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Fulltext Prevalence of Muscular Sarcosporidiosis in Slaughtered Domestic Pigs in Perak, Peninsular Malaysia

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: Prevalence
Prevalence of Fusarium Wilt Disease of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus Linn) in Peninsular Malaysia Caused by Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani

Din HM, Rashed O, Ahmad K

Trop Life Sci Res, 2020 Oct;31(3):29-45.
PMID: 33214854 DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2020.31.3.3

Fusarium wilt disease is one of the most problematic and destructive disease in cucumber production. The causative agents are Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani. These pathogens are soil borne and transmitted through infested soil and water. A field survey was conducted to study the disease prevalence in the major growing areas of cucumber in Peninsular Malaysia. Field study revealed that the disease was highly prevalence in the field with the disease incidence was in the range of 10%-60%. The morphological properties of F. oxysporum are microconidia (3.8-15.7 μm × 2.9-4.9 μm), macroconidia (14.8-38.5 μm × 2.4-5.7 μm) and number of septate was 1-4. While for F. solani are microconidia (3.39-14.63 μm × 2.36-4.44 μm), macroconidia (7.22-50.46 μm × 2.43-6.14 μm) and number of septate was 1-5. Based on molecular identification had confirmed that the disease is caused by F. oxysporum and F. solani with similarity index of 99%-100% based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequences. The pathogenicity test showed that the symptoms of Fusarium wilt disease was firstly appeared as yellowing of old leaves. Progressively, the infected plant will be wilted and finally died. The outputs of this study are highly important to establish an effective disease management programme to reduce disease prevalence and yield loss in the field.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Prevalence of Ectoparasitism on Small Ruminants in Kelantan, Malaysia

Syamsul VS, Okene IA, Yahya SNC, Hamdan RH, Lee SH, Tan LP

Trop Life Sci Res, 2020 Apr;31(1):45-56.
PMID: 32963710 DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2020.31.1.3

Kelantan is a chiefly agrarian state with abundant small-holder ruminant farms in the East Coast economic Region of Malaysia. Ectoparasitism affects small ruminant production in Malaysia. It often causes reduction in meat quality and milk production which affect the farmers' income. To date, no report for the prevalence of ectoparasitism on small ruminant in Kelantan compared to other state in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the prevalence and associated risk factor of ruminant ectoparasitism in Kelantan. Ectoparasites were collected by manual picking and skin scrapping from 462 sheep and goats in Kelantan between April and September 2017 (during dry season). 60% of the sampled animals were infested with at least one species of the ectoparasites. In this study, lice and ticks were the most prevalent ectoparasites on small ruminant, which were 43.64% and 22.98%, respectively. The high biotic potential of lice population on host might be one of the factors they become the most prevalent species found on the animals. There was no significant relationship between ectoparasitism prevalence and species of small ruminants (χ2 = 1.12, p = 0.293). However, there was significant variations in prevalence between the regions where the animals were sampled from (χ2 = 30.25, p = 0.002) and farm management system for both species. This present study provides baseline epidemiological data on the prevalence of ectoparasitism in small ruminant. This information is useful for the formulation of prevention and control measures in order to enhance ruminant productivity in Kelantan.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Prevalence of bimaxillary protrusion among UiTM orthodontic patients

Ruqoyyah Muslimat Othman, Noor Airin Aidil Koay, Sarah Haniza Abdul Ghani, Noraina Hafizan Norman

