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How do you go about building all the skills you need at the start of your research career? Cherry Lim from our MORU unit in Bangkok, Thailand, was lucky to find a good mentor who guided her through this journey, but her own ceaseless curiosity and excitement about research were also important.
Prospective characterisation of drug-resistant bloodstream infections in Africa and Asia (ACORN2): a surveillance network assessment
Posted 17/12/2025. The burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in many low- and middle-income countries remains largely unknown. The Wellcome-funded ACORN2 study worked with clinical teams in 19 hospitals across Africa and Asia to identify a high incidence of AMR in bloodstream infections caused by global priority bacterial pathogens. By Paul Turner
Nationwide seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic and prepandemic periods in Lao PDR
Posted 21/11/2025. Laos reported the region’s fewest COVID-19 cases in 2020–early 2021, leading some to suspect weak surveillance. However, gold-standard serology showed minimal SARS-CoV-2 exposure, no cross-reactive neutralising antibodies before the pandemic, and low seroprevalence before vaccination, confirming Laos had little transmission prior to the surge beginning in May 2021. By Koukeo Phommasone
Causes of death in rural southeast Asia by electronic verbal autopsy: a population-based observational study
Posted 20/11/2025. A five-country rural verbal-autopsy study finds a substantial burden of non-communicable diseases alongside persistent infectious threats. High rates of undocumented home deaths and limited access to care highlight the need to strengthen primary healthcare systems, improve mortality surveillance, and target interventions across Southeast Asia’s rural communities. By Nan Shwe Nwe Htun
Factors associated with positive blood cultures in children in nine African and Asian countries: the ACORN2 surveillance network
Posted 07/11/2025. Blood culture (BC) yield is low in children. Cristina Ardura-Garcia and colleagues used data from ACORN2, a surveillance network including 19 African and Asian hospitals, to identify routinely collected and readily available factors associated with BC positivity in hospitalised children. These findings may optimise BC indications in children in LMICs.
Identification and pathogen screening of ectoparasites from companion animals in urban Vientiane, Lao PDR
Posted 29/10/2025. Vanheuang Phommadeechack and colleagues examined the prevalence of zoonotic pathogens within ectoparasites found on dogs and cats in Vientiane, Laos. Fleas and ticks carried Rickettsia and Anaplasmataceae, seen as potential human pathogens. This highlights risks of zoonotic infections and the need for vector control strategies with companion animals, supporting public health and awareness.
Handheld Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy for rapid non-invasive detection of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol in medicinal syrups
Posted 06/08/2025. Pavel Matousek, Paul Newton and colleagues from the Medicine Quality Research Group developed a portable laser-based method, SORS, to detect toxic contaminants in medicinal syrups without opening bottles. This innovation addresses the urgent need for accessible screening, following deadly contamination incidents in Asia and Africa. The technology enables rapid, non-invasive testing across supply chains to improve medicine safety.
Pneumococcal density and respiratory co-detection in severe pediatric pneumonia in Laos
Posted 03/06/2025. Worldwide, acute respiratory infection is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. The first study in Laos on respiratory pathogen co-detection was conducted at Mahosot Hospital and confirmed an association between pneumococcal density and influenza but not between respiratory syncytial virus and severe pneumonia in children less than 5 years old. By Audrey Dubot-Peres and Sue Lee.
Genetic surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum populations following treatment policy revisions in the Greater Mekong Subregion
Posted 27/05/2025. The GenRe-Mekong project analysed 5,982 Plasmodium falciparum samples in the Greater Mekong Subregion (2017–2022), using genetic surveillance to inform malaria control. A sharp decline in piperaquine-resistant strains followed drug policy changes, highlighting how real-time genetic data can support timely, evidence-based responses to shifting malaria threats. By Varanya Wasakul
Sustainable antimicrobial resistance surveillance: time for a global funding mechanism
Posted 07/01/2025. The continued costs of a standard national AMR surveillance system are predicted to account for over 5% of the total domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) for 28 LMICs and more than 2% of GGHE-D for 46 LMICs. This high cost is not sustainable without a long-term global financing mechanism. By Liz Ashley
AmpC β-lactamases detected in Southeast Asian Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae
Posted 20/12/2024. AmpC β-lactamases are a neglected cause of third generation cephalosporin resistance in Southeast Asia. This collaboration between COMRU, LOMWRU and SMRU showed that AmpC β-lactamases are an important cause of infection, though infections may be going undetected due to a lack of testing resulting in sub-optimal treatment for patients. By Tamalee Roberts
Ethical and cultural implications for conducting verbal autopsies in South and Southeast Asia: a qualitative study
Posted 20/12/2023. The verbal autopsy method can be sensitive to the individuals interviewed, their families and communities. Prior to study implementation, Nan Shwe Nwe Htun, Tom Peto and SEACTN colleagues sought to explore local beliefs and practices about death to inform appropriate bioethical practices and found that verbal autopsy is acceptable across a wide range of cultural settings in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos PDR, and Cambodia.
