Poultry farming and farmers perception towards the farming condition during COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is threating global public health and has declared as a pandemic crisis around the world. An attempt was made to ascertain the effect of COVID-19 on practices in poultry farming (PPF), problem faced for poultry farming (PFPF) and poultry farmer's perception on COVID-19. A questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted among 397 poultry farmers during the period of October to December 2020 in selected area of Bangladesh. The PPF score at just prior and during of the COVID-19 was 7.11 ± 3.25 and 6.53 ± 3.12 having significant difference (p < 0.01). But, the training on poultry farming can improve the PPF score at just prior (7.57 ± 3.20) and during (6.91 ± 3.13) of the COVID-19. Additionally, the mean PFPF score was found of 10.67 ± 6.15. In logistic regression analysis, the farmers of ≥18-29 years aged and had no training were 0.42 (95% CI:0.20-0.88; p < 0.01) and 0.58 (95% CI:0.35-0.98; p < 0.05) times respectively less likely to have satisfactory score on PPF. Similarly, the farmers of ≥18 to 29 and ≥ 40-49 years aged were 2.52 (95% CI:1.36-4.69; p < 0.01) and 2.08 (95% CI:1.12-3.87; p < 0.05) times respectively more likely to have considerable score on PFPF than the farmers of other age group. Interestingly, the internet users had 2.51 (95% CI:0.95-6.57; p < 0.05) times higher to have more satisfactory PPF score (≥60%). Moreover, the farmers of ≥18-29 years aged, masters level education and had training, significantly (p < 0.01) thought the COVID-19 is more dangerous indicated by the higher median (median = 8). In conclusion, the PPF and PFPF score was significantly varied by demographical characteristics of farmers. Therefore, the farmers had the concept about COVID-19 and more than 75% of them believe that COVID-19 doesn't transmit from poultry.

Rotenone alters behavior and reproductive functions of freshwater catfish, Mystus cavasius, through deficits of dopaminergic neurons in the brain.

Rotenone, commonly used as a pesticide in agriculture and as a piscicide in aquaculture, is a toxic compound that causes dopaminergic neuronal cell loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the brain. At the neuroendocrine level, dopamine (DA) drives behavioral (locomotion, emotion, feeding, and social interactions, etc.) and reproductive functions of fish. In the current investigation, we examined effects of rotenone toxicity on neurobehavioral and reproductive functions in whole brain and in selected brain regions in an Indian freshwater catfish, locally known as gulsha (Mystus cavasius). After fish were exposed to water containing rotenone at 0, 2.5, 25, and 250 µg/L for 2 days, significant reductions of DA, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC; a DA metabolite), and their ratio (DOPAC/DA) were observed in whole brain at 250 µg/L ambient concentrations of rotenone. When fish were treated with rotenone at 250 µg/L concentration for 2 days, there was a significant reduction of DA, DOPAC and DOPAC/DA in diencephalon, DA and DOPAC in pituitary, and only DA in the telencephalon, compared with control fish. In parallel, numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive (TH+) neurons declined significantly in the diencephalon and pituitary after rotenone treatment. Slowed, spontaneous movement and reduced feeding behavior were observed in rotenone-treated fish. Rotenone treatment resulted in a significantly higher gonadosomatic index with many mature vitellogenic oocytes in ovaries and lowered dopaminergic activity in these fish. These results indicate that rotenone influences neurobehavioral and reproductive functions through dopaminergic neuronal cell loss in gulsha brain.

Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic: The Bangladesh perspective.

An outbreak of a COVID-19 pandemic disease, caused by a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has posed a serious threat to global human health. Bangladesh has also come under the attack of this viral disease. Here, we aimed to describe the responses of Bangladesh to tackle the COVID-19, particularly on how Bangladesh is dealing with this novel viral disease with its limited resources. The first case of a COVID-19 patient was detected in Bangladesh on March 8, 2020. Since then, a total of 263,503 peoples are officially reported as COVID-19 infected with 3,471 deaths until August 11, 2020. To combat the COVID-19, the government has taken various steps viz. diagnosis of the suspected cases, quarantine of doubted people and isolation of infected patients, local or regional lockdown, closure of all government and private offices, increase public awareness and enforce social distancing, etc. Moreover, to address the socio-economic situations, the government announced several financial stimulus packages of about USD 11.90 billion. However, the government got 3 months since the disease was first reported in China, but the country failed in making proper strategies including contact tracing, introducing antibody/antigen-based rapid detection kit, and also failed to make multi-disciplinary team to combat this disease. Further, limited testing facilities and inadequate treatment service along with public unawareness are the major challenges for Bangladesh to tackle this situation effectively. Along with the government, personal awareness and assistance of non-government organizations, private organizations, researchers, doctors, industrialists, and international organizations are firmly required to mitigate this highly contagious disease.

