Publications by authors named "Ananporn Supataragul"
Background: Sentinel laboratory surveillance for diarrheal disease determined norovirus to be the most common cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in people during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. An increase in patients presenting with diarrhea and vomiting in hospitals across Chanthaburi province between December 2021 and January 2022 led to the need for the identification of viral pathogens that may be responsible for the outbreak.
Methods: Fecal samples (rectal swabs or stool) from 93 patients, of which 65 patients were collected during the December 2021 to January 2022 outbreak, were collected and screened for viral infection by real-time RT-PCR.
Article Synopsis
- Omicron emerged as a significant variant of concern in late 2021, highlighted by its rapid spread and unique mutations, prompting a need for better detection methods of viral variants.
- This study evaluated two classification platforms for SARS-CoV-2 variants using 618 COVID-19-positive samples from Bangkok, focusing on Delta, Omicron BA.1, and BA.2 variants.
- The findings showed that Omicron variants BA.1 and BA.2 had 2-3 times higher transmission rates than the Delta variant, offering a cost-effective approach for tracking variants and informing public health decisions.
Article Synopsis
- * The study identified various SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron, through advanced PCR methods, with some variants detected in specific months.
- * Findings suggest that wastewater testing is an effective, low-cost method for monitoring virus variants in communities, complementing traditional clinical sample sequencing for identifying new variants.