Detection of Clostridium perfringens in full cream pasteurized cow milk in Dhaka city

In rapidly growing and high-burden urban centres, identifying tuberculosis (TB) transmission hotspots and understanding the potential impact of interventions can inform future control and prevention strategies. Using data on local demography, TB reports and patient reporting patterns in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Bangladesh, between 2010 and 2017, we developed maps of TB reporting rates across wards in DSCC and DNCC and identified wards with high rates of reported TB (i.e. 'hotspots') in DSCC and DNCC. We developed ward-level transmission models and estimated the potential epidemiological impact of three TB interventions: active case finding (ACF), mass preventive therapy (PT) and a combination of ACF and PT, implemented either citywide or targeted to high-incidence hotspots. There was substantial geographic heterogeneity in the estimated TB incidence in both DSCC and DNCC: incidence in the highest-incidence wards was over ten times higher than in the lowest-incidence wards in each city corporation. ACF, PT and combined ACF plus PT delivered to 10% of the population reduced TB incidence by a projected 7%-9%, 13%-15% and 19%-23% over five years, respectively. Targeting TB hotspots increased the projected reduction in TB incidence achieved by each intervention 1.4- to 1.8-fold. The geographical pattern of TB notifications suggests high levels of ongoing TB transmission in DSCC and DNCC, with substantial heterogeneity at the ward level. Interventions that reduce transmission are likely to be highly effective and incorporating notification data at the local level can further improve intervention efficiency.

Dengue, the most important mosquito-borne viral disease of humans is a recurring global health problem. In Bangladesh, dengue outbreaks are on the increase despite the efforts of government and it is not clear what the understanding of the general Dhaka population towards dengue fever is. Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) studies are essential guides in public health interventions. Hence, using KAP, this study aims to assess patient-perspectives with regards to factors associated with dengue, as well as investigate the associated factors between the two corporations in Dhaka. A Hospital-based cross-sectional study of 242 fever patients from two city-corporations in Dhaka (Dhaka North City Corporations, DNCC (n = 91, 37.6%) and Dhaka South City Corporation, DSCC (n = 151, 62.4%) was conducted using pre-tested KAP items. Wilcoxon’s Rank Sum was used to determine the KAP by DNCC, DSCC and both corporations and multivariate Poisson regression analyses. The two corporations were analysed separately due to the differences in income distribution, concentration of slums, hospitals and clinics. The study found that more than half of the study population were knowledgeable about dengue (mean percentage scores was 52%), possess an appropriate and acceptable attitude towards the disease (69.2%), and about two thirds of the respondents (71.4%) engaged in practices towards its prevention. After adjusting for the potential cofounders, the factors associated with KAP about dengue fever varied between DNCC and DSCC; with duration of residency and use of mosquito nets were associated with knowledge in the north while income class and age were associated with knowledge and attitude in the south. In the pooled analysis (combining both corporations), knowledge of dengue was associated with good practice towards dengue fever among the respondents. The duration of residence in Dhaka (10+ years), not using mosquito nets and length of time spent in the hospital (7+ days) due to dengue, and decreased knowledge (Adjusted coefficient (β) = -0.01, 95%CI: -0.02, -0.01) were associated with attitude towards dengue in DNCC. On the other hand, middle-high income class, age (40+ years) and increased knowledge were associated with practice towards dengue in DSCC (β = 0.02, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.03). Efforts to increase knowledge about dengue fever through education by the administrations of both corporations would benefit from targeting these high-risk groups for a more sustainable outcome.

Objective: Milk can provide more than 1/3 of the iodine content in hu- man diet. Moreover, iodine supply in cow's milk in Germany has improved throughout the last decade. Since 1982, analyses of io- dine content of cow's and human milk have been undertaken regularly in the State of Thuringia (East Germany). Data show in- creasing iodine concentration in milk over the past few years. Nonetheless, dietary sup- ply of iodine via milk needs to be continu- ously monitored. Material and methods: To investigate the latest trend of iodine content in milk over time, 135 samples of cow's milk and 65 samples of human milk were ana- lyzed by ICP-MS after digestion with tetra- methyl-ammonium hydroxide. Samples of cow's milk (conventionally and organically produced) were purchased from the same supermarkets in Thuringia in March and No- vember every year between 2007 and 2011. Human milk samples were obtained on a vol- untary basis from breast-feeding women in Thuringia during the same time period. Re- sults: Samples of cow's milk from 2007 to 2011 showed a mean iodine concentration of 122.0 ± 36.8 µg/l. There was no significant change during these 5 years (p > 0.05). In the same period, iodine content of conven- tionally produced milk was on average 51 µg/l higher compared to organically pro- duced milk (p < 0.001). For all human milk samples, the mean iodine content was 170 ± 96 µg/l, with a range of 45.6 - 478.4 µg/l. In breast milk, not only were high variations present between samples of milk from the individual women, but iodine content also varied over lactation time. Conclusions: The current results demonstrate that in East Ger- many the average iodine content in cow's milk has remained stable at an appropriate level during the last 5 years. Although io- dine concentrations in human milk likewise reveal relatively constant values on average, individual variations can be substantial.

