<div style="text-align: justify;">A total of 22 endophytic bacteria were isolated from roots and nodules of Vigna radiata (mungbean) obtained from Jind district, Haryana. These were characterized on the basis of plant growth promoting traits. Almost all the endophytic bacteria produced IAA with maximum production of 81.63&micro;g/ml by isolate MJiR8. Among these, 100% root isolates and 84.6% nodule isolates resulted in in vitro root growth promotion of mungbean seedlings. All the isolates produced ammonia; eighteen (all root and nine nodule isolates) produced organic acid while only four root isolates were positive for siderophore production. The four isolates produced hydrogen cyanide and out of these only MJiR9 inhibited the growth of fungal pathogens Fusarium oxysporium and Aspergillus niger. All the endophytes were used to determine molecular diversity by ARDRA (Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis) Results revealed that the nodule isolates were more diverse, being present in separate clusters, in comparison to root isolates which were grouped together in cluster III.</div>

Isolation and characterization of plant growth promoting endophytic bacteria isolated from Vigna radiata

<div>Background: Group B streptococcus (GBS) or Streptococcus agalactiae is an important pathogen associated with bovine mastitis. The organism is also of public health consequences and may cause variety of infections ranging from neonatal sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis to localized infections and urinary tract infection or arthritisin adult humans. Widespread use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine has led to development of resistance among the pathogens. So there is need for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance to ensure effective treatment. 
 
Methods: Milk samples collected from mastitis affected animals were processed for isolation of&nbsp;Streptococcus agalactiae. The isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Molecular characterisation was carried out by PCR to study the occurrence of resistance marker genes and virulence marker genes. RAPD was carried out to study genetic diversity among the isolates. 
 
Result: Six isolates of S. agalactiae were obtained from 182 milk samples. Highest resistance was observed against co-trimoxazole and tetracycline followed by ampicillin. tetM gene and tetO genes could be amplified in four and three isolates, respectively. None of the isolates showed amplification for ermA, ermB, mefA and mefE genes. Three isolates were positive for the five virulence genes tested (glnA, cfb, hylB, scaA and cyl). RAPD analysis demonstrated great intraspecific genetic diversity among the streptococcal isolates.</div>

Isolation, Antibiogram and Molecular Characterization of Group B Streptococci Isolates from Bovine Mastitis

<div>Background: Mouldy growth in food commodities by aflatoxin producing fungi is a serious health concern to animals as well as human beings due to the harmful effects of aflatoxins like hepatotoxicity, carcinogenicity, impairment of protein synthesis, formation of DNA adducts, etc. even in minute concentrations. A tropical climate with moderate temperature, high humidity and heavy rainfall provides optimal conditions for the growth of aflatoxin producing fungi like Aspergillus flavus in different food items. The current study was to examine if the substrate(s) in a food item has any role to play in aflatoxin production by A. flavus. 
 
Methods: The fungus was isolated from ten different edible materials and identified using standard procedure. The isolates were cultured in potato dextrose agar slants keeping the culture conditions identical in triplicates. The toxin extracted using chloroform as solvent and downstream processing to get crude toxin was quantified on the basis of dry weight. Thin layer chromatography was done and the fluorescence of the toxins from different isolates was visualised under high wavelength of ultra-violet light with standard Aflatoxin B1 chromatographed vis-a-vis to confirm presence of the toxin in all the extracted toxins.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Results of the extracted toxin dry weight comparison between different isolates as well as the fluorescence intensity in the chromatograms revealed that contaminated peanut isolate of A. flavus yielded the highest amount of crude toxin. Thus, the results indicate that there are some factor(s) in peanut that promote(s) aflatoxin production by A. flavus. This information was further used for formulating potato dextrose agar media for isolation of aflatoxin producing fungi by incorporating peanut extract in the media and comparing the amount of crude toxin yield.</div>

Comparison of Aflatoxin Yield from Peanut Isolate of Aspergillus flavus with Other Isolates

Background: Multidrug resistant strains of Escherichia coli have been causing worldwide outbreaks of food borne diseases in recent years. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli and the occurrence of transmissible drug resistance among the organism has amplified the complications associated with its control and treatment measures. Data associated with the prevalence, virulence factors and antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli isolates are needed to be studied in order to develop an effective control strategy for colibacillosis in piggeries. The goal of the investigation was to study the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and pathotyping of E. coli isolates from diarrhoeic piglets. 
 
