Shigellosis is a major public health concern worldwide, especially in developing countries. It is an acute intestinal infection caused by bacteria of the genus Shigella, with a minimum infective dose as low as 10-100 bacterial cells. Increasing prevalence of Shigella sonnei as the etiologic agent of shigellosis in Malaysia has been reported. As there is limited information on the genetic background of S. sonnei in Malaysia, this study aimed to characterize Malaysian S. sonnei and to evaluate the prospect of using multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) for subtyping of local S. sonnei.
The degree of surveillance data and control strategies for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) varies across the Asia-Pacific region. IMD cases are often reported throughout the region, but the disease is not notifiable in some countries, including Myanmar, Bangladesh and Malaysia. Although there remains a paucity of data from many countries, specific nations have introduced additional surveillance measures. The incidence of IMD is low and similar across the represented countries (<0.2 cases per 100,000 persons per year), with the predominant serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis being B, W and Y, although serogroups A and X are present in some areas. Resistance to ciprofloxacin is also of concern, with the close monitoring of antibiotic-resistant clonal complexes (e.g., cc4821) being a priority. Meningococcal vaccination is only included in a few National Immunization Programs, but is recommended for high-risk groups, including travellers (such as pilgrims) and people with complement deficiencies or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Both polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines form part of recommendations. However, cost and misconceptions remain limiting factors in vaccine uptake, despite conjugate vaccines preventing the acquisition of carriage.