Sriyutha Murthy

• Ph.D.
• Research Officer at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre

Candida albicans is a common commensal fungus and fourth most frequent causative agent of nosocomial infections including life-threatening invasive candidiasis in humans. The effectiveness of present antifungal therapies using azoles, polyenes, flucytosine and echinocandins has plateaued in managing fungal infections. The limitations of these antif...

Heavy infestation by Perna viridis has been observed in the sub-seabed seawater intake tunnel and CWS of a tropical coastal power station in-spite of continuous low dose chlorination regime (0.2 ± 0.1 mg L-1) (CLDC), indicating periodical settlement and growth. Continuous arrival of mussels (colonized in the sub seabed tunnel intake section) at the...

Thermal-discharges from power plants highly disturb the biological communities of the receiving water body and understanding their influence is critical, given the relevance to global warming. We employed 16 S rRNA gene sequencing to examine the response of two dominant marine bacterial lifestyles (planktonic and biofilm) against elevated seawater...

Biofilm formation by marine diatoms is a complex process influenced by various factors and parameters. In this study, we investigated the biofilm formation abilities of marine diatoms on different substrates, including glass, mild steel, and polypropylene. Surface characterization data played a crucial role in understanding the biofilm formatio...

Biofilm formation is a common challenge faced by various industries, including those operating in marine environments. In marine environments, biofilm consists of complex communities of microorganisms, including bacteria, algae. These microorganisms attach to submerged surfaces, especially to the hulls of ships which eventually leads to corrosion a...

A systematic assessment of biogrowth development on titanium coupons exposed to ambient seawater (intake) and chlorinated seawater (pump house) environments of a coastal nuclear power plant was carried out. Titanium coupons were exposed for a period of 2 years and periodically removed at monthly intervals for biogrowth assessment. Biofouling biomas...

The process of biofouling is ubiquitous to surfaces exposed in the marine environment. The problem is common to industries abstracting seawater for condenser cooling purpose like power plants, etc. Biofouling control and environment are two sides of a coin with respect to industrial cooling water system (CWS). Conventionally oxidizing biocides are...

The non-stick & foul release property of silicones was first reported in the early 1970s, with surface free energy of 22 – 24 dynes/cm offering a minimally adhesive surface to biological organisms. The superior antifouling performance of tri-butyl tin- self-polishing coatings TBT-SPC systems outshone all other antifouling formulations from 1970 to...

Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONs) emerged as antimicrobials due to the occurrence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains. Antimicrobial activity has been shown to be influenced by the route of synthesis and precursors. Hence, a plethora of literature exists on prominent MONs like Ag2O, CuO, ZnO, TiO2, MgO, Al2O3, and Au, as activity was infl...

Bacterial communities colonized on submerged substrata are recognized as a key factor in the formation of complex biofouling phenomenon in the marine environment. Despite massive maritime activities and a large industrial sector in the nearshore of the Laccadive Sea, studies describing pioneer bacterial colonizers and community succession during th...

Removal efficacy of biogenically (Desulfovibrio desulfuricans) synthesized bimetallic Pd/Fe nanoparticles on the toxic azo dye Methyl Orange (MO) was evaluated using DM and natural water bodies. Nanoparticle concentration and conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Biogenic Pd/Fe nanoparticles exhibited higher removal (9...

Marine biogrowth infestation of a seawater intake system was investigated. A digital camera fixed onto a skid was used to record the biogrowth at intervals of 5 m up to a depth of 55 m. Divers inspected the intake shaft and collected the biogrowth samples for biomass estimation. A biomass density of 7.5 kg m⁻² and 28.2 kg m⁻² was recorded at 5 and...

https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1dKSA,3pss0X3V Increased adhesion and biofilm formation by marine microalgae as well as inhibition of settlement of invertebrate larval forms on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) foul release coatings is a challenge to overcome. Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NP) were synthesized by a wet chemical precipitation route and...

Polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS), CuO nanocomposites (NCs) were prepared using plain CuO and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) capped (0.05 & 1.0M) CuO nanoparticles as nanofillers. Incorporation of plain CuO and CuO-1M capped NP as nanofillers into PDMS altered their surface roughness and imparted biocidal activity by release of metal ions. CTAB...

Perna viridis Linnaeus (1758) is a major foulant in the cooling water systems of electric power stations located on the East coast of India. Though chlorination is considered an effective fouling control measure, the strategy may fail in the case of bivalve mussels, due to the ability of the mussels to close their shells and still survive for exten...

Phytoplankton production, succession and community composition is limited by nutrients, temperature and spectral properties. Elemental ratios serve as indicators for predicting productivity of phytoplankton including diatom. Deep ocean water (DOW) as a marine natural resource is rich in inorganic nutrients. In the present study, as part of the OTEC...

The effects of two prominent copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NP and Cu2O-NP), with the oxidation state of Cu⁺⁺ (cupric) and Cu⁺ (cuprous), on Candida albicans were evaluated. CuO-NP and Cu2O-NP were synthesized and characterized by XRD, FESEM, HR-TEM and Zeta potential. At sub-MIC (50 µg ml⁻¹), both cupric and cuprous oxide NPs prevented yeast-to-h...

