PUBLICATIONS & ARTICLES
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Final year project by Muhammad Zaim bin Zamri, 2019
Main supervisor: Dr. Nur Juliani Shafie
Co-supervisor: Dr. Nor Zalipah Mohamed
View more: Final year project_Zaim
Final year project by Nurlidiya Atikah Azman, 2019
Main supervisor: Dr. Nur Juliani Shafie
Co-supervisor: Dr. Nor Zalipah Mohamed
Funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, through UKM-UMT collaboration research grant (Vot 53138; 53269)
Master project by Najma Syahmin bt Abdul Halim, 2021
Main supervisor: Dr. Nur Juliani Shafie
Co-supervisor: Dr. Nor Zalipah Mohamed
Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease that is transmitted worldwide and the number of cases has been severely increasing annually. In Malaysia, recreational forests are categorized as one of the important hotspots of leptospirosis outbreaks. The transmission cycle of leptospirosis involves a complex interaction between animal reservoirs, environment and human. Small mammals, specifically rodents, are chronic carriers of Leptospira that act as a core transmitter of this disease to the environment and humans. Previous studies reported the presence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in water samples obtained from selected recreational forests of Terengganu. However, there is a lack of information on the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in non-volant small mammals that act as the main host of leptospires. Other than that, the increase in leptospirosis cases is also due to lack of knowledge and awareness about this disease, especially among the high-risk groups. Hence, this study aims to determine (i) the diversity and species composition of non-volant small mammals, (ii) the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in non-volant small mammals, (iii) the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) related to leptospirosis among visitors at Sekayu Recreational Forest, Terengganu and (iv) to examine the socio-demographic characteristic that influenced leptospirosis prevention practices among visitors at Sekayu Recreational Forest, Terengganu. Results of this study will provide useful information on potential hosts of the pathogenic Leptospira spp. among the non-volant small mammals and also KAP in order to prevent potential outbreaks of leptospirosis in the recreational areas.
Read more: Thesis MSc_Najma| Poster_Najma | AJTMH_2021
Funded by Talent and Publication Enhancement-Research Grant (TAPE-RG), UMT
Master project by Mohammad Izuan bin Mohd Zamri, 2021
Main supervisor: Dr. Nur Juliani Shafie
Co-supervisor: Dr. Nor Zalipah Mohamed
Leptospirosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease and caused by pathogenic spirochetes bacteria from the genus Leptospira. The transmission circle of leptospirosis involves a complex interaction between animal reservoirs, environment and human. Rapid urbanisation with increasing human population can lead to higher exposures between human and animal reservoirs, especially rodents. Rattus norvegicus, R. rattus and R. exulans are among the principal reservoirs for leptospirosis in many urban settings. Despite the increasing cases in urban areas in Malaysia, there is still a lack of information on the influence of environmental (e.g. household conditions) and social factors (e.g. level of knowledge, attitude and practice) on Leptospira transmission in urban areas. Understanding the influence of environmental and social factors on Leptospira infection, especially in high transmission areas is crucial in controlling the spread of this disease in the human setting. Thus, the main objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of Leptospira infection in urban rat populations and to understand the influence of environmental and social factors on Leptospira transmission in urban areas. A case-control study of households will be conducted in Dungun, Terengganu as Dungun was recorded with the highest number of leptospirosis cases in Terengganu. Three sampling sites will be selected in case household (presence of leptospirosis) and control household (absence of leptospirosis) respectively. Rat trapping will be conducted at each sampling site and kidney samples will be extracted for screening of pathogenic Leptospira spp. by using PCR. Environmental and social surveys will be conducted to evaluate risk exposures and awareness among household residents towards leptospirosis. Findings from this study would provide information for health authorities to develop effective prevention and control strategies for leptospirosis, especially in high transmission areas to prevent potential outbreaks in the future. This proposal is in line with National Urban Policy to ensure clean and safe urban areas in Malaysia.
