African Journal of Parasitology Research

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN: 2343-6549 Vol. 4 (1), pp. 187-190, January, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Plasmid profile analysis in non-O157 diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in Malaysia

Nazmul M HM*, Fazlul MKK and Rashid MA

Faculty of Medicine, University Technology MARA, Sg Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.

*Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +6-0129771486

Accepted 17 April, 2014

Abstract

Non-O157 VTEC is typical Escherichia coli (E. coli). A total of 50 non-O157 diarrheagenic E. coli isolates were examined. The organisms were isolated from GHKL, Malaysia, from patients with diarrhea. Plasmids were detected in 34 isolates with the plasmid occurrence rate (POR) of 68%. These 34 isolates appear to harbor 1 or more plasmids with the maximum of 4 plasmids. The sizes of the plasmid DNA range from the lowest 1.8 kb to the highest 96 kb. Supercoil DNA marker was used to provide reference plasmids of known molecular weight. This helped in calculating the molecular weight of the plasmids in this study.

Keywords: Plasmid profile, non-O157, E. coli.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN: 2343-6549 Vol. 4 (2), pp. 197-201, February, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Vitamin D levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and natural immunized persons

¹Canan Demir* and ²Mehmet Demir

¹Bursa Şevket Yılmaz Education and Research Hospital, Infectious Disease Department , Bursa/TURKEY. 

²Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Education and Research Hospital, Cardiology Department , Bursa/TURKEY.

*Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +90 2242573328 

Accepted 04 March, 2013

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with several adverse health outcomes and vitamin D appears to have systemic antimicrobial effects that may be crucial in a variety of both acute and chronic illness. In our study we compared 25- hydroxy vitamin D levels, between chronic hepatitis B Virus  infection, natural immunized persons and control groups. Thirty five chronic hepatitis B virus infection patients (Group I) and thirty natural immunized persons (Group II) and thirty healthy adult were included in this study. Hepatitis markers were determined by commercial kit based on chemilumminesans assay.  Routine biochemical parameters, hepatitis B virus serology, hepatitis B virus-DNA, 25-hydroxy vitamin D and parathormone levels were performed.  Baseline characteristics of the study groups were comparable. Group I patients had a lower vitamin D level than group II and the control group (7.65±4.19; 12.1±7.13 and 14.17±9.18ng/ml, p<0.001, respectively). Additionaly group I patients had a higher parathormone level than group II and the control group (88.21±34.2; 75.14±23.4 and 74.16±20.15ng/ml, p=0.001, respectively). Also vitamin D levels were correlated hepatitis B virüs-DNA levels. In the hepatitis B virus infected patients, diminished vitamin D levels may be an indicator of the presence of replication and poor prognosis.

Keywords: Vitamin D, hepatitis B, immune system. 

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN: 2343-6549 Vol. 3 (2), pp. 173-175, February, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Biology of major insects mainly tribolium casteneum (herbst) in cocoa beans

¹V Shrikant*, ¹S Mohan, ¹K Ramaraju and²Ganesh H

¹Department of Agricultural Entomology,Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore- 641 003, ²Department of Agricultural Entomology,University of Agricultural Sciences,Dharwad-580005.

*Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 14 July, 2014

Abstract

Investigations were carried out to study the stored product insects associated with stored cocoa beans at private godowns located at Sennakallpalyam, Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu, India during 2010-2011. The tools used were normal sieve sample, UV light trap, pheromone trap and stack probe trap. The trap catches compared in all methods major insect got is T. castaneum hence the biological studies were carried out on the major insect attacking stored cocoa beans namely red flour beetle, T. castaneum. Insects cultured on cocoa bean host had high fecundity 60 percent, hatchability 93 percent, mean developmental period is about 240 DAS and growth index 4.18 DAS.

Keywords: Tribolium casteneum (HERBST), fecundity, growth Index.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN: 2343-6549 Vol. 3 (3), pp. 176-186, March, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Ecophysiological factor effect on growth and ochratoxin A production by Aspergillus ochraceus

Shindia  A.A.¹, Ammar  H.¹,  Ismail  A.E.A.² and Abdel-Khalik, A.²

¹ Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig Egypt.

² Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt.

