Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine(Persatuan Kajiparasit dan Perubatan Tropika Malaysia)

Newsletter

Inside this Issue

Malaysian Society of Parasitologyand Tropical Medicinec/o Institute for Medical ResearchJalan Pahang 50588Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.www.msptm.org

Issue 2009(for members only)Editor ~ Reuben SharmaEditor ~ reuben@vet.upm.edu.my

Issue 2009

• Presidents Message

• MSPTM Mid-Year Seminar

• PAKAR Group Meeting

• WAAVP Updates• Membership News

• Research Updates

• Epidemiology of Parasitic Infections& Infectious Diseases

• Members Updates

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Presidents Message45th MSPTM Council 2008/09

On behalf of the 46th MSPTM council (2009 –2010) and its members, I would like to thank theprevious MSPTM council for their valuablecontribution to the society. It is with greatpleasure and happiness that I have beennominated and elected as the President for thesecond term. I thank the nominating committeeand the members for having full faith andconfidence in me to lead the society of MSPTMfor the second term.

We hosted a successful pre-conference 1st

National Forensic Entomology Workshop on the11th and 12th March 2009, at the Institute forMedical Research, Kuala Lumpur. We hadoverwhelming participation from differentorganizations and the workshop was a greatsuccess. The participants learned and acquiredmany new techniques and knowledge anddeveloped good networking linkage. Therefore,I would like to thank the members of theOrganizing Committee of the Pre-ConferenceWorkshop for their hard and dedicated workwhich they put in, all the facilitators involved inthe Pre-Conference Workshop, as well as to Dr.Nazni Wasi Ahmad and Dr. Lee Han Lim.

The 45th Annual Scientific Seminar went offvery well at the Grand Seasons Hotel, KualaLumpur from the 18th to 19th March 2009. It waswell participated by both local and foreignparticipants. I would like to thank the variousmembers in the following subcommittees:Technical, Secretariat, Fund Raising and Publicity,those who manned the MSPTM Booth andhandled the photography. The help rendered byby all is gratefully acknowledged. My special noteof appreciation to Dr. Nazni Wasi Ahmad, Dr.Reuben Sharma, Dr. Tan Tian Chye, Dr. MohdKhadri Shahar, Mr John Jeffery and others. Thedinner was also well attended by the participants.

Corporate membersCorporate membersCorporate membersCorporate membersCorporate members

Sumitomo (M) Sdn BhdBASF (M) Sdn BhdTreeMed Sdn Bhd

BP Automation Sdn BhdIPSH Gasmaster Sdn Bhd

Harris EnterpriseUnggul Impiana Sdn. Bhd

MSPTM Newsletter – Issue 2009

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The theme of the 45th Annual ScientificSeminar was “The Impact of Animal Hosts onDisease Transmission and Public Health”. Thehighlight of the 45th Annual Scientific Seminarwas the Panel Discussion, which was chaired byAssoc Prof Dr. Stephen Ambu. The Paneldeliberated on important issues in variouszoonotic diseases and provided us insights intothese diseases and ultimately suggested measuresfor their control and prevention. I would like tothank the members of the Panel Discussion,namely, Dr. Mohamed Paid Yusoff, Dr. Lee HanLim and Prof. Dr Abdul Rani Bahman. Theoutcome of the Panel Discussion has beendocumented and will be submitted to the PrimeMinister’s Department. I would like to extend mygratitude to both Dr. P. Chandrawathani and Dr.Reuben Sharma who were the rapporteur fortheir sincere hard work.

A total of 62 papers and 49 posters werepresented during the two-day seminar. Thepapers covered a variety of topics includingMedical Entomology, Medical and VeterinaryParasitolgy, Molecular Biology, Immunology andTropical Diseases. The seminar was officiated byYB Tan Sri Bernard Giluk Dompok, Minister inthe Prime Minister’s Department, Putrajaya.

