2015

The current study aimed to identify the selected number of Campylobacter strains of poultry origin in India that were isolated in the Laboratory of International Prevention of Epidemics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan to the species level with the aid of cdtA/B/C gene-based multiplex PCR assays as well as to investigate their antimicrobial resistance profiles. C. jejuni (4 strains) and C. coli (16 strains) were identified. The poultry isolates identified were subjected to susceptibility testing with the aid of disk diffusion method using 12 antimicrobial agents. Again, the resistant and intermediate isolates confirmed by the disk diffusion method were subjected to determination of minimum inhibitory concentration by agar dilution method. To elucidate the mechanism of quinolone resistance, a total number of 20 quinolone resistant strains were subjected to sequence determination and analysis of the gyrA gene in the quinolone-resistance determining region.  The results of the disk diffusion method were consistent with the results of the agar dilution method with slight variation in case of ampicillin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin and fosfomycin. All C. jejuni and C. coli strains had the Thr 86 to Ile substitution in gyrA. Results of this study support the emergence of resistance of C. jejuni and C. coli strains of poultry origin in India to a variety of antimicrobials especially fluoroquinolones.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the microbiological quality of poultry meat used in different hall of Bangladesh Agricultural University campus. Sanitary condition of dining hall was assessed by using a standard questionnaire. Thirty samples were collected from Isha Khan hall, Fazlul Haque hall and Taposhi Rabeya hall. Microbial load was determined by total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (TCC) and total salmonella count (TSC). Samples were inoculated into various selective media such as plate count (PCA) agar, xylose lysine deoxycholate Agar (XLDA) and MacConkey agar (MCA). It is found that the age of maximum workers (53%) is between 25-35 years. Educational level of dining workers are in same frequency of illiterate and below class eight. Only 6.7% are SSC passed. Most of dining workers have no knowledge on hygienic practices. 43.3% partially know about hygienic practices and 3.3% have no knowledge. Sanitary condition of dining hall is not satisfactory. Only 3.3% disinfectants are used in dining hall. There is no proper washing facilities. About 63.3% washing facilities are in medium level. Only E. coli and Salmonella spp. were isolated and identified from the samples. The mean value of TVC, TCC and TSC in broiler thigh meats of Isha Khan hall, Fazlul Haque hall and Taposhi Rabeya hall are log 5.65, log 5.77, log 6.06 CFU/g, log 3.26, 3.41, 3.42 CFU/g and  log 2.95, log 2.92 log 2.97 CFU/g respectively. The variation of TVC in meats of different dining hall was significant (p<0.05) at 5% level of probability whereas TCC and TSC obtained from meat samples of different hall were not significant (p<0.05). Presence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. in meat must need particular attention as these organisms are responsible for causing harm to public health. Suggestions have been given to improve the present sanitary condition of dining hall to minimize bacterial load.

An investigation was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis in pet dogs of Dhaka City Corporation area. A total of 50 sera samples from pet dogs were collected. Additional data on risk factors (breed, age, sex, any abnormality during sample collection etc.) were recorded during sample collection by using standard questionnaire. Sera were separated from blood samples and tested with the Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and Indirect Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay (IELISA) parallely. The overall seroprevalence of brucellosis in pet dogs was found 4.00% by RBPT & IELISA. The results of both serological methods were equal in terms of ability to detect Canine Brucellosis. Statistically higher seroprevalence of brucellosis (6.06%) was found in dog aged 1.5 to 2.5 years. Higher seroprevalence (15.38%) was found also in female pet dogs and no response in male pet dogs.

The present study was carried out to investigate the status of different reproductive parameters of Black Bengal in a rural area of Mukterpur under Charghat Upazilla of Rajshahi district during the period of July to December/2012. A total of 200 Black Bengal goats under both semi-intensive (n=100) and extensive condition (n=100) were selected on the basis of age, weight, body shape and conformation. The average age at puberty was 197.82±12.58 days and age at first conception was 292.96±0.50 days under semi-intensive condition whereas 208.82±12.60 days and 287.65±0.52 days under extensive condition. Age at first kidding was 448.26±25.48 days under semi-intensive condition whereas under extensive condition it was 450.07±22.43 days. Average litter size in the first, second and third parity was 1.06, 1.76 and 1.96, respectively under semi-intensive condition whereas under extensive condition, these were 1.01, 1.76 and 1.96, respectively. The average kidding interval of goats under semi-intensive and extensive conditions were 190.2±20 and 178.23±.50 days, respectively and the difference between these two was statistically significant (p<0.01). Sex ratio of male and female kids born was found to be 56 : 44, 44 : 56 and 55 : 45 in the first, second and third parity, respectively under semi-intensive condition whereas, it was  55 : 45, 48 : 52 and 54 : 56 in the first, second and third parity, respectively under extensive  condition. The usual numbers of kids at one time in Black Bengal goats varied from single to quadruplet. Average post partum weight of does was higher under semi-intensive condition than extensive condition which was statistically significant (p<0.05). Age of kid mortality was more in first parity under one month of age but gradually decreased with the age of kids under both semi-intensive condition and extensive condition. The average birth weight of  kids was 1.28 ± 0.11 kg and 1.25 ± 0.10 kg under semi-intensive and extensive condition respectively which was statistically significant (p<0.01). Average birth weight of male was higher than female under both conditions. Kid mortality increased from 2 to 21% with the increase of parity. Birth weight of kids was higher in July-October and kid mortality was higher in winter season. The age at puberty was found earlier in summer season than others seasons under both semi-intensive and extensive conditions. Reproductive performances of Black Bengal goat were better in third parity than that of the first and second parity under both conditions.

To evaluate the reproductive herd health status, the data were collected from Talbag Dairy Farm, Savar; Bangladesh Agricultural University Dairy Farm, Mymensingh and Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm, Savar  for a period of two years. A total of 122 lactating cows were selected to collect data on productive and reproductive performance from the farms record book maintained by three farms. The mean value ± SD of breeding age, calving age, age at first conception, calving to first estrus, calving to first service, days open, calving interval, first service conception rate, number of service per conception, calf per year of Talbag Dairy Farm, BAU Dairy Farm, Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm were 25.10 ± 2.68, 219.23 ± 12.23 and 27.40 ± 7.56 months; 34.30 ± 8.54, 55.88 ± 11.60 and 38.93 ± 8.58 months; 26.20 ± 4.05, 52.71 ± 12.55 and 29.83 ± 8.72 months; 165.00 ±73.82, 219.23 ± 121.83 and 190.50 ± 104.19 days; 165.00 ±73.82, 240.77 ± 128.59 and 190.50 ± 104.19 days; 201.00 ± 72.48, 250.38 ± 72.82 and 335.08 ± 118.61 days; 383.30 ± 57.87, 526.44 ± 196.80 and 523.17 ± 216.37 days; 73.50 ± 29.25, 64.75 ± 30.53 and 61.85 ± 31.87 %; 1.95 ± 0.44, 1.99 ± 0.72 and 2.30 ± 1.02; 383.30 ±57.87, 526.44 ± 196.80 and 523.17 ± 216.37 days, respectively. The overall calf mortality (%) in Talbag Dairy Farm, BAU Dairy Farm, Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm were 4%, 0.70% and 4.06%, respectively. The calf mortality (%) at birth and birth to 30 days in Talbag Dairy Farm, BAU Dairy Farm, Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm were 3%, 1% and 1.85%; 3.5%, 5% and 6.39%; respectively. It is concluded that commercial farms reasonably better due to optimum level of breeding age, first service conception rate, less calving interval and less service per conception.

