KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES REGARDING ANTIBIOTIC USE AMONG THE STUDENTS OF MICROBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT NOAKHALI SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY, BANGLADESH

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide public health concern now and only proper knowledge and practices can solve the problem. This study was aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding antibiotic use among the University students who study Microbiology. In January- February 2017, a cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 266 students of the Microbiology department at the Noakhali Science and Technology University in Bangladesh. Students of all the academic years (first year to masters) took part in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was provided during regular lectures. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics of participants and 25 questions about their knowledge, attitude and actual practices about antibiotic use. Collected data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). In a case of knowledge, 23.7% of the respondents stated that antibiotics are appropriate for viral infections, 48.9% think that antibiotics can speed up the recovery of cold and cough and 45.9% provided a positive response regarding the better efficacy of newer and costly antibiotics. Overall attitude towards antibiotic resistance is good among total students (87.6% -100%). Student’s practices regarding proper antibiotic use (63.5%-84.6%) is poor than their knowledge and attitude. About half (52.26%) of the students took antibiotic last year and of them, 75.5% took those antibiotics through the professional doctor’s prescription. A high proportion of the study participants (36.5%) mentioned that they usually take antibiotic for fever and 31.6% said they started an antibiotic therapy after a simple doctor call or without a proper medical examination. Students of the Microbiology department in Noakhali Science and Technology University have a fair knowledge and attitude about antibiotic usage but their practices of antibiotic usage need to be improved. As these Students are the future contributor of the health sector in Bangladesh, their proper knowledge and practices are highly expected

A 30-day follow-up study on the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 genetic markers in wastewater from the residence of COVID-19 patient and comparison with clinical positivity

Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) is an important tool to fight against COVID-19 as it provides insights into the health status of the targeted population from a small single house to a large municipality in a cost-effective, rapid, and non-invasive way. The implementation of wastewater based surveillance (WBS) could reduce the burden on the public health system, management of pandemics, help to make informed decisions, and protect public health. In this study, a house with COVID-19 patients was targeted for monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic markers in wastewa-ter samples (WS) with clinical specimens (CS) for a period of 30 days. RT-qPCR technique was employed to target non-structural (ORF1ab) and structural-nucleocapsid (N) protein genes of SARS-CoV-2, according to a validated experimental protocol. Physiological, environmental, and biological parameters were also measured following the American Public Health Association (APHA) standard protocols. SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding in wastewater peaked when the highest number of COVID-19 cases were clinically diagnosed. Throughout the study period, 7450 to 23,000 gene copies/1000 mL were detected, where we identified 47 % (57/120) positive samples from WS and 35 % (128/360) from CS. When the COVID-19 patient number was the lowest (2), the highest CT value (39.4; i.e., lowest copy number) was identified from WS. On the other hand, when the COVID-19 patients were the highest (6), the lowest CT value (25.2 i.e., highest copy numbers) was obtained from WS. An advance signal of increased SARS-CoV-2 viral load from the COVID-19 patient was found in WS earlier than in the CS. Using customized primer sets in a traditional PCR approach, we confirmed that all SARS-CoV-2 variants identified in both CS and WS were Delta variants (B.1.617.2). To our knowledge, this is the first follow-up study to determine a temporal relationship be-tween COVID-19 patients and their discharge of SARS-CoV-2 RNA genetic markers in wastewater from a single house including all family members for clinical sampling from a developing country (Bangladesh), where a proper sewage system is lacking. The salient findings of the study indicate that monitoring the genetic markers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater could identify COVID-19 cases, which reduces the burden on the public health system during COVID-19 pandemics.Peer reviewe

Evaluation of antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Crotalaria pallida stem extract

