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Publication Metadata only An assessment on artificial nest construction for hornbills in Budo-Sungai Padi National Park, Thailand(2015-06-01) Chakorn Pasuwan; Sura Pattanakiat; Charlie Navanugraha; Vijak Chimchome; Sittichai Madsri; Phuvanart Rattanarungsikul; Preeda Thiensongrusamee; Teerasak Boonsriroj; Pilai Poonswad; Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University; Silpakorn University; Kasetsart University; National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Thailand; Mahidol Universityof artificial nests that have been used by hornbills has increased continuously. The aim of this study was to determine the suitability of the artificial nests by comparing hornbill nesting behaviour between artificial nests and natural nests. Hornbills had... similar behaviours both in natural and artificial nests: hornbill visiting frequencies during nest visiting period, which is the period in which they select nests, for artificial nests and natural nests were 2.16 times/12 hours ± 1.27 SD and 1.35 times/12Publication Metadata only Investigations on anopheline mosquitoes close to the nest sites of chimpanzees subject to malaria infection in Ugandan Highlands(2012-06-19) Sabrina Krief; Florence Levrero; Jean Michel Krief; Supinya Thanapongpichat; Mallika Imwong; Georges Snounou; John M. Kasenene; Marie Cibot; Jean Charles Gantier; Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Projet Pour la Conservation des Grands Singes; CNRS Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Mahidol University; Institut National de la Sant� et de la Recherche M�dicale; Universite Pierre et Marie Curie; Makerere University; Faculté de Pharmacie. 92290 Chatenay-Malabry. This suggested a high prevalence of malaria infection in this community. The clinical course of malaria in chimpanzees and the species of the vectors that transmit their parasites are not known. The fact that these apes display a specific behaviour in which... they consume plant parts of low nutritional value but that contain compounds with anti-malarial properties suggests that the apes health might be affected by the parasite. The avoidance of the night-biting anopheline mosquitoes is another potential behaviouralPublication Open Access Investigations on anopheline mosquitoes close to the nest sites of chimpanzees subject to malaria infection in Ugandan highlands(2012-04-17) Krief, Sabrina; Levrero, Florence; Krief, Jean-Michel; Supinya Thanapongpichat; สุภิญญา ธนาพงษ์ภิชาติ; Mallika Imwong; มัลลิกา อิ่มวงศ์; Snounou, Georges; Kasenene, John M.; Cibot, Marie; Gantier, Jean-Charles; Krief, Sabrina; Mahidol University. Faculty of Tropical Medicinebehavioural adaptation that would lead to a decrease in the number of infectious bites and consequently malaria. METHODS: Mosquitoes were collected over two years using suction-light traps and yeast-generated CO(2) traps at the nesting and the feeding sites.... This suggested a high prevalence of malaria infection in this community. The clinical course of malaria in chimpanzees and the species of the vectors that transmit their parasites are not known. The fact that these apes display a specific behaviour in whichPublication Metadata only Prevalence of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus fermentum and their association with caries and dietary habits in preschool Thai children(2013-04-01) K. Mitrakul; K. Vongsavan; P. Suratanachaikul; Mahidol University; Private practiceand oral hygiene practices within each group. Study design: Sixty-four supra-gingival plaque samples were collected from S-ECC and CF groups (CF = 30, S-ECC = 34). All participants were asked about feeding habits and oral hygiene care behaviour by direct... questionnaire. Methods: After DNA extraction, S. mutans and L. fermentum were amplified using standard PCR. Nested PCR was performed as a second identification method for S. mutans. Results: Mean age in CF and S-ECC was 2. 29 ± 0. 42 and 2. 49 ± 0. 41 yearsPublication Metadata only Diet and breeding biology of Asian Golden Weaver (Ploceus hypoxanthus)(2008-10-08) Wangworn Sankamethawee; Somchai Nimnuan; Siriya Sripanomyom; Korakoch Pobprasert; Andrew J. Pierce; Philip D. Round; George A. Gale; King Mongkuts University of Technology Thonburi; Mahidol Universitycharacteristics, iii) food selection and foraging behaviour, and iv) parental care at the nest. © Birdlife International 2008....