The 46th Council comprised the following:Assoc Prof Dr. S. Vellayan (UiTM), President; Mr.Chang Kum Wah (JPH), Vice President; Dr. NazniWasi Ahmad (IMR), Past President; Mr. HeoChong Chin (UiTM), Hon. Secretary; Dr. Tan TianChye (UM), Hon. Treasurer; Mdm. Tan SweeBeng (IMR), Assistant Secretary; The Councilmembers are Mr. John Jeffery (UM), Dr. Mohd.Khadri Shahar (IMR), Mr. Jahangir Kamaldin(USM), Dr. Reuben Sharma (UPM), Ms. NurulainiRaimy (VRI), and Dr. Siti Nursheena (UM).

I am glad that to date the Corporate membershave increased to a total of eight. I also welcomeHarris Enterprise and Unggul Impiana Sdn Bhdas corporate members of the society. My sincerethanks to Mr. Jahangir for his effort.

Bio-Rad Laboratories (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.had produced a newsletter on the DengueSummit 2008 which was jointly organized byMSPTM on 17th June 2008. A copy of thenewsletter is enclosed for members’ update ondengue in this region of the world. The editor ofTropical Biomed, Dr. Indra Vythilingam’s term isrenewed for another 3 years. We congratulate Dr.Indra Vythilingam. The Editorial Board memberswere also reviewed.

Thus far the Council has met for seven times.I would like to place on record and thank theCouncil Members of the Organizing Committee,Sub-Committees, the many sponsors for theirfinancial support in spite of the current economicturmoil, and the members of the society forensuring the smooth running and success of theseminar. I would like to thank Yayasan Lee, LeeFoundation States of Malaya for being the majorsponsor for this seminar, as well as the pastpresident who were helpful in running the 45thScientific Seminar.

The Mid-year seminar was held on the 20thAugust 2009 at the International MedicalUniversity (IMU), KL. My sincere thanks to Mr.Chung Kum Wah and Assoc Prof Dr. StephenAmbu for their contribution in making thisseminar a success. I also thank Medigene Sdn.Bhd. For their financial support.

Your active participation and contribution areessential to us. I would like to urge all membersto contribute and participate, giving your views,thoughts and suggestions. With this introductivemessage, I look forward to meeting up with allof you at the coming seminars. Please activelyparticipate in all the events which we will beorganizing this year. With very best wishes andthank you.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. S. VellayanPresident MSTPM 2009-2010

c/o Faculty of MedicineUniversiti Teknologi MARA, (UiTM),

Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

New Corporate MembersNew Corporate MembersNew Corporate MembersNew Corporate MembersNew Corporate Members20092009200920092009

The MSPTM welcomes the followingcorporate members and thank them for

their valuable contribution to the society:

Harris Enterprise&

Unggul Impiana Sdn. Bhd.

MSPTM Newsletter – Issue 2009

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Dr Jasbir delivered a lecture on “Swine InfluenzaA(H1N1) Pathogenicity Studies and Vaccine EfficacyTrial”.

MSPTM Mid-Year Seminar20th August 2009

Dewan Canselor, International MedicalUniversity (IMU), Bukit Jalil.

“Influenza A (H1N1)”Mr Chang Kum Wah

(Chairman of the Mid-year Seminar)Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia

The MSPTM Mid-year Seminar was heldsuccessfully on the 20th August 2009 at the DewanCanselor, International Medical University (IMU),Bukit Jalil from 2.30pm – 5.00pm. The councilpicked this venue with the view of increasingexposure of the Society to local medicaluniversities. IMU was picked for its connection toan LRT station and the fact that Prof Dr. Mak andAssoc Prof Dr. Stephen Ambu are currentlyacademic staff of the University. Dr Ambuassisted in inviting our key speaker, Datuk DrSree Raman and also obtained permission to usethe university’s premises for the seminar.

The seminar touched on three (3) topics –

• “Swine Influenza A(H1N1) PathogenicityStudies and Vaccine Efficacy Trial” –presented by Dr. Jasbir Singh of the DiseaseControl and Eradication Section, Division ofBiosecurity and Sanitary & Phyto-SanitaryManagement, Department of VeterinaryServices Malaysia, Putrajaya.

