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.

The effectiveness of community-based interprofessional education for undergraduate medical and health promotion students.

Background: Community-based interprofessional education (CBIPE) has been proven effective in enhancing the interprofessional competencies of medical and health professional students. However, there is a lack of evaluation on the impact of experiential CBIPE among undergraduate medical and health promotion students in Thailand. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the influence of CBIPE learning on the collaborative competencies of these students.

Correction: Spatial variation in genetic diversity and natural selection on the thrombospondin-related adhesive protein locus of Plasmodium vivax (PvTRAP).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Naturally acquired IgG antibodies to thrombospondin-related anonymous protein of Plasmodium vivax (PvTRAP) in Thailand predominantly elicit immunological cross-reactivity.

Background: Thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) is a prime candidate for a malaria vaccine. Antibodies to Plasmodium vivax TRAP (PvTRAP) occur upon natural infection while specific antigenic domains remain to be addressed.

Methods: The PvTRAP sequences were determined from 73 P.

Spatial variation in genetic diversity and natural selection on the thrombospondin-related adhesive protein locus of Plasmodium vivax (PvTRAP).

Thrombospondin-related adhesive protein (TRAP) of malaria parasites is essential for sporozoite motility and invasions into mosquito's salivary gland and vertebrate's hepatocyte; thereby, it is a promising target for pre-erythrocytic vaccine. TRAP of Plasmodium vivax (PvTRAP) exhibits sequence heterogeneity among isolates, an issue relevant to vaccine development. To gain insights into variation in the complete PvTRAP sequences of parasites in Thailand, 114 vivax malaria patients were recruited in 2006-2007 from 4 major endemic provinces bordering Myanmar (Tak in the northwest, n = 30 and Prachuap Khirikhan in the southwest, n = 25), Cambodia (Chanthaburi in the east, n = 29) and Malaysia (Yala and Narathiwat in the south, n = 30).

Clonal diversity in Giardia duodenalis isolates from Thailand: evidences for intragenic recombination and purifying selection at the beta giardin locus.

The beta giardin locus of Giardia duodenalis encodes a structural component of ventral disc and exhibits sequence variation among isolates rendering it a useful marker for genotypic analysis. To determine the distribution of genotypes of G. duodenalis in Thailand and to explore the extent of sequence variation in this locus, we deployed the PCR-RFLP method and sequence analysis of recombinant subclones from 30 clinical isolates.