The objectives were to investigate the factors (age, sex, breed and season) affecting the occurrence of calf diseases. In this study 497 cases of 0 to 3 months of age from three different farms were investigated. Calf in Savar Dairy farm (n=249), Talbag Dairy Farm (n=85) and BAU Dairy Farm (n=163) were included from April 2011 to March 2012. The occurrence of diseases were classified on the basis of breed (Local and Cross), age (≤ 3 weeks and >3 weeks), sex (Male and Female) and season (Spring, Summer, Rainy and Winter). The overall diseases were diarrhoea (20.3%), anorexia (9.7%), fever (9.1%), naval ill (8.0%), malnutrition (7.7%), indigestion (6.7%), traumatic  injury (5.4%), dysentery (5.0%), myiasis (4.6%), pneumonia (3.4%), alopecia (3.4%), atresia ani (3.2%), hernia (2.8%), constipation (2.6%), abscess (2.2%), conjunctivitis (2.2%), lameness (1.8%), FMD (1.2%)  and blot (0.6%). The cases of diarrhoea was higher (20.5%) than that of other diseases. The occurrence of diseases was highly significant (p<0.01) in crossbred calves (77.3%) than that of local bred (22.7%). Cases of diseases were higher in male calves (51.7%) than that of female calves (48.3%) but the variation was insignificant (p>0.05). The effect of breeds on diseases were found significantly (p<0.05) higher in ≤ 3 weeks (55.1%) than that of > 3 weeks of age (44.9%). The occurrence of diseases in calves was significantly (p<0.05) higher in rainy season (36.0%) followed by the summer (31.0%), winter (22.1%) and lowest in spring (10.9%). The results demonstrate significant effect of breed, age and season on the occurrence of diseases in calves.

The study was conducted at Upazila Livestock Development Centre, Kapasia, Gazipur, during July, 2011 to December, 2011 to identify and determine the prevalence of clinical diseases and disorders of goats. A total number of 488 clinical cases of goats were recorded. Diagnosis of the clinical cases of goats were based on general examination (history and owner’s complaint), physical examination of patient (inspection, palpation and percussion), clinical examination, microscopic examination and using common laboratory techniques. The clinical cases were divided into three groups on the basis of treatment required-medicinal, gynaeco-obstetrical and surgical cases. Among the three types of cases, medicinal cases 428(87.72%) were highest followed surgical cases 43(8.80%) and gynaeco-obstetrical cases 17(3.48%). Among the medicinal cases of goats, the contagious diseases PPR 32(6.56%), black quarter 23(4.73%) fascioliasis 77(15.78%), diarrhoea 35(7.17%), dysentery 30(6.15%), ectoparasitism 30(6.15%), paramphistomiasis 25(5.12%), gastrointestinal nematodiasis 21(4.3%), fever 20(4.1%) were recorded major disease problems in goats. Among the gynaeco-obstetrical cases, retained placenta 5(1.02%) and repeat breeding 12(2.46 %) were recorded as major gynaeco-obstetrical problems in goats. Abscess 9(1.84 %), castration 4(0.81%), myiasis 10(2.05%), navel-ill 7(1.43%), gid disease 2(0.41%), urolithiasis 5(1.02%) and fracture 6(1.23%) were recognized as the main disorders which required surgical interventions. It may conclude that a number of diseases have been occurring in goats at study area and this report may help to develop strategies against major diseases reported in this study.

Malaria is a major public health concern in Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria parasites from blood sample. The blood samples were collected from patients of different hospitals at Savar upazila. Malaria prevalence survey was conducted in six malaria endemic areas at Savar upazila of Bangladesh. The microscopic examinations were employed for the diagnosis of malaria infection. The overall prevalence of malaria was found to be 23.48% from 115 blood samples. The highest malaria prevalence was observed at Islamnagar area (30.76%) than other five areas of Savar upazila. According to gender wise distribution, it was observed that male (30.90%) had higher positivity compare to their counterparts (16.67%). As regard to age, the peoples whose ages between 21 to 25 years (88.88%) were mostly suffering from malaria. The seasonal influence of outbreak of this disease was higher in rainy season (37.5%), followed by summer (28%), autumn (16.67%) and spring season (12.5%). Effective control program, accurate information on the incidence and prevalence of malaria is required to minimize and eradicate malaria from Bangladesh.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 450 broiler farms of three districts of Bangladesh from June 2012 to July 2013. The estimated prevalence and mortality of infectious bursal disease (IBD) in three districts were 10.2% (CI, 9.2-11.2) and 7.8% (CI, 6.4-9.2) respectively. On clinical sign such as anorexia, ruffled feathers and diarrhoea and necropsy gross changes at bursa of fabricius, the highest prevalence was recorded in Comilla district (10.4%) followed by Feni district (10.3%) and Chittagong district (10.0%), while the highest mortality was recorded in the same Comilla district (8.3%) followed by Chittagong district (8.1%) and Feni district (7.0%). IBD was recorded year-round and had significant association (P<0.05) with season. Significantly higher prevalence (13.1%) and mortality (9.8%) was documented in winter season. Broiler chicken age between 21-30 days was significantly reported with high prevalence rate and high mortality rate. The study result indicated the difference of IBD occurrence in Bangladesh, thereby would support to improve the current control plans.

The investigation was conducted to elucidate seasonal histomorphological changes of Leydig cells in Japanese Jungle crows (Corvus macrorhynchos). All adult crows (n=12) were killed for H&E staining. Histologic data of Leydig cells regarding their locations in the interstitium, appearance and disappearance of lipoidal materials in their cytoplasm, precursor cells and fibroblasts are studied. In the nonbreeding season, in the interstitium, clusters of Leydig cells were found in abundant number. They looked foamy, white and easily visible. Their nuclei were found small and are located eccentrically. During recrudescence, the Leydig cell became less foamy and less white. In peak breeding season, the Leydig cells showed bigger in size and the nuclei became prominent. Cytoplasmic lipoidal material was lowest and cytoplasm was found dense pink. At the end of breeding period, heavy accumulation of lipid materials occurred in the Leydig cell. The clusters of Leydig cells were visible and looked white and foamy again. During this transition, disintegration of Leydig cells occurred after pycnotic nuclei of Leydig cells were found. During involution, new generation of fibroblast like cells appeared in the interstitium. Within the fibroblast like cells, some of them became lipoidal by accumulating lipid materials. Thus a new generation of Leydig cells appeared in the interstitium. These lipoidal cells are thought to be a new generation of Leydig cells for the next breeding season. This study suggests that in seasonally breeding birds, new generation of Leydig cell is derived from fibroblast like cells of the interstitium.

