10th Anniversary of the Faculty of Public Health, Kasetsart University: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Pathogenesis, and Public Health Response for Emerging and Re-emerging Tropical Infectious Diseases

A special issue of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (ISSN 2414-6366). This special issue belongs to the section "Neglected and Emerging Tropical Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 14799

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Public Health, Kasetsart University, Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, Sakon Nakhon, Thailand
Interests: bacterial infection; streptococcus; antimicrobial-resistance; molecular epidemiology; genome
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Research Instityute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
2. Division of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Toko, Japan
Interests: bacterial pathogenesis; antimicrobial-resistance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is established to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Faculty of Public Health, Kasetsart University, Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, which was established on May 2, 2013. A part of our role in research and academic service, the faculty has worked with both local and international publications, including public health implementation, environmental health, occupational health, and infectious diseases. We provide laboratory service for the detection and typing of infectious disease agents, the quality assessment of environmental subjects, and health promotion and literacy. With this 10th anniversary occurring on May 2, 2023, we would like to invite researchers working on tropical medicine and infectious diseases around the world to join in and celebrate with us through this Special Issue.

Tropical infectious diseases are a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in the tropical and subtropical areas of at least 149 countries. They affect more than one billion people and cost developing economies billions of dollars every year. These diseases include respiratory diseases (such as measles, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis), vector-borne diseases (dengue, chikungunya, JE, zika, malaria), food and water-borne diseases (such as cholera, salmonellosis, dysentery, opisthorchiasis), zoonotic diseases (such as rabies, bird flu, cat-scratch disease, leptospirosis, brucellosis), and sexually transmitted diseases (such as gonorrhea, chancroid, syphilis). The antimicrobial resistance of these pathogens is also of great importance. Populations living in these areas, without adequate sanitation, and in close contact with infectious sources or vectors and domestic animals and livestock are the worst affected.

This Special Issue aims to highlight interdisciplinary research approaches to emerging or re-emerging tropical infectious diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical areas. Our aim is to address these issues to improving the diagnostics, epidemiological tracing, control, prevention, and management of tropical infectious diseases with scientific contributions from all areas of microbiology, parasitology, molecular biology, epidemiology, therapeutics, public health education, and risk assessment and management.

Submissions of the following article types are welcomed: original research articles, reviews, systematic reviews and meta analyses, clinical trials, brief research reports, case reports, and methods. We particularly welcome contributions that include, but are not limited to, the following subtopics:

  • Neglected tropical infectious diseases involving viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and helminthes;
  • Emerging tropical infectious diseases due to viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminthes;
  • Vaccine-preventable infectious diseases;
  • Zoonosis;
  • Antimicrobial resistance;
  • Microbial methods and techniques, such as novel or modifying techniques for the diagnosis, detection, or typing of pathogens;
  • Molecular microbial epidemiology;
  • Pathogenesis, virulence, and host response;
  • Control, prevention, therapy, and therapeutics;
  • Public health education for tropical infectious diseases;
  • Public health intervention/implementation for tropical infectious diseases.

Dr. Anusak Kerdsin
Dr. Yukihiro Akeda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • infectious diseases
  • zoonosis
  • reverse zoonosis
  • diagnosis
  • epidemiology
  • microbial drug resistance

