Our group sought to determine the global status of T. gondii infection and to evaluate any continental and geographical trends by systematically examining the currently available epidemiological data on the prevalence of T. gondii infection. A comprehensive literature search was conducted from 10 electronic databases (Google Scholar, Science Direct, Embase, PubMed, PLOS ONE, Web of Knowledge, SciELO, MyAIS, Free Medical Journals, and Scopus) without date or language restrictions. Specific medical subject heading terms were used to search for human T. gondii seroprevalence studies that recruited subjects from general apparently healthy populations. The data were collated and analysed for both continental and global trends. The search identified 152 published studies that examined a total of 648,010 subjects. From these, 166,255 were seropositive for T. gondii infection indicating an average global seroprevalence rate of 25.7% (95% CI: 25.6 - 25.8%). The overall range of seroprevalence was determined to be 0.5 - 87.7%. African countries had the highest average seroprevalence rate of 61.4%, followed by Oceania with 38.5%, South America with 31.2%, Europe with 29.6%, USA/Canada with 17.5%, and Asia with 16.4%. Numerous environmental and human factors affect the differences in T. gondii seroprevalence rates observed between the various countries and continents. Monitoring the source and transmission may assist public health authorities to clarify the risk factors involved, as well as focus on implementing optimal state-specific health policies targeting T. gondii transmission control.
MeSH terms: Humans; Toxoplasma; Toxoplasmosis/epidemiology*; Global Health; Prevalence; Seroepidemiologic Studies
Some species of the Anopheles dirus species complex are considered to be highly competent malaria vectors in Southeast Asia. Anopheles dirus is the primary vector of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax while An. cracens is the main vector of P. knowlesi. However, these two species are difficult to distinguish and identify based on morphological characters. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of antennal sensilla to distinguish them. Large sensilla coeloconica borne on the antennae of adult females were counted under a compound light microscope and the different types of antennal sensilla were examined in a scanning electron microscope. The antennae of both species bear five types of sensilla: ampullacea, basiconica, chaetica, coeloconica and trichodea. Observations revealed that the mean numbers of large sensilla coeloconica on antennal flagellomeres 2, 3, 7, 10 and 12 on both antennae of both species were significantly different. This study is the first to describe the types of antennal sensilla and to discover the usefulness of the large coeloconic sensilla for distinguishing the two species. The discovery provides a simple, reliable and inexpensive method for distinguishing them.
Genetic variation based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and II (COII) sequences was investigated for three black fly nominal species, Simulium metallicum Bellardi complex, S. callidum Dyar and Shannon, and S. ochraceum Walker complex, which are vectors of human onchocerciasis from Guatemala. High levels of genetic diversity were found in S. metallicum complex and S. ochraceum complex with maximum intraspecific genetic divergences of 11.39% and 4.25%, respectively. Levels of genetic diversity of these nominal species are consistent with species status for both of them as they are cytologically complexes of species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the S. metallicum complex from Guatemala divided into three distinct clades, two with members of this species from several Central and South American countries and another exclusively from Mexico. The Simulium ochraceum complex from Guatemala formed a clade with members of this species from Mexico and Costa Rica while those from Ecuador and Colombia formed another distinct clade. Very low diversity in S. callidum was found for both genes with maximum intraspecific genetic divergence of 0.68% for COI and 0.88% for COII. Low genetic diversity in S. callidum might be a consequence of the result being informative of only recent population history of the species.
Cladosporium spores are ubiquitous in indoor and outdoor environment and may potentially trigger allergic responses upon inhalation. To date, there is limited investigation on the fate of Cladosporium spores after being inhaled into the respiratory tract. This study was conducted to investigate the interaction of Cladosporium sphaerospermum with Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells (BEAS-2B) and Human Pulmonary Alveolar Epithelial Cells (HPAEpiC). C. sphaerospermum conidia were harvested and co-cultured with BEAS-2B or HPAEpiC cells for 72 hours. At each time point (30 minutes, 2, 4, 24, 48 and 72 hours), adherence and invasion of the cells by C. sphaerospermum conidia (and hyphae) were investigated by immunofluorescence staining. This study demonstrated the adherence and internalization of C. sphaerospermum conidia within these epithelial cells. In addition, the conidia were able to germinate and invade the epithelial cells. The ability of the fungal conidia to adhere, internalize, germinate and invade both the bronchial and alveolar epithelial cells of the respiratory tract in vitro might contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of Cladosporium in respiratory infection and allergy in vivo.