• “National Surveillance on Influenza A(HIN1)in Pigs” – presented by Dr. Roosevien FaridaNilawati bt Rachmat of the Epidemiology andSurveillance Section, Division of Biosecurityand Sanitary & Phyto-Sanitary Management,Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia,Putrajaya.

• “Clinical aspects of H1N1 Influenza infectionin Malaysia - Current updates on theMitigation Phase” – presented by Datuk Dr.Sree Raman, Consultant Physician, HospitalTuanku Jaafar, Seremban.

The seminar was well attended by 70participants – mostly by staff (36) and students(6) of IMU while there were 7 from UiTM, 5 fromIMR, 4 from UM, 2 from UPM. We had 5 peoplesigning up as new members on that day.

In the paper on Swine Influenza A(H1N1)Pathogenicity Studies and Vaccine Efficacy Trial,Dr Jasbir gave a brief introduction on the SwineInfluenza that infects pigs. He also said that theNovel Influenza A (H1N1) from humans can alsoinfect pigs as was reported in Australia,Argentina and Canada. The pig is known to beable to act as a “multiplier host” for virusdiseases. The pig can also act as a “mixer” forvirus reassortment when infected with more thanone type of influenza virus at the same time.Swine influenza viruses (infecting pigs) arecommonly of the H1N1 substype and include alsoH1N2, H3N1 and H3N2. Dr Jasbir touched on anefficacy trial for a commercial swine influenzavaccine.

Following the knowledge that the pig is apotential multiplier host with the capacity toreassort influenza viruses, Dr Roosevien and staffof the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS)undertook a surveillance for swine influenza (SI)A(H1N1) in Malaysia. All 776 pig farms in thecountry were studied. Randomised sampling wasdone based on a 25% prevalance rate of SI at 95%confidence level for each type sampled in theepidemiological units of porker and breeder pigs.Two ELISA kits (Idexx and HIPRA ELISA) wereused to detect antibodies against influenzaA(H1N1) and influenza A(H3N2). Moleculardetection was done using Real Time PCR. Theresults showed an average seroprevalance of 12%for A(H3N2) and none for A(H1N1). This showedthat the virus present in the pig population didnot include the Novel Influenza A (H1N1).

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Dr. Roosevien delivered a lecture on “NationalSurveillance on Influenza A(HIN1) in Pigs”.

Datuk Dr Sree Raman delivered a lecture on “Clinicalaspects of H1N1 Influenza infection in Malaysia -Current updates on the Mitigation Phase”.

Tropical Biomedicine is nowon the Journal Citation Index

Tropical Biomedicine is listed in the 2008Journal Citation Reports/Science editionwith a Journal Impact Factor of 0.590. Thejournal ranks #23 of 25 journals inParasitology category and #13 of 15 inTropical Medicine. Congratulations to theHon Editor Dr Indra Vythilingam for herconstant efforts in making this possible.

Parasitology and HaematologyPAKAR Group Meeting 2009

Veterinary Research Institute, Ipoh

Nurulaini Binti RaimyVeterinary Research Institute, Ipoh

Datuk Dr Sree Raman gave a lively talk onclinical aspects of the human novel influenzaA(H1N1), including a brief history of theappearance of this novel influenza virus. He thenexplained the current “mitigation” phasewhereby in accepting the global pandemic statusof the disease, we moved into applyingintervention methods to reduce the number ofinfluenza cases.

The Mid-year seminar was a great success andthe organizing committee thanks all threespeakers for their valuable contribution. We alsothank all the members for their activeparticipation.

The Parasitology and Haematology PAKARGroup meeting was held at the VeterinaryResearch Institute (VRI) in Jalan Sultan AzlanShah, Ipoh, involving 5 Regional Diagnostic labsof The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS)in Malaysia and other institutes such as WildlifeDepartment, Taiping Zoo, NaFISH, MARDI,KUSTEM and UPM. The meeting, which is anannual event organized by VRI, was held on the3rd and 4th of March 2009 at the Lecture Hall ofAvian Poultry Disease Research and TrainingCentre (APDRTC) building, VRI, Ipoh. Thismeeting discussed the current issues of veterinaryparasitology and haematology in animals, as wellas research and diagnostic activities in theinstitutes.

