Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases
Online ISSN : 1884-2836
Print ISSN : 1344-6304
ISSN-L : 1344-6304
72 巻, 6 号
選択された号の論文の14件中1~14を表示しています
Original Articles
  • Hiroshi Yoshikura
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 359-367
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/04/26
    ジャーナル フリー

    From 1995 to 2000, the mortality rates of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients < 54 years of age have declined; however, since 2000, deaths of HIV/AIDS patients aged > 55 have started to increase. Although deaths directly linked to infections have declined since 2005, those related to malignancy, encephalopathy, interstitial pneumonia, wasting syndrome, etc. persisted. In 10 years from 1999–2004 to 2010–2017, the age at death shifted by 5 years towards an older age in the general population and in patients with HIV/AIDS (mainly males), adult T-cell leukemia, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Among these, HIV/AIDS patients and the general population exhibited an unequivocal gender difference. As of 2011–2016, the median of the deaths of the HIV/AIDS patients was 52.5 years for males and 70 years for females, while the median of the deaths of the general population was 75 years for males and 85 years for females. Hence, male HIV/AIDS patients died 22.5 years earlier and female HIV/AIDS patients 15 years earlier than did the general population. A common denominator of HIV/AIDS-related deaths and deaths among the general population could be CD4+T cells as these cells are primary targets of HIV, and a decline in naïve CD4+T cell count is a hallmark of aging.

  • Toshihiko Sunahara
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 368-373
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/06/28
    ジャーナル フリー

    Aedes albopictus (Skuse) transmits several arboviral diseases. This mosquito was the vector responsible for both the past and recent dengue outbreaks in Japan. Sites with a high density of A. albopictus are at risk of outbreaks of arboviral diseases. This study describes extremely high biting densities of A. albopictus at a campus of Nagasaki University, southwestern Japan. In August of 2015 and 2016, an 8 min human-bait-sweep collection obtained on average 33.4 and 38.9 females, respectively. In both 2015 and 2016, the highest and the second highest biting densities were observed at sites densely shaded by trees and covered with a large number of understory plants. In addition, major A. albopictus breeding sites were identified near these locations in 2016. A predaceous larval mosquito, Lutzia vorax Edwards, appeared to strongly suppress the breeding of A. albopictus in catch basins near the site with the highest adult density, although its effect was insufficient to maintain A. albopictus density at a low level. After the catch basins had been cleaned, A. albopictus immatures became more abundant, especially in shallow catch basins in shaded sites.

  • Mildred A. Adusei-Poku, Saori Matsuoka, Evelyn Y. Bonney, Christopher ...
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 374-380
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/06/28
    ジャーナル フリー

    In human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infections, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses targeting human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-restricted viral epitopes exert strong suppressive pressure on viral replication and frequently select for mutations resulting in viral escape from CTL recognition. Numerous data on these HLA-associated mutations in HIV-1 subtypes B and C have been amassed with few reports described in other subtypes. In the present study, we investigated the HLA-associated mutations in HIV-1 subtype CRF02_AG prevailing in Ghana, Western Africa. We determined viral gag sequences in 246 out of 324 HIV-1-infected Ghanaians. Phylogeny analysis revealed that 200 (81.3%) individuals were infected with HIV-1 CRF02_AG. Full gag and vif sequences were obtained from 199 and 138, respectively, out of the 200 individuals infected with CRF02_AG and subjected to determination of HLA-associated mutations. The analysis found HLA-associated HIV-1 CRF02_AG non-synonymous polymorphisms at 19 sites; 13 in gag and six in vif, including those that were newly determined. Generation of this data is an important contribution to our understanding of HIV-1 CRF02_AG and host T cell interaction.

