Journal of Advances in Microbiology

Current Advances in the Diagnosis, Immunopathology, Treatment and Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis

2026-07-11T10:34:23+00:00

Lymphatic filariasis is a mosquito-borne neglected tropical disease caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and Brugia timori, and remains an important public health problem in endemic regions. This review summarises current advances in the diagnosis, immunopathogenesis, treatment and elimination of lymphatic filariasis. The disease has a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic infection to recurrent inflammatory episodes and chronic manifestations such as lymphoedema, hydrocele and chyluria. Its pathogenesis reflects prolonged parasite survival in the lymphatic system, host immune regulation, inflammatory responses associated with Wolbachia endosymbionts, and progressive lymphatic damage. Diagnostic methods have expanded from nocturnal blood microscopy to antigen-detection tests, antibody-based assays and molecular techniques. Rapid antigen tests have improved field-based mapping and surveillance, while ELISA and PCR-based methods provide greater sensitivity in low-transmission or post-treatment settings, although their operational use remains limited by cost and infrastructure. Treatment has also advanced through the use of mass drug administration and triple-drug ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine and albendazole regimens, with doxycycline offering an additional approach through depletion of Wolbachia. Morbidity management, including lymphoedema care and hydrocele surgery, remains essential for affected individuals and should be considered alongside transmission interruption. Global elimination efforts have achieved measurable progress, but persistent transmission foci, incomplete treatment coverage, diagnostic limitations, population movement, funding constraints and environmental change continue to challenge elimination in several endemic settings. The manuscript emphasises that elimination depends on both biological effectiveness and operational feasibility. Sustained integrated strategies combining effective treatment, sensitive surveillance, morbidity management, vector control and health-system strengthening are required to consolidate gains and support long-term interruption of transmission.

Next-generation Microbial Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture: A Critical Review of Advances in Plant–microbe Interactions, Biofertilisers and Microbiome Engineering

2026-07-29T13:07:19+00:00

Microbial technologies are increasingly promoted as a route to lower the environmental burden of crop production while sustaining yields, yet the distance between mechanistic promise and reliable field performance remains substantial. This critical narrative review examines the current state of three interlinked domains: the ecology of plant–microbe interactions, the development of biofertilisers and microbial inoculants, and the emerging practice of microbiome engineering. The literature was identified and verified through Crossref Metadata Search and the international Digital Object Identifier resolution system, complemented by citation tracing of recent reviews, with an emphasis on peer-reviewed evidence published between 2011 and 2026. The synthesis shows that the conceptual foundations of the field, including community assembly, host filtering and the holobiont perspective, are comparatively secure, whereas the translation of these principles into dependable agronomic tools is not. Mechanisms of plant growth promotion such as phytohormone modulation, nutrient mobilisation and induced systemic resistance are well characterised under controlled conditions, but their expression in the field is strongly modulated by soil context, host genotype, resident community resistance and formulation quality. The evidence for engineered associative nitrogen fixation in cereals, host-mediated microbiome selection and synthetic community design is mechanistically compelling yet largely confined to proof-of-concept studies. Recurrent weaknesses include short experimental horizons, geographical concentration of trials, inconsistent reporting and a scarcity of independent replication, which together sustain an efficacy–reproducibility gap. The most defensible near-term gains lie in resident-aware inoculant design, standardised multi-site trialling and the integration of microbiome phenotypes into crop breeding, while the ecological and biosafety implications of deliberate microbiome manipulation require structured assessment. Confidence in current conclusions is calibrated accordingly, and priorities are proposed to move the field from descriptive potential towards demonstrated agronomic value.

Taxonomy of the Phylum Basidiomycota: A Critical Narrative Review of Molecular Phylogenetic Classification, Persistent Nodes of Uncertainty and Nomenclatural Change

2026-07-30T11:56:15+00:00

Background: Basidiomycota is the second-largest phylum of the kingdom Fungi and encompasses mushroom-forming fungi, jelly fungi, rust and smut pathogens, and numerous basidiomycetous yeasts, underpinning processes ranging from lignocellulose decomposition and ectomycorrhizal symbiosis to major diseases of cereal and other crops. Its higher-level classification has been substantially reorganised since the introduction of ribosomal DNA sequencing and multigene phylogenetics, yet several deep nodes and boundary questions remain contested.

