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Background: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major health hazard and frequent cause of liver cancers accounting 90% of cancers of liver worldwide. It has high mortality, prevalence, and incidence rate in Sub-Saharan, South Africa, and South-east Asia. Its etiology is associated with infection, dietary habits, and lifestyle factors. Aims and Objectives: The present study was designed to discuss the various possible etiologies for high incidence of HCC in Western Arunachal Pradesh, India. Materials and Methods: Data were collected as one among 33 population-based cancer registries in India under national cancer registry program of national center for disease informatics and research, Indian Council of Medical Research between 2012 and 2014 in Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Naharlagun. Data were represented in frequency and percentage using descriptive statistics. Results: With 194 cases, HCC represented 13.5% of overall malignancies in the region. It is 3 times more common in males than in females. Age-adjusted incidence rate for men was 21.44 and for women was 7.05. Conclusion: Western Arunachal Pradesh reported high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in the world. This finding may be associated with high prevalence of hepatitis and alcoholism in the region and perhaps also associated with local food habits.
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Nowadays, dengue infection creates a major problem across the country. The vector species carrying dengue infection has progressively started to developed resistance against most of the currently used insecticides. Hence, a study was carried out in dengue-endemic areas of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to find the current situation of insecticide susceptibility status of dengue vectors. Based on the previous history of dengue incidence, Aedes mosquitoes were collected from Dibrugarh, Kamrup, Sivasagar, Tezpur and Tinsukia districts in Assam and Pasighat district in Arunachal Pradesh to test the insecticide resistance status through bioassay and molecular methods. The WHO standard bioassay test kits were used to detect insecticide susceptibility status among dengue vectors. In molecular study, allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was done for the detection of mutations in paratype voltage-gated sodium channel gene of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. In bioassay method, 100% A. aegypti mosquitoes were found to be resistant towards dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), 8% towards pyrethroid and 4% towards malathion. Similarly, 92% A. albopictus mosquitoes have shown resistance competency towards DDT, 12% towards pyrethroid and 8% towards malathion. In allele-specific PCR methods, V1016G heterozygous mutations were detected from the field collected A. aegypti and A. albopictus mosquitoes of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Sivasagar district. Similarly, F1534C heterozygous mutations were observed from A. aegypti mosquitoes of Tezpur, Tinsukia and Sivasagar district and A. albopictus mosquitoes of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Sivasagar district. From the study, it was concluded that the Aedes mosquitoes have progressively started to developed resistance towards commonly used insecticides.
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Background and Objectives: Dengue is one of the most prevalent arboviral diseases in the world with 390 million dengue infections per year. In this study, we report the molecular characterisation of dengue outbreak in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India during 2015. Subjects and Methods: A total of 613 dengue-suspected cases were screened for dengue virus by dengue NS1 Ag and anti-dengue IgM antibody depending on the duration of sample collection and onset of symptom. Further, molecular characterisation was done by amplifying the C-PrM region by real-time polymerase chain reaction followed by phylogenetic analysis. Results: Molecular characterisation revealed that the dengue outbreak was predominantly due to dengue virus serotype-1 (DENV-1) (90.9%) while DENV-2 was detected in 7.5% of samples. Co-infection of DENV-1 and DENV-2 was detected in one case. Phylogenetic analysis of the DENV-1 strains with the prototype revealed that the DENV-1 strains were grouped within genotype III. Similarly, DENV-2 strains were clustered within genotype IV. The study revealed a change in the predominant serotype in recent years with DENV-3 in 2012 to DENV-1, 2, 3 and 4 in 2014 to DENV-1 in 2015 in the study region. A unique L24M mutation was observed in the DENV-1 strains of Arunachal Pradesh which was absent in all the circulating strains in India except one strain from the state of Kerala in South India. Marked variation within the DENV-2 strains was observed at A102V and I163V in one strain similar to earlier circulating isolates in India. Conclusions: The present study reveals a shift in the serotype dominance in the study region. As serotype shifts and secondary infection with a heterologous DENV serotype are frequently associated with disease severity, there is an urgent need for sustained monitoring of the circulating serotypes and enhanced surveillance operations, especially in the monsoon and post-monsoon periods to prevent large-scale, severe dengue outbreaks in this region.
