Vibriosis Vaccine Development: Pathogenesis, Immunological And Molecular Characterization Of Vibrio Alginolyticus

The aim of the research is to develop an effective vaccine against vibriosis. Vibriosis is a bacterial disease caused by Vibrio spp due to the intensive production activity of brackishwater ponds and cage-cultured fish. The pathogenicity study of V alginolyticus was performed by challenging the juvenile seabass (10±0.75 g) with 5 different isolates of V alginolyticus at different cell concentrations. All the isolates caused mortality to fish at a concentration as low as 0.2 optical density (6.28 X 103 CFU/ml). Ultrastructure changes observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, revealed the presence of V .alginolyticus in the gills, liver, muscle, spleen and kidney of infected fish. In addition, the V .alginolyticus cells were observed in the spleen. These pathological changes showed that V alginolyticus was responsible for the death of the infected seabass

Adolescent to Adolescent Transformation Program- Nurturing, Enhancing and Promoting Adolescents’ Healthy Habit (ATAP-NEPAH): Curbing Social Problems Among Adolescents in Kelantan Through Peer-To-Peer Health Education

The objectives of ATAP-NEPAH are to enhance and nurture healthy habits among adolescents as well as to empower adolescents in inculcating these healthy habits among them. Health education through peer-to-peer approach is used to instill the knowledge on important areas such as sexual and reproductive health, smoking, substance abuse, illegal street racing (rempit) and mental health. Specific modules were developed by experts (lecturers) in multidisciplinary fields in collaboration with Malaysian Association for Adolescent Health (MAAH), National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB), Reproductive Health Association of Kelantan (REHAK) and Rhaudatus Sakinah Kelantan. The trained Medical Students Facilitator Team (MSFT) of USM became trainers to secondary one school students. The selected school students were trained by the medical students to become peer educators to their juniors and peers. There was improvement in the readiness level of peer educators, knowledge and attitude towards healthy habits and risky behaviors of other school students after the intervention

Vibriosis vaccine development: Immunological characterization of Vibrio alginolyticus

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) profiles of five Vibrio alginolyticus strains (14, 17, 26, 78 and ATCC 17749) were studied by SDS-PAGE. Strains (ST) 14, 17 and 26 were found to possess high molecular weight bands, suggesting that their LPS was highly immunogenic. ST 78 and ATCC possessed only low molecular weight bands, suggesting that their LPS was not highly immunogenic. The LPS and FKC antigens of ST 17, 26 and 78, were injected intraperitoneally in seabass (Lates calcarifer) at 0.2 mg/fish and 0.1 ml/fish at 11.9 X 106 CFU/ml, respectively. Fish were also vaccinated by immersion in formalin-killed cells (11.9 X 106 CFU/ml) for 15 minutes. The mean agglutination titers of fish immunized with ST 17 and 26 were higher compared to strain 78. Fish immunized with antigens from strain 17 showed the highest protection and the protection being significantly different (p<0.05) from that of ST 78. Fish immunized with LPS from the three strains showed significantly (p<0.05) higher protection (survival rate of 80-90%) than that of those injected with FKC. LPS, was thus shown to be a good candidate for a vaccine against vibriosis

Adolescent to Adolescent Transformation Program- Nurturing, Enhancing and Promoting Adolescents' Healthy Habit (ATAP-NEPAH): Curbing Social Problems Among Adolescents in Kelantan Through Peer-To-Peer Health Education

The objectives of ATAP-NEPAH are to enhance and nurture healthy habits among adolescents as well as to empower adolescents in inculcating these healthy habits among them. Health education through peer-to-peer approach is used to instill the knowledge on important areas such as sexual and reproductive health, smoking, substance abuse, illegal street racing (rempit) and mental health. Specific modules were developed by experts (lecturers) in multidisciplinary fields in collaboration with Malaysian Association for Adolescent Health (MAAH), National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB), Reproductive Health Association of Kelantan (REHAK) and Rhaudatus Sakinah Kelantan. The trained Medical Students Facilitator Team (MSFT) of USM became trainers to secondary one school students. The selected school students were trained by the medical students to become peer educators to their juniors and peers. There was improvement in the readiness level of peer educators, knowledge and attitude towards healthy habits and risky behaviors of other school students after the intervention