Publications by authors named "Thanura Denipitiya"
Objectives: This study aimed to analyse the epidemiological patterns of paediatric snake bites in Sri Lanka over a 4-year period (2020-2024).
Methods: A multi-centre, retrospective observational study was conducted from June 2020 to June 2024 across nine governmental hospitals in seven provinces of Sri Lanka. Data were collected based on 757 children presenting with snake bites.
Background: Leptospirosis is an important emerging infectious disease in Sri Lanka. Rats are the most important reservoir of Leptospira but domestic and wild mammals may also act as important maintenance or accidental hosts. In Sri Lanka, knowledge of reservoir animals of leptospires is poor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeptospirosis has a major impact on health in Sri Lanka but is probably grossly under-recognized due to difficulties in clinical diagnosis and lack of diagnostic laboratory services. The objective of this study was to establish and evaluate a SYBR Green-based real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (rt-PCR) assay for early, rapid and definitive laboratory diagnosis of leptospirosis in Sri Lanka. The rt-PCR assay was established and analytical specificity and sensitivity were determined using reference DNA samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDetermination of the foraging behaviour and blood meal source of malaria vector mosquitoes in Trincomalee District of Sri Lanka using a multiplex real time polymerase chain reaction assay.
Malar J
April 2016
Background: Studies of host preference patterns in blood-feeding anopheline mosquitoes are crucial to incriminating malaria vectors. However, little information is available on host preferences of Anopheles mosquitoes in Sri Lanka.
Methods: Adult Anopheles mosquitoes were collected from five selected sentinel sites in Trincomalee District during June-September 2011.