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An endophytic bacterium, AL2-16, was isolated from Achyranthes aspera L. It was characterized and identified as Serratia sp. AL2-16 and was experimented for the presence of plant growth-promoting properties. AL2-16 produced siderophore in iron-deficient conditions. The quantitative estimation of siderophore production unit of AL2-16 was maximum after 48 hours of incubation (83.488%) in the presence of 1 μM of ferric chloride. The fructose followed by glucose and sucrose were proved to be the best carbon sources resulting in appreciable amount of siderophore production, i.e. 77.223%, 73.584%, and 65.363% respectively. AL2-16 also has the ability to produce indole acetic acid in medium supplemented with l-tryptophan. The highest amount of indole acetic acid, in the presence of 1.0% l-tryptophan, was 123.2 μg/mL after 144 hours. This isolate solubilized inorganic phosphate and also gave positive result for ammonia production. Colonization and pot trial experiments were conducted on A. aspera L. plant. The population of AL2-16 increased from 16.2 × 106 to 11.2 × 108 colony forming unit/g between 3rd and 5th days after inoculation. It significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased shoot length by 95.52%, fresh shoot weight by 602.38%, fresh root weight by 438%, and area of leaves by 127.2% when inoculated with AL2-16, as compared with uninoculated control.

Global spread of KPC poses to be a serious threat complicating treatment options in hospital settings. The present study investigates the genetic environment of blaKPC-2 among clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a tertiary referral hospital of India. The study isolates were collected from different wards and clinics of Silchar Medical College and Hospital, India, from 2012-2013. The presence of blaKPC was confirmed by genotypic characterization followed by sequencing. Cloning of the blaKPC-2 gene was performed and the genetic environment of this gene was characterized as well. Transferability of the resistance gene was determined by transformation assay and Southern hybridization. Additionally, restriction mapping was also carried out. Two isolates of P. aeruginosa were found to harbor blaKPC-2, were resistant towards aminoglycosides, quinolone and β-lactam-β-lactamase inhibitor combination. In both the isolates, the resistance determinant was associated with class 1 integron and horizontally transferable. Both the isolates were co-harboring blaNDM-1. The first detection of this integron mediated blaKPC-2 coexisting with blaNDM-1 in P. aeruginosa from India is worrisome, and further investigation is required to track the gene cassette mediated blaKPC-2 in terms of infection control and to prevent the spread of this gene in hospitals as well as in the community.

Background Lactobacilli are gatekeepers of vaginal ecosystem impeding growth of pathogenic microbes and their diversity varies across populations worldwide. The present study investigated diversity of human vaginal microbiota among females of Northeast India, who are distinct in dietary habits, lifestyle, and genomic composition from rest of India. Results Altogether, 154 bacterial isolates were obtained from vaginal swab samples of 40 pregnant and 29 non-pregnant females. The samples were sequenced for 16 s rRNA gene and analysed for identification using a dual approach of homology search and maximum likelihood based clustering. Molecular identification based on 16S rRNA gene sequence confirmed the isolates belonging to 31 species. Lactobacilli constituted 37.7% of the bacterial isolates with 10 species and other Lactic Acid Bacteria (39.61%) represented another 10 species, some of which are opportunistic pathogens. The remaining of the communities are mostly dominated by species of Staphylococcus (14.28%) and rarely by Propionibacterium avidum (3.90%) , Bacillus subtilis, Escherchia coli, Janthinobacterium lividum, and Kocuria kristinae (each 0.64%). Interestingly Lactobacillus mucosae and Enterococcus faecalis, which are globally uncommon vaginal microbes is found dominant among women of Northeast India. This tentatively reflects adaptability of particular Lactobacillus species, in distinct population, to better compete for receptors and nutrients in vaginal epithelium than other species. Further, intrageneric 16S rRNA gene exchange was observed among Enterococcus, Staphylococcus , and two species of Lactobacillus , and deep intraspecies divergence among L. mucosae, which pinpointed possibility of emergence of new strains with evolved functionality. Lactobacilli percentage decreased from young pregnant to aged non-pregnant women with maximum colonization in trimester II. Conclusion The study highlighted importance of assessment of vaginal microbiota, Lactobacillus in particular, across different population to gain more insight on female health.

