Seroprevalence and Genotype Diversity of Hepatitis C Virus in the Caribbean-A Review.

Hepatitis C (HCV) continues to present a global public health challenge, with no vaccine available for prevention. Despite the availability of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) to cure HCV, it remains prevalent in many regions including the Caribbean. As efforts are made to eliminate HCV from the region, existing barriers, such as the high cost of DAAs and lack of an established database of HCV cases within the Caribbean, must be addressed.

Knowledge, Practice and Attitudes to the Management of Sepsis in Jamaica.

Introduction: Sepsis is a life-threatening dysfunction resulting from the dysregulated host response to infection. The mortality of sepsis in Jamaica remains high amid the proven efficacy of the Surviving Sepsis Guidelines implementation in some countries.

Aim Of Study: To evaluate the inter-relationship of healthcare workers' attitude towards, knowledge of and practice of sepsis management in Jamaica.

Evaluation of OneStep Dengue NS1 RapiDip™ InstaTest and OneStep Dengue Fever IgG/IgM RapiCard™ InstaTest during the course of a dengue type 1 epidemic.

We determined the diagnostic performance of the OneStep NS1 and the OneStep IgG/IgM RDT kits against a panel of samples which comprised of 174 dengue positive and 165 dengue negative sera characterized by three reference enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The diagnostic sensitivities of the OneStep kits for the detection of individual biomarkers of NS1, IgM and IgG were 90% (95% CI: 82.1-94.

The epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease in older adults in the post-PCV era. Has there been a herd effect?

The 7 and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have reduced the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children in many countries. The objective of this work was to assess the impact of PCVs and potential herd-protection in older adults in Ireland. IPD notification and typing data from adults ⩾65 years of age from July 2007 to June 2016 was assessed using national surveillance data.

Dysregulated TGF-β Production Underlies the Age-Related Vulnerability to Chikungunya Virus.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging global pathogen with pandemic potential, which causes fever, rash and debilitating arthralgia. Older adults over 65 years are particularly susceptible to severe and chronic CHIKV disease (CHIKVD), accounting for >90% of all CHIKV-related deaths. There are currently no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments available to limit chronic CHIKVD.

Seroprevalence of human toxocariasis, Jamaica.

Seroprevalence of human toxocariasis was studied, based on 1544 samples selected from a total of 3524 submitted to the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica for diagnosis of dengue during an epidemic in 2010. The prevalence of anti-Toxocara IgG using the CELISA® (Cellabs) ELISA was 21.2% and males (24.

The performance of the SD BIOLINE Dengue DUO® rapid immunochromatographic test kit for the detection of NS1 antigen, IgM and IgG antibodies during a dengue type 1 epidemic in Jamaica.

Background: Dengue is an important mosquito-borne viral infection that affects millions of persons worldwide. Early diagnosis is necessary to effect appropriate management and decrease mortality. Immunochromatographic tests are advantageous in producing dengue test results within 30 min but these results should be sensitive and specific.

Magnitude, distribution, and estimated level of underreporting of acute gastroenteritis in Jamaica.

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean. The epidemiology of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is important to Jamaica, particularly in the areas of health, tourism, and because of the potential impact on the local workforce and the economy. Data collected by the National Surveillance Unit on the prevalence of AGE transmitted by food are not accurate.

Non-invasive pneumococcal serotypes and antimicrobial susceptibilities in a paediatric hospital in the era of conjugate vaccines.

To evaluate the effects of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) introduction to the routine childhood immunisation schedule in 2008 and its replacement by PCV13 in 2010 in Ireland, we surveyed the serotypes and antimicrobial susceptibilities of 339 pneumococci associated with carriage and non-invasive infection (NII) in a Dublin paediatric hospital from 2009 to 2012. Furthermore, we compared the distribution of pneumococcal serotypes collected from 2009 to 2012 to 105 NII pneumococci isolated in 2007, the year before conjugate vaccine introduction. PCV7 serotypes declined from 2007 to 2012 as follows: carriage, 67-23% (p=0.

Dengue HLA associations in Jamaicans.

Background: Polymorphisms in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes might predispose certain individuals to dengue fever (DF) and the severe forms of the disease: dengue haemorrhagic fever/ dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS).

Subjects And Method: A DNA-based HLA typing method was used to determine the HLA class I and II alleles in 50 patients with dengue, including 45 cases of DF 5 cases of DHF and 177 healthy individuals in Jamaica.

Results: HLA-A*24 and - DRbeta5*01/02 were significantly associated with dengue infection while possession of HLA-A*23, -CW*04, -DQbeta*02, -DQbeta*03 and DQbeta*06 were protective.

Molecular epidemiology of dengue in Jamaica dengue virus genotypes in Jamaica, 2007.

