A5041538930- Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Influenza Virus Research Studies
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
- Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Reproductive tract infections research
- Antibiotic Use and Resistance
- Enterobacteriaceae and Cronobacter Research
- Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
- Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Neutropenia and Cancer Infections
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Syphilis Diagnosis and Treatment
- Microscopic Colitis
- Blood disorders and treatments
- Antibiotics Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy
Health Promotion Agency
2024
Hutt Hospital
2023-2024
Victoria University of Wellington
2024
Southern Community Laboratories (New Zealand)
2016-2023
Wellington Hospital
2017-2023
Capital and Coast District Health Board
2013-2021
University of Otago
2017
National University Health System
2010-2013
National University Hospital
2011-2013
Abstract Stringent nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as lockdowns and border closures are not currently recommended for pandemic influenza control. New Zealand used these NPIs to eliminate coronavirus disease 2019 during its first wave. Using multiple surveillance systems, we observed a parallel unprecedented reduction of other respiratory viral infections in 2020. This finding supports the use controlling severe threats.
Abstract Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito‐borne flavivirus. Infection results in dengue‐like illness with fever, headache, malaise, and maculopapular rash. Nearly all cases are mild self‐limiting but 2007, large outbreak of ZIKV was reported from the island Yap (in Micronesia, northwest Indonesia). Singapore already endemic for dengue, its impact on public health economic burden significant. Other infections (e.g., Chikungunya virus) present. Yet only 10% dengue have laboratory confirmation....
Abstract Background New Zealand's (NZ) complete absence of community transmission influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) after May 2020, likely due to COVID‐19 elimination measures, provided a rare opportunity assess the impact border restrictions on common viral infections over ensuing 2 years. Methods We collected data from multiple surveillance systems, including hospital‐based severe acute infection surveillance, SHIVERS‐II, ‐III ‐IV cohorts for (ARI) HealthStat sentinel general...
Abstract Objective: To describe an outbreak of sequence type (ST)2 Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) detected by a recently implemented multilocus (MLST)-based prospective genomic surveillance system using Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing. Setting: Hemato-oncology ward public tertiary referral centre. Methods: From February 2022, we began prospectively sequencing all C. isolated from inpatients at our institution on the ONT MinION device, with output being MLST....
In this study, we molecularly characterized 12 NDM-1 producing clinical Enterobacteriaceae (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae) isolates that were part of a collection non-carbapenem susceptible obtained during one-year period. These from four local general hospitals in Singapore.Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and sequencing was used to determine the presence β-lactamase encoding genes (bla) including bla plasmid-mediated quinolone aminoglycoside resistance...
Abstract Background Klebsiella variicola has been implicated in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) outbreaks previously and can be misidentified as pneumoniae . An increased incidence of K. bacteremia on the NICU our institution was notified to infection prevention control (IPC) team May 2024. The four isolates involved displayed wild-type susceptibility, so had not detected via multidrug-resistant organism surveillance. This triggered investigation with a nanopore-based decentralized...
While severe outcomes among hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and influenza are well described, comparative studies on community transmission milder illnesses associated lacking. We compared incidence, risk/protective factors, clinical features prospective cohort participants PCR-confirmed COVID-19-associated influenza-associated acute respiratory (ARI) from 7-February to 2-October 2022 in Wellington, New Zealand. The crude ARI incidence was 59/100 person-years (PY). adjusted cumulative...
Carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae are becoming a major public health concern globally, however, relatively little is known about the molecular and clinical epidemiology of these organisms in many parts world. As part laboratory surveillance programme, 96 carbapenem non-susceptible isolates from samples patients seven hospitals were referred for investigation carbapenemases. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to screen collection genes encoding carbapenemases, 33 (34.5%) confirmed...
In Asia, bla(KPC) detection has been limited to East Asia and not yet seen in Southeast Asia. We report four bla(KPC-2)-containing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from two different hospitals Singapore. All belonged strain type 11 (ST11) were indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). bla(KPC-2) was located on nonconjugative plasmids flanked mobile genetic structures composed of a partial Tn4401 transposon Tn3-based which previously have described only Chinese isolates.
Stringent nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as lockdowns and border closures are not currently recommended for pandemic influenza control. New Zealand used these NPIs to eliminate coronavirus disease 2019 during its first wave. Using multiple surveillance systems, we observed a parallel unprecedented reduction of other respiratory viral infections in 2020. This finding supports the use controlling severe threats.
A prior analysis suggested that wound swab culture (WSC) results were driving unnecessary antibiotic use in patients who not already receiving treatment. As a quality-improvement initiative, our laboratory introduced an "exception-reporting" protocol on 1 March 2023, whereby typical pathogens susceptible to recommended empiric therapy (flucloxacillin/cefalexin) reported, and comment was provided, stating no significant resistant organisms had been detected. Full available clinicians request....
Our antimicrobial guidelines (AGs) were changed in 2021 to recommend once-daily ceftriaxone place of three-times-daily cefuroxime as preferred cephalosporin. This analysis sought assess the effects this on incidence Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (3GCR-E) and resource utilisation.
We report what we believe to be the first six cases of daptomycin-non-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus infections from Singapore. These strains were rapidly isolated after bacteraemic patients switched daptomycin following initial prolonged unsuccessful therapy with vancomycin, despite confirmation susceptibility just prior initiating therapy. The majority post-vancomycin exhibited marked thickening their cell walls on electron microscopic examination. In persistent S. bacteraemia,...
Australian guidelines for neutropenic fever recommend piperacillin/tazobactam (PIP-TAZ) or cefepime first-line empiric treatment of fever. We compared outcomes among haematology patients before and after changing our from imipenem to PIP-TAZ. Forty-five received 60 Despite a higher rate antibiotic modification in the PIP-TAZ cohort, success time defervescence were similar, with trend towards fewer Clostridium difficile infections cohort.