Multidrug Resistance and Serotype Distribution of Salmonella Enterica Isolated from Homemade Recipe Fermented Ground Pork (Nham) in Northeastern Thailand

Salmonellosis is caused by a thousand serotypes of Salmonella enterica. The sour taste inherent to Nham leads people believe that this fermented ground pork dish is safe from pathogenic microorganisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, serotype, drug susceptibility, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes of Salmonella spp. in homemade recipes of Nham. There were 52 samples from different Nham makers in 3 northeastern provinces of Thailand collected between August and November 2019. Further, 30 Salmonella isolates (57.7 %) and 14 different serovars were identified: S. Rissen (23.3 %) was the most prevalent, followed by S. Typhimurium (16.7 %), S. Give and S. Virchow (10 % each), and S. Agona and S. Kouka (6.7 % each). All isolates carried AMR genes but 7 (23.3 %) were antibiotic susceptible and 23 (76.7 %) borne a resistance phenotype. The Salmonella isolates were resistant to tetracycline (63 %), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (36.7 %), streptomycin (33.3 %), nalidixic acid (30 %), cefotaxime (16.7 %), and enrofloxacin (3.3 %). Among the 23 AMR genes in our analysis, there were gyrB (100 %), tetA (93.3 %), aadA (93.3 %), sul1, sul2, sul3 (23.3 - 33.3 %), dfrA12 (16.7 %), qnrS, (6.7 %), and mcr6 (6.7 %). Two strains had the mcr6 gene but were susceptible to colistin. Our findings suggest that naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria in the Nham products are insufficient to inhibit Salmonella contamination of this pork-based food. HIGHLIGHTS Highly presence of Salmonella in fermented ground pork (Nham) All identified Salmonella isolates in the Nham have AMR genes A few Salmonella isolates carry AMR genes but are antibiotic susceptible Two Salmonella isolates contain the mcr6 gene but are susceptible to colistin

Development of Excellent Leadership Indicators of Administrators in Private Schools in Northeastern Thailand

The purposes of this research were 1) to study existing excellent leadership indicators of private school administrators and 2) to test the consistency between the developed excellent leadership model and the empirical data. The sample group was consisted of 532 administrators and teachers in private schools in northeastern Thailand certified by the Office of Nation Education Standards and Quality Assessment (Public Organization), Thailand. They were obtained through purposive sampling. The research instruments for data collection included 1) a semi-structured interview form and 2) a 5-point rating scale questionnaire with a content validity between 0.60 - 1.00 and a reliability of 0.992. The data was analyzed with a statistical package and content analysis. The results of the research were as follows: 1. The developed model of excellent leadership indicators of the private school administrators contained 5 core elements and 82 indicators including 1) transformational leadership with 4 sub-elements and 12 indicators, 2) strategic management leadership with 4 sub-elements and 15 indicators, 3) academic leadership with 4 sub-elements and 14 indicators, 4) corporate communication with 5 sub-elements and 21 indicators, and 5) technological skills with 6 sub-elements and 20 indicators. 2. The developed model of the excellent leadership indicators of the private school administrators was in consistence with the empirical data (Chi-square = 357.51, df = 149, p = 0.00000, x2/df = 2.39, GFI = 0.94, AGFI = 0.90, RMSEA = .0.051, RMR = 0.013).

Molecular identification and morphological description of Theloderma albopunctatum tadpoles from the Phu Khiao-Nam Nao Forest Complex, northeastern Thailand

Chunskul J, Thongproh P, Simmasian W, Arkajag J, Tongpun S, Kanishthajata P, Prompalad S, Duangjai S, Duengkae P, Phochayavanich R, Chuaynkern C, Chuaynkern Y. 2021. Molecular identification and morphological description of Theloderma albopunctatum tadpoles from the Phu Khiao-Nam Nao Forest Complex, northeastern Thailand. Biodiversitas 22: 5145-5161. Presently, tadpole description of an external morphology and internal oral features of Theloderma albopunctatum (Anura, Rhacophoridae) is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to describe tadpoles of T. albopunctatum from the Phu Khiao-Nam Nao Forest Complex in northeastern Thailand based molecular and morphological characters. Tadpole identification was based on molecular analyses. The 16S and COI sequences of the T. albopunctutatum tadpole had a genetic distance of 0% and 0.15% with the adults from Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary and Nam Nao National Park, respectively. Bayesian inference analyses of 16S, 16S+COI, and BDNF + SIA + RHO + TYR strongly supported the identity of tadpole and adults T. albopunctatum tadpoles are of medium size, with a black to ashy gray body that turns dark brown in preservative, they also exhibit elliptical body depressions and follow the keratodont row formula 1:2+2/1+1:2 or 1:1+1/1+1:1. T. albopunctatum tadpoles are generally similar to T. asperum.

