This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of serum IgG dengue in children in an Amazonian population, to assess the seroconversion rate in 12 months, and to estimate how many seropositive children had a prior clinical diagnosis of dengue. We conducted a population-based study between 2010 and 2011, with children aged 6 months to 12 years that were living in the urban area of a small town in t...

The immunogenicity and the protective efficacy of a recombinant DNA hepatitis B vaccine, GenHevac B Pasteur with or without passive immunization with hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in high risk neonates born from HBsAg and HBeAg positive mothers was evaluated. Twenty-six neonates (group A) received HBIG 100 IU intramuscularly at birth plus GenHevac B Pasteur 20 micrograms at birth, 1, 2 and ...

Information on the efficacy of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and predictors of the response based on real-world data is limited. Consecutive 201 patients who underwent PEG-IFN treatment for CHB were reviewed. A virological response (VR) was defined as a serum HBV DNA of <2000 IU/mL, and a combined response (CR) was defined a VR accompanied by ser...

BACKGROUND Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is not only an emerging veterinary concern but also a public health threat in endemic areas. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of two doses of aluminum hydroxide (alum) precipitated Leishmania major (Alum-ALM) mixed with BCG plus imiquimod against CVL. METHODS A total of 560 ownership dogs were serologica...

BACKGROUND Type-2 diabetes has emerged as the commonest cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring long-term haemodialysis (HD) that constitutes a high-risk environment for the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV). The likelihood of acquiring HCV infection in this rapidly growing population on HD conceivably vulnerable to viral infections has not been well studied. The present study a...

BACKGROUND Recommendations to immunize healthcare workers (HCWs) against hepatitis B are well known. However, a proportion of individuals do not respond to the primary standard three-dose HB vaccination schedule. OBJECTIVES The current study aimed to evaluate whether a double-dose HB booster vaccine could induce better protective anti-HB titers than a single-dose booster in non-protected HCWs...

BACKGROUND Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy reduces risk of transmission to the uninfected partner in HIV discordant couples, but there are relatively little observational data on HIV transmission within couples from non-trial settings. The aims of this paper are to estimate HIV incidence among HIV discordant couples using longstanding observational data from a rural Ugandan populatio...

BACKGROUND Children with cancer have an increased susceptibility to influenza infection. The objective of this study was to assess the immunogenicity of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine in children with cancer. METHODS Children were recruited from the Royal Marsden Hospital, England, during November 2009. The vaccination schedule consisted of 2 doses of an AS03(B)-adjuvanted vaccine given at days...

INTRODUCTION Outbreaks of syphilis have been described among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in Western communities, whereas reports in Asian countries are limited. We aimed to characterize the incidence and temporal trends of syphilis among HIV-infected MSM compared with HIV-infected non-MSM in Asian countries. METHODS Patients enrolled in the TREAT Asia HIV Observational Databa...

BACKGROUND We measured antibody-dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity in serum and genital fluids of heterosexually exposed women during HIV seroconversion. METHODS Plasma and cervico-vaginal lavage (CVL) fluid from 11 seroconverters (SC) were analyzed biannually from one year pre- to 6 year post-seroconversion using a 51Cr-release assay to measure HIV-1 gp120 specific ADCC. ...