Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 117 in total

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  1. Antigenic proteins of Helicobacter pylori of potential diagnostic value
    Khalilpour A, Santhanam A, Wei LC, Saadatnia G, Velusamy N, Osman S, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2013;14(3):1635-42.
    PMID: 23679248
    Helicobacter pylori antigen was prepared from an isolate from a patient with a duodenal ulcer. Serum samples were obtained from culture-positive H. pylori infected patients with duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers and gastritis (n=30). As controls, three kinds of sera without detectable H. pylori IgG antibodies were used: 30 from healthy individuals without history of gastric disorders, 30 from patients who were seen in the endoscopy clinic but were H. pylori culture negative and 30 from people with other diseases. OFF-GEL electrophoresis, SDS-PAGE and Western blots of individual serum samples were used to identify protein bands with good sensitivity and specificity when probed with the above sera and HRP-conjugated anti-human IgG. Four H. pylori protein bands showed good (≥ 70%) sensitivity and high specificity (98-100%) towards anti-Helicobacter IgG antibody in culture- positive patients sera and control sera, respectively. The identities of the antigenic proteins were elucidated by mass spectrometry. The relative molecular weights and the identities of the proteins, based on MALDI TOF/ TOF, were as follows: CagI (25 kDa), urease G accessory protein (25 kDa), UreB (63 kDa) and proline/pyrroline- 5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (118 KDa). These identified proteins, singly and/or in combinations, may be useful for diagnosis of H. pylori infection in patients.
  2. Fulltext Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from wild boars in Peninsular Malaysia
    Puvanesuaran VR, Noordin R, Balakrishnan V
    PLoS One, 2013;8(4):e61730.
    PMID: 23613920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061730
    Toxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protozoan that infects nearly one-third of the world population. The present study was done to isolate and genotype T. gondii from wild boar from forests of Pahang, Malaysia. A total of 30 wild boars' blood, heads and hearts were obtained for this study and 30 (100.0%) were found to be seropositive when assayed with modified agglutination test (MAT ≥ 6). The positive samples were inoculated into mice and T. gondii was only isolated from samples that had strong seropositivity (MAT ≥ 1:24).The isolates were subjected to PCR-RFLP analysis and all the Peninsular Malaysia isolates of T. gondii are of clonal type I.
  3. Fulltext Evaluation of Entamoeba histolytica recombinant phosphoglucomutase protein for serodiagnosis of amoebic liver abscess
    Ning TZ, Kin WW, Noordin R, Cun ST, Chong FP, Mohamed Z, et al.
    BMC Infect Dis, 2013;13:144.
    PMID: 23514636 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-13-144
    Amoebic liver abscess (ALA) is the most frequent clinical presentation of extra-intestinal amoebiasis. The diagnosis of ALA is typically based on the developing clinical symptoms, characteristic changes on radiological imaging and serology. Numerous serological tests have been introduced for the diagnosis of ALA, either detecting circulating amoebic antigens or antibodies. However those tests show some pitfalls in their efficacy and/or the preparation of the tests are costly and tedious. The commercial IHA kit that used crude antigen was reported to be useful in diagnosis of ALA, however high antibody background in endemic areas may cause problems in its interpretation. Thus, discovery of well-defined antigen(s) is urgently needed to improve the weaknesses of current serodiagnostic tests.
  4. Fulltext Laboratory detection of strongyloidiasis: IgG-, IgG4 - and IgE-ELISAs and cross-reactivity with lymphatic filariasis
    Norsyahida A, Riazi M, Sadjjadi SM, Muhammad Hafiznur Y, Low HC, Zeehaida M, et al.
    Parasite Immunol., 2013 May-Jun;35(5-6):174-9.