Published Papers (6 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 791 KiB  
Article
Risk Factors of Infections Due to Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria in a Community Hospital in Rural Thailand
by Jindanoot Ponyon, Anusak Kerdsin, Thanawadee Preeprem and Ratchadaporn Ungcharoen
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(11), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7110328 - 23 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2481
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health concern globally. The most serious antimicrobial resistance problem among pathogenic bacteria is multidrug resistance (MDR). The objectives of this study were to investigate the risk factors of MDR infections and to develop a risk assessment tool [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health concern globally. The most serious antimicrobial resistance problem among pathogenic bacteria is multidrug resistance (MDR). The objectives of this study were to investigate the risk factors of MDR infections and to develop a risk assessment tool for MDR Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) infections at a community hospital in rural Thailand. The study revealed 30.77% MDR-GNB among GNB strains. The most common MDR-GNB strains were 63.02% for Escherichia coli and 11.46% for Klebsiella pneumoniae. A case–control study was applied to collect clinical data between January 2016 and December 2020. Univariate logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors for MDR-GNB and a risk assessment score for each factor was determined based on its regression coefficient. The risk factors for MDR-GNB infections were as follows: the presence of Enterobacteriaceae that produce extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) (ORAdj. 23.53, 95% CI 7.00–79.09), infections occurring within the urinary tract (ORAdj. 2.25, 95% CI 1.44–3.53), and patients with a history of steroid usage (ORAdj. 1.91, 95% CI 1.15–3.19). Based on the assigned risk scores for each associated factor, the newly developed risk assessment tool for MDR-GNB infections achieved 64.54% prediction accuracy (AUC-ROC 0.65, 95% CI 0.61–0.68), demonstrating that the tool could be used to assess bacterial infection cases in community hospitals. Its use should provide practical guidance on MDR evaluation and prevention. This study was part of an antibiotic stewardship program; the study surveyed antibiotic-resistant situations in a hospital and implemented an effective risk assessment tool using key risk factors of MDR-GNB infections. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 540 KiB  
Article
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Opisthorchis viverrini Infection in Sakon Nakhon Province, Thailand
by Pariyakorn Perakanya, Ratchadaporn Ungcharoen, Sutthiporn Worrabannakorn, Passakorn Ongarj, Atchara Artchayasawat, Thidarut Boonmars and Parichart Boueroy
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(10), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7100313 - 18 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2299 | Correction
Abstract
Opisthorchiasis is a parasitic infection caused by the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini. This parasite is widely distributed and well documented in Thailand, Lao PDR, Southern Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. However, its prevalence is a major problem in these countries. Thus, the aim [...] Read more.
Opisthorchiasis is a parasitic infection caused by the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini. This parasite is widely distributed and well documented in Thailand, Lao PDR, Southern Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. However, its prevalence is a major problem in these countries. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of O. viverrini infection from 2017 to 2020 in Sakon Nakhon province, Thailand. Questionnaires were used to interview 320 participants (160 cases and 160 controls) in a random selection of 18 districts across Sakon Nakhon province. Univariate logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with O. viverrini infection. The overall prevalence levels of O. viverrini infection in Sakon Nakhon province for 2018, 2019, and 2020 were 3.60%, 5.21%, and 7.01%, respectively. Raw fish consumption was a positive risk factor for its infection in endemic areas. Factors associated with O. viverrini infection were the habit of consuming unsafely prepared fish (OR = 6.33, 95%CI = 3.71–10.90), the medical history of O. viverrini examination (OR = 8.93, 95%CI = 5.15–16.21), a history of O. viverrini infection (OR = 201.25, 95%CI = 33.32–8082.76), and a history of taking praziquantel (OR = 201.25, 95%CI = 33.32–8082.76). These results identified gaps in the epidemiological knowledge of O. viverrini in this region that need addressing to identify and develop innovative methods for prevention, control, and support efforts to permanently overcome O. viverrini infection in endemic regions. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2386 KiB  
Article
Impact of a 5-Year Mass Drug Administration Programme for Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases on the Spatial Distribution of Childhood Anaemia in Burundi from 2007 to 2011
by Mohamad Assoum, Giuseppina Ortu, Maria-Gloria Basáñez, Colleen Lau, Archie C. A. Clements, Kate Halton, Alan Fenwick and Ricardo J. Soares Magalhães
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(10), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7100307 - 17 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1494
Abstract
Background: Childhood anaemia affects 1.8 billion people globally. Little is known about the long-term impact of mass drug administration (MDA) for the control of soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) on the spatiotemporal variation of anaemia prevalence and severity. We describe the long-term spatiotemporal impact of [...] Read more.
Background: Childhood anaemia affects 1.8 billion people globally. Little is known about the long-term impact of mass drug administration (MDA) for the control of soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) on the spatiotemporal variation of anaemia prevalence and severity. We describe the long-term spatiotemporal impact of a 5-year STH MDA programme (2007–2011) on the prevalence of anaemia and anaemia severity in school-aged children (SAC) in Burundi. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used annual haemoglobin concentration and STH data collected during 2007–2011 in 31 schools in Burundi. Spatial dependence in prevalence and severity of anaemia was assessed using semivariograms. Bayesian geostatistical models were developed to (a) quantify the role of STH (adjusted for other anaemia determinants) in the spatiotemporal distribution of anaemia prevalence/severity, and (b) predict the geographical variation of both outcomes across Burundi. Adjusted population data were used to estimate the geographical distribution of the number of SAC at risk of anaemia and with low and moderate/severe anaemia. Infections with Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura were positively and significantly associated with childhood anaemia; hookworm infections were not. A significant decrease in anaemia prevalence, from 40–50% (2008) to 10–20% (2011) was predicted in western areas. The predicted prevalence of low-severity anaemia decreased from 40–50% (2008) to <20% (2011) in southern and eastern areas. Moderate/high-severity anaemia was concentrated in western regions of Burundi, with pockets of moderate/high-severity anaemia in central and northern regions in 2008. The overall number of predicted anaemic children decreased from 443,657 (2008) to 232,304 (2011), with a resurgence after MDA disruption in 2010 (to 480,605). Prevalence of low- and moderate-severity anaemia was higher in boys than in girls. Conclusions/Significance: Despite ongoing MDA, the prevalence of anaemia in SAC remained high and increased in certain parts of the country. It is recommended that MDA programmes targeting STH are complemented with specific anaemia interventions. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 261 KiB  
Article
Adherence and Health Problems in Thai Travellers Living with HIV
by Krit Madsalae, Thundon Ngamprasertchai, Saranath Lawpoolsri, Rujipas Sirijatuphat, Winai Ratanasuwan, Watcharapong Piyaphanee and Punnee Pitisuttithum
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(7), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7070128 - 09 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1353
Abstract
It is important to focus on adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and health problems of travellers living with HIV (TLWHIV) during travel. This study was conducted to investigate factors related to adherence and health problems among TLWHIV. This multicentre, cross-sectional observational study was [...] Read more.
It is important to focus on adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and health problems of travellers living with HIV (TLWHIV) during travel. This study was conducted to investigate factors related to adherence and health problems among TLWHIV. This multicentre, cross-sectional observational study was conducted among TLWHIV in university hospitals from August 2019 to July 2020. Factors associated with adherence to ART were evaluated using a logistic regression model. Health problems and risk exposure were also examined among participants during travel. Of 321 TLWHIV, 20 (6.23%) showed moderate-to-poor adherence, among whom 3 (15%) had viral rebound after travelling. Travellers frequently missed ART during the first 3 days of their trip. International destination was associated with moderate-to-poor adherence. In total, 237 (73.8%) travellers reported health problems during travel, among whom 36 required medical attention. Sexual or sharp exposure was found in <5% of travellers during travel. Approximately 95% of Thai TLWHIV had good ART adherence. International destination was the major factor determining adherence. TLWHIV should be encouraged to seek pretravel consultation. Healthcare providers should discuss health risk prevention and teach about ART dosing during travel to enhance adherence and minimise toxicity. Full article

