Inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway by astaxanthin supplementation for prevention of heat stress-induced inflammatory changes and apoptosis in Karan Fries heifers.

Present study was conducted on 12 Karan Fries (Holstein Friesian X Tharparkar) heifers (10-12 months) to assess the effect of astaxanthin supplementation on heat stress amelioration and inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway for prevention of heat stress-induced inflammatory changes and apoptosis in the cell during the summer season. The heifers were randomly and equally divided into two groups, i.e., control (fed as per ICAR 2013) and treatment groups (additionally supplemented astaxanthin at a dose rate of 0.25 mg/kg BW/day/animal). Temperature humidity index used to assess the levels of summer stress during the experimental period. Blood samples were collected at the fortnightly interval for quantification of plasma cortisol and IL-12 from both the groups of the heifers and from collected blood samples, RNA was isolated and transcribed into cDNA for real time PCR, for genes expression of NF-κB, IL-2, caspase-3, and Bcl-2. Plasma cortisol, IL-12 levels, and expression pattern of NF-κB, IL-2, and caspase-3 were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower in treatment group of Karan Fries heifers than control group, whereas, Bcl-2 was higher (P ≤ 0.05) in astaxanthin supplemented group. The temperature humidity index had a positive correlation (P ≤ 0.05) with plasma cortisol and IL-12 and expression pattern of NF-κB, IL-2, and caspase-3. However, it was negatively correlated with Bcl-2. The supplementation of astaxanthin can ameliorate the impact of summer stress through NF-κB downregulation, might be due to the quenching of free radicals, which regulates the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators and apoptotic genes.

Reactive Oxygen Species Responsive Naturally Occurring Phenolic-Based Polymeric Prodrug.

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) play a vital role in the biological system. Exaggerated, ROS have devastating effects on the human body leading to the pathophysiological condition including the transformation of a normal cell into a cancer phenotype. Nature has blessed us with various biomolecules that we use along with our dietary supplements. Using such therapeutic small molecules covalently incorporated into biodegradable polyoxalate polymer backbone with a responsive group forms an efficient drug delivery vehicle. This chapter "Reactive oxygen species responsive naturally occurring phenolic-based polymeric prodrug" will be focusing on redox-responsive polymers incorporated with naturally occurring phenolics and clinical application.

Expression of HSP70 genes in skin of zebu (Tharparkar) and crossbred (Karan Fries) cattle during different seasons under tropical climatic conditions.

Skin is most important environmental interface providing a protective envelope to animals. It's always under the influence of both internal and external stressors. Heat shock proteins (HSP) are highly conserved stress proteins which play crucial roles in environmental stress tolerance and thermal adaptation. Present study was planned to observe the relative mRNA expression of inducible (HSP70.1 and HSP70.2) and constitutive (HSP70.8) HSP in skin of zebu (Tharparkar) and crossbred (Karan Fries) cattle during different seasons. Skin biopsies were collected from rump region of each animal, aseptically during winter, spring and summer season. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction was performed to examine the gene expression of constitutive (HSP70.8) and inducible (HSP70.1 and HSP70.2) HSP in skin of both the breeds during different seasons. Present study observed higher expression of both constitutive and inducible HSP genes in both the breeds during summer and winter than spring season, but magnitude of increase was higher during summer than winter. During summer season, expression pattern of HSPs in skin showed breed differences, where constitutive HSP expression was higher in Tharparkar than Karan Fries and that of inducible HSP was higher in Karan Fries than Tharparkar. Hence, present study suggested that HSP may be conveniently used as biomarkers for assessing protective response of skin against heat stress in zebu and crossbred cattle. Variation in expression between breeds is associated with their heat tolerance and thermal adaptability. In summary, skin of zebu cattle (Tharparkar) is more resistant to summer stress than crossbred (Karan Fries), providing greater protection against heat stress during summer season. Superior skin protective mechanism of zebu (Tharparkar) than crossbred (Karan-Fries) cattle against heat stress may contribute to superior adaptability of zebu cattle to tropical climatic conditions than crossbreed.

