Characteristics, complications, and mortality of respiratory syncytial virus compared with influenza infections in hospitalized adult patients in Thailand.

INTRODUCTION: RSV is increasingly recognized in adults. An improved understanding of clinical manifestations and complications may facilitate diagnosis and management. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of hospitalized patients aged ≥ 18 years with RSV or influenza infection at Siriraj hospital, Thailand between January 2014 and December 2017. RESULTS: RSV and/or influenza were detected by RT-PCR in 570 (20.1%) of 2836 patients. After excluding patients coinfected with influenza A and B (n = 5), and with influenza and RSV (n = 3), 141 (5.0%) RSV and 421 (14.8%) influenza patients were analyzed. Over the study period, RSV circulated during the rainy season and peaked in September or October. Patients with RSV were older than patients with influenza and presented significantly less myalgia and fever, but more wheezing. Pneumonia was the most common complication, occurring in 110 (78.0%) of RSV cases and in 295 (70.1%) of influenza cases (p = 0.069). Cardiovascular complications were found in 30 (21.3%) RSV and 96 (22.8%) influenza (p = 0.707), and were reasons for admission in 15 (10.6%) RSV and 50 (11.9%) influenza. The in-hospital mortality rates for RSV (17; 12.1%) and influenza (60; 14.3%) were similar (p = 0.512). CONCLUSIONS: In Thailand, RSV is a less common cause of adult hospitalization than influenza, but pulmonary and cardiovascular complications, and mortality are similar. Clinical manifestations cannot reliably distinguish between RSV and influenza infection; laboratory-confirmed diagnosis is needed.

Comparison of immunogenicity between intradermal and intramuscular injections of repeated annual identical influenza virus strains post-pandemic (2011-2012) in COPD patients.

We compared the antibody responses and persistence of the reduced-dose, 9 µg hemagglutinin (HA)/strain intradermal (ID) injection via the Mantoux technique and the 15 µg HA/strain intramuscular (IM) injection of the repeated annual identical trivalent, inactivated, split-virion vaccine 2011-2012 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Eighty patients were randomized to ID (n = 41) and IM (n = 39) groups. Four weeks post-vaccination, the antibody responses of the two groups were similar; those for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and influenza A(H3N2)-but not influenza B-met the criteria of the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP). The antibody responses for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 rapidly declined in both groups, especially with the ID injection, whereas those for influenza A(H3N2) maintained above the CPMP criteria throughout 12 months post-vaccination. The geometric mean titres for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 persisted above the protective threshold (≥ 40) until 6 months post-vaccination in both the ID and IM groups. The seroprotection rates of the ID and IM groups were above 60% until 3 months and 6 months post-vaccination, respectively. In conclusion, the 9 µg HA/strain ID injection of vaccine 2011-2012 elicited antibody responses similar to the standard dose of 15 µg of the HA/strain IM injection at 4 weeks post-vaccination. However, the antibody responses for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 rapidly declined, especially in the case of the ID injection, whereas they were comparable for influenza A(H3N2). Additional strategies for increasing vaccine durability should be considered, especially for new pandemic strains affecting elderly COPD patients.

The immunogenicity of the intradermal injection of seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine containing influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in COPD patients soon after a pandemic.

The antibody responses of a reduced-dose intradermal seasonal influenza vaccination have never been studied in COPD patients soon after a pandemic. A total of 149 COPD patients (60 y of age or older) were randomized to receive trivalent influenza vaccine (Sanofi-Pasteur, France) either 9 µg of hemagglutinin (HA) per strain split into 2-site intradermal (ID) injections via the Mantoux technique or one intramuscular (IM) injection of 15 µg of HA per strain. The geometric mean titers, seroconversion factors, seroconversion rates and seroprotection rates for influenza A(H3N2) and B administered through the ID injection (n = 75) were similar to those obtained with the IM injection (n = 74) 4 weeks post-vaccination. The antibody responses for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 administered through the ID injection were lower than those obtained with the IM injection, but all of these responses met the 3 criteria proposed by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) for annual re-licensure. The seroprotection rates 4 weeks post-vaccination for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 were 64.0% (95%CI 52.7-74.0%) in the ID group vs. 78.4% (95% CI 67.6-86.3%) in the IM group (p = 0.053). Influenza-related acute respiratory illness (ARI), diagnosed as a 4-fold rise in HI titers with a convalescent titer > 1:40, and/or the RT-PCR between the ID group (5.3%) and the IM group (8.1%) were not significantly different. The reduced-dose intradermal influenza vaccine may expand vaccine coverage in cases of vaccine shortage.

Comparison between the effects of generic and original salmeterol/fluticasone combination (SFC) treatment on airway inflammation in stable asthmatic patients.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effect of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)/long-acting beta2 agonists (LABA) in combination on inflammatory markers in asthma. In addition, therapeutic equivalence of generic salmeterol/fluticasone combination (SFC) and original SFC is as yet unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of SFC and the effects of generic and original SFC on airway inflammation in patients with mild-to moderate stable asthma. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A randomized double-blinded, crossover non-inferiority study was conducted to compare the antiinflammatory effects of generic SFC and original SFC on sputum eosinophils as a primary outcome and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) as a secondary outcome. PATIENTS: The authors studied 51 mild-to-moderate asthmatic patients who ranged from 18 to 80 years of age and were treated with ICS or ICS/LABA of any dose, and whose asthma was stable without an exacerbation episode for at least 3 months prior to study entry. RESULTS: Both sputum eosinophils percentage and absolute eosinophil counts well correlated with FENO levels at baseline prior to the initiation of study medications. Significant reduction in sputum eosinophil percentage was observed following generic SFC and original SFC treatment. The degree of sputum eosinophil suppression by generic SFC was not inferior to original SFC, and this was not affected by treatments with the sequence of generic SFC first vs. original SFC second or original SFC first vs. generic SFC. In addition, there was no significant difference between treatments in terms of normalized gain in asthma control scores, including the number of patients found to have improved asthma control, irrespective of sequence, as change from baseline. However, this was not the case for the magnitude of FENO reduction that occurred after generic SFC treatment to a significantly larger extent than original SFC treatment. CONCLUSION: This short-term study demonstrated that there was no significant difference between generic SFC and original SFC in terms of anti-inflammatory activity and the control of asthma symptoms. However, it is completely unknown whether generic SFC could effectively prevent the development of asthma exacerbations on a long-term basis. Therefore, longer-term studies are indicated to evaluate generic SFC's relative efficacy on asthma exacerbations.