• Energy Research

Bacterial photophysiology was previously limited to photoautotrophs. The discovery of bacteriophytochromes in non-photoautotrophs raised a question whether these non-photoautotrophs are affected by the presence or absence of light? In this research work for the first time, bacterial hydrocarbon degradation and biomass production was studied under the influence of nutrients, illuminance (light flux) and time. An experimental model was designed, with six isolated bacterial strains (Pseudomonas poae BA1, Pseudomonas rhizosphaerae BP3, Bacillus thuringiensis BG3, Acinetobacter bouvetii BP18, Pseudomonas proteolytica BG31 and Stenotrophomonas rhizophila BG32) under four different conditions of nutrient media and illuminance at three time intervals of 15, 30, and 45days without shaking. All strains showed statistically higher hydrocarbon degradation under nutrient rich, dark conditions. Highest biodegradation (80.8, 79.4, and 78.7mg) was observed in BG31, BG17 and BG3 respectively. Nutrient rich media along with dark conditions improved the biomass production, and when media was nutrient deprived, higher biomass was produced in the presence of light. This work proved that light and nutrients significantly affect bacterial populations and hydrocarbon degradation. The optimal use of these parameters could facilitate to achieve the goal of remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated sites.

Biodegradation and biomass production are affected by numerous environmental factors including pH, oxygen availability and presence of pollutants. The present study, for the first time, elucidated the effects of nutrients and light on mycodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in diesel oil. Seven fungal strains (Aspergillus terreus FA3, Aspergillus niger FA5, Aspergillus terreus FA6, Penicillium chrysogenum FP4, Aspergillus terreus FP6, Aspergillus flavus FP10, and Candida sp. FG1) were used for hydrocarbon degradation under static conditions, in four combinations of nutrient media and illuminance for 45 days. Highest degradation was achieved by Aspergillus terreus FA6 and Candida sp. FG1 under both conditions of light and dark, with nutrient deprived HAF (Hydrocarbon adopted fungi) broth. Under HAF/Dark diesel oil degradation by FA6 and FG1 was 87.3% and 84.3% respectively, while under HAF/Light both FA6 and FG1 performed 84.3% biodegradation. The highest biomass was produced by Aspergillus flavus FP10 in PDB (Potato dextrose broth)/Dark (109.3 mg). Fungal degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons was negatively affected by the presence of other simpler-to-degrade carbon sources in the medium. The biomass production was enhanced by improved nutrient availability and diminished by illuminance.

In the last decade, many malaria-endemic countries, like Zambia, have achieved significant reductions in malaria incidence among children <5 years old but face ongoing challenges in achieving similar progress against malaria in older age groups. In parts of Zambia, changing climatic and environmental factors are among those suspectedly behind high malaria incidence. Changes and variations in these factors potentially interfere with intervention program effectiveness and alter the distribution and incidence patterns of malaria differentially between young children and the rest of the population. We used parametric and non-parametric statistics to model the effects of climatic and socio-demographic variables on age-specific malaria incidence vis-à-vis control interventions. Linear regressions, mixed models, and Mann-Kendall tests were implemented to explore trends, changes in trends, and regress malaria incidence against environmental and intervention variables. Our study shows that while climate parameters affect the whole population, their impacts are felt most by people aged ≥5 years. Climate variables influenced malaria substantially more than mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying interventions. We establish that climate parameters negatively impact malaria control efforts by exacerbating the transmission conditions via more conducive temperature and rainfall environments, which are augmented by cultural and socioeconomic exposure mechanisms. We argue that an intensified communications and education intervention strategy for behavioural change specifically targeted at ≥5 aged population where incidence rates are increasing, is urgently required and call for further malaria stratification among the ≥5 age groups in the routine collection, analysis and reporting of malaria mortality and incidence data.