Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices among Mothers in Lahore, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Inadequate child feeding practices lead to malnutrition, higher under-five mortality rates and adverse effects on quality of life. This study aimed to assess the breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices of mothers as well as the influence of various sociodemographic factors on them in local families of Lahore. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. It was conducted in CMH (Combined Military Hospital), Lahore in 2018. It comprises a sample of 203 mothers with children of at least two years of age, from various urban areas of Lahore. The subjects were selected on the basis of the inclusion criteria. Mothers with psychiatric illnesses and children with congenital anomalies were excluded from the study. Mothers were approached in the paediatric outpatient departments of four tertiary care hospitals of Lahore. Responses were recorded using a modified version of the Action Contre La Faim (ACF) questionnaire. Independent sample t-test and chi-square test were applied for analysis of the data. Results: Early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour from birth was observed in 83.3% children. Most children were administered colostrum (69.5%). The rate of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months was 45.3%.  A child was being breastfed 8.21 ± 6.67 (mean ± SD) times a day. Maternal educational status, total number of adults in a household, and access to free healthcare were identified as important factors influencing the practice of breastfeeding. Porridge, khichdi, eggs, fruit and yoghurt were the most frequently used complementary foods. Conclusions: A high rate of an early start of breastfeeding and a low rate of exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months were predominant in our population. Administration of colostrum was observed in approximately two-thirds of the study participants. Education of the mother, type of the family system (nuclear or combined), and access to free healthcare strongly influence the breastfeeding practices.

Molecular Analysis of Staphylococcus Aureus Isolated from Infected Dairy Goats in Rawalpindi Pakistan

Staphylococcus aureus is the main cause of mastitis in dairy goats. This organism is recognized as major mastitis causing pathogen in dairy animals worldwide. In humans, it also caused various diseases such as food poisoning and Staphylococcal enterotoxins. This bacterium mostly infected the dairy herds due to poor sanitary conditions and untreated groundwater used to wash utensils during milking practice. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus among infected dairy goats. Hundred milk samples were collected from infected dairy goats and grown on a blood agar. A total of 58/100 (58%) were positive for S.aureus that was further confirmed on the basis of biochemical tests namely catalase positive and coagulase positive. The positive isolates of S. aureus strains were analyzed using a molecular technique. DNA of positive S. aureus isolates was extracted using Macherey-Nagel kit method. The extracted isolates of S. aureus were run on agarose gel electrophoresis. Ethidium bromide dye was used to visualize DNA bands using UV illuminator. The amplification of genes encoding 16S rRNA of positive S. aureus isolates was performed by Polymerase chain reaction. Primers (Forward primer 5''-AGA GTT TGA TCC TGG CTC AG & Reverse primer 5''-AAG GAG GTG ATC CAG CCG CA) were designed using Primer 3 software. PCR clean up method was used in purification of sequences. These amplified gene products were further sequenced by using Sanger method. The sequenced results of these bacterial species were confirmed by comparing the sequences present in BLAST program at National Centre of Biotechnology Information. MEGA 7 software was applied for the construction of Phylogenetic tree. Some other bacterial species such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Enterobacter cloacae and Acinetobacter baumannii along with Staphylococcus aureus were also identified due to their genetic differences. The evolutionary history was inferred using the Neighbor-Joining method. The evolutionary distances were computed using the p-distance method and in the units of the number of base differences per site. The analysis involved 14 nucleotide sequences. There were a total of 371 positions in the final dataset. Antibiotics such as penicillin, erythromycin or tetracycline are used in the treatment of mastitis in goats. It is concluded that Staphylococcus aureus was more prevalent in the milk samples of infected goats and is an etiologic agent of mastitis in dairy goats. The consumption of raw milk may infect humans and lead to various infections.