Characterization of Lumpy skin disease virus isolated from a giraffe in Vietnam.

While investigating a giraffe's death in a Vietnamese zoo, we successfully identified and isolated Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) from skin nodule biopsies and ruptured nodule wound swab samples. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the isolate obtained in this study was closely related to the previous Vietnamese and Chinese LSDV strains from cattle. This is the first report on the genome detection and isolation of LSDV in a diseased giraffe in Vietnam. Further study is needed to better understand the epidemiology of this disease in wildlife.

Age-dependent immune response in pigs against foot-and-mouth disease virus in vitro.

Foot-and-mouth disease, one of the most contagious diseases in cloven-hoofed animals, causes significant economic losses. The pathogenesis of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infection is known to differ with age of the animals. In this study, we aimed to reveal the difference in immunological response in the initial stage of FMDV infection between piglets and adult pigs. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from 3 piglets (8 weeks old) and 3 pigs (35 weeks old) that were not vaccinated against FMDV. O-type FMDV (2 × 102 median tissue culture infectious dose) was inoculated into porcine PBMCs and the cells were incubated at 37.0°C under 5% CO2 for various time periods (0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h). The total RNA was obtained from the FMDV-inoculated PBMCs after each time point, and the virus titer was investigated in these RNA samples. Furthermore, dynamics of mRNA expression of the six tested cytokines (interferon [IFN]-α, IFN-γ, interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) in FMDV-inoculated porcine PBMCs were evaluated by time-series analysis to determine the differences, if any, based on the age of the pigs. The PBMCs of piglets contained the highest quantity of FMDV mRNA at 6 hours post-inoculation (hpi), and the PBMCs of pigs had the highest quantity of FMDV mRNA at 3 hpi. The mean cycle threshold-value in the PBMCs steadily decreased after the peak time point in the piglets and pigs (6 and 3 hpi, respectively). The dynamics of mRNA expression of all cytokines except TNF-α showed age-dependent differences in FMDV-inoculated PBMCs. The mRNA expression of most cytokines was more pronounced in the piglets than in the pigs, implying that the immune response against FMDV showed an age-dependent difference in pigs. In conclusion, within 48 hpi, the 8-week-old piglets responded more rapidly and were more sensitive to FMDV infection than the 35-week-old pigs, which could be associated with the difference in the pathogenesis of FMDV infection among the pigs. These results provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the age-dependent differences in immune response in pigs against FMDV infection.

The Distribution and Composition of Vector Abundance in Hanoi City, Vietnam: Association with Livestock Keeping and Flavivirus Detection.

BACKGROUND: Dengue virus and Japanese encephalitis virus are two common flaviviruses that are spread widely by Aedes and Culex mosquitoes. Livestock keeping is vital for cities; however, it can pose the risk of increasing the mosquito population. Our study explored how livestock keeping in and around a large city is associated with the presence of mosquitoes and the risk of them spreading flaviviruses. METHODS: An entomological study was conducted in 6 districts with 233 households with livestock, and 280 households without livestock, in Hanoi city. BG-Sentinel traps and CDC light traps were used to collect mosquitoes close to animal farms and human habitats. Adult mosquitoes were counted, identified to species level, and grouped into 385 pools, which were screened for flaviviruses using a pan-flavivirus qPCR protocol and sequencing. RESULTS: A total of 12,861 adult mosquitoes were collected at the 513 households, with 5 different genera collected, of which the Culex genus was the most abundant. Our study found that there was a positive association between livestock keeping and the size of the mosquito population-most predominantly between pig rearing and Culex species (p < 0.001). One pool of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, collected in a peri-urban district, was found to be positive for Japanese encephalitis virus. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of flavivirus transmission in urban areas of Hanoi city due to the spread of Culex and Aedes mosquitoes could be facilitated by livestock keeping.

Detection of G338R FGFR2 mutation in a Vietnamese patient with Crouzon syndrome.

