Publications by authors named "Toon Ruangareerate"

Meloidogyne enterolobii, a guava root-knot nematode, is a highly virulent pest in tropical and subtropical regions causing galls or knots in roots of diverse plant species posing a serious threat to agriculture. Managing this nematode is challenging due to limitations in conventional identification based on isolation and microscopic classification requiring expertise and time. A colorimetric and fluorescent LAMP assay using simplified extraction method targeting rDNA-ITS region was developed to detect M.

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Purpose: To assess the clinical characteristics, progression patterns, and treatment outcomes of microbiologically confirmed microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis (MKC).

Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included patients with superficial punctate epithelial keratitis clinically suspected of MKC. Comprehensive slit-lamp examinations were conducted, and corneal scraping was performed for Gram-chromotrope staining and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis.

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Article Synopsis
  • Leishmaniasis significantly affects the health of immunocompromised individuals, especially those with HIV, in Thailand, focusing on infections caused by Leishmania martiniquensis and Leishmania orientalis.
  • A study conducted in Trang Province followed 506 HIV-infected participants from 2015-2019 to investigate the incidence and persistence of Leishmania infections, utilizing tests like Direct Agglutination Test and nested PCR.
  • The findings revealed a 3.2% incidence rate in initially negative participants, with older age being a key risk factor, as well as a 3.7% persistence rate in those initially positive; all individuals were asymptomatic, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and targeted interventions.
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Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic protozoa of the Leishmania genus, remains a global health concern with significant morbidity and mortality. In Thailand, the rising incidence of autochthonous leishmaniasis cases involving Leishmania (Mundinia) martiniquensis and novel Leishmania (Mundinia) orientalis underscores the critical need for accurate diagnosis and effective control strategies. This study presents a sensitive and specific nucleic acid lateral flow immunoassay (NALFIA) that integrates a duplex PCR assay with a lateral flow device (LFD) strip format.

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Leishmaniasis poses significant public health challenges in endemic regions. Understanding the prevalence of asymptomatic Leishmania infection and identifying risk factors among blood donors is crucial. This study addressed a knowledge gap by evaluating the prevalence of asymptomatic Leishmania infection and pinpointing associated risk factors among blood donors in an endemic area in Thailand and aimed to enhance blood donation safety protocols and reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted Leishmania infection.

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Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, imposes a notable health burden, especially on immunocompromised individuals such as HIV patients. Recognizing its prevalence and risk factors in specific populations is vital for effective prevention. This study in Satun Province, southern Thailand, aimed to ascertain leishmaniasis prevalence and identify associated risks among HIV-infected patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • Since 1999, asymptomatic leishmaniasis cases in Thailand have increased, especially among HIV patients, leading to higher risks of severe forms of the disease.
  • The study focuses on the genetic variation and geographic distribution of Leishmania/HIV co-infection in northern and southern Thailand, revealing that Leishmania orientalis is the most common strain in both areas.
  • Findings suggest that asymptomatic infections contribute significantly to the transmission and prevalence of Leishmania, highlighting the need for better diagnostic and treatment strategies to control its spread.*
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Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) causes up to 90% of urinary tract infections (UTI) which is more prevalent among females than males. In urine, patients with symptomatic UTI usually have a high concentration of bacterial infection, ≥ 10 colony-forming units (CFU) per mL, in which the culture method is regularly the gold standard diagnosis. In this study, a simple and inexpensive distance-based paper device (dPAD) combined with the fluorescent closed tube LAMP assay was validated for simultaneously screening and semi-quantifying the infection level of E.

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Asymptomatic visceral leishmaniasis cases increase continuously, particularly among patients with HIV who are at risk to develop further symptoms of leishmaniasis. A simple, sensitive and reliable diagnosis is crucially needed due to risk populations mostly residing in rural communities with limited resources of laboratory equipment. In this study, a highly sensitive and selective determination of Leishmania among asymptomatic patients with Leishmania/HIV co-infection was achieved to simultaneously interpret and semi-quantify using colorimetric precipitates (gold-nanoparticle probe; AuNP-probe) and fluorescence (SYBR safe dye and distance-based paper device; dPAD) in one-step loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay.

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infection is the major parasitic infection problem in Southeast Asian countries, and long-term infection will lead to cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), the bile duct cancer. The early diagnosis of . infection may interrupt the progression of the opisthorchiasis and other related illnesses, especially CCA.

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sp., the most common intestinal protozoa, remains a public health problem among people in many countries, particularly in rural areas of developing countries. The infection usually reflects poor sanitation in communities by waterborne, zoonotic, and person-to-person transmission.

