Investigation of human anthrax outbreak in Koraput district of Odisha, India.

BACKGROUND: Anthrax is a zoonotic infection resulting from the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. Humans contract cutaneous anthrax by coming into contact, and gastrointestinal (GI) anthrax by consumption of infected animals or animal products. An outbreak investigation was conducted to confirm the occurrence of the anthrax outbreak, comprehend its extent, understand the epidemiological characteristics, identify the outbreak's cause, and propose control measures. METHODS: A descriptive epidemiology was carried out for this outbreak investigation. We defined a suspected human cutaneous anthrax case as appearance of skin lesions and symptoms (itching/redness/swelling) and a suspected case of GI anthrax as appearance of diarrhoea/abdominal pain/vomiting in a resident of Koraput district after being associated with slaughtering and/or consumption of carcass during 5th April to 15th May 2023. The etiological hypothesis was formulated using descriptive epidemiological methods. Laboratory confirmation was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 25. RESULTS: A total of 47 clinically suspected anthrax cases were identified during the outbreak in five villages of Koraput district in Odisha. The epidemic curve indicated multiple point-source exposures starting from 13th April 2023. About 10 cases were identified by RT-PCR testing as confirmed cases of anthrax. No death was recorded in this outbreak investigation. CONCLUSIONS: Based on a thorough examination of epidemiological survey results and laboratory findings, we conclude that the outbreak was of human cutaneous and GI anthrax. Exposures from handling dead animals were associated with cutaneous anthrax, whereas eating uncooked meat of dead sheep was associated with gastrointestinal anthrax.

Reclamation of chromium-contaminated soil by native Cr(VI)-reducing and PHA-accumulating Bacillus aryabhattai CTSI-07.

Reclamation of chromium-contaminated soil by bacteria is a big confront concerning to soil health restoration, food safety, and environmental protection. Herein, the chromium-resistant Bacillus aryabhattai CTSI-07 (MG757377) showed resistance to 1000 and 300 ppm of Cr(VI) in nutrient rich Luria Bertani (LB) and nutrient-deficient sucrose low phosphate (SLP) medium, respectively. It reduced 96.7% of Cr(VI) from contaminated soil in the presence of 100 ppm of Mg within 96 h under optimized conditions. Furthermore, Cr(VI) reduction by the bacteria was validated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Besides Cr(VI) reduction, the bacterial strain also showed plant growth promoting traits like N2 fixation and indole acetic acid (IAA) production. On the other hand, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging confirmed polyhydroxyalkanoates' (PHAs) granule accumulation and 0.5 g/l of PHAs was extracted from bacterial cell using SLP medium. Infra-red (IR) spectra and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) chemical shift patterns established the PHAs as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). Melting (Tm) and thermal degradation (Td) temperature of the PHB were 169 °C and 275 °C, respectively, as evident from thermogravimetry differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). Atomic force microscopic (AFM) imaging depicted that the PHB film surface was rough and regular. Furthermore, the multi-metal-resistant, plant growth-promoting, and PHB-producing bacteria could reduce 99.82% of Cr(VI) from contaminated soil within 120 days in pot culture. Thus, it can be used for long-term reclamation of chromium-contaminated soil to restore soil health, provide food safety, and environmental protection.

Improvement of rice plant productivity by native Cr(VI) reducing and plant growth promoting soil bacteria Enterobacter cloacae.

Rapid industrialization and anthropogenic activities have produced huge amount of noxious Cr(VI), which accumulate in the soil for longer period. As a consequence, that decreases rice plant productivity in contiguous agricultural field of Sukinda mining area, Odisha. Thus, the high Cr(VI) resistant native bacterial strain CTWI-06 was selected for the study, which depicted resistance to 3500 ppm of Cr(VI) and wide array of other metals. Under optimized condition, the multi-metal resistant bacteria reduced 94% Cr(VI) within 92 h and Cr(VI) reduction was confirmed by FTIR and XRD analysis. Plant growth promoting traits like N2 fixation; phosphate (146.87 ppm), potassium (12.55 ppm) and Zn solubilization; ammonification; IAA production (114 µg mL-1) and suppression of fungal phytopathogens such as Rhizoctonia solani (ITCC 2060) and Phytium debaryanum (ITCC 5488) were also recorded. The bacterial strain was identified as Enterobacter cloacae CTWI-06 by 16S rDNA sequence (Accession No. MG757378). It significantly improved growth traits as well as productivity of Mahalakshmi rice variety in pot culture. Thus, the potential Cr(VI) reducing and PGPB strain may be utilized for long term bioremediation of Cr(VI) in chromium contaminated soil and to maintain soil fertility.

Bacillus and biopolymer: Prospects and challenges.

The microbially derived polyhydroxyalkanoates biopolymers could impact the global climate scenario by replacing the conventional non-degradable, petrochemical-based polymer. The biogenesis, characterization and properties of PHAs by Bacillus species using renewable substrates have been elaborated by many for their wide applications. On the other hand Bacillus species are advantageous over other bacteria due to their abundance even in extreme ecological conditions, higher growth rates even on cheap substrates, higher PHAs production ability, and the ease of extracting the PHAs. Bacillus species possess hydrolytic enzymes that can be exploited for economical PHAs production. This review summarizes the recent trends in both non-growth and growth associated PHAs production by Bacillus species which may provide direction leading to future research towards this growing quest for biodegradable plastics, one more critical step ahead towards sustainable development.

The immediate and 24-hour follow-up effect of unilateral lumbar Z-joint mobilisation on posterior chain neurodynamics.

Few studies have reported the effects of lumbar spine mobilization on neurodynamics. In a recent study, Szlezak et al. (2011) reported immediate improvement of posterior chain neurodynamics [range of passive straight leg raise (SLR)] following ipsilateral lumbar spine zygopophyseal (Z) joint mobilization. We re-duplicated the study with a 24 h follow-up measurement. Sixty healthy college students were assigned to two groups, mobilization and control. The mobilization group received ipsilateral grade 3 Maitland mobilizations to Z joint at a frequency of 2 MHz for 3 min and the control group received no treatment. The SLR was measured before and after the intervention for both the groups on the day of testing and 24-h later. Repeated measures ANOVA showed statistically significant pre to post improvement in SLR range after mobilization. The improvement was retained at 24-h. The results of the study are consistent with Szlezak et al. (2011).