Exploring the pediatric nasopharyngeal bacterial microbiota with culture-based MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and targeted metagenomic sequencing.

Unlabelled: The nasopharynx is an important reservoir of disease-associated and antimicrobial-resistant bacterial species. This proof-of-concept study assessed the utility of a combined culture, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and targeted metagenomic sequencing workflow for the study of the pediatric nasopharyngeal bacterial microbiota. Nasopharyngeal swabs and clinical metadata were collected from Cambodian children during a hospital outpatient visit and then biweekly for 12 weeks.

A Clinically Oriented antimicrobial Resistance surveillance Network (ACORN): pilot implementation in three countries in Southeast Asia, 2019-2020.

Case-based surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) provides more actionable data than isolate- or sample-based surveillance. We developed A Clinically Oriented antimicrobial Resistance surveillance Network (ACORN) as a lightweight but comprehensive platform, in which we combine clinical data collection with diagnostic stewardship, microbiological data collection and visualisation of the linked clinical-microbiology dataset. Data are compatible with WHO GLASS surveillance and can be stratified by syndrome and other metadata.

Pneumococcal colonization and severity of pneumonia in hospitalized Cambodian children following introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Objectives: This study sought to characterize pneumococcal colonization and clinical/radiological features in Cambodian children admitted to hospital with an illness compatible with pneumonia following national introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13).

Methods: Children aged 0-59 months admitted to Angkor Hospital for Children who met the World Health Organization (WHO) case definition for clinical pneumonia were enrolled over a 3-year period. Clinical, radiological and vaccination data were collected at enrolment.

Case Report: The First Case Report of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Cambodia.

Leishmaniasis is considered a neglected tropical disease that is commonly found in Asia, Africa, South America, and Mediterranean countries. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form of the disease and is almost universally fatal if left untreated. The symptoms of VL overlap with many infectious diseases, malignancies, and other blood disorders.

Antimicrobial resistance patterns in bacteria causing febrile illness in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia: a systematic review of published etiological studies from 1980-2015.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to conduct a systematic review to characterize antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns for bacterial causes of febrile illness in Africa and Asia.

Methods: We included published literature from 1980-2015 based on data extracted from two recent systematic reviews of nonmalarial febrile illness from Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Selection criteria included articles with full bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results for key normally sterile site pathogen-drug combinations.

Improving Treatment and Outcomes for Melioidosis in Children, Northern Cambodia, 2009-2018.

We report trends in manifestations, treatment, and outcomes of 355 children with culture-confirmed melioidosis over 10 years at a pediatric hospital in northern Cambodia. Bacteremia and presentation with pneumonia were risk factors for death. A total of 39 children recovered after being given only oral antimicrobial drug treatment.

Automating the Generation of Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Reports: Proof-of-Concept Study Involving Seven Hospitals in Seven Countries.

Background: Reporting cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility testing data on a regular basis is crucial to inform antimicrobial resistance (AMR) action plans at local, national, and global levels. However, analyzing data and generating a report are time consuming and often require trained personnel.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and test an application that can support a local hospital to analyze routinely collected electronic data independently and generate AMR surveillance reports rapidly.

ACORN (A Clinically-Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network): a pilot protocol for case based antimicrobial resistance surveillance.

: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) / drug resistant infections (DRIs) are a major global health priority. Surveillance data is critical to inform infection treatment guidelines, monitor trends, and to assess interventions. However, most existing AMR / DRI surveillance systems are passive and pathogen-based with many potential biases.

Elizabethkingia anophelis Infection in Infants, Cambodia, 2012-2018.

We describe 6 clinical isolates of Elizabethkingia anophelis from a pediatric referral hospital in Cambodia, along with 1 isolate reported from Thailand. Improving diagnostic microbiological methods in resource-limited settings will increase the frequency of reporting for this pathogen. Consensus on therapeutic options is needed, especially for resource-limited settings.

Genomic surveillance for hypervirulence and multi-drug resistance in invasive Klebsiella pneumoniae from South and Southeast Asia.

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a leading cause of bloodstream infection (BSI). Strains producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) or carbapenemases are considered global priority pathogens for which new treatment and prevention strategies are urgently required, due to severely limited therapeutic options. South and Southeast Asia are major hubs for antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) K.

Antimicrobial resistance in Cambodia: a review.

Objectives: Following the launch of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) rates in many countries remain poorly described. This review provides an overview of published AMR data from Cambodia in the context of recently initiated national human and food-animal surveillance.

