Journal of Infection and Public Health最新文献

{"title":"Infection-related mortality in hospitalized children: A multi-center study in China from 2016 to 2021","authors":"Jiao Tian ,&nbsp;Qi Li ,&nbsp;Shiqi Cai ,&nbsp;Xinyu Wang ,&nbsp;Junhong Ai ,&nbsp;Guoshuang Feng ,&nbsp;Yueping Zeng ,&nbsp;Ran Wang ,&nbsp;Zhengde Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102743","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102743","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Hospitalized children experience mortality as a result of infections. Since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, China's strict prevention measures have curbed pathogen transmission, altering infection-related epidemiology. The Futang Research Center of Pediatric Development has collected the face sheet of discharge medical records (FSMRs) data from 27 tertiary children's hospitals since January 2016, which facilitate us to investigate this issue. Moreover, this study focuses on hospitalized children aged 18 years old or younger.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study analyzed data from the FSMRs of children who died from infections at 27 tertiary children’s hospitals across China between January 2016 and December 2021. Of these hospitals, 21 are located in provincial capitals. The data included gender, age, region, residence, year of admission, infections-associated causes of death, pathogens, length of stay, and expense.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 1130 hospitalized children died from infections, accounting for 18.8 % of all deaths and 0.015 % of the total hospitalizations in the database during the period. Boys had a higher fatality than girls across different regions, age groups, years. Among all age groups, 0–28 days and 29 days–1 year group (≤365 days) had a higher number and proportion of deaths than other age groups. In terms of year of admission, the COVID-19 period (2020–2021) had a lower number of infections related death cases than pre-COVID-19 period. Further analysis of infection-related causes indicated that sepsis was the most common cause of death, followed by pneumonia, central nervous system infection, shock, enteritis, and myocarditis. The pathogens (bacterium, virus, fungus) were identified in 30.6 % of children.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Infections are the significant cause of death among hospitalized children in China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 6","pages":"Article 102743"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143610039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Real-world use and treatment outcomes of ceftazidime-avibactam in gram-negative bacterial infection in Taiwan: A multicenter retrospective study","authors":"Tsung-Ying Yang ,&nbsp;Ching-Tai Huang ,&nbsp;Po-Yu Liu ,&nbsp;Yi-Tsung Lin ,&nbsp;Yu-Shan Huang ,&nbsp;Peng-Hao Chang ,&nbsp;Chien-Hao Tseng ,&nbsp;Ya-Ting Chang ,&nbsp;Po-Liang Lu ,&nbsp;Yee-Chun Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102735","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102735","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) has been launched in Asian countries for five years, but local real-world data about patient characteristics, efficacy, and safety of CAZ-AVI is limited. We conducted a multicenter, retrospective study to investigate the clinical characteristics, microbiology, and outcomes of patients treated with CAZ-AVI for Gram-negative bacterial infection in Taiwan.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This investigation was conducted as a multicenter retrospective cohort study involving five medical centers in Taiwan. Adult patients with documented/suspected Gram-negative bacterial infection and received ≥ 24 hours of CAZ-AVI were eligible for study cohort enrollment. In-hospital mortality was defined as the primary outcome, while symptom resolution or significant improvement, considered the secondary outcome, was defined as clinical success.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Among the 472 patients treated by CAZ-AVI, 46.2 % (218/472) had respiratory tract infections, 22.0 % (104/472) had complicated urinary tract infections, 14.0 % (66/472) had complicated intra-abdominal infections, and 10.0 % (47/472) had primary bacteremia. Most patients receiving ceftazidime/avibactam in Taiwan are old (mean: 70.6 years old), have a high SOFA score (mean 8.4), and have a high Charlson Comorbidity Index score (345/472, 73.1 % ≥ 4). 90 % of CAZ-AVI were used as targeted therapy for pathogens, including <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em> (64.4 %, 304/472), <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> (17.8 %, 84/472), <em>Escherichia coli</em> (8.3 %, 39/472), and <em>Enterobacter</em> spp<em>.</em> (2.3 %, 11/472). The overall clinical success rate is 58.1 % (274/472). The in-hospital mortality rate is 41.1 % (194/472).