Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Humans (8)
- Animals (6)
- Malaysia (5)
- Wild/parasitology (5)
- Female (3)
-
- Malaysia/epidemiology (3)
- Male (3)
- Molecular Sequence Data (3)
- Phylogeny (3)
- Prevalence (3)
- *Air Conditioning (2)
- *Dust (2)
- *Environmental Microbiology (2)
- 18S/genetics (2)
- Acanthamoeba/*classification/cytology/genetics/*isolation & purification (2)
- Adolescent (2)
- Cell Survival (2)
- Child (2)
- Cloning (2)
- Cluster Analysis (2)
- Cross-Sectional Studies (2)
- Culture Media/chemistry (2)
- DNA (2)
- DNA. (2)
- Genes (2)
- Hot Temperature (2)
- Microscopy (2)
- Molecular (2)
- Osmotic Pressure (2)
- Pichia/*genetics (2)
Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Drinking Water Is A Significant Predictor Of Blastocystis Infection Among Rural Malaysian Primary Schoolchildren, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
Blastocystis infection has a worldwide distribution especially among the disadvantaged population and immunocompromised subjects. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and the association of Blastocystis infection with the socio-economic characteristics among 300 primary schoolchildren, living in rural communities in Lipis and Raub districts of Pahang state, Malaysia. Stool samples were collected and examined for the presence of Blastocystis using direct smear microscopy after in vitro cultivation in Jones' medium. The overall prevalence of Blastocystis infection was found to be as high as 25.7%. The prevalence was significantly higher among children with gastrointestinal symptoms as compared to asymptomatic …
The Nutritional Impacts Of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections Among Orang Asli Schoolchildren In Rural Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infections, anaemia and malnutrition are major public health problems in school-age children in developing countries. This study was conducted on 289 Orang Asli (aboriginal) schoolchildren in order to assess the current prevalence and predictors of anaemia and malnutrition, as well as the nutritional impacts of STH infections among these children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was combined with a longitudinal follow-up three months after treatment with anthelminthic drugs. Blood samples were collected from the children to measure haemoglobin (Hb) level. Anthropometric and socioeconomic data were also collected and the children were screened for STH. Results: The baseline …
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. …
Optimization Of The Expression Of Surface Antigen Sag1/2 Of Toxoplasma Gondii In The Yeast Pichia Pastoris, Init Ithoi
Optimization Of The Expression Of Surface Antigen Sag1/2 Of Toxoplasma Gondii In The Yeast Pichia Pastoris, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
Surface antigens are the most abundant proteins found on the surface of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Surface antigen 1 (SAG1) and Surface antigen 2 (SAG2) remain the most important and extensively studied surface proteins. These antigens have been identified to play a role in host cell invasion, immune modulation, virulence attenuation. Recombinant SAG1/2 was cloned and expressed in yeast Pichia pastoris. We describe here optimization of critical parameters involved in high yield expression of the recombinant SAG1/2. Our results suggest that recombinant SAG1/2 were best expressed at 30 masculineC, pH 6 and 1% methanol as the carbon source by X33 …
Morphological Characteristics Of Developmental Stages Of Acanthamoeba And Naegleria Species Before And After Staining By Various Techniques, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
Seven stains were studied to determine the best color and contrast for staining the developmental stages of free living pathogenic Acanthamoeba and Naegleria species. The acid-fast bacilli stain (AFB) produced a blue color without contrast; trichrome-eosin and modified Field's showed various color contrasts; Giemsa, iron-hematoxylin, modified AFB and Gram produced only one color which distinguished the nucleus, nucleolus, cytoplasm, food- and water-vacuoles. The motile organs (acanthopodia, pseudopodia, lobopodia and flagella) were also clearly differentiated but produced a similar color as the cytoplasm. These motile organelles were first induced by incubating at 37 C for at least 15 minutes and then …
Detection Of Naegleria Species In Environmental Samples From Peninsular Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Detection Of Naegleria Species In Environmental Samples From Peninsular Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
Background: In Malaysia, researchers and medical practitioners are unfamiliar with Naegleria infections. Thus little is known about the existence of pathogenic Naegleria fowleri, and the resultant primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is seldom included in the differential diagnosis of central nervous system infections. This study was conducted to detect the presence of Naegleria species in various environmental samples. Methods/Findings: A total of 41 Naegleria-like isolates were isolated from water and dust samples. All these isolates were subjected to PCR using two primer sets designed from the ITS1-ITS2 regions. The N. fowleri species-specific primer set failed to produce the expected amplicon. The …
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. …
Isolation And Characterization Of Acanthamoeba Spp. From Air-Conditioners In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Isolation And Characterization Of Acanthamoeba Spp. From Air-Conditioners In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
During a study on the quality of the indoor environment, Acanthamoeba spp. were detected in 20 out of 87 dust samples collected from air-conditioners installed in a four-story campus building located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Twenty-one cloned Acanthamoeba isolates designated as IMU1 to IMU21 were established from the positive primary cultures. Five species were identified from the 16 isolates according to the morphological criteria of Pussard and Pons; i.e. A. castellanii, A. culbertsoni, A. griffini, A. hatchetti and A. polyphaga. Species identities for the remaining five isolates (IMU4, IMU5, IMU15, IMU20 and IMU21), however, could not be determined morphologically. At …
Detection Of Free Living Amoebae, Acanthamoeba And Naegleria, In Swimming Pools, Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Detection Of Free Living Amoebae, Acanthamoeba And Naegleria, In Swimming Pools, Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
This study reports the detection of Acanthamoeba and Naegleria species in 14 swimming pools around Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sampling was carried out at 4 sites (the platforms (P), wall (W), 1 meter from the wall (1) and middle (2)) of each swimming pool. These free living amoebae (FLA) were detected under light and inverted microscopes after being cultured on the surface of non-nutrient agar lawned with Escherichia coli. Acanthamoeba species were detected in higher number of culture plates from all sampling sites of all the swimming pools. While Naegleria, were detected in fewer culture plates at 3 …
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 …
Optimization For High-Level Expression In Pichia Pastoris And Purification Of Truncated And Full Length Recombinant Sag2 Of Toxoplasma Gondii For Diagnostic Use, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
SAG2 is one of the major surface antigens of the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In the present study, truncated recombinant SAG2(S) and full length recombinant SAG2(T) of T. gondii were optimally produced (similar to 15 mg/liter) in Pichia pus tons expression system using BMMY medium at pH 3, 25 degrees C in 0.5-1% methanol and a time-course of 1-2 days. The recombinant proteins were purified using a commercial gel filtration purification system obtaining similar to 33% recovery. The purified SAG2(S) and SAG2(T) showed molecular masses of 45 and 36 kDa by SDS-PAGE, respectively. The recombinant proteins were evaluated by …
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 …
Dirofilaria Causing Eye Infection In A Patient From Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Dirofilaria Causing Eye Infection In A Patient From Malaysia, Init Ithoi
Init Ithoi
During a study on the quality of the indoor environment, Acanthamoeba spp. were detected in 20 out of 87 dust samples collected from air-conditioners installed in a four-story campus building located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Twenty-one cloned Acanthamoeba isolates designated as IMU1 to IMU21 were established from the positive primary cultures. Five species were identified from the 16 isolates according to the morphological criteria of Pussard and Pons; i.e. A. castellanii, A. culbertsoni, A. griffini, A. hatchetti and A. polyphaga. Species identities for the remaining five isolates (IMU4, IMU5, IMU15, IMU20 and IMU21), however, could not be determined morphologically. At …
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 …