Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in equids, including horses, donkeys, zebras, and mules. It is globally endemic with significant economic impact on the equine industry. Infected animals may serve as carriers, and they may be a source of infection for ticks, thereby posing a great challenge for disease management. Sri Lanka is a tropical country, where infections by various tick-borne parasites are common among livestock animals. However, infections by T. equi and B. caballi remain unstudied in Sri Lanka. Therefore, in the present study, we conducted an epidemiological survey to investigate the presence of T. equi and B. caballi in apparently healthy free-roaming donkeys. Blood samples were randomly taken from 111 donkeys in Mannar (n = 100) and Kilinochchi (n = 11) districts in Sri Lanka. Thin blood smears were prepared from the blood samples and subjected to microscopic examination. Additionally, blood DNA samples were prepared and screened for T. equi and B. caballi infections using species-specific PCR assays. Our results showed that 64 (57.7%) and 95 (85.6%) of the donkeys were positive for T. equi by microscopy and PCR, respectively. However, all samples were negative for B. caballi. Phylogenetic analysis of the T. equi 18S rRNA sequences detected two distinct genotypes, namely C and D. To our knowledge, this is the first report of T. equi in Sri Lanka and of genotype C in donkeys. The present study highlights the importance of monitoring the shrinking donkey population in Sri Lanka owing to EP caused by T. equi.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105244 | DOI Listing |
Mol Plant
January 2025
National Nanfan Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572000, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/ Key laboratory Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utlization Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; Yazhouwan National Laboratory, Sanya 572000, China. Electronic address:
As drastic climatic changes significantly impact global agriculture, the importance of conserving and utilizing wild germplasm has gained prominance. In this context, the conservation and sustainable utilization of wild rice germplasm resources have become a high priority. Although efforts to conserve and sustainably utilize wild rice germplasm are underway globally, they are fragmented and require international cooperation to advance climate-resilient rice breeding and ensure future food securiety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Health Serv Res
January 2025
Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.
The deployment of Health Information Systems (HIS) in Sri Lanka has been low in adoption compared to developed countries. There has been a dearth of studies to identify the factors that improve the adoption of HIS in developing countries. Thus, this study investigates the factors influencing the acceptance of HIS among public healthcare staff.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Analytical Research Center for Experimental Sciences, Saga University, Saga, Japan.
The chloroplast (cp) genome is a widely used tool for exploring plant evolutionary relationships, yet its effectiveness in fully resolving these relationships remains uncertain. Integrating cp genome data with nuclear DNA information offers a more comprehensive view but often requires separate datasets. In response, we employed the same raw read sequencing data to construct cp genome-based trees and nuclear DNA phylogenetic trees using Read2Tree, a cost-efficient method for extracting conserved nuclear gene sequences from raw read data, focusing on the Aurantioideae subfamily, which includes Citrus and its relatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Pollut
January 2025
University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka. Electronic address:
The microbial pollution status of river surface water is important to ensure a river-based quality drinking water supply for the public. The present study aimed to investigate bacterial contamination status in the upper Mahaweli River, the main drinking water supplier to the hill country of Sri Lanka. Both the raw surface water and treated water, taken at 14 drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) along the river segment of 60 km between Kotmale and Victoria reservoirs, were tested for total bacterial counts (TBC), total coliform counts (TCC) and faecal coliform counts (FCC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSleep Med
December 2024
Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Introduction: Sleep concerns have become increasingly common over the past few decades. This study outlines the perceived needs and gaps in pediatric sleep education, drawing insights from a diverse international cohort of pediatric sleep health professionals.
Methods: International Pediatric Sleep Association (IPSA) members were invited to complete an online survey examining a variety of topics related to pediatric sleep education developed by the education committee.
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