to statistical calculations with the use of both uni- and multivariate tests. The obtained results were evaluated using KEGG database, to asses which metabolic pathways are activated and which genes are responsible for it, during the metabolism of given substrates contained in the growing environment. The observed metabolic changes, combined with biochemical and physiological tests, may enable pathway discovery, regulatory inference and understanding of the homeostatic abilities of P. betavasculorum.

Keywords: GC-MS chromatograpfy, metabolomics, metabolism, pectobacterium strains, pectobacterium betavasculorum

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Authors: Yan Wang, Guowei Chen, Gang Wang

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Soil microbial diversity is one of the important parameters to assess the soil fertility and soil health, even stability of the ecosystem. In this paper, we aim to reveal the soil microbial difference in rhizosphere and root zone, even to pick the special biomarkers influenced by the long term tillage practices, which included four treatments of no-tillage, ridge tillage, continuous cropping with corn and crop rotation with corn and soybean. Here, high-throughput sequencing was performed to investigate the difference of bacteria in rhizosphere and root zone. The results showed a very significant difference of species richness between rhizosphere and root zone soil at the same crop rotation system (p < 0.01), and also significant difference of species richness was found between continuous cropping with corn and corn-soybean rotation treatment in the rhizosphere statement, no-tillage and ridge tillage in root zone soils. Implied by further beta diversity analysis, both tillage methods and crop rotation systems influence the soil microbial diversity and community structure in varying degree. The composition and community structure of microbes in rhizosphere and root zone soils were clustered distinctly by the beta diversity (p < 0.05). Linear discriminant analysis coupled with effect size (LEfSe) analysis of total taxa in rhizosphere picked more than 100 bacterial taxa, which were significantly more abundant than that in root zone soils, whereas the number of biomarkers was lower between the continuous cropping with corn and crop rotation treatment, the same pattern was found at no-tillage and ridge tillage treatment. Bacterial communities were greatly influenced by main environmental factors in large scale, which is the result of biological adaptation and acclimation, hence it is beneficial for optimizing agricultural practices.

Keywords: tillage methods, biomarker, biodiversity, rhizosphere

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Authors: Fatima Huda Hallak

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The current study aimed to evaluate the activity of bacterial insecticide Vertinic against the second star larvae of Trogoderma granarium (Everts) by four treatments: A, B, C, D, at seven concentrations: 0.001, 0.01, 0.1,1,10,100,1000 PPM. The mortality rate of larvae was 100% at concentrations 10 and 100 in treatments A and B after 24 hours and after 48 hours in treatment D at 1 PPM. The efficiency of treatment A was greater as compared to treatment B at all concentrations and all exposure times. The efficiency of treatment D was greater as compared to treatment C; for example, at 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1 PPM, after 120 hours, the Mortality rate of larve was 6.76, 13.33, 43.33, 100% in treatment D, which it was 0.00, 0.00, 23.33, 96.67%, respectively in the treatment C.

Keywords: bacterial insecticide, trogoderma granarium (everts), fourth star larvae, vertimic

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Authors: N. Khomarloo, F. Mousazadegan, M. Latifi, N. Hemmatinejad

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Recently, the utilization of reusable surgical gowns in order to decrease costs, environmental protection and enhance surgeon’s comfort is considered. One of the concerns in applying this kind of medical protective clothing is reduction of their resistance to bacterial penetration especially in wet state, after repeated laundering and sterilizing process. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the laundering and sterilizing process on the reusable surgical gown’s resistance against bacterial wet penetration. To this end, penetration of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in wet state after 70 washing and sterilizing cycles was evaluated on the two single-layer and three-layer reusable gowns. The outcomes reveal that up to 20 laundering and sterilizing cycles, protective property of samples improves due to fabric shrinkage, after that because of the fabric’s construction opening, the bacterial penetration increase. However, the three-layer gown presents higher protective performance comparing to the single-layer one.