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Most patients receiving CAZ-AVI as targeted therapy in Taiwan with characteristics of older age, high SOFA scores, and high CCI scores. Receiving immunomodulators, higher SOFA score, and <em>Enterobacter</em> spp. infections were the significant factors associated with in-hospital mortality, whereas early initiating CAZ-AVI treatment and CAZ-AVI monotherapy are associated with better outcome.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 6","pages":"Article 102735"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143654845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Time of developing surgical site infections and its association with patient and procedure characteristics","authors":"Saad A. Almohrij","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102734","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102734","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Understanding the timeframe and risk of developing surgical site infection (SSI) is essential for effective prevention and management strategies. The objective was to examine the post-operative duration before developing SSI and to characterize their patient and procedure characteristics.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Prospective SSI surveillance was conducted on 15 operative procedures between 2014 and 2023 in a tertiary-care hospital system. The duration before developing SSI was divided into two groups; early-onset (&lt;median) and late-onset (≥ median) SSIs.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total 322 SSI events were included. Approximately 76.7 % of them were superficial, 13.0 % deep, and 10.2 % organ. The majority were detected after discharge (66.6 %) and were laboratory-confirmed (64.6 %). The majority of procedures with SSI were inpatient procedures (96.9 %) and had risk index category of one (70.2 %). The median and mode (most frequent) duration before developing SSI were 15 and 10 days, respectively. Approximately 92.5 % and 98.8 % of SSI were detected within first 30 or 60 days, respectively. After adjusting for all variables that were associated with the duration before developing SSI in univariate analysis, early-onset SSI was significantly associated with female gender (odds ratio [OR] = 2.29, 95 % confidence 1.18–4.45, p = 0.015) and detection before hospital discharge (OR = 8.06, 95 % confidence 3.83–16.93, p &lt; 0.001) but not coronary artery bypass graft (OR = 0.27, 95 % confidence 0.15–0.51, p &lt; 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>As most of SSI are detected after discharge, the findings underscore the importance of post-discharge surveillance that can be considered as a quality indicator for surveillance. Reducing the SSI follow-up durations from 90 days to 60 days, wouldn’t make much difference.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 5","pages":"Article 102734"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Next-generation sequencing for rapid etiologic diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome: A case of life-threatening leptospirosis","authors":"Yu-Ting Weng ,&nbsp;Chun-Kai Huang ,&nbsp;Aristine Cheng ,&nbsp;Sheng-Yuan Ruan ,&nbsp;Jann-Tay Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102727","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102727","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infection with public health implications and diverse clinical presentations, ranging from mild symptoms to severe, life-threatening disease. In critical cases, it can cause multiorgan failure and death. Diagnosis is typically based on clinical suspicion and confirmed by laboratory testing. However, in acute, life-threatening cases, obtaining a history of exposure and recognizing early symptoms may be challenging. Traditional diagnostic methods for identifying causative pathogens are time-consuming and limited. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has emerged as a novel diagnostic tool that identifies pathogens using DNA or RNA from bodily fluids, offering more timely, unbiased results, especially for fastidious or non-culturable organisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 6","pages":"Article 102727"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143577841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The epidemiology of antimicrobial resistant bacterial infection in Qatar: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Rasha Abu El-Ruz ,&nbsp;Ovelia A. Masoud ,&nbsp;Amal A. Ibrahim ,&nbsp;Tawanda Chivese ,&nbsp;Susu M. Zughaier","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102732","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102732","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the current silent pandemic responsible for approximately five million deaths annually. According to the WHO, antimicrobial resistance is one of the top global public health threats and the third leading cause of death worldwide.