India possess huge livestock population, which is endangered by different endemic infectious diseases (bacterial, viral, protozoan and parasitic), which collectively causes significant economic losses to the landless poor farming community. Infectious diseases impose economic losses by causing morbidity, mortality, decreased production (milk, meat, wool etc.), decreased feed conversion ratio which results in reduced weight gain, decreased draught power and fertility. Furthermore, economic burden is also due to the cost of treatment, abortion, consequences on internal livestock movement, germplasm and international trade. In addition, some of the diseases are zoonotic and inflicts considerable impact on public health. Uncertain agrarian climate, unpredictable weather, drought, floods, migration of livestock, scarcity of fodders, and unhygienic zoo-sanitary and healthcare practices together resulted in endemicity of diseases ultimately leads to more incidence and prevalence of livestock and poultry diseases throughout the year. Synchronized monitoring and surveillance of disease throughout the country is a fundamental requirement for sustainable livestock production. With fairly developed telecommunication in India, following technologies like interactive voice response system, SMS through mobile/cell phones and toll-free landline phones (voice mail) are required for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of

The objective of the present investigation is focused on the anti-cancer activity of the ethanolic crude extract of Moringa concanensis leaf and bark against HepG2 cell line. The study was facilitated by collecting the plant sample and subjected to ethanol crude extraction. The anti-cancer activity of the crude extracted sample against HepG2 cell line was examined by MTT assay. The study confirms that the leaf crude extract of M. concanensis has pronounced anti-cancer potential against HepG2 cell lines while compared to that of the bark extract. The plant investigated possesses remarkable anti-cancer activity and hence isolation of the compound contributing to the activity may lead to develop at a novel and natural phytomedicine for the disease. Article InfoReceived:19 September 2014 Accepted:7

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Aim:The aim of the study was to characterize bluetongue virus serotype 16 (BTV-16), recently isolated from different states of India. The evolutionary relationship of newly isolated BTV-16 and previously reported Indian and global BTV-16 isolates were compared using molecular analysis.Materials and Methods:In the present study, five (n=5) BTV-16 isolates were used to amplify gene segment-2 and segment-6 encoding the outer capsid proteins VP2 and VP5, respectively. The amplified products were purified and sequenced by the Sanger sequencing method. The phylogenetic relationship and nucleotide identity of all five BTV-16 isolates were compared with previously reported Indian and global BTV-16 isolates. Nucleotide sequence data were aligned using the CLUSTAL W algorithm implemented in the MegAlign of DNASTAR program package (MegAlign 5.00, DNASTAR Inc., Madison, USA). Phylogenetic analyses were carried out using MEGA version 6.0 software with the best nucleotide substitution model.Results:Phylogenetic analysis based on the VP2 and VP5 encoding genes, segregates Indian BTV-16 isolates in a distinct cluster with proximity to the Eastern topotype. Indian isolates make a monophyletic cluster with Eastern topotypes with Western topotype BTV-16 (BTV-16/NIG/AJ586694) occupying a separate cluster. Indian isolates were found to share 91.5%-97.5% and 96.5%-98.9% identity at the nucleotide and deduced amino acid (aa) level, respectively, to the global BTV-16 isolates. There is a high degree of variation with the Nigerian isolate with 27.0-27.7% and 26.0-26.9% at the nucleotide and aa sequence level, respectively. These data suggest that Indian BTV-16 isolates might have evolved separately within the Eastern BTV topotype.Conclusion:Phylogenetic analyses and nucleotide identity of BTV-16 isolates at the VP2 and VP5 gene encoded level indicate that isolates used in the present study might have evolved from a common Eastern topotype ancestor. The data presented in this study will be helpful for future selection of reference strains in a serological and molecular epidemiology study.

Capripox viruses of small ruminants, namely goatpox virus (GTPV) and sheep pox virus (SPPV) are responsible for important contagious diseases that are enzootic to the Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Middle East. In the present study, recombinant F13L and P32 proteins of GTPV were expressed in prokaryotic system, purified and confirmed in Western blot in order to evaluate their diagnostic potential. Full length F13L ( 1 M-L 370 aa) and truncated P32 ( 20 V-S 270 aa) genes of GTPV-Uttarkashi strain were cloned into pET-33b(+) vector, over-expressed in prokaryotic system and purified as histidine-tagged protein using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography under denaturing conditions and passive elution method, respectively. The recombinantF13Land P32 proteins lacked fusion tag from vector except histidine tag for purification as analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Expression was confirmed with Western blot using anti-GTPV serum. The purified recombinant F13L and P32 proteins can be used potential diagnostic antigen/s either individually or in combination for sero-diagnosis of capripox virus infections.