Abstract Background Antioxidants play an important role in protecting cellular damage by reactive oxygen species. The aim of the present study is to assess the phytochemical nature, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol, and aqueous extracts of Crotalaria pallida stem. Methods The preliminary screening of the various extracts was carried out using standard methods. Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined by the modified Folin-Ciocalteu method and antioxidant activities were assayed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, reducing power assay, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and reduction of ferric ions. Antibacterial activity of different extracts were assayed against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains by observing the zone of inhibition using disc diffusion method, where Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used as bacterial strains. Results Petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of stem exhibited remarkable antioxidant activity in terms of all the assays tested. Petroleum ether extract (PEE) showed DPPH radical scavenging activity with IC50 value of 126.96 µg/ml. In antibacterial assay, the PEE and chloroform extract (CE) showed mild to moderate antibacterial activity against all the bacterial strains except B. cereus while methanol extract (ME) showed no inhibitory effect against any of the tested bacteria. Conclusion PEE, CE and ME of C. pallida stem were found to be the most effective free radical quencher and a potent source of natural antioxidants as well as antibacterial activity. Thus justifying their traditional use in green therapeutics

Table_1_Association of household fuel with acute respiratory infection (ARI) under-five years children in Bangladesh.docx

In developing countries, acute respiratory infections (ARIs) cause a significant number of deaths among children. According to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), about 25% of the deaths in children under-five years are caused by ARI in Bangladesh every year. Low-income families frequently rely on wood, coal, and animal excrement for cooking. However, it is unclear whether using alternative fuels offers a health benefit over solid fuels. To clear this doubt, we conducted a study to investigate the effects of fuel usage on ARI in children. In this study, we used the latest BDHS 2017–18 survey data collected by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and estimated the effects of fuel use on ARI by constructing multivariable logistic regression models. From the analysis, we found that the crude (the only type of fuel in the model) odds ratio (OR) for ARI is 1.69 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06–2.71]. This suggests that children in families using contaminated fuels are 69.3% more likely to experience an ARI episode than children in households using clean fuels. After adjusting for cooking fuel, type of roof material, child's age (months), and sex of the child–the effect of solid fuels is similar to the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for ARI (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.05–2.72). This implies that an ARI occurrence is 69.2% more likely when compared to the effect of clean fuel. This study found a statistically significant association between solid fuel consumption and the occurrence of ARI in children in households. The correlation between indoor air pollution and clinical parameters of ARI requires further investigation. Our findings will also help other researchers and policymakers to take comprehensive actions by considering fuel type as a risk factor as well as taking proper steps to solve this issue.</p

A 30-day follow-up study on the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 genetic markers in wastewater from the residence of COVID-19 patient and comparison with clinical positivity

Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) is an important tool to fight against COVID-19 as it provides insights into the health status of the targeted population from a small single house to a large municipality in a cost-effective, rapid, and non-invasive way. The implementation of wastewater based surveillance (WBS) could reduce the burden on the public health system, management of pandemics, help to make informed decisions, and protect public health. In this study, a house with COVID-19 patients was targeted for monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic markers in wastewa-ter samples (WS) with clinical specimens (CS) for a period of 30 days. RT-qPCR technique was employed to target non-structural (ORF1ab) and structural-nucleocapsid (N) protein genes of SARS-CoV-2, according to a validated experimental protocol. Physiological, environmental, and biological parameters were also measured following the American Public Health Association (APHA) standard protocols. SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding in wastewater peaked when the highest number of COVID-19 cases were clinically diagnosed. Throughout the study period, 7450 to 23,000 gene copies/1000 mL were detected, where we identified 47 % (57/120) positive samples from WS and 35 % (128/360) from CS. When the COVID-19 patient number was the lowest (2), the highest CT value (39.4; i.e., lowest copy number) was identified from WS. On the other hand, when the COVID-19 patients were the highest (6), the lowest CT value (25.2 i.e., highest copy numbers) was obtained from WS. An advance signal of increased SARS-CoV-2 viral load from the COVID-19 patient was found in WS earlier than in the CS. Using customized primer sets in a traditional PCR approach, we confirmed that all SARS-CoV-2 variants identified in both CS and WS were Delta variants (B.1.617.2). To our knowledge, this is the first follow-up study to determine a temporal relationship be-tween COVID-19 patients and their discharge of SARS-CoV-2 RNA genetic markers in wastewater from a single house including all family members for clinical sampling from a developing country (Bangladesh), where a proper sewage system is lacking. The salient findings of the study indicate that monitoring the genetic markers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater could identify COVID-19 cases, which reduces the burden on the public health system during COVID-19 pandemics.Peer reviewe