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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis: A Critical But Neglected Factor Influencing School Participation Of Aboriginal Children In Rural Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), among the most common neglected tropical diseases, is a major public health problem in Malaysia with a possible impact on the nutritional status and school participation of rural children. This study was carried out among Aboriginal schoolchildren, living in an endemic area for STH in Malaysia, to determine the possible relationship between intestinal helminthiasis and school absenteeism. We also evaluated whether successful treatment of the infection will affect school attendance among the subjects. Stool analysis revealed that more than 90% of the subjects were infected with at least 1 helminth species, with Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura …
The Burden Of Moderate-To-Heavy Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections Among Rural Malaysian Aborigines: An Urgent Need For An Integrated Control Programme, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, among the most common neglected tropical diseases, continue to be a major threat to the health and socioeconomic wellbeing of infected people especially children in developing countries. Methods: A cross-sectional study among 254 aboriginal schoolchildren was conducted in order to determine the current prevalence and intensity of infections and to investigate the potential risk factors associated with moderate-to-heavy burden of STH infections among these children. Results: Overall, 93.7% of children were found to be infected with one or more STH species. The prevalence of trichuriasis, ascariasis and hookworm infections were 84.6%, 47.6% and 3.9%, respectively. …
Seroepidemiology Of Toxoplasmosis In Renal Patients Seroepidemiology Of Toxoplasmosis In Renal Patients, Init Ithoi
Seroepidemiology Of Toxoplasmosis In Renal Patients Seroepidemiology Of Toxoplasmosis In Renal Patients, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
Toxoplasmosis is an important parasitic disease in immunosuppressed patients. This prospective study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence, associated risk factors and the incidence of clinically confirmed toxoplasmosis among renal patients at the University of Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We interviewed 247 renal patients, each of whom answered an epidemiological questionnaire, and collected blood samples for measurement of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies by ELISA. Overall seroprevalence of latent toxoplasmosis was observed in 126 (51%) renal patients. Race (Malays), marital status (married) and primary level of education, were all factors associated with a greater chance of Toxoplasma infection. …
Cloning And Expression Of Toxoplasma Gondii Dense Granular Protein 4 (Gra4) In Pichia Pastoris, Init Ithoi
Cloning And Expression Of Toxoplasma Gondii Dense Granular Protein 4 (Gra4) In Pichia Pastoris, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
GRA4 of Toxoplasma gondii has been shown to prompt IgG, IgM and IgA responses in previous studies and is thus considered one of the major immunogenic proteins from T. gondii that can be used for both diagnostics purposes and vaccine development. This study seeks to clone and express the GRA4 in Pichia pastoris, which has numerous advantages over other systems for expression of eukaryotic proteins. In order to achieve this, the gene was cloned into the pPICZ alpha A expression vector, which was then incorporated into the P. pastoris genome via insertional integration for expression of the recombinant protein, under …
Occurrence Of Giardia And Cryptosporidium (Oo)Cysts In The River Water Of Two Recreational Areas In Selangor, Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
This study is the first report on the occurrence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium (oo)cysts in recreational rivers water from Malaysia. It was carried out in water samples at two rivers, 'Sungai Congkak' and 'Sungai Batu', located in Selangor State. The occurrence of both Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum (oo)cysts was higher in Sungai Congkak (50% or 15/30 and 10% or 3/30 respectively) than Sungai Batu (16% or 5/30 and 3.3% or 1/30 respectively). The mean density of cysts/L was 0.72 in Sungai Congkak and 0.023 in Sungai Batu, and that of oocysts/L was 0.023 in Sungai Congkak and 0.0033 in …
Risk Factors Of Gastrointestinal Nematode Parasite Infections In Small Ruminants Kept In Smallholder Mixed Farms In Kenya., Agricola Odoi, J M. Gathuma, C K. Gachuiri, A Omore
Risk Factors Of Gastrointestinal Nematode Parasite Infections In Small Ruminants Kept In Smallholder Mixed Farms In Kenya., Agricola Odoi, J M. Gathuma, C K. Gachuiri, A Omore
Agricola Odoi
BACKGROUND: Helminth infections in small ruminants are serious problems in the developing world, particularly where nutrition and sanitation are poor. This study investigated the burden and risk factors of gastrointestinal nematode parasite infections in sheep and goats kept in smallholder mixed farms in the Kenyan Central Highlands. Three hundred and seven small ruminants were sampled from 66 smallholder mixed farms in agro-ecological zones 1 (humid) and 3 (semi-humid) in the Kenyan Central highlands. The farms were visited once a month for eight months during which a health and production survey questionnaire was administered. Fecal samples were collected at each visit …
Glycerol With Fetal Calf Serum - A Better Cryoprotectant For Blastocystis Hominis, Init Ithoi
Glycerol With Fetal Calf Serum - A Better Cryoprotectant For Blastocystis Hominis, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
In recent years, a growing number of reports have sug- gested that the protozoan parasite, Blastocystis hominis (Brumpt 1912), is a pathogenic cause of diarrhoea. It is imperative, however, that more studies are conducted on the various human isolates of the parasite before in- criminating it is a pathogen. In our laboratory we maintain human and animal isolates of Blastocystis using the monophasic medium Iscove's Modi®ed Dul- becco Medium (IMDM) as established by Ho et al. (1993), but maintaining continuous cultures is tedious, time consuming and expensive, and the parasites may be prone to genetic drift. There is therefore a …