Browsing by Author "Lai, Chung-Hsu"

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Association of Human Q Fever with Animal Husbandry, Taiwan, 2004-2012
(2015-12-01)
Lai, Chung-Hsu
;
Chang, Lin-Li
;
Lin, Jiun-Nong
;
Liao, Ming-Huei
;
Liu, Shyh-Shyan
In Taiwan, Q fever cases in humans began increasing in 2004 and peaked in 2007 but dramatically declined in 2008 and 2011. Cases were significantly correlated with the number of goats. The decline might be associated with the collateral effects of measures to control goat pox in 2008 and 2010.
Development of an Animal Model for Alcoholic Liver Disease in Zebrafish
(2015-08-01)
Lin, Jiun-Nong
;
Chang, Lin-Li
;
Lai, Chung-Hsu
;
Lin, Kai-Jen
;
Lin, Mei-Fang
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) continues to be a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. To date, no zebrafish animal model has demonstrated the characteristic manifestations of ALD in the setting of chronic alcohol exposure. The aim of this study was to develop a zebrafish animal model for ALD. Male adult zebrafish were housed in a 1% (v/v) ethanol solution up to 3 months. A histopathological study showed the characteristic features of alcoholic liver steatosis and steatohepatitis in the early stages of alcohol exposure, including fat droplet accumulation, ballooning degeneration of the hepatocytes, and Mallory body formation. As the exposure time increased, collagen deposition in the extracellular matrix was observed by Sirius red staining and immunofluorescence staining. Finally, anaplastic hepatocytes with pleomorphic nuclei were arranged in trabecular patterns and formed nodules in the zebrafish liver. Over the time course of 1% ethanol exposure, upregulations of lipogenesis, fibrosis, and tumor-related genes were also revealed by semiquantitative and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. As these data reflect characteristic liver damage by alcohol in humans, this zebrafish animal model may serve as a powerful tool to study the pathogenesis and treatment of ALD and its related disorders in humans.
High prevalence of fluoroquinolone-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pyogenes emm12 in Taiwan
(2015-10-01)
Lin, Jiun-Nong
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Chang, Lin-Li
;
Lai, Chung-Hsu
;
Huang, Yi-Han
;
Chen, Wei-Fang
Fluoroquinolone-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pyogenes has rapidly emerged in several countries. The aim of this study was to survey the epidemiology and molecular characteristics of fluoroquinolone-nonsusceptible S. pyogenes in Taiwan. A total of 350 consecutive S. pyogenes isolates were collected between January 2005 and December 2012, including 152 (43.4%) invasive and 198 (56.6%) noninvasive isolates. Thirty-nine isolates (11.1%) of S. pyogenes were nonsusceptible to fluoroquinolones, including one emm1/ST28, 4 emm4/ST39, 33 emm12/ST36, and 1 emm87/5T62. Of all the isolates, emm12 (50%) demonstrated the highest prevalence of fluoroquinolone nonsusceptibility. Alterations of Ser79Phe and Ala12Val in ParC were the most frequently mutations in fluoroquinolone-nonsusceptible S. pyogenes isolates. There were no amino acid substitutions in GyrB, and 1 emm87 isolate exhibited 3 nonsynonymous mutations in ParE. Our study reveals the emergence of fluoroquinolone-nonsusceptible S. pyogenes emm12/ST36 in Taiwan. Regular surveillance of fluoroquinolone susceptibility in S. pyogenes is suggested. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Predisposing factors for oropharyngeal colonization of yeasts in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients: A prospective cross-sectional study
(2013-04-01)
Lin, Jiun-Nong
;
Lin, Chih-Chao
;
Lai, Chung-Hsu
;
Yang, Yun-Liang
;
Chen, Hui-Ting
Background: Oropharyngeal candidiasis continues to be a major opportunistic infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence, associated factors, and microbiologic features for oropharyngeal yeast colonization in HIV-infected patients. Methods: From October to December 2009, consecutive HIV-infected patients older than 18 years were recruited in this study. Demographic information, underlying conditions, and clinical histories were collected. Oropharyngeal swab cultures for yeasts and antifungal drug susceptibilities of the isolates were performed. Results: Of the 105 HIV-infected patients, 54 (51.4%) were colonized with yeasts, including 11 patients (20.4%) with more than one species. Among the 68 isolates, Candida albicans accounted for 73.5%, followed by Candida tropicalis (5.9%), Candida glabrata (5.9%), and Candida dubliniensis (4.4%). There were 7.5% and 6% Candida isolates resistant to fluconazole and voriconazole, respectively. All of the Candida isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B. A higher prevalence of yeast colonization was noted in patients with a CD4 cell count <= 200 cells/mu L (p = 0.032). Multivariate regression analysis showed that intravenous drug use was an independent associated factor for oropharyngeal yeast colonization (odds ratio, 5.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.39-20.6; p = 0.015), as well as protease inhibitor-containing anti-retroviral therapy (odds ratio, 3.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.41-9.12; p = 0.007). Conclusion: Despite previous studies showing that protease inhibitors decreased Candida adhesion to epithelial cells in vitro, the current study found protease inhibitor-containing anti-retroviral therapy predisposed to oropharyngeal yeast colonization in HIV-infected patients. Copyright (C) 2012, Taiwan Society of Microbiology. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved.
