A major trichinellosis outbreak suggesting a high endemicity of Trichinella infection in northern Laos. by Barennes, H, Sayasone, S, Odermatt, P, De Bruyne, A, Hongsakhone, S, Newton, P, Vongphrachanh, P, Martinez-Aussel, B, Strobel, M, Dupouy-Camet, J

“…The results suggest that trichinellosis may be an under-recognized but important endemic disease in Laos and reinforces the need to urgently implement veterinary and educational programs.…”

Investigation of recurrent melioidosis in Lao People's Democratic Republic by multilocus sequence typing by Rachlin, A, Dittrich, S, Phommasone, K, Douangnouvong, A, Phetsouvanh, R, Newton, P, Dance, D

“…In northeast Thailand and northern Australia, where the disease is highly endemic, a range of molecular tools have been used to study its epidemiology and pathogenesis. …”

Land use and soil type determine the presence of the pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei in tropical rivers. by Ribolzi, O, Rochelle-Newall, E, Dittrich, S, Auda, Y, Newton, P, Rattanavong, S, Knappik, M, Soulileuth, B, Sengtaheuanghoung, O, Dance, D, Pierret, A

“…While B. pseudomallei is known to be endemic in South East Asia (SEA), the occurrence of the disease in other parts of the tropics points towards a potentially large global distribution. …”

Evaluation of molecular methods to improve the detection of Burkholderia pseudomallei in soil and water samples from Laos. by Knappik, M, Dance, D, Rattanavong, S, Pierret, A, Ribolzi, O, Davong, V, Silisouk, J, Vongsouvath, M, Newton, P, Dittrich, S

“…Burkholderia pseudomallei is the cause of melioidosis, a severe and potentially fatal disease of humans and animals. It is endemic in northern Australia and Southeast Asia and is found in soil and surface water. …”

Diagnosis of scrub typhus. by Koh, G, Maude, R, Paris, D, Newton, P, Blacksell, S

“…Scrub typhus is transmitted by trombiculid mites and is endemic to East and Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. …”

Review: Diagnosis of scrub typhus by Koh, G, Maude, R, Paris, D, Newton, P, Blacksell, S

“…Scrub typhus is transmitted by trombiculid mites and is endemic to East and Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. …”

Using rapid diagnostic tests as a source of viral RNA for dengue serotyping by RT-PCR - a novel epidemiological tool by Vongsouvath, M, Phommasone, K, Sengvilaipaseuth, O, Kosoltanapiwat, N, Chantratita, N, Blacksell, S, Lee, S, de Lamballerie, X, Mayxay, M, Keomany, S, Newton, P, Dubot-Pérès, A

“…Background<br/> Dengue virus infection causes major public health problems in tropical and subtropical areas. In many endemic areas, including the Lao PDR, inadequate access to laboratory facilities is a major obstacle to surveillance and study of dengue epidemiology. …”

Using rapid diagnostic tests as a source of viral RNA for dengue serotyping by RT-PCR - A novel epidemiological tool. by Vongsouvath, M, Phommasone, K, Sengvilaipaseuth, O, Kosoltanapiwat, N, Chantratita, N, Blacksell, S, Lee, S, de Lamballerie, X, Mayxay, M, Keomany, S, Newton, P, Dubot-Pérès, A

“… <h4>Background</h4> <p>Dengue virus infection causes major public health problems in tropical and subtropical areas. In many endemic areas, including the Lao PDR, inadequate access to laboratory facilities is a major obstacle to surveillance and study of dengue epidemiology. …”

Prospective study to determine accuracy of rapid serological assays for diagnosis of acute dengue virus infection in Laos. by Blacksell, S, Bell, D, Kelley, J, Mammen, M, Gibbons, R, Jarman, R, Vaughn, D, Jenjaroen, K, Nisalak, A, Thongpaseuth, S, Vongsouvath, M, Davong, V, Phouminh, P, Phetsouvanh, R, Day, N, Newton, P

“…There is an urgent need for accurate and simple dengue virus infection diagnostic assays in limited-resource settings of dengue endemicity, to assist patient management. Using a panel of reference samples (S. …”

Mind the gaps - The epidemiology of poor-quality anti-malarials in the malarious world - Analysis of the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network database by Tabernero, P, Fernández, F, Green, M, Guerin, P, Newton, P

“…The lack of reports in many malaria-endemic areas, inadequate sampling techniques and inadequate chemical analytical methods and instrumental procedures emphasizes the need to interpret medicine quality results with caution. …”

Mind the gaps--the epidemiology of poor-quality anti-malarials in the malarious world--analysis of the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network database. by Tabernero, P, Fernández, F, Green, M, Guerin, P, Newton, P