Compendium of Oral Science, 2019;6(1):1-8.
MyJurnal

Objective: To determine the prevalence of bimaxillary protrusion in general and the prevalence of skeletal Class I and dental Class I bimaxillary protrusion/ proclination among orthodontic patients attending postgraduate orthodontic clinic at Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sungai Buloh, Malaysia. Materials and Methods: This is a cross sectional study which was carried out in two stages. The first part involves a random selection of 100 extra-oral profile photographs taken from postgraduate orthodontic residents’ patient list. The photographs were taken using Canon digital SLR camera EOS 70D with macro lens EF 100mm (Canon Inc., Tokyo, Japan) with patients in natural head position. The photographs were visually analysed for its bimaxillary protrusion features by two operators. The second part comprises of analyses of extra-oral profile photographs as well as intra-oral photographs of right buccal segment view which was conducted in two separate sittings. In the first sitting, five assessors analysed 259 extra - and intra-oral photographs followed by 40 photographs assessed in the second sitting for skeletal and dental Class I bimaxillary protrusion/ proclination. Statistical analysis for Kappa score was performed to assess the agreement between assessors using SPSS version 23 and Stata version 13. Results: The first part of the study showed an average prevalence of 34% with bimaxillary protrusion in 100 orthodontic patients. Whilst in the second part, prevalence of skeletal and dental Class I bimax ranging from 28 -33 per cent and 38-40 per cent respectively with very good and good inter-reliability agreement for both component. Conclusion: The prevalence of bimaxillary protrusion in general among UiTM orthodontic patients was found to range from 31 per cent to 37 per cent. Whilst the prevalence of skeletal and dental Class I bimax ranging from 28-33 per cent and 38-40 per cent respectively.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Prevalence of depression among health sciences students: Findings from a public university in Malaysia

Fata Nahas ARM, Elkalmi RM, Al-Shami AM, Elsayed TM

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2019 6 1;11(2):170-175.
PMID: 31148894 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_263_18

Background: High rates of psychological problems including depression among university students have been reported in various studies around the world. The objectives of this study were to explore the prevalence of depressive disorder, as well as the associated sociodemographic factors (gender, origin, school, and year of study) among health sciences students.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 425 students from 5 different schools of health sciences at International Islamic University Malaysia, using the Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ-9).
Results: With a response rate of 85.9% (n = 365), the results showed a depressive disorder prevalence of 36.4%. The mean PHQ-9 score of the respondents was 8.10 (SD = 4.9), indicating mild depression severity. A statistically significant association was revealed between gender and severity of depression (P = 0.03), as well as between students' origin and severity of depression (P = 0.02).
Conclusion: The findings indicated high prevalence of depression among undergraduate health sciences students. While providing significant information to students' affairs department, the study findings suggest the necessity to address depressive disorder in health sciences university students in Malaysia. Future research is needed to confirm these results in larger samples.
Study site: International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan health campus, Pahang, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Domiciliary cockroaches found in restaurants in five zones of Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory, peninsular Malaysia

Jeffery J, Sulaiman S, Oothuman P, Vellayan S, Zainol-Ariffin P, Paramaswaran S, et al.

Trop Biomed, 2012 Mar;29(1):180-6.
PMID: 22543619 MyJurnal

The following domiciliary cockroaches were collected from restaurants in five zones of Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory, Malaysia using 1L glass beaker traps baited with ground mouse-pellets: Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus) (n = 820), Periplaneta brunnea Burmeister (n = 46), Blattella germanica (Linnaeus) (n = 12504), Supella longipalpa (Fabricius) (n = 321), Symploce pallens Stephens (n = 29) and Neostylopyga rhombifolia (Stoll) (n = 5). The following bacteria were isolated from 10 cockroach specimens: Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae ssp. pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae ssp. rhinoscleromatis and Serratia liquefaciens from 5 B. germanica; Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus, Citrobacter diversus/amalonaticus, Escherichia vulneris and K.p. pneumoniae from 3 P. brunnea; and Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter agglomerans 4, Escherichia adecarboxylate, E. vulneris, K. p. pneumonia, K. p. rhinoscleromatis and Proteus vulgeris from 2 P. americana.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Isolation of Campylobacter and Salmonella from houseflies (Musca domestica) in a university campus and a poultry farm in Selangor, Malaysia

