METHODS: Plasmodium knowlesi, P. cynomolgi, P. coatneyi, P. inui and P. fieldi, were detected using nested PCR assays in DNA samples from 276 wild-caught long-tailed macaques. These samples had been derived from macaques captured at seven locations, two each in the Philippines (n = 68) and Indonesia (n = 70), and one each in Cambodia (n = 54), Singapore (n = 40) and Laos (n = 44). The results were compared with previous studies of malaria parasites in long-tailed macaques from other locations in Southeast Asia. Fisher exact test and Chi square test were used to examine the geographic bias of the distribution of Plasmodium species in the macaque populations.
RESULTS: Out of 276 samples tested, 177 were Plasmodium-positive, with P. cynomolgi being the most common and widely distributed among all long-tailed macaque populations (53.3 %) and occurring in all populations examined, followed by P. coatneyi (20.4 %), P. inui (12.3 %), P. fieldi (3.4 %) and P. knowlesi (0.4 %). One P. knowlesi infection was detected in a macaque from Laos, representing the first documented case of P. knowlesi in wildlife in Laos. Chi square test showed three of the five parasites (P. knowlesi, P. coatneyi, P. cynomolgi) with significant bias in prevalence towards macaques from Malaysian Borneo, Cambodia, and Southern Sumatra, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of malaria parasites, including those that are transmissible to humans, varied among all sampled regional populations of long-tailed macaques in Southeast Asia. The new discovery of P. knowlesi infection in Laos, and the high prevalence of P. cynomolgi infections in wild macaques in general, indicate the strong need of public advocacy in related countries.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Transmission electron microscopy revealed phage pPM_01 to be a siphovirus (the first reported virus to infect P. mirabilis), with its complete genome sequence successfully determined. The genome was sequenced using Illumina technology and the reads obtained were assembled using CLC Genomic Workbench v.7.0.3. The whole genome contains a total of 58,546 bp of linear double-stranded DNA with a G+C content of 46.9%. Seventy putative genes were identified and annotated using various bioinformatics tools including RAST, Geneious v.R7, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) BLAST, and tRNAscan-SE-v1.3 Search. Functional clusters of related potential genes were defined (structural, lytic, packaging, replication, modification, and modulatory). The whole genome sequence showed a low similarity to known phages (i.e., Enterobacter phage Enc34 and Enterobacteria phage Chi). Host range determination and SDS-PAGE analysis were also performed.
CONCLUSIONS: The inability to lysogenize a host, the absence of endotoxin genes in the annotated genome, and the lytic behavior suggest phage pPM_01 as a possible safe biological candidate to control P. mirabilis infection.
Methods: Faeces were collected under the roost ofE. spelaeaonce a week from December 2015 to March 2016. Plant DNA was extracted from the faeces, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified atITS2andrbcLregions and mass sequenced. The resultant plant operational taxonomic units were searched against NCBI GenBank for identification.
Results: A total of 55 species of plants were detected from faeces ofE. spelaeaincludingArtocarpus heterophyllus, Duabanga grandifloraandMusaspp. which are likely to be important food resources for the cave nectar bat.
Discussion: Many native plant species that had not been reported in previous dietary studies ofE. spelaeawere detected in this study includingBauhinia strychnoideaandUrophyllum leucophlaeum, suggesting thatE. spelaearemains a crucial pollinator for these plants even in highly disturbed habitats. The detection of many introduced plant species in the bat faeces indicates thatE. spelaeaare exploiting them, particularlyXanthostemon chrysanthus,as food resources in urban area. Commercial food crops were detected from all of the faecal samples, suggesting thatE. spelaeafeed predominantly on the crops particularly jackfruit and banana and play a significant role in pollination of economically important plants. Ferns and figs were also detected in the faeces ofE. spelaeasuggesting future research avenues to determine whether the 'specialised nectarivorous'E. spelaeafeed opportunistically on other parts of plants.
RESULTS: Apart from several named species of malaria parasites, long-tailed macaques were found to be potentially infected with novel species of Plasmodium, namely one we refer to as "P. inui-like." This group of parasites bifurcated into two monophyletic clades indicating the presence of two distinct sub-populations. Further analyses, which relied on the assumption of strict co-phylogeny between hosts and parasites, estimated a population expansion event of between 150,000 to 250,000 years before present of one of these sub-populations that preceded that of the expansion of P. knowlesi. Furthermore, both sub-populations were found to have diverged from a common ancestor of P. inui approximately 1.5 million years ago. In addition, the phylogenetic analyses also demonstrated that long-tailed macaques are new hosts for P. simiovale.
CONCLUSIONS: Malaria infections of long-tailed macaques of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo are complex and include a novel species of Plasmodium that is phylogenetically distinct from P. inui. These macaques are new natural hosts of P. simiovale, a species previously described only in toque monkeys (Macaca sinica) in Sri Lanka. The results suggest that ecological factors could affect the evolution of malaria parasites.
OBJECTIVE: To identify the association of SOCS1 gene hypermethylation in mediating IM Resistance.
METHOD: The SOCS1 promoter methylation level of 92 BCR-ABL non mutated IM resistant CML patients, 83 IM good response CML patients and 5 normal samples from healthy individuals were measured using Methylation Specific-High Resolution Melt (MS-HRM) analysis.
RESULTS: Both primers used to amplify promoter region from -333 to -223 and from -332 to -188 showed less than 10% methylation in all CML and normal samples. Consequently, there was no significant difference in SOCS1 promoter methylation level between IM resistant and IM good response patients.
CONCLUSION: SOCS1 promoter methylation level is not suitable to be used as one of the biomarkers for predicting the possibility of acquiring resistance among CML patients treated with IM.
METHODS: Brain tumor tissues and corresponding blood specimens were obtained from 45 patients. The ND3 10398A>G alteration at target codon 114 was detected using the PCR-RFLP analysis and later was confirmed by DNA sequencing.
RESULTS: Twenty-six (57.8%) patients showed ND3 10398A>G mutation in their tumor specimens, in which 26.9% of these mutations were heterozygous mutations. ND3 10398A>G mutation was not significantly correlated with age, gender, and histological tumor grade, however was found more frequently in intra-axial than in extra-axial tumors (62.5% vs. 46.2%, p<0.01).
CONCLUSION: For the first time, we have been able to describe the occurrence of ND3 10398A>G mutations in a Malaysian brain tumor population. It can be concluded that mitochondrial ND3 10398A>G alteration is frequently present in brain tumors among Malaysian population and it shows an impact on the intra-axial tumors.