Bacterial diseases alone or in combination with other pathogens lead to significant economic losses in poultry globally including India. One of these diseases is avian colibacillosis which is caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). The present study sought to isolate and characterize using in vivo and in vitro assays E. coli recovered from poultry diagnosed with colibacillosis. A total of 55 E. coli isolates were recovered from tissues of 55 broiler flocks affected with colibacillosis by using standard microbiological techniques, Vitek 2 Compact system and polymerase chain reaction. Out of 55 E. coli isolates, 50 (90.9 %) were characterized as APEC by multiplex PCR using a set of five virulence genes. On serotyping, 16 (32 %) APEC isolates were serogrouped as O26 followed by O98 (28 %), O120 (14 %), O11 (12 %), O135 (8 %) and O17 (4 %). The antimicrobial susceptibility testing of E. coli isolates revealed high antibiotic resistance against imipenem, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin (96 % each). Interestingly all the 50 suspect APEC isolates were found to be multiple drug resistant (MDR) and the antimicrobial profiling indicated that these isolates could be classified into 38 resistotypes. Moreover, 10 (20 %) isolates were ESBL producers as per phenotypic characterization using combined disk diffusion test. On genotypic characterization of ESBLs, 31 (62 %) isolates were found positive for the blaTEM gene, whereas, 34 (68 %) isolates carried intI1 gene. On assessment for biofilm formation at 72 h incubation, thirteen (26 %) isolates were found to be strong biofilm producers, whereas nine (18 %) and twenty-eight (56 %) isolates were moderate and weak biofilm producers, respectively. Later, the LD50 of one MDR and strong biofilm producing isolate (APEC-P02) was calculated by in vivo oral challenge study in day old broiler chicks. The findings of this study demonstrated that LD50 of APEC-P02 isolate was 1.12 × 108 CFU/ml. The unexpectedly high prevalence of O11, O126, O98, O120 and O135 isolates suggest that there may be emergent serogroups causing colibacillosis in India. The current oral challenge study seems to be the first of its kind in India to estimate the LD50 of a multidrug resistant biofilm producer APEC isolate in day-old chicks.

Coxiella burnetii infection is an emerging/re-emerging public health problem affecting several countries worldwide. In India, the disease is mainly underdiagnosed, creating hindrances in its effective control. This study investigated the occurrence of C. burnetii among apparently healthy cattle and cattle with a history of reproductive disorders by both PCR and indirect-ELISA. A total of 731 clinical samples (serum: 531, and vaginal swabs as well as blood: 100 each) from 531 cattle were screened for coxiellosis. The serum, blood, and vaginal swabs each collected from 100 cattle with a history of reproductive disorders were screened using Com1-PCR, Trans-PCR, and indirect-ELISA. Conversely, serum samples obtained from apparently healthy cattle were exclusively screened using indirect ELISA. None of the samples tested could detect C. burnetii in PCR assays, while 13.37% of serum samples were found to be seropositive in i-ELISA. Seropositivity noted among clinically healthy and those suffering from reproductive disorders were 12.76% and 16%, respectively, exhibiting a non-significant difference observed between these two categories. The obtained results suggested that the occurrence of coxiellosis did not differ significantly between clinically healthy animals and those with reproductive disorders; hence, in farms affected with C. burnetii infection, screening healthy and symptomatic animals is crucial to implement appropriate preventive measures.