Corresponding  author’s  Email:  [email protected] 

Accepted 14 January 2013

Abstract

Ochratoxin A represents an important problem in fungal food poisoning in some countries. It has toxic effect on human and animals. So far the potentiality of thirty four fungal species belonging to 12 genera isolated from Egyptian legume seeds to release ochratoxin A in their culture filtrates and some ecophysiological factors affecting its production were tested. It was found that nearly 56% of the tested fungi showed positive results as the production of ochratoxin A. Aspergilli particularly Aspergillus ochraceus was distinguished by its capacity to produce ochratoxin A when grown on a selected medium. The maximum ochratoxin A yield was achieved were showed after 9 days incubation at 25°C. An initial pH value of 6.0 was found to be optimum for ochratoxin production and growth of A. ochraceus. The influence of water activity (a_w) upon biosynthesis of ochratoxin A and biomass yields were also discussed briefly. The present study gives an account of observations made on the production of ochratoxin A and biomass in relation to the carbon substrate and mitogen compounds supplied in the bioprocess. Sucrose followed by glucose and maltose were more initiative for the growth and ochratoxin A production than cellulosic substrate. Peanut seeds represent the most favorable natural substrate than other substrates investigated. Yeast extract followed by ammonium nitrate were the best nitrogen compounds for biomass and ochratoxin A production by test fungus. In addition the impact of the level of selected carbon and nitrogen ratio on both experimental parameters were also elucidated.

Key words  Ochratoxin A, Aspergillus ochraceus, Ecophysiological factors, carbon substrate, mitogen compounds.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN: 2343-6549 Vol. 3 (1), pp. 166-172, January, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

FT-IR study of green tea leaves and their diseases of Arunachal Pradesh, North East, India

S. Sivakumar¹*, Chandra Prasad Khatiwada², J.Sivasubramanian², Poken Jini³, N.Prabu³, A.Venkateson², P. Soundararajan²

¹Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar-608002, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.

²Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Physics, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar-608002, Chidambaram, Tamil. Nadu, India.

³M.Sc. Second year, Department of Physics, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar-608002, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.

*Corresponding Author. E-mail: [email protected];  [email protected]

Accepted 12 June 2013

Abstract                                                                                                                   

The fundamental aspect of green tea, its classification of disease and economic values has been briefly discussed. There are several diseases of green tea leaves, which is an experience by farmer of Arunachal Pradesh due to their climatic and topographic factors. With the help of FTIR study, the effects of diseases on the qualities of Tea were studied. The FTIR analysis explores the vibration of functional groups present in macromolecules and shows the molecular structural changes through shifts in wave number. The decreased in wave number of protein at amide A observed in group II demonstrates the disorder of hydrogen bonding and pectin and lignin in infected groups. This change may reflect the overall changes in structure and synthesis of protein, pectin and lignin in tea during diseases. Control group may have prevented the changes of protein in tea by increasing the frequency through reducing the structural modification. The decreased protein content in tea was identified by the decreased in band area values of amide I and amide II bands. Amide I consists of functional vibrations of many secondary structures and it indicates that the amide I band, pectin and lignin frequency shifted to lower values in diseases infected tea groups.  

Key words: Tea, green tea, diseases in tea leaves, FTIR, Arunachal Pradesh.

African Journal of Parasitology research ISSN 2343-6549 Vol. 2 (11), pp. 161-165, November, 2015.  © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Field evaluation of SD Bioline Malaria Antigen P.f® for Plasmodium falciparum malaria diagnosis in Nanoro, Burkina Faso

*Halidou Tinto^1,2, Olivier Sombié¹, Innocent Valea^1,2, Ferdinand Lankoandé¹,Sandrine Yara¹, Palpouguini Lompo¹, Marc C Tahita¹, Adama Kazienga¹, Sayouba Ouédraogo¹, Hermann Sorgho¹, Maaike De Kroop³, Raffaella Ravinetto^3,4

¹Institut de Recherche en sciences de la Santé - Unité de Recherche Clinique de Nanoro (IRSS-URCN), Nanoro, Burkina Faso.

²Departement de Recherche Clinique, Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

³Clinical Trial Unit, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.

⁴ Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium.

*Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +226 70346354.

Accepted 12 November, 2015

Abstract

A study was conducted to assess the performance of the SD Bioline Malaria Antigen P.f® compared to the ‘’gold standard’’ microscopy as for the diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Nanoro, Burkina Faso. Microscopy and RDT diagnosis were performed on 254 blood samples. 78.09% (189/242) were positive by microscopy compared to 93.8% (227/242) diagnosed by RDT. The RDT test reported 39 false-positive results and one false-negative result. The RDT showed high sensitivity of 99.47% [IC95%: 98.56-100], with sensitivity increasing with increasing parasite density. RDT specificity was  26.42% [IC95%: 20.86-31.97]. Low specificity limits accuracy for malaria diagnosis. However, in areas of hyperendemic malaria, high sensitivity is preferable to over diagnosis.

Keywords:  Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Rapid Diagnosis Tests, SD-Bioline Malaria Antigen P.f test, Accuracy.