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>This systematic review and meta-analyses aims to provide Qatar's first comprehensive epidemiological assessment of AMR. We conducted extensive search of three databases (PubMed, Embase and Web of Science) using broad search terms with no restrictions. The meta-analysis of prevalence was done using the Freeman-Turkey transformation and random effects models. Subgroup analysis was performed for three categories; the composite isolates, otherwise responsive isolates, and otherwise resistant isolates.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The search yielded a total of 1258 publications, of which 55 publications were included. The overall prevalence of all isolates was <strong>13.64 %</strong> (95 %CI: 6.80 – 22.11, I²=99 %), all the studies were cross-sectional of convenience sampling, conducted in healthcare settings. The subgroup prevalence for the composite isolates was <strong>8.87 %</strong> (95 %CI: 2.72 – 17.77, I²=98.7), otherwise responsive isolates was <strong>11.37 %</strong> (95 %CI: 4.31 – 20.72, I²=98.3 %), otherwise resistant isolates was <strong>23.55 %</strong> (95 %CI: 10.12 – 40.14, I²=99.1). The otherwise resistant isolates stratified analyses revealed that ESBL prevalence was <strong>38.94 %</strong> (95 %CI: 21.63 – 57.79, I²=99.2 %), MDR was <strong>15.99 %</strong> (95 %CI: 2.46 – 37.00, I²=99 %), MRSA was <strong>52.37 %</strong> (95 %CI: 13.91 – 89.50, I2=88 %), Nosocomial infections prevalence was <strong>23.55 %</strong> (95 %CI: 10.12 – 40.14, I²=98.2 %). The ESKAPE bacterial strains accounted for the majority of resistance.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Qatar’s AMR overall prevalence is close to the global estimates, however the resistant isolates prevalence is higher than average according to the global estimates for high-income countries. The AMR public health response including national action plan to combat AMR and antimicrobial stewardship programs need to be orchestrated. AMR epidemiological research needs improvement in expanding coverage across diverse population groups to ensure greater clarity and precision in identifying bacterial infections and antibiotic classifications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 6","pages":"Article 102732"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143610040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antibiotic prescription in pediatric patients with influenza in outpatient and emergency departments: A cross-sectional study","authors":"Ya-Nan Li ,&nbsp;Xiao-Lu Nie ,&nbsp;Yu-Chuan Li ,&nbsp;Tian-Ming Chen ,&nbsp;Xin Xu ,&nbsp;Bing-Lin Jian ,&nbsp;Liang Zhu ,&nbsp;Jie Wu ,&nbsp;Cheng-Song Zhao ,&nbsp;Gang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102730","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102730","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Influenza is a common viral respiratory infection, and inappropriate antibiotic use may lead to increased drug resistance and unnecessary waste of healthcare resources. However, real-world antibiotic prescribing in pediatric influenza patients remains largely unknown in China.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We performed a cross-sectional study of outpatient and emergency department prescriptions in a tertiary children's hospital for pediatric patients diagnosed with influenza between January 1, 2021, and July 31, 2023. The study outcome was mainly the rate and classes of antibiotic prescription in pediatric influenza patients, grouped by age group, C-reactive protein concentration, before and after the lifting of the non-pharmacological interventions, and location of the visit. Other outcomes, including risk factors for prescribing antibiotics, were analyzed by binary logistic regression.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The analysis included 39,110 pediatric patients with influenza between 2021 and 2023, and the antibioti<u>c</u> prescription rate was 13.0 % (5067/39,110). After excluding influenza cases with concurrent bacterial infection diagnosis, the antibiotic prescription rate decreased to 11.7 % (4460/38,200). Of these, 93.2 % (4157/4460) received both antiviral and antibiotics. Macrolide antibiotics were the most frequently prescribed (49.2 %), followed by cephalosporins (35.2 %). We found that factors significantly associated with antibiotic prescriptions included male sex, ages ≥ 2 years, OPD visit, the period of low influenza virus activity, underlying diseases, co-infections, clinical diagnosis, and high C-reactive protein levels.