The damage done in earthquake disasters is correlated to the types of housing structures that are present. In the last two decades of urbanization in Dhaka, rapid growth without proper planning has been a major concern. This study evaluates the performance of the decision tree and random forest techniques to predict structures’ vulnerability factors for buildings as a step towards improving earthquake disaster preparedness. Applying the decision tree algorithm to locations (wards) in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), we observed some important predictors of earthquake damage. Decision tree analysis reveals that the most important predictor for structures that fare well in earthquakes is the use of reinforced concrete, and a common factor among the most vulnerable structures is the soft story building style in the DNCC and DSCC areas. The random forest technique also showed reinforced concrete as being the most important factor for lowering the risk for housing structures, with the model having a 24.19% out-of-bag (OOB) error. As for vulnerability, soft story construction was a significant factor in estimating earthquake susceptibility (40.32% OOB error). The findings reveal that building materials in the DNCC are stronger than those in the DSCC but soft story buildings are more common in the DNCC, which make it one of the weakest parts of the area and point to the need to make plans to seismically retrofit soft story buildings.

A major earthquake has been forecast for Bangladesh in the near future due to its position at the junction of three continental plates. Should an earthquake occur, it is expected to be devastating, particularly in the capital city of Dhaka, due to a large number of high-rise buildings constructed on relatively unstable ground and the high population density of the metropolitan area. In this paper, we use statistical methods to identify correlations among the occupancy classes, essential facilities, and population density in both of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). Correlation analysis shows that medical care and emergency response are positively weak correlated in DNCC but negatively correlated in the residential areas in DSCC. Multiple regression analysis indicates that the potential to efficiently respond to a disaster is relatively low concerning the emergency response and medical care facilities in both of DNCC and DSCC area.

Simple SummaryBovine mastitis continues to be a leading cause of heavy economic losses in the dairy industry worldwide. Among a broad spectrum of infectious agents implicated in this pathology are unicellular, achlorophyllous microalgae of the genus Prototheca. The prevalence of mastitis due to Prototheca algae is currently increasing. The aim of this work was to explore a possible association of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism with Prototheca mastitis. The authors were eager to know whether metabolites of tryptophan degradation can be used as markers of the protothecal bovine mastitis. Both tryptophan and its metabolite kynurenine occurred at a significantly lower level in the milk of cows with mastitis compared to healthy animals. Whereas the activity of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, a key enzyme of tryptophan catabolism, was significantly higher in milk of mastitic cows compared to control animals. It was thus concluded that low values of tryptophan and kynurenine concentrations or elevated indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity in milk samples can be used as markers of mastitis due to Prototheca spp.The aim of this work was to investigate serum and milk levels of tryptophan (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), and kynurenic acid (KYNA), as well as the activity of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in cows with mastitis due to Prototheca algae. The study was prompted by previous research showing a link between the KYN pathway of TRP metabolism and bovine mastitis of bacterial etiology. The study was carried out over a 2-year period (2018–2019) and included quarter milk and serum samples collected from six dairy herds in Poland. The samples were obtained from healthy cows and cows with Prototheca mastitis of either clinical and subclinical manifestation, as determined upon direct measurement of the somatic cell count or indirectly by performing a California Mastitis Test on suspected quarters. Both TRP and KYN concentrations were significantly lower in milk of mastitic cows compared to healthy animals (0.8 vs. 8.72 µM, p = 0.001; 0.07 vs. 0.32 µM, p = 0.001, respectively). The difference in TRP and KYN concentrations in the sera of the two animal groups was much less pronounced (25.55 vs. 27.57 µM, 3.03 vs. 3.56 nM, respectively). The concentration of KYNA was almost at the same level in milk (1.73 vs. 1.70 nM) and in serum (80.47 vs. 75.48 nM) of both mastitic and healthy cows. The data showed that the level of TRP and its metabolites in serum was conspicuously higher compared to milk in all cows under the study. The activity of IDO was significantly higher in milk of cows with Prototheca mastitis compared to healthy animals (71.4 vs. 40.86, p < 0.05), while in serum it was pretty much the same (135.94 vs. 124.98, p > 0.05). The IDO activity differed significantly between serum and milk both for mastitic (135.94 vs. 71.4, p < 0.05) and healthy cows (124.98 vs. 40.86, p < 0.001). In conclusion, low values of TRP and KYN concentrations or elevated IDO activity in milk samples might be used as markers of mastitis due to infectious causes, including Prototheca spp.

