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The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Bacteria found at Rajgir hot spring shows antibacterial activity
To live a cozy life on the earth, a temperature of around 25° to 30° C is ideal. But during a heat wave, where temperatures can cross 40° C, the consequences can be deadly. Humans and most complex multicellular organisms are not built to tolerate such heat. That doesn't mean no living thing can, however. Bacteria called thermophiles (meaning 'heat lovers') have been known to tolerate 45° to 70° C of heat. Such a high temperature can give human skin third-degree burns. While such an environment may seem hellish to people, thermophilic bacteria see an opportunity. Places on the earth with temperatures like this — including hot springs, deep-sea thermal vents, and compost piles — offer a mineral-rich neighbourhood with relatively few competing life forms. To gain an edge, some thermophilic bacteria produce potent antibiotics as weapons to neutralise their competitors. This is exactly why scientists have deemed hot springs around the world to be unexplored mines of antibiotic-producing bacteria. For example, thermophiles isolated from hot springs in the Asir and Jizan regions of Saudi Arabia have been found to produce a variety of potent antibiotics effective against gram-positive pathogenic bacteria. The hot springs of India are not very well studied, however. But driven by their putative value, researchers at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Tamil Nadu examined the Rajgir hot spring lake in Nalanda district of Bihar. Their findings were published last month in the Indian Journal of Microbiology. Exploring microbial diversity 'People take holy baths in these hot spring lakes, thinking diseases can be relieved,' K.V. Bhaskarrao, professor at VIT and corresponding author of the study paper, said. 'As a microbiologist, I know that along with the elements that are present in the water, some of the microorganisms can also be responsible for this so-called curative activity.' Studying which microbes are present in these hot spring lakes is challenging because researchers have to collect water and soil samples from a hot environment. At Rajgir, the temperature of the water can go up to 45° C, and the soil nearby can range between 43° and 45° C. After collecting the samples, the researchers identified the microorganisms present in them, for which they used 16S rRNA metagenomics. This technique relies on identifying the 16S rRNA gene, which is found in all microbes but has slight variations across species, thus helping scientists to identify bacteria accurately. Researchers found many species of bacteria but one group that particularly caught their attention was the Actinobacteria, which made up 40-43% of the microbial diversity at the lake. Bacteria belonging to this group are known producers of antimicrobial compounds. Well-known drugs like streptomycin and tetracycline were first discovered as the products of Actinobacteria. 'Hot springs studied till now showed very little diversity of Actinobacteria: — sometimes it is like 20% — but in our study I saw them to be abundant at Rajgir,' Aparana Kumari, a PhD scholar and first author of the study, said. Discovering antibiotic-producing bacteria has become more pressing in the era of antimicrobial resistance — a silent epidemic fuelled by the unwarranted use of antibiotics. Bacteria have responded by developing ways to resist the drugs, reducing the latter's potency. One outcome is the rising cost of healthcare, since multiple antibiotics may be required to treat a single infection. The World Health Organisation has projected antimicrobial resistance will add up to $1 trillion in healthcare costs worldwide by 2050. Additionally, on average, pharmaceutical industries have been known to require a decade to bring novel antibiotics to the market whereas bacteria develop resistance in much less time. Thus, the discovery of any bacterium that can produce a potent antibiotic against pathogens is considered good news. Not all thermophiles produce antibiotics, however, and to find out which ones do, the VIT researchers conducted an antibacterial efficiency experiment. They cultured the prospective bacteria with different pathogenic strains: Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. If the test bacteria could inhibit the growth of the pathogenic bacteria on a culture plate, it was confirmation that an antimicrobial compound was being produced. In this way, the team was able to identify seven strains of Actinobacteria that produced potent antimicrobials against several pathogens. Going a step further, researchers aimed to isolate the specific antibacterial compounds produced by these bacteria. In another paper published in Chemical Papers, an antibacterial compound was successfully extracted from a bacterium identified as Actinomycetales bacterium spp., obtained from the Rajgir hot spring. (While the Chemical Papers study was published before the Indian Journal Microbiology one, the work it describes came after.) This bacterium produced a range of compounds. To isolate the one with antibacterial activity, the researchers used gas chromatography mass spectrometry, a sophisticated technique to separate compounds based on their chemical properties. The compound was found to be diethyl phthalate and it inhibited the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogenic bacterium that causes listeriosis, a fatal foodborne infection. This finding suggests that diethyl phthalate could potentially be developed as a drug against L. monocytogenes infections. Industrial, agricultural potential The potential of thermophiles goes beyond antibiotics: they have many applications across industries. For example, the PCR test — widely in use during the COVID-19 pandemic to check for the virus's presence — requires an enzyme that was first found in a thermophile called Thermus aquaticus. A 2018 study in Frontiers in Microbiology by Banaras Hindu University researchers reported that a cocktail of bacteria from a hot spring in the Chumathang area of Leh district has the ability to promote plant growth. Associate professor and the study's lead author Jay Prakash Verma said hot-spring strains are effective for industrial and agricultural applications thanks to their heat-tolerant properties. Mohit Nikalje is an IISc alumnus and a science communicator based in Bengaluru.
