MyMedR

Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 650 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Serological Evidence of Zika Virus Infection in Febrile Patients and Healthy Blood Donors in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, 2017-2018

Ngwe Tun MM, Mori D, Sabri SB, Kugan O, Shaharom SB, John J, et al.

Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2021 Nov 22;106(2):601-606.
PMID: 34814105 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0802

Several Zika virus (ZIKV) seroprevalence studies have been conducted in Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas, and the Caribbean. However, studies on ZIKV seroprevalence are limited in Malaysia though several studies have shown that the disease is endemic in the Malaysian state of Sabah. To evaluate the seroprevalence of ZIKV infection, 818 serum samples were collected from febrile patients and healthy blood donors from the Kudat and Kota Kinabalu districts in Sabah from 2017 to 2018. They were screened for ZIKV infection by IgM and IgG ELISA, and positive ZIKV IgM samples were subjected to a 90% neutralization test for confirmation. Twenty-four (6% [95% CI 4 to 8]) confirmed and two (0.5% [95% CI 0.13 to 1.8]) probable ZIKV infections were detected among 400 febrile illness patients. Of 418 healthy blood donor samples, six (1.4% [95% CI 0.65 to 3]) were determined as confirmed ZIKV infections and six (1.4% [95% CI 0.65 to 3]) indicated probable ZIKV infection. This is the first study on the seroprevalence of ZIKV infections among patients and healthy blood donors in Sabah. Compared with previous studies in Malaysia, this study shows that the incidence of ZIKV infection has increased. It also suggests that a sero-surveillance system is essential to determine the circulation of ZIKV in Sabah, Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Fulltext Tides and Their Dynamics over the Sunda Shelf of the Southern South China Sea

Daryabor F, Ooi SH, Abu Samah A, Akbari A

PLoS One, 2016;11(9):e0162170.
PMID: 27622552 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162170

A three-dimensional Regional Ocean Modelling System is used to study the tidal characteristics and their dynamics in the Sunda Shelf of the southern South China Sea. In this model, the outer domain is set with a 25 km resolution and the inner one, with a 9 km resolution. Calculations are performed on the inner domain. The model is forced at the sea surface by climatological monthly mean wind stress, freshwater (evaporation minus precipitation), and heat fluxes. Momentum and tracers (such as temperature and salinity) are prescribed in addition to the tidal heights and currents extracted from the Oregon State University TOPEX/Poseidon Global Inverse Solution (TPXO7.2) at the open boundaries. The results are validated against observed tidal amplitudes and phases at 19 locations. Results show that the mean average power energy spectrum (in unit m2/s/cph) for diurnal tides at the southern end of the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia is approximately 43% greater than that in the East Malaysia region located in northern Borneo. In contrast, for the region of northern Borneo the semidiurnal power energy spectrum is approximately 25% greater than that in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. This implies that diurnal tides are dominant along the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia while both diurnal and semidiurnal tides dominate almost equally in coastal East Malaysia. Furthermore, the diurnal tidal energy flux is found to be 60% greater than that of the semidiurnal tides in the southern South China Sea. Based on these model analyses, the significant tidal mixing frontal areas are located primarily off Sarawak coast as indicated by high chlorophyll-a concentrations in the area.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
The Mosses of Crocker Range Park, Malaysian Borneo

Suleiman M, Masundang DP, Akiyama H

PhytoKeys, 2017.
PMID: 29118647 DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.88.14674

This paper reports the mosses from Crocker Range Park (CRP) in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. In total, 293 species, three subspecies and eight varieties belonging to 118 genera and 36 families are reported. This represents about 40% and 47% of the species and infra-specific taxa reported from Borneo and Sabah, respectively. Out of these, six species are new records for Borneo, namely Barbella horridula, Chaetomitrium lancifolium, Distichophyllum leiopogon, Rhaphidostichum luzonense, Rosulabryum capillare and Taxiphyllum taxirameum and 12 species and one variety are new to Sabah. With these additions, the current number of mosses in Sabah and Borneo are 651 and 766, respectively. The largest family of mosses is Calymperaceae with 35 species and one subspecies, followed by Sematophyllaceae with 32 species and two varieties and Pylaisiadelphaceae with 21 species and one variety. In conclusion, CRP has a very high species richness of mosses which is the second highest in Borneo, after Mount Kinabalu.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Fulltext The effects of catchment and riparian forest quality on stream environmental conditions across a tropical rainforest and oil palm landscape in Malaysian Borneo

Luke SH, Barclay H, Bidin K, Chey VK, Ewers RM, Foster WA, et al.

