Title: Potential typhus vectors from wildlife hosts in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Sabah.
Related publications
Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis in a Wildlife Researcher in Sabah, Malaysia: A Case Study
MSc Candidate: Cyrlen Jalius
Supervisors: Chua Tock Hing, Stuart Blacksell, Milena Salgado Lynn
Institution: Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Duration: September 2017 – September 2019
Research Overview:
The Malaysian state of Sabah is a biodiversity hotspot and a growing ecotourism destination. In particular, the Kinabatangan River has become a major tourist attraction in the state despite the shifts in land-use and the dramatic increase of deforestation happening in this region and in the whole of Sabah during the last decades. Also, people seem to be more involved in outdoor activities in rural and/or remote areas. Combined, all these characteristics can be relevant to disease (re-)emergence as the possibilities of humans and/or domestic fauna coming in contact with vector-borne pathogens, such as ticks and fleas, increase.
Typhus (vector-borne Rickettsial infections) ranked fourth out of 547 identifiable causes of systemic febrile illness in returned travelers from Southeast Asia. Yet, detailed epidemiology and understanding on the burden of rickettsioses in Southeast Asia has been limited. It is estimated that hundreds of fatal cases and thousands of non-fatal cases go undiagnosed in the region each year. To our knowledge, there has been no research or database on ectoparasites (vectors) and rickettsiae in the Kinabatangan area.
Research Questions:
- What are the diversity and prevalence of ectoparasites from wildlife hosts residing in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS)?
- What are the diversity and prevalence of rickettsia in the ectoparasites collected from the wildlife hosts?
Methods
Ectoparasites have been collected opportunistically through DGFC’s projects in the LKWS from a variety of hosts (civets, rats, squirrels, monitor lizards, reticulated pythons and nocturnal primates). The ectoparasites will be morphologically identified to the species level by using morphological criteria within standard taxonomic keys based on Khols, 1957. Molecular techniques using genetic markers will be done to identify cryptic ectoparasite species using genotypic traits. For molecular detection of rickettsia species, nested PCR will be done targeting the 16s RNA, 17kDa surface antigen, ompB, and sca4 genes. Amplified DNA product will be sequenced for rickettsia species identification.
Expected outcomes
A database of rickettsia and ectoparasites in wildlife hosts residing in the LKWS will be created, thus benefiting wildlife and people living and visiting the area.
Methods for rickettsiae identification in potential victims will be standardized and share with the relevant authorities (i.e. Ministry of Health).
By increasing the knowledge on potential infectious diseases that might affect wildlife and humans in this region, actions can be taken to reduce risks and to prevent this disease from becoming a major public health problem in the LKWS, and also for management strategies for the wildlife in the region.