  • Yoshinobu Abe, Kiwamu Nakamura, Daiki Kaji, Hiroshi Takahashi, Kotaro ...
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 381-386
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/06/28
    ジャーナル フリー

    In this study, we evaluated extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria with the newly developed primer and probe sets to detect blaCTX-M, blaTEM, and blaSHV using BD MAXTM, a fully automated multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay system. In 36 isolates confirmed by whole-genome sequencing to have blaCTX-M, blaTEM, or blaSHV, the developed primer and probe sets accurately detected each gene without being influenced by the presence of other β-lactamase genes. In nine control strains that do not harbor either blaCTX-M, blaTEM, or blaSHV no cross-reaction was observed. In 191 strains phenotypically determined to be ESBL-producers by conventional antimicrobial susceptibility tests, 189 strains were blaCTX-M-, blaTEM-, or blaSHV-positive as assessed by BD MAXTM using the developed primer and probe sets, and two strains were negative for these genes. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that these two strains were phenotypically false-positive ESBL-producers. The accuracy of the primer and probe sets seems to be satisfactory, and they may be applicable to detect CTX-M-type ESBL-producing bacteria.

  • Huifeng Fan, Bingtai Lu, Diyuan Yang, Dongwei Zhang, Tingting Shi, Gen ...
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 387-393
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/06/28
    ジャーナル フリー

    The pathogenesis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP), specifically the local immune responses in the lungs, is poorly understood. In this study, flow cytometry was used to analyze IL-17 and related cytokines in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples from 18 and 30 pediatric patients with general MPP (GMPP) and refractory MPP (RMPP), respectively. The levels of IL-1Ra, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, and TNF-α were significantly elevated in the BALF of MPP children compared to the plasma (P < 0.01). Although the plasma IL-6 levels in the children with RMPP were higher than those in the children with GMPP (P < 0.05), the IL-17 levels showed the opposite trend (P < 0.05). The children with RMPP had significantly higher BALF levels of IL-8, IL-17, and TNF-α than the children with GMPP (P < 0.05), and the elevated levels of IL-17 correlated with the increased focal size of the lung lesions (P < 0.05). The elevated levels of IL-17 and related cytokines in the BALF samples could indicate that the local inflammatory response should be distinguished from the systemic inflammatory response in children with MPP. Moreover, RMPP might involve an aggravated inflammatory progression at the site of infection. The levels of IL-17 might correlate with the extent and severity of the lung lesions in MPP.

  • Yu Sun, Jie Deng, Yuan Qian, Runan Zhu, Fang Wang, Run Tian, Ri De, Li ...
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 394-398
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/06/28
    ジャーナル フリー

    We evaluated two currently available rapid antigen detection tests (RADTs) for Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Sofia® RSV FIA and BinaxNOW RSV Card (BinaxNOW). Between November 2017 and February 2018, 395 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from children diagnosed with acute respiratory infections. The swabs were evaluated using the aforementioned RADTs, the reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and the direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA). The sensitivity of Sofia® RSV FIA (80.82%) was significantly higher than that of BinaxNOW (53.42%) when RT-qPCR was used as the standard. This was confirmed with DFA. The sensitivities of Sofia® RSV FIA (85.4% [41/48]) and BinaxNOW (58.3% [28/48]) were higher for RSV A than for RSV B (69.6% [16/23] and 43.5% [10/23], respectively). The optimal critical cycle threshold (Ct) values on RT-qPCR that correlated with Sofia® RSV FIA and BinaxNOW were 24 and 22, respectively. The kappa value for Sofia® RSV FIA and RT–qPCR was 0.962 in patients who were two years old or younger, but 0.648 in those who were more than two years old. Thus, Sofia® RSV FIA is more sensitive than BinaxNOW; its results were affected by the RSV viral strain and load. Sofia® RSV FIA is more effective in children who are ≤ 2 years old than in those who are > 2 years old.

