Supaporn Wacharapluesadee

Chulalongkorn University · Department of Medicine

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a common cause of human microsporidiosis and can infect a variety of animal hosts worldwide. In Thailand, previous studies have shown that this parasite is common in domestic animals. However, information on the prevalence and genotypes of this parasite in other synanthropic wildlife, including bats, remains limited. Seve...

Emerging coronaviruses (CoVs) are understood to cause critical human and domestic animal diseases; the spillover from wildlife reservoirs can result in mild and severe respiratory illness in humans and domestic animals and can spread more readily in these naïve hosts. A low-cost CoV molecular method that can detect a variety of CoVs from humans, an...

Background Sentinel laboratory surveillance for diarrheal disease determined norovirus to be the most common cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in people during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. An increase in patients presenting with diarrhea and vomiting in hospitals across Chanthaburi province between December 2021 and January 2022 led to t...

Bats are reservoirs for various pathogens, including SARS-like coronaviruses (CoVs). Understanding the distribution of bat species is crucial to identifying areas where viral spillover from bats to other animals or humans might occur. In this study, we performed species distribution modeling to predict suitable habitats within Thailand under curren...

The emergence of Omicron as the fifth variant of concern within the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in late 2021, characterized by its rapid transmission and distinct spike gene mutations, underscored the pressing need for cost-effective and efficient methods to detect viral variants, especially given their evolving nature. This study sought to address this ne...

Background The SARS-CoV-2 continued to emerge new variants. Omicron variants had become world predominance. There were increase in number of breakthrough infections. This study aimed to evaluated immunity after breakthrough infections in Thai patients, given high varieties of vaccination regimens. Methods We conducted a cohort study at King Chulal...

Background Sentinel laboratory surveillance for diarrheal disease determined norovirus to be the most common cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in people during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. An increase in patients presenting with diarrhea and vomiting in hospitals across Chanthaburi province between December 2021 and January 2022 led to t...

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, has been continually emerging and re-emerging since 2010, with sporadic cases reported annually in Thailand, peaking at over 1000 confirmed positive cases in 2016. Leveraging high-throughput sequencing technologies, specifically whole genome sequencing (WGS), has facilitated rapid pathogen genome sequ...

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that is emerging and re-emerging. Since 2010, sporadic ZIKV cases have been reported annually in Thailand, with over 1,000 confirmed positive cases in 2016. High-throughput sequencing technologies, such as whole genome sequencing (WGS), have recently enabled the rapid sequencing of pathogen genomes....

Omicron emerged as the fifth variant of concern of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic in late 2021 and rapidly overtook the previously predominant Delta variants with a significantly faster transmission rate and unique mutations on the spike gene. Hence, the ability to identify viral variants rapidly and affordably in large number of patients, which f...

Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated individuals varies based on the vaccine type, duration after vaccination or infection, and SARS-CoV-2 variant type. We conducted a prospective observational study to evaluate the immunogenicity of a booster vaccination with AZD1222 after two doses of CoronaVac (booster group) compared to individua...

Wastewater surveillance is considered a promising approach for COVID-19 surveillance in communities. In this study, we collected wastewater samples between November 2020 and February 2022 from twenty-three sites in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants for comparison to standard clinical sampling. A t...

The rapid emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with high severity and transmutability adds further urgency for rapid and multiplex molecular testing to identify the variants. A nucleotide matrix-assisted laser-desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrophotometry (MALDI-TOF MS)-based assay was developed (called point mutation array, PMA) to ident...

Filariasis is classified as a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by several filarial nematodes. The disease is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Understanding the relationship between mosquito vectors, filarial parasites, and vertebrate hosts is therefore essential for determining the probability of disease transmission and,...

The rapid emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with high severity and transmutability adds further urgency for rapid and multiplex molecular testing to identify the variants. A nucleotide matrix-assisted laser-desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrophotometry (MALDI-TOF MS)-based assay was developed (called point mutation array, PMA) to ident...

Key Findings From the Living Safely With Bats book’s inception to distribution, the content development team engaged and collaborated with multilevel stakeholders from multiple countries on the diverse cultural contexts and local knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding zoonotic diseases. The book development process provided insights on how...

