Draft genome sequence data of the multidrug-resistant bacterium 010503B isolated from an aerosol sample in a hospital waiting area in Thailand.

010503B is a multidrug-resistant bacterium isolated from an outpatient clinic in a hospital waiting area in Thailand. Here we present the draft genome sequence of 010503B. The paired-end reads were generated on the Illumina NextSeq 550 sequencer using genomic DNA from the pure culture of 010503B.

Electrochemical aptasensor detection of electron transfer flavoprotein subunit beta for leptospirosis diagnosis.

Electron transfer flavoprotein subunit beta (ETFB) of is a biomarker for diagnosing leptospiral infection. Thus, the ETFB-specific nuclease-resistant RNA aptamer ETFB3-63 was developed and used in an electrochemical aptasensor to assay ETFB. Although the majority of reported biosensors detect various genes and antibodies of , this is the first attempt to construct an electrochemical biosensor to detect ETFB protein for the diagnosis of leptospiral infection.

Comparison of immunogenicity between intradermal and intramuscular injections of repeated annual identical influenza virus strains post-pandemic (2011-2012) in COPD patients.

We compared the antibody responses and persistence of the reduced-dose, 9 µg hemagglutinin (HA)/strain intradermal (ID) injection via the Mantoux technique and the 15 μg HA/strain intramuscular (IM) injection of the repeated annual identical trivalent, inactivated, split-virion vaccine 2011-2012 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Eighty patients were randomized to ID (n = 41) and IM (n = 39) groups. Four weeks post-vaccination, the antibody responses of the two groups were similar; those for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and influenza A(H3N2)-but not influenza B-met the criteria of the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP).

The immunogenicity of the intradermal injection of seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine containing influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in COPD patients soon after a pandemic.

The antibody responses of a reduced-dose intradermal seasonal influenza vaccination have never been studied in COPD patients soon after a pandemic. A total of 149 COPD patients (60 y of age or older) were randomized to receive trivalent influenza vaccine (Sanofi-Pasteur, France) either 9 µg of hemagglutinin (HA) per strain split into 2-site intradermal (ID) injections via the Mantoux technique or one intramuscular (IM) injection of 15 µg of HA per strain. The geometric mean titers, seroconversion factors, seroconversion rates and seroprotection rates for influenza A(H3N2) and B administered through the ID injection (n = 75) were similar to those obtained with the IM injection (n = 74) 4 weeks post-vaccination.

Characterization of recombinant flagellin B protein from Leptospira interrogans.

Symptoms of the early phase leptospirosis often are non-specific and can be a major problem in making a diagnosis of febrile illnesses. Rapid diagnosis of leptospirosis is of extreme importance, because antibiotic treatment provides greatest benefit when administered in early stage of the disease. Recombinant flagellin B (FlaB) gene (flaB) of Leptospira interrogans serovar Autumnalis strain Akiyami A was heterologously expressed and purified.

Kinetics of the antibody response to seasonal influenza vaccination among the elderly.

Influenza vaccination, which has been targeted to the elderly and those at serious risk of complications, is recommended. The purpose of this study was to determine antibody responses after influenza vaccination among Thai elderly persons living in the community. A total of 591 subjects consisting of 308 vaccinees and 283 non-vaccinees were enrolled in the study.

Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and Bartonella in ticks and fleas from dogs and cats in Bangkok.

Flea and tick specimens (5-10 fleas or ticks) on dogs and cats from various sites in Bangkok were tested by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing to detect DNA of bacteria Rickettsia (gltA and 17 kDa genes), Anaplasmataceae (16S rRNA gene), and Bartonella (pap31 and its genes). We confirmed that Rickettsia sp. related to Rickettsia felis was detected in 66 of 98 (67.

Serological response to the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus for disease diagnosis and estimating the infection rate in Thai population.

Background: Individuals infected with the 2009 pandemic virus A(H1N1) developed serological response which can be measured by hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) and microneutralization (microNT) assays.

Methodology/principal Findings: MicroNT and HI assays for specific antibody to the 2009 pandemic virus were conducted in serum samples collected at the end of the first epidemic wave from various groups of Thai people: laboratory confirmed cases, blood donors and health care workers (HCW) in Bangkok and neighboring province, general population in the North and the South, as well as archival sera collected at pre- and post-vaccination from vaccinees who received influenza vaccine of the 2006 season. This study demonstrated that goose erythrocytes yielded comparable HI antibody titer as compared to turkey erythrocytes.

Induction of cross-neutralizing antibody against H5N1 virus after vaccination with seasonal influenza vaccine in COPD patients.

Archival serum samples from elderly individuals with underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who were enrolled in a double-blind case-control study of seasonal influenza vaccine efficacy were assayed for cross-neutralizing antibody formation to avian influenza A (H5N1) virus. Of 118 serum samples, 58 were collected from influenza vaccinees (mean age 68.5 y), and 60 from placebo controls (mean age 68.

The immunogenicity of intradermal influenza vaccination in COPD patients.

We evaluated the immunogenicity of a reduced-dose intradermal trivalent, inactivated, split-virion seasonal influenza vaccine compared to that of a conventional intramuscular vaccination in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. One hundred and fifty-six COPD patients randomly received either 0.2 ml (6 microg hemagglutinin (HA) per strain) split into two-site intradermal (ID) injections or a single 0.

Analysis of differential proteomes in pathogenic and non-pathogenic Leptospira: potential pathogenic and virulence factors.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by spirochetes in the genus Leptospira. To date, factors determining the pathogenicity and virulence of leptospires remain unclear. We performed a gel-based proteomic analysis to evaluate differential leptospiral proteomes in the pathogenic L.

Early diagnosis of leptospirosis by immunoglobulin M immunoblot testing.

