Mangaluru (TNN): Two 14-year-old girls from Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district have bagged national laurels for their project 'On The Study of Anti-Bacterial and Anti-fungal Properties of Pandanus unipapillatus' that will help the medical world expand research on anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties in the plant.
The Class IX students Shrilakshmi Pai N and Pratheeksha S of Sri Ramakrishna High School, Puttur, conducted research on Pandanus unipapillatus found abundantly on river banks and ponds in the south-west region. The two carried out extensive research to find the anti-microbial property of Pandanus unipapillatus (also known as Mundoovu in Kannada), a palm-like, deciduous tree and shrub, native to the tropics and subtropics.
"Through evaluation of extracts from Pandanus unipapillatus in the laboratory, the children found anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties in it. The results in both samples showed the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria and inhibition of the fungi Candida albicans," said Vasanthi Kedila, guide and science teacher of Shrilakshmi and Pratheeksha.
Vasanthi told STOI the outcome of students' studies will help in developing drugs that could cure various skin diseases and respiratory tract infections including pneumonia.
Shrilakshmi and Pratheeksha bagged the gold medal for their project at Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science (IRIS) National Fair held in Ahmedabad from December 4 to 7. They have now qualified to take part in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair to be held in Pittsburgh, USA, from May 10 to 15, after two coaching camps.
