Prevalence, risk factors and treatment outcomes of fluoroquinolones-associated tendinopathy in tuberculosis patients at university hospital, Thailand.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an epidemic disease in Thailand. Fluoroquinolones are used to treat TB and have a lengthy treatment course. Therefore, many patients may have adverse effects from these medications.

Clinical characteristics and drug susceptibility profiles of Mycobacterium abscessus complex infection at a medical school in Thailand.

Objectives: This study investigated the differences in epidemiological and clinical data, and antimicrobial susceptibilities among different subspecies of Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABSC) clinical isolates at a medical school in Thailand.

Methods: A total of 143 MABSC clinical isolates recovered from 74 patients were genotypically analyzed for erm(41), rrl, and rrs mutations, and antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined using a broth microdilution method. Patient characteristics and clinical outcomes were reviewed from the medical records.

Prevalence of depression and anxiety in pulmonary tuberculosis patients and its association with unsuccessful treatment outcome: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in Thailand. TB causes chronic disease which may cause physical disability, mental and socioeconomic problems in TB patients. Mental disorders may occur after TB infection or co-exist with the disease.

Long-term immunogenicity in previously vaccinated healthcare workers with inactivated virus vaccine after SARS-CoV-2 infection or booster vaccination.

Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated individuals varies based on the vaccine type, duration after vaccination or infection, and SARS-CoV-2 variant type. We conducted a prospective observational study to evaluate the immunogenicity of a booster vaccination with AZD1222 after two doses of CoronaVac (booster group) compared to individuals who had SARS-CoV-2 infection after receiving two doses of CoronaVac (infection group). We used a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) to evaluate immunity against wild-type and Omicron variant (BA.

First case series and literature review of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated pulmonary tuberculosis in Southeast Asia: Challenges and opportunities.

Background: Subclinical tuberculosis (TB) is accidentally detected by radiologic and microbiologic findings. Transmission by those with subclinical TB could delay prevention effort. However, our study demonstrated positive aspect of COVID-19 outbreak as it could allow subclinical TB to be detected faster through a chest X-Ray (CXR).

Intravenous to oral transition of antibiotics for gram-negative bloodstream infection at a University hospital in Thailand: Clinical outcomes and predictors of treatment failure.

Background: Limited studies evaluate the outcome of intravenous antibiotics to oral transition in Gram-negative bloodstream infection (GN-BSI), particularly GN-BSI originating outside the urinary tract. This study aimed to evaluate treatment success in patients with GN-BSI treated with either intravenous therapy or intravenous to oral transition and to identify factors associated with treatment failure in those undergoing intravenous to oral transition.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand.

Tuberculosis at a university hospital, Thailand: A surprising incidence of TB among a new generation of highly exposed health care workers who may be asymptomatic.

Objectives: There are a few reports of TB disease among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Thailand. The authors assessed the demographic data and incidence of overall TB disease including specific profession among HCWs in order to reduce the incidence rate.

Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study of 195 HCWs at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH), Bangkok, Thailand, who had TB disease from 2003-2020.

The Validity and Reliability of the Chula COVID-19 Psychosocial Home Isolation Evaluation Tool (CCPHIET).

Background: The growing number of cases presenting with COVID-19 during the pandemic has led to a significant shortage of hospital beds. Many patients may not require hospitalization and can be clinically observed in home settings. We have identified a set of psychosocial factors that correlate with unsuccessful home isolation (HI), which in turn might negatively affect the transmission control in the community.

Incidence of active tuberculosis among people living with HIV receiving long-term antiretroviral therapy in high TB/HIV burden settings in Thailand: implication for tuberculosis preventive therapy.

Introduction: Among high tuberculosis (TB) and HIV burden countries in Asia, tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) in people living with HIV (PLWH) has been underutilized despite its proven benefits independent of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Therefore, we determined the incidence of active TB and mortality among 9179 adult PLWH who attended and received ART from 15 tertiary care hospitals across Thailand.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 2018 using follow-up data from 1999 to 2018.

Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection among pre-clinical and clinical medical students using QuantiFERON-TB gold plus and tuberculin skin test at a teaching hospital in Thailand: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Healthcare workers are considered to be at a higher risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB) infection than the general population. Clinical medical students are part of the healthcare team and clinical practice are done during their clinical rotation. They could be exposed to similar occupational risks as the healthcare workers.

