Species Distribution and Antifungal Susceptibility Pattern of Candida Recovered from Intensive Care Unit Patients, Vietnam National Hospital of Burn (2017-2019).

INTRODUCTION: Candida species is the most common cause of invasive fungal infection. With the wide variation in species distribution and antifungal susceptibility of causative agents, local epidemiological profiles are needed to provide effective guidelines for the treatment of invasive candidiasis. OBJECTIVE: To find out the species distribution and antifungal susceptibilities of Candida strains isolated from patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) of Vietnam. METHODS: All patients in ICU of Vietnam National Hospital of Burn with Candida isolation reported from January 2017 to December 2019 were retrospectively studied. Species identification and antifungal susceptibility testing were performed using VITEK 2 Compact. The identification was reconfirmed by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer regions when needed. RESULTS: A total of 186 yeasts belonging to ten species were collected. The most common agent was C. tropicalis (45.7%), followed by C. albicans (42.4%), and C. parapsilosis (7.53%). The isolated yeasts showed less susceptibility to fluconazole (resistant rate R 10.7%) than to micafungin, caspofungin, flucytosine and amphotericin B (R 0%, 0.6%, 2.3% and 3.4%, respectively, p < 0.05). C. albicans isolates were more susceptible to fluconazole (R 5.2%) than C. tropicalis (R 15.7%). Resistance to voriconazole was seen only among C. albicans (3.9%) and C. tropicalis isolates (9.9%). CONCLUSION: Non-albicans species (especially C. tropicalis) is the predominant species, and there is a significant proportion of isolates with reduced susceptibility to azole but not to echinocandin.

Clinical and Laboratory Findings among Patients with Toxocariasis in Medic Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2017-2019.

BACKGROUND: Human toxocariasis is prevalent in many countries but this disease has been rarely reported from Vietnam. We aimed to investigate the clinical and laboratory findings and assess possible association between these findings in patients with toxocariasis in Vietnam. METHODS: A prospectively study, between October 2017 and June 2019 was performed involving 120 toxocariasis patients at Medic Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The diagnosis of toxocariasis was established based on clinical, laboratory (eosinophilia, raised IgE concentration) and serological (positive Toxocara IgG ELISA test) evaluation as well as the exclusion of other helminthic coinfection. RESULTS: The most frequently reported manifestation was of skin (n = 93, 77.5%), including urticarial (n= 69, 57.5%) followed by neurologic, gastrointestinal and pulmonary signs/symptoms. Hepatic involvement occurred in 8.3% of the patients. No significant relationship between clinical findings and laboratory parameters was found except the higher values of eosinophil count and IgE concentration among patients with liver involvement. There was a significant relationship between eosinophil count and IgE concentration (r=0.389, P<0.001). Serological findings did not show a correlation with clinical and other laboratory findings. CONCLUSION: Our data revealed a wide range of clinical symptoms/signs and a high incidence of skin manifestations in patients with toxocariasis. Eosinophil count and IgE concentration are valuable markers for the evaluation of the disease.

Identification of Trombiculid Chigger Mites Collected on Rodents from Southern Vietnam and Molecular Detection of Rickettsiaceae Pathogen

Trombiculid “chigger” mites (Acari) are ectoparasites that feed blood on rodents and another animals. A crosssectional survey was conducted in 7 ecosystems of southern Vietnam from 2015 to 2016. Chigger mites were identified with morphological characteristics and assayed by polymerase chain reaction for detection of rickettsiaceae. Overall chigger infestation among rodents was 23.38%. The chigger index among infested rodents was 19.37 and a mean abundance of 4.61. A total of 2,770 chigger mites were identified belonging to 6 species, 3 genera, and 1 family, and pooled into 141 pools (10-20 chiggers per pool). Two pools (1.4%) of the chiggers were positive for Orientia tsutsugamushi. Ricketsia spp. was not detected in any pools of chiggers. Further studies are needed including a larger number and diverse hosts, and environmental factors to assess scrub typhus.