A morpholigical and molecular phylogenetic analysis of Malaysian kerivoula (Chiroptera : Vespertilionidae)

Morphometric and phylogenetic analyses were done on six species of Kerivoula from Malaysia. Morphological studies could only be done on five out of the six kerivoula species available for this research, namely K. papillosa, K. Lenis, K. pellucid, K. hardwickii and K. minuta. Thirty-one characters of the external body, skull and dentition were taken from 47 adult individuals of Kerivoula. Three separate analyses were done on the morphological data; (1) clustering analysis, (2) principal component analysis (PCA) and (3) discriminant function analysis (DFA) were applied to the data. The findings from all the three analyses supported the groupings of the Kerivoula samples into six different groups; namely, K. minuta, K. hardwickii, K. pellucid, K. lenis and K. papillosa. The findings of this study were expected to aid in the taxonomy and future management and conservation plans for this genu

Fungal communities in bat guano, speleothem surfaces, and cavern water in Madai cave, Northern Borneo (Malaysia)

The island of Borneo is a global biodiversity hotspot. However, its limestone caves are one of its least-studied ecosystems. We report for the first time the fungal species richness, diversity and abundance from Madai cave, situated in north-eastern Borneo. Environmental samples from inside the cave environment were collected (guano, speleothem, and cavern water) via opportunistic sampling. The dilution method was performed for isolation of fungi. Morphological characterisation and molecular analysis of the ITS region were utilised for the identification of isolates. Fifty-five pure cultures of fungi were attained, comprising 32 species from 15 genera, eight orders, and two divisions, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Ascomycetes dominated the fungal composition, accounting for 53 (96%) out of 55 total isolates. Penicillium spp. accounted for more than 47.1% of fungal abundance in all sample types. However, Aspergillus spp. had the highest occurrence rate, being isolated from all environmental samples except one. Purpureocillium lilacinum was isolated most frequently, appearing in five separate samples across all three substrates. Annulohypoxylon nitens, Ganoderma australe, Pyrrhoderma noxium, and Xylaria feejeensis were discovered and reported for the first time from the cave environment. This study provides additional data for further research on the mycoflora of Sabah’s various ecosystems, especially limestone caves

Interaction between Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection and age on telomerase misregulation

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is the causative agent of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL). BLV can interact with telomerase and inhibits telomere shortening, contributing in leukemogenesis and tumour induction. The role of telomerase in BLV-induced lymphosarcoma and aging has been extensively studied. To date, the interaction of both BLV and aging on telomerase mis-regulation have, however, not been investigated. In the present study, telomerase activity in BLV positive and negative cows was compared over a wide range of ages (11-85 months). Lymphocyte counts were also measured in both BLV positive and negative groups. Telomerase activity was detected in all BLV infected animals with persistent lymphocytosis (PL), especially in older individuals. This study revealed that the cells undergo the natural telomerase shortening even in the presence of an existing viral infection. We also show that viral infection, especially during the PL phase of the disease, increases telomerase activity. A statistically significant interaction between age and viral infection was observed for telomere shortening during BLV infection. Older animals with BLV infection, especially those with persistent lymphocytosis or visible tumors, exhibited a sharp increase in telomerase activity. This study demonstrates that there is a significant interaction between BLV infection and telomerase up-regulation and lymphocytosis.Farhid Hemmatzadeh, Hadi Keyvanfar, Noor Haliza Hasan, Faustina Niap, Ebrahim Bani Hassan, Azar Hematzade, Esmaeil Ebrahimie, Andrea McWhorter, Jagoda Ignjatovi