A total of 52 fecal samples were collected from 21 herbivores at Dhaka zoo during January to May, 2012 to investigate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of herbivores. Overall prevalence of parasitic infection was 76.9%, of which 61.5% were positive for helminths and 55.8% were positive for protozoa. The identified parasites were Balantidium coli (55.8%), Paramphistomum sp.

Neural tube defect (NTD) is a multi-factorial disorder in which nutritional, genetic and environmental factors are involved. Among the nutritional factors, low level of serum zinc has been reported from different parts of the world. This hospital-based case-control study was conducted with the objective of finding the relationship between serum zinc level in newborns and their mothers and NTDs in a Bangladeshi population. The study was conducted during August 2006–July 2007 at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in Dhaka. In total, 32 mothers and their newborns with NTDs were included as cases and another 32 mothers with their normal babies were included as controls. Concentration of serum zinc was determined by pyro-coated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer (GF-AAS). The mean age of the case and control mothers was 25.28 years and 24.34 years respectively. The mean gestational age of the case newborns was 36.59 weeks and that of the control newborns was 37.75 weeks. The mean serum zinc level of the case and control mothers was 610.2 μg/L and 883.0 μg/L respectively (p<0.01). The mean serum zinc level of the case and control newborns was 723 μg/L and 1,046 μg/L respectively (p<0.01). In both case and control groups, the serum zinc level of the newborns positively correlated with that of the mothers. The serum zinc levels of the mothers and newborns negatively correlated with NTDs. Mothers with serum zinc level lower than normal were 7.66 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5-23.28] times more likely to have NTDs compared to the normal zinc level of mothers. After adjusting for the zinc level of the newborns, parity, and age of the mothers, this risk reduced 1.61 times [confidence interval (CI) 95% 0.24-8.77]. On the other hand, the low serum zinc level of the newborns was 7.22 times more associated with NTDs compared to the newborns with the normal serum zinc level, which was statistically significant (p=0.001). After adjusting for other factors, such as maternal age and parity, newborns with the low serum zinc level was found to be 9.186 times more likely to be associated with NTDs compared to newborns with normal serum zinc level. Based on the findings, it may be concluded that the low serum zinc levels of newborns may be associated with NTDs. To confirm these findings, a further study with a larger sample-size is recommended. Moreover, a follow-up study with zinc supplementation to pregnant women and its impact on NTDs is also recommended.

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The prevalence of haemoprotozoa in duck and pathological changes produced by these parasites were studied in different areas of Mymensingh district during July, 2007 to December, 2007. In this study 60% ducks were found to be infected with haemoprotozoa. Two species of haemoprotozoa were identified such as Leucocytozoon caulleryi and Leucocytozoon simondi. Prevalence of L. caulleryi (54.67%) was significantly (P<0.01) higher than that of L. simondi (5.33%) in ducks. The calculated odds ratio implied that ducks were 19.67 times more susceptible to L. caulleryi infection than L. simondi infection. Prevalence of haemoprotozoa was significantly (P<0.01) higher in male (78.94%) than female ducks (53.57%). Pathological lesions were observed in case of Leucocytozoon sp. infections. Grossly lungs were congested but other suspected organs such as liver, lungs, kidney and heart were apparently normal. Microscopically, comma shaped organisms were found in the hepatocyte of liver and alveolar epithelial cell of lungs accompanied with eosinophilic infiltration. Schizonts were also observed in the hepatocyte of liver and alveolar epithelial cell of lungs. The lungs alveoli were distended and ruptured in advanced stages. According to the result, it may be concluded that haemoprotozoan infection in duck is highly prevalent in Bangladesh and produces clinicopathological lesions in duck. So proper control measures should taken to reduce the prevalence of haemoprotozoa of duck in Bangladesh.

Background: Balantidium coli, is a common -opportunistic protozoa of man and animals which causes gastroenteritis. A study was conducted to ascertain the prevalence of balantidiasis in cattle and pig irrespective of age and sex. Methods: In total, 200 faecal samples (150 cattle and 50 pigs) were collected during July to December, 2016 in Mymensingh district, Bangladesh and Modified Stoll’s Ova dilution technique was used to screen the faecal samples for B. coli under microscope. The cysts or trophozoites of B. coli were identified based on the morphological features using standard keys. Results: B. coli cysts and/or trophozoites were detected in 103 samples (51.5%), where comparatively high prevalence was observed in cattle (54.7%) than pig (42.0%). Prevalence of balantidiasis was significantly high in adult cattle (70.4%) compared to that of young (40.5%) and calves (31.3%) while the piglet (65.0%) showed high prevalence than the grower (31.3%) and adult (21.4%). In cattle, high rate of infection was recorded in female (58.8%) than male cattle (45.8%) which was statistically insignificant. On the other hand, high rate of infections was recorded in male pigs (54.5%) than female pigs (32.1%). Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study revealed high circulation of B. coli in cattle and pig in Mymensingh district, which poses potential threats to both animal and public health.