Purpose and Scope: This critical narrative review synthesises molecular phylogenetic and phylogenomic evidence bearing on the classification of Basidiomycota, from the establishment of the three principal molecular subphyla through to the most recent kingdom-wide taxonomic outlines, with attention to methodological quality, convergent and conflicting findings, and unresolved taxonomic problems.

Approach: Evidence was drawn from peer-reviewed systematic, phylogenomic and nomenclatural studies identified through structured searches of major bibliographic and taxonomic sources, appraised for taxon sampling, locus and data type, analytical framework and congruence among independent datasets, and synthesised thematically rather than as a study-by-study catalogue.

Principal Themes: The review traces the transition from morphology-based classification to ribosomal, multilocus and, subsequently, genome-scale phylogenomic classification; examines the internal architecture of Agaricomycotina, Pucciniomycotina, Ustilaginomycotina and the more recently recognised Wallemiomycotina; addresses the contested phylum-level status of Entorrhizomycota; and considers species-level delimitation, DNA barcoding, cryptic diversity and the 2011 abandonment of dual nomenclature for pleomorphic fungi. Case studies of rust fungi, smut fungi and agaricoid clades illustrate how host-driven diversification, genomic sampling and convergent morphological evolution continue to reshape family- and order-level classification.

Unresolved Questions: Substantial disagreement persists over deep divergence times, the placement of several depauperate or long-branched lineages, the exact phylogenetic position of Entorrhizomycota relative to Basidiomycota, and the adequacy of single-locus barcoding across ecologically and phylogenetically disparate lineages, while taxon sampling remains geographically and phylogenetically uneven.

Implications: A stable, predictive classification of Basidiomycota will depend on expanded phylogenomic sampling of under-represented lineages, greater methodological consistency in divergence-time estimation, and continued integration of ultrastructural and ecological evidence with molecular phylogenies. Current frameworks provide a robust and largely convergent working hypothesis rather than a fully settled system.

Deciphering the Areca Microbiome: Metagenomic Insights into Yellow Leaf Disease of Areca catechu

2026-08-01T11:28:14+00:00

Yellow leaf disease (YLD) is a chronic, yield-limiting disorder of areca palm (Areca catechu L.) reported across India, China and Sri Lanka, characterised by progressive foliar chlorosis, root degeneration and crown decline. For more than four decades the disorder has been associated with phytoplasma infection, yet independent surveys have repeatedly reported different 16Sr taxonomic groups in different regions, and a substantial proportion of symptomatic material has tested negative for phytoplasma altogether. Over the past six years this single-pathogen framing has been complicated further by the discovery of areca palm velarivirus 1, by long-standing evidence implicating nutrient imbalance and waterlogging, and, most recently, by direct demonstration of phytoplasma-velarivirus co-infection in symptomatic palms. In parallel, a smaller but growing body of amplicon and shotgun metagenomic studies has begun to characterise the bacterial and fungal communities of the areca phyllosphere, endosphere and rhizosphere, revealing consistent reductions in microbial richness and shifts in dominant taxa in diseased tissue relative to healthy tissue. This review synthesises, for the first time, the phytoplasma, viral, nutritional and metagenomic literatures on areca YLD within a single microbiome-centred framework, evaluating the strength, consistency and methodological quality of the evidence for each proposed explanatory model. The available evidence indicates that no single causal agent adequately accounts for the geographic and temporal variability of YLD symptomatology, and that microbial community composition, host nutrition and at least two distinct classes of pathogen may interact to produce a shared clinical phenotype. Methodological heterogeneity, small and geographically restricted sample sizes, near-exclusive reliance on amplicon rather than shotgun sequencing, and the absence of longitudinal or manipulative experiments currently prevent firm causal attribution. Priority research needs include shotgun metagenomic and metatranscriptomic surveys spanning the phytoplasma-positive, velarivirus-positive, co-infected and pathogen-negative disease classes, standardised nutrient and microbiome sampling across the major producing regions, and controlled inoculation studies capable of testing Koch-type postulates for each candidate agent. A microbiome-integrated diagnostic and research framework is proposed as the most defensible route toward resolving the persistent aetiological uncertainty surrounding this economically important disease.

