Quercus infectoria gall extract is known to have broad spectrum anti-microbial activity in vitro. This study was conducted to determine the anti-microbial activity of Q. infectoria gall extract against pathogenic Leptospira and to evaluate the morphological changes of extract-treated cells using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). A two-fold serial microdilution broth assay was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of aqueous Q. infectoria gall extract against the L. interrogans serovar Javanica and the L. interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae, at concentrations ranging from 4.00 mg/mL to 0.0078 mg/mL. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was determined by sub-culturing the broth from the microtiter plate wells that showed no apparent growth or turbidity to the freshly prepared Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris (EMJH) broth media, and it was subsequently observed under a dark field microscope following three weeks of incubation for purposes of growth detection. The cell morphology of both extract-treated and untreated L. interrogans serovar Icterohaemorhagiae was analysed using the SEM. The results of the broth microdilution assay demonstrate that the aqueous Q. infectoria gall extract possesses anti-microbial activity against both of the L. interrogans serovars with MIC values of 0.125 mg/mL. The MBC values for the L. interrogans serovar Javanica and the L. interrogans serovar Icterohaemorhagiae are 0.125 mg/mL and 0.250 mg/mL, respectively. The SEM micrograph shows changes in shape and size of the extract-treated cells (at 8× MIC) in comparison to the untreated cells. The Q. infectoria gall extract displays anti-microbial inhibition and killing activity against the pathogenic Leptospira isolates, and thus has the potential for further exploration of its efficacy and use in the treatment of leptospirosis.

Fascioliasis is an important zoonotic disease prevalent in domestic animals and it leads to socioeconomic impact in rural farming communities of the developing world. The gold standard diagnosis of ruminant fascioliasis involves coprological detection of Fasciola spp. eggs or recovery of flukes in infected livers. Coprological analysis is unreliable in the patent period of chronic infection, and even then, its sensitivity is relatively low. Robust diagnostic tools that can promptly and accurately detect an active infection are crucial to avoid complications and further losses in ruminant livestock productivity, as well as to preserve the livelihood of communities at risk. Immunodiagnosis determined by antibody and antigen detection in the sera and faeces of infected ruminants provides a valuable alternative to the parasitological diagnostic approach. This review discusses current developments in immunological techniques by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the detection of ruminant fascioliasis and summarises the performance of various ELISAs in studies conducted to date. Indirect ELISAs demonstrated effective immunodiagnostic performance with high sensitivities and specificities. Cathepsin L ELISA is the most favourable antigen in serodiagnosis, among other recombinant and native proteins evaluated. Sandwich ELISA provides excellent sensitivity and specificity, which correlates well with the fluke burden. Utilising monoclonal antibodies in sandwich ELISA reduces the detection time and performance variations that commonly occur in polyclonal antibody ELISA.

A longitudinal study was conducted in five randomly selected farms in Kelantan, Malaysia to determine the seasonal occurrence of cattle fascioliasis and its association with climatic factors. A total of 480 faecal samples were collected by a random purposive sampling method from July 2018 to June 2019. The faecal samples were examined for the presence of Fasciola eggs using a formalin ether sedimentation technique. Meteorological data including temperature, humidity, rainfall, and pan evaporation were obtained from a local meteorological station. The overall prevalence of cattle fascioliasis in Kelantan was 45.8%. The prevalence was observed to be slightly higher during the wet season from August to December (50–58%) than during the dry season from January to June (30–45%). Meanwhile, the mean eggs per gram (EPG) were highest in June (191.1 ± 0.48) and lowest in October (77.62 ± 95.5). However, there were no significant differences in the mean of EPG between the monthly prevalence, tested using one-way ANOVA (p = 0.1828). A statistically significant association (p = 0.014) was observed between the disease and cattle breeds, with Charolais and Brahman showing lower odds of having the disease. There were significant moderate-to-strong positive correlations between cattle fascioliasis and rainfall (r = 0.666; p = 0.018) and humidity (r = 0.808; p = 0.001), as well as strong negative correlations with evaporation (r = −0.829; p = 0.001). The results indicated that the higher prevalence of cattle fascioliasis in Kelantan was correlated with the climatic factors, which include higher rainfall and humidity and lower evaporation.

Objectives: Our study reports the immunomodulatory potency of Quercus infectoria gall extract in vitro. The aqueous extract was prepared and examined for its effects on cell proliferation, phagocytic activity, nitric oxide (NO) production, and cytokine synthesis by murine macrophages. Methods: Proliferative, phagocytic activity, and NO production of extract-treated and control cells were studied using proliferative assay, flow cytometry, and Griess reaction, respectively. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine the levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the macrophage culture. Results: Treated macrophages had a higher proliferative rate and phagocytic activity compared to untreated macrophages. The cell treatment with an extract concentration of 64 μg/mL demonstrated a significant decrease in NO production (p < 0.001). An increase in cytokine levels (IL-2, IL-5, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-23, TGF-β1) was observed; however, this increase was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Our study suggests that gall extract possesses the potential for augmenting immunomodulatory activity by cellular mediated mechanism and could play a role in regulating the innate immune response.