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This study examines the factors associated with food security after three years of implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013. Fifteen hundred and fourteen households in three states of India—563 from Bihar, 557 from Uttar Pradesh, and 394 from Haryana—were surveyed. Data on beneficiary status, calorie consumption, economic status, social status, health status, and women empowerment were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Findings suggest that beneficiary had more employment in families, normal and deficit calorie intake, used cow dung cake as fuel, more children enrolment in primary and secondary schools, and adoption of family planning measures. These improvements have occurred after three years of implementation of the Act, and through supply of food grains to poor families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present report communicates the first complete genome sequence of S-type Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, isolated from an organised goat herd in Uttar Pradesh, India. Bacteria were isolated in pure culture on Herrold's egg yolk medium (HEYM) slants containing mycobactin J from the faecal sample collected per-rectally from a clinical diseased goat, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed that the genome sequence length of the isolated strain named MAP-Gt-9 is 4,509,428 bp with no plasmid DNA, with a GC content of 69.5%, an N50 value of 125,474 bp, and an L50 value of 12, containing 4235 coding DNA sequences (CDSs), 44 tRNAs, 3 ncRNAs and 1 each 5S, 16S, 23S rRNA genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is endemic in India. Although pigs are considered important hosts and sentinels for JE outbreaks in people, limited information is available on JE virus (JEV) surveillance in pigs. Methods and Results: We investigated the spatio‐temporal distribution of JEV seroprevalence and its association with climate variables in 4451 samples from pigs in 10 districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India, over 10 years from 2013 to 2022. The mean seroprevalence of IgG (2013–2022) and IgM (2017–2022) was 14% (95% CI 12.8–15.2) and 10.98% (95% CI 9.8–12.2), respectively. Throughout the region, higher seroprevalence from 2013 to 2017 was observed and was highly variable with no predictable spatio‐temporal pattern between districts. Seroprevalence of up to 60.8% in Sant Kabir Nagar in 2016 and 69.5% in Gorakhpur district in 2017 for IgG and IgM was observed, respectively. IgG seroprevalence did not increase with age. Monthly time‐series decomposition of IgG and IgM seroprevalence demonstrated annual cyclicity (3–4 peaks) with seasonality (higher, broader peaks in the summer and monsoon periods). However, most variance was due to the overall trend and the random components of the time series. Autoregressive time‐series modelling of pigs sampled from Gorakhpur was insufficiently predictive for forecasting; however, an inverse association between humidity (but not rainfall or temperature) was observed. Conclusions: Detection patterns confirm seasonal epidemic periods within year‐round endemicity in pigs in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Lack of increasing age‐associated seroprevalence indicates that JEV might not be immunizing in pigs which needs further investigation because models that inform public health interventions for JEV could be inaccurate if assuming long‐term immunity in pigs. Although pigs are considered sentinels for human outbreaks, sufficient timeliness using sero‐surveillance in pigs to inform public health interventions to prevent JEV in people will require more nuanced modelling than seroprevalence and broad climate variables alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite an agricultural country, India confronting malnutrition as a major public health challenge, where every second child is at risk of malnutrition. The nation ranking second in population with disproportionate rural and urban demography, further poor penetration of government assisted programs in remote, underserved areas fuelling the malnutrition in rural areas. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Department of Community Medicine of Rohilkhand Medical College and Hospital. Total 465 schoolchildren in rural and urban areas of Bareilly district were screened for malnutrition and their socio-demographic profiles were studied. Results: Overall, the prevalence of malnutrition in schoolchildren of Bareilly district was 40.2 %. Fraction contributed by urban and rural territories was 35.2 % and 43 % respectively. The prevalence of malnutrition was found higher in rural area as compared to urban area and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: The study shows 43 % prevalence of malnutrition in rural areas and under nutrition was the main cause of malnutrition attributed by poverty and illiteracy. However, urban areas reported 7.8 % lower prevalence of malnutrition, but alarming trends of overweight and obesity 15.2 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Among enterobacteria E. coli and Klebsiella spp. are of great concern in health care settings, as these bacteria sometimes may contaminate the milk due to unhygienic practices and poor udder condition which have been associated with various illnesses. Therefore, this study aimed to detect the carbapenem resistant E. coli and Klebsiella spp. of bovine milk origin with regard to the risk of human transfer via the food chain in community. Methods: Total 240 samples were collected from Ayodhya and Sultanpur districts of Eastern Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh (India). Confirmation of E. coli and Klebsiella spp. isolates was done by using species specific uidA and 16S rRNA gene, respectively. Then, carbapenemase positive E. coli and Klebsiella spp. were confirmend by DDST, MBL E-strip test and PCR analysis by targeting (bla-NDM, bla-OXA-48 and bla-KPC). Antibiogram of all carbapenemase positive isolates was performed against 20 antibiotics of 12 different classes. XResult: In the present study, total 74(30.83%) isolates were identified including 55(22.92%) E. coli and 19(7.92%) Klebsiella spp. by PCR, out of which 12(16.21%) isolates were confirmed as carbapenemase producers comprising 7(12.72%) E. coli and 5(26.31%) Klebsiella spp by DDST and E-strip. All carbapenemase positive E. coli were found 