Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease

169-173

Authors: Vahid Nasiri, Abdolhossein Dalimi, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of chicken serum as an alternative to fetal calf serum (FCS) in the culture of Leishmania. Methods: In the present work, the efficacy of chicken serum was evaluated in the cultivation of promastigotes of Leishmania infantum (L. infantum), by assassing the parasite growth and replication pattern after adding 5%-10% chicken serum to the RPMI-1640 medium. Results: The 10% chicken serum enriched culture medium, supported the growth of L. infantum. Conclusions: According to our finding, the chicken serum can be used for primary and mass cultivation of L. infantum is an effective, easy available and low-cost replacement for FCS.

180-183

Authors: Chinnavenkataraman Govindasamy, Mani Arulpriya

Objective: To investigate the antimicrobial activity of Acanthus ilicifolius against the skin infecting bacterial and fungal pathogens. Through the literature survey, the mangrove plant Acanthus ilicifolius was used in skin infection diseases and have potential anti-inflammatory activity. Methods: Antimicrobial activity of the leaf extracts was tested using agar well diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were carried out. Results: Among the different extracts, chloroform extract showed maximum activity against the bacterial pathogens methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum. Methanol and acetone extracts showed maximum activity against Staphylococcus epidermis and Lactobacillus plantarum respectively. Chloroform extracts showed the lowest MIC (0.5 mg/mL) and MBC (2 mg/ mL) values against the skin pathogens compared with other extracts. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of resins, steroids, tannins, glycosides, sugars, carbohydrates, saponins, sterols, terpenoids, phenol, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides and catechol. Conclusions: Further, the separation of potential compounds from the crude extracts will be useful for control the skin infection pathogens.

189-191

Authors: Rohit Gundamaraju

Objective: To evaluate the anti-helmintic activity of Ferula foetida “Hing” against helmintic (Pheretima postuma). Methods: Aqueous extracts from the Ferula foetida resin was investigated for its anthelmintic activity against Pheretima posthuma. Three concentrations (25, 50 and 100 mg/mL) of extract were studied in activity, which involved the determination of time of paralysis and time of death of the worm. Results: The extract has exhibited significant anti-helmintic activity at the highest concentration of 100 mg/mL. Infact, the extract has shown better significant activity than the standard drug. Piperazine citrate in the same concentration as that of extracts was included as standard reference and distilled water as control. Conclusions: It was concluded fr om the present study that the plant revealed significant anthelmintic activity.

196-201

Authors: Mohamed Yacoob Syed Ali, Sundaram Ravikumar, Johanson Margaret Beula

Objective: To identify the larvicidal activity of the seaweed extracts against Anopheles stephensi, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus Methods: Seaweed extracts of Ulva lactuca, Caulerpa racemosa (C. racemosa), Sargassum microystum, Caulerpa scalpelliformis, Gracilaria corticata, Turbinaria decurrens, Turbinaria conoides and Caulerpa toxifolia were dissolved in DMSO to prepare a graded series of concentration. The test for the larvicidal effect of seaweeds against mosquitos larvae was conducted in accordance with the WHO standard method. Batches of 25 early 4th instar larvae of three mosquitoes were transferred to 250 mL enamel bowl containing 199 mL of distilled water and 1 mL of plant extracts (10-100 µg). Each experiment was conducted with triplicate with concurrent a control group. Results: Among the seaweeds extract, C. racemosa showed toxicity against 4th instar larvae of Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles stephensi with equivalent LC50 value (0.055 6±0.010 3) µg/mL, (0.067 5±0.136 0) µg/mL and (0.066 1 ±0.007 6) µg/mL, respectively. Conclusions: The present study concluded that, the mosquito larvicidal property of C. racemosa might be the prospective alternative source to control the mosquitoes.