Serum C-reactive protein and procalcitonin values in acute Q fever, scrub typhus, and murine typhus
(2020-05-12)
Lin, I-Fan
;
Lin, Jiun-Nong
;
Tsai, Chia-Ta
;
Wu, Yu-Ying
;
Chen, Yen-Hsu
BackgroundAlthough C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) are widely used inflammatory markers for infectious diseases, their role and potential application for rickettsioses were rarely studied.MethodsA retrospective chart review and serological study were conducted in patients with rickettsioses. The clinical presentations, characteristics, laboratory data, and treatment responses were recorded and their associations with CRP and PCT values were analyzed.ResultsA total of 189 cases of rickettsioses, including 115 cases of acute Q fever (60.8%), 55 cases of scrub typhus (29.1%), and 19 cases of murine typhus (10.1%) were investigated. Both CRP and PCT values increased in the acute phase and declined in the convalescent phase. In the acute phase, mean CRP and PCT values were 78.263.7mg/L and 1.05 +/- 1.40ng/mL, respectively. Percentages of patients falling under different cut-off values of CRP and PCT were calculated systematically. Only 10.8% of CRP was >150mg/L and 14.2% of PCT was >2.0ng/mL. Patients with delayed responses to doxycycline treatment (>3days from treatment to defervescence) had significantly higher CRP values (102.7 +/- 77.1 vs. 72.2 +/- 58.2mg/L, p =0.041) and more PCT >1.0ng/ml (48.4% vs. 26.0%, p =0.019) in the acute phase; higher CRP values (19.1 +/- 37.4 vs. 3.6 +/- 13.1mg/L, p =0.049) and more PCT >0.5ng/ml (19.2% vs. 1.4%, p =0.005) in the convalescent phase. Correlation analysis was conducted for patients with acute Q fever. CRP and PCT values were positively correlated to each other, and both markers also had a positive correlation with serum aspartate transaminase values. Both CRP and PCT values and white blood cell counts were positively correlated to the days needed from doxycycline treatment to defervescence.Conclusion p id=Par CRP and PCT values might be useful in clinical investigations for patients with suspected rickettsioses and in predicting the response to doxycycline treatment for rickettsioses.
The epidemiology, characteristics and outbreaks of human leptospirosis and the association with animals in Taiwan, 2007-2014: A nationwide database study
(1970-01-01)
Tsai, Chia-Ta
;
Lin, Jiun-Nong
;
Lee, Chen-Hsiang
;
Sun, Wu
;
Chang, Yi-Chin
Background Leptospirosis (LS) is a neglected tropical zoonosis of global importance. A nationwide investigation of characteristics, epidemiology, risk factors and outbreak is crucial for awareness of this disease. Methods A nationwide database of reported LS cases from October 2007 to December 2014 obtained from the Centers for Disease Control, Taiwan, was analysed. Geographic information system software was used to map the distribution of confirmed LS cases and pigs. Cross-matching with the databases of Q fever, scrub typhus and murine typhus was conducted to identify possible coinfections. Results A total of 10,917 reported cases of LS were recorded in the database, which included 665 (6.1%) confirmed LS and 10,252 (93.9%) non-confirmed LS cases. The major residences of confirmed LS were the Kaohsiung-Pingtung (248, 37.3%) and Taipei (174, 26.2%) regions. The average annual incidence was 0.4/100,000 people. Compared with non-confirmed LS cases, confirmed LS cases had significantly higher percentages of male gender (83.6% vs. 67.9%, p < .001), high-risk occupations (farmer, animal husbandry or veterinarian) (24.8% vs. 13.7%, p < .001), residence in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung region (37.3% vs. 19.6%, p < .001) and exposure to rats (8.6% vs. 4.9%, p = .001) or pigs (9.4% vs. 1.9%, p < .001) but a lower mean age (47.8 +/- 15.1 vs. 51.+/- 18.5 years old). Rat and pig exposure trends were found in the northern and southern regions, respectively. Distribution of LS was consistent with pigs, and one outbreak associated with flooding and pigs occurred in the Pingtung region in 2009. Twenty-three and four patients with LS were coinfected with scrub typhus and Q fever, respectively. Conclusions LS is an endemic disease in Taiwan, particularly in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung and Taipei regions. High-risk occupations and animal exposure history are important for the clinical presumptive diagnosis of LS, particularly for rats in northern Taiwan and pigs in southern Taiwan. Although uncommon, clinicians should be aware of coinfection of LS with endemic rickettsial diseases.