Ecohydrology, 2017 06;10(4):e1827.
PMID: 28706573 DOI: 10.1002/eco.1827

Freshwaters provide valuable habitat and important ecosystem services but are threatened worldwide by habitat loss and degradation. In Southeast Asia, rainforest streams are particularly threatened by logging and conversion to oil palm, but we lack information on the impacts of this on freshwater environmental conditions, and the relative importance of catchment versus riparian-scale disturbance. We studied 16 streams in Sabah, Borneo, including old-growth forest, logged forest, and oil palm sites. We assessed forest quality in riparian zones and across the whole catchment and compared it with stream environmental conditions including water quality, structural complexity, and organic inputs. We found that streams with the highest riparian forest quality were nearly 4 °C cooler, over 20 cm deeper, had over 40% less sand, greater canopy cover, more stored leaf litter, and wider channels than oil palm streams with the lowest riparian forest quality. Other variables were significantly related to catchment-scale forest quality, with streams in the highest quality forest catchments having 40% more bedrock and 20 times more dead wood, along with higher phosphorus, and lower nitrate-N levels compared to streams with the lowest catchment-scale forest quality. Although riparian buffer strips went some way to protecting waterways, they did not maintain fully forest-like stream conditions. In addition, logged forest streams still showed signs of disturbance 10-15 years after selective logging. Our results suggest that maintenance and restoration of buffer strips can help to protect healthy freshwater ecosystems but logging practices and catchment-scale forest management also need to be considered.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Correlation and persistence of hunting and logging impacts on tropical rainforest mammals

Brodie JF, Giordano AJ, Zipkin EF, Bernard H, Mohd-Azlan J, Ambu L

Conserv Biol, 2015 Feb;29(1):110-21.
PMID: 25196079 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12389

Humans influence tropical rainforest animals directly via exploitation and indirectly via habitat disturbance. Bushmeat hunting and logging occur extensively in tropical forests and have large effects on particular species. But how they alter animal diversity across landscape scales and whether their impacts are correlated across species remain less known. We used spatially widespread measurements of mammal occurrence across Malaysian Borneo and recently developed multispecies hierarchical models to assess the species richness of medium- to large-bodied terrestrial mammals while accounting for imperfect detection of all species. Hunting was associated with 31% lower species richness. Moreover, hunting remained high even where richness was very low, highlighting that hunting pressure persisted even in chronically overhunted areas. Newly logged sites had 11% lower species richness than unlogged sites, but sites logged >10 years previously had richness levels similar to those in old-growth forest. Hunting was a more serious long-term threat than logging for 91% of primate and ungulate species. Hunting and logging impacts across species were not correlated across taxa. Negative impacts of hunting were the greatest for common mammalian species, but commonness versus rarity was not related to species-specific impacts of logging. Direct human impacts appeared highly persistent and lead to defaunation of certain areas. These impacts were particularly severe for species of ecological importance as seed dispersers and herbivores. Indirect impacts were also strong but appeared to attenuate more rapidly than previously thought. The lack of correlation between direct and indirect impacts across species highlights that multifaceted conservation strategies may be needed for mammal conservation in tropical rainforests, Earth's most biodiverse ecosystems.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Evaluating multispecies landscape connectivity in a threatened tropical mammal community

Brodie JF, Giordano AJ, Dickson B, Hebblewhite M, Bernard H, Mohd-Azlan J, et al.

Conserv Biol, 2015 Feb;29(1):122-32.
PMID: 25065425 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12337

Habitat corridors are important tools for maintaining connectivity in increasingly fragmented landscapes, but generally they have been considered in single-species approaches. Corridors intended to facilitate the movement of multiple species could increase persistence of entire communities, but at the likely cost of being less efficient for any given species than a corridor intended specifically for that species. There have been few tests of the trade-offs between single- and multispecies corridor approaches. We assessed single-species and multispecies habitat corridors for 5 threatened mammal species in tropical forests of Borneo. We generated maps of the cost of movement across the landscape for each species based on the species' local abundance as estimated through hierarchical modeling of camera-trap data with biophysical and anthropogenic covariates. Elevation influenced local abundance of banded civets (Hemigalus derbyanus) and sun bears (Helarctos malayanus). Increased road density was associated with lower local abundance of Sunda clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi) and higher local abundance of sambar deer (Rusa unicolor). Pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) local abundance was lower in recently logged areas. An all-species-combined connectivity scenario with least-cost paths and 1 km buffers generated total movement costs that were 27% and 23% higher for banded civets and clouded leopards, respectively, than the connectivity scenarios for those species individually. A carnivore multispecies connectivity scenario, however, increased movement cost by 2% for banded civets and clouded leopards. Likewise, an herbivore multispecies scenario provided more effective connectivity than the all-species-combined scenario for sambar and macaques. We suggest that multispecies habitat connectivity plans be tailored to groups of ecologically similar, disturbance-sensitive species to maximize their effectiveness.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Fulltext Four New Species of Nepenthes L. (Nepenthaceae) from the Central Mountains of Mindanao, Philippines

Gronemeyer T, Coritico F, Wistuba A, Marwinski D, Gieray T, Micheler M, et al.

Plants (Basel), 2014;3(2):284-303.
PMID: 27135505 DOI: 10.3390/plants3020284

Together with the islands of Sumatra (Indonesia) and Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia), the Philippines are the main center of diversity for carnivorous pitcher plants of the genus, Nepenthes L. Nepenthes are the largest of all carnivorous plants, and the species with the biggest pitchers are capable of trapping and digesting small amphibians and even mammals. The central cordillera of Mindanao Island in the south of the Philippines is mostly covered with old, primary forest and is the largest remaining cohesive, untouched area of wilderness in the Philippines. In a recent field exploration of two areas of the central cordillera, namely Mount Sumagaya and a section of the Pantaron range, four new taxa of Nepenthes were discovered. These four remarkable new species, N. pantaronensis, N. cornuta, N. talaandig and N. amabilis, are described, illustrated and assessed.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Fulltext Two New Nepenthes Species from the Philippines and an Emended Description of Nepenthes ramos

Gronemeyer T, Suarez W, Nuytemans H, Calaramo M, Wistuba A, Mey FS, et al.

Plants (Basel), 2016;5(2).
PMID: 27164153 DOI: 10.3390/plants5020023

With 50 species of the genus Nepenthes L. currently described from the Philippines, it is without doubt that the country, along with the islands of Sumatra (Indonesia) and Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei), should be considered the center of diversity of the genus. In this work, we describe two new species. One species, N. aenigma sp. nov., is from Ilocos Norte province on Luzon Island and has the-for Nepenthes-unusual ecological preference to grow in dense vegetation in deep shade. The other new species is from Mount Hamiguitan in Davao Oriental province on Mindanao Island. With this new entry, Mount Hamiguitan is now home to four endemic species (N. peltata, N. micramphora, N. hamiguitanensis, N. justinae sp. nov.). Furthermore, we provide an emended description of N. ramos based on field data. Nepenthes kurata is synonymized here with N. ramos.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Haemaphysalis (Kaiseriana) bispinosa Neumann (Ixodoidea: Ixodidae): evidence for consideration as an introduced species in the Malay peninsula and Borneo

Hoogstraal H, Lim BL, Anastos G

J Parasitol, 1969 Oct;55(5):1075-7.
PMID: 5391311
Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Fulltext The effectiveness of diabetes medication therapy adherence clinic to improve glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomised controlled trial

