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The Urdu-speaking Bihari people in Bangladesh, living in dilapidated camps with compromised rights and opportunities, constitute one of the most vulnerable diasporas in the South Asian region. These camps have existed for generations and consequently house many adolescents. Yet studies on the acculturation and identity distress of adolescent Biharis are nonexistent. This paper addresses this significant topic directly. Based on a survey using the Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale (AMAS-ZABB) and the Identity Distress Survey (IDS) frameworks, this study found that Bihari adolescent youths preferred to associate themselves more with the host identity and culture than with their own. They showed high language competence in their host and origin languages, but only high cultural competence in their host culture. Their identity distress was found to be low across identity, social relationships, religion and group loyalties, but was moderate and evenly distributed around long-term goals and career plans. The recommendations of the study support the integration of the Bihari population into Bangladesh's population framework, since this diaspora appears to be qualified for this transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southeastern coastline of Bangladesh where the longest natural sea beach Cox's Bazar is located has experienced more pronounced changes due to human intervention compared to the changes due to storms, cyclones and flooding. Over the past 30 years, nature-dependent livelihood and economic activities have generated employment, income and shelter to people but has also enhanced exposure level and consequent vulnerability and risks to fast growing economic activities and human settlements to projected climate-induced natural disasters. Satellite imageries clearly show the changing land-use pattern due to human intervention. On the ground, questionnaire-based, face-to-face interview method has helped in understanding the key drivers behind the changing economic activities, occupation category-wise exposure and vulnerability of the people along the coast. Fishing, salt-shrimp practice, fish drying, agriculture, tourism, and related small trading business are now the main economic activities, and human settlement expansion has changed the coastal ecosystem. The vulnerability assessment suggests that the fast emergence of salt-shrimp farm-based employment and livelihood is one of the most sensitive to natural threats. As per anthropogenic threats, the hotel and restaurant industries are polluting the most fragile coastal ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides the basic taxonomic data on the vascular flora of the coastal mangrove ecosystems in Barguna district of Bangladesh. Plant samples and field data have been collected following walk through method. The present study reveals the occurrence of 532 species under 378 genera and 112 families in the study area, of which 24 are true mangroves, 46 mangrove associates and 461 non-mangroves. The pteridophytes are composed of 22 species under 20 genera of 12 families and gymnosperms of two species under two genera and two families. Magnoliopsida are composed of 375 species under 279 genera and 77 families, and Liliopsida of 133 species belonging to 77 genera under 21 families. Fabaceae with 28 species is recorded as the largest dicot family, followed by Asteraceae, Apocynaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Malvaceae. Poaceae with 45 species is the largest monocot family, followed by Cyperaceae, Araceae and Arecaceae. About 60.15% of these species are herbs, 21.80% trees, 15.79% shrubs, 1.88% palms and 0.38% bamboos. The study area composed with 74.06% native and 25.94% exotic species, 79.70% species are wild, 16.35% planted and 3.95% cultivated species. Majority of the species are found to grow in forest margin, roadside, woodland, wetland and river bank. Most of the species are economically useful as medicine, ornamental and vegetable. This study concludes that the floristic composition of coastal mangrove ecosystems of Barguna district is still rich though the area facing some severe threats. This study strongly recommends adopting effective master plan and implementing adequate measures for sustainable conservation and monitoring of the biodiversity of this disaster-prone area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) foodborne pathogens have created a great challenge to the supply and consumption of safe & healthy animal-source foods. The study was conducted to identify the common foodborne pathogens from animal-source foods & by-products with their antimicrobial drug susceptibility and resistance gene profile. The common foodborne pathogens Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Campylobacter species were identified in livestock and poultry food products. The prevalence of foodborne pathogens was found higher in poultry food & by-product compared with livestock (p < 0.05). The antimicrobial drug susceptibility results revealed decreased susceptibility to penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, neomycin, streptomycin, and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim