MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred and fifty oral and nasal swabs were taken from pet and stray dogs and cats and pet owners; all samples were subjected to culture and biochemical tests and polymerase chain reaction; the selected isolates were put through disk diffusion test and multilocus sequence typing.
RESULTS: One S. aureus isolate and three S. pseudintermedius isolates were identified as MRSA and MRSP, respectively, of which the MRSA isolate and one of the MRSP isolates showed multidrug resistance and the remaining two MRSP isolates were resistant to one or two antimicrobials. Multilocus sequence typing showed that the MRSA isolate belongs to clonal complex (CC) 789, while for the MRSP isolates, two were in CC45 and one was a singleton.
CONCLUSION: This study is the first study in Malaysia to perform molecular characterization of MRSP isolated from pet dogs and cats and pet owners. The outcomes of this study reveal that even healthy pet dogs and cats and their owners can be carriers of drug-resistant staphylococci, highlighting the role of pets and pet owners as carriers of MRSA and MRSP in Malaysia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 120 fingerlings of uniform size (mean initial weight of 1.46 ± 0.06 g) were randomly assigned to one of four groups (n = 10) (A, B, C, and D) per tank (1 m × 2 m × 1 m). For 21 days, Group A (control group) was fed with 100% commercial diet; Group B was fed with 90% commercial fish diet + 10% BSFL; Group C was fed with 80% commercial fish diet + 20% BSFL; and Group D was fed with 70% commercial fish diet + 30% BSFL. Feed efficiency, growth performance, and proximate composition analysis were performed on the fish.
RESULTS: The results displayed that the group with the highest BSFL percentage had a greater effect on protein and fat composition than the control group. The proximate composition analysis of fish-fed diet revealed that an increase in the level of BSFL inclusion increases the protein content in the fish. In comparison to the other groups, the experimental diet with 30% BSFL inclusion has the highest levels of crude protein (80.30% DM) and fat (2.90% DM).
CONCLUSION: It is concluded that incorporating BSFL into a commercial diet for red hybrid tilapia fingerlings increased crude protein and fat composition, providing an alternative protein and fat source in fish diets.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Swab samples were collected from the foot vesicles, nasal secretions, and saliva of five suspected FMDV-infected cows in East Java between June and July 2022. The RT-LAMP design used hydroxy naphthol blue dye or SYBR Green I dye, with confirmatory analysis through reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting 249 base pairs. PCR products underwent purification, sequencing, and nucleotide alignment, followed by phylogenetic analysis.
RESULTS: The RT-LAMP method using hydroxy naphthol blue dye displayed a positive reaction through a color shift from purple to blue in the tube. Naked-eye observation in standard light or ultraviolet (UV) light at 365 nm, with SYBR Green I stain, also revealed color change. Specifically, using SYBR Green I dye, UV light at 365 nm revealed a color shift from yellow to green, signifying a positive reaction. Nucleotide alignment revealed mutations and deletion at the 15th sequence in the JT-INDO-K3 isolate from the East Java FMDV outbreak. Despite differing branches, the phylogenetic tree placed it in the same cluster as serotype O FMDV from Malaysia and Mongolia.
CONCLUSION: JT-INDO-K3 exhibited distinctions from Indonesian serotype O FMDV isolates and those documented in GenBank. Then, the RT-LAMP method used in this study has a detection limit 10 times higher latter than the conventional RT-PCR limit, without any cross-reactivity among strains.
Materials and Methods: A total of 15 ejaculates from three healthy stallions were collected and cryopreserved in the same environment. Each semen sample collected was divided into four equal parts and processed. All samples were analyzed before and after freezing for motility, viability, plasma membrane integrity, and morphology. Furthermore, twenty mares were inseminated using post-thawed semen.
Results: There were no differences observed among all extenders in all the parameters before freezing. Sperm cryopreserved using HF-20 showed better motility, viability, and plasma membrane integrity than Tris extender. The Tris extender showed the most inferior quality of post-thawed semen between all the extenders. HF-20, INRA Freeze®, and EquiPlus Freeze® extenders revealed the same capacity of semen preservation in vitro and in vivo.
