Absract Archive April 2009 Research article Antibiotic Susceptibility of Common Bacterial Pathogens Isolated From Diabetic Pus Abstract To screen various bacterial pathogens present in diabetic pus and to determine their antibiotic sensitivity and resistance pattern against the commonly used standard antibiotics. The common bacterial pathogens isolated from the diabetic pus samples were Gram-positive cocci like Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and ß-Streptococci, Gram-negative bacilli like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. The bacterial pathogen showed resistance to most of the antibiotics. The magic bullets, the miraculous drugs, antibiotics can be used to heal the diabetic wounds and thus the amputations, which is the threat of all diabetic patients in the whole world can be minimized to a great extend. Key words: Staphylococcus aureus, ß-Streptococci, Pseudomonas   aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. Introduction Diabetic mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder with vascular components that is characterized by disturbances in carbohydrate, lipids and protein metabolism. Of the total diabetic population 15-20% will experience a foot ulcer in their lifetime. All diabetic foot ulcers will be superficially colonized by a plethora of microbes (Vinod Kumar and Neelakund, 2004). An average of 5-6 organisms is often involved in the diabetic foot infections with a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Diabetic foot wounds are of the major complications of diabetics resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality (Jeffrey Stone and Paul Cianci, 1997). Antibiotic coverage can then be changed according to the culture and sensitivity results and clinical response (Wagner, 1981). Diabetic wounds represent an increasing burden to health care systems as the age of the population increases (Howell Jones et al., 2005). Diabetic mellitus has been diagnosed in approximately 14 million U.S citizens. It can produce a complex clinical picture due to its involvement in different organ systems (Stephen M Shroeder, 2004). Authors:V. SIVAKUMARI,G. SHANTHI. Production of   Bioflocculant   exopolysaccharide by Bacillus subtilis Abstract Bioflocculant exopolysaccharide producing organism was isolated from the local soil. The organism was identified as Bacillus subtilis by using biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The bioflocculant yield was maximum when 2% glucose was used as a carbon source and flocculating activity was increased from 58 to 85% in the presence of cations, FeCl3 and AlCl3.  pH 7 and temperature 300 C was found to be optimum for bioflocculant production. EPS showed heat stability at 970C for 10 minutes. Chemical composition of EPS revealed that it contains 94.3%   polysaccharide and 5.7% protein. Key words:  Bioflocculant, Bacillus subtilis, Polysaccharide, EPS, Cations Introduction    Bioflocculants are polymers produced by microorganisms during their growth. The organic flocculants, widely used in industrial fields, have been shown to be harmful to the environment and to be dangerous sources of pollution. Bioflocculants   produced by microorganisms   are expected to be ecofriendly because of their biodegradability. It has been reported that all types of microbes i.e. bacteria, fungi and algae produce flocculants with various properties1, 11. However, low yield and high production cost has restricted the wide application of microbial bioflocculant. In this study an extracellular polysaccharide flocculant produce by Bacillus subtilis, isolated from soil was identified and characterized. Authors: Satish.V .Patil, G.A.Bathe , A.V. Patil, B.K.Salunke,R.H.Patil. An Overview of Fusaric Acid Production Abstract Fusaric acid (FA) is a mycotoxin produced by the Fusarium species, among  which  the most high yielding was reported to be Fusarium oxysporum. It is moderately toxic to animals. It has antibiotic, insecticidal and pharmacological activity. Fusarium species are found worldwide in soil as both pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains. Large concentrations of fusaric acid reduce growth of root and root tubers. The biosynthesis of fusaric acid involves condensation reaction of polyacetate and aspartic acid units. The assay involves HPLC, TLC, Mass spectroscopy and NMR techniques. Fusaric acid acts as an enzyme inhibitor, dopamine agent and nucleic acid synthesis inhibitor. As an orally active agent, it may have potential role in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). Keywords: Fusaric acid, Fusarium oxysporum, dopamine, HNSCC.   Introduction Fusaric acid (FA) is a host non-specific toxin. The high production of which has been correlated with the Virulence of plant Pathogenic strains of fusarium spp. FA (5-butylpicolinic acid) was first discovered during (Paterson et al., 1991) laboratory culture of fusarium heterosporum nees by Yabuta et al. It has a natural contaminant or mycotoxin accumulating during infection in corn and cereal grains is extremely toxic to animals and human beings by enhancing toxicity of other fusarium metabolites EG-: Trichothecenes (Stepfen et al 2005). It is not only moderately toxic to animals but also has antibiotic, insecticidal and pharmacological activity in both brain and pineal neurotransmitter and metabolites are affected (Baron et al.,1996). It cause wilt disease symptoms in pepper, corn and used to select with resistance in plant. (Peterson et al.,1991). Authors:T.D.Rani, Savitha Rajan, L.Lavanya, S.Kamalalochani. Studies on the selectivity of an Acetyl cholinesterase based biosensor for Organophosphorous pesticide analysis Abstract Organophosphorous (OP) pesticides are capable of causing health hazards even at trace levels. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the levels of these pesticides in food and environment. Conventional methods of analysis have several disadvantages, which can be overcome by the use of biosensors. This paper deals with improving the selectivity of an acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) based biosensor developed for OP pesticide analysis. Experiments were conducted to study the effect of compounds that interfere with the electrode and the immobilized AChE enzyme. Studies were also conducted to screen various solvents  to arrive at the right one for use in biosensors. Results indicated that of all the compounds tested for interference with the enzyme electrode, only phenol interferes significantly, and cyclohexane is the best solvent for use in biosensors from the selectivity point of view. Key Words: Biosensor, Organophosphorous pesticide, acetyl cholinesterase, selectivity 1. Introduction: Among all the hazardous environmental compounds, pesticides are the most abundant in soil, water, food materials and processed foods. Due to their widespread presence, great environmental concerns have recently appeared around this type of pollution. In the past few decades organophosphates (OP’s) and carbamates have been widely used in many crops due to their environmental persistence compared to organochlorines. (1,2). But the solubility of organophosphates is more than that of organochlorides, thus giving a higher environmental mobility and therefore causing severe threat to aquatic life (3). The efficiency of these compounds as pesticides, and their acute toxicity to humans and animals are based on their ability to inhibit a group of hydrolytic enzymes called esterases. Acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) is essential for the central nervous system, being present in both humans and insects. This enzyme hydrolyses the acetylcholine neurotransmitter in the synaptic membrane in order to avoid its accumulation. AChE inhibition and the subsequent acetylcholine accumulation cause a marked dysfunction of many autonomic and behavioural systems, eventually leading to respiratory paralysis and death (4,5). The toxicity of pesticides represent crutial need of accurate and reliable methods to monitor pesticide levels for safety considerations.  Moreover, the area of biodefence is also interested in this field of research, since several OP compounds can beb used as nerve agents (6).                    Authors:Rekha, K B. Narasimha Murthy. Antibacterial activity of garlic varieties (ophioscordon and sativum) on enteric pathogens Abstract Two varieties of garlic (ophioscordon and sativum) were tested for their antibacterial activity against enteric pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexineri and Enterobacter aerogenes. Aqueous extract of both the garlic varieties inhibited the growth of enteric pathogens at the concentrations of 200,300,400 and 500mg.However Enterobacter aerogenes was not susceptible to the aqueous extract of both the garlic varieties. Ethanolic extract of sativum was found to be highly effective against all the bacteria tested. HPTLC analyses of garlic varieties confirm the presence of allicin in various concentrations. Further analysis using GC-MS identified other compounds such as  n-hexadecanoic acid, 3-deoxy-d-mannoic lactone, thymine and hexanedioic, bis (2-ethylhexyl) ester. Keyword: Antibacterial activity, HPTLC, GC-MS, Allicin, Palmitic acid Introduction Indiscriminate use of commercial antimicrobial drugs has lead to multiple drug resistance (Service, 1995). Plants are effective in the treatment of infectious diseases and many plant extracts have been shown to possess antimicrobial properties in vitro (Sofowora, 1983). Garlic (Allium sativum) has a long folklore history as a treatment for cold, cough and asthma and is reported to strengthen the immune system (Borek, 2003). Allium sativum is broadly classified into two sub varieties - ophioscordon (hard neck garlic) and sativum (soft neck garlic). It has many medicinal effects such as lowering of blood cholesterol level (Yeh and Yeh, 1994), antiplatelet aggregation (Steiner et al., 1996), anti-inflammatory activity (Baek et al., 2001) and inhibition of cholesterol synthesis (Piscitelli  et al., 2002). Garlic has long been known to have antibacterial (Ekweney and Elegalan, 2005; Cellini et al., 1996), antifungal (Yoshida et al., 1987), anticancer (Pan et al., 1985) and antiviral properties (Block, 1985). The main antimicrobial constituent of garlic has been identified as the oxygenated sulfur compound, thio-2-propene-1-sulfinic acid S-allyl ester, which is referred to as allicin (Cavallito and Bailey, 1944). Authors:R.I.Monica Anita Maruthamuthu Rajadurai, K. Chandra Sagar. Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs) - The Bacterial Predators Abstract The ecological role of predation is well established in the animal world. Not so in the bacterial realm where the number of known bacterial predators is small and their phylogenetic affiliations largely unknown (Yair et al., 2003). The best-characterized bacterial predators belong to the Bdellovibrio-Bacteriovorax group (Bdellovibrio and like organisms, the BALOs). They are the common rod or vibrioid shaped highly motile Gram negative members of the class δ-proteobacteria, ubiquitous in marine environments that prey on other Gram negative bacteria such as Escherichia, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Chromatium, Spirillum and Vibrio. They have been discovered in a wide variety of environments that include both aquatic and terrestrial habitats as well as mammalian intestines. Their prey includes plant, animal, and human pathogens. B. bacteriovorus is the best characterized obligate predatory species.Snjezana Rendulic et al. (2004) reported the complete genome sequence of B. bacteriovorus strain HD100, which can only grow in the presence of prey. Despite the small dimensions of Bdellovibrio cells (0.2 to 0.5 µm wide and 0.5 to 2.5µm long), its genome consists of 3,782,950 base pairs (bp) on a single circular chromosome and is predicted to code for 3584 proteins. Only 55% of all putative open reading frames (ORFs) show homology to known proteins. The GC content differs in only four genetic regions from the average, indicating that recent uptake of foreign genetic information by horizontal gene transfer has probably been a rare event (Strauch et al., 2007). Recent research publications on BALO indicate the possibilities of applying the fascinating organism in various fields such as genetic engineering, food technology, biocontrol and environmental management. Discovery and isolation of Predatory bacteria Predatory bacteria were discovered fourty years ago and the basic approach to the isolation of bdellovibrios from natural samples bears a resemblance to that used to obtain bacteriophages. In principle, two important considerations must be addressed for a successful isolation: 1) an appropriate choice of the lawn-forming prey bacterium must be made; and 2) some physical separation of the bdellovibrios from other plaque-forming microorganisms must be employed to facilitate screening and selection (Varon and Shilo, 1970). The number of BLOs detected in environmental samples using the double-layer isolation procedure – as for the isolation of phages, a suspension of potential prey cells is poured as a soft agar layer on top of bottom agar, to form a layer of cells in which plaques will develop – is usually low, ranging from tens to tens of thousands of plaque forming units per gram or milliliter of sample (Yair et al., 2003). Plaques developed on lawns of susceptible bacteria 2-3 days after onset of the experiment and increased slowly in size for up to one week. These plaques were found to contain small, highly motile, Gram negative bacteria (Stolp and Starr, 1963). Further analysis revealed that these bacteria were equipped with a single polar flagellum and lysed the prey bacteria. Typical BALO plaques on the bacterial lawn of Vibrio parahaemolyticus are shown in Plate 1. Author:Rajendran Palaniswami. Screening of α- Amylase inhibitory activities from natural sources Abstract Extracts of eight selected plant species were screened for their α- amylase inhibitory activity. Extracts were prepared from leaves, barks using hexane and from  seeds using phosphate buffer. Hexane extracts of Stevia rebaudiana, Phyllanthus amarus, Triticum aestivum were found to have considerable inhibitory effect on α- amylase with 40.63%, 28.57%, and 20% inhibition respectively at 3 minutes (non pre-incubation). Stevia rebaudiana extract demonstrated very strong inhibition activities with 97% inhibition at 1mg/ml (pre-incubation). Keywords: Antidiabetic; Stevia rebaudiana; α-Amylase inhibition Introduction Amylase inhibitors are also known as starch blockers because they contain substances that prevent dietary starches from being absorbed by the body. The nutritional reservoir in plants is starch of which there are two forms. Amylose, the unbranched type of starch, consists of glucose residues in a-1, 4 linkage. Amylopectin, the branched form, has about 1 a-1, 6 linkage per 30 a-1, 4 linkages, in similar fashion to glycogen except for its lower degree of branching. Starches are complex carbohydrates that cannot be absorbed unless they are first broken down by the digestive enzyme amylase and other secondary enzymes (Marshall et al., 1975). a - Amylase inhibitors are claimed to be useful for weight loss, but when they were first developed years ago, research did not find them very effective for limiting carbohydrate absorption (Bo-Linn et al., 1982).  Later, however, highly concentrated versions of amylase inhibitors did show potential for reducing carbohydrate absorption in humans (Brugge et al., 1987). a- Amylase inhibitors are ubiquitous in the cereal family and in addition of their presence in wheat, they have been also found in rye, barley, oats, rice, and sorghum. As with alkylresorcinols, a- amylase inhibitors are thought to have evolved in cereal grains as a defense mechanism against herbivore predation, primarily against insects (Feng et al., 1996). The multiple a-amylase inhibitors found in cereal grains have distinctive structural properties and show considerable variability in their inhibitory effect upon human salivary and pancreatic a - amylase (Buonocore et al., 1986). Because salivary and pancreatic amylases catalyze the hydrolysis of glycosidic linkages in starch and other related polysaccharides, their inhibition by cereal grain a - amylase inhibitors have been theorized to have beneficial therapeutic effects by reducing carbohydrate induced hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia (Puls et al., 1973). Authors:P. Sathiyamoorthi, M. Deecaraman,K. Praveen kumar,N. Kishan vaidyanat, P.T. Kalaichelvan.