A lecture was given by Dr M. Krishnasamy,a taxonomist, on the mounting of parasitesamples and identification techniques for animalecto-/endo- parasites. Dr Cheah Tong Soon fromthe Perak Medical College was invited to give atalk on zoonosis, the dangers of animal parasitesto humans as well as current zoonotic diseasescaused by parasites which prove fatal to human.Participants of the meeting were also exposed to

MSPTM Newsletter – Issue 2009

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Participants at the Parasitology andHaematology PAKAR Group Meeting 2009

being instructed by Dr. Krishnasamy

new knowledge from referral cases and revisionand modification of the diagnostic methodsinvolved in parasitology and haematology foranimal.

Overall, the meeting proved to be a goodplatform for researchers from different institutesto gather and exchange information regardingtheir diagnostic cases and current researchactivities. For further information visit http://www.jphvri.gov.my

Updates from the World Association for theAdvancement of Veterinary Parasitology

(WAAVP) in Calgary

Dr P ChandrawathaniVeterinary Research Institute, Ipoh

There is an effort by the WAAVP to get theAsian parasitology societies to be more active inWAAVP through increased attendance andparticipation. As finances are main limitations,WAAVP may encourage Asians by providing astipend for future conferences. Please log on tothe WAAVP website for updates.

Trichinellosis seems to be a big issue all overthe world. There is an upcoming event, the “13thInternational Conference on Trichinellosis” inChangchun, China from the 1st - 6th August 2011,organised by the International Commission on

Trichinellosis (www.ict13.org). ICOPA 12th willbe held on the 15-20 Aug 2010. The Novelapproaches for worm control (NA6) will also beincorporated into this. If anyone wants to attend,they need to make their financial arrangementsearly so please go to the ICOPA website. TheICOPA gives grants for deserving students,scientists , so please send your abstracts by Nov.2009.

MSPTM Membership News

There are a number of members in arrears of theirmembership subscription. The council has madeevery effort to contact these members, but haveyet to receive any response. As a last attempt toget in touch with them, the council has decidedto publish a list of names of the members inarrears. We would be very grateful if you couldpass this on to anyone you know in the list sothey could get in touch with the Hon TreasurerDr Tan Tian Chye (tantianchye@um.edu.my) toclarify the status of their membership. We havesent out emails and letters to remind members ofthis, and according to our constitution,membership in arrears of 2 years or more may beterminated. Please act NOW. Subscription peryear is RM50.00. Remember that it is yourresponsibility to keep your subscription up todate. The society depends on you and yoursupport.

List of MSPTM members in arrear ofsubscription for at least three years

Abdul Jalil Tajuddin 2006-2009Aida Muhid 2006-2009Asmaliza Ismail 2006-2009Azlin bt Muhammad 2005-2009Chung Keng Meng 2007-2009Dahlia bt. Baharuddin 2005-2009Hasnah Omar 2006-2009Kamilan Denim 2003-2009Mohd Alias Hj Apong 2005-2009Mohd Kamel Abd Ghani 2006-2009

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Nor Azian Abdul Wahab 2005-2009Norina Lokman 2007-2009Normaznah Yahaya 2005-2009Paramesvaran S. 2007-2009Perabakaran, KR. 2007-2009Patrick Lam Hong Yeong 2005-2009Rahmat S.M. Sheriff 2006-2009Ranjit Kaur 2007-2009Ravindran Thayan 2004-2009Roslaini Abd. Majid 2006-2009Sam Mohan 2006-2009Salleh Ismail 2004-2009Tjahjono Djatie 2006-2009Yusnida Mohd Yusof 2005-2009Zakuan Zainy Deris 2005-2009Zeehaida Mohamad 2007-2009John Cross 2006-2009John Storey 2006-2009Nobert Becker 2005-2009Rapmund Garrison 2004-2009

