Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

VIT University

A marine isolate of Micrococcus MCCB 104 has been identified as an aquaculture probiotic antagonistic to Vibrio. In the present study different carbon and nitrogen sources and growth factors in a mineral base medium were optimized for enhanced biomass production and antagonistic activity against the target pathogen, Vibrio harveyi, following response surface methodology (RSM). Accordingly the minimum and maximum limits of the selected variables were determined and a set of fifty experiments programmed employing central composite design (CCD) of RSM for the final optimization. The response surface plots of biomass showed similar pattern with that of antagonistic activity, which indicated a strong correlation between the biomass and antagonism. The optimum concentration of the carbon sources, nitrogen sources, and growth factors for both biomass and antagonistic activity were glucose (17.4 g/L), lactose (17 g/L), sodium chloride (16.9 g/L), ammonium chloride (3.3 g/L), and mineral salts solution (18.3 mL/L). © KSBB.

Department of English

School of Social Sciences & Languages

Vellore Campus

Centre for Bio-Separation and Technology

World University root node

Fulltext

Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering

Optimization of medium for the production of a novel aquaculture probiotic,Micrococcus MCCB 104 using central composite design

Synechocystis MCCB 114 and 115 were segregated as putative probionts for shrimp larvae from a collection of 54 cyanobacterial cultures enriched from seawater. On feeding Penaeus monodon post-larvae with the cyanobacteria, the generic diversity of the intestinal bacterial flora could be enhanced with substantial reduction or total absence of Vibrio spp. A significant difference (p &lt; 0.001) in the percent survival of batches of post-larvae fed on the cyanobacterial cultures was observed and, on repeated challenge with V. harveyi, the relative percent survival of those batches of larvae fed on Synechocystis MCCB 114 and 115 was significantly higher. The Synechocystis MCCB 114 and 115 cultures were found to contain high levels of protein (34 to 43%), in addition to carotenoids. © Inter-Research 2007.

VIT Unitversity

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

Synechocystis MCCB 114 and 115 as putative probionts for Penaeus monodon post-larvae

Aim: To develop a new medium for enhanced production of biomass of an aquaculture probiotic Pseudomonas MCCB 103 and its antagonistic phenazine compound, pyocyanin. Methods and Results: Carbon and nitrogen sources and growth factors, such as amino acids and vitamins, were screened initially in a mineral medium for the biomass and antagonistic compound of Pseudomonas MCCB 103. The selected ingredients were further optimized using a full-factorial central composite design of the response surface methodology. The medium optimized as per the model for biomass contained mannitol (20 g l-1), glycerol (20 g l-1), sodium chloride (5 g l-1), urea (3.3 g l -1) and mineral salts solution (20 ml l-1), and the one optimized for the antagonistic compound contained mannitol (2 g l-1), glycerol (20 g l-1), sodium chloride (5.1 g l-1), urea (3.6 g l-1) and mineral salts solution (20 ml l-1). Subsequently, the model was validated experimentally with a biomass increase by 19% and fivefold increase of the antagonistic compound. Conclusion: Significant increase in the biomass and antagonistic compound production could be obtained in the new media. Significance and Impact of the Study: Media formulation and optimization are the primary steps involved in bioprocess technology, an attempt not made so far in the production of aquaculture probiotics. © 2007 The Authors.

Journal of Applied Microbiology

Optimization of carbon and nitrogen sources and growth factors for the production of an aquaculture probiotic (Pseudomonas MCCB 103) using response surface methodology

Surveys for bacteriological analysis of larval samples to isolate the associated vibrios were carried out during 1985-1992, 2001 and 2002 in three different hatcheries located on the southwest coast of India. Vibrio isolates were examined for their species diversity, virulence based on haemolysis in prawn blood agar, lipolysis, proteolysis and chitinolysis and antibiotic sensitivity. Vibrio cholerae was the predominant species in the apparently healthy larval samples, whereas V. alginolyticus and V. vulnificus dominated during disease and morbidity. No correlation was found between the hydrolytic properties and haemolytic activity of the vibrios associated with the larvae. All isolates were resistant to erythromycin and resistance to oxytetracycline, ampicillin and streptomycin sulphate was prevalent among the larger section of the Vibrio population. This suggested that antibiotic application may not be of much use to protect the larvae from vibriosis. This is the first report on the diversity of Vibrio species associated with Macrobrachium rosenbergii larvae and their virulence characteristics based on haemolysis in prawn blood agar. © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Aquaculture Research

Vibrios associated with Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879) larvae from three hatcheries on the Indian southwest coast

Journal of Fish Diseases

Isolation of a pathogenic strain of Vibrio alginolyticus from necrotic larvae of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man)

A Pseudomonas sp PS-102 recovered from Muttukkadu brackish water lagoon, situated south of Chennai, showed significant activity against a number of shrimp pathogenic vibrios. Out of the 112 isolates of bacterial pathogens comprising Vibrio harveyi, V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, V. alginolyticus, V. fluvialis, and Aeromonas spp, 73% were inhibited in vitro by the cell-free culture supernatant of Pseudomonas sp PS-102 isolate. The organism produced yellowish fluorescent pigment on King's B medium, hydrolysed starch and protein, and produced 36.4% siderophore units by CAS assay and 32 μM of catechol siderophores as estimated by Arnow's assay. The PS-102 isolate showed wide ranging environmental tolerance with, temperatures from 25 to 40°C, pH from 6 to 8, salinity from 0 to 36 ppt, while the antagonistic activity peaked in cultures grown at 30°C, pH 8.0 and at 5 ppt saline conditions. The antagonistic activity of the culture supernatant was evident even at 30% v / v dilution against V. harveyi. The preliminary studies on the nature of the antibacterial action indicated that the antagonistic principle as heat stable and resistant to proteolytic, lipolytic and amylolytic enzymes. Pseudomonas sp PS 102 was found to be safe to shrimp when PL-9 stage were challenged at 10 7 CFU ml-1 and by intramuscular injection into of ∼5 g sub-adults shrimp at 105 to 108 CFU. Further, its safety in a mammalian system, tested by its pathogenicity to mice, was also determined and its LD50 to BALB/c mice was found to be 109 CFU. The results of this study indicated that the organism Pseudomonas sp PS 102 could be employed as a potential probiont in shrimp and prawn aquaculture systems for management and control of bacterial infections. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aquaculture

A brackishwater isolate of Pseudomonas PS-102, a potential antagonistic bacterium against pathogenic vibrios in penaeid and non-penaeid rearing systems

A marine bacterium, Micrococcus MCCB 104, isolated from hatchery water, demonstrated extracellular antagonistic properties against Vibrio alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, V. fluviallis, V. nereis, V. proteolyticus, V. mediterranei, V. cholerae and Aeromonas sp., bacteria associated with Macrobrachium rosenbergii larval rearing systems. The isolate inhibited the growth of V. alginolyticus during co-culture. The antagonistic component of the extracellular product was heat-stable and insensitive to proteases, lipase, catalase and α-amylase. Micrococcus MCCB 104 was demonstrated to be non-pathogenic to M. rosenbergii larvae. © Inter-Research 2005.

A marine bacterium, Micrococcus MCCB 104, antagonistic to vibrios in prawn larval rearing systems

Chitosan is a biocompatible and biodegradable natural polymer with established antimicrobial properties against specific microorganisms. The present study demonstrates its antibacterial activity against 48 isolates of Vibrio species from prawn larval rearing systems. The antibacterial activity had a positive correlation with the concentration of chitosan. This work opens up avenues for using chitosan as a prophylactic biopolymer for protecting prawn larvae from vibriosis. © Inter-Research 2005.