Keywords: laundry, porosity, reusable surgical gown, sterilization, wet bacterial penetration

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Authors: Rifa’ah Mahmudah Bulu’

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MRSA is an important nosocomial pathogen in the world. Therefore, the prevention and effort to control MRSA is still very important to conduct. One of the preventions of MRSA, which have been reported by several studies, is Cefriaxone and Ethanol Extract of Ant Plant. This research is an experimental test to determine the potency of MRSA’s anti-bacterial with Cefriaxone (30 μg) and Ethanol Extract of Ant Plant (13 mg/ml) based on inhibition zone on LAB (Lempeng Agar Biasa). The size of inhibition zone that is formed on Cefriaxone is adjusted with CSLI criteria, which ≥ 21 mm of inhibition zone is called sensitive; ≤13 mm is called resistance and between 14-20 mm is called intermediate. This research is conducted three times. Comparative test between Cefriaxone and Ethanol Extract of Ant Plant is analyzed by Maan Whitney’s statistic method. The Result of Cefriaxone anti-bacterial potency shows the variety of inhibition zone. Cefriaxone forms approximately 16,5-20 mm with average 18,22mm of inhibition zone that make Cefriaxone’s criteria to MRSA’s inhibition is intermediate. Anti-bacterial potency of Ethanol Extract of Ant Plant is about 0,5-2 mm with average 1,17 mm of inhibition zone that prove MRSA is sensitive to Ant Plant. The conclusion of this research shows that Cefriaxone is intermediate to MRSA’s inhibition, while MRSA is sensitive to Ethanol Extract of Ant Plant, which at the end; it creates different potency of anti-bacterial between Cefriaxone and Ethanol Extract of Ant Plant.

Keywords: MRSA, cefriaxone, ant plant, CSLI, mann whitney

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Authors: Somayeh Akrami, Vali-Allah Mozaffarian, Habib Onsori

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The studied region in this research, watershed Kuhkamar river, is about 112.66 square kilometers, it is located between 45º 48' 9" to 45º 2' 20" N and 38º 34' 15" to 38º 40' 28" E. The gained results of the studies on flora combinations, proved 287 plant species in 190 genera and 51 families. Asteracea with 49 and Lamiaceae with 27 plant species are the major plant families. Among collected species one interesting plant was found and determined as a new record Anemone narcissiflora L. for flora of Iran. This plant is known as a complex species that shows intraspecific speciation and is classified into about 12 subspecies and 10 varieties in world. To identify the infraspecies taxons of this species, in addition to morphological characteristics, the use of appropriate molecular markers for the better isolation of the individuals were needed.

Keywords: Anemone narcissiflora, floristic Study, kuhkamar, molecular marker

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Authors: Ayman El Behiry, Rasha Nabil Zahran, Reda Tarabees, Eman Marzouk, Musaad Al-Dubaib

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Mastitis is one of the most economic disease affecting dairy cows worldwide. Its classic diagnosis using bacterial culture and biochemical findings is a difficult and prolonged method. In this research, using of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) permitted identification of different microorganisms with high accuracy and rapidity (only 24 hours for microbial growth and analysis). During the application of MALDI-TOF MS, one hundred twenty strains of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species isolated from milk of cows affected by clinical and subclinical mastitis were identified, and the results were compared with those obtained by traditional methods as API and VITEK 2 Systems. 37 of totality 39 strains (~95%) of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were exactly detected by MALDI TOF MS and then confirmed by a nuc-based PCR technique, whereas accurate identification was observed in 100% (50 isolates) of the coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) and Streptococcus agalactiae (31 isolates). In brief, our results demonstrated that MALDI-TOF MS is a fast and truthful technique which has the capability to replace conventional identification of several bacterial strains usually isolated in clinical laboratories of microbiology.

Keywords: identification, mastitis pathogens, mass spectral, phenotypical

Procedia PDF Downloads 333

Authors: Ali Amiri, Arash Esfandiari, Elham Zarenezhad

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We report here an efficient and rapid method for the preparation of 3,4-dihydro-1H-quinoxalin-2-ones and 1H‑quinolin-2-ones that involves grinding of o-, m-, or p‑phenylenediamine and three dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates using a pestle and mortar. This solvent-free approach requires only a few minutes of reaction time. This type of reaction is expected to be the most economical method since neither catalyst nor solvent is used. Finally, all synthesised compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa PTCC 1077, Escherichia coli PTCC1330) and two Gram-negative bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus PTCC 1133, Bacillus cereus PTCC 1015) and their activity. Compared with gentamycin and ampicillin as reference drugs for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the synthesised compounds and reference drugs were determined by the microdilution method. Good antibacterial activity was observed for 3,4-dihydro-1H-quinoxalin-2-ones against all species of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and1H‑quinolin-2-ones showed good antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria.