New Life members

The council has admitted the followingas life members of the Society

Prof. Dr. G. Suresh Kumar

Prof. Dr. Faizah Shaharom

Prof. Dr. Praphatip Eamsobhana

Prof. Dr. Susan Lim Lee Hong

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veeranoot Nissapatorn

Dr. Sumitra Sithamparam

Dr. Tan Tian Chye

Dr. Reuben Sharma

Mr. Jahangir Kamaldin

Visit to the Lee Foundation

The President and the Hon Secretary visited theLee Foundation on two occasions and met thedirector; Mr. Teo Soo Huat. He was verysupportive of sponsoring members to attendworshops, conferences and other rated scientificmatters. On return, the recipient should submita report addressing to the Lee Foundationthrough the MSPTM.It is been requested that therecipient of the travel grant should state thebenefits that he / she has acquired. Basically, heshould indicate what methods or knowledge hehas given to the visiting country and to Malaysia.He should be involved in cultural exchange andtransfer of knowledge and technology.

Research Updates

Research on knowlesi malaria featuredon Australian television

Professor Dr Balbir SinghDirector, Malaria Research Centre

Faculty of Medicine & Health SciencesUniversity Malaysia Sarawak

93150 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Malaria in humans was previously thought to becaused by four species of Plasmodium: P.falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale.However, scientists from the Malaria ResearchCentre (MRC), Faculty of Medicine and HealthSciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)discovered that there is a fifth species, P. knowlesi,causing human infections, which at times can befatal. This work on knowlesi malaria was featuredin a television science documentary by CatalystABC that was aired in Australia on 4th April 2009.The documentary can be viewed on the CatalystABC website at http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2533454.htm), including extendedinterviews with Prof Dr Balbir Singh and Prof DrJanet Cox-Singh. http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2533596.htm).

MSPTM Newsletter – Issue 2009

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P. knowlesi is found in nature in long-tailedand pig-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis andM. nemestrina, respectively). It was thought thathuman infections were extremely rare until theMRC research team reported that 58% of 208malaria patients admitted to Kapit Hospital inSarawak were infected with P. knowlesi (Singh etal., [2004] Lancet 363: 1017). This discovery wasmade largely as a result of the development ofmolecular based assays to detect P. knowlesi, sinceunder the microscope, this species looks exactlylike P. malariae, and when only early trophozoitesare present, like P. falciparum (Lee, Cox-Singh andSingh, [2009] Malaria Journal 8; 73).

The distribution of P. knowlesi is not restrictedto the Kapit Division of Sarawak since MRCresearchers, working in collaboration withcolleagues from the Ministry of Health, havefound that human knowlesi malaria cases arewidely distributed in Sarawak, Sabah and inPahang (Cox-Singh et al., [2008] Clinical InfectiousDiseases, 46: 165). Human cases have alsobeen detected in many other states in PeninsularMalaysia (Vythilingam et al [2008] Parasites &Vectors, 1: 26). Subsequent reports of humanknowlesi malaria cases in Thailand, Myanmar,Singapore and the Philippines (reviewed by Cox-Singh and Singh [2008] Trends in Parasitology, 24:406) have lead to the recognition of P. knowlesi asthe fifth species of Plasmodium causing humanmalaria in Southeast Asia.

New research confirms potential deadlynature of emerging monkey malaria

species in humans

Wellcome Trust News10 September 2009

Researchers in Malaysia have identified keylaboratory and clinical features of an emergingnew form of malaria infection. The research,funded by the Wellcome Trust, confirms thepotentially deadly nature of the disease. Malariakills more than a million people each year. It iscaused by malaria parasites, which are injectedinto the bloodstream by infected mosquitoes. Ofthe four species of malaria that commonly causedisease in humans, Plasmodium falciparum, foundmost commonly in Africa, is the most deadly. P.malariae, found in tropical and sub-tropicalregions across the globe, has symptoms that areusually less serious.