The genotypes of dengue viruses (DENV) isolated from patients with dengue in Jamaica during 2007 were determined using DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the C-prM gene junction. The 17 DENV analysed included strains of DENVserotypes 1 (DENV-1, n = 3), DENV-2 (n = 7) and DENV-4 (n = 7). All strains ofDENV-1 were classified as genotype III, while 1 of 7 strains of DENV-2 belonged to the Asian American/Asian genotype, genotype I/III (Jamaica genotype), 2 were genotype V, the American genotype and 4 strains clustered with reference strains belonging to genotype IV.

Dengue virus serotypes in Jamaica, 2003-2007.

Background: Dengue virus (DENV) infection is increasing in prevalence and severity globally. The severity of dengue is influenced by several factors including the immune response, viral and host genetic factors.

Method: The DENV serotypes were determined in 770 serum samples from dengue immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibody positive (n = 469), dengue IgM negative (n = 185) and dengue antibody negative (n = 116) patients with suspected dengue who presented during (n = 150) or after (n = 620) the acute phase of illness during 2003-2007.

Multiplex PCR to determine Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes causing otitis media in the Republic of Ireland with further characterisation of antimicrobial susceptibilities and genotypes.

The purpose of this study was to determine the serotypes, genotypes and antimicrobial susceptibilities of Streptococcus pneumoniae causing otitis media (OM) in children in Dublin, Ireland. S. pneumoniae isolates (n = 28) from spontaneously discharging OM were studied.

Serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae causing invasive disease in the Republic of Ireland.

The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was included in the routine infant immunization schedule in Ireland in September 2008. We determined the serotype of 977 S. pneumoniae isolates causing invasive disease between 2000-2002 and 2007-2008, assessed for the presence of the recently described serotype 6C and determined the susceptibility of isolates during 2007-2008 to penicillin and cefotaxime.

Leptospirosis in suspected cases of dengue in Jamaica, 2002-2007.

Due to overlapping clinical features with other febrile illnesses, the diagnosis of leptospirosis is often overlooked, resulting in delay in treatment and increased mortality. In this study the prevalence of leptospirosis was determined in 590 patients with dengue-like illnesses using the Leptospira IgM dipstick and dengue enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Leptospira IgM antibodies were found in 27 (5.

High genetic diversity in human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 in Jamaica.

The subtypes of the human immunodeficiency virus - type 1 (HIV-1) strains from 54 HIV-1 - infected persons including 44 strains which were typed previously by heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA) were determined by DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Of 54 HIV- infected persons, 92.5% were infected with HIV-1 subtype B and 7.

Seroprevalence of dengue virus antibodies in healthy Jamaicans.

Dengue fever, a mosquito borne viral infection, is endemic to Jamaica. The seroprevalence of dengue IgG and IgM antibodies were determined in 277 healthy Jamaicans by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The seroprevalence of dengue IgG antibodies was 100% (277/277) while dengue IgM antibodies were found in 3.

Patterns of dengue virus IgM and IgG antibodies in suspected cases of dengue in Jamaica, 2003-2006.

The patterns of dengue immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG antibodies in patients presenting with dengue-like illnesses during 2003-2006 were investigated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The seroprevalence of dengue antibodies, dengue IgM and dengue IgG antibodies were 59.4% (979/1647), 15.

Isolation, activity and immunological characterisation of a secreted aspartic protease, CtsD, from Aspergillus fumigatus.

Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that infects immunocompromised patients. A putative aspartic protease gene (ctsD; 1425 bp; intron-free) was identified and cloned. CtsD is evolutionarily distinct from all previously identified A.

The immunomodulatory effect of antibiotics on the secretion of tumour necrosis factor alpha by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia stimulation.

Some antibiotics have been shown to modify the host immune response. Infection with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, is often difficult to treat due to multiresistance to antibiotics. The authors examined the effect of four commonly used antimicrobial agents (ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, cotrimoxazole and piperacillin-tazobactam) on tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated with heat-killed S maltophilia.

Seroprevalence of sexually transmitted infections among accepted and deferred blood donors in Jamaica.

Critical donor selection and testing increases the safety of blood transfusion by excluding donors at risk of transmitting infections. This study investigated the seroprevalence of and risk factors for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among accepted and deferred blood donors in Jamaica. A total of 1015 blood donors consisting of 794 (78%) accepted donors and 221 (22%) deferred donors presenting at the Central Blood Bank, Jamaica, over a six-month period, were recruited for this study.

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of adult and adolescent patients newly diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus at a Jamaican clinic for sexually transmitted infections.

Persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may have protean clinical manifestations. These characteristics have not been described for adult patients in Jamaica. This study was conducted to determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of adult and adolescent persons newly diagnosed with HIV presenting at a specialized clinic for sexually transmitted infections (STI).

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) subtypes in Jamaica.

The subtypes of 141 isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) from Jamaica were determined by a combination of env and gag heteroduplex mobility analysis (HMA) genotyping. The majority of HIV-1 isolates were subtype B (131/141, 93.0%); one (0.