Resumen

"Currently there's no actual culture medium that can support dinoflagellates Pyrodinium bahamense out of their natural environment. This research seeks to extend the lifespan of the dinoflagellates Pyrodinium bahamense var bahamense for more than a week without their natural habitat in which they have all the required elements to survive. The study aims to find an effective culture medium for these organisms through the use of injectable vitamin B Complex, Lagoon Sediment and Mangroves decomposing leaves. It wants to create a medium that can expand these dinoflagellates Pyrodinium bahamense and lifespan without having to go sample water many times from the lagoon. The research hypothesis is that the experimental group in which contained lagoon sediment, leaves and Vitamin B Complex did succeed in extending the dinoflagellates P.bahamense lifespan for more than a week. Water was sampled from Laguna Grande in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and 13 gallons were collected, 12 of which were placed in 2.5 gallon tanks and supplemented with Vitamin B Complex, sediment from the lagoon and decomposing mangrove leaves. The remaining gallon were treated with Lugol's solution to fix the samples and perform an initial count; after the initial count, dinoflagellates from each tank started being counted. When the remaining tanks got counted every 4 days the counts per liter were approximated to counts per gallon. A ANOVA test was made to determine differences between the groups. The results explained that there's a 96% that explains the variance of counts per gallon. This brings evidence that the null hypothesis is rejected and a medium that contains a concentration of 0.00054 mg/L of vitamin b complex can sustain and extend dinoflagellates Pyrodinium bahamense var bahamense lifespan.

Palabras claves: Culture Medium, Dinoflagellates, Bioluminiscence, Lifespan, Pyrodinium bahamense var bahamense 

Resumen

Las infecciones bacterianas causadas por Staphylococcus aureus y Pseudomonas aeruginosa representan un desafío creciente debido al aumento de la resistencia a los antibióticos convencionales. Como respuesta, la búsqueda de alternativas naturales ha tomado relevancia. Este estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar la efectividad antimicrobiana de extractos naturales de ajo (Allium sativum) y cúrcuma (Curcuma longa) en diferentes concentraciones (10%, 20%, 30%, 40% y 100%) contra dichas bacterias. Se prepararon los extractos mediante maceración y filtrado, y se realizaron pruebas de sensibilidad microbiana utilizando placas de agar Mueller Hinton, midiendo los diámetros de inhibición bacteriana para determinar su eficacia. Los resultados mostraron que S. aureus presentó zonas de inhibición más amplias en comparación con P. aeruginosa, lo que sugiere una mayor sensibilidad de esta bacteria Gram-positiva a los compuestos bioactivos presentes en los extractos. Se observó que la concentración del 100% mostró la mayor eficacia antimicrobiana en ambas bacterias, aunque el efecto fue más significativo en S. aureus. Estos hallazgos respaldan el potencial de la combinación de ajo y cúrcuma como una alternativa natural efectiva contra infecciones bacterianas, con la posibilidad de ser utilizada como un tratamiento complementario o preventivo. Además, el uso de estos extractos podría contribuir a reducir la dependencia de los antibióticos sintéticos, ayudando a mitigar el problema de la resistencia antimicrobiana. Futuras investigaciones pueden centrarse en la optimización de las concentraciones y la aplicación de estos compuestos en el ámbito clínico.

Palabras claves: Antimicrobianos naturales, ajo y cúrcuma, resistencia bacteriana, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus.

Resumen

Momordica charantia, or bitter melon, possesses many reported medicinal uses, with literature demonstrating it has antibacterial potential. This study evaluates the antibacterial properties of M. charantia against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica typhimurium. Ethanolic, filtered water, and unfiltered water extracts from the plant’s fruit, seeds, seed arils, and leaves were tested using the disc diffusion assay. Results showed limited antibacterial activity overall. Unfiltered water extracts, particularly from seed arils, demonstrated the highest antibacterial potential, though results were inconsistent. S. enterica typhimurium was generally more susceptible than S. aureus. However, the disc diffusion method may underestimate activity for less polar or nonpolar compounds. Future research should explore alternative testing methods, identify specific active compounds that target the becateria, and assess the plant’s potential for developing topical or gastrointestinal treatments.

Palabras claves: Microbiología, bacterias, productos naturales