COVID-19 is the latest zoonotic RNA virus epidemic of concern. Learning how it began and spread will help to determine how to reduce the risk of future events. We review major RNA virus outbreaks since 1967 to identify common features and opportunities to prevent emergence, including ancestral viral origins in birds, bats, and other mammals; animal...

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529 lineage) escapes antibodies that neutralize the ancestral virus. We tested human serum panels from participants with differing infection and vaccination status using a multiplex surrogate virus neutralization assay targeting 20 sarbecoviruses. We found that bat and pangolin sarbecoviruses showed significant...

Host-virus associations have co-evolved under ecological and evolutionary selection pressures that shape cross-species transmission and spillover to humans. Observed virus-host associations provide relevant context for newly discovered wildlife viruses to assess knowledge gaps in host-range and estimate pathways for potential human infection. Using...

We determined the levels of neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain, Delta and Omicron variants of concern (VOCs), in 125 healthcare workers who received CoronaVac as their primary vaccination and later received either a single ChAdOx1 or a combi-nation of two consecutive boosters using either two ChAdOx1 doses or a ChAdOx1...

We determined the levels of neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain, Delta and Omicron variants of concern (VOCs) in 125 healthcare workers, who received Coro-naVac as their primary vaccination and later received either a single ChAdOx1 or a combination of two consecutive boosters using either two ChAdOx1 doses or a ChAdOx1...

Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus that can pose a serious threat to human and livestock health. Old-world fruit bats (Pteropus spp.) are the natural reservoir hosts for NiV, and Pteropus lylei, Lyle's flying fox, is an important host of NiV in mainland Southeast Asia. NiV can be transmitted from bats to humans directly via bat-contaminated food...

Background Interactions between humans and animals are the key elements of zoonotic spillover leading to zoonotic disease emergence. Research to understand the high-risk behaviors associated with disease transmission at the human-animal interface is limited, and few consider regional and local contexts. Objective This study employed an integrated...

Introduction: Duration of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) shedding is important for infection control. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) leader indicates that the virus is replicative. This study examined the shedding duration of SARS-CoV-2 sgRNA leader and genomic RNA (gRNA) in diverse respiratory spec...

Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) is commonly used in national immunization programs. However, the immune response significantly declines within a few months. Our study assessed the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 after receiving booster shots of BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 among health care workers who previously received CoronaVac as their pr...

Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) is commonly used in national immunization programs. However, the immune response significantly declined within a few months. Our study assessed the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 after receiving booster shots of BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 among health care workers who previously received CoronaVac as their pr...

Background The distribution of phlebotomine sand flies is changing rapidly due to climate change. This issue has implications for the epidemiology of sand fly-borne diseases, especially sand fly-associated viruses. Few studies concerning sand fly-associated viruses have been conducted in Thailand. Therefore, this study aimed to perform a molecular...

Background: Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (CoronaVac®, Sinovac, or SV) and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Vaxzevria®, Oxford-Astra Zeneca, or AZ) vaccines have been administered to the health care workers (HCWs). Objective: To determine the short-term immune response after the SV and AZ vaccinations in HCWs. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, HCWs who comp...

In vitro determination of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 neutralizing antibodies induced in serum samples from recipients of the CoronaVac vaccine showed a short protection period against the original virus strain and limited protection against variants of concern. These data provide support for vaccine boosters, especially variant...

Background: Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (CoronaVac,Sinovac, or SV) and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Vaxzevria,Oxford-Astra Zeneca, or AZ) vaccines have been administered to the health care workers (HCWs) in Thailand. Objective: To determine the short-term immune response after the SV and AZ vaccinations in HCWs. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, HCWs who c...

Host-virus associations have co-evolved under ecological and evolutionary selection pressures that shape cross-species transmission and spillover to humans. Observed virus-host associations provide relevant context for newly discovered wildlife viruses to assess knowledge gaps in host range and estimate pathways for potential human infection. Using...

Background Nipah virus (NiV) infection causes encephalitis and has > 75% mortality rate, making it a WHO priority pathogen due to its pandemic potential. There have been NiV outbreak(s) in Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, and southern Philippines. NiV naturally circulates among fruit bats of the genus Pteropus and has been detected widely across Southe...

