Dengue virus (DENV), which has circulated in Vietnam for several decades, has multiple serotypes and genotypes. A 2019 dengue outbreak resulted in a larger number of cases than any other outbreak. We conducted a molecular characterization using samples collected in 2019-2020 from dengue patients in Hanoi and nearby cities located in northern Vietnam.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to elucidate the 12-month durability of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in patients infected during the 2020 workplace outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Japan. We followed 33 Japanese patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in April 2020 for 12 months (12M). Patients were tested for NAbs and for antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (anti-NC-Ab) and antibodies against the spike receptor-binding domain (anti-RBD-Ab).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We investigated the impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) on the gut microbiota of children.
Design: This cross-sectional study investigated the gut microbiota of children with and without HIV.
Methods: We collected fecal samples from 59 children with HIV (29 treated with ART [ART(+)] and 30 without ART [HIV(+)]) and 20 children without HIV [HIV(-)] in Vietnam.
Objective: To investigate the distribution of opportunistic infections (OIs) and factors associated with acquiring OIs in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in comparison to those of heterosexual patients.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 82 HIV-infected MSM and 120 HIV-infected heterosexual men in Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. Demographical characteristics and clinical data were collected and analyzed using appropriate statistics (Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression).
Enterovirus-A71 (EV-A71) is a common cause of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) and, rarely, causes severe neurological disease. This study aimed to elucidate the epidemiological and genetic characteristics and virulence of EV-A71 strains isolated from children diagnosed with HFMD. Rectal and throat swabs were collected from 488 children with HFMD in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2015-2016.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cancers in men, including penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence, the genotypes, and the risk factors of HPV infections in the oral cavity, compared to those in the genitals, among males diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Vietnam.
Methods: Oral, urinary, penile, and urethral samples were collected from 198 male Vietnamese patients with STIs (median age 31.
Background: Innovation contests are a novel approach to elicit good ideas and innovative practices in various areas of public health. There remains limited published literature on approaches to deliver hepatitis testing. The purpose of this innovation contest was to identify examples of different hepatitis B and C approaches to support countries in their scale-up of hepatitis testing and to supplement development of formal recommendations on service delivery in the 2017 World Health Organization hepatitis B and C testing guidelines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Dried blood spots (DBS) are a convenient tool to enable diagnostic testing for viral diseases due to transport, handling and logistical advantages over conventional venous blood sampling. A better understanding of the performance of serological testing for hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) from DBS is important to enable more widespread use of this sampling approach in resource limited settings, and to inform the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on testing for HBV/HCV.
Methods: We conducted two systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the diagnostic accuracy of HCV antibody (HCV-Ab) and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) from DBS samples compared to venous blood samples.
Background: Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is characterised by the persistence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Expanding HBV diagnosis and treatment programmes into low resource settings will require high quality but inexpensive rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) in addition to laboratory-based enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) to detect HBsAg. The purpose of this review is to assess the clinical accuracy of available diagnostic tests to detect HBsAg to inform recommendations on testing strategies in 2017 WHO hepatitis testing guidelines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The detection and quantification of hepatitis B (HBV) DNA and hepatitis C (HCV) RNA in whole blood collected on dried blood spots (DBS) may facilitate access to diagnosis and treatment of HBV and HCV infection in resource-poor settings. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of DBS compared to venous blood samples for detection and quantification of HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA in two systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the diagnostic accuracy of HBV DNA and HCV RNA from DBS compared to venous blood samples.
Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, Web of Science, LILAC and Cochrane library for studies that assessed diagnostic accuracy with DBS.