whilst gentamicin was found comparatively more sensitive. Regardless of sources, the overall MDR pattern of E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus were found to be 88.33%, 75%, 95%, and 100%, respectively. The genotypic resistance showed a prevalence of blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCMY, tetA, tetB, sul1, aadA1, aac(3)-IV, and ereA resistance genes. The phenotype and genotype resistance patterns of isolated pathogens from livestock and poultry had harmony and good concordance, and sul1 & tetA resistance genes had a higher prevalence. Good agricultural practices along with proper biosecurity may reduce the rampant use of antimicrobial drugs. In addition, proper handling, processing, storage, and transportation of foods may decline the spread of MDR foodborne pathogens in the food chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient management of fertilizers and irrigation could mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase crop yields. Field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of an integrated plant nutrient system (IPNS) and water regime—alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and continuous flooding (CF)—on GHG emissions and rice yield. Fertilizer treatments included control (no N), prilled urea (PU), urea deep placement (UDP), and IPNS (50% N from poultry litter and 50% N from PU). Gas sampling and analysis were performed using a closed-chamber technique and gas chromatography. IPNS produced significantly (p < 0.05) higher seasonal total methane (CH4) emissions (9–15%) compared to the UDP treatment, but the emissions with IPNS were similar to those of PU. IPNS had an interaction effect with the water regime on nitrogen oxide (N2O) emissions. IPNS produced more emissions than PU under AWD, but their emissions were similar under CF irrigation. IPNS produced a significantly higher total global warming potential (GWP) than UDP but a GWP similar to the PU treatment in both Aus (pre-monsoon) and Aman (wet) seasons. AWD irrigation reduced the total GWP by 8% over CF without yield reductions. IPNS significantly increased rice yields compared to broadcast PU but yields were similar to those of UDP. These findings suggest that both IPNS and UDP could be effective in increasing crop yields without increasing GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is an emerging zoonotic disease of cattle associated with pathological prion protein (PrPsc) transmitted via meat and bone meal (MBM). Although Bangladesh did not experience a BSE outbreak but the country could not export animal products to developed countries as has not yet been declared BSE free country by OIE due to lack of scientific risk evaluation for BSE. The objectives were identification of hazard, release and exposure pathways of pathological prion protein through MBM and analysis of risk for the occurrence of BSE in Bangladesh. Methods: The scientific data were reviewed, hazards were scheduled and surveys were conducted on livestock production system, import of MBM and its use to identify the hazards present in Bangladesh context. The analysis was done by the 'OIE Risk Analysis Framework 2006 and European Union (EU) Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) 2003'. From the historical reviews, import of MBM and its use was identified, as external hazards. Results: The analysis revealed that these hazards had negligible or moderate risk for the introduction of infectious PrPsc as Bangladeshi cattle are vegetarian cattle. No milk replacer was used and use of slaughtered waste in the animal feed industry is absent. Unconsumable bones are processed to produce bone chips, fertilizers and bone meal for poultry feeds. Scrapie was never prevalent in Bangladesh. Therefore, risk from the internal challenge was negligible in Bangladesh for the occurrence of classical BSE. These prevented the propagation of BSE infectivity and eliminated BSE infectivity from the system very fast, if that was present. Conclusions: It was concluded that introduction of PrPsc into cattle population of Bangladesh through MBM was very negligible. Therefore, Bangladesh can be considered as BSE negligible risk country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Household air pollution (HAP) from cooking with solid fuels has become a leading cause of death and disability in many developing countries including Bangladesh. We assess the association between HAP and risk of selected adverse birth and maternal health outcomes.Methods: Data for this study were extracted from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey conducted during 2007-2014. Selected adverse birth outcomes were acute respiratory infection (ARI) among children, stillbirth, low birth weight (LBW), under-five mortality, neonatal mortality and infant mortality. Maternal pregnancy complications and cesarean delivery were considered as the adverse maternal health outcomes. Place of cooking, use of solid fuel within the house boundary and in living room were the exposure variables. To examine the association between exposure and outcome variables, we used a series of multiple logistic regression models