1.Seroepizootiological investigation on Goat Warble Fly Infestation (Przhevalskiana silenus) in Pothwar Plateau, Pakistan
Liaquat, S. ; Qayyum, M. ; Ahmed, H. ; Arfeen, R.Z.U. ; Celik, F. ; Simsek, S.
Tropical Biomedicine 2021;38(No.2):1-8
Goat Warble Fly Infestation (GWFI) is also known as subcutaneous myiasis caused by
Przhevalskiana silenus (Diptera: Oestridae). It is widely distributed in tropical and sub-tropical
areas of the world. In goats, WFI is usually detected through conventional procedure which
underestimated the infestation. The current study was designed to determine the
serodiagonsis of GWFI (through IDEXX Hypodermosis serum antibody test) and also aimed
to investigate its seroepizootiological profile in Pothwar region, Pakistan from 2013-14. The
results showed that average seropositivity (ELISA kit) of GWFI was 18.5% whereas, it was 11%
by using conventional procedure (Palpation method) depicting a significant difference
(p<0.05). Higher seropositivity (30.8%) was observed in Jhelum district as compared to e
Attock district (6%). The L1 larvae were found in September, while nodules start appearing in
October to December and last until the end of February. The month wise peaks of optical
density (OD) was higher in December which gradually decrease along with the end of winter
season. The prevalence of GWFI revealed no significant difference among three host breeds
(Jattal, Beetal and Tedy). According to the results, high infestation rate (28%) was observed
in young animals of age group < 1 year as compared to old animals (> 2 years). Topographically,
hilly areas (33%) provide favourable climatic conditions for the propagating of larval stages.
Sex difference showed no significant difference. The seroprevalence varied significantly
with respect to age, month, districts and topographical location. The current study proved
that serologic diagnosis (commercial ELISA kit) as more sensitive and accurate for timely
diagnosis of GWFI than traditional method. The information on the epizootiology of P.
silenus in goats of Pothwar region would help in devising effective control strategies.
2.Poverty-associated emerging infection of Cystic Echinococcosis in population of Northern Pakistan: A hospital based study
Khan, A. ; Ahmed, H. ; Simsek, S. ; Gondal, M.A. ; Afzal, M.S. ; Irum, S. ; Muhammad, I. ; Mansur, H. ; Fatima, A. ; Ali, M.S. ; Riaz, N. ; Akbar, A. ; Weiping, W. ; Yayi, G.
Tropical Biomedicine 2019;36(2):324-334
Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most important zoonotic parasitic diseases
in human, livestock, and wildlife globally. The prevalence of CE depends upon human behavioral
risk factors, the diversity and ecology of animal host interactions and the genetic diversity
within Echinococcus species which differ in their zoonotic potential and pathogenicity. It is
a neglected, economic and socio-cultural problem in Pakistan. The available data about the
incidence of CE is very limited and no extensive study has been reported in Pakistan. The
current study was aimed to analyze the hospital reported cases of CE and the associated risk
factors related to the incidence of CE. The hospital-based data of CE for the time period of
January 2012-December 2017 was collected from Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. The
data covered demographic characteristics including age, gender, and cyst localization of
infected individuals and socioeconomic determinants. The data was analyzed based upon
different risk factors along with the different socioeconomic parameters that has an important
impact on the distribution of disease. A total of 228 cases were presented in the selected
hospitals of different cities during the study period. Out of total 228 patients, 59.21% were
males and 40.78% were females (P<0.001). Most infections have been recorded in young
adults (>20-30) showing 22.8% of total infected individuals followed by children (0-10) showing
10.5% (n=24), respectively (P<0.001). Liver was the most vulnerable organ (58.77%, n=134)
followed by lungs (14.47%, n=33) (P<0.001). The infection was higher among rural communities
(84.2%) than urban (12.8%) (P<0.001). Socioeconomic and demographic factors had an
important impact on the intensity of disease (P<0.001). The occurrence of cases in children
and young adults was an important finding as it indicated an active transmission of the
parasite in Pakistan along with the poverty index. Emergence of echinococcosis in Pakistan
showed that emerging health issues in Pakistan could bring the disease to limelight for future
research. This finding, together with the fact that 1 hospital reported 214 cases over 6 years
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underlines the need for a program for prevention/control of this disease in Pakistan. The
timely measure needs to be taken to hamper the disease development and establishment. In
order to control the disease, complete surveillance should be done which in turn weighs down
the disease progress.