Articles

Access to primaquine in the last mile: challenges at the service delivery points in pre-elimination era, Myanmar

Alongside monitoring of the disease burden, the successful move towards malaria elimination relies on the readiness of the health care delivery system. However, there is a lack of evidence in the gap of existi...

Authors: Kay Thwe Han, Khin Thet Wai, Tin Oo, Aung Thi, Zayar Han, Daw Kyin Hla Aye, Aung Ye Naung Win and Jetsumon Prachumsri

Human infection with Plasmodium knowlesi on the Laos-Vietnam border

Border malaria in the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia poses a serious threat to the health of the ethnic minority populations of the region. Traditionally thought to be caused primarily by the malaria ...

Authors: Tiengkham Pongvongsa, Richard Culleton, Hoang Ha, Le Thanh, Panom Phongmany, Ron P. Marchand, Satoru Kawai, Kazuhiko Moji, Shusuke Nakazawa and Yoshimasa Maeno

Comparison of virulence gene profiles and genomic fingerprints of Vibrio cholerae O1 and non-O1/non-O139 isolates from diarrheal patients in southern Thailand

Vibrio cholerae is associated with severe watery diarrheal disease among people in many parts of the world, including the coastal provinces of Southern Thailand. There are relatively few studies focusing on the g...

Authors: Sakrapee Tulatorn, Sutima Preeprem, Varaporn Vuddhakul and Pimonsri Mittraparp-arthorn

Biosafety and biosecurity capacity building: insights from implementation of the NUITM-KEMRI biosafety training model

The NUITM-KEMRI biosafety training program was developed for capacity building of new biosafety level three (BSL-3) laboratory users. The training program comprehensively covers biosafety and biosecurity theor...

Authors: Betty Muriithi, Martin Bundi, Amina Galata, Gabriel Miringu, Ernest Wandera, Cyrus Kathiiko, Erick Odoyo, Martha Kamemba, Evans Amukoye, Sora Huqa, Mohammad Shah, Shingo Inoue and Yoshio Ichinose

Mothers’ Opisthorchis viverrini infection status and raw fish dish consumption in Lao People’s Democratic Republic: determinants of child infection status

Opisthorchis viverrini (Ov) infection is one of the foodborne trematodiases, which is highly endemic in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). The infection occurs especially when people eat raw fish containing ...

Authors: Hitomi Araki, Ken Ing Cherng Ong, Lavy Lorphachan, Pheovaly Soundala, Moritoshi Iwagami, Akira Shibanuma, Bouasy Hongvanthong, Paul T. Brey, Shigeyuki Kano and Masamine Jimba

How are the village health volunteers deliver malaria testing and treatment services and what are the challenges they are facing? A mixed methods study in Myanmar

Village health volunteers (VHVs) play a key role in delivering community-based malaria care especially in the hard-to-reach areas in Myanmar. It is necessary to assess their performance and understand the chal...

Authors: Nay Yi Yi Linn, Jaya Prasad Tripathy, Thae Maung Maung, Khine Khine Saw, Lei Yee Win Maw, Badri Thapa, Zaw Lin and Aung Thi

Household ownership and utilization of insecticide-treated nets under the Regional Artemisinin Resistance Initiative in Myanmar

Malaria is a major public health problem in Myanmar with reported artemisinin resistance. Myanmar promotes the use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) through the free delivery of long-lasting insecticide nets ...

Authors: Thae Maung Maung, Jaya Prasad Tripathy, Tin Oo, Swai Mon Oo, Than Naing Soe, Aung Thi and Khin Thet Wai

Evaluation of nitrate reductase assay in 7H11 agar for diagnosis of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis in eastern Nepal

Emergence of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis is a serious challenge for successful global tuberculosis control. Early diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis by direct nitrate reductase assay (NRA) aids in ...

Authors: Dristi Halwai, Rajendra Gurung, Nimesh Poudyal, Dharanidhar Baral and Shyamal Kumar Bhattacharya

Microfilaria persistent foci during post MDA and the risk assessment of resurgence in India

Pondicherry, a union territory in India, is an endemic district for bancroftian lymphatic filariasis transmitted by Culex quinquefasciatus where eight rounds of mass drug administration (MDA) were completed in 20...

Authors: Pramod Kumar Mehta, Ramanuj Rauniyar and Birendra Prasad Gupta

Bottom-up approach to strengthen community-based malaria control strategy from community health workers’ perceptions of their past, present, and future: a qualitative study in Palawan, Philippines

Microscopists have active roles in bringing malaria diagnosis and treatment closer to households in Palawan, the highest malaria-endemic province in the Philippines. To accelerate the elimination of malaria in...

Authors: Emilie Louise Akiko Matsumoto-Takahashi, Pilarita Tongol-Rivera, Elena Andino Villacorte, Ray Uyaan Angluben, Masamine Jimba and Shigeyuki Kano

Structural equation modeling to identify the risk factors of diabetes in the adult population of North India

A non-communicable disease risk factor survey (based on World Health Organization STEP approach to Surveillance, i.e., WHO-STEPS) was done in the state of Punjab, India in a multistage stratified sample of 512...

Authors: Jaya Prasad Tripathy, J S Thakur, Gursimer Jeet and Sanjay Jain

PCR-based detection of Plasmodium falciparum in saliva using mitochondrial cox3 and varATS primers

Sampling of saliva for diagnosing Plasmodium falciparum infections is a safe, non-invasive alternative to sampling of blood. However, the use of saliva presents a challenge because lower concentrations of parasit...

Authors: Yukie M. Lloyd, Livo F. Esemu, Jovikka Antallan, Bradley Thomas, Samuel Tassi Yunga, Bekindaka Obase, Nana Christine, Rose G. F. Leke, Richard Culleton, Kenji Obadiah Mfuh, Vivek R. Nerurkar and Diane Wallace Taylor

Correction to: risk factors for cutaneous leishmaniasis in the rainforest of Bolivia: a cross-sectional study

In the original publication of this article [1], the authors noted that some data were incorrect in Table 4.

Authors: Daniel Eid, Miguel Guzman-Rivero, Ernesto Rojas, Isabel Goicolea, Anna-Karin Hurtig, Daniel Illanes and Miguel San Sebastian

Knowledge of rabies and dog-related behaviors among people in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

The rabies incidence and number of dogs in Cambodia are much higher than in nearby countries. Knowledge and behaviors which are related to rabies and/or dogs are considered to be contributing factors for rabie...

Authors: Sothy Sor, Michiyo Higuchi, Mohammad Abul Bashar Sarker and Nobuyuki Hamajima

Mosquito arbovirus survey in selected areas of Kenya: detection of insect-specific virus

Many arboviral outbreaks have occurred in various locations in Kenya. Entomological surveys are suitable methods for revealing information about circulating arboviruses before human outbreaks are recognized. T...

Authors: Hanako Iwashita, Yukiko Higa, Kyoko Futami, Peter A. Lutiali, Sammy M. Njenga, Takeshi Nabeshima and Noboru Minakawa

Spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal analysis of under-five diarrhea in Southern Ethiopia

Despite improvements in prevention efforts, childhood diarrhea remains a public health concern. However, there may be substantial variation influenced by place, time, and season. Description of diarrheal clust...

Authors: Hunachew Beyene, Wakgari Deressa, Abera Kumie and Delia Grace

Pneumonia mortality and healthcare utilization in young children in rural Bangladesh: a prospective verbal autopsy study

The present study aimed to examine the risk factors for death due to pneumonia in young children and healthcare behaviors of the guardians for children in rural Bangladesh. A prospective autopsy study was cond...

Authors: Farzana Ferdous, Shahnawaz Ahmed, Sumon Kumar Das, Mohammod Jobayer Chisti, Dilruba Nasrin, Karen L. Kotloff, Myron M. Levine, James P. Nataro, Enbo Ma, Khitam Muhsen, Yukiko Wagatsuma, Tahmeed Ahmed and Abu Syed Golam Faruque

A highly secure method for rearing Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

Vector-borne infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms transmitted mainly by blood-sucking arthropod vectors. In laboratories, the handling of insects carrying human pathogens requires extra ...

Authors: Manabu Ote and Hirotaka Kanuka

Self-reported functional, communicative, and critical health literacy on foodborne diseases in Accra, Ghana

Although substantial progress has been made in reducing total mortality resulting from foodborne diseases, diarrheal illness are still the second most common illnesses among children. In Ghana, foodborne disea...

Authors: Sangeeta Gupta, Raymond Asare Tutu, John Boateng, Janice Desire Busingye and Sathya Elavarthi

Elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem from the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands has a long history of high-endemicity lymphatic filariasis (LF) transmitted by Aedes vector mosquitoes. Though the infection prevalence had declined between 1975 and 1999 following episodic treat...

Authors: Charlie Ave, D Ramaiah Kapa and Eric Ottesen

Self-medication practice and associated factors among pregnant women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Self-medication which is the act of obtaining and using one or more medicines without medical supervision is a common practice among pregnant women. Unless proper caution is taken, it may result in maternal an...

Authors: Kidanemariam G/Michael Beyene and Solomon Worku Beza

Antimalarial drug prescribing by healthcare workers when malaria testing is negative: a qualitative study in Madagascar

Despite the World Health Organization and the National Malaria Program of Madagascar recommending that antimalarial drugs only be prescribed for patients with positive results on malaria rapid diagnostic tests...

Authors: David Harimbola Rakotonandrasana, Takahiro Tsukahara and Noriko Yamamoto-Mitani

Risk factors for cutaneous leishmaniasis in the rainforest of Bolivia: a cross-sectional study

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic disease in Bolivia, particularly in the rainforest of Cochabamba, in the municipality of Villa Tunari. The precarious, dispersed, and poorly accessible settlements in...

Authors: Daniel Eid, Miguel Guzman-Rivero, Ernesto Rojas, Isabel Goicolea, Anna-Karin Hurtig, Daniel Illanes and Miguel San Sebastian

Rapid progress towards elimination of lymphatic filariasis in endemic regions of Myanmar as a result of 16 years of anti-filarial activities (2001–2016)

As Myanmar progresses towards lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination, it is important to know how well the anti-filarial activities have performed. The present study was conducted to study the implementation of...

Authors: Kyawt Mon Win, Jaya Prasad Tripathy, Thae Maung Maung, Tin Oo, Aung Thi, Khin Nan Lon and Zaw Lin

“Alert-Audit-Act”: assessment of surveillance and response strategy for malaria elimination in three low-endemic settings of Myanmar in 2016

Myanmar, a malaria endemic country of Southeast Asia, adopted surveillance and response strategy similar to “1-3-7” Chinese strategy to achieve sub-national elimination in six low-endemic region/states of the ...

Authors: Aye Mon Mon Kyaw, Soundappan Kathirvel, Mrinalini Das, Badri Thapa, Nay Yi Yi Linn, Thae Maung Maung, Zaw Lin and Aung Thi

Professional care delivery or traditional birth attendants? The impact of the type of care utilized by mothers on under-five mortality of their children

Because of the high under-five mortality rate, the government in Zambia has adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) policy on child delivery which insists on professional maternal care. However, there are ...

Authors: Choolwe Muzyamba, Wim Groot, Milena Pavlova, Iryna Rud and Sonila M. Tomini

Genetic diversity of human respiratory syncytial virus isolated among children with acute respiratory infections in Southern Cameroon during three consecutive epidemic seasons, 2011–2013

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the main viral cause of severe lower respiratory tract disease in infants and young children. The aim of this study was to describe for the first time the genetic va...

Authors: Sebastien Kenmoe, Marie-Astrid Vernet, Fabien Miszczak, Julia Dina, Matthieu Schoenhals, Véronique Penlap Beng, Astrid Vabret and Richard Njouom

Ancylostoma ceylanicum, novel etiological agent for traveler’s diarrhea—report of four Japanese patients who returned from Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea

Countries in the Southeast Asia region have a high prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth, such as roundworm, whipworm, and hookworms [Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus, Ancylostoma ceylanicum]. Recent m...

Authors: Masahide Yoshikawa, Yukiteru Ouji, Nobuyasu Hirai, Fukumi Nakamura-Uchiyama, Minoru Yamada, Naoki Arizono, Naoaki Akamatsu, Takaharu Yoh, Daisuke Kaya, Toshiya Nakatani, Eiryo Kikuchi, Yuichi Katanami, Kimitoshi Satoh, Ryosuke Maki, Yusuke Miyazato, Yuichiro Oba…

Violence against women and mental disorder: a qualitative study in Bangladesh

Violence affects 15–75% of women across the globe and has a significant impact on their health, well-being, and rights. While quantitative research links it to poor mental health, there is a lack of qualitativ...

