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  1. Eamsobhana P, Yong HS, Roongruangchai K, Tungtrongchitr A, Wanachiwanawin D
    Trop Biomed, 2020 Jun 01;37(2):536-541.
    PMID: 33612820
    Two female and one male adult hookworms were recovered from a female patient in Thailand. Based on gross and microscopic morphology, the three hookworms are members of Necator americanus. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on partial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) mitochondrial gene sequences shows that these hookworms belong to the same genetic lineage as N. americanus adult worm from Zhejiang, China. The male and female hookworms were genetically distinct, belonging to two different nad1-haplotypes. This is the first report targeting the nad1 gene on the identification and genetic characterization of the human hookworms originated from infected patient. The nad1 gene marker is useful for species and higher taxa differentiation of hookworms.
  2. Eamsobhana P, Tungtrongchitr A, Wanachiwanawin D, Yong HS
    Int J Infect Dis, 2018 Aug;73:69-71.
    PMID: 29908250 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2018.06.005
    OBJECTIVES: The serological diagnosis of human infection with Angiostrongylus cantonensis remains problematic because there are no commercially available validated tests. Most laboratories use domestically prepared tests such as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or immunoblotting. Since laboratory facilities are not always available in endemic areas, we developed and assessed a rapid lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (AcQuickDx Test) to detect anti-A. cantonensis antibodies in human serum.

    METHODS: The test device was assembled with purified 31-kDa glycoprotein as diagnostic antigen and with gold-labelled anti-human immunoglublin-G as the detector reagent. A total of 97 serum samples were tested - 19 samples from clinically diagnosed patients with detectable A. cantonensis-specific antibody in immunoblotting; 43 samples from patients with other parasitic diseases, i.e. gnathostomiasis (n=13), toxocariasis (n=2), trichinellosis (n=2), hookworm infection (n=4), filariasis (n=5), cysticercosis (n=9), paragonimiasis (n=2), opisthorchiasis (n=3), and malaria (n=3); and 35 samples from normal healthy subjects.

    RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of AcQuickDx Test to detect anti-A. cantonensis specific antibodies in serologically confirmed angiostrongyliasis cases, were 100%, 98.72%, 95% and 100%, respectively. Positive AcQuickDx was observed in 1 of 4 cases with hookworm infections. No positive AcQuickDx was observed in cases with other parasitic diseases, and the individual healthy subjects.

    CONCLUSIONS: AcQuickDx Test is rapid, highly sensitive and specific, and easy to perform without additional equipment or ancillary supplies. It yields results that are interpreted visually, and possesses a long shelf-life at room temperature. Thus, it can be applied as an additional test for clinical diagnostic support of angiostrongyliasis either in conventional laboratories or for remote areas where laboratory infrastructure is not available.

