A case of double infection with Brugia pahangi and Dirofilaria immitis in a clouded leopard, Neofelis nebulosa, is presented. A brief review of filarial infections in both man and wild animals, and their medical importance is discussed.
The Malaysian Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for Management of Dementia (second edition) was launched in April 2010 by the Ministry of Health Malaysia. A training programme for the management of dementia, involving all categories of staff working at primary and secondary centres, was implemented to ensure that care delivery for people with dementia was in accordance with the guidelines. The study aimed to look into improving knowledge and understanding of dementia following training, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the training programme using a clinical audit indicator recommended in the guidelines.
The susceptibility of Culex sitiens to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus was examined in the laboratory. Cx. sitiens became infected with JE virus on day 8 and subsequently it is able to transmit the virus when it takes a blood meal. Both parts of the experiment were carried out using artificial membrane feeding technique.
Unidentified mermithid nematodes were found in the abdominal cavity of three species of Anopheles mosquitoes from LAO PDR. This is a first record of mermithid nematodes in adult mosquitoes from Lao PDR. Two worms were found in each adult host and the infection was more prevalent in the northern region compared to the south.
Oxyspiruriasis caused by the bird eyeworm, Oxyspirura mansoni, a thelaziid nematode, in three species of pheasants, 3 Chrysolophus pictus (golden pheasant), 7 Lophura nycthemera (silver pheasant) and 9 Phasianus colchicus (common pheasant) in Zoo Negara Malaysia are reported. Birds with the disease were treated with a solution of 0.5% iodine or 0.5% lysol. Antistress powder for 4 days in water and non-strep vitamin powder in water was also provided. Control measures included removal of the cockroach intermediate host, Pycnoscelus surinamensis (Surinam cockroach) from the vicinity of the birds. The golden pheasant is a new host for O. mansoni in peninsular Malaysia.
A total of 1,157 sera from jaundiced patients with clinical and biochemical evidence of liver disease received from government hospital in Kelantan and Terengganu, during the period from 1994 to 1997, were investigated to determine the cause. Hepatitis A virus was found to be the main cause in 26.1% (24/92) of symptomatic clinical hepatitis cases in 1994, 47.8% (63/132) in 1995, 66.4% (613/923) in 1996 and 20% (2/10) in 1997. Sera received in 1996 were also tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D and hepatitis E. 1.4% (13/923) anti-bodies were found to be positive for HBc IgM indicating recent HBV infection, 5.4% (50/923) for total HCV Ab, 0.9% (8/923) for total HDV Ab and 0.4% (4/923) for anti-HEV IgM. This study shows that HAV is still a major problem in Kelantan and Terengganu, and there is a need to identify effective strategies for prevention and control in these two states.
Tarsubulura perarmata (Ratzel, 1868) is described from a primate Tarsius bancanus and from Tupaidae: Tupaia glis and T. minor in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur). Its biological cycle is done by the experimental infestation of crickets belonging to the genera Valanga and Oxya. The infective larvae are obtained after three weeks of development of 28 degrees C in the intermediate host. They differ from third stage larvae obtained from Subulurinae by the development of cuticular pharyngeal lobes. The early apparition of this ontogenetic character confirms the isolation of the genus Tarsubulura as compared to the general evolution of the Subuluridae.
Description of the male Pterygodermatites nycticebi (Mönnig, 1920) unknown until the present study, and a study of the cephalic and cuticular structures of the female. This rictularid has a morphological evolution comparable to that of other males of the Rictulariidae parasitic in viverrid carnivores and in primates.
Morphological study of two Spirura parasites of the oesophageal and the gastric wall of Tupaia and Nycticebus in Malaysia. -- Spirura malayensis n. sp. is found both in Tupaia in the District of Selangor (West Malaysia) and in Nycticebus coucang in Borneo. Its very primitive characteristics relate it to S. diplocyphos Chabaud, Brygoo and Petter, 1965, parasite of lemurs from Madagascar. Its larval development was obtained experimentally in Blatella germanica. -- Spirura aurangabadensis (Ali and Lovekar, 1966) described from a microchiroptera in India is found in west Malaysia in a Nycticebus coucang, and in a Tupaia glis. -- The distribution of the different species and the comparative study of the larval and adult cephalic structures show that the genus Spirura arose and became diversified in the old world in very primitive hosts according to two main evolutive lines.
Rodents were collected from five wet markets (Chow Kit, Dato Keramat, Setapak, Jinjang and Kepong) in Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory between March to April 2006. Ninety seven rats were trapped using wire traps measuring 29 x 22 x 50 cm baited with fruits, coconuts, dried fish or sweet potatoes. A total of 17 different species of parasites were identified from three species of rats out of which 11 (65%) were identified to be zoonotic. The helminths identified from the urban rats were nematodes- Capillaria hepatica, Gongylonema neoplasticum, Heterakis spumosa, Heterakis sp., Masterphorus muris, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Physolaptera sp., Pterogodermatis sp., Rictularia tani and Syphacia muris; cestodes- Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis sabnema, Hymenolepis sp., Raillietina sp. and Taenia taeniaeformis, and acanthocephalan- Moniliformis moniliformis. The following parasites are of potential medical importance: C. hepatica, G. neoplasticum, R. tani, S. muris, H. diminuta, H. nana, Raillietina sp. and T. taeniaeformis.
