Microbial Quality Assessment and Efficacy of Low-Cost Disinfectants on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Collected from Urban Areas of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Rahman MM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8227336 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Bangladesh is experiencing an increasing prevalence of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Considering daily total requirement of 5 servings as minimum recommended amount, 95.7% of people do not consume adequate fruit or vegetables on an average day in the country. Imposition of lockdown during COVID-19 created disturbance in fresh fruits and vegetable production and their retailing. This incident can make these dietary products less affordable by stimulating price and trigger NCDs. However, little is known about the supply chain actors of healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits in urban areas, and how they were affected due to pandemic. Aiming toward the impact of COVID-19 on the business practices and outcomes for the vegetables and fruits retailers in Bangladesh, a survey of 1,319 retailers was conducted in two urban areas, namely Dhaka and Manikganj from September 2021 to October 2021. To comprehend the impact of COVID-19 on the profit margin of the retailers and on the percentage change in sales, a logistic and an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression were estimated. Significant difference in the weekly business days and daily business operations was observed. The average daily sales were estimated to have a 42% reduction in comparison to pre-COVID level. The daily average profit margin on sales was reportedly reduced to 17% from an average level of 21% in the normal period. Nevertheless, this impact is estimated to be disproportionate to the product type and subject to business location. The probability of facing a reduction in profit margin is higher for the fruit sellers than the vegetable sellers. Contemplating the business location, the retailers in Manikganj (a small city) faced an average of 19 percentage points less reduction in their sales than those in Dhaka (a large city). Area-specific and product-specific intervention are required for minimizing the vulnerability of retailers of vegetables and fruits and ensuring smooth supply of fruits and vegetables and increasing their uptake to combat diet related NCD.
| S-EPMC9831295 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Fresh fruits and vegetables can harbor large and diverse populations of bacteria. However, most of the work on produce-associated bacteria has focused on a relatively small number of pathogenic bacteria and, as a result, we know far less about the overall diversity and composition of those bacterial communities found on produce and how the structure of these communities varies across produce types. Moreover, we lack a comprehensive view of the potential effects of differing farming practices on the bacterial communities to which consumers are exposed. We addressed these knowledge gaps by assessing bacterial community structure on conventional and organic analogs of eleven store-bought produce types using a culture-independent approach, 16 S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. Our results demonstrated that the fruits and vegetables harbored diverse bacterial communities, and the communities on each produce type were significantly distinct from one another. However, certain produce types (i.e., sprouts, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries) tended to share more similar communities as they all had high relative abundances of taxa belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae when compared to the other produce types (i.e., apples, peaches, grapes, and mushrooms) which were dominated by taxa belonging to the Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria phyla. Although potentially driven by factors other than farming practice, we also observed significant differences in community composition between conventional and organic analogs within produce types. These differences were often attributable to distinctions in the relative abundances of Enterobacteriaceae taxa, which were generally less abundant in organically-grown produce. Taken together, our results suggest that humans are exposed to substantially different bacteria depending on the types of fresh produce they consume with differences between conventionally and organically farmed varieties contributing to this variation.
| S-EPMC3609859 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Toxoplasma gondii is the third most important contributor to health burden caused by food-borne illness. Ingestion of tissue cysts from undercooked meat is an important source of horizontal transmission to humans. However, there is an increasing awareness of the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, as a possible source for oocyst transmission, since this stage of the parasite can persist and remain infective in soil and water for long time. Herein, we outline findings related with detection of T. gondii oocysts in vegetables and berry fruits, which are usually raw consumed. The procedure includes the estimation of the number of oocysts. METHODS:Food samples were collected from local producers and supermarket suppliers. Toxoplasma gondii oocysts were concentrated after washing the samples by applying high resolution water filtration and immunomagnetic separation (method 1623.1: EPA 816-R-12-001-Jan 2012), in order to (i) remove potential Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts and Giardia spp. cysts present in the samples; and (ii) select T. gondii oocysts. Toxoplasma gondii oocyst detection and an estimation of their numbers was performed by conventional PCR and real time qPCR, using specific primers for a 183-bp sequence of the T. gondii repetitive DNA region. All PCR-positive DNA samples were purified and sequenced. Restriction enzyme digestion with EcoRV endonuclease confirmed the presence of the T. gondii DNA fragment. In addition, the presence of the parasite was observed by fluorescent microscopy, taking advantage of the oocysts autofluorescence under UV light. RESULTS:Forty percent of the analysed samples (95% CI: 25.5-56.5%) presented the expected PCR and digested DNA fragments. These fragments were confirmed by sequencing. Microscopic autofluorescence supported the presence of T. gondii-like oocysts. The estimated mean (± SE) oocyst concentration was 23.5 ± 12.1 oocysts/g, with a range of 0.6-179.9 oocysts/g. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings provide relevant evidence of contamination of fresh vegetables and berry fruits with T. gondii oocysts.
