BMC Infectious Diseases最新文献

Influenza epidemics and pandemics are causes of morbidity and mortality. We explored the epidemiological differences and trends of domestic and imported severe complicated influenza cases in Taiwan from 2010 to 2020. To reinforce the efficiency of surveillance, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (TCDC) has established a surveillance system, called the Taiwan National Notifiable Disease Statistics System (TNNDSS). We created a trends study from the TNNDSS. A total of 14,844 domestic and 63 imported severe complicated influenza cases were reported. The number of reported cases and influenza positivity rate were the lowest in 2020. The incidence of severe complicated influenza was highest in 2019, ranging from 19 to 99 per 1,000,000 individuals from 2010 to 2020. In total, 1672 deaths were reported (case fatality rate, 11.2%). Most cases were in men (57.3%), were in those aged > 60 years (55.9%), occurred during winter (46.4%), and were in those residing in Northern Taiwan (46.9%). Comparing the gender, age, season and place of residence of the cases each year is statistically significant (p = 0.002, < 0.001, < 0.001, < 0.001, respectively). Furyhermore, comparing the total number of cases in the gender from 2010 to 2020, there are significant differences in the age groups (p < 0.001). In addition, comparing the total number of cases in each age group from 2010 to 2020, there are significant differences in the season and residency (p < 0.001, < 0.001, respectively). Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 was the dominant virus strain, and China was the most common country of origin for the imported cases.

Background: Pulmonary aspergillosis represents a significant public health concern resulting from the proliferation of Aspergillus species within the respiratory tract. This infection is frequently underdiagnosed in comparison to tuberculosis during the management of pulmonary infections, especially among individuals living with HIV. The objective of this study was to determine the positivity rate of Aspergillus spp. from sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples of patients presenting with tuberculosis-like symptoms at Jamot Hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and to evaluate their antifungal resistance profiles.

Methods: A total of 114 samples (104 sputum and 10 bronchoalveolar lavage) were collected for mycological analysis. Data were verified, coded, and analyzed using StatView v5.0 and GraphPad v8.0.2 for Windows. Pearson's chi-square test of independence and multivariate logistic regression models were used to compare percentages, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Aspergillus spp. were detected in 12.3% of samples, with two species identified. Aspergillus niger was predominant (57%0), followed by Aspergillus flavus (29%). A. niger isolates tested (5) exhibited resistance to polyenes, with 80% resistant to amphotericin B and 40% to nystatin, and 20% resistant to the azole fluconazole. All A. niger isolates were susceptible to econazole and clotrimazole. Among the five A. flavus isolates tested, all demonstrated resistance to amphotericin B and fluconazole, 60% to nystatin, and 20% to clotrimazole.

Conclusion: Aspergillus spp. is present in the respiratory tract but often overlooked, and can lead to a misdiagnosis of tuberculosis. Although the very small number of isolates tested, Aspergillus spp. could be also affected to the antimicrobial resistance observed in recent years.