Simranpreet Kaur

This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and genotype distribution of Human adenovirus (HAdV), Bovine adenovirus (BAdV), and Porcine adenovirus (PAdV) in environmental waters, with a focus on their association with water contamination and potential use in microbial source tracking in Punjab, Northern India. A total of 52 samples were collected from three different river stretches. Using nested PCR, BAdVs were detected in 16% of the samples, while HAdVs and PAdVs were found in 32 and 11% of the samples, respectively. The isolated serotypes included HAdV type 40/41, BAdV type 8/6/5/4//2, and PAdV type 3/5, with HAdV-41 being the most prevalent. Notably, multiple BAdV asymptomatic infections were observed among herds, although their implications for livestock health remain uncertain. BAdV-8 and BAdV-6, the predominant types identified, have been associated with specific clinical conditions in Punjab. Phylogenetic analysis of PAdV indicated a high nucleotide sequence identity (95.4 to 100%) among viruses detected in wastewater samples. This study represents the first investigation into the epidemiology and molecular characterisation of PAdV in porcine farm wastewater in India. Additionally, evidence of recombination among livestock adenoviruses was found, highlighting the need for continued genetic surveillance of animal AdV. These findings underscore the importance of considering BAdV and PAdV detection in fecal source attribution in environmental samples. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the occurance, diversity, and genetic characteristics of adenoviruses in agricultural and environmental settings.

A loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was optimised for rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes from fish by targeting haemolysin gene and compared with conventional PCR and real time PCR (qPCR). All the assays were carried out using different DNA extraction methods like commercial kit, phenol-chloroform-isoamyl alcohol method and heat shock method. The analytical sensitivity of LAMP and qPCR was comparable and the detection limit was found to be 9.6×101 CFU ml-1 from broth and 8×10² CFU ml-1 from spiked fish whereas the detection limit of conventional PCR was found to be 9.8×102 CFU ml-1 and 8×10⁴ CFU ml-1 from broth and fish respectively, when commercial kit was used for DNA extraction. The specificity of all these methods was 100% when compared with related bacterial species. The optimised LAMP assay when applied directly on 204 field fish samples gave an accuracy of 70.59% when compared to the gold standard while conventional PCR showed a lower accuracy of 52.94%. However, enrichment of LAMP negative samples for 6 h enhanced the sensitivity of detection to 100%. The optimised assay detected all negative fish samples by culture as negative hence giving detection specificity of 100%. Moreover, LAMP assay took the least detection time as compared to conventional PCR and qPCR. Thus, the optimised LAMP assay developed can be used as a sensitive, rapid and simple detection tool for the reliable detection of L. monocytogenes from fish. Keywords: Haemolysin gene (hlyA gene), Listeria monocytogenes, LAMP, PCR, qPCR

Several human infections have emerged in the last three decades, most of them are attributed to wildlife origin. Two third of the emerging zoonotic infections are attributed to viruses. Emerging and re-emerging fatal viral diseases like Nipah virus disease, Hendra Virus disease, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Ebola and Marburg haemorrhagic fever have been witnessed recently, causative agents of which have been associated with bats. Ecology of bats influences the host-pathogen interaction and is responsible for harbouring several viruses, which under favourable conditions spill over to intermediate hosts. Conditions and events, such as deforestation, agricultural and livestock practices, animal migration and trade, eco-tourism, urbanization and other anthropogenic factors, greatly influence the successful interspecies transmission and emergence/re-emergence of zoonoses. This review highlights, the bats ecological factors and human-bat interface, responsible for zoonotic outbreaks in past. The implementation of an integrated approach is needed for unravelling the host-virus dynamics as well as providing mutually beneficial solutions for bat conservation and safeguarding animal and public health at a global level.

A study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in white meats in the Punjab, India. A total of 335 samples including 115 samples of chicken, 75 samples of pork and 145 samples of fish were collected from retail outlets. Isolation of the pathogen was done by selective enrichment in University of Vermont Medium I and II and plating onto PALCAM agar. The recovered Listeria isolates were subjected to in-vitro pathogenicity assays and multiplex PCR targeting virulence-associated genes (prfA, plcA, actA, hlyA and iap) of L. monocytogenes. A total of thirty one (31) L. monocytogenes strains were isolated from meat samples with the prevalence of L. monocytogenes as 9.2%. Maximum prevalence was seen in fish (19.3%) followed by chicken (1.7%) and pork (1.3%). All isolates recovered from the study exhibited pathogenicity in in-vitro pathogenicity assays as well as possessed all the virulence related genes. Thus, the presence of pathogenic strains of L. monocytogenes in white meats with a prevalence of 9.2% appeared to be a cause for concern with profound public health implications.

The aim of this study was to figure the prevalence, phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance (AR) pattern of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine and swine nares