A prevalence study was conducted on Trichomonas vaginalis infection among female sex workers attending the Reproductive Health and Wellness Center of Angeles City, Pampanga in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using T. vaginalis-specific primers TV3⁄7 was utilized to detect T. vaginalis in vaginal swabs from the study population. The lower limit sensitivity of T. vaginalis detection by the PCR assay was found to be one trichomonad. The overall prevalence in 377 women was 9.55%. More than half of the study subjects are 23-27 years old. However, the largest proportion of positive cases was found among subjects 18-22 years old, making it the age group with the highest T. vaginalis prevalence (12.84%).

Objective: To analyze the genotypes of Acanthamoeba species isolated from human nasal swabs in the Philippines. Methods: Human nasal swabs were collected from two groups: a low exposure group composed of students of the University of the Philippines-Diliman and a high exposure group composed of laborers frequently exposed to garbage, soil and dust. After isolation using non-nutrient agar plate lawned with Escherichia coli and DNA extraction using Chelex-100 resin, the ASA.S1 region of the gene (Rns) coding for nuclear, small subunit ribosomal RNA of Acanthamoeba was amplified through polymerase chain reaction. Purified polymerase chain reaction products were then sequenced. Neighbor-joining, maximum parsimony, and maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees were then constructed. Results: In the low exposure group, 1 out of 70 (1.43%) students and 7 out of 110 (6.36%) in the high exposure group were culture-positive. Four soil samples were also obtained for comparison, all of which were tested culture-positive. Of the 12 Acanthamoeba isolates, only 9 were successfully sequenced. The basic local alignment search tool of the US National Center for Biotechnology Information was used to identify most similar sequences. Five isolates were identified as genotype T5, and 3 isolateds were genotype T4. Genotype T11 was also isolated from soil, the first to be reported in the Philippines. Conclusions: Genotype T11 is a possible pathogenic strain and both T4 and T5 can be pathogenic to human, hence, healthy provisions, especially for high exposure groups, should be given more attention and reevaluated.

Objective: To investigate the antibacterial activities of crude ethanol extracts of 12 Philippine medicinal plants. Methods: Crude ethanol extracts from 12 Philippine medicinal plants were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and metallo-β-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. Results: The leaf extracts of Psidium guajava, Phyllanthus niruri, Ehretia microphylla and Piper betle (P. betle) showed antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus. P. betle showed the highest antibacterial activity for these bacteria in the disk diffusion (16-33 mm inhibition diameter), minimum inhibitory concentration (19-156 μg/mL) and minimum bactericidal concentration (312 μg/mL) assays. P. betle leaf extracts only showed remarkable antibacterial activity for all the Gram-negative multidrug-resistant bacteria (extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and metallo-c-lactamase-producing) in the disk diffusion (17-21 mm inhibition diameter), minimum inhibitory concentration (312-625 μg/mL) and minimum bactericidal concentration (312-625 μg/mL) assays. Conclusions: P. betle had the greatest potential value against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive multidrug-resistant bacteria. Favorable antagonistic activities were also exhibited by the ethanol extracts of Psidium guajava, Phyllanthus niruri and Ehretia microphylla.

The study of canine vector-borne diseases in the Philippines started in the 1970s but only gained interest in the past decade. Characterization of such diseases in the Philippines remains incomplete, thus, it is necessary to obtain additional information on the prevalence and diversity of canine tick-borne diseases in the country. In this study, blood samples were obtained at two veterinary clinics in Metro Manila, Philippines from 114 dogs suspected of having canine tick-borne pathogens. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on whole blood DNA extracts followed by sequencing, and the following pathogens were detected: Hepatozoon (H.) canis (5.26%), Babesia (B.) vogeli (5.26%), Ehrlichia (E.) canis (4.39%), and Anaplasma platys (3.51%). Additionally, a set of multiplex PCR primers were developed to detect H. canis, Babesia spp. (B. canis and B. vogeli), and E. canis in canine blood. Multiplex and conventional single-reaction PCR results for the 114 dog blood samples were similar, except for one H. canis sample. Multiplex PCR is, therefore, a useful tool in screening infected dogs in veterinary clinics. This study's results, together with those of previous studies in the country, show that canine vector-borne pathogens are an emerging veterinary concern in the Philippines.
Anaplasma* ; Animals ; Babesia* ; DNA ; Dogs* ; Ehrlichia canis* ; Ehrlichia* ; Hospitals, Animal ; Mass Screening ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Philippines* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Tick-Borne Diseases

BACKGROUND: Metronidazole susceptibility and the presence of Trichomonas vaginalis virus (TVV) are the phenotypes found to be significantly correlated with the microsatellite-based genotypes of T. vaginalis. These phenotypes were assessed in T. vaginalis isolates from select urban areas to determine preliminary "type" of Philippine T. vaginalis.

METHODS: Culture and microscopy were used to detect T. vaginalis in vaginal swab samples collected from women attending social hygiene clinics in Metro Manila and Angeles City, Philippines. Screening of TVV on T. vaginalis was performed using RNA gel electrophoresis and RT-PCR. A modified protocol for metronidazole susceptibility assay was used to determine the aerobic minimum lethal concentration (MLC) of metronidazole in axenized T. vaginalis isolates.

RESULTS: A total of 42 T. vaginalis were screened for the presence of TVV and assayed for metronidazole susceptibility. TVV was detected in 13 of the isolates. All but one of the samples was susceptible to metronidazole.

CONCLUSION: This is the first study to assess the in vitro metronidazole susceptibility of Philippine T. vaginalis isolates. The isolates are generally susceptible to metronidazole even with the presence of TVV. The metronidazole susceptibility and presence of TVV are not enough to classify the isolates into type 1 or type 2.