1.Epidemiological and clinical features of enteroviral acute lower respiratory tract infections in hospitalized paediatric patients in a Malaysian tertiary center
Jason Tan Weng Yew ; Nuryasmin Ramli ; Mohd Apandi Yusof ; Nethiya Vengataraman ; Hazilawati Hussin ; Zuraidah Abdul Latif
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2016;71(5):264-268
Background: Human enteroviruses (HEVs) have been
recognized to cause a significant number of respiratory tract
infections in many regions. Previous studies conducted to
analyse enteroviral respiratory tract infections focused on
outbreaks. Data in the Southeast Asian region is still rather
limited to date.
Objectives: We conducted a prospective analysis to
understand the epidemiological characteristics of
enteroviral lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) among
paediatric patients admitted to Hospital Ampang, a tertiary
hospital in Malaysia.
Methodology: Nasopharyngeal aspirates for common
respiratory viruses and throat swabs for enteroviruses were
obtained for rtPCR analyses. All positive enteroviral results
were then cultured for species identification.
Results and conclusion: Of the total 211 recruited patients,
enteroviral LRTIs made up 8%. The clinical features of
enteroviral infections are mostly clinically indistinguishable
from that of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections.
However, RSV appears to be more lymphocytosis causing
than enteroviruses (EV). We found a higher asthma
incidence within the enteroviral group compared to RSV
group. Enteroviral infections continue to play an important
role in LRTIs in children beyond infancy and up to school
age. Among the enteroviral strains, EV71 contributes a
major role in enteroviral LRTIs in our center. Routine testing
for enterovirus would certainly help identify a significant
proportion of unexplained viral LRTIs among paediatric
patients. However, further cost analyses studies would be
helpful to determine if incorporating testing for
enteroviruses into routine respiratory viruses panel tests is
economically feasible.
2. Sharing experiences from a reference laboratory in the public health response for Ebola viral disease, MERS-CoV and H7N9 influenza virus investigations
Ravindran THAYAN ; Mohd Apandi YUSOF ; Jeyanthi SUPPIAH ; Tengku Rogayah TG ABD RASHID ; Zarina Mohd ZAWAWI ; Nor Aziyah MAT RAHIM ; Fauziah KASSIM ; Rozainanee Mohd ZAIN ; Zainah SAAT
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 2016;9(2):201-203
An efficient public health preparedness and response plan for infectious disease management is important in recent times when emerging and exotic diseases that hitherto were not common have surfaced in countries with potential to spread outside borders. Stewardship from a reference laboratory is important to take the lead for the laboratory network, to proactively set up disease surveillance, provide referral diagnostic services, on-going training and mentorship and to ensure coordination of an effective laboratory response. In Malaysia, the Institute for Medical Research has provided the stewardship for the Ministry of Health's laboratory network that comprises of hospital pathology, public health and university laboratories. In this paper we share our experiences in recent infectious disease outbreak investigations as a reference laboratory within the Ministry of Health infectious disease surveillance network.