Characterization and Functional Gene Analyses of Microorganisms in Remediated Sites in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

2026-07-09T07:49:33+00:00

Petroleum hydrocarbon pollution is a severe environmental threat worldwide, and decades of oil exploration in Gokana, Rivers State, have led to extensive soil contamination and affected microbial diversity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of post-remediation measures through the assessment of microbial diversity and the determination of alkane degradation genes (alkB) in the area. Soil samples were collected from four sites: long-term remediated dryland (LRDL), pristine dryland control (PDL), pristine wetland control (PWL), and unremediated wetland (URWL). Total heterotrophic bacteria (THB), hydrocarbon-utilising bacteria (HUB), total fungi (TF), and hydrocarbon-utilising fungi (HUF) were identified based on morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterisation, while alkane degradation genes (alkB) were detected using specific primers. The findings showed that soil microbial counts varied significantly across sites. Pristine dryland (PDL) had the highest THB count at 98.3 × 10⁶ CFU/g, and TF followed a similar pattern. In contrast, HUB was highest in LRDL at 92.8 × 10⁴ CFU/g, while HUF peaked in LRDL at 42.4 × 10² CFU/g. A total of 42 species were identified. Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger, and Fusarium solani. The alkB gene occurred in three of five tested bacterial isolates, whereas no fungal isolates carried detectable alkB. Overall, the findings suggest partial but meaningful remediation success in dryland sites in Gokana, with a need to prioritise wetland-specific remediation and longitudinal multi-parameter monitoring.

Molecular Characterisation of Salmonella Species Isolated from Various Drinking Water Sources in Some Parts of Bauchi Metropolis, Nigeria

2026-07-10T12:43:26+00:00

Contamination of drinking water by pathogenic bacteria remains an important public health concern, particularly in communities that rely on multiple treated and untreated water sources. This study investigated the occurrence and molecular characteristics of Salmonella species isolated from selected drinking water sources in Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria. A total of 250 water samples were collected over six months from wells, boreholes, and tap water in Wuntin Dada, Jahun, Yelwa, and Bakin Kura. The samples comprised 165 well water samples, 55 borehole samples, and 30 tap water samples. Isolation and presumptive identification were carried out using standard microbiological procedures, including culture on selective media, Gram staining, microscopy, and biochemical tests. Molecular confirmation was performed using polymerase chain reaction targeting bacterial 16S rRNA and Salmonella-associated virulence genes, including invA and fliC, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Of the 250 water samples examined, 32 were positive for Salmonella species, giving an overall occurrence of 12.8%. Among the positive isolates, 21 were obtained from well water, 7 from borehole water, and 4 from tap water. The isolates showed typical morphological and biochemical features consistent with Salmonella species, including Gram-negative rods, pale colonies on MacConkey agar, black-centred colonies on Salmonella-Shigella agar, oxidase negativity, catalase positivity, citrate utilisation, and urease negativity. Molecular analysis detected target gene bands consistent with bacterial and Salmonella-associated markers in the tested isolates. The findings indicate that drinking water sources in the study area were contaminated with Salmonella species and highlight the need for improved water-source protection, routine microbiological monitoring, and effective water-treatment practices.

Comparative Evaluation of Artificial Inoculation Techniques for Powdery Mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) in Wheat

2026-07-20T11:08:19+00:00

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, is a major foliar disease of wheat that significantly affects crop productivity worldwide. Standardisation of an efficient artificial inoculation technique is essential for reliable disease establishment in resistance screening, epidemiological studies, and disease management research. The present investigation was conducted during the 2024–2025 Rabi season under glasshouse conditions to compare four artificial inoculation methods—spraying, brushing, rubbing, and dusting—using the susceptible wheat cultivar PBW 343. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomised design with three replications, and disease severity was assessed at weekly intervals using the 0–4 infection-type scale of Smith and Blair (1950). Significant differences among the inoculation methods were observed throughout the experimental period. During the first week after inoculation, rubbing recorded the highest disease severity (1.67), followed by dusting (1.33), spraying (1.16), and brushing (0.67), whereas no symptoms were observed in the control. In the second week, disease severity increased to 2.50 for rubbing, 2.33 for dusting, 1.67 for spraying, and 1.33 for brushing. By the third week, rubbing and dusting each produced a disease severity score of 3.50, followed by spraying (2.50) and brushing (2.17). In the fourth week, rubbing resulted in the maximum disease severity (4.00), followed by dusting (3.83), spraying (3.50), and brushing (3.17), while the control recorded 2.00. The overall mean disease severity was highest for rubbing (2.92), followed by dusting (2.75), spraying (2.21), brushing (1.83), and the control (0.96). The superior performance of rubbing was attributed to the efficient transfer of viable conidia, ensuring rapid, uniform, and reproducible infection. Under the study conditions, rubbing was the most effective and dependable artificial inoculation technique for B. graminis f. sp. tritici and may provide a standardised protocol for wheat resistance screening, host–pathogen interaction studies, epidemiological investigations, and the evaluation of disease management strategies.

