METHODS AND RESULTS: Symptomatic leaves of S. trifasciata were collected from five states in Malaysia. The causal pathogen was isolated and identified for the first time in Malaysia as C. sansevieriae based on morphological and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses using ITS, TUB2 and GAPDH sequences. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on different hosts. Colletotrichum sansevieriae was not pathogenic towards S. cylindrica, S. masoniana, Furcraea foetida, Chlorophytum comosum, Aloe vera and Gasteria carinata, confirming the exceptionally high host specificity for a species of Colletotrichum. Histopathology was performed using light microscope and scanning electron microscopy to study the infection process of C. sansevieriae on S. trifasciata. Colonization of host leaves by the pathogen was observed 2 days after inoculation.
CONCLUSIONS: Colletotrichum sansevieriae caused anthracnose of S. trifasciata in Malaysia. It is a host-specific pathogen and colonized the host intracellularly.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first report of C. sansevieriae causing anthracnose of S. trifasciata in Malaysia. The host range test and understanding of the infection process will provide better understanding of the host-pathogen relationship and beneficial for effective disease management.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 227 adults aged 40 to 59 years at low-cost housing flats in suburban area of Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. Data collection involved food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for polyphenols and international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). Subjects were measured for anthropometric parameters including height, weight, waist and neck circumferences (NC), and body fat percentage. The polyphenol intake from the diet was estimated using local polyphenol database built according to PHENOL-EXPLORER.
Results: The average intake of polyphenol of subjects was 1815 (672) mg/day. The main food sources of polyphenol were coffee with milk, followed by chocolate milk and red beans. A higher polyphenol intake according to quartile was significantly associated with a lower neck circumference (χ2 = 8.30, P = 0.040), waist circumference (χ2 = 8.45, P = 0.038) and body fat percentage (χ2 = 8.06, P = 0.045). Binomial logistic regression analysis showed that the association remained significant for the neck circumference (P = 0.032), after controlling for age, household income, energy intake and physical activity level. More subjects with normal NC had higher intake of polyphenols (50th percentile and above). In contrast, subjects with high NC showed lower percentiles of polyphenols intake (50th percentile and below).
Conclusion: The result showed that polyphenol intake was associated with neck circumference and thus it can be suggested that polyphenol intake is associated with obesity.