Conclusion: HF-20 extender has the same quality as INRA Freeze® and EquiPlus Freeze® that can be considered as one of the best extenders for the semen cryopreservation in horses. In contrast, Tris extender needs some degree of improvement.
Materials and Methods: Five treatment groups were established as follows: Group 1 (C), which was given distilled water; Group 2 (T0), which was administered with LA (10 mg/kg body weight [BW]); and Groups 3 (T1), 4 (T2), and 5 (T3), which were given LA (10 mg/kg BW) plus graded concentrations of 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg BW of EBN, respectively. Rats were euthanized at week 5 to collect blood for superoxide dismutase (SOD) assay, and uterus for histomorphological study and expression analyses of epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).
Results: Results revealed that LA causes destruction of uterine lining cells and necrosis of uterine glands of exposed rats without EBN supplement while the degree of damage decreased among EBN treated groups; T3 showed the highest ameliorating effect against LA toxicity, as well as an increased number of uterine glands. Increased levels of SOD were also achieved in EBN supplemented groups than the controls. Results of immunohistochemistry showed significantly higher expressions of EGF, VEGF, and PCNA levels (p<0.05) in T3 compared to other treatments. EBN maintained upregulation of antioxidant - reactive oxygen species balance.
Conclusion: The findings showed that EBN could ameliorate the detrimental effects of LA toxicity on the uterus possibly by enhancing enzymatic antioxidant (SOD) activity as well as expressions of EGF, VEGF, and PCNA with cell proliferation roles.
Materials and Methods: Twenty-four: Sprague Dawley rats were equally distributed into the following four groups: G1 (control), G2, G3, and G4 represented the groups treated with EBN at graded concentrations of 0, 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg body weight (BW) per day for 8 weeks, respectively. During the experimental period, the BW of each rat was recorded weekly. At the proestrus stage of estrous cycle, blood samples were collected from the hearts of anesthetized rats that were later sacrificed. The uteri were removed for histological and immunohistochemical analyses.
Results: The EBN-treated groups showed an increase in the weights and lengths of uteri as compared to the control. Results showed that relative to G1 and G2, G3 and G4 exhibited proliferation in their uterine luminal and glandular epithelia and uterine glands, and up-regulated expressions of EGF, REGF, VEGF, PCNA, and progesterone receptor, and estrogen receptor in their uteri. The EBN increased the antioxidant (AO) and total AO capacities and reduced the oxidative stress (OS) levels in non-pregnant rats.
Conclusion: Findings of this study revealed that EBN promotes proliferation of the uterine structures as evidenced by the upregulation of the expressions of steroid receptors, EGF, REGF, VEGF, and PCNA in the uterus and increased in the plasma concentrations of AO and reduced levels of OS.
Materials and Methods: Immediate skin tissue expansion in 18 adult female rats was performed using three different sizes (small, medium, and big) of polymethylmethacrylate tissue expanders at the dorsal surface of the metatarsal area of the right limb. The contralateral limb was served as the control. The tissue expanders were surgically implanted and kept for 15 days.
Results: The immediate skin expansion resulted in histological changes such as the increased thickness of the epidermal layer, the reduction of the dermal layer, an elevated number of fibroblast as well as increased vascularity. Furthermore, skin adnexal structures such as hair follicles and sebaceous glands were farther apart.
Conclusion: The rat skin was able to rapidly adjust and compensate against a specific range of immediate mechanical expansion. The histological changes suggest that the tissues were prepared to withstand the increased external forces, in addition to create possibly additional skin in a relatively short-term period.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted extensive searches across five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar) following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Protocols guidelines. Random-effect meta-analyses were performed using R software version 4.3.0 to estimate pooled prevalence rates. Subgroup meta-analyses were conducted based on continents, diagnostic methods, sample types, and wildcat genera.
