Serological prevalence of leptospiral infection in wild rats at the National Service Training Centres in Kelantan and Terengganu

One hundred and sixty eight rats were trapped from the National Service Training Centres (NSTC) in Kelantan and Terengganu from October 2008 to May 2009. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was performed to detect the presence of agglutinating antibodies to Leptospira among the rats caught. All the MAT positive rats were identified as Rattus tiomanicus. In Kelantan, 17.3% (14/81) of the rats had leptospiral antibodies to serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae (12.3%), Canicola (2.5%), Ballum (1.2%), and Pyrogenes (1.2%). In Terengganu, 18.4% (16/87) of the rats had antibodies to serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae (15%), Canicola (1.1%), Pyrogenes (1.1%) and Hebdomadis (1.1%). This study indicated that Leptospira serovars were prevalent in the rat population in the study areas and could be a source of infection to humans. Therefore, control of the rat population in all NSTC is critical to prevent outbreaks of leptospirosis amongst the NSTC trainees

In vitro antigenicity and cross-reaction of the outer membrane proteins of Pasteurella haemolytica A2, A7 and A9

The outer membrane proteins of Pasteurella haemolytica A2, A7 and A9 were subjected to SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. The molecular weights of the polypeptide bands ranged between 33 to 97 kDa. The major polypeptide bands for P. haemolytica A2 were 33.4, 39.2 and 45 kDa while the minor polypeptide bands were 50, 58.7, 66.2, 84.7 and 97.4 kDa. Analysis of the outer membrane proteins of P. haemolytica A7 revealed two major protein bands of 33.4 and 45 kDa and three minor polypeptide of 40, 50 and 66.2 kDa. There were three major (33.4, 37.5 and 45 kDa) and one minor protein band (50 kDa) in the outer membrane proteins of P. haemolytica A9. There was one major protein band from each of the P. haemolytica A2, A7 and A9, which was unique to the respective serotype and appeared to represent the respective serotype. These were the 39.2 kDa band for P. haemolytica A2, the 40 kDa band for P. haemolytica A7 and the 37.5 kDa band for P. haemolytica A9. Following homologous immunoblot, all the serotypes showed pronounced antigenicity at the 30 kDa band. Heterologous immunoblot using the antiserum of P. haemolytica A2 did not reveal any antigenic band of P. haemolytica A9 but revealed antigenic bands at 30 and 31 kDa of P. haemolytica A7. Heterologous immunoblot using the antiserum of P. haemolytica A7 revealed antigenic band at 30 kDa of all the three serotypes while the antiserum of P. haemolytica A9 failed to reveal any common antigenic band between all three serotypes. Thus, the 30 kDa band of P. haemolytica A7 may be a suitable candidate for a sub-unit Vaccine against pneumonic pasteurellosis of sheep and goats

An overview of foodborne illness and food safety in Malaysia

Abstract Foodborne disease has been associated with microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. Most commonly, the outbreaks take place due to the ingestion of pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella Typhi, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholera, Campylobacter jejuni, and Listeria monocytogenes. The disease usually happens as a result of toxin secretion of the microorganisms in the intestinal tract of the infected person. Usually, the level of hygiene in the food premises reflect the quality of the food item, hence restaurant or stall with poor sanitary condition is said to be the contributor to food poisoning outbreak. In Malaysia, food poisoning cases are not rare because the hot and humid climate of this country is very suitable for the growth of the foodborne bacteria. The government is also implementing strict rules to ensure workers and owners of food premises prioritize the cleanliness of their working area. Training programme for food handlers can also help them to implement hygiene as a routine in a daily basis. A lot of studies have been done to reduce foodborne diseases. The results can give information about the types of microorganisms, and other components that affect their growth. The result is crucial to determine how the spread of foodborne bacteria can be controlled safely and the outbreak can be reduced

Efficacy of an outer membrane protein of Pasteurella haemolytica A2, A7 or A9-enriched vaccine against intratracheal challenge exposure in sheep

The outer membrane proteins (OMP) were extracted from the P. haemolytica A2, A7 and A9 to determine their potential as immunogens and their capability for cross-protection. Sixty lambs of approximately 9 months old were divided into four main groups. Animals in Group 1 were vaccinated with 2 ml vaccine containing 100 mg/ml of the outer membrane proteins of P. haemolytica A2. Animals in Group 2 were similarly vaccinated with the OMPs of P. haemolytica A7 while Group 3 with OMPs of P. haemolytica A9. Animals in Group 4 were unvaccinated control. During the course of the study, serum was collected to evaluate the antibody levels toward each OMP. There appeared to be good immune responses. However, high antibody levels did not necessarily result in good protection of the animals, particularly against cross-infection with P. haemolytica A9 in animals vaccinated with the OMPs of P. haemolytica A2. It seemed that the antibody responses were more speci®c toward the homologous challenge but generally did not cross-protect against heterologous serotype challenge. However, the OMPs of P. haemolytica A7 produced good in vivo cross-protection and excellent correlations when good antibody responses against all serotypes led to successful reductions of the extent of lung lesions following homologous and heterologous challenge exposures. Thus, the OMPs of P. haemolytica A7 was effective in protecting animals against homologous and heterologous infection by live P. haemolytica A2, A7 and A9

