Cross-sectional study on rotavirus A (RVA) infection and assessment of risk factors in pre- and post-weaning piglets in India.

Rotavirus A (RVA) infections are known to retard the piglets' growth and minimize the profit to the pig farming community. Between August 2014 and July 2017, in a cross-sectional study, we surveyed 13 organized pig farms located in the eight states of India representing northern, north-eastern and southern regions, to identify the risk factors associated with RVA infection in pre- and post-weaning piglets. Faecal samples (n = 411) comprising of non-diarrhoeic (n = 320) and diarrhoeic (n = 91) were collected and screened for RVA infection using VP6 gene-based RT-PCR. RVA positivity of 52.5% (168/320) in non-diarrhoeic and 59.3% (54/91) in diarrhoeic piglets was noticed. Further, 53.3% (120/225) and 54.8% (102/186) of the samples from pre- and post-weaned samples were positive for RVA, respectively. To note, no statistically significant association was noticed between RVA infection, health and weaning status. Additionally, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted to identify the risk factors for RVA infections in piglets. The analysis revealed that good ventilation (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.15-0.39), use of deep well water (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.13-0.43) and feeding of commercial feed (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.18-0.41) were associated with reduced risk of RVA infection compared with poor ventilation, use of shallow well water and feeding of own milled feed, respectively. Contrarily, mixed farms (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.26-3.37), use of heater or cooler (OR 5.9, 95% CI 3.74-9.30), sheds in different elevation (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.20-5.01) and weekly and occasional use of disinfectant for surface cleaning (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.12-2.96) were associated with higher RVA infection. Mitigating the risk factors might help in better health management of piglets and increase the economic return to pig farming community in the country.

Epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli and first report of blaVIM carbapenemases gene in calves from India.

A cross-sectional study on six dairy farms was conducted to ascertain the occurrence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli in calves. Two-hundred and seventy-nine isolates of E. coli were recovered from 90 faecal samples from apparently healthy (45) and diarrhoeal (45) calves. The isolates were screened for phenotypic susceptibility to carbapenems and production of metallo ß-lactamase, as well as five carbapenemase resistance genes by PCR, and overexpression of efflux pumps. Eighty-one isolates (29.03%) were resistant to at least one of three carbapenem antibiotics [meropenem (23.30%), imipenem (2.15%) and ertapenem (1.43%)], and one isolate was positive for the blaVIM gene which was located on an Incl1 plasmid of a novel sequence type (ST 297) by multilocus sequence typing. The majority (83.95%) of isolates had an active efflux pump. Calves housed on concrete floors were approximately seven times more likely to acquire meropenem-resistant isolates than those housed on earthen floors (95% CI 1.27-41.54). In India, carbapenem drugs are not used in food animal treatment, hence carbapenem-resistant strains in calves possibly originate from the natural environment or human contact and is of public health importance. To our knowledge, this is the first report of blaVIM carbapenemases gene in calves from India.

Molecular characterisation of blaOXA-48 carbapenemase-, extended-spectrum ß-lactamase- and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from farm piglets in India.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to characterise carbapenemase-, extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)- and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from farm piglets in India. METHODS: Faecal samples (n=741) from 10 organised pig farms, including non-diarrhoeic (n=546) and diarrhoeic (n=195) piglets, were processed for isolation of carbapenem-resistant and ESBL-producing E. coli. RESULTS: A total of 27 and 243 isolates were phenotypically confirmed as carbapenem-resistant and ESBL-producers, respectively. The meropenem minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of carbapenem-resistant isolates ranged from 8-128µg/mL. On genotypic screening of the 27 carbapenem-resistant isolates, 3 isolates were positive for the blaOXA-48 carbapenemase gene; no other carbapenemase genes were detected. The 243 ESBL-producing isolates were positive for blaCTX-M-1 (n=135), qnrA (n=92), qnrB (n=112), qnrS (n=49), tetA (n=42), tetB (n=45) and sul1 (n=43). The Shiga toxin virulence markers stx1 and stx2 were detected in 41 and 38 of the 243 phenotypic ESBL-producing isolates, respectively. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of blaOXA-48-positive E. coli isolates showed ST10- and ST5053-like sequence types. CONCLUSION: This is the first report on the presence of blaOXA-48-carrying E. coli in piglets in India, which pose a potential risk to public health.

Media, audience, and policy perspectives in health broadcasting.

Effective coordination between service delivery systems and communication networks is essential for the success of development programs. This becomes particularly crucial when the number of agencies involved is large and they are not working under 1 authority. Information needs of the community are another major concern. This article attempts to assess the extent of convergence between electronic media, government policy, and the targeted audience on the coverage of health topics. The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh was chosen as the field. The study adopts a mix of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The findings reveal limited convergence, indicating the need for more effective reflection of the policy guidelines into media programs.