Small ruminants (goat and sheep) are economically important and promising animal resource in Bangladesh. Reproductive disorders of goat and sheep cause the great economic problems. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of reproductive disorders in goat and sheep in five upazillas of Mymensingh district. Records of reproductive disorders were collected from official stock book of different Upazillas veterinary hospitals of Mymensingh district during April 2010 to March 2011. Seasonal occurrences of reproductive disorders were also recorded. Descriptive statistical analysis was done to study the prevalence of different reproductive disorders of goat and sheep in five upazillas of Mymensingh district. Out of 4804 clinical cases, a total of 147 reproductive disorders of goat and sheep were screened out from datasheet of official stock book. Among the five upazila, the prevalence of reproductive disorders was higher in Muktagacha (3.35%) and lower in Fulbaria (2.38%). Prevalence of reproductive disorders in all upazila was higher in sheep (4.12%) than goat (2.88%). Prevalence of reproductive disorders of goat was higher in Tarakanda (3.26%) and lower in Fulbaria (2.03%) and the prevalence of reproductive disorders of sheep was higher in Gaforgaon (5.22%) and lower in Haluaghat (3.15%). The major reproductive disorders recorded in goats were dystocia (41.2%), abortion (21.8%), mastitis (21.8%), retained placenta (11.8%) and pyometra (3.4%). Similarly, major reproductive disorders in sheep were dystocia (53.7%), abortion (25%), pyometra (7.1%), mastitis (7.1%) and retained placenta (7.1%). Moreover, seasonal prevalence of reproductive disorders was higher in summer than winter in the species, goat (57.14%) and sheep (12.25%). It was concluded that the most pressing constraint on goat and sheep reproduction in Bangladesh is dystocia, abortion and mastitis. Strategies should be taken to minimize their occurrence.

The effects of feeding probiotic (PB) with or without Lincomycin 2.2% (AGP) were investigated in broiler chickens during summer. Seven hundred Cobb-500 one day old straight run broiler chicks were randomly distributed into four dietary treatments each of five replications. Four diets were compared: control; control diet plus PB (Bacillus subtilis DSM17299) at a level of 50g/100kg; control plus (AGP) at a level of 15g/100kg and control plus a combination of PB and AGP (50gm/100kg and 15g/100kg respectively). Control birds were fed on a corn-soybean based starter mash that contained ME 3000 kcal/kg and CP 24.39% from 0-21 days of age and a corn-soybean based grower mash of ME 3100 kcal/kg and CP 20.43% during 22-35 days of age. The records were kept of feed intake (FI), body weight and mortality while weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and survivability were calculated. Temperature and humidity were recorded four times daily except during extreme heat stress when measurements were made more frequently. One bird that was close to average of pen weight was taken from each replication at the end of the trial and the birds were sacrificed to determine carcass characteristics. Both performance and carcass yield data were statistically analyzed. Birds that received  PB and a combination of PB +AGP  treatments showed significant differences (P<0.01) from control with respect to body weight gain and FCR while feeding AGP alone although showed a decrease in feed intake. Abdominal fat was significantly (P<0.01) reduced in PB treated birds. Higher mortality was encountered in control group. Both PB alone and a combination of AGP treatments were able to show improved performance and reduced mortality, feeding PB alone may be practiced on the combined grounds of improved performance, efficiency in combating heat stress and to discourage the use of AGP in broiler diet.

The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of aquaculture-drugs and chemicals on health and production of prawn in Narail district. Data were collected through questionnaire interview, market survey and focus group discussion from June to December 2014. Six categories and 28 types of chemicals were found in the chemical shops as well as used by the farmers. Chemicals used in pond preparation, equipments disinfection, oxygen supplementation, growth promotion, antibiotics and disease treatment. Eco-solution, malachite green and melathion were used in the treatment of viral diseases having 85%, 70% and 65% recovery respectively. Potassium permanganate, oxytetracycline and renamycine had 86%, 80% and 75% recovery respectively against protozoan and bacterial diseases. Clinically prawn appeared normal greenish in control ponds, whereas, in chemical treated prawn appeared yellowish brown and grayish color. Histology of muscle of control prawn were almost normal except some vacuums, however, chemical treated prawn muscle had remarkable pathological changes like necrosis, vacuums and pyknotic cells. Prawn production was 85 kg/acre in control ponds, 150 kg/ acre in lime-urea treated ponds and 450 kg/ acre in chemical treated ponds.

Seasonal variation of water quality parameters and health condition of some small endangered open water fishes are Baila (Glossogobius giuris), Gutum (Lepidocephalichthys guntea) and Tara baim (Macrognathus aculeatus) was carried out through clinical and histological observation from Kailla beel of Ishargonj upazila, Mymensingh and Surma river, Gobindogonj upazila, Sunamgonj district, Sylhet region for a period of eight months from September 2014 to April 2015. Water quality parameters like water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia, alkalinity, hardness, and nitrate were recorded. Water temperature, pH, alkalinity and hardness were found at unfavorable level for fish in mid November and January. Clinical examinations of the fish were carried out at monthly intervals and any kind of abnormalities were recorded. Clinically it was observed that, fish was affected with fin and tail rot, gill rot, parasitic infestation, nutritional deformities, numerous red spots and patches in lateral and ventral regions, large deep whitish ulcers reached up to deep ulcers especially in December and January in both region. Samples of skin, muscle, gill, liver and kidney were collected and processed for histological observations. Major pathology in the skin and muscle were epidermis separated from dermis, presence of fungal granuloma, vacuums, hemorrhage and necrosis. Loss of primary and secondary gill lamellae, hypertrophy and primary gill lamellae separated, necrosis and hemorrhage were found in the gill. Large vacuums, necrosis and hemorrhage were observed in liver and kidney. Among the affected fish organs skin and muscle, gills were more affected than the internal organs like liver and kidney. Overall, clinical and histological observations of fishes were found to be more affected in December and January. Whereas, in the months of mid February to April, the pathological condition of fish gradually healed up to normal except few vacuums and hemorrhage. Under histopathological observations, fishes of Kailla beel were more affected than the fishes of surma river. In clinical and histopathological observation open water fishes were  more susceptible due to EUS.