BackgroundAntioxidant capacity of milk is largely due to vitamins A, E, carotenoids, zinc, selenium, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and enzyme systems. Cow milk has antioxidant capacity while the antioxidant capacity of buffalo milk has been studied in a limited way. The information regarding the effect of pasteurization and boiling on antioxidant capacity of cow and buffalo milk is also scared.MethodsCow and buffalo milk was exposed to two different heat treatments i.e. 65 °C for 30 min and boiling for 1 min. After heat treatments, milk samples were cooled down to 4 °C packaged in transparent 250 ml polyethylene PET bottles and stored at 4 °C for 6 days. Milk composition, total flavonoid content, total antioxidant capacity, reducing power, DPPH free radical scavenging activity, antioxidant activity in linoleic acid, vitamin C, A, E, selenium, Zinc, fatty acid profile, peroxide value and sensory characteristics were studied in raw, pasteurized and boiled cow and buffalo milk at 0, 3 and 6 days of storage period.ResultsTotal antioxidant capacity (TAC) of raw, pasteurized and boiled milk for cow (42.1, 41.3 and 40.7%) and buffalo (58.4, 57.6 and 56.5%) samples was found, respectively. Reducing power (RP) of raw cow and buffalo milk was 6.74 and 13.7 while pasteurization and boiling did not showed significant effect on RP of both cow and buffalo milk. DPPH activity of raw, pasteurized and boiled milk for cow (24.3, 23.8 and 23.6%) and buffalo (31.8, 31.5 and 30.4%) samples was noted, respectively. Storage period up to 3 days was non-significant while DPPH assay after 6 days of storage period indicated significant decline in antioxidant activity of milk samples. Antioxidant activity in linoleic acid (AALA) of buffalo and cow milk were recorded 11.7 and 17.4%, respectively. Pasteurization and boiling did not showed any impact on antioxidant capacity of cow and buffalo milk. The Loss of vitamin C in pasteurization (40 and 42%) and boiling (82 and 61%) of cow and buffalo milk was recorded, respectively. Concentration of vitamin A and E in pasteurized cow and buffalo milk was not significantly different from raw milk samples of cow and buffalo. Concentration of selenium and zinc was not influenced by the heat treatment in both cow and buffalo milk samples. After 3 days of refrigerated storage, antioxidant capacity of both cow and buffalo milk decreased. Concentrations of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids increased in pasteurized and boiled cow and buffalo milk, while long-chain fatty acids decreased in pasteurized and boiled cow and buffalo milk, with no effect on colour and flavor score. Peroxide value of pasteurized and boiled cow and buffalo milk was not influenced by the storage up to 3 days.ConclusionsThese results suggest that buffalo milk had a higher antioxidant capacity than cow milk and pasteurized milk should be consumed within 3 days of refrigerated storage for better antioxidant perspectives.

