Increasing Malaria Parasite Clearance Time after Chloroquine Therapy, South Korea, 2000-2016.

We reviewed the clinical efficacy of chloroquine for Plasmodium vivax malaria, the changing trend of parasite clearance time, and fever clearance time during 2000-2016 in South Korea. Median parasite clearance time and fever clearance time increased significantly over the study period. Chloroquine was mostly underdosed when used to treat P.

Severe vivax malaria in the Republic of Korea during the period 2000 to 2016.

Background: There has been a marked increase in the reporting of confirmed vivax malaria cases in certain geographical areas. This study investigated cases of severe vivax malaria in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of adult patients diagnosed with vivax malaria in the Republic of Korea during the period 2000 to 2016.

Examination of Hospital Workers' Emotional Responses to an Infectious Disease Outbreak: Lessons From the 2015 MERS Co-V Outbreak in South Korea.

ABSTRACTHospital workers are critical for a successful response to an infectious disease outbreak and for preventing disease transmission to the community. Therefore, hospital crisis management should implement efforts to improve hospital workers' preparedness in responding to public health emergencies caused by infectious diseases. Traditionally, preparedness and skill of hospital workers have been emphasized, but awareness of the importance of the emotional mindset of hospital workers in dealing with disease outbreaks has only recently increased; therefore, empirical approaches to examining emotional responses of hospital workers has been limited.

Emergence of Daptomycin-Nonsusceptible Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Isolates Among Daptomycin-Naive Patients in Korea.

This study was conducted to assess emergence of daptomycin-nonsusceptible (DAP-NS) phenotype in DAP-naive patients with invasive Staphylococcus aureus (ISA) infections in Korea. A total of 208 S. aureus clinical isolates were selected from a previous prospective study on ISA infections and evaluated for DAP-NS.

Impact of Vancomycin MIC on Treatment Outcomes in Invasive Staphylococcus aureus Infections.

There are conflicting data on the association of vancomycin MIC (VAN-MIC) with treatment outcomes in infections. We investigated the relationship between high VAN-MIC and 30-day mortality and identified the risk factors for mortality in a large cohort of patients with invasive (ISA) infections, defined as the isolation of from a normally sterile site. Over a 2-year period, 1,027 adult patients with ISA infections were enrolled in 10 hospitals, including 673 (66%) patients with methicillin-resistant (MRSA) infections.

Clinical Presentation and Outcomes of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in the Republic of Korea.

Background: From May to July 2015, the Republic of Korea experienced the largest outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outside the Arabian Peninsula. A total of 186 patients, including 36 deaths, had been diagnosed with MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection as of September 30th, 2015.

Materials And Methods: We obtained information of patients who were confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection.

Characteristics of invasive Staphylococcus aureus infections in three regions of Korea, 2009-2011: a multi-center cohort study.

Background: Despite the importance of invasive Staphylococcus aureus (ISA) infection, its overall burden in non-selected populations has only been defined in a small number of studies in Europe and North America. To define the characteristics of ISA infections in Korea, we conducted a multi-center cohort study to estimate population-based incidence rates.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study at nine university-affiliated active-surveillance core centers (ASCs) in three regions of Korea.

Lack of effect of dexamethasone on growth of Orientia tsutsugamushi Gilliam in mouse L929 cells.

Purpose: Previous studies and our own clinical experience suggest that concurrent corticosteroid treatment for severe rickettsial disease with multiorgan failure may improve the clinical course or reduce mortality. However, the use of corticosteroids as adjunctive treatment for rickettsial diseases is controversial. We attempted to determine the influences of corticosteroid on the growth of Orientia tsutsugamushi in vitro to justify and evaluate the clinical applicability of corticosteroid in rickettsial disease.

A prediction rule to identify severe cases among adult patients hospitalized with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009.

The purpose of this study was to establish a prediction rule for severe illness in adult patients hospitalized with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009. At the time of initial presentation, the baseline characteristics of those with severe illness (i.e.

Parasitemia characteristics of Plasmodium vivax malaria patients in the Republic of Korea.

Parasitemia characteristics of Plasmodium vivax malaria in temperate regions may differ from those in tropical zones. However, most parasitological and clinical features of P. vivax malaria have been investigated in the latter.

Extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: risk factors for acquisition and prevalent OXA-type carbapenemases--a multicentre study.

In this study, we investigated the risk factors for and carbapenem resistance mechanisms of extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (XDR-AB). Isolates of XDR-AB were collected from seven tertiary care hospitals in South Korea. A case-control study for risk factor analysis was performed and the presence of the metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) and OXA genes was examined.

Short report: chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium vivax in the Republic of Korea.

The number of Plasmodium vivax malaria patients in the Republic of Korea and North Korea since the re-emergence of malaria in 1993 is estimated to be approximately one million. To cope with this situation, the Army of the Republic of Korea has performed chemoprophylaxis with hydroxychloroquine and primaquine since 1997. The cumulative number of soldiers in the Army of the Republic of Korea given chemoprophylaxis exceeded 1.

[Evaluation of usefulness of the panel test composed of malaria non-specific tests as a surrogate marker].

Background: Although malaria-specific antibody or antigen test is useful for the diagnosis of malaria infection, its cost-effectiveness has to be concerned in the area where malaria prevalence is very low. We created a panel test composed of malaria non-specific parameters, namely hematology autoanalyzer-derived results with or without addition of HDL-cholesterol data, and evaluated its usefulness in comparison with malaria-specific antibody test.

Methods: For 395 patients tested for malaria smear, the hematology parameters such as platelet count, NRBC (%) and VCS (volume, conductivity, scattering) parameters of WBC, and HDL-cholesterol data were analyzed.

Increasing vancomycin susceptibility in vancomycin resistant enterococci by vanH promoter and ddl transformation.

Objectives: In vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) the vanHAXYZ genes encode a new pathway of enzymes to produce d-alanyl-d-lactate. We investigated the effect of vanH promoter and ddl gene transformation on vancomycin susceptibility in a vanA phenotype of Enterococcus faecalis.

Methods: To construct plasmid pJW1, the vanH promoter was cloned to plasmid pAM401.

Epidemiology and clinical features of HIV infection/AIDS in Korea.

HIV infection/AIDS shows characteristic epidemiological and clinical patterns according to the region, country, and race. The epidemiological and clinical patterns of HIV infection/ AIDS in Korea was investigated by retrospectively analyzing the medical records of 176 HIV-infected persons who visited two major referral hospitals of AIDS in Korea from 1985 to April 2000. The most common transmission route was heterosexual contact (52.