Accuracy of the direct agglutination test for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Posted 01/12/2023. Parasitology is the gold standard for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), however, other less invasive tests are available such as the direct agglutination test (DAT). As part of the series of systematic reviews and meta-analysis on diagnostic accuracy of diagnostics for FIEBRE infections, Tamalee Roberts and colleagues estimate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of DAT for the diagnosis of VL.
A systematic review of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Myanmar
Posted 21/11/2023. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of preventable and treatable diseases common in Myanmar, primarily affecting marginalized rural communities. Myo Swe and colleagues provide an overview of reported NTDs in Myanmar over 100 years, indicating gaps in knowledge about certain diseases to inform future research directions related to NTDs in Myanmar.
A Clinically Oriented antimicrobial Resistance surveillance Network (ACORN): pilot implementation in three countries in Southeast Asia, 2019-2020
Posted 01/11/2023. ACORN (A Clinically Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network) is a WHO GLASS compatible case-based surveillance method for antimicrobial resistance that produces more meaningful and locally actionable data. Rogier van Doorn and colleagues publish the results of a pilot in three countries, showing proof of principle and valuable lessons to be learned going forward. More at: acornamr.net
Longitudinal comparison of bacterial pathogen seropositivity among wet market vendors in the Lao People's Democratic Republic
Posted 31/08/2023. Vendors at wet markets in Laos may be exposed to different zoonotic pathogens depending on the types of food they sell. A one-year serological survey by Matthew Robinson and colleagues identified that individuals selling vegetables, domestic farmed meat, or wildlife meat, were potentially infected by important bacterial pathogens associated with both farmed animals and wildlife.
Malaria outbreak in Laos driven by a selective sweep for Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 R539T mutants: a genetic epidemiology analysis
Posted 14/12/2022. Malaria outbreaks can be driven by genetic selection rather than environmental or behavioural causes. Varanya Wasakul, Olivo Miotto and colleagues investigated a Plasmodium falciparum outbreak in Attapeu, Laos, in 2020-2021, using genomic epidemiology methods to elucidate parasite population dynamics, identify the outbreak’s causes and reconstruct the origin of the circulating strains.
Orientia tsutsugamushi in Chiggers and Small Mammals in Laos
Posted 06/12/2011. Scrub typhus is an important cause of febrile illness in Laos. Ivo Elliott and colleagues collected, identified and tested small mammals hosts and vector chigger mites for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative pathogen. A single pool of chiggers tested PCR positive and 16/52 (31%) of small mammals were seropositive. These are the first molecular and serological data on O. tsutsugamushi in vectors and non-human hosts from Laos.
Impact of delayed processing of positive blood cultures on organism detection: a prospective multi-centre study
Posted 19/07/2022. What effect temperature and time have on organism detection from positive blood culture bottles is unknown. Tamalee Roberts, Arjun Chandna and colleagues found that the majority of organisms were recoverable from positive blood culture bottles stored at room temperature. Amies transport swabs also proved effective for transporting blood culture broth and preserving organism viability.
Childhood encephalitis in the Greater Mekong region (the SouthEast Asia Encephalitis Project): a multicentre prospective study
Posted 21/06/2022. The South-East Asia Encephalitis Consortium, coordinated by Institut Pasteur-Paris, published in Lancet Global Health, a large prospective study of childhood encephalitis in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. The Lao site was coordinated by LOMWRU/Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital. This demonstrated the vital importance of prevention, especially vaccination against Japanese encephalitis, and access to rapid, tiered diagnosis and treatment.
Utility of InTray COLOREX Screen agar and InTray COLOREX ESBL agar for urine culture in the Lao PDR
Posted 23/02/2022. Simple diagnostics are needed for enhanced antimicrobial resistance surveillance. Tamalee Roberts and colleagues showed how InTray COLOREX Screen chromogenic agar can be used for simple and rapid detection of uropathogens and ESBLs in LMIC settings. Inoculated agar plates also have the potential for easy storage and transport from field sites to central laboratories.