accounted for complex survey design.Results: Around 90% of the respondents used solid fuel within the house boundary, 11% of them used solid fuel within the living room. Results of multiple regression indicated that cooking inside the house increased the risk of neonatal mortality (aOR,1.25; 95% CI, 1.02-1.52), infant mortality (aOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.00-1.40), ARI (aOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.08-1.33), LBW (aOR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.10-1.43), and cesarean delivery (aOR,1.18; 95% CI, 1.01-1.29). Use of solid fuel, irrespective of cooking places, increased the risk of pregnancy complications (aOR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.19-1.55). Compared to participants who reported cooking outside the house, the risk of ARI, LBW were significantly high among those who performed cooking within the house, irrespective of type of cooking fuel.Conclusion: Indoor cooking and use of solid fuel in household increase the risk of ARI, LBW, cesarean delivery, and pregnancy complication. These relationships need further investigation using more direct measures of smoke exposure and clinical measures of health outcomes. The use of clean fuels and structural improvement in household design such as provision of stove ventilation should be encouraged to reduce such adverse health consequences.Trail Registration: Data related to health were collected by following the guidelines of ICF international and Bangladesh Medical Research Council. The registration number of data collection was 132,989.0.000, and the data-request was registered on March 11, 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spillage of furnace oil is a more frequent event in recent times. In this study, environmental samples from furnace oil spillage sites of the Shela River, the Sundarbans, Bangladesh, were collected after three weeks of spillage. Serial dilution was applied and total seven bacterial isolates were separated as pure cultures. The oil-degrading potentiality of all seven isolates was further assessed, confirmed and compared with the growth pattern in furnace oil supplemented media, 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol test, and gravimetric analysis. After 7 days of incubation, isolates SS 3 , RW 2 , and SB degraded 56%, 43%, and 52% of supplemented furnace oil, respectively. The top three hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial isolates were selected as potential and identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (SS 3 ), Bacillus sp. (RW 2 ), and Serratia sp. (SB). All three isolates showed significant oil-degrading capacity compared to negative control, when incubated in sterile pond water supplemented with 2% furnace oil, suggesting them as potential bioremediation agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to examine the influence of witnessing father-to-mother violence on: 1) perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV); and 2) endorsement of attitudes justifying wife beating in Bangladesh.Methods: This paper used data from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. The analyses were based on the responses of 3374 ever-married men. Exposure to IPV was determined by men's self-reports of witnessing inter-parental violence in childhood. We used adjusted binary logistic regression models to assess the influence of exposure on husbands' perpetration of IPV and their endorsement of attitudes justifying wife beating.Results: Nearly 60% of men reported violent behaviour towards an intimate partner and 35.7% endorsed attitudes justifying spousal abuse. Men who witnessed father-to-mother violence had higher odds of reporting any physical or sexual IPV (adjusted OR [AOR] = 3.26; 95% CI = 2.61, 4.06). Men who had witnessed father-to-mother violence were also 1.34 times (95% CI = 1.08, 1.65) more likely endorse attitudes justifying spousal abuse.Conclusions: Committing violence against an intimate partner is an all too frequent practice among men in Bangladesh. The study indicated that men who had witnessed father-to-mother violence were more likley to perpetrate IPV, suggesting an intergenerational transmission of violence. This transmission of violence may operate through the learning and modelling of attitudes favourable to spousal abuse. In support of this, witnnessing inter-parental violence was also associated with the endorsement of attitudes justifying spousal abuse. Our findings indicate the continued importance of efforts to identify and assist boys who have witnessed domestic violence and suggest such efforts should aim to change not just behaviours but also attitudes that facilitate such violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: There are a number of studies showing that zinc supplementation may improve glucose handling in people with established diabetes. We sought to investigate whether this zinc-dependent improvement in glucose handling could potentially be harnessed to prevent the progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes. In this double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, we determined participants' fasting blood glucose