RESUMO
Aims@#Heavy metals are significant environmental pollutants and toxic to life and chromium (Cr) (VI) is one of them being discharged in the environment due to many human activities. The leather industry uses Cr(VI) salt in the tanning process, which is discharged untreated and becomes a source of many diseases. The use of microbes to remove metals is a cost-effective and clean method. The present study aims to isolate local and native microbes for Cr(VI) removal from tannery wastewater and enhance their capacity to bioremediate the tannery wastewater. Further, efficiency in free and immobilized forms was also checked.@*Methodology and results@#Microbes were isolated from a local tannery wastewater outlet and after many rounds of minimum inhibitory concentration, and concentration of 500 µg/mL was found to be that concentration at which microbes could survive, above which they died. The sequencing of 16S rRNA and its analysis showed that it was closely related to Staphylococcus saprophyticus and in the given study, it was named B6. At 37 °C, pH 7.5 and 120 h of incubation, it removed 77% Cr(VI) from the reaction mixture. B6 was exposed to UV to obtain mutant. Exposure of 15 min to a UV lamp gave mutant MB6, which showed a removal capacity of 77% after 72 h only. Cr(VI) removal capacity of the mutant was then analyzed in the free and attached form where coal and sodium alginate were used as solid surfaces. Mutants immobilized on coal showed 91% Cr(VI) removal after 96 h, while sodium alginate showed 58% Cr(VI) removal in 120 h, thus showing coal as a more effective surface for adsorption.@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#Our present study shows the use of cheap and environmentally friendly methods to remediate tannery wastewater, which is a big problem in a country like Pakistan. Pakistan is the second largest producer of leather but lacks a wastewater treatment facility. So, this method offers in-situ wastewater treatment, which can be further enhanced in different ways.
RESUMO
Objectives: To evaluate extended spectrum betalactamase [ESBL] in E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in bacterial cultures and its frequency at LRH
Study Design: Cross sectional analytical study
Setting: Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar
Period: June 2013 to December 2013
Methodology: Total of 1037 bacterial isolates including 614 E.coli and 423 of Klebsiellapneumoniae were evaluated. All cases were subjected to double disc diffusion method for ESBL detection using amoxacilln-clavulanic acid and a third generation cephalosporin as all ESBLs are hydrolysed by clavulanic acid. The data were analysed using SPSS-16
Results: Out of 1037 cases five ninety two [55%] were males and four fourty five [45%] were females. Of these, E. Coli were 614 [59.2%] and K. Pneumoniae were four twenty three [40.8%]. Of these 1037 isolates, four hundred and ninety five[47.7%] tested positive for ESBL enzyme. Frequency of ESBL positivity in E.coli isolates was 264 [43%] and in Klebsiellapneumoniae isolates was 231 [54.6%].Frequency of ESBL in pus was 34.3%[152/395],in urine, it was 31.8%[141/368], in blood it was 28.6%[127/233] and in sputum it was 5.1% [23/41]. Unit wise frequency of ESBL was surgical and allied 24.6% [109/283], medical and allied 21.4%[95/241], paediatrics 18.5% [82/203], obstetrics and gynaecology 23.2%[103/178] and outpatients 12.1%[54/132]. No significant correlation between ESBL positivity, gender, unit or specimen was found
Conclusion: ESBL positive isolates of E.coli and K.pneumoniaeshould be properly detected in routine laboratory workflow to avoid unnecessary use of otherwise effective antibiotics. These results indicate that such organisms are highly prevalent in our Hospital and need immediate