Nitrogen mineralization ofSesbania sesban used as green manure for lowland rice in Sri Lanka

Sesbania sesban was evaluated as green manure crop for lowland rice in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. The legume was grown during a fallow period before lowland rice (Oryza sativa) and ploughed under just before transplanting. Weight loss and nitrogen content in litterbags containing leaves, stems and roots of the legume were monitored. Comparisons were made between rice yields from 20 m² plots after green manuring in combination with different nitrogen fertilizer levels (0, 2.4, 4.8 and 7.2 gm⁻²) and nitrogen fertilizer (9.6 gm⁻²) alone. Above-ground biomass ofS. sesban was 440 gm⁻² (dry wt) when ploughed under after 84 days growth. N-content in leaves, stems and roots was 3.76%, 0.41% and 0.73%, respectively. This gave a N-input fromS. sesban of 9.2 gm⁻² (8.3 g from above-ground parts and 0.9 g from roots). The corresponding K and P inputs were 7.3 and 0.6 gm⁻² respectively. The nitrogen rich leaves, which contained 88% of the nitrogen in the above-ground parts, decomposed and released its nitrogen much more rapidly than the stems and roots. After only four days the leaves had released 5.3 g Nm⁻² and after 14 days they had released 6.4 g Nm⁻². The highest rice yield (505 gm⁻²) was obtained usingS. sesban and 4.8 gm⁻² of N-fertilizer. The yields with only N-fertilizer or onlyS. sesban were 442 gm⁻² and 396 gm⁻², respectively. Due to the rapid decomposition of the nitrogen rich leaves,S. sesban did not behave as a slow release fertilizer. Thus, it is not necessary to apply nitrogen fertilizers as a basal dose.     

Metal resistance in Acinetobacter and its relation to β-lactamase production

Thirty nine clinical isolates of Acinetobacter belonging to six species were tested for resistance to 20 metal ions and their ability to produce -lactamase. Fifty two percent of the strains produced -lactamase. -Lactamase producers and non-producers were almost equally distributed in the different species. A. baumannii was the predominant biotype and was found to be most resistant to metals. Resistance to mercury was prevalent in -lactamase-producing A. baumannii only. Silver resistant strains of A. baumannii produced -lactamase. Sensitivity and resistance to copper and cadium was equally distributed between -lactamase producers and non-producers. -Lactamase-producer and -non-producer strains were uniformly sensitive to cadmium except Acinetobacter genospecies 1.     

Environmental influences on and antimicrobial activity of the skin microbiota of Proceratophrys boiei (Amphibia,Anura) across forest fragments

The composition of the skin microbiota of amphibians is related to the biology of host species and environmental microbial communities. In this system, the environment serves as a microbial source and can modulate the hosted community. When habitats are fragmented and the environment disturbed, changes in the structure of this microbial community are expected. One important potential consequence of fragmentation is a compromised protective function of the microbiota against pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the skin microbiota of the amphibian Proceratophrys boiei was characterized, evaluated for relationships with environmental variables and environmental sources of microbial communities, and its diversity evaluated for frog populations from fragmented and continuous forests. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of this skin community was studied in frogs from both forest types. Culture methods and 16S rRNA high‐throughput gene sequencing were used to characterize the microbial community and demonstrated that the skin microbiota of P. boiei is more closely related to the soil microbial communities than those inhabiting water bodies or fragment matrix, the unforested area around the forested fragment. The microbial diversity and abundance of P. boiei skin microbiota are different between continuous forests and fragments. This community is correlated with environmental variables, especially with temperature of microhabitat and distance to human dwelling. All individuals of P. boiei harbored bacteria capable of inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria and different strains of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and a total of 27 bacterial genera were detected. The results of this study indicate that the persistence of populations of this species will need balanced and sustained interactions among host, microorganisms, and environment.     

Larval rearing of fringe-lipped carp,Labeo fimbriatus (Bloch) with low cost diets including green bottle fly Lucilia sericata (Meigen) larvae meal incorporated diet

A study was conducted with non-conventional ingredients to test their efficacy as fishmeal (FM) replacers in the diet of fringe- lipped carp. Labeo fimbriatus first feeding larvae and fry were reared for 30 and 60 days in indoor, 50 L, aerated, circular plastic tanks at 100 and 30 numbers tank⁻¹, respectively. In the first feeding larvae to fry rearing experiment (Exp. 1), the fish were fed with either of the following isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets – live plankton, FM diet, green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata) larvae meal (GBFLM) diet and silkworm pupa (SWP) diet. The fry to fingerling rearing (Exp. 2), was also conducted using the same diets described above except live plankton. All compounded diets were formulated to contain 40% crude protein for the experiment 1 and 35% for experiment 2 and were fed ad libitum. Triplicate tanks were maintained for each treatment in both the experiments. In Exp. 1, the mean final weight of fry was higher with plankton and FM diets, while no difference (p > .05) was observed between FM and GBFLM diets. Weight of fish fed SWP diets was not statistically different from those fed GBFLM diet. No difference (p > .05) in final length, survival and condition factor was recorded. Analysis of digestive enzyme activity of whole fish revealed lower (p < .05) activity of amylase in fish fed plankton. In Exp. 2, no difference (p > .05) was observed between the different diet groups in terms of mean final weight, length, survival and condition factor. Analysis of digestive enzyme activity of whole fish revealed no difference (p > .05) in the activity of digestive enzymes between the treatments except a lower (p < .05) activity of trypsin in FM diet and lipase in FM and GBFLM diets. Since the survival and condition factors of animals is the most important aspect during nursery rearing, similar (p > .05) values recorded in different treatments indicate the possibility of incorporation of these non-conventional protein sources in the diet of L. fimbriatus during first feeding larvae to fry and fry to fingerling rearing.     

