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Introduction: Majority of individuals who acquire Acanthamoeba keratitis are contact lens wearers. A number of disinfection solutions are completely ineffective against Acanthamoeba, especially in its cysts form. Acanthamoeba keratitis could be prevented by the adequate use of an effective disinfection system. Objectives: This study investigates the effectiveness of Oxysept® 1-Step lens disinfecting solution against 4 clinical isolates of Acanthamoeba sp., based on the soaking time recommended by the manufacturer and soaking times of 4 hours, 6 hours and 8 hours. Materials and Methods: Cyst suspensions were prepared using Acanthamoeba cysts grown on Non-Nutrient Agar (NNA) for 10 days at 30°C (± 2°C). Oxysept® 1-Step contact lens disinfecting solution was used to determine its effectiveness as anti-Acanthamoeba agent. Cyst suspensions of each isolate were tested based on the manufacturers' recommended soaking time, 4 hours, 6 hours and 8 hours respectively. After the soaking time, 100 pi cyst suspension of each isolate was cultured onto NNA plates seeded with E. coli at 30°C (± 2°C) and observed daily for 14 days under an inverted microscope to detect the presence of trophozoites. Results: Oxysept® 1- Step was successful at inactivating the cysts of all the Acanthamoeba spp. isolates tested within all the testing times. Oxysept® 1- Step showed high anti-Acanthamoeba activity. Conclusion: Contact lens disinfecting solutions using hydrogen peroxide systems are probably the best choice for contact lens wearers in preventing Acanthamoeba keratitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giardia intestinalis is among the protozoa that is commonly found in the human fecal samples throughout the world. The prevalence of infection is higher among people living in developing countries than developed countries. One hundred and eleven Orang Asli children at Pos Titom, Pahang participated in this study. The prevalence study was conducted in accordance to gender, age groups and the diagnostic techniques employed. Fecal samples were collected and examined for the presence of G. intestinalis using three diagnostic techniques ie; the direct fecal smear, formalin-ether concentration and the trichrome staining technique. The overall prevalence of G. intestinalis infection among Orang Asli children at Pos Titom was 23.42%. The infection was higher among females (25%) as compared to males (21.57%) eventhough it was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In terms of age groups, no positive case was observed among preschoolers whose age were below seven-years while the school aged children (7 to 12-years old) showed 24.53% infection. The trichrome staining technique was the most sensitive with a detection rate of 22.52% followed by the formalin-ether concentration technique with a detection of 19.82% whilst the direct smear technique only detected 12.61% of cases. The prevalence of giardiasis amongst the Orang Asli children at Pos Titom, Pahang was still high despite various efforts made and improvements in basic infrastructural facilities undertaken for their community. The health care status and personal hygiene of Orang Asli children remains poor and needs to be further improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred seventy-one patients suffering from chronic renal diseases at Kuala Lumpur Hospital participated in a crosssectional study with purposive sampling to ascertain prevalence rates of Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum), Giardia intestinalis (G. intestinalis), Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis) and Strongyloides stercoralis (S. stercoralis). The patients were divided into 2 groups: post-transplant group (138 patients) and pre-transplant group (33 patients). In this study, the parasite infection is linked to the aspects of race, gender, renal patient's group and the postrenal transplantation period. Immunofluorescence staining was performed on fecal slides for the detection of C. parvum oocysts and G. intestinalis cysts. Sand charcoal culture technique was also used to detect the presence of S. strongyloides in fecal samples. The findings showed that the prevalence of C. parvum, G. intestinalis dan B. hominis among post-transplant patients was 18.1%, 10.9% and 22.5%, respectively but none of the pretransplant patient was infected. Meanwhile, both patient groups were free of S. stercoralis infection. Furthermore, there was no significant association between post-transplantation period and pattern in prevalence of the studied parasites, however, it was noted that the prevalence rates of C. parvum and G. intestinalis had declined after 6 months post transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hookworm infestation is one of the most common intestinal parasitic infections which cause anemia and malnutrition, mainly affecting those with poor socioeconomic status. Hookworm infection is still widely prevalent among aborigines in Malaysia. Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of hookworm infestation among the Orang Asli (aboriginal) children at Pos Lenjang, Pahang, Malaysia Materials & methods: Cross-sectional study was carried out among 71 volunteered aboriginal children aged between 1 to 12 years old (31 boys and 40 girls). The stool specimens were collected and screened for hookworm ova by the direct faecal smear method followed by formalin ether concentration technique. Results: The overall prevalence of hookworm infestation in this population is 14.1%. The highest infection rate was observed in school children aged between 7 - 12 years (24.3%) with males (19.4%) dominating over females (10%). The formalin ether concentration technique had shown a higher percentage of detection (90%) for hookworm ova as compared to the direct faecal smear (20%). Conclusion: Hookworm infestation among the aboriginal children at Pos Lenjang, Pahang still indicates a relatively low health standard of this indigenous community. Improving socioeconomic status, including enhanced access to quality health care and adequate sanitation has the potential to significantly reduce the prevalence and intensity of this infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of candidiasis among women of 20 to 59 years of age at Sarawak General Hospital by examining the conventional Pap smear. The prevalence of this infection was studied among the five main ethnic groups comprising of Iban, Chinese, Malay, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu. Microscopic screening of 300 conventional Pap smears which had been processed and stained with the Papanicolaou staining method was conducted. Based on the information provided in the Pap smear screening form, the clinical manifestations were observed which may provide some indications on the type of infection. The details of the clinical manifestations were very important because in an infection or inflammation, Pap smears would usually demonstrate the cyto-morphological changes of the epithelial cells. The age factor among the different ethnics also plays important role in the assessment of the infection frequency. Candida sp. was detected in 12.7% of the specimens. The infection occurred in all ethnic groups as well as in all age groups. All cases presented with clinical signs and symptoms. The results of this study revealed the importance of undergoing Pap smear screening for candidiasis detection besides screening for the early detection of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis among women of age 20 to 59 years at Sarawak General Hospital by examining the conventional Pap smear. The prevalence of this infection was studied among the five main ethnic groups comprising the Iban, Chinese, Malay, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu. Microscopic screening of 300 conventional Pap smears which had been processed and stained with the Papanicolaou staining method was conducted. Based on the information provided in the Pap smear screening form, the clinical manifestations were observed which may provide some indications on the type of infection. The details of the clinical manifestations were very important because in an infection or inflammation, Pap smears would usually demonstrate changes on the cyto-morphology of the epithelial cells. The age factor among the different ethnics also played important role in the assessment of the infection frequency. Bacterial vaginosis was detected in 79.7% (239/300) of cases. The infection occurred in all ethnic groups and the infections were more frequently seen among the 20 to 39 years age group. Majority of the cases (93.9%) presented with clinical signs and symptoms. The results of this study revealed the importance of undergoing a Pap smear screening for bacterial vaginosis detection besides screening for the early detection of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study on the isolation and identification of bacterial flora from hot spring was carried out using water from Bentong hot spring in Pahang. In general most of the bacteria identified from the hot springs were from Bacillus sp. This was due to its ability to adapt to high temperature mainly by forming endospore. The objective of this study was to identify bacteria other than Bacillus that were able to survive in hot springs. Three hot spring pools were identified (A,B and C) with temperatures ranging from 36°C to 52°C and pH values between 7.88-8.65. This study has succesfully isolated two species of Gram positive cocci and three species of Gram negative bacilli. The two Gram positives were Streptococcus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. The three species of Gram negative rods were unidentified and were denoted as X, XI and XII. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]