<div style="text-align: justify;">A total of 22 endophytic bacteria were isolated from roots and nodules of Vigna radiata (mungbean) obtained from Jind district, Haryana. These were characterized on the basis of plant growth promoting traits. Almost all the endophytic bacteria produced IAA with maximum production of 81.63&micro;g/ml by isolate MJiR8. Among these, 100% root isolates and 84.6% nodule isolates resulted in in vitro root growth promotion of mungbean seedlings. All the isolates produced ammonia; eighteen (all root and nine nodule isolates) produced organic acid while only four root isolates were positive for siderophore production. The four isolates produced hydrogen cyanide and out of these only MJiR9 inhibited the growth of fungal pathogens Fusarium oxysporium and Aspergillus niger. All the endophytes were used to determine molecular diversity by ARDRA (Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis) Results revealed that the nodule isolates were more diverse, being present in separate clusters, in comparison to root isolates which were grouped together in cluster III.</div>

Isolation and characterization of plant growth promoting endophytic bacteria isolated from Vigna radiata

<div>Background: Group B streptococcus (GBS) or Streptococcus agalactiae is an important pathogen associated with bovine mastitis. The organism is also of public health consequences and may cause variety of infections ranging from neonatal sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis to localized infections and urinary tract infection or arthritisin adult humans. Widespread use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine has led to development of resistance among the pathogens. So there is need for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance to ensure effective treatment. 
 
Methods: Milk samples collected from mastitis affected animals were processed for isolation of&nbsp;Streptococcus agalactiae. The isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Molecular characterisation was carried out by PCR to study the occurrence of resistance marker genes and virulence marker genes. RAPD was carried out to study genetic diversity among the isolates. 
 
Result: Six isolates of S. agalactiae were obtained from 182 milk samples. Highest resistance was observed against co-trimoxazole and tetracycline followed by ampicillin. tetM gene and tetO genes could be amplified in four and three isolates, respectively. None of the isolates showed amplification for ermA, ermB, mefA and mefE genes. Three isolates were positive for the five virulence genes tested (glnA, cfb, hylB, scaA and cyl). RAPD analysis demonstrated great intraspecific genetic diversity among the streptococcal isolates.</div>

Isolation, Antibiogram and Molecular Characterization of Group B Streptococci Isolates from Bovine Mastitis

<div>Background: Mouldy growth in food commodities by aflatoxin producing fungi is a serious health concern to animals as well as human beings due to the harmful effects of aflatoxins like hepatotoxicity, carcinogenicity, impairment of protein synthesis, formation of DNA adducts, etc. even in minute concentrations. A tropical climate with moderate temperature, high humidity and heavy rainfall provides optimal conditions for the growth of aflatoxin producing fungi like Aspergillus flavus in different food items. The current study was to examine if the substrate(s) in a food item has any role to play in aflatoxin production by A. flavus. 
 
Methods: The fungus was isolated from ten different edible materials and identified using standard procedure. The isolates were cultured in potato dextrose agar slants keeping the culture conditions identical in triplicates. The toxin extracted using chloroform as solvent and downstream processing to get crude toxin was quantified on the basis of dry weight. Thin layer chromatography was done and the fluorescence of the toxins from different isolates was visualised under high wavelength of ultra-violet light with standard Aflatoxin B1 chromatographed vis-a-vis to confirm presence of the toxin in all the extracted toxins.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Results of the extracted toxin dry weight comparison between different isolates as well as the fluorescence intensity in the chromatograms revealed that contaminated peanut isolate of A. flavus yielded the highest amount of crude toxin. Thus, the results indicate that there are some factor(s) in peanut that promote(s) aflatoxin production by A. flavus. This information was further used for formulating potato dextrose agar media for isolation of aflatoxin producing fungi by incorporating peanut extract in the media and comparing the amount of crude toxin yield.</div>

Comparison of Aflatoxin Yield from Peanut Isolate of Aspergillus flavus with Other Isolates

Background: Multidrug resistant strains of Escherichia coli have been causing worldwide outbreaks of food borne diseases in recent years. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli and the occurrence of transmissible drug resistance among the organism has amplified the complications associated with its control and treatment measures. Data associated with the prevalence, virulence factors and antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli isolates are needed to be studied in order to develop an effective control strategy for colibacillosis in piggeries. The goal of the investigation was to study the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and pathotyping of E. coli isolates from diarrhoeic piglets. 
 
Methods: 102 rectal swab samples were collected from diarrhoeic piglets of ICAR-AICRP/MSP on Pig, College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, ICAR-National Research Centre on Pig, Rani, Guwahati, Assam and from different unorganized farms of the state. These samples were then inoculated in Luria Bertani (LB) broth and incubated aerobically at 37oC for 24 hours followed by sub culturing them in MacConkey&rsquo;s lactose agar (MLA) and Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar for purification of the suspected E. coli isolates. The isolates were characterized by biochemical tests and motility tests and were pathotyped based on detection of specific virulence genes by multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). 
 