Urban green spaces and urban forest covers are a significant component of urban planning which is critically ignored in Bangladesh. This study aims to identify the prospects and challenges of achieving sustainable urban green spaces in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Bangladesh which is a significant indicator of the sustainable development goal (SDG11). We have analyzed the historical land use and land cover change (LULC) from 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022 using Landsat 4–5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images by ArcGIS 10.8 and Google Earth-pro software. The use of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) primarily indicates vegetation greenness as well as determining other land uses such as waterbody, settlements and barren land. The calculated kappa values varied from 80% to 86.7% for all the years and fit the current research. A strength-weakness-opportunity-threat (SWOT) analysis reviewed and analyzed existing sectoral policy and plans to identify challenges to achieve sustainable urban forestry. Fifteen key informant interviews (KII) from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Department of Environment (DOE), Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), and Department of Social Forestry Department (DSF) wing under BFD were taken to identify the status of urban forestry, its problems, opportunities, and threats. The responses were drawn using a Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. Of the total measurements of 194.2sq km (2022), normal vegetation cover has decreased significantly from 1992 to 2022 by approximately 65.9%, while urban areas increased by almost 95% simultaneously. From 1992 to 2022, areas of water bodies decreased by more than 32.4%. The vegetation coverage in DNCC is only 16.17%, inferior in meeting sustainable urban greening to fulfil the criteria of sustainable cities and communities. From the KII, it is found that despite some relevant forestry policy and plans, limited lands, institutional corruption, and weak governance are the major institutional drawbacks. In the DNCC, unplanned and rapid megacity expansion, roads and utility service expansion weak institutional policy, plan, and program implementation for urban green space protection are some of the driving forces of green cover loss. Introducing strategic environmental assessment of urban forestry policy, plans, and programs, removing inter-institutional conflicts, strategic sectoral plans, and programs for increased green spaces through the bioeconomy concept is required. In addition, increased participation from urban stakeholders is some of the significant responses identified for strategic urban green space and forest cover improvement in DNCC.

Assessment of Urban Disaster Resilience in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Bangladesh

Enumeration and Confirmation of Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas caviae, and Aeromonas sobria Isolated from Raw Milk and Other Milk Products in Northern Greece

BackgroundThe breast milk bank is a professional organization that collects donor human milk (DHM) for special medical needs by recruiting qualified breast milk donors. Such organizations are also responsible for the disinfection, processing, testing, storage, distribution, and use of breast milk. As DHM is a biological product, it may get contaminated. Microbiological testing is the final step to determine microbial contamination of DHM. However, a universal method for the microbiological analysis of DHM in breast milk banks globally is lacking.DHM without strict screening may become a potential carrier of pathogens and seriously threaten the health of infants. Clostridium perfringens, a gram-positive anaerobic bacterium, is capable of causing wound infections, including gas gangrene, enteritis/enterocolitis, and enterotoxemia. Here, the first case of C. perfringens detected in DHM has been reported to facilitate the identification of such contamination in breast milk banks.Case presentationA breastfeeding mother donated 3000 mL of milk to the breast milk bank of the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical University(over 2900 beds and patient receiving capacity of over 132,000), Chongqing, China. The milk sample was subjected to microbiological screening using liquid enrichment, followed by anaerobic and aerobic culturing. The results revealed the growth of C. perfringens in the anaerobic culture medium, but no bacteria or yeast-like fungi were observed in the aerobic culture medium. The donor did not exhibit any clinical symptoms, and her routine blood results and body temperature were normal. However, the infant fed with her milk had recurrent bloody stools. Breast milk bank infection control emergency handling as well as environmental sampling and investigation revealed that the cause was contamination of the donor’s home-use breast pump with C. perfringens. The infant no longer experienced bloody stool once the donor changed the breast pump.ConclusionsC. perfringens can enter breast milk from contaminated pumping environments or devices, thus causing illness in infants. The microbiological testing of DHM in breast milk banks can be accomplished using liquid enrichment, along with anaerobic and aerobic culture, which is of immense significance in improving the standards for microbiological screening, DHM safety, and infant health.

Two hundred milk samples from 20 randomly selected dairy farms were screened for the incidence of organochlorine pesticide residues to evaluate the safety of milk in Faisalabad region. The results revealed that overall buffalo milk samples in winter (85%) and in summer (78%) were more contaminated as compared to cow milk samples 83 and 75% in respective seasons. The residues of cyhalothrin were found only in summer season in milk of both species. Permethrin residues were detected at higher levels than perfinofos while DDT and methamedophos were found undetectable. The mean levels of permethrin were 0.042 and 0.033mgkg-1in buffalo milk samples and 0.045 and 0.043mgkg-1 in cow milk in winter and summer season, respectively. Perfinofos residues were found to be the least contaminated pesticides with mean values of 0.0006 and 0.0013mgkg-1, respectively in winter season, and 0.004 and 0.0025mgkg-1 in summer season. All analysed pesticide residuesin milk samples in both seasons were below the maximum residual limit (MRL) values as described by European Union (EU) but milk samples contaminated with α, β-endosulfan and endosulphate exceeded their respective Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) established MRLs both in winter and summer.