Biofilm formation on antifouling coatings is a serious concern in seawater cooling systems and the maritime industry. A prolific biofilm forming strain (Staphylococcus lentus), possessing high tolerance (>1,000 µg ml⁻¹) to dissolved copper ions (Cu⁺⁺) was isolated from titanium coupons exposed in the coastal waters of Kalpakkam, east coast of India...

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is an extensively used implant material in biomedical devices. Biofilm formation creates issues in PMMA-based biomedical implants, while emergence of drug resistant pathogens poses an additional complication. Hence development of surfaces that resist bacterial colonisation is extremely desirable. In this context, n...

In the present study, an attempt has been made to explore the antifouling potential of bioactive compound isolated from sponge associated bacterium Halobacillus kuroshimensis SNSAB01. The crude extract of SNSAB01 strongly inhibited the growth of fouling bacterial strains with least minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal con...

Marine invertebrates, especially biofouling species, have a complex life cycle involving both free-swimming pelagic larval phase and a sessile benthic adult phase. The transition from pelagic to benthic phase, called larval metamorphosis, is often mediated by microbial biofilms. Because microbial components of biofilms are sensitive to environmenta...

Phytoplankton entrained into cooling water systems of coastal power stations are subjected to acute chemical stress due to biocides (chlorine) used for biofouling control. They are subsequently released into the environment, where they may survive/recover or succumb. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of a centric (Chaetocero...

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is seen as an effective alternative to chlorine, which is widely used as an antifouling biocide. However, data on its efficacy against marine macrofoulants is scanty. In this study, acute toxicity of ClO2 to larval forms of the fouling barnacle Amphibalanus reticulatus was investigated. ClO2 treatment at 0.1 mg/L for 20 min...

Polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) is an excellent implant material for biomedical applications, but often fails as it is prone to microbial colonization which forms biofilms. In the present study CuO, CTAB capped CuO, and ZnO nanoparticles were tested as nanofillers to enhance the antibiofilm property of PDMS against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichi...

Composition polysiloxane based coatings are currently the only viable commercial alternative of the toxic biocide containing antifouling paints. Oil incorporation improves the foul-releasing ability of the polysiloxane coatings. The impact of non-reactive, different molecular mass, both siloxane and fluorinated oil on the biofilm formation onto dev...

Biofouling is a costly problem, and it is encountered in a wide spectrum of technical systems, ranging from the shipping industry, power industry, water purification, automobile industry, paint and pharmaceuticals, to the microelectronics and food industries. Micro- and macroorganisms attach to surfaces and accumulate there, forming biofilms that c...

Macrofouling organisms readily colonize artificial man-made structures, cooling water intake tunnels, culverts, pump chambers and heat exchangers. Cooling water systems if not properly treated invariably become susceptible to biofouling. The problem is particularly severe in the tropics and is site-, season-, and substratum-specific. Further, cooli...

Biofilms are considered to be ubiquitous in industrial and drinking water distribution systems. Biofilms are a major source of contribution to biofouling in industrial water systems. The problem has wide ranging effects, causing damage to materials, production losses and affecting the quality of the product. The problem of biofouling is operational...

Macrofouling organisms readily colonize artificial man-made structures, cooling water intake tunnels, culverts, pump chambers and heat exchangers. Cooling water systems if not properly treated invariably become susceptible to biofouling. The problem is particularly severe in the tropics and is site-, season-, and substratum-specific. Further, cooli...

The purpose of this study was to investigate hydrolysis of animal fleshing (ANFL), a predominant tannery solid waste and to characterize the acetogenic fermentation products of anaerobic digestion. The acidogenic digestibility of the tannery solid wastes were evaluated up to 120 h using batch anaerobic digestion tests performed under mesophilic con...

Marine bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus sphericus, Vibrio furnisii, and Brevundimonas vesicularis) were shown to degrade nylon 6 and 66 in mineral salt medium at 35 1C and pH of 7.5 under submerged enrichment conditions with the polymer as the sole carbon source. The degradation led to the formation of new functional groups NHCHO, CH 3 , CONH 2...

High density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP) coupons were immersed for a period of 6 months in Bay of Bengal near Chennai Port (Port) and Fisheries Survey of India (FSI). Samples were retrieved every month and the extent of biofouling and biodegradation were monitored by measuring biological and physicoch...

At the proposed site for the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion power plant on the east coast of India, biofilm formation and its control using intermittent chlorination in plate heat exchangers was studied prior to commissioning of the plant. Settlement of fouling larvae was not observed on the plates, which may be attributed to the low density of la...

The Indian edible oyster Crassostrea madrasensis is an important fouling organism in the coastal waters of both east and west coasts of India. The oyster larvae were reared in the laboratory and their response to settlement and metamorphic inducers was tested. Natural biofilms developed under field (light) and laboratory (dark) conditions, a unispe...

Microbial films, which develop on submerged artificial surfaces, elicit variable responses in settling invertebrate larvae. There is no information on the response of the larvae of the tropical fouling barnacle, Balanus reticulatus to biofilms. Therefore, the influence of biofilms and their components (such as bacteria, diatoms and bacterial exopol...