Review: Gram Negative Bacteria in Brewing

Gram negative aerobic bacteria such as Acetic Acid Bacteria, which include Acetobacter and Gluconobacter, have historically caused significant problems to brewers. Although incidences of spoilage have recently reduced as a result of improvements in beer packaging, these bacteria are still a concern in dispense systems in pub breweries, public houses and cask conditioned beers. Gram negative facultative bacteria of the genus Zymomonas can spoil primed cask conditioned beer and cider. There is a wide range of Enterobacteraeceace which are found within brewery environments and they serve as indicator microorganisms for hygiene and sanitation. Gram negative strictly anaerobic bacteria such as Pectinatus and Megasphaera have recently emerged as a significant threat due to the improvement in reduction of oxygen levels in beer and an increase in production of unpasteurised beer. Pectinatus and Megasphaera are sensitive to routine cleaning agents used in breweries, but they can survive and proliferate in biofilms eventually causing spoilage of beer. This review focuses on Gram negative aerobic, facultative anaerobic and strictly anaerobic brewery related spoilage bacteria.

Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Index of Gram-Negative Bacteria from Bird Droppings in Two Commercial Poultries in Enugu, Nigeria

Antimicrobial resistance refers to the ability of microorganisms to grow in the presence of an antimicrobial agent at a concentration that will normally kill or inhibit their growth. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major global threat making treatment of infections tougher especially with high cost of treatment in humans and animals. This study was done to determine the Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Index (MARI) of Gram-negative bacteria from bird droppings in two commercial poultries in Enugu. Forty (40) samples were collected from each of the poultries. Isolates were identified by standard microbiological methods. The isolates identified were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter spp, Proteus spp. and, Enterobacter spp. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out using disc diffusion technique. The organisms were tested against pefloxacin, augmentin (amoxicillin and clavulanic acid), ceftazidime, streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, gentamycin, cephalothin, neomycin and ofloxacin. The result of the susceptibility test showed that Proteus spp had the highest resistance and MARI value of 0.5 and 1.0 respectively. The other MARI values were Escherichia coli (0.9), Klebsiella pneumonia (0.9), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (0.8), Citrobacter spp (0.8) and Enterobacter spp (0.7). These results suggest that bacterial organisms from poultry source can contribute significantly to the spread of multi-antibiotic resistant organisms. This could arise from the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in bird feeds in poultries.

Meso-substituted cationic 3-and 4-N-Pyridylporphyrins and their Zn(II)derivatives for antibacterial photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms known as antibacterial photodynamic therapy(APDT)is one of the most promising and innovative approaches for the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms.Among the photosensitizers(PSs),compounds based on cationic porphyrins/metalloporphyrins are most successfully used to inactivate microorganisms.Series of meso-substituted cationic pyridylporphyrins and metalloporphyrins with various peripheral groups in the third and fourth positions of the pyrrole ring have been synthesized in Armenia.The aim of this work was to determine and test the most e®ective cationic porphyrins and metalloporphyrins with high photoactivity against Gram negative and Gram positive microorganisms.It was shown that the synthesized cationic pyridylporphyrins/metalloporphyrins exhibit a high degree of phototoxicity towards both types of bacteria,including the methicillinresistant S.aureus strain.Zinc complexes of porphyrins are more phototoxic than metal-free porphyrin analogs.The e®ectiveness of these Zn–metalloporphyrins on bacteria is consistent with the level of singlet oxygen generation.It was found that the high antibacterial activity of the studied cationic porphyrins/metalloporphyrins depends on four factors:the presence in the porphyrin macrocycle of a positive charge(+4),a central metal atom(Zn2þÞand hydrophobic peripheral functional groups as well as high values of quantum yields of singlet oxygen.The results indicate that meso-substituted cationic pyridylporphyrins/metalloporphyrins cannd wider application in photoinactivation of bacteria than anionic or neutral PSs usually used in APDT.

Sterilization of Turmeric by Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma

In this study atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） plasma has been employed for sterilizing dry turmeric powders. A 6 kV, 6 kHz frequency generator was used to generate plasma with Ar, Ar/Ou, He, and He/O2 gases between the 5 mm gap of two quartz covered electrodes. The complete sterilization time of samples due to plasma treatment was measured. The most important contaminant of turmeric is bacillus subtilis. The results show that the shortest sterilization time of 15 rain is achieved by exposing the samples to Ar/O2 plasma. Survival curves of samples are exponential functions of time and the addition of oxygen to plasma leads to a significant increase of the absolute value of time constant of the curves. Magnitudes of protein and DNA in treated samples were increased to a similar value for all samples. Taste, color, and solubility of samples were not changed after the plasma treatment.

Antibacterial Action of Chemically Synthesized and Laser Generated Silver Nanoparticles against Human Pathogenic Bacteria

Silver nanoparticles in the range of 10-40 nm were synthesized chemically and by laser ablation, em- ployed for in vitro antibacterial action against human pathogenic bacterium. Their formation was evidenced by UV-visible spectrophotometer; particle size confirmed by atomic force microscopy, crystal structure determined by X-ray diffraction and chemical composition investigated by Fourier transform infrared spec- troscopy. The calculated MIC （minimum inhibitory concentration） of chemically synthesized nanoparticles with 30-40 nm in size are 2.8 μg/mL 4.37 μg/mL 13.5μg/mL and 2.81 p.g/mL for E. coil, S. aureus, B. subtillis and Salmonella, respectively. Whereas laser ablated nanoparticles exhibit MIC of 2.10 μg/mL 2.36 μg/ mL and 2.68 μg/mL for E. coli, S. aureus and Salmonella, respectively.

