The prevalence of snail-borne trematode (SBT) infections in farm animals on the offshore Saint (St.) Martin’s Island of Bangladesh were 68.9% for cattle, 76.7% for buffaloes, 56.3% for goats, respectively. Examination of fecal samples showed that paramphistomes infection was the most common at 50.5% followed by schistosomes at 23.7% and Fasciola at 2.3%. Fasciola infection was found in cattle (1.9%) and buffaloes (16.7%) but not in goats. Schistosome infection in cattle, buffaloes and goats were 31.1, 6.7 and 17.5%, respectively. Prevalence of SBTs was higher in older animals. Thiara tuberculata (Melanoides tuberculata) were found to serve as vector for paramphistomes and Indoplanorbis exustus for schistosomes and paramphistomes, respectively. Our results suggest that SBT and their vector snails are highly endemic on St. Martin’s Island of Bangladesh, and proper attention is needed to control these infections.

Fascioliasis is an important food-borne parasitic zoonosis caused by two trematode species, Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica. The characterisation and differentiation of Fasciola populations is crucial to control the disease, given the different transmission, epidemiology and pathology characteristics of the two species. Lineal biometric features of adult liver flukes infecting livestock have been studied to characterise and discriminate fasciolids from Bangladesh. An accurate analysis was conducted to phenotypically discriminate between fasciolids from naturally infected bovines (cattle, buffaloes) throughout the country. Morphometric analyses were made with a computer image analysis system (CIAS) applied on the basis of standardised measurements and the logistic model of the body growth and development of fasciolids in the different host groups. Since it is the first ever comprehensive study of this kind undertaken in Bangladesh, the results are compared to pure fasciolid populations of F. hepatica from the European Mediterranean area and F. gigantica from Burkina Faso, geographical areas where both species do not co-exist. Principal component analysis showed that the biometric characteristics of fasciolids from Bangladesh are situated between F. hepatica and F. gigantica standard populations, indicating the presence of phenotypes of intermediate forms in Bangladesh. These results are analysed by considering the present emergence of animal fascioliasis, the local lymnaeid fauna, the impact of climate change, and the risk of human infection in the country.

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Dhaka Zoo with 2000 animal heads of 184 species from significant genetic diversity and five million visitors' influx round the year is placing it a public health important spot. This study was conducted to investigate aspergillosis in animals at Dhaka Zoo to ascertain animal health, welfare and public health safety standard. One hundred and two necropsied tissue samples preserved in 10% neutral buffered formalin at necropsy from 36 animals of 25 different species were collected from Dhaka Zoo. Twenty five out of 36 study animals were suffering from granulomatous diseases. Among them 13 animals were suffering from Aspergillosis. Clinical history, nodular lesions from necropsy findings, granulomatous reactions along with fungal spores and characteristic radiating club on histopathology; dichotomously branching septate hyphae and mycelial conidiophore on special staining were revealed Aspergillosis in 13 animals of nine species that includes four rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), two samber deer (Cervus unicolor) and one of each species were nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), horse (Equus caballus), stripped hyena (Hyena hyena), gayal (Bos frontalis), beisa oryx (Oryx beisa beisa), water buck (Kobus L. leche) and greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros). Present study provides evidence of existing Aspergillosis and similar long standing zoonotic diseases in majority of rest of the animals with health risk that shades health safety standard at Dhaka Zoo.

A total of 32 mortality cases of captive animals at the Dhaka Zoo due to various infections was detected and reconfirmed at two reference laboratories in Bangladesh during the period February 2000 to February 2006. Among the 22 different animal species studied, highest incidence was observed with gaur (15.6%), followed by spotted deer (12.5%), rhesus macaque (9.4%), common pea fowl (6.2%) and others (56.3%). A total 35 isolates belonging to six different genera was recovered from the diseased animals. Among the pathogens, Mycobacterium spp. was the most prevalent (27.8%), which was followed by Coccidioides immitis (19.4%), Escherichia coli (19.4%), Salmonella spp. (13.9%), Staphylococcus spp. (13.9%), and Aspergillus spp. (5.6%). Mycobacterium spp. and C. immitis showed the widest range of host susceptibility. Establishment of a standard microbiological laboratory at the Dhaka Zoo is necessary for early diagnosis of threatening infections among valuable captive animals in order to improve animal health as well as to reduce the morbidity rate. Keywords: Mortality, Animal pathogens, Confirmatory diagnosis, Tuberculosis, CoccidioidomycosisDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjm.v24i2.1263