Effect of expanding farmlands with domestication of animals in the vicinity of disturbed swamps and built-up farmland ponds on population dispersion and decline of locally adapted vectors (: ).

Background And Objectives: The adaptive processes and resilience of vectors responsible for bioindicators can change in response to climate, land use, and environmental changes. This study evaluated the effects of expanding farmlands with the domestication of animals in the vicinity of either disturbed swamps or built-up farmland ponds on the population dispersion and decline of locally adapted faunas as a result of expanding farmlands in Thailand.

Materials And Methods: Based on environmental surveys, four different geographically defined study sites were selected: I - the expanding farmlands with domestication of livestock and pet animals in the vicinity of low-lying swamp with habitat fragmentation and aquatic vegetation; II - the expanding farmlands with domestication of pet animals in the vicinity of elevated swamp with habitat destruction and aquatic vegetation; III - the expanding farmlands with domestication of livestock and pet animals in the vicinity of low-lying farmland ponds with restoration and aquatic vegetation; and IV - the expanding farmlands with domestication of pet animals in the vicinity of elevated farmland ponds with restoration and aquatic vegetation.

Evaluating Antibiotic Treatment Guideline Adherence to Ongoing Antibiotic Stewardship in a Tertiary Care Setting: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is widely regarded as an increasing threat to global public health. Antibiotic treatment guidelines have been increasingly recognized as an effective tool to guide appropriate prescriptions and help curtail antibiotic resistance. The present study aimed to assess physician's adherence to hospital antibiotic treatment guideline recommendations in Nepal and determine predictive variables with a significant association.

Emergence of zoonotic parasite in Thailand.

Zoonotic parasite infections in humans have emerged over two decades in Southeast Asia (SEA), including Malaysia and Thailand. The species is commonly found in domestic cats and dogs as the natural reservoir hosts. The sporadic transmission pattern of zoonosis causes childhood infections in Thailand and adulthood infections in Malaysia.

Investigation of , a vector of zoonotic filariasis in plantation areas in Suratthani, Southern Thailand.

In recent years, children in Thailand have been infected with zoonotic However, the local environment of rubber or oil palm plantations, which would increase their exposure to risk factors of the infection due to mosquito transmission, is unclear. The present study first sought to determine the extent to which variations in the local landscape, such as the elevated versus low-lying ecotope of rubber or oil palm plantations, in a 2-km radius of the geographically defined landscape in a rural area of Suratthani, Southern Thailand could influence the abundance of and its susceptibility to zoonotic filarial parasite infections compared to , , and , and . Thereafter, the filarial larvae found in the infected mosquitoes were molecularly investigated.

Adaptation of Vectors to Anthropogenic Malaria-Associated Rubber Plantations and Indoor Residual Spraying: Establishing Population Dynamics and Insecticide Susceptibility.

Anthropogenic activity such as the establishment of -infested rubber plantations can influence local malaria transmission dynamics to which the population dynamics and insecticide susceptibility of local vectors are related. Using human landing catch collections at a house protected by indoor residual spraying (IRS), the periodic assessment of species composition, abundance, and blood-feeding behaviors was done in pre-IRS, during IRS, and post-IRS at 3, 6, and 12 months in a malaria-associated rubber plantation (MRP) ecotope of the Bo Rai district, Trat Province, Thailand, after malaria outbreak occurred. The study MRP ecotope elicited the population ratio ( ) of vectors: (0.

Seasonal and Geographical Variation of Dengue Vectors in Narathiwat, South Thailand.

Using GIS-based land use map for the urban-rural division (the relative ratio of population density adjusted to relatively Aedes-infested land area), we demonstrated significant independent observations of seasonal and geographical variation of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus vectors between Muang Narathiwat district (urban setting) and neighbor districts (rural setting) of Narathiwat, Southern Thailand, based on binomial distribution of Aedes vectors in water-holding containers (water storage containers, discarded receptacles, miscellaneous containers, and natural containers). The distribution of Aedes vectors was influenced seasonally by breeding outdoors rather than indoors in all 4 containers. Accordingly, both urban and rural settings elicited significantly seasonal (wet versus dry) distributions of Ae.

