Macrofungi belonging to the phylum Basidiomycota are mostly used as medicinal mushrooms in many countries. In the present study, hundred basidiocarp of macrofungi were collected from Tamilnadu during rainy season. The basidiocarp was found in association with root/trunk of living trees, wood log and decayed matter. Among the hundred basidiocarp, 49 were grown into axenic cultures. Notable variations in the macroscopic characteristics of the basidiome and culture morphology were observed. To study the genetic diversity, the molecular taxonomy of the isolates was carried out using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 5.8S rRNA gene sequence marker. Thirty-two strains belonging to the order Polyporales, Hymenochataeles and Russuales under the division Basidiomycota were classified based on phylogeny analysis. This study provides first evidence for the occurrence of species Fulvifomes fastuosus (LDCMY39 and LDCMY43) and Ganoderma wiiroense (LDCMY02, LDCMY08, LDCMY11, LDCMY17 and LDCMY19) from southern India. Molecular evidence for the existence of Phellinus badius was given for the first time as well. These data enhance our understanding on the diversity of macrofungi in India, which could be further exploited for biomedical applications.

Dengue virus (DENV) infection is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, which is fatal if untreated symptomatically. Emergence of new genotype within serotypes led to enhanced severity. The objective of the study is to identify the molecular characteristics of the DENV circulated during 2017 outbreak in Tamil Nadu, India, and to investigate the role of inflammatory cytokines in different “serotypes” and in “dengue severity”. A total of 135 suspected samples were tested for DENV infection using IgM, IgG, and qPCR assay; where 76 samples were positive for DENV and analyzed for 12 inflammatory cytokines using ELISA. Serotyping shows 14 DENV-1, 22 DENV-2, 7 DENV-3, and 33 DENV-4, where DENV-4 was predominant. Among 76, 42 isolates were successfully sequenced for C-prM region and grouped. A lineage shift was observed in DENV-4 genotype. Irrespective of serotypes, IFNγ was significantly elevated in all serotypes than control as well as in primary infection than secondary, indicating its role in immune response. GM-CSF and IP-10 were significantly elevated in secondary infection and could be used as prognostic biomarkers for secondary infection. Our observation shows differential cytokine expression profile varied with each serotype, indicating serotype/genotype-specific viral proteins might play a major role in dengue severity. DENV-4 as dominant serotype was reported in Tamil Nadu for the first time during an outbreak with a mixed Th1/Th17 cytokine expression profile that correlated with disease severity. We conclude it is essential to identify circulating viral genotype and their fitness by mutational analysis to correlate with disease severity and immune status, as this correlation will be helpful in diagnostics and therapeutics applications.

Isomeric pterocarpans, Dolichin A and Dolichin B of Macrotyloma uniflorum were docked with the three replication enzymes of HIV (Reverse transcriptase, Protease, Integrase). Analysed results proved that the docking score was high for Protease with Dolichin A (-6.6899) and Dolichin B (-6.6944) among Reverse transcriptase and Integrase. AIDS therapies could be scrutinized and /or replaced after the successful inihibitory effect of Dolichin. This study will support the cutting edge of HIV research and drug designing to find out a less side effect causing herbal formulations.

Wolbachia is an alpha-proteobacteria present in several arthropods. The present study focussed on the identification of Wolbachia in wild malarial vector mosquitoes. This was achieved by molecular identification of Wolbachia from collected mosquitoes. A total of four hundred and eight seven mosquito samples were collected. Morphometric and molecular analysis revealed that they belong to Anopheles culicifacies s.l., (48.25%) and Anopheles stephensi (51.75%). The presence of Wolbachia was identified using 16S rRNA, wsp and FtsZ genes, where nested PCR of 16S rRNA alone was successful and then sequenced. Only seven mosquitoes (1.4%) were positive for Wolbachia. In silico and restriction digestion of 16S rRNA gene product using RsaI enzyme showed that the identified Wolbachia belongs to supergroup B. The prevalence rate of natural Wolbachia was lesser in native malarial vector An. culicifacies s.l. and An. stephensi was about 1.7% and 1.2%, respectively. This is the first report on the presence of Wolbachia in Anopheles culicifacies s.l. and Anopheles stephensi.