Methods: 102 rectal swab samples were collected from diarrhoeic piglets of ICAR-AICRP/MSP on Pig, College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, ICAR-National Research Centre on Pig, Rani, Guwahati, Assam and from different unorganized farms of the state. These samples were then inoculated in Luria Bertani (LB) broth and incubated aerobically at 37oC for 24 hours followed by sub culturing them in MacConkey&rsquo;s lactose agar (MLA) and Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar for purification of the suspected E. coli isolates. The isolates were characterized by biochemical tests and motility tests and were pathotyped based on detection of specific virulence genes by multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). 
 
Result: Out of 102 rectal swab samples examined, 92 (90.2%) yielded E. coli which included 41 (91.12%) of 45 samples collected from ICAR-AICRP/MSP on Pig, College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara and 32 (88.89%) of 36 samples from ICAR-National Research Centre on Pig, Rani, Guwahati, Assam and 19 (90.48%) of 21 samples from different unorganized farms. All the 92 E. coli isolates were examined for the presence of stx1, est1, elt1 and eaeA genes using specific primers. Among these isolates, 25 (27.17%) were positive for stx1 gene, 18(19.56%) for est1 gene, 6(6.52%) for elt1 gene, 3 (3.26%) for both genes est1 and elt1 and 12 (13.04%) for eaeA gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates revealed that the highest percentage (71.74%) of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline and the least (4.34%) to imipenem.

Isolation, Pathotyping and Drug Susceptibility Pattern of Escherichia coli Isolates from Diarrheic Piglets

<div>Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern for human and animal health. As the development and commercialization of a new class of antibiotics are difficult, time-consuming and extremely costly, exploration of alternatives like bacteriophages is considered one of the most suitable sources. There is a paucity of databases on the isolation of bacteriophages and exploration of their antibacterial properties against pathogenic MDR E. coli. The current study was undertaken to isolate and identify the bacteriophages from sewages to evaluate their lytic activity against MDR pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from domestic animals in Mizoram. 
 
Methods: Total 50 samples were collected to process for isolation, identification and characterization of bacteriophages. Simultaneously, a total of 192 rectal swabs from pigs were collected, followed by isolation and identification of Escherichia coli. All the isolates were subjected to detection of selected virulence genes by PCR and determination of their antimicrobial sensitivity profile using commercial disks. All the bacteriophage isolates were assessed for their lytic effect against the MDR pathogenic E. coli isolates. 
 
Result: A total of six bacteriophages were isolated. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that bacteriophages belong to the Myoviridae family. Total 163 E. coli was isolated, out of which 59 isolates were pathogenic, which could be classified under STEC, EPEC, EHEC and ETEC pathotypes. By disk diffusion assay, majority of the E. coli showed resistance against commonly used antibacterial agents, viz., ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, cefpodoxime, ceftriaxone, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, doxycycline, gentamicin and streptomycin. Except one, all the bacteriophages exhibited lytic activity against pathogenic and MDR E. coli field isolates. Bacteriophages isolated and identified from sewages of Mizoram exhibited antimicrobial activities against field isolates of multidrug-resistant pathogenic E. coli isolated from pigs. Bacteriophages can be considered as a potential alternative to antibiotics to control the menace of AMR.</div>

Isolation, Identification and Characterization of Bacteriophages as a Potential Antibacterial Agent Against Multidrug-Resistant Pathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Swine in North Eastern Region of India

<div>Background: Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae is one of the most devastating zoonotic bacterial pathogen affects both fish and human health worldwide. The study aims to isolate and characterize P. damselae subsp. damselae from both wild caught and cage culture fishes. The virulence potential of P. damselae subsp. damselae on damselfish also been revealed. 
 