A total of 90 day old as hatched Cobb 500 broilers had free access to a pre-starter diet (crumble) from day old to 14 days of age. A starter diet (pellet) was provided up to end of the experiment. Broilers were allocated to 0 (control), 0.2 or 0.4% of potassium chloride (KCl) in drinking water and reared up to 500, 1000 or 1500g target weights to vary the rearing period. The study was aimed at to assess broiler performance (growth and meat yield) altered by KCl supplementation in drinking water in a hot and humid summer. KCl had no effect (p>0.05) on growth and meat yield characteristics of broilers except feed conversion (p<0.05) at different target weights. In most of the growth and meat yield parameters, KCl had no interactions (p>0.05) with target weights. However, 0.4% KCl level slightly improved feed intake, growth rate and performance index. Increasing level of KCl tended to increase most of the major meat yield characteristics. On the basis of results of this study, it may be concluded that, supplementation of KCl in drinking water in summer improved the feed conversion of broilers. However, further experiments using several doses of KCl may be conducted to confirm the appropriate doses of supplementation.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of diets varying in protein concentrations on indigenous (desi) growing chicks reared under confinement system. The feeding trial was conducted with 144 indigenous female (desi) growing chicks during 12-22 weeks of age. The birds were divided into four dietary treatments each of three replications and reared on littered floor in an open-sided house. The number of birds in each replication was 12. Four iso-nitrogenous grower diets differing in protein contents were formulated to constitute dietary treatments.  Diets for comparison were: control (a mixture of broken rice, rice polish, protein concentrate etc); low protein density (LPD): CP 15%; moderate protein density (MPD): CP 17% and high protein density (HPD): CP 19%. Metabolizable energy was maintained 2700 kcal/kg in every diet. The contents of CP, ME, calcium (Ca) and total phosphorous in MPD diet were fitted with the requirements calculated on the basis of BIS (Bureau of Indian Standard). Diets were formulated using locally available feedstuffs. Body weight and feed intake of the birds were recorded weekly. The results indicated that body weight and weight gain increased significantly in birds that received MPD diets in comparison with those received the other diets. Feed conversion ratio decreased significantly in all protein diets in comparison with the control.  It is concluded indigenous (desi) female chicks may achieve up to 1.1kg body weight at 22 weeks of age when 17% CP is fed in a2700 kcal ME/kg diet.

This paper focuses on the status of solid waste generation, waste management system and waste management problems in Bangladesh. Solid waste generation is in increasing trend with the growth of urban population. The country is generating about 8000 tons of solid waste each day from the six major cities (Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet), of which Dhaka city alone is contributing about 70%. Waste management system is not well organized. Efforts are underway to improve the system of waste collection, transportation, recycling, incineration and land filling. Lack of regulations/standard for waste disposal, landfill & use, lack of awareness, improper choice of technology and inadequate financial support are the major constraints for waste management in Bangladesh.

Transfection is the most popular experiments among biological scientist to study the gene expression. But it is really tedious to find out the optimum conditions for protein expression for transfection while working with plasmid DNA. In our present study, the main objective was to setup suitable conditions to study the protein expression. From different conditions, protein expression was observed for 2μg of DNA. We tried different cell number and time frame and got 6.25×10⁵   cell/ well of 6 well and 24 hour incubation were the best condition for maximum expression of protein. In our experiment 1:3 ratio of DNA: Lipfectamine was the best for optimum expression of protein in mammalian cell line.

Klebsiella pneumonia is the second most causing agent of urinary tract bacterial infection among human beings. Its ability to grow and to produce siderophores is dependent on the iron content and the type of carbon sources in the culture medium. This study has aimed to find out the unique properties of siderophore production by Klebsiella species in fluctuating iron concentrations. The study was carried out on 252 urine samples collected from UTI patients at Doon (PG) Paramedical College and Teaching Hospital, Dehradun, India. All urine samples were tested microbiologically using standard procedure and biochemical panel tests were performed to identify and to isolate Klebsiella pneumonia from colonies obtained on differential media plate used for urine culture and the result was interpreted according to National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) guide line to confirm the Klebsiella pneumonia. Then CAS siderophore detection method was applied to quantify the siderophore production in various iron concentration supplied to culture medium. A total of 47 patients out of 252 UTI patients were found to be infected by Klebsiella pneumonia. Women were more prone to be UTI infected by Klebsiella pneumonia in comparison to men (14.89% men, 85.1% women). Most of the UTI patients infected by Klebsiella pneumonia were in the age group of 50-79 years (53.19%) which was followed by 20-49 years (23.40%) and 80-99 years (14.89%) respectively. Least people having age below 19 years old were prone to be urinary tract infected by Klebsiella pneumonia. In the same way, siderophore production was found to be increased significantly when there was no iron in the culture medium and its production was decreased gradually with increase in iron concentration up to 200mg/L in the culture medium. Siderophore is an important metabolite product for pathogenic Klebsiella pneumonia to survive and cause pathogenicity in low iron concentration medium.

This review covers the pre- and post-natal development of skeletal muscle of vertebrate animals with cellular and molecular levels. The formation of skeletal muscle initiates from paraxial mesoderm during embryogenesis of individuals which develops somites and subsequently forms dermomyotome derived myotome to give rise axial musculature. This process (myogenesis) includes stem and progenitor cell maintenance, lineage specification, and terminal differentiation to form myofibrils consequent muscle fibers which control muscle mass and its multiplication. The main factors of muscle growth are proliferation and differentiation of myogenic cells in prenatal stage and also the growth of satellite cells at postnatal stage. There is no net increase in the number of muscle fibers in vertebrate animals after hatch or birth except fish. The development of muscle is characterized by hyperplasia and hypertrophy in prenatal and postnatal stages of individuals, respectively, through Wnt signalling pathway including environment, nutrition, sex, feed, growth and myogenic regulatory factors. Therefore further studies could elucidate new growth related genes, markers and factors to enhance meat production and enrich knowledge on muscle growth.

 Our objective was to study the sequence variations of melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) gene in obese/diabetic populations of the Kashmir region and workout association of such variations (if any) with the disease phenotype. No such study has ever been taken up in the Jammu and Kashmir State, despite the existence of a significant population of obese/diabetic patients. A total of 420 samples were taken in the present study. Among them 200 were obese and 220 were normal. The samples were divided into three groups i.e., normal (220), obese with non diabetics (150) and obese with diabetics (50). Allele frequencies were tested for Hardy–Weinberg disequilibrium. The genotype and allele frequencies were evaluated using the χ2 tests or the Fisher exact tests. A novel heterozygous variation (Glu42Lys) was observed in all groups at a frequency of 10% in obese with non diabetics, 26% in obese with diabetics and 1.81% in healthy controls (BMI ≤ 23 kg/m2) which was significantly (p<0.05) higher in both obese or obese with diabetes groups. G to A substituting glutamic acid with lysine appeared to associate with both diabetes and obesity significantly (p< 0.05). Insilico predictions show that substitutions likely have an impact on structure and functional properties of protein making it imperative to understand their functional consequences in relation with diabetes and obesity. These results indicate that this novel genotype may have a possible bearing in the genesis of obesity or diabetes in Kashmiri population.