Antimicrobial Potential of Plastic Films Incorporated with Sage Extract on Chicken Meat

The function of packaging is crucial in the maintenance of fresh meat product quality. This study aimed to assess the efficiency of six films added with coatings 2379L/220 and 2379L/221 (containing sage extracts) to inhibit Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, which showed that two of the six films had a significant effect. Additionally, the effects of the films on refrigerated skinless chicken breast meat were evaluated based on microbiological content, colour, weight loss, texture and pH. Four of the six films were examined could extend the storability of refrigerated chicken breast fillets for up to seven days. All six treated films improved the pH, colour stability, weight loss, and texture of the chicken fillets. Therefore, these findings suggested that the coatings containing sage extracts having different viscosities (2379L/220 and 2379L/221) were effective as antimicrobial adhesives in food packaging films and can be commercially applied in prolonging the storage of chicken breast meat without affecting their quality

Optimum generation mix for Malaysia's additional capacity using evolutionary programming

Energy Commission Malaysia is targeting 4100 MW of power generation capacity via competitive bidding to replace capacity from the 1st generation Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that will be retired from 2015 to 2017 and to cater for future demand growth. Malaysia's generation mix has been long time dependence on a single fuel.This over-dependency is not a good option for long-term energy sustainability and security. This has led Malaysia to find other alternative resources to generate electricity.Some possible options are: 1) coal, 2) nuclear and 3) renewable energy (RE). This paper proposes to determine optimum alternative resources of generation mix for Malaysia's additional capacity in 2015 using Evolutionary Programming (EP) at the least cost. The model takes into account characteristics associated with different technologies, such as the investment cost, the O&M cost, the fuel cost and the heat rate. This paper considers four new expansion candidates i.e. coal, natural gas, nuclear and renewable energy as the major power generation sources. Result shows that, the optimum generation mix for Malaysia's additional capacity in 2015 will be 67.9% is from coal, 22.51% from natural gas, 8.21% from nuclear and 1.25% from RE

Studi Awal Estimasi Dosis Internal 177lu-dota Trastuzumab pada Manusia Berbasis Uji Biodistribusi pada Mencit

STUDI AWAL ESTIMASI DOSIS INTERNAL 177Lu-DOTA TRASTUZUMAB PADA MANUSIA BERBASIS UJI BIODISTRIBUSI PADA MENCIT. Radiofarmaka baru untuk pengobatan penyakit kanker payudara tipe HER-2, 177Lu-DOTA Trastuzumab, telah berhasil diproduksi oleh Pusat Teknologi Radioisotop dan Radiofarmaka (PTRR) BATAN. Demi keamanan produk dan keselamatan pasien, radiofarmaka baru tersebut perlu dilengkapi dengan data studi dosis internal yang dilakukan setelah uji praklinis pada hewan coba selesai. Oleh karena itu, studi ini bertujuan untuk melakukan estimasi dosis pada pasien yang dihitung berdasarkan data uji biodistribusi pada mencit. Studi Uji biodistribusi dilakukan pada 25 ekor mencit dan diamati biodistribusinya pada organ-organ, diantaranya otak, Perut, usus, jantung , ginjal, hati, paru-paru, otot, tulang, limpa dan kandung kemih. Pengamatan cacahan organ dilakukan pada jam ke 1, 2, 3, 4, 24, 48 pasca injeksi radiofarmaka 177Lu DOTA-Trastuzumab sebesar 100mCi. Hasil yang diperoleh dari uji biodistribusi adalah % ID/gram organ tikus, kemudian dilakukan konversi perhitungan ke % ID/gram organ manusia. Untuk mengestimasi dosis ke manusia, hasil %ID/gram organ tersebut dipakai sebagai input pada software dosimetri internal OLINDA/EXM, dengan cara melakukan plotting %ID/gram versus waktu, yang akan menghasilkan residence time di masing-masing organ. Setelah residence time diperoleh, dosis internal radiasi pada masing-masing organ dan seluruh tubuh dapat diketahui. Hasil studi menunjukkan bahwa tiga organ yang memiliki dosis internal tertinggi 177Lu DOTA Trastuzumab adalah : paru-paru, hati dan ovarium dengan dosis masing-masing 0,063; 0,046 dan 0,025 mSv/MBq. Disimpulkan bahwa hasil estimasi dosis internal radiasi total yang diperoleh manusia pada penyuntikan radiofarmaka 177Lu-DOTA Trastuzumab adalah 0.21 mSv/MBq