Manjeet Aggarwal

Antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in waters associated with a hospital in Ujjain, India

BackgroundConcerns have been raised about the public health implications of the presence of antibiotic residues in the aquatic environment and their effect on the development of bacterial resistance. While there is information on antibiotic residue levels in hospital effluent from some other countries, information on antibiotic residue levels in effluent from Indian hospitals is not available. Also, concurrent studies on antibiotic prescription quantity in a hospital and antibiotic residue levels and resistant bacteria in the effluent of the same hospital are few. Therefore, we quantified antibiotic residues in waters associated with a hospital in India and assessed their association, if any, with quantities of antibiotic prescribed in the hospital and the susceptibility of Escherichia coli found in the hospital effluent.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in a teaching hospital outside the city of Ujjain in India. Seven antibiotics - amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, amikacin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and levofloxacin - were selected. Prescribed quantities were obtained from hospital records. The samples of the hospital associated water were analysed for the above mentioned antibiotics using well developed and validated liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry technique after selectively isolating the analytes from the matrix using solid phase extraction. Escherichia coli isolates from these waters were tested for antibiotic susceptibility, by standard Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method using Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute breakpoints.ResultsCiprofloxacin was the highest prescribed antibiotic in the hospital and its residue levels in the hospital wastewater were also the highest. In samples of the municipal water supply and the groundwater, no antibiotics were detected. There was a positive correlation between the quantity of antibiotics prescribed in the hospital and antibiotic residue levels in the hospital wastewater. Wastewater samples collected in the afternoon contained both a higher number and higher levels of antibiotics compared to samples collected in the morning hours. No amikacin was found in the wastewater, but E.coli isolates from all wastewater samples were resistant to amikacin. Although ciprofloxacin was the most prevalent antibiotic detected in the wastewater, E.coli was not resistant to it.ConclusionsAntibiotics are entering the aquatic environment of countries like India through hospital effluent. In-depth studies are needed to establish the correlation, if any, between the quantities of antibiotics prescribed in hospitals and the levels of antibiotic residues found in hospital effluent. Further, the effect of this on the development of bacterial resistance in the environment and its subsequent public health impact need thorough assessment.

Physicochemical, thermal and functional properties of gamma irradiated chickpea starch

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of gamma irradiation (0, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5 and 10kGy) on physicochemical, functional and thermal properties of chickpea starch. Results revealed that the pasting properties showed a significant (p≤0.05) decrease in peak viscosity, final viscosity, setback viscosity, trough viscosity and pasting temperature in dose dependent manner. Swelling, solubility index, oil absorption capacity and water absorption capacity increased significantly with dose, while as syneresis decreased with dose. Gelatinization temperatures To, Tp and Tc decreased significantly with dose. X-ray diffraction showed a characteristic C type pattern of the starches and the crystallinity decreased with dose. Scanning electron microscopy revealed small oval shaped starch granules and slight surface fissures were seen in the irradiated starch treated with 5 and 10kGy.

Method Development and Validation for Determination of Voglibose in Tablet Formulation Using LC-MS/MS

Voglibose is a potent α glucosidase inhibitor, used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. For quantitative determination of voglibose in pharmaceutical formulations of low doses, simple, sensitive, accurate and precise LC-MS/MS method using electrospray ionization in positive mode was developed and validated. The method was found linear in the concentration range of 25.0-1200 ηg/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. The limit of detection (LOD) of the method was found to be 1.5 ηg/mL and limit of quantitation (LOQ) was achieved at 3.0 ηg/mL. The recoveries of voglibose from spiked samples at different concentration levels were found in the range of 98-102%. The proposed method was found suitable for quantitation of voglibose and for the determination of uniformity of content of the dosage units of the tablet formulations.

Simultaneous Determination by Gas Chromatography of Lindane and Carbaryl in Combined Formulations

A gas chromatographic method developed and validated for simultaneous determination of lindane and carbaryl for quality evaluation of lindane-carbaryl granule, using a glass capillary HP5 column (30 m x 0.32 mm; 0.25 μm), temperature programming with flame ionization detector and dibutylphthalate as an internal standard. The calibration graphs were found linear in the concentration range of 1 μg/mL to 1000 μg/mL for both lindane and carbaryl with correlation coefficient of 0.999 and 0.999 respectively and co-efficient of variation for intra-day and inter-day repeatability studies at different concentration levels was found to be less than 2%. The accuracy of method ranges between 98.5% to 100.8%. Specificity and robustness were also within the acceptable range. The method is highly sensitive with LOD and LOQ as 0.5 and 2 μg/mL for lindane and carbaryl respectively. The method has been tried on several formulations of lindane-carbaryl granules for quality control and has been found to be applicable.

Quantitative Determination of Ivermectin in Raw Milk Using Positive ESI LC-MS/MS

Ivermectin, a veterinary drug, is commonly used endectocide for animal husbandry. The drug is available in the form of subcutaneous or topical formulations. Its application may cause accumulation of its residues into the animal tissues, which ultimately find their way into the food products, such as milk and meat products. In order to determine the residues of ivermectin in milk, a comparatively simple, sensitive and rapid method was developed and validated using LC-MS/MS. The MRM transitions corresponding to m/z 892.71>569.6, 892.71>551.5 and 892.71>307.3 were used for the purpose of quantification and evaluation of other parameters of the method. The limit of detection of the method was found to be 0.1 μg/kg and the limit of quantitation was calculated as 0.2 μg/kg. The method was found to be linear in the range of 1.0 ng/mL to 100.0 ng/mL with correlation coefficient of 0.9992 for pure calibration curve and 0.9990 for the matrix- matched calibration curve. The recoveries of ivermectin from the spiked samples of raw milk were found between 85 to 105%.

Factors influencing the absorption of vitamin D in GIT: an overview.

Vitamin D refers to a group of secosteroid compounds and recognized as the antirachitic vitamin, as it counters rickets, mineral desorption from fully-grown bones (Osteodistrophy), bone, joint disorders, and fragility of bones. On one hand, there is scarcity of vitamin D rich food while on other hand a number of factors negotiate its absorption efficiency in human gastrointestinal tract (GIT). These factors include variations in the physiochemical state of the vitamin D (molecular forms, potency and their physiological linkages), the complexity of food matrix (the amount and type of fatty acids, dietary fibers and presence/absence of vitamin D enhancer and inhibitor), and its interaction of other fat soluble compounds with vitamin D as well as the host-associated factors (age, disease, surgery, obesity, genetic variation etc.). It is hypothesized that the bioavailability of vitamin D in GIT is compromised if there changes within these factors. Present article is intended to review the contribution of these factors anticipated to be influencing vitamin D absorption in GIT.