Transcription and Copy Number Variation of Plasmodium falciparum var2csa among Nonpregnant Malaria Patients in Thailand.

Placental malaria is an important cause of fetomaternal morbidity and mortality among pregnant women infected with Plasmodium falciparum. The pathogenesis involves the binding of VAR2CSA on the surface of infected erythrocytes to chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans on syncytiotrophoblasts in the intervillous space of the placenta. Anti-VAR2CSA antibodies confer protection from adverse pregnancy outcomes in falciparum malaria; therefore, VAR2CSA is a strong vaccine candidate against placental malaria.

Microsporidial stromal keratitis: treatment outcomes, clinical manifestations, confocal microscopy and histopathology findings: a retrospective observational study.

Objective: Microsporidial stromal keratitis (MSK) is an uncommon disease. Only several case series have been reported. We aimed to describe the clinical manifestations, histopathology and treatment outcomes of MSK.

Anti-Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 3 ϒ (PvMSP3 ϒ) antibodies upon natural infection.

Merozoite surface protein 3 of Plasmodium vivax (PvMSP3) contains a repertoire of protein members with unique sequence organization. While the biological functions of these proteins await elucidation, PvMSP3 has been suggested to be potential vaccine targets. To date, studies on natural immune responses to this protein family have been confined to two members, PvMSP3α and PvMSP3β.

Usefulness of a new immunochromatographic assay using fluorescent silica nanoparticles for serodiagnosis of Thai patients with amebiasis.

A fluorescence immunochromatography (FIC) kit was developed recently using fluorescent silica nanoparticles coated with a recombinant C-terminal fragment of the surface lectin intermediate subunit (C-Igl) of Entamoeba histolytica to establish rapid serodiagnosis of amebiasis. We further evaluated the system using serum samples from 52 Thai patients with amebiasis. Of the patients, 50 (96%) tested positive using FIC.

Natural vectors of Plasmodium knowlesi and other primate, avian and ungulate malaria parasites in Narathiwat Province, Southern Thailand.

To date, four species of simian malaria parasites including Plasmodium knowlesi, P. cynomolgi, P. inui and P.

Analysis of sequence diversity in Plasmodium falciparum glutamic acid-rich protein (PfGARP), an asexual blood stage vaccine candidate.

Glutamic acid-rich protein of Plasmodium falciparum (PfGARP) binds to erythrocyte band 3 and may enhance cytoadherence of infected erythrocytes. Naturally acquired anti-PfGARP antibodies could confer protection against high parasitemia and severe symptoms. While whole genome sequencing analysis has suggested high conservation in this locus, little is known about repeat polymorphism in this vaccine candidate antigen.

Structural organization and sequence diversity of the complete nucleotide sequence encoding the Plasmodium malariae merozoite surface protein-1.

The merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP1) is a prime candidate for an asexual blood stage vaccine against malaria. However, polymorphism in this antigen could compromise the vaccine's efficacy. Although the extent of sequence variation in MSP1 has been analyzed from various Plasmodium species, little is known about structural organization and diversity of this locus in Plasmodium malariae (PmMSP1).

Cryptic Plasmodium inui and Plasmodium fieldi Infections Among Symptomatic Malaria Patients in Thailand.

Background: Some nonhuman primate Plasmodium species including P. knowlesi and P. cynomolgi can cross-transmit from macaque natural hosts to humans under natural infection.

Myositis Caused by in a Person With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: The First Case in Thailand.

Background: To date, cases of extraintestinal micro-sporidiosis have been increasingly reported in both otherwise healthy and immunocompromised individuals. Among them, microsporidial myositis is very rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of microsporidial myositis caused by in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Thailand.

Severe Keratitis Caused by Acanthamoeba Genotype T12 in Thailand: A Case Report.

Acanthamoeba keratitis is predominantly caused by genotype T4. We report a case of severe keratitis caused by Acanthamoeba in a 39-year-old man who had prior accidental exposure to a corrosive chemical. The patient developed central full thickness ring infiltration and epithelial defect with hypopyon that required keratoplasty.

Case Report: An Eyelid Nodule Caused by Candidatus Dirofilaria hongkongensis Diagnosed by Mitochondrial 12S rRNA Sequence.

A 59-year-old female living in Rayong Province, eastern Thailand, presented with painless, right upper eyelid nodule for 3 months. Upon removal of the eyelid mass, a well-circumscribed, firm globular mass with diameter about 1 cm was found. Histopathological examination revealed an immature female dirofilarial worm reminiscent of Dirofilaria repens, characterized by prominent sharp longitudinal ridges at external surface of the cuticle.

