Strongyloidiasis in northern Vietnam: epidemiology, clinical characteristics and molecular diagnosis of the causal agent.

Background: Strongyloidiasis is a health problem in Vietnam, but appropriate information is still limited. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, geographical distribution, epidemiological aspects, symptoms and other health indicators of Strongyloides stercoralis infections in patients from 27 provinces of northern Vietnam attending the Hanoi Medical University Hospital during 2016 and 2017.

Methods: Blood samples of 2000 patients were analyzed for S.

Powerful Homeostatic Control of Oligodendroglial Lineage by PDGFRα in Adult Brain.

Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are widely distributed cells of ramified morphology in adult brain that express PDGFRα and NG2. They retain mitotic activities in adulthood and contribute to oligodendrogenesis and myelin turnover; however, the regulatory mechanisms of their cell dynamics in adult brain largely remain unknown. Here, we found that global Pdgfra inactivation in adult mice rapidly led to elimination of OPCs due to synchronous maturation toward oligodendrocytes.

The first report of two cases of cystic echinococcosis in the lung by infection, in Vietnam.

In 2013, two cases of infection by that caused cystic echinococcosis in the lungs were reported. In the first case, there was a cyst of 6 × 7 cm in diameter, and in the second case, there were four cysts of 5 × 6 cm, 4 × 4 cm, 3.5 × 3 cm and 2.

Glioma-Derived Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-BB Recruits Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells via Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor-α and Remodels Cancer Stroma.

Glioma is an aggressive and incurable disease, and is frequently accompanied by augmented platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling. Overexpression of PDGF-B ligand characterizes a specific subclass of glioblastoma multiforme, but the significance of the ligand remains to be elucidated. For this end, we implanted a glioma-cell line transfected with PDGF-BB-overexpressing vector (GL261-PDGF-BB) or control vector (GL261-vector) into wild-type mouse brain, and examined the effect of glioma-derived PDGF on the tumor microenvironment.

Trichinellosis in Vietnam.

Trichinellosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease with a worldwide distribution. The aim of this work was to describe the epidemiological and clinical data of five outbreaks of trichinellosis, which affected ethnic minorities living in remote mountainous areas of northwestern Vietnam from 1970 to 2012. Trichinellosis was diagnosed in 126 patients, of which 11 (8.

Anti-Trichinella IgG in ethnic minorities living in Trichinella-endemic areas in northwest Vietnam: study of the predictive value of selected clinical signs and symptoms for the diagnosis of trichinellosis.

The objective of this study was to assess the presence of anti-Trichinella IgG in the serum of persons from ethnic minorities from northwest Vietnam with clinical signs and symptoms that are compatible with trichinellosis. A total of 645 persons were enrolled, of which 200 people lived in two villages where outbreaks of human trichinellosis had been documented in 2004 and 2008, and 445 people who were hospitalized in the Dien Bien and Son La provincial hospitals without a definitive diagnosis. Presence of anti-Trichinella IgG was demonstrated in serum samples by a standardized Enzyme-linked Immunosorbant Assay (ELISA); positive serum samples were subjected to Western blot (WB) for confirmation.

Current status of taeniasis and cysticercosis in Vietnam.

Several reports on taeniasis and cysticercosis in Vietnam show that they are distributed in over 50 of 63 provinces. In some endemic areas, the prevalence of taeniasis was 0.2-12.

Molecular diagnosis of an ocular toxocariasis patient in Vietnam.

An ocular Toxocara canis infection is reported for the first time in Vietnam. A 34-year-old man residing in a village of Son La Province, North Vietnam, visited the National Eye Hospital (NEH) in August 2011. He felt a bulge-sticking pain in his left eye and loss of vision occurred over 3 months before visiting the hospital.

An outbreak of trichinosis with molecular identification of Trichinella sp. in Vietnam.

The 5th outbreak of trichinosis occurred in a mountainous area of North Vietnam in 2012, involving 24 patients among 27 people who consumed raw pork together. Six of these patients visited several hospitals in Hanoi for treatment. Similar clinical symptoms appeared in these patients within 5-8 days after eating infected raw pork, which consisted of fever, muscle pain, difficult moving, edema, difficult swallowing, and difficult breathing.

The first human case of Thelazia callipaeda infection in Vietnam.

A 26-year-old man residing in a village of Thai Nguyen Province, North Vietnam, visited the Thai Nguyen Provincial Hospital in July 2008. He felt a bulge-sticking pain in his left eye and extracted 5 small nematode worms by himself half a day before visiting the hospital. Two more worms were extracted from his left eye by a medical doctor, and they were morphologically observed and genetically analyzed on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene.

Prevalence and intensity of fish-borne zoonotic trematodes in cultured freshwater fish from rural and urban areas of northern Vietnam.