Replication-incompetent rabies virus vector harboring glycoprotein gene of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) protects mice from LCMV challenge.

BACKGROUND: Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) causes a variety of diseases, including asymptomatic infections, meningitis, and congenital infections in the fetus of infected mother. The development of a safe and effective vaccine against LCMV is imperative. This study aims to develop a new candidate vaccine against LCMV using a recombinant replication-incompetent rabies virus (RV) vector. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we have generated a recombinant deficient RV expressing the LCMV glycoprotein precursor (GPC) (RVΔP-LCMV/GPC) which is lacking the RV-P gene. RVΔP-LCMV/GPC is able to propagate only in cells expressing the RV-P protein. In contrast, the LCMV-GPC can be expressed in general cells, which do not express RV-P protein. The ability of RVΔP-LCMV/GPC to protect mice from LCMV infection and induce cellular immunity was assessed. Mice inoculated intraperitoneally with RVΔP-LCMV/GPC showed higher survival rates (88.2%) than those inoculated with the parental recombinant RV-P gene-deficient RV (RVΔP) (7.7%) following a LCMV challenge. Neutralizing antibody (NAb) against LCMV was not induced, even in the sera of surviving mice. CD8+ T-cell depletion significantly reduced the survival rates of RVΔP-LCMV/GPC-inoculated mice after the LCMV challenge. These results suggest that CD8+ T cells play a major role in the observed protection against LCMV. In contrast, NAbs against RV were strongly induced in sera of mice inoculated with either RVΔP-LCMV/GPC or RVΔP. In safety tests, suckling mice inoculated intracerebrally with RVΔP-LCMV/GPC showed no symptoms. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results show RVΔP-LCMV/GPC might be a promising candidate vaccine with dual efficacy, protecting against both RV and LCMV.

Porcine aminopeptidase N is not a cellular receptor of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, but promotes its infectivity via aminopeptidase activity.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a causative agent of pig diarrhoea, has recently caused significant economic damage worldwide. Porcine aminopeptidase N (pAPN) has been reported to be the receptor for PEDV, although robust evidence is lacking. In the present study, we explored whether pAPN functions as a receptor for PEDV. Human HeLa cells expressing pAPN and pAPN-positive porcine CPK cells failed to support PEDV infection, but were susceptible to infection by transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), which utilizes pAPN as a functional receptor. In contrast to TGEV, PEDV did not bind soluble porcine aminopeptidases (pAPs) and infection was not inhibited by the soluble form of pAPs. However, overexpression of pAPN in porcine CPK cells (CPK-pAPN cells) slightly increased the production of PEDV, and the increased replication in CPK-pAPN cells was inhibited by bestatin, an inhibitor of the protease activity of aminopeptidase N. These results suggest that pAPN is not a functional receptor for PEDV, but promotes the infection of PEDV through its protease activity.

Phylogenetic and antigenic characterization of newly isolated porcine epidemic diarrhea viruses in Japan.

To evaluate the mechanism by which a large outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) occurred in Japan, where the majority of sows are vaccinated, we isolated two new strains of PED virus (PEDV) from the intestines of piglets and found that they showed greater similarity to US isolates (group II PEDV) than to the Japanese vaccine strain (group I PEDV). We compared the antigenicity of the vaccine type strain and newly isolated strains by means of a neutralization test using sera from a number of pigs from various farms; the results revealed that they are antigenically similar. This is the first report of the similarity of group I and II viruses using sera from individual pigs vaccinated with group I virus. These data suggest that the large outbreak of PED in Japan cannot be attributed to inefficient vaccination but may be due to the extremely high virulence of the newly appearing viruses.