Abasyn Journal of Life Sciences

Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the Healthy Volunteers: A Screening Campaign in Nowshera Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Hepatitis B viral infection (HBV) is a genuine worldwide general medical issue. The aim of this study was to find the epidemiology of HBV infection with common risk factors among the people of Nowshera KhyberPakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A camp was conducted for HBV screening in Nowshera City (September 2018) in which 1180 volunteers participated. Blood (5ml) was taken from volunteers in medical camp and was transported to Aziz Biotech Medical Lab and Research Center Mardan,Pakistan. All the samples were initially screened for HBV surface antigen using ICT device kit (Accurate Diagnostics Canada). Positive samples were then subjected to Real time PCR to check active hepatitis B infectionamongst positive ICT samples. Out of 1180 volunteers 58 (4.91%) were found positive including 22 (4.82%) females and 36 (4.97%) males. The ICT positive samples were than refined by real-time PCR for active hepatitis Bvirus out of that 26 (44.82%) were found active by PCR which comprises 8 (36.36%) females and 18 (50%) males. The HBsAg ratio was greater in the Age-limit 21-30 years (5.67%) and 41-50 years (5.20%). The Sero-prevalenceof HBV infection is higher in Nowshera region. The prevalence ratio among males is greater than females and mostly infected females were married which shows that sexual interaction is the probable risk factor for HBV infection. The rural communities are illiterate and unaware of the causative agents, spreading and the consequences of HBV infection. Thus, toovercome the incidence of HBV infection, we must educate the ordinary citizens about Hepatitis B virus.

KeywordsHBV Infections, Nowshera, Pakistan, Risk Factors

Taxonomy and distribution of Calliptamus barbarus barbarus (Costa, 1836) (Orthoptera: Calliptaminae)

Abstract

Grasshoppers are generally phytophagous insects and regarded as major pests of agricultural crops in the world including Pakistan. At the present extensive survey was carried out to collect the grasshoppers from Hazara Division. A total of 421 samples were collected and identified into Family Acrididae, Subfamily Calliptaminae, genus Calliptamus and speciesCalliptamus barbarus barbarus (Costa, 1836). Moreover, the distribution and incidence data will be used for a Red List assessment. Optimistically, finding of present study will be helpful for the future researchers in nearfuture. Besides this, the ecological account of species has been given to determine the pest status of the species.

Keywords Calliptamus, Phytophagous, Ecology, Distribution, Pakistan

Quantitative studies on chhana (soft cheese) prepared from cow and buffalo milk

Abstract

Quantitative studies on chhana (soft cheese) were carried out to evaluate the chemical characteristics by using two milk sources and three coagulants in the department of Animal Product Technology Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Pakistan. Chhana was prepared from cow and buffalo milk coagulated with acetic acid, citric acid, and lactic acid at 0.5, 1, 2 and4% concentration level. Chhana prepared with citric acid indicated remarkable variation (P 0.05) among the ash content of cow milk chhanaand buffalo milk chhana. On the basis of present finding it was concluded that Moisture content, protein content, fat content and yield of chhana in buffalo milk chhana coagulated with acetic acid, citric acid and lactic acid was comparatively higher as compared with cow milk chhana. In this study, buffalo milk chhana was found better in all aspects compared to that ofcow milk.

Keywords Acetic Acid, buffalo Milk, Chhana, Citric Acid, Cow Milk, Lactic Acid

A systematic review on shifting trends of foodborne diseases in Pakistan

Abstract

Foodborne diseases are increasing at an alarming rate, thereby eliciting constant threat to public health worldwide. Approximately, 200 foodborne cases are caused due to ingestion of contaminated food each year. In developing countries, unhygienic practices are main reasons for foodborne diseases. Precise estimate of population-based data on food borne illnesses are scarce in Pakistan. This review focuses to elucidate etiological cause of foodborne diseases dominant in Pakistan from 1990 to 2018. Various databases were searched, and 88 articles related to foodborne diseases were identified. Around 59 articles were included on quality assessment criteria. We determined dominant pathogens associated with foodborne diseases among all provinces of Pakistan. High numbers of foodborne diseases were reported in Sindh. Whereas, Salmonella was determined as primary cause of foodborne ailments. Most of the reported data on antibiotic resistance was unavailable. Shagella spp were first reported for antibiotic resistance in 1990, and E. coli was reported for multi-drug resistance in 1998. Nevertheless, S. aureus was reported for Methicillinresistant in 2015-16. This study summarize various sources responsible for food-borne illness, of which unhygienic conditions, poor sanitation systems, lack of proper infrastructure and continuous influx of refugees plays key role in escalation of morbidity rate in the region. We emphasize need of active surveillance system in reducing foodborne outbreaks in future and enable policy makers to set appropriate goals in food safety area.

Keywords Food control, drug resistance, food safety, Pakistan

Construction of LC-MS maps of root exudates in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seedlings

Abstract

Root exudates composition and pattern of biochemical expression is genotype specific and highly influenced by both by abiotic and bioticfactors. During this investigation, various attempts made to standardize the techniques to construct LC-MS maps using cotton as a plant system. Construction of root exudates maps by LC-MS analysis found as very uniqueand having high utility in genotype identification through genotypic maps,detecting the presence/absence of specific chemicals of interest, and for rhizosphere engineering. As expected each sample (root exudates of a particular genotype) produced very distinct peaks-spectra. Each peak in thepeak-spectral map (Y-axis) provides very useful information, the peak intensity (peak height), which represents the percent of eachchemical/analyte present in the sample. The total number of peaks in each spectrum indicates the number of biochemicals present in that sample. The root exudates samples were probed in both positive and negative LC-MS mode, since some acidic compounds could not be detected in positive mode. The peaks displayed in the negative mode spectra maps indicates most of them are belong to the compounds in acidic groups. This distinction also provides additional chemical diversity and chemical specificity to include in the genotypic maps. By this way, the diversity present in all theseparameters for each cotton genotype was included and the information presented was used to establish a very high-resolution maps. These peak spectral maps directly depend on the biochemicals produced by a specificgenotype and genetically controlled; therefore, they can be called as genotypic maps or root exudates maps.

Keywords Root Exudates, Silica sand, Liquid Chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC-MS)

Isolation and Identification of Fungal Pathogens Associated with Diseases of Onion Crop in District Swat, Pakistan

Abstract

Onion is an important vegetable and a source of income for formers inDistrict Swat, Pakistan. However, the crop is attacked by several pathogensi.e. fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes. Therefore, a study was carriedout for estimation of fungal diseases of onion crop in district Swat. Withinthis study about 50 samples of diseased onion crop were collected from 17different regions of District Swat. The most prevalent fungal borne oniondiseases were black mold (38%), onion rust (32%), Blue Mold Rot (10%) andseedling. Fungal species were consistently isolated from all infectedsamples. In which Aspergillus was isolated from 82% samples, Puccinia alliwas from 70%, Alternaria porri from 52%, Fuserium spp from 42%Penicillium spp from 40%, Peronospora destructor from 35%, Pyhtaiumfrom 23% and Rhizoctonia solani from 18% of samples. These fungal speciesconsistently isolated and cultured from diseased onion plant of differentfields in Swat.

Keywords Onion crop, Fungal diseases, Aspergillus