The prevalence and seasonal variation in liver fluke and gastro-intestinal parasites were studied in native (n = 360) and crossbred (n = 360) cattle with four age groups (<12 months, >12-24 months, >24-36 months and >36 months) and three seasons (summer, rainy and winter) in Trishal Upazilla, Mymensingh district for a period of November 2002 to October 2003. Feces were collected to examine the worm load in each of the animal. The maximum rate of infection of gastrointestinal parasite was recorded in crossbred cattle with the exception of Strongylid. In the rainy season highest gastrointestinal parasitic infestation was observed. The infection rates of Fasciola, Paramphistomum, Trichuris and Schistosoma were highest in the age group >36 months and lowest in the age group < 12 months. The infection rates of Ascaris, Strongylid, Strongyloids and Moniezia were very high in the age group < 12 months and low in the age group >36 months.

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Herpes disease caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is an intractable condition. It is a major concern in public health. Our purpose of this study was to verify the function of chitosan as an adjuvant for immune regulation specifically under herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. Ahead of HSV infection, chitosan, heat inactivated green fluorescent protein expressing HSV (G-HSV), and a combination of chitosan and G-HSV were used to pretreat ICR mice followed by HSV-1 infection. Using flow cytometric analysis, the frequencies of T-cells, monocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), and natural killer (NK) cells were analyzed by surface expression of CD4+, CD8+, CD14+, CD11c+, NK1.1+, and DX5+ cells. In HSV infected mice, chitosan treatment significantly increased the frequencies of CD4+ T-cells (33.6 ± 5.78%) compared to those in the control group (24.02 ± 12.47%, p = 0.05). The frequencies of DC and NK cells were also significantly different between chitosan treated mice and control mice. In addition, anti-HSV IgG antibody was downregulated in chitosan treated mice. These results suggest that chitosan is a potential modulator or immune stimulator as an adjuvant in HSV-1 infected mice.

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