Two hundred samples of foodstuffs and water were examined for the presence of Enterococcus sp., of which 105 were identified as positive. Sixty samples of foodstuffs and water were examined for the presence of Staphylococcus sp., of which 48 were identified as positive. The isolated strains were identified and, based on their generic attributes, they were ranked to genus Enterococcus and Staphylococcus. For sorting, a STAPHYtest 16, API Staph and EN-COCCUS tests were used. The isolates were further subjected to screening of susceptibility to antibiotics, a broth microdilution method was applied.

To determine if Campylobacter jejuni grown at 37 and 42 °C have different abilities to survive on beef and chicken, and in water. Beef, chicken and water were separately inoculated with four Camp. jejuni (two poultry and two beef) strains grown at 37 or 42 °C. The matrices were stored at ~4 °C and Camp. jejuni numbers were monitored over time by plate counts. On beef there was a greater decrease in number for two strains (P < 0·05; ~0·7 and 1·3 log CFU cm⁻²) grown at 37 °C as compared with 42 °C. By contrast on chicken there was a decrease in numbers for two strains (P < 0·05; ~1·3 and 1 log CFU g⁻¹) grown at 42 °C as compared with 37 °C. In water there was a greater decrease in numbers for all strains (P < 0·05; ~3-5·3 log CFU ml⁻¹) grown at 42 °C as compared with 37 °C. Growth temperature influences the survival of Camp. jejuni on food and in water. Campylobacter jejuni survival studies need to consider growth temperature to avoid erroneous results. Campylobacter jejuni grown at 37 °C, the body temperature of humans and cattle, may represent a greater public health risk in water than those grown at 42 °C, the body temperature of poultry.

As befits a CGIAR Challenge Program , the CPWF has welcomed a wide range of stake holders and partners in accord with their ability to achieve program goals. Decision on research investments (project selection) have been based on a competitive grants in which proposal quality was evaluated by an interdependent external panel. The usual weakness of a competitive grants approach - lack of coherence in research agenda has been address by Basin Focal Projects and synthesis research.

There are many options for enhancing food production from fish in managed aquatic systems.The most appropriate technology, however, will vary from place to place, and the conditions under which one technology is prefered over another are still not well defined.

This document summarizes presentations and discussions of the workshop to launch the Challenge Program on Water and Food Project No. 1 for the Limpopo river basin in southern Africa. The project is funded through the CGIAR's Challenge Program for Water and Food. It aims to improve food security and farm incomes for smallholder farmers in the Limpopo basin, which covers parts of Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Usando la técnica de espectrometría gamma y protocolos estandarizados, a nivel latinoamericano, se midió la actividad específica en Bq kg-1 de productos alimentarios y agua, ambos productos fueron adquiridos directamente en los supermercados. Los descendientes de uranio y torio, así como isótopos antropogénicos, no fueron encontrados. K 40 es el único isótopo natural presente en los productos.

Usando la técnica de espectrometría gamma y protocolos estandarizados, a nivel latinoamericano, se midió la actividad específica en Bq kg-1 de productos alimentarios y agua, ambos productos fueron adquiridos directamente en los supermercados. Los descendientes de uranio y torio, así como isótopos antropogénicos, no fueron encontrados. K 40 es el único isótopo natural presente en los productos.

The work is intended to explore the suitability of underutilized coconut water (a byproduct of food industry) for the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS) by Agrobacterium sp. CFR 24. Besides checking the suitability of coconut water for the production of water-soluble (WS) and water-insoluble (WIS) EPS, certain fermentation parameters, such as initial pH, incubation period and kinetics of EPS production were investigated. The coconut water medium was found to support the production of both types of EPS. The optimal initial pH and temperature was found to be 6·0 and 30°C, respectively. In shake flask (150 rev min[superscript [-]1]) studies, high-cell density inoculum resulted in the production of 11·50 g l[superscript [-]1] of WIS-EPS and 4·01 g l[superscript [-]1] WS-EPS after 72 and 96 h of fermentation, respectively. Coconut water was found suitable for the production of microbial EPS by Agrobacterium sp. CFR 24 strain. Under optimum conditions, it produced a good amount of WIS-EPS, which is comparable with that of the sucrose medium (11 g l[superscript [-]1]). This is the first report on the use of coconut water as a fermentation medium for the production of any microbial EPS. Besides producing value-added products, use of this food industry byproduct, which is often being drained out, can significantly reduce the problem of environmental pollution.

In winter 2004/2005, 1532 Water Pipits were recorded during 37 censuses carried out along an established route on a sewage farm flooded with wastewater (Wrocław, SW Poland). Single birds were seen in nearly 39% of all 299 encounters, while the largest concentrations, between 16–28 individuals, accounted for 9%. 78% of all birds were observed on meadows flooded with communal wastewater. The remaining ones stayed around irrigation ditches (n = 172, 11.5%), sedimentation basins (n = 88, 5.9%) and reedbeds (n = 72, 4.8%). The mean size of the Water Pipit concentration was largest on the meadows (mean ± SE = 6.54 ± 0.50 individuals) and smallest at the sedimentation basins (mean = 1.44 ± 0.14). In this winter season (December-first half of March), rainfall enlarged numbers of birds to forage on the meadows, and the thickness of the snow cover was positively correlated with bird abundance at the sedimentation basins. The dominant available prey items inhabiting the warm wastewater were Diptera larvae (96%), 88% of which belonged to the genus Eristalis. The mean (± SD) invertebrate biomass was highest in the basin sediments (1.03 ± 1.14 g/dm³ of deposits), and lowest on the flooded meadows (0.20 ± 0.37 g/dm³ of deposits). The results point to the significance of the artificial environmental conditions created by warm sewage water, which enable the birds to remain largely independent of the weather and thus to overwinter in a cold region of central Europe.

Em dois viveiros povoados com juvenis de pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) foram estudadas algumas variáveis físicas, químicas e biológicas da água, durante o período de 105 dias, com coletas quinzenais pela manhã (9:00 horas). Estes viveiros foram submetidos a diferentes tratamentos de acordo com o manejo alimentar: um deles com fornecimento diário de ração; o outro, sem arraçoamento durante 60 dias, sendo, após este período, iniciado o fornecimento de ração aos peixes por 30 dias. A avaliação limnológica da água mostrou que as variáveis estudadas presentaram pequenas flutuações durante o estudo. O curto tempo de residência da água nos viveiros proporcionou uma oxigenação adequada, impedindo o acúmulo de nutrientes a níveis tóxicos, como amônia e nitrito. Apesar do arraçoamento diário no viveiro 1 (V 1), os valores de nutrientes, condutividade, alcalinidade, entre outros, foram mais baixos do que no viveiro 2 (V 2). O curto tempo de residência da água do V 1 (1,61 dias), comparado ao V2 (2,22 dias), pode ter afetado essas variáveis. Não foram observadas flutuações acentuadas entre superfície, meio e fundo para os parâmetros analisados. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Viveiros, manejo, variáveis limnológicas, piscicultura, pacu.