Prevalence of hepatitis B and C, and syphilis among aspirant migrant workers of Bangladesh.

Background: In Bangladesh, labour migration is a source of employment and workers' remittances are critical to poverty mitigation. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of hepatitis B, C, HIV, tuberculosis, syphilis, kidney and liver diseases along with presence of infections among aspirant migrant workers of Bangladesh. Method: This study was carried out from September-December 2019. We analysed data collected on screening tests of specific diseases of aspirant workers. For each test, the prevalence was computed with 95% confidence interval. Association between categorical data was determined by the Chi-square test. Results: A total of 2385 aspirants, 1988 (83.35%) males, aged between 18 and 65 years (29.76±6.578) were studied. Positive results for screening tests of HBsAg were 38 (1.6%,), anti-HCV were 2 (0.08%), TPHA were 25 (1.05%) and VDRL were 5 (0.21%) though no individual was positive for HIV and TB. Elevated level of SGOT (n=99, 4.2%), SGPT (n=322, 13.5%), RBS (n=57, 2.4%), bilirubin (n=46, 1.92%), creatinine (n=7, 0.3%) and ESR (n=19, 0.8%) were found in the workers. Conclusion: Diagnosis of diseases of workers is obligatory before going abroad to safeguard the health of the workers and residents of destination country. Consequently, it will contribute to reducing the global burden of infectious diseases.

Distribution of coliphages against four e. Coli virotypes in hospital originated sewage sample and a sewage treatment plant in bangladesh.

The distribution of coliphages infecting different Escherichia coli virotypes (EHEC, EIEC, EPEC, ETEC) and an avirulent strain (K-12) in sewage system of a hospital and a sewage treatment plant (STP) was investigated by culture-based agar overlay methods. Coliphages were found in all the samples except stool dumping site in the sewage system of the hospital and lagoon of the STP. Bacteriophage count (pfu/ml) infecting E. coli strains showed the following ascending pattern (EHEC < EIEC < EPEC < ETEC < E coli K-12) in all the collected samples except one. Phages capable of infecting avirulent E. coli K-12 strains were present in the highest number among all the examined locations. Phages specific for E. coli K-12 presented high diversity in plaque size on the bacterial lawn. Virulent E. coli specific coliphages rarely produced plaques with diameter of 1-2 mm or over. Conventional agar overlay method was found to be not satisfactory for phage community analysis from primary stool dumping site of the hospital, probably due to the presence of high concentration of antimicrobial substances. The gradual decrease seen in the five groups of coliphage quantity with the ongoing treatment process and then the absolute absence of coliphages in the outlet of the examined treatment plant is indicative of the usefulness of the treatment processes practiced there.