Biosecurity, health and disease management practices among the dairy farms in five districts of Bangladesh

Herd health management is a planned program to optimize health, welfare, and production of dairy cows. A cross-sectional study focused on herd health management of dairy farms, was carried out to assess the biosecurity, health, and disease management practices with associated socio-demographic factors. A structured questionnaire with closed- and open-ended questions was employed for farmers' interviews to acquire information on dairy farms. Data were collected from randomly selected 205 dairy farms in five districts (Dhaka-Savar, Mymensingh, Gazipur, Rangpur, and Sirajganj) of Bangladesh. Overall, 1.5% farms had "good", 17% had "moderate" and 81.5% had "poor" levels of biosecurity, health and disease management practices (BHDMP). Analysis of variance revealed that mean BHDMP scores were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in farms of Rangpur (27.6 ± 0.8) and Gazipur (26.7 ± 0.6) than those of the other three districts. Educational status had a significant effect on BHDMP scores. The farms owned by graduated farmers had the highest mean BHDMP score (30.4 ± 1.1) while the farms operated by illiterate farmers had the lowest BHDMP score (20.4 ± 0.4). Multiple linear regression analysis also revealed that educational status (secondary to post-graduation), training experience, area of study (Rangpur district), and herd size were significantly associated with BHDMP score of the farms. The findings lay a basis for improving dairy farms' biosecurity, health and disease management practices, which further envisage the adoption and implementation of herd health management programs.

Detection of antimicrobial resistance genes in Lactobacillus spp. from poultry probiotic products and their horizontal transfer among Escherichia coli

The study was conducted to identify the antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in Lactobacillus spp. from poultry probiotic products and their potential to spread among Escherichia coli. Lactobacillus spp. were isolated and identified from 35 poultry probiotic samples based on the cultural, biochemical, and molecular findings. All the isolates (n = 35) were screened for the presence of some ARGs such as β-lactamases encoding genes (blaTEM, blaCTXM-1, and blaCTXM-2), plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance gene (qnrA, qnrB, and qnrS), and tetracycline resistance genes (tetA and tetB). Five Lactobacillus spp. isolates from three brands were positive for one or more ARGs. The qnrS was detected in four isolates. The blaTEM and tetB were detected in two isolates. One isolate contained blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-2, and tetA genes. Brand-wise analysis revealed that one isolate from Brand 4 contained blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-2, qnrS, and tetA genes, one isolate from Brand 2 contained blaTEM gene, and three isolates from Brand 7 harbored qnrS gene. The co-culture of Lactobacillus spp. and E. coli resulted in the transmission of qnrS, CTX-M-1, and tetA from Lactobacillus spp. to E. coli. Results of antimicrobial susceptibility test revealed that the highest resistance was observed to cefepime and cefotaxime followed by penicillin G, oxacillin, cefuroxime, and ofloxacin. The findings of the present study indicate the potential risk of horizontal spread of antimicrobial resistance through probiotic bacteria among the poultry population. Therefore, it is very necessary to check for ARGs along with other attributes of probiotic bacteria to avoid the inclusion of resistant strains in probiotics.