Methods: PubMed and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for articles published from 2000 to 2018, which reported antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) data for GLASS specific organisms isolated from Cambodia.

Impact of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine on Colonization and Invasive Disease in Cambodian Children.

Background: Cambodia introduced the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in January 2015 using a 3 + 0 dosing schedule and no catch-up campaign. We investigated the effects of this introduction on pneumococcal colonization and invasive disease in children aged <5 years.

Methods: There were 6 colonization surveys done between January 2014 and January 2018 in children attending the outpatient department of a nongovernmental pediatric hospital in Siem Reap.

Using machine learning to guide targeted and locally-tailored empiric antibiotic prescribing in a children's hospital in Cambodia.

: Early and appropriate empiric antibiotic treatment of patients suspected of having sepsis is associated with reduced mortality. The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance reduces the efficacy of empiric therapy guidelines derived from population data. This problem is particularly severe for children in developing country settings.

National burden of influenza-associated hospitalizations in Cambodia, 2015 and 2016.

Introduction: The burden of influenza in Cambodia is not well known, but it would be useful for understanding the impact of seasonal epidemics and pandemics and to design appropriate policies for influenza prevention and control. The severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) surveillance system in Cambodia was used to estimate the national burden of SARI hospitalizations in Cambodia.

Methods: We estimated age-specific influenza-associated SARI hospitalization rates in three sentinel sites in Svay Rieng, Siem Reap and Kampong Cham provinces.

Climatic drivers of melioidosis in Laos and Cambodia: a 16-year case series analysis.

Background: Burkholderia pseudomallei is the cause of melioidosis, a serious and difficult to treat infection that is endemic throughout the tropics. Melioidosis incidence is highly seasonal. We aimed to identify the climatic drivers of infection and to shed light on modes of transmission and potential preventive strategies.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Invasive Bacterial Infections in Hospitalized Children, Cambodia, 2007-2016.

To determine trends, mortality rates, and costs of antimicrobial resistance in invasive bacterial infections in hospitalized children, we analyzed data from Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap, Cambodia, for 2007-2016. A total of 39,050 cultures yielded 1,341 target pathogens. Resistance rates were high; 82% each of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were multidrug resistant.

The aetiologies of central nervous system infections in hospitalised Cambodian children.

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) infections are an important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. The aetiologies of these potentially vaccine-preventable infections have not been well established in Cambodia.

Methods: We did a one year prospective study of children hospitalised with suspected CNS infection at Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap.

Utilization of a clinical microbiology service at a Cambodian paediatric hospital and its impact on appropriate antimicrobial prescribing.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance threatens human health worldwide. Antimicrobial misuse is a major driver of resistance. Promoting appropriate antimicrobial use requires an understanding of how clinical microbiology services are utilized, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Prospective surveillance of healthcare associated infections in a Cambodian pediatric hospital.

Background: Healthcare associated infections (HAI) are the most common preventable adverse events following admission to healthcare facilities. Data from low-income countries are scarce. We sought to prospectively define HAI incidence at Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC), a Cambodian pediatric referral hospital.

A retrospective analysis of melioidosis in Cambodian children, 2009-2013.

Background: Melioidiosis, infection by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an important but frequently under-recognised cause of morbidity and mortality in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the tropics. Data on the epidemiology of paediatric melioidosis in Cambodia are extremely limited.

Methods: Culture-positive melioidosis cases presenting to Angkor Hospital for Children, a non-governmental paediatric hospital located in Siem Reap, Northern Cambodia, between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2013 were identified by searches of hospital and laboratory databases and logbooks.

Pneumococcal Infection among Children before Introduction of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, Cambodia.

Vaccination of children with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was initiated in Cambodia in 2015. To determine baseline data, we collected samples from children in 2013 and 2014. PCV13 serotypes accounted for 62.

A retrospective study of factors which determine a negative blood culture in Cambodian children diagnosed with enteric fever.

Background: Blood cultures are used to confirm a diagnosis of enteric fever but reported sensitivities can be as low as 40%.

Aims: To determine the factors associated with a negative blood culture in Cambodian children with suspected enteric fever.

Methods: In a retrospective study of hospitalised Cambodian children given a discharge diagnosis of enteric fever, the following factors associated with a negative blood culture were analysed: age, blood culture volume, prior antibiotic therapy, duration of illness and disease severity.