RESULTS: A total of 71 articles on leptospirosis in domestic cats and 23 articles on leptospirosis in wild cats met the eligibility criteria. Our findings indicated a significantly higher pooled seroprevalence of leptospirosis in domestic cats compared with infection prevalence (9.95% [95% confidence interval (CI), 7.60%-12.54%] vs. 4.62% [95% CI, 2.10%-7.83%], p = 0.01). In contrast, no significant difference was observed in pooled seroprevalence and infection prevalence among wild cats (13.38% [95% CI, 6.25%-21.93%] vs. 2.9% [95% CI, 0.00%-18.91%], p = 0.21). A subgroup meta-analysis of domestic cats revealed significant differences in seroprevalence across continents, sample types, and diagnostic methods. On the contrary, wild cats had no significant differences in any of the subgroups.
CONCLUSION: Leptospira spp. have evidently been exposed to both domestic and wild cats, highlighting their potential roles as reservoir hosts for leptospirosis. These findings highlight the importance of considering felids as a possible public health threat.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study utilized goldfish specimens sourced from Tulungagung, East Java, Indonesia. The experiment involved different concentration levels of benzalkonium chloride: (T1) 0 mg/L, (T2) 0.03 mg/L, (T3) 0.06 mg/L, (T4) 0.09 mg/L, and (T5) 0.12 mg/L. The research data were subjected to an analysis of variance for analysis. In cases where significant differences were observed, Duncan's test was conducted for color brightness, growth, and mortality data. Furthermore, if the gill histopathological data yielded significant differences, additional tests were applied (Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney test).
RESULTS: The findings of this study demonstrated significant differences (p < 0.05) in the level of color brightness, growth, gill histopathology, and mortality in goldfish in response to varying concentrations of benzalkonium chloride. The relationship between the length and weight of the goldfish was analyzed using regression coefficients (b values), which were determined as 4.86, -0.04, -0.2, 0.8, and -0.07, respectively. Notably, the brightness level in the T2 group exhibited positive color results with a hue value of 11.55°, while optimal growth was observed in the T4 group, as evidenced by b value of 0.8. The gill histopathological data showed significant differences (p < 0.05). The scoring of histopathological damage in the goldfish gills ranged from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating more severe damage. The highest total score of 10 was observed in the T5 group exposed to a concentration of 0.12 mg/L, resulting in an 85% mortality rate. This indicates that benzalkonium chloride, with its toxic compounds, can disrupt the respiratory system of fish and lead to death.
CONCLUSION: The effects of benzalkonium chloride were evident even at a concentration of 0.03 mg/L. With increasing concentration, there was an increase in mortality rate, a decrease in growth, and a rise in histopathological damage to the gills. These findings highlight the negative impact of using conventional disinfectants on water and its organisms, emphasizing the need for further research on environmentally friendly alternatives.
Materials and Methods: A batch of newly hatched hybrid grouper fry (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × Epinephelus lanceolatus) were followed from the larval stage to market size. Samples of the hybrid groupers, water, live feed, and artificial fish pellets were collected periodically from day 0 to 180 in the hybrid grouper hatchery. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nested PCR amplifications were carried out on VNN-related sequences. The phylogenetic tree including the sampled causative agent of VNN was inferred from the coat protein genes from all known Betanodavirus species using Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA). Pearson's correlation coefficient values were calculated to determine the strength of the correlation between the presence of VNN in hybrid grouper samples and its associated risk factors.
Results: A total of 113 out of 146 pooled and individual samples, including hybrid grouper, water, and artificial fish pellet samples, demonstrated positive results in tests for the presence of VNN-associated viruses. The clinical signs of infection observed in the samples included darkened skin, deformation of the backbone, abdominal distension, skin lesions, and fin erosion. VNN was present throughout the life stages of the hybrid groupers, with the first detection occurring at day 10. VNN-associated risk factors included water temperature, dissolved oxygen content, salinity, ammonia level, fish size (adults more at risk than younger stages), and life stage (age). Detection of VNN-associated viruses in water samples demonstrated evidence of horizontal transmission of the disease. All the nucleotide sequences found in this study had high nucleotide identities of 88% to 100% to each other, striped jack nervous necrosis virus (SJNNV), and the reassortant strain red-spotted grouper NNV/SJNNV (RGNNV/SJNNV) isolate 430.2004 (GenBank accession number JN189932.1) (n=26). The phylogenetic analysis showed that quasispecies was present in each VNN-causing virus-positive sample, which differed based on the type of sample and life stage.