Candida is the most frequent common causes of invasive fungal infections and associated with high morbidity and mortality. Most of available antifungal agents have side effects. This opened up new avenues to investigate the antifungal efficacy of active extracts from marine algae. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the protective and the curative effect of Ulva fasciata extract against an invasive candidiasis in mice and to study its underlying mechanism. The active ingredients of Ulva fasciata extract were evaluated using HPLC and GC/MS. Fifty mice were included in current work, and the level of inflammatory markers; Interleukin (IL)-4, IL-12, Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were determined using ELISA kits. Hematological, biochemical and oxidative stress parameters were determined using commercial kits. Moreover, the histopathological examinations were carried on liver, kidney and spleen for all groups. The results obtained showed that treatment with U. fasciata either before or after Candida infection significantly improved the hematological, biochemical alterations and antioxidant status caused by this infection. Furthermore, the U. fasciata reduced histopathological changes induced by Candida as well as it could increase the expression of IL-12 and IFN-γ while minimized the expression of TNF-α and IL-4 in all infected mice compared to infected untreated mice. These data propose that U. fasciata can ameliorate inflammatory reactions related to Candida albicans cytotoxicity via its ability to augment cellular antioxidant defenses by its active compounds.
Blastocystis species (spp.) is an emerging pathogen. There are several unsolved issues linked to this parasite ranging from its nomenclature, commensal status, standardization of laboratory diagnostic methods, genotypes and treatment. Recently, there has been an increase in reports of Blastocystis spp. from symptomatic cases which provide enough evidence of its pathogenic potential. A range of signs and symptoms, from gastro-intestinal to cutaneous manifestations have been attributed to Blastocystis infection. Few reports have established an association between intestinal infection with Blastocystis spp. and skin manifestations in form of urticaria, palmoplantar pruritus and allergy with complete resolution of cutaneous lesions with eradication of the parasite. In this report, we describe a case of Steven Johnson's syndrome (SJS) in a 6 years old girl along with infection with Blastocystis spp. marked by diarrhea and abdominal pain. Stool examination revealed the presence of all forms of the parasite with subsequent decrease in parasite burden and diarrhea over a period of time. Interestingly, the clearance of Blastocystis spp. from stool was followed by recovery from skin lesions and other symptoms. In this case, the course of SJS was clearly associated with Blastocystis infection. Though skin manifestation with Blastocystis infection has been previously reported, this is the first report of its association with SJS. This report indicates newer insights of the parasite that are less well studied.
Transfusion of blood is a life-saving intervention that saves many lives. Unsafe practices in blood donation and pre-transfusion testing place people's lives at risk of transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs). The study aims to determine the overall seroprevalence of the selected TTIs for the past 5 years (2013-2017) among blood donors from a hospital in Region 3, Philippines. The trend and distribution of the TTIs according to age group, sex, donor category, and number of donations were also determined. Data extracted include the age, sex, donor category, number of donations, and screening results of all donors from January 2013 to December 2017. The overall seroprevalence of the selected TTIs from over the 5-year period is 4.17%. The seroprevalence rates of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis from 2013 to 2017 are 2.87%, 0.48%, 0.10%, and 0.62%, respectively. The age group of 25 to 44 years old showed the highest rate of reactive donors. Also, higher rates of reactive donors are seen among male donors, replacement donors, and first-time donors. The overall seroprevalence of TTIs in the study locale is low and it shows a decreasing trend from 2013 to 2017. Donors who are 25 to 44 years old, males, replacement, and first-time donors showed highest seroprevalence rates of TTIs.