Keywords: quinolin, quinoxalin, anti-bacterial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)

Procedia PDF Downloads 334

Authors: S. Reshma Reghu, Shiburaj Sugathan, T. G. Nandu, K. B. Ramesh Kumar, Mathew Dan

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Bacterial diseases are considered to be one of the most prevalent health hazards in the developing world and many bacteria are becoming resistant to existing antibiotics making the treatment ineffective. Thus, it is necessary to find novel targets and develop new antibacterial drugs with a novel mechanism of action. The process of bacterial cell division is a novel and attractive target for new antibacterial drug discovery. FtsZ, a homolog of eukaryotic tubulin, is the major protein of the bacterial cell division machinery and is considered as an important antibacterial drug target. Zingiberaceae, the Ginger family consists of aromatic herbs with creeping rhizomes. Many of these plants have antimicrobial properties.This study aimed to determine the anti-bacterial activity of selected Zingiberaceous plants by targeting bacterial cell division protein, FtsZ. Essential oils and methanol extracts of Amomum ghaticum, Alpinia galanga, Kaempferia galanga, K. rotunda, and Zingiber officinale were tested to find its antibacterial efficiency using disc diffusion method against authentic bacterial strains obtained from MTCC (India). Essential oil isolated from A.galanga and Z.officinale were further assayed for FtsZ inhibition assay following non-radioactive malachite green-phosphomolybdate assay using E. coli FtsZ protein obtained from Cytoskelton Inc., USA. Z.officinale essential oil possess FtsZ inhibitory property. A molecular docking study was conducted with the known bioactive compounds of Z. officinale as ligands with the E. coli FtsZ protein homology model. Some of the major constituents of this plant like catechin, epicatechin, and gingerol possess agreeable docking scores. The results of this study revealed that several chemical constituents in Ginger plants can be utilised as potential source of antibacterial activity and it can warrant further investigation through drug discovery studies.

Keywords: antibacterial, FtsZ, zingiberaceae, docking

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Authors: Sami Michael Ayodele

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Cordyceps are members of the fungi family Cordycepitaceae which are formally in Clavicipitaceae. They parasitize the larvae and adults of different susceptible arthropods. They are highly priced and have been reported to be highly medicinal. Cordyceps have been used for centuries in traditional medicine in China and other Asian countries. Survey studies were carried out to determine the presence of Cordyceps and another entomopathogenic fungal floral in North Central Nigeria for two consecutive years. Thirty samples were collected, twenty-eight were identified, and two were unidentified. Most identified species belong to Ophiocordyceps species (20samples), Cordyceps species (4samples) and Isaria species (4samples). The species identified were: Cordyceps pseudomilitaris, Cordyceps tuberculata, Cordyceps cylindrical, Ophiocordyceps nutans, O. criminals, O. oxycephala, O. kniphofioides and Isaria sinclairii. The morphological and microscopic features of the collected and identified species were similar to those reported in other countries. This is the first official report on the presence of Cordyceps species in Nigeria. Further collections from different ecological regions of Nigeria will show the richness of the floral diversity of these entomopathogenic and medicinal mushrooms in Nigeria.

Keywords: cordyceps, entomopathogenic, medicinal, North Central, Nigeria

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Authors: Nasreen Jeelani, Huining Shi , Di An, Lu Xia, Shuqing An

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Heavy metals contamination in aquatic ecosystem is a major environmental problem since its accumulation along the food chain pose public health risk. The concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in soil and plants species collected from different streams of Suoxu River, China was investigated. This aim was to define the level of pollutants in Suoxu River, find which plant species exhibits the greatest accumulation and to evaluate whether these species could be useful for phytoremediation. While total soil Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations varied, respectively, from 0.09 to 0.23 , 58.6 to 98, 9.72 to 80.5, 15.3 to 41, 15.2 to 27.3 and 35 to 156 (mg-kg-1), those in plants ranged from 0.035 to 0.49, 2.91 to 75.6, 4.79 to 32.4, 1.27 to 16.1, 0.62 to10.2, 18.9 to 84.6 (mg-kg-1), respectively. Based on BCFs and TFs values, most of the studied species have potential for phytostabilization. The plants with most effective in the accumulation of metals in shoots are Phragmatis australis (TF=2.29) and Iris tectorum (TF =2.07) for Pb. While Chenopodium album, (BCF =3.55), Ranunculus sceleratus, (BCF= 3.0), Polygonum hydropiper (BCF =2.46) for Cd and Iris tectorum (BCF=2.0) for Cu was suitable for phytostabilization. Among the plant species screened for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn, most of the species were efficient to take up more than one heavy metal in roots. Our study showed that the native plant species growing on contaminated sites may have the potential uses for phytoremediation.