Choo LC, Saleha AA, Wai SS, Fauziah N

Trop Biomed, 2011 Apr;28(1):16-20.
PMID: 21602764 MyJurnal

Insects, in particular house flies and cockroaches, have been shown to be associated with the spread of pathogens in livestock farms and in human disease outbreaks: among these pathogens are salmonellae and campylobacters. A total of 60 flies were caught in three locations: an animal teaching facility and a cafeteria in a university campus, and a poultry farm. Five percent (5%) and 13.3% of flies sampled were found to carry Campylobacter and Salmonella, respectively.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Prevalence of scabies and head lice among children in a welfare home in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Muhammad Zayyid M, Saidatul Saadah R, Adil AR, Rohela M, Jamaiah I

Trop Biomed, 2010 Dec;27(3):442-6.
PMID: 21399584 MyJurnal

This is a survey of 120 children for scabies and head lice infestations in a welfare home in Pulau Pinang. Children from this welfare home (Rumah Kanak-Kanak Taman Bakti, Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang) were randomly selected. Majority of them were Malays (72.5%) and the rest were Indians. The infestation rates were highest in the 10-12 years age group with 46% and 70% for scabies and head lice respectively. Head lice was more commonly seen in girls (65%) than boys (29%). Scabies was more commonly seen in boys (50%) than girls (16%). Overall prevalence rate for scabies was 31% and for head lice infestation was 49%.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Obesity among schoolchildren in Kuala Selangor: a cross-sectional study

Sumarni Mohd G, Muhammad Amir K, Ibrahim Md S, Mohd Rodi I, Izzuna Mudla MG, Nurziyana I

Trop Biomed, 2006 Dec;23(2):148-54.
PMID: 17322816

Childhood obesity is an established problem in many countries and emerging in others. Epidemiological data on obesity in children is essential in order to plan public health policy and services. A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of obesity in schoolchildren in the fifth grade of elementary school (10-12 years old) in the district of Kuala Selangor. Ten schools of which five are in urban and five in rural areas were selected consisting of 699 eleven year old schoolchildren from the three major ethnic groups. Using international cut-off points for obesity, we report an overall prevalence of obesity of 7.2%. Prevalence of obesity in urban children is 7.2% whereas in rural children it is 7.0 %. Analysed by gender, there were 8.9% obese boys and 5.3% obese girls. Among the 3 major ethnic groups, the Malays had the highest prevalence of obesity at 9.3% followed by the Chinese with 6.6% while among Indians 3.0%. The data obtained from this study suggests that obesity in Kuala Selangor children is a cause for concern in urban and rural areas.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Condemnation of lungs in abattoirs in peninsular Malaysia due to parasitic infection from 1998-2004

Lat-Lat H, Hassan L, Rehana AS, Sheikh-Omar AR, Chandrasegaram S

Trop Biomed, 2006 Jun;23(1):61-8.
PMID: 17041553

A study on causes of lung condemnation in 25 abattoirs from peninsular Malaysia for a period of seven years (1998-2004) was conducted by examining the records at the Department of Veterinary Services headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 5.3% of lungs from 233,417 cattle and buffaloes were condemned from 1998 to 2004. The main cause of condemnation was congestion (2.98%). The percentage of lungs that were condemned due to parasitic infection among the total population slaughtered was low (0.11%). Parasitic infection contributed to 2.1% of all lungs condemned. It was also found that the prevalence of parasitic infection in the lungs was generally much higher in buffaloes than in cattle.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext A review of human leptospirosis in Malaysia