“…The lack of reports in many malaria-endemic areas, inadequate sampling techniques and inadequate chemical analytical methods and instrumental procedures emphasizes the need to interpret medicine quality results with caution. …”

Antimalarial drug quality: Methods to detect suspect drugs by Kaur, H, Green, MD, Hostetler, D, Fernández, F, Newton, P

“…Malaria is a major public health problem in the endemic countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. …”

Melioidosis in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic by Dance, D, Luangraj, M, Rattanavong, S, Sithivong, N, Vongnalaysane, O, Vongsouvath, M, Newton, P

“…Melioidosis is clearly highly endemic in Laos, although the disease has only been diagnosed regularly in humans (1359 cases) since 1999, and only a single animal case has been microbiologically confirmed. …”

Meta-transcriptomic identification of hepatitis B virus in cerebrospinal fluid in patients with central nervous system disease by Pettersson, J, Piorkowski, G, Mayxay, M, Rattanavong, S, Vongsouvath, M, Davong, V, Alfsnes, K, Eldholm, V, De Lamballerie, X, Holmes, E, Newton, P, Dubot-Pérès, A

“…In countries with high levels of HBV endemicity, the virus is likely to be found in patients diagnosed with CNS infections, although whether it contributes to symptoms and pathology, or is simply a coincidental infection, is unknown and merits further investigation.…”

An epidemic of dengue-1 in a remote village in rural Laos by Dubot-Pérès, A, Vongphrachanh, P, Denny, J, Phetsouvanh, R, Linthavong, S, Sengkeopraseuth, B, Khasing, A, Xaythideth, V, Moore, C, Vongsouvath, M, Castonguay-Vanier, J, Sibounheuang, B, Taojaikong, T, Chanthongthip, A, De Lamballerie, X, Newton, P

“…The isolated strain was genotypically “endemic” and not “sylvatic,” belonging to the genotype 1, Asia 3 clade. …”

Intrinsic fluoroquinolone resistance in Orientia tsutsugamushi. by Tantibhedhyangkul, W, Angelakis, E, Tongyoo, N, Newton, P, Moore, C, Phetsouvanh, R, Raoult, D, Rolain, J

“…Scrub typhus is a public health concern for a population of over a billion humans, with an estimated incidence of one million cases/year in endemic areas. Although doxycycline remains the standard therapy, fluoroquinolones have been used successfully in a few patients. …”

Rapid diagnostic tests as a source of dengue virus RNA for envelope gene amplification: a proof of concept by Cassidy-Seyoum, S, Vongsouvath, M, Sengvilaipaseuth, O, Seephonelee, M, Bharucha, T, De Lamballerie, X, Newton, P, Dubot-Pérès, A

“…This is a promising tool for collecting molecular epidemiology data from rural dengue-endemic areas. However, further investigations are needed to improve assay efficiency and to assess this tool's level of efficacy on a larger scale in the field.…”

Burkholderia pseudomallei in a lowland rice paddy: seasonal changes and influence of soil depth and physico-chemical properties. by Manivanh, L, Pierret, A, Rattanavong, S, Kounnavongsa, O, Buisson, Y, Elliott, I, Maeght, J, Xayyathip, K, Silisouk, J, Vongsouvath, M, Phetsouvanh, R, Newton, P, Lacombe, G, Ribolzi, O, Rochelle-Newall, E, Dance, D

“…What determines its uneven distribution within endemic areas is poorly understood. We cultured soil from a rice field in Laos for B. pseudomallei at different depths on 4 occasions over a 13-month period. …”

A link between poor quality antimalarials and malaria drug resistance? by Newton, P, Caillet, C, Guerin, P

“…Recently, resistance to the artemisinin derivatives, associated with falciparum parasite kelch13 mutations, has been described in mainland South East Asia, but not yet confirmed in other endemic regions.</p> <br/> <p>With few new antimalarials in the development pipeline, concern that key artemisinin-combination therapies (ACTs) may fail is of great public health alarm, with both resistance to artemisinin derivatives and partner drugs reported. …”

Comparative pan-genomic analyses of Orientia tsutsugamushi reveal an exceptional model of bacterial evolution driving genomic diversity by Fleshman, A, Mullins, K, Sahl, J, Hepp, C, Nieto, N, Wiggins, K, Hornstra, H, Kelly, D, Chan, T, Phetsouvanh, R, Dittrich, S, Panyanivong, P, Paris, D, Newton, P, Richards, A, Pearson, T

“…Scrub typhus is transmitted by the larval stage (chigger) of Leptotrombidium mites and is irregularly distributed across endemic regions of Asia, Australia and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. …”