Keywords: heavy metals, huaihe river catchments, sediment, plants

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Authors: Dheepshika Kodieswaran

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The persisting problem in the world that continuously impose our planet at risk is the increasing amounts of recalcitrant. One such issue is the disposal of the Petroleum Refinery Sludge (PRS) which constitutes hydrocarbons that are hazardous to terrestrial and aquatic life. The comparatively safe approach to handling these wastes is by microbial degradation, while the other chemical and physical methods are either expensive and/or produce secondary pollutants. The bacterial and algal systems have different pathways for the degradation of hydrocarbons, and their growth rates vary. This study shows how different bacterial and microalgal strains degrade the polyaromatic hydrocarbon PAHs individually and their symbiotic influence on degradation as well. In this system, the metabolites and gaseous exchange help each other in growth. This method using also aids in the accumulation of lipids in microalgal cells and from which bio-oils can also be extracted. The bacterial strains used in this experiment are reported to be indigenous strains isolated from PRS. The target PAH studied were anthracene and pyrene for a period of 28 days. The PAH degradation kinetics best fitted the Gompertz model, and the order of the kinetics, rate constants, and half-life was determined.

Keywords: petroleum refinery sludge, co-culturing, polycyclic hydrocarbons, microalgal-bacterial consortia

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Authors: Hilal Bulut, Serap Saler

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Protozoan ciliate epibionts infestation on zooplankton in Cip Dam Lake were studied seasonally, between spring 2014-winter 2015 The ciliates peritrich Epibiont Epistylis sp. (Protozoa, Ciliophora) was found as colony form on some individuals of different zooplanktonic groups, especially rotifers and copepods. Totally 23 zooplankton species (19 species from Rotifera, 3 species from Cladocera and 1 species from Copepoda in Cip Dam Lake were investigated. Rotifers were the most important zooplanktonic group (82.7 % of total) and the taxa observed with epibionts were Keratella, Polyarthra, and Brachionus. The highest densities of infected zooplankton was observed in winter (14265 ind.m-3), the lowest densities of infected zooplankton was found in summer (3056 ind.m-). Rotifers were most infected groups with 75% in this study. Epistylis sp. was found on three species of rotifers and one copepod species. Infestation of Epistylis sp. has been registered for the first time in Cip Dam Lake.

Keywords: copepoda, epibiosis, peritrich, rotifera

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Authors: Bisi-Johnson, Mary A., Hamzart A. Oyelade, Kehinde A. Adediran, Saheed A. Akinola

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Geophagic and cosmetic clays are among potential nano-material which occur naturally and are of various forms. The use of these nano-clays is a common practice in both rural and urban areas mostly due to tradition and medicinal reasons. These naturally occurring materials can be valuable sources of nano-material by serving as nano-composites. The need to ascertain the safety of these materials is the motivation for this research. Physical Characterization based on the hue value and microbiological qualities of the nano-clays were carried out. The Microbial analysis of the clay samples showed considerable contamination with both bacteria and fungi with fungal contaminants taking the lead. This observation may not be unlikely due to the ability of fungi species to survive harsher growth conditions than bacteria. 'Atike pupa' showed no bacterial growth. The clay with the largest bacterial count was Calabash chalk (Igbanke), while that with the highest fungal count was 'Eko grey'. The most commonly isolated bacteria in this study were Clostridium spp. and Corynebacterium spp. while fungi included Aspergillus spp. These results are an indication of the need to subject these clay materials to treatments such as heating before consumption or topical usage thereby ascertaining their safety.