Conclusion: This study was the first to confirm the existence of a reassortant strain (RGNNV/SJNNV) in hybrid groupers from Malaysia and Southeast Asia. However, the association between the mode of transmission and the risk factors of this virus needs to be investigated further to understand the evolution and potential new host species of the reassortant strain.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using the livers of 18 mice fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin. A completely randomized design with a unidirectional pattern comprising six treatments was used in this study, with each treatment consisting of three replications. Treatment 0 was the negative control group infected with P. berghei, treatment 1 was the positive control group infected with P. berghei followed by chloroquine administration at a dose of 5 mg/kg BW, and treatments 2, 3, 4, and 5 were groups infected with P. berghei and administered Malacca leaf ethanolic extracts at doses of 100, 300, 600, and 1200 mg/kg BW, respectively. The extracts were administered orally using a gastric tube for 4 consecutive days. Mice were sacrificed on the 7th day and livers were collected for histopathological examination.
Results: Histopathological examination of the livers of mice infected with P. berghei demonstrated the presence of hemosiderin, hydropic degeneration, fat degeneration, necrosis, and megalocytosis. However, all these histopathological changes were reduced in the livers of P. berghei-infected mice treated with various doses of Malacca leaf ethanolic extract. The differences between the treatments were found be statistically significant (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Ethanolic extract of Malacca leaves has the potential to protect against liver damage in mice infected with P. berghei. The dose of 600 mg/kg BW was found to be the most effective compared with the doses of 100, 300, and 1200 mg/kg BW.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and twelve mice were given incision wounds and infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The study used a factorial design with two factors: The type of therapy (n = 7) and irradiation time (days 1, 2, 4, and 6). The mice were divided into seven therapy groups: Control group with NaCl, control with Sofra-tulle® treatment, red-laser therapy (650 nm, 3.5 J/cm2), blue-laser therapy (405 nm, 3.5 J/cm2), ozone therapy, red-laser therapy (650 nm, 3.5 J/cm2) with ozone, and blue-laser therapy (405 nm, 3.5 J/cm2) with ozone. This therapy was performed using irradiation perpendicular to the wound area. The photosensitizer used was curcumin 10 mg/mL, which was applied to the wound area before exposure to a laser and ozone. The ozone concentration was 0.011 mg/L with a flow time of 80 s. The test parameters were the number of collagens, bacterial colonies, lymphocytes, monocytes, and wound length measurement to determine their acceleration effects on wound healing. Data were analyzed by a two-way (factorial) analysis of variance test.
RESULTS: Acceleration of wound healing was significantly different between treatments with a laser or a laser-ozone combination and treatment using 95% sodium chloride (NaCl) and Sofra-tulle®. On day 6, the blue-laser with ozone treatment group had efficiently increased the number of bacteria and reduced the wound length, and the red-laser treatment with ozone increased the amount of collagen. In addition, the red-laser also reduced the number of lymphocytes and monocytes, which can have an impact on accelerating wound healing. Blue-laser therapy was very effective for increasing the number of epithelia.
CONCLUSION: The blue- and red-laser combined with ozone treatments effectively accelerated the healing of incisional wounds infected with MRSA bacteria.
Materials and Methods: DNA samples were extracted from 144 pooled blood samples obtained from 2012 to 2013 following the manufacturer's instructions. DNA was used for conventional polymerase chain reaction using primers targeting the p72 gene and amplified products sequenced with Sanger's sequencing. Sequences were analyzed for homology and phylogenetic relationships.
Results: Eleven of 144 samples (7.6%) showed bands at 950 bp. A new field strain of ASF virus of genotype I that shared ancestry with ASF virus strains or isolates from Spain and Brazil was identified among pig herds. The new strain differs phylogenetically in amino acid composition compared with previously identified ASF virus field strains.
Conclusion: The currently circulating field strain of ASF virus suggests a mutation responsible for decreased morbidity and mortality recorded in sporadic cases.