Mangrove spiders are poorly studied in Malaysia. Available data have been primarily limited to the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. In the present work, we report the first record of a spider species for Peninsular Malaysia, the Orb-weaver spider Eriovixia poonaensis (Tikader & Bal, 1981), from Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu state, on the east coast of the peninsula.
Abdulmula Abdumagid Alhadi Hamza(8-2021)

Data on the microplastic abundance in sea turtle nesting beaches of Southeast Asia are limited. We sampled four sea turtle nesting beaches in the northern and southern coastal areas of Terengganu, Malaysia between October and November 2018, to investigate microplastic abundance, shape, and colour at both high tide swash zone and dry dunes. Using optical observation, we isolated 2,489 microplastic items, belong to four types: Fibres, fragments, foam, and films. We found more microplastics at the high tide swash zone (58%) compared to the dune zone. Fibres were the most common shape (96.18%). Of the nine recognised colours found, black was the most abundant (35.64%) followed by transparent (24.53%). Of the sites investigated, those on the northern beaches had a higher abundance of microplastics. The causes of this difference were discussed. This study provides baseline data on microplastic contamination in Terengganu turtle nesting beaches. It highlights the need for further research to identify the effects on sea turtle nesting in this region
Abdulmaula Hamza(9-2020)

Background: Libya has been malaria-free since 1973. The risk of malaria re-introduction to Libya is increasing because of the increase in imported malaria cases due to immigration to Libya from countries where malaria is endemic. Cases are mainly due to P. falciparum and Sub-Saharan Africa is the most common origin. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of malaria positive cases among illegal immigrants in the southern region of Libya. Methods: A prospective, observational, multi-center study was conducted. Three hundred and three illegal immigrants from 12 different countries were included. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the presence of serum malaria antibodies. Results: A total of 303 immigrants were included in the study with mean age of 25.78±5.92 years. Of them, 195 tested positive for malaria antibodies. Two hundred and sixty nine of the participants came from Brak Al-Shati, 16 from Sebha and 18 from Bergan centers, with 175, 15 and 5 positive cases, respectively. Most of the positive cases (172) arrived in Libya within 1-10 months. The highest number of positive cases (70) came from Ghana followed by (40) from Niger and (39) from Bangladesh. Conclusions: Illegal immigration is a major malaria re-introduction route. The issue of illegal immigration have to be treated urgently to stop the huge influx of illegal immigrants and increase the surveillance activities of infectious diseases in order to keep Libyan territories as a malaria-free lands. Key words: Illegal immigration, Malaria, Libya.
Fadwa Jamaledden Mustafa Kamel Mahanay, Badereddin Bashir K. Annajar, Asma A Ali Oun(11-2021)