Assessment of adaptability of zebu cattle (Bos indicus) breeds in two different climatic conditions: using cytogenetic techniques on genome integrity.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the genome integrity so as to assess the adaptability of three breeds of indigenous cattle reared under arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan (Bikaner) and Haryana (Karnal) India. The cattle were of homogenous group (same age and sex) of indigenous breeds viz. Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Kankrej. A total of 100 animals were selected for this study from both climatic conditions. The sister chromatid exchanges (SCE's), chromosomal gaps and chromatid breaks were observed in metaphase plates of chromosome preparations obtained from in vitro culture of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The mean number of breaks and gaps in Sahiwal and Tharparkar of semi-arid zone were 8.56 ± 3.16, 6.4 ± 3.39 and 8.72 ± 2.04, 3.52 ± 6.29, respectively. Similarly, the mean number of breaks and gaps in Tharparkar and Kankrej cattle of arid zone were 5.26 ± 1.76, 2.74 ± 1.76 and 5.24 ± 1.84, 2.5 ± 1.26, respectively. The frequency of SCEs in chromosomes was found significantly higher (P < 0.05) in Tharparkar of semi-arid region (4.72 ± 1.55) compared to arid region (2.83 ± 1.01). Similarly, the frequency of SCEs was found to be 4.0 ± 1.41 in the Sahiwal of semi-arid region and 2.69 ± 1.12 in Kankrej of arid zone. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) amongst the different zones, i.e. arid and semi-arid, whereas no significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed in the same zone. The analysis of frequency of CAs and SCEs revealed significant effects of environmental conditions on the genome integrity of animals, thereby indicating an association with their adaptability.

Expression profiling of major heat shock protein genes during different seasons in cattle (Bos indicus) and buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) under tropical climatic condition.

Heat shock proteins consist of highly conserved stress proteins, expressed in response to stress and play crucial roles in environmental stress tolerance and adaptation. The present study was conducted to identify major types of genes under the HSP70 family and other HSPs and to evaluate their expression pattern in Sahiwal and Tharparkar breeds of zebu cattle (Bos indicus) and Murrah buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) with respect to different seasons. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction was performed to analyze the transcript variants of three HSP70 family genes (HSPA1A, HSPA1B, and HSPA8) and HSP10, HSP60, HSP90 and HSF1 in each breed. The major finding of this study was the higher abundance of all the studied HSP genes during summer and winter compared to spring season, but the magnitude of increase was higher during summer as compared to winter. HSPA1A and HSPA1B genes showed maximal induction (P<0.001) during summer and winter while HSP60 and HSP10 were found to be the second most abundantly expressed HSPs. The relative mRNA abundance of HSF1 significantly increased (P<0.001) in Murrah buffalo compared to Tharparkar and Sahiwal cattle during summer and winter. Expression pattern of heat shock protein genes indicated that amongst the breeds, the expression was higher in Murrah buffalo compared to Sahiwal and Tharparkar cattle, thereby indicating the more adaptive capacity of later during periods of stress. Hence, this study suggests that heat shock protein genes may be conveniently used as biomarkers for assessing stress response in cattle and buffalo and the expression is species and breed-specific. Furthermore, the variation in expression is associated with heat tolerance and adaptation to different climatic conditions.

Receptor tyrosine kinase signaling regulates replication of the peste des petits ruminants virus.

In this study, we found out that blocking the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling in Vero cells by tryphostin AG879 impairs the in vitro replication of the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). A reduced virus replication in Trk1-knockdown (siRNA) Vero cells confirmed the essential role of RTK in the virus replication, in particular a specific regulation of viral RNA synthesis. These data represent the first evidence that the RTK signaling regulates replication of a morbillivirus.

Effect of thermal stress on HSP70 expression in dermal fibroblast of zebu (Tharparkar) and crossbred (Karan-Fries) cattle.