Funded by Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN) – Small Grant Program 2021
Master project by Muhammad Syimir NurAzim bin Azhar, 2021
Main supervisor: Dr. Nur Juliani Shafie
Co-supervisor: Dr. Nor Zalipah Mohamed
Leptospirosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease with more than one million cases and 60,000 deaths annually. The transmission circle of leptospirosis involves a complex interaction between animal reservoirs, environment and human. Small mammals, specifically rodents, are chronic carriers of Leptospira that act as a core transmitter of this disease to the environment and humans. In Malaysia, recreational forests are categorized as one of the important hotspots of leptospirosis outbreaks. Previous literatures have indicated the risk of leptospirosis in recreational forests, and focused mainly on water-soil environmental reservoirs. However, information on the animal reservoirs remains under-highlighted. This study aims to determine the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in non-volant small mammals in selected recreational forests in Terengganu. This study is also in accordance with National Forestry Policy that emphasizes on the importance of forest management, in order to ensure clean and safe recreational forests in Malaysia. From our previous study in Hutan Lipur Sekayu, we found that nine individuals of non-volant small mammals were tested positive for pathogenic Leptospira with a 20% prevalence rate. Better understanding on the potential carriers of leptospirosis and the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in them, is crucial in developing effective intervention that will be based on One Health Intervention strategies, especially to prevent potential outbreaks in the future. Prior to the intervention program, non-volant small mammal trappings, species identification and PCR detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in captured individuals will be conducted. The outcomes of this study (i.e. potential carriers and disease transmission) will be shared between health and forestry authorities, published in research articles and also will be shared locally and globally, through information signage, social media and website to educate and raise their awareness about this disease. Overall, this project will gather people from different disciplines i.e researchers, health and forestry authorities to provide a sustainable synergy between science and community by understanding the prevalence of Leptospira, transferring knowledge, and advocating good hygiene practices to combat leptospirosis. Consequently, protection among the visitors in recreational forests can be achieved, to build a safer and healthier community.
MDPI: Pathogens
Nur Juliani Shafie, Najma Syahmin Abdul Halim, Adedayo Michael Awoniy, Mohamed Nor Zalipah, Shukor Md-Nor, Mohd Ulul Ilmie Ahmad Nazri, and Federico Costa
Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease that is transmitted worldwide through infected small mammals such as rodents. In Malaysia, there is a paucity of information on the animal reservoirs that are responsible for leptospirosis transmission, with only a few studies focusing on leptospirosis risk in recreational areas. Therefore, in this study we characterized the species composition and the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in non-volant small mammals of Hutan Lipur Sekayu, Terengganu. We performed ten trapping sessions totaling 3,000 trappings between September 2019 and October 2020. Kidney samples from captured individuals were extracted for the PCR detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. Overall, we captured 45 individuals from 8 species (1.56% successful trapping effort), with 9 individuals testing positive for pathogenic Leptospira, that is, a 20% (n = 9/45) prevalence rate. Rattus tiomanicus (n = 22) was the most dominant captured species and had the highest positive individual with pathogenic Leptospira (44.4%, n = 4/9). Despite the low successful trapping effort in this study, the results show the high diversity of non-volant small mammals in Hutan Lipur Sekayu, and that they could also maintain and transmit pathogenic Leptospira.
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Journal of Undergraduate Research
Nur Juliani Shafie, Mohammad Izuan Mohd Zamri, Wan Siti Mariam Wan Sa’idi, Muhammad Syimir Nurazim Azhar and Mohammad Ridhuan Mohd Ali
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira, which is transmitted through infected mammalian species, including small mammals. However, the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in small mammals, particularly between different site categories in the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia, is still underexplored. Therefore, in this study, we aim to determine the species composition of small mammals and the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. between different site categories from Dungun, Terengganu. We selected five case sites (leptospirosis cases were recorded) and five control sites (no leptospirosis cases were recorded) in Dungun, Terengganu, based on previous reports by the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia (2016-2020). For three consecutive nights, 100 cage traps were used for each trapping session between September 2021 and January 2022. In addition, DNA from kidney sample of captured individuals was extracted for the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. Overall, 89 individuals from five species were captured (6.43% trapping success), consisting of Rattus norvegicus (n = 39), Rattus rattus (n = 27), Suncus murinus (n = 11), Rattus exulans (n = 10) and Tupaia glis (n = 2). Out of 89 individuals captured, 14 tested positive with a 15.7% (n = 14/89) prevalence rate. R. norvegicus was the most dominant captured species and had the highest number of infected individuals with pathogenic Leptospira (20.5%, n = 8/39). The statistical analysis revealed that there is a significant difference in pathogenic Leptospira spp. between case and control sites (P < 0.05), with control sites recording higher positive individuals (78.6%, n = 11/14) compared to case sites (21.4%, n = 3/14). However, no significant differences were observed between species and sex (P > 0.05). The results of the study show that the monitoring of leptospirosis cases should not only focus on case sites, but also on the control sites, even if there were no reports of leptospirosis cases in the area, in order to prevent outbreaks of this disease in the future.
A research project aims to enhance knowledge transfer and collaborative networking on building resilience against leptospirosis in Malaysia.
Contact Us
Dr. Nur Juliani Shafie
- +609-6683381
- nur.shafie@umt.edu.my
Location
Faculty of Science and Marine Environment,
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu,
21030 Kuala Nerus,
Terengganu, Malaysia.
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