-east and central regions (Lekagul and Round 1991, Robson 2000). However, no quantitative data are available regarding its ecological requirements. Our objectives were to collect basic ecological data on: i) population structure, ii) nesting habitatPublication Open Access Microgeography and molecular epidemiology of malaria at the Thailand-Myanmar border in the malaria pre-elimination phase(2015) Parker, Daniel M.; Matthews, Stephen A.; Guiyun Yan; Guofa Zhou; Lee, Ming-Chieh; Jeeraphat Sirichaisinthop; Kirakorn Kiattibutr; Qi Fan; Peipei Li; Jetsumon Sattabongkot; Liwang Cui; Mahidol University. Faculty of Tropical Medicine. Mahidol Vivax Research Unitand filter papers were taken from each participant. Slides were cross-verified by an expert microscopist and filter papers were analysed using nested PCR. Cases were then mapped to households and analysed using spatial statistics. A risk factor analysisPublication Open Access Discovery and partial characterization of a non- LTR retrotransposon that may be associated with abdominal segment deformity disease (ASDD) in the whiteleg shrimp Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei(2013) Waraporn Sakaew; Benjamart Pratoomthai; Pattira Pongtippatee; Flegel, Timothy W.; Boonsirm Withyachumnarnkul; Mahidol University. Faculty of Science. Department of AnatomyBackground: Abdominal segment deformity disease (ASDD) of cultivated whiteleg shrimp Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei causes economic loss of approximately 10% in affected specimens because of the unsightliness of distorted abdominal muscles. It is associated with the presence of viral-like particles seen by electron microscopy in the ventral nerve cords of affected shrimp. Thus, shotgun cloning was carried out to seek viral-like sequences in affected shrimp. Results: A new retrovirus-like element of 5052 bp (named abdominal segment deformity element or ASDE) was compiled by shotgun cloning and 3′ and 5′ RACE using RNA and DNA extracted from ventral nerve cords of ASDD shrimp. ASDE contained 7 putative open reading frames (ORF). One ORF (called the PENS sub-domain), had a deduced amino acid (aa) sequence homologous to the GIY-YIG endonuclease domain of penelope-like retrotransposons while two others were homologous to the reverse transcriptase (RT) and RNaseH domains of the pol gene of non-long terminal repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposons (called the NLRS sub-domain). No single amplicon of 5 kb containing both these elements was obtained by PCR or RT-PCR from ASDD shrimp. Subsequent analysis indicated that PENS and NLRS were not contiguous and that NLRS was a host genetic element. In situ hybridization using a dioxygenin-labeled NLRS probe revealed that NLRS gave positive reactions in abdominal-ganglion neurons of ASDD shrimp but not normal shrimp. Preliminary analysis indicated that long-term use of female broodstock after eyestalk ablation in the hatchery increased the intensity of RT-PCR amplicons for NLRS and also the prevalence of ASDD in mysis 3 offspring of the broodstock. The deformities persist upon further cultivation until shrimp harvest but do not increase in prevalence and do not affect growth or survival. Conclusions: Our results suggested that NLRS is a shrimp genetic element associated with ASDD and that immediate preventative measures could include shorter-term use of broodstock after eyestalk ablation and/or discard of broodstock that give strong RT-PCR reactions for NLRS. In the longer term, it is recommended, if possible, that currently used, domesticated shrimp lines be selected for freedom from NLRS. The molecular tools developed in this work will facilitate the management and further study of ASDD.Publication Open Access An integrated lab-on-chip for rapid identification and simultaneous differentiation of tropical pathogens.(2014-07-31) Tan, Jeslin J. L.; Capozzoli, Monica; Sato, Mitsuharu; Wanitda Watthanaworawit; วนิตดา วัฒนวรวิทย์; Ling, Clare L.; Mauduit, Marjorie; Malleret, Benoît; Grüner, Anne-Charlotte; Tan, Rosemary; Nosten, François H.; Snounou, Georges; Rénia, Laurent; Ng, Lisa F. P.; Rénia, Laurent; Ng, Lisa F. P.; Mahidol University. Faculty of TropicalMedicine. Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit. Shoklo Malaria Research UnitTropical pathogens often cause febrile illnesses in humans and are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. The similarities in clinical symptoms provoked by these pathogens make diagnosis difficult. Thus, early, rapid and accurate diagnosis will be crucial in patient management and in the control of these diseases. In this study, a microfluidic lab-on-chip integrating multiplex molecular amplification and DNA microarray hybridization was developed for simultaneous detection and species differentiation of 26 globally important tropical pathogens. The analytical performance of the lab-on-chip for each pathogen ranged from 102 to 103 DNA or RNA copies. Assay performance was further verified with human