Incorporating patient reporting patterns to evaluate spatially targeted TB interventions

Aim:The study was undertaken to find out the physicochemical characteristics, selected processing-related parameters and activity of selected enzymes in Surti goat milk.Materials and Methods:Milk samples from Surti goats and buffalo milk samples were collected during the period from July 2013 to January 2014 at Reproductive Biology Research Unit, Anand Agricultural University (AAU), Anand. Milk samples from Kankrej cows were collected from Livestock Research Station, AAU, Anand. Samples were analyzed for physicochemical characteristics such as acidity, viscosity, surface tension, specific gravity, refractive index, freezing point, and electrical conductivity. Samples were also analyzed for selected processing-related parameters such as heat coagulation time (HCT), rennet coagulation time (RCT), rate of acid production by starter culture, alcohol stability, and activity of selected enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase activity, catalase activity, proteolytic activity, and lipase activity.Results:Goat milk had the highest acidity, viscosity and surface tension, followed by cow milk and buffalo milk. However, the differences in acidity, specific gravity, surface tension, refractive index, electrical conductivity, HCT and lipase activity of three types of milk studied, viz., goat, cow, and buffalo milk were found statistically non-significant (p<0.05). The buffalo milk had the highest specific gravity, followed by those found in cow and goat milk. The viscosity, freezing point and RCT of goat milk was significantly lower (p>0.05) than that of the buffalo milk. However, the difference in viscosity, freezing point and RCT of goat milk and that of the cow milk was statistically non-significant. The cow milk had the highest refractive index, followed by goat and buffalo milk. The cow milk had the highest proteolytic activity and heat coagulation time (HCT), followed by those found in buffalo and goat milk. The goat milk had the lowest freezing point, lipase activity, and RCT, followed by those found in cow and buffalo milk. The goat milk had the highest electrical conductivity, followed by those found in buffalo and cow milk. The collected goat, cow and buffalo milk samples showed negative stability at 68% (v/v) alcohol concentration. Goat milk showed positive alcohol test at 75% (v/v) alcohol concentration. Acidity was found to increase proportionally with time. After 14 h, it was found that goat milk became thicker, but the curd had a very low consistency. Cow milk had the highest alkaline phosphatase activity and catalase activity followed by those found in goat milk and lowest alkaline phosphatase activity and catalase activity was found in buffalo milk. The alkaline phosphatase activity and proteolytic activity of goat milk was significantly lower (p>0.05) than that of the cow milk. However, the difference in alkaline phosphatase activity and proteolytic activity of goat milk and that of the buffalo milk was statistically non-significant. Alkaline phosphatase activity of buffalo milk was significantly lower (p>0.05) than that of the alkaline phosphatase activity in cow milk.Conclusion:It can be concluded from the study that the goat milk has highest acidity, viscosity, electrical conductivity, and surface tension compared to that of cow and buffalo milk. The goat milk has lowest specific gravity, freezing point, proteolytic activity, lipase activity, RCT and HCT compared to cow and buffalo milk. Goat milk had highest refractive index compared to buffalo milk, whereas lowest refractive index compared to cow milk. Goat milk showed positive alcohol test at 75% (v/v) alcohol concentration. The curd formed from goat milk after 14 h was having very weak consistency. The goat milk has higher alkaline phosphatase activity, catalase activity compared to buffalo milk while it has lower alkaline phosphatase activity, catalase activity compared to cow milk.

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and related risk factors for intestinal helminth infections in companion and stray dogs from Dhaka, Bangladesh. In total 310 fecal samples were collected from companion dogs (206 samples) and stray dogs (104 samples) from Dhaka south city corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North city corporation (DNCC) areas. Salt flotation and formol ether concentration techniques were used to process the fecal samples. The prevalence of intestinal helminth infections in stray and companion dogs in DSCC was 48.98% and 18.02%, respectively, while in DNCC, it was 7.27% and 15.79%. Ancylostomatids showed the maximum prevalence (18.37%) followed by Toxocara canis (14.28%). Intestinal parasitic infections were more prevalent among female companion dogs (17.24%) than males (16.89%). Dogs of pure or mixed breed were prone to parasitic infections (29.09%). Outdoor access (P=0.000) and irregular deworming (P=0.000) were potential risk factors for intestinal helminth infections in companion dogs. Helminth infections in dogs could be a major public health concern. Proper sanitation measures especially in DSCC areas are necessary to check this alarming issue. Bangladesh J. Zool. 49 (3): 411-421, 2021