Bangladeshi reveals genome sequence of brucellosis bacteria

Ariful Islam of the Microbiology and Hygiene Department of Bangladesh Agriculture University. Photo: Md Shahiduzzaman
Ariful Islam of the Microbiology and Hygiene Department of Bangladesh Agriculture University. Photo: Md Shahiduzzaman

Brucellosis is a contagious disease caused by bacterial infections. This disease spreads from animals to humans and from animals to animals. Brucellosis may also cause death of livestock embryos, miscarriages, infertility, and even death of humans and animals.

The bacterum responsible for this disease was not detected in Bangladesh till now. A professor of Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh, Ariful Islam has not only identified the bacteria, but also unveiled its genes (genome sequence). 

Ariful Islam of the Microbiology and Hygiene Department of Bangladesh Agriculture University, told this to a press conference on Saturday. Ariful conducted the research for three years funded by the Bangladesh Science Academy and the Department of Agriculture of the United States. The information of the bacterial gene has been registered with the US National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. In addition, a research article has been published in a magazine of the United States, Microbiology Resource Announcements.

According to the Department of Livestock, 75 per cent of the diseases that affect human body come from from cattle. The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Inheritance and Research (IEDCR) recently warned of six most infectious diseases. Brucellosis is one of them.

Ariful Islam collected samples from serum, urine and milk from infected cows. The finding shows, the main germ that causes brucellosis in Bangladesh is actually Brucella Abortus Bacteria. He said there are nine antigenic types of these bacteria to evade the immune system of organisms, which is called Biovar. He found Biovar-3 in all the samples collected from different regions of Bangladesh.

Ariful Islam said that he also identified the genome sequence of antigenic type of bacteria biovar-3. He hoped that the vaccination of the disease can be made in Bangladesh.

Director general of Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute Nathu Ram Sarkar said, it will be a great for the country’s livestock if the vaccination can be created.