Result: Out of 102 rectal swab samples examined, 92 (90.2%) yielded E. coli which included 41 (91.12%) of 45 samples collected from ICAR-AICRP/MSP on Pig, College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara and 32 (88.89%) of 36 samples from ICAR-National Research Centre on Pig, Rani, Guwahati, Assam and 19 (90.48%) of 21 samples from different unorganized farms. All the 92 E. coli isolates were examined for the presence of stx1, est1, elt1 and eaeA genes using specific primers. Among these isolates, 25 (27.17%) were positive for stx1 gene, 18(19.56%) for est1 gene, 6(6.52%) for elt1 gene, 3 (3.26%) for both genes est1 and elt1 and 12 (13.04%) for eaeA gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates revealed that the highest percentage (71.74%) of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline and the least (4.34%) to imipenem.

Isolation, Pathotyping and Drug Susceptibility Pattern of Escherichia coli Isolates from Diarrheic Piglets

<div>Background: Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae is one of the most devastating zoonotic bacterial pathogen affects both fish and human health worldwide. The study aims to isolate and characterize P. damselae subsp. damselae from both wild caught and cage culture fishes. The virulence potential of P. damselae subsp. damselae on damselfish also been revealed. 
 
Methods: A total of 212 finfishes from cage culture and wild environment were collected from the south east coast of India and identified for the presence of zoonotic P. damselae subsp. damselae. Standard biochemical and molecular methods (using specific gene) were employed to identify the P. damselae subsp. damselae isolates. A total of 61 isolates were identified as P. damselae subsp. damselae. Dendogram analysis was done for selected 30 strains based on band thickness of PCR product after using IS and ERIC PCR. The data were statistically analysed by unweighted pair group method using mathematic averages (UPGMA) for numerical analysis of banding patterns. The thirty out of sixty one isolates (20% or 50%) showed their presence in both wild caught and cage cultured fishes. The isolates from the wild caught fish were tested for their virulence on damsel fish and histopathological effect also studied. &nbsp; &nbsp; 
 
Result: High prevalence of P. damselae subsp. damselae in wild caught parrot fish was noticed when compared to the cage culture fishes. The dendrogram obtained after numerical analysis with the Dice coefficient and UPGMA method shows that all patterns shared more than 50% similarity. Experimental challenge revealed that P. damselae subsp. damselae isolates from wild caught will cause severe tissue damage, abnormal behavior, clinical signs and also leads to fish mortality.</div>

<div>Isolation, Molecular Characterization and Virulence Study (Pathogenesis) of Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae Isolated from Sea-cage and Wild Fishes</div>

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: India leads the global market in milk production. However, bovine mastitis, which is the mammary gland inflammation in dairy cattle characterized by physical, chemical, bacteriological changes in milk results in commercial losses. Staphylococcus aureus, is the major causative agent. The treatment of mastitis caused by this pathogen is mainly by antibiotics. Emphasizing on the one health concept, phage therapy is an appropriate alternative to antibiotic. The present study was aimed to isolate and characterize bacteriophages against Staphylococcus aureus associated with bovine mastitis. 
 
Methods: Thirty two isolates of S. aureus obtained from the milk of mastitis cows were characterized by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was carried out by disk diffusion assay. Milk and cow shed wastewater were used for phage isolation. Phages were characterized by host susceptibility and RAPD assay. 
 
Result: Nineteen phages were isolated from the cowshed waste water. All the milk samples showed negative for the presence of phage. The phage 24 (A2) which had the broadest host range, was selected for the CFU drop assay. The phage was able to clear the lawn of S. aureus culture when grown on agar at different time points thus indicating that topical application of this phage would be a potential strategy to control S. aureus infection leading to mastitis. This study provides a basis to continue the exploration of the potential of PSA2 phage as a candidate for the treatment of Staphylococcal mastitis.</div>

<div style="text-align:justify">Isolation of Phages and Study of their In vitro Efficacy on Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Originating from Bovine Subclinical Mastitis</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">In Bangladesh, goat farming is substantially hampered due to outbreaks of respiratory infectious diseases like pneumonia causing morbidity, mortality and economic losses in Black Bengal goats. Among the infectious agents, Pasteurella maltocida is more frequently associated with the outbreak of acute pneumonia and death of goats. Hence, the occurrence of P. multocida in the goat population should be regularly investigated to effectively control the disease. Furthermore, antibiotic resistance/sensitivity profiling of P. maltocida also needs to be regularly updated for designing or updating of efficient treatment strategy. In this investigation, 150 nasal swab samples from goats were collected from Savar region of Bangladesh and on the basis of colony, staining and biochemical characteristics P. multocida were isolated in 25 samples. Disc diffusion assay was used to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of 20 isolates against 9 different antimicrobial agents. This study revealed that the rate of P. multocida isolated from goats in Savar area was about 16.67%. The incidence of P. multocida was higher in goats affected with acute pneumonia than apparently healthy goats. P. multocida was fully resistant to penicillin and amoxicillin whereas showed high sensitivity towards ciprofloxacin followed by streptomycin and neomycin. This study suggests that ciprofloxacin, streptomycin and neomycin are potent anti-Pasteurella multocida drugs.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Incidence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Pasteurella Maltocida Isolates Isolated from Goats in Savar Area of Bangladesh</div>

<div>Background: Maize is the stable food in Kenya. However, its production has been jeopardized by the high prevalence of fungi in most developing countries and the whole world at large. Some fungi produce mycotoxins which threaten human lives. 
 
