Emerging Infectious Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance and Millennium Development Goals: Resolving the Challenges through One Health

Most emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses, which could severely hamper reaching the targets of millennium development goals (MDG). Five out of the total eight MDG’s are strongly associated with the Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs). Recent emergence and dissemination of drug-resistant pathogens has accelerated and prevent reaching the targets of MDG, with shrinking of therapeutic arsenal, mostly due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). World Health Organization (WHO has identified AMR as 1 of the 3 greatest threats to global health.Until now, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have been observed in hospital-acquired infections. In India, within a span of three years, New Delhi metallo-?-lactamase prevalence has risen from three percent in hospitals to twenty- fifty percent and is found to be colistin resistant as well. Routine use of antimicrobials in animal husbandry accounts for more than 50% in tonnage of all antimicrobial production to promote growth and prophylaxis. This has consequences to human health and environmental contamination with a profound impact on the environmental microbiome, resulting in resistance. Antibiotic development is now considered a global health crisis. The average time required to receive regulatory approval is 7.2 years. Moreover, the clinical approval success is only 16%. To overcome resistance in antimicrobials, intersectoral partnerships among medical, veterinary, and environmental disciplines, with specific epidemiological, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches are needed. Joint efforts under “One Health”, beyond individual professional boundaries are required to stop antimicrobial resistance against zoonoses (EID) and reach the MDG

Beneficiation of Indian Heavy Mineral Sands- Some New Possibilities Identified by Tata Steel

Titanium, the 9th most abundant element on the earth's crust, is available mostly (90%)in the form of ilmenite (FeO.TiO2) and leucoxene (weathered ilmenite). These titanium bearing minerals occur either as placer minerals or some times, as rock deposits (e.g. in canada and Norway

Status of marine fisheries in Gujarat with strategies for sustainable and responsible fisheries

Gujarat with about 20% (1600 km) of the country’s coastline, 33% of the continental shelf area (1,64,000 sq. km) and over 2,00,000 sq. km of EEZ ranks second among the maritime states in marine fish production. The marine fish production in the state has shown a declining trend from 2002 (4.68 lakh tons) to 2005 (3.56 lakh tons) with promising increase by 42.7 % to 5.08 lakh tons during 2006. There is a conspicuous change in the resource composition over the years with quality fishes like pomfrets, larger sciaenids, threadfins and penaeid prawns being replaced by low value fishes such as ribbonfishes, threadfin breams, carangids, nonpenaeid prawns and smaller crabs. During the five year period, pelagic resources contributed (40%), followed by the demersal resources (30%), crustacean resources (22%) and cephalopod resources (8%). Among the pelagic resources, the contribution of Bombay duck Harpadon nehereus (Synodontidae) decreased from 34.8% in 2003 to 24.6% in 2006, while the contribution of Trichiurus lepturus (Trichiuridae) increased from 33.5% in 2003 to 46.6% in 2006. The demersal resources were dominated by croakers (30%) and the crustacean resources by non-penaeid prawns (60%). The substantial component of the catches was landed by trawlers (59%), followed by dolnetters (26%) and gillnetters (14%). The last quarter (46%) recorded the highest landings with the poor catches in the second (14%) and third quarters (15%). There was a distinct change in species composition of sciaenids caught by dolnetters over the years with smaller sciaenids (Otolithes cuvieri, Sciaenidae and Johnius glaucus, Sciaenidae) completely replacing commercially important larger sciaenids like koth (Otolithoides biauritus, Sciaenidae) and ghol (Protonibea diacanthus, Sciaenidae). The mean length for Harpadon nehereus increased from 159 mm in 2003 to 216 mm in 2006, whereas for Otolithes cuvieri and Nemipterus japonicus (Nemipteridae) the mean length decreased from 202 mm and 223 mm in 2003 to 163 mm and 193 mm in 2005. The emergence of mackerel fishery in 2006 coupled with increased landings of high export value cephalopods and tunas provide scope for the sustenance of marine fishery of Gujarat. Strategies for sustainable responsible fisheries are outlined

Site selection for Mussel Culture

In India, most of the bivalves produced are fished from the natural stocks. At present green mussels are cultivated mainly in the states of Kerala and Karnataka., Production o f bivalves by mariciilture in India is very little compared to the rest o f the world. The major source for collection o f the seeds of the bivalves is through wild collection or through laying of clutch material as in edible oysters

Mussel culture in backwaters of Kasaragod district, Kerala

Mussel culture is increasingly getting Popular in Padanna and Cheruvattur Panchayats In Hosdurg Taluk of Kasaragod district in Kerala, By virtue of the popularisation efforts made by the CMFR Institute. Initially this low cost technology Of farming was transferred to five groups with 15 To 21 farmers at Cheruvattur and Vallyaparamba, Mostly women groups