Keywords: nano-material, clay, microorganism, quality

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Authors: Sabah El-Sawalhi, Elie Fayad, Roula M. Abdel-Massih

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Ilex paraguariensis (Yerba Mate) is a medium to large tree commonly consumed by South Americans. Its leaves and stems are associated with different biological activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of Yerba Mate against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains and its action against some resistant bacteria with different resistance profiles. Yerba Mate aqueous extracts were prepared at 70°C for 2 hrs, and the microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Gram-positive bacteria exhibited a stronger antibacterial activity (MIC ranged between 0.468 mg/mL and 15 mg/mL) than Gram-negative bacteria. Yerba Mate was also extracted with acetone: water (1:1) and then further sub-fractionated with hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate. MIC values against Staphylococcus aureus ranged from 0.78 to 2.5 mg/ml for the chloroform fraction, from 1.56 to 3.75 mg/ml for the ethyl acetate fraction, and 0.78 to 1.87 mg/ml for the water fraction. The water fraction also exhibited antibacterial activity against Salmonella species (MIC ranged from 1.56 mg/ml to 3.12 mg/ml). The water fraction exhibited the highest antibacterial activity among all the fractions obtained. More studies are needed to determine the molecule or molecules responsible for this activity.

Keywords: antibacterial activity, bacterial resistance, minimum inhibitory concentration, yerba mate

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Authors: Nihar Ranjan, Derrick Watkins, Dev P. Arya

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Current methods in the study of antibiotic activity of ribosome targeted antibiotics are dependent on cell based bacterial inhibition assays or various forms of ribosomal binding assays. These assays are typically independent of each other and little direct correlation between the ribosomal binding and bacterial inhibition is established with the complementary assay. We have developed novel high-throughput capable assays for ribosome targeted drug discovery. One such assay examines the compounds ability to bind to a model ribosomal RNA A-site. We have also coupled this assay to other functional orthogonal assays. Such analysis can provide valuable understanding of the relationships between two complementary drug screening methods and could be used as standard analysis to correlate the affinity of a compound for its target and the effect the compound has on a cell.

Keywords: bacterial resistance, aminoglycosides, screening, drugs

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Authors: Rosario Rivera Rubite, Ching-I Peng, Che-Wei Lin, Mark Hughes, Yoshiko Kono, Kuo-Fang Chung

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The flora of Panay Island is under-collected compared with the other islands of the Philippines. In a joint expedition to the island, botanists from Taiwan and the Philippines found three unknown Begonia and compared them with potentially allied species. The three species are clearly assignable to Begonia section Baryandra which is largely endemic to the Philippines. Studies of literature, herbarium specimens, and living plants support the recognition of the three new species: Begonia culasiensis, Begonia merrilliana, and Begonia sykakiengii. Somatic chromosomes at metaphase were determined to be 2n=30 for B. culasiensis and 2n=28 for both B. merrilliana and B. sykakiengii, which are congruent with those of most species in sect. Baryandra. Molecular phylogenetic evidence is consistent with B. culasiensis being a relict from the late Miocene, and with B. merrilliana and B. sykakiengii being younger species of Pleistocene origin. The continuing discovery of endemic Philippine species means the remaining fragments of both primary and secondary native vegetation in the archipelago are of increasing value in terms of natural capital. A secure future for the species could be realized through ex-situ conservation collections and raising awareness with community groups.

