Reaction of Indian Chicks to Klebsiella Pneumoniae Strain Borkar, a Plant Pathogen Causing Pneumonia in Plants

Klebsiella pneumoniae is emerging as an important bacterial plant pathogen in Asia region particularly in China and India. The Chinese strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae causing top rot of maize is reported to be pathogenic on mice also. The Indian strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae causing root bark necrosis and wilt in pomegranate is found non- pathogenic on Indian bird chicken, thereby indicating it to be plant host specific.

Neuronal diversity and their spine density in the hippocampal complex of the House Crow (Corvus splendens), a food-storing bird

Hippocampus, one of the parts included in the limbic system, is involved in various functions such as learning, memory, food-storing behavior, and sexual discrimination. Neuronal classes of the hippocampal complex in food-storing birds have been also reported, but the study lacks details pertaining to neuronal characteristics and the spine density of the neurons in different subfields of the hippocampus. Hence, the present study was undertaken with the aim to explore the morphology of neurons and the spines present on their dendrites within the hippocampal complex of the House Crow (Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817), a food-storing Indian bird, and to compare it with previously reported nonfood-storing bird species. It was observed that the hippocampus of C. splendens harbors diverse neuronal classes with substantial percentages of pyramidal neurons, well-developed local circuit neurons, and high spine density. All these neuronal specializations in C. splendens can be related with the food-storing behavior of the bird, which itself is an advantage over nonfood-storing birds.