Evaluation of the anthelmintic properties of a traditional remedy based on a mixture of red algae using an in vitro assay on gastrointestinal nematodes of donkeys

The anthelmintic properties and composition of an Italian traditional anthelmintic remedy based on a red algae mixture (RAE) was assessed using the egg hatch test (EHT). The ability of different dilutions \((1.0, 5.0, 50, or 100%)\) of RAE was determined and compared with the positive and negative controls against gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) of donkeys. The experiment was performed in triplicate. Data were analysed using the ANOVA and Tukey test. In the mixture, Palisada tenerrima, Laurencia intricata and Laurencia spp. red algae were identified. The \(100%\) RAE was able to totally inhibit the egg hatch, showing an efficacy comparable \((P < 0.05)\) to that of the reference drug \((98.7%)\). An egg hatch reduction of \(89.5, 43.7\), and \(23.4%\) was observed at \(50, 5\) and \(1%\) dilutions, respectively. In conclusion, RAE was able to inhibit the egg hatch of GIN of donkeys in a concentration-dependent manner with a correlation coefficient \((R2)\) of \(0.968\), corroborating with its anthelmintic effect.

Isolation and identification of Aspergilli causing Banana fruit rot

Banana is a commercially and nutritionally important food crop worldwide and is affected by several fungal diseases. The most important post-harvest disease is fruit rotting. Fruit rot is responsible for significant losses in banana. The present study was therefore, designed to isolate and explore the mycoflora associated with banana fruit rot. For this, infected samples were grown on different media to obtain pure cultures of isolated fungal pathogens. Identifications were made initially on morphological basis and then confirmed by genetic analysis. A comprehensive study of micro and macroscopic features revealed four Aspergillus species with two of <i> Aspergillus fumigatus</i>, one of <i> Aspergillus flavus</i> and one of <i> Aspergillus niger</i>. Genetic analysis by Nucleotide sequence analysis of ITS region of rDNA was performed. The sequence alignment of two different isolates of <i> Aspergillus fumigatus</i> showed \(99\%\) homology to different strains deposited in Genbank i.e., \(004(\text{KU}321562.1)\), \(\text{SK}1(\text{KM}207771.1)\), and \(98\%\) homology to \(\text{AHBR}16(\text{KF}305755.1), \ \ \text{SF}8(\text{KX}011021.1).\)