Cx. quinquefasciatus is a common nuisance mosquito widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas. This mosquito is also a vector of urban filariasis. Control with chemicals has been hampered by the development of resistance against chemical insecticides and rising problems of environmental contamination associated with them. Therefore, it is important to adopt more integrated mosquito management approaches that include sustainable, non chemical solutions. The mermithid nematode Romanomermis iyengari is one of several natural control alternatives to synthetic pesticides for mosquito suppression. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the nematode R. iyengari for control of Cx. quinquefasciatus. The nematode R. iyengari was mass-produced, and pre-parasitics (J2) were used for laboratory and field experiments. In laboratory experiments, two concentrations of pre-parasitics (5 and 10 J2 per larva) were tested against L1, L2 and L3 instars larvae of Cx. quinquefasciatus. Infected larvae were observed daily to determine their mortality rate and the number of postparasitic nematodes emerging from dead larvae. In field experiments, 1000, 2000 and 3000 J2/m2 were sprayed in separate natural Cx. quinquefasciatus breeding sites. After treatment, the larval mosquito density in the breeding sites was assessed every 5 days. Laboratory results showed that all tested Cx. quinquefasciatus instars larvae were susceptible to nematode infection. The mortality rates observed for each larval stage indicated that the concentration of 10 J2 kills larvae faster, and that the L1 larvae died earlier than older larvae. The average number of post-parasitic nematodes emerging per larva increases with increasing nematode concentration; also more post-parasitic nematodes emerged from the L2 larvae. Field data showed that, in breeding site treated with 3000 J2 per square meter, larval mosquito reduction reached 97% after nematode application. The dosage of 1000 J2 per square meter did not reduce the larval density. The insect parasitic nematode R. iyengari could be easily used as component of integrated mosquitoes control program in lymphatic filariasis endemic countries.
The influx of low skilled migrant workers to Malaysia from low socio-economic countries where gastrointestinal parasitic infections are prevalent has raised concerns about transmission to the local population. Three methods for detection (serology, microscopy and molecular techniques) were utilized to identify Entamoeba infections amongst the targeted cohort and determine risk factors associated with infection. Serological screening of 484 migrant workers from five working sectors in Peninsular Malaysia using IgG4 ELISA based on the rPPDK antigen showed an overall seroprevalence of 7.4% (n = 36; CL95 = 5.3-10.1%) with only one factor statistically associated with seropositivity of anti-amoebic antibodies, i.e. years of residence in Malaysia (χ2 1 = 4.007, p = 0.045). Microscopic examination of 388 faecal samples for protozoan cysts and trophozoites showed a slightly higher prevalence (11.6%; n=45; CL95: 8.4-14.8%). Meanwhile, amplification of the 16S rDNA gene detected two species i.e. Entamoeba dispar (23/388; 5.9%; CL95: 3.6-8.3%) and E. histolytica (11/388; 2.8%; CL95: 1.2-4.5%) and mixed infections with both parasites in only three samples (3/388; 0.8%; CL95: 0.2-2.2%). Entamoeba dispar infection was significantly associated with those employed in food and domestic services (χ2 4 = 12.879, p = 0.012). However, none of the factors affected the prevalence of E. histolytica infection. Despite the low prevalence of E. histolytica in faecal samples of the study cohort, the presence of this pathogenic parasite still poses potential public health risks and calls for tighter control strategies based on better availability of chemotherapeutic treatment and accessibility to appropriate health education.
Dengue is a common infection, caused by dengue virus. There are four different dengue serotypes, with different capacity to cause severe dengue infections. Besides, secondary infections with heterologous serotypes, concurrent infections of multiple dengue serotypes may alter the severity of dengue infection. This study aims to compare the severity of single infection and concurrent infections of different combinations of dengue serotypes in-vitro. Human mast cells (HMC)-1.1 were infected with single and concurrent infections of multiple dengue serotypes. The infected HMC-1.1 supernatant was then added to human umbilical cord vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) and severity of dengue infections was measured by the percentage of transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). Levels of IL10, CXCL10 and sTRAIL in HMC-1.1 and IL-8, IL-10 and CXCL10 in HUVEC culture supernatants were measured by the ELISA assays. The result showed that the percentage of TEER values were significantly lower in single infections (p< 0.05), compared to concurrent infections on day 2 and 3, indicating that single infection increase endothelial permeability greater than concurrent infections. IL-8 showed moderate correlation with endothelial permeability (r > 0.4), indicating that IL-8 may be suitable as an in-vitro severity biomarker. In conclusion, this in-vitro model presented few similarities with regards to the conditions in dengue patients, suggesting that it could serve as a severity model to test for severity and levels of severity biomarkers upon different dengue virus infections.
