Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 73 in total

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  1. Zainalabidin FA, Noorazmi MS, Bakri WN, Sathaya G, Ismail MI
    Trop Life Sci Res, 2017 Jan;28(1):161-166.
    PMID: 28228924 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2017.28.1.12
    Sarcosporidiosis is a disease caused by intracellular protozoan parasites, namely, Sarcocystis spp. In pigs, three species of Sarcocystis spp. have been recognised, including Sarcocystis meischeriana, Sarcocystis porcifelis and Sarcocystis suihominis. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of muscular sarcosporidiosis in pigs using the pepsin digestion technique. A total of 150 fresh heart, oesophagus and thigh muscle samples from 50 Yorkshire and Landrace pigs were collected from two local abattoirs in Perak from May to August 2014. All the fresh muscle samples were thoroughly examined for macrocyst-forming Sarcocystis spp. and processed using the peptic digestion technique to detect bradyzoites. The results from the muscle samples showed that 58% (29 out of 50) of the pigs were positive for Sarcocystis spp. These findings highlight the importance of implementing stringent measures for screening pigs in abattoirs for Sarcocystis spp. infection because this infection in pigs is a public health concern.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  2. Yusof SR, Mohd Uzid M, Teh EH, Hanapi NA, Mohideen M, Mohamad Arshad AS, et al.
    Addict Biol, 2019 09;24(5):935-945.
    PMID: 30088322 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12661
    Mitragyna speciosa is reported to be beneficial for the management of chronic pain and opioid withdrawal in the evolving opioid epidemic. Data on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) transport of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, the active compounds of the plant, are still lacking and inconclusive. Here, we present for the first time the rate and the extent of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine transport across the BBB, with an investigation of their post-BBB intra-brain distribution. We utilized an in vitro BBB model to study the rate of BBB permeation of the compounds and their interaction with efflux transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Mitragynine showed higher apical-to-basolateral (A-B, i.e. blood-to-brain side) permeability than 7-hydroxymitragynine. 7-Hydroxymitragynine showed a tendency to efflux, with efflux ratio (B-A/A-B) of 1.39. Both were found to inhibit the P-gp and are also subject to efflux by the P-gp. Assessment of the extent of BBB transport in vivo in rats from unbound brain to plasma concentration ratios (Kp,uu,brain ) revealed extensive efflux of both compounds, with less than 10 percent of unbound mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine in plasma crossing the BBB. By contrast, the extent of intra-brain distribution was significantly different, with mitragynine having 18-fold higher brain tissue uptake in brain slice assay compared with 7-hydroxymitragynine. Mitragynine showed a moderate capacity to accumulate inside brain parenchymal cells, while 7-hydroxymitragynine showed restricted cellular barrier transport. The presented findings from this systematic investigation of brain pharmacokinetics of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are essential for design and interpretation of in vivo experiments aiming to establish exposure-response relationship.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  3. Yeo SK, Liong MT
    Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2012 Nov;63(7):821-31.
    PMID: 22264088 DOI: 10.3109/09637486.2011.652942
    The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation (UVB; 90 J/m²) on growth, bioconversion of isoflavones and probiotic properties of parent and subsequent passages of L. casei FTDC 2113. UV radiation significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) the growth of parent cells in mannitol-soymilk fermented at 37°C for 24 h. This had led to an enhanced intracellular and extracellular β-glucosidase activity with a subsequent increase in bioconversion of isoflavones in mannitol-soymilk (P < 0.05). UV radiation also promoted (P < 0.05) the tolerance of parent cells towards acidic condition (pH 2 and 3) and intestinal bile salts (oxgall, taurocholic and cholic acid). In addition, parent treated cells also exhibited better (P < 0.05) adhesion ability to mucin and antimicrobial activity compared to that of the control. All these positive effects of UV radiation were only prevalent in the parent cells without inheritance by first, second and third passage of cells. Although temporary, our results suggested that UV radiation could enhance the bioactive and probiotic potentials of L. casei FTDC 2113, and thus could be applied for the production of probiotic products with enhanced bioactivity.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  4. Xia NB, Lu Y, Zhao PF, Wang CF, Li YY, Tan L, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2020 Jun 01;37(2):489-498.