This study, conducted within the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology (VPHE) at Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS), undertook a comprehensive investigation into the prevalence, identification, characterization, and antibiotic resistance patterns of Bacillus cereus in milk products from various regions of Haryana, India. Using a systematic sampling strategy, eight tehsils spanning two agroclimatic zones were selected for sample collection. A total of 200 samples were obtained from randomly selected shops within these tehsils. Each sample underwent pre-enrichment in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth with a 1:10 dilution to facilitate the growth of any existing B. cereus contaminants. Following pre-enrichment, streaking on selective PEMBA agar plates was performed for the isolation of B. cereus colonies. The presence of presumptive B. cereus colonies was confirmed through a series of biochemical tests, including gram staining, nitrate reduction, oxidase, indole, methyl red reduction, Voges Praskaur, and catalase tests. Molecular analysis using the 16SrRNA gene confirmed the presence of 88 positive B. cereus isolates. Further characterization involved the differentiation of B. cereus from Bacillus thuringiensis via the cry2 gene. Additionally, the study assessed the presence of virulence-associated genes, identifying gyrB, cytk, hblA, and nheA genes in the isolated strains. Geographical variation in B. cereus prevalence was observed, with higher rates detected in certain tehsils such as Kalka (68%) and Panchkula (60%). Antibiotic sensitivity testing using Tryptone Soya Agar (TSA) broth for enrichment and Muller Hinton Agar (MHA) plates with 14 antibiotic discs revealed widespread resistance among the isolates. Notably, all isolates exhibited resistance to Ampicillin, Cefazolin, Methicillin, Polymyxin-B, and Penicillin, while displaying maximum sensitivity to Amikacin, Gentamycin, Levofloxacin, and Meropenem. Alarmingly, all isolates displayed multiple drug resistance (MDR), indicating resistance to three or more classes of antibiotics. These findings underscore the urgent need for stringent food safety measures and surveillance protocols in dairy production and distribution. Effective interventions are imperative to mitigate the risk of B. cereus contamination and combat antibiotic resistance in milk products. Collaboration with the VPHE department at LUVAS and continued research efforts are essential to address emerging challenges and uphold food safety standards effectively.

Avian colibacillosis, caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), contributes significantly to economic losses within the poultry sector, including mortality, morbidity, and carcass condemnation. Various strains of E. coli, categorized into different phylogroups, possess unique genetic and phenotypic characteristics that influence their ability to cause disease. Present study was undertaken to determine the phylogroups of Escherichia coli isolates isolated from colibacillosis affecting poultry. Tissue samples were collected from poultry flocks exhibiting typical colibacillosis lesions like pericarditis, perihepatitis, air sacculitis etc. In this study, 50 E. coli isolates, consisting of 45 APEC and 5 non-APEC isolates, were categorized into phylogroups. The primer pairs yjaA, chuA, arpA, TspE4.C2 and trpA were utilized for PCR to amplify specific fragments, enabling phylogenetic typing. The results classified E. coli isolates (n=50) into B1 (31%), A (28%), B2 (10%), F (6%) and D (4%). Four E. coli isolates (8%) could not be classified or were of unknown type, and none of the E. coli isolates fell into phylogroup C. Approximately 6% of the E. coli isolates were assigned to either Clade I or Clade II. The research showed that phylogroup B1 is prevalent in E. coli found in colibacillosis-infected poultry in Haryana. The presence of unidentified phylogroups emphasizes further investigation in the protocols and techniques used for phylogrouping. This might suggest possibility for discovering new phylogroups.

Milk from a healthy animal is considered as safe and may not be responsible for transmission of any disease/infection causing agents to the public through its consumption. However, sometimes the milk is thought to be responsible for transmission of many zoonotic diseases/infections, when it is obtained from any animal suffering from such infection(s). In some other circumstances, i.e., contaminated milking environment, infected milk handlers, faulty milking practices, dirty milking utensils, or exterior surface of the soiled animals may be accountable for the contamination of fresh milk during milking or during processing of raw milk in the milking shed. Further, due to lack of personal hygiene of the milk handlers during milking, poor sanitation and environmental hygiene, many disease-causing agents may get transmitted to milk and this milk may be a source of disease transmitting pathogens to the public. Therefore, to reduce or to prevent the transmission of zoonotic diseases or food-borne zoonoses causing agents to human being through milk, strict sanitary and hygienic practices should be kept in place at each step, such as collection, chilling, processing, storage, and distribution following hygienic practices from "farm to table" and require attention to hygiene for ensuring that the milk is safe and wholesome for consumption.

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is the causative agent of avian colibacillosis, which causes significant economic losses to the poultry industry. The growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is a major global public health concern. However, there is limited data on the efficacy of phage therapy in effectively controlling and treating APEC infections. In this study, a novel lytic Escherichia phage, vB_EcoS_PJ16, was isolated from poultry farm wastewater and characterized in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the presence of an icosahedral head and a long non-contractile tail, classifying the phage under the Caudoviricetes class. Host range determination showed that Escherichia phage vB_EcoS_PJ16 exhibited lytic activity against multiple strains of pathogenic E. coli, while no significant signs of lysis for Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. Biophysical characterization revealed that the isolated phage was sturdy, as it remained viable for up to 300 days at temperatures of 30 °C, 37 °C, and 42 °C and for up to 24 h at pH 5 to 11, with only minor changes in titer. Kinetic analysis at multiplicity of infection (MOI) 0.1 showed a latency period of about 20 min and a burst size of 26.5 phage particles per infected cell for phage vB_EcoS_PJ16. Whole genome sequencing unveiled that the phage vB_EcoS_PJ16 genome consists of a double-stranded linear DNA molecule with 57,756 bp and a GC content of 43.58

