Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for the rapid detection of Clostridium botulinum serotypes E and F.

Background: Botulinum neurotoxin serotypes E and F (BoNT/E and BoNT/F) produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) found in a wide variety of foods cause poisoning in humans with high mortality rates. Mouse bioassays (MBAs), the gold standard method for BoNT detection, have a low detection limit; however, require experienced personnel and take a long time to obtain results.

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in environmental samples and faecal samples from biogas users in Bac Giang, Vietnam.

Little is known about Cryptosporidium and Giardia in biogas waste and humans in Vietnam. There is a potential risk of infections during or after using the biogas system. The detected protozoan genotypes are zoonotic pathogens, and contamination of vegetables may relay through runoff to the surface waters and soil.

Epidemiological and comparative genomic analysis of Bacillus anthracis isolated from northern Vietnam.

To understand the epidemiological and genetic background of anthrax cases occurring in Vietnam from 2011 to 2015, we surveilled and genetically analyzed Bacillus anthracis isolated in the north of the country. Epidemiological surveillance showed that most human cutaneous anthrax cases occurred in association with animal dissection. Whole-genome sequences were obtained from six B.

Comparison of rapid methods for detection of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. (oo)cysts using transportable instrumentation in a field deployment.

Reliable, sensitive, quantitative, and mobile rapid screening methods for pathogenic organisms are not yet readily available, but would provide a great benefit to humanitarian intervention units in disaster situations. We compared three different methods (immunofluorescent microscopy, IFM; flow cytometry, FCM; polymerase chain reaction, PCR) for the rapid and quantitative detection of Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum (oo)cysts in a field campaign. For this we deployed our mobile instrumentation and sampled canal water and vegetables during a 2 week field study in Thailand.

Faecal and protozoan parasite contamination of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) cultivated in urban wastewater in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Objective: To identify the level of contamination with thermotolerant coliforms (ThC), intestinal helminth eggs and protozoan parasites in water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) cultivated in a wastewater-fed lake in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Methods: The investigation was carried out from July 2004 to May 2005 in Boeng Cheung Ek lake, a main recipient of wastewater from the city of Phnom Penh. Water spinach samples were collected near two wastewater entry points in the northern part of the lake and near a wastewater exit point in the southern part of the lake, where water is discharged from the lake into a stream.