Sterilization is defined as any process by which objects, materials or an environment may be rendered sterile (i.e. completely free from all forms of life). Sterilization is the process by which all living cells, viable spores, viruses and viroids are either destroyed or removed from an object or habitat. It is essential for all fermentation […]
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Industrial Microbiology
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a group of Gram positive, non-sporing bacteria that carryout lactic acid fermentation of carbohydrates or sugars. Lactic acid fermentation is a type of fermentation carried out by LAB in which sugars including glucose, lactose and pentoses are converted to lactic acids or a mixture of lactic acids and other products.
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Industrial Microbiology
The population of microorganisms in the soil are affected or influenced by many factors including soil moisture, pH, temperature, aeration, and amounts of organic and inorganic nutrients. Mesophiles (mesophilic microbes) grow at temperature range of 25-35oC while thermophiles (thermophilic microbes) grow at higher temperatures such as 45-65oC and above. Psychrophiles are microbes that thrive
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Environmental & Soil Microbiology
The soil is that part of the earth crust or earth that supports plant life. It is the region of the earth surface from which plants and crops derive their nutrients and support. The environment of the soil contains different array of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa and actinomycetes. These microbes play a variety
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Environmental & Soil Microbiology
Quality control strains (or reference strains)are typed cultures of microorganisms with known antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and which are used to ensure consistency, accuracy and reproducibility of a particular susceptibility test. They are important in any disk diffusion test because susceptibility tests are affected by plethora of factors such as incubation temperature, size of the test
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Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram
McFarland Turbidity Standard is an important technique performed in the microbiology laboratory especially when carrying out antimicrobial susceptibility studies. It is a turbid solution that contains a mixture of barium salt, distilled water and tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid (H2SO4). McFarland turbidity standard is used to compare and balance the turbidity of both the test and control
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Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram
Isoniazid or isonicotinyl hydrazine (INH) is a first-line antibiotic used for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB), a droplet bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB is a highly infectious diseases that is mainly spread via the respiratory tract of infected persons to susceptible human hosts through sneezes, cough and saliva or aerosols that contain the
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Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Chloramphenicol is a protein synthesis inhibitor but the antibiotic unlike other drugs that interfere with bacterial protein biosynthesis (e.g. tetracycline and aminoglycosides) binds to the 50S ribosomal subunit of the target bacterial ribosome the same manner that macrolides (e.g. erythromycin) exhibit their antibacterial activity. Chloramphenicol and erythromycin exhibit similar modes of antibacterial action or activity
Gene therapy is used to deliver functional genes or therapeutic DNA into target cells and tissues of patients suffering from genetic disorders so that the defective genes in their body can be corrected, repaired or replaced with the normal genes. Though they may provide the only clue for treating some genetic diseases; gene therapy is
RISKS, PROBLEMS AND ETHICAL ISSUES OF GENE THERAPY Read More »
Gene Therapy Notes
Molecular diseases (genetic disorders) are non-infectious inheritable diseases which are usually caused by mutations that alter the normal function of a particular gene. They are different from infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis which are mainly caused by pathogenic microorganisms in that genetic disorders can be passed on from affected parents to their offspring’s
APPLICATIONS OF GENE THERAPY IN TREATING MOLECULAR DISEASES Read More »
Gene Therapy Notes