The Hindu
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
VIT launches new BBA programme in Vellore campus to make students industry-ready at global level
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is introducing a new programme under its Bachelor of Business Administration course which will help students navigate global careers better with the right skills, knowledge and exposure, from this academic session. A panel of three speakers from VIT outlined the course details, the eligibility criteria and its future opportunities at The Hindu-Education Plus webinar on Navigating Global Education with BBA, held in association with VIT on Friday under 'Career counselling series'. The new programme BBA (Financial Analytics) is a four-year collaborative degree programme between VIT and Binghamton University, State University of New York, under which students wishing to study abroad could complete first two years in Vellore campus and the last two years in the US. Subashini R, Associate Professor and Divisional Head of Human Resource Management, VIT Business School, said the curriculum had been jointly designed and developed after lot of research. Citing 2015 to 2025 statistics, she said, it was found that employability of management graduates in India was the highest at 78% followed by engineering and Computer Applications at 71.5% and 71% respectively. Manoharan M, Associate Professor at the VIT Business School, who is involved in implementing global business management programmes with US universities, said, industries such as banking, investment, insurance, technology, healthcare and consultancy firms are actively seeking skilled analysts to navigate financial complexities. Last date for applying is May 31 midnight.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Storytelling contest calls for raconteurs of all ages to showcase skills
A national storytelling championship, in which participants can narrate folktales, personal anecdotes or original stories, would be held for budding and seasoned storytellers to showcase their talent and skills. The competition will be conducted by ACEnovation, with The Hindu in School as the media partner and VIT, Chennai as organising partner. The registration fee per participant is ₹400. Participants from the age of 3 and above can submit stories in any language in a total of six categories. Every registrant will be able to avail gift subscriptions to The Hindu Group's children's products (two months' subscription to The Hindu Young World or three months' subscription to Young World Club digital or six issues of The Hindu in School). They can also access free online workshops on the art and science of storytelling and choose to attend any two workshops on a variety of topics. A free entry into the 'Hornbill Calls – Leader Talk' series is also on offer. The deadline to pay the fee is August 20, 2025 and free webinars will be held between May to August 2025. Entry submission A two-minute video should be submitted by August 21, 2025 in MP4 format. The submissions will be judged between August 21 and September 5 and finalists will be announced on September 10. The Junior finals will be held on September 20 and Senior finals will be held on September 21. The grand finale will be held on October 2 at VIT Chennai campus. The first place in each of the six categories take home trophies and cash prizes ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹1,00,000. Second prizes start from ₹10,000 and third prizes from ₹3,000 across various categories. For details, write to admin@ or call +91 8939951230. Visit for registrations.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
VIT, med univ to research AI-driven healthcare
Chennai: Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) and Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University have entered into a partnership for collaborative research in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. As per the Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ), the two institutions will collaborate in research, joint publications, development of new technologies, socially relevant product design, joint patent filing, and technology transfer. The MoU was signed by G V Selvam, vice-president of VIT, and Dr K Narayanasamy, vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University. In addition, the agreement promotes clinical validation processes, ethical clearances, and other collaborative activities that support translational research and innovation. There will be an exchange of students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programmes, faculty exchange, project guidance, and conducting joint hackathons and conferences from time to time. Scholarships or fellowships will also be provided for scholars, scientists, and faculty members involved in research work. The two institutions will also share knowledge resources, academic and training material, including access to the library and other resources, and will conduct certificate courses. "Bridging engineering and medical research is essential for future-ready healthcare, driving smarter and more accessible innovations. This partnership reflects VIT's commitment to aligning higher education and research with the nation's developmental and public health goals," Selvam said in a release. Dr Narayansamy highlighted the need for integrating technology with healthcare to deliver high-quality treatment.
Hans India
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
VIT Mauritius signs MoU with Binghamton University, US
Hyderabad: VIT Mauritius & Binghamton University, US recently signed an MoU to empower future leaders by offering transformative education and cross-continental opportunities. The MoU was signed by Dr G Viswanathan, Founder & Chancellor of VIT and Dr Harvey G Stenger, President of Binghamton University (SUNY), New York, US. The event was held at the Binghamton campus in the presence of Nobel laureate Dr M Stanley Whittingham and other senior leaders from both the institutions.