    PMID: 23448095 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12029
    Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed for the detection of IgG, IgG4 and IgE antibodies against Strongyloides stercoralis. A commercial ELISA (IVD Research, USA) was also used, and the sensitivities and specificities of the four assays were determined. Serum samples from 26 patients with S. stercoralis infection and 55 patients with other infections or no infection were analysed. Sensitivities of the IgG4 , IgG, IgE and IgG (IVD) assays were 76.9%, 84.6%, 7.7% and 84.6%, respectively, while the specificities were 92.7%, 81.8%, 100% and 83.6%, respectively. If filariasis samples were excluded, the specificities of the IgG4 -ELISA and both IgG-ELISAs increased to 100% and 98%, respectively. A significant positive correlation was observed between IgG- and IgG4 -ELISAs (r = 0.4828; P = 0.0125). IgG- and IgG- (IVD) ELISAs (r = 0.309) were positively correlated, but was not significant (P = 0.124). Meanwhile there was no correlation between IgG4 - and IgG- (IVD) ELISAs (r = 0.0042; P = 0.8294). Sera from brugian filariasis patients showed weak, positive correlation between the titres of antifilarial IgG4 and the optical densities of anti-Strongyloides IgG4 -ELISA (r = 0.4544, P = 0.0294). In conclusion, the detection of both anti-Strongyloides IgG4 and IgG antibodies could improve the serodiagnosis of human strongyloidiasis. Furthermore, patients from lymphatic filariasis endemic areas who are serologically diagnosed with strongyloidiasis should also be tested for filariasis.
  5. The effects of size and synthesis methods of gold nanoparticle-conjugated MαHIgG4 for use in an immunochromatographic strip test to detect brugian filariasis
    Makhsin SR, Razak KA, Noordin R, Zakaria ND, Chun TS
    Nanotechnology, 2012 Dec 14;23(49):495719.
    PMID: 23164811 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/23/49/495719
    This study describes the properties of colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with sizes of 20, 30 and 40 nm, which were synthesized using citrate reduction or seeding-growth methods. Likewise, the conjugation of these AuNPs to mouse anti-human IgG(4) (MαHIgG(4)) was evaluated for an immunochromatographic (ICG) strip test to detect brugian filariasis. The morphology of the AuNPs was studied based on the degree of ellipticity (G) of the transmission electron microscopy images. The AuNPs produced using the seeding-growth method showed lower ellipticity (G ≤ 1.11) as compared with the AuNPs synthesized using the citrate reduction method (G ≤ 1.18). Zetasizer analysis showed that the AuNPs that were synthesized using the seeding-growth method were almost monodispersed with a lower polydispersity index (PDI; PDI≤0.079), as compared with the AuNPs synthesized using the citrate reduction method (PDI≤0.177). UV-visible spectroscopic analysis showed a red-shift of the absorbance spectra after the reaction with MαHIgG(4), which indicated that the AuNPs were successfully conjugated. The optimum concentration of the BmR1 recombinant antigen that was immobilized on the surface of the ICG strip on the test line was 1.0 mg ml(-1). When used with the ICG test strip assay and brugian filariasis serum samples, the conjugated AuNPs-MαHIgG(4) synthesized using the seeding-growth method had faster detection times, as compared with the AuNPs synthesized using the citrate reduction method. The 30 nm AuNPs-MαHIgG(4), with an optical density of 4 from the seeding-growth method, demonstrated the best performance for labelling ICG strips because it displayed the best sensitivity and the highest specificity when tested with serum samples from brugian filariasis patients and controls.
  6. Fulltext Theoretical investigation on structural, functional and epitope of a 12 kDa excretory-secretory protein from Toxoplasma gondii
    Tommy YB, Lim TS, Noordin R, Saadatnia G, Choong YS
    BMC Struct Biol, 2012 Nov 27;12:30.
    PMID: 23181504 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6807-12-30
    BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular coccidian parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. It was estimated that more than one third of the world population is infected by T. gondii, and the disease is critical in fetuses and immunosuppressed patients. Thus, early detection is crucial for disease diagnosis and therapy. However, the current available toxoplasmosis diagnostic tests vary in their accuracy and the better ones are costly.

    RESULTS: An earlier published work discovered a highly antigenic 12 kDa excretory-secretory (ES) protein of T. gondii which may potentially be used for the development of an antigen detection test for toxoplasmosis. However, the three-dimensional structure of the protein is unknown. Since epitope identification is important prior to designing of a specific antibody for an antigen-detection based diagnostic test, the structural elucidation of this protein is essential. In this study, we constructed a three dimensional model of the 12 kDa ES protein. The built structure possesses a thioredoxin backbone which consists of four α-helices flanking five β-strands at the center. Three potential epitopes (6-8 residues) which can be combined into one "single" epitope have been identified from the built structure as the most potential antibody binding site.

    CONCLUSION: Together with specific antibody design, this work could contribute towards future development of an antigen detection test for toxoplasmosis.

  7. Isolation of viable Toxoplasma gondii cysts from brain samples for oral infection
    Puvanesuaran VR, Ibrahim N, Noordin R, Balakrishnan V
    Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 2012 Sep;16(9):1179-83.
