Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15 Jo Nishi 7 Chome, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638 Tel. (81)11.706-5051 Fax. (81)11.706-7374
gamagecd@gmail.com / chandika@med.hokudai.ac.jp
Title: Postdoctoral researcher
Affliation: Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University
Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
Academia: 2011 Certified Zoonosis Control Expert, Hokkaido University, Japan
2011 Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Sciences) Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan
2004 Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
2002 Certificate in Human Resource Management The Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka (Inc.), Sri Lanka
1999 International Diploma in Computer Studies National Center of Computing, UK
Awards and grants: 2011 Grant for postdoctoral research on leptospirosis, Global COE (Center of Excellence) Program "Establishment of International Collaboration Centers for Zoonosis Control”, Hokkaido University, Japan
2011 Postdoctoral fellowship, Global COE (Center of Excellence) Program "Establishment of International Collaboration Centers for Zoonosis Control”, Hokkaido University, Japan
2009 Grant for field epidemiological study, Global COE (Center of Excellence) Program "Establishment of International Collaboration Centers for Zoonosis Control”, Hokkaido University, Japan
2007 Japanese Government scholarship (MONBU KAGAKUSHO) for doctoral studies in Japan
Abstract: Abstract Leptospirosis is an important bacterial zoonotic disease globally and one of the notifiable diseases in Sri Lanka. Other than human leptospirosis, little information is available on leptospirosis in domestic and feral animals in Sri Lanka. Thus, this study attempted to determine the prevalence and carrier status of leptospirosis in smallholder dairy cattle and peridomestic rodents to understand the impact of the disease on public health in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Cattle and rodent samples were collected from the Yatinuwara and Udunuwara divisional secretaries in Kandy. Serum samples were analyzed for the presence of antileptospiral antibodies using microscopic agglutination test. DNA was extracted from cattle urine and rodent kidney tissue samples, in which polymerase chain reaction was carried out to detect the Leptospira flaB gene. The cattle in 19 (38.8%) of the 49 farms harbored antileptospiral antibodies. Out of 113 cattle serum samples, 23 (20.3%) were positive; 17 (73.9%) and 6 (26.1%) reacted with serogroups Sejroe and Hebdomadis, respectively. Out of the 74 rodent samples, 13 (17.5%) were positive; 8 (61.5%) and 4 (30.8%) had reactions to serogroups Javanica and Icterohaemorrhagiae, respectively. Leptospiral DNA was detected in one cattle urine sample and identified as Leptospira interrogans. This study revealed a high prevalence of leptospirosis in cattle and rodents in Kandy. These animals were infected with a wide array of leptospiral serogroups, which are consistent with the research findings observed in humans in Kandy. Overall, serological data indicate that relative to rodents, cattle may be a more significant reservoir for human transmission and a greater source of potential risk to local agricultural communities.
Abstract: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the current prevalence of leptospirosis and hantaviral infections, and the socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors of infected patients, in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This report discusses the serological evidence of hantavirus infections among 105 suspected leptospirosis patients, 8 of whom had hantavirus antibodies. Serotyping ELISA showed that these 8 patients had high optical density values for Thailand virus. Most of the sera showed that the focus reduction neutralization test titer against Thailand virus was higher than that against Seoul virus, thereby suggesting that the hantaviral antibodies found in Sri Lanka are different from Seoul virus but closely related to Thailand virus. These findings imply that the hantaviral infection found in Kandy, Sri Lanka appears to be due to a virus similar to Thailand virus. Epidemiological analysis revealed that the association between hantavirus infection and socio-demographic characteristics was not statistically significant.
Abstract: Leptospirosis has emerged as an important infectious disease in Sri Lanka and little information is available on circulating leptospiral species and serogroups in this country. Therefore, we studied circulating leptospiral species and serogroups in patients with acute febrile illness using polymerase chain reaction and the microscopic agglutination test, respectively. Anti-leptospiral antibodies were detected in 26 of 107 serum samples studied (24.3%). The predominant reacting serogroups were Sejroe (9/26, 34.6%) and Icterohaemorrhagiae (5/26, 19.2%). Leptospiral DNA was detected in 3 of the 107 serum samples. The deduced leptospiral species were Leptospira interrogans and L. kirschneri (2 and 1 samples, respectively). These results confirm the existence of a wide array of leptospiral species and serogroups in Sri Lanka and would help to thoroughly elucidate the epidemiology of leptospirosis in this country.