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV): Levels of Knowledge and Awareness in Bahrain

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS−CoV) was first identified in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in 2012 that accounts 80% of the global cases. On 10th of April 2016, Bahrain notified WHO of a first fatal case. Hence, as a public health research and practice, the authors sought to assess the knowledge and awareness of MERS-CoV in Bahrain. A cross-sectional, conveniently sampled study was carried out through face-to-face interviews using a structured Arabic questionnaire among 498 Bahraini adults. While, 95% had a travel history to KSA, around 50% had the knowledge and awareness of MERS CoV being a viral lethal disease and its associated symptoms. Stratifying by socio-demographics, the authors found that the levels ofeducation, occupation, history of travel to KSA were significantly associated with the knowledge and awareness of MERS CoV (p < 0.05). On the preventive measures of MERS CoV, occupation and history of travel to KSA were significantly associated (p < 0.05). Considering the first notified case from Bahrain, proximity and travel history to KSA of 95% of the Bahrainis, the knowledge and awareness of MERS CoV is found to be inadequate. Therefore, the knowledge and awareness campaign on MERS CoV is pivotal as a good public health practice. Keywords: MERS-CoV, Knowledge, Awareness, Bahrai

Mussel farming initiatives in north Kerala, India: a case of successful adoption of technology, leading to rural livelihood transformation

The Malabar region, extending from Malappuram to Kasargode districts of Northern Kerala, is a well-known mussel fi shery zone of India. Over 7,000 t (80%) of the total green mussel (Perna viridis) catch is exploited annually from this zone. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) developed techniques for mussel culture in 1971 and subsequently fi eld demonstrations in different areas with direct involvement of local rural folk were carried out1. Demonstrations to popularise this technology have led to adoption of this simple farming method particularly in the Malabar region2. The Malabar coast has extensive backwaters and estuaries, which are suitable for mussel farming during the post monsoon months (November to May) when higher saline conditions prevail. Farming activity during this period provides an opportunity for supplementary livelihood and additional income to the coastal rural population

लघु पैमाने की मात्स्यिकी सेक्टर द्वारा शंबु पालन

कृपया पूरा लेखा पढ

Biomass and carbon stocks in mangrove stands of Kadalundi estuarine wetland, south-west coast of India

Mangroves are keystone ecosystems which provide numerous environmental services. Mangroves assume significance as standing stores of sequestered atmospheric carbon and are therefore, important in the light of climate change mitigation. In this study, we attempted to assess the biomass of mangroves in the Kadalundi wetland, south-west coast of India and evaluated the potential of these mangroves to sequester and store carbon. The C-stocks of above-ground and root biomass were 83.32±11.06 t C ha-1 and 34.96±4.30 t C ha-1 respectively, while the C-stock in sediment was estimated to be 63.87±8.67 t C ha-1. The estimates of mean combined C-stocks in the mangrove biomass and sediment of Kadalundi shows that this estuarine mangrove wetland stored 182.15 t C ha-1, which was equivalent to 668.48 t CO2 ha-1. The mangroves which cover an area of 13.23 ha in the Kadalundi wetland is assumed to have a potential to sequester and store a substantial quantity of 2,409.84 t C which is equivalent to 8,844.11 t CO2. The study underscores the importance of these intertidal forests for climate change mitigation and stresses the importance of protecting the mangroves which provide many other important ecosystem services that benefit communities

Evidence of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) in livestock of Tamil Nadu - an explorative study

There is a paucity of data about the prevalence, burden of disease and complications associated with verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) in animals in India. Cattle and other livestock harbour VTEC strains associated with haemorrhagic colitis (HC) and haemorrhagic ureamic syndrome (HUS). Therefore this explorative study analysed 115 livestock including healthy and diarrhoic animals for the excretion of VTEC. Isolates (12) belonging to non-sorbitol fermenting Escherichia coli (10.4%) were obtained out of 115 samples screened to tellurite cefixime-sorbitol MacConkey agar (TC-SMAC) that produced CPE on verocell monolayer. Culture filtrate of 4 out of these 12 E. coli isolates extracted after treatment with 10% (wlv) polymyxin B showed neutralization with antishigatoxin-1 suggesting them to be true VTEC strains. This study marks the first evidence of the isolation of VTEC from livestock in Tamil Nadu and underscores the need for large-scale epidemiological and bacteriological investigation to discern the mode of transmission and prevalent serotypes of VTEC in India