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Abstract: Gum ghatti (Anogeissus latifolia) or Indian gum is a complex non-starch polysaccharide. It has been widely employed in food, pharmaceuticals, paper and other industries primarily due to its excellent emulsification and thickening property. Other applications of gum ghatti are inadequately investigated owing to lack of information on it. Researchers in the recent years have shown a great interest in exploring its molecular structure and functional properties. This article is aimed at discussing the structural features, functional properties and applications of gum ghatti with an emphasis on its pharmaceutical potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Dirofilariosisis, is a mosquito borne anthropo-zoonotic disease caused by the filarial nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria. The current paper reports a species of Dirofilaria, which has not been recorded in Tamil Nadu, in addition to differentiating it from the existing species of Dirofilaria spp. through morphological and molecular techniques. Micrometry of the microfilaria detected by Knott's technique as well as in Giemsa stained blood smears revealed that the length was on an average 280 μm to 310 μm whereas the width was 5 to 8 μm. The microfilariae were unsheathed with blunt heads and tapering tails. For molecular confirmation, the blood sample was subjected to genomic DNA isolation. PCR amplification using specific primers for D. hongkongensis was carried out using thermal cycler with the isolated genomic DNA as template. Molecular analyses revealed the band size of about 230 bp which confirmed the presence of D. hongkongensis. Phylogenetic analysis was done using UPGMA and MLM method. Dirofilaria is recognized as a zoonotic entity throughout the world, and dirofilariasis should be considered an emerging zoonosis in southern India. The control of ubiquitous mosquito population is essential to prevent the transmission of microfilaria from animals to arthropods and from arthropods to humans., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fifteen apparently healthy Kandari cross-bred cattle aged about 4 years were purchased from Rurki, Patiala district of Punjab by a private dairy farmer in Erode, Tamil Nadu. Four animals showed eruptions on the lateral thoracic and dorsal abdominal regions of the body after 15-day period of quarantine. Manual palpation of the eruptions resulted in the emergence of larval stages of dipteran flies, identified by their morphology as Hypoderma from these animals. Molecular identification based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase-1 (COX-1) gene confirmed it to be Hypoderma lineatum. Treatment with oral ivermectin did not have any curative effects, with exacerbation of disease being noticed, as more than 500 eruptions subsequently emerged in each animal, which had to be culled. Consequences of long distance migration of host on parasite epidemiology are discussed. Awareness must be created among livestock farmers to prevent their economic loss while purchasing cattle from different parts of the country.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) make up an important group of pathogens causing major animal and public health concerns worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of different pathotypes of E. coli in captive wildlife. We analyzed 314 fresh fecal samples from captive wildlife, 30 stool swabs from animal caretakers, and 26 feed and water samples collected from various zoological gardens and enclosures in India for the isolation of E. coli, followed by pathotyping by multiplex PCR. The overall occurrence rate of E. coli was 74.05% (274/370). The 274 E. coli isolates were pathotyped by multiplex PCR targeting 6 genes. Of them, 5.83% were pathotyped as EPEC, 4.74% as STEC, and 1.09% as ETEC. The 16S rRNA genes from the selected isolates were amplified, sequenced, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. The phylogenetic tree exhibited indiscriminate genetic profiling and some isolates from captive wild animals had 100% genetic identity with isolates from caretakers, suggesting that captive wildlife may serve as a reservoir for infection in humans and vice-versa. The present study demonstrates for the first time the prevalence of these E. coli pathotypes in captive wildlife in India. Our study suggests that atypical EPEC strains are more frequent than typical EPEC strains in captive wildlife. Discovering the implications of the prevalence of these pathotypes in wildlife conservation is a challenging topic to be addressed by further investigations.

Occurrence of Salmonella spp. in captive wild animal species in India is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence of different Salmonella serotypes, antimicrobial resistance patterns and genotypic relatedness of recovered isolates. A total of 370 samples including faecal (n = 314), feed and water (n = 26) and caretakers stool swabs (n = 30) were collected from 40 different wild animal species in captivity, their caretakers, feed and water in four zoological gardens and wildlife enclosures in India. Salmonellae were isolated using conventional culture methods and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility with the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Salmonella isolates were serotyped and genotyping was performed using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR and 16S rRNA sequencing. Animal faecal samples were also subjected to direct PCR assay. Salmonella was detected in 10 of 314 (3.1%) faecal samples by isolation and 18 of 314 (5.7%) samples by direct PCR assay; one of 26 (3.8%) feed and water samples and five of 30 (16.7%) caretakers stool swabs by isolation. Salmonella was more commonly isolated in faecal samples from golden pheasants (25%; 2/8) and leopard (10%; 2/20). Salmonella enterica serotypes of known public health significance including S. Typhimurium (37.5%; 6/14), S. Kentucky (28.5%; 4/14) and S. Enteritidis (14.3%; 2/14) were identified. While the majority of the Salmonella isolates were pan-susceptible to the commonly used antibiotics. Seven (43.7%; 7/16) of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic and one isolate each among them exhibited penta and tetra multidrug-resistant types. Three S. Kentucky serotype were identified in a same golden pheasants cage, two from the birds and one from the feed. This serotype was also isolated from its caretaker. Similarly, one isolate each of S. Typhimurium were recovered from ostrich and its caretaker. These isolates were found to be clonally related suggesting that wildlife may serve as reservoir for infections to humans and vice versa. These results emphasise the transmission of Salmonella among hosts via environmental contamination of feces to workers, visitors and other wildlife.

Unlabelled: Global positioning system (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system that is of late being used in health care., Objectives: The aims of the study were to describe the geographical distribution and assess the prevalence of anemia and malnutrition in children aged 5-10 years with GPS., Subjects and Methods: This exploratory study was conducted over a period of 2 months in the rural field practice area of a medical college situated in Bangalore during June-July 2012. Children aged 5-10 years were the study subjects., Results: GPS was used for describing the geographical distribution of anemia and nutrition status on the Google earth map. The prevalence of anemia in the study subjects was 8.7%. The prevalence of underweight, stunting, thinness, and severe thinness among the study subjects was 52.8%, 28.5%, 23.5%, and 29.1%, respectively; however, overweight and obesity were observed only in 0.9% and 1.2% of the study subjects, respectively., Conclusion: GPS was easy to use and was able to demonstrate the actual distribution of morbidity at the household level in the rural area.

Children with dengue fever presenting to the Institute of Social Pediatrics, Government Stanley Hospital, during the months of October to December 2001, were prospectively followed up for clinical profile and outcome. Commonest clinical features were fever, vomiting, bleeding, body pain and hepatomegaly. Elevated liver enzymes and low platelet counts were common laboratory findings in dengue. Hepatomegaly, positive tourniquet test, elevated haematocrit and thrombocytopenia were more common in DHF and DSS group. Retro-orbital pain was slightly more in DHF and DSS groups and there was a tendency for DSS to present at an earlier age. There was no correlation between platelet counts and bleeding in classical dengue cases.