whole blood spiked with Plasmodium falciparum and Chikungunya virus that yielded a range of detection from 200 to 4×105 parasites, and from 250 to 4×107 PFU respectively. This lab-on-chip was subsequently assessed and evaluated using 170 retrospective patient specimens in Singapore and Thailand. The lab-on-chip had a detection sensitivity of 83.1% and a specificity of 100% for P. falciparum; a sensitivity of 91.3% and a specificity of 99.3% for P. vivax; a positive 90.0% agreement and a specificity of 100% for Chikungunya virus; and a positive 85.0% agreement and a specificity of 100% for Dengue virus serotype 3 with reference methods conducted on the samples. Results suggested the practicality of an amplification microarray-based approach in a field setting for high-throughput detection and identification of tropical pathogens.Publication Open Access FlexiChip package: an universal microarray with a dedicated analysis software for high-thoughput SNPs detection linked to anti-malarial drug resistance.(2009-10-15) Steenkeste, Nicolas; Dillies, Marie-Agnès; Khim, Nimol; Sismeiro, Odile; Chy, Sophy; Lim, Pharath; Crameri, Andreas; Bouchier, Christiane; Mercereau-Puijalon, Odile; Beck, Hans-Peter; Mallika Imwong; มัลลิกา อิ่มวงศ์; Dondorp, Arjen M.; Socheat, Duong; Rogier, Christophe; Coppée, Jean- Yves; Ariey, Frédéric; Steenkeste, Nicolas; Mahidol University. Faculty of Tropical MedicineBACKGROUND: A number of molecular tools have been developed to monitor the emergence and spread of anti-malarial drug resistance to Plasmodium falciparum. One of the major obstacles to the wider implementation of these tools is the absence of practical methods enabling high throughput analysis. Here a new Zip-code array is described, called FlexiChip, linked to a dedicated software program, which largely overcomes this problem. METHODS: Previously published microarray probes detecting single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated with parasite resistance to anti-malarial drugs (ResMalChip) were adapted for a universal microarray FlexiChip format. To evaluate the overall sensitivity of the FlexiChip package (microarray + software), the results of FlexiChip were compared to ResMalChip microarray, using the same extension probes and with the same PCR products. In both cases, sequence results were used as gold standard to calculate sensitivity and specificity. FlexiChip results obtained with a set of field isolates were then compared to those assessed in an independent reference laboratory. RESULTS: The FlexiChip package gave results identical to the ResMalChip results in 92.7% of samples (kappa coefficient 0.8491, with a standard error 0.021) and had a sensitivity of 95.88% and a specificity of 97.68% compared to the sequencing as the reference method. Moreover the method performed well compared to the results obtained in the reference laboratories, with 99.7% of identical results (kappa coefficient 0.9923, S.E. 0.0523). CONCLUSION: Microarrays could be employed to monitor P. falciparum drug resistance markers with greater cost effectiveness and the possibility for high throughput analysis. The FlexiChip package is a promising tool for use in poor resource settings of malaria endemic countries.Publication Open Access Tourism threats to Coral Reef Resilience at Koh Sak, Pattaya Bay(2015-01) Phillips, Wayne N.; Mahidol University. Mahidol University International CollegeCoral reefs provide many ecosystem goods and services and rising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are resulting in higher than normal sea surface temperatures (SSTs), increasing the frequency and extent of mass coral bleaching and mortality. The loss of corals after bleaching events is often followed by changes in the reef community and the proliferation of macroalgae, especially in reefs experiencing tourism and fishing. This change, however, is less likely in reefs experiencing fewer negative impacts. Using a mixed methods approach to data collection we used boat-traffic surveys, coral reef substrate surveys and self-complete questionnaires and interviews of scuba divers, island visitors and their tour guides to assess potential tourism impacts to the coral reef at Koh Sak, Pattaya. The number of tourists, the intensity of boat traffic and poor management of activities at the island impair the structural and ecological integrity of the reef thereby affecting its ecological and spatial resilience and capacity to survive global climate change. To improve reef resilience, there needs to be a shift from exploitative business practices to a conservation-based industry that creates the infrastructure to ensure visitors participate in activities that help conserve the reef rather than weaken it.