Irtija Ahsan

Introduction: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) has been a major cause of morbidity and mortality in farm animals and the recent surge of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) in developing countries poses a serious threat to public and animal health. This study aimed to assess the herd‐level prevalence and associated risk factors of bovine TB in cattle in northeast regions of Bangladesh. Methods: A total of 485 dairy samples (385 from dairy milk and 100 from vendor's milk) were tested by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and indirect ELISA (enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay) technique at 16 Upazilas from 4 districts in the Sylhet division of Bangladesh. Genomic DNA extracted from milk samples were targeted at IS6110 and RV1506c genomic fragments for PCR. Results: Among the 385 milk samples tested, 15 milk samples were positive for Mycobacterium genus by PCR (3.90%, 95% CI: 1.95–5.84). Also, 10 samples were found to be positive for M. bovis and the prevalence was 2.60% (95% CI: 1.00–4.19) and only 2 milk samples were positive for M. tuberculosis by PCR whose prevalence was 0.52% (95% CI: 0.00–1.24) respectively in individual milk samples. In vendor's milk sample, the trend was lowered for each bacterium and indirect ELISA results agreed with a similar pattern of prevalence. Cows having chronic cough was one of the significant risk factors of herd‐level prevalence. Conclusion: Findings from this study necessitate a comprehensive program for TB surveillance of associated risk factors or protective factors in human, environment and animal interface.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) poses a significant threat to Bangladesh's poultry industry, causing substantial economic losses every year. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of MG infection in turkeys using serum plate agglutination (SPA), enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in Sylhet, Bangladesh from December 2019 to November 2020. In addition, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of these tests and identified potential risk factors associated with MG infection. A total of 250 blood samples and 250 tracheal swabs were collected from suspected turkeys across 25 farms from three sub‐districts of Sylhet namely Sylhet Sadar, Golapganj and Beanibazar. Blood samples were tested with SPA and ELISA, while tracheal swabs were analysed by PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene of MG. The overall prevalence of MG was 35.2%, 29.2% and 25.6% for SPA, ELISA and PCR respectively. Higher infection rates were observed in turkeys aged 0–4 months (SPA 57.1%, ELISA 52%, PCR 42.8%), during winter (SPA 43.1%, ELISA 37.8%, PCR 30%) and among female turkeys (SPA 54.5%, ELISA 49.5%, PCR 45.5%). Geographically, the Beanibazar had the highest prevalence (SPA 54.2%, ELISA 48.6%, PCR 41.4%), compared to the Sylhet Sadar and Golapganj sub‐districts. Both SPA and ELISA tests showed 100% sensitivity, with specificity of 87.1% and 95.2%, respectively using PCR as a gold standard. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights for developing effective control measures for MG infections in the poultry industry of Bangladesh.

Raising awareness about Toxoplasma gondii infection among cat owners in Bangladesh is indispensable to formulate persuasive management tactics to avoid zoonotic infections from pet cats. However, to the authors' best knowledge, no studies have been performed in Bangladesh to determine knowledge and practices of toxoplasmosis in cat owners. Therefore, the objectives of the current study were to cover this research gap. We carried out a cross‐sectional study in Bangladesh from June 2020 through December 2021. A structured online questionnaire was distributed to cat owners, which were voluntarily completed by them. The questionnaire included socio‐demographic data, aetiology, transmissions, clinical signs, and preventive practices towards toxoplasmosis. Overall, 1,019 cat owners participated voluntarily in the cross‐sectional survey. Among them, 793 (77.82%) participants showed poor knowledge regarding toxoplasmosis. Under specific knowledge sections, 62.51% of the participants revealed incorrect knowledge that toxoplasmosis was a zoonotic disease. In the same way, (72.03–85.77) % of the cat owners were unaware that the disease could be transmitted from improperly washed vegetables, raw or undercooked meat and fish, and contaminated water and milk with cat faeces. Respondents' age, education, occupation, residence type, and marital status were significantly (p < .05) associated with their knowledge level. Besides, 94.11% of cat owners had a good practice level. They followed good practices in different issues; however, they practiced those activities without knowing their impacts on disease control. Cat owners' age, education, occupation, and residence type had a significant (p < .05) association with the practice level against toxoplasmosis. This is the first study highlighting the low level of knowledge among cat owners about toxoplasmosis in Bangladesh. These knowledge gaps could increase the risk and transmission of Toxoplasma gondii infection among them and their families. The survey recommends the arrangement of educational training and programmes to increase the awareness of toxoplasmosis among cat owners.