The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the WHO in March 2020. The neonatal population is thought to have a low incidence and severity of the disease, but maternal-to-fetus transmission has not been well studied. We present a term infant born to a mother with mild symptoms of laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection seven days prior to...

Early in January 2020, Thailand became the first country where a Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID‐19) patient was identified outside China. In this study, 23 whole genomes of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) from patients who were hospitalized during January to March 2020 were analyzed, along with their travel histories. Si...

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21768-2

Background Nipah virus (NiV) infection causes encephalitis and has > 75% mortality rate, making it a WHO priority pathogen due to its pandemic potential. There have been NiV outbreak(s) in Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, and southern Philippines. NiV naturally circulates among fruit bats of the genus Pteropus and has been detected widely across Southe...

Background The presence of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) is an indicator of protective immunity for most viral infections. A newly developed surrogate viral neutralization assay (sVNT) offers the ability to detect total receptor binding domain-targeting NAbs in an isotype-independent manner, increasing the test sensitivity. Thus, specimens with lo...

Among the many questions unanswered for the COVID-19 pandemic are the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and the potential role of intermediate animal host(s) in the early animal-to-human transmission. The discovery of RaTG13 bat coronavirus in China suggested a high probability of a bat origin. Here we report molecular and serological evidence of SARS-CoV-2 rel...

Background Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors for several pathogenic bacteria, parasites and viruses that have significant impacts on public health. Sand fly-associated viruses that cause diseases in humans and animals have recently received more attention. This study aimed to detect pathogenic viruses belonging to the Orbivirus genus, Phlebovirus...

Introduction Influenza virus favours the respiratory tract as its primary site of host entry and replication, and it is transmitted mainly via respiratory secretions. Nasopharyngeal swab is the gold standard specimen type for influenza detection, but several studies have also suggested that the virus replicates in the human gastrointestinal tract....

In resource-limited countries, early detection of novel pathogens is often challenging, due to financial and technical constraints. This study reports the efficacy of family-wide polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in screening, detecting, and identifying initial cases of the novel SARS-CoV-2 in Thailand. Respiratory secretions were collected from susp...

Recent ecological theories propose that species reach their highest abundance and genetic diversity in the center of their ecological niche and decline toward the edges. We assessed whether Lyle's flying fox, Pteropus lylei, abundance and genetic diversity were correlated with niche centroid distance using an ecological niche model as a proxy for f...

In the age of a pandemic, such as the ongoing one caused by SARS-CoV-2, the world faces limited supply of tests, PPE and reagents, and factories are struggling to meet the growing demands. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of pooling specimen for testing of SARS-CoV-2 virus, to determine whether costs and resource savings could be achieved...

In the age of a pandemic, such as the ongoing one caused by SARS‐CoV‐2, the world faces a limited supply of tests, personal protective equipment, and factories and supply chains are struggling to meet the growing demands. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of specimen pooling for testing of SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, to determine whether costs and re...

We report two cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in travellers from Wuhan, China to Thailand. Both were independent introductions on separate flights, discovered with thermoscanners and confirmed with RT-PCR and genome sequencing. Both cases do not seem directly linked to the Huanan Seafood Market in Hubei but the viral genomes are identi...

Amatoxin poisoning is the main cause of death from accidental ingestion of poisonous mushrooms and a mortality rate of 27.3% has been reported in Thailand. Symptoms of mushroom ingestion are often confused with food poisoning; thus, gastroenteritis is not recognised as the first phase of poisoning. Our study assessed the efficacy of N-acetylcystein...

The Khao Chong Phran Non-hunting Area has the largest population of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bats (Chaerephon plicatus) in Thailand. We examined monthly variations in sexual size dimorphism through measurements of forearm length and body mass during 2016. Bats were captured in each month at dawn and dusk. Individuals were sexed, aged, measured an...

Duengkae, P., Srikhunmuang , P., Chaiyes, A., Suksavate, W., Pongpattananurak, N., Wacharaplues-adee, S., Hemachudha, T., 2019. Patch metrics of roosting site selection by Lyle's flying fox (Pteropus lylei Andersen, 1908) in a human-dominated landscape in Thailand. Folia Oecologica, 46: 63-73. The association between patch metrics and roosting site...