Effect of Disinfection Practices on Survival and Productivity of Silkworm (Bombyx mori)

2026-07-20T13:05:34+00:00

Disinfection is an essential component of hygienic silkworm rearing because microbial contamination can reduce larval survival and cocoon productivity. This study evaluated five disinfection practices for Bombyx mori under a completely randomized design with four replications and 100 larvae per replication. The treatments comprised an untreated control, rearing-room disinfection with 2% formalin, bed disinfection with slaked lime, combined 2% formalin and slaked lime and the commercial bed disinfectant Vijetha. Larval survival, disease incidence, single cocoon weight, shell weight, and shell ratio were recorded and analyzed using analysis of variance, and treatment means were separated by Tukey’s test at the 5% significance level. All measured parameters differed significantly among treatments (p < 0.05). The combined formalin and slaked lime treatment produced the highest larval survival (94.10 ± 0.44%) and the lowest disease incidence (5.90 ± 0.09%), whereas the untreated control recorded the lowest survival (81.50 ± 0.91%) and the highest disease incidence (18.50 ± 0.18%). The combined treatment also recorded the greatest single cocoon weight (2.05 ± 0.29 g), shell weight (0.46 ± 0.004 g) and shell ratio (22.44 ± 0.31%). Vijetha improved performance relative to the control but was less effective than the combined treatment. These findings indicate that integrating rearing-room disinfection with bed sanitation can reduce disease pressure and improve cocoon traits under controlled rearing conditions. Formalin should be applied according to recommended procedures with appropriate protective measures and ventilation.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Erwinia sp. Causing Bacterial Blight of Eucalyptus in Western Kenya

2026-07-23T12:03:53+00:00

Bacterial blight is an emerging disease threatening eucalyptus production in Kenya; however, information on the identity and pathogenicity of the associated bacterial pathogens remains limited. This study aimed to characterise bacterial pathogens associated with bacterial blight of eucalyptus in Western Kenya using morphological, molecular and pathogenicity analyses. Symptomatic leaves and shoots of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus camaldulensis were collected from six commercial nurseries in Kisumu and Siaya counties, Kenya, between May 2025 and May 2026. Twenty-nine bacterial isolates were recovered and characterised based on Gram reaction, cell shape, motility, colony colour, colony shape, colony margin, colony surface and colony diameter. Morphological similarity was assessed using Gower's distance coefficient and Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) clustering in R, with the optimal clustering solution (k = 3) selected using the highest average silhouette width (0.53). Representative isolates were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, while pathogenicity was evaluated on one-month-old eucalyptus seedlings of each species in a completely randomised design under glasshouse conditions. Twenty-nine bacterial isolates exhibiting significant morphological variation (P < .001) were recovered. BLASTn analysis identified isolates belonging to the genera Erwinia, Pantoea, Enterobacter, Burkholderia, Pseudomonas and Kosakonia, with sequence identities ranging from 98.15% to 100%. Phylogenetic analysis placed the most virulent isolate, ECKSN1_Ep11, within the Erwinia clade. Pathogenicity differed significantly among isolates (P < .001), with ECKSN1_Ep11 causing the highest disease severity on E. grandis (84%) and E. camaldulensis (80%). This study provides the first molecular characterisation of Erwinia-associated bacteria linked to bacterial blight of eucalyptus in western Kenya and identifies ECKSN1_Ep11 as the most virulent isolate recovered. These findings enhance understanding of the disease aetiology and provide a foundation for improved diagnosis, surveillance and management, while multilocus sequence analysis or whole-genome sequencing is recommended for definitive species identification.

On-Farm Evaluation of Multi-mechanism Insecticidal Rotations for Suppressing the Pod Borer Complex in Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.)

