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Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat

Assam Agricultural University is the first institution of its kind in the whole of North-Eastern Region of India. The main goal of this institution is to produce globally competitive human resources in farm sectorand to carry out research in both conventional and frontier areas for production optimization as well as to disseminate the generated technologies as public good for benefitting the food growers/produces and traders involved in the sector while emphasizing on sustainability, equity and overall food security at household level. Genesis of AAU - The embryo of the agricultural research in the state of Assam was formed as early as 1897 with the establishment of the Upper Shillong Experimental Farm (now in Meghalaya) just after about a decade of creation of the agricultural department in 1882. However, the seeds of agricultural research in today’s Assam were sown in the dawn of the twentieth century with the establishment of two Rice Experimental Stations, one at Karimganj in Barak valley in 1913 and the other at Titabor in Brahmaputra valley in 1923. Subsequent to these research stations, a number of research stations were established to conduct research on important crops, more specifically, jute, pulses, oilseeds etc. The Assam Agricultural University was established on April 1, 1969 under The Assam Agricultural University Act, 1968’ with the mandate of imparting farm education, conduct research in agriculture and allied sciences and to effectively disseminate technologies so generated. Before establishment of the University, there were altogether 17 research schemes/projects in the state under the Department of Agriculture. By July 1973, all the research projects and 10 experimental farms were transferred by the Government of Assam to the AAU which already inherited the College of Agriculture and its farm at Barbheta, Jorhat and College of Veterinary Sciences at Khanapara, Guwahati. Subsequently, College of Community Science at Jorhat (1969), College of Fisheries at Raha (1988), Biswanath College of Agriculture at Biswanath Chariali (1988) and Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science at Joyhing, North Lakhimpur (1988) were established. Presently, the University has three more colleges under its jurisdiction, viz., Sarat Chandra Singha College of Agriculture, Chapar, College of Horticulture, Nalbari & College of Sericulture, Titabar. Similarly, few more regional research stations at Shillongani, Diphu, Gossaigaon, Lakhimpur; and commodity research stations at Kahikuchi, Buralikson, Tinsukia, Kharua, Burnihat and Mandira were added to generate location and crop specific agricultural production packages.

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Author: HAZARIKA, RITAM × End date: 2019 × Start date: 2015 × Thesis Type: M.V.Sc. ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Toxin gene profiling of Clostridium difficile in food and food products of animal origin
    (Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara,Guwahati, 2017-07) HAZARIKA, RITAM; SHARMA, R.K.
    The present work was undertaken with a view to investigate the presence of Clostridium difficile in food and food products of animal origin and profiling of toxin genes. A total of 235 samples were collected from different sources including raw meat (beef, pork, chicken and chevon), meat products (dry beef, dry pork, cooked chicken, chicken sausage and chicken salami), raw cow milk, milk product (Indian paneer) and fish products (dry fish and canned fish). Out of the total 235 samples, initially 56 (23.83%) samples revealed suspected colonies of C. difficile. All the suspected colonies exhibited the typical colony morphology with horse manure odour and typical Gram-positive rod shaped cell with sub-terminal spores. Among 56 tentative isolates, 17 (7.23%) could be confirmed as C. difficile, based on the detection of species specific gluD (GDH) and tpi (triose phosphate isomerase) genes. The 17 confirmed C. difficile isolates comprised of 15 (8.24%) from raw meat and meat product samples and remaining two (11.11%) from fish product samples. None of the samples from cooked chicken, raw chevon, chicken sausage, chicken salami, canned fish, cow milk and paneer yielded any C. difficile isolates. All the 17 C. difficile isolates were screened for detection of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) protein and toxin A and /or toxin B by enzyme immuno assay (EIA), out of which all isolates were found positive for GDH protein and six were found to be phenotypically positive for toxin production. The C. difficile isolates were characterized by PCR for detection of toxin genes (tcdA, tcd B and binary toxin) and PaLoc region. Antimicrobial resistance pattern was also tested against nine different antimicrobial agents by E-test. Altogether, six C. difficile isolates were found to be toxigenic. Out of which two were from chicken samples and four from pork samples. All the toxigenic isolates from chicken (2) samples possessed both tcdA and tcdB (A+ B+), while all the pork isolates (4) carried variant toxin genes (A-B+). All the (A-B+) isolates from pork were found to harbour the binary toxin genes (cdtA and cdtB). Based on the detection of PaLoc region comprising regulatory genes tcdC, tcdR and tcdE revealed that the two toxigenic chicken isolates (A+ B+) possessed tcdC and tcdE ,while the remaining four toxigenic pork isolates (A-B+) carry tcdR and tcdE, respectively. All the 17 C. difficile isolates showed higher resistance pattern to ciprofloxacin (70.59%), followed by cefotaxime (58.82%), clindamycin (29.41%) and tetracycline (17.64%) but 100 per cent sensitive to chloramphenicol, moxifloxacin, tigecycline, metronidazole and vancomycin. All the beef isolates were clindamycin- resistant with an MIC of 96 - 128 mg/ml. While, all C. difficile isolates from pork and dry fish were sensitive to the antimicrobials tested except ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime, the four chicken isolates were sensitive to the antimicrobials except ciprofloxacin.