207-210

Authors: Ernest Afu Ochang, Oyinlola O. Oduyebo, Ifeanyi A. Onwuezobe, Sunday M. Obeten, Godwin I. Ogban, Ubleni E. Emanghe

Objective: To evaluate the possible use of MPT64 based rapid test to detect multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) in antibiotic broth dilution cultures. Methods: Twenty five isolates of M. tuberculosis whose susceptibility pattern had previously been identified by HAIN Genotype MTBDRplus (HainLifecience, Herhen, Germany) were processed and cultured according to the microscopic-observation drug susceptibility technique. These included 20 susceptible, two multi-drug resistant M. tuberculosis and three isoniazid mono-resistant isolates. After 10-day incubation, aspirates from each well were tested with the MPT64 rapid test. Results: The rapid test correctly identified all 25 isolates and detected rifampicin and isoniazid resistance in all but one isoniazid mono-resistant isolate. Conclusions: MPT64 rapid test could be useful in detecting M. tuberculosis and drug resistance from Middlebrook 7H9 antimicrobial broth dilution in resource poor settings without an inverted microscope.

217-226

Authors: Mahesh Chandra Sahu, Rabindra Nath Padhy

Objective: To investigate the antibacterial activity, using cold and hot extraction procedures with five solvents, petroleum ether, acetone, ethanol, methanol and water to validate medicinal uses of Butea monosperma Lam (B. monosperma) in controlling infections; and to qualitatively estimate phytochemical constituents of leaf-extracts of the plant. Methods: The antibacterial activity of leaf-extracts was evaluated by the agar-well diffusion method against clinically isolated 12 Gram-positive and -negative multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogenic bacteria in vitro. Values of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of leaf-extracts against each bacterium were obtained in a 96-well micro-titre plate, by broth dilution micro-titre plate technique. Results: The presence of tannins, flavonoids, starch, glycosides and carbohydrates in different leaf extracts was established. Pathogenic bacteria used were, Acinetobacter sp., Chromobacterium violaceum, Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Shigella sp., Enterococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), methicillin resistant S. aureus and vancomycin resistant S. aureus, along with standard bacterial strains. These MDR bacteria had been recorded to have significant inhibitions by leaf extracts, obtained by cold and hot extraction procedures with five solvents. In addition, the hot aqueous extract against Enterococcus sp. had the highest inhibition zone-size (21 mm). Ciprofloxacin 30 µg/disc was the positive/reference control and the diluting solvent, 10% dimethyl sulphoxide was the negative control. Recorded MIC values of different extracts ranged between 0.23 and 13.30 mg/mL, and MBC values were 0.52 to 30.00 mg/mL, for these bacteria. Conclusions: Leaf-extracts with hot water and ethanol had shown significant antibacterial activity against all bacteria. B. monosperma leaf-extract could be used in treating infectious diseases, caused by the range of tested bacteria, as complementary and alternate medicine.

232-234

Authors: Mahmoud Bahmani, Hannaneh Golshahi, Fereidon Ghotbian, Farzaneh Bahmani

The leech is a blood sucking worm belonging to the class Hirudinea of the phylum Annelida. Leeches are commonly found in the waterland of temperate and tropical countries. Hirudiniasis, a rare condition with unusual symptoms, is caused by accidental introduction of leeches through natural orifices. In August 2011, a 1-year-old hen (Gallus gallusdomesticus) referred to private veterinary clinic in Iran with symptoms of severe respiratory distress, restless and inappetite. According to owner statement, the hen had a history of using spring water. After physical examination, black object was found attached to the internal mucous membrane of floor of mouth. The diagnosis was leech infection. The leech was removed by forceps without administration of drugsand detection, the hirudiniasis was caused by immature larvae of Limnatis nilotica (L. nilotica). According to author’s knowledge, there is no report of Hirudiniasisin birds and the present case is the first report of internal hirudiniasis due to L. niloticain hen in literature.

240-241

Authors: Nidhi Bhatnagar, Manoj Grover, Smita Sinha, Ravneet Kaur

Since the launch of Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, disease burden has been reduced by more than 99% globally. Lately, India has witnessed a year without a case of poliomyelitis. It no longer stands endemic and is being regarded as a model for polio eradication efforts in other low income endemic countries: Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. The near elimination of wild polio virus in India has set forth new challenges of vaccine derived polio virus and need for newer strategies in oral poliomyelitis vaccine cessation preparatory phase. Stricter surveillance measures are needed to check for importations, any spread of virus in migratory populations and rapid containment of newly found virus. No stone should be left unturned in this last ditch effort for extermination of polio virus form environmental circulation. India's battle against polio will be cited as the biggest public health achievement or the most expensive public health failure.

252

Authors: Anupam Ghosh

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