Consumption of raw freshwater fish produced in both rural farm and urban wastewater ponds is a common practice in Vietnam. The present study assessed the risk of fish-borne zoonotic trematode (FZT) infection from fish raised in both these aquaculture systems in northern Vietnam. The diversity, prevalence, and infection intensity of FZT metacercariae in 1,500 freshwater fish collected from 6 sites located in rural and urban areas in northern Vietnam were investigated.

Echinostoma revolutum: metacercariae in Filopaludina snails from Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam, and adults from experimental hamsters.

We detected metacercariae of Echinostoma revolutum in Filopaludina sp. snails purchased from a local market in Nam Dinh Province for the first time in Vietnam. Adult flukes were harvested from experimentally infected hamsters at days 14 and 17 post-infection.

The current status of opisthorchiasis and clonorchiasis in the Mekong Basin.

This review highlights the current status and control of liver fluke infections in the Mekong Basin countries where Opisthorchis and Clonorchis are highly endemic. Updated data on prevalence and distribution have been summarized from presentations in the "96 Years of Opisthorchiasis. International Congress of Liver Flukes".

Genotypic characterization and species identification of Fasciola spp. with implications regarding the isolates infecting goats in Vietnam.

Ribosomal RNA sequences (361 or 362bp) of the second internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2) and a portion of mitochondrial cox1 (423bp) for Fasciola spp. obtained from specimens collected in indigenous and hybrid goats and sheep in Vietnam were characterized for genotypic status and hybridization/introgression. Alignment of 48 ITS-2 sequences (also those from goats and sheep in this study) indicates that F.

Fishborne zoonotic intestinal trematodes, Vietnam.

Although fishborne zoonotic trematodes that infect the liver are well documented in Vietnam, intestinal fishborne zoonotic trematodes are unreported. Recent discoveries of the metacercarial stage of these flukes in wild and farmed fish prompted an assessment of their risk to a community that eats raw fish. A fecal survey of 615 persons showed a trematode egg prevalence of 64.

Occurrence and species distribution of fishborne zoonotic trematodes in wastewater-fed aquaculture in northern Vietnam.

Objectives: To assess the risk of fishborne zoonotic trematode (FZT) infection in fish reared in wastewater-fed ponds in peri-urban areas of northern Vietnam.

Methods: We collected 1200 fish from aquaculture systems receiving wastewater from the cities of Hanoi and Nam Dinh in northern Vietnam and examined them for zoonotic metacercariae. Collection periods were fall (October-November 2005) and spring (April-June 2006).

Paragonimus heterotremus Chen and Hsia (1964), in Vietnam: a molecular identification and relationships of isolates from different hosts and geographical origins.

Paragonimus heterotremus Chen and Hsia (1964), and paragonimiasis caused by this species is a newly detected disease in Vietnam. Twelve samples of Paragonimus (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda: Digenea: Paragonimidae) from different life-stages (eggs, miracidia, metacercariae, adults from natural and experimental hosts) and host species (crab, dog, cat and human) were collected in different geographical locations in Vietnam. DNA sequences were obtained from each for partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) (387 bp) and the entire second ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) (361 bp).

Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini: development of a mitochondrial-based multiplex PCR for their identification and discrimination.

We report a single, one-step PCR approach for detection and discrimination of Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini in different life-stage forms (adults, metacercariae, and eggs) from fish intermediate hosts and from infected patients. Primers designed for species-specific PCR, amplifying portions of the mitochondrial (mt) genome, were also suitable for a multiplex PCR. The latter was a single, one-step reaction under high stringency conditions, using simultaneously 2 pairs of primers (1 pair for C.

Case report: unusual presentation of Fasciolopsis buski in a Vietnamese child.

A Vietnamese child presented with a history of abdominal pain. Shortly afterwards, he vomited eight live trematode flukes that were collected and morphologically identified as Fasciolopsis buski. The identification was confirmed by DNA analysis.

Taenia solium taeniosis/cysticercosis in Asia: epidemiology, impact and issues.

Several reports of patients with cysticercosis from many countries in Asia such as India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan and Nepal are a clear indicator of the wide prevalence of Taenia solium cysticercosis and taeniosis in these and other Asian countries. However, epidemiological data from community based studies are sparse and available only for a few countries in Asia. Cysticercosis is the cause of epilepsy in up to 50% of Indian patients presenting with partial seizures.

Taenia solium cysticercosis in a village in northern Viet Nam: seroprevalence study using an ELISA for detecting circulating antigen.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting circulating Taenia solium antigen was evaluated in Viet Nam; 12 of 210 people gave a positive result, including 5 persons with epilepsy. Cysticercosis was confirmed in 9 persons. Agreement between the ELISA, computerized tomography scanning and biopsy examination was high.