    PMID: 33612818
    Toxoplasma gondii, a ubiquitous pathogen that infects nearly all warm-blooded animals and humans, can cause severe complications to the infected people and animals as well as serious economic losses and social problems. Here, one local strain (TgPIG-WH1) was isolated from an aborted pig fetus, and the genotype of this strain was identified as ToxoDB #3 by the PCR RFLP typing method using 10 molecular markers (SAG1, SAG2, alternative SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, L358, PK1, C22-8, C29-2 and Apico). A comparison of the virulence of this isolate with other strains in both mice and piglets showed that TgPIG-WH1 was less virulent than type 1 strain RH and type 2 strain ME49 in mice, and caused similar symptoms to those of ME49 such as fever in piglets. Additionally, in piglet infection with both strains, the TgPIG-WH1 caused a higher IgG response and more severe pathological damages than ME49. Furthermore, TgPIG-WH1 caused one death in the 5 infected piglets, whereas ME49 did not, suggesting the higher virulence of TgPIG-WH1 than ME49 during piglet infection. Experimental infections indicate that the virulence of TgPIG-WH1 relative to ME49 is weaker in mice, but higher in pigs. This is probably the first report regarding a ToxoDB #3 strain from pigs in Hubei, China. These data will facilitate the understanding of genetic diversity of Toxoplasma strains in China as well as the prevention and control of porcine toxoplasmosis in the local region.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa/parasitology*
  5. Weingartl HM, Berhane Y, Caswell JL, Loosmore S, Audonnet JC, Roth JA, et al.
    J Virol, 2006 Aug;80(16):7929-38.
    PMID: 16873250
    Nipah virus (NiV), of the family Paramyxoviridae, was isolated in 1999 in Malaysia from a human fatality in an outbreak of severe human encephalitis, when human infections were linked to transmission of the virus from pigs. Consequently, a swine vaccine able to abolish virus shedding is of veterinary and human health interest. Canarypox virus-based vaccine vectors carrying the gene for NiV glycoprotein (ALVAC-G) or the fusion protein (ALVAC-F) were used to intramuscularly immunize four pigs per group, either with 10(8) PFU each or in combination. Pigs were boosted 14 days postvaccination and challenged with 2.5 x 10(5) PFU of NiV two weeks later. The combined ALVAC-F/G vaccine induced the highest levels of neutralization antibodies (2,560); despite the low neutralizing antibody levels in the F vaccinees (160), all vaccinated animals appeared to be protected against challenge. Virus was not isolated from the tissues of any of the vaccinated pigs postchallenge, and a real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assay detected only small amounts of viral RNA in several samples. In challenge control pigs, virus was isolated from a number of tissues (10(4.4) PFU/g) or detected by real-time RT-PCR. Vaccination of the ALVAC-F/G vaccinees appeared to stimulate both type 1 and type 2 cytokine responses. Histopathological findings indicated that there was no enhancement of lesions in the vaccinees. No virus shedding was detected in vaccinated animals, in contrast to challenge control pigs, from which virus was isolated from the throat and nose (10(2.9) PFU/ml). Based on the data presented, the combined ALVAC-F/G vaccine appears to be a very promising vaccine candidate for swine.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa/immunology; Sus scrofa/virology
  6. Visuvanathan VV, Somawera N, Koh KC
    Malays Fam Physician, 2013;8(3):46-48.
    PMID: 25893060 MyJurnal
    A 19-year-old Chinese man presented with progressive ascending weakness of his left lower limb for 1 week. There was no loss of sensation. His other limbs were unaffected. He also complained of progressive, painless blurring of vision in his left eye for the past 1 month. He has an affinity for wild boar meat from local Chinese restaurants, which he has been consuming on a daily basis for the last 2 years. He denied any fever, headache, high risk behaviour for acquisition of human
    immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or recent travels. He had bronchial asthma in childhood, but the symptoms are minimal now and there was no recent acute exacerbations. Physical examination was unremarkable except for the left lower limb power of 3/5 and bilateral papilloedema on direct ophthalmoscopy. A Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scan of the brain (Image 1) and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain (Images 2 and 3) were performed. The
    total leucocyte count was 9.2x109/L, C-reactive protein was 1.2 and erythrocyte sedimentation
    rate was 6 mm/h. Human immunodeficiency virus screening was negative, anti-toxoplasma antibodies were not detected and serological testing for anti-cysticercal antibodies via enzymelinked
    immunosorbent assay (ELISA) did not produce a positive yield. He was treated with oral albendazole for 28 days and corticosteroids, which led to rapid and total resolution of his neurological deficits and CT findings within 6 weeks.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  7. Uni S, Fukuda M, Otsuka Y, Hiramatsu N, Yokobayashi K, Takahashi H, et al.