Coccidiosis caused by protozoan parasite of Eimeria species is one of the most important poultry diseases prevalent in different parts of globe including India. The parasite invades the intestinal cells and the disease is characterised by enteritis and diarrhoea leading to weight loss, altered feed conversion ratio, poor growth and eventually death of affected birds. A survey on commercial poultry farms was conducted in 10 districts of Haryana state, India, using a questionnaire to assess the status of coccidiosis, associated risk factors and management practices followed. On analysis of data, it was found that overall, 15 (28.8%) farms had history of coccidiosis. One-fourth (25%) of the farmers reported the use of anticoccidial drugs for chemoprophylaxis or therapeutic purposes at their farms. Further, on statistical analysis using Chi-square, several factors were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) with occurrence of coccidiosis at these farms including type of birds, capacity of birds, visitor’s entry, litter removal frequency, number of antibiotics used for treatment and foggers use in summer at farms under study. These factors were identified as predisposing and/ or risk factors associated with occurrence of coccidiosis at the farms. The odds of occurrence of coccidiosis were significantly higher (p<0.001) at the farms with presence of risk factors identified in the study as compared to the farms where risk factors were absent. The present study revealed history of coccidiosis at several poultry farms leading to undue economic burden to farmers. For effective management of coccidiosis at the farms, the use of foggers may be discouraged. Moreover, litter may be turned or removed frequently along with judicious use of anti-coccidiostats or other alternatives may be encouraged.

Background: Burn injuries to the skin and other tissues are caused by heat, radiation, electricity, friction, or contact with chemicals, leading to loss of skin integrity and dysbiosis of the immune system. This makes the burn wound the most common site for the origin of sepsis in these patients. Therefore, it is important to determine the causative organism and its antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. This study is a retrospective analysis of the bac Material and Method: teriological prole and antimicrobial susceptibility of the organisms isolated from burn wounds over a period of 3 years i.e. from January 2020 to December 2022. All samples were processed as per standard Microbiological guidelines. Antimicrobial susceptibility was done by the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method as per CLSI guidelines. Results: Out of 66 samples received, bacterial culture positivity was 61(92.42%). Male to female ratio was 1.4:1. Gram-negative bacteria were more predominant 90(93.75%), than Gram-positive bacteria 6(6.25%). Among gram-negative bacteria maximum susceptibility was seen to Imipenem (72.2%) followed by Gentamicin (57.7%) and the least susceptibility was seen for Ceftazidime (31.1%). Among gram-positive isolates maximum susceptibility was seen to Vancomycin (100%) followed by Clindamycin (83.4%) and the least susceptibility was seen for Penicillin (16.7%). This study highlights drug resistance patterns in burn wound patients Discussion & Conclusion: in this region of North India. This pattern will be instrumental in the formation of hospital antibiotic policy and the initiation of appropriate empirical therapy for better outcomes of burn patients

