Probit Analysis of Carbamate-Pesticide-Toxicity at Soil-Water Interface to N_2-Fixing Cyanobacterium Cylindrospermum sp.

Toxicity-data of two carbamate insecticides, carbaryl and carbofuran, and three fungicides, ziram, zineb and mancozeb with rice-field N2-fixing cyanobacterium Cylindrospermum sp., obtained by in vitro growth and at soil-water interface, were analyzed by the probit method. Growth enhancing concentration, no-observed effective concentration, minimum inhibitory concentration, the highest permissive concentration and lethal concentration100 （LCloo） were determined experimentally. The LC^o values of carbaryl, carbofuran, ziram, zineb and mancozeb in N2-fixing liquid medium were 56.2, 588.8, 0.07, 4.2 and 3.4 IJg/mL, respectively, whereas the corresponding LCloo values were 100.0, 1500.0, 0.17, 25.0 and 9.0 IJg/mL, respectively. The LC50 values of these pesticides in succession in N2-fixing agar medium were 44.7, 239.9, 0.07, 1.8 and 2.3 IJg/mL, respectively, whereas the corresponding LC100 values were 100.0, 600.0, 0.17, 10.0 and 7.0 IJg/mL, respectively. Similar results with nitrate supplemented liquid and agar media indicated that nitrate supplementation had toxicity reducing effect. The LCso and LC^oo values of toxicity in the N2-fixing liquid medium at soil-water interface were 91.2 and 200.0 IJg/mL for carbaryl, 2 317 and 6 000 pg/mL for carbofuran, 0.15 and 0.50 pg/mL for ziram, 16.4 and 50.0 pg/mL for zineb, and 7.2 and 25.0 pg/mL for mancozeb, respectively. Each LC^oo value at soil- water interface with a pesticide was significantly higher than its corresponding LCloo value at liquid/agar media. It can be concluded that, under the N2-fixing conditions, the cyanobacterium tolerated higher levels of each pesticide at soil-water interface.

A report on infection dynamics of inducible clindamycin resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a teaching hospital in India

Objective:To investigate the infection of hospital-and community-acquired"erythromycininduced clindamycin resistant"strains or D-test positives of clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)(with and without methicillin resistance)in a hospital.Methods:Strains of S.aureus isolated from clinical specimens were subjected to D-test and antibiotic profiling.Results:Of the total 278 isolates,140(50.35%)were D-test positives and the rest were D-test negatives.Further,of 140(100%)pesitives,87(62.14%)and 53(37.85%)strains were from males and females,respectively.Of 140(100%)pesitives,117(83.57%)were methicillin resistant S.aureus and23(16.42%)were methicillin sensitive S.aureus;of 140 strains,103(73.57%)strains front persons with and 37(26.42%)were without related infections;of 140 strains,91(65%)and 49(35%)were from hospital-and community-acquired samples,respectively.In 140 strains,118(84.28%)with comorbidities and 22(15.71%)without comorbidities cases were recorded;similarly,persons with prior antibiotic uses contributed 108(77.14%)and without 32(22.85%)positive strains.These binary data of surveillance were analyzed by a univariate analysis.It was evident that the prior antibiotic uses and comorbidities due to other ailments were the determinative factors in D-test positivity,corroborated by low P values,P=0.001 1 and 0.0024,respectively.All isolates(278)were resistant to17 antibiotics of nine groups,in varying degrees;the minimum of 28%resistance for vancomycin and the maximum of 97%resistance for gentamicin were recorded.Further,of 278 strains,only42(15.1%)strains were resistant constitutively to both antibiotics,erythromycin resistant and clindamycin resistant,while 45(16.2%)strains were constitutively sensitive to both antibiotics(erythromycin sensitive,and clindamycin sensitive).Further,of the rest 191(68.7%)strains were with erythromycin resistant and clindamycin resistant,of which only 140(50.35%)strains were D-test positives,while the rest 51(18.34%)strains were D-test negatives.Conclusions:In view of high prevalence of D-test positive S.aureus strains,and equally high prevalence of multidrug resistant strains both in community and hospital sectors,undertaking of D-test may be routinely conducted for suppurative infections.

