Traditionally, the distribution of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes in India has been characterized by widespread prevalence of ancestral lineages (TbD1+ strains and variants) in the south and the modern forms (TbD1− CAS and variants) predominating in the north of India. The pattern was, however, not clearly known in the south-central region such as Hyderabad and the rest of the state of Andhra Pradesh where the prevalence of both tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is one of the highest in the country; this area has been the hotspot of TB vaccine trials. Spoligotyping of 101 clinical isolates obtained from Hyderabad and rural Andhra Pradesh confirmed the occurrence of major genogroups such as the ancestral (or the TbD1+ type or the East African Indian (EAI) type), the Central Asian (CAS) or Delhi type and the Beijing lineage in Andhra Pradesh. Sixty five different spoligotype patterns were observed for the isolates included in this study; these were further analyzed based on specific genetic signatures/mutations. It was found that the major genogroups, CAS and “ancestral,” were almost equally prevalent in our collection but followed a north-south compartmentalization as was also reported previously. However, we observed a significant presence of MANU lineage in south Andhra Pradesh, which was earlier reported to be overwhelmingly present in Mumbai. This study portrays genotypic diversity of M. tuberculosis from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and provides a much needed snapshot of the strain diversity that will be helpful in devising effective TB control programs in this part of the world.

Alstonia venenata R. Br. belonging to the family Apocynaceae is a tall evergreen shrub distributed throughout Peninsular India. Stem-bark, root-bark, fruits and leaves are used by many tribal communities and also in Ayurveda. The study investigates the phytochemical composition of hexane, butanol, methanol and water extracts of Alstonia venenata fruits and flowers as well as the TLC profile of hexane extracts of fruits and flowers. Quantitative data of the wet and dry weight, yields from different solvent fractions and percentage yields were noted. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins and phenolic compounds from the various extracts. Alkaloids were present in all the fractions tested. Methanol extracts of fruits and flowers showed the presence of major phytoconstituents. TLC profile of hexane extracts of fruits and flowers were developed using anisaldehyde sulphuric acid/ceric sulphate (steroids/terpenoids) and Dragendorff’s spray reagents (alkaloids). Petroleum ether: Chloroform: Methanol (5: 4.5: 0.5) showed good resolution for the hexane extracts of fruit and flower when treated with Dragendorff’s spray reagent. Petroleum ether: Chloroform (1:1) was best for the hexane exacts of flowers and fruits when sprayed with ceric sulphate spray reagent