Keywords: conservation, endemic , herbarium , limestone, phylogenetics, taxonomy

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Authors: Kristýna Weissová

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This study is focused on two selected model taxa of invertebrates - Hymenoptera: Aculeata and Lepidopterawithnocturnalactivity, recordedatthesitesof lignite dumps and their surroundings in the North Bohemian Lignite Basin, Czech Republic. There search was conducted on 10 landfills, 3 study areas were determined on each landfill - primary and secondary succession and recultivation. A total of 3,202 individuals belonging to 232 species and 17 families of sagebrushinsects were collected. died, 74%of the species occurred on the primary succes sionare as, that is 2x more species than on the reclaimed areas. Of the total number of species and on all areas, 60 rare species were recorded - 29 vulnerable, 21 endangered, 8 critically endangered, and 2 extinct The areas of primary succession were again confirmed to be the richest in terms of rare species, hosting 39 rare species of Hymenoptera: Aculeata. In addition, bothextinct species were represented only on plots of primary succession. The family Crabronidae had the largestre presentation of species on theareasofleft primary succession, the family Halictidae was the most represented on the reclaimed areas and areas of secondary succession. A total of 3,634 moths were collected, assigned to 262 species and 10 families. A similar number of species occurred on the primary succession and reclaimed areas, but the reclaimed area had a greater abundance. Secondary successionsiteshostedha lf as many species and alsocontainedlow abundance compared to other management types. The results show that there claimed areas host a numerically larger group and more species of moths than the successionalareas. Rare species did not occur at any site. A higher number of days in locations without water bodies, wetland vegetation, and locations with a highre presentation of woody species. It is advisable to combine individual types of landscape management in such a way as to create a colorfulmosaic that supports biodiversity. In particular, we recommend incorporating natural successionintoreclamation plans, which is a refuge for many rare species of invertebrates, which has not yetbeenroutinely and purposefully practiced.

Keywords: hymenoptera: aculeata, lepidoptera, reclamation, succession, post-mining ara

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Authors: Odejayi Adedayo Olugbenga, Aina Adebisi

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Weather variables (rainfall and temperature) affect the diversity and abundance of both fauna and flora species. This study compared the weather variables with spider abundance in two ecological zones of Ogun State, Nigeria namely Ago-iwoye (Rainforest) in the Ijebu axis and Aiyetoro (Derived Savannah) in the Yewa axis. Seven study sites chosen by Simple Random Sampling in each ecosystem were used for the study. In each sampling area, a 60 m x 120 m land area was marked and sampled, spider collection techniques were; hand picking, use of sweep netting, and Pitfall trap. Adult spiders were identified to the species level. Species richness was estimated by a non-parametric species estimator while the diversity of spider species was assessed by Simpson Diversity Index and Species Richness by One-way Analysis of Variance. Results revealed that spiders were more abundant in rainforest zones than in derived savannah ecosystems. However, the pattern of spider abundance in rainforest zone and residential areas were similar. During high temperatures, the activities of spiders tended to increase according to this study. In contrast, results showed that there was a negative correlation between rainfall and spider species abundance in addition to a negative and weak correlation between rainfall and species richness. It was concluded that heavy downpour has lethal effects on both immature and sometimes matured spiders, which could lead to the extinction of some unknown species of spiders. Tree planting should be encouraged, as this shelters the spider.

Keywords: spider, abundance, species richness, species diversity

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Authors: Adrian Ionut Nicoara, Denisa Ionela Ene, Alina Maria Holban, Cristina Busuioc

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At present, the development of materials with biomedical applications is a domain of interest that will produce a full series of benefits in engineering and medicine. In this sense, it is required to use a natural material, and this paper is focused on the development of a composite material based on bacterial cellulose – hydroxyapatite and silver nanoparticles with applications in hard tissue. Bacterial cellulose own features like biocompatibility, non-toxicity character and flexibility. Moreover, the bacterial cellulose can be conjugated with different forms of active silver to possess antimicrobial activity. Hydroxyapatite is well known that can mimic at a significant level the activity of the initial bone. The material was synthesized by using an ultrasound probe and finally characterized by several methods. Thereby, the morphological properties were analyzed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Because the synthesized material has medical application in restore the tissue and to fight against microbial invasion, the samples were tested from the biological point of view by evaluating the biodegradability in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and simulated body fluid (SBF) and moreover the antimicrobial effect was performed on Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, and fungi Candida albicans. The results reveal that the obtained material has specific characteristics for bone regeneration.

Keywords: bacterial cellulose, biomaterials, hydroxyapatite, scaffolds materials

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Authors: Raees Khan, Mir A. Khan, Sheikh Z. Ul Abidin, Abdul S. Mumtaz