    Parasit Vectors, 2015;8:59.
    PMID: 25623081 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-0655-2
    Zoonotic infections with Onchocerca species are uncommon, and to date only 25 clinical cases have been reported worldwide. In Japan, five previous zoonotic infections were concentrated in Oita, Kyushu (the southern island), with one previous case in Hiroshima in the western part of Honshu (the main island). The causative agent in Japan was identified as Onchocerca dewittei japonica Uni, Bain & Takaoka, 2001 from Japanese wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax Temminck, 1842). Here we report two infections caused by a female and male O. dewittei japonica, respectively, among residents of Hiroshima and Shimane Prefectures in the western part of Honshu.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa/parasitology
  8. Uni S, Fukuda M, Agatsuma T, Bain O, Otsuka Y, Nakatani J, et al.
    Parasitol Int, 2015 Dec;64(6):493-502.
    PMID: 26165205 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2015.07.001
    Human zoonotic onchocercosis is caused by Onchocerca dewittei japonica, parasitic in wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) in Japan. Previously, microfilariae longer than those of Onchocerca dewittei japonica were observed in skin snips from wild boars during the study of O. dewittei japonica. Moreover, the third-stage larvae (L3) of these longer microfilariae were obtained from the blackfly Simulium bidentatum after experimental injections. Based on morphometric and molecular studies, similar L3 were found in blackflies during fieldwork in Oita, Japan. However, except for O. dewittei japonica, adult worms of Onchocerca have not been found in wild boars. In this study, we discovered adult females of a novel Onchocerca species in the skin of a wild boar in Oita, and named it Onchocerca takaokai n. sp. Females of this new species had longer microfilariae and differed from O. dewittei japonica in terms of their morphological characteristics and parasitic location. The molecular characteristics of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 12S rRNA genes of the new species were identical to those of the longer microfilariae and L3 previously detected, but they differed from those of O. dewittei japonica at the species level. However, both species indicated a close affinity among their congeners and Onchocerca ramachandrini, parasitic in the warthog in Africa, was basal in the Suidae cluster of the 12S rRNA tree.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  9. Uni S, Fukuda M, Uga S, Agatsuma T, Nakatani J, Suzuki K, et al.
    Parasitol Int, 2021 Aug;83:102313.
    PMID: 33662527 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102313
    Reports of zoonotic infections with Onchocerca japonica (Nematoda: Filarioidea), which parasitizes the Japanese wild boar, Sus scrofa leucomystax, have recently increased in Japan. To predict the occurrence of infection in humans, it is necessary to determine the prevalence of O. japonica infection in the natural host animals. We investigated the presence of adult worms in the footpads, and of microfilariae in skin snips, taken from the host animals, between 2000 and 2018. Onchocerca japonica was found in 165 of 223 (74%) Japanese wild boars in Honshu and Kyushu. Among the nine regions studied, the highest prevalence of O. japonica infection was found in Oita, Kyushu, where 47 of 52 (90.4%) animals were infected. The ears were the predilection sites for O. japonica microfilariae. Adult worms of O. japonica were found more frequently in the hindlimbs than in the forelimbs of the host animals. Onchocerca takaokai was found in 14 of 52 (26.9%) Japanese wild boars in Oita. In Kakeroma Island among the Nansei Islands, both O. japonica and O. takaokai were isolated from the Ryukyu wild boar, S. s. riukiuanus. These observations could help predict future occurrences of human zoonotic onchocercosis in Japan.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  10. Uni S, Fukuda M, Ogawa K, Lim YA, Agatsuma T, Bunchom N, et al.