levels, (FBG) and Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) parameters (beta cell function, insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance) at baseline and after 6 months of zinc supplementation.Methods: The Bangladesh Institute of Health Sciences Hospital (BIHS) (Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh) database was used to identify 224 patients with prediabetes, of whom 55 met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate. The participants were randomized either to the intervention or control group using block randomization. The groups received either 30mg zinc sulphate dispersible tablet or placebo, once daily for six months.Results: After six months, the intervention group significantly improved their FBG concentration compared to the placebo group (5.37±0.20mmol/L vs 5.69±0.26, p<0.001) as well as compared to their own baseline (5.37±0.20mmol/L vs 5.8±0.09, p<0.001). Beta cell function, insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance all showed a statistically significant improvement as well.Conclusion: To our knowledge this is the first trial to show an improvement in glucose handling using HOMA parameters in participants with prediabetes. Larger randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm these findings and to explore clinical endpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Early life exposure to inorganic arsenic may be related to adverse health effects in later life. However, there are few data on postnatal arsenic exposure via human milk. In this study, we aimed to determine arsenic levels in human milk and the correlation between arsenic in human milk and arsenic in mothers and infants urine. Methods Between March 2011 and March 2012, this prospective study identified a total of 120 new mother-baby pairs from Kashiani (subdistrict), Bangladesh. Of these, 30 mothers were randomly selected for human milk samples at 1, 6 and 9 months post-natally; the same mother baby pairs were selected for urine sampling at 1 and 6 months. Twelve urine samples from these 30 mother baby pairs were randomly selected for arsenic speciation. Results Arsenic concentration in human milk was low and non-normally distributed. The median arsenic concentration in human milk at all three time points remained at 0.5 μg/L. In the mixed model estimates, arsenic concentration in human milk was non-significantly reduced by -0.035 μg/L (95% CI: -0.09 to 0.02) between 1 and 6 months and between 6 and 9 months. With the progression of time, arsenic concentration in infant's urine increased nonsignificantly by 0.13 μg/L (95% CI: -1.27 to 1.53). Arsenic in human milk at 1 and 6 months was not correlated with arsenic in the infant's urine at the same time points (r = -0.13 at 1 month and r = -0.09 at 6 month). Arsenite (AsIII), arsenate (AsV), monomethyl arsonic acid (MMA), dimethyl arsinic acid (DMA) and arsenobetaine (AsB) were the constituents of total urinary arsenic; DMA was the predominant arsenic metabolite in infant urine. Conclusions We observed a low arsenic concentration in human milk. The concentration was lower than the World Health Organization's maximum permissible limit (WHO Permissible Limit 15 μg/kg-bw/week). Our findings support the safety of breastfeeding even in arsenic contaminated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the status of brucellosis in dairy cattle from five selected dairy farms in the Mohammadpur Beribadh area of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was carried out from October 2010 to March 2011 in which a total of 334 serum samples from cattle in five herds were screened by the Rose-Bengal plate-agglutination test (RBPT) and the positives were confirmed using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA). A structured questionnaire was used to collect epidemiological information describing the animals. Overall, 4.20% of the animals were RBPT positive, while subsequent confirmatory tests with I-ELISA revealed that the overall animal-level prevalence derived from the samples was 1.20%. Additionally, the prevalence was relatively higher in females than in males. A significant association was found between abortion, age of the animals, and the occurrence of brucellosis (p < 0.05). Considering the overall low prevalence of brucellosis in the selected farms in the present study, a brucellosis eradication program for dairy farms using a test-and-slaughter policy would be possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper uses two-dimensional boundary element method (BEM) numerical modeling to analyze the deformation and failure behavior of a coal seam and to understand the nature of gas flow into a roadway entering the Barapukuria coal mine in Bangladesh. The Barapukuria basin contains Permian-aged Gondwana coals with high volatile B bituminous rank. Three models (A, B, and C) are presented here. Model A assumes horseshoe-shaped geometry, model B assumes trapezoid-shaped geometry, and model C assumes horseshoe-shaped geometry coupled with a roof fall-induced cave generated by the break-up of rock materials along the vertical dimension of an igneous dyke. The simulation results show that there is little difference