Abstract. The study aimed at evaluating the seroprevalence of and sociodemographic, health, lifestyle, and environmental hygiene conditions associated with Helicobacter pylori infection in Vietnamese children. Data from 824 children, aged from 6 months to 15 years and gastrointestinal symptom free when consulted, admitted to a university hospital, were collected using a structured questionnaire and ELISA test for H. pylori infection. The data were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. H. pylori seroprevalence was 34.0%. Age groups from 3 to 6 years and older than 6, and number of offspring were positively and independently associated with H. pylori seropositivity [adjusted OR (95% CI): 2.9 (1.5-5.5); 1.9 (1.1-3.1) and 1.8 (1.1-2.6), respectively]. Breastfeeding more than 6 months was negatively and independently associated with H. pylori seropositivity [adjusted OR (95% CI): 0.5 (0.3-0.9)]. Mother's age, history of allergy, gastro-duodenal disease history in the past, initiating collective life before 6 years, sharing bed with parents and time of bed sharing with parents > 24 months were positively but not independently associated with H. pylori seropositivity. None of the other environmental or lifestyle conditions examined was associated with H. pylori infection. Our results support person-to-person transmission and the role of sociodemographic factors in H. pylori infection.

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus–baumannii complex is a common cause of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) globally, remarkable for its high rate of antibiotic resistance, including to carbapenems. There are few data on the resistance of A. baumannii in Vietnam, which are essential for developing evidence-based treatment guidelines for HAIs. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted by VITEK®2, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed on 66 clinical A. baumannii complex isolates recovered during 2009 at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases (NHTD), a referral hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. Basic demographic and clinical data were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics. Most isolates came from lower respiratory tract specimens (59; 89.4%) from intensive care unit (ICU) patients [64/65 (98.5%) with available data] who had been admitted to NHTD for ≥2 days [42/46 (91.3%) with available data]. More than 90% of the isolates were resistant to the tested β-lactamase/β-lactamase inhibitors, cephalosporins, carbapenems, fluoroquinolones and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Moreover, 25.4% (16/63) were resistant to all tested β-lactams, quinolones and aminoglycosides. All isolates remained sensitive to colistin and 58.7% were susceptible to tigecycline. Of the 66 isolates, 49 could be classified into eight PFGE types (A–H). Every PFGE type, except D, had cluster(s) of three or more isolates with a temporal relationship. In conclusion, these data suggest a significant rise in A. baumannii antibiotic resistance in Vietnam. Clustering within PFGE types supports cross-transmission of A. baumannii within the ICU at NHTD. Increased research and resources in optimising treatment, infection control and antibiotic stewardship are needed.

No abstract

We previously reported mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in nine (6.7%) of 135 children on nevirapine prophylaxis in Vietnam. In the current study, we investigated the appearance and profile of antiretroviral drug (ARV) resistance mutations, the predicted coreceptor usage, and the genetic diversity of HIV-1 strains isolated from the eight pairs of HIV-1-infected mothers and their children, who were followed up to 12 months after birth. Portions of the pol and env C2V3 regions of the HIV-1 strains were analyzed genetically. HIV-1 CRF01_AE RNA was detected in four (50%) children at delivery. Y181C, a nevirapine resistance mutation, appeared in two (25%) children 1 and 3 months after birth, respectively. No ARV resistance mutation was detected in the mothers, though three mothers were on ARV prophylaxis. Five mothers and their children harbored CCR5-tropic (R5) viruses. Two mothers harbored both R5 and CXCR4-tropic (X4) viruses, but their children harbored only R5 viruses even though the X4 viruses were dominant in the mothers. In the remaining one mother, HIV-1 RNA was not amplified and her child harbored both R5 and X4 viruses at birth, but only X4 virus 12 months after delivery. The infants' viruses were more homogeneous than their mothers' viruses (mean distance: 0.5% vs.