    PMID: 23047500
    AIM: A method was developed to separate contaminant-free viable Toxoplasma gondii cysts from brain samples of infected mice for molecular biology studies and reinfection.
    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mice brains were homogenized and washed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) Tween 80 prior to fractionation using 19-22% dextran solution. Finally, the supernatant was purified by two-step membrane filtration (100-160 microm and < 10 microm) to obtain pure T. gondii cyst. The isolates were analyzed through microscopic observation, qPCR and by reinfection of new batch of mice.
    RESULTS: T. gondii cysts were best isolated with 21% dextran solution and two step filtration.
    CONCLUSIONS: The method was observed not to disrupt the integrity of the cysts containing bradyzoites. In addition, the isolated cysts in the filtrate were found to be contaminant-free, viable and able to infect healthy mice when introduced orally; which, mimics the natural infectivity pathway.
  8. Fulltext Detection of selected intestinal helminths and protozoa at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia using multiplex real-time PCR
    Basuni M, Mohamed Z, Ahmad M, Zakaria NZ, Noordin R
    Trop Biomed, 2012 Sep;29(3):434-42.
    PMID: 23018507
    Intestinal parasites are the causative agents of a number of important human infections in developing countries. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of selected helminths and protozoan infections among patients admitted with gastrointestinal disorders at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia using multiplex real-time PCR. In addition microscopic examination was also performed following direct smear, zinc sulphate concentration and Kato-Katz thick smear techniques; and the presence of protozoan parasites was confirmed using trichrome and acid-fast stains. Of the 225 faecal samples analysed, 26.2% were positive for intestinal parasites by the multiplex real-time PCR, while 5.3% were positive by microscopy. As compared to microscopy, the multiplex real-time PCR detected 5.8 and 4.5 times more positives for the selected helminth and protozoan infections respectively. Among the selected helminths detected in this study, hookworm was the most prevalent by real-time PCR, while Ascaris lumbricoides was detected the most by microscopy. Meanwhile, among the selected protozoa detected in this study, Entamoeba histolytica was the most prevalent by real-time PCR, however microscopy detected equal number of cases with E. histolytica and Giardia lamblia. This study showed that real-time PCR can be used to obtain a more accurate prevalence data on intestinal helminths and protozoa.
  9. Fulltext Real time anti-Toxoplasma gondii activity of an active fraction of Eurycoma longifolia root studied by in situ scanning and transmission electron microscopy
    Kavitha N, Noordin R, Kit-Lam C, Sasidharan S
    Molecules, 2012 Aug 02;17(8):9207-19.
    PMID: 22858841 DOI: 10.3390/molecules17089207
    The inhibitory effect of active fractions of Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia) root, namely TAF355 and TAF401, were evaluated against Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). In our previous study, we demonstrated that T. gondii was susceptible to TAF355 and TAF401 with IC₅₀ values of 1.125 µg/mL and 1.375 µg/mL, respectively. Transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations were used to study the in situ antiparasitic activity at the IC₅₀ value. Clindamycin was used as positive control. SEM examination revealed cell wall alterations with formation of invaginations followed by completely collapsed cells compared to the normal T. gondii cells in response to the fractions. The main abnormality noted via TEM study was decreased cytoplasmic volume, leaving a state of structural disorganization within the cell cytoplasm and destruction of its organelles as early as 12 h of treatment, which indicated of rapid antiparasitic activity of the E. longifolia fractions. The significant antiparasitic activity shown by the TAF355 and TAF401 active fractions of E. longifolia suggests their potential as new anti-T. gondii agent candidates.
  10. Use of prednisolone to aid propagation of Toxoplasma gondii in mice
    Puvanesuaran VR, Nowroji K, Sreenivasan S, Noordin R, Balakrishnan V
    Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 2012 Aug;16(8):1028-32.
    PMID: 22913152
    AIM: To determine the usefulness of prednisolone in increasing the number of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii tachyzoites and bradyzoites in mice.
    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mice were water-fasted prior to being immunosuppressed with oral inoculation of prednisolone. Tachyzoites of 7T gondii RH strain were inoculated into mice and the number of the parasites in the intraperitoneal fluids was then determined at 96 hs post-infection. In addition, tachyzoites of T. gondii ME49 strains were orally introduced into mice and the number of brain cysts formed was observed by microscopic observation at 45 days post-infection.