Authors: Md. Manirul Islam, Nasim Jahan and Md. Delwar Hossain

Whole genome sequencing of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolated from humans and poultry in Burkina Faso

Multidrug-resistant Salmonella is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi...

Authors: Assèta Kagambèga, Taru Lienemann, Jonathan G. Frye, Nicolas Barro and Kaisa Haukka

Fetal growth restriction in rural Bangladesh: a prospective study

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) and low birth weight(LBW) are serious public health problems. In developing countries, the incidence of low birth weight is predominantly the result of FGR, and both low birth we...

Authors: Farzana Ferdous, Md. Harunor Rashid, Enbo Ma, Rubhana Raqib, Hiromi Hamada and Yukiko Wagatsuma

The association between infant and young child feeding practices and diarrhoea in Tanzanian children

Diarrhoea is a leading cause of child mortality in Tanzania. The association between optimal infant feeding practices and diarrhoea has been reported elsewhere, but the evidence has been limited to promote and...

Authors: Felix Akpojene Ogbo, Hillary Nguyen, Sabrina Naz, Kingsley E. Agho and Andrew Page

Real-time observation of pathophysiological processes during murine experimental Schistosoma japonicum infection using high-resolution ultrasound imaging

Hepatosplenic lesion formation is one of the typical clinical symptoms of schistosomiasis japonica. Although it is established that circum-oval granuloma formation mediated by T lymphocytes is the key event tr...

Authors: Katsumi Maezawa, Rieko Furushima-Shimogawara, Akio Yasukawa, Nobuo Ohta and Shiro Iwanaga

Predictors of uptake of eye examination in people living with diabetes mellitus in three counties of Kenya

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a significant public health concern that is potentially blinding. Clinical practice guidelines recommend annual eye examination of patients with diabetes for early detection of DR....

Authors: Nyawira Mwangi, David Macleod, Stephen Gichuhi, Lawrence Muthami, Consuela Moorman, Covadonga Bascaran and Allen Foster

Efficacy and safety of praziquantel against Schistosoma haematobium in the Ikata-Likoko area of southwest Cameroon

Schistosomiasis remains a parasitic infection of public health importance especially in Africa south of the Sahara including Cameroon. Chemotherapy using praziquantel has been the most effective and widespread...

Authors: Calvin Bisong Ebai, Helen Kuokuo Kimbi, Irene Ule Ngole Sumbele, Jude Ebah Yunga and Leopold Gustave Lehman

Breast tuberculosis: a report of five cases

Breast tuberculosis is a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis with clinical and radiological misleading presentations. We report herein a retrospective study of clinicopathological features of five cases o...

Authors: Boubacar Efared, Ibrahim S. Sidibé, Fatimazahra Erregad, Nawal Hammas, Laila Chbani and Hinde El Fatemi

Awareness of malaria and treatment-seeking behaviour among persons with acute undifferentiated fever in the endemic regions of Myanmar

Myanmar has a high burden of malaria with two-third of the population at risk of malaria. One of the basic elements of the Roll Back Malaria Initiative to fight against malaria is early diagnosis and treatment...

Authors: Phyo Aung Naing, Thae Maung Maung, Jaya Prasad Tripathy, Tin Oo, Khin Thet Wai and Aung Thi

Survey on synergism effect of ketotifen in combination with pyrimethamine in treatment of acute murine toxoplasmosis

Standard treatment of toxoplasmosis is accompanied by severe side effects and low tolerability; accordingly, alternative medicines are critically needed. Ketotifen (KET) as a cell membrane stabilizer could be ...

Authors: Mahbobeh Montazeri, Kian Rezaei, Mohammad Ali Ebrahimzadeh, Mehdi Sharif, Shahabeddin Sarvi, Ehsan Ahmadpour, Mohammad Taghi Rahimi, Abdol Satar Pagheh, Saeed Mehrzadi and Ahmad Daryani

Exploring spatial and temporal patterns of visceral leishmaniasis in endemic areas of Bangladesh

Visceral leishmaniasis is a considerable public health burden on the Indian subcontinent. The disease is highly endemic in the north-central part of Bangladesh, affecting the poorest and most marginalized comm...

