Conventional and Molecular Identification of Culturable Airborne Bacteria

Bacteria isolated from the environment during the present study were representative of normal microflora of the skin, respiratory and urinary tracts; it also includes some soil and water-borne pathogenic and nonpathogenic genera. Six samples from different locations were studied for bacterial investigation. Among 14 isolates obtained, 13 were Gram positive, and the rest one was Gram negative. Out of 13 Gram positive isolates, 12 were round-shaped non spore forming and were identified as Planococcus citreus, Stomatococcus mucilaginosus, Kocuria kristinae, Micrococcus agilis (2), Kytococcus sedentarius (2), Micrococcus luteus, Micrococcus lylae and M. roseus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and rod-shaped non spore forming identified as Renibacterium salmoninarum. The Gram-negative bacteria was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Other than provisional identification, two isolates (JG 40 and SG 49) were further confirmed through molecular characterization on the basis of 16Sr RNA gene sequence analysis as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa repectively. Spearman’s correlation showed that air temperature and wind speed negatively correlated with the bacterial abundance. It is clear that none of the samples containing airborne pathogens collected was safe for human health due to presence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms. Many were human pathogenic as well as food poisoning microorganisms. Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 30(1): 15-25, 2020 (June)

Histomorphological spectrum of fungal infections

Background: Fungal infections have become very common resulting in a wide range of diseases from superficial infections to invasive fungal lesions. These organisms are now capable of affecting not only the immunocompromised patients but also healthy immune-competent individuals. All other non-culture methods except histologic method cannot detect all the types of fungi and are not available widely especially in developing countries like India.Methods: This retrospective study conducted in the department of Pathology for a period of 5 years. A total of 29 cases were studied. The aim of this study was to detect the type of fungal infections and their distribution according to age, sex, and organ involvement in histopathologic specimens received in our department.Results: Twenty-nine cases with fungal infections were studied. Of these (22; 75.8%) were males, (7; 24.1%) were females with male dominance. The cases displayed extensive range of age prevalence between 12 and 77 years. The most common type of fungal infection encountered in this study was mucormycosis. The most common site involved in infection was maxillary sinus. Maxillary sinus was the most common site for mucormycosis.Conclusions: The histopathologic examination can provide a swift provisional identification of infectious fungal organisms and remains the only existing reliable means to identify certain pathogens.

Morphological and Immunophenotypic Clues to the WHO Categories of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

Diagnosis and classification of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) require cytogenetic and molecular genetic investigation. However, while these evaluations are pending, morphology supplemented by immunophenotyping can provide clues to the diagnosis of specific cytogenetic/genetic categories of AML. Most importantly, acute promyelocytic leukaemia can be diagnosed with a high degree of certainty. However, provisional identification of cases associated with t(8; 21), inv(16), t(1; 22), and NPM1 mutation may also be possible. In addition, transient abnormal myelopoiesis of Down’s syndrome can generally be diagnosed morphologically.

Synopsis of Cis Latreille (Coleoptera: Ciidae) from southern Africa

A synopsis of the Cis Latreille, 1796 from southern Africa is provided, with the description of 10 new species: Cis bicaesariatus sp. n., Cis foveocephalus sp. n., Cis grobbelaarae sp. n., Cis lacinipennis sp. n., Cis makrosoma sp. n., Cis mpumalangaensis sp. n., Cis parvisetosus sp. n., Cis tessariplacus sp. n., Cis umlalaziensis sp. n. and Cis westerncapensis sp. n. The introduced species Cis fuscipes Mellié, 1849 is recorded for the first time from the Republic of South Africa. New geographic records are provided for the following species: Cis neserorum Souza-Gonçalves & Lopes-Andrade, 2017; Cis regius Orsetti & Lopes-Andrade, 2016 and Cis stalsi Souza-Gonçalves & Lopes-Andrade, 2017. Most southern African Cis are placed in available or newly proposed species-groups and a provisional identification key is provided.

A review of the Cholevinae from the island of Borneo (Coleoptera, Leiodidae)

The available knowledge of the round fungus beetle subfamily Cholevinae (Leiodidae) from the island of Borneo is reviewed, and the results of newly studied material presented. The currently known 30 species (of which 14 are newly described herein) represent the genera Micronemadus (one species), Catops (one species), Baryodirus (one species), Ptomaphaginus (14 species), and Ptomaphaminus (13 species). The following new species are described: Micronemadussondaicus Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., Ptomaphaginusgrandis Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., P.louis Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., P.muluensis Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., and P.isabellarossellini Schilthuizen, Njunjić & Perreau, sp. n., and Ptomaphaminuskinabatanganensis Njunjić, Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., P.testaceus Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., P.nanus Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., P.marshalli Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., P.hanskii Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., P.sarawacensis Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., P.layangensis Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., P.microphallus Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n., and P.alabensis Schilthuizen & Perreau, sp. n. It is expected that the cholevine biodiversity of Borneo is still far from completely known. Nonetheless, provisional identification keys to all species known so far are presented.

New brachypterous species of Dichotomius Hope, with taxonomic notes in the subgenus Luederwaldtinia Martínez (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

An overview of the subgenus Dichotomius (Luederwaldtnia) and its species groups is presented with species groups proposed and a provisional identification key provided. Dichotomius (Luederwaldtnia) vidaurrei, a brachypterous new species from Bolivia, is described. Another brachypterous species, from Brazil, D. mysticus (Luederwaldt) is redescribed. Dichotomius paraguayanus Gandini & Aguilar is synonymized with Canthidium kelleri (Martínez, Halffter & Pereira). Some aspects of the evolution of flightlessness in Dichotomius are discussed.

New species of Horistonotus Candèze from Brazil (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Cardiophorinae)

Eight species of Horistonotus Candèze (1860), from states of Alagoas and Sergipe, are described and illustrated and a provisional identification key for all Brazilian species of this genus is provided. The described species were collected in the Caatinga, semi-desert tropical woodland, in the Northeastern Region of Brazil. The genus Horistonotus is very numerous with more than a hundred species, distributed throughout of North, Central and South America.