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The present investigation was carried out to study the vancomycin resistance pattern of Staphylococcus aureus isolates (n = 274) obtained from 352 milk samples of bovine (269) and caprine (63) clinical and subclinical mastitis from different districts of West Bengal, India. Of them, seven isolates (vancomycin-resistant S. aureus [VRSA] 1-7) exhibited resistance to vancomycin. Minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin (MIC) for VRSA2 and VRSA3 was ≥16 μg/ml; thus categorized as VRSA. For rest of the isolates, MIC was 8 μg/ml and they were grouped as vancomycin intermediate S. aureus (VISA). Even though all the isolates were resistant to cefoxitin and oxacillin and possessed mecA gene, none of them carried vancomycin resistance gene. Furthermore, all the seven isolates were subjected to Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, Staphylococcal protein A (spa) typing, and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction. All the isolates except VRSA3 and VRSA4 from Kolkata district exhibited diverse genetic lineage, irrespective of their host and antibiotic resistance pattern. These two isolates showed clonal similarity (MRSA-SCCmec-V-spa t267) with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains previously reported in human and animal infection. Isolation of VRSA and VISA could probably be due to intensive use of vancomycin in healthcare premises, which might have led to the development of glycopeptide-resistant strains and thereafter, further disseminated in the environment, including livestock farms. Detection of VRSA in milk is a serious concern as it may further cause health problems in the consumers. This is the first ever report of VRSA in food animals, even though the pathogen is otherwise prevalent in humans.

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This article reports the development of weavable, uniaxially‐oriented PET tape, and woven‐tape fabric. Fabric from uniaxially‐oriented polypropylene (PP) tape has been commercially produced since the 1960s, and it is the dominant material for flexible industrial packaging, carpet backing, geotextiles and self‐reinforced composites. Attempts had been made over the same period to produce similar poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) tape fabric, knowing that it would offer superior performance over PP due to PET's higher stiffness and strength, lower creep, abrasion resistance, and higher temperature capability. However, these attempts could not be translated into industrial production because the PET tapes had a tendency to splinter when subjected to sudden pulls and twists in the weaving loom. This was solved here by blending polymeric additives such as 2% polycarbonate (PC) and 2% linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE). Transmission electron microscopy of the oriented tapes showed the 2% PC formed a profusion of nano ellipsoids that adhered well to the PET matrix, and these prevented axial cracks from running through in a brittle manner. The LLDPE formed larger domains with poorer adhesion, but it imparted resistance to splitting from twists and axial folding. The combination of PC and polyolefin imparted a synergistic toughening of the tape. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E120–E132, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers

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