Present study attempted to assess the level of microbiological contamination in oral herbal medicines, frequently used for medications, through conventional cultural and biochemical tests along with the antibiogram of the isolates. Moreover, the anti-bacterial potential of the herbal medicines was also aimed to be checked by the agar well diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay. Out of 10 categories of liquid oral herbal medicine samples (n = 50) studied, all were found to be contaminated with bacteria (103-105 cfu/mL), specifically with Staphylococcus spp. in 8 samples; while 2 samples harbored Klebsiella spp. Fungal presence was observed only in one sample. Study of antibiogram revealed Klebsiella spp. to be strongly resistant against penicillin G and erythromycin, whereas S. aureus possessed 80% sensitivity. The in vitro anti-bacterial activity was observed in 7 samples. Of them, one sample was found to exhibit the activity against almost all the test bacteria and another was found effective against 5 out of 8 test bacteria. Five samples showed the activity within a minor range while 3 samples were devoid of such trait. Samples 2 and 4 were found to stall the bacterial growth below 10 mg/mL of concentration in MIC test. Overall, the prevalence of specific pathogens was not so significant in the samples studied as well as only one drug-resistant isolate was identified. Besides, the anti-bacterial trait of 5 samples indicated that most of herbal medicines might be considered effective for medication.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-739) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Present study attempted to identify and enumerate micro organisms spoiling commonly used cosmetics samples. Among 20 brands of total 6 categories of samples studied (soap, shampoo, lotion, face wash, cream and petroleum), almost all were found to be rigorously contaminated with total viable bacteria within a range of 10 3-10 5 cfu/g. Proliferation of fungal species was observed up to 10 3 cfu/g. Prevalence of Staphylococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Bacillus sp. was observed within a range of 10 1-10 3 cfu/g while actinomycetes were completely absent. Among the enteric bacteria, Escherichia coli was found completely absent from all the samples tested, however, the prevalence of Klebsiella sp. was noted up to 10 1 cfu/g. Such findings highlighted a great public health risk associated with skin diseases among the users and thereby specified the importance to introduce a proper guideline in maintaining good microbiological quality for such topically used healthcare products.

Along with the raw fishes, dry fishes also have a huge contribution to meet up the demand of protein in our daily meal. The assay of microbiological quality is therefore needed to ensure the public health safety. The present study was emphasized on the existence of pathogenic bacteria in raw and dry fish. A total of 50 samples of raw fishes and sun-dried fishes was accumulated aseptically for microbiological quality analysis. Isolation of bacteria was done by spread plate method. All the samples including both (raw and dry) fishes harbored bacteria and fungi up to 106 CFU/g. E. coli was found in all samples as a specific pathogen. In case of raw fishes total viable count (TVC) and total coliform count (E. coli) were recorded up to 2.5x106 CFU/g and 5.2 x104 CFU/g respectively whereas a significant load of Salmonella spp. was observed in almost all samples. Staphylococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were present up to 5 x102 CFU/g and 1.8 x 102 CFU/g respectively. Likewise, total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (E. coli) and fungal load were recorded in dry fish up 3.50 x 105 CFU/g, 1.2 x103 CFU/g respectively. Fungal growth was observed in all experimental raw and dried fishes. For most of the pathogenic isolates, higher rates of resistance were found against Ceftriaxone, Penicillin, Nalidixic acid, Neomycin. On the other hand, most of the isolates were found to retain higher sensitivity against Imipenem, Ciprofloxacin, Tetracyclin and Amoxicillin. This data suggested that the dry fish harbored fewer bacteria than raw fish and sun drying method is still a useful technique for the preservation of fish.

Fruit juices are very popular due to their freshness and taste. These juices contain all the nutritive values those were present in whole fruits. Fresh juices are healthful drink for people of all ages. But the condition is quite opposite if they become contaminated with pathogenic bacteria during the juice processing. Because of the nutritive properties juice can give enough opportunities to the microorganisms to survive and multiply. In our current study we included eight types of fresh juices to study the microbial load. All the samples were heavily contaminated. Total bacterial and fungal count was found to be up to 3.0×10 7 cfu/ml and 2.6×10 6 cfu/ml, respectively. Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. was present only in one sample. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas spp. were the most prominent in all of the eight samples. Vibrio spp. was found in six samples ranging from 2.0×10 2 cfu/ml to 2.9×10 4 cfu/ml. All the pathogenic isolates showed drug resistance towards the most commonly prescribed antibiotics indicating the risk of difficulty in eradicating diseases.

