Journal of Antivirals & Antiretrovirals
Open Access
ISSN: 1948-5964
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 1948-5964
+44 1300 500008
C C Wong
Accepted Abstracts: J Antivir Antiretrovir
Infections with cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) are commonly acquired during childhood in developing countries. While infections tend to be mild or may even be asymptomatic in childhood, they can cause severe disease or outcome in adult, immunocompromised or pregnant individuals. Singapore is a fast-paced and rapidly changing country, having progressed from being a developing third world country to a developed first world country within a generation. In this retrospective study, test results from serum specimens sent to the Singapore General Hospital Virology Laboratory in 2001 and 2013 for screening of these viruses were analyzed. Antibodies against CMV and VZV were detected using enzyme and chemiluminescent immunoassays, while EBV antibody was detected using immunofluorescence assay. We present and compare the age groups, gender and seroprevalence of the patients, and the average age when the viruses are acquired in the local population across an interval of 13 years to see if there are changes in the epidemiology of these herpesvirus infections in a rapidly developing country.
Chui Ching, Wong, completed her PhD in 2012 at the National University of Singapore, and worked as a Research Fellow for 2 years in the Mechanobiology Institute. Her PhD and post-doctoral work focuses on microbiology, biochemistry and microscopy. Currently, Chui Ching is a Scientific Officer in the Pathology Department (Virology Section) of the Singapore General Hospital, where she works on virus detection through immunofluorescence methods and virus serology.