Ausraful Islam | International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (original) (raw)

Papers by Ausraful Islam

medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Jul 16, 2023

doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by pee... more doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice.

Australian Veterinary Journal, 2011

OBJECTIVE Investigate the seroprevalence of the causative agent of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii in ... more OBJECTIVE Investigate the seroprevalence of the causative agent of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii in domestic dogs in the Townsville region, North Queensland, Australia. METHOD Blood samples were collected from dogs attending veterinary clinics for routine procedures. RESULTS An overall seropositivity of 21.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 21.6-22.1%) was observed. A retrospective study of samples collected in the same region during 1984-85 was also performed, with an overall seropositivity of 16.0% (95% CI 15.9-16.2). CONCLUSION Evidence of C. burnetii infection in domestic dogs may have public health implications for dog owners, as well as veterinarians because of occupational exposure. This study is the first known investigation of C. burnetii seroprevalence in dogs in Queensland.

Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 2021

Objectives: We explored the maternal characteristics that mediate the effect of household poverty... more Objectives: We explored the maternal characteristics that mediate the effect of household poverty on childhood undernutrition. Methods: We used the population-based Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey data from 2014 for demographic characteristics, child and maternal factors. Results: Of the 7173 under-5 children, 3456 (48.2%) had undernutrition. The prevalence of undernutrition was less common in wealthy households (poorest vs richest: adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.37), mothers having history of antenatal care (ANC) visits (no visit vs ≥ 4 visits: aPR = 1.22), maternal higher education (no education vs higher education: aPR = 1.54), and mothers with good nutritional status (underweight vs healthy: aPR = 1.13). The risk of undernutrition (37.1%) was attributed to household wealth, mediated 55% by maternal factors; of which 20% by maternal education, 21% by ANC visits, and 14% by maternal nutritional status. Conclusions: Our study findings outlined higher maternal education, ≥...

Pathogens

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by blood flukes (Schistosoma spp.). ... more Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by blood flukes (Schistosoma spp.). Schistosomatids affect a wide array of vertebrate hosts, including humans. In the present study, multiple species of schistosomatids were identified by isolating schistosomatid cercariae (SC) from naturally infected snails. We also described different biotic and abiotic factors influencing SC infections in snails and reported human cercarial dermatitis (HCD) for the first time in Bangladesh. A total of 22,012 snails of seven species: Lymnaea auricularia, L. luteola, Indoplanorbis exustus, Physa acuta, Viviparus bengalensis, Brotia spp., and Thiara spp., were collected and examined. Among these snails, 581 (2.6%) belonging to five species: L. luteola, L. auricularia, P. acuta, I. exustus, and V. bengalensis, were infected with SC. The rate of infection was the highest for L. luteola (11.1%), followed by L. auricularia (5.3%), and was the lowest for V. bengalensis (0.4%). Prevalence in sna...

Emerging Infectious Diseases

N ipah virus is a paramyxovirus (genus Henipavirus) that has caused outbreaks of neurologic and r... more N ipah virus is a paramyxovirus (genus Henipavirus) that has caused outbreaks of neurologic and respiratory disease in humans and livestock in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines (1-4). The primary hosts of henipaviruses are fruit bats (family Pteropodidae) in Africa, Asia, and Oceania (5). Although Nipah virus causes no apparent disease in bats (6,7), the case-fatality rate in humans can be 40%-70% (2,8,9). In addition, Nipah virus has characteristics that enable repeated human outbreaks. Its bat hosts are widespread in South Asia and Southeast Asia, regions with dense human and livestock populations (10), which could lead to virus spillover and spread (11). Nipah virus can transmit directly from bats when humans consume date palm sap that is contaminated with bat saliva, urine, or feces or can transmit indirectly through spillover to domesticated animals (12-14). Since 2001, Bangladesh has experienced multiple Nipah virus outbreaks with confirmed personto-person transmission, albeit below the threshold necessary for sustained epidemics (8); however, the virus transmitted rapidly among pig populations in Malaysia, producing infection rates of 100% on some farms, and spread between farms through shipments of infected animals (15,16). No commercially available vaccines or therapeutics for Nipah virus exist to prevent or mitigate disease in case of an epidemic, although these interventions are areas of active research (17,18). Finally, RNA viruses such as Nipah have high mutation rates, which are a predictor of zoonotic potential (19). Although documented genetic diversity within Nipah viruses is limited (20-24), high mutation rates could potentially produce variants with sufficient transmissibility in humans to cause a sustained epidemic (25,26). Given the wide geographic range and unsampled diversity of Nipah viruses, variants that are more transmissible among Nipah Virus Detection at Bat Roosts after Spillover Events,

Thesis research work was carried out in different places of Bangladesh and pigs from different ma... more Thesis research work was carried out in different places of Bangladesh and pigs from different management system were sampled. Fecal sample examination and visceral examination was conducted for helminth parasites. By fecal sample examination 16 different types of helminth ova were identified. Thorugh visceral examination we were able to identify six species of helminth parasites. We also looked for the prevalence of different types of ectoparasites. The chi-square test or the Fisher`s exact test was used to find out any significant associations between the prevalences of the helminths and the management systems. Where chi-square or the Fisher`s exact test were significant, odds ratios were computed for comparing the prevalence of helminths at different management systems. The significant test of the difference between the means of parasitic load in of the two management systems was performed by two-sample t-test. Three multivariable logistic regression models were fitted for identi...

