Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a successful pathogen that has achieved global dissemination, with high prevalence rates in Southeast Asia. A huge diversity of clones has been reported in this region, with MRSA ST239 being the most successful lineage. Nonetheless, description of MRSA genotypes circulating in the Southeast Asia region has, until now, remained poorly compiled. In this review, we aim to provide a better understanding of the molecular epidemiology and distribution of MRSA clones in 11 Southeast Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, and Timor-Leste. Notably, while archaic multidrug-resistant hospital-associated (HA) MRSAs, such as the ST239-III and ST241-III, were prominent in the region during earlier observations, these were then largely replaced by the more antibiotic-susceptible community-acquired (CA) MRSAs, such as ST22-IV and PVL-positive ST30-IV, in recent years after the turn of the century. Nonetheless, reports of livestock-associated (LA) MRSAs remain few in the region.

Hospital environmental surfaces are potential reservoirs for transmitting hospital-associated pathogens. This study aimed to profile microbiomes and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from hospital environmental surfaces using 16S rRNA amplicon and metagenomic sequencing at a tertiary teaching hospital in Malaysia. Samples were collected from patient sinks and healthcare staff counters at surgery and orthopaedic wards. The samples’ DNA were subjected to 16S rRNA amplicon and shotgun sequencing to identify bacterial taxonomic profiles, antibiotic resistance genes, and virulence factor pathways. The bacterial richness was more diverse in the samples collected from patient sinks than those collected from staff counters. Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia dominated at the phylum level, while Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Acinetobacter dominated at the genus level. Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus were prevalent on sinks while Bacillus cereus dominated the counter samples. The highest counts of ARGs to beta-lactam were detected, followed by ARGs against fosfomycin and cephalosporin. We report the detection of mcr-10.1 that confers resistance to colistin at a hospital setting in Malaysia. The virulence gene pathways that aid in antibiotic resistance gene transfer between bacteria were identified. Environmental surfaces serve as potential reservoirs for nosocomial infections and require mitigation strategies to control the spread of antibiotic resistance bacteria.

Dengue mortality remains high despite monitoring against warning signs (WS). The associations of WS at febrile phase (FP) and hemorrhage at defervescence with the levels and kinetics of ROTEM, platelet count, cortisol, and ferritin were analyzed. Patients with confirmed dengue serology and WS in two centers were screened (n = 275) and 62 eligible patients were recruited prospectively over 9 months. “Vomiting” was the commonest WS (62.9%), with shortened clotting time (CT) INTEM (p = 0.01). “Hematocrit increase” showed significant prolonged CT INTEM, EXTEM, and FIBTEM (p < 0.05). “Platelet decrease” showed reduced platelet function and reduced clot amplitude at 10 min (A10) and maximum clot firmness (MCF) in INTEM and EXTEM (p < 0.001). The kinetics were reduced in platelet count, CT EXTEM, and cortisol (p < 0.05) but increased in CT INTEM (p = 0.03). At FP, “vomiting”, “hematocrit increase”, and “platelet decrease” demonstrated impaired CT, clot strengths A10/MCF and platelet functions. Majority (60/62, 96.7%) had non-severe outcomes, consistent with increase in cortisol kinetics. In conclusion, “vomiting”, “hematocrit increase” and “platelet decrease” at FP correlated with ROTEM. No conclusion could be made further regarding ferritin and cortisol. Larger study is required to study “hematocrit increase” with ROTEM as a potential marker for hemorrhage.

Background and Objectives: The objective of this study is to examine the effect of the BNT162b2 vaccine on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP) before and 15 min after two doses that were given 21 days apart. Materials and Methods: This active surveillance study of vaccine safety was conducted on 15 and 16 March (for the first dose) and 5 and 6 April (for the second dose) 2021 in an academic hospital. For both doses, SBP, DBP, MAP, and PP levels were measured before and 15 min after both doses were given to healthcare workers over the age of 18. The results of the study were based on measurements of the mean blood pressure (BP), the mean changes in BP, and the BP trends. Results: In total, 287 individuals received the vaccine. After the first dose, 25% (n = 72) of individuals had a decrease in DBP of at least 10 mmHg (mean DBP decrease: 15 mmHg, 95% CI: 14–17 mmHg), and after the second dose it was 12.5% (mean DBP decrease: 13 mmHg, 95% CI: 12–15 mmHg). After the first dose, 28.6% (n = 82) had a PP that was wider than 40 mmHg. After the first dose, 5.2% and 4.9% of the individuals experienced an increase or decrease in SBP, respectively, of more than 20 mmHg. After the second dose, the SBP of 11% (n = 32) decreased by at least 20 mmHg. Conclusions: Improved understanding of vaccine effects on BP may help address vaccine hesitancy in healthcare workers.