Isolation and Characterization of Chromobacterium sp. from Lake Water at Manipal International University

@#Introduction: The violet-pigmented Chromobacterium spp. are vastly located in soil and surface water of subtropical regions. Majority of the species have been identified as highly potential in bio-industries; however, the bacterial pathogenicity is largely understudied. These bacteria are resistant to multiple-drugs and infections may cause sepsis and liver abscissions. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the violet-pigmented bacteria isolated from the lake in Manipal International University and further examine its antibiotic susceptibility. Methods: The isolated violet bacteria (Dyh27s2016) were subjected to the morphology, physiology, biochemical and antibiotic susceptibility tests. Also, the species were scrutinized via the 16S rRNA and phylogenetic analysis. In addition, the lake water physicochemical properties were examined to understand the bacterial adaptability in this region. Results: Dyh27s2016 strain was found to exhibit similar morphology and physiology characteristics to Chromobacterium spp. and be closely related to Chromobacterium amazonense (98% sequence-homology). However, the biochemical analysis indicated that this strain was capable of indole production; contrarily, Chromobacterium spp. were found mostly indole negative. On top of that, this strain also tested resistant to most β-lactam and aminoglycoside antibiotics. The adaptability of the Dyh27s2016 strain in this region might be supported by the satisfactory physiochemical properties of the lake water and mainly by the low dissolve oxygen concentration. Conclusion: The morphology, physiology, biochemical and molecular characterizations of Dyh27s2016 isolate show high similarity to Chromobacterium spp. and the multi-drug resistance of this strain can potentially harbour a threat to public health if contacted by humans or animals via food or water.

Clinimetric analysis of recently applied quantitative tools in evaluation of vitiligo treatment

Background: Vitiligo affects about 1% of the world's population, however, there is currently no universally used standardized measure to assess its response to treatment. Objective: To find the most effective technique for the quantitative assessment of therapeutic results in vitiligo patients. Materials and Methods: The study was performed in three stages: (1) Conducting an adapted Delphi survey to check current dermatologists' attitudes regarding the topic of study. (2) Conducting a pilot study that involves testing the selected digital image analysis software in the laboratory to validate future tasks. (3) The chief clinimetric study that implicates selecting actual vitiligo lesion models and evaluating them. Results: Regarding the surface area measuring techniques, the most accurate results were gained through the digital image analysis for surface area, followed by point-counting technique. The digital image analysis for color measurement was accurate and reliable in getting a percentage representation of color improvement within the vitiligo lesions, in response to therapy. Limitations: Many dermatologists lack understanding of basic concepts about imaging techniques. The study does not include a traditional assessment method such as vitiligo area scoring index. Conclusion: Our designated digital image analysis technique was able to efficiently assess the changes that occur both on surface area and the color of vitiligo lesions in response to therapy.