The development of drug resistance is one of the most severe concerns of malaria control because it increases the risk of malaria morbidity and death. A new candidate drug with antiplasmodial activity is urgently needed. This study evaluated the efficacy of different dosages of aqueous extract of Strychnos ligustrina combined with dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine phosphate (DHP) against murine Plasmodium berghei infection. The BALB/c mice aged 6-8 weeks were divided into 6 groups, each consisting of 10 mice. The growth inhibition of compounds against P. berghei was monitored by calculating the percentage of parasitemia. The results showed that the mice receiving aqueous extract and combination treatment showed growth inhibition of P. berghei in 74% and 94%, respectively. S. ligustrina extract, which consisted of brucine and strychnine, effectively inhibited the multiplication of P. berghei. The treated mice showed improved hematology profiles, body weight, and temperature, as compared to control mice. Co-treatment with S. ligustrina extract and DHP revealed significant antimalarial and antipyretic effects. Our results provide prospects for further discovery of antimalarial drugs that may show more successful chemotherapeutic treatment.

Antimalarial treatment is usually given up to 4 days which reduces the number of parasitemia, but malaria can still occur. Therefore, a study to determine the percentage of parasitemia after drug administration is important. Strychnos ligustrina has been investigated in vitro to inhibit the growth of Plasmodium berghei and reduced the number of parasitemia during 4 days of treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the percentage of parasitemia in mice infected with P. berghei after 4 day treatments with S. ligustrina extract. S. ligustrina was extracted by maceration method using Ethanol 25%, 50%, and 75% (E25, E50, E75, respectively), and Aquades (EA). This study used 91 male mice divided into 5 groups: E25, E50, E70, EA, each extract consisted of 3 doses (200, 400 and 800 mg/kg BW) and Drug Control (DC). For Drug Control (DC) was using a combination of Dihy-droartemisin dose 25 mg/kg BW and piperaquine phosphate dose 197 mg/kg BW. Mice infected with 1x 106 P. berghei intraperitoneally. Blood samples were taken on day 5 after treatment with S. ligustrina extract for 8 days (days 1-8 after treatment). Preparation of blood smear was stained with Giemsa to calculate the percentage of parasitemia by counting the number of infected erythrocytes divided by 500 erythrocytes and multiplied by 100%. The percentages of parasitemia day 7 with 3 kinds of doses of 200, 400, 800 mg/kg body weight in E25 (11,54%, 2.60% and 11.54%, respectively), in E50 (3.44%, 0%, 3.81%, respectively), in E75 (19.25%, 0.73 %, 9.75 %, respectively), in EA (0.77%, 4.48%, 8.67%, respectively) and in DC 2.10%. At the stage of schizogony, which is one of the life cycles of malaria found in the liver, this parasite is not visible in the blood circulation. The results showed that P. berghei was still found in the blood of mice after administration of S. ligustrina extracts up to 4 days in all treatments with different percentages of parasitemia. Based on these results it is recommended that the administration of drugs with S. ligustrina extract as antimalarial drugs for more than 4 days.

Background and Aim: Toxoplasma gondii is a unicellular coccidian parasite distributed globally and is an important zoonotic pathogen. Approximately 30% of the human population worldwide is chronically infected with T. gondii. The pathogenicity of this species depends on the type originating from the clonal population. Techniques for more accurately determining the type of T. gondii have recently been developed using genetic markers. Specifically, T. gondii has been typed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). This study aimed to identify sets of PCR-RFLP markers that have high power to discriminate genotyping of T. gondii and are easy to use and are easy to use. The objective of this study was to characterize virulent strain isolates of T. gondii by PCR-RFLP using 10 markers with DdeI. Materials and Methods: T. gondii tachyzoites (RH virulent strain) were derived from culture cells at the Indonesian Research Center for Veterinary Sciences. Genotyping was performed on T. gondii DNA extracted from cell cultured tachyzoites using 10 genetic markers of PCR-RFLP, namely, B1#1, B1#2, B1#3, SAG1#1, SAG1#2, P30, BAG1, ROP1, GRA1, and GRA7, with digestion using the restriction enzyme DdeI. Results: The 10 genes were amplified by PCR. Among them, three genetic markers, B1#3, ROP1, and GRA1, were genotyped by the PCR-RFLP using restriction enzyme DdeI. Overall, the findings showed that the specific RFLP profile of digestion of gene regions by DdeI could be used as a specific marker for the virulent biotype causative of toxoplasmosis. In addition, virulent strains of T. gondii can be easily detected by these markers. Conclusion: Three pairs of primers (B1#3, ROP1, and GRA1) with DdeI have proven useful for the diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis (virulent strain biotype I). This proposed method is relatively simple, rapid, cheap, and can be performed in most laboratories, providing a practical approach for the routine analysis of T. gondii strains.

This epidemiological investigation conducted in three regencies of West Sumatra, Indonesia, aimed to examine the molecular prevalence and distribution of Babesia bigemina, Babesia bovis, and Theileria orientalis. A cross-sectional study employing a convenience sampling technique included 151 cattle blood samples. These samples were collected from three regencies (Agam, Limapuluh Kota, and Tanah Datar) between January 2023 and February 2024. Blood samples were examined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coupled with sequencing, targeting the cytochrome b gene for B. bigemina and B. bovis, and the 18S rRNA gene for Theileria spp. A total of 151 cattle blood samples from West Sumatra were examined for hemoprotozoan infections using both microscopic and molecular approaches. Based on blood smear examination, 23 (15.2%) and 118 (78.1%) samples were positive for Babesia spp. and Theileria spp., respectively. Subsequent nested PCR analysis confirmed all Babesia-positive samples as B. bigemina, while B. bovis was not detected. In contrast, 131 (86.7%) samples were molecularly identified as T. orientalis. Phylogenetic analysis of the cytochrome b gene revealed three distinct clades of B. bigemina, indicating genetic diversity likely shaped by geographical distribution, vector ecology, or host adaptation. These findings demonstrate that T. orientalis is the predominant hemoprotozoan agent in West Sumatra, while the genetic variability of B. bigemina underscores the complexity of its epidemiology. Together, these results provide critical insights for improving surveillance and guiding the formulation of effective hemoparasite management strategies in the tropical Indonesian archipelago.

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan that causes zoonotic diseases. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis in humans in Indonesia ranges from 9.7-70%. The parasite is difficult to detect in tissues; therefore, serological testing is the most common method for detecting antibodies against Toxoplasma. Antibodies are often used as the testing criteria for IgG and IgM antibodies. Previous research has shown that agglutination testing with acetone-fixed tachyzoites was only positive for acute infection. The aim of this study was to examine microscopic changes in acetone-fixed tachyzoites, determine their ability to detect IgG and IgM seropositivity, and detect specific proteins for IgG and IgM against toxoplasmosis. Tachyzoites were fixed with acetone (A) and PBS (P). After fixation, tachyzoites were prepared to observe the morphology and sonicated to obtain Soluble Toxoplasma Antigen (STA). STA was then subjected to SDS page and western blotting. The addition of aseton resulted in morphological and protein changes. Although changes occur, acetone-fixed tachyzoites can still react with IgG and IgM seropositivity. Protein bands that can be used as IgG seropositive markers in western blot testing are bands measuring 20, 24, 27, 73, and 110 kDa, and the combination of acetone fixation with anti-goat IgM conjugate will result in seropositive bands.