Alison C, Anselm S

Med J Malaysia, 2020 05;75(3):246-253.
PMID: 32467540

INTRODUCTION: In Malaysia, Diabetes Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic (DMTAC) in hospital settings significantly improved patients' glycaemic control and cardiovascular risk. Until now no randomised controlled trial of DMTAC has been done in a primary care setting where the access to subspecialist services (endocrinologists, expensive medication, etc.) is limited. The objective of this research is to compare the glycaemic control among diabetes mellitus (DM) patients between those received additional DMTAC service and those received normal clinic service in primary care settings.
MATERIALS AND METHOD: This was a parallel, randomised controlled study. The selected participants were patients aged 18 to 70 years with type 2 DM on diabetic medication who were being treated in Kota Samarahan Health Clinic with HbA1c above 8% and who never attended any education of DM prior to the study. The control group received normal clinic visits with consultations by a medical officer. The intervention group received four or more DMTAC visits in addition to normal clinic visits. The primary outcomes were HbA1c while the secondary outcomes were the occurrence of severe hypoglycaemia, weight gain and medication compliance of patients. The subjects were randomised by numbered envelope opened chronologically by the investigator during the initial assessment. All health care professionals (nurse, lab staff and medical officer) except DMTAC pharmacist managing the subjects were blinded as there were no markings on the patients notes indicating that they were in this study. The demographic data was collected during screening while health data including glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were collected at baseline, sixth month and one year.
RESULTS: In all, 100 patients were randomised into control and intervention groups (n=50 per arm). The change of HbA1c in the intervention group (mean=-1.58) was significantly more than the control group (mean=-0.48) at 12 months with a mean difference of -1.10% (p=0.005, Cohen's d=0.627). Both study groups had similar significant changes of subjects from non-compliance to compliance (control group, n=11 vs. intervention group, n=10). The changes of BMI after 12 months between control group (0.24 kg/m2) and intervention group (0.24 kg/m2) was not significant (p=0.910). There were no episodes of severe hypoglycaemia detected in both groups.
CONCLUSION: The addition of DMTAC service in primary care can improve glycaemic control among patients. The study was registered in the National Medical Research Register (Malaysia): NMRR-13-1449-18955.
Study site: Klinik Kesihatan Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Ecological surveillance of bat coronaviruses in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Tan CS, Noni V, Sathiya Seelan JS, Denel A, Anwarali Khan FA

BMC Res Notes, 2021 Dec 20;14(1):461.
PMID: 34930456 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05880-6

OBJECTIVE: Coronaviruses (CoVs) are natural commensals of bats. Two subgenera, namely Sarbecoviruses and Merbecoviruses have a high zoonotic potential and have been associated with three separate spillover events in the past 2 decades, making surveillance of bat-CoVs crucial for the prevention of the next epidemic. The study was aimed to elucidate the presence of coronavirus in fresh bat guano sampled from Wind Cave Nature Reserve (WCNR) in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Samples collected were placed into viral transport medium, transported on ice within the collection day, and preserved at - 80 °C. Nucleic acid was extracted using the column method and screened using consensus PCR primers targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene. Amplicons were sequenced bidirectionally using the Sanger method. Phylogenetic tree with maximum-likelihood bootstrap and Bayesian posterior probability were constructed.
RESULTS: CoV-RNA was detected in ten specimens (47.6%, n = 21). Six alphacoronavirus and four betacoronaviruses were identified. The bat-CoVs can be phylogenetically grouped into four novel clades which are closely related to Decacovirus-1 and Decacovirus-2, Sarbecovirus, and an unclassified CoV. CoVs lineages unique to the Island of Borneo were discovered in Sarawak, Malaysia, with one of them closely related to Sarbecovirus. All of them are distant from currently known human coronaviruses.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Fulltext Detection and molecular identification of blood parasites in rodents captured from urban areas of southern Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Perison PWD, Amran NS, Adrus M, Anwarali Khan FA

Vet Med Sci, 2022 Sep;8(5):2059-2066.
PMID: 35636429 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.849

BACKGROUND: Rodent species are well known for their potential as hosts and reservoirs for various zoonotic diseases. Studies on blood parasite infection in small mammals focused on urban cities in Peninsular Malaysia and have been conducted over the years. In contrast, there are information gaps related to molecular detection of blood parasites in urban areas of Sarawak that are associated with veterinary importance and zoonotic spillover potential. Increasing prevalence and transmission of blood parasite diseases is the most crucial public health issue, particularly in developing urban areas of Sarawak. Therefore, molecular identification studies were performed to determine and identify the blood parasites infecting rodents.
METHODS: A total of 40 rodent blood samples were analysed for blood parasite infection and a combined approach using polymerase chain reaction-based technique, and traditional microscopic examination (blood smear test) was conducted. 18s rRNA (Plasmodium spp.) and cytochrome b (Hepatocystis spp.) gene marker were used to identify the blood parasites.
RESULTS: Note that 67.5% (n = 27) blood samples were tested negative for blood parasites, while 32.5% (n = 13) blood samples collected were infected with at least one protozoan parasite. Out of 13 samples, 69.2% (n = 9) were detected with Hepatocystis sp., while 15.4% (n = 2) were positive with Hepatozoon ophisauri. Two individuals had multiple infections from both species. No Plasmodium spp. have been detected throughout this study using universal primer (targeted Plasmodium spp.); however, different parasite species which were H. ophisauri were detected.
CONCLUSION: Although there is no evidence of human infection from H. ophisauri and Hepatocystis sp. detected from the study, the data show the host species are heavily infected, and the information is essential for future prevention of zoonotic outbreaks and surveillance programmes. Therefore, it is suggested that the surveillance programmes should be incorporated in targeted areas with a high risk of disease emergence.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Fulltext Canopy structure drives orangutan habitat selection in disturbed Bornean forests