Assessment and impact of a biosecurity course in raising the awareness of students at the Jinnah post graduate Medical Center,Pakistan

Introduction:Pakistan Biological Safety Association(PBSA)is a not for profit,nongovernmental,professional organization established in 2008 and is striving to promote and implement Bio risk management in Pakistan.PBSA accelerated its program for strategic training of the national life scientists from 2013 and is still working on that mandate with the help of Fogarty International Center(FIC)&National Institute of Health USA and other international organizations working on this Global Health Security Initiative and subsequently Agenda(GHSA)Aims&Objectives:This biosafety training program was developed for capacity building of M.Phil.and PhD graduates the future laboratory users of Basic Medical Sciences Institute(BMSI),Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center which is the largest tertiary care hospital in Karachi,Pakistan involved in Research&Development(R&D)in medical sciences.Materials&Methods:This Pre post study was carried at Basic Medical Sciences Institute(JPMC),during the period of October 2018 to January 2019.A total of 48(16 PhD.32 M.Phil.)Grads students participated in the following study.The training program is administered through,custom made 4-month course having 16 contact hours also 4 hours of practical training.Training was evaluated using written assessment.The pre and post-training test was conducted after each session.Each test comprised of 15 multiple choice questions(MCQs)pre and post session making it 30 MCQs in total for each session.A final assessment consisting 30 MCQs conducted at the end of course.Results:There was vast difference observed in the post assessment results as compared to the pre assessment results.At the end of the course final assessment was carried out which gave an overall impression of vast change(83.3%)in awareness regarding bio risk management among the graduate students,which reflected the efficacy of this training.To ensure the validity of results and the intention to improvise the quality of course in future,feedback regarding the course and trainer was obtain through Likert scale.Reliability of Likert scale carried through Cronbach’s alpha,showed all variables with a maximum score of 0.9,indicating high reliability of the generated feedback evaluation.Conclusion:This study highlighted that through concerted efforts of professional organizations,proper awareness of public and concerned personals,regarding Biosafety&Biosecurity can certainly reduce the chances of errors and will ensure potential safety and security to the laboratory workers,community and environment,potentially exposed to these pathogens&toxins which are regarded as biohazards.

A Survey on Biosafety Practices in Lab Personnel in 12 Selected Areas of Karachi,Pakistan

The objective of this study was to realize the degree of biosafety precautions and measures recorded among different Private Hospitals and Diagnostic labs personnel situated in different areas of Karachi,Pakistan.One thirty two private hospital based laboratory technicians were selected from all 12 selected areas in Karachi.The laboratory technicians were interviewed then a survey form was completed by the interviewer.The survey was conducted in 3 months duration from May 2017 to July 2017.The total number of members in this study was 132,of which 85 were males and 47 were females.Results presented that 65%of the laboratory technicians did not use any type of PPE and 35%of the respondents recapped used syringes frequently while 25%recapped occasionally.For avoiding the reuse of syringes,Pakistani governments recommend that they be cut before discarding;however,only 65%of the respondents followed the given procedure.Even though mouth pipetting is considered outdated,45%of the technicians continue to do so for numerous purposes.Results of this survey established an absence of awareness about good and proper lab practices and lab biosafety measures among lab technicians in Karachi,Pakistan.

Regulating dual-use research:Lessons from Israel and the United States

Over the past 20 years,and with greater urgency since the H5N1 papers controversy(2012),dual-use research of concern(DURC)has been extensively debated by the scientific community,regulators,and the public at large.Many have raised the need to regulate DURC;however,despite the urgency of this issue,to date,only two countries have implemented specific regulations,United States and Israel(notably,China is in the final stages of creating a set of DURC-related regulations).In this paper,I have compared these policies as case studies that may benefit other countries.Therefore,the present study aimed to critically compare the DURC policies of the US and Israel and determine whether their different approaches provide a rigorous framework for the regulation of DURC.I have shown that in some aspects,they have adopted similar approaches;for example,allowing local committees to play a role in assessing the research.However,they differ in certain important aspects;for instance,the US policies have laid out a mechanism through which academic institutions and the government decide jointly on how to address risky studies,while the Israeli law places the authority solely in government hands.My aim in comparing the policies is twofold;first,to reveal the weaknesses and strengths of each policy,thereby aiding their improvement,and second,to provide those that are considering developing policies in this field an overview of what the current approaches look like,thereby enabling them to articulate their own approach while taking into account the experience gained by the US and Israel.

Development of designated laboratories under the United Nations Secretary-General’s Mechanism

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Mechanism(UNSGM)for investigating the alleged use of biological weapons was proposed in early 2013,with support from the World Organization for Animal Health(OIE)and World Health Organization(WHO).1 The UNSGM and related documents call for designated laboratories to support an investigation of the alleged use of biological weapons.Designed laboratories participating in the UNSGM investigations must not report false results,positive or negative.It is not affordable for whatever reason.