  • Hirofumi Ishikawa, Rieko Shimogawara
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 399-406
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/07/31
    ジャーナル フリー

    An outbreak of autochthonous dengue fever occurred in the summer of 2014 in Tokyo, Japan. Numerous participants and spectators from abroad are expected to visit Tokyo in the summer of 2020. This study aims to analyze the risk of autochthonous dengue infections in Tokyo in summer and also assess the additional risk in the Olympiad using a mathematical model. A stochastic transmission model was developed with the cooperation of seasonal factors that greatly influence the transmission cycle of dengue virus, and stochastic simulations were conducted for each scenario provided adequately. This study found that (i) the incidence of dengue autochthonous infections is predicted to occur in a small number of cases; (ii) the local climate greatly influences the scale of dengue autochthonous infections; (iii) the incidence reaches its peak in August and early September; and (iv) the possibility of progressing to dengue outbreak is rare. In the Olympiad to be held in the summer of 2020, an additional risk of dengue autochthonous infections will amount to double compared with that in other years.

  • Hideo Kato, Mao Hagihara, Yuki Yokoyama, Hiroyuki Suematsu, Nobuhiro A ...
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 407-412
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/07/31
    ジャーナル フリー

    Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) can involve mixed-species bacterial infection. However, few studies have investigated antimicrobial efficacy in the treatment of mixed species infections. This study aimed to compare the in vivo antimicrobial activity of garenoxacin (GRNX) and levofloxacin (LVFX) against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Parvimonas micra in a murine model of mixed species bacterial pneumonia. S. pneumoniae D-6888 and P. micra No. 242 were used in this study. Antimicrobial activity toward each isolate was calculated as the change in bacterial count in the lungs (Δlog10 CFU/mL) of mice after 24 h of treatment compared with the count in pretreated animals (0 h). The MICs of GRNX and LVFX against S. pneumoniae D-6888 were 0.06 and 0.5 mg/L and the MICs against P. micra No. 242 were 0.03 and 0.12 mg/L, respectively. In a murine pneumonia mixed-infection model, GRNX showed significantly higher in vivo antimicrobial activity against S. pneumoniae than LVFX (GRNX; -2.02 ± 0.99 log10 CFU/mL vs. LVFX; -0.97 ± 0.61 log10 CFU/mL, p = 0.0188). GRNX displayed about 2-fold more potent activity against P. micra than LVFX (GRNX; -1.12 ± 0.56 log10 CFU/mL vs. LVFX; -0.61 ± 0.43 log10 CFU/mL, p = 0.1029). These results suggest that GRNX is preferable for the treatment of mixed species bacterial CAP.

  • Mark Anthony de Vera Luz, Takeshi Nabeshima, Meng Ling Moi, Maria Terr ...
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 413-419
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/08/30
    ジャーナル フリー

    Dengue remains a major public health problem in the Philippines. In this study, we determined the circulating dengue serotypes in the Philippines during the 2015–2017 outbreaks using a total of 678 serum samples from 537 individual dengue patients. Following an increase in the number of DENV-4 patients in recent years, we conducted a comprehensive molecular and epidemiology analysis on the DENV-4 strains isolated recently in the Philippines. Two genotypes of DENV-4 have been isolated in the Philippines since 1956: GI and GIIa. The GIIa DENV strains that were isolated in the present study were closely related to a distinct group of GIIa strains that were isolated from the Philippines in 2004. A majority of the isolates of this sub-group have been identified in the Philippines, suggesting that this lineage may have been introduced in the Philippines, and evolved to form the distinct sub-group within GIIa strains. The increase in DENV-4 activity also coincided with the appearance of the GIIa subgroup and the phasing-out of the GI lineage in the Philippines. Overall, our study demonstrates a shift in DENV-4 genotype and epidemic dynamics in a hyperendemic region, suggesting the importance of DENV genetic evolution in establishing and sustaining transmission.

Short Communications
  • Hiroaki Moroi, Kouji Kimura, Ayaka Ido, Hirotsugu Banno, Wanchun Jin, ...
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 420-422
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/06/28
    ジャーナル フリー

    Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) is a pathogen which causes neo natal sepsis, meningitis, and invasive infections in the elderly and people with medical conditions. Macrolide and lincosamide resistance rates of GBS strains have been increasing worldwide. A macrolide resistance gene, erythromycin ribosomal methylase (erm), typically confers macrolides, lincosamides, streptogramin B resistance phenotype. However, in the current study, we recovered and characterized 3 clinical ermB-PCR-positive isolates of GBS with L phenotype. The presence of ermB and lnuB (lincosamide nucleotidyltransferase) genes in all 3 clinical isolates was confirmed using PCR. The ermB gene of the clinical isolates harbored C222T (N74N), T224C (I75T), and A299G (N100S) nucleotide (amino acid) substitutions, and insertion of an IS1216E element at nucleotide position 643, resulted in the deletion of a segment spanning nucleotides 643–738 of ermB gene, which suggested the loss-of-function of ErmB protein in the 3 clinical isolates. Since these clinical isolates show positive PCR result for a drug resistance gene despite its partial deletion, these results contradict their drug resistance phenotype. These factors must be considered while performing PCR-based detection of antimicrobial drug resistance genes.

  • Yuichi Fukui, Hisashi Inokuma
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 423-425
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/06/28
    ジャーナル フリー

    We collected 1,084 ticks by flagging vegetation in Tsukuba and Moriya (Ibaraki, Japan), where several cases of canine granulocytic anaplasmosis were reported. The DNA of the collected ticks was molecularly examined for infection with the family Anaplasmataceae. Twenty-six positive samples of Anaplasmataceae-specific PCR of partial 16S rRNA gene were subjected to semi-nested PCR, covering the divergent regions, the gene, and sequence analysis. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was detected in 3 pools of Haemaphysalis longicornis larvae and A. bovis from a H. flava male. Sequences of both amplicons had high homologies to those from dogs in our previous studies in Ibaraki. These results suggest that Haemaphysalis ticks are candidate vectors of A. phagocytophilum and A. bovis in Ibaraki, Japan.

  • Seiji P. Yamamoto, Yu Kasamatsu, Daiki Kanbayashi, Atsushi Kaida, Mich ...
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 426-428
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/06/28
    ジャーナル フリー

    Dengue fever (DF) is a mosquito-borne disease and a significant global public health problem. Although a few serological surveys in the literature suggest endemic DF in many parts of Africa, DF cases in these countries are generally underreported because of the lack of diagnostic testing and systematic surveillance; thus, little is known about the phylogenetic profile of circulating strains. In April 2015, DF was diagnosed in a Japanese national returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Dengue virus 1 (DENV-1) RNA was detected in the patient’s serum sample using real-time reverse transcription PCR. Phylogenetic analysis of the E gene revealed that the detected DENV-1 strain was classified as genotype V and was closely related, with 100% nucleotide identity, to the strain causing the 2013 DF epidemic in Angola, which is located directly south of the DRC. This is the first report to characterize the circulating DENV strain in the DRC, and the findings indicate that the DENV-1 strain causing the 2013 DF epidemic in Angola was also circulating in the DRC in 2015.

  • Wenjing Zhang, Sayaka Yoshizaki, Yasushi Ami, Yuriko Suzaki, Naokazu T ...
    2019 年 72 巻 6 号 p. 429-431
    発行日: 2019年
    公開日: 2019/11/21
    [早期公開] 公開日: 2019/07/31
    ジャーナル フリー

    Cynomolgus monkeys are important experimental animals for hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. In Japan, cynomolgus monkeys are mainly imported from Asian countries for use at animal facilities and institutions. However, the status of HEV infection in cynomolgus monkeys remains unclear. Overall, 187 pairs of serum and fecal samples were collected from cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) imported from China and Cambodia to detect anti-HEV immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM antibodies, as well as HEV RNA. Based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using HEV-like particles derived from genotype 3 HEV as the antigen, 183 of 187 (97.9%) and 102 of 187 (54.5%) samples tested positive for anti-HEV IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. In contrast, all 45 serum samples collected from cynomolgus monkeys bred and grown at the Tsukuba Primate Research Center, Japan tested negative for both antibodies. However, real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction detected no HEV RNA in any of the 187 serum and fecal samples. These results strongly indicated that HEV infection is common in imported cynomolgus monkeys. A source of HEV-free monkeys for HEV studies is urgently needed.

Laboratory and Epidemiology Communications
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