Short-term immune response after inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (CoronaVac®, Sinovac) and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Vaxzevria®, Oxford-AstraZeneca) vaccinations in health care workers.

Background: Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (CoronaVac®, Sinovac, or SV) and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Vaxzevria®, Oxford-Astra Zeneca, or AZ) vaccines have been administered to the health care workers (HCWs).

Objective: To determine the short-term immune response after the SV and AZ vaccinations in HCWs.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, HCWs who completed a 2-dose regimen of the SV or AZ were included.

Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection and feasibility of TB preventive therapy among Thai prisoners: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Prisons are considered as major reservoirs for tuberculosis. Preventive therapy for latent TB infection (LTBI) is an adjunctive strategy to control TB. However, LTBI data in Thai prisoners is limited.

Multimodality treatment in immunocompromised patients with severe COVID-19: the role of IL-6 inhibitor, intravenous immunoglobulin, and haemoperfusion.

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is known to be associated with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Multiple anti-inflammatory therapies such as tocilizumab, corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and haemoadsorption or haemoperfusion have been used to combat this life-threatening condition. However, immunocompromised hosts are often omitted from research studies, and knowledge on the clinical efficacy of these therapies in immunocompromised patients is therefore limited.

A comparison of the efficacy of normal saline and Savlon solutions in periurethral cleaning to reduce catheter-associated bacteriuria: A randomized control trial.

Objective: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is a common nosocomial infection. However, there has been no randomized control trial (RCT) comparing the efficacy of periurethral cleaning solutions for reducing CAUTI. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of normal saline solution (NSS) and Savlon solution.

Early detection of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients in Thailand.

Background: The presence of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) is an indicator of protective immunity for most viral infections. A newly developed surrogate viral neutralization assay (sVNT) offers the ability to detect total receptor binding domain-targeting NAbs in an isotype-independent manner, increasing the test sensitivity. Thus, specimens with low IgM/ IgG antibody levels showed strong neutralization activity in sVNT.

U.S.-Japan cooperative medical sciences program: 22nd International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Rim.

This review summarizes the presentations given at the 22nd International conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Rim. The purpose of this annual meeting is to foster international collaborations and address important public health issues in the Asia-Pacific region. This meeting was held in Bangkok in February 2020 and focused on emerging virus infections.

Performance of a simple flow cytometric assay in diagnosing active tuberculosis.

A flow cytometric assay measuring Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CD4 T-cell responses using co-expression of CD25/CD134 (OX40 assay) was explored as a diagnostic tool for active tuberculosis (TB) in a Thai population with and without HIV infection. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from 133 participants at TB diagnosis were cryopreserved. Seventy-six participants had a clinical diagnosis of TB which were confirmed by a positive culture.

Cold agglutinin disease following SARS-CoV-2 and co-infections.

SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory co-infections may occur. As and various viruses can cause cold agglutinin disease (CAD), the presence of CAD in COVID-19 patients should indicate the need of investigations for those pathogens.

Pulmonary Nocardiosis with Superior Vena Cava Syndrome in a HIV-Infected Patient: a Rare Case Report in the World.

Pulmonary nocardiosis is a common disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)infected patients. In most cases, the disease progresses slowly. Here, we have presented a case of pulmonary nocardiosis that rapidly progressed.

Evaluating the efficiency of specimen pooling for PCR-based detection of COVID-19.

In the age of a pandemic, such as the ongoing one caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the world faces a limited supply of tests, personal protective equipment, and factories and supply chains are struggling to meet the growing demands. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of specimen pooling for testing of SARS-CoV-2 virus, to determine whether costs and resource savings could be achieved without impacting the sensitivity of the testing. Ten previously tested nasopharyngeal and throat swab specimens by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), were pooled for testing, containing either one or two known positive specimens of varying viral concentrations.

Association Between the Phenotype and Genotype of Isoniazid Resistance Among Isolates in Thailand.

Purpose: The emergence of isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis (HR-TB) is a global public health problem, causing treatment failure and high mortality rates. This study aimed to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of isoniazid and detect the gene mutation in HR-TB and any association between the level of isoniazid resistance and gene mutation.

Methods: We collected 74 clinical HR-TB isolates from two tertiary-care centers in Thailand.