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Our findings highlight baseline antibiotic prescribing in children with influenza and predictors of prescribing behaviors to enhance further antibiotic stewardship programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 6","pages":"Article 102730"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143593559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating chemiluminescent immunoassays for syphilis detection: A comparative analysis","authors":"Ahmed Ismail ,&nbsp;Nadin Younes ,&nbsp;Houssein Ayoub ,&nbsp;Dana F. Nasrallah ,&nbsp;Jawaher A. Al-Emadi ,&nbsp;Hadiya M. Khalid ,&nbsp;Mazen Najib Abouassali ,&nbsp;Manal Elshaikh ,&nbsp;Ibrahim Wissam Karimeh ,&nbsp;Mohammed Abdelfatah Ibrahim ,&nbsp;Mutaz Mohamed Ali ,&nbsp;Ibrahim Al Shaar ,&nbsp;Salma Younes ,&nbsp;Nouran Zein ,&nbsp;Parveen Banu Nizamuddin ,&nbsp;Hadi M. Yassine ,&nbsp;Laith J. Abu-Raddad ,&nbsp;Gheyath K. Nasrallah","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102731","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102731","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Syphilis, caused by <em>Treponema pallidum</em> (TP), remains a significant global public health concern, with approximately 8 million new cases annually. Diagnosing syphilis is challenging due to its often-asymptomatic nature during latent stages, necessitating a combination of diagnostic methods. This study evaluates the performance of a novel chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) developed by Mindray for detecting TP antibodies, comparing it to the widely used Abbott ARCHITECT Syphilis Treponemal Test (Architect-TP), the rapid plasma regain (RPR) test, and the Fujiribio INNO-LIA® Syphilis Score line immunoassay (INNO-LIA-TP).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We selected 180 samples that exhibited agreement or discrepancies between the RPR and Architect-TP assays. The selection included 40 cases that were RPR positive and Architect-TP positive, 40 cases that were RPR positive and Architect-TP negative, and 100 cases that were negative in both RPR and Architect-TP. All samples underwent re-testing using the Mindray-TP and INNO-LIA-TP assays.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Mindray-TP and Architect-TP exhibited excellent sensitivity of 100 % (95 % CI: 91–100) and specificity of 100 % (95 % CI: 97.4–100), with perfect agreement (κ= 1.00) compared to INNO-LIA-TP. Notably, 40 cases (28.6 %; 40/140) demonstrated false-positive results when using the RPR test compared to INNO-LIA-TP, indicating a substantial false-positive rate for the RPR assay.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study highlights the high diagnostic accuracy of the Mindray-TP assay, positioning it as a reliable and efficient tool for syphilis screening in high-volume laboratories. Given its operational efficiency and strong agreement with gold-standard assays, Mindray-TP can enhance diagnostic workflows, leading to timely syphilis detection and improved patient outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 6","pages":"Article 102731"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143654817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of educational intervention for improving Monkeypox (Mpox) viral infection knowledge among MSM population","authors":"Xueer Wu ,&nbsp;Yuanyuan Xu ,&nbsp;Xin Li ,&nbsp;Songning Ding ,&nbsp;Yang Hu ,&nbsp;Zhengping Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102726","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102726","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Mpox is a zoonotic disease caused by the mpox virus (MPXV), which has recently exhibited human-to-human transmission globally. Due to its hidden nature and high-risk behaviors, men who have sex with men (MSM) has become a focal point for mpox prevention and control. This study evaluates the impact of health interventions on mpox knowledge awareness among MSM.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Through pre- and post-MIP surveys, we analyzed the awareness of mpox knowledge, preferences for acquiring mpox information, and preferred channels among MSM. Data collection occurred from August 2023 to March 2024, with a total of 1514 valid questionnaires collected. The Mpox Intervention Program (MIP) included the development and distribution of educational materials, Voluntary Counseling and testing (VCT) clinic consultations, and surveys.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Post-intervention, the total score for mpox knowledge awareness significantly increased from 58.50 to 68.47 (<em><strong>P</strong></em> &lt;0.001), and the knowledge awareness rate rose from 48.66 % to 64.60 % (<em><strong>P</strong></em> &lt;0.001). The intervention significantly improved participants' understanding of mpox incubation period, asymptomatic infections, transmission routes, and prevention measures (<em><strong>P</strong></em> &lt;0.001). MSM preferred obtaining mpox knowledge through new media and internet social platforms, with no significant changes in preferences pre- and post-MIP.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The MIP effectively improved mpox knowledge awareness and cognitive levels among MSM. These findings provide scientific evidence for optimizing health education strategies and controlling the spread of mpox.