Landscape ecology and epidemiology of malaria associated with rubber plantations in Thailand: integrated approaches to malaria ecotoping.

The agricultural land use changes that are human-induced changes in agroforestry ecosystems and in physical environmental conditions contribute substantially to the potential risks for malaria transmission in receptive areas. Due to the pattern and extent of land use change, the risks or negatively ecosystemic outcomes are the results of the dynamics of malaria transmission, the susceptibility of human populations, and the geographical distribution of malaria vectors. This review focused basically on what are the potential effects of agricultural land use change as a result of the expansion of rubber plantations in Thailand and how significant the ecotopes of malaria-associated rubber plantations (MRP) are.

O Serogroup-Specific Touchdown-Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction for Detection and Identification of Vibrio cholerae O1, O139, and Non-O1/Non-O139.

A novel, sensitive locus-specific touchdown-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (TMPCR), which is based on two-stage amplification pertaining to multiplex PCR and conditional touchdown strategy, was used in detecting and differentiating Vibrio cholerae serogroups. A panel of molecular marker-based TMPCR method generates reproducible profiles of V. cholerae-specific (588 bp) amplicons derived from ompW gene encoding the outer membrane protein and serogroup-specific amplicons, 364 bp for the O1 and 256 bp for the O139, authentically copied from rfb genes responsible for the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis.

Ecotope-based entomological surveillance and molecular xenomonitoring of multidrug resistant malaria parasites in anopheles vectors.

The emergence and spread of multidrug resistant (MDR) malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax have become increasingly important in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). MDR malaria is the heritable and hypermutable property of human malarial parasite populations that can decrease in vitro and in vivo susceptibility to proven antimalarial drugs as they exhibit dose-dependent drug resistance and delayed parasite clearance time in treated patients. MDR malaria risk situations reflect consequences of the national policy and strategy as this influences the ongoing national-level or subnational-level implementation of malaria control strategies in endemic GMS countries.

Thailand momentum on policy and practice in local legislation on dengue vector control.

Over a past decade, an administrative decentralization model, adopted for local administration development in Thailand, is replacing the prior centralized (top-down) command system. The change offers challenges to local governmental agencies and other public health agencies at all the ministerial, regional, and provincial levels. A public health regulatory and legislative framework for dengue vector control by local governmental agencies is a national topic of interest because dengue control program has been integrated into healthcare services at the provincial level and also has been given priority in health plans of local governmental agencies.

Border malaria associated with multidrug resistance on Thailand-Myanmar and Thailand-Cambodia borders: transmission dynamic, vulnerability, and surveillance.

This systematic review elaborates the concepts and impacts of border malaria, particularly on the emergence and spread of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax multidrug resistance (MDR) malaria on Thailand-Myanmar and Thailand-Cambodia borders. Border malaria encompasses any complex epidemiological settings of forest-related and forest fringe-related malaria, both regularly occurring in certain transmission areas and manifesting a trend of increased incidence in transmission prone areas along these borders, as the result of interconnections of human settlements and movement activities, cross-border population migrations, ecological changes, vector population dynamics, and multidrug resistance. For regional and global perspectives, this review analyzes and synthesizes the rationales pertaining to transmission dynamics and the vulnerabilities of border malaria that constrain surveillance and control of the world's most MDR falciparum and vivax malaria on these chaotic borders.

Risk factors for malaria infection among rubber tappers living in a malaria control program area in southern Thailand.

Rubber tappers work begins at midnight during the feeding time of Anopheles maculatus and An. minimus, two common malaria vectors in southern Thailand. We studied the association between rubber tapper behavior and malaria infections as reported to the Notified Disease Surveillance System during 2010 in Prachuab Khiri Khan Province, Thailand.

Predictors of malaria-association with rubber plantations in Thailand.