Several mosquito species have been described as vectors for the Zika virus (ZIKV), such as those in the Aedes, Anopheles, Mansonia and Culex genera. Our previous survey studies were found the ZIKV RNA positive in both male, female and larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus Say and Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes collected from active ZIKV infected patients...

Zika virus (ZIKV) continues to affect certain parts of the World. Here we report a case that supports breastfeeding regardless of mother ZIKV status by providing clinical and virological studies.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is an emerging and re-emerging arbovirus disease that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. ZIKV infections were first described in Thailand in 1954 from the sera of indigenous residents and several travelers returning from Thailand in 2014. However, reported cases in Thailand have been increa...

Human coronavirus HKU1 (HCoV-HKU1) was first detected in a patient with viral pneumonia from Hong Kong in 2004. Here, we report the first complete genome sequence of HCoV-HKU1 from Thailand, obtained from a nonill person who worked in a bat cave. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed it as a group B HCoV-HKU1.

Zika virus (ZIKV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) are emerging and re-emerging arboviral diseases. These viruses are transmitted to humans through the bites of Aedes mosquitoes. Recently, ZIKV infection has been described as an emerging disease in Thailand and many countries, especially in tropical and subtropical areas. Specific...

Lyle's flying fox (Pteropus lylei) is a large frugivorous bat found in central Thailand that usually roosts in temples in the middle of towns in close proximity to humans. Pteropus lylei is considered a reservoir for Nipah encephalitis viral outbreaks reported in Malaysia and Bangladesh. Thailand is bordered to the south by Malaysia. Information on...

Febrile illnesses are among the most common reasons for visits to hospitals and clinics worldwide. Since fevers can arise from a wide range of diseases, identifying the causative pathogen is essential not only for effective personal treatment but also for early detection of outbreaks. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) tasked a coalition of...

Dengue virus, an RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family, is characterized by its exceptional genetic diversity, starting with its four viral serotypes, an intra-serotype genetic diversity illustrated by phenotypic variations (i.e. pathogenicity) and phylogeographic clusters. Cycles within its mosquito vector play an important role in this genetic div...

Background: Bats are natural reservoirs for several highly pathogenic and novel viruses including coronaviruses (CoVs) (mainly Alphacoronavirus and Betacoronavirus). Lyle's flying fox (Pteropus lylei)'s roosts and foraging sites are usually in the proximity to humans and animals. Knowledge about age-specific pattern of CoV infection in P. lylei, p...

Lyle's flying fox (Pteropus lylei) is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources; therefore, assessing the population distribution and density of P. lylei is fundamental to its conservation and management. We combined community-based and field surveys to update information on the distributio...

Background Previous reports of infectious encephalitis in Thailand showed viruses as major pathogens similar to worldwide data. Major viruses in studies varied among Japanese encephalitis, Enteroviruses and Herpesviruses. Infectious etiologies vary by regions, seasons and preventive strategies done. Dynamic change of pathogen is believed to occur c...

Objective: To determine the etiologic agents of fever of unknown origin among populations in agricultural communities and to assess the possible risk factors for zoonotic infections. Methods: Hospitalized patients with fever of unknown origin under physician care were asked to participate and provide blood samples for laboratory tests and screening...

Thailand reported the first Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) case on 18 June 2015 (day 4) in an Omani patient with heart condition who was diagnosed with pneumonia on hospital admission on 15 June 2015 (day 1). Two false negative RT-PCR on upper respiratory tract samples on days 2 and 3 led to a 48-hour diagnosis delay and a decision to tran...

Human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) infection was diagnosed in a Thai patient with chronic progressive myelopathy. The phylogenetic tree of the ltr sequencing of HTLV-1 indicated the virus belongs to the Transcontinental genotype of the Cosmopolitan subtype A. This is the first case report of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy in South East Asia....

This article has been almost completely revised, not only keeping in mind new research but also focusing on the potential application of new knowledge. Analysis of available immunogenicity data following postexposure rabies prophylaxis (PEP) led to evidence-based reduction in the length of postexposure vaccine schedules, which previously required 3...

In 2014, two unusual peaks of H1N1 influenza outbreak occurred in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, in Thailand. Among 2,406 cases, one of the 22 deaths in the province included a 6-year-old boy, who initially presented with acute necrotizing encephalopathy. On the other hand, his sibling was mildly affected by the same influenza virus strain, confirmed...