Recently, researchers at the UniversityMalaysia Sarawak, led by Professors Balbir Singhand Janet Cox-Singh, showed that P. knowlesi, amalaria parasite previously thought to mainlyinfect only monkeys - in particular long-tailedand pig-tailed macaques found in the rainforestsof South-east Asia - was widespread amongsthumans in Malaysia. Subsequent reports inneighbouring South-east Asian countries have ledto the recognition of P. knowlesi as the fifth causeof malaria in humans.

Now, in a study published in the September2009 issue of the journal Clinical InfectiousDiseases, Professors Singh and Cox-Singh,together with colleagues from UniversityMalaysia Sarawak, Kapit Hospital and theUniversity of Western Australia, have publishedthe first detailed prospective study of the clinicaland laboratory features of human P. knowlesiinfections.

“P. knowlesi malaria can easily be confusedwith P. malariae since these two parasites looksimilar by microscopy, but the latter causes abenign form of malaria,” says Professor Singh. “Infact, because the P. knowlesi parasites reproduceevery twenty-four hours in the blood, the diseasecan be potentially fatal, so early diagnosis andappropriate treatment is essential. Understandingthe most common features of the disease will beimportant in helping make this diagnosis and inplanning appropriate clinical management.”

The researchers initially recruited over 150patients admitted to Kapit Hospital in Sarawak,Malaysian Borneo, between July 2006 and January2008, who had tested positive with a blood filmslide for Plasmodium species. Using moleculardetection methods, P. knowlesi was found to be byfar the most common infection amongst thesepatients, accounting for over two-thirds of allcases.

As with other types of malaria in humans, P.knowlesi infections resulted in a wide spectrum ofdisease. Most cases of infection wereuncomplicated and easily treated withchloroquine and primaquine, two commonlyused anti-malarial drugs. However, around onein ten patients had developed complications andtwo died. Complications included breathingdifficulties and kidney problems (includingkidney failure in a small number of cases), whichare also common in severe P. falciparum cases.Although the researchers saw a case fatality rateof just under 2 per cent, which makes P. knowlesi

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malaria as deadly as P. falciparum malaria, theystress that an accurate fatality rate is hard todetermine given the relatively small number ofcases studied so far.

All of the P. knowlesi patients - including thosewith uncomplicated malaria - had a low bloodplatelet count. In other human forms of malaria,this would only be expected in less than eight outof ten cases. In addition, the P. knowlesi plateletcounts tended to be significantly lower than forother malarias. However, even though bloodplatelets are essential for blood clotting, no casesof excessive bleeding or problems with clottingwere identified. The researchers believe the lowblood platelet count could be used as a potentialfeature for diagnosis of P. knowlesi infections.

Recently, there have been cases of Europeantravellers to Malaysia and an American travellerto the Philippines being admitted into hospitalwith knowlesi malaria following their returnhome. “The increase in tourism in South-east Asiamay mean that more cases are detected in thefuture, including in Western countries,” saysProfessor Singh. “Clinicians assessing a patientwho has visited an area with known or possibleP. knowlesi transmission should be aware of thediagnosis, clinical manifestations, and rapid andpotentially serious course of P. knowlesi malaria.”

ReferenceDaneshvar, C., Davis, T.M.E., Cox-Singh, J.,Rafa’ee, M.Z., Zakaria, S.K., Divis, P.C.S. & Singh,B. Clinical and laboratory features of humanPlasmodium knowlesi infections. Clinical InfectiousDiseases, 49, 852-860.

ContactCraig BrierleySenior Media OfficerWellcome TrustT +44 (0)20 7611 7329E c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk

The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in theUK. It funds innovative biomedical research, inthe UK and internationally, spending over £600million each year to support the brightestscientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trustsupports public debate about biomedical researchand its impact on health and wellbeing.

Workshop on the Epidemiologyof Parasitic Infections and

Infectious Disease

Dr Siti Nursheena Mohd ZainInstitute of Biological Sciences,

Faculty of ScienceUniversity of Malaya

A talk series on ‘Epidemiology of parasiticinfections and infectious disease’ was co-organized by the Institute of Biological Sciences,University of Malaya and School of BiologicalSciences, Royal Holloway, University of Londonfrom 18th-19th February 2009 at the Lecture HallComplex, Faculty of Science, University ofMalaya. The talk series was well received by over40 participants from various institutionsincluding MSPTM members.