Ethnobotanical study and utilization of plants in Khok Nhong Phok forest, Kosum Phisai District, Northeastern Thailand

Saisor N, Prathepha P, Saensouk S. 2021. Ethnobotanical study and utilization of plants in Khok Nhong Phok forest, Kosum Phisai District, Northeastern Thailand. Biodiversitas 22: 4336-4348. The present study was conducted in Khok Nhong Phok forest, Kosum Phisai District, Maha Sarakham Province, Northeastern Thailand. The forest was surrounded by communities where traditional knowledge has been inherited in the utilization of plants which may disappear over time due to the development of medicinal science and technology. The primary is to study the traditional knowledge in ethnobotanical, collect information about the utilization of plants, and provide the scientific name as the basis for future studies. Data were collected through open-ends interviewing with 30 villagers living in villages around the forest area about their local name, utilization of plants in all 3 aspects, including plants used as food, medicine, and plants used to build houses including parts of plants used. Plant materials and photographs were collected from January to December 2019. Altogether 101 plant species were recorded belonging to 52 families, divided into 3 groups of utilization according to traditional knowledge including 50 species of food plants, 69 species of medicinal plants, and 42 species used for housing, appliances, and fuel. In this study, some plants with more than one type of utilization showed that they were valuable to local people in terms of their uses, and such information can be used as a guideline for the conservation of plant resources in the area to show the importance of cherishing, and maintain valuable resources in the area to remain for future generations.

Association of comorbidity between Opisthorchis viverrini infection and diabetes mellitus in the development of cholangiocarcinoma among a high-risk population, northeastern Thailand

Background Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a category of lethal hepatobiliary malignancies. Previous studies have found that Opisthorchis viverrini infection and diabetes mellitus (DM) are closely correlated with CCA. However, few studies have discussed the association of CCA with a combination of both O. viverrini infection and DM. This study aimed to assess the correlation of CCA with various combinations of O. viverrini infection and DM among a high-risk population in northeastern Thailand. Methodology This study included participants from 20 provinces in northeastern Thailand who had been screened for CCA in the Cholangiocarcinoma Screening and Care Program (CASCAP) between 2013 and 2019. Histories of O. viverrini infection and DM diagnosis were obtained using a health questionnaire. CCA screening used ultrasonography with a definitive diagnosis based on histopathology. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was performed to quantify the association, which is presented as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Principal findings Overall, 263,776 participants were included, of whom 32.4% were infected with O. viverrini, 8.2% were diagnosed with DM, and 2.9% had a history of both O. viverrini infection and DM. The overall rate of CCA was 0.36%. Of those infected with O. viverrini, 0.47% had CCA; among those with DM, 0.59% had CCA and among those infected with O. viverrini and had DM, 0.73% had CCA. Compared with participants who were not infected with O. viverrini and were non-DM, the aOR for those infected with O. viverrini and with DM was 2.36 (95% CI: 1.74–3.21; p-value <0.001). Conclusions The combination of O. viverrini infection and DM was highly associated with CCA, and these two conditions had a combined effect on this association that was greater than that of either alone. These findings suggest that CCA screening should have a strong focus on people with a combination of O. viverrini infection and DM.

Five new species of the land snail genus Landouria Godwin-Austen, 1918 (Gastropoda, Camaenidae) from northeastern Thailand, with note on genitalia and radula morphology of Landouria diplogramma (Möllendorff, 1902)

Five new species of the terrestrial snail genus Landouria Godwin-Austen, 1918 (Camaenidae) are described from northeastern Thailand, based on shell features, radular morphology, genital anatomy, and DNA sequence data: Landouria circinata sp. nov., L. tuberculata sp. nov., L. trochomorphoides sp. nov., L. chloritoides sp. nov., and L. elegans sp. nov. These species are phylogenetically well separated from each other by mtDNA phy-logeny and COI sequence divergences of 0.073–0.156. The record of Thaitropis Schileyko, 2004 (currently synonymized with Landouria) in Thailand is re-interpreted as referring to L. diplogramma (Möllendorff, 1902) comb. nov.