Introduction

The San Lazaro Hospital – Nagasaki University (SLH-NU) Research and Training Collaborating Center and was established in 2015 between San Lazaro Hospital (Manila, Philippines) and the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (Nagasaki, Japan).
We aim to conduct impactful research in infectious and tropical diseases as well as supporting the training and education of clinicians and researchers from the Philippines, Japan, and beyond.
We welcome external collaborations. Please reach out to us via the contact details below.

About San Lazaro Hospital

Founded in 1577 in Manila, the Philippines, San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) is a national government tertiary infectious diseases referral hospital with a 500-bed capacity.
SLH  hosts the National Reference Laboratory – STD AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory, an animal bite treatment center, a facility for the programmatic management of drug resistant tuberculosis, and an HIV screening and testing hub, in addition to its inpatient services. SLH is a training center for adult infectious diseases accredited by the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Research

Our team includes research nurses, medical technologists, a secretary, admin officer, research physician, and an office manager. A dedicated SLH-NU coordinator, under the SLH administration, liaises the activities between SLH and NU. The laboratory is capable of conducting various serological and molecular tests, MALDI-ToF, genetic sequencing, and archiving of samples for future analyses.

Research themes have included etiology of fever: and infectious diseases such as leptospirosis, diphtheria, measles, HIV, tuberculosis, rabies, dengue, and typhoid. We have experience conducting prospective observational studies on febrile illnesses and respiratory tract infections. Examples of current and upcoming projects include the following

1. Community -acquired Infection (CAI) study: this study aims to identify causes, clinical and laboratory features, and outcomes of acute febrile illnesses, vaccine-preventable diseases, and infectious of unknown etiology among hospitalized patients in SLH.
2. TB-NTM study: a collaboration with the University of Oxford, Mahidol University, and Keio University, this study aims to validate a LAMP-based lateral flow assay for the diagnosis of TB and to determine the incidence of non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection among presumptive PTB patients.
3. Diphtheria study: this study aims to determine the levels of anti-diphtheria antibodies among children in different communities, and the changes on antibody levels in patients hospitalized with diphtheria.

In addition, we support the conduct of research and case reports by fellows in training and consultants from SLH and by affiliated graduate students and academics from NU. 

Education and training

We organize the Philippine Tropical Medicine Course; a two-week practical clinical and public health course that consists of bedside teaching, lectures and discussion, and fieldwork in the communities. Further information is available here.