This workshop consisted of a series of talksand a workshop over two days followed by aworkshop by Emeritus Prof John Lewis, fromRoyal Holloway, University of London, UK.Professor Lewis started the discussion on thebasics of descriptive, experimental and theoreticalepidemiological approaches for assessing diseasebehaviour using examples of human protozoanand helminth infections. He also touched on hostpopulations and parasitic infections / infectiousdisease agents as units of study, with reference tomicroparasites and macroparasites with theemphasis on Toxocara and Toxocariasis. Patternsof parasite dispersion in host populations werealso described including the implications ofparasite dispersion in the prevention, treatmentand control of infections.

This was then followed with a workshop on‘Epidemiological surveillance of Toxocara andToxocariasis’. There, he presented a surveillancesoftware on toxocariasis in zones at risk, with acomprehensive data resource, able to incorporatedetails of the definitive (canine / feline), andparatenic (rodent and human) hosts andenvironmental contamination, together with theincorporation of standardized and currentprotocols. This software was developed by himwith association with Fireflower Systems Limited,London UK and British Columbia, Canada. The‘Fireflower’ resource is a web-based, spatiallyenabled and multimedia data managementsystem which accepts and stores data ontoxocariasis and species of Toxocara and other

MSPTM Newsletter – Issue 2009

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parasites from a range of domestic, feral andexperimental hosts. It intergrates epidemiologicalapproaches in detecting zones at risk ofcontracting zoonotic diseases such as toxocariasisin urban and rural environments and relate anypositive clinical findings with environmental,veterinary, public health, socioeconomic andcultural conditions of the region.

Participants at the talk on the “Epidemiology of parasiticinfections and infectious disease”.

From left: Prof Susan Lim, Emeritus Prof John Lewisand Prof Johari Surin; A quick smile for the camera.

Speaker attentively answering questions from theaudience.

The 4th ASEAN Congress ofTropical Medicine &

Parasitology

The ASEAN Congress of TropicalMedicine & Parasitology was inauguratedin 2004 to provide an affordable platformfor Scientists, Researchers and PublicHealth Practitioners from the ASEANregion to present their findings andnetwork within the region. We stronglyencourage all interested professionals totake this opportunity to present theirresearch and control strategies to reducethe burden of diseases like dengue,chikungunya and malaria. We alsowelcome the participation of internationalscientists who wish to contribute or gaininsights into tropical diseases in thisregion.

REGISTRATION FEEBefore 31 March 2010 SGD$250After 31 March 2010 SGD$350

For more information about the Congress,visit

http://www.ssmb.org.sg/or email

4ACTMP@fordemedia.com.

Thank you

Dr Chandrawathani PVeterinary Research Insitute Ipoh,

Malaysia

MSPTM Newsletter – Issue 2009

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Calling Retired SeniorScientists / Members

to give talks

The President is very keen in callingretired senior scientists and membersto come forward to give talks on theirexperiences in research and itschallenges.

Kindly contact Dr S. Vellayan(013 6246918) for further

information.

Fire at theMedical Entomology

Division

It is with much regret toinform members that theMedical Entomology DivisionIMR had a fire on June 2009.MSPTM did not lose any ofour belongings apart from afew copies of the recent issueof the Tropical BioMedicinejournal. The council isworking hard to protect ourbelongings.

Members UpdatesMembers UpdatesMembers UpdatesMembers UpdatesMembers Updates

The MSPTM is proud to announce that Dr ZafarIqbal has received the following recognitions:

• President’s Medal for Technology: a civilaward given by the President of Pakistan

• Pakistan Academy of Sciences Gold Medal:given by Pakistan Academy of Sciences

• Best University Teacher Award: given bythe Higher Education Commission ofPakistan

Currently, Dr Iqbal has taken charge as ExecutiveDirector (ED), Endowment Fund Secretariat (EFS)in addition to his duties as Professor in theDepartment of Parasitology. As ED, EFS he isresponsible for evaluating and funding projectspertaining to Faculty Development, TechnologyTransfer and Product Commercializationrelated to agriculture and allied disciplines.Congratulations!!