BACKGROUND:Piglet diarrhoea is a multifactorial disease with serious implications for the swine industry worldwide, including India. The Escherichia coli (E. coli) pathotypes, i.e., enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are among the major bacterial agents attributed as causative agent for piglet diarrhoea, but studies related to genetic diversity, antibiogram profile and their correlation with risk factors of these pathogens are sparse. MATERIAL AND METHODS:A total of 104 faecal swab samples were collected from 32 different piggery units of Haryana, India and confirmed as E. coli by standard microbiological methods. The identified E. coli were characterized as ETEC and/or STEC using PCR assays and were studied for their genetic diversity by phylogenetic analysis of the sequences. All the isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Further, the correlation of variables with presence or absence of ETEC and/or STEC was also investigated by using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS:Microbiological isolation led to identification of 208 E. coli isolates. A total of 17.3% (31/208) isolates were characterized as ETEC and 4.8% (10/208) isolates as STEC, whereas 2.4% (5/208) isolates exhibited both ETEC and STEC pathotype. Of the total studied piggery units (n = 32), ETEC were isolated from fourteen and both ETEC and STEC from eight farms. The phylogenetic analysis of Stx2 gene revealed 100% homology with Stx2eA variant from Germany, while analysis of STII gene revealed a distinct nucleotide and amino acid substitution when compared with standard strains. The antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed maximum resistance to moxifloxacin (71.9%) followed by tetracycline (58.1%) and amoxicillin with a total of 41.8% (87/208) E. coli isolates designated as multi-drug resistant (MDR). The multiple antibiotic resistance index varied from 0.05 to 0.75. The statistical analysis suggested three factors viz., number of farm worker(s), frequency of using disinfectant for floor cleaning and use of antibiotic in feed as risk factors significantly associated (p < 0.05) with ETEC associated diarrhoea at piggeries under study. CONCLUSION:Current study warrants a need for systematic studies on the ETEC/STEC associated diarrhea and antibiotic resistance among these isolates to understand the mechanisms of origin and dissemination of drug resistant pathogens and to design suitable prevention and control measures to curb emergence of antibiotic resistance in the farm settings.

The biofilm-forming ability of microbes is often correlated with drug resistance; however, this association among enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) strains remains naive. Moreover, the investigations exploring uptake and assimilation of sugars either qualitatively or quantitatively by the biofilm-forming EAEC strains have not yet been documented. Hence, this study investigated the role of various categories of sugars (monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharide) on the biofilm-forming ability of three each of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) as well as non-MDR typical EAEC strains. The EAEC strains exhibited black colonies on congo red agar (CRA) with monosaccharides and disaccharides, whereas all the strains exhibited red colonies on CRA with the polysaccharide. Although significant (p < 0.001) biofilm-forming ability was observed by all the EAEC strains in sugar-dependent microtiter plate assay, color change from pink to orange and yellow was noticed in presence of monosaccharides and disaccharide, while absent in polysaccharides. Besides, significantly higher bacterial counts were observed in presence of monosaccharides and disaccharides (p < 0.01); however, such significant bacterial counts were not noticed with the polysaccharide. Further, the real-time PCR data exhibited comparatively higher relative expression of biofilm-associated fis gene among EAEC strains grown in presence of monosaccharides, followed by disaccharide and polysaccharide, respectively that concurred with the flow cytometry data. No significant (p > 0.05) difference was observed in the biofilm-forming ability between MDR- and non-MDR EAEC strains. This study illustrated the role of carbohydrates on the biofilm-forming ability of EAEC and warranted utmost attention concerning the usage of carbohydrates in food processing industries, for its incorporation as functional food additives.