    RESULTS: T. gondii propagation was found to be significantly improved by introduction of the prednisolone (p = 0.0004); and the number of parasite showed positive correlation with the increment in dosage of prednisolone (r = 0.9051).
    CONCLUSIONS: The use of prednisolone greatly improved the number of parasite formed in mice: both tachyzoite and cyst forms.
  11. Fulltext Triplex PCR using new primers for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii
    Rahumatullah A, Khoo BY, Noordin R
    Exp Parasitol, 2012 Jun;131(2):231-8.
    PMID: 22561042 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2012.04.009
    Molecular methods are used increasingly for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection. This study developed a rapid, sensitive, and specific conventional triplex PCR for the detection of the B1 gene and ITS1 region of T. gondii using newly designed primers and an internal control based on the Vibrio cholerae HemM gene. The annealing temperature and concentrations of the primers, MgCl(2), and dNTPs were optimized. Two sets of primers (set 1 and 2) were tested, which contained different segments of the T. gondii B1 gene, 529 repeat region and ITS1 region. A series of sensitivity tests were performed using parasite DNA, whole parasites, and spiked human body fluids. Specificity tests were performed using DNA from common protozoa and bacteria. The newly developed assay based on set 2 primers was found to be specific and sensitive. The test was capable of detecting as little as 10 pg T. gondii DNA, 10(4) tachyzoites in spiked body fluids, and T. gondii DNA in the organ tissues of experimentally infected mice. The assay developed in this study will be useful for the laboratory detection of T. gondii infection.
  12. Fulltext A pilot study on cytotoxic T lymphocyte-4 gene polymorphisms in urinary schistosomiasis
    Idris ZM, Yazdanbakhsh M, Adegnika AA, Lell B, Issifou S, Noordin R
    Genet Test Mol Biomarkers, 2012 Jun;16(6):488-92.
    PMID: 22288822 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2011.0209
    Urinary schistosomiasis is caused by the digenetic trematode Schistosoma haematobium, characterized by accumulation of eggs in the genitourinary tract. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) can play an important role in parasitic infection due to its major role as a negative regulator of T-cell activation and proliferation. This study was performed in patients with schistosomiasis and healthy controls to analyze the allele and genotype frequencies of four CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms. The CTLA-4 gene was amplified using Taqman real-time polymerase chain reaction, and allele and genotypes of 49 patients with schistosomiasis were analyzed using allelic discrimination analysis followed by subsequent direct sequencing. The results were compared with healthy control subjects. The frequencies of CTLA-4 rs733618 A allele at position -1722 (p=0.001), rs11571316 C allele at position -1577 (p<0.001), and rs231775 A allele at position +49 (p=0.002) in the patient group were significantly higher than the control group. The rs733618 AA genotype (p=0.001), rs11571316 CC genotype (p<0.001), and rs231775 AA genotype (p=0.007) were also significantly overrepresented. Meanwhile, rs733618 AG genotype (p=0.001), rs11571316 CT genotype (p=0.02), and rs231775 GG genotype (p=0.029) were significantly decreased in the patients with schistosomiasis, as compared with the controls. No significant difference was observed in both allele and genotype of rs16841252. The results of this study suggest that the rs733618, rs11571316, and rs231775 polymorphisms in the CTLA-4 gene may influence susceptibility to schistosomiasis infection in the Gabonese children.
  13. Purification of recombinant antigen BmSXP used in panLF rapid kit for lymphatic filariasis
    Khoo TK, Noordin R, Santhanam A
    Indian J Exp Biol, 2012 Apr;50(4):256-64.
    PMID: 22611913
    A rapid antibody detection test is very useful for the detection of lymphatic filariasis, especially for certification and surveillance of post-mass drug administration. panLF Rapid kit is suitable for this purpose since it can detect all species of lymphatic filaria. It is based on the detection of anti-filarial IgG4 antibodies that react with recombinant B. malayi antigens, BmR1 and BmSXP. There is an increase demand for the test due to its attributes of being rapid, sensitive and specific results, as well as its field-applicability. The main aim of this paper is to obtain high recovery and purity of recombinant antigen BmSXP via a modified method of immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). The highest product yield of 11.82 mg/g dry cell weight (DCW) was obtained when IMAC was performed using the optimized protocol of 10 mM imidazole concentration in lysis buffer, 30 mM imidazole concentration in wash buffer, and 10 column volume wash buffer containing 300 mM salt concentration. This gave a 54% protein recovery improvement over the manufacturer's protocol which recorded a product yield of only 7.68 mg/g DCW. The recovered BmSXP recombinant antigen showed good western blot reactivity, high sensitivity (31/32, 97%) and specificity (32/32, 100%) in ELISA, thus attesting to its good purity and quality.