    Parasitol Int, 2017 Oct;66(5):593-595.
    PMID: 28648713 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2017.06.006
    An 11-year-old boy living in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Kansai Region, Western Honshu, Japan had zoonotic onchocercosis. The patient developed a painful swelling on the little finger of his left hand. The worm detected in the excised mass had external transverse ridges but did not have inner striae in the cuticle. On the basis of the parasite's histopathological characteristics, the causative agent was identified as a female Onchocerca dewittei japonica (Spirurida: Onchocercidae). The species of the filarial parasite was confirmed by sequencing the cox1 gene of the parasite. The Japanese wild boar Sus scrofa leucomystax is a definitive host for O. dewittei japonica, which is then transmitted by blackflies as the vector to humans. The current case described occurred in the Kansai Region, Western Honshu, where such infections were previously not reported.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa/parasitology
  11. Thu TV, Loh TC, Foo HL, Yaakub H, Bejo MH
    Trop Anim Health Prod, 2011 Jan;43(1):69-75.
    PMID: 20632092 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-010-9655-6
    A study was carried out to investigate the effects of feeding liquid metabolite combinations produced by Lactobacillus plantarum strains on growth performance, diarrhoea incidence, faecal pH, microfloral counts, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and intestinal villus height and crypt depth of postweaning piglets. A total of 120 piglets (26 days old) were randomly assigned evenly into five treatment groups treated with same basal diet: (1) -ve control (free antibiotic); (2) + ve control (0.03% of chlortetracycline); (3) Com 1 (0.3% metabolite of TL1, RG11 and RI11 strains); (4) Com 2 (0.3% metabolite of TL1, RG14 and RS5 strains); (5) Com 3 (0.3% metabolite of RG11, RG14 and RI11 strains). After 5 weeks, the average daily feed intake was not significantly different (P > 0.05) among the treatments and feed conversion ratio was the highest (P 
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa/anatomy & histology; Sus scrofa/growth & development*
  12. Ternhag A, Penttinen P
    Lakartidningen, 2005 Apr;102(14):1046-7.
    PMID: 15892474
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  13. Tee KK, Takebe Y, Kamarulzaman A
    Int J Infect Dis, 2009 May;13(3):307-18.
    PMID: 19010076 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2008.09.005
    Over the past decade, a number of unique zoonotic and non-zoonotic viruses have emerged in Malaysia. Several of these viruses have resulted in significant morbidity and mortality to those affected and they have imposed a tremendous public health and economic burden on the state. Amongst the most devastating was the outbreak of Nipah virus encephalitis in 1998, which resulted in 109 deaths. The culling of more than a million pigs, identified as the amplifying host, ultimately brought the outbreak under control. A year prior to this, and subsequently again in 2000 and 2003, large outbreaks of hand-foot-and-mouth disease due to enterovirus 71, with rare cases of fatal neurological complications, were reported in young children. Three other new viruses - Tioman virus (1999), Pulau virus (1999), and Melaka virus (2006) - whose origins have all been linked to bats, have been added to the growing list of novel viruses being discovered in Malaysia. The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has also been detected in Malaysia with outbreaks in poultry in 2004, 2006, and 2007. Fortunately, no human infections were reported. Finally, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has seen the emergence of an HIV-1 recombinant form (CRF33_01B) in HIV-infected individuals from various risk groups, with evidence of ongoing and rapid expansion.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa/virology
  14. Tan, C.T., Chua, K.B., Wong, K.T.
    ASM Science Journal, 2009;3(1):91-96.
    MyJurnal
    The Nipah virus was first discovered in 1999, following a severe outbreak of viral encephalitis among pig farm workers in Malaysia. The virus was thought to have spread from Pteropus bats to pigs, then from infected pigs to humans by close contact. Mortality of the disease was high at about 40%. The main necropsy finding was disseminated microinfarction associated with vasculitis and direct neuronal involvement. Relapsed encephalitis was seen in approximately 10% of those who survived the initial illness. Since its first recorded emergence in peninsular Malaysia, 10 outbreaks of Nipah virus encephalitis have been reported in Bangladesh and West Bengal in India. The outbreaks occurred from January to May, with Pteropus giganteus as the reservoir of the virus. In Bangladesh, evidence indicated that the virus transmitted directly from bats to human, with human to human transmission as an important mode of spread. The mortality of the illness was higher in Bangladesh which stood at around 70%. This was likely to be due to genetic variation of the virus.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  15. Tan SC, Chong CW, Yap IKS, Thong KL, Teh CSJ
    Sci Rep, 2020 Jun 02;10(1):8997.
