Detection of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in formula milk from Bogor using PCR IS 900.

Crohn’s disease (CD) that becomes a public health concern in developed countries shows similarities in clinical signs and pathological features with Johne’s disease (JD) in ruminants infected by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Few researches conducted in Europe, the USA, and Australia showed relationships between MAP, CD, JD and dairy products. Indonesians consume milk and diary products from domestic and imported source. Adji in 2004 found some domestic dairy cows that were seropositive for MAP, and this could be a serious problem in dairy farm animals and human health in the future. The aim of this study was to detect MAP in the growing up formula milk. Fifty samples from five established factories were taken from supermarkets in Bogor. Polymerase chain reaction method (PCR) with insertion sequence (IS) 900 as primer and culture in Herrold’s egg yolk media with mycobactin J (HEYM J) as a gold standard were used in this study. Neither MAP grew up in HEYM J medium after 20 weeks of culture period nor positive samples by PCR IS 900 were found. Although there were no positive samples found in this study, further extensive and comprehensive studies on MAP should be done with more and varied samples, as well as in human to provide data on MAP in Indonesia.

Blood zinc levels and clinical severity of dengue hemorrhagic fever in children.

The aims of the study were to investigate the relationship between blood zinc levels and the severity of DHF. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 51 children at Budhi Asih Hospital, Jakarta, from March to May, 2005. Blood zinc levels were measured with a colorimeter using 5-BR-PAPS. The diagnosis and grading of DHF was determined according to WHO criteria. On analyzing the data, z test, ANNOVA, chi-square, linear regression and coefficient of correlation, were applied appropriately with p < or = 0.05. Forty-five samples were obtained consisting of 15 boys and 30 girls, age 75 +/- 35 months, body mass index of 15.1 +/- 3.2, pre-admission fever for 4.4 +/- 1.6 days, a hematocrit of 38.4 +/- 5.1%, a thrombocyte count of 77,200 +/- 32,100/dl, and a zinc level of 6.4 +/- 6.3 micromol/l, of with 34 had low and 11 were high zinc level cases (cutoff point: 9.18 micromol/l). The clinical severity in the low and high zinc groups were not significantly different. The blood zinc level in DHF grade 4 was not significantly lower than in the other three grades (p>0.05). The numbers of lymphocytes in the four grades were significantly different (p<0.01), between the low and high zinc groups (p<0.05). The association between lymphocytes and zinc levels showed a linear regression of Yc: 42.04+1.30X, p<0.05 and a coefficient correlation of r: 0.47. Therefore, no association was found between zinc levels and clinical severity of DHF in children.