El Jalii IM, Bahaman AR

Trop Biomed, 2004 Dec;21(2):113-9.
PMID: 16493403 MyJurnal

This paper reviews the literature on human leptospirosis in Malaysia from its first description in 1925 until the present day. Fletcher diagnosed the first case of human leptospirosis in Malaysia in 1925. Following Fletcher, many investigations on human leptospirosis in Malaysia disclosed a high prevalence of infection. These investigations indicated that the disease was endemic in the country. Examination of 1993 suspected human cases of leptospirosis by Tan indicated 28 % of the cases were positive. In a recent survey, 2190 serum samples from patients with different clinical manifestations in the country disclosed 12.6% were positive for antibodies to leptospires. The risk to leptospiral infection with respect to occupation, location, sex, race and age groups was demonstrated. Both civilians and military personnel were affected. Thirty-seven serovars from thirteen serogroups have been identified in the country. Recent studies on animal leptospirosis showed that the disease was highly endemic in the animal population. It is considered that the majority of leptospirosis cases in humans were due to association of man with animals and disease-infected environment.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Parasitological survey of schoolchildren from a highaltitude community from Tucumán Province, Argentina: Remarkable low detection of soil-transmitted helminths in comparison with coastal communities

Dib JR, Fernández-Zenoff MV, Oquilla J, Rudelli M, Lazarte S, González SN

Trop Biomed, 2015 Dec 01;32(4):800-804.
PMID: 33557474

The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among schoolchildren in Colalao del Valle, a high-altitude community in Tucumán province, Argentina, was investigated. The data revealed a high prevalence of parasitism (79.7%) with no significant differences in distribution by sex or age. Protozoa infections were the most common with Blastocystis hominis being the most prevalent (62.5%), followed by Giardia lamblia (29.7%), Endolimax nana (15.6%), Entamoeba coli (12.5%) and Iodamoeba bütschlii (3.1%). Interestingly, there was an absence of soil-transmitted helminths among the studied population which could be related to climate (variable temperatures, moderate rainfall) and soil type (clay).

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Episodic positive selection in the Cam734 haplotype and low prevalence of the A144F mutation in Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter gene among Thai isolates

Buppan P, Seethamchai S, Kuamsab N, Jongwutiwes S, Putaporntip C

Trop Biomed, 2018 Dec 01;35(4):861-871.
PMID: 33601836

Chloroquine resistance transporter of Plasmodium falciparum (PfCRT) is a food vacuolar transmembrane protein that mediates susceptibility of the parasite to chloroquine. A mutation at K76T of the Pfcrt gene is a key determinant for chloroquine resistance phenotype. In the absence of drug pressure, in vitro growth rate of chloroquine-resistance parasites was outcompeted by wild-type parasites unless intragenic compensatory mutations occurred. Chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum bearing the Cam734 haplotype known to circulate in endemic areas of Cambodia bordering Thailand contains 9 mutations in Pfcrt and exhibits both chloroquine resistance and comparable growth rate to the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain. To analyze the evolution of the Cam734 haplotype, codon-based analysis was performed by using the mixed effects model of evolution (MEME), branch-site random effects likelihood (BR-REL) and other related methods. Results revealed that the Cam734 haplotype has evolved distinctively from other known mutant haplotypes including the most common Dd2 haplotype in Southeast Asia. Evidence of episodic positive selection was detected at codon 144, characterized by c.[430G>T; 431C>T] (p.A144F), known to be indispensable for both chloroquine resistance and restoration of growth rate of the parasites. To survey the prevalence of mutations at codons 76 and 144 in Pfcrt among Thai isolates, restriction fragment analysis of 548 P. falciparum isolates collected from six endemic provinces of Thailand during 1991 and 2016 was performed. The 144F Pfcrt mutant was detected in 7 (1.28%) isolates. All Thai isolates analyzed herein harbored a mutation at codon 76 whilst the wild-type parasite was not found. The low prevalence of isolates bearing the mutation 144F in PfCRT could imply little or lack of survival advantage of this mutant in endemic areas of Thailand where the wild-type parasites seem to be absent or extremely rare.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Antimicrobial resistance patterns and genotypic diversity between clinical and water systems isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Cali, Colombia