Background: There have been few reports on programmatic experience of viral hepatitis testing and treatment in resource-limited settings. To inform the development of the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) viral hepatitis testing guidance and in particular the feasibility of proposed recommendations, we undertook a survey across a range of organisations engaged with hepatitis testing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our objective was to describe current hepatitis B and C testing practices across a range of settings in different countries, as well as key barriers or challenges encountered and proposed solutions to promote testing scale-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHere, we investigated the effects of the probiotic strain Shirota (LcS) on immune profiles and intestinal microbial translocation among children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This prospective study included 60 HIV-infected children-including 31 without antiretroviral therapy (ART) (HIV(+)) and 29 who received ART for a median of 3.5 years (ART(+)) and 20 children without HIV infection (HIV(-)).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe previously reported a significant reduction in the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) from 2007 to 2012 in people who inject drugs (PWID; 35.9% to 18.5%, p < 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCD4⁺ T-lymphocyte destruction, microbial translocation, and systemic immune activation are the main mechanisms of the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) infection. To investigate the impact of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the immune profile of and microbial translocation in HIV-infected children, 60 HIV vertically infected children (31 without ART: HIV(+) and 29 with ART: ART(+)) and 20 HIV-uninfected children (HIV(-)) aged 2-12 years were recruited in Vietnam, and their blood samples were immunologically and bacteriologically analyzed. Among the HIV(+) children, the total CD4⁺-cell and their subset (type 1 helper T-cell (Th1)/Th2/Th17) counts were inversely correlated with age (all p < 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence, genotypes, and risk factors for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Hanoi, Vietnam. The study included 192 males (mean age, 32.9 years) with symptoms related to sexually transmitted infections (STI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Disease progression varies among HIV-1-infected individuals. The present study aimed to explore possible viral and host factors affecting disease progression in HIV-1-infected children.
Methods: Since 2000, 102 HIV-1 vertically-infected children have been followed-up in Kenya.
We previously reported a significant decrease in HIV-1 prevalence, with no increase in drug-resistant HIV-1 among injecting drug users (IDU), female sex workers (FSW), and blood donors (BD), in Haiphong, Vietnam, from 2007 to 2009. In 2012, 388 IDU, 51 FSW, and 200 BD were recruited for further analysis. None had a history of antiretroviral treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAIDS Res Hum Retroviruses
August 2015
We previously reported mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in nine (6.7%) of 135 children on nevirapine prophylaxis in Vietnam. In the current study, we investigated the appearance and profile of antiretroviral drug (ARV) resistance mutations, the predicted coreceptor usage, and the genetic diversity of HIV-1 strains isolated from the eight pairs of HIV-1-infected mothers and their children, who were followed up to 12 months after birth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Hepatitis B (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are both bloodborne viruses. Markers of either active or past HBV infection are present in many HIV infected patients. Worldwide, HBV prevalence varies geographically and endemicity is classified as low (<2%) or high (>8%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman papillomavirus (HPV) has several intragenotypic variants with different geographical and ethnic distributions. This study aimed to elucidate the distribution patterns of E6 and E7 (E6/E7) intragenotypic variants of HPV type 16 (HPV-16), which is most common worldwide, and HPV-52, which is common in Asian countries such as Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In previous studies, genomic DNA samples extracted from cervical swabs were collected from female sex workers in these three countries and found to be positive for HPV-16 or HPV-52.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccines against two high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types, HPV-16, and HPV-18, are in use currently, with high efficacy for preventing infections with these HPV types and consequent cervical cancers. However, circulating HPV types can vary with geography and ethnicity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HPV types and the association between HPV types and abnormal cervical cytology among female sex workers in Northern Vietnam.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAIDS Res Hum Retroviruses
January 2013
Drug use in Kenya dates back to the precolonial period but research among drug users in relation to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated risk and intervention strategies has been low. To evaluate HIV-1 diversity and drug resistance among injecting drug users (IDUs), a cross-sectional study involving 58 patients was carried out in Mombasa between February and March 2010. HIV-1 RNA was extracted from plasma and polymerase chain reaction using specific primers for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase was done.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe reported previously that the prevalence of drug-resistant HIV-1 among antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive individuals in Northern Vietnam was 2.9% in 2007 and 6.2% in 2008.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Worldwide access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low- and middle-income countries has significantly increased. Although this presents better treatment options for HIV-infected individuals, the challenge of monitoring ART in these settings still remains.
Objective: To investigate efficient and cost-effective criteria for assessing ART failure among HIV-1-infected children on first-line ART in resource-limited settings.