Current scenario of and future perspective for scientific research in Nepal.

Scientific research can act as the 'bedrock for development' which can provide a solid foundation for the overall socioeconomic transformation in a country through invention and innovation. The inclusion of seven groups of Nepalese monuments in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s world heritage sites provides evidence of the richness in architecture and civil engineering in the country, which also show how Nepal was influenced by arts and religious philosophy. The government of Nepal (GoN) has established different scientific departments, universities, and research institutions, and has tried to emphasize the application of science and research for the development of the nation. These institutions, however, have inadequate resources, exist in a poor academic and research environment and are subject to overt political influence. Despite these various problems, a variety of pioneer research and development activities have been conducted, which show positive rays of hope. This review presents history, current situation, progress and future perspective for scientific research and development in Nepal.

One-health approach: A best possible way to control rabies.

More than 75% of emerging infectious diseases and 60% of known human infectious diseases are transmitted from animals. Among these zoonoses, rabies is of utmost public health significance due to its lethality. The multi-faceted nature of zoonotic disease complicates control and prevention and thus, a multi-sectoral One Health Approach could be a better strategy to cope with rabies. Up until now, rabies prevention and control programs are conducted utilizing mass vaccination of domestic and community dogs and cats, and mass awareness programs. However, the burden of rabies has not been reduced as these approaches have failed to include all stakeholders (human, animal, and environmental health sectors) in disease management programs. The aim of this review is to highlight why and how One Health Approach would be the most effective way to control rabies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Nepal.

PPR control program in Nepal: What next?

PPR is an economically important trans-boundary disease of sheep and goats. Nepal had experienced several episodes of PPR outbreaks in the past. Although severity and frequency of outbreaks have decreased due to strenuous effort of Government of Nepal, it has been rather endemic. National PPR Control Program 2001, and PPR Control Program Implementation Working Guidelines, 2013, the legal documents guiding PPR control activities, have not been effective as expected due to multifactorial reasons. Thus, a critical analysis of the program with emphasis on impeding factors is must. In this review, we attempted to analyse and suggest more effective strategies considering geopolitical, social and cultural context of Nepal.

Correction to: Human infection with Avian Influenza A virus in Nepal: requisite for timely management and preparedness.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s13337-020-00593-z.].

Human infection with Avian influenza A virus in Nepal: requisite for timely management and preparedness.

Avian influenza virus infection in humans is an emerging zoonotic disease having high economic and public health impacts. Due to its capability for genetic re-assortment, this virus can emerge as novel influenza strains with pandemic potential. Even though the first Avian influenza incidence in humans in Nepal was reported in April 2019, the threat of the disease remains unmitigated. Limited resources for surveillance, disease tracking, and weak health care facilities in low and middle-income countries will increase the possibility of the outbreak. Therefore, timely management and preparedness by strengthening veterinary and medical services, operational capabilities of laboratories, and surveillance programs through the "One-Health" approach could be crucial for the control of possible outbreaks in Nepal.

Correction to: Antibiotic resistance pattern and virulence genes content in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) from broiler chickens in Chitwan, Nepal.

The original article [1] contains errors in author panels and their contributions, errors in both the Methodology and the Results sections, and errors with respect to funding sources. The affected sections of the manuscript and their respective regions of corrected text can be viewed ahead.

Antibiotic resistance pattern and virulence genes content in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) from broiler chickens in Chitwan, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) are causative agent of extraintestinal infections, collectively known as colibacillosis, which results significant losses in poultry industries. The extraintestinal survival of E. coli is facilitated by numerous virulence factors which are coded by virulence genes. This study was conducted to find out the pattern of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes content in the APEC strains isolated from broiler chickens at National Avian Disease Investigation Laboratory and Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. RESULTS: A total of 50 E. coli strains were isolated from 50 colibacillosis suspected broiler chickens. Out of 50 isolates of E. coli, 47 (94%) showed resistant to three or more antimicrobials. The highest levels (22%) of multidrug-resistant E. coli were observed for five different types of antimicrobials. Antibiogram profiles of 50 E. coli strains showed the maximum resistance to ampicillin (98%), followed by co-trimoxazole (90%), and doxycycline (62%). The highest intermediate resistance was shown by colistin (50%) and the highest sensitivity was against amikacin (84%), followed by nitrofurantoin (55%). Based on the genetic criteria, 45 (90%) E. coli isolates were considered as pathogenic (APEC) which contained more than five virulence genes. Out of total APEC genes detected, we found the combination of iss, iucD, hlyF, ompT, iroN, and iutA genes were mostly associated with the APEC and additionally, to some lesser extent irp2, papC, Cva/cvi, and tsh genes showed the critical role for virulent traits of APEC strains. CONCLUSION: In this study, high prevalent of antimicrobial resistant pattern was found with avian pathogenic E. coli strains isolated from broiler chickens. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular analysis which confirmed the prevalence of APEC strains in poultry sector in Nepal. These finding suggest the need of surveillance and intervention system to control misuse of antibiotics and APEC outbreak in the poultry farm.