Effects of iron ore tailings on growth and physiological activities of Tagetes patula L.

Purpose

Ornamentals can beautify the environment and resolve heavy metal pollution at the same time. Thus, the present study aimed at studying the growth and physiological response of Tagetes patula on iron ore tailings.

Materials and methods

Pot-culture experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of iron ore tailings both individually as well as in combination with soil (at different proportions) on the growth, pigment production as well as accumulation and translocation of various heavy metals from the tailings.

Results and discussion

The results suggested an increase in growth, chlorophyll content, as well as metal accumulation capacity of T. patula with increasing proportion of tailings in the soil. Furthermore, an increase in antioxidant activities in plants grown on tailings as compared to control was observed which suggests plant efficiency to overcome any stress generated due to excess of heavy metals. The order of accumulation of various heavy metals in the plant parts was observed to be Fe?>?Cr?>?Zn?>?Cu?>?Pb?>?Ni?>?Cd. Both bioaccumulation and translocation values were maximum for Fe and minimum for Ni and Cd, respectively.

Conclusions

The overall study clearly suggests plant ability to grow well on the tailings and survive excess of heavy metals present in the tailings. Thus, the plant qualifies well as a potential tool for phytostabilization of iron ore tailings and probably a source of income generation from wasteland owing to its multiple commercial values.     

Biofilm-forming associated genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of Staphylococcus spp. isolated from animals and air

Biological monitoring is performed to detect and analyze microorganisms that have continuously made an effort to survive in the environment. Of such microorganisms, Staphylococcus spp. is considered a common cause of nosocomial and environmental infections., Microbial Surface Components Recognizing Adhesive Matrix Molecules (MSCRAMMs) are required for the adhesion and biofilm formation of Staphylococci. Thirty-six and thirty-five Staphylococci isolated from animals and air, respectively, were analyzed. Biofilm formation and ten MSCRAMM genes were investigated using Congo red agar, tissue culture plate methods, and PCR. Airborne isolates were shown to have higher adherence and stronger biofilm formation than those from animals. The prevalence of MSCRAMM genes from air isolates was also higher than those from animals. Of the genes, eno was mainly associated with biofilm formation in both animals and airborne isolates (P < 0.05). Moreover, the rate of airborne isolates harboring the eno gene was higher than in animal isolates. These results indicated that analysis of MSCRAMM genes with a phenotypic assay might be a helpful bacterial control system for the environment.     

What explains tourists’ support for snow leopard conservation in the Annapurna Conservation Area,Nepal?

Wildlife tourism is increasingly important for the conservation of threatened species such as snow leopards. However, what tourists know or value about snow leopards, and to what extent they support the conservation of this species, has received limited empirical attention. This paper investigates tourist knowledge about snow leopards, beliefs and values toward the species, and support for its conservation in the Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal. Survey data were collected from 406 foreign tourists between March and May 2014. Although knowledge about snow leopards varied among respondents, there was widespread support for their conservation. Knowledge about snow leopards was best explained by education level and environmental organization membership. Improved knowledge about the species, and a variety of intrinsic conservation values, were found to increase tourist support for snow leopard conservation. These results provide important insights to help tailor tourism initiatives to support the conservation of snow leopards.     

Identification of genomic locations associated with grain micronutrients (iron and zinc) in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - In this investigation, recombinant inbred lines (RILs) population derived from PAU 201 (high yielding) and Palman 579 (high iron and zinc content) varieties...     

A multiplex real-time PCR for differential detection and quantification of Salmonella spp., Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Enteritidis in meats

