The objective of this research was to assess the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat food available in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, and check the risk factors associated with ingestion of ready-to-eat food from popular public places. This study was conducted in the Center of Excellence in the Department of Microbiology, Primeasia University, Dhaka, Bangladesh from August 2016 to February 2017. Forty-five samples belonging to 18 categories were collected aseptically in triplicates in pre-sterilized zip-lock bags or sterile bottles from Banani area from local street vendors. Samples were transported to and analysed in the Laboratory of Department of Microbiology, Primeasia University according to standard food analysis methods. Total viable count (TVC) and Total coliform count (TCC) were determined by using plate count agar (PCA) andMacConkey agar plates respectively. Antibiogram of the isolated strains was conducted with commercial antibiotics according to the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar medium. Identification of the coliforms together with antibiotic-resistance profile showed Escherichia coli, Enterobactersakazaki, Citrobacterfreundii and Salmonella typhimurium were present in various foods. E. coli and S.typhimurium showed increased sensitivity against Ampicillin 10 mg and Sulfamethoxazole 25 mg. The occurrence of antibiotic-resistance potential pathogens in ready-to-eat food poses a considerable health risk to consumers. Public awareness and timely assessment of food safety are needed to avoid the risks of food-borne infection and intoxication from ready-to-eat food.

Aims: The aims of this work undertaken to investigate and identify the prevalence of Enterococcus spp isolated from Chicken and pigeon meat and determine the using antibiotics sensitivity against isolates for human safety.

Staphylococcus aureus is gram-positive cocci that can cause foodborne illness which can be transmitted by chicken meat, both raw and undercooked; consumption of which may cause infection and/or toxicity in consumers. This current study was conducted for the detection of the prevalence of S. aureus in three types of poultry samples which included chicken meat, chicken eggs and droppings. Samples were aseptically collected from different rural and urban areas of 8 districts of Bangladesh in triplicate collection method which was conducted in the Centre for Excellence, Department of Microbiology, Primeasia University, Dhaka, Bangladesh to detect the Multi Drug-Resistant (MDR) S. aureus. Isolation was done by using 7.5% Sodium Chloride broth for enrichment and Mannitol salt agar after enriching samples in Buffer Peptone water. Antibiogram was done by using Kirby Bauer Method on Muller Hinton agar. The current study revealed 68% (17/25), 84% (21/25) and 52% (13/25) of S. aureus in chicken meat, eggs and dropping, respectively. Around 75.47% isolates (40/53) showed 100% similarity with S. aureus from the generated Dendrogram based on biochemical data. Cefixime (62.67%) showed the highest sensitivity against all of the isolates while Penicillin (86.62%) exhibited the highest resistance. Moreover, 59.62% of isolates were resistant to 5 or more drugs (Multidrug-Resistant). Poultry products such as meat and eggs were contaminated with drug-resistant S. aureus which can cause serious health effect to the consumer. The drug-resistant pathogen in droppings helps to indicate the spread of drug-resistant isolates in the environment. Therefore, proper sanitation measures should be taken to ensure the quality of the products during slaughtering, collecting eggs or disposing of poultry litter.

Natural fibres are getting importance for their sustainable development in their uses in mitigation of climate change and ecological balance. A fibre extraction retting method is formulated and proximate chemical composition and various physical properties such as tensile strength, elongation, diameter along with fibre, cellulose, lignin and ash content were determined. This preliminary observation indicates its potential to be used as a source of fibre for textile and non-textile uses such as woven, nonwoven, composite, blanded and a good source of α-cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, nano-cellulose and lignin-based products. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 46(2): 155-162, December 2020

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the microbiological safety in street foods available in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Study Design: Seven categories of street foods were collected aseptically in triplicates from 10 locations of the most populous areas of Dhaka city, transported to the microbiology laboratory of Center of Excellence, Primeasia University, Dhaka. The samples were analyzed for microbiological quality. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, between November 2015 to March 2017. The microbiological analysis was done at the microbiology laboratory of the Center for Excellence Laboratory (CEL), Department of Microbiology, Primeasia University, Dhaka-1213, Bangladesh. Methodology: Ninety street food samples belonging to 7 different categories were collected aseptically from ten different places in Dhaka. All samples were tested according to the standard food analysis methods. Total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (TCC), total Salmonella-Shigella count (TSSC) and total S. aureus count (TSAC) were estimated by using Plate Count agar (PCA), MacConkey agar, Salmonella-Shigella agar and Mannitol Salt agar plates respectively. Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method on Mueller Hinton agar was used to determine the sensitivity of the isolated strains to commonly prescribed antibiotics. Results: Fried Aubergine, sugarcane juice, potato balls, peanut, rice cake, sweetened coconut, local salty snacks nimki and chanachur, sesame cookies revealed high total viable count (1011 CFU/gm or /mL) and high total coliform count (109 CFU/g or /mL). Some street foods were found to contain potential pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Vibrio spp. and Campylobacter spp. Some of the isolates of E. coli, S. aureus and Salmonella isolates were found to be resistant against azithromycin (15 µg), sulphomethoxazole (25 μg), penicillin (10 µg), nalidixic acid (30 µg), vancomycin (30 µg) and tetracycline (30 μg). Conclusion: This study reveals the presence of pathogenic bacteria in street foods of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Hence, there is a necessity for strict surveillance on microbial safety of street foods. There should be public engagement projects for.public awareness against consumption of low-quality and unhygienic street foods of Dhaka, Bangladesh.