2026-07-25T09:39:56+00:00

A multi-locational, four-year on-farm trial (OFT) was conducted from 2022 to 2025 across diverse rainfed environments in Maharashtra, India, to evaluate the bio-efficacy, economic sustainability, and field resilience of an advanced insecticide rotation module (T2) against the baseline Farmer's Practice (T1) for managing the blackgram pod borer complex. The targeted chemical sequence (T2) comprised monocrotophos 36% SL (625 mL/ha), chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC (100 mL/ha), profenofos 50% EC (700 mL/ha), and emamectin benzoate 5% SG (440 g/ha). To broaden the regional context of the study, the findings were compared with author-provided 2025 local benchmark data that evaluated eco-friendly biorationals and conventional standalone chemistry (quinalphos 25EC) under similar regional agro-climatic conditions. Over the four-year evaluation cycle, the T2 module consistently outperformed the farmer's practice, restricting mean pod damage to 4.62%–8.31% compared with 7.23%–14.62% in T1. This pest suppression translated into grain yield increases of 8.50% to 11.83% over T1. During the 2024 season, characterised by severe regional abiotic stress that reduced base yields by more than 50%, the T2 module maintained higher net returns (Rs. 4,515/ha) than the control plots (Rs. 2,279/ha). In comparison, the standalone applications of quinalphos 25EC and Neem Seed Extract (NSE 5%) reported in the author-provided 2025 local benchmark dataset achieved grain yields of 8.80 q/ha and 8.60 q/ha, respectively. While standalone chemical treatments such as quinalphos recorded an Incremental Benefit-Cost Ratio (ICBR) of 1:9.61 due to lower initial application costs, the field-scale T2 rotation module achieved economic safety margins with a peak ICBR of 11.68 and total B:C ratios up to 2.48. Furthermore, although conventional broad-spectrum chemicals may disrupt beneficial fauna, incorporating targeted biorationals such as NSE 5% and Bacillus thuringiensis can help maintain populations of natural enemies, including ladybird beetles and spiders, and may support the integration of chemical rotations with biological conservation. This study indicates that a multi-mechanism insecticidal rotation can provide an effective and remunerative option for stabilising pulse production under variable rainfed production systems.

Development and In-vitro Evaluation of a Probiotic-embedded Enteric Capsule for Simultaneous Antibiotic Delivery and Gut Microbiota Protection

2026-07-28T12:06:11+00:00

Antibiotic therapy remains indispensable for the treatment of bacterial infections; however, it frequently disrupts the intestinal microbiota, leading to antibiotic-associated dysbiosis and complications such as antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD). Although probiotic supplementation has been widely recommended to restore microbial balance, conventional co-administration often results in poor probiotic survival during gastric transit and direct exposure to antibiotics, thereby reducing therapeutic effectiveness. The present study was designed to develop and evaluate a new dual-delivery enteric capsule system that achieves spatial and temporal separation of probiotic microorganisms from antibiotics within a single oral dosage form.
Five probiotic strains were isolated from commercially available probiotic formulations (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium longum, Bacillus clausii, Bacillus coagulans and Saccharomyces boulardii) and characterised using morphological and biochemical methods. Susceptibility to amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, azithromycin and ciprofloxacin was determined using the broth macrodilution method over a concentration range of 0.06-256 µg/mL. Enteric-modified gelatin capsule shells containing probiotic cultures were prepared using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP), while antibiotics (250 mg) were separately encapsulated in the capsule core. The formulation was evaluated using a two-stage simulated gastrointestinal dissolution model comprising simulated gastric fluid (pH 2.5, 2 h), followed by simulated intestinal fluid (pH 6.8 containing 0.3% bile salts). The enteric capsule shells maintained their integrity during the gastric phase, preventing premature release of the antibiotics and probiotics. Slow disintegration of the capsules under intestinal conditions enabled controlled antibiotic release (around 65–83% in 120 min) and recovery of viable probiotic cells from the capsule matrix. Saccharomyces boulardii maintained high viability because of its intrinsic resistance to antibiotics, whereas Bifidobacterium longum showed reduced survival, consistent with its antibiotic susceptibility profile. Spectrophotometric estimation indicated reliable antibiotic quantification within the analytical calibration ranges. The results indicate the potential of an enteric dual-delivery capsule to protect probiotics during gastric transit and provide controlled antibiotic delivery in the intestine. Although further optimisation and in vivo validation are required, this formulation represents a promising microbiota-aware approach to improving antibiotic therapy and reducing antibiotic-associated dysbiosis.