The study was conducted to determine the effects of layers‟ diets containing 0, 100, 150 and 200 mg/kg vitamin C on vitamin A and C concentrations in serum of layers. A total of 80 Isa brown layers (28 weeks of age) were used in this study. There were a control and three treatment groups each containing 20 hens. The experimental period lasted 8 weeks. Serum vitamin A and vitamin C concentrations were determined twice at 32 and 36 weeks of age. Serum vitamin A and serum vitamin C concentrations increased as vitamin C supplementation increased in the diet. During the study, serum concentration of vitamin C was increased significantly (P<0.05) by the addition of 150 and 250 mg/kg vitamin C and serum concentration of vitamin A was increased significantly (P<0.01) in all treatment groups in increasing order as vitamin C supplementation increases in the diet. It has been concluded that vitamin C protected vitamin A against oxidation and increased serum vitamin A levels in parallel with increased serum vitamin C.

 An observational study was conducted in a peri-urban dairy establishment in Jos South, Plateau State Nigeria to determine immune response of dairy cattle to commercial inactivated foot-and-mouth disease vaccine serotypes (O and A). Thirty seven Friesian cattle aged ≥2years old with their crosses (15 selected pre-vaccination and 22 selected 21 days post-vaccination) were investigated for immune response to vaccination with an inactivated trivalent FMD vaccine containing serotypes O, A and SAT 2). Sera collected on day 0 pre-vaccination and 21 days post-vaccination was tested for structural protein antibodies to FMD serotypes O and A using the Solid Phase Competitive ELISA assay. The mean OD value for serum end point titre of FMD serotype O pre-vaccination was 11.64% with 6.67% (95%CI: 0.33 – 28.73) of the selected cattle being seropositive, at 21 days post-vaccination the mean OD value in selected cattle was 52.83% with 68.18% (95%CI: 46.95 – 84.89) of the selected cattle seropositive. For the FMD serotype A, 26.67% (95%CI: 9.10 – 52.53) of the selected cattle were seropositive pre-vaccination with a mean OD value of 29.21% and by 21 days post-vaccination, 72.73% (95%CI: 51.67 – 88.13) of the selected cattle were seropositive with a mean OD value of 61.70%. Serological response to vaccination improved in most selected cattle by 21 days post-vaccination. This study result has indicated that commercial inactivated FMD vaccines used for the prophylactic control of FMD in commercial dairy farm in Nigeria provoked immune response after a single shot.

This study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in cattle and identifying the potential risk factors associated with the disease among sedentary cattle in northern part of Plateau state, Nigeria. Two hundred and seventy cattle aged from 6 months to ≥3 years old were randomly selected and identified and whole blood collected from the jugular vein using plain evacuated tubes. Whole blood was processed and separated and sera were screened for foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) 3D non-structural proteins using blocking enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Overall, 55.9% (95%CI: 49.96-61.77) FMD seroprevalence was obtained from the study area. Seroprevalence was highest in Riyom (82.5%), followed by Barkin Ladi (66.2%), Jos South (55.5%) and Bassa (41.2%) (x2 = 17.21, P<0.05). Risk factors for age, management system and location were significant associated (P<0.05) with seroprevalence of FMD. However, there was no significant association with sex (P>0.05). The prevalence odd ratio of FMD was more in Riyom than in Jos South, Barkin Ladi and Bassa (P<0.05). Prevalence odd ratio of FMD was more in extensively managed system relative to intensively managed system, more in adult cattle aged >2 years old. This study has indicated that FMD is an important disease among sedentary cattle in Northern Plateau, however little is currently known about the economic impact of the disease on the local farmers and their livelihoods. As a control measure, efforts should be improved on animal movement during outbreaks while prophylactic control using vaccination should be considered as another option using vaccines containing virus representative of the region.

Cross-sectional study for investigating the prevailing field serotypes and predisposing factors for the occurrence and distribution of ovine pasteurellosis in Bonga sheep breed of different agro-ecology of Adiyo (highland), Gawata (lowland) and Debub Bench (Midland) of Kaffa and Benchi Maji in southern Ethiopia was conducted during July 2012 to June 2013. For this purpose, a questioner survey to identify predisposing factors and laboratory analysis on samples to investigate the prevailing field serotypes were performed. In these regard, a total of 210 farmers were interviewed and 70 blood samples from each agro-ecology (total of 210) was randomly collected following standard procedures. Laboratory analysis was performed by indirect haemagglutination (IHA) technique at National Veterinary Institute (NVI), Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. The finding showed that, 34.8% of the farmer’s household main sources of income were dependent on sheep production in which ovine pasteurellosis had 81% of occurrence. Management of sheep like housing and sanitation of the barn were predisposing factors. Irrespective of agro-ecology, M. haemolytica A2 (52.4%) followed by A7 (42.4%) and A1 (31%) were detected where as P. multocida serotype was not detected. Among identified serotypes, highest prevalence of M. haemolytica A1 (37.1%) were detected in lowland where as A2 (62.9%) in Midland and lowland with equal prevalence and A7 (85.7%) in midland. Therefore, ovine pasteurellosis was the major disease of sheep identified with multiple losses in the production and M. haemolytica is the most common cause identified. Measures such as, improving management practices by providing optimal sanitation in housing, providing good quality supplement feeding during rainy season and minimizing stress factors should be taken into account to reduce the prevalence. In addition, the currently use vaccine (P. multocida biotype A) not incorporate the identified serotypes so that may not protect the disease. As a result, use of multivalent vaccine by incorporating those identified serotypes is necessary to effectively prevent the disease.

The field experiment was conducted at the farmer’s field of Sutiakhali, a village near the BAU, Mymensingh to investigate effect of integrated nutrient management on yield of cabbage and soil fertility during the period from 5th November 2013 to February2014. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications and five treatments levels viz. T₁: Recommended Dose (RD, N₁₅₀P₅₃K₅₀S₃₀Zn_1.5Bo_.7Mo_0.5) T₂: Soil Test Base (STB, N₁₇₈P₆₅K₅₁S₂₇Zn_1.5B_0.7Mo_0.5) T₃: Integrated Plant Nutrition System (IPNS, N₁₅₈P₅₉K₄₂S₂₄Zn_1.5B_0.7Mo_0.5) + Cow dung (CD) @ 5.0 tha^-1, T₄: Farmer’s Practice (FP, N₆₅P₄₂K₇₁S₆) T₅: Control (no fertilizer). The Integrated Plant Nutrition System showed significant positive effect on the yield and yield components of cabbage cv. Atlas-70. The results of the present study showed that cow-dung with inorganic fertilizers have significant variation on all the parameters except number of loose leaves. The highest values for plant height (25.88cm), number of folded leaves per head (42.50), length of the biggest leaf (34.77cm), length of the lateral root (31.92 cm), length of stem (6.83cm) were recorded in T₃ treatments, on the other hand the highest values in case of number of loose leaves at the treatment of T5 (control). The yield of cabbage crop has increased significantly with application of inorganic fertilizer in combination of cow dung over the control. The highest values for fresh weight of cabbage was 89.16 t ha^-1, dry matter content of head (5.93%), dry matter content of loose leaves (9.72%), were recorded at T₃ treatments by the application of inorganic fertilizer (N₁₅₈P₅₉K₄₂S₂₄Zn_1.5B_0.7Mo_0.5) in combination with cow dung @ 5.0 tha^-1. The above results indicated that the integrated nutrient management had a remarkable effect in promoting soil fertility and increasing yield and yield components of cabbage.