Methods: A total of 212 finfishes from cage culture and wild environment were collected from the south east coast of India and identified for the presence of zoonotic P. damselae subsp. damselae. Standard biochemical and molecular methods (using specific gene) were employed to identify the P. damselae subsp. damselae isolates. A total of 61 isolates were identified as P. damselae subsp. damselae. Dendogram analysis was done for selected 30 strains based on band thickness of PCR product after using IS and ERIC PCR. The data were statistically analysed by unweighted pair group method using mathematic averages (UPGMA) for numerical analysis of banding patterns. The thirty out of sixty one isolates (20% or 50%) showed their presence in both wild caught and cage cultured fishes. The isolates from the wild caught fish were tested for their virulence on damsel fish and histopathological effect also studied. &nbsp; &nbsp; 
 
Result: High prevalence of P. damselae subsp. damselae in wild caught parrot fish was noticed when compared to the cage culture fishes. The dendrogram obtained after numerical analysis with the Dice coefficient and UPGMA method shows that all patterns shared more than 50% similarity. Experimental challenge revealed that P. damselae subsp. damselae isolates from wild caught will cause severe tissue damage, abnormal behavior, clinical signs and also leads to fish mortality.</div>

<div>Isolation, Molecular Characterization and Virulence Study (Pathogenesis) of Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae Isolated from Sea-cage and Wild Fishes</div>

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: India leads the global market in milk production. However, bovine mastitis, which is the mammary gland inflammation in dairy cattle characterized by physical, chemical, bacteriological changes in milk results in commercial losses. Staphylococcus aureus, is the major causative agent. The treatment of mastitis caused by this pathogen is mainly by antibiotics. Emphasizing on the one health concept, phage therapy is an appropriate alternative to antibiotic. The present study was aimed to isolate and characterize bacteriophages against Staphylococcus aureus associated with bovine mastitis. 
 
Methods: Thirty two isolates of S. aureus obtained from the milk of mastitis cows were characterized by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was carried out by disk diffusion assay. Milk and cow shed wastewater were used for phage isolation. Phages were characterized by host susceptibility and RAPD assay. 
 
Result: Nineteen phages were isolated from the cowshed waste water. All the milk samples showed negative for the presence of phage. The phage 24 (A2) which had the broadest host range, was selected for the CFU drop assay. The phage was able to clear the lawn of S. aureus culture when grown on agar at different time points thus indicating that topical application of this phage would be a potential strategy to control S. aureus infection leading to mastitis. This study provides a basis to continue the exploration of the potential of PSA2 phage as a candidate for the treatment of Staphylococcal mastitis.</div>

<div style="text-align:justify">Isolation of Phages and Study of their In vitro Efficacy on Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Originating from Bovine Subclinical Mastitis</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">In Bangladesh, goat farming is substantially hampered due to outbreaks of respiratory infectious diseases like pneumonia causing morbidity, mortality and economic losses in Black Bengal goats. Among the infectious agents, Pasteurella maltocida is more frequently associated with the outbreak of acute pneumonia and death of goats. Hence, the occurrence of P. multocida in the goat population should be regularly investigated to effectively control the disease. Furthermore, antibiotic resistance/sensitivity profiling of P. maltocida also needs to be regularly updated for designing or updating of efficient treatment strategy. In this investigation, 150 nasal swab samples from goats were collected from Savar region of Bangladesh and on the basis of colony, staining and biochemical characteristics P. multocida were isolated in 25 samples. Disc diffusion assay was used to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of 20 isolates against 9 different antimicrobial agents. This study revealed that the rate of P. multocida isolated from goats in Savar area was about 16.67%. The incidence of P. multocida was higher in goats affected with acute pneumonia than apparently healthy goats. P. multocida was fully resistant to penicillin and amoxicillin whereas showed high sensitivity towards ciprofloxacin followed by streptomycin and neomycin. This study suggests that ciprofloxacin, streptomycin and neomycin are potent anti-Pasteurella multocida drugs.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Incidence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Pasteurella Maltocida Isolates Isolated from Goats in Savar Area of Bangladesh</div>