Davies AB, Ancrenaz M, Oram F, Asner GP

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2017 Aug 01;114(31):8307-8312.
PMID: 28720703 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1706780114

The conservation of charismatic and functionally important large species is becoming increasingly difficult. Anthropogenic pressures continue to squeeze available habitat and force animals into degraded and disturbed areas. Ensuring the long-term survival of these species requires a well-developed understanding of how animals use these new landscapes to inform conservation and habitat restoration efforts. We combined 3 y of highly detailed visual observations of Bornean orangutans with high-resolution airborne remote sensing (Light Detection and Ranging) to understand orangutan movement in disturbed and fragmented forests of Malaysian Borneo. Structural attributes of the upper forest canopy were the dominant determinant of orangutan movement among all age and sex classes, with orangutans more likely to move in directions of increased canopy closure, tall trees, and uniform height, as well as avoiding canopy gaps and moving toward emergent crowns. In contrast, canopy vertical complexity (canopy layering and shape) did not affect movement. Our results suggest that although orangutans do make use of disturbed forest, they select certain canopy attributes within these forests, indicating that not all disturbed or degraded forest is of equal value for the long-term sustainability of orangutan populations. Although the value of disturbed habitats needs to be recognized in conservation plans for wide-ranging, large-bodied species, minimal ecological requirements within these habitats also need to be understood and considered if long-term population viability is to be realized.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Fulltext Carbon declines along tropical forest edges correspond to heterogeneous effects on canopy structure and function

Ordway EM, Asner GP

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2020 04 07;117(14):7863-7870.
PMID: 32229568 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1914420117

Nearly 20% of tropical forests are within 100 m of a nonforest edge, a consequence of rapid deforestation for agriculture. Despite widespread conversion, roughly 1.2 billion ha of tropical forest remain, constituting the largest terrestrial component of the global carbon budget. Effects of deforestation on carbon dynamics in remnant forests, and spatial variation in underlying changes in structure and function at the plant scale, remain highly uncertain. Using airborne imaging spectroscopy and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, we mapped and quantified changes in forest structure and foliar characteristics along forest/oil palm boundaries in Malaysian Borneo to understand spatial and temporal variation in the influence of edges on aboveground carbon and associated changes in ecosystem structure and function. We uncovered declines in aboveground carbon averaging 22% along edges that extended over 100 m into the forest. Aboveground carbon losses were correlated with significant reductions in canopy height and leaf mass per area and increased foliar phosphorus, three plant traits related to light capture and growth. Carbon declines amplified with edge age. Our results indicate that carbon losses along forest edges can arise from multiple, distinct effects on canopy structure and function that vary with edge age and environmental conditions, pointing to a need for consideration of differences in ecosystem sensitivity when developing land-use and conservation strategies. Our findings reveal that, although edge effects on ecosystem structure and function vary, forests neighboring agricultural plantations are consistently vulnerable to long-lasting negative effects on fundamental ecosystem characteristics controlling primary productivity and carbon storage.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Transferrin C subtyping in Malaysians and in Indonesians from North Sumatra