Review

Jump to: Research

12 pages, 564 KiB  
Review
Human Streptococcus suis Infections in Thailand: Epidemiology, Clinical Features, Genotypes, and Susceptibility
by Anusak Kerdsin
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(11), 359; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7110359 - 08 Nov 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2981
Abstract
Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen causing substantial economic losses to the pig industry, as well as being a human health burden due to infections worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, there was high cumulative incidence in humans during 1987–2021, mostly in [...] Read more.
Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen causing substantial economic losses to the pig industry, as well as being a human health burden due to infections worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, there was high cumulative incidence in humans during 1987–2021, mostly in males. At least five large outbreaks have been documented after the largest outbreak in China in 2005, which was related to the consumption of raw pork or dishes containing pig’s blood. The major clinical features are sepsis or meningitis, with hearing loss a major complication of S. suis disease. Thai human S. suis isolates have shown diversity in serotypes and sequence types (STs), with serotype 2 and STs 1 and 104 being major genotypes. β-Lactam antibiotics can be used in empirical treatment for human S. suis infections; however, intermediate resistance to penicillin has been reported. Reducing S. suis incidence in Thailand requires a multidimensional approach, with combined efforts from the government and public health sectors through policy, regulations, education, and active surveillance. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1677 KiB  
Review
Monkeypox Disease: An Emerging Public Health Concern in the Shadow of COVID-19 Pandemic: An Update
by Shamimul Hasan and Shazina Saeed
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(10), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7100283 - 03 Oct 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3160
Abstract
The last few decades have witnessed an appalling rise in several emerging and re-emerging viral and zoonotic outbreaks. Such outbreaks are a lesson to learn from and seek insight into better disease monitoring and surveillance, thus preventing future outbreaks. Monkeypox, a viral zoonotic [...] Read more.
The last few decades have witnessed an appalling rise in several emerging and re-emerging viral and zoonotic outbreaks. Such outbreaks are a lesson to learn from and seek insight into better disease monitoring and surveillance, thus preventing future outbreaks. Monkeypox, a viral zoonotic illness caused by the monkeypox virus, may no longer be endemic to the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa. However, the current monkeypox outbreak in nonendemic countries is most likely due to failure to curb the disease dissemination in endemic African regions despite decades of constant outbreaks. The clinical manifestations are typified by a prodromal phase (fever, myalgia, malaise, and lymphadenopathy) followed by maculopapular or vesicular, or pustular cutaneous eruptions that eventually form encrustations and peel off. Children and the elderly, pregnant females, and individuals living with comorbidities (diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and lymphoproliferative ailments) are at a high risk of severe disease. Monkeypox is a self-limiting disorder, but its complications and pandemic potential signify its immense public health relevance. The recent ongoing monkeypox outbreak in nonendemic nations areas was identified with increased propensity in men who have sex with men (MSMs) with no travel history to endemic regions, emphasizing the changing trends in disease transmission. This review article provides an updated overview of the monkeypox disease taxonomy, pathogenesis, transmission, epidemiology, clinical and oral features, diagnostic aids, differential diagnosis, preventive aspects, and treatment protocol. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop