Department of Livestock Services

Veterinary vaccines are crucial tools for preventing infectious diseases, boosting animal productivity, and supporting sustainable livestock farming. This review examines the current status, challenges, and future outlook of veterinary vaccine development, production, and use in Bangladesh. The livestock sector in Bangladesh is vital for food security, rural livelihoods, and the national economy, contributing about 1.8% to the gross domestic product and supporting millions of farmers. Yet, the sector continues to suffer significant losses from infectious diseases such as foot-and-Mouth Disease, Peste des Petits ruminants, anthrax, hemorrhagic septicemia, Newcastle disease, and avian influenza. Therefore, effective vaccination programs are essential for disease control and improving livestock productivity. Bangladesh has gradually increased its veterinary vaccine production capacity through institutions such as the Livestock Research Institute and the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, with growing participation from private pharmaceutical companies. Over the past decade, vaccine production has risen from approximately 236 million doses in 2015-2016 to about 327 million doses in 2024-2025. Despite this progress, domestic production still falls short of meeting national demand. Current estimates show that locally produced vaccines cover only about 23%-27% of the demand for ruminant vaccines and roughly 6%-13% for poultry vaccines, leading to a heavy dependence on imported vaccines. Major challenges facing the veterinary vaccine sector include limited production capacity, outdated manufacturing infrastructure, lack of advanced vaccine technologies, regulatory hurdles, weak cold-chain logistics, and insufficient investment in research and development. Nevertheless, Bangladesh has significant opportunities to strengthen its veterinary vaccine ecosystem. Advances in molecular biology, recombinant vaccine technologies, genomic surveillance, and thermostable vaccine development offer promising pathways to improve vaccine efficacy and accessibility. Additionally, better collaboration between public institutions, academia, and private industry, along with supportive government policies and stronger regulatory frameworks, could greatly expand local vaccine production and lessen reliance on imports. Overall, strengthening veterinary vaccine research, manufacturing capacity, quality assurance systems, and distribution infrastructure is crucial for achieving sustainable livestock production in Bangladesh. Improved vaccine access and coverage will not only boost livestock productivity but also support food security, reduce economic losses, and contribute to national and global One Health goals.

INTRODUCTION:Brucella abortus, the etiological agent of bovine brucellosis, is a significant zoonotic disease of dairy cattle. The issue is particularly evident in Chitwan, one of the largest milk-producing districts in Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect circulating antibodies against B. abortus in backyard dairy cattle in the western buffer zone of Chitwan National Park, Chitwan, Nepal. RESULTS:A total of 382 cattle, comprising Holstein-Friesian-cross and Jersey-cross breeds, were sampled; 6 were excluded from statistical analysis. Of the remaining 376 cattle, 6 (1.6%; CI: 0.59-3.44) tested positive for B. abortus. After adjusting for test specificity and sensitivity, the prevalence was estimated at 1.56%. No significant associations were found between higher antibody prevalence and risk factors such as sampling location, breeding technique, breed, age, parity, abortion, hygroma, repeat breeding and herd size. However, the presence of wildlife species in the buffer zone and low farmer awareness of zoonoses may contribute to persistent infection risks. CONCLUSION:These findings underscore the presence of bovine brucellosis in a key dairy region of Nepal and highlight the need for further investigation into the disease's epidemiology and its public health significance.

Environmental dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli is a major One Health challenge in Bangladesh. This study assessed the occurrence of third-generation cephalosporin and carbapenem-resistant E. coli across key environmental interfaces in Mymensingh. In May 2022, 28 water samples were collected from hospital wastewater, livestock effluents, aquaculture ponds, and the Khiro River. Samples were processed via the WHO Tricycle protocol, with 26 isolates undergoing whole-genome sequencing. Third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E. coli were detected in 86% of samples, while carbapenem-resistant isolates (18%) were found exclusively in hospital and river samples. Highest ESBL-producing E. coli concentrations occurred in hospital and poultry wastewater (mean 6.9-7.1 log10 CFU/ml). Sequencing identified 93 resistance genes, dominated by blaCTX-M-15 (79%), tet(A) (75%), aadA1 (54%), qnrS1 (50%), and mph(A) (50%). Carbapenem resistance was associated with blaNDM-5 in hospital and river isolates. While most isolates showed niche-specific clustering in our Phylogenetic analysis, highly conserved core-genome profiles (0 SNPs) between hospital and downstream river isolates (ST2363/ST410) provided strong genomic evidence consistent with effluent-mediated dissemination. These findings highlight the role of wastewater and livestock systems in AMR transmission, underscoring the urgent need for integrated One Health surveillance and improved waste management in Bangladesh.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease of pigs that poses a significant threat to food security, economies, and livelihoods. In Nepal, where pig farming is an important livelihood of many vulnerable ethnic communities, ASF was first reported on 19 March 2022 and has since spread across the country. This study aimed to characterize the spatiotemporal patterns of ASF outbreaks in Nepal, identify high-risk clusters, and assess their associations with environmental factors to inform targeted ASF control and prevention. A retrospective analysis of confirmed ASF outbreaks reported from March 2022 to July 2024 was conducted. Temporal trends and seasonal patterns were analyzed, while spatial clustering was assessed using SaTScan. Associations between outbreaks and environmental variables (rainfall, temperature, dewpoint temperature, and relative humidity) were examined. A total of 43 outbreaks were reported across 21 of 77 districts in Nepal, including 42 in domestic pigs and one in wild boars. Most outbreaks (77

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to be detected in bacteria from food producing animals in Bangladesh. Globally, as well as in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), antimicrobial use (AMU) is identified as the primary driver of rising AMR. This pilot study aimed to quantify AMU in poultry (broiler and layer) and dairy farms in Gazipur and Chattogram districts, assessing seasonal and species-specific AMU patterns. A longitudinal survey conducted during the summer and winter seasons of 2022-2023 involved 36 purposively selected farms (12 each broiler, 12 layer and 12 dairy). AMU was quantified using kilograms of antimicrobial active ingredients (AAIs) and milligrams per population correction unit (mg/PCU). AMU quantity was highest in layer farms (285.80 mg/PCU), followed by broilers (173.29 mg/PCU) and dairy farms (3.56 mg/PCU). Seasonal variations revealed lower AMU levels in broilers (125.68 mg/PCU) and layers (130.48 mg/PCU) in winter, whereas dairy usage increased in winter (13.93 mg/PCU). Predominantly used AAI's included neomycin (broilers, both seasons), oxytetracycline (layers in summer), tylvalosin (layers in winter), sulfonamides (dairy in summer), and penicillin (dairy in winter). Poultry farms utilised substantially higher AMU quantities. Notable geographic differences in AMU quantities used in broiler and layer farms were observed, while dairy farms showed uniform use across districts. Of important public health concern is the high proportion (65-90%) of antimicrobials that fall under the World Health Organization's (WHO) Medically Important Antimicrobial (MIA) categories, particularly Critically Important (CIA) or Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials (HP-CIA), as well as the substantial use of Watch- and Reserve-group antimicrobials according to the WHO AWaRe framework. These findings highlight excessive use of medically important antimicrobials and emphasise the urgent need for regulatory action and improved stewardship. This pilot study provides essential baseline data for developing farm-level national AMU surveillance system in Bangladesh.