in strata deformation between models A and B. In model A, there is no horizontal tensional stress and the overall horizontal stress patterns are compressive, while the distribution and magnitude of vertical stress show higher tensional stresses on the immediate rib sides and floor. In model B, both horizontal and vertical stress distributions indicate low to medium tensional stresses on the immediate roof, floor, and rib sides, but compressive stresses are prominent toward the interior of the coal seam. Deformation vectors indicate that failure extends laterally to about 7.5 m around the excavation geometry. On the contrary, for model C, the distributions and magnitudes of horizontal and vertical stress show higher tensional stresses in both rib sides of the roof fall zone. The deformation around the dyke-induced perturbation zone affects a large volume of coal. The deformation vectors with high magnitudes are nearly horizontal and propagate laterally up to 30 m; whereas, low-magnitude deformation vectors extend about 25 m toward the roof and 20 m toward the floor. The vertical tensional displacement, which is concentrated in the floor and the left and right hand sides of the roof, propagates about 30 m on both sides and about 22 m in the floor. From these simulation results, it is thought that the extension of the dyke-induced perturbation zone toward the roof, floor, and rib sides of the entry roadway initially creates small tensional cracks that gradually grow into large-scale tensional features. These features could also be responsible for high concentrations of gas, which are emitted into the mine from fractured coals due to insufficient mine ventilation and low atmospheric pressure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: With an area of 5.16 km2, the Barapukuria coal deposit is one of the five largest Gondwana coal basins in Bangladesh, and is located in the north west of the country close to the towns of Dinajpur and Saidpur. The existence of the basin was initially indicated by a negative gravity anomaly in oil and gas exploration. Exploration for the deposit was commenced by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB), with seven surface boreholes that confirmed the existence of a significant coal deposit. The deposit occurs as an asymmetrical synclinal structure with an axis striking approximately N-S. The deposit is limited to the east by a large normal fault which has displaced Archaean metamorphics against the Gondwana sediments. The coal-bearing sediments are comprised of Gondwana Permian-age sandstones, siltstones, subordinate carbonaceous shales, and six correlated coal seams. The Gondwana sediments are unconformably overlain by Tertiary and Quaternary deposits, against which the coal seams are successively subcropped to the west. Within the structural limits of the basin, approximately 377 Mt coal in-situ has been quantified in the six coal seams that range in depth from 118 to 518 m below surface. Due to the synclinal nature of the deposit, the upper coal seams, designated I to V, occur over diminishing areal extent with decreasing depth. The principal seam of interest is the lowermost Seam VI, with a variable thickness across the deposit from 22 m in the northern part of the deposit to more than 42 m in the southern and eastern areas. Development of the Barapukuria Mine, the country''s first coal mine, commenced in 1996 with the construction of two vertical shafts. Coal production from Seam VI began in 2005 and continues at the present time. Seam VI coal is high volatile B bituminous rank. About 34 Mt of coal has been estimated as recoverable resources, utilising descensional multi-slice longwall mining. The mine design and development have been severely constrained by adverse seam gradients and the presence of the overlying water-bearing Tertiary Dupi Tila sediments. The potential of coal bed methane extraction has been investigated as an alternative to underground mining. The study considers the Barapukuria deposit in terms of its geological structure, geothermal gradient, and the rank, porosity and permeability of the coal seams as determined by several phases of exploration of the area. The methane content of the bituminous coal at Barapukuria varies within the range 6.51–12.68 m3/t, representing a potential resource of more than 5 Gm3 of gas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study which examines the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii in adult women and domestic animals used for meat products from the Mymensingh District, Bangladesh. The authors state that initial exposure to T. gondii during pregnancy can cause spontaneous abortion and congenital defects. They point out that control of T. gondii infection in domestic animals is important from a public health perspective in Bangladesh.

Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation in lowland rice cultivation increases water use efficiency and could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the farmers' practice of continuous flooding (CF). However, there is a dearth of studies on the impacts of water management on methane (CH 4) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions in Bangladesh. Multi-location field experiments were conducted during the dry seasons of 2018 and 2019 to determine the baseline emissions of CH 4 and N 2 O from rice fields and compare the emissions from AWD irrigation and CF. CH 4 and N 2 O emissions were measured using the closed chamber technique and their concentrations were determined using a gas chromatograph. CH 4 and N 2 O emissions varied across water management schemes and sites. AWD irrigation significantly (p < 0.05) reduced cumulative CH 4 emissions (37%, average across sites) without affecting grain yields compared to CF. The CH 4 emission factor for AWD was lower (1.39 kg ha−1 day−1) compared to CF (2.21 kg ha−1 day−1). Although AWD irrigation increased seasonal cumulative N 2 O emissions by 46%, it did not offset reduced CH 4 emissions. AWD reduced the total global warming potential (GWP) by 36% compared to CF. Similarly, GHG intensity (GHGI) in AWD was 34% smaller compared to that in CF. Emissions varied across sites and the magnitudes of seasonal cumulative CH 4 and N 2 O emissions were higher at the Gazipur site compared to the Mymensingh site. AWD, which saves irrigation water without any yield penalty, could be considered a promising strategy to mitigate GHG emissions from rice fields in Bangladesh. Unlabelled Image • Baseline emission factors for methane and nitrous oxide determined from rice fields in Bangladesh. • Water regimes significantly reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from lowland rice cultivation. • Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) scaling factor for methane ranged from 0.49 to 0.67. • The AWD irrigation mitigated global warming potential (GWP) by 36% compared to farmers' practice of continuous flooding (CF). • Increased nitrous oxide emissions due to AWD irrigation was off-set by reduced methane emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since the global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 during 2005–2006, control programs have been successfully implemented in most affected countries. HPAI H5N1 was first reported in Bangladesh in 2007, and since then 546 outbreaks have been reported to the OIE. The disease has apparently become endemic in Bangladesh. Spatio-temporal information on 177 outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 occurring between February 2010 and April 2011 in Bangladesh, and 37 of these outbreaks in which isolated H5N1 viruses were phylogenetically characterized to clade, were analyzed. Three clades were identified, 2.2 (21 cases), 2.3.4 (2 cases) and 2.3.2.1 (14 cases). Clade 2.2 was identified throughout the time period and was widely distributed in a southeast–northwest orientation. Clade 2.3.2.1 appeared later and was generally confined to central Bangladesh in a north–south orientation. Based on a direction test, clade 2.2 viruses spread in a southeast-to-northwest direction, whereas clade 2.3.2.1 spread west-to-east. The magnitude of spread of clade 2.3.2.1 was greater relative to clade 2.2 (angular concentration 0.2765 versus 0.1860). In both cases, the first outbreak(s) were identified as early outliers, but in addition, early outbreaks (one each) of clade 2.2 were also identified in central Bangladesh and in northwest Bangladesh, a considerable distance apart. The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in Bangladesh is characterized by reported long-distance translocation events. This poses a challenge to disease control efforts. Increased enforcement of biosecurity and stronger control of movements between affected farms and susceptible farms, and better surveillance and reporting, is needed. Although the movement of poultry and equipment appears to be a more likely explanation for the patterns identified, the relative contribution of trade and the market chain versus wild birds in spreading the disease needs further investigation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To identify risk factors associated with infectious bursal disease (IBD) in commercial chickens in Bangladesh, we conducted a matched case–control study on 32 commercial farms affected with IBD and 96 IBD unaffected farms taking flock size (1000 vs. >1000 birds) and location of the farms (whether it is in rural or urban area) as matching variables. Epidemiological data from case and control farms were collected through the use of a pretested questionnaire, and analyzed by matched-pair analysis and multivariable conditional logistic regression. In the multivariable analysis, the variables ‘receive visitors on the farm premises’ (odds ratio [OR]=4.49; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.50–13.42; p =0.007), ‘purchase live poultry from the open market’ (OR=7.59; 95% CI=2.69–21.45; p = <0.001), ‘workers live outside the farms premises’ (OR=5.89; 95% CI=1.87–18.60; p =0.002) and ‘access of vendor vehicles on the farm premises’ (OR=5.19; 95% CI=1.39–19.31; p =0.014) were identified as risk factors for IBD in commercial chicken farms. The proper management of the risk factors along with knowledge of the disease could help to reduce the incidence of IBDV infection in commercial chickens in Bangladesh. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]