Research

As the national university, we champion and support innovative research that addresses the country’s most pressing challenges.

27 Oct 2023

UP Diliman

First and most extensive study in the Philippines shows diagnostic accuracy of a multivariate index assay alone and in combination with ovarian imaging for ovarian cancer prediction

This study determined the utility of ovarian imaging and a second-generation multivariate index assay in predicting  the risk of ovarian...

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23 Oct 2023

UP Baguio

Covid-19 caused more psychological distress on women and young people than older persons

The results of this study represent 14,133 participants across 6 continents, with data from 19 nations. The most consistent finding...

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19 Oct 2023

UP Diliman, UP System

Children as young as two months are exposed to digital media for an average of two hours every day

The dramatic increase in the touchscreen exposure of very young children has raised issues regarding the potentials and perils that...

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11 Oct 2023

UP

Caves require greater management as important, but seldom studied, nonrenewable resources

Caves are significant nonrenewable resources that provide a variety of ecosystem services with varying sensitivities to disturbance. In the Philippines,...

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10 Oct 2023

UP Los Baños, UP Open University

Small islands in Northern Samar are linked by political, economic and social reasons

The Philippines as an archipelago is made up of many islands. Most of these islands are characterized as small, isolated,...

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06 Oct 2023

UP Los Baños

Online learning had adverse effects on the well-being and mental health of STEM students

This research adds to the growing body of literature pertaining to the extent and consequences of fully online
learning to Science,...

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05 Oct 2023

UP Manila

Teachers are still hesitant to talk about sex education due to cultural and religious factors

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) enables children and young people to learn about the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social characteristics of...

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02 Oct 2023

UP Manila

Smart-city projects will not “reduce inequality, hold policymakers accountable or address the root causes of Manila’s problems”

The Philippines is said to fall behind when it comes to adopting digital technologies and urged to catch up with...

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14 Sep 2023

UP Diliman

The location and number of language areas in the brain differ among multilingual brain tumor patients

The location of the speech area in the brain may be different or located in several sites in patients who...

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05 Sep 2023

UP Los Baños

Agent-based model reveals a sustainable method of forest tree harvesting

The Philippines requires 6 million cubic meters of wood annually, based on its 2006–2014 average wood consumption. However, due to...

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29 Aug 2023

UP Diliman

Adjusting the rice cropping calendar can improve the production and income of rice farmers

The study assessed the impact of an adjusted cropping calendar on the welfare of rice farming households in the  Mekong...

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15 Aug 2023

UP System

Study reports the first cases of yaws, a chronic and highly contagious skin and bone infection, among the Aetas of Quezon

Yaws is a chronic, highly contagious skin and bone infection caused by a bacteria, Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue, usually affecting...

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Research

Manila Bay, a multipurpose body of water located around Metro Manila, Philippines, is continuously degrading because of pollution. Reports have shown that the bay and its aquatic resources such as seafood are contaminated with feces and disease-causing microorganisms, posing a threat to public health and the industry. This problem raises the need to trace the source of contamination as a part of the rehabilitation efforts in the bay. Bivalve mollusks cultivated in water bodies can indicate fecal pollution and water quality. By profiling using DNA analysis, this study detected Cryptosporidium species, which are microscopic parasites causing intestinal infection in humans and animals, in Asian green mussels (Perna viridis) cultivated and harvested in Manila Bay and sold in Bulungan Seafood Market, Parañaque, Philippines, from 2019 to 2021 with an overall occurrence of 8.77%. The analysis showed three genetic variants of the parasite, suggesting fecal pollution in bivalve cultivation sites coming from sewage, agricultural, and diffuse sources. The study also detected a genetic variant of Cryptosporidium that can pose risks to human health. Thus, there is a need to establish routine detection and DNA analysis of Cryptosporidium spp. in Manila Bay and to educate seafood consumers on food safety.

Cryptosporidiosis is an intestinal disease caused by the parasitic protozoa Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium infections, despite having a worldwide distribution, are often underreported in clinical settings. This disease can be contracted via the fecal-oral route, where an individual ingests contaminated food or water. Anthropogenic activities, such as dumping of untreated sewage and agricultural activities, can contaminate water bodies and aquatic commodities, such as edible bivalves, with Cryptosporidium. The host-specificity of Cryptosporidium species is useful in microbial source tracking, a collection of methodologies aiming to trace the source of fecal pollution in the environment. The detection and genotyping of Cryptosporidium concentrated in filter-feeders such as edible bivalves may be utilized to point out contamination sources, which can be used by monitoring agencies as a complementary tool for water quality assessment and by local government units for policy-making, regulation, and bioremediation efforts. The detection of the parasites in these aquatic commodities can also serve as information on the possible risks posed to consumers.

Authors: Mark Raymond A. Vejano, Laurice Beatrice Raphaelle O. dela Peña and Windell L. Rivera (Pathogen-Host-Environment Interactions Research Laboratory, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman)

Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-023-01634-2