Chávez M, Cabezas AF, Ferauds M, Castillo JE, Caicedo LD

Trop Biomed, 2020 Sep 01;37(3):650-662.
PMID: 33612779 DOI: 10.47665/tb.37.3.650

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is considered an opportunistic pathogen, causing a wide variety of infections in compromised hosts, also frequently develops multi-resistance to antibiotics and can colonize various habitats, including water systems. The main aim of this study was to investigate antibiotics susceptibility pattern, genotypic diversity and detection of resistence genes in P. aeruginosa isolates from clinical and aquatic environment sources. Of the 220 P. aeruginosa isolates examined, 48 were clinical isolates and 172 isolates from wastewater and freshwater. Susceptibility to eight antimicrobial agents was carried out by disk diffusion method. Clinical and environmental isolates were screened for the presence of the genes encoding blaKPC-2, blaCTX-M-9, blaPER-1, blaOXA-10, blaIMP-1, blaVIM-2 and blaampC by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Isolates were examined with PCR-SSCP analysis of partial DNAr 16S sequence. Isolates were mainly resistant to cefoxitin. Multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa (MDRPA) strains were found in 70% and 90.3% of the clinical and environmental isolates, respectively. The prevalence rates of â-lactamase genes were recorded (blaKPC-2 41.3%, blaVIM-2 36.8%, blaIMP-1 13.6%, blaCTX-M-9 10.9% and blaampC 10.5%,). The PCR-SSCP analysis showed three conformational patterns. All clinical isolates and most environmental isolates were grouped into a single cluster. In this study, we found that P. aeruginosa strains recovered from city water systems must be considered potential reservoir for ESBL genes, especially blaKPC-2 and blaVIM-2.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in pet and stray cats in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Tan LP, Megat Abd Rani PA, Sharma RSK, Syed Hussain SS, Watanabe M

Trop Biomed, 2020 Sep 01;37(3):542-550.
PMID: 33612769 DOI: 10.47665/tb.37.3.542

Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic protozoan that has a worldwide distribution, is known to infect many warm-blooded vertebrates. The feline species including domestic cats are the definitive hosts for Toxoplama gondii and shed the infective oocyst. There is lack of information on the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in cats in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to determine both the seroprevalence of T. gondii and the prevalence of T. gondii DNA in cats' feces in Klang Valley, Malaysia. 198 blood and 201 fecal samples were collected from pet and stray cats from the local council, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) and University Veterinary Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia respectively. The overall seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in cats in the Klang Valley was found to be 5.5%. There was a high prevalence (10.5%) of T. gondii DNA detected in the cat fecal samples in both pet and stray cats suggestive of T. gondii oocyst shedding. Stray cats showed a higher seroprevalence and molecular prevalence of T. gondii than the pet cats. However, comparative analysis using Chi-square test showed no significant difference between both groups (P>0.05). Higher prevalence (10.5%) of cats shedding T. gondii DNA as compared to the seroprevalence (5.5%) was found in the cat population in the Klang Valley. The high prevalence of cats shedding T. gondii DNA is alarming as this may directly reflect the number of oocysts excreted into the environment posing a significant public health hazard.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Seroepizootiological investigation on Goat Warble Fly Infestation (Przhevalskiana silenus) in Pothwar Plateau, Pakistan