Background: The national Global Fund-supported malaria (GFM) program in Thailand, which focuses on the household-level implementation of vector control via insecticide-treated nets (ITNs)/long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) combined with indoor residual spraying (IRS), has been combating malaria risk situations in different provinces with complex epidemiological settings. By using the perception of malaria villagers (MVs), defined as villagers who recognized malaria burden and had local understanding of mosquitoes, malaria, and ITNs/LLINs and practiced preventive measures, this study investigated the predictors for malaria that are associated with rubber plantations in an area of high household-level implementation coverage of IRS (2007-2010) and ITNs/LLINs (2008-2010) in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province.

Methods: A structured questionnaire addressing socio-demographics, household characteristics and health behavioral factors (knowledge, perceptions and practices) regarding the performed interventions was administered to the 313 households (70 malaria-affected and 243 malaria-unaffected) that had respondents aged ≥18 years of both genders.

Malaria-associated rubber plantations in Thailand.

Rubber forestry is intentionally used as a land management strategy. The propagation of rubber plantations in tropic and subtropic regions appears to influence the economical, sociological and ecological aspects of sustainable development as well as human well-being and health. Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries are the world's largest producers of natural rubber products; interestingly, agricultural workers on rubber plantations are at risk for malaria and other vector-borne diseases.

Touchdown-touchup nested PCR for low-copy gene detection of benzimidazole-susceptible Wuchereria bancrofti with a Wolbachia endosymbiont imported by migrant carriers.

A novel, sensitive and specific touchdown-touchup nested PCR (TNPCR) technique based on two useful molecular markers, a Wuchereria bancrofti β-tubulin gene involved in benzimidazole susceptibility and a Wolbachia ftsZ gene involved in cell division, was developed to simultaneously detect the parasite W. bancrofti (W1) with its Wolbachia endosymbiont (W2) from both microfilaremic and post-treatment samples of at-risk migrant carriers infected with geographical W. bancrofti isolates.

Identification of Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar by PCR assay of fecal specimens obtained from Thai/Myanmar border region.

Due to the indistinguishable morphology between Entamoeba histolytica (pathogenic) and Entamoeba dispar (non pathogenic), PCR-based assays were conducted. Based on microscopy, suspected Entamoeba cells were detected in 30 out of 455 fecal samples obtained from individuals residing at Thai/Myanmar border region. The target genes for PCR amplification included genes encoding small subunit rRNA (SSU-rRNA), chitinase and serine rich Entamoeba protein.

Enhancement of Legionella pneumophila culture isolation from microenvironments by macrophage infectivity potentiator (mip) gene-specific nested polymerase chain reaction.

The combination of a Legionella pneumophila culture isolation technique and macrophage infectivity potentiator (mip) gene-specific nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is pivotal for effective routine use in an environmental water system laboratory. Detection of Legionella organisms in 169 environmental samples was performed by using modified buffered charcoal yeast extract (MBCYE) agar for conventional culture. Nested PCR specific for L.

Adverse reactions of 300 MG diethylcarbamazine, and in a combination of 400 MG albendazole, for a mass annual single dose treatment, in migrant workers in Phang Nga province.

Background: Foreign migrant workers with work permits in Thailand are given once a year 300 mg diethyl-carbamazine (DEC) for bancroftian filariasis, and 400 mg albendazole (ABZ) for helminthiasis. Treatment effectiveness, tolerability, and safety of two treatment arms, DEC + ABZ and DEC alone, had never been fully documented.

Objective: Evaluate the tolerability of the two treatment arms and analyze the effects of adverse reaction, prevalence, and intensity of both common and uncommon adverse drug reactions (ADR) in relation to the reaction time (2 hours = acute, > 2 to 24 hours = subacute, and > 24 to 72 hours = latent).

Efficacy of a single-dose treatment with 300 mg diethylcarbamazine and a combination of 400 mg albendazole in reduction of Wuchereria bancrofti antigenemia and concomitant geohelminths in Myanmar migrants in Southern Thailand.