100% sensitive to polymyxin-B and chloramphenicol, while all Klebsiella spp. were 100% sensitive to amikacin and polymyxin-B. Resistance against imipenem, meropenem, cefotaxime, cefpodoxime, ceftazidime, ceftriazone, aztreonam and ampicillin ranged between 80.0%-100%. All carbapenemase positive isolates were found multidrug resistant. Carbapenemase genes bla-NDM and bla-KPC were detected in E. coli while bla-OXA-48 and bla-KPC were detected in Klebsiella spp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antibiotics are widely used in animals and human for treatment without referring an antibiogram that resulted into the proliferation of ESBL producing strains. Nowadays resistance to β-lactam groups of antibiotic is expanding rapidly worldwide and threatening the public healthcare due to limited treatment options. Therefore this study aimed to detect ESBL resistance genes in E. coli and Klebsiella spp. isolated from various sources of cattle in this area of study. Methods: Total 240 samples were collected during August, 2019 to June, 2020, from two districts of Eastern plain zone of Uttar Pradesh. E. coli and Klebsiella spp. isolates were confirmed using uidA and 16S rRNA gene respectively. In vitro antibiotic sensitivity test was performed using disc diffusion method. ESBL producing isolates was confirmed by DDST, ESBL E-strip and PCR analysis by targeting (bla-CTX-M-1, bla-CTX-M-9, bla-TEM and bla-SHV) genes. Result: PCR analysis of these isolates confirmed 135(56.25%) as E. coli and 16(6.67%) as Klebsiella spp. Antibiotics found to be most resistant were ampicillin (89.40%) followed by cefotaxime (72.18%), cefpodoxime (71.52%), ceftriaxone (66.9%), aztreonam (61.0%) and ceftazidime (54.30%). Total 101(66.88%) isolates were confirmed as ESBL producers using DDST and 92(60.92%) by ESBL E-strip test. ESBL genes were detected in 87(57.61%) isolates by PCR analysis and among them, bla-CTX-M-1 was found most dominant gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the present study, a total of 768 blood samples (664 cattle and 104 buffalo) were collected to determine the prevalence of bovine anaplasmosis in western parts of Uttar Pradesh, India. The conventional gold standard microscopic examination of Giemsa stained blood smears revealed 61.58% prevalence of bovine anplasmosis. Incidence of bovine anaplasmosis among the districts differed significantly (P<0.05). The prevalence of Anaplasma infection was highest in Baghpat district (69.97%), followed by Hapur (58.57%), Meerut (51.38%), Shamli (45.07%) and Muzaffarnagar (40.98%). Overall prevalence in female animals (74.48%) were significantly higher (P<0.05) than male counterparts (32.34%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of Anaplasma infection with respect to age of the animals. A multivariate logistic regression model was built with three risk factors included. Hosmer-Lemeshow test indicates a good fit of the model to the data (P=0.2397) and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) is 0.697 (95%CI: 0.663-0.729). The present study concluded the endemic status of bovine anaplasmosis, an important tick borne disease of dairy animals in Uttar Pradesh, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this present study total of 240 milk and fecal samples were collected from two districts of the plain Eastern zone of Uttar Pradesh (India). Among 240 samples, a total of 135 (56.25%) isolates were confirmed as E. coli using a species-specific uidA gene oligonucleotide primer. Eighty-six (63.70%) ESBL producing E. coli isolates were recovered out of 135 isolates using confirmatory phenotypic methods. The antimicrobial resistance pattern revealed that all isolates showed (60-100%) resistance against cefotaxime, cefpodoxime, ceftriaxone, ampicillin, ceftazidime, aztreonam, etc. and 100% sensitivity against gentamicin, amikacin, chloramphenicol, and polymyxin-B. The multi-drug resistance (MDR) pattern of ESBL organisms was assessed by using the multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index. Out of 86 ESBL positive isolates, 70 (81.39%) E. coli was showed multi-drug resistance in the study. MAR index of these isolates was in the range from 0.25 to 0.75. The most frequently observed MAR index was 0.30 against 28 isolates. Antibiotic resistance patterns against non-β-lactam antibiotics were also observed, and 51 isolates showed resistance against both β-lactam and non-β-lactam antibiotics, while 19 isolates showed resistance against only β-lactam antibiotics of different groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present experiment was designed to evaluate physico-chemical characteristics and phyto-genotoxicity of arsenic (As) contaminated soil collected from different sites of Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP), India by employing Vicia faba L. The analyses included various biochemical as well as cyto-genotoxicity assays. The results showed that soil pH was slightly acidic to neutral in nature. The bulk density (1.18–1.23 gcm−3), particle density (2.51–2.59 gcm−3) and porosity (44–53%) varied in different places. The level of available nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was found to vary as 124–165 mgkg-1, 173–186 mgkg-1 and 48–98 mgkg-1, respectively. The maximum As levels were found in soil of Fulvareya (27.13 mgkg−1) and Atareya (24.12 mgkg−1), the level of As in water samples of these sites were 0.19 mgl−1and 0.21 mgl−1, respectively. Phytotoxicity of the As present in soils was evident through significant increases in stress metabolites, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2), malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonyl groups in root and shoot of V. faba. Cyto-genotoxic effects were also seen through reduced mitotic index (MI) and increased mitotic depression (MD), relative abnormality rate (RAR) as well as other chromosomal abnormalities along with micronuclei in root meristematic cells of V. faba. The phytotoxicity and cyto-genotoxicity assessment suggests the harmful soil properties that might affect biota. • Phyto-Genotoxicity of arsenic contaminated soil was assayed using Vicia faba L. • Phytotoxic markers showed increased oxidative stress like H 2 O 2 , MDA and carbonyl groups. • Genotoxic markers measured via induced frequency of various chromosomal anomalies. • Vicia faba L. can serve as a promising bioindicator for arsenic toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]