Frequent In-Migration and Highly Focal Transmission of Dengue Viruses among Children in Kamphaeng Phet,Thailand

Revealing the patterns and determinants of the spread of dengue virus (DENV) at local scales is central to understanding the epidemiology and evolution of this major human pathogen. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of the envelope (E) genes of DENV-1, -2, -3, and -4 isolates (involving 97, 23, 5, and 74 newly collected sequences, respectively) sampled from school-based cohort and village-based cluster studies in Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand, between 2004 and 2007. With these data, we sought to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of DENV spread within a rural population where a future vaccine efficacy trial is planned. Our analysis revealed considerable genetic diversity within the study population, with multiple lineages within each serotype circulating for various lengths of time during the study period. These results suggest that DENV is frequently introduced into both semi-urban and rural areas in Kamphaeng Phet from other populations. In contrast, the persistence of viral lineages across sampling years was observed less frequently. Analysis of phylogenetic clustering indicated that DENV transmission was highly spatially and temporally focal, and that it occurred in homes rather than at school. Overall, the strength of temporal clustering suggests that seasonal bottlenecks in local DENV populations facilitate the invasion and establishment of viruses from outside of the study area, in turn reducing the extent of lineage persistence.     

Variation in the Activity of Three Principal Detoxifying Enzymes in Major Sucking Pest of Tea, Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse (Heteroptera: Miridae) from Sub-Himalayan Tea Plantations of West Bengal, India

Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse (Heteroptera: Miridae), is a major sucking pest of tea in North East India along with other tea growing countries. In West Bengal, tea is cultivated in three sub-Himalayan regions, Terai (foothill plains western to river Teesta), the Dooars (foothill plains eastern to river Teesta) and the Darjeeling hill slopes. Most plantations, in these regions are managed conventionally i.e. by spraying different synthetic insecticides and a few by organic farming using different herbal and microbial insecticides. In conventional plantations, continuous application of insecticides may lead to the selection of more tolerant H. theivora populations making the pest difficult to control. So, there is a pressing need to know the biochemical variability in relation to the metabolic resistance in the pest populations and develop a population specific control strategy. Activity of three principal insecticide detoxifying enzymes in H. theivora populations were studied from three tea growing regions of North Bengal. Higher levels of activity of all the studied enzymes were found from conventional tea plantations. In male H. theivora, the activity of general esterases (GEs) was 6.6–11.2 and 10.5–11.4 fold higher, cytochrome P450 (CYPs) was 2.0–3.2 and 3.0–3.2 fold higher and glutathione S-transferase (GSTs) was 5.2–8.3 and 6.4–8.7 fold higher in Terai and the Dooars populations, respectively than organic populations from Darjeeling hill slopes. Similarly, in female H. theivora, activity of GEs was 6.2–10.3 and 8.3–9.6 folds higher, CYPs was 1.9–3.2 and 3.0–3.3 fold, and GSTs was 3.5–5.4 and 4.4–6.0 fold higher in Terai and the Dooars, respectively than the organic populations from Darjeeling hill slopes. The activities of all three enzymes were found to be significantly low in organic plantations from Darjeeling hill slopes. Esterase I–VI isozymes with higher level of expression were found in specimens from conventional tea plantations than organic populations of H. theivora from Darjeeling hill slopes in isozymes study.     

A comparative study of leptospirosis and dengue in Thai children

Background

Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonosis that is often under-recognized in children and commonly confused with dengue in tropical settings. An enhanced ability to distinguish leptospirosis from dengue in children would guide clinicians and public health personnel in the appropriate use of limited healthcare resources.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We conducted a prospective, hospital-based, study of children with acute febrile illnesses and dengue in Thailand. Among the children without dengue, we identified those with leptospirosis using anti-leptospira IgM and microscopic agglutination titers in paired acute and convalescent blood samples. We then performed a case-control comparison of symptoms, signs, and clinical laboratory values between children with leptospirosis and dengue.In a semi-rural region of Thailand, leptospirosis accounted for 19% of the non-dengue acute febrile illnesses among children presenting during the rainy season. None of the children with leptospirosis were correctly diagnosed at the time of hospital discharge, and one third (33%) were erroneously diagnosed as dengue or scrub typhus. A predictive model to distinguish pediatric leptospirosis from dengue was generated using three variables: the absolute neutrophil count, plasma albumin, and aspartate aminotransferase levels in the first 72 hours of illness.

Conclusions/Significance

Unrecognized leptospirosis can be a significant cause of “dengue-like” febrile illness in children. Increased awareness of pediatric leptospirosis, and an enhanced ability to discriminate between leptospirosis and dengue early in illness, will help guide the appropriate use of healthcare resources in often resource-limited settings.