Nitazoxanide is a safe, effective, inexpensive, and well-tolerated drug for the treatment of niclosamide- and praziquantel-resistant beef tapeworm infection.

Background: Taeniasis, caused by two major Taenia species, T. solium and T. saginata, is a worldwide foodborne zoonotic disease. T. solium is found in people who habitually eat raw or undercooked pork, while T. saginata is found in people who habitually eat raw or undercooked beef. Cattle rearing and beef consumption is an important socio-cultural feature in the Kashmir valley, India. This study's objectives were to evaluate the prevalence of foodborne taeniasis in Kashmir and explore the various risk factors for its transmission. Methods and materials: A detailed survey of the population in selected rural and semi-urban sites of Kashmir valley was carried out based on previous information. A total of 12,404 subjects (males = 6364; females = 6040) ranging from one to 85 years of age (mean age: 28.96 AE 17.68) were included in this study. The parasite diagnosis was made through stool analysis (egg morphology) and anatomical characteristics of gravid proglottids obtained from infected cases. The data obtained were compiled for the parameters studied and statistically analyzed. Results: The observations as estimated coprologically and based on gravid proglottids' anatomy revealed the presence of T. saginata infection. The prevalence was 2.74% with males significantly (p < 0.01) more infected (3.40%) than females (2.05%). Similarly, the age group of >60 years showed greater prevalence (7.21% among males and 2.68% among females) at a significance value of p < 0.05. Rural populatios were slightly more infected (2.84%) than semi-urban populations (2.36%) with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.01). Conclusion:Our findings indicate that the Kashmiri population who consume raw or undercooked beef, harbor T. saginata infection; its prevalence was influenced by food eating habits, age, sex, and living conditions.

The Himalayas are home to a wide variety of animals and plants, making it one of the world's most biodiverse regions. Both the northwestern Himalayan region of Jammu & Kashmir and the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh are home to a wide variety of bird species because of varied topography and temperature. In this study, we collected the field data and checklists over a period of 3 years based on the compilation of data from published & unpublished scientific literature, print & electronic, currently accessible in the form of research articles, papers, books, websites, web pages, & field notes. The Northwestern Himalayas (Jammu and Kashmir) and trans-Himalayas (Ladakh) are home to 677 bird species belonging to 89 families (out of 107 families in the Indian sub-continent), which is equal to 6.77% of total bird species (>10000) found globally and 49.2% of total bird species (1376) found in the Indian subcontinent. The family Muscicapidae (53, 7.8%) has the most species, followed by Accipitridae (41, 6%), and so on. Moreover, the number of threatened species is 54 (8%), which includes 22 (3.25%), 23 (3.40%), 6 (0.8%) & 3 (0.44%) under Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, & Critically Endangered categories. Among 677 species, 228 species (33.77%) are found in all the 3 regions, 77 (11.4%) in only Jammu & Kashmir but not Ladakh, 24 (3.55%) in Jammu & Ladakh but not in Kashmir, 80 (11.85%) in Kashmir & Ladakh but not in Jammu, 152 (22.5%) only in Jammu but not in Kashmir & Ladakh, 26 (3.84%) only in Kashmir but not in Jammu & Ladakh, 71 (10.51%) only in Ladakh but not in Jammu & Kashmir. This provides the first-of-its-kind comprehensive data on bird diversity in these regions.

Understanding dietary habits and niche overlap of sympatric carnivores is crucial for their conservation. Using scat analysis & trichology, we studied the diet composition & distribution of two sympatric carnivores, the Golden or Asiatic Jackal (Canis aureus) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes grifithii), in and around Dachigam National Park (DNP) in the Himalayan region of Kashmir using faecal analysis during winter and summer months. The results showed that the Golden Jackal had a broader niche breadth than the red fox, with 10 and 9 prey species, respectively, present in their diet. The carnivores preferred the South aspect (26 sightings) of mountainous ranges and mixed habitat types (21 sightings). The faecal animal matter ranged from 50 to 100%, including arthropods and fish scales, while plant diets were in the range of 40–50%. Trichology analysis revealed that rodents were the most preferred prey (27 times) by both carnivores, with a frequency occurrence (Fi) of 0.48. The critically endangered red deer species Hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu) was not present in the scats of the carnivores. Wild boar contributed the most to carnivore biomass (50 Kgs), while Hangul had zero presence. The carnivores consumed rodents (Fi: 0.30) the most, with a relative weight of 53.649 kgs, and Mongoose the least, with a relative weight of 2.008 kgs. Moreover, the average number of Scats produced by a predator from an individual prey (λi) was maximum for black bear (20.70), & least for fish (0.10). Our study provides insights into the potential level of inter-specific competition and prey species overlap, which can aid in identifying species-specific conservation requirements for these carnivores.

Background: Malaria in Pregnancy (MiP) is an important cause of morbidity to the mother and fetus, and during early childhood. However, with the exception of the African continent, global estimates of maternal morbidity and mortality resulting from MiP remain imprecise. One of the gaps for the knowledge of this burden is estimation of the incidence and clinical implications of Plasmodium vivax malaria during pregnancy in Latin America.Methods & Materials: With the goal of generating crucial data to improve the health of pregnant women and their infants, we have implemented the MINA-Brazil Study, a birth cohort study involving 1,525 mother-baby pairs living in the main malaria hotspot in Brazil, to evaluate the impact of nutritional deficiencies and tropical infections during pregnancy on early child development. This population-based cross-sectional analysis focuses on MiP in Cruzeiro do Sul, the largest city in Juruá Valley, northwestern Brazil, which in 2016 contributes with 15.2% of all malaria cases and 26.2% of the burden of P. falciparum malaria countrywide. Between July 2015 and June 2016, we collected obstetric, prenatal care and morbidity data, socioeconomic characteristics, dietary intake and biochemical indicators of mothers delivering at the only maternity hospital in the region. During this period, we obtained 1,318 venous blood samples (from mothers) and 835 cord blood samples (from neonates) for PCR-based malaria diagnosis.Results: We estimated malaria prevalence at delivery at 7.9% -84 cases of vivax, 19 falciparum and 1 mixed infection. Only 12 parturients with PCR-confirmed malaria had malaria episodes confirmed by microscopy up to 28 days before delivery or up to 2 months after delivery. Therefore, most diagnosed infections were asymptomatic and remained subpatent, indicating that pregnant women may comprise an important reservoir of infection. We found 7 cases of congenital malaria (5 vivax, 2 falciparum), with an overall prevalence of 0.8%. Furthermore, we found that 7.4% of the mothers had slide-confirmed malaria episodes during pregnancy. Conclusion:We are currently looking for associations between MiP and sociodemographic and biological variables of mothers and estimating the impact of MiP on health outcomes of mothers and their offspring.