Different strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) namely Lactobacillus acidophilus NCIM 2287,Lactobacillus plantarum NCIM 2085, Lactobacillus helveticus NCIM 2126 and Lactococcus lactis NCIM 2114 were procured from the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune, India. These LAB cells were individually (10 7 cfu/ml) sprayed using a sterile syringe on the dressed fresh mackerel fish chunks and incubated at 37°C for two days. The growth pattern of each LAB and their antagonism against fishborne spoilage bacteria namely, specific spoilage bacteria, halophilic bacteria, coliforms, lipolytic, proteolytic bacteria and total plate count were estimated for three days. Pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus was inhibited by Lb. acidophilus on the second day with 4.30 log difference as compared to control. The growth of specific spoilage bacteria was decreased by Lb. plantarum spray on the first day by 1.0 log difference. Lb. helveticus inhibited S. aureus on the third day by 3.5 log difference. Out of the four LABs tried, Lb. helveticus showed the best inhibitory effect against the fish-borne bacteria. All three LABs exhibited inhibition against the fish-borne spoilage bacteria, they may thus be potentially used as bio-preservative bacteria to preserve the whole fish meat or minced meat products etc. for a shorter duration.

A few species ofFusarium have been evaluated for their potential to produce lipids. The isolates under investigation exhibited wide variation with respect to the mycelial weight, total lipid content and percentage composition of polar and nonpolar lipids in which triglycerides were the major components (81–90%). Palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids were the major fatty acids in both the fractions. The polar lipids contained higher levels of linoleic acid, whereas nonpolar lipids contained oleic acid as the predominant acid. Nonpolar lipids were more saturated than polar lipids.

A gas-chromatographic method for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella sp. is described. A total of 96 urine samples from individuals with clinical symptoms of urinary tract infection or pyrexia of unknown origin were tested by conventional and gas-chromatographic methods for bacteriuria. The gas-chromatographic method showed complete agreement with the conventional method in diagnosing all of 16 cases of bacteriuria caused by E. coli and 4 cases caused by Klebsiella sp. The remaining two cases of bacteriuria, caused by other bacteria, were not detected by the gas-chromatographic method.

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Fusarium lini, F. lycopersici, F. pallidoroseum and F. semitectum grown in shake flasks produced, respectively, 0.19, 0.33, 0.13 and 0.09 units filter-paper cellulase/ml. Trichoderma reesei, in comparison, produced 0.8 U/ml.