There are many environmental problems around us that can harm our health. Among them, environmental pollution, food contamination and adulteration, and antinutrients of foods are listed at the top. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are one of them that focus the attention of every researcher, industrialist, and policymaker due to their ill effects on animal and human populations nowadays. Industrialization is the main causative agent that has even put them as part of our food web. The severity of their impact can rely on their transportation across international boundaries. To date, about 26 pesticides have been identified under the POP category. These are toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulated among living beings, whereas polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are as toxic as industrial effluents and also travel too long by way of air. Sometimes, they may be generated by unintentional means during various agricultural practices, too. Besides all these, food by way of processing, packaging, transportation, and storage could be aligned as potential sources for POP invasion in the food supply chain. There may be chances that POPs contaminate food through raw materials. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified some of them as a part of the \"dirty dozen\" due to their role in cancer development. The traditional methods to manage the POPs are neither efficient nor eco-friendly. The only sustainable way to break down POPs is the application of microorganisms. Keeping in mind the severity aspect, resistant to degradation and dangerous to living creatures of POPs. This review provides the insights and details of various extraction, detection and degradation techniques of POPs.

bla VIM-2 harboring Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been reported worldwide and considered as the most prevalent metallo-β-lactamase after NDM which are found horizontally transferable and mostly associated with integron gene cassettes. The present study investigates the genetic background, transmission dynamics as well as stability of bla VIM-2 in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa harbor bla NDM-1 as well which were collected from October 2012 to September 2013. Two P. aeruginosa strains harboring bla VIM-2 along with bla NDM-1 were isolated from Silchar Medical College and Hospital, India. Genetic environment of these resistance determinants was determined and transferability was checked by transformation and conjugation assay which was further confirmed by Southern hybridization. Replicon typing was performed to determine the incompatibility group of the resistant plasmid and their stability was checked by serial passage method. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates was determined and their clonal relatedness was checked by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. bla VIM-2 was found to be horizontally transferable through an Inc F type plasmid of approximately 30 kb in size. bla VIM-2 was found to be associated with integron gene cassette and was flanked by two different types of cassette arrays. Both the isolates were co-harboring bla NDM-1 which was carried within Inc N type of plasmid with an approximate 24 kb in size and associated with ISAba125 in their upstream region. Reduced susceptibility rate as well as high MIC range was observed in case of wild strains and transformants carrying bla VIM-2 and bla NDM-1. The detection of this co-existence of multiple carbapenem resistance genes in this part of world is worrisome and further investigation is required in order to trace the source and to initiate proper treatment option.

Microbial technology plays an integral role in the biotechnology, bioengineering, biomedicine/biopharmaceuticals and agriculture sector. This book provides a detailed compendium of the methods, biotechnological routes, and processes used to investigate different aspects of microbial resources and applications. It covers the fundamental and applied aspects of microorganisms in the health, industry, agriculture and environmental sectors, reviewing subjects as varied and topical as pest control, health and industrial developments and animal feed.

Global spread of KPC poses to be a serious threat complicating treatment options in hospital settings. The present study investigates the genetic environment of bla.sub.KPC-2 among clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a tertiary referral hospital of India. The study isolates were collected from different wards and clinics of Silchar Medical College and Hospital, India, from 2012-2013. The presence of bla.sub.KPC was confirmed by genotypic characterization followed by sequencing. Cloning of the bla.sub.KPC-2 gene was performed and the genetic environment of this gene was characterized as well. Transferability of the resistance gene was determined by transformation assay and Southern hybridization. Additionally, restriction mapping was also carried out. Two isolates of P. aeruginosa were found to harbor bla.sub.KPC-2, were resistant towards aminoglycosides, quinolone and [beta]-lactam-[beta]-lactamase inhibitor combination. In both the isolates, the resistance determinant was associated with class 1 integron and horizontally transferable. Both the isolates were co-harboring bla.sub.NDM-1 . The first detection of this integron mediated bla.sub.KPC-2 coexisting with bla.sub.NDM-1 in P. aeruginosa from India is worrisome, and further investigation is required to track the gene cassette mediated bla.sub.KPC-2 in terms of infection control and to prevent the spread of this gene in hospitals as well as in the community.

Background bla VIM-2 harboring Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been reported worldwide and considered as the most prevalent metallo-β-lactamase after NDM which are found horizontally transferable and mostly associated with integron gene cassettes. The present study investigates the genetic background, transmission dynamics as well as stability of bla VIM-2 in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa harbor bla NDM-1 as well which were collected from October 2012 to September 2013. Methods Two P. aeruginosa strains harboring bla VIM-2 along with bla NDM-1 were isolated from Silchar Medical College and Hospital, India. Genetic environment of these resistance determinants was determined and transferability was checked by transformation and conjugation assay which was further confirmed by Southern hybridization. Replicon typing was performed to determine the incompatibility group of the resistant plasmid and their stability was checked by serial passage method. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates was determined and their clonal relatedness was checked by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Results bla VIM-2 was found to be horizontally transferable through an Inc F type plasmid of approximately 30 kb in size. bla VIM-2 was found to be associated with integron gene cassette and was flanked by two different types of cassette arrays. Both the isolates were co-harboring bla NDM-1 which was carried within Inc N type of plasmid with an approximate 24 kb in size and associated with IS Aba125 in their upstream region. Reduced susceptibility rate as well as high MIC range was observed in case of wild strains and transformants carrying bla VIM-2 and bla NDM-1 . Conclusions The detection of this co-existence of multiple carbapenem resistance genes in this part of world is worrisome and further investigation is required in order to trace the source and to initiate proper treatment option.