A bacterium was isolated from benzalkonium chloride solution (5%) stored in an uncovered bottle. The strain was identified as Staphylococcus aureas named SA-RBC through the test of its morphology, biochemical and physiological characterization. The isolated strain SA-RBC has important symbol of pathogenic Staphylococcus by producing coagulase, phosphatase and thermonuclease. Resistance of SA-RBC to disinfectants or antibiotics was tested. The results showed that the strain was highly resistant to benzalkonium chloride, benzalkonium bromide, glutaraldehyde and sodium hypochlorite, but susceptive to phenylic acid. SA-RBC was highly resistant to oxacillin, cefoperazone, cefoxitin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline. The tolerable growth concentration of SA-RBC on various surfactants was examined. The results indicated that the strain SA-RBC could grow in a higher concentration of cationic surfactants up to 5%, compared with the control strains (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, S.epidermidis ATCC12228 and S.aureus ATCC 29213) which were unable to grow in 0.1% cationic surfactants. The strain SA-RBC could not utilize benzalkonium chloride as the sole source of carbon and/or nitrogen. The findings in this study suggested that Staphylococcus aureas might be an original contaminant in the quaternary ammonium disinfectant and has potential risk for public health.

Isolation and identification of a novel Staphylococcus from benzalkonium chloride solution

Background: Crop yields are greatly reduced by sulfur-deficient conditions, as sulfur is an essential nutrient for plant growth. So, sulfur fertilizers are generally added to soils to alleviate this deficiency, usually in a reduced form, such as elemental sulfur. Despite this, microorganisms are required to oxidize reduced sulfur fertilizers into sulfate before they can be absorbed by plants. Recently, sulfur deficiency was reported widely in rice. Till date there are no suitable bio-inoculants for rice. Hence, the present study was aimed to develop a sulfur bio-inoculant for rice. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: In this present investigation, totally 9 chemolithoautotropic sulfur oxidizing bacteria (3 from aerobic, 4 from wet land and 2 from SRI systems) were isolated from various rice ecosystems. Chemolithoautotrophic strain S1-3 isolated from SRI system and strain W3-1 isolated from wet land were found to efficient based on pH reduction and titrable acidity. Totally five facultative chemo lithoautotrophic sulfur oxidizing bacteria (two from wet land and 3 aerobic samples) were recovered from different rice ecosystems. 
&nbsp; 
Result: Facultative chemolithoautotrophic strain S1Y1-bLL and S2Y2-b significantly reduced the medium pH (4.3) and consumed the maximum alkali 1.7 and 1.8 mL and found to be efficient. All the isolated facultative chemolithoautotrophic sulfur were autotrophic and chemoheterotrophic in nature. Molecular characterization study revealed that strains S1Y2 - aS, S1Y1 - Bll, S2Y2 - b, S2SA - Sa and S2Y2 - an exhibited 99.5, 99.7, 99.5, 99.6 and 99.9% sequence similarities to Pseudomonas beteli, Advenella kasmirensis, Pseudomonas beteli, Providencia stuartii and Bacillus tequilensis, respectively. Further, developed lignite and compost based and clay pellet formulation for facultative chemolithoautotrophic sulfur oxidizing bacteria. Yet, plant inoculations studies should be carried out for isolated sulfur oxidizing bacteria from this study before recommended to the farmers. 
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