The present studies were conducted to investigate the difference response of dermal fibroblasts to heat stress in Tharparkar and Karan-Fries cattle. Skin is the most important environmental interface providing a protective envelope to animals. In skin, dermal fibroblasts are the most regular cell constituent of dermis that is crucial for temperature homeostasis. The study aimed to examine the reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, cytotoxicity (%) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) genes expression in dermal fibroblast of Tharparkar and Karan-Fries cattle and to assess whether resistance of dermal fibroblast to heat stress is breed specific. Dermal fibroblasts from ear pinna of Tharparkar and Karan-Fries cattle were exposed at 25 °C, 37 °C, 40 °C and 44 °C for 3 h to measure the ROS, cytotoxicity (%) and HSP 70 (HSPA1A, HSPA2 and HSPA8) genes' expression. The results showed that ROS formation at low temperature (25 °C) decreased in both breeds as compared to control (37 °C) and the differences were significant (P<0.0001). Heat stress at 40 °C did not increase ROS formation significantly in Tharparkar but increased significantly (P<0.001) in Karan-Fries cattle. The overall cytotoxicity (%) was also found to be significantly different (P<0.001) between Tharparkar and Karan-Fries cattle, and on exposure to different temperatures (P<0.001). The cytotoxicity (%) in dermal fibroblast cells of Karan-fries cows was more than Tharparkar. The expression studies indicated that all HSP70 genes (HSPA8, HSPA1A and HSPA2) were up-regulated at different temperatures in both breeds. In Tharparkar, the relative mRNA expression of HSPA8 gene was higher but HSPA1A and HSPA2 genes were low as compared to Karan-Fries cattle. At 40 and 44 °C, the relative expressions of inducible HSP 70 genes (HSPA1A and HSPA2) were higher in Karan-Fries than Tharparkar. In summary, dermal fibroblast resistance to heat shock differed between breeds. Dermal fibroblasts of Tharparkar were observed to be more heat tolerant than crossbred Karan-Fries cattle. The study concludes that zebu cattle (Tharparkar) dermal fibroblasts are more adapted to tropical climatic condition than crossbreed cattle (Karan-Fries). Differences exist in dermal fibroblasts of heat adapted and non-adapted cattle.

Expression profiles of different cytokine genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of goats infected experimentally with native strain of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis.

Paratuberculosis (ParaTB), caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is a chronic enteritis of ruminants and may contribute to Crohn's disease in humans. Key features of host immunity to MAP infection include an early pro-inflammatory (Th1-like) response that eventually gives way to a predominant anti-inflammatory (Th2-like) response. Many studies have been conducted to understand the underlying mechanism of misdirected host immune response, however, these studies mainly focused on cattle. The present study is the first attempt to test the hypothesis of shift in Th1 to Th2 like responses during the progression of ParaTB in caprine species (small ruminant). Ten healthy male kids (<6 months old) of the same breed were selected for this study. Of the 10 kids, 6 were experimentally infected with native strain (S5) of MAP ("Indian Bison Type") and the remaining 4 kids were control. Kids were monitored for a period of 12 months post infection (MPI) and were tested for establishment of infection. Expression levels of IFNG, IL2, IL12, IL4, and IL10 genes were estimated before infection and at 4, 8, and 12 MPI in stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of infected and control kids. The study demonstrated the expression of IFNG and IL2 as classic Th1-like pro-inflammatory signatures; whereas, IL10 exhibited itself as classical Th2-like signature. The study also reports unexpected lowered expression of the IL12 gene simultaneously with increased expression of IFNG, lowered expression of the IL2 gene (compared to IFNG), and suppressed expression of the IL4.

Effect of genetic variation in the MHC Class II DRB region on resistance and susceptibility to Johne's disease in endangered Indian Jamunapari goats.

