ABSTRACT
Toxoplasmosis is caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite; Toxoplasma gondii, which is one of the most important zoonotic parasite worldwide. In dogs, the sexual reproductive cycle of T. gondii is lacking, and the animals are not widely consumed as food, but they are vital in the mechanical transmission of the parasite. However, there is no present data on the exposure of stray dogs to T. gondii in Malaysia. The objective of this serological survey was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii antibodies (IgG) and associated factors in stray dogs in East and West Malaysia. Antibodies to T. gondii were determined in serum samples from 222 stray dogs from 6 different states in East and West Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia) using an Indirect ELISA. The seroprevalence for T. gondii was 23.4% (Confidence interval: CI 17.8-29.2%). Stray dogs from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur had the highest seroprevalence (32.4%; CI 13.2-45.5%) and lowest in those from Penang and Kedah (12.5%; CI 1.3-23.5%). Gender and breed were not associated with T. gondii seropositivity. However, adult dogs were more likely to be seropositive for T. gondii (OR=2.89; CI 1.1-7.7) compared with younger dogs. These results revealed that T. gondii is prevalent in stray dogs in the studied areas in Malaysia, and indicative of the level of environmental contamination of this parasite especially in urban areas.
ABSTRACT
Crop productivity and yield are adversely affected by abiotic and biotic stresses. Therefore, finding out the genesresponsible for stress tolerance is a significant stride towards crop improvement. A gene co-expression network is apowerful tool to detect the most connected genes during heavy metal (HM) stress in plants. The most connected genes maybe responsible for HM tolerance by altering the different metabolic pathways during the biotic and abiotic stress. In thesame line we have performed the GSE86807 microarray analysis of chickpea during exposure to chromium, cadmium andarsenic and analyzed the data. Common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during exposure to chromium, cadmium andarsenic were identified and a co-expression network study was carried out. Hub and bottleneck genes were explored on thebasis of degree and betweenness centrality, respectively. A gene set enrichment analysis study revealed that genes likehaloacid dehydrogenase, cinnamoyl CoA reductase, F-box protein, GDSL esterase lipase, cellulose synthase, b-glucosidase13 and isoflavone hydroxylase are significantly enriched and regulate the different pathways like riboflavin metabolism,phenyl propanoid biosynthesis, amino acid biosynthesis, isoflavonoid biosynthesis and indole alkaloid biosynthesis.
ABSTRACT
A study on seroprevalence and molecular detection of canine leptospirosis was carried out in a dog population (randomly selected n =80 dogs) from an animal shelter X. All the dogs in Shelter X appeared clinically healthy. Eighty blood samples were obtained and their serum were serologically examined using Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) against 10 Leptospira serovars. Plasma samples obtained were subjected to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay. Three out of 80 dogs (3.8%) tested positive for L. bataviae based on MAT at a titer of 1:80. The seroprevalence of 9 other Leptospira serovars was not evident in this study. All the dogs tested negative against leptospirosis with PCR assay. In conclusion, canine leptospirosis was detected in dogs in this animal shelter. L. bataviae was identified as the infecting serovar. To our knowledge, this is the second report of serovar Bataviae infection in dogs in Malaysia. The 3 dogs in our study could possibly be a source of leptospiral infection to other dogs and may shed the bacteria into the environment. This serovar is not available in canine vaccination programs, therefore the dogs are not protected from this disease. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether the infected dogs are carriers of this serovar.