Tracing the genetic root of Trinket cattle: an endangered cattle population of a small isolated island of Nicobar group of islands

Trinket cattle are the inhabitant of a small island called Trinket, which is one of the picturesque islands of Andaman. This herd is thought to be of Danish leftover during their dynasty in Nicobar archipelago. When the island was abandoned by foreign invaders, indigenes utilized the animals for the purpose of meat. As a result, the cattle became semi-feral in nature. After the Great Sumatra earthquake and tsunami of Indian Ocean in 2004, Trinket island was left abandoned by indigenes and the cattle became totally feral in nature. To trace the genetic root of the cattle, this study has been undertaken based on the sequence information of the mitochondrial D-loop and cytochrome b gene. The genomic DNA was extracted from the blood samples of the Trinket cattle and was used for amplification of mitochondrial markers, and the sequence information was generated by Sanger sequencing. The analysis of sequence information revealed that the Trinket cattle belongs to Bos indicus (I) haplotype, sub-haplotype I2. The presence of I2 sub-haplotype in Trinket cattle may be due to the expansion of this I2 haplotype towards Southeast Asian countries. This is a novel input for the formulation of breeding strategy towards conservation of eco-friendly sustainable livestock in the isolated island ecosystem.

Complete mitogenome sequencing of Andaman buffalo: an endangered germplasm of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Andaman buffalo is an indigenous buffalo of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Over the last decade, it has witnessed a rapid decline in population, necessitating its immediate characterization and conservation. The present study reports the complete mitogenome profile of Andaman buffalo which is 16,359 bp in length and comprised of 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs and two ribosomal RNAs. In addition, one A + T rich region (D-loop) was also present. A biasness towards A and T base was observed in all the genes. All the PCGs except ND6 were present on heavy strand. Start codons for all the 13 PCGs were ATN codon and abbreviated/truncated stop codons were observed in ND1, ND2, COX3, ND3 and ND4. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Andaman buffalo is closely related to buffalo from India and China. The results from this study will help in sketching the conservation plan of the threatened breed.

Knowledge and awareness of emergency contraception among women undergoing medical termination of pregnancy in a tertiary care hospital in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Background: Emergency contraception (EC) is a safe and cost effective measure, which when used judiciously can avoid unintended pregnancies. This is especially relevant in our country where both population control and unsafe abortions are a serious concern. For any contraceptive to be effective, the general population must have a proper knowledge and a positive attitude towards it. Women who come for medical termination of unwanted pregnancy are the best representatives of this and our study aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness of EC in this group.Methods: It was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted using a predesigned questionnaire among 100 women who came for medical termination of pregnancy at G. B. Pant Hospital, Port Blair. Questions were asked to evaluate their awareness, knowledge and attitude towards EC.Results: Out of 100 women, only 26 % had heard about EC, mostly from mass media, and seven of these 26 women had correct knowledge of timing of using EC. Four women had used EC before, whereas among others, fear of menstrual irregularity was the major deterrent. A significant association was found between education level and occupation with knowledge of EC.Conclusions: Although EC is a potent tool to avoid unwanted pregnancies, ignorance and misconceptions regarding EC is unfortunately still prevalent among those who would benefit the most from it. Medical personnel and health workers should be more proactive to propagate benefits of EC and encourage its use, as they are usually the first point of contact to the target population.

New Records of Octocorallia (Order: Pennatulacea) from Indian Waters.

Present paper dealt with three species viz. Virgularia gustaviana, Virgularia mirabilis and Cavernularia pusilla under the order Pennatulacea reported from Andaman and Nicobar Islands are described and illustrated. They are new distributional recorded to Indian waters.

Association of hypertension with risk factors & hypertension related behaviour among the aboriginal Nicobarese tribe living in Car Nicobar Island, India

Background & objectives: There are no composite estimates on prevalence of hypertension among indigenous tribes in India. The present study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of hypertension, its association with determinants, and to assess the hypertension related behaviour of the Nicobarese aborigines. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried during 2007 and 2009. Subjects were chosen by two stage design. Total 975 subjects of 1270 (response rate of 76.8%) were investigated (M: 43.5%; F: 56.5%). The data were collected by history, clinical examination (blood pressure), and examination (weight and height). The association of hypertension with age, education, tobacco, alcohol consumption and their dependency status (KF score, QF value, and AUDIT score) and nutritional status was estimated by bivariate regression analysis; the increasing trend in the prevalence of hypertension with increasing age and decreasing educational status was analysed by χ2 for linear trend. Significant variables in bivariate regression analysis (age, education, alcohol consumption status, and nutritional status) were subjected to multiple logistic regression analysis (MLR). Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 50.5 per cent [95% CI 46.1-54.9 (M: 50.7%; F: 50.3%)]. The prevalence of tobacco, alcohol consumption, and overweight/obesity was 88, 54, and 37 per cent respectively. The bivariate analysis has shown association between hypertension and age, education subcategories, alcohol consumption, and overweight/obesity (P<0.05). The increasing trend in the prevalence of hypertension with increasing age (χ2 for linear trend=95.88, P< 0.001) and decreasing educational status (χ2 for linear trend=25.55, P< 0.001) was statistically significant. MLR analysis revealed a significant association between hypertension and various age categories and overweight/obesity. Interpretation & conclusions: The findings of the present study highlight high prevalence of hypertension among Nicobarese aborigenes.

Tsunami, post-tsunami malaria situation in Nancowry group of islands, Nicobar district, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Background & objectives: Due to tsunami in 2004 a large proportion of population in Nicobar group of Islands become homeless, and in 2006 large scale labour migration took place to construct the houses. In 2008, a significant increase in malaria incidence was observed in this area. Therefore, in March 2008, the situation of malaria was assessed in Nancowry Islands in Nicobar District to study the reasons for the observed upsurge in the number of cases, and to suggest public health measures to control the infection. Methods: The methods included a retrospective analysis of long term trend in the behaviour of malaria over the years from 2001 to 2008, analysis of the acute malaria situation, and rapid fever and malaria parasitemia survey along with environmental component. Mass radical therapy (MRT) and post-intervention parasitemia survey were carried out. The malaria situation in the aftermath of MRT was analysed. Results: During the post tsunami year (2005) there was a large increase in the incidence of malaria and this trend continued till 2008. The percentage of Plasmodium falciparum increased from 23 to 53 per cent from 2006 to 2007 that coincides with the labour influx from mainland. The study showed that Nancowry was highly endemic, with high transmission setting, and high risk area for malaria. Though, more number of migrant labourers suffered fever (75 vs 20%) and sought malaria treatment over past month but parasitemia survey showed higher point prevalence of malaria among native tribes (7.4 vs 6.5%). Post-MRT, there was a decline in the occurrence of malaria, though it did not last long. Interpretation & conclusions: The study findings suggest that the migrant workers hailing from non-endemic or moderately endemic settings became victims of malaria in epidemic proportion in high endemic and high transmission setting. To find out the reasons for deterioration of malaria situation at Nancowry in the aftermath of tsunami requires further research.