1.Rapid genotyping of Plasmodium vivax Pvs25 and Pv38 genes by using mismatch specific endonuclease
Jang, J.W. ; Cho, C.H. ; Kim, J.Y. ; Koh, Y.E. ; Woo, M.K. ; Kim, K.A. ; Yoon, S.Y. ; Lim, M.S. ; Han, E.T. ; An, S.S.A. ; Lim, C.S.
Tropical Biomedicine 2014;31(4):600-606
Mismatch specific endonuclease (MSE) method was used to detect natural
polymorphisms in Pvs25 and Pv38 genes of Plasmodium vivax. Eighty seven patients with P.
vivax were recruited in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Pvs25 and Pv38 genes were amplified
by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the PCR amplicons were mixed with reference DNA
sequences. Following the denaturation and gradual annealing, the product mixtures were
cleaved by the MSE. Heteroduplex types were readily detected by gel electrophoresis, where
extra bands with shorter sizes would appear from the cleavage. After MSE cleavage of 657-
bp product from Pvs25 mixtures, three genotypes were detected, while Pv38 mixtures with
1220-bp products presented two genotypes in ROK isolates. After the MSE cleavage, the
mismatched samples of Pvs25 and Pv38 were completely sequenced, and the results were in
complete agreement with the MSE analyses. In conclusion, genotyping of Pvs25 and Pv38
with MSE cleavage could be a potential method for the high-throughput screening of the large
field samples.
2.Environmental surface sampling of SARS-CoV-2 in selected hospitals in Malaysia
Rajendiran, S. ; Thahir, S.S.A. ; Veloo, Y. ; Suppiah, J. ; Pahrol, M.A. ; Shakor, A.S.A. ; Mohamad, N. ; Ramly, N. ; Shariff, H.M. ; Karim, R.A. ; Chidambaram, S.K. ; Senian, R. ; Ahmad, N. ; Thayan, R. ; Shaharudin, R.
Tropical Biomedicine 2021;38(No.3):462-468
COVID-19 has spread rapidly worldwide. The role of fomites in facilitating onward transmission is plausible. This study aimed to determine the presence of viable virus and its persistence on the surfaces of fomites in wards treating COVID-19 patients in Malaysia. This study was conducted in two stages. First, environmental sampling was performed on random days in the intensive care unit (ICU) and general wards. Then, in the second stage, samples were collected serially on alternate days for 7 days in two selected general wards. In Stage 1, a total of 104 samples were collected from the surfaces of highly touched and used areas by patients and healthcare workers. Only three samples were tested positive for SARS-COV-2. In Stage 2, three surface samples were detected positive, but no persistence of the virus was observed. However, none of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA was viable through tissue culture. Overall, the environmental contamination of SARS-CoV-2 was low in this hospital setting. Hospitals’ strict infection control and the compliance of patients with wearing masks may have played a role in these findings, suggesting adherence to those measures to reduce occupational exposure of COVID-19 in hospital settings.