Growth, Metabolism and Yield of Rice Cultivated in Soils Amended with Fly Ash and Cyanobacteria and Metal Loads in Plant Parts

Soil amendment with fly ash（FA） and combined supplementation with N_2-fixing cyanobacteria masses as biofertilizer were done in field experiments with rice. Amendments with FA levels, 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0 and 10.0 kg/m2, caused increase in growth and yield of rice up to 8.0 kg/m2, monitored with several parameters. Pigment contents and enzyme activities of leaves were enhanced by FA, with the maximum level of FA at 10.0 kg/m2. Protein content of rice seeds was the highest in plants grown at FA level 4.0 kg/m2. Basic soil properties, p H value, percentage of silt, percentage of clay, water-holding capacity, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, and organic carbon content increased due to the FA amendment. Parallel supplementation of FA amended plots with 1.0 kg/m2 N_2-fixing cyanobacteria mass caused further significant increments of the most soil properties, and rice growth and yield parameters. 1000-grain weight of rice plants grown at FA level 4.0 kg/m2 along with cyanobacteria supplementation was the maximum. Cyanobacteria supplementation caused increase of important basic properties of soil including the total N-content. Estimations of elemental content in soils and plant parts（root and seed） were done by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Accumulations of K, P, Fe and several plant micronutrients（Mn, Ni, Co, Zn and Cu） and toxic elements（Pb, Cr and Cd） increased in soils and plant parts as a function of the FA gradation, but Na content remained almost unchanged in soils and seeds. Supplementation of cyanobacteria had ameliorating effect on toxic metal contents of soils and plant parts. The FA level 4.0 kg/m2, with 1.0 kg/m2 cyanobacteria mass supplementation, could be taken ideal, since there would be recharging of the soil with essential micronutrients as well as toxic chemicals in comparative lesser proportions, and cyanobacteria mass would cause lessening toxic metal loads with usual N_2-fixation.

Antibacterial efficacy of five medicinal plants against multidrug-resistant enteropathogenic bacteria infecting under-5 hospitalized children

OBJECTIVE： To evaluate in vitro antibacterial effectiveness of five medicinal plants used by an Indian aborigine, against 8 multidrug-resistant （MDR） enteropathogenic bacteria isolated from clinical samples of under-5 hospitalized children. METHODS： Antibiotic sensitivity patterns of eight clinically isolated strains of enteropathogenic bacteria, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella paratyphi, S. typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, S. sonnei and Vibrio cholerae were assessed by disc-diffusion method. Antibacterial activities of 8 solvent-extracts of leaves and bark of five medicinal plants were monitored by the agar-well diffusion method. The microbroth dilution method was used to assess minimum inhibitory concentration （MIC） and minimum bactericidal concentration （MBC）. Qualitative phytochemical analyses of active plant extracts were carried out. RESULTS： Ethanol, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Holarrhena antidysenterica leaf tissue were most effective against 8 MDR pathogens in vitro. Similarly, acetone, ethanol and methanol extracts of Terminalia alata leaf tissue; chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Terminalia aquna leaf tissue and ethyl acetate, ethanol and methanol extracts of Paederia foetida leaf tissue were most effective in inhibiting in vitro growth of the 8 MDR enteropathogens. Ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of H. antidysenterica bark tissue; acetone, ethanol and methanol extracts of T. alata bark tissue and acetone, ethanol and methanol extracts of T. arjuna bark tissue were most effective in controlling enteropathogen growth. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values of the 3 most antimicrobial leaf and bark extracts from the five plants were in the range of 1.56 to 50 mg/mL. CONCLUSION： These 5 plants exhibited in vitro control over a cohort of 8 enteropathogenic bacteria strains isolated from clinical samples.