An outbreak of dengue virus (DENV) occurred in Yunnan province. More than 2,000 individuals were infected from August to November 2013. In this study, we aimed to characterize the origin and prevalence of DENV in Dehong prefecture of Yunnan province using phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses of DENV strains collected from local patients and foreign travelers. A total of 41 DENV-positive serum samples were randomly collected from travelers who entered China at Ruili port or local patients with dengue fever in Dehong prefecture of Yunnan province, China. The envelope (E) gene of DENV was amplified and sequenced. The distributions and evolutionary characteristics of different genotypes were elucidated by phylogenetic and Bayesian analyses. Phylogenetically, all of the 41 DENV-positive samples could be classified into genotype I (43.9%) of serotype DENV-1 and the Asian I genotype (56.1%) of serotype DENV-2. DENV strains derived from local patients and foreign travelers were scattered equally within these two clusters. Furthermore, the DENV strains from the two populations exhibited high relatedness based on evolutionary characteristics. These results suggested that imported and local DENV strains occurring during the dengue outbreak in 2013 were highly related. Additionally, these data may suggest that this dengue outbreak was caused by a newly imported infection from the neighboring country of Myanmar.

Yunnan is not only considered the region with the most concerning human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 prevalence, but is also the central hub for the spread of HIV-1 from Southeast Asia to the other provinces of China. Yunnan has the highest proportion of entry travelers who have transmitted HIV from neighbored Southeast Asian countries to mainland of China. Between 2003 and 2012, we recruited 280,961 entry travelers at land ports located in 7 bordering prefectures respectively in the Yunnan Province for HIV-1 screening. Based on the detection of HIV-1 antibody, the HIV-1 infection rate was determined. Among the recruited entry travelers, 2380 were determined HIV-1 positive with infection rate of 0.85%. Travelers entering the Dehong port had the highest HIV-1 infection rate (5.12%), followed by those entering Baoshan (0.88%), Lincang (0.83%), and Honghe (0.71%). For all HIV-1 positive cases, travelers aged 21–30 and 31–40 were the most commonly infected individuals, accounting for 38.45% and 37.77% of all cases, respectively. The most common occupation of the infected population was driver (42.38%), and the proportion of industrials had increased yearly. Based on the reported risk factors, sexual transmission was the main HIV-1 infection route (77.11%) of this population. We have clarified the rate of HIV-1 infection among this bridge population. The characteristics of HIV-1 positive population and high geographical heterogeneity have provided the necessary epidemiological data for monitoring the HIV-1 epidemic among cross-border travelers in Yunnan and to further understand the cross-border spreading of the HIV-1 infection.

A sandwich lateral flow strip assay (LFSA) using a couple of aptamers functionalized with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was designed to assess the presence of rongalite in agrifood products. More specifically, a biotin-labeled primary A09 aptamer immobilized on a streptavidin-coated membrane and a secondary B09 aptamer conjugated with AuNPs were developed as capturing and signaling probes, respectively. This system allows the successful and direct detection of rongalite in food samples with concentrations as low as 1 μg/mL, simply by observing the color change of LFSA control and test line.

The overall success of Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) antiretroviral therapy (ART) was heavily challenged upon the occurrence of drug resistance. Dehong Prefecture witnessed not only the first report of HIV-1 infection but also the experimental adoption of antiviral treatment in China. The transmission and epidemic of HIV-1 in Dehong is impacted by cross-border activities. The characteristics of HIV-1 drug resistance among therapy-naïve Burmese entering travelers in Yunnan and their speculated origin are still not clarified. Two hundred ninety-eight HIV-1 infected Burmese entering travelers at Dehong ports were recruited between 2003 and 2012. The partial HIV-1 pol gene fragments were amplified and sequenced for the analysis of drug-resistance mutations (DRMs). Phylogenetic analysis on gag-pol gene was conducted to elucidate phylogenetic and evolutionary characteristics of these drug resistant strains. It was figured out that the occurrence ratio of HIV-1 drug resistance among HIV-1 infected entering travelers from Myanmar was up to 12.8%. The resistant mutations covered several types, including one type of PI mutations (L33F), six types of NRTI mutations and seven types of NNRTI. Close genetic relationship was observed in the phylogenetic analysis on gag-pol gene among the drug resistant strains respectively from Dehong, other Yunnan areas, neighboring provinces (Guangxi) and neighboring countries (Thailand and Myanmar). The findings in this study revealed that HIV drug resistant locus is spreading from the population who is receiving drug-resistance treatment to the new infectors, which indicates the urgency of surveillance work on drug resistance among the migrant population with high risks of HIV infection.

Human herpesviruses (HHVs) have a particularly high prevalence in certain high‐risk populations and cause increased morbidity and mortality in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Screening and treating subclinical HHV infections reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection incidence, disease progression, and transmission. However, there are few studies on HHVs, HIV coinfection rates, and their related risk factors. We aimed to clarify the prevalence of all eight HHVs in peripheral blood samples collected from HIV‐positive patients, and explore the association of HHV infection in HIV‐positive patients in an HIV‐seropositive population in Yunnan. We recruited 121 HIV‐positive patients with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and 45 healthy individuals. All the eight HHVs were detected using polymerase chain reaction and their epidemiological information and clinical data were collected and statistically analyzed. A high prevalence of HHVs (89.3%) was observed in individuals with HIV infections and with herpes simplex virus (HSV)‐2 (65.3%), and HSV‐1 (59.5%) being the most common. Coinfection with more than two different HHVs was more common in patients with HIV infections receiving HAART (72.7%) than in healthy controls. Older age, being married, higher HIV‐1 plasma viral loads, and use of antiviral protease inhibitors were independently correlated with an increased frequency of HHVs, but we found no association with CD4 count, WHO HIV clinical stage, and HIV infection duration. Our findings are of great significance for the prevention of HHV opportunistic infection in patients with AIDS and their clinical treatment.