    PMID: 32488118 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65891-4
    The gastrointestinal tract of humans and swine consist of a wide range of bacteria which interact with hosts metabolism. Due to the differences in co-evolution and co-adaptation, a large fraction of the gut microbiome is host-specific. In this study, we evaluated the effect of close human-animal interaction to the faecal metagenome and metabonome of swine, farmer and human control. Three distinct clusters were observed based on T-RFLP-derived faecal microbial composition. However, 16S-inferred faecal microbiota and metabolic profiles showed that only human control was significantly different from the swine (P 
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa/microbiology*
  16. Tan LL, Ahmed SA, Ng SK, Citartan M, Raabe CA, Rozhdestvensky TS, et al.
    Food Chem, 2020 Mar 30;309:125654.
    PMID: 31678669 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.125654
    A specialized DNA extraction method and a SYBR Green quantitative polymerase chain reaction (SyG-qPCR) assay were combined to generate a ready-to-use kit for rapid detection of porcine admixtures in processed meat products. Our qPCR assay utilized repetitive LINE-1 elements specific to the genome of Sus scrofa domesticus (pig) as a target and incorporated internal controls. We improved the genomic DNA extraction method, and reduced extraction times to the minimum. The method was validated for specificity, sensitivity (0.001% w/w) and robustness, and values were compared with those of a commercially available kit. We also tested our method using 121 processed food products and consistently detected amplification only in samples containing pork. Due to its efficiency and cost-effectiveness, our method represents a valuable new method for detecting food adulteration with pork that is superior to existing quality control approaches.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa/genetics
  17. Sun GG, Lei JJ, Guo KX, Liu RD, Long SR, Zhang X, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2019 Sep 01;36(3):792-802.
    PMID: 33597500
    A putative serine protease of T. spiralis (TsSP) was expressed in Escherichia coli and its potential as a diagnostic antigen was primarily assessed in this study. Anti-Trichinella IgG in serum samples from T. spiralis different animal hosts (mice, rats, pigs and rabbits) were detected on Western blot analysis with rTsSP. Anti-Trichinella antibodies were detected in 100% (30/30) of experimentally infected mice by rTsSP-ELISA. Cross-reactions of rTsSPELISA were not found with sera from mice infected with other parasites (S. erinaceieuropaei, S. japonicum, C. sinensis, A. cantonensis and T. gondii) and sera from normal mice. There was no statistical difference in antibody detection rate among mice infected with the encapsulated Trichinella species (T. spiralis, T. nativa, T. britovi, and T. nelsoni) (P>0.05). The results of rTsSP-ELISA showed that serum specific antibody IgG in mice infected with 100 or 500 T. spiralis muscle larvae (ML) were detectable early at 7-8 dpi, but not detected by ML ES antigen-ELISA prior to 10-12 dpi. Specific anti-Trichinella IgG was detected in 100% (18/18) of infected pigs by rTsSP-ELISA and ES-ELISA, but no specific antibodies was not detected in 20 conventionally raised normal pigs by two antigens. The results showed the rTsSP had the potential for early serodiagnosis of animal Trichinella infection, however it requires to be assayed with early infection sera of swine infected with Trichinella and other parasites.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  18. Sherrini BA, Chong TT
    Med J Malaysia, 2014 Aug;69 Suppl A:103-11.
