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Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the seroprevalence of acute dengue in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Medical Centre and its correlation with selected haematological and biochemical parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2015. A patient was serologically diagnosed with acute dengue if the dengue virus IgG, IgM or NS-1 antigen was reactive. Results: Out of 1,774 patients suspected to have acute dengue, 1,153 were serologically diagnosed with the infection, resulting in a seroprevalence of 64.9%. Dengue-positive patients had a lower mean platelet count (89 x 109/L) compared to the dengue-negative patients (171 x 109/L) (p<0.0001). The mean total white cell count was also lower in the dengue-positive cases (4.7 x 109/L vs. 7.2 x 109/L; p<0.0001). The mean haematocrit was higher in patients with acute dengue (42.5% vs. 40.0%; p<0.0001). Likewise, the serum alanine transaminase level was also higher in patients with acute dengue (108 U/L vs. 54 U/L; p<0.0001). Conclusions: Dengue is very prevalent in UKM Medical Centre as most patients suspected to have acute dengue had serological evidence of the infection. The platelet count was the single most likely parameter to be abnormal (i.e. low) in patients with acute dengue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomic surveillance is crucial for tracking emergence and spread of novel variants of pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, to inform public health interventions and to enforce control measures. However, in some settings especially in low- and middle- income counties, where sequencing platforms are limited, only certain patients get to be selected for sequencing surveillance. Here, we show that patients with multiple comorbidities potentially harbour SARS-CoV-2 with higher mutation rates and thus deserve more attention for genomic surveillance. The relationship between the patient comorbidities, and type of amino acid mutations was assessed. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant tendency for mutations to occur within the ORF1a region for patients with higher number of comorbidities. Frequency analysis of the amino acid substitution within ORF1a showed that nsp3 P822L of the PLpro protease was one of the highest occurring mutations. Using molecular dynamics, we simulated that the P822L mutation in PLpro represents a system with lower Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) fluctuations, and consistent Radius of gyration (Rg), Solvent Accessible Surface Area (SASA) values—indicate a much stabler protein than the wildtype. The outcome of this study will help determine the relationship between the clinical status of a patient and the mutations of the infecting SARS-CoV-2 virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 in the COVID-19 pandemic had raised questions on the route of transmission of this disease. Initial understanding was that transmission originated from respiratory droplets from an infected host to a susceptible host. However, indirect contact transmission of viable virus by fomites and through aerosols has also been suggested. Herein, we report the involvement of fine indoor air particulates with a diameter of ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) as the virus's transport agent. PM2.5 was collected over four weeks during 48-h measurement intervals in four separate hospital wards containing different infected clusters in a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our results indicated the highest SARS-CoV-2 RNA on PM2.5 in the ward with number of occupants. We suggest a link between the virus-laden PM2.5 and the ward's design. Patients' symptoms and numbers influence the number of airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA with PM2.5 in an enclosed environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]