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Background: Scrub typhus and leptospirosis are bacterial zoonotic disease causing high morbidity and mortality. The seasonal outbreak of pyrexia is common in Arunachal Pradesh (AP); many times the disease remains undiagnosed. Objective: An outbreak of pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) occurred in Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh in 2013, with 108 deaths, which was investigated to elucidate the cause of illness. Methodology: Blood samples from the affected region with acute pyrexia were collected, and screened for the malaria parasite, scrub typhus IgM and leptospira IgM. Results: Scrub typhus IgM was reactive in 97% (30/31), and 25% (8/31) cases were co-infected with leptospira. Incidentally, scrub typhus reactive (67%) and leptospira co-infection (62.7%) were higher in females. Record of previous 3 years (2011–2013) from Longding, Community Health Centre showed an increase in indoor pyrexia cases by 2-fold or more during October and November. Conclusion: The present study is the first report of co-infection of scrub typhus with leptospirosis from Northeast India. Medical officers in this region should take scrub typhus and leptospirosis in their differential diagnosis of patients with PUO for early diagnosis and effective treatment.
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Biological diversity (or biodiversity), defined as the number and variety of living organisms within a specific geographical region, is essential for the stability of ecosystems, protection of overall environmental quality and understanding the intrinsic value of all species on earth (Ehrlich and Wilson 1991). Parasites, constituting more than half of all biodiversity (Toft 1986), are the integrative core of biodiversity survey and inventory, conservation and environmental integrity and ecosystem function (United States Department of Agriculture 2009). This article highlights the need for studies researching biodiversity of fish helminths, the largest and the most important group of fish parasites, with special reference to monogenoids occurring in Arunachal Pradesh waters. The state of Arunachal Pradesh (29°30' N; 97°30' E) is recognized as the 25th biodiversity hotspot in the world (Chowdhery 1999), among the 200 globally important ecoregions (Olson and Dinerstein 1998) and is also one of the hotspots of freshwater fish biodiversity in the world (Kottelat and Whitten 1996). The state has no less than 213 recorded fish species (Bagra et al. 2009) having elements of Indo-Gangetic, Myanmarese and south Chinese regions (Yadava and Chandra 1994). Not only do these fish provide nutritious food, but they also part of an unbreakable relationship with the culture, religion and traditions of the region (Vishwanath 2002). Recognizing the future potential of fishery culture, the state government initiated the ‘state fisheries programme’ from as early as 1958, which is now regarded as one of the most important sectors involved in the socioeconomic upliftment of the tribal population of the state (Government of Arunachal Pradesh 2011a). Disease, and much of it due to parasites, is the single most important factor threatening the fishery industry worldwide, particularly in the tropics (Schmidt and Roberts 2000). Among the parasites that infect freshwater fishes, helminths – represented by 5 well characterised taxonomic units, Monogenoidea,1 Trematoda (comprising Digenea and Aspidogastrea), Cestoda, Nematoda and Acanthocephala – form a major group and often cause veterinary problems worldwide (Williams and Jones 1994). Helminth parasites are important not only because they cause fish diseases but also because they are an essential component of global biodiversity (Poulin and Morand 2004). As much as 30000 helminth species have been estimated to be parasites of fish (Williams and Jones 1994). Monogenoidean parasites are the most ubiquitous and abundant parasites in the aquatic environment (Ivona 2004). These are mainly ectoparasitic on gills and/or external surfaces of freshwater and marine fishes (Bychowsky 1957); a few species become endoparasitic by inhabiting the palleal cavity of cephalopods and urinary bladder and rectum of amphibians and reptiles (see Euzet and Combes 1998 and the references therein). These worms feed on blood (Hayward et al. 2007) and/or epithelial cells and mucus of fish (Buchmann and Bresciani 2006), causing direct loss due to mortality, usually to younger fish and those in intensive culture/captive conditions (Thoney and Hargis 1991). Damage is frequently indirect when these worms degrade the mucous layer, making the host fish susceptible to secondary pathogens such as bacteria and fungi (Grimes et al. 1985). The economic effects of infestation include a decrease in and/or rejection of otherwise edible fish products leading to subsequent loss of interest in the aquaculture industries (Jones 2001). Chemicals and freshwater/marine baths are often used to control monogenoids but these methods can be very expensive (Whittington et al. 2001).
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An outbreak of suspected pertussis occurred in Sarli circle of Kurung-kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh in 2007. We investigated this outbreak to confirm the etiology, estimate the magnitude and identify reasons for its occurrence. Twenty-six deaths were reported from the circle. We identified 72 case-patients meeting the case definition of suspected pertussis. The overall attack rate was 30%. None of the under-five children surveyed had received any vaccine in the past. It is essential to establish facilities for conducting routine immunization in Sarli and organizing special campaign in the area to vaccinate all under-fives with full course of vaccines.