The Jumping halfbeak, Hemiramphus archipelagicus Collette and Parin 1978, has been previously reported from the west coast of India (Arabian Sea). During a taxonomic study on Hemiramphidae, eight specimens of H. archipelagicus, collected from the coastal water of Odisha, east coast of India, were examined. The species is characterized by 13-14 dorsal-fin rays, 9-12 anal-fin rays, 11-12 pectoral-fin rays, 6 pelvic-fin rays, 25-28 gillrakers on first gill arch and 36-41 pre-dorsal scales, body width less than the depth (62.1-62.3% in body depth), pectoral-fin short (17.2-18.4% in SL) not reaching anterior margin of nasal pit when folded forward, dorsal fin without well-developed anterior lobe and absence of vertical bars on the sides of body. This is the first report confirming the occurrence of H. archipelagicus from the east coast of India (western Bay of Bengal) suggesting that this species is widely distributed throughout the Indian coast.

The mullet species under the family Mugilidae, considered to be a commercially important teleost, are mostly found in coastal waters throughout the world, distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate areas. In terms of taxonomic study, biogeography and distribution pattern of mullets remain unclear due to difficulty in separating the species based on morphological characters. Thus, there is a need to study the taxonomy of Mugilidae. Further, phylogeny of family Mugilidae also exceptionally obscure at inter and intraspecific levels challenges exist in species under the family. The present study, has brought a new observation in form of temporary black dots (patrial pigmentation abnormality), especially in three species of Mugilidae were observed. Sometimes these pigmentation pattern can lead to misidentification or identification as different species. Further, DNA Barcoding (COI gene) and morpho-meristic analysis performed to resolve the ambiguity in the species identification, confirmed these species as Mugil cephalus, Planiliza sp., Osteomugil perusii. Present study will help to avoid the misidentification of species, which will assist biologists and managers for acquiring more information their distribution and life history pattern.

Species, under the genus Rhynchorhamphus (Family: Hemiramphidae), are widely distributed marine groups of fishes. Among four species described from India, only two species, i.e., Rhynchorhamphus georgii and R. maabarica, are reported along the Indian coast. However, during the present study, a specimen collected from the Western Indian Ocean, Chetty harbour, Kerala, the south-west coast of India, has been identified as Rhynchorhamphus naga (Collette, 1976), based on morphology and molecular characters. The species is characterized by D-14; A-14; Pec-9; Pev-6; GR-50 and a prolonged beak (171.82% HL). The species has been reported from Western Central Pacific and several other countries like Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam considered to be endemic to that region. This finding reveals that the species has a wider distribution, as we recorded the species from Kerala, south-west coast of India along the Indian Ocean.

No abstract

Mycobacterium leprae causes leprosy. M. leprae enters the body through the upper respiratory tract where it interacts with host’s cells. Interferon (IFN) is a class of cytokines in human body that are released in case of viral and intracellular pathogen infection and they activate the immune cells to eradicate those pathogens. IFN-γ (Type-II IFN) confers immunity against bacterial, viral, and protozoan diseases. Loss of function mutations in IFN-γ results in poor immunity towards mildly virulent mycobacterium. Upon M. leprae invasion, monocytes enter the site of infection and differentiates into macrophages. IFN-γ induces endothelial cells (EC) of the pathogenic micro-environment to cause monocyte differentiation into pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages for immediate antimicrobial activity. This differentiation is ceased in the absence of endothelial cells. M1 macrophages are clinically more active than anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages induced by resting EC. The former produced higher amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to the TLR2/1 ligand of M. leprae. The former also showed elevation of vitamin D-associated antimicrobial pathway genes, which are required to counter M. leprae. In addition, the former accumulates less oxidised LDL to prevent growth of M. leprae. Thus, advancement of IFN-γ research would help in the design of next-generation anti- leprosy therapeutics.