Strongyloides stercoralis seroprevalence in Vietnam

Strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the roundworm Strongyloides stercoralis affecting 30-100 million people worldwide. Many Southeast-Asian countries report a high prevalence of S. stercoralis infection but there is little data from Vietnam. Here, we evaluated the seroprevalence of S. stercoralis related to geography, sex and age in Vietnam through serological testing of anonymized sera. Sera (n = 1710, 1340 adults and 270 children) from an anonymized age stratified serum bank from 4 regions in Vietnam between 2012 and 2013 were tested using a commercial Strongyloides ratti IgG ELISA. Seroreactivity was found in 29.1% (390/1340) of adults and 5.5% (15/270) of children. Male adults were more frequently seroreactive than females (33.3% vs 24.9%, p=0.001). The rural central highlands had the highest seroprevalence (42.4% of adults). Seroreactivity in the other regions was 29.9% (Hue) and 26.0% and 18.2% in the large urban centres of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively. We conclude that seroprevalence of S. stercoralis was high in the Vietnamese adult population, especially in rural areas

Strongyloides stercoralis seroprevalence in Vietnam

Strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the roundworm Strongyloides stercoralis affecting 30-100 million people worldwide. Many Southeast-Asian countries report a high prevalence of S. stercoralis infection but there is little data from Vietnam. Here, we evaluated the seroprevalence of S. stercoralis related to geography, sex and age in Vietnam through serological testing of anonymized sera. Sera (n = 1710, 1340 adults and 270 children) from an anonymized age stratified serum bank from 4 regions in Vietnam between 2012 and 2013 were tested using a commercial Strongyloides ratti IgG ELISA. Seroreactivity was found in 29.1% (390/1340) of adults and 5.5% (15/270) of children. Male adults were more frequently seroreactive than females (33.3% vs 24.9%, p=0.001). The rural central highlands had the highest seroprevalence (42.4% of adults). Seroreactivity in the other regions was 29.9% (Hue) and 26.0% and 18.2% in the large urban centres of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively. We conclude that seroprevalence of S. stercoralis was high in the Vietnamese adult population, especially in rural areas

The role of the gastrointestinal tract in toxigenic Clostridium tetani infection: a case-control study

Tetanus arises from wound contamination with Clostridium tetani, but approximately one fifth of patients have no discernable entry wound. Clostridium tetani is culturable from animal feces, suggesting the gastrointestinal tract could be an endogenous reservoir or direct-entry portal, but human data are lacking. In this study of 101 Vietnamese adults with tetanus and 29 hospitalized control subjects, admission stool samples were cultured for C. tetani. Anti-tetanus toxin antibodies were measured by ELISA. Clostridium tetani toxigenicity was evaluated using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Toxigenic C. tetani was cultured from stool samples in 50 of 100 (50%) tetanus cases and 12 of 28 (42.9%) control subjects (P = 0.50), and stool samples of 44 of 85 (52.4%) tetanus cases with clinically identified wounds compared with 6 of 15 (47.6%) patients without clinically identified wounds (P = 0.28). Nine of 12 (75%) control subjects with toxigenic C. tetani in their stool samples lacked protective antibody concentrations. These findings fail to show evidence of an association between gastrointestinal C. tetani and tetanus infection, but emphasize the importance of increasing vaccination coverage

Combating antimicrobial resistance: quality standards for prescribing for respiratory infections in Vietnam

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