    PMID: 25417957
    Between September 1998 to May 1999, Malaysia and Singapore were hit by an outbreak of fatal encephalitis caused by a novel virus from the paramyxovirus family. This virus was subsequently named as Nipah virus, after the Sungei Nipah village in Negeri Sembilan, where the virus was first isolated. The means of transmission was thought to be from bats-topigs and subsequently pigs-to-human. Since 2001, almost yearly outbreak of Nipah encephalitis has been reported from Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. These outbreaks were characterized by direct bats-to-human, and human-to-human spread of infection. Nipah virus shares many similar characteristics to Hendra virus, first isolated in an outbreak of respiratory illness involving horses in Australia in 1994. Because of their homology, a new genus called Henipavirus (Hendra + Nipah) was introduced. Henipavirus infection is a human disease manifesting most often as acute encephalitis (which may be relapsing or late-onset) or pneumonia, with a high mortality rate. Pteropus bats act as reservoir for the virus, which subsequently lead to human spread. Transmission may be from consumption of food contaminated by bats secretion, contact with infected animals, or human-to-human spread. With wide geographical distribution of Pteropus bats, Henipavirus infection has become an important emerging human infection with worldwide implication.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  19. Samsudin A, Eames I, Brocchini S, Khaw PT
    J Glaucoma, 2016 Jan;25(1):e39-45.
    PMID: 25719236 DOI: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000000243
    PURPOSE: ExPress devices are available as P50 and P200 models, the numbers related to their luminal diameters in μm. We compared their Poiseuille's Law-based theoretical resistance values with experimental values and correlated these with their luminal dimensions derived from electron microscopy.

    METHODS: Scanning electron microscopy was performed on P50 and P200 devices. Bench-top flow studies were performed to find the resistances of the devices. Devices were also incorporated into a perfused, ex vivo porcine sclera model to test and compare their control of pressure, with and without overlying scleral flaps, and with trabeculectomies.

    RESULTS: The luminal dimensions of the P200 device were 206.4±3.3 and 204.5±0.9 μm at the subconjunctival space and anterior chamber ends, respectively. Those of the P50 device were 205.0±5.8 and 206.9±3.7 μm, respectively. There were no significant differences between the P200 and P50 devices (all P>0.05). The resistances of the P200 and P50 devices were 0.010±0.001 and 0.054±0.002 mm Hg/μL/min, respectively (P<0.05). Equilibrium pressures with overlying scleral flaps were 17.81±3.30 mm Hg for the P50, 17.31±4.24 mm Hg for the P200, and 16.28±6.67 mm Hg for trabeculectomies (P=0.850).

    CONCLUSIONS: The luminal diameters of both devices are externally similar. The effective luminal diameter of the P50 is much larger than 50 μm. Both devices have low resistance values, making them unlikely to prevent hypotony on their own. They lead to similar equilibrium pressures as the trabeculectomy procedure when inserted under the scleral flap.

    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
  20. Sahu PS, Lim YAL, Mahmud R, Somanath SD, Tan CT, Ramachandran CP
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2017 Apr;10(4):332-340.
    PMID: 28552103 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.03.024
    Seizures due to neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a neglected human-to-human transmitted disorder and an emerging problem worldwide. A substantial portion of recent onset seizures is known to be attributed to NCC in Taenia solium (T. solium) endemic areas where populations which neither raise pigs nor eat pig meat are also at risk. High prevalence of NCC causing epilepsy has been reported in the underdeveloped areas of Southeast Asia (SEA) however, only fragmentary information on its incidence is available in countries like Malaysia. In Malaysia T. solium infection was previously thought to be infrequent due to Muslim population majority and the religious prohibition of consuming pork, but it is not totally absent. There is an evident lack of knowledge and awareness of the actual burden, routes of transmission, and the impact of NCC in this region. The problem is assumed to be more prevalent particularly in cities because of the frequent inflow of possibly T. solium infected individuals or carriers among those who migrate from neighboring endemic countries to Malaysia. The issue of imported cases that are likely to be emerging in Malaysia is highlighted here. An accurate quantification of regional burdens of epilepsy due to NCC in Malaysia is warranted considering the disease emergence in its neighboring countries. It is suggested that the importance of NCC be recognized through quantification of its burden, and also to collect epidemiological data for its subsequent elimination in line of World Health Organization's mission for control of cysticercosis as a neglected tropical disease. In this review the need as well as a strategy for neuro-care center screening of epilepsy cases, and various issues with possible explanations are discussed. It is also proposed that NCC be declared as a reportable disease which is one of the eradicable public health problems in SEA.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sus scrofa
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