The present investigation attempted to evaluate the existence and survival of spoilage microorganisms in four common sea fishes (Poma, Rupchanda, Koral and Tuna) available in Bangladesh and to determine the effects of cooking temperature to optimize the growth of fish microflora. Moreover, the status of fish in frozen condition after cooking was also studied. A total 4 categories of sea fishes were collected from the local shops in Dhaka city. Raw, cooked and frozen fish samples were analyzed for the existence of pathogenic bacteria through the conventional cultural techniques and the confirmative biochemical identification procedures. Total viable bacteria were present in all four fish samples in raw, cooked and frozen condition up to 6 log CFU/mL. Most of the raw fish samples were found to harbor a huge population of microorganisms up to 5 log CFU/mL including the fecal coliforms. Several specific bacterial species like E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Staphylococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Vibrio spp. were present in raw samples. However, the microbial load reduced from the fish after cooking and the status was static in frozen condition. Thus, the incidence of fecal coliforms in raw fish may be considered as a serious threat to the public health upon consumption of such fishes.

Food additives are widely used to enhance the taste, texture, appearance and longevity of food items. The aim of this study is to determine the quality and antibacterial activity of different food additives and preservatives. In this study 8 categories of food additives were collected from different super shops in Dhaka city. Almost 90% samples were free from pathogenic microorganisms and a low number of total viable bacteria were found in all samples. Antibacterial activities of these samples were measured by agar diffusion method. Except food color, all remaining categories exhibited zone of inhibition against tested laboratory isolates between 8 mm and 22 mm in diameter. These findings indicate that adding food additives or preservatives in food item can reduce or prevent the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Harmful effects of food additives to human health need to be evaluated before they are applied in food items. Stamford Journal of Microbiology, Vol.9(1) 2019: 23-26

BackgroundThe bacterial stressed state upon temperature raise has widely been observed especially in Escherichia coli cells. The current study extended such physiological investigation on Bacillus spp. SUBB01 under aeration at 100 rpm on different culture media along with the high temperature exposure at 48, 50, 52, 53 and 54 °C. Bacterial growth was determined through the enumeration of the viable and culturable cells; i.e., cells capable of producing the colony forming units on Luria–Bertani and nutrient agar plates up to 24 h. Microscopic experiments were conducted to scrutinize the successive physiological changes. Suppression of bacterial growth due to the elevated heat was further confirmed by the observation of non-viability through spot tests.ResultsAs expected, a quick drop in both cell turbidity and colony forming units (~104) along with spores were observed after 12–24 h of incubation period, when cells were grown at 54 °C in both Luria–Bertani and nutrient broth and agar. The critical temperature (the temperature above which it is no longer possible to survive) of Bacillus spp. SUBB01 was estimated to be 53 °C. Furthermore, a positive impact was observed on the inhibited E. coli SUBE01 growth at 45 and 47 °C, upon the supplementation of the extracellular fractions of Bacillus species into the growing culture.ConclusionsOverall the present analysis revealed the conversion of the culturable cells into the viable and nonculturable (VBNC) state as a result of heat shock response in Bacillus spp. SUBB01 and the cellular adaptation at extremely high temperature.

Over the last few consecutive decades along with urbanization slum population has been raised. But unfortunately unsatisfactory water supply and sanitation systems are the main obstacles of their livelihood and they are suffering from many diseases. So our present study attempted to focus on the existence of pathogenic microorganisms in domestic water used by slum population along with drug resistant pattern of the isolated bacteria. Total 20 samples were collected and processed for microbiological action. Significant numbers of coliform bacteria especially Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. were found within the range of 102 to 104 cfu/ml. Conversely almost all samples exhibited fecal contamination except sample 5 and 6. Growth of fungus and other pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus spp. and Vibrio spp. also found in almost every sample. Total 10 available drugs were used against the identified isolates. Most of the identified bacteria were found to be sensitive against commonly used antibiotics. Resistance was found only against ampicilin, amoxycilin and vancomycin. Stamford Journal of Microbiology, Vol.7(1) 2017: 19-22