ABSTRACT:The prevalence of brucellosis was determined in the ruminants (buffaloes, cattle, sheep and goats) of five different districts viz. Bagerhat, Bogra, Gaibangha, Mymensingh and Sirajgonj of Bangladesh. A total of 550 sera samples of 105 buffaloes, 188 cattle, 127 goats and 130 sheep were screened by RBT and were further confirmed with I-ELISA. A structured questionnaire was used to collect epidemiological information on the animals. The overall serological prevalence derived from the samples was 2.87% in buffaloes, 2.66% in cattle, 3.15% in goats, and 2.31% in sheep. The prevalence was relatively higher in females than that in males in cattle, goats and sheep but, an insignificantly higher prevalence was observed in males than that in females in the case of buffalo. A significant association was found between abortion or age and occurrence of brucellosis (P < 0.01). The results of the study provide (a) a comparison of the prevalence of brucellosis in different livestock species in Bangladesh, (b) constitute baseline data for further study of Brucella infections, and (c) are a starting point for the control of brucellosis.

Spot blotch disease caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana is a major constraint for wheat production in tropics and subtropics. The introgression of spot blotch resistance alleles to the disease susceptible lines is critical to securing the wheat production in these regions. Although genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for spot blotch were attempted earlier, the present study focused on identifying new quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for spot blotch under natural disease pressure in diverse field conditions. A total of 139 advanced spring wheat lines were evaluated in three environments (three years and two locations) in India and Bangladesh. The GWAS using 14,063 polymorphic genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) markers identified eight QTLs associated with spot blotch disease resistance belonging to eight chromosomes across the wheat genome. Here, we report the identified marker–trait associations (MTAs), along with the allele effects associated with the disease. The functional annotation of the significant markers identified NBS-LRR, MADS-box transcription factor, and 34 other plant-related protein families across multiple chromosomal regions. The results indicate four promising new QTLs on chromosomes 1A (497.2 Mb), 1D (89.84 Mb), 2B (421.92 Mb), and 6D (6.84 Mb) associated with several disease resistance protein families. These results provide insights into new genomic regions associated with spot blotch disease, and with additional validation, could be utilized in disease resistance breeding efforts in wheat development.

A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate the true prevalence of Brucella spp. and identify allied risk factors/indicators associated with brucellosis in the Dinajpur and Mymensingh districts of Bangladesh. A total 320 stratified random blood samples were collected and tested in parallel for Brucella antibodies using Rose Bengal (RBT), slow agglutination (SAT), and indirect and competitive ELISA. In addition, a structured questionnaire was administered to each household herd owner to gather information regarding potential risk factors. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify potential risk factors or indicators at animal level. A Bayesian approach was used to estimate the true prevalence of brucellosis along with the test performances (Se and Sp). The estimated animal level true prevalence in cattle was 9.70 % (95 % CPI 5.0-16 %) and in goat 6.3 % (95 % CPI 2.8-11.0 %). The highest sensitivity was achieved by SAT ranges from 69.6 to 78.9 %, and iELISA was found to be more specific (97.4 to 98.8 %) in comparison with other tests. On the other hand, a significant level of (P < 0.05) Brucella seropositivity was found in cattle that breed naturally compared with those that undergo artificial insemination. In goats, exotic breeds were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with Brucella seroprevalence compared with indigenous breeds. Goats with a previous records of abortion and/or retained placenta were also found to have significant levels (P < 0.05). Cows with previous abortion records showed higher odds (18 times) of being seropositive. None of the evaluated tests can be recommended to apply alone for the diagnosis of bovine and caprine brucellosis.

Brucellosis, a bacterial zoonotic disease, has been reported in ruminants but still no report in pigs in Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to describe seroprevalence of brucellosis in swine in Bangladesh. Blood from a total of 105 pigs was collected from selected areas of Bangladesh. All samples were screened using Rose Bengal Test (RBT) and further confirmed by using Slow Agglutination Test (SAT). A structured questionnaire was used to collect the epidemiological data related to the animals and husbandry practices. Out of the 105 sera analyzed, 7 (6.7%) and 5 (4.8%) were found to be positive by RBT and SAT respectively. It was observed that, insignificantly higher prevalence of brucellosis based on SAT was found in female (5.6%) than male (2.9%), in aged animal (8.1%) than young (0.0%) and in pregnant animal (12.5%) than non pregnant animal (2.1%) (p>0.05). Prevalence of brucellosis was 42.9% in aborted pigs and 1.6% in non aborted pigs. The association between abortion status and prevalence of brucellosis was statistically highly significant (p<0.01). This report of prevalence of brucellosis in pigs is very important with regards to the human health and other livestock and might help Government and NGOs to design preventive measurement and establish livestock health policy.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v10i1-2.15649

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