Neha Parmar

Synthetic pesticides have been extensively and often indiscriminately used for the management of insect and mite pests. Their prolonged and excessive use has led to insecticide resistance, environmental contamination, and adverse effects on non-target organisms and human health. These concerns have intensified the search for safer and sustainable botanical alternatives. Tagetes minuta (wild marigold) is a promising candidate, as it produces essential oils rich in bioactive compounds such as (Z)-β-ocimene and tagetone, which possess strong insecticidal, acaricidal, and repellent properties. The efficacy of T. minuta essential oil has been demonstrated against a wide range of pests, including stored-grain insects, field crop pests, and livestock ectoparasites. This review summarises the chemical composition, bioactivity, and pest management potential of T. minuta essential oil, highlighting its prospects as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional synthetic pesticides.

Powdery mildew, caused by the fungus Podosphaera fusca, poses a significant threat to global cucurbit cultivation. This report presents a noteworthy observation with potential implications for managing the prevalent biotic stress in cucumber crops. Our research unveils the active feeding behaviour of the earwig species Forficula auricularia on P. fusca, highlighting its potential as a promising natural biocontrol agent. Molecular identification techniques, resulting in accession number OQ102947, unequivocally confirmed the species as F. auricularia. While this discovery is promising, further studies are crucial to evaluate the biological control efficiency of F. auricularia against P. fusca in cucurbit crops.

Enterococcus faecalis , a common constituent of human and animal gut microbiota, has emerged as a significant pathogen due to its antimicrobial resistance (AMR) capabilities. This study investigates AMR profiles, virulence factors, and genetic diversity of E. faecalis isolates from broiler farms in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, to explore transmission dynamics between poultry and handlers. A total of 240 samples were collected from 20 farms, comprising 200 broiler droppings, 34 hand swabs from poultry handlers, and 6 human stool samples. Selective media and standard microbiological techniques were employed to isolate and identify E. faecalis . Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on representative isolates to uncover antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors. E. faecalis was isolated from 47% of broiler droppings and 26.47% of handler hand swabs, whereas no isolates were recovered from stool samples. High resistance was observed for erythromycin (96.11%), tetracycline (78.64%), ciprofloxacin (76.69%), streptomycin (76.69%), and linezolid (65.04%), with 83.49% of isolates exhibiting multidrug resistance (MDR). Vancomycin resistance genes ( vanC1 –34.95% and vanC2/C3 –9.70%) were also detected. WGS analysis of four isolates identified ARGs such as dfrE , efrA , vanT gene in vanG cluster, vanY gene in vanB cluster, ermB , tet45 , tetM , tetA , aac(6′)-Ie-aph(2″)-Ia , ant(4′)-Ib , aph(3′)-Ia , sul1 , sul3 , mphA , qnrS1 , and catA8 , as well as virulence factors associated with biofilm formation, adherence, capsule formation, and protease production. Sequence typing identified was ST-1866, ST-7317, and ST-403, with ST-7317 common between broiler droppings and handler swab isolates, indicating potential transmission. While these findings highlight poultry environments as reservoirs for MDR E. faecalis , the directionality of transmission (zoonotic vs. reverse zoonotic) remains unclear. This underscores the need for expanded surveillance and molecular studies to better understand transmission dynamics and mitigate risks to farm workers and public health.

Lantana camara is weed with a wide range of chemical constituents, including primary and secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids. These compounds contribute to its medicinal and pesticidal potential. The essential oils and different solvent fractions derived from L. camara exhibit notable variations in their respective chemical compositions across various plant parts, spatial distributions, and interspecific comparisons. The principal components, notably lantadene A, lantadene B, lantadene C, lantadene D, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, and several others, constitute a significant portion of the essential oil derived from the leaves and flowers. Researchers have discovered that L. camara oil exhibits potent insecticidal activity against a range of pests, with variations in potency observed across different seasons due to changes in chemical composition. In addition to the essential oils, solvent extracts of L. camara, primarily methanolic extracts of the leaves of this species, demonstrate considerable potential as fumigant and contact toxins for stored grain pests. However, these have been comparatively less characterized with respect to their insecticidal properties, particularly in comparison to the essential oils. Molecular docking studies have demonstrated that phytochemical compounds present in the plants interfere with the activity of several enzymes that are responsible for the growth and survival of insects. For example, compounds such as β-caryophyllene and linalool exhibited a high binding affinity to AChE, thereby enhancing its neurotoxic effects. In conclusion, this review identifies L. camara as a natural insecticide with a complex set of modes of action attributed to its rich phytochemical profile. The integration of traditional knowledge with modern molecular techniques might expose avenues for the sustainable management of pests and control, ultimately making L. camara a key resource for such applications. Further studies are necessary to characterize such bioactive compounds and their uses in controlling pests in agricultural operations.

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.

Egg yolk represents an alternate source of antibody and provides some advantages over mammalian serum immunoglobulins. The principal immunoglobulin in avian blood is Immunoglobulin Y (IgY) and is transferred to egg yolk and then to their offspring and thus makes it possible for the non-invasive harvesting of antibodies in higher amount from eggs. Moreover, due to the structural differences and phylogenetic variations, IgY is more acceptable than mammalian antibodies for diagnostic purposes, as it does not interfere with mammalian antibodies and shows greater avidity for proteins retained in mammals. As a therapeutic and diagnostic tool, IgY has wide application in animal and human health. The emergence of drug resistance organisms causing respiratory tract infections is a critical problem for the health care system worldwide. Passive immunization is a potential alternative for this. Recent studies on the diagnosis and therapeutic effects of IgY against SARS-CoV-2 indicates the importance of this technique in the present context. This review refers to the use of IgY antibodies from chicken egg yolks against the infection caused by bacteria, viruses (including SARS-CoV-2) and parasites in human beings and in animals in addition to its use in food preservation, anti tumour and anti allergic activities. Keywords: Egg yolk antibodies (IgY); human health; SARS-CoV-2; Egg yolk