Invasive Group B Streptococcus Infections Caused by Hypervirulent Clone of S. agalactiae Sequence Type 283, Hong Kong, China, 2021.

During September-October 2021, group B Streptococcus bloodstream infections surged among patients hospitalized in Hong Kong. Of 95 cases, 57 were caused by the hypervirulent strain sequence type 283, which at the time was also found in freshwater fish and wet market environments and thus poses a transmission threat.

An outbreak of complex exit site infection among peritoneal dialysis patients caused by contaminated spray dressing.

Background: Wound dressing is intended to provide a physical barrier from microorganisms. Spray dressing is convenient and can be applied to wounds of various contours. In July 2020, a cluster of four complex (BCC) exit site infections was identified among peritoneal dialysis patients in a regional hospital in Hong Kong.

Territorywide Study of Early Coronavirus Disease Outbreak, Hong Kong, China.

Initial cases of coronavirus disease in Hong Kong were imported from mainland China. A dramatic increase in case numbers was seen in February 2020. Most case-patients had no recent travel history, suggesting the presence of transmission chains in the local community.

Bacterial co-infections and antibiotic prescribing practice in adults with COVID-19: experience from a single hospital cluster.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has affected millions of individuals since December 2019, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality globally. During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, it was observed that influenza was associated with bacterial co-infections. However, empirical or prophylactic antibiotic use during viral pandemics should be balanced against the associated adverse drug events.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival secretions from patients without ocular symptoms.

Purpose: To evaluate the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in conjunctival secretions from patients without ocular symptoms.

Methods: Conjunctival swabs were prospectively collected from laboratory-confirmed Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients without ocular symptoms for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and viral culture.

Results: A total of 158 conjunctival swabs were obtained from 49 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients.

Evaluation of the commercially available LightMix® Modular E-gene kit using clinical and proficiency testing specimens for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Background: Rapid and sensitive diagnostic assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection are required for prompt patient management and infection control. The analytical and clinical performances of LightMix® Modular SARS and Wuhan CoV E-gene kit, a widely used commercial assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection, have not been well studied.

Objective: To evaluate the performance characteristics of the LightMix® E-gene kit in comparison with well-validated in-house developed COVID-19 RT-PCR assays.

Improved detection of Zika virus RNA in human and animal specimens by a novel, highly sensitive and specific real-time RT-PCR assay targeting the 5'-untranslated region of Zika virus.

Objective And Method: We developed and evaluated five novel real-time RT-PCR assays targeting conserved regions in the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR), envelope (E'), non-structural protein 2A (NS2A), NS5 and 3'-UTR of the ZIKV genome.

Results: The ZIKV-5'-UTR assay exhibited the lowest in vitro limit of detection (5-10 RNA copies/reaction and 3.0 × 10 plaque-forming units/ml).