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infection causes various complications in patients, ranging from asymptomatic to severe chronic disease including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). is endemic in Southeast Asia and acting as a risk for CCA. Early diagnosis of infection can reduce the number of CCA cases.

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Background: Leishmaniasis is an emerging infectious disease reported in the north and south of Thailand of which patients with HIV/AIDS are a high risk group for acquiring the infection. A lack of information regarding prevalence, and the risk association of Leishmania infection among asymptomatic immunocompetent hosts needs further investigation. Information on potential vectors and animal reservoirs in the affected areas is also important to control disease transmission.

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Asymptomatic leishmaniasis cases have continuously increased, especially among patients with HIV who are at risk to develop further symptoms of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. Thus, early diagnosis using a simple, sensitive and reliable diagnostic assay is important because populations at risk mostly reside in rural communities where laboratory equipment is limited. In this study, the highly sensitive and selective determination of Leishmania infection in asymptomatic HIV patients was achieved using dual indicators (SYBR safe and gold-nanoparticle probe; AuNP-probe) in one-step LAMP method based on basic instruments.

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Malaria infection represents a major public health and economic issue that leads to morbidity and mortality globally. A highly effective and uncomplicated detection tool is required for malaria control in geographical hotspots of transmission. We developed a simple and more sensitive novel approach for the detection of the 18S rRNA gene of Plasmodium falciparum based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and visualization using colorimetric, streptavidin-functionalized gold nanoparticles (SA-GNPs).

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The highly sensitive and selective determination of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in urine was achieved using a SYBR™ safe loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method with a distance-based paper device. New primers set specific to multi-copy the 16s rRNA gene of E.

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In Thailand, asymptomatic leishmaniasis cases have continuously increased, especially among patients with HIV at risk to develop further symptoms of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. Thus, earlier diagnosis using a simple, sensitive and reliable diagnostic tool is needed because populations at risk mostly reside in rural communities where only basic laboratory equipment is available for health care services. In this present study, a closed tube loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was developed using a piece of parafilm placed between the dye and LAMP reaction mixture to form semi-layer that partially secured SYBR green I from spilling during amplification.

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Article Synopsis
  • Liver fluke infection is linked to an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), prompting screening initiatives that may struggle with misdiagnosis due to similarities between liver fluke and minute intestinal fluke (MIF) eggs.
  • A study in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, analyzed 9,570 stool samples, finding a prevalence of liver fluke-like eggs at 5.9% and confirmed species composition using molecular techniques such as PCR, resulting in significant findings about the eggs' genetic variants.
  • The research underscores the importance of molecular methods for accurately identifying species of liver fluke eggs, which can improve epidemiological data and awareness of risk factors related to CCA.
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Human liver fluke infection caused by increases the risk of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) reported along the Mekong basin including Thailand, Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), Cambodia, and Vietnam. The highest incidence of CCA has been reported in northeastern Thailand where liver fluke infection is prevalent. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of infection in a northeastern-descendent community in rural Sa Kaeo Province, eastern Thailand, using stool examination and molecular technique.

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Background: In Thailand, artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) has been used to treat uncomplicated falciparum malaria since 1995. Unfortunately, artemisinin resistance has been reported from Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries since 2003. Malarone, a combination of atovaquone-proguanil (ATQ-PG), has been used to cease artemisinin pressure in some areas along Thai-Cambodia border, as part of an artemisinin resistance containment project since 2009.

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Pyronaridine, a Mannich base antimalarial agent with a high activity against chloroquine-resistant , has been combined with artesunate as a new artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT). Pyronaridine-artesunate combination could be one of the choices for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in multidrug-resistant areas including Thailand. The aim of this study was to determine in vitro sensitivity and cross-resistance pattern of pyronaridine in Thai isolates of .

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Background: Opisthorchis viverrini infection is a major public health problem in northern and northeastern Thailand. The chronic infection of O. viverrini is related to cholangiocarcinoma which causes high mortality in endemic areas.

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Francisella is a genus of bacterial pathogens potentially lethal to humans. We report here for the first time a novel Francisella-like endosymbiont discovered in a hard-tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l.

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This study was undertaken to ascertain the extent of polymorphism in the C-terminal region of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein (MSP-1) from 119 malaria patients in Tak Province on the western border of Thailand, who were admitted to the Bangkok Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. P. falciparum infection was confirmed by microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears.

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During a scrub typhus outbreak investigation in Thailand, 4 isolates of O. tsutsugamushi were obtained and established in culture. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 56-kDa type-specific antigen gene demonstrated that the isolates fell into 4 genetic clusters, 3 of which had been previously reported and 1 that represents a new genotype.

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