Analysis of Acanthamoeba genotypes from public freshwater sources in Thailand reveals a new genotype, T23 Acanthamoeba bangkokensis sp. nov.

A survey of Acanthamoeba in 100 public freshwater sources in 28 provinces across Thailand has identified 9 genotypes comprising T2/6, T3-T5, T9, T11, T12, T18 and a novel 'T23' among 131 isolates. Sequencing of the near complete 18S rRNA gene of Acanthamoeba of all isolates has shown that the most predominant genotype T4 found in 87 isolates (66.4%) contained 4 subtypes, i.

Immunoglobulin G responses to variant forms of Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 9 upon natural infection in Thailand.

Merozoite surface protein 9 (MSP9) constitutes a ligand complex involved in erythrocyte invasion by malarial merozoites and is a promising vaccine target. Plasmodium vivax MSP9 (PvMSP9) is immunogenic upon natural malaria exposure. To address whether sequence diversity in PvMSP9 among field isolates could affect natural antibody responses, the recombinant proteins representing two variants each for the N- and the C-terminal domains of PvMSP-9 were used as antigens to assess antibody reactivity among 246 P.

Plasmodium cynomolgi Co-infections among Symptomatic Malaria Patients, Thailand.

Among 1,180 symptomatic malaria patients, 9 (0.76%) infected with Plasmodium cynomolgi were co-infected with P. vivax (n = 7), P.

Structural diversity, natural selection and intragenic recombination in the Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 9 locus in Thailand.

The merozoite surface protein 9 (MSP9) of malarial parasite forms co-ligand complex with the 19 kDa fragment of merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1) prior to erythrocyte invasion. Interruption of this process could hamper subsequent asexual erythrocytic development of malaria parasites; therefore, these proteins are considered potential vaccine candidates. In Plasmodium vivax, MSP9 (PvMSP9) contains both conserved and polymorphic repetitive domains that were immunogenic upon natural malaria exposure and conferred protection in vaccination studies in animal models.

Insights into the molecular diversity of Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-3γ (pvmsp3γ), a polymorphic member in the msp3 multi-gene family.

Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 3 (PvMSP3) is encoded by a multi-gene family. Of these, PvMSP3α, PvMSP3β and PvMSP3γ, are considered to be vaccine targets. Despite comprehensive analyses of PvMSP3α and PvMSP3β, little is known about structural and sequence diversity in PvMSP3γ.

Draft Genome Sequences of Bacterium STE3 and sp. Strain AcF84, Endosymbionts of spp.

bacterium STE3 and sp. strain AcF84 are obligate intracellular symbionts of spp. isolated from the biofilm of a littoral cave wall and gills from striped tiger leaf fish, respectively.

Polymorphism and natural selection in the merozoite surface protein 3F2 (PVX_97710) locus of Plasmodium vivax among field isolates.

Plasmodium vivax, the chronic relapsing human malaria parasite with the most widespread distribution, possesses proteins associated with the merozoite surface that could be targets for host immune responses and potential vaccine candidates. Of these, the merozoite surface protein 3 of P. vivax (PvMSP3) is an attractive vaccine target as well as a genetic marker for epidemiological surveillance.

Clinical expression and antigenic profiles of a Plasmodium vivax vaccine candidate: merozoite surface protein 7 (PvMSP-7).

Background: Vivax malaria is the predominant form of malaria outside Africa, affecting about 14 million people worldwide, with about 2.5 billion people exposed. Development of a Plasmodium vivax vaccine is a priority, and merozoite surface protein 7 (MSP-7) has been proposed as a plausible candidate.

Correlation between genotypes and geographic distribution of Entamoeba nuttalli isolates from wild long-tailed macaques in Central Thailand.

Entamoeba nuttalli found in non-human primates is the phylogenetically closest species to Entamoeba histolytica and is potentially pathogenic. However, infection of wild long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) with E. nuttalli has not been found.

Episodic positive selection in the Cam734 haplotype and low prevalence of the A144F mutation in Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter gene among Thai isolates.

Chloroquine resistance transporter of Plasmodium falciparum (PfCRT) is a food vacuolar transmembrane protein that mediates susceptibility of the parasite to chloroquine. A mutation at K76T of the Pfcrt gene is a key determinant for chloroquine resistance phenotype. In the absence of drug pressure, in vitro growth rate of chloroquine-resistance parasites was outcompeted by wild-type parasites unless intragenic compensatory mutations occurred.