This article has been almost completely revised, keeping in mind new research, but also focusing on the potential application of new knowledge. Analysis of available immunogenicity data following postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) rabies led to evidence-based reduction in the length of postexposure vaccine schedules which previously required 3. months...

Background: Nipah virus (NiV) first emerged in Malaysia in 1998, with two bat species (Pteropus hypomelanus and P. vampyrus) as the putative natural reservoirs. In 2002, NiV IgG antibodies were detected in these species from Thailand, but viral RNA could not be detected for strain characterization. Two strains of NiV (Malaysia and Bangladesh) have...

Background Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is the most common cause of sporadic encephalitis worldwide. The high mortality rate (70–80 %) of herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) can be reduced to 20–30 % by antiviral therapy. However, normocellular CSF can lure physicians to look for non-infectious causes, resulting in delayed treatment. This study aimed t...

Hunting and loss of natural habitats increasingly threaten tropical biodiversity and ecosystems, particularly in Southeast Asia. Flying foxes often persist in anthropogenic areas where other wildlife has vanished, and where they play a significant ecological role in vegetation regeneration in disturbed habitats. Detailed knowledge on the foraging b...

Bats are reservoirs for a diverse range of coronaviruses (CoVs), including those closely related to human pathogens such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome CoV. There are approximately 139 bat species reported to date in Thailand, of which two are endemic species. Due to the zoonotic potential of Co...

Background: Ciguatera intoxication is a form of food poisoning. It is caused by the consumption of certain warm-water fish that have accumulated ciguatera toxin (CTX) through the marine food chain. Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is a global disease, which although common, has been largely ignored in Thailand. This may be attributed to lack of confi...

Food poisoning or gastroenteritis is a common diagnosis for individuals who have nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after ingestion of fish. When also manifesting neurological symptoms, these are blamed on puffer fish poisoning, but ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) can also manifest only with ga-stroenteritis, without neurological complications and remain...

Background: Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging zoonosis of paramyxovirus that causes febrile encephalitis with high death rates in humans. It has been successfully isolated and genetically characterized in three species of fruit bats including Pteropus hypomelanus, R vampyrus in Malaysia, and R lylei (Lyle's fruit bat) in Cambodia. Little is still kn...

Data on encephalitis in Thailand have not been completely described. Etiologies remain largely unknown. We prospectively analyzed 103 Thai patients from 27 provinces for the causes of encephalitis using clinical, microbiological and neuroimaging indices; caseswithout a diagnosis were evaluated for autoimmune causes of encephalitis. Patients with en...

Minimum amino acid identity of the novel rodent to prototype hepaciviruses. [1] Rhabdomys pumilio clade 1 hepacivirus: SAR46 (KC411807); SAR3 (KC411806) [2] Myodes glareolus clade 1 hepacivirus: RMU10-3382 (KC411777); NLR-365, KC411796 [3] Myodes glareolus clade 2 hepacivirus: NLR-AP70 (KC411784) HCV: HCV-1a (NC_004102), HCV-2a (AB047639), HCV3a (X...

5′-non-coding genome region (5′-ncr) of European and African rodent hepaciviruses. A. 5′-end of RMU10-3382 (GenBank, KC411777). This structure was mostly related to the Pegivirus type 4 IRES. Nucleotides conserved with other pegiviruses are marked in red, paired compensatory substitutions in NLR-365 (KC411796) and the partially available NLR-AP70 5...

Putative cleavage sites for cellular signal peptidases within the N-terminal half of hepacivirus polyproteins. NN: neural networks; HMM: hidden Markov models (the values represent probabilities for putative SP cleavage sites). Only SP cleavage sites predicted by both NN and HMM were considered. All scores were re-calculated upon putting a suggested...

5′- and 3′-non-coding genome region (3′-ncr) of GBV-C1 and 3′-ncr of GBV-B. A. 5′-end secondary structure of GBV-C1/HPgV, GenBank accession no. U36380. Nucleotides conserved with other pegiviruses are marked in red, paired compensatory substitutions that support the structure are in green. Stem-loop structures are numbered by order of appearance. B...