Salmonella (S.) Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis are the major causative agents of food-borne illnesses worldwide. Currently, a rapid detection system using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been applied for other food-borne pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus spp. A multiplex real-time PCR was developed for the simultaneous detection of Salmonella spp., especially S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis, in beef and pork. For the specific and sensitive multiplex real-time PCR, three representative primers and probes were designed based on sequence data from Genbank. Among the three DNA extraction methods (boiling, alkaline lysis, and QIAamp DNA Mini Kit), the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit was the most sensitive in this study. The optimized multiplex real-time PCR was applied to artificially inoculated beef or pork. The detection sensitivity of the multiplex real-time PCR was increased. The specificity of the multiplex real-time PCR assay, using 128 pure-cultured bacteria including 110 Salmonella isolates and 18 non-Salmonella isolates, was 100%, 100% and 99.1% for Salmonella spp., S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis, respectively. The sensitivity was 100%, 100% and 91.7% for Salmonella spp., S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis, respectively. The multiplex real-time PCR assay developed in this study could detect up to 0.54 ± 0.09 and 0.65 ± 0.07 log₁₀ CFU/ml for S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis for beef, 1.45 ± 0.21 and 1.65 ± 0.07 log₁₀ CFU/ml for S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis for pork, respectively, with all conditions optimized. Our results indicated that the multiplex real-time PCR assay developed in this study could sensitively detect Salmonella spp. and specifically differentiate S. Typhimurium from S. Enteritidis in meats.     

Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of florfenicol against bacteria isolated from bovine and porcine respiratory disease

Antimicrobial susceptibility of florfenicol (FFC) against 243 bacterial agents isolated in Korea from cattle and pigs with respiratory disease were investigated by agar diffusion and microdilution broth methods following the recommendations provided by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. All Actinobacillus pleuropnemoniae, Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica and 98.6% of the Bordetella bronchiseptica isolates were susceptible to FFC, which as significantly more effective than the other antibiotics used in this study. FFC also showed high in vitro antimicrobial activities (MIC(90) < or = 1 microg/ml) against all strains tested with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination ranging from 0.12 to 4 microg/ml. No resistant strains of A. pleuropneumoniae, P. multocida and M. haemolytica to FFC have apparently developed since the first introduction of this antibiotics for veterinary use in Korea. The results suggest that FFC is therapeutically valuable in the treatment of primary or complicating bacterial pathogens causing of the bovine and swine respiratory tract.     

Development and use of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay based on Apx toxin genes for genotyping of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae) is the etiological agent of a porcine pleuropneumonia that threatens the global swine industry. The major pathogenic toxins of A. pleuropneumoniae include ApxI, ApxII, ApxIII, and ApxIV, which are serotype or serovar specific. Several techniques have been developed for the identification and typing of A. pleuropneumoniae. Serological assays are used to identify and serotype A. pleuropneumoniae, but factors such as cross-reactivity limit their specificity. Labor, time, and the requirement for specific antibodies are also drawbacks of these assays. Multistep polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques based on apx genes have been reported for the identification and typing of A. pleuropneumoniae. This study developed multiplex PCR for the identification and genotyping of A. pleuropneumoniae based on apx genes. This multiplex PCR technique was successful in differentiating 11 of 15 reference serotypes. Five different primer sets were used to amplify the 4 apx genes from each serotype in a single-step reaction. The multiplex PCR reported in this study was further used in genotyping 51 field isolates of A. pleuropneumoniae from different regions of Korea. The concomitant amplification of all 4 apx genes makes multiplex PCR more specific and convenient for the diagnosis and genotyping of A. pleuropneumoniae.     

Assessment of antibiotic resistance phenotype and integrons in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolated from swine

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) isolated and identified from swine were subjected for the analysis of antibiotic resistance pattern and clinically important class 1 and 2 integrons. In addition, S. Typhimurium isolates exhibiting ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and florfenicol (ACSSuTF) resistance pattern as described in most Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium definitive type 104 (DT104) were characterized by polymerase chain reaction. All the isolates were resistant to more than four antibiotics and showed the highest resistance to streptomycin (94.1%), followed by tetracycline (90.1%), ampicillin (64.7%), chloramphenicol (56.8%) and gentamicin (54.9%). MIC value for the ten isolates ranged between 0.125-2 mug/ml for ciprofloxacin. Among the beta-lactams used, only one of the isolate exhibited resistance to ceftiofur (MIC 8 microg/ml). Sixty eight percent of these multi drug resistance (MDR) S. Typhimurium isolates carried clinically important class 1 integron with 1kb (aadA) and/or 2kb (dhfrXII-orfF-aadA2) resistance gene cassettes. This study reports the increasing trend of multi drug resistance (MDR) S. Typhimurium with clinically important class 1 integron in pigs. In addition, emergence of the ACSSuTF-type resistance in S. Typhimurium PT other than DT104 may limit the use of resistance gene markers in its detection methods by PCR.