Tan SG, Gan YY, Asuan K

Hum Genet, 1982;60(4):369-70.
PMID: 7106773

Malays, Chinese, and Indians from Peninsular Malaysia; Ibans and Bidayuh from Sarawak State; Kadazans from Sabah State, Northern Borneo; and Bataks, Minangkabau, and Javanese from North Sumatra, Indonesia, were subtyped for transferrin C by polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing. All nine populations studied are polymorphic for two alleles, TfCl and TfC2, TfC3 was polymorphic in six populations and present as a rare variant in the other three. The frequency of TfC1 ranged from 0.855 in Bidayuh to 0.711 in Javanese, that of TfC2 from 0.231 in Indians to 0.113 in Bidayuh, and that of TfC3 from 0.030 in Javanese and Chinese to 0.008 in Bidayuh. TfDchi is polymorphic in all the populations that we studied except in Minangkabau, in whom it is present as a rare variant, and in Indians, in whom it is absent.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Fulltext Borneocola (Zingiberaceae), a new genus from Borneo

Sam YY, Takano A, Ibrahim H, Záveská E, Aziz F

PhytoKeys, 2016.
PMID: 28127243 DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.75.9837

A new genus from Borneo, Borneocola Y.Y.Sam, is described here. The genus currently contains eight species previously classified as members of the Scaphochlamys Baker. The finding is based on the results of the morphological and molecular studies of Scaphochlamys throughout its geographical range and its closely allied sister groups, Distichochlamys M.F.Newman and Myxochlamys A.Takano & Nagam. Borneocola is nested within the tribe Zingibereae and its monophyly is strongly supported by both ITS and matK sequence data. The genus is characterised by several thin, translucent and marcescent floral bracts, absence of coloured streaks on the labellum and capitate stigma with two dorsal knobs. The genus is distributed in northwest Borneo and all species are very rare and highly endemic.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Pleuroscopy: early experience in an East malaysian state with high tuberculosis prevalence

Kannan SK, Lin WJ, Teck TS, Azizi AR

J Bronchology Interv Pulmonol, 2009 Oct;16(4):250-3.
PMID: 23168588 DOI: 10.1097/LBR.0b013e3181ba730a

Pleuroscopy using a flexi-rigid tube was introduced in Malaysia in late 2004 as part of the investigation for unexplained pleural effusion. Sabah, an East Malaysian state situated in Borneo, has the highest prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) in Malaysia. Therefore, exudative pleural effusion in Sabah was presumed to be predominantly because of TB.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Therapeutic aspects of pulmonary tuberculosis in North Borneo

BLAAUW KH

Med J Malaya, 1955 Jun;9(4):288-91.
PMID: 13253130
Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Some impressions of childbearing in tropical areas

Thompson B, Baird D

J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw, 1967 Jun;74(3):329-38.
PMID: 6026612
Matched MeSH terms: Borneo
Evaluation of the microplastics in bivalves and water column at Pantai Teluk Likas, North Borneo, Malaysia

Abd Rahman NN, Mazlan N, Shukhairi SS, Nazahuddin MNA, Shawel AS, Harun H, et al.

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 Mar;31(15):23178-23192.
PMID: 38418781 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32628-z

Microplastics (MPs) are a pervasive pollutant in the marine environment. Pantai Teluk Likas in Sabah, Malaysia is one of the most visited beaches where tourism, recreational, and fisheries activities are high in this area. Hence, the area suffers from severe pollution, particularly from plastics. This study aims to quantify the microplastic composition in terms of color, shapes, and polymer types in marine bivalves (Anadara granosa, Glauconome virens, and Meretrix lyrata) and water column samples from Pantai Teluk Likas. All samples were digested using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and incubated in the oven for at least 48 h. Serial filtration was done for each sample before they were observed under the dissecting microscope. The microplastics were identified and counted based on their physical attributes which were colors and shapes. The functional group of the polymers was determined using FTIR spectroscopy. Microplastics were found present in all samples collected. G. virens had the highest abundance of microplastics at 113.6 ± 6.5 particles/g followed by M. lyrata at 78.4 ± 3.7 particles/g. On the contrary, A. granosa had the least microplastics with an abundance of 24.4 ± 0.6 particles/g. Meanwhile, 110.0 ± 36.2 particles/L of microplastics were found in water column samples from Pantai Teluk Likas. Based on the analysis, fibers were the most common shape in bivalves, while fibers and films were common in the water column. In terms of colors, black, blue, and red were a few of the most abundant colors observed in both samples. The most common polymer detected in all bivalve species and water column samples is polycarbonate (PC), followed by polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Future study that focuses on the correlation between microplastic abundance in the marine biota and the water column is recommended to better understand microplastic availability and exposure.

Matched MeSH terms: Borneo

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links