Liaquat S, Qayyum M, Ahmed H, Arfeen RZU, Celik F, Simsek S

Trop Biomed, 2021 Jun 01;38(2):1-8.
PMID: 33973567 DOI: 10.47665/tb.38.2.031

Goat Warble Fly Infestation (GWFI) is also known as subcutaneous myiasis caused by Przhevalskiana silenus (Diptera: Oestridae). It is widely distributed in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. In goats, WFI is usually detected through conventional procedure which underestimated the infestation. The current study was designed to determine the serodiagonsis of GWFI (through IDEXX Hypodermosis serum antibody test) and also aimed to investigate its seroepizootiological profile in Pothwar region, Pakistan from 2013-14. The results showed that average seropositivity (ELISA kit) of GWFI was 18.5% whereas, it was 11% by using conventional procedure (Palpation method) depicting a significant difference (p<0.05). Higher seropositivity (30.8%) was observed in Jhelum district as compared to e Attock district (6%). The L1 larvae were found in September, while nodules start appearing in October to December and last until the end of February. The month wise peaks of optical density (OD) was higher in December which gradually decrease along with the end of winter season. The prevalence of GWFI revealed no significant difference among three host breeds (Jattal, Beetal and Tedy). According to the results, high infestation rate (28%) was observed in young animals of age group < 1 year as compared to old animals (> 2 years). Topographically, hilly areas (33%) provide favourable climatic conditions for the propagating of larval stages. Sex difference showed no significant difference. The seroprevalence varied significantly with respect to age, month, districts and topographical location. The current study proved that serologic diagnosis (commercial ELISA kit) as more sensitive and accurate for timely diagnosis of GWFI than traditional method. The information on the epizootiology of P. silenus in goats of Pothwar region would help in devising effective control strategies.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Factors influencing physical inactivity among adults in Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia

Tan KL

Med J Malaysia, 2019 Oct;74(5):389-393.
PMID: 31649214

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity remains the most important modifiable risk factor in preventing a variety of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and has been identified to be a risk factor for obesity, heart disease and cancers. This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with physical inactivity among the suburban adult population in Port Dickson district, Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a community based cross-sectional study involving 397 adult respondents conducted in February 2016. Data was collected by face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire. Data regarding socio-demographic factors (age, gender, ethnicity, education level, marital status and monthly income, working hours), current behavioural stage of physical activity and perceived benefits and barriers to physical activity were collected. Physical activity measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) with the cut-off point of less than 600 met-min per week was considered to be physically inactive.
RESULTS: The prevalence of physical inactivity among adult population was 36.3%. Factors significantly associated with physical inactivity included age, gender, marital status, working hours and current behavioural stage of physical activity.
CONCLUSION: Physical inactivity is high among the adult community in Negeri Sembilan district, Peninsular Malaysia and was strongly associated with age, gender, marital status, working hours and current behavioural stage of physical activity. It is important to identify individuals with physical inactivity and its associated factors early as this could severely affect the quality of life of the individuals.
Study site: Six housing areas in Port Dickson District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext Quantification of the misidentification of Plasmodium knowlesi as Plasmodium malariae by microscopy: an analysis of 1569 P. knowlesi cases

Mahittikorn A, Masangkay FR, Kotepui KU, Milanez GJ, Kotepui M

Malar J, 2021 Apr 09;20(1):179.
PMID: 33836773 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03714-1

BACKGROUND: Plasmodium knowlesi is recognized as the fifth Plasmodium species causing malaria in humans. It is morphologically similar to the human malaria parasite Plasmodium malariae, so molecular detection should be used to clearly discriminate between these Plasmodium species. This study aimed to quantify the rate at which P. knowlesi is misidentified as P. malariae by microscopy in endemic and non-endemic areas.
METHODS: The protocol of this systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (ID = CRD42020204770). Studies reporting the misidentification of P. knowlesi as P. malariae by microscopy and confirmation of this by molecular methods in MEDLINE, Web of Science and Scopus were reviewed. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS). The pooled prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the misidentification of P. knowlesi as P. malariae by microscopy were estimated using a random effects model. Subgroup analysis of the study sites was performed to demonstrate any differences in the misidentification rates in different areas. Heterogeneity across the included studies was assessed and quantified using Cochran's Q and I2 statistics, respectively. Publication bias in the included studies was assessed using the funnel plot, Egger's test and contour-enhanced funnel plot.
RESULTS: Among 375 reviewed studies, 11 studies with a total of 1569 confirmed P. knowlesi cases in humans were included. Overall, the pooled prevalence of the misidentification of P. knowlesi as P. malariae by microscopy was estimated at 57% (95% CI 37-77%, I2: 99.3%). Subgroup analysis demonstrated the highest rate of misidentification in Sawarak, Malaysia (87%, 95% CI 83-90%, I2: 95%), followed by Sabah, Malaysia (85%, 95% CI 79-92%, I2: 85.1%), Indonesia (16%, 95% CI 6-38%), and then Thailand (4%, 95% CI 2-9%, I2: 95%).
CONCLUSION: Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all P. malariae-positive diagnoses made by microscopy in P. knowlesi endemic areas be reported as P. malariae/P. knowlesi malaria, the possibility of microscopists misidentifying P. knowlesi as P. malariae is a diagnostic challenge. The use of molecular techniques in cases with malariae-like Plasmodium with high parasite density as determined by microscopy could help identify human P. knowlesi cases in non-endemic countries.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
The Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR): Prevalence and Factors Associated With Vision Impairment in an Urban Population in Malaysia