Selected Publications

• Sociobehavioural factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against medically attended, symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Philippines: a prospective case-control study (FASCINATE-P study). Arashiro T, Berba RP, Calayo JP, Kris M, Garcia RM, Suzuki S, Dungog C, Rivera J, Malijan GM, Agrupis KA, Salazar MJ, Salazar MA, Shin J, Hibberd M, Ariyoshi K, Smith C. Western Pac Surveill Response J. 2025 Jan 15;16(1):12.
• Characteristics of snakebite patients due to Naja samarensis in the Philippines: a prospective hospital-based study. Aoki Y, Paghubasan J, Tiglao PJ, Sarmiento MJ, Arrieta R, Tan MA, Sarsalijo MS, Aquino GJB, Beronilla-Uraga MG, Comandante JDL, Santamaria EB, Malijan GMB, Suzuki S, Takahashi K, Yamano S, Smith C, Hayakawa K, Tasaki O, Agosto LC, Warrell DA, Ariyoshi K. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2025 Jan 03;trae110.
• Factors associated with COVID-19 in-hospital death and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization in the Philippines during pre-Omicron and Omicron period: a case-control study (MOTIVATE-P study). Arashiro T, Solante R, Sayo AR, Garcia RM, Kris M, Suzuki S, Malijan GM, Salazar MJ, Ortal-Cruz A, Go GD, Miranda E, Carandang-Cuvin M, Calayo JP, Shin J, Hibberd M, Ariyoshi K, Smith C. Epidemiol Infect. 2024 Dec 20;1-35.
• Rabies in the Philippines: a call to action. Smith C, Ortal A, Girasol M, Suzuki S, Coughlan C. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2024 Aug;49:101156.
• Glycemic control during TB treatment among Filipinos: the Starting Anti-Tuberculosis Treatment cohort study. Oliveira Hashiguchi L, Ferrer JP, Suzuki S, Faguer BN, Solon JA, Castro MC, Ariyoshi K, Cox SE, Edwards T. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024 May 2;4(5):e0003156.
• Evaluation of cytokine profiles related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis latent antigens using a whole-blood assay in the Philippines. Yasuda I, Saludar NRD, Sayo AR, Suzuki S, Yokoyama A, Ozeki Y, Kobayashi H, Nishiyama A, Matsumoto S, Cox SE, Tanaka T, Yamashita Y. Front Immunol. 2024 Apr 10;15:1330796.
• Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children with confirmed COVID-19 infection in a tertiary referral hospital in Manila, Philippines. Lota-Salvado R, Padua JR, Agrupis KA, Malijan GM, Sayo AR, Suzuki S, Devota Go G, Smith C. Trop Med Health. 2023 Feb 22;51(1):9.
• SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and infection rate in Manila, Philippines prior to national vaccination program implementation: a repeated cross-sectional analysis.Malijan GMB, Edwards T, Agrupis KA, Suzuki S, Villanueva AMG, Sayo AR, De Guzman F, Dimapilis AQ, Solante RM, Telan EO, Umipig DV, Ota K, Nishimura F, Yanagihara K, Salazar MJ, Lopez EB, Ariyoshi K, Smith C. Trop Med Health. 2022 Oct 11;50(1):75.
• Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and HHV-8 from a large pericardial effusion in an HIV-positive patient with COVID-19 and clinically diagnosed Kaposi sarcoma: a case report. Yanes RR, Malijan GMB, Escora-Garcia LK, Ricafrente SAM, Salazar MJ, Suzuki S, Smith C, Ariyoshi K, Solante RM, Edrada EM, Takahashi K. Trop Med Health. 2022 Sep 24;50(1):72.
• Clinical, epidemiological, and spatial features of human rabies cases in Metro Manila, the Philippines from 2006 to 2015.Guzman FD, Iwamoto Y, Saito N, Salva EP, Dimaano EM, Nishizono A, Suzuki M, Oloko O, Ariyoshi K, Smith C, Parry CM, Solante RM. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 Jul 19;16(7):e0010595.
• A prospective observational study of community-acquired bacterial bloodstream infections in Metro Manila, the Philippines. Saito N, Solante RM, Guzman F99D, Telan EO, Umipig DV, Calayo JP, Frayco CH, Lazaro JC, Ribo MR, Dimapilis AQ, Dimapilis VO, Villanueva AM, Mauhay JL, Suzuki M, Yasunami M, Koizumi N, Kitashoji E, Sakashita K, Yasuda I, Nishiyama A, Smith C, Ariyoshi K, Parry CM. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 May 25;16(5):e0010414
• A call to protect non-clinical frontliners in the fight against COVID-19: evidence from a seroprevalence study in the Philippines.Putong N, Agrupis KA, Villanueva AM, Suzuki S, Sayo AR, Dimaano E, de Guzman F, Teaño R, Salazar MJ, Evangelista JW, Dimapilis A, Villarama JB, Ariyoshi K, Takahashi K, Smith C. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2022 Jan;18:100353.
• Measles outbreak in the Philippines: epidemiological and clinical characteristics of hospitalized children, 2016-2019.Domai FM, Agrupis KA, Han SM, Sayo AR, Ramirez JS, Nepomuceno R, Suzuki S, Villanueva AMG, Salva EP, Villarama JB, Ariyoshi K, Mulholland K, Palla L, Takahashi K, Smith C, Miranda E. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2021 Dec 15;19:100334.
• Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the first 500 confirmed COVID-19 inpatients in a tertiary infectious disease referral hospital in Manila, Philippines.Agrupis KA, Smith C, Suzuki S, Villanueva AM, Ariyoshi K, Solante R, Telan EF, Estrada KA, Uichanco AC, Sagurit J, Calayo J, Umipig D, Dela Merced Z, Villarama F, Dimaano E, Villarama JB, Lopez E, Sayo AR. Trop Med Health. 2021 Jun 12;49(1):48.
• Diphtheria in Metro Manila, the Philippines 2006-2017: A Clinical, Molecular, and Spatial Characterization. Saito N, Dimapilis VO, Fujii H, Suzuki M, Telan EFO, Umipig DV, Solante RM, Dimapilis AQ, De Guzman F, Salva EP, Nakayama F, Toda K, Smith C, Ariyoshi K, Parry CM. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jan 23;72(1):61-68.
• First COVID-19 infections in the Philippines: a case report.Edrada EM, Lopez EB, Villarama JB, Salva Villarama EP, Dagoc BF, Smith C, Sayo AR, Verona JA, Trifalgar-Arches J, Lazaro J, Balinas EGM, Telan EFO, Roy L, Galon M, Florida CHN, Ukawa T, Villaneuva AMG, Saito N, Nepomuceno JR, Ariyoshi K, Carlos C, Nicolasora AD, Solante RM. Trop Med Health. 2020 Apr 14;48:21.

Additional publications can be assessed via this link.

Key contacts

Philippines (San Lazaro Hospital)
Mr. Shuichi Jack Suzuki (Office Manager) – suzuki_shuichi@nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Dr. Ana Ria Sayo (Head of Epidemiology, SLH-NU coordinator)

Ms. Naoko Soga (Administrative Officer)
Dr. Mark John Girasol (Research Physician)

Japan (Nagasaki University)
Prof. Chris Smith – christopher.smith@lshtm.ac.uk
Prof. Koya Ariyoshi
Prof. Kiyoshi Kita

SLH-Nagasaki Office Facebook page 

Research Laboratory

Research Official