Field surveys of ectoparasites on rodents and scandents were conducted in four localities of wildlife reserves in Peninsular Malaysia from October 2008 to November 2009. A total of 16 animals comprising 5 species of hosts were caught and examined for ectoparasites. The hosts examined were Maxomys rajah, Maxomys whiteheadi, Leopoldamys sabanus, Lariscus insignis and Tupaia glis. Of these hosts, 9 genera, consisting of 14 species of ectoparasites were extracted. Three species of ticks (Ixodidae), 7 species of mesostigmatid mites (Laelaptidae), 3 species of chiggers (Trombiculidae) and 1 species of listrophorid mites (Listrophoriidae) were identified. The infestation rate of ectoparasites observed ranged from 12.5% to 62.5%. Among the ectoparasites found, Ixodes granulatus and Leptotrombidium deliense are of known medical importance.
A survey on mange mite infestations in the aetiology of skin lesions in goats in Peninsular Malaysia is described. Skin lesions were observed in 25 (93%) of the 27 goat farms investigated. Mange mites were found in 22 (88%) of these goat herds. Chorioptes texanus was found in 20.7%, Psoroptes cuniculi in 19.3%, Sarcoptes scabiei in 18.6% and Demodex canis var. caprae in 0.4% of the samples, taken from the skin lesions. Thirteen cases of generalised manage were diagnosed, from which 9 were caused by S. scabiei, 2 by P. cuniculi and one by C. texanus. All other cases had more or less localised lesions. No significant differences could be found in incidence and distribution of skin lesions between age classes.
Nine soil samples from nine buildings infested with Coptotermes gestroi in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, were tested for the type of soil texture. The soil texture analysis procedures used the hydrometer method. Four of nine buildings (44%) yielded loamy sand-type soil, whereas five of nine buildings (56%) contained sandy loam-type soil.
The cat fur mite, Lynxacarus radovskyi Tenorio, 1974 (Acarina: Astigmata: Listrophoridae) is reported from cats, Felis catus from three sites in peninsular Malaysia. The first site is a Malay village, Kampong Menteri in Taiping, Perak, where the mites were found on local pet cats. The other two sites are urban cities of Kuala Lumpur, in the Federal Territory and Georgetown, in the island of Penang. Mites from the urban areas were collected from stray cats. Although several ectoparasites (fleas, mites, ticks and lice) have been previously reported, L. radovskyi is recorded herein for the first time on cats from peninsular Malaysia.
Demodex sp. merupakan ektoparasit kulit dan dikenali sebagai tungau folikel yang selalu didapati pada manusia pada semua peringkat umur, kaum dan kumpulan geografi. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk menentukan prevalens infestasi Demodex sp. di kalangan orang dewasa berumur antara 20 hingga 29 tahun di kawasan Lembah Klang dan menentukan kaitan infestasi ektoparasit ini dengan jantina dan masalah jerawat. Kajian ini merupakan kajian pertama penentuan prevalens infestasi Demodex sp. di Malaysia. Seramai 350 orang subjek telah dikaji yang mana pemilihan sampel dilakukan secara pensampelan rawak berstrata. Pengambilan spesimen dilakukan secara kikisan kulit pada kawasan muka iaitu dahi, hidung, pipi dan dagu. Spesimen dititiskan dengan medium Hoyer dan pemerhatian dijalankan di bawah mikroskop cahaya. Borang soal selidik diedarkan untuk mengetahui kehadiran jerawat pada kulit muka. Hasil kajian mendapati prevalens keseluruhan infestasi Demodex sp. adalah 18.9% dan lelaki menunjukkan infestasi lebih tinggi (25.7%) berbanding perempuan (12.0%) manakala tiada perbezaan bermakna antara masalah jerawat dan infestasi Demodex sp. Kesimpulannya, infestasi Demodex sp. hadir di kalangan satu perlima dari subjek dengan lelaki didapati lebih bermasalah.
Mite biodiversity and distribution in Malaysia is currently understudied. Most previous works on Malaysian Acari have focused on pest organisms of medical, veterinary, and agricultural concern, with a few recent studies centered on mites in forensic contexts. Previous literatures have targeted collection sites in forest reserves and/or mountains in either Peninsular or Malaysian Borneo, though the state of Sarawak had the least publications related to mite species descriptions despite having the highest number of nature parks of any state in the country. Most publications focused on the three states Selangor, Pahang and Sabah. Most of the mite species reported were from mammals (66.3%), with fewer species from birds (21.7%), arthropods (11.2%), and reptiles (0.8%). We believe that further work on the systematic documentation of mite species throughout Malaysia is necessary as it could generate useful tools, such as the use of mites as biogeographical markers or as forensic indicators. Therefore, this review catalogs mite species that have been documented in or on animal hosts in Malaysia and serves as a foundation for future work.
Demodicosis is an infestation of the skin with Demodex, an ectoparasite commonly found on the face. A cross-sectional study was conducted to detect the presence of the ectoparasite and the outcome of facial cleanser and moisturizer usage on its infestation. Universal sampling was performed among 390 medical students, age 20-25 years old in the Klang Valley of Malaysia. The biodata of the participants and information on the use of facial cleanser and moisturizer were obtained through questionnaire. Skin samples were obtained using both skin scraping and cellophane tape method and were subsequently examined directly by microscopy. The results show an overall prevalence of 17.2%. Males (21.5%) were affected more often than females (12.8%) (p = 0.022). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of the ectoparasite among different ethnic groups, age-groups and the presence of existing facial problems among the subjects. A lower infestation rate (11.45%) was found to be associated with the use of a moisturizer (p = 0.033). Both species of ectoparasites that infest man, Demodexfolliculorum and D. brevis, were detected in this study either as single or mixed infestations.
