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Plants with medicinal properties have been used in the treatment of several infectious diseases, including Acanthamoeba infections. The medicinal properties of Cambodian plant extracts; Annona muricata and Combretum trifoliatum were investigated against Acanthamoeba triangularis. A total of 39 plant extracts were evaluated and, as a result, 22 extracts showed positive anti-Acanthamoeba activity. Of the 22 extracts, 9 and 4 extracts showed anti-Acanthamoeba activity against trophozoites and cysts of A. triangularis, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration of A. muricata and C. trifoliatum extracts against trophozoites and cysts was 500 and 1,000 μg/mL, respectively. The combination of A. muricata at 1/4×MIC with chlorhexidine at 1/8×MIC demonstrated a synergistic effect against trophozoites, but partial synergy against cysts. A 40% reduction in trophozoites and 60% of cysts adhered to the plastic surface treated with both extracts at 1/2×MIC were noted comparing to the control (P < 0.05). Furthermore, a reduction of 80% and 90% of trophozoites adhered to the surface was observed after pre-treatment with A. muricata and C. trifoliatum extracts, respectively. A 90% of cysts adhered to the surface was decreased with pre-treatment of A. muricata at 1/2×MIC (P < 0.05). A 75% of trophozoites and cysts from Acanthamoeba adhered to the surface were removed after treatment with both extracts at 4×MIC (P < 0.05). In the model of contact lens, 1 log cells/mL of trophozoites and cysts was significantly decreased post-treatment with both extracts compared to the control. Trophozoites showed strong loss of acanthopodia and thorn-like projection pseudopodia, while cysts demonstrated retraction and folded appearance treated with both extracts when observed by SEM, which suggests the potential benefits of the medicinal plants A. muricata and C. trifoliatum as an option treatment against Acanthamoeba infections., Acanthamoeba triangularis, Adhesion, Annona muricata, Combretum trifoliatum, Synergistic effects.

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T11:56:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-04-13 Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn-Botanical Garden of Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials national funds by FCT/MCTES Acanthamoeba spp. can cause amoebic keratitis (AK). Chlorhexidine is effective for AK treatment as monotherapy, but with a relative failure on drug bioavailability in the deep corneal stroma. The combination of chlorhexidine and propamidine isethionate is recommended in the current AK treatment. However, the effectiveness of treatment depends on the parasite and virulence strains. This study aims to determine the potential of Garcinia mangostana pericarp extract and alpha -mangostin against Acanthamoeba triangularis, as well as the combination with chlorhexidine in the treatment of Acanthamoeba infection. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the extract and alpha -mangostin were assessed in trophozoites with 0.25 and 0.5 mg/mL, for cysts with 4 and 1 mg/mL, respectively. The MIC of the extract and alpha -mangostin inhibited the growth of A. triangularis trophozoites and cysts for up to 72 h. The extract and alpha -mangostin combined with chlorhexidine demonstrated good synergism, resulting in a reduction of 1/4-1/16 of the MIC. The SEM results showed that Acanthamoeba cells treated with a single drug and its combination caused damage to the cell membrane and irregular cell shapes. A good combination displayed by the extract or alpha -mangostin and chlorhexidine, described for the first time. Therefore, this approach is promising as an alternative method for the management of Acanthamoeba infection in the future. Walailak Univ, Sch Allied Hlth Sci, World Union Herbal Drug Discovery WUHeDD, Southeast Asia Water Team,SEA Water Team, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand Walailak Univ, Res Excellence Ctr Innovat & Hlth Prod RECIHP, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand Walailak Univ, Akkhraratchakumari Vet Coll, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand Walailak Univ, Res Ctr Excellence Innovat Essential Oil, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand Prince Songkla Univ, Fac Sci, Div Phys Sci, Hat Yai, Thailand Chulalongkorn Univ, Fac Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Pharmacognosy & Pharmaceut Bot, Bangkok, Thailand Islamic Univ Uganda, Habib Med Sch, Dept Biochem, Kampala, Uganda Mahidol Univ, Fac Trop Med, Dept Clin Trop Med, Bangkok, Thailand Sao Paulo State Univ, Fac Sci, Dept Biol, Sao Paulo, Brazil Natl Inst TB & Resp Dis NITRD, Dept Microbiol, New Delhi, India Aveiro Inst Mat, Dept Med Sci, CICECO, Aveiro, Portugal Univ Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal Univ Dev Alternat Lalmatia, Dept Biotechnol & Genet Engn, Dhaka, Bangladesh Sch Pharm, Univ Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia Birjand Univ Med Sci, Ferdows Sch Paramed & Hlth, Birjand, Iran Univ Tabriz, Fac Vet Med, Dept Pathobiol, Tabriz, Iran UNSW, Sch Publ Hlth & Community Med, UNSW Med, Sydney, NSW, Australia Ctr Biomed Res, Burnet Inst, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Sao Paulo State Univ, Fac Sci, Dept Biol, Sao Paulo, Brazil Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn-Botanical Garden of Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat: WUBG020-2564 project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials: UIDB/50011/2020 project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials: UIDP/50011/2020