Methods: This study aimed at isolating fungi from selected Counties in Kenya. Maize samples were ground using a kitchen blender and cultured on Potato Dextrose agar at 28&deg;C for 7d. The fungal isolates were identified using morphological and cultural characteristics. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 software. 
 
Result: The mean fungal isolates varied from 10.8&plusmn;0.2 CFU/g in Wallenia spp. to 47.4&plusmn;0.2CFU/g in Aspergillus Spp. The most common fungal isolates were Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp. and Penicilium spp. The Mean fungal isolates from the selected Counties varied from Kitui (9.6&plusmn;0.2 CFU/g), Machakos (9.7&plusmn;0.3CFU/g), Bungoma (25&plusmn;0.1CFU/g), Migori (25.3&plusmn;0.3CFU/g), Kericho (25.3&plusmn;0.2CFU/g), Kisumu (27.1&plusmn;0.1CFU/g), Meru (27.1&plusmn;0.2CFU/g), Kisii (28.5&plusmn;0.1CFU/g) and Trans-Nzoia (30.1&plusmn;0.3CFU/g). The number of spores in maize samples from baskets varied from 13.6&plusmn;0.2-19.6&plusmn;0.2, polypropylene (24.0&plusmn;0.2-24.0&plusmn;0.2), Jute (13.6&plusmn;0.2-21.6&plusmn;0.2) and polythene bag (48.0&plusmn;0.2-72.0&plusmn;0.2) CFU/g. 
 
Conclusion: This study established that maize in the selected Counties is highly contaminated by pathogenic fungi. The most prevalent fungal spp. were Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium. The best maize storage material for maize were baskets. There is need of identifying the most prevalent fungi up to the molecular level.&nbsp;</div>

<div style="text-align:justify">Isolation of Fungi from Maize Samples Collected from Selected Counties in Kenya</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Potato late blight (Phytophthora infestans) is an important disease causing severe damage in potato crop worldwide. Seventy seven isolates of P. infestans selected on the basis of aggressiveness were characterized for pathogen fitness test based on their lesion size, latent incubation period and sporulation capacity after their inoculation onto detached leaves of potato. The results showed that large variations in pathogen fitness were present among isolates for each regional P. infestans population studied. Those isolates selected during 2017-18 exhibited 85% and 74% successful pathogen fitness behavior respectively. Those isolates which had higher composite fitness index values were observed higher lesion size and spore count and same trend of pathogen fitness parameters was observed with respect to their districts during both the years.This is the first inclusive study to determine pathogen fitness of isolates in Pakistan. The experimental findings indicated that population of P. infestans in the Punjab province comprises diverse isolates with low to high fitness potential. A future challenge planned to combine our accumulated knowledge with that from other scientific fields to develop a disease management approach for late blight.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Fitness Evaluation of Phytophthora infestans Isolates Collected from Punjab, Pakistan During 2017-18</div>

<div>Background: The importance of zoonotic fungal infections is increasing today and continues to increase due to changing living conditions.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Between 2012 and 2019 evaluated of fungi species isolated from 51 (20.07%) of 254 samples from 10 different animal species (dog, cat, horse, cow, goat, sheep, camel, penguin, bird, rabbit) with 10 different sample types Thus, the risk of those with zoonotic characteristics was assessed. Despite fungal hyphae and/or spores were seen in 63 (24.8%) of 254 samples in the direct microscopic examination, the isolation of fungi on Sabouraud dextrose agar occurred in only 51 of these samples (20.07%).&nbsp; 
 
Conclusion: Of all the 51 samples, 9 (17.64%) samples had more than one fungal agent. The predominant isolate was Aspergillus spp. with an isolation rate of 24 (47.05%), followed by Malassezia spp. 11 (21.56%), Alternaria spp. 6 (11.76%), Penicillium spp. and various yeasts 4 (7.84%), Microsporum spp. 3 (5.88%), Candida spp., Mucor spp., Geotrichum spp. 2 (3.92%) and Trichophyton spp. and Rhizopus spp. 1 (1.96%). Besides, samples were examined for the presence of bacteria and one or more of the bacteria were also isolated from 14 (27.4%) of 51 samples. This assessment in the veterinary microbiology laboratory has shown that the isolated fungi agents pose a significant risk of infection for people who take care of these animals or consume animal products and pet owners.</div>