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    ThesisItemUnknown
    Toxin gene profiling of Clostridium difficile in food and food products of animal origin
    (Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara,Guwahati, 2017-07) HAZARIKA, RITAM; SHARMA, R. K.
    The present work was undertaken with a view to investigate the presence of Clostridium difficile in food and food products of animal origin and profiling of toxin genes. A total of 235 samples were collected from different sources including raw meat (beef, pork, chicken and chevon), meat products (dry beef, dry pork, cooked chicken, chicken sausage and chicken salami), raw cow milk, milk product (Indian paneer) and fish products (dry fish and canned fish). Out of the total 235 samples, initially 56 (23.83%) samples revealed suspected colonies of C. difficile. All the suspected colonies exhibited the typical colony morphology with horse manure odour and typical Gram-positive rod shaped cell with sub-terminal spores. Among 56 tentative isolates, 17 (7.23%) could be confirmed as C. difficile, based on the detection of species specific gluD (GDH) and tpi (triose phosphate isomerase) genes. The 17 confirmed C. difficile isolates comprised of 15 (8.24%) from raw meat and meat product samples and remaining two (11.11%) from fish product samples. None of the samples from cooked chicken, raw chevon, chicken sausage, chicken salami, canned fish, cow milk and paneer yielded any C. difficile isolates. All the 17 C. difficile isolates were screened for detection of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) protein and toxin A and /or toxin B by enzyme immuno assay (EIA), out of which all isolates were found positive for GDH protein and six were found to be phenotypically positive for toxin production. The C. difficile isolates were characterized by PCR for detection of toxin genes (tcdA, tcd B and binary toxin) and PaLoc region. Antimicrobial resistance pattern was also tested against nine different antimicrobial agents by E-test. Altogether, six C. difficile isolates were found to be toxigenic. Out of which two were from chicken samples and four from pork samples. All the toxigenic isolates from chicken (2) samples possessed both tcdA and tcdB (A+ B+), while all the pork isolates (4) carried variant toxin genes (A-B+). All the (A-B+) isolates from pork were found to harbour the binary toxin genes (cdtA and cdtB). Based on the detection of PaLoc region comprising regulatory genes tcdC, tcdR and tcdE revealed that the two toxigenic chicken isolates (A+ B+) possessed tcdC and tcdE ,while the remaining four toxigenic pork isolates (A-B+) carry tcdR and tcdE, respectively. All the 17 C. difficile isolates showed higher resistance pattern to ciprofloxacin (70.59%), followed by cefotaxime (58.82%), clindamycin (29.41%) and tetracycline (17.64%) but 100 per cent sensitive to chloramphenicol, moxifloxacin, tigecycline, metronidazole and vancomycin. All the beef isolates were clindamycin- resistant with an MIC of 96 - 128 mg/ml. While, all C. difficile isolates from pork and dry fish were sensitive to the antimicrobials tested except ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime, the four chicken isolates were sensitive to the antimicrobials except ciprofloxacin.