  14. Fulltext Duration of detection of anti-BmR1 IgG4 antibodies after mass-drug administration (MDA) in Sarawak, Malaysia
    Noordin R, Muhi J, Md Idris Z, Arifin N, Kiyu A
    Trop Biomed, 2012 Mar;29(1):191-6.
    PMID: 22543621 MyJurnal
    The detection rates of brugian filariasis in three regions of Sarawak namely Central, North and South after three courses of mass drug administration (MDA) from year 2004 to 2006 was investigated. A recombinant BmR1 antigen-based IgG4 detection test, named Brugia Rapid and night blood smear for microfilaria (mf) detection were used. All three regions recorded a sharp fall in mf positive rates after a year post-MDA. Meanwhile Brugia Rapid positive rates declined more gradually to 3.8% and 5.6% of the pre-MDA levels in the Central and North regions, respectively. This study showed that in filariasis endemic areas in Sarawak, anti-filarial IgG4 antibodies to BmR1, as detected by the Brugia Rapid test, were positive for one to two years after mf disappearance.
  15. Toxoplasma gondii excretory secretory antigenic proteins of diagnostic potential
    Saadatnia G, Mohamed Z, Ghaffarifar F, Osman E, Moghadam ZK, Noordin R
    APMIS, 2012 Jan;120(1):47-55.
    PMID: 22151308 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0463.2011.02810.x
    Infection with Toxoplasma gondii is widespread and important in humans, especially pregnant women and immunosuppressed patients. A panel of tests is usually required for diagnosis toxoplasmosis. Excretory secretory antigen (ESA) is highly immunogenic, and thus it is a good candidate for investigation into new infection markers. ESA was prepared from tachyzoites of RH strain of T. gondii by mice intraperitoneal infection. Sera were obtained from several categories of individuals who differed in their status of anti-Toxoplasma IgM, IgG and IgG avidity antibodies. The ESA was subjected to SDS-PAGE, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis. Antigenic bands of approximate molecular weights of 12, 20 and 30 kDa, when probed with anti-human IgM-HRP and IgA-HRP, showed good potential as infection markers. The highest sensitivity of the bands was 98.7% with combination of IgM and IgA blots with sera of patients with anti-Toxoplasma IgM+ IgG+. The specificities were 84% and 70% with sera from other infections and healthy controls in IgM blots and IgA blots respectively. By mass spectrometry, the 12 kDa protein was identified as thioredoxin. The two top proteins identified for 20 kDa molecule were microneme protein 10 and dense granule protein 7; whereas that for 30 kDa were phosphoglycerate mutase 1 and phosphoglycerate mutase.
  16. Fulltext Detection of Entamoeba histolytica in experimentally induced amoebic liver abscess: comparison of three staining methods
    Ning TZ, Kin WW, Mustafa S, Ahmed A, Noordin R, Cheong TG, et al.
    Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2012 Jan;2(1):61-5.
    PMID: 23569836 DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60191-3
    To compare the efficacy of three different tissue stains, namely haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), periodic-acid Schiff (PAS) and immunohistochemical (IHC) stains for detection of Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) trophozoites in abscessed liver tissues of hamster.
  17. Fulltext In vitro anti-Toxoplasma gondii activity of root extract/fractions of Eurycoma longifolia Jack
    Kavitha N, Noordin R, Chan KL, Sasidharan S
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2012;12:91.
    PMID: 22781137 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-91
    Toxoplasma gondii infection causes toxoplasmosis, an infectious disease with worldwide prevalence. The limited efficiency of drugs against this infection, their side effects and the potential appearance of resistant strains make the search of novel drugs an essential need. We examined Eurycoma longifolia root extract and fractions as potential sources of new compounds with high activity and low toxicity. The main goal of this study was to investigate the anti-T. gondii activity of crude extract (TACME) and four fractions (TAF 273, TAF 355, TAF 191 and TAF 401) from E. longifolia, with clindamycin as the positive control.
  18. Fulltext Optimal protein extraction methods from diverse sample types for protein profiling by using Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis (2DE)
    Tan AA, Azman SN, Abdul Rani NR, Kua BC, Sasidharan S, Kiew LV, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2011 Dec;28(3):620-9.