Background: There seems to be a large magnitude of parasitic worm loads caused by nocturnally periodic Wuchereria bancrofti and geohelminths, in cross-border Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand. We are therefore considering an effective Mass Drug Administration (MDA) with Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and Albendazole (ABZ). Due to short periods of their residency and current situation of W.

Short-term effects of treatment with 300 mg oral-dose diethylcarbamazine on nocturnally periodic Wuchereria bancrofti microfilaremia and antigenemia.

Seven microfilaremic Myanmar patients were treated with a single 300 mg dose of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) orally, as part of a case-finding survey in Ranong Province, Southern Thailand. This was conducted in order to evaluate the short-term effects of single-dose DEC on Wuchereria bancrofti microfilaremia and antigenemia during a 12-week course of treatment. Analysis of microfilarial periodicity on initial treatment revealed the microfilarial peak density (k) was at 52 minutes after midnight (0052).

Surveillance of imported bancroftian filariasis after two-year multiple-dose diethylcarbamazine treatment.

Myanmar migrants are at increased risk for nocturnally periodic Wuchereria bancrofti causing imported bancroftian filariasis. They have a significant influence on the effectiveness of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) mass treatment at the provincial level in the National Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (PELF) during the fiscal years (FY) 2002-2006, in Thailand. Two oral doses of DEC 6 mg/kg are given twice a year to the eligible Myanmar migrants (> or = 2 years old).

Border and imported bancroftian filariases: baseline seroprevalence in sentinel populations exposed to infections with Wuchereria bancrofti and concomitant HIV at the start of diethylcarbamazine mass treatment in Thailand.

Border bancroftian filariasis caused by Wuchereria bancrofti nocturnally subperiodic mainly exists in Karens residing alongside the Thailand-Myanmar border. Imported bancroftian filariasis caused by W. bancrofti nocturnally periodic mainly exists in cross-border Myanmar migrants.

Evaluation of a single oral dose of diethylcarbamazine 300 mg as provocative test and simultaneous treatment in Myanmar migrant workers with Wuchereria bancrofti infection in Thailand.

We assessed the efficiency of oral diethylcarbamazine (DEC) 300 mg as a provocative test on blood examination 30 minutes after administration, while gauging the overall infection rate in Myanmar migrant workers with Wuchereria bancrofti infection who enrolled for work permits in Thailand in 2002, using circulating filarial antigens (CFA) assays, the NOW ICT Filariasis card test and the Og4C3 ELISA as reference. Overall infection rates of 0.3% (95% CI=0-0.

Wuchereria bancrofti antigenemia clearance among Myanmar migrants after biannual mass treatments with diethylcarbamazine, 300 mg oral-dose FILADEC tablet, in Southern Thailand.

Using qualitative ICT Filariasis and quantitative Og4C3 ELISA, we assessed a long-term macrofilaricidal effect of two-year biannual mass treatments with a 300 mg oral-dose FILADEC tablet, a reformulation of 6 mg/kg diethylcarbamazine (DEC), on clearance of the Wuchereria bancrofti adult worm circulating filarial antigens (CFA) in Myanmar migrants, at risk of emergence of imported bancroftian filariasis in Southern Thailand. Of the 34 antigenemic Myanmar index cases of varying initial CFA levels, who were initially screened out with the ICT Filariasis, 13 index cases were follow-up treated and monitored at the DEC post treatments, 6, 12, and 18 months. At the 18-month post treatment, residual antigenemias (%) in 4 of 5 index cases (group 1) with high antigen titers (99.

Relationship between male hydrocele and infection prevalences in clustered communities with uncertain transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti on the Thailand-Myanmar border.

A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in three clustered communities, belonging to a single small village in Mae Chan subdistrict, Umphang district, Tak Province, close to the Thailand-Myanmar border, where regular night blood survey have been discontinued since 1997 and no epidemiological study had been conducted. In order to understand prevalences of distribution of male hydrocele and infection in clinically diagnostic and epidemiologic implications in uncertain transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti, we analyzed the relationship between male hydrocele and community infection prevalences in 219 (90.5% coverage) subjects aged > or =1 year old, including 54.