The pathogenesis of Johne's disease (JD), caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), is complex and has not been completely understood yet. In the present study, we analysed the polymorphism in the exon-2 of the caprine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class II DRB region and its association with resistance or susceptibility to JD. A total of 203 Jamunapari goats, which is an Indian endangered breed highly susceptible to JD, kept at a single farm were studied. On the basis of clinical signs, microscopic examination, faecal culture, ELISA and diagnostic PCR, 60 and 143 goats were classified as resistant and susceptible to JD, respectively. PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) with two enzymes, PstI and TaqI, was used to assess variation in the DRB gene(s) in all 203 goats studied. Two di-allelic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), here referred as 'P' and 'T', were tested. In each of them, three genotypes were found in the group analysed. The minimum allele frequencies (MAFs) were 0.233 and 0.486 for the P and T SNPs, respectively. Statistically significant associations between alleles, individual genotypes and composed genotypes of both SNPs were found. The frequency of p and t alleles, of individual pp and tt and of composed pptt genotypes were significantly higher (P(corr) < 0.001) in the 'resistant' group as compared to the 'susceptible' group, while the P and T alleles were associated with susceptibility (P(corr) < 0.001). In heterozygous genotypes, susceptibility was dominant over resistance. The effects of both SNP on resistance and susceptibility were comparable and composed heterozygous genotypes showed intermediate levels of susceptibility in terms of the odds ratio and P-values calculated.

Public health response to the first case of Japanese encephalitis in Delhi, 2011.

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is an acute viral zoonotic infection of the central nervous system. A confirmed case of JE was reported in the MVH, Pooth Khurd, following which the epidemiological investigation was carried out in the study area. Clinical/Syndromic surveillance started in the hospital. The local practitioners and anganwadi workers were contacted and requested to report similar cases in their areas. Serosurveillance to delineate high risk population, animal and vector survey done by taking transect walks through the colony to look for presence of amplifying hosts like pigs, ducks etc. Out of 2328 persons surveyed, 404 persons were found to have/had fever in the preceding one month. Current fever cases were 166, out of which 9 fitted into the criteria of AES. Large water body with vegetations was present within the colony. Piggeries and ducks were found in the colony. In the hospital 9 AES cases were screened. In total only 18 (9 from field, 9 from hospital) cases subjected to testing and found to be negative for IgM specific for JE. In total only 18 (9 from field, 9 from hospital) cases subjected to testing and found to be negative for IgM specific for JE. Most probably the above case of nine year child is the first case of JE indigenous to Delhi. The environmental conditions were conducive for the transmission of the viral agent. Further research is hence recommended to find the missing links and to prevent outbreaks in Delhi.

Effect of tea, coffee and turmeric solutions on the colour of denture base acrylic resin: an in vitro study.

Discoloration of acrylic resin denture base when it comes in contact with various food materials and beverages in the oral cavity may cause aesthetic concern to a denture wearer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of tea, coffee and turmeric solutions on the colour of different brands of heat cure acrylic resin denture base materials commonly used in India. Spectrophotometer was used to evaluate the colour change. A significant difference was found when change in colour was statistically analysed.

Evaluation of scleral incisions and their effects on corneal curvature in manual small-incision cataract surgery.

Purpose: Incisions in cataract surgery can be modified in various ways in terms of size, shape, and axis to reduce or tailor astigmatism. This study was conducted to examine the effect of site (superior vs, temporal) and shape (frown vs. V-shaped, chevron) of scleral incisions for cataract surgery on corneal curvature. Methods: The prospective study was carried out on 200 consecutive patients with senile cataract and who were planned for surgery at a tertiary eye hospital in north India. The placement of the incision was decided by the steeper corneal meridian-whether superior or temporal-and then patients of these two groups were randomized for frown and V-shaped incision; in this way, four groups of 50 patients each were formed. Follow-up was done on day 1, at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks. At each follow-up, post-operative keratometry with routine postoperative examination was done. The results were statistically analyzed by using student's t-test, Chi-squared test, and the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: In all the four groups, the difference of preoperative astigmatism and surgically-induced astigmatism was statistically highly significant. The analysis of uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) was statistically significant (P < 0.05) on postoperative day 1 and at 2, 4, and 12 postoperative weeks; it was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05) at postoperative week 8. Conclusion: Temporal incisions result in lesser postoperative surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) than superior incisions. Chevron incisions result in minimal change in corneal curvature. This effect can be utilized to tailor the postoperative astigmatism.

Strain diversity within Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis--a review.

