Chemical Composition And Digestibility Of Natural And Domestic Food Of The Lar Gibbon (Hylobates Lar) In Malaysia

The collection of samples of natural foods of the lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) was undertaken at the Krau Gare Reserve over a period of on e year. A total of 145 plant items were collected of which 35 were consumed by the lar gibbon. Food saqples were chemically analyzed for both primary and secondary metabolites. The non-eaten food items were analyzed for all or some of these measures. The principal diet of the lar gibbon is Ficus spp. There are probably attracted to these most because of their soft and succulent nature. The protein and amino acid requirements in the wild are achieved by consuming young leaves and invertebrates. The lar tends to avoid foods of high fat content. It avoids mature leaves due to their poor nutritive value. The lar obtains carbohydrates, readily available sugars and energy from the ripe pulp of fruits.High in vivo digestibility values were obtained for the formulated basal diet when compared to the natural and domestic foods. The in vivo and in vitro assays of Randia scortechinii, knema cinerea and Sarcotheca grifithii gave values in fairly good agreement with one another. The present study concludes that the lar gibbon lacks specialisation of the gastro-intestinal tract for either the bulk intake of fibrous food or for the detoxification of alkaloids. The lar gibbon tends to avoid food with a high level of tannins. Therefore they are selective feeders in comparison with some other primates, being restricted to a diet of succulent fruit pulp, young leaves, flowers and invertebrates

Genetic assemblage of Sarcocystis spp. in Malaysian snakes

Abstract Background: Sarcocystis species are protozoan parasites with a wide host range including snakes. Although there were several reports of Sarcocytis species in snakes, their distribution and prevalence are still not fully explored. Methods: In this study, fecal specimens of several snake species in Malaysia were examined for the presence of Sarcocystis by PCR of 18S rDNA sequence. Microscopy examination of the fecal specimens for sporocysts was not carried as it was difficult to determine the species of the infecting Sarcocystis. Results: Of the 28 snake fecal specimens, 7 were positive by PCR. BLASTn and phylogenetic analyses of the amplified 18S rDNA sequences revealed the snakes were infected with either S. nesbitti, S. singaporensis, S. zuoi or undefined Sarcocystis species. Conclusion: This study is the first to report Sarcocystis infection in a cobra, and S. nesbitti in a reticulated python

An overview of nematodes infecting urban and wild rats (Muridae) in Malaysia

Rodents particularly those belonging to the Muridae family in Malaysia have been well studied because of their medical and economic importance. Much of the work on rodents has been focusing on the identification of endo and ecto parasites. Parasites in rats (Murids) particularly helminthes belonging to the Nematoda family have been described by many workers for more than a century. This paper is an attempt to compile 50 papers on rodent nematodes that has been published in various scientific journals over the last 100 years in Malaysia. It is hoped that this literature overview on rodent nematodes will come useful as a reference material for the budding parasitologist and biology scientist

Phylogeography and Genetic Ancestry of Tigers (Panthera tigris)

Eight traditional subspecies of tiger (Panthera tigris), of which three recently became extinct, are commonly recognized on the basis of geographic isolation and morphological characteristics. To investigate the species' evolutionary history and to establish objective methods for subspecies recognition, voucher specimens of blood, skin, hair, and/or skin biopsies from 134 tigers with verified geographic origins or heritage across the whole distribution range were examined for three molecular markers: (1) 4.0 kb of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence; (2) allele variation in the nuclear major histocompatibility complex class II DRB gene; and (3) composite nuclear microsatellite genotypes based on 30 loci. Relatively low genetic variation with mtDNA, DRB, and microsatellite loci was found, but significant population subdivision was nonetheless apparent among five living subspecies. In addition, a distinct partition of the Indochinese subspecies P. t. corbetti into northern Indochinese and Malayan Peninsula populations was discovered. Population genetic structure would suggest recognition of six taxonomic units or subspecies: (1) Amur tiger P. t. altaica; (2) northern Indochinese tiger P. t. corbetti; (3) South China tiger P. t. amoyensis; (4) Malayan tiger P. t. jacksoni, named for the tiger conservationist Peter Jackson; (5) Sumatran tiger P. t. sumatrae; and (6) Bengal tiger P. t. tigris. The proposed South China tiger lineage is tentative due to limited sampling. The age of the most recent common ancestor for tiger mtDNA was estimated to be 72,000–108,000 y, relatively younger than some other Panthera species. A combination of population expansions, reduced gene flow, and genetic drift following the last genetic diminution, and the recent anthropogenic range contraction, have led to the distinct genetic partitions. These results provide an explicit basis for subspecies recognition and will lead to the improved management and conservation of these recently isolated but distinct geographic populations of tigers

Unusual Dental Morphology in a Chimpanzee: A Case Report Utilizing Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

This case report illustrates the teeth morphology of a chimpanzee and its anatomical variations. A well-preserved skull of a male Pan troglodytes troglodyte chimpanzee was scanned using a cone-beam computed tomography machine. Measurements included tooth and crown height, root length, root canal length and width (posterior teeth), and pulp cavity length (anterior teeth). Nonmetrical parameters included number of canals and foramina per root of every root. Interestingly, the mandibular central incisor was longer than the lateral incisor, and all the mandibular anterior teeth presented with a solitary flame-shaped or conical-calcified structure in their pulp cavity. The premolars are usually dual rooted except for the first maxillary premolar that displayed 3 roots. Other unusual discoveries were the presence of bilateral radicular dens invaginatus in the mandibular first premolars and the possibility of having 2 canals and 2 foramina in the roots of the posterior teeth. The presence of conical stone mineralizations at the pulp cavity and the presence of dens invaginatus were of particular interest

Observations of scrotal mass, liver mass, haemolytic jaundice, and central vestibular disorder in brugia pahangi-infected dogs

Brugia pahangi is known to infect humans and dogs. Its associated symptoms and complications, however, have not been fully understood in dogs. Herein, we reported the observations of B. pahangi infections in dogs with scrotal mass, liver mass, haemolytic jaundice, and central vestibular disorder. © 2019, Malaysian Society for Parasitology. All rights reserved

Invasion characteristics of a Plasmodium knowlesi line newly isolated from a human

International audiencePlasmodium knowlesi is extensively used as an important malaria model and is now recognized as an important cause of human malaria in Malaysia. The strains of P. knowlesi currently used for research were isolated many decades ago, raising concerns that they might no longer be representative of contemporary parasite populations. We derived a new P. knowlesi line (University Malaya line, UM01), from a patient admitted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and compared it with a human-adapted laboratory line (A1-H.1) derived from the P. knowlesi H strain. The UM01 and A1-H.1 lines readily invade human and macaque (Macaca fascicularis) normocytes with a preference for reticulocytes. Whereas invasion of human red blood cells was dependent on the presence of the Duffy antigen/receptor for chemokines (DARC) for both parasite lines, this was not the case for macaque red blood cells. Nonetheless, differences in invasion efficiency, gametocyte production and the length of the asexual cycle were noted between the two lines. It would be judicious to isolate and characterise numerous P. knowlesi lines for use in future experimental investigations of this zoonotic species