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 6","pages":"Article 102726"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143601369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Autoantibodies to interferon alpha, nuclear antigens, cardiolipin, and beta 2 glycoprotein 1 in a Ugandan cohort and their relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection","authors":"Adam Epstein-Shuman ,&nbsp;Xianming Zhu ,&nbsp;Joanne H. Hunt ,&nbsp;Reinaldo E. Fernandez ,&nbsp;Gracie M. Rozek ,&nbsp;Andrew D. Redd ,&nbsp;Zoe A. Gotthold ,&nbsp;Gabriel Quiros ,&nbsp;Ronald M. Galiwango ,&nbsp;Godfrey Kigozi ,&nbsp;Patrizio Caturegli ,&nbsp;Robert Ssekubugu ,&nbsp;Mary K. Grabowski ,&nbsp;Larry W. Chang ,&nbsp;Steven J. Reynolds ,&nbsp;Oliver Laeyendecker ,&nbsp;for the Rakai Health Science Program","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102722","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102722","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Autoantibodies (AAbs) to interferon alpha, nuclear antigens, cardiolipin, and beta 2 glycoprotein 1, have been associated with COVID-19 severity. Despite relatively low COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in East and Central Africa, AAb prevalence in these populations remain understudied.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We evaluated AAb seroprevalence in 155 Ugandans, aged 40–50, using paired samples collected before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these, 117 had serological evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 38 did not. To assess the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on AAb prevalence, we: 1) longitudinally compared AAb prevalence before and after evidence of infection, and 2) cross-sectionally compared AAb prevalence between those with and without infection evidence at both timepoints. Associations between AAbs and health characteristics were also explored.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There was no difference in AAb prevalence between individuals with and without evidence of infection, nor any longitudinal change after evidence of infection. However, we observed a higher-than-expected prevalence anti-beta 2 glycoprotein 1. Additionally, anti-cardiolipin was significantly associated with reported hypertension.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Our findings contribute to the limited literature on AAb prevalence in East Africa and suggest that SARS-CoV-2 does not induce these AAbs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 6","pages":"Article 102722"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143619348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare-associated infections and multidrug-resistant microorganisms in Italy: A systematic review","authors":"Chiara Peconi ,&nbsp;Enrica Martini ,&nbsp;Donatella Sarti ,&nbsp;Emilia Prospero","doi":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102729","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102729","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The diffused and prolonged SARS-CoV-2 transmission lead to high levels of hospitalization. During this period, the focus of sanitary structures was to contain COVID-19 mortality and this may have reduced the application of health associated infection (HAI) and multidrug resistant microorganism (MDRO) prevention programs.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A search was performed in PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases to identify clinical observational studies that reported the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence or incidence on HAIs and/or MDROs from December 2019 to August 2024 in Italy. Studies were included if they reported a comparison with pre-pandemic period and had a full-text available. Eligible studies were assessed for risk of bias and quality with NHI Quality Assessment Tool by two researchers independently. Data were represented in tables and a narrative synthesis was made in the text.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Selected studies included 4 studies reporting data on HAI (1497 total patients) and 11 studies reporting data on MDRO (80388 total patients). The majority of the studies reported an increase in HAI prevalence (9–11.1 % range) and MDRO, in particular, gram negative MDRO had an increase range of 0.8 %-45.6 % and gram positive MDRO an increase range of 0.5 %-81.8 % from pre- to post-COVID-19 period in the different studies considered</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings underscore the critical need for active surveillance in hospital wards, the implementation of antibiotic stewardship and prescribing programs to mitigate the impact of such crises on healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance. Furthermore, permanent training of healthcare personnel is necessary.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16087,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection and Public Health","volume":"18 5","pages":"Article 102729"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143563550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}