Jamaluddin Ahmad M, Maw Pin T, Khaliddin N, Effendi-Tenang I, Amir NN, Kamaruzzaman SB, et al.

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2020 12 29;33(2-3):280-286.
PMID: 33375833 DOI: 10.1177/1010539520983667

Low vision and blindness are major health issues affecting ageing population. This cross-sectional study aims to determine the prevalence of visual impairment (VI) in Petaling Jaya North, Petaling Jaya South, and Lembah Pantai using data from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research. There were 1322 participants aged ≥55 years selected by random sampling from parliamentary electoral rolls. Visual acuity was assessed using the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution chart at 4 m distance. The overall population-adjusted prevalence of VI was 9.0%. The estimated prevalence of VI was highest in Malays followed by Indians and Chinese. Following adjustments for ethnic discrepancies in age, marital status, education level, gender and medical illness, the Malay ethnicity remained an independent association for VI. Education level was associated with Indian ethnicity. In conclusion, the Malay ethnicity and lower education level among Indian ethnicity were found to be associated with VI among the older population in Malaysia. The Malay ethnicity showed the highest prevalence of VI followed by Indians and Chinese.

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence
Fulltext A holistic approach is needed to control the perpetual burden of soil-transmitted helminth infections among indigenous schoolchildren in Malaysia

Nasr NA, Al-Mekhlafi HM, Lim YAL, Elyana FN, Sady H, Atroosh WM, et al.

Pathog Glob Health, 2020 05;114(3):145-159.
PMID: 32249689 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2020.1747855

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,142 Orang Ali schoolchildren in six states of Peninsular Malaysia to investigate the current prevalence and risk factors of STH infections. Faecal samples were examined using direct smear, formalin-ether sedimentation, Kato-Katz, and Harada-Mori methods. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect information on the demographic, socioeconomic, personal hygiene, and health status of the participants. Overall, 70.1% (95% CI = 67.4, 72.7) of the participants were infected with at least one of the STH species. The prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm infections was 63.1%, 61.8% and 11.5%, respectively. Moderate-to-heavy STH infections accounted for 61.3% of the total infections. Univariate and logistic regression analyses revealed different sets of risk factors, with age (> 10 years) being the significant risk factor of all three STH species. Moreover, other species-specific risk factors were identified including being a member of the Senoi tribe, family size (≥ 7 members), school size (150-250 pupils), maternal unemployment, unimproved source of drinking water, lacking improved toilet in the house, inadequate WASH facilities at school, not washing hands before eating, and not washing fruits before eating; presence of domestic animals, and not wearing shoes when outside. The high prevalence of STH infections found in the study population exceeds the WHO policy intervention threshold (20% prevalence). Thus, an innovative holistic approach should be adopted to control STH infections among these children as part of the efforts to improve the quality of life of the entire Orang Asli population. .

Matched MeSH terms: Prevalence

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