The use of plants as therapy is not alien to man. Among plants that could offer novel choice to the limited therapeutic alternatives is Amaranthus caudatus. It is typically rich in bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids, lycopene, polyphenols, unsaturated fatty acids, glucosinolates, proteins, soluble peptides, flavonoids, squalene and betacarotene to say the least. As widely reported in the literature, its various capacities to fight diseases when ingested as food or medicine may not be unconnected to these bioactive compounds available in high concentrations. This current review, therefore, harmonized reports from scientific investigations that validated the use of A. caudatus for the treatment of various ailments such as Diabetes mellitus, cancer, malaria, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, helminthic and bacterial infections, inflammation, hepatic diseases and cardiovascular complications. With this, we hope to put in perspective, the key therapeutic options available in the plant.
Evidence of influenza A virus (IAV) infection in dogs, a major companion animal of humans, suggests the possibility that they may constitute a new source for transmission of novel influenza viruses to humans. The potential public health risk posed by this possibility of interspecies spread of IAV between dogs and humans necessitated surveillance for the virus in dogs and their human contacts. Sera from 239 asymptomatic pet and hunting dogs in Oyo state, Nigeria were screened for anti-IAV nucleoprotein antibodies using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) while haemagglutination inhibiting (HI) antibodies in the positive sera were detected using influenza virus H3 and H5 subtypespecific antigens. Suspensions prepared from 239 and 39 nasal swabs from dogs and human contacts, respectively were tested for presence of the highly conserved IAV matrix gene by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Only 4 (1.7%) of the 239 sera tested were positive by the ELISA. The HI test confirmed the presence of H3 influenza virus subtype-specific antibodies in one (25.0%) of the 4 ELISA-positive sera with a titre of 1:128 while none was positive for H5 subtype-specific antibodies. All the nasal swabs assayed by RT-PCR were negative for IAV nucleic acid. The detection of IAV antibodies in pet and hunting dogs in this study, although at a low rate, suggests that these dogs could play a crucial role in the zoonotic transmission of influenza viruses especially considering the close interaction between them and their human contacts. Continuous surveillance for IAV among dog populations in Oyo State (and Nigeria) is therefore advocated to facilitate early detection of infection or emergence of novel influenza virus strains that could be potentially harmful to humans and or animals.
There are little information about Th17 cells and cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL), due to an important effect of Th17 cells on immune response, it is worth to explore the role of Th17 on CL. The purpose of this study was to assess Th17 population in patients with acute vs. chronic CL lesions in comparison with skin samples collected from healthy volunteers in an endemic region of Old World CL. A total of 49 patients with clinical manifestations of chronic (n=16) and acute (n=33) CL lesions were recruited. The clinical diagnosis of CL was confirmed by direct smear or PCR. Biopsy specimens from prelesional skin of non-infectious lesions of 30 healthy individuals were used as control. Tissue sections of 3µm thickness were prepared and used for immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis with primary antibody specific for Th17 associated antigen (CD161). For IHC, Envision+ (DakoCytomation) system was used and developed by using diaminobenzidine (DakoCytomation). The mean age of 33 patients with acute CL and the mean age of 16 patients with chronic CL were accordingly 45.24±16.43 and 33.56±15.87. In acute and chronic CL the mean (±standard deviation) and median (±interquartile range) were accordingly 2.92±2.21, 2.56±2.9 and 2.1±1.99, 1.54±2.81. In healthy controls the mean (±standard deviation) and median (±interquartile range) were 0.72±0.41 and 0.61±0.58 respectively. With pairwise comparison of acute, chronic and control groups, there were significant difference between acute and control (P value < 0.001), chronic and control (P value = 0.043). The results showed that there was an increasing cellular response of Th17 in both acute and chronic CL patients. Th17 was significantly higher in patients with acute and chronic CL lesions in comparison with healthy control group. However, there was no significant difference between acute and chronic infection concerning to Th17 cells.
Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. The clinical manifestation of leptospirosis is non-specific and frequently misdiagnosed as other illnesses. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracies of two commercial tests for early diagnosis of Leptospira species: the IgM latex agglutination test (IgM LAT) and the IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IgM ELISA). A total of 140 serum samples were obtained from patients suspected of leptospirosis at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). These serum samples were tested for the presence of Leptospira sp. using IgM LAT, IgM ELISA and MAT. From Table 1, IgM LAT showed 21% (n = 29) positive, 18% (n = 25) inconclusive and 61% (n = 86) negative, while IgM ELISA showed 6% (n = 8) positive, 6% (n = 8) inconclusive, 88% (n = 124) negative and MAT showed 11% (n = 16) positive, 47% (n = 65) inconclusive, 42% (n = 59) negative. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of IgM LAT were 68.8%, 57.6%, 30.6% and 87.2% respectively, while for IgM ELISA they were 37.5%, 89.8%, 50% and 84.1%, respectively as compared to MAT (Table 2). The results showed that IgM LAT had higher sensitivity but lower specificity compared to IgM ELISA. In conclusion, IgM LAT can be useful as an early screening test for early diagnosis of Leptospira sp., while IgM ELISA is a suitable method for reducing false negative detection of Leptospira sp. As both tests show moderate percentages (~65%) in accuracy, an additional test is required for better detection of Leptospira sp.
MeSH terms: Agglutination Tests*; Antibodies, Bacterial/blood*; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay*; Humans; Immunoglobulin M/blood*; Leptospirosis/diagnosis*; Malaysia; Predictive Value of Tests; Sensitivity and Specificity; Early Diagnosis
Ticks are important ectoparasites which transmit many disease pathogen to animals; these are labelled tick borne diseases (TBD). Tick induced damage to skin and hides has not received attention. Skin and hides are important for the leather product industry, particularly in Pakistan. Due to economic importance and financial loss by ticks in leather industry, the present study was designed to investigate skin and hides damage due to ticks at microscopic level. Naturally tick infested tissue samples of hides and skin were collected from slaughter houses. Primary lesions at tick feeding sites showed epidermal edema with adjacent dermal edema. Histopathological examination revealed degeneration of epidermal layer down to the basal layer. Epidermal and sub dermal layers often displayed focal necrosis infiltrated with neutrophils and mononuclear cells at tick bite sites. Hyperplasia of keratinocytes was also seen at sites of ruptured epidermis. Quality of leather depends upon the grain (Outer) surface skin/hides. Ticks infestation damages the outer surface, due to bites, inflammatory responses, and secondary bacterial infections that often become established at feeding sites. Control of ticks should be given consideration to reduce infestation induced losses in the leather industry in Pakistan.
Pathogenesis of dengue fever has been associated with the activation of the cytokine cascade that triggered inflammatory responses. The inflammatory reactions in dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) are the main cause of haemorrhagic manifestations, coagulation disorders, vascular permeability, hypotension and shock which could exacerbate the condition of the disease. In an earlier study, extracts belonging to Lignosus rhinocerotis, Pleurotus giganteus, Hericium erinaceus, Schizophyllum commune and Ganoderma lucidium mushrooms were screened for antidengue virus activities. We found that hot aqueous extract (HAE) and aqueous soluble separated from ethanol extract (ASE) exhibited their potential to reduce dengue viral load which were observed in plaque reduction assay and real-time RT-PCR. In continuation of our previous findings, this study was initiated to further investigate the other aspect; the anti-inflammatory activities of HAE and ASE of L. rhinocerotis, P. giganteus, H. erinaceus, S. commune and G. lucidium on human monocytes infected with dengue virus-2 (DENV-2) New guinea C strain. Human monocytes infected with DENV-2 were treated with mushroom extracts for 48 hours. The cytokine profile coincides with dengue infection, i.e. IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were measured by BD OptEIATM Elisa Kit. The expression of these cytokines was significantly elevated in untreated infected cells two days after infection. However, after treated with mushroom extracts prominent anti-inflammatory effect were detected towards IFN-γ, IL-10, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. The most significant anti-inflammatory effects were detected in HAE of G. lucidium, S. commune, P. giganteus and ASE of L. rhinocerotis and the effects were comparable with dexamethasone, the reference inhibitor. These results demonstrated that mushroom HAE or ASE could successfully have suppressed cytokine production in dengue-infected monocytes and has a great potential to develop an antiinflammatory agent from mushroom extract for the treatment of dengue infection.
This is the first record of phoretic histiostomatid mites found on a forensically important blow fly species, Chrysomya villeneuvi (Diptera: Calliphoridae), collected from decomposing rabbit carcasses placed in Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve, Sungai Buloh and MARDI Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. The blow flies frequenting around the carcasses were first captured using an insect net. After pinning, they were examined under a stereomicroscope and mites phoretic on their body were carefully removed and preserved in 70% ethanol. Mites were cleared in lactic acid before mounting on slides using Hoyer's medium and identified under a compound microscope. The flies and their mites were identified as C. villeneuvi and deutonymphs of Histiostoma spp. (Astigmata: Histiostomatidae), respectively. This insectmite association may be useful to provide insights regarding the minimum post-mortem interval and the location of death in forensic entomological investigations.
