Browsing by Author "Rabaan, Ali"

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    Implication of the emergence of the delta (B.1.617.2) variants on vaccine effectiveness
    (Springer, 2022-06) Al‑Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Koritala, Thoyaja; Alhumaid, Saad; Barry, Mazin; Alshukairi, Abeer N.; Temsah, Mohamad‑Hani; Al Mutair, Abbas; Rabaan, Ali; Tirupathi, Raghavendra; Gautret, Philippe; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: COVID-19 vaccines have been developed to compact the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and have been administered to people all over the world. These vaccines have been quite effective in reducing the possibility of severe illness, hospitalization and death. However, the recent emergence of Variants of Concern specifically the delta variant, B.1.617.2, had resulted in additional waves of the pandemic. Methods: We aim to review the literature to understand the transmission and disease severity, and determine the efficacy of the current COVID-19 vaccines. We searched Pubmed, Scopus, and Embase till August 4th 2021, and used the search terms "delta variant", "vaccinations"," breakthrough infections", and "neutralizing antibody". For the meta-analysis, 21 studies were screened in particular and five articles (148,071 cases) were included in the study, and only four were analyzed in the meta-analysis. Results: In this review, both in vitro and in vivo studies showed significant reductions in neutralization rates against delta variants for vaccinated individuals and convalescent patients with prior history of COVID-19. However, There was a lower incidence of infection with SARS-CoV-2 due to Delta variant was found after the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines. Conclusion: In fully vaccinated individuals, symptomatic infection with the delta variant was significantly reduced, and therefore, vaccinations play an important role to assist the fight against delta variant.
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    Multifaceted realities of scrub typhus: a case series from southern India
    (Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, 2023-09-01) Ravikumar, Diviya Bharathi; Sivasubramanian, Barath Prashanth; Shanmugam, Sruthi Nandhaa; Krishnaswamy, Vanitha; Rabaan, Ali; Al-Tawfig, Jaffar A.; Tirupathi, Raghavendra; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, a Gram-negative bacillus, commonly occurring in the Asia-Pacific region. It is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Leptotrombidium mite and the bacterium causes endothelial dysfunction resulting in widespread vasculitis and the possible development of thrombocytopenia, meningitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and infrequently, myocarditis. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial in managing scrub typhus. Here, we present four cases of scrub typhus with a comprehensive literature review. This study highlights the significance of considering scrub typhus as a possible diagnosis in patients of all ages from endemic regions who exhibit symptoms such as fever, thrombocytopenia, or transaminitis, even in the absence of typical clinical features. Two cases exhibited the characteristic lesion of eschar at the site of mite feeding. One case involved a middle-aged woman who was diagnosed with typhus-induced myocarditis with left ventricular dysfunction. Another case involved a 23-day-old neonate with poor feeding and seizures, who was diagnosed with late-onset sepsis with meningitis. Scrub typhus was confirmed in all cases using a positive qualitative IgM ELISA. However, it is preferred to use paired (ELISA before and after antibiotic therapy) or quantitative titers for confirmation. Healthcare providers must consider the patient’s exposure history and clinical presentation to diagnose and treat scrub typhus promptly.