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), is the etiological agent of Johne's disease (or paratuberculosis) in animals and has also been linked with Crohn's disease of human beings. Extreme fastidious nature of the organism (MAP) has hampered studies on diversity within the organism. Studies based on phenotypic properties like growth rate, pigmentation, lipid profile etc., are unable to provide complete information on diversity of MAP organism in nature. However, with the advent of molecular assays (IS900 RFLP, PFGE, IS1311 PCR-REA, SSR typing, VNTR typing etc.) in last 2 decades, progress has been made to differentiate MAP strains. MAP isolates have been classified into various types and subtypes using these molecular tools. Optimization of these typing assays has led to generation of new information about MAP strains, subtypes, their comparative genomics, relative evolution, comparative virulence etc. Knowledge of strain diversity is important for better understanding of molecular and sero-epidemiology, infection and patho-biology, vaccine development and planning control strategies. The present review provides available information on MAP strains, ho st adaptations, their virulence,comparative genomics, relative genetic evolution and differentiation.

Molecular detection and typing of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis from milk samples of dairy animals.

Genotyping of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is important for precise classification of bacterium and for understanding the molecular epidemiology. The present study reports detection and typing of the MAP from milk. On the basis of clinical signs of diarrhea and/or weakness, the dairy animals suspected for Johne's disease were screened by Ziehl-Neelsen staining of fecal samples. The milk samples from 13 selected animals were processed for DNA extraction and direct IS900 polymerase chain reaction (PCR). MAP identified by IS900 PCR was genotyped using IS1311 PCR-restriction endonuclease analysis (REA). IS900 milk PCR revealed 30.8% animals positive for MAP, including 40% of the moderate and 50% of the heavy fecal shedders. All infected animals showed Bison type MAP in IS1311 PCR-REA. IS900 PCR can be used for screening of milk for MAP; however, the method needs to be evaluated for subclinical cases. IS1311 PCR-REA results indicated the predominance of Bison type MAP in the dairy animals of this region.

Genotype profiles of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis recovered from suspected and Crohn's disease patients in India.

Present study aimed to genotype Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) recovered from suspected and Crohn' s disease patients. A total of 32 MAP and DNA (directly from clinical samples) recovered from human origin were genotyped using IS 1311 PCR-REA. Isolates were cultured from stool, biopsies and blood clots of Crohn's disease patients, and stool samples of suspected (animal attendants, lab workers etc). Of the 32 MAP isolates belonging to 28 human beings, majority (84.3%) were genotyped as 'Bison type', while 21.7% were of 'cattle' and none was 'sheep' genotype. Study first time reports distribution of 'Cattle' and 'Bison type' 'genotypes in suspected and Crohn's patients on pilot scale in India. 'Bison type' genotype was predominant in the surveyed human population.

Potato processing scenario in India: Industrial constraints, future projections, challenges ahead and remedies - A review.

Indian potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) processing industry has emerged fast due to economic liberalization coupled with growing urbanization, expanding market options and development of indegenous processing varieties. India's first potato processing varieties 'Kufri Chipsona-1' and 'Kufri Chipsona-2' were developed in 1998, followed by an improved processing variety 'Kufri Chipsona-3' in 2005 for the Indian plains and first chipping variety 'Kufri Himsona' for the hills. These varieties have >21% tuber dry matter content, contain low reducing sugars (<0.1% on fresh wt) and are most suitable for producing chips, French fries and dehydrated products. The availability of these varieties and standardization of storage techniques for processing potatoes at 10-12°C with sprout suppressant isopropyl N-(3-chlorophenyl) carbamate have revolutionized the processing scenario within a short span of 10 years. Currently about 4% of total potato produce is being processed in organized and unorganized sector. Potato processing industry mainly comprises 4 segments: potato chips, French fries, potato flakes/powder and other processed products. However, potato chips still continue to be the most popular processed product. The major challenge facing the industries lies in arranging round the year supply of processing varieties at reasonable price for their uninterrupted operation, besides several others which have been discussed at length and addressed with concrete solutions.

Genome-wide expression analysis of the heat stress response in dermal fibroblasts of Tharparkar (zebu) and Karan-Fries (zebu × taurine) cattle.