| S-EPMC7140358 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Different microbial groups of the microbiome of fresh produce can have diverse effects on human health. This study was aimed at identifying some microbial communities of fresh produce by analyzing 105 samples of imported fresh fruits and vegetables originated from different countries in the world including local samples (Oman) for aerobic plate count and the counts of Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcus aureus. The isolated bacteria were identified by molecular (PCR) and biochemical methods (VITEK 2). Enterobacteriaceae occurred in 60% of fruits and 91% of vegetables. Enterococcus was isolated from 20% of fruits and 42% of vegetables. E. coli and S. aureus were isolated from 22% and 7% of vegetables, respectively. Ninety-seven bacteria comprising 21 species were similarly identified by VITEK 2 and PCR to species level. E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus casseliflavus, and Enterobacter cloacae were the most abundant species; many are known as opportunistic pathogens which may raise concern to improve the microbial quality of fresh produce. Phylogenetic trees showed no relationship between clustering of the isolates based on the 16S rRNA gene and the original countries of fresh produce. Intercountry passage of opportunistic pathogens in fresh produce cannot be ruled out, which requires better management.
| S-EPMC4772400 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveWe implemented this study to report the prevalence and associated risk factors of hypertension among adult men and women aged >30 years residing in selected urban and rural areas of Dhaka division, Bangladesh.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingTwo urban (Dhaka city north and Dhaka city south) and two rural (Narsinghdi and Gazipur district) areas of the Dhaka division.ParticipantsA total of 4856 male and female participants were included in the final analysis, of whom 2340 (48.2%) were from urban and 2516 (51.8%) were from rural areas.Primary outcomeHypertension was the dependent variable for this study and was operationally defined as systolic blood pressure >140?mm of Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure >90?mm of Hg, and/or persons with already diagnosed hypertension.ResultsThe overall prevalence of hypertension was 31.0%, and the prevalence was higher among urban participants (urban: 36.9%, rural: 30.6%). Age (across all categories), female (urban-adjusted OR (AOR): 1.3, 95%?CI: 1.0 to 1.5 and rural-AOR: 1.7, 95%?CI: 1.4 to 2.1)), higher educational status (urban-AOR: 1.7, 95%?CI: 1.3 to 2.2 and rural-AOR: 2.1, 95%?CI: 1.5 to 3.1), inadequate physical activity (urban-AOR: 1.3, 95%?CI: 1.0 to 1.7 and rural-AOR: 1.5, 95%?CI: 1.2 to 1.9) and overweight/obesity (urban-AOR: 2.7, 95%?CI: 2.1 to 3.3 and rural-AOR: 2.1, 95%?CI: 1.7 to 2.5) were associated with hypertension in both urban and rural areas. Women who were not currently married during the survey had higher odds of hypertension only in the rural areas (rural-AOR: 1.8, 95%?CI: 1.3 to 2.4), and respondents who were not working during the survey had higher odds of hypertension only in the urban areas (AOR: 1.7, 95%?CI: 1.0 to 2.6).ConclusionSince the prevalence of hypertension was high in urban and rural areas, the government of Bangladesh should consider implementing hypertension prevention programmes focusing young population of Dhaka division. In addition, early screening programmes and management of hypertension need to be strengthened for people with hypertension in both the areas.
| S-EPMC7818822 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionInterventions aimed at promoting healthy eating habits in adolescence can help prevent chronic diseases and promote healthy ageing. The aim of this paper is to describe the fruit and vegetables consumption habits of adolescents in Dhaka, Bangladesh as well as to identify the socio-environmental, personal, and behavioral factors that influence these habits.Materials and methodsThe baseline data from an intervention study involving 823 grade ten students from two randomly selected secondary schools in a semi-urban area of Dhaka were analyzed. The intake of fruit and vegetables was measured in terms of serving size per day. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the ability of socio-environmental factors such as social support, perceived barriers, and living with patient with chronic diseases; personal factors such as knowledge, self-rated practice, behavioral intention, and body mass index; and behavioral factors such as physical activity, sedentary hours, and sleep duration to predict the level of daily fruit and vegetables intake, after controlling the effect of demographic characteristics of adolescents.ResultsThe average daily consumption of fruit and vegetables was 1.22 and 1.99 servings, respectively. Only one-fifth of the respondents (21%) reported eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Inaccessibility at home was reported as the most perceived barrier for both fruit and vegetables intake. Adolescents' higher fruit and vegetables intake was found to be associated with higher maternal educational attainment, more social support, adequate self-rated practice, positive behavioral intention, higher body mass index, better physical activity, and adequate daily sleeping.ConclusionThe findings revealed insufficient fruit and vegetables intake among adolescents in a semi-urban area of Bangladesh and associated socio-environmental, personal, and behavioral factors that were utilized in developing an intervention program for this transient age group.Trial registrationTrial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03975335) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03975335 on June 01, 2019.
