TaqMan real-time PCR for detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in canine clinical samples.

Introduction: Canine leptospirosis has always been a differential diagnosis in dogs presenting with clinical signs and blood profiles associated with kidney and/or liver disease. The conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) provides diagnoses, but real-time PCR-based tests provide earlier confirmation and determine the severity of infection, especially in the acute stage, allowing early detection for immediate treatment decisions. To our knowledge, real-time PCR has not been routinely adopted for clinical investigation in Malaysia. This study evaluated TaqMan real-time PCR (qPCR) assays diagnosing leptospirosis and compared their applicability to clinical samples from dogs with kidney and/or liver disease against a conventional PCR reference. Material and Methods: The qPCR assays were validated using existing leptospiral isolates. Whole blood and urine samples were analysed using a conventional PCR, LipL32(1) and LipL32(2) qPCRs and a microscopic agglutination test. The sensitivity and specificity of the qPCRs were determined. Results: The LipL32(1) qPCR assay had more diagnostic value than the LipL32(2) qPCR assay. Further evaluation of this assay revealed that it could detect as low as five DNA copies per reaction with high specificity for the tested leptospiral strains. No cross-amplification was observed with other organisms. Analysing the clinical samples, the LipL32(1) qPCR assay had 100.0% sensitivity and >75.0% specificity. Conclusion: The LipL32(1) qPCR assay is sensitive, specific and has the potential to be applied in future studies.

A cross-sectional study of Angiostrongylus malaysiensis in rats and gastropod hosts from recreational parks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Detection, risk factors and pathology.

Angiostrongylus malaysiensis is a potential zoonotic parasite, which reported to co-occur with A. cantonensis in human cerebrospinal fluid. It is a heteroxenous nematode that primarily develops through the early larval stages in gastropods and attains sexual maturity within rats. This study was conducted to determine the host species responsible for the reservoir of A. malaysiensis and investigate the risk factor for transmission among the hosts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sampling was conducted in six recreational parks. The rats were trapped alive using steel wire traps with bait, while the gastropods were collected by active searching. The rats were euthanized and dissected to collect any adult worms observed. The molecular detection of A. malaysiensis was performed by PCR on gastropod tissue samples. Biotic and landscape factors were recorded for risk factor analysis. In total, 82 rats and 330 gastropods were collected throughout the study. Overall, 3.64% of gastropods and 32.9% of rats were infected with A. malaysiensis. Rattus tiomanicus (Malayan wood rat) and Parmarion martensi (Yellow-shelled semi-slug) were found as important hosts for A. malaysiensis. Host species, sampling site and macrohabitat type are risk factors associated with the prevalence of A. malaysiensis infection in rats. For gastropods, host species and sampling site are risk factors that correlate with the parasite detection. In total, 128 adult A. malaysiensis were recovered from the infected rats. The mean intensity of infection with adult A. malaysiensis was 4.65 for Rattus rattus complex and 4.90 for R. tiomanicus. Adult worms were found in the pulmonary artery or right ventricle, while eggs and first-stage larvae were found in capillaries of the caudal lung lobe. Infected lungs showed extravasated red blood cells in the alveolar spaces. The pulmonary arteries in the infected lung lobe were thickened. Kepong Metropolitan Park is the hotspot area for A. malaysiensis in Kuala Lumpur. These results provide essential information for public health officials to develop targeted interventions to reduce the transmission of A. malaysiensis in urban areas, particularly in recreational parks.

Expression of complement C5a receptor and the viability of 4T1 tumor cells following agonist-antagonist treatment.

BACKGROUND: Complement system is theoretically believed to halt the progression of tumor by the activity of C5a/CD88. Protein C5a is a potent pro.inflammatory mediator that activates the complement system by binding to its receptor. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to determine the expression of the anaphylatoxin C5a receptor on 4T1 cell line and to study the viability of the cells after being treated with the C5a peptides. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cells 4T1 had undergone immunofluorescence staining, conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR for the expression of determination part. Whereas Alamar Blue and MTT assays were conducted for the viability study of the cells. RESULTS: The cells showed positive result in expressing the receptor of the C5a through immunostaining and PCR. The CT value recorded at initial dilution was 22.24. In cell viability assay, the cell was treated with C5a peptides, PMX205 and EP54. The purpose of this treatment was to see whether C5a had a direct effect on the cell itself using both assays. The result showed that PMX205, which is an antagonist, gave more effects towards the cell as compared with the treatment of EP54. CONCLUSION: This experiment shows the presence of C5a receptor on 4T1 cell line. We believe that the antagonist peptide is eligible to be used widely in cancer immunotherapy field; but in vivo studies need to be carried out first in the future, as it will determine how these drugs affect the tumor cell growth.