Accidental entry of insects and other arthropods is a common aetiology of aural foreign bodies (FB) presenting to accident and emergency departments. A retrospective study revealed that the FB in almost half (148) of 348 cases of aural FB investigated at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital was an arthropod. The most common arthropod encountered was the cockroach, followed by a cattle tick. The high prevalence of tick infestation of the human ear canal (i.e. human otoacariasis) currently appears to be unique to the Malaysian state of Kelantan. The presentation of patients with intra-aural ticks, the methods used to remove the ticks, the complications encountered, and recommendations for an appropriate course of action in such cases are discussed.
Stray cats collected from Georgetown, Penang from 2008 to 2010 were screened for ectoparasites via fine-tooth combing. Two cats from a total 102 examined were infested with the dog louse, Heterodoxus spiniger. Both cats, a juvenile male and female were found in close contact with each other prior to capture. The number of lice ranged from 5 and 14 in the male and female cat respectively. Other ectoparasites recovered included the common cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, one louse species Felicola subrostratus, one tick species Haemaphysalis bispinosa and one mite species of Listrophoridae. The present study reports for the first time the finding of H. spiniger on cats from peninsular Malaysia.
Trapping of small mammals was conducted at 5 study sites in Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) from 20-24 June 2005. A total of 11 animals comprising 2 species of rodents, Maxomys whiteheadi and Rattus exulans were caught from 3 sites, i.e from an area of mixed secondary forest and mangrove swamp; an area of mangrove swamp, and from an area of lalang fringing mangrove swamp. From these animals, the following 7 species of ectoparasites were found: Laelaps echidninus, Laelaps nuttalli, Ascoschoengastia indica, Leptotrombidium deliense, Hoplopleura pectinata, Hoplopleura pacifica and Polyplax spinulosa. One of the ectoparasites found, L. deliense is a known vector of scrub typhus and thus may pose potential health risks to visitors to KSNP.
Blomia tropicalis has been recognized as a cause of allergic diseases in the tropical and subtropical regions. Here we report the immuno-characterization of its group 2 allergen, Blo t 2. Allergen Blo t 2 was amplified from the cDNA of B. tropicalis using degenerate primers, expressed in Escherichia coli as a recombinant protein and purified to homogeneity. The mature protein of Blo t 2 was 126 amino acids long with 52% sequence identity to Der p 2 and apparent molecular mass of 15 kDa. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that Blo t 2 is mainly a beta-sheeted protein. We confirmed the presence of three disulfide bonds in recombinant (r) Blo t 2 protein using electrospray mass spectrometry. Thirty-four percent of dust-mite allergic individuals from the Singapore showed specific IgE binding to rBlo t 2 as tested using immuno dot-blots. IgE-cross reactivity assays showed that Blo t 2 had between 20-50% of unique IgE-epitopes compared to Der p 2. IgE binding of native and recombinant forms of Blo t 2 were highly concordant (r2 = 0.77, p
The aim of the present study was to estimate the epidemic situation of mites, in rabbit dermatologic disease in and around
Qena province, in the southern region of Egypt. Two hundred cases of dermatologic disease from the formentioned province
were investigated by conducting deep skin scraping between May 2011 and October 2012. The overall prevalence was
25%. Sarcoptic scabiei uniculi (22.5%) was the most frequent mite, followed by Notoedres cati cuniculi (2.5%). To the
best of our knowledge this is the first report of Notoedres cati cuniculi among studied rabbits in the study region. Study
on different breeds, English represents highest prevalence of mites 30%. Moreover, there was no significant difference
in the prevalence of mange mite infection between male and female rabbits (p > 0.05). Similarly, the prevalence was not
significant among the age groups and rabbit breeds (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the present prevalence of mange mites
was still high enough to cause significant economic losses in the study area. Therefore, strengthening the control effort
was suggested.
This is a retrospective study on bovine fascioliasis infection on cattle in Peninsular Malaysia, spanning from January 2007 to December 2017. Cattle were diagnosed with Fasciola based on the fecal examination and the results were reported to the Veterinary Regional Laboratories in Peninsular Malaysia. These records were analysed for the occurrence of bovine fascioliasis within that 11-year period. Records of annual diagnostic cases from five major Veterinary Regional Laboratories were examined: Bukit Tengah, Pulau Pinang (north); Kuantan, Pahang (east); Johor Bahru, Johor (south); Sepang, Selangor (west); and Kota Bharu, Kelantan (east). A positive fascioliasis infestation was calculated based on a number of positively infected cattle with Fasciola from a number of cattle examined. A total of 1988 cattle were examined during this period and 35 (1.76%) cattle were reported to be positive for bovine fascioliasis. Parasite infection was the highest at Bukit Tengah region (5.55%) where 19 cases were positive from 342 reported cases while, at Kuantan (4.96%), 15 positive cases were reported, unlike Johor Bahru (0.09%), with only 1 positive case from 1136 cattle examined. Sepang and Kelantan had no positive cases. These results showed that bovine fascioliasis was generally prevalent in the northern and southeast parts of the Peninsular Malaysia; however, there was no significant relationship between the region and the occurrence of fascioliasis.