ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Coconut is an important commodity in Kelantan, and pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) have been traditionally used for coconut-plucking for over a century. Most of these animals were sourced from the wild population, and the parasitic status of these macaques is unknown, plus the impacts caused by these parasites are usually underestimated by the owners. METHODS: A total of 30 macaques were sampled for blood, faeces and hair plucks to detect parasite. RESULTS: Out of 21 faecal samples examined, 11 (52%) were determined positive for one or more gastrointestinal parasites, namely Trichostrongylus spp., Strongyloides spp., Anatrichosoma spp., Capillaria spp., Trichuris spp. and Paramphisotomum spp. Filaria was detected in one (3%) of the blood samples. For ectoparasites, only lice, Pedicinus sp., were found in 9 (30%) macaques. CONCLUSIONS: It is imperative that the parasitic status of these animals be determined so that necessary actions and preventive measures can be implemented to prevent zoonotic transmissions.
Subject(s)
Ectoparasitic Infestations/veterinary , Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/veterinary , Macaca nemestrina , Monkey Diseases/epidemiology , Animals , Blood/parasitology , Ectoparasitic Infestations/epidemiology , Ectoparasitic Infestations/parasitology , Feces/parasitology , Hair/parasitology , Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/epidemiology , Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/parasitology , Malaysia/epidemiology , Monkey Diseases/parasitology , PrevalenceABSTRACT
Aims@#New therapeutics are needed to ease the prevailing waterborne disease, and one of the alternatives is by exploring the natural compounds with antimicrobial properties. Duckweed, Lemna sp. is recorded as a medicinal herb that known to have antifungal and antibacterial activities towards several fungi and bacteria. Suitability of duckweed (Lemna minor) as an antibacterial resource against selected waterborne bacteria were evaluated in terms of its antibacterial activity and toxicity.@*Methodology and results@# Antibacterial activity of the duckweed methanolic extract was tested against 11 selected waterborne bacteria using disc diffusion, minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay. Brine shrimp lethality assay was used to determine the toxicity of this extract. The lethal concentrations of plant extract resulting in 50% mortality of the brine shrimp (LC50) were then determined.@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#Results showed that duckweed extract exhibited bacteriostatic and bactericidal against the selected bacteria activity at the concentration of MIC = 1.8-2.0 mg/mL and MBC ≥ 2.0 mg/mL. This study shows that methanolic extract of L. minor may contain bioactive compounds against bacteria and potential therapeutic effect. The crude extract is slightly toxic and may not safe to be used in high concentration but is valuable in further study as a potential antitumor agent.
