Sarcocystis species are heteroxenous cyst-forming coccidian protozoan
parasites with a wide host range, including rodents. In this study,
Sarcocystis spp. samples were isolated from Bandicota
indica, Rattus argentiventer, R. tiomanicus
and R. norvegicus across five provinces of Thailand. Two major groups of
Sarcocystis cysts were determined in this study: large and small cysts.
By sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses based on the partial sequences of 28S
ribosomal DNA, the large cysts showed the highest identity value (99%) with the S.
zamani in GenBank database. While the small cysts could be divided into 2
groups of Sarcocystis: S. singaporensis and presupposed
S. zuoi. The further analysis on 18S rDNA supported that the 2 isolates
(S2 and B6 no.2) were as identified as S. singaporensis shared a high
sequence identity with the S. singaporensis in GenBank database and the
unidentified Sarcocystis (4 isolates, i.e., B6 no.10, B6 no.12, B10 no.4
and B10 no.7) showed 96.3–99.5% identity to S. zuoi as well as high
distinct identity from others Sarcocystis spp. (≤93%). The result
indicated that these four samples should be S. zuoi. In this study, we
provided complete sequence of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 5.8S rDNA and internal
transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of these three Sarcocystis species and our
new primer set could be useful to study the evolution of Sarcocystis.
Several simian adenoviruses (AdVs) have been detected and isolated in various species of non-human primates with the goals of monitoring the health of wildlife and investigating their potential for zoonotic disease transmission. Here, we provide evidence of AdV infection in wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis assamensis) at Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, based on polymerase chain reaction of non-invasively collected fecal samples. Eight out of 110 fecal samples (7.3%), or five out of 87 monkeys (5.7%), showed evidence of AdV infection. All infected individuals were infants or juveniles. Phylogenetic analysis based on the sequence of hexon and polymerase genes revealed two different AdV genotypes. One genotype clustered in the human AdV-G group, while another showed 100% identity with previously reported AdVs of captive Chinese rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), which may be tentatively classified as a new species of AdV in non-human primates while awaiting further supporting evidence.
Porcine circovirus type 3 has been circulating throughout the world and since their first report, various clinical signs and disease developments have been documented.The virus is similar to the closely related PCV2 and is associated with several clinical signs called porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVAD). PCV2 or PCV3 is occasionally reported with clinical signs such as PDNS, respiratory signs and reproductive failure. Retrospective research conducted in Thailand revealed that both PCV2 and PCV3 have been circulation for decades. However, awareness about PCV3 infection has just arisen in recent years because of the similarities observed in disease circulation and clinical signs that have led to concerns. This study was conducted to find the relationship between the quantity of PCV2 and PCV3 in Thai pigs displaying the clinical signs related to PCVAD. A total of 479 serum samples with different production phases and clinical signs were sent to Kamphaeng Saen Veterinary Diagnostic Center (KVDC) for qPCR to detect the presence of PCV2 or PCV3. There was no relationship between the PCV3 and PCVAD-related clinical signs. Also, the relationship between PCV2 and PCV3 with no clinical signs suggested that both viruses might come from the same reservoir or have been circulating in Thailand for a long time, leading to common incidents in finding. The viral load of PCV2 was significantly different among the pig groups with and without clinical signs. The capsid sequence analysis of PCV3 revealed that 22 capsid sequences obtained from this study were found as clusters within PCV3a with a minor variation. Additional control measures are further needed to reduce the findings of the viruses. A future study with a control experiment may be needed to clarify the pathogenesis of PCV3.
Zoonotic pathogens such as arboviruses have comprised a significant proportion of emerging infectious diseases in humans. The role of wildlife species as reservoirs for arboviruses is poorly understood, especially in endemic areas such as Southeast Asia. This study aims to determine the exposure history of different macaque species from national parks in Thailand to mosquito-borne flaviviruses and alphavirus by testing the serum samples collected from 25 northern pigtailed macaques, 33 stump-tailed macaques, and 4 long-tailed macaques for the presence of antibodies against dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses by plaque reduction neutralization assay. Specific neutralizing antibodies against Dengue virus (DENV1-4) and Zika virus (ZIKV) were mainly found in stump-tailed macaques, whereas neutralizing antibody titers were not detected in long-tailed macaques and pigtailed macaques as determined by 90% plaque reduction neutralization assay (PRNT 90). One long-tailed macaque captured from the south of Thailand exhibited antibody titers against chikungunya virus (CHIKV), suggesting enzootic of this virus to nonhuman primates (NHPs) in Thailand. Encroachment of human settlements into the forest has increased the interface that exposes humans to zoonotic pathogens such as arboviruses found in monkeys. Nonhuman primates living in different regions of Thailand showed different patterns of arboviral infections. The presence of neutralizing antibodies among wild monkeys in Thailand strongly suggests the existence of sylvatic cycles for DENV, ZIKV, and CHIKV in Thailand. The transmission of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses among wild macaques may have important public health implications.
We presented the powerful techniques for species identification using the short amplicon of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequence. Two faecal samples and one single hair sample of the Asian tapir were tested using the new cytochrome b primers. The results showed a high sequence similarity with the mainland Asian tapir group. The comparative sequence analysis of the reserved wild mammals in Thailand and the other endangered mammal species from Southeast Asia comprehensibly verified the potential of our novel primers. The forward and reverse primers were 94.2 and 93.2%, respectively, by the average value of the sequence identity among 77 species sequences, and the overall mean distance was 35.9%. This development technique could provide rapid, simple, and reliable tools for species confirmation. Especially, it could recognize the problematic biological specimens contained less DNA material from illegal products and assist with wildlife crime investigation of threatened species and related forensic casework.
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