Zinc deficiency is prevalent and affects nearly two billion people in the developing world, where mainly cereals are consumed as staple food by the people. It is essential to study the genetic characters of the rice genotypes containing genes responsible for zinc synthesis so that they can be used as breeding resource to develop nutrient rich rice varieties. In this study, 46 rice (Oryza sativa L., 2n=24) genotypes were studied for their Zinc biosynthesis ability using 3 Rice Microsatellite (RM) markers (RM23, RM217 and RM35) linked to Zn content at Biotechnology Laboratory of Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) and Genetics and Plant Breeding Laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during 5 August, 2013 to 30 April, 2014. The DNA samples were isolated by CTAB mini-prep method from 21 days older rice leaf samples followed by Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Three markers (Rm23, RM35 and RM217) showed effective polymorphism in DNA band appearance for Zn content out of ten SSR markers. The alleles were separated on Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE) system. After molecular analyses of DNA bands using Power Marker software, variation was found in allele number, allele frequency, polymorphism information content (PIC) and gene diversity for each genotype. Number of alleles (23, 19 & 13), PIC-polymorphism information content (0.946, 0.911 & 0.829), gene diversity (0.948, 0.917 & 0.846), rare allele (16, 12 & 8) and null allele (0, 16 & 2) were observed for 3 rice microsatellite (RM) markers viz. RM35, RM217 and RM23, respectively for the 46 rice genotypes. A total of 55 alleles were found by using 3 SSR primers for all genotypes. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 13 to 23 with an average of 18.33 out of total 55 alleles. The UPGMA Dendrogram categorized all the varieties into 7 distinct clusters based on 50% of average genetic distance among the 46 genotypes (Figure 2 and Table 7). Since the primers showed almost similar and highest PIC values, based on this study, the larger range of similarity values using SSR markers will provide greater confidence for the assessment of genetic relationships among the varieties. The information obtained from SSR profiling helped in identifying the varieties containing genes for Zn synthesis among the selected rice genotypes. Among all the rice genotypes, Kumra Ghor, Ghigoj, Tilek Kuchi contained high Zn content found in another chemical analysis. Most of the genotypes contained candidate gene for Zn synthesis and can be used as breeding materials to develop nutrient (Zn) rich rice varieties through different selective breeding methods in future.

A study was carried out to assess the ecological aspects of Balla beel ecosystem in Moulavibazar district and the affectivity of the ongoing biodiversity restoration program from July 2011 to June 2012. Seventy-four fish species belonging to 21 families were identified during the study period. About nine types of fishing methods and one type of fish aggregating device were identified in the surveyed beel. Increasing pressure of illegal current jal (gill net), ber jal (seine net) and FAD (Fish Aggregating Device) was detected as the reduction of almost all type of species. About 24 aquatic weeds were found in the Balla beel, among them both emergent and spreading were 29%,  followed by floating 21%, 13% were rooted plants with floating leaves and 8% were submerged. The dissolved oxygen content 5.22±1.60 mg/l inside and 5.70±1.38 mg/l outside of the Balla beel sanctuary were found to be congenial for aquatic life. pH of the beel water both inside and outside of the sanctuary were slightly acidic to moderately alkaline (7.0±0.68 inside and 6.88±0.43 outside the sanctuary). Lower values of alkalinity and hardness indicating beel water to be less nutrient enriched. The contribution of phytoplankton (79%) was larger than zooplankton (21%). The diversity of phytoplankton both inside and outside of the sanctuary was dominated by three group Chlorophyceae, Myxophyceae and Bacillariophyceae.

An experiment with 25 growing goats (in 5 groups) were fed four different tree forage based diets (B,C,D,E)  and control A showed that there were significant (p<0.05) differences in DM , ME and DCP intakes. Although there were no significant differences in the digestibility of DM, OM, CP and ADF but  intake of these nutrients were significantly (p<0.05) differed among the treatments. There were no significant differences in the digestibility of diets having different forages but they were significantly higher than that of grass based control diet. Feeding of tree forages had significant (p<0.05) effect on live weight gain of goats.  Animals fed tree forage based diets significantly (p<0.05) increased weight gain (60.03, 59.10, 57.75 and 55.57 g/d for Sesbania grandiflora, Leucaena leucocephala, Erythrina orientalis and Morus alba, respectively) compared to that of control group (39.25 g/d) . However, there were no significant differences in weight gain of the animals fed different tree forage based diets. Feed conversion efficiency (kg feed/kg gain) also showed that animals fed tree forage based diets presented significantly (p<0.01) higher efficiency (11.74, 12.05, 12.21 and 12.02) for L. leucocephala, E. orientalis, S. grandiflora and M. alba compared to that (16.00) of fed control diet. Nitrogen balance trial showed that there were significant (p<0.05) differences among the mean values in terms of total N intake (g/d), nitrogen retention (%) and nitrogen balance (g/d). It may be concluded that supplementation of diets with tree forages resulted in better weight gain, digestibility and nitrogen balance compared to green grass. So, the diets of goats may be supplemented with tree forages of S. grandiflora, L. leucocephala, E. orientalis and M. alba for improved growth performance.

The study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of obstetrical disorders (ODs) of 975 dairy cows in relation to genotype, age, parity, housing system, feed quality, rearing system, breeding systems and professional training of owners at Rajshahi, Bangladesh from the period 1 January, 2009 to 31 December, 2009. Extensive survey was conducted in 15 areas of Rajshahi and in each area 65 dairy cows were selected randomly. Individual farmers were interviewed to obtain information about ODs of dairy cows viz; abortion, dystocia, retained placenta, uterine and vaginal prolapse. Out of 975 cows, 117 animals were found to be affected by various ODs showing an overall prevalence of 12.00%. Among the ODs, retained placenta showed the highest prevalence (4.10%) followed by abortion (4.0%), dystocia (2.77%), uterine prolapse (0.66%) and vaginal prolapse (0.51%). The observation of genotype wise ODs in cows revealed that the maximum prevalence was in the Local × Friesian (15.97%), followed by Local (14.68%) and Local × Jersey (9.80%) while the minimum prevalence was in the Local × Sahiwal (5.55%). The age group (>48 months) showed highest prevalence (20.25%) of ODs while the lowest (6.66%) was recorded in < 24 months of age in cows. Parity-wise splitting of the data showed that the maximum prevalence of ODs was in the >5^th parity (15.35%) and minimum in the 1^st parity (6.15%) of cows. The traditional rearing and farming system revealed highest (17.26%) and lowest (8.51%) prevalence of ODs in cows, respectively. The quality of feed had effect on prevalence of ODs in dairy cows (P<0.05). The ODs were also increased in artificial inseminated cows (12.59%) than naturally service groups (11.90%). The training of farmers had significant effect among the non trained and trained groups for the occurrence of ODs in cows. The study revealed relatively low prevalence of reproductive disorders in cows at Rajshahi compare to other regions of Bangladesh, might be due to better management practices adopted by the farmers and efficient veterinary services as well as awareness among farmers.