There is an urgent need for the development of serodiagnostic approaches with improved sensitivity for patients with acute leptospirosis. Immunoblots were performed on 188 sera collected from 74 patients with laboratory-confirmed early leptospiral infection to detect immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to antigens pooled from 10 leptospiral strains prevalent in Thailand. Sera from patients with other febrile diseases served as controls.

Leptospirosis in Takeo Province, Kingdom of Cambodia, 2003.

Background: In Cambodia, epidemiology and disease burden of leptospirosis were not addressed as they do not have an existing surveillance system and have limitations on their laboratory diagnosis.

Objective: Define the existence of leptospirosis and determine the antibodies to serovars of leptospires in Cambodia.

Material And Method: One hundred and twenty-one suspected cases of leptospirosis were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, between September 8 and November 30, 2003 from Takeo Provincial Hospital in Doun Keo District, Cambodia.

Application of immunoproteomics to leptospirosis: towards clinical diagnostics and vaccine discovery.

Each of the currently available methods for serodiagnosis of leptospirosis, including the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), has its own drawback(s) when used in clinical practice. A new diagnostic test is therefore required for an earlier and more accurate diagnosis of leptospirosis. We applied immunoproteomics to define potential immunogens from five serovars of Leptospira reference strains.

Assessment of Southern blot ribotyping for differentiation of Leptospira strains isolated from field rats.

A Southern blot ribotyping based on EcoRV and HindIII digestion with two 16S and 23S rDNA probes for differentiating 27 Leptospira serovars was developed. The results between ribotyping and serotyping among 40 leptospiral strains isolated from field rats trapped in the northeastern region of Thailand during 1999-2000, were compared. A combination of Southern blot ribotyping, using EcoRV or HindIII digestion with both 16S and 23S rDNA as the probes, successfully typed 27 Leptospira serovars into 24 ribotypes with the discriminatory index (D) values of 0.

Trends of HIV seropositivity at Siriraj Hospital: 13 year's observation from 1992-2004.

Objective: The aim of the present report was to observe the trend of seroprevalence rates of HIV seropositivity for routine services at Siriraj Hospital for 13 years.

Material And Method: The prevalence rate of HIV seropositivity was analyzed in three groups of subjects: 1) patients who attended the hospital with HIV related diseases; 2) pregnant women at first visit to the antenatal care clinic; 3) emigrating workers who have applied for employment in foreign countries.

Results: Of the 13 year-observation, HIV seroprevalence rates in the groups of patients, pregnant women and emigrating workers was 10.

Detection and differentiation between pathogenic and saprophytic Leptospira spp. by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed for diagnosing leptospirosis and differentiating pathogenic and saprophytic leptospires. Specific primers were designed to amplify 23S rDNA from pathogenic Leptospira and saprophytic Leptospira spp. PCR products from 27 pathogenic and 5 (including 1 intermediate) saprophytic serovars were 615 and 316 base pairs (bp), respectively.

Antibody responses after dose-sparing intradermal influenza vaccination.

Reduced-dose intradermal (ID) influenza vaccination is an attractive approach to increase availability of vaccine supply in an event of vaccine shortage. We conducted a randomized open-label study, in which 500 subjects were randomly assigned to receive an ID injection of 0.1 ml dose of inactivated split-virion influenza vaccine or an IM injection of 0.

HIV-1 subtyping using gag/env heteroduplex mobility assay and peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Two HIV-1 subtypes have accounted for virtually all infections in Thailand: subtype B', found mainly in injection drug users (IDUs), and CRF01_AE (initially subtype E), found in over 90% of sexually infected persons and increasingly in IDUs in recent years. During 1997-1998, 227 blood samples were collected from HIV-1 infected individuals consisting of 92 mothers, 35 children and 100 IDUs. The blood samples were subtyped by heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA) and peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (PEIA).

The efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccination among Thai elderly persons living in the community.

Objective: To determine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination in the Thai elderly living in an urban community.

Material And Method: The study design was a stratified, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial. A total of 635 participants aged 60 years and older living in an urban community was randomized to receive an influenza vaccine or tetanus toxoid as a placebo injection.

Occurrence and protective level of influenza infections using serology in patients with COPD in vaccination study.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence, occurrence and protective level of influenza infections using serology in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) during a one-year influenza vaccination study.

Material And Method: A total of 123 patients with COPD were enrolled during the period of 1997 to 1998. There were 61 patients in the vaccine group and 62 patients in the placebo group with a mean age +/- SD of 67.

Acute respiratory illness in patients with COPD and the effectiveness of influenza vaccination: a randomized controlled study.

Study Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of influenza vaccination on influenza-related acute respiratory illness (ARI) and overall ARI in patients with COPD, and its relationship to the degree of airflow obstruction.

Design: Stratified, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Setting: From June 1997 to November 1998 at a single university hospital.

Flexibility in the administration schedule of varicella vaccination in healthy adolescents and young adults.

A clinical trial to assess the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of two doses of varicella vaccine (live attenuated Oka-strain, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals), when either given 8 or 4 weeks apart in healthy seronegative adolescents and young adults, was conducted in Khon Kaen and Bangkok, Thailand. Contrary to seroconversion rates generally reported for this age group, in our study all subjects were already seropositive after the first vaccine dose. After the first vaccine dose, geometric mean titers (GMTs) for anti-varicella antibodies were 78.

Prevalence of antibodies to Leptospira serovars in rodents and shrews trapped in low and high endemic areas in Thailand.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of antibodies to Leptospira serovars in rodents and shrews trapped in urban and rural areas in low and high endemic areas in Thailand.

Material And Method: A total of 1,664 serum samples were collected from rodents and shrews in areas of low and high endemicity for leptospirosis. Four areas classified by case rates (CR) per 100,000 population of leptospirosis were urban Area I Bangkok (CR = 0.