Authors: Ashraf Dewan, Abu Yousuf Md Abdullah, Md Rakibul Islam Shogib, Razimul Karim and Md Masudur Rahman

The importance of human population characteristics in modeling Aedes aegypti distributions and assessing risk of mosquito-borne infectious diseases

The mosquito Aedes aegypti has long been a vector for human illness in the Southeastern United States. In the past, it has been responsible for outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever and, very recentl...

Authors: Julie F. Obenauer, T. Andrew Joyner and Joseph B. Harris

The usefulness of traditional birth attendants to women living with HIV in resource-poor settings: the case of Mfuwe, Zambia

Although there is increased attention on the role of trained traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in maternal care, most of the research has mainly focused on providing evidence of the relevance of trained TBAs...

Authors: Choolwe Muzyamba, Wim Groot, Sonila M. Tomini and Milena Pavlova

Individual and household factors associated with incidences of village malaria in Xepon district, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR

In the Lao PDR, the incidence of malaria greatly differs among villages even within a subdistrict, and the reasons for this difference are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to identify differe...

Authors: Nouhak Inthavong, Daisuke Nonaka, Sengchanh Kounnavong, Moritoshi Iwagami, Souraxay Phommala, Jun Kobayashi, Bouasy Hongvanthong, Tiengkham Pongvongsa, Paul T. Brey and Shigeyuki Kano

The burden of dengue, source reduction measures, and serotype patterns in Myanmar, 2011 to 2015–R2

Myanmar is currently classified as a high burden dengue country in the Asian Pacific region. The Myanmar vector-borne diseases control (VBDC) program has collected data on dengue and source reduction measures ...

Authors: Pwint Mon Oo, Khin Thet Wai, Anthony D. Harries, Hemant Deepak Shewade, Tin Oo, Aung Thi and Zaw Lin

Overview of PacELF—the Pacific Programme for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis

Authors: Kazuyo Ichimori and Patricia M. Graves

A combined human case of Dirofilaria ursi infection in dorsal subcutaneous tissue and Anisakis simplex sensu stricto (s.s.) infection in ventral subcutaneous tissue

Dirofilaria ursi is a filarial nematode that parasitizes the subcutaneous tissues of the American black bear (Ursus americanus) and Japanese black bear (Ursus thiabetanus japonicus). D

Authors: Minoru Yamada, Namiko Shishito, Yoshihiro Nozawa, Shigehiko Uni, Keisuke Nishioka and Takaaki Nakaya

Identification of novel antiviral of fungus-derived brefeldin A against dengue viruses

Microbial natural products possess a wide range of biological and biochemical potential. Among them, fungal secondary metabolites are one of the most important sources for discovering new drugs or lead compoun...

Authors: Muhareva Raekiansyah, Mihoko Mori, Kenichi Nonaka, Masanobu Agoh, Kazuro Shiomi, Atsuko Matsumoto and Kouichi Morita

Spatiotemporal analysis of tropical disease research combining Europe PMC and affiliation mapping web services

Tropical medicine appeared as a distinct sub-discipline in the late nineteenth century, during a period of rapid European colonial expansion in Africa and Asia. After a dramatic drop after World War II, resear...

Authors: Magnus Palmblad and Vetle I. Torvik

Prevalence and associated determinants of malaria parasites among Kenyan children

Approximately 80% of deaths attributed to malaria worldwide occurred mainly in Africa in 2015. Kenya is one of the major malaria endemic countries, making malaria the leading public health concern in this coun...

Authors: Marufa Sultana, Nurnabi Sheikh, Rashidul Alam Mahumud, Tania Jahir, Ziaul Islam and Abdur Razzaque Sarker

Molecular epidemiology of mosquitoes for the transmission of forest malaria in south-central Vietnam

Human infection caused by non-human primate malarial parasites, such as Plasmodium knowlesi and Plasmodium cynomolgi, occurs naturally in Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam. Members of the Anopheles dir...

Authors: Yoshimasa Maeno

Epidemiology of bronchiolitis: a description of emergency department visits and hospitalizations in Puerto Rico, 2010–2014

Little is known about the epidemiology of bronchiolitis as a clinical diagnosis and its impact on emergency department visits and hospitalizations in tropical and semitropical regions. We described the epidemi...

Authors: Andrea Rivera-Sepulveda and Enid J. Garcia-Rivera