Two new Ho(III)-5-hydroxyisophthalates with the formulae; {[Ho(hip)(H2O)(5)].(NO2).H2O} n (1) and {[Ho-4(hip)(4)(H2O)(20)].2(hip(2-)).8H(2)O}(n) (2) were solvothermally synthesized by self-assembly of Ho(III)-nitrate with rigid 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid (H 2 hip) linker. The coordination polymers (CPs) 1 and 2 crystallize in monoclinic P2(1)/c and P2(1)/n space groups, respectively. Both the CPs 1 and 2, shows 1D linear ladder shaped extension with the linkage having the backbone of hip(2-) moieties. In the both CPs 1 and 2, the Ho centers are nine coordinated. In CP 1, Ho shows distorted tricapped trigonal prismatic geometry while in CP 2, four Ho centres display three different geometries (monocapped square antiprismatic geometry around Ho1 and Ho3; distorted tricapped trigonal prismatic geometry around Ho-2 and; distorted monocapped square antiprismatic geometry around Ho4). The organic linker hip(2-) exhibits only one coordination mode (mu(2)-kappa O,O:kappa O,O). Theoretical calculations have been performed to analyze the antiparallel and parallel pi stacking interactions observed in the solid-state structures of coordination polymers1 and 2, respectively. The DFT study is focused on the energetic features of the pi-stacking, the influence of the ligand coordination to Ho upon the pi-stacking strength and their characterization by the noncovalent interaction plot (NCIplot) index computational tool. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The indiscriminate usage and overuse of antimicrobials in pets or companion animals are underlying causes of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Despite the multi-faceted global challenge presented by antimicrobial resistance, very few studies have appraised pet practitioners' factors, such as written policy on antimicrobials, dose rate prescribed, use of critically important antimicrobials, and antimicrobial prescription in clean surgical procedures, which can contribute to AMR. In the present study, an online cross-sectional survey among randomly selected pet practitioners (n = 104) of various Indian provinces and union territories was conducted using a questionnaire comprising 33 closed-ended questions on different parameters, viz., the dosage regimen and level of compliance towards guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), other relevant veterinary associations, and their opinion while prescribing antimicrobials. Almost every practitioner of the 104 respondents had revealed the difficulties with owner compliance; i.e., incomplete course of the antibiotics, inappropriate follow-ups, and improper care of the sick animals. The majority of practitioners (95%) reported self-prescription of antimicrobials by the owner before presenting the pet(s) to the veterinary clinic, whereas more than half of the respondents (64%) revealed unavailability of antibiogram facilities. Furthermore, a large number (76%) of practitioners stated empirical treatment based on their experience as the main criteria for antimicrobial choice in the absence of timely results from the laboratory. Although non-necessitated use of antimicrobials in clean surgical procedures has been claimed, surprisingly, the majority of pet practitioners (97%) reported their use to reduce the post-operative complications. The use of the highest priority, critically important antimicrobials (HPCIA) listed by the WHO for humans, particularly quinolones and third-generation cephalosporin, also has been reported for different infections. The treatment durations were nearly as per the recommended guidelines issued by the Danish Small Animal Veterinary Association (DSAVA) for different ailments. Analysis using chi-square tests exhibited a significant correlation between less experienced veterinarians (less than 5 years) and prescription of antimicrobials restricted for critically important infections in human medicine. However, there seems to be no association between the experience of the practitioner and the further studied parameters, namely, antimicrobial regimen prescription, weighing the animals before prescription, dose rate calculation, and antimicrobial selection and use after clean surgical operations. The findings suggest periodic awareness campaigns among practitioners regarding the implementation of the official guidelines, the need for systematic surveillance of AMR, awareness among pet owners about antimicrobial resistance, and the importance of rational use of antimicrobials on their pets.

The present study was undertaken on adult recumbent buffaloes (n = 63), which were clustered into six groups based on the history and tentative diagnosis viz, infectious, metabolic, traumatic, abdominal dysfunction, intoxication, and musculoskeletal and nervine. An additional group of 10 adult healthy control buffaloes was also included in the study. The blood, serum, and faecal samples were collected on zero day to perform haematological, blood smear, serum biochemical, and faecal examination, respectively. Also, the similar samples were collected on 5 days post treatment (DPT) in recovered and control animals. Genomic DNA from individual blood samples was isolated and subjected to conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR for exploring Trypanosoma evansi and Bovine Herpes Virus-1 infections, respectively. The detailed history of recumbent buffaloes revealed the mean age as 5.53 +/- 0.34 years and duration of recumbency as 2.61 +/- 0.38 days. Younger animals (3.92 +/- 0.31 years) having similar to 14 hours of recumbency period showed recovery and good prognosis. On comparison of serum biochemical parameters of recovered and non-recovered recumbent animals, Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), creatinine phosphokinase, phosphorus, sodium, and chloride showed significant difference between them (p < 0.05); thus, indicating their suitability for being prognostic indicators. Out of 63 recumbent animals, 10 (15.87%) showed recovery from recumbency after 5 DPT. The present study recognized the alterations in haemato-biochemical parameters in recumbent buffaloes for the first time.

High throughput in vivo laboratory models is need for screening and identification of effective therapeutic agents to overcome microbial drug-resistance. This study was undertaken to evaluate in vivo antimicrobial efficacy of short-chain antimicrobial peptide-Cecropin A (1-7)-Melittin (CAMA) against three multi-drug resistant enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (MDR-EAEC) field isolates in a Galleria mellonella larval model. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC; 2.0 mg/L) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC; 4.0 mg/L) of CAMA were determined by microdilution assay. CAMA was found to be stable at high temperatures, physiological concentration of cationic salts and proteases; safe with sheep erythrocytes, secondary cell lines and commensal lactobacilli at lower MICs; and exhibited membrane permeabilization. In vitro time-kill assay revealed concentration- and time-dependent clearance of MDR-EAEC in CAMA-treated groups at 30 min. CAMA-treated G. mellonella larvae exhibited an increased survival rate, reduced MDR-EAEC counts, immunomodulatory effect and proved non-toxic which concurred with histopathological findings. CAMA exhibited either an equal or better efficacy than the tested antibiotic control, meropenem. This study highlights the possibility of G. mellonella larvae as an excellent in vivo model for investigating the host-pathogen interaction, including the efficacy of antimicrobials against MDR-EAEC strains.