International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2020

locations, transmission parameters, human population density and mobility, and subnational-resolu... more locations, transmission parameters, human population density and mobility, and subnational-resolution epidemic preparedness measures into a stochastic, metapopulation, compartment model that simulates disease spread. The synthetic outbreak data is analyzed to create an exceedance probability (EP) curve, which provides the estimated probability of an event of a given size (e.g., numbers of deaths) or greater occurring in any given year. Results: The risk modeling estimates indicate that the annual EP of an Ebola epidemic causing at least 100 deaths in Uganda is near 2.00%. In Guinea, the annual EP of an Ebola epidemic causing at least 2500 deaths (similar to the 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic) is 0.64%. The EP curve is most influenced by emergence probability, emergence location, and transmission rate. Conclusion: To our knowledge, country-specific, modeled metrics of Ebola frequency and severity have not previously been published, pointing to the innovation of our methods. Our approach allows countries to assess whether their internal capacities are sufficient to respond to epidemics of different sizes. Countries can also use our approach to quantify the epidemic size at which internal capacity is likely to be exceeded and external assistance would be needed. This information can enable policymakers to optimize resource allocation and investments in health workforce, surveillance systems, and contingent financing to protect against health security threats.

Pathogens and Global Health, 2020

Fish-borne liver and intestinal flukes are helminth pathogens that have a negative impact on publ... more Fish-borne liver and intestinal flukes are helminth pathogens that have a negative impact on public health worldwide. We herein investigated the status of infection by the metacercariae (MC) of fish-borne trematodes (FBTs) in randomly selected freshwater wild fishes. Five species of fishes were collected and digested artificially using digestion fluid to recover MC. All fish species, namely, ticto barb (Puntius ticto) (14/16, 87.5%), banded gourami (Colisa fasciata) (8/12, 66.7%), freshwater garfish (Xenentodon cancila) (9/14, 64.3%), flying barb (Esomus danricus) (5/12, 41.7%), and reba carp (Cirrhinus reba) (7/11, 63.7%), were infected with FBTs. The overall infection rate was 66.2% and the mean intensity was 748.3 ± 2947.5 MC/100 g of fishes. The loads of MC in ticto barb, reba carp, freshwater garfish, banded gourami, and flying barb per 100 g of fishes were 1978.8 ± 5053.7, 268.3 ± 440.7, 140 ± 105.4, 134.3 ± 109.2, and 117.6 ± 102.3, respectively. The infection rate was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the body (55.4%) than in the head (40%) of fishes. Morphological and morphometrical analyzes identified the MC of Clonorchis spp., Opisthorchis spp., Metorchis spp., Metagonimus spp., and Echinostoma spp. Collectively, the present results suggest that wild freshwater fishes are important intermediate hosts for FBTs, and play a critical role in the transmission cycle of these parasites in Bangladesh. The results also indicate that people of the country are at risk of these infections.

Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, 2018

Food-borne parasitic zoonoses are major threats to human health and only next to the 'big three' ... more Food-borne parasitic zoonoses are major threats to human health and only next to the 'big three' such as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Linguatula serrata is a food-borne zoonotic pentastomid that affects a wide range of animals including humans. Dogs and other carnivores are the final hosts while most herbivores, including domestic ruminants serve as intermediate hosts. Here, the study was conducted on some epidemiologic and pathologic aspects of L. serrata infection in cattle and goats through a slaughterhouse based survey. A total of 302 samples, consisting of 257 mesenteric, 26 hepatic and 19 pulmonary lymph nodes (LNs) of cattle and goats were collected. Out of 302 LNs, 136 (45.0%) were infected with the nymphal stage of L. serrata (50.7% of cattle and 31.0% of goats). Significantly, a higher (P = 0.002) rate of infection was detected in cattle. Sex, but not seasons, is a prominent determinant of the infection. The infection was mostly detected in the mesenteric LNs (MLNs) (50.9%) but the parasite was also detected in the hepatic (3.9%) and pulmonary (21.1%) LNs. Grossly, the affected LNs were enlarged, edematous and soft. Cut surface of the LNs showed spongy appearance, and sometimes nymphs were found to crawl out. Histopathological studies revealed severe damage in parenchyma of LNs, characterized by the loss of typical pattern of lymphatic follicles and trabecule. Massive infiltration with eosinophils was detected. Collectively, the data suggest that L. serrata infection is endemic in food animals and has significant pathological impacts on livestock, and people of the country are at high risk to linguatulosis.

Wild waterfowl are the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses and responsible for persist... more Wild waterfowl are the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses and responsible for persistence of these viruses in the wild. Freshwater wetlands (haors) in northern Bangladesh provide habitat for resident and migratory wild birds and domestic ducks during the cold season from November to March. The Bay of Bengal’s coastal areas are also wintering grounds for migratory birds. We conducted a study of wild birds and domestic ducks in these areas to assess the presence of avian influenza viruses. Methods: We sampled wild birds from Hakaluki and Tanguar haors in two districts of northern Bangladesh and two coastal sandbars near Sonadia Island in southeastern Bangladesh. We used mist nets, noose traps and dazzling to capture these wild birds. We collected oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs from each bird in viral transport media (VTM). Cloacal swabs were also abtainedfrom domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) from Hakaluki haor. Swab samples were tested by real time reverse transcriptas...