Molecular markers and genetic linkage maps are pre-requisites for molecular breeding in any crop species. In case of peanut or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), an amphidiploid (4X) species, not a single genetic map is, however, available based on a mapping population derived from cultivated genotypes. In order to develop a genetic linkage map for tetraploid cultivated groundnut, a total of 1,145 microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers available in public domain as well as unpublished markers from several sources were screened on two genotypes, TAG 24 and ICGV 86031 that are parents of a recombinant inbred line mapping population. As a result, 144 (12.6%) polymorphic markers were identified and these amplified a total of 150 loci. A total of 135 SSR loci could be mapped into 22 linkage groups (LGs). While six LGs had only two SSR loci, the other LGs contained 3 (LG_AhXV) to 15 (LG_AhVIII) loci. As the mapping population used for developing the genetic map segregates for drought tolerance traits, phenotyping data obtained for transpiration, transpiration efficiency, specific leaf area and SPAD chlorophyll meter reading (SCMR) for 2 years were analyzed together with genotyping data. Although, 2-5 QTLs for each trait mentioned above were identified, the phenotypic variation explained by these QTLs was in the range of 3.5-14.1%. In addition, alignment of two linkage groups (LGs) (LG_AhIII and LG_AhVI) of the developed genetic map was shown with available genetic maps of AA diploid genome of groundnut and Lotus and Medicago. The present study reports the construction of the first genetic map for cultivated groundnut and demonstrates its utility for molecular mapping of QTLs controlling drought tolerance related traits as well as establishing relationships with diploid AA genome of groundnut and model legume genome species. Therefore, the map should be useful for the community for a variety of applications.

Cultivated groundnut or peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), an allotetraploid (2n = 4x = 40), is a self pollinated and widely grown crop in the semi-arid regions of the world. Improvement of drought tolerance is an important area of research for groundnut breeding programmes. Therefore, for the identification of candidate QTLs for drought tolerance, a comprehensive and refined genetic map containing 191 SSR loci based on a single mapping population (TAG 24 × ICGV 86031), segregating for drought and surrogate traits was developed. Genotyping data and phenotyping data collected for more than ten drought related traits in 2–3 seasons were analyzed in detail for identification of main effect QTLs (M-QTLs) and epistatic QTLs (E-QTLs) using QTL Cartographer, QTLNetwork and Genotype Matrix Mapping (GMM) programmes. A total of 105 M-QTLs with 3.48–33.36% phenotypic variation explained (PVE) were identified using QTL Cartographer, while only 65 M-QTLs with 1.3–15.01% PVE were identified using QTLNetwork. A total of 53 M-QTLs were such which were identified using both programmes. On the other hand, GMM identified 186 (8.54–44.72% PVE) and 63 (7.11–21.13% PVE), three and two loci interactions, whereas only 8 E-QTL interactions with 1.7–8.34% PVE were identified through QTLNetwork. Interestingly a number of co-localized QTLs controlling 2–9 traits were also identified. The identification of few major, many minor M-QTLs and QTL × QTL interactions during the present study confirmed the complex and quantitative nature of drought tolerance in groundnut. This study suggests deployment of modern approaches like marker-assisted recurrent selection or genomic selection instead of marker-assisted backcrossing approach for breeding for drought tolerance in groundnut.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00122-010-1517-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: In rural India, mobile medical clinics are useful models for delivering health promotion, education, and care. Mobile medical clinics use fewer providers for larger catchment areas compared to traditional clinic models in resource limited settings, which is especially useful in areas with shortages of healthcare providers and a wide geographical distribution of patients. Methods: From 2008 to 2011, we built infrastructure to implement a mobile clinic system to educate rural communities about maternal child health, train community health workers in common safe birthing procedures, and provide comprehensive antenatal care, prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and testing for specific infections in a large rural catchment area of pregnant women in rural Mysore. This was done using two mobile clinics and one walk-in clinic. Women were tested for HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis, and bacterial vaginosis along with random blood sugar, urine albumin, and anemia. Sociodemographic information, medical, and obstetric history were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires in the local language, Kannada. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using Stata SE 14.1. Results: During the program period, nearly 700 community workers and 100 health care providers were trained; educational sessions were delivered to over 15,000 men and women and integrated antenatal care and HIV/sexually transmitted infection testing was offered to 3545 pregnant women. There were 22 (0.6%) cases of HIV, 19 (0.5%) cases of hepatitis B, 2 (0.1%) cases of syphilis, and 250 (7.1%) cases of BV, which were identified and treated. Additionally, 1755 (49.5%) cases of moderate to severe anemia and 154 (4.3%) cases of hypertension were identified and treated among the pregnant women tested. Conclusions: Patient-centered mobile medical clinics are feasible, successful, and acceptable models that can be used to provide quality healthcare to pregnant women in rural and hard-to-reach settings. The high numbers of pregnant women attending mobile medical clinics show that integrated antenatal care with PMTCT services were acceptable and utilized. The program also developed and trained health professionals who continue to remain in those communities.