| S-EPMC8186781 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Microplastics (MPs) are prevalent in nature due to the proliferation of plastic in the environment. However, the presence of microplastics in lakes is largely unknown in comparison to other aquatic bodies. This study was performed to evaluate the abundance and characteristics of MPs in water, sediment, and fish from three major urban lakes in Dhaka, Bangladesh, namely Dhanmondi, Gulshan, and Hatir Jheel lake. The highest concentrations of microplastics in surface water (36 items/L), sediment (67 items/kg), fish (17 items/individual), and the gastrointestinal tract (4.88 items/gm) were observed. Highest abundance of microplastic in an individual fish was observed in Oreochromis mossambicus from Dhanmondi Lake. The samples were visually examined using stereomicroscope and SEM, which revealed that films were the most prevalent kind of microplastics in both the water and the sediment samples, whereas pellets and foams predominated in the fish samples. Visual observation also revealed MPs dominated by <100 μm in size and transparent in color. According to the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis, the dominant polymers in the analyzed samples were high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, and polypropylene. MPs were relatively higher in the water and sediment samples of Gulshan Lake, and fish samples of Dhanmondi Lake. The results of this study indicate that microplastic contamination has occurred not only in the water and sediment but also in the inhabitant fishes of the lakes. However, it is discovered that the microplastic intake of fish was significantly related to body weight and length. The implication of the finding suggests that the presence of MPs in urban lakes has raised concerns about the potential human health impact. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The presence of microplastics was evaluated in three major urban lakes of Dhaka, Bangladesh.• Microplastic abundance was relatively higher in water and sediment samples of Gulshan Lake.• The highest microplastic abundance in an individual fish was observed in Oreochromis mossambicus from Dhanmondi Lake.• Films were prevalent in water and sediment samples, whereas pellets and foams were dominant in fish samples.• The dominant polymers were Polyethylene (PE), Polycarbonate (PC), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinylchloride (PVC).
| S-EPMC10073641 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesOut-of-pocket (OOP) payment is the major payment strategy for healthcare in Bangladesh, and the share of OOP expenditure has increased alarmingly. Dhaka is recognised as one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world. The objective of this study is to capture the self-reported illnesses among urban citizens and to identify whether and to what extent socioeconomic, demographic and behavioural factors of the population influence OOP healthcare expenditures.Subject and methodsThis study utilises cross-sectional survey data collected from May to August 2019 in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh. A total of 3,100 households were randomly selected. Simple descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentage, mean (95% CI), median and inter-quartile range were presented. Bivariate analysis and multivariate regression models were employed.ResultsWe observed that acute illnesses (e.g., fever, flu/cough) were dominant among participants. Among the chronic illnesses, approximately 9.6% of people had diabetes, while 5.3% had high/low blood pressure. The richest quintile only spent 5.2% of their household income on healthcare, while the poorest households spent approximately six times more than the richest households. We noted that various factors such as marital status, religion, source of care, access to safe water, income quintile and even the location of households had a significant relationship with OOP expenditure.ConclusionsOur findings can serve as important source of data in terms of disease- specific symptoms and out-of-pocket cost among urban citizens in Dhaka. The people belonging to wealthier households tended to choose better healthcare facilities and spend more. A pro-poor policy initiative and even an urban health protection scheme may be necessary to ensure that healthcare services are accessible and affordable, in line with the Bangladesh National Urban Health Strategy.
| S-EPMC8786169 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Of 48 bacteria belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae tested from urban sludge samples, one Escherichia coli isolate was resistant to colistin and possessed the resistance marker gene mcr-1 found for the first time from Bangladesh. The colistin resistant E. coli was multidrug resistant showing resistance to 11 different antibiotics tested.
| S-EPMC5738163 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionGlobally, eye diseases are considered as one of the major contributors of nonfatal disabling conditions. In Bangladesh, 1.5% of adults are blind and 21.6% have low vision. Therefore, this paper aimed to identify the community-based prevalence and associated risk factors of eye diseases among slum dwellers of Dhaka city.MethodsThe study was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, a survey was conducted using multistage cluster sampling among 1320 households of three purposively selected slums in Dhaka city. From each household, one family member (≥ 18 years old) was randomly interviewed by trained data collectors using a structured questionnaire. After that, each of the participants was requested to take part in the second phase of the study. Following the request, 432 participants out of 1320 participants came into the tertiary care hospitals where they were clinically assessed by ophthalmologist for presence of eye diseases. A number of descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using Stata 13.ResultThe majority of total 432 study participants were female (68.6%), married (82.6%) and Muslim (98.8%). Among them almost all (92.8%) were clinically diagnosed with eye disease. The most prevalent eye diseases were refractive error (63.2%), conjunctivitis (17.1%), visual impairment (16.4%) and cataract (7.2%). Refractive error was found significantly associated with older age, female gender and income generating work. Cataract was found negatively associated with the level of education, however, opposite relationship was found between cataract and visual impairment.ConclusionOur study provides epidemiologic data on the prevalence of eye diseases among adult population in low-income urban community of Dhaka city. The high prevalence of refractive error, allergic conjunctivitis, visual impairment, and cataract among this group of people suggests the importance of increasing access to eye care services.
| S-EPMC6357461 | biostudies-literature