Background and Aim: Subclinical mastitis (SCM) is one of the most prevalent diseases of dairy cows, and somatic cell count (SCC) is widely used to determine SCM and milk quality. However, setting the threshold of SCC is very important. This study aimed to determine the cow-level threshold of SCC to differentiate milk of SCM affected cows from normal milk in Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: Sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) along with other characteristics of different thresholds of SCC were determined considering the bacterial culture as the gold standard test. Three definitions of intramammary infection (IMI) were set based on the group of pathogens involved. Five categories of SCC thresholds were considered for analysis. Results: Se and Sp of thresholds of SCC greatly varied as definitions of IMI changed. Irrespective of SCC thresholds, Se increased when isolation of major pathogens included in IMI definitions. Se decreased when SCC thresholds increased (from 100 to 300 × 103 cells/mL) for all IMI definitions and ranged from 60.6% to 20.3%. The highest Se was found at low SCC threshold (100 × 103 cells/mL), which resulted in less false-negative outcome. On the other hand, Sp increased with the increment of SCC thresholds giving rise to a less false-positive outcome. Conclusion: The cow-level SCC threshold of 100 × 103 cells/mL was found appropriate to identify subclinical IMI of dairy cows.

This study was conducted to assess poultry farmers’ knowledge and practices regarding antibiotics, antimicrobial usage (AMU), and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and to identify the sociodemographic factors of inappropriate use of antibiotics in commercial poultry farms in Bangladesh. A qualitative survey of 140 farmers in Bangladesh was conducted from March to May 2019. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with the inappropriate use of antibiotics. 47.1% of farmers were unable to explain antibiotics, 42.9% used antibiotics for preventive purposes, 4.3% used them as growth promoters, 25.7% used them as suggested by veterinarians, 42.9% used leftover antibiotics, 50% did not maintain antibiotics residual withdrawal period, and 98.6% did not know about AMR. In bivariable regression analysis, sex and primary occupation of poultry farmers, their knowledge about withdrawal periods for antibiotics, and no contact with veterinary surgeons (VS) were found to be significantly associated with the inappropriate use of antibiotics, while only ‘no contact with VS’ was identified in multivariable regression analysis. The findings suggest an urgent need to improve understanding of antibiotics and AMR. Adequate supervision by veterinarians would ensure adherence to appropriate AMU patterns, and would limit the misuse of antibiotics and associated AMR development in farms.

Objective: Periparturient period is associated with multiple changes including serum concentration of macro minerals and drop in feed intake. Therefore, it is essential to know the actual concentrations of major macro minerals, glucose and ketone bodies in blood during the periparturient period. The objectives of the study were to study the dynamics of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and glucose in serum and ketone bodies in the urine of periparturient cows and to estimate the incidence of subclinical metabolic diseases. Results: Results showed that all the urine samples were negative for ketone bodies. Incidence of subclinical form of hypocalcaemia, hypomagnesaemia, hypophosphatemia, and hypoglycemia in periparturient cows was 31.03%, 48.28%, 17.24% and 55.17%, respectively. Older cows with high BCS and milk yield were mostly affected with a subclinical form of hypocalcaemia and hypoglycemia. No significant differences were observed in serum level of macro minerals and glucose at different time points of periparturient period of cows fed with a balanced ration, and between two groups of cows those were given IV injection of calcium and magnesium on the day of parturition and those were not given. Age, parity, and milk yield had no significant effect on the concentration of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and glucose.

Bartonellosis, a neglected vector-borne zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans, continues to threaten human and animal health significantly. This study aims to determine the epidemiology of feline bartonellosis and the molecular characteristics of Bartonella spp. in cats. From June 2018 to June 2020, 304 oral swabs were randomly collected from Bangladesh's Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Rajshahi districts. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to collect data. Oral swabs were subjected to PCR targeting htrA gene to confirm Bartonella spp., which was subsequently validated through sequencing. Risk factors were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis. The overall prevalence of feline bartonellosis was found to be 15.1 %. The following factors were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with Bartonella infection in risk factor analysis: cats aged ≥ 1 year (OR: 3.23, 95 % CI: 1.38–24.40), local breed cats (OR: 3.37, 95 % CI: 1.05–10.81), cats carrying fleas (OR: 2.33, 95 % CI: 1.93–13.45), antifleacidal drugs inconsistently administered cats (OR: 6.74, 95 % CI: 3.17–14.31), outdoor access cats (OR: 2.54, 95 % CI: 1.16–5.57). Notably, zoonotic B. henselae was confirmed through sequencing, establishing it as the causal agent of cat scratch disease. Phylogenetic analysis showed homology with B. henselae sequences from Brazil, Saint Kitts, and Nevis. We recommend consistent and appropriate flea control measures to curb its spread among Bangladeshi cats. Moreover, limiting outdoor exposure or implementing preventive measures for outdoor cats could reduce the disease burden. The associated human health risk can be decreased by effectively controlling this disease within the cat population.

Background and Aim: Subclinical mastitis (SCM) is an economically important disease for dairy cattle worldwide; therefore, regular screening is imperative to detect SCM at an early stage so as to control it. The study was conducted to compare the test characteristics of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as a test reagent to detect SCM in dairy cows. Materials and Methods: First, 106 milk samples of dairy cows were subjected to available indirect screening tests (white side test [WST], surf field mastitis test, Leucocytest, and Immucell) considering somatic cell count (SCC) as gold standard test. Then 273 milk samples were allowed to react with different concentrations of SLS with or without sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and indicators (bromothymol blue [BTB] and bromocresol purple [BCP]). Results: SLS with or without NaOH yielded best reaction with the milk samples similar to Leucocytest. It was observed that the reaction of milk samples with SLS added with indicators (BTB and BCP) was easier to visualize than without indicators. SLS 3%+NaOH 1.5% with BTB and SLS 2% with BCP had high sensitivity, specificity, and substantial agreement with SCC. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of SLS 2% with BCP and SLS 3%+NaOH 1.5% with BTB was 0.917 and 0.875, respectively. Conclusion: It may be concluded that SLS 3%+NaOH 1.5% with BTB and SLS 2% with BCP may be the potential reagents for the development of an effective cow-side test to detect SCM, as the main ingredient SLS is considerably cheap and readily available in developing countries.