No abstract

Stems and roots of Salacia genus plants have been used as a specific remedy for early-stage diabetes, and one of the four sulphonium sulphates, salacinol is the compound responsible for the anti-diabetic activity. Salacia is prone to microbial contamination and insect infestation; hence, methods to estimate the microbial load in such plants will enhance its nutritional value. This paper highlights the novel use of Soleris® to quantify microbes of all types, namely bacteria, yeasts, molds, and coliforms in herbal extracts. The microbial analysis results obtained with Soleris® test vial have been compared with the conventional method, and the results indicate that Soleris® is equally efficient as the conventional method and in fact displays several advantages over the traditional method. The Soleris® method is a real time monitoring system that is highly sensitive, user-friendly, and environmentally friendly since it generates very little biomedical waste and saves a large amount of time. The data presented here demonstrate that for highly contaminated samples, results are available within 24 h. For yeasts and molds, the Soleris® method produces results in 48 h, thus offering considerable time savings compared to other commonly used methods.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the contaminating bacteria in the extract of Garcinia cambogia, which is regularly used as a dietary supplement for addressing obesity in humans. Methods: The Garcinia cambogia extract was used and experiments were conducted to isolate the contaminating bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility was tested. The organism was identified using BIOLOG system. Such an extract was used in a placebo-controlled animal study when 6 eight adult male rats weighing between 200 and 220 g were randomly distributed into three groups (n = 3) and in test group 1, a single dose of 100 mg/kg bw of Garcinia cambogia extract was given while in the test group 2, 100 mg Garcinia cambogia extract + 116 mg Picrorhiza kurroa extract were administered through oral gavage. The normal control rats were given distilled water, and the treatment lasted for 30 days. Blood plasma and liver tissues were prepared for biochemical analysis and histology studies.Results: Nearly ~10 3 cfu/g of Bacillus atrophaeus was present in the Garcinia cambogia extract and we demonstrate >99% reduction in the microbial load with tetracycline. Such an extract at a dose of 100 mg/kg, showed weight loss in Wistar rats when administered orally for 1 month with no significant changes in liver histopathology. Picrorhiza kurroa, also known for its hepatoprotective properties, has been administered at a dose of 116 mg/kg along with Garcinia extract at 100 mg/kg orally and found to improve levels of hepatic enzymes as similar to control animals, although not statistically signifi-How to cite this paper: Bhosale,

In this review, we highlight the complications of COVID-19 affected patients due to microbial infections, which increase the severity of the disease. Nearly 50% of COVID-19 affected patients among non-survivors were either co-infected with bacterial, fungal, or viral pathogens. During ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a challenge for developing and under developing countries to identify co-infections in patients due to limited healthcare facilities and high cost for the diagnostic tests. Since several microbial co-infections are associated with COVID-19, there is need to diagnose such co-infections in early stage so that required control measures would be taken to avoid the further health risks. People with severe COVID-19, COVID-19 patients in intensive care units (ICU), are susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections. Bacterial pathogens, representing less than 14% of patients with reported infections include Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa while fungal sps include Aspergillus, Candida auris, black fungus etc that invade the brain or cause patients to lose vision. The unregulated and inappropriate use of antibiotics, antimicrobial drugs and alcohol based hand sanitizers may enhance the evolution of AMR phenotypes among infectious pathogens.