An experiment was carried out both boro season (February–June, 2013) and aman season (July-December, 2013) in the permanent experimental field of the Department of Soil Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh. The objectives of present research work were tosee the effects of long-term fertilization and manuring on soil fertility and yield of boro and aman rice in flood plain (Subtropical) soil (AericHaplaquepts). The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. There were 10 treatment combinations viz, Control, N, NP, NK, NPK, NZn, NS, NSZn, NPKSZn and NPK+FYM. The results indicated that the yield contributing characters and yield of BRRI dhan28 (Boro rice) and BR11 (Aman rice) were significantly increased due to different treatments. For boro rice, the highest plant height (cm), 1000-grain weight (g), effective tiller hill-1 and biological yield (t ha-1) were found in NPKSZn treatment. The highest grain yield and straw yield of boro ricewere also observed in NPKSZn treatment. Grain yield was increased by 71%, 119%, 127%, 132%, 133%, 144%, 161% and 200% over Control in NZn, NS, NK, N, NP, NPK+FYM, NPK, NSZn and NPKSZn treatments, respectively. Straw yield was increased by 82%, 83%, 98%, 110%, 112%, 139%, 145%, and 167% over Control in N, NP, NPK+FYM, NZn, NK, NPK, NSZn, NS and NPKSZn treatments, respectively. Again for aman rice, the highest number of unfilled grain panicle-1, grain yield (t ha-1) and harvest index (%) were recorded in NPKSZn treatment. Grain yield was increased by 79%, 85%, 87%, 97%, 116%, 117%, 159% and 165% over Control in NP, NZn, N, NPK, NPK+FYM, NK, NSZn, NS and NPKSZn treatments, respectively. Straw yield was increased by 119%, 121%, 135%, 142%, 149%, 152%, 200%, 217%, and 246% over Control in NP, N, NPK, NPK+FYM, NK, NZn, NPKSZn, NSZn and NS treatments, respectively.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious viral disease associated with high morbidity and mortality in goats of Bangladesh. Though there is no known effective drug against PPR virus, Animal Health Research Division (AHRD), Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) has developed a treatment technology “antibiotic combined hyperimmune serum therapy (ACHST)” against the deadly PPR virus. This article described the management of a huge outbreak of PPR by ACHST at goat farm of BLRI regional station, Naikhongchari, Bandarban, a hilly area of Bangladesh. Seventy two goats out of 159 goats were infected with PPR virus naturally. The clinical history and necropsy findings were recorded and nasal swabs were collected for diagnosis of PPR virus by RT-PCR. Thirty goats among 72 goats were died before providing treatment and the rest alive 42 goats were received ACHST. Each of the goats was treated with PPR specific hyperimmune serum @ 4-5ml/goat slow IV for once, Amcicoli-D (Ampicillin trihydrate, Colistin sulfate and Dexamethasone acetate) @ 1ml/10kg body weight daily IM once for 3 days and metronidazole @ 500mg/35kg body weight orally thrice daily for 3 days. After treatment, 38 goats (93.23%) were recovered out of 42 goats. The comparative evaluation of ACHST at different stages of naturally PPR infected goat’s shown highest recovery rate in incubation (100%) and prodromal (100%) phases followed by pneumonic (91.67%) and diarrhoeal (81.25%) phases. It may be concluded that the ACHST could be used as therapeutic interventions for PPR infected goats.

Ground nut is one of the commonly used decorative nutritious relish seed around the world. Ground nut have hypocholesterolamic, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-atherosclerotic, immune-modulatory and bacterial counting effects. In Bangladesh, limited research has so far been performed on the action of ground nut in biological system and its comparative efficacy with commercialized drugs that reduce blood cholesterol. The aim of this study was carried on the effects of PUFA on blood total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride (TG) and against artificial inoculation (I/N) Staphylococcus aureus infection of experimental rat by feeding of ground nut.  A total of fifteen long Evans rats (Rattus norvegicus) were used for this study. The rats were randomly divided into three equal groups (n=5) and numbered as A, B and C. Group A (control), Group B (50gm ground nut/ day/group), group C (100 gm ground nut/day/group). All groups were supplied with standard broiler pellet and fresh drinking water throughout the experimental period (January to June /2012). The blood samples were collected directly from the heart at the 1^st and 60^th day for biochemical test (TC, LDL, HDL and TG) and test was performed as per Memorial Diagnostic Centre, Charpara, Mymensingh. Staphylococcus aureus was cultured in nutrient broth and 100 ml of their culture was inoculated into the rats through intranasal route. Among all the treated groups, the rats of group C exhibited the lowest TC value, TG and LDL and reduced blood cholesterol significantly than (control group A) followed by group B. In bacteriological examinations, it was found that the number of bacterial colony lowest in group C in comparison with the group of A and B. From the present experiment, it can be assumed that PUFA has significant effect on blood lipid profile and against bacterial infection.

This study was carried out for the evaluation of causative agents of dental plaques which leads to dental caries. A total of 76 samples collected from the dental caries patients of various age and sex were processed on different bacterial isolation media like Tryptose Soya Agar, Nutrient Agar, and MacConkey Agar. Total viable count of bacteria was ranged from 0.8×10⁵ to 2.9×10⁵. Out of total 184 isolates bacterial species were Streptococcus mutans (28.80%), Streptococcus mitis (23.91%), Staphylococcus aureus (28.26%) and Streptococcus salivarius (19.02%). The biochemical properties of the isolates were tested according to Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology and UK Standards for Microbiology Investigation. Antibiotic Susceptibility testing of different species of bacteria were performed according to Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method on Muller Hinton Agar by using commercial antibiotic discs. Effect of the bacterial isolates on different age groups was studied where the age group of 26 to 35 years was found to have highest prevalence (32.60%) of infection while the lowest prevalence (10.86%) of infection was seen in the group of below 15 years of age. A relative study was also performed on caries patients according to their economic status and gender where Higher Middle Economic Class was in highest percentage (35.32%) of infection. Different species of bacteria showed various sensitivity patterns to several kinds of antibiotics. Regular use of tooth paste containing triclosan and fluoride may be beneficial for prevention of dental caries instead of using antibiotics presented in this study.

