Genotyping and macrolide-resistant mutation of Bordetella pertussis in East and South-East Asia.

Objectives: Macrolide-resistant Bordetella pertussis (MRBP) has been emerging and prevailing in mainland China since 2011. In this study, we aimed to investigate the genotype and macrolide resistance of circulating B. pertussis in East and Southeast Asia using genetic analyses.

Rapid and simple SNP genotyping for Bordetella pertussis epidemic strain MT27 based on a multiplexed single-base extension assay.

Multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) is widely used for genotyping of Bordetella pertussis, the causative bacteria for pertussis. However, MLVA genotyping is losing its discriminate power because prevalence of the epidemic MT27 strain (MLVA-27) is increasing worldwide. To address this, we developed a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping method for MT27 based on multiplexed single-base extension (SBE) assay.

A novel multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis for .

Human-adapted is one of the causative agents of whooping cough; however, there are currently no genotyping systems with high discriminatory power for this bacterial pathogen. We therefore aimed to develop a multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) for human-adapted . Four highly polymorphic variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) loci in the genome were selected and amplified by multiplex PCR.

Successful Control of Streptococcus pneumoniae 19A Replacement With a Catch-up Primary Vaccination Program in Taiwan.

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae infections in Taiwan mostly occur in children aged 2-4 years. Because of a significant increase in the incidence of serotype 19A-related infections, the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was initially introduced in the national immunization program for children 2-5 years of age, prior to the national programs for infants. We have assessed the impact of such vaccination programs in reducing the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Taiwanese children.

National surveillance of invasive pneumococcal diseases in Taiwan, 2008-2012: differential temporal emergence of serotype 19A.

Introduction: Serotype replacement after the introduction of seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and the future availability of multivalent PCVs prompted the listing of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) as a notifiable disease in Taiwan in October 2007. Here, we report the national surveillance results.

Methods: The study population comprised the whole nation of Taiwan from 2008 to 2012.

Global population structure and evolution of Bordetella pertussis and their relationship with vaccination.

Bordetella pertussis causes pertussis, a respiratory disease that is most severe for infants. Vaccination was introduced in the 1950s, and in recent years, a resurgence of disease was observed worldwide, with significant mortality in infants. Possible causes for this include the switch from whole-cell vaccines (WCVs) to less effective acellular vaccines (ACVs), waning immunity, and pathogen adaptation.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Bordetella pertussis in Taiwan prompted by a case of pertussis in a paediatric patient.

In Taiwan, pertussis is a notifiable disease with a low incidence in recent years, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing for the causative agent, Bordetella pertussis, has not been reported to date. In May 2007, the Centers for Disease Control, Taiwan, was informed of a 1-month-old pertussis patient who did not respond to erythromycin treatment. In this study, we report the result of antimicrobial susceptibility testing performed for the suspected erythromycin-resistant isolate, as well as for an additional 27 B.

An OXA-66/OXA-51-like carbapenemase and possibly an efflux pump are associated with resistance to imipenem in Acinetobacter baumannii.

We investigated the mechanisms involved in imipenem resistance in 23 clinical strains of Acinetobacter baumannii. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis showed the presence of a 30-kDa protein in imipenem-intermediate A. baumannii (IIAB) and imipenem-resistant A.

Molecular epidemiology of group A streptococcus causing scarlet fever in northern Taiwan, 2001-2002.

In this study, 830 Streptococcus pyogenes isolates collected between 2001 and 2002 from patients with scarlet fever in northern Taiwan were analyzed by M protein gene (emm) sequence typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. A total of 21 emm types and 56 PFGE patterns were identified. The most frequent emm types were emm1 (29.

Epidemiological shift in the prevalence of pertussis in Taiwan: implications for pertussis vaccination.

In Taiwan, routine pertussis immunization has been implemented for more than 40 years and a low incidence of pertussis was maintained until an 80-fold increase in cases occurred in 1992. The unexpected increase emphasized the significance of pertussis. This study evaluated a total of 2452 reported cases of pertussis during 1993-2004 and surveillance data on incidence, age distribution and seasonality.

Surveillance of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae in Taiwan, 2002-2003.

A total of 522 Streptococcus pneumoniae invasive isolates from diverse sources were collected from January 2002 to December 2003 in Taiwan in order to understand the serotype distribution of invasive isolates in Taiwan. The most frequently isolated serotypes of S. pneumoniae were types 14 (18.

Molecular epidemiology of Bordetella pertussis in Taiwan, 1993-2004: suggests one possible explanation for the outbreak of pertussis in 1997.

Pertussis reemerges periodically despite high pertussis vaccination coverage in many countries. We used prn and fim3 gene sequences and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to analyze the molecular epidemiology of 168 clinical isolates of Bordetella pertussis during 1993-2004, and deduced possible reasons for an outbreak in 1997 in Taiwan. In Taiwan, during 1996-1997, a shift of prn1 to prn2 was reflected in a transition of PFGE group I to group IIIa; during 2000-2001, the change from fim3A to fim3B was displayed in transition of PFGE group IIIa to group IIIb.

Molecular epidemiology and emergence of worldwide epidemic clones of Neisseria meningitidis in Taiwan.

Background: Meningococcal disease is infrequently found in Taiwan, a country with 23 million people. Between 1996 and 2002, 17 to 81 clinical cases of the disease were reported annually. Reported cases dramatically increased in 2001-2002.

Antigenic divergence of Bordetella pertussis isolates in Taiwan.

In recent studies, antigenic divergence has been observed in Bordetella pertussis circulating isolates. We collected 80 Bordetella pertussis isolates in Taiwan from 1998 to 2004 and analyzed them using a combination of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and sequencing of the ptxS1 and prn genes. The incidence of pertussis increases every 3 years, and most of the isolates prevalent since 1998 have expressed nonvaccine ptxS1A and prn2 alleles.