Lactobacillus species play an integral part in the health of the vaginal microbiota. We compared vaginal Lactobacillus species in women from India and the USA with and without bacterial vaginosis (BV). Between July 2009 and November 2010, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 40 women attending a women's health clinic in Mysore, India, and a sexually transmitted diseases clinic in San Francisco, USA. Women were diagnosed with BV using Amsel's criteria and the Nugent score. Lactobacillus 16S rDNA was sequenced to speciate the cultured isolates. Ten Indian and 10 US women without BV were compared with an equal number of women with BV. Lactobacilli were isolated from all healthy women, but from only 10 % of Indian and 50 % of US women with BV. 16S rDNA from 164 Lactobacillus colonies was sequenced from healthy women (126 colonies) and women with BV (38 colonies). Seven cultivable Lactobacillus species were isolated from 11 Indian women and nine species from 15 US women. The majority of Lactobacillus species among Indian women were L. crispatus (25 .0%), L. jensenii (25.0 %) and L. reuteri (16.7 %). Among US women, L. crispatus (32.0 %), L. jensenii (20.0 %) and L. coleohominis (12.0 %) predominated. L. jensenii and L. crispatus dominated the vaginal flora of healthy Indian and US women. Indian women appeared to have a higher percentage of obligate heterofermentative species, suggesting the need for a larger degree of metabolic flexibility and a more challenging vaginal environment. INTRODUCTIONIt is well accepted that Lactobacillus species are a critical component of the vaginal microflora of healthy women. These Gram-positive rods have been shown to have a protective effect against overgrowth by pathogenic microorganisms (Thomas, 1928). While studies have demonstrated that the vaginal microflora is dominated by four Lactobacillus species, L. crispatus, L. jensenii, L. gasseri and L. iners, there is substantial heterogeneity among different human populations (Pavlova et al., 2002).Studies in the USA, Europe and Japan have shown that women are predominantly colonized by obligate homofermentative lactobacilli that produce only lactic acid (Giorgi et al., 1987;Antonio et al., 1999;Song et al., 1999; Vásquez et al., 2002;Martín et al., 2008). Pavlova et al. (2002) found that the vaginal microbiota was dominated by L. crispatus, L. jensenii and L. gasseri in seven countries, while the microbiota of women from several low-and middle-income countries more often included heterofermentative Lactobacillus species such as L. All participants underwent a physical examination and biological specimens were collected to detect reproductive tract infections. The diagnosis of BV was initially based on the criteria of Amsel et al. (1983). Three vaginal swab specimens were obtained from the posterior fornix of the vagina. The first swab was used to measure the vaginal pH, with the swab smeared onto a microscope slide and then placed in a tube containing four drops of normal saline for wetmount preparation. The remaining two sw...

A healthy vaginal environment is predominated by certain Lactobacillus species, which lead to the prevention of infections of the reproductive tract. This study examined the characteristics of cultivable Lactobacillus species in both healthy women and women with bacterial vaginosis (BV). Between November 2011 and September 2013, 139 women attending a women's clinic in Mysore, India, were evaluated for BV in a cross-sectional study. BV was diagnosed using Amsel's criteria: homogeneous vaginal discharge, vaginal pH .4.5, production of amines, and presence of ''clue'' cells. Those with three or more of the characteristics were considered to have BV. Vaginal swabs were then cultured in Rogosa agar and de Man-Rogosa-Sharpe broth. Gram-positive lactobacilli generating 600-800 bp amplicons by16 sRNA were further characterized by sequencing. Cultivable vaginal samples were obtained from 132 women (94.9 %). According to the Amsel criteria, 83 women (62.1 %) were healthy, and 49 (37.1 %) had BV. Eleven different Lactobacillus species were isolated from 47 women. The common lactobacilli species found in this sample included L. crispatus (39.6 %), L. gasseri (45.8 %), and L. jensenii (14.6 %). Lactobacilli were isolated from 39 healthy women and eight with BV. L. gasseri was cultured from 18.8 % of healthy women and 6.1 % with BV. The presence of L. reuteri was significantly associated with normal vaginal microbiota (P-value50.026). These results further our understanding of vaginal lactobacilli colonization and richness in this particular population. Our findings showed that lactobacilli species present in the vaginas of healthy women in India do not differ from those reported from other countries.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of abnormal vaginal discharge in reproductive age women. It is associated with increased susceptibility to HIV/STI and adverse birth outcomes. Diagnosis of BV in resource-poor settings like India is challenging. With little laboratory infrastructure there is a need for objective point-of-care diagnostic tests. Vaginal swabs were collected from women 18 years and older, with a vaginal pH > 4.5 attending a reproductive health clinic. BV was diagnosed with Amsel's criteria, Nugent scores, and the OSOM BVBlue test. Study personnel were blinded to test results. There were 347 participants enrolled between August 2009 and January 2010. BV prevalence was 45.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 41.5%–52.8%) according to Nugent score. When compared with Nugent score, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value for Amsel's criteria and BVBlue were 61.9%, 88.3%, 81.5%, 73.7% and 38.1%, 92.7%, 82.1%, 63.9%, respectively. Combined with a “whiff” test, the performance of BVBlue increased sensitivity to 64.4% and negative predictive value to 73.8%. Despite the good specificity, poor sensitivity limits the usefulness of the BVBlue as a screening test in this population. There is a need to examine the usefulness of this test in other Indian populations.

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Purpose: In India, antenatal anxiety prevalence estimates range from 6% to 48%. Social support is strongly associated with mental wellbeing, yet most studies have examined the impact of support from partners and family members rather than peers, community members, or health care providers. This study explores the supportive role of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) contacts for antenatal anxiety.Methods: Data were analyzed from the Saving Children, Improving Lives project, a quasiexperimental study conducted among rural, pregnant women in India. Regression models were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals for the relationship frequency of ASHA contacts and antenatal anxiety. Antenatal anxiety was measured using a subscale of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Results:The sample consisted of 480 pregnant women. Reported antenatal anxiety prevalence was 27% (95% CI: 23%, 31%). Participants who were more frequently visited by ASHAs at home (aPR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.98) and more frequently accompanied by ASHAs to their antenatal care visits (aPR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.78, 0.95) were less likely to report antenatal anxiety. ASHA home visits were protective for the most vulnerable women (primigravida and those experiencing