Antimicrobial evaluation and paper protection of cellulose-traditional Chinese medicine A

As the main carrier of cultural inheritance, paper cultural relics are easily affected by the microorganism and external environment. In order to protect paper cultural relics, in this paper, traditional Chinese medicine A and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were prepared into a multi-functional mixture solution to use for antibacterial and reinforcement of paper relics. The antibacterial effects of the A on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were studied through the single factor experiment. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of A and the concentration range of A-CMC for paper reformulation were determined. The results showed that the MIC values of A to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were 0.2 mg/ml. The optimal ratio of the composite liquid is 0.8% CMC concentration and 0.2 mg/ml A. Under this condition, the paper has a good bacteriostatic effect. This showed that the traditional Chinese medicine A can be used as an antibacterial agent for paper. Keywords: Traditional Chinese Medicine A, bacteriostasis, CMC, paper properties.

A gastric acid condition enhances the microbial killing effect of ethanol

Tolerance to extremely low pH (< pH 3) is a crucial strategy that enables microorganisms to survive in the human stomach cavity. We found that the killing effect of ethanol on dormant cysts of soil protist Colpoda cucullus, and pathogenic bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 was enhanced under stomach acid's low pH condition. This result suggests that gastric-acid-tolerant microorganisms can be partly killed by drinking alcoholic beverages during meals. Keywords: Acid-tolerant microorganisms, ethanol, bactericidal effect.

An assessment of AEFI COVID-19 vaccination in health care workers at a tertiary health care centre in central India

COVID-19 is a life-threatening universal public health emergency and the only hope to combat it is the COVID-19 vaccine. Different vaccines are available now, but their safety is a matter of concern people are eager to know what they can expect after getting vaccinated. The associated adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccine may affect healthy individuals so monitoring them is an important aspect. Timely assessment can help to identify and take appropriate measures. Serious Adverse Effects Following Immunization (AEFIs) should also be promptly identified. India’s first phase of COVID-19 vaccination started on 16 January 2021 with priority given to an estimated three crore healthcare workers (HCWs)and the frontline workers. In the present study, we assessed the AEFI of COVID-19 vaccine Covishield received by HCWs of our institute. For the first dose in the first phase of vaccination drive, 5,637 HCWs were vaccinated 32.28% of recipients experienced the symptoms Amongst those developing symptoms, 53.84% were males and 46.15% were females. Symptoms reported were fever (28.91%), myalgia (26.43%), cold and cough (8.16%), headache (6.74%), local pain/swelling at injection site (3.37%), fatigue (0.35%), diarrhea (0.08%) while other reported symptoms by few recipients were rigors (0.07%), joint pain (0.08%), nausea (0.07%). In 27% beneficiary symptoms subsided within 24 hours while in 1.28% symptoms lasted for 48 hours, in 4% recipients they lasted beyond 48 hours. In 0.70% of recipients, symptoms were severe. No unusual or unexplained symptom was observed. No serious adverse event was reported. No deaths were reported. Keywords: Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V, Corona virus disease.

Antibiotic resistance in heavy metal resistant non-lactose fermenting Enterobacteriaceae colonies cultured from textile industry effluents

Many of the aquatic pathogenic microflora belong to the non-lactose fermenting (NLF) Enterobacteriaceae and emergence as well as the spread of antibiotic resistance in them is now a serious threat to public health worldwide. Growth of textile industries has heavily flourished acting as hub for the ready-made garments factories in Bangladesh. Textile industry effluents may contain heavy metals and it is not clear whether their disposal is strictly monitored or not and their impact on the aquatic microflora have not been properly investigated and monitored. To assess the impact of heavy metals on the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in NLF Enterobacteriaceae, samples were collected from four different locations of drains running down effluents from five (n=5) different textile industries located in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Total bacterial counts (TBCs), minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of heavy metals, antibiotic susceptibility, binary exposure and plasmid profile experiments were performed. TBCs from day 1 to day 5 revealed that most colony forming units (CFUs) uncountable at 10-6 dilution could be counted at 10-10 dilution. A total of 100 NLF bacterial isolates were categorized as type-1 and type-2 using 4 differential media. The MICs of 100% isolates in both type-1 and type-2 for nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) were 0.6 mM, 0.6 mM and 1.0 mM, respectively. In case of type-1, most (38%) showed resistance to azithromycin (AZM) and least (2%) to cefotaxime (CTX). In case of type-2, most (48%) showed resistance to AZM and least (8%) to CTX. Binary exposure experiments revealed the combined effect of heavy metals and antibiotics. Where in most cases, zone of inhibition increased or remained unchanged. In few cases, zone of inhibition decreased. This finding indicated that the heavy metals typically exert negative or no effects on antibiotic resistance in the isolates tested. Plasmid profiling of the type-1 and type-2 NLF isolates resistant to both the antibiotics and heavy metals revealed that one of the five type-1 isolates contained very large plasmid (14 Kb) and four of the eight type-2 isolates contained 13 Kb plasmids and two contained 12 Kb plasmids. These findings indicated that these isolates possibly possess the ability to sequester metals before being discharged into the soil and/or water environment. Keywords: Antibiotics, effluents, heavy metals, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), resistance.

Mycoflora and DNA sequencing analysis of radioresistant fungi isolated from irradiated vehicular air conditioning filters collected in São Paulo, Brazil

Fungal bioburdens in filters from car air conditioning systems represent a potential risk of respiratory or pulmonary diseases to both passengers and drivers. The present study demonstrated high fungal contamination in air conditioning filters collected from fifty-seven vehicles from the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The filters samples were irradiated with 10, 15 and 20 kGy gamma ray doses with a cobalt-60 source. The presence of Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium glabrum and Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti remaining after the ionizing treatment with 10 and 15 kGy. The radioresistant pathogenic species was confirmed through genetic sequencing of the ITS, β-tubulin and calmodulin gene rDNA regions. The 20 kGy dose was efficient in inhibiting pathogenic fungi growth in all samples but promoted the fungal decontamination in 79% of the samples. These results and other efforts will enable ionizing radiation to become an important tool in contributing to the recycling of automotive vehicle air filters and in ensuring indoor air quality for both drivers and passengers. Keywords: Fungal contamination, indoor air quality, vehicle air filters, ionizing radiation.