Three new coordination polymers have been assembled by self-assembly of lanthanide(III) ions and succinic acid in dimethylformamide-water (DMF-H2O) mixed solvent having formulae; {[Ln(suc)1.5(H2O)(2)]center dot xH(2)O}n; (1) , (2 ) and (3) [Where Ln = La (1 ), Pr (2 ) and Nd (3 ), suc = succinate dianion; x = 2 for CP 1 , x = 1 for CP 2 and x = 4 for CP 3 ]. In all three coordination polymers (CPs) 1-3, the Ln(III) centres are ten coordinated with bicapped square antiprismatic geometry (SAPRS-10). Crystallographic analysis reveals that CPs 1-3 crystallize in triclinic system P succinic acid displays two different bonding modes: (mu(2)-Kappa(4), eta(2):eta(2)) and (mu(4)-Kappa(6), eta(1):eta(2):eta(2):eta(1)). All CPs 1-3 are isostructural and isomorphous. The two Ln centres in CPs 1-3 are bridged together through succinate anions via (mu(4)-Kappa(6), eta(1):eta(2):eta(2):eta(1)) mode forming dinuclear (Ln(2)O(18)) Secondary building unit (SBU) which are extended infinitely to generate one-dimensional chains. These 1D chains are further extended along the b-axis to form two-dimensional layered structures via (mu(2)-Kappa(4), eta(2):eta(2)) mode and finally three-dimensional network. In case of Nd, the quality of the crystal allows to locate a major number of lattice water molecules (x = 4) than in the other two complexes and, remarkably, the formation of water channels can be realized and studied. It has been analyzed using DFT calculations combined with the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surfaces, the quantum theory of "atoms-in-molecules" QTAIM and non-covalent interaction index (NCIplot) analyses. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Q fever caused by Coxiella burnetii is an important zoonosis and has great public health significance. A total of 905 clinical samples from 387 cattle [serum (n = 387); vaginal swabs (n = 387); milk (n = 131)] and 59 serum samples from humans were collected from gaushala (cattle shelter) and screened for anti-C. burnetii IgG antibodies in the sera using an indirect-ELISA kit. Further, the samples were tested for C. burnetii DNA employing TaqMan real-time and conventional PCR assays targeting the com1 gene. In ELISA, 9.56% and 6.78% of animal and human sera samples were positive for anti-C. burnetii antibodies, respectively. Upon pathogen detection, 3.87% sera, 1.81% vaginal swabs, and 6.87% milk samples from cattle tested positive in TaqMan real-time PCR and 1.55% sera, 0.52% vaginal swabs, and 3.05% milk samples were found positive in conventional PCR. In humans, one serum sample was positive in both the PCR assays. The PCR positive samples (n = 12) were partially sequenced and the phylogenetic tree was constructed using com1 gene sequences (n = 42) from a different host and geographical areas. The study highlights infection of cattle and their human contacts in gaushala and identifies relationships between strains identified in the gaushala and those in other parts of the globe.

In this contribution, we explored a novel serine-functionalised NaYF4:Ce3+/Gd3+/Eu3+@NaGdF4:Tb3+ core–shell nanophosphor as a down-converting photoluminescent probe for efficient sensing of nitroaromatic explosives.

The morphology dependent optical properties of Tb3+ in YbPO4 host lattice have been investigated. 10 % Terbium doped ytterbium phosphate (YbPO4:Tb3+) nanostructures (NSs) were synthesized by five different synthetic methods i.e. sonochemical method, hydrothermal method, solvothermal method, sacrificial template method and coprecipitation method. Structural facets and optical properties of fabricated nanoparticles were studied in detail by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS), and photoluminescence (PL) techniques. We have investigated the impact of synthetic procedures employed on the morphology and uniformity of synthesized NSs and consequently on the optical properties of the NSs. The intense green emission from the nanophosphor shows that phosphor can be used in IR-sensors, LEDs and as solar spectrum converters.