Use of antibiotics in poultry and poultry farmers- a cross-sectional survey in Pakistan.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which has been ascribed to be due to community carriage of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is highly prevalent in the WHO South-East Asia region. One of the major reasons for this is the misuse of antibiotics in animal farming practices and at the community level, which threatens both human and animal health. However, this problem of antibiotic misuse in poultry farms and in respective farmers is not well studied in countries like Pakistan. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in rural Punjab to explore the current practices of antibiotic use in poultry and poultry farmers, associated factors, their healthcare-seeking behavior and biosecurity practices. Results: In the context of antibiotic use for poultry, 60% comprised of Colistin sulfate and Amoxicillin trihydrate whereas Colistin is considered as the last resort antibiotic. In addition, the significant consumption of antibiotics in poultry farms (60%) and poultry farmers (50%) was without prescription by either human health physicians or veterinarians. Most of the farms (85%) had no wastewater drainage system, which resulted in the direct shedding of poultry waste and antibiotic residue into the surrounding environment. The lack of farmers' education, professional farm training and farming experience were the most significant factors associated with antibiotic use and knowledge of AMR. Conclusion: Our study findings show that it is necessary for an integrated AMR policy with the inclusion of all poultry farmers to be educated, a mass awareness program to be undertaken and that strict antibiotic usage guidelines be available to them. Such initiatives are also important to ensure food safety and farm biosecurity practices.

Atricephenols A and B, two phenolic compounds from Indigofera atriceps Hook.f. (Fabaceae).

The phytochemical investigation of a previously unstudied species of the genus Indigofera, I. atriceps Hook.f. was undertaken and two new phenolic compounds, atricephenols A (1) and B (2) were isolated, along with nine known secondary metabolites viz., (-)-melilotocarpan D (3), genistein (4), melilotocarpan A (5), maackiain (6), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (7), bornesitol (8), ß-sitosterol (9), sitosterol-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (10) and stigmasterol-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (11). Their structures were elucidated by extensive NMR spectroscopic analyses and HRESIMS, and by comparing their data with those reported in the literature. Compounds 1, 4, 7-11 were tested for their antibacterial efficacies and for their potential to inhibit the enzyme urease. Compounds 7 and 9 showed significant antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi (ZOIs of 13 and 15 mm, respectively), while the best urease inhibition was measured for compound 9 with an IC50 value of 18.6 µM, which is higher than that of the potent inhibitor, thiourea (IC50 = 21.5 µM).

Phytochemistry and pharmacology of the genus Entandrophragma over the 50 years from 1967 to 2018: a 'golden' overview.

OBJECTIVES: For centuries, the genus Entandrophragma (Meliaceae), endemic to Africa, has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of several illnesses. This review deals with large range of phytochemicals from the genus Entandrophragma and their pharmacological potentials covering the period from 1967 to 2018. KEY FINDINGS: Phytochemical investigations of the genus Entandrophragma led to the report of about 166 secondary metabolites which have been thoroughly summarized herein including some of their semisynthetic derivatives obtained from chemical transformations as well as their biological activities in the medicinal and agricultural domains. The limonoids or meliacins and their precursor called protolimonoids (protomeliacins) reported so far represent almost 69.28% of the total secondary metabolites obtained from the genus, and they display the most potent biological activities. Collectively, both classes of metabolites constitute the markers of Entandrophragma. However, squalene-type triterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids were reported only from the species E. cylindricum and therefore could be its chemotaxonomic markers. SUMMARY: The pharmacological investigations of the extracts of some species exhibited interesting results which support the traditional uses of these Entandrophragma plants in folk medicine. Some compounds revealed promising antiplasmodial and anti-inflammatory activities and deserve therefore further attention for new drug discovery.

Antimicrobial constituents from three endophytic fungi.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the antimicrobial potential of extracts of the endophytic fungi Plectophomella sp., Physalospora sp., and Crataegus monogyna (C. monogyna) and study the tentative identification of their active constituents. METHODS: Crude extracts and isolated compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity using the agar well diffusion method. Four compounds were purified from three endophytic fungi using column chromatography and their structures have been assigned based on their (1)H and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. RESULTS: Plectophomella sp., Physalospora sp., and C. monogyna extracts showed promising antifungal, antibacterial and herbicidal properties. (-)-Mycorrhizin A was isolated from Plectophomella sp. while cytochalasins E and K were isolated from Physalospora sp. Similarly radicinin was purified from the endophytic fungus C. monogyna. The ethyl acetate extract of Plectophomella sp. showed significant antifungal activity towards Ustilago violacea (U. violacea) and Eurotium repens (E. repens) and significant antibacterial activity against Bacillus megaterium. Interestingly, the ethyl acetate extracts of Physalospora sp. and C. monogyna showed strong herbicidal and antifungal activities towards Chlorella fusca, U. violacea, E. repens, Mycotypha microspora (M. microspora), Fusarium oxysporum, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus megaterium. (-)-Mycorrhizin A showed significant antifungal activity towards U. violacea and E. repens. Cytochalasins E and K showed strong antifungal activity against E. repens and M. microspora especially towards fungal Mycotypha microspora. Similarly cytochalasins E and K showed good herbicidal activity towards Chlorella fusca. Radicinin showed strong antifungal activity against E. repens and M. microspora. CONCLUSIONS: Antimicrobial activities demonstrated by the extracts of the endophytic fungi Plectophomella sp., Physalospora sp., and C. monogyna and four isolated compounds clearly demonstrate that these fungi extracts and active compounds present a great potential use in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Eucleanal: a new napthalene derivative from Euclea divinorum.

A new naphthalene derivative, named eucleanal (1), was isolated from Euclea divinorum Hiern., and its structure elucidated by detailed spectroscopic (1H, 13C NMR, COSY, HMQC, HMBC) and HREIMS analysis.