A research work was undertaken to find out alternative feeding practices for dairy cows in Baghabari milk shed areas. The trial was conducted in the village Alokdiar, Shajadpur, Sirajgonj. Twenty cross bred lactating dairy cows of 340 ±15.5 kg live weight were used for the trial. Animals were equally and randomly allocated dietary into four groups, T₀ (Rice straw + concentrate), T₁ (Napier silage + concentrate), T₂ (Khesari hay + concentrate) and T₃ (UMS + concentrate). There was no significant difference in total DM intake among the four groups. The DCP (kg/d) intake was significantly (P<0.01) differ among the treatment group. The highest DCP (kg/d) intake was observed in T₂ (0.824) followed by T₁ (0.739), T₃ (0.707) and T₀ (0.510). Higher CP content in Khesari hay which reflected DCP intake. The ME (MJ/d) intake was also significant (P<0.05) difference among the dietary groups. ME (MJ/d) was the highest 93.46 in T₂ afterward 92.21 in T₃ and lowest 77.56 in T₀. The average milk yield (l/d) was the highest in T₂ (10.76) followed by T₃ (10.13), T₁ (9.86) and T₀ (7.31), respectively. Apparent digestibility were significant (P<0.05) variation among the dietary groups of animals in case of DM, OM and CP. The highest DM digestibility was observed in T₂-Khasari based diet (74.00±1.54) followed by T₃-UMS (73.11±1.33), T₁-Napier silage (70.00±1.23) and T₀-rice straw (53.00±0.97) based diet, respectively. Introduction of legume hay as modified feeding practice may be an alternative feeding system to sustain milk production during lean period.

Physiological status-related changes in serum biochemical values are known to occur in many species. The aim of the current study was to evaluate total serum protein, albumin, glucose, calcium and phosphorus concentration and these parameters were measured by the serum analyzer for lactating (n=50) and non-lactating (n=50) dairy cattle in selected dairy farms of Chittagong district. The results (mean ± standard deviation) of the study showed that among serum biochemical parameters total protein (82.3 ± 2.15 gm/l), albumin (27.45 ± 5.06 gm/l), calcium (12.97±6.67 mg/dl) and phosphorus (7.26 ± 0.41 mg/dl) level in non-lactating cows were higher than the value of lactating cows as (81.28 ± 2.41 gm/l), (14.09 ± 2.05 gm/l), (10.05 ± 2.51 mg/dl) and (6.52 ± 0.30 mg/dl) respectively. Only glucose level in lactating cows (63.01 ± 6.67 mg/dl) was found higher than the non lactating cows (58.47 ± 3.84 mg/dl). In case of parity-wise parameters insignificant variation was noticed. It may be concluded that biochemical variation present between lactating cow and non lactating cow is important for interpretation of laboratory data and also for physiological diagnosis.

Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzaepv. oryzae (Xoo) bacteria, is a major biotic stress in the irrigated rice belts. Genetic modification is the most effective and economical control for bacterial blight disease. For high yielding, branching capacity is most important. Molecular survey was conducted to identify the presence of tillering specific gene in BLB resistant Binashail rice. Reproducible means of Binashail rice at 21 days was designed based on the timing of full expression of the leaf. PCR with primers specific for tillering specific gene was used in the study. The cDNA of Binashail rice synthesized by an improved RT-PCR technique, derived from the total mRNAs extracted from the plant leaf. Gel documentation showed that the size of the synthesized cDNA was 250bp and tillering specific gene was 201bp in length long. The identification of tillering specific gene in Binashal rice germplasm will help in accelerating the elite breeding program in future.

A pot experiment was carried out at the grill house of the Department of Crop Botany, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from December 2013 to April 2014 to study the growth, morpho-physiological, yield and yield contributing characters of twenty sorghum genotypes. The experiment was consisted of twenty genotypes of sorghum viz., BD 700, BD 701, BD 702, BD703, BD704, BD705, BD706, BD707, BD708, BD709, BD710, BD712, BD720, BD721, BD722, BD725, BD726, BD727, BD728 and BD729. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design with three replications. The collected data were analyzed statistically and the means were adjudged by Duncan’s multiple range test at 1% level of probability. Among the genotypes, BD 725 showed significantly the best performance on growth, yield and morpho–physiological characters compare to other genotypes at harvest, while BD728 was less efficient among those parameters. As a result, highest plant height (251.20 cm), panicle plant^–1 (2.83), highest 1000–grain weight (27.10 g), highest grain yield (3.58 t ha^–1), straw yield (16.05 t ha^–1) and biological yield (19.64 t ha^–1) was recorded from BD 725 at harvest. However, number of leaves, leaf area plant^–1 and Leaf area index had also significantly highest (18.33 and 5542.0 cm² and 2.81, respectively) in BD 725 at 90 days after sowing. BD 725 further recorded the highest growth of cumulative growth rate (32.54 g m^–2 day^–1) at the stage between 60–90 days after sowing thereafter they decreased. All the above growth, yield and morpho–physiological characters were less effective in BD728. On the basis of these results, BD 725 was found outstanding for plant growth, yield and morpho–physiological characters of sorghum.

This investigation is made upon the plant Cuscuta reflexa, the flowers of it, to find out its Cytotoxicity property. The anti-oxidant property of this plant part was investigated using methanol extraction. Methanolic extract of Cuscuta reflexa.Was used to evaluate its cytotoxicity in Brine shrimp lethality bioassay where vincristine sulphate was used as standard drug. In Brine shrimp lethality bioassay, LC50 value of the extract was 36.72μg/ml and vincristine sulphate served as the positive control showed LC50 value 10.51μg/ml. So, compared to vincristine sulphate, it is evident that the methanol extract of flowers of Cuscuta reflexa was cytotoxic. In case of anti-oxidant the scavenging power (IC₅₀) of DPPH radical was 29.26, 17.07, 18.29, 19.55 and 54.87µg/ml respectively.

Milk is highly vulnerable to microbial contamination and consequently is easily perishable. The aim of the present study was microbial analysis of raw and pasteurized milk. For this, a total of 32 milk samples (12 from raw milk and 20 from pasteurized milk) were collected from 8 sources. Among them three were raw (R1 to R3) sources and rest five were pasteurized milk (P1 to P5) sources. Each of the collected samples was investigated during the period from May to December, 2012. All milk samples were subjected to total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (TCC), Total Staphylococcus count (TSC) and Gram’s staining to determine the loads of microbes in raw and pasteurized milk. Total viable counts (TVC) range of 12 raw milk samples (R, R2 and R3) were 1.3 x10⁶ to 7.4 x10⁵ cfu/ml. The presence of Escherichia coli in the  raw milk samples were from 2.3 x10² to 9.4 x10² cfu/ml, but the presence of Staphylococcus were from 5.9 x10² to 7.9 x10² cfu/ml. Whereas, the range of TVC for five brands of pasteurized milk (P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5) were from 1.8 x10⁴ to 9.8 x10⁴ cfu/ml, TSC were from 2.8 x10 to 8.6 x10² cfu/ml and TCC from 1.01 x10² to 9.1 x10 cfu/ml. Therefore, it can be concluded that high counts of bacteria were found in raw milk and pasteurized milk. The government therefore should conduct frequent inspection of the marketed milks to check whether they meet the minimum legal standards and should monitor the overall hygienic condition surrounding the production and handling of milk. Realistic standards for the raw milks need to be devised and appropriate training should be given to the raw milk producers in hygienic handling of milk.