A total of 204 rodents comprising 14 host species from four different habitats were examined. Nine rodent species were trapped from the forest and another five species were trapped from the coastal, rice field and urban habitats. Rattus rattus diardii (67%) was the predominant rodent species examined. Fifty six (47.3%) rodents and shrews were found to be infested with at least one of the 20 species of ectoparasite recovered. Mites belonging to the family Trombiculidae were the predominant ectoparasite species recovered. Ticks belonging to the family Ixodidae were recovered mainly from the forest dwelling rodents. Polyplax spinulosa and Hoplopleura pacifica were the common lice species found infesting the urban rodents. Xenopsylla cheopis was the only flea species recovered. The following ecto-parasites have been incriminated as important vectors or as mechanical carriers for the transmission of zoonotic diseases: Ixodes granulatus, Dermacentor sp. Haemaphysalis sp., Amblyomma sp. Ascoschoengastia indica, Leptotrombidium deliense, Ornithonyssus bacoti, Laelaps nuttalli, H. pacifica, P. spinulosa and Xenopsylla cheopis. Urban and forest rodents were significantly higher in ecto-parasitic infestation, compared to rats from the other two habitats. However, there was no significant statistical association between male and female rodents infested with ectoparasites.
A survey for small mammal parasites carried out in a secondary forest of Ulu Gombak, Selangor, Peninsula Malaysia yielded the following animals: Rattus bowersi (7), Rattus tiomanicus jalorensis (2), Maxomys rajah (12), Maxoyms whiteheadi (3), Leopoldamys sabanus(13), Sundamys muelleri(10), Lariscus insignis (1), Sundasciurus tenuis (1) and Tupaia glis (2). The following nematodes: Capillaria hepatica, Hepatojarakus malayae, Trichostrongylus sp. and Streptopharagus sp., the following cestodes: Hymenolepis sp., Raillietina sp. and Taenia taeniaformis; and trematode, Zonorchis sp. from Tupaia glis were recovered. No parasites were observed during blood examination. No endoparasite was seen in Maxomys whiteheadi, Lariscus insignis and Sundasciurus tenuis. The following parasites, Capillaria hepatica, Hymenolepis sp., Raillietina sp. and Taenia taeniaformis are considered of medical importance.
Thirteen bats, Tadarida mops de Blainville, collected from the Ampang district in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were found positive for the trematodes Castroia kamariae sp. nov. and Limatulum kuziai sp. nov. Two distinct but morphologically similar forms of Castroia kamariae were recovered. The morphological type is apparently determined by its location in the host intestine.
Six species of strigeoid trematodes are reported from Malaysia. One new genus and 3 new species are described: Apatemon (Apatemon( jamesi sp. n (Strigeidae); cercaria Cotylurus sullivani sp. n. (Strigeidae); Neodiplostomum (Neodiplostomum) sp. (Diplostomatidae); Fibricola ramachandrani (Diplostomatidae); Pseudoscolopacitrema otteri gen. n. et sp. n. (Diplostomatidae); and cercaria Cyathocotyle malayi sp. n. (Cyathocotylidae). The life cycles of A. jamesi and C. malayi have also been investigated.
Neodiplostomum (Conodiplostomum) ramachandrani Betterton, 1976 has been reported from four species of rodent hosts: Echinosorex gymnurus (Raffles): Rattus whiteheadi (Thos); R. muelleri (Jentink) and Callosciurus notatus (Boddaert). A comparison of trematodes recovered from these hosts revealed patterns of host-induced morphological variation taking place. Because N. (Conodiplostomum) ramachandrani shows little generic difference from Fibricola intermedius (Pearson, 1959) Sudarikov, 1960 it is transferred to the genus Fibricola and is now designated Fibricola ramachandrani (Betterton, 1976) Palmieri, Krishnasamy and Sullivan.
The Aborigines or Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia who are still seminomadic are known to have a close association with dogs. In this study, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect anti-Sarcoptes scabiei var canis antibodies in this community as a measure of exposure to the mite. Out of 312 Orang Asli tested, 24.7% were positive for polyvalent anti-Sarcoptes antibodies. No significant difference was found between the positive rates in males (26.1%) and females (23.6%). Only 1.9% were positive for IgA and none was positive for IgE anti-Sarcoptes antibodies. Since there were very few patients with clinical manifestation of scabies, there is a possibility that continuous exposure to the dogs mite confers cross-protective immunity in the community against human scabies.