ObjectiveTo reveal the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodiasis, Trichostrogylus, Haemonchus, Strongyloides and Trichuris and coccidiosis, mainly Eimeria in kids, yearlings and adult goats.MethodsA total of 287 goat faecal specimens were randomly collected from three farms in Kuala Terengganu, Setiu and Besut.ResultsPrevalence of coccidiosis (89.2%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than gastrointestinal nematodiasis (52.3%). Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) were found in 37.0% kids, 63.5% yearlings and 53.3% adults. Identification of GINs revealed the predominance of Strongyloides (45.6%) followed by Trichostrogylus (12.9%), Haemonchus (11.8%) and Trichuris (8.7%) in all groups whereby the adult goats recorded the highest infections of Trichostrogylus (20.5%), Haemonchus (10.6%), Strongyloides (51.5%) in all groups. The age-specific intensity for Eimeria was in following order: kids (92.6%), adults (86.6%) and yearlings (51.5%) and the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). The concurrent infections between GINs and Eimeria were 67.94% in all groups. Polyparasitisms of Trichostrongylus (17.4%), Haemonchus (15.15%) and Strongyloides (40.4%) with Eimeria had infected most adult goats. Dual infections of Trichostrongylus with Eimeria and Trichuris with Eimeria were significantly higher in adults than yearlings and kids (P < 0.05).ConclusionsGINs and Eimeria were widely distributed in the goats leading to higher risk of morbidity and mortality

Intestinal parasitic infections are one of the most common causes of human diseases that result in serious health and economic issues in many developing and developed countries. Raw vegetables and fruits play an important role in transmitting parasites to humans. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the parasitological contamination of select commonly consumed local leafy vegetables and fruits in Kuantan, Malaysia. One kilogram of locally consumed raw vegetables and fruits were collected randomly from the Kuantan wet market (Pasar Tani) during the monsoon season (November 2014–January 2015) and the dry season (February 2015–April 2015). A standard wet mount procedure and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining were used for the detection of parasites. In the present study, the examination of vegetables revealed five different parasite species. The vegetable samples collected from Kuantan’s wet market were positive for both helminthes and protozoa. However, the fruits samples were negative for parasitic contamination. Pegaga was the most contaminated leafy vegetable in this study, and Strongyloides was the parasite found most frequently. Furthermore, there was a high diversity in the type of parasites observed during the dry season compared to the monsoon season. Therefore, further action should be taken to reduce the occurrence of parasitic contamination in vegetables by implementing the principles of good agricultural practice and improving water treatment efficacy. Jangkitan parasit usus adalah salah satu penyakit manusia yang lazimnya menyebabkan masalah kesihatan yang serius dan mengakibatkan isu-isu ekonomi di negara-negara maju dan membangun. Sayur-sayuran mentah dan buah-buahan memainkan peranan yang penting sebagai medium jangkitan parasit ke dalam manusia. Oleh itu, tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk menyiasat pencemaran parasitologi daripada sayur-sayuran berdaun dan buah-buahan yang biasa dimakan serta dipilih penduduk tempatan di Kuantan, Malaysia. Sebanyak satu kilogram sayur-sayuran tempatan yang dimakan mentah dan buah-buahan telah dikumpulkan secara rawak dari pasar basah Kuantan (Pasar Tani) semasa musim tengkujuh (November 2014–Januari 2015) dan musim kering (Februari 2015–April 2015). Prosedur lazim “wet mount” dan teknik perwarnaan Ziehl-Neelsen yang dimodifikasi telah digunakan untuk mengesan parasit. Dalam kajian ini, pemeriksaan sayur-sayuran mendedahkan lima spesies parasite yang berbeza. Sampel sayur-sayuran yang diambil daripada pasar basah Kuantan adalah positif untuk kedua-dua helmin dan protozoa. Walau bagaimanapun, sampel buah-buahan adalah negatif untuk pencemaran parasit. Pegaga merupakan sayuran yang paling tercemar dalam kajian ini dan Strongyloides adalah parasit yang paling kerap ditemui. Tambahan pula, terdapat kepelbagaian yang tinggi dalam jenis parasit yang telah diperhatikan semasa musim kering berbanding musim tengkujuh. Oleh itu, tindakan lanjut perlu diambil untuk mengurangkan berlakunya pencemaran parasit didalam sayur-sayuran dengan melaksanakan prinsip-prinsip amalan pertanian yang baik serta keberkesanan rawatan air perlu dipertingkatkan.

Atherosclerosis is the most common disease of large and medium-sized arteries linked to oxidative stress, dyslipidemia as well as chronic inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential health benefits of Baccaurea angulata (BA) fruit juice on the aorta of diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits, to detect an accumulation of fatty streak and evaluate the percentage of atherosclerotic lesion accrued. Thirty-five healthy male adults New Zealand White rabbits were assigned to seven different groups. Four groups were fed 1% cholesterol diet and 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mL of BA fruit juice per kg of rabbit daily (atherogenic groups), while the other three groups were fed commercial rabbit pellet and 0, 0.5, and 1.0 mL of juice per kg of rabbit daily (normocholesterolemic groups) for 90 days. The thoracic and abdominal aorta between the heart origin and bifurcation into iliac arteries of all the rabbits were carefully removed and analyzed accordingly. The supplementation of the high-cholesterol diet of hypercholesterolemic rabbits with only 0.5 mL BA/kg rabbit per day significantly (p < 0.001) improved aortic lipid profile, attenuated aortic fatty streak development and reduced intima thickening. Higher BA doses used (1.0 and 1.5 mL/kg rabbit per day) also significantly (p < 0.001) decreased further the development of aortic fatty streaks, reduced the thickening of the tunica intima layer and preserved endothelial healing following arterial injury. Therefore, BA fruit is a potential novel functional food with effective anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic and hypocholesterolemic activities.

Cryptosporidium, a protozoan parasite, can cause cryptosporidiosis which is a gastrointestinal disease that can infect humans and livestock. Cattle are the most common livestock that can be infected with this protozoan. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in cattle in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia and to find out the association between the occurrence of infection and 3 different ages of cattle (calves less than 1 year, yearling, and adult cattle). The samples were processed by using formol-ether concentration technique and stained by modified Ziehl Neelsen. The results showed that 15.9% (24/151) of cattle were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts. The occurrence of Cryptosporidium in calves less than 1 year was the highest with the percentage of 20.0% (11/55) followed by yearling and adult cattle, with the percentage occurrence of 15.6 % (7/45) and 11.8% (6/51), respectively. There was no significant association between the occurrence and age of cattle and presence of diarrhea. Good management practices and proper hygiene management must be taken in order to reduce the infection. It is highly important to control the infection since infected cattle may serve as potential reservoirs of the infection to other animals and humans, especially animal handlers.