Crouzon syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder, which causes the premature fusion of the cranial suture. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) mutations are well-known causatives of Crouzon syndrome. The current study aimed to assess the FGFR2 gene associated with Crouzon syndrome in a Vietnamese family of three generations and to characterize their associated clinical features. The family included in the present study underwent complete clinical examination. A patient was clinically examined and presented with typical features of Crouzon syndrome including craniosynostosis, shallow orbits, ocular proptosis and midface hypoplasia. However the patient had normal hands and feet, a normal hearing ability and normal intelligence. Genomic DNA collected from all family members (except from a 16 week-old-foetus) and 200 unrelated control subjects from the same population was extracted from leukocytes obtained from peripheral blood samples. Genomic DNA was extracted from the 16-week-old foetus via the amniotic fluid of the mother. All coding sequences of FGFR2 were amplified via polymerase chain reaction and directly sequenced. A heterozygous FGFR2 missense mutation (c.1012G>C, p.G338R) in exon 10 was identified in the patient with Crouzon but not in other family members, the 16 week-old-foetus or the controls. This mutation was therefore determined to be the causative agent of Crouzon syndrome. In addition, a novel heterozygous silent mutation (c.1164C>T, p.I388I) in exon 11 of the FGFR2 gene was identified in the patient with Crouzon, his mother and the 16-week-old fetus, but not in other family members. The mutation in exon 10 of FGRF2 was confirmed via restriction-enzyme digestion. The gain of the BsoBI site confirmed the FGFR2 mutation in exon 10 of the patient with Crouzon. This molecular finding may provide useful information to aid clinicians in the diagnosis of Crouzon syndrome and may also aid early prenatal diagnoses.

Challenges in detection and treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis patients in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Vietnam is ranked 14(th) among 27 countries with high burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). In 2009, the Vietnamese government issued a policy on MDR-TB called Programmatic Management of Drug-resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT) to enhance and scale up diagnosis and treatment services for MDR-TB. Here we assess the PMDT performance in 2013 to determine the challenges to the successful identification and enrollment for treatment of MDR-TB in Vietnam. METHODS: In 35 provinces implementing PMDT, we quantified the number of MDR-TB presumptive patients tested for MDR-TB by Xpert MTB/RIF and the number of MDR-TB patients started on second-line treatment. In addition, existing reports and documents related to MDR-TB policies and guidelines in Vietnam were reviewed, supplemented with focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with MDR-TB key staff members. RESULTS: 5,668 (31.2 %) of estimated 18,165 MDR-TB presumptive cases were tested by Xpert MTB/RIF and second-line treatment was provided to 948 out of 5100 (18.7 %) of MDR-TB patients. Those tested for MDR-TB were 340/3224 (10.5 %) of TB-HIV co-infected patients and 290/2214 (13.1 %) of patients who remained sputum smear-positive after 2 and 3 months of category I TB regimen. Qualitative findings revealed the following challenges to detection and enrollment of MDR-TB in Vietnam: insufficient TB screening capacity at district hospitals where TB units were not available and poor communication and implementation of policy changes. Instructions for policy changes were not always received, and training was inconsistent between training courses. The private sector did not adequately report MDR-TB cases to the NTP. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of MDR-TB patients diagnosed and enrolled for second-line treatment is less than 20 % of the estimated total. The low enrollment is largely due to the fact that many patients at risk are missed for MDR-TB screening. In order to detect more MDR-TB cases, Vietnam should intensify case finding of MDR-TB by a comprehensive strategy to screen for MDR-TB among new cases rather than targeting previously treated cases, in particular those with HIV co-infection and contacts of MDR-TB patients, and should engage the private sector in PMDT.

A preliminary study on the phytoremediation of antibiotic contaminated sediment.

In Vietnam's coastal wetlands, fluoroquinolones, a widely used class of antibiotics in shrimp farming, are frequently detected in sediments of former shrimp farms. This phenomenon could lead to negative impacts on the aquatic ecosystem, since the antibiotic residues could induce changes in the microorganism communities of the water body. The potential of native wetland plants (Acrostichum aureum L. and Rhizophora apiculata Blume Fl. Javae) for phytoremediation of fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin) was investigated. The half-life for each antibiotic was estimated at approximately 10 days in the planted sediment. With respect to the accumulation of ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin in plants, these antibiotics were found mainly in roots. Antibiotic translocation from root to stem and leaves occurred at a low rate. The results showed that A. aureum and R. apiculata can be valuable for the phytoremediation of antibiotic-contaminated sediments. Additionally, the initialfindings of the presence of resistant bacteria indicated that bacteria could play a role in facilitating the phytodegradation.