    PMID: 22433892 MyJurnal
    There is a great diversity of protein samples types and origins, therefore the optimal procedure for each sample type must be determined empirically. In order to obtain a reproducible and complete sample presentation which view as many proteins as possible on the desired 2DE gel, it is critical to perform additional sample preparation steps to improve the quality of the final results, yet without selectively losing the proteins. To address this, we developed a general method that is suitable for diverse sample types based on phenolchloroform extraction method (represented by TRI reagent). This method was found to yield good results when used to analyze human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), Vibrio cholerae, Cryptocaryon irritans cyst and liver abscess fat tissue. These types represent cell line, bacteria, parasite cyst and pus respectively. For each type of samples, several attempts were made to methodically compare protein isolation methods using TRI-reagent Kit, EasyBlue Kit, PRO-PREP™ Protein Extraction Solution and lysis buffer. The most useful protocol allows the extraction and separation of a wide diversity of protein samples that is reproducible among repeated experiments. Our results demonstrated that the modified TRI-reagent Kit had the highest protein yield as well as the greatest number of total proteins spots count for all type of samples. Distinctive differences in spot patterns were also observed in the 2DE gel of different extraction methods used for each type of sample.
  19. Fulltext Analysis of Entamoeba histolytica excretory-secretory antigen and identification of a new potential diagnostic marker
    Wong WK, Tan ZN, Othman N, Lim BH, Mohamed Z, Olivos Garcia A, et al.
    Clin Vaccine Immunol, 2011 Nov;18(11):1913-7.
    PMID: 21918120 DOI: 10.1128/CVI.05356-11
    Serodiagnosis of amoebiasis remains the preferred method for diagnosis of amoebic liver abscess (ALA). However, the commercially available kits are problematic in areas of endemicity due to the persistently high background antibody titers. Human serum samples (n = 38) from patients with ALA who live in areas of endemicity were collected from Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia during the period of 2008 to 2010. Western blots using excretory-secretory antigen (ESA) collected from axenically grown Entamoeba histolytica were probed with the above serum samples. Seven antigenic proteins of ESA with various reactivities were identified, i.e., 152 kDa, 131 kDa, 123 kDa, 110 kDa, 100 kDa, 82 kDa, and 76 kDa. However, only the 152-kDa and 110-kDa proteins showed sensitivities above 80% in the Western blot analysis. All the antigenic proteins showed undetectable cross-reactivity when probed with healthy human serum samples (n = 30) and serum samples from other infections (n = 33). From the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-two-stage time of flight (MALDI-TOF/TOF) analysis, the proteins were identified as heavy subunits of E. histolytica lectin and E. histolytica pyruvate phosphate dikinase, respectively. Use of the E. histolytica lectin for diagnosis of ALA has been well reported by researchers and is being used in commercialized kits. However, this is the first report on the potential use of pyruvate phosphate dikinase for diagnosis of ALA; thus, this molecule merits further evaluation on its diagnostic value using a larger panel of serum samples.
  20. Association of CTLA4 gene polymorphisms with lymphatic filariasis in an East Malaysian population
    Idris ZM, Miswan N, Muhi J, Mohd TA, Kun JF, Noordin R
    Hum Immunol, 2011 Jul;72(7):607-12.
    PMID: 21513760 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2011.03.017
    Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a parasitic disease caused by threadlike worms of the Brugia and Wuchereria species that live in the human lymphatic system. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) may play a key role in the pathogenesis of LF, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA4) expressed by Tregs is a potential candidate gene because it modulates T-cell activation. A case-control study was performed to establish a potential association of 5 CTLA4 gene promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs733618, rs11571316, rs5742909, rs231775, and rs16840252) with the occurrence of LF in an East Malaysian population (320 LF-infected individuals and 150 healthy controls). Polymorphisms were evaluated using TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction followed by direct sequencing. LF carriers of the rs733618 AG genotypes (p = 0.02) and those with combined minor allele G carriers (AG + GG; p = 0.01) exhibited a significantly decreased risk for LF. Among the asymptomatic amicrofilaremic cases, positive associations were reported for all genotypes and variants of rs733618 with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 0.27 to 0.45. In the asymptomatic microfilaremic cases, marker rs231775 exhibited a significant decreased risk, with ORs ranging from 0.50 to 0.57. The study has identified SNPs in the CTLA4 promoter gene that may be functionally linked with susceptibility to LF.
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