Prof Dr. Mohd Zahadi Daud has moved to KingSaud University, Riyadh KSA as a Professor ofPublic Health and Parasitology at the College ofApplied Medical Sciences and an advisor to theOffice of the Vice Rector of Branches Affairs(Health Colleges) King Saud University

Mr. Heo Chong Chin formerly from IMR hasbeen appointed as a lecturer in MedicalParasitology at the Faculty of Medicine,University Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam.

Dr. Rahmat Sharif has been appointed as alecturer at the Faculty of Science, UniversityTeknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam.

Dr Yvonne Lim of the Faculty of Medicine,University of Malaya has been promoted toAssociate Professor.

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Volunteersfor MSPTM Sub-Committees

The council requires members to beinvolved in the following subcommittees. Therefore if any of themembers would like to be co-optedinto the following sub-committees,please contact Mr. Heo Chong Chin,Hon Secretary (tel, email) or Assoc.Prof Dr. S. Vellayan (013-6246918,03-55211282, vellayans@yahoo.com

The MSPTM council has formedthe following sub-committees:

Student ActivitiesDr. Tan Tian Chye

SocialDr. S. Vellayan

NewsletterDr. Siti Nursheena

Scientific PublicationsDr Reuben Sharma

MembershipDr. Tan Tian Chye

Scientific UpdatesDr. Khadri Shahar

Constitution ReviewMr John Jeffery

Upcoming Parasitology and TropicalMedicine Conferences 2007/08

18-19 Dis 2009 3rd Conference of MedicalArthropodologyMadurai, India.www.icmr.nic.in/icmrnews/crme/crme_symp.htm

26-28 Feb 2010 The 2010 InternationalConference on Cellular andMolecular Biology Science(CMBS 2010)Singaporewww.iacsit.org/cmbs/index.htm

12-16 May 2010 European Association of Zooand Wildlife Veterinarians andIZW ConferenceMadrid, Spain.www.eazwv.org/

09–12 Mar 2010 14th International Congress onInfectious Diseases (ICID)Miami, Florida, USA.www.isid.org

02-04 June 2010 The 4th Asean Congress ofTropical Medicine &ParasitologySingaporewww.ssmb.org.sg

06-10 June 2010 29th World Congress ofBiomedical Laboratory ScienceNairobi, Kenya.www.akmlso-ifbls2010.org

08-13 Aug 2010 7th International Congress ofDipterologySan José, Costa Ricawww.inbio.ac.cr/icd7

15-20 Aug 2010 XIIth International Congress ofParasitology (ICOPA)Melbourne, Australia.www.icopaxii.org

22-27 Aug 2010 IXth European Congress ofEntomologyBudapest, Hungary.www.ece2010.org

03-07 Nov 2010 59th Annual Meeting: AmericanSociety of Tropical Medicineand Hygiene (ASTMH)Atlanta, Georgia, USAwww.astmh.org/events

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Notice Board

MEMBERSHIPSubscription

Dear MSPTM members,

A gentle reminder that you arerequired to pay up yourmembership subscription by the1st of January 2010. Accordingto our constitution membershipin arrears of 2 years or moremay be terminated. Please actNOW. The society depends onyou and your support. ContactDr Tan Tian Chye att a n t i a n c h y e @ u m . e du . my(treasurer) for further details orto check your membershipstatus.

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The MSPTM Newsletter thrives on thesupport of its members. Everyone is invited tocontribute articles, photographs, commentsand vacancy adverts which may be of interestto the Society. We also encourage researchersto submit updates on research projects andpublications, so that this may serve as a portalfor disseminating current information onparasitology and tropical medicine inMalaysia.

MSPTM Website

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issues of Tropical Biomedicine

www.msptm.org/