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections represent a major public health problem globally, particularly among socio-economically disadvantaged populations. Detection of STH infections is often challenging, requiring a combination of diagnostic techniques to achieve acceptable sensitivity and specificity, particularly in low infection-intensity situations. The microscopy-based Kato-Katz remains the most widely used method but has low sensitivity in the detection of, for instance, Strongyloides spp. infections, among others. Antigen/antibody assays can be more sensitive but are parasite species-specific. Highly sensitive PCR methods have been developed to be multiplexed to allow multi-species detection. Novel diagnostic tests for all STH species are needed for effective monitoring, evaluation of chemotherapy programmes, and to assess the potential emergence of parasite resistance. This review discusses available diagnostic methods for the different stages of STH control programmes, which vary in sensitivity and spectrum of detection requirements, and tools to evaluate drug efficacy and resistance.

Background Schistosomiasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases endemic to Mali. There has been insufficient investigation of the morbidity burden in highly endemic irrigated rice areas with the ongoing mass drug administration with praziquantel. In February 2005, a year after an initial mass drug administration in 2004, we performed the first cross-sectional survey of schistosomiasis in the Kokry-Bozo village in the Office du Niger rice irrigation region. In the fourteen years since this survey, there has been almost no research into schistosomiasis morbidity in Mali due to lack of funding. Therefore, the 2005 survey supplies near-baseline data for any future research into the treatment impacts in the area. Methods One hundred and ninety-four children aged 6–14 years from two schools were assessed for bladder pathology by ultrasound, and for anaemia and micro-haematuria by laboratory tests. Schistosoma eggs were examined microscopically in fresh stool and urine samples. Multivariate logistic regression analysis quantified the association of Schistosoma infections with anaemia, bladder pathology and micro-haematuria. Akaike’s information criterion was used to test the assumption of linear effects of infection intensity classes and used to compare across models. Results The overall prevalence of schistosomiasis in 189 school children was 97%; 17% (33/189) had a single infection (S. mansoni,13%, or S. haematobium, 4%) and 80% (156/189) were co-infected with S. mansoni and S. haematobium. The overall prevalence of S. mansoni with light infection was 27% (53/194), moderate infection was 24% (47/194) and heavy infection was 42% (81/194). Of the 194 of children investigated for S. haematobium 59% (114/194) had light infection and 26% (50/194) had heavy infection. No hookworm eggs were detected. The level of abnormal bladder pathology was 18% (35/189) with the highest found in 10–14 year old children. The prevalence of anaemia was 91% (172/189) and was twice as likely to be associated (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1–3.9) with S. mansoni infections than in children without infection. As infection intensity with S. mansoni increased the risk of anaemia (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1–3.9) also increased. As infection intensity with S. haematobium increased bladder pathology (OR 2.4, 95%CI 1.3–4.5), haematuria (OR 6.7, 95%CI 3.3–13.6) and micro-haematuria increased (OR 2.4, 95%CI 1.3–4.5). Conclusion Our research contributes an important micro-geographical assessment of the heavy burden of schistosomiasis and associated morbidity in children who live in the rice irrigation regions. Our literature review found that there has been very limited research conducted on the impact of the treatment to control morbidity in the ON. Therefore, there is a need to do a comparable, but more extensive, study to identify any changes in morbidity and to indicate current requirements for the control programme. Our results from 2005 called for routine integration of iron supplementation, food fortification and diet diversification into the deworming program.