  3. Eamsobhana P, Yong HS, Song SL, Prasartvit A, Boonyong S, Tungtrongchitr A
    J Helminthol, 2018 Mar;92(2):254-259.
    PMID: 28330511 DOI: 10.1017/S0022149X17000244
    The rat lungworm Angiostrongylus malaysiensis is a metastrongyloid nematode parasite. It has been reported in Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia and Japan. In this study, A. malaysiensis adult worms recovered from the lungs of wild rats in different geographical regions/provinces in Thailand were used to determine their haplotype by means of the mitochondrial partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequence. The results revealed high COI haplotype diversity of A. malaysiensis from Thailand. The geographical isolates of A. malaysiensis from Thailand and other countries formed a monophyletic clade distinct from the closely related A. cantonensis. In the present study, five new haplotypes were identified in addition to the four haplotypes reported in the literature. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that four of these five new haplotypes - one from Mae Hong Song (northern region), two from Tak (western region) and one from Phang Nga (southern region) - formed a distinct clade with those from Phatthalung (southern region) and Malaysia. The haplotype from Malaysia was identical to that of Phatthalung (haplotype AM1). In general, the COI sequences did not differentiate unambiguously the various geographical isolates of A. malaysiensis. This study has confirmed the presence of high COI genetic diversity in various geographical isolates of A. malaysiensis. The COI gene sequence will be suitable for studying genetic diversity, population structure and phylogeography.
  4. Eamsobhana P, Song SL, Yong HS, Prasartvit A, Boonyong S, Tungtrongchitr A
    Acta Trop, 2017 Jul;171:141-145.
    PMID: 28347653 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.03.020
    The rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a food-borne zoonotic parasite of public health importance worldwide. It is the primary etiologic agent of eosinophilic meningitis and eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in humans in many countries. It is highly endemic in Thailand especially in the northeast region. In this study, A. cantonensis adult worms recovered from the lungs of wild rats in different geographical regions/provinces in Thailand were used to determine their haplotype by means of the mitochondrial partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequence. The results revealed three additional COI haplotypes of A. cantonensis. The geographical isolates of A. cantonensis from Thailand and other countries formed a monophyletic clade distinct from the closely related A. malaysiensis. In the present study, distinct haplotypes were identified in seven regions of Thailand - AC10 in Phitsanulok (northern region), AC11 in Nakhon Phanom (northeastern region), AC15 in Trat (eastern region), AC16 in Chantaburi (eastern region), AC4 in Samut Prakan (central region), AC14 in Kanchanaburi (western region), and AC13 in Ranong (southern region). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these haplotypes formed distinct lineages. In general, the COI sequences did not differentiate the worldwide geographical isolates of A. cantonensis. This study has further confirmed the presence of COI haplotype diversity in various geographical isolates of A. cantonensis. The COI gene sequence will be a suitable marker for studying population structure, phylogeography and genetic diversity of the rat lungworm.
  5. Eamsobhana P, Yong HS, Song SL, Gan XX, Prasartvit A, Tungtrongchitr A
    Parasitol Int, 2019 Feb;68(1):24-30.
    PMID: 30267903 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2018.09.006
    Angiostrongylus cantonensis is the main causative agent of human angiostrongyliasis. A sibling species, A. malaysiensis has not been unequivocally incriminated to be involved in human infections. To date, there is only a single report on the application of the partial 66-kDa protein gene sequence for molecular differentiation and phylogeny of Angiostrongylus species. Nucleotide sequences of the 66-kDa protein gene of A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis from Thailand, as well as those of the laboratory strains of A. cantonensis from Thailand and Hawaii, A. cantonensis from Japan and China, A. malaysiensis from Malaysia, and A. costaricensis from Costa Rica, were used for the reconstruction of phylogenetic tree by the maximum likelihood (ML) method and the haplotypes by the median joining (MJ) network. The ML phylogenetic tree contained two major clades with a full support bootstrap value - (1) A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis, and (2) A. costaricensis. A. costaricensis was basal to A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis. The genetic distance between A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis ranged from p = .82% to p = 3.27%, that between A. cantonensis and A. costaricensis from p = 4.90% to p = 5.31%, and that between A. malaysiensis and A. costaricensis was p = 4.49% to p = 5.71%. Both A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis possess high 66-kDa haplotype diversity. There was no clear separation of the conspecific taxa of A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis from different geographical regions. A more intensive and extensive sampling with larger sample size may reveal greater haplotype diversity and a better resolved phylogeographical structure of A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis.
  6. Eamsobhana P, Tungtrongchitr A, Yong HS, Prasartvit A, Wanachiwanawin D, Gan XX
    Parasitology, 2021 Feb;148(2):234-239.
    PMID: 33004092 DOI: 10.1017/S0031182020001894
    Serological tests may yield false-negative results for specific antibodies detection before or at the early seroconversion phase. Tests that detect circulating antigens of Angiostrongylus cantonensis would therefore be of value in diagnosis to distinguish current or past infection. Here, a quick, easy to perform, portable and inexpensive diagnostic device for detection of 31-kDa A. cantonensis specific antigens had been developed. This sandwich dot-immunogold filtration assay (AcDIGFAAg), for detecting active angiostrongyliasis was produced using anti-A. cantonensis polyclonal antibody dotted on the nitrocellulose membrane as a capture agent and colloidal gold-labelled anti-31 kDa A. cantonensis antibody as a detection agent. A well-defined pink dot, indicating positivity, was seen readily by naked eye within 10-15 min. The AcDIGFAAg detected A. cantonensis-specific antigens in cerebrospinal fluid samples from 4 out of 10 serologically confirmed angiostrongyliasis cases and 2 out of 5 suspected cases with negative anti-A. cantonensis antibodies. Among the 19 patient sera with A. cantonensis infection, 2 showed positive reaction by AcDIGFAAg. No positive AcDIGFAAg reaction was observed in all the serum samples with other parasitic diseases, and the healthy controls. The present 'AcDIGFAAg' enables rapid qualitative detection of the specific 31-kDa antigens of A. cantonensis in clinical samples with potential for application even under resource-limited settings.
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