Morphology and Molecular Characterization of Parabronema smithii (Cobbold, 1882) (Nematoda: Habronematidae) from Wild Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) of Sri Lanka.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to carry out a detailed study of morphological features and to determine the phylogenetic position of Parabronema smithii (Cobbold, 1882) found in wild elephants in Sri Lanka.

Methods: Adult worms were collected from stomach ulcers at postmortem examination of wild elephants in the Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka. The detailed morphology of P.

Intra-aural tick bite causing unilateral facial nerve palsy in 29 cases over 16 years in Kandy, Sri Lanka: is rickettsial aetiology possible?

Background: Over the last two decades intra-aural tick infestation (otoacariasis) has been a common occurrence in the hilly central region in Sri Lanka. Very occasional detection of isolated unilateral facial nerve palsy associated with otoacariasis attributed to toxin damage of the nerve prompted us to study the clinico-epidemiology and aetio-pathology of the problem.

Methods: All cases having isolated unilateral facial nerve palsy associated with otoacariasis presented to, Ear Nose and Throat clinic at General Hospital Kandy, Sri Lanka from 2001 to 2016 were included in the study.

STR polymorphisms in Sri Lanka: evaluation of forensic utility in identification of individuals and parentage testing.

Objectives: This preliminary study was carried out to determine the allele frequencies and forensic efficiency parameters for the short tandem repeat loci CSF1PO, TPOX, THO1, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317, vWA, FESFPS and F13B in a test sample population of Sri Lankans.

Design: Test samples were obtained from 305 non-related individuals originating from all 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. DNA was extracted from whole blood using chelex-100 and amplified by PCR using the GenePrint STR kit and silver stained.