Characterizing in Southern Vietnam between 2012 and 2021: A predominance of the chloramphenicol-resistant ST-1576 lineage.

Objectives: Our goal was to describe Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) in Southern Vietnam over the last 10 years. We characterized 109 strains in Southern Vietnam isolated between 1980s to 2021, that were collected from IMD (n = 44), sexually transmitted infections (n = 2), and healthy carriage (n = 63).

Methods: IMD were confirmed by bacterial culture and/or real-time polymerase chain reaction at the national reference laboratory in Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City (PIHCM).

Control of HIV-1 Replication by CD8 T Cells Specific for Two Novel Pol Protective Epitopes in HIV-1 Subtype A/E Infection.

Although many HIV-1-specific CD8 T cell epitopes have been identified and used in various HIV-1 studies, most of these epitopes were derived from HIV-1 subtypes B and C. Only 17 well-defined epitopes, none of which were protective, have been identified for subtype A/E infection. The roles of HIV-1-specific T cells have been rarely analyzed for subtype A/E infection.

Understanding the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, knowledge and barriers to treatment and prevention of malaria among returning international laborers in northern Vietnam: a mixed-methods study.

Background: With the decline in local malaria transmission in Vietnam as a result of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) elimination activities, a greater focus on the importation and potential reintroduction of transmission are essential to support malaria elimination objectives.

Methods: We conducted a multi-method assessment of the demographics, epidemiology, and clinical characteristics of imported malaria among international laborers returning from African or Southeast Asian countries to Vietnam. Firstly, we conducted a retrospective review of hospital records of patients from January 2014 to December 2016.

Multi-drug resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae among children in rural Vietnam more than doubled from 1999 to 2014.

Aim: This study assessed the Streptococcus pneumoniae colonisation rate and susceptibility to antibiotics among preschool children in rural Vietnam.

Method: Nasopharyngeal samples were collected from 546 preschool children aged 6-59 months living in 460 households in the rural BaVi District of Hanoi and their main caregivers completed questionnaires. The samples were cultured, and the Streptococcus pneumoniae colonisation rate and antibiotic susceptibility were investigated.

Effect of Difference in Consensus Sequence between HIV-1 Subtype A/E and Subtype B Viruses on Elicitation of Gag-Specific CD8 T Cells and Accumulation of HLA-Associated Escape Mutations.

The Gag280 mutation is associated with HLA-C*01:02 but not with HLA-B*52:01 in subtype A/E-infected individuals, whereas this mutation is associated with HLA-B*52:01 but not with HLA-C*01:02 in subtype B infections. Although it is known that the Gag280 mutant is selected by HLA-B*52:01-restricted GagRI8 (Gag275-282)-specific T cells in subtype B infections, it remains unknown why this Gag280 mutation is associated with HLA-C*01:02 rather than HLA-B*52:01 in subtype A/E infections. The subtype B and A/E viruses have different consensus sequence, with Thr and Val at Gag280, respectively.

Trends in antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Hanoi, Vietnam, 2017-2019.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an emerging global health threat. Surveillance of AMR in N. gonorrhoeae in the Western Pacific Region is important, as resistant strains have typically emerged from this region.

Critical effect of Pol escape mutations associated with detrimental allele HLA-C*15: 05 on clinical outcome in HIV-1 subtype A/E infection.

Objective: The mechanism explaining the role of detrimental HLA alleles in HIV-1 infections has been investigated in very few studies. HLA-A*29:01-B*07:05-C*15:05 is a detrimental haplotype in HIV-1 subtype A/E-infected Vietnamese individuals. The accumulation of mutations at Pol 653/657 is associated with a poor clinical outcome in these individuals.

Existence of Replication-Competent Minor Variants with Different Coreceptor Usage in Plasma from HIV-1-Infected Individuals.

Cell entry by HIV-1 is mediated by its principal receptor, CD4, and a coreceptor, either CCR5 or CXCR4, with viral envelope glycoprotein gp120. Generally, CCR5-using HIV-1 variants, called R5, predominate over most of the course of infection, while CXCR4-using HIV-1 variants (variants that utilize both CCR5 and CXCR4 [R5X4, or dual] or CXCR4 alone [X4]) emerge at late-stage infection in half of HIV-1-infected individuals and are associated with disease progression. Although X4 variants also appear during acute-phase infection in some cases, these variants apparently fall to undetectable levels thereafter.

Complete Genome Sequences, Derived by Next-Generation Sequencing, of JC Polyomavirus Strains Isolated from Vietnamese Renal Transplant Recipients.

JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) may cause clinical syndromes such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in immunocompromised patients. Here, we report seven complete genome sequences of JCPyV genotype 7A, generated directly from urine samples from Vietnamese renal transplant recipients by using rolling-circle amplification and next-generation sequencing.

Low concordance of oral and genital HPV infection among male patients with sexually transmitted infections in Vietnam.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cancers in men, including penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence, the genotypes, and the risk factors of HPV infections in the oral cavity, compared to those in the genitals, among males diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Vietnam.

Methods: Oral, urinary, penile, and urethral samples were collected from 198 male Vietnamese patients with STIs (median age 31.

Mutations in the , , and genes provide functional insights into the fluoroquinolone-resistant isolated in Vietnam.

Introduction: has many mechanisms of resistance to fluoroquinolones. The main mechanism is to change the effect of two enzymes that open the DNA helix - the enzyme DNA gyrase () and the topoisomerase IV (). In addition, mutations that render the MexAB-oprM pump () dysfunctional, leading to its overexpression, also enhance resistance to fluoroquinolones.

HLA Class I-Mediated HIV-1 Control in Vietnamese Infected with HIV-1 Subtype A/E.

HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) play an important role in the control of HIV-1 subtype B or C infection. However, the role of CTLs in HIV-1 subtype A/E infection still remains unclear. Here we investigated the association of HLA class I alleles with clinical outcomes in treatment-naive Vietnamese infected with subtype A/E virus.

Bacterial bloodstream infections in a tertiary infectious diseases hospital in Northern Vietnam: aetiology, drug resistance, and treatment outcome.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are associated with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. However their aetiology, antimicrobial susceptibilities and associated outcomes differ between developed and developing countries. Systematic data from Vietnam are scarce.

Human papillomavirus infection in male patients with STI-related symptoms in Hanoi, Vietnam.

This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence, genotypes, and risk factors for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Hanoi, Vietnam. The study included 192 males (mean age, 32.9 years) with symptoms related to sexually transmitted infections (STI).

Antibiotic susceptibility and molecular epidemiology of complex strains isolated from a referral hospital in northern Vietnam.

complex is a common cause of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) globally, remarkable for its high rate of antibiotic resistance, including to carbapenems. There are few data on the resistance of in Vietnam, which are essential for developing evidence-based treatment guidelines for HAIs. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted by VITEK2, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed on 66 clinical complex isolates recovered during 2009 at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases (NHTD), a referral hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Lab-in-a-pen: a diagnostics format familiar to patients for low-resource settings.

We present a low cost, simple and integrated device for medical diagnostics in low-resource settings called the lab-in-a-pen. Finger pricking, and sample collection and processing, are integrated with commercially available paper-based assays in a pen format. This approach ensures safety (i.

Field tested milliliter-scale blood filtration device for point-of-care applications.

In this paper, we present a low cost and equipment-free blood filtration device capable of producing plasma from blood samples with mL-scale capacity and demonstrate its clinical application for hepatitis B diagnosis. We report the results of in-field testing of the device with 0.8-1 ml of undiluted, anticoagulated human whole blood samples from patients at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Antibiotic use and resistance in emerging economies: a situation analysis for Viet Nam.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a major contemporary public health threat. Strategies to contain antimicrobial resistance have been comprehensively set forth, however in developing countries where the need for effective antimicrobials is greatest implementation has proved problematic. A better understanding of patterns and determinants of antibiotic use and resistance in emerging economies may permit more appropriately targeted interventions.

Clinical characteristics and outcome of Penicillium marneffei infection among HIV-infected patients in northern Vietnam.

Objective: This study reports the clinical characteristics and outcome of HIV-associated Penicilliummarneffei infection in northern Vietnam.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients with laboratory confirmed Penicilliummarneffei infection admitted to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, Vietnam, between July 2006 and September 2009.

Results: 127 patients with P.

Hand-powered microfluidics: A membrane pump with a patient-to-chip syringe interface.

In this paper, we present an on-chip hand-powered membrane pump using a robust patient-to-chip syringe interface. This approach enables safe sample collection, sample containment, integrated sharps disposal, high sample volume capacity, and controlled downstream flow with no electrical power requirements. Sample is manually injected into the device via a syringe and needle.

Prevalence of HBV infection among different HIV-risk groups in Hai Phong, Vietnam.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Hai Phong, northern Vietnam, was characterized by analyzing the prevalence and genotype distribution of HBV as well as co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) among five different risk groups for HIV infection. Plasma samples were collected from intravenous drug users (n=760, anti-HIV-1 antibody positive rate: 35.9%), female sex workers (FSWs; n=91, 23.