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In the present study, phytogeography and conservation status of gymnosperms of Pakistan were investigated. 44 gymnosperms species of 18 genera and 9 families were collected from 66 districts of the country. Among the 44 species, 20 species were native (wild) and 24 species were exotic (cultivated). Ephedra sarocarpa of Ephedraceae was not collected in this study from its distribution area and most probably it may be Nationally Extinct now from this area. Previously in Gymnosperms Flora of Pakistan 34 species was reported. 12 new gymnosperms species were recorded for the first time. Pinus wallichiana (40 districts), Cedrus deodara (39 districts) Pinus roxburghii (36 districts), Picea smithiana (36 districts) and Abies pindrow (34 districts) have the maximum ecological amplitude. Juniperus communis (17districts) and Juniperus excelsa (14 districts) were the widely distributed among the junipers. Ephedra foliata (23 districts), Ephedra gerardiana (20 districts) and Ephedra intermedia (19 districts) has the widest distribution range. Taxus fuana was also wider distribution range and recorded in 19 districts but its population was not very stable. These species was recorded to support local flora and fuana, especially endemics. PCORD version 5 clustered all gymnosperms species into 4 communities and all localities into 5 groups through cluster analyses. The Two Way Cluster Analyses of 66 districts (localities) resulted 4 various plant communities. The Gymnosperms in Pakistan are distributed in 3 floristic regions i.e. Western plains of the country, Northern and Western mountainous regions and Western Himalayas. The assessment of the National conservation status of these species, 10 species were found to be threatened, 6 species were endangered, 4 species were critically endangered and 1 species have become extinct (Ephedra sarcocarpa). The population of some species i.e. Taxus fuana, Ephedra gerardiana, Ephedra monosperma, Picea smithiana and Abies spectabilis is decreasing at an alarming rate.

Keywords: conservation status, gymnosperms, phytogeography, Pakistan

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Authors: Mona Hajirasouli

Abstract:

Abstract: introduction: Antimicrobial compounds are important in the first line of the host defense system of many animal species. Material and methods: In the present study antibacterial activity of crude and proteins precipitate of hemolymph and crude hepatopancreas extracts from Portunus segnis and Grapsus albolineatus against a range of 6 different bacterial strains evaluated. Amoxicillin as a positive control were also used. Results: Maximum activity (15.9 mm) was recorded in male haemolymph of p.segnis against Entrobacter and minimum activity (7 mm) was recorded against Serratia marcescens, Enterobacter sp. and Proteus mirabilis from different extracts of Grapsus albolineatus. Data were analyzed using independent-t in SPSS version 16, and results indicate that there were not any significant differences between hemolymph and hepatopancreas extracts of 2 species. Discussion: Antimicrobial activity has been reported earlier in the hemolymph of some brachyuran crabs such as: blue crab Callinectes sapidus, mud crab Scylla serrata, Ocypode macrocera and Carcinus maenas. This study shows that hemolymph and hepatopancreas of Portunus segnis and Grapsus albolineatus may potential antibiotics.

Keywords: brachyuran, Portunus segnis, Grapsus albolineatus, hemolymph, hepatopancreas, antibacterial

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Authors: Karan R. Chavan, Srivats Gopalan, Kumudini V. Marathe

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In the current work, the comparison of degradation of malathion by single species, Pseudomonas Stutzeri, and Activated Sludge/Mixed Microbial Culture is studied in a Membrane Bioreactor. Various parameters were considered to study the effect of single species degradation compared to degradation by activated sludge. The experimental results revealed 85-90% reduction in the COD of the Malathion containing synthetic wastewater. Complete reduction of malathion was observed within 24 hours in both the cases. The critical flux was 10 LMH for both the systems. Fouling propensity, Cake and Membrane resistances were calculated thus giving an insight regarding the working of Membrane Bioreactor-based on single species and activated sludge.

Keywords: fouling, membrane bioreactor, mixed microbial culture, single species

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Authors: Muhammad Riaz, Muhammad Sarwar

Abstract:

As a result of broad trapping program for the collection of fruit flies fauna of Pakistan, adults or larvae samples of fruit flies were collected from different localities. After sampling, to characterize fruit fly fauna involved, the collected samples were brought to the laboratory for their species identification. In this study, based on extensive literature records, the presence of one fruit fly species Bactrocera abbasi (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae) belonging to genus Bactrocera Macquar was recognized for the first time. This new species is described and illustrated on the basis of morphological characters, supported by data on its ecology and geographic distribution. Information is also given on host plant and location of type specimen, distinguish remarks and diagnosis are as well included.

Keywords: diptera, tephritidae, bactrocera, new species, taxonomy, Pakistan

Procedia PDF Downloads 355