The present study sought to evaluate mRNA expression profiles in the cultured dermal fibroblasts of Tharparkar (zebu) and Karan-Fries (zebu, Tharparkar × taurine, Holstein Friesian) cattle in response to heat stress. Bioinformatics' analysis identified temperature-regulated biological processes and pathways. Biological processes overrepresented among the earliest genes induced by temperature stress include regulation of stress responses, protein repair, metabolism, protein transport, cell division, and apoptosis. The present microarray platform contains 51,338 synthesized oligonucleotide probes corresponding to at least 36,713 unigenes. A total of 11,183 and 8126 transcripts were differentially expressed with a fold change of ≥ 2 in Tharparkar and Karan-Fries cattle, respectively. Randomly selected real-time validation showed 83.33% correlation with microarray data. Functional annotation and pathway study of the differentially expressed transcripts or genes (DEGs) reveal that upregulated genes significantly (P < 0.05) affect protein processing and NOD-like receptor pathways (NLRs), while downregulated genes were significantly (P < 0.05) found to be associated with cell cycle, metabolism, and protein transport. Gene expression changes include activation of heat shock factors (HSFs), increased expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs), and apoptosis, while decreasing protein synthesis and another metabolism. These findings provide insights into the underlying mechanism of the physiology of heat stress in Tharparkar and Karan-Fries cattle. Understanding the biology and mechanisms of heat stress is critical to developing approaches to ameliorate current production issues for improving animal performance and agriculture economics in tropical climatic conditions. In conclusion, the present study indicates that heat stress differentially affects the expression of the significant number of genes associated with stress response, metabolism, apoptosis, and protein transport in dermal fibroblasts of Tharparkar and Karan-Fries cattle.

Comparative potential of modified indigenous, indigenous and commercial ELISA kits for diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in goat and sheep.

In the present study, modified indigenous ELISA kit (kit 1) was compared with indigenous ELISA kit (kit 2) and commercial ELISA kit (kit 3) for its sensitivity and specificity with respect to faecal culture for diagnosis of Johne's disease in goats and sheep under natural conditions. Of the 64 positive animals, serum of 42.1, 48.4 and 18.7% animals yielded positive infection in kit 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Specificity of kit 1 (95.1%) was maximum followed by kit 3 (93.7%) and kit 2 (83.4%). Kit 1 showed superior diagnostic potential than the other two kits. Kit 1 may be used as single screening test regimen for diagnosis of MAP infection in the population of goats and sheep in India.

Hybridization between threatened freshwater catfish Mystus gulio (Hamilton & buchanan) and Mystus montanus (Jerdon) by artificial fertilization.

Inter-specific hybrids were produced between the threatened catfish species Mystus gulio x Mystus montanus. The differences in percentage of fertilization and hatching between control and interspecies were significant. The survival of hybrid was significantly lower (24.80 +/- 4.3%) when compared to control (95.1 +/- 3.5%). Time difference in yolk absorption by hybrid (73.30 h) was higher than that of control (72 h). When compared to interspecific fertilized egg the hatching time (24-25 h) and viability of larvae of the control were significantly better. In hybrids more deformed hatchlings (52.7 +/- 4.2 %) were noticed than the control (24.80 +/- 4.3%).

Hepatitis B and C virus infection in an urban slum of Northern India.

A community based cross sectional study was conducted in an urban slum amongst males to assess the magnitude of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among males between 20-50 years of age. All of the 288 males who were contacted had agreed to participate in the study. However, the information could be collected from a total of 260 subjects, using a pretested, pre-coded schedule included sociodemographic characteristics. Serological tests were done for Hepatitis B and C. The data were analyzed using EPI-INFO 3.2.2. Proportion of persons tested serologically positive for Hepatitis B and C in the present study was observed to be 10.38% and 1.15%, respectively. Higher proportion for hepatitis B and C was observed amongst those Muslims, below 35 years of age, stay in the area for less than 5 years, Illiterates, unstable occupation, staying away from home and those with no history of blood transfusion or donation; however the difference was not statistically significant. There is a need to carry out more community based studies amongst such populations at risk in order to assess the true prevalence and risk factors for appropriate intervention.