The assortment of paracentric chromosomal inversion 2La is associated with the maintenance of dieldrin resistance in laboratory colonies of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. This association has not been tested in field populations. The aim of this study was to test the association between inversion 2La and dieldrin resistance in a field population of An. coluzzii in Nigeria. Field collected immature stages of Anopheles were raised to adults and exposed to 4% dieldrin according to WHO criteria. Knockdown was recorded at 10 min intervals for 1 hour and final mortality was recorded 24 hours post exposure. Species and inversion 2La diagnostic PCR assays were conducted on the resistant and susceptible mosquitoes. The mosquitoes were highly resistant to 4% dieldrin (17.1% knock down and 25.7% final mortality; KDT50 and KDT95 calculated as 170 and 1, 514 minutes respectively). Frequencies of 2La in both the resistant and susceptible cohorts assorted within HardyWeinberg estimates (χ2=1.32, p=0.8 for dead/susceptible mosquitoes and χ2=2.54, p=0.5 for survivors or resistant mosquitoes). However, a higher number of heterozygous mosquitoes were observed in the resistant cohort compared to the susceptible, with significant variation in karyotype frequencies (χ2=11.08, DF=2, p<0.05) and a significantly higher frequency of the 2La inversion arrangement in the resistant cohort (Pearson's χ2 = 4.58, p = 0.03.). These data are the first to associate paracentric chromosome inversion 2La and dieldrin resistance in field population of An. coluzzii. Dieldrin resistance shows a weak but significant association with 2La whose assortment is affected by positive heterosis. Variation in the assortment of 2La inversion arrangements between resistant and susceptible cohorts of this An. coluzzii population suggests that dieldrin resistance is at least partially linked to inversion 2La which may explain the persistence of dieldrin resistance in this population despite a significant absence of selection for resistance to this insecticide.
Gastrointestinal nematodes can cause assorted health problems to human and other primates. The status of gastrointestinal nematodes in non-human primates remained less documented in Malaysia. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of gastrointestinal nematodes recovered from the fecal samples of captive non-human primates at the Matang Wildlife Centre (MWC), Sarawak. Fresh fecal samples were collected from 60 non-human primates of six species (i.e. Orangutan, Bornean gibbon, Silvered Leaf monkey, Slow loris, Pig-tailed macaque, and Long-tailed macaque) and processed using simple fecal floatation method and fecal sedimentation method. This study shows high prevalence of nematode infection (>=50%) and co-infection (22 from 45 infected individuals) in all species of captive non-human primates found in MWC, except one individual of young Silvered Leaf monkey was negative for nematode. From these, eight genera of 11 species and one unknown nematode larvae were recovered and among them Oesophagostomum sp., Ascaris sp., and Strongyloides sp. were the most common nematodes infecting the non-human primates. All the Bornean gibbon (n=7) were found to be infected with nematodes. Moreover, Long-tailed macaques at the centre were heavily infected by Ascaris sp. (number of total count, nt = 2132; total mean abundance, MA=113.70). This is the first report of high prevalence nematode infection on multiple species of captive non-human primates in a wildlife centre located in Sarawak. Some of the nematodes are of zoonotic potential. This information is important for health care management, both in-situ and ex-situ conservations of captive and free-ranging nonhuman primates.
Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by the protozoa Toxoplasma gondii which affects human and animals. Village chickens (Gallus domesticus) most commonly known as Ayam Kampung or free-range chickens, have been suggested to play a role in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis. This study determines the presence of T. gondii in the village chicken populations in two states of Malaysia. A total of 50 serum samples from the chickens from Selangor (n=20) and Melaka (n=30) were collected and analysed using commercial serological kits. T. gondii antigen was detected in 20% (Selangor 30%; Melaka 13%) samples using ELISA test and anti-T. gondii antibody was detected in all positive ELISA samples using the indirect haemagglutination test (IHAT). Histopathological examination revealed tissue changes such as inflammation and degeneration in brain and liver of seropositive chickens. This is the first report of T. gondii infection in the village chickens in Malaysia.