Infectious Diseases Bulletin: Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland

BACKGROUND: At the time when the COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for more than six million deaths worldwide, the antiquity of Coronaviruses remains undefined. We investigated individuals buried in 16th century in France, for the direct and paleoserological diagnosis of Coronavirus. METHODS: The 2011-2012 excavation of abbey Saint-Pierre in Baume-les-Messieurs, France uncovered 12 skeletons of individuals ranging from the 13th -18th centuries. Total proteins extracted from dental pulps were subjected to microbial paleoserology targeting the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, HCoV-229E and OC43 antigens and for Coronavirus peptide research using metaproteomics; in parallel to negative controls...

OBJECTIVE: To study the rate of autoantibodies against type I interferons(IFN) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and analyze its dependence on severity of infection and some other variables. METHODS: A systemic review with the search terms: "COVID-19" or "SARS-CoV-2" and "autoantibodies" or "autoantibody" and "IFN" or "interferon" for the period 20 December 2019 to 15 August 2022 was carried out using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science...

BACKGROUND: Increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistant organisms (AROs) is a growing economic and healthcare challenge. Increasing utilization of electronic medical record (EMR) systems and improvements in computation and analytical techniques afford an opportunity to reduce the spread of AROs through the development of clinical prediction tools to identify ARO carriers on admission to hospitals. AIM: To identify existing clinical prediction tools for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPO), their predictive performance, and risk factors utilized in these tools...

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a systematic review of the longitudinal consequences of Shigella infection in children to inform the value proposition for an effective vaccine. METHODS: We searched PubMed and Embase for studies published from January 1, 1980, to December 12, 2022, conducted in low- and middle-income countries, that included longitudinal follow-up after Shigella detection among children <5 years of age, irrespective of language. We collected data on all outcomes subsequent to Shigella detection except mortality...

BACKGROUND: Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins (PACs), which inhibit the adherence of p-fimbriated Escherichia coli to the urothelial cells lining the bladder. Cranberry products have been used widely for several decades to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). This is the fifth update of a review first published in 1998 and updated in 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2012. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of cranberry products in preventing UTIs in susceptible populations...

BACKGROUND: The clinical burden of influenza is increasing globally. Aging, immunosuppression, and underlying respiratory illness are determinants of poor clinical outcomes, including greater mortality. Bacterial infections seem to be the main reason. Updated information on the role of bacterial infection as the cause of complications would be of value in improving the prognosis of influenza patients. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed by using the Pubmed repository using keywords like: Influenza, H1N1, Streptococcus pneumoniae, bacterial coinfection, secondary coinfection, bacterial complications in pneumonia, and seasonal influenza...

During the 2022 monkeypox (MPX) outbreak, testing has been limited and results delayed, allowing ongoing transmission. Gold-standard quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) diagnostics are difficult to obtain. This research adapted the June 2022 CDC MPX qPCR assay for broad implementation. Validated using MPX stocks in a matrix with multiple sample types, MPX was detected with cycle threshold (Ct) values 17.46-35.59 and titer equivalents 8.01 × 106 to 2.45 × 100 plaque-forming unit (PFU)/mL...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the duration of viable virus shedding and PCR positivity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in upper respiratory tract. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science for original articles reporting the duration of viable virus shedding and PCR positivity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in upper respiratory tract from November 11, 2021 to December 11, 2022. This meta-analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022357349)...

INTRODUCTION: Penicillin allergy records are often incorrect and may result in harm. We aimed to systematically review the effectiveness and safety of non-allergist healthcare worker delivery of penicillin allergy de-labelling (PADL). METHODS: We searched EMBASE/ MEDLINE/ CINAHL (Ovid), PsycInfo, Web of Science and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to 21/01/22, and unpublished studies and the grey literature. The proportion of penicillin allergic patients de-labelled and harmed was calculated using random effects models...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with maintenance of viral suppression after antiretroviral therapy (ART) discontinuation. METHODS: Databases were searched for studies published between 1 January, 2011, and 1 July, 2022 that correlated the time of virus rebound with treatment interruption (TI). The corresponding data were extracted from these studies. A fixed-effects model was used to calculate pooled estimates. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies were included in this analysis...

BACKGROUND: Clostridioides difficile (formerly known as Clostridium difficile) is a bacterium that can cause potentially life-threatening diarrheal illness in individuals with an unhealthy mixture of gut bacteria, known as dysbiosis, and can cause recurrent infections in nearly a third of infected individuals. The traditional treatment of recurrent C difficile infection (rCDI) includes antibiotics, which may further exacerbate dysbiosis. There is growing interest in correcting the underlying dysbiosis in rCDI using of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT); and there is a need to establish the benefits and harms of FMT for the treatment of rCDI based on data from randomized controlled trials...

BACKGROUND: Household transmission studies inform how viruses spread among close contacts, but few characterize household transmission of endemic coronaviruses. METHODS: We used data collected from 223 households with school-age children participating in weekly disease surveillance over two respiratory virus seasons (December 2015 to May 2017), to describe clinical characteristics of endemic human coronaviruses (HCoV-229E, HCoV-HKU1, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43) infections, and community and household transmission probabilities using a chain-binomial model correcting for missing data from untested households...

BACKGROUND: Understanding the immunity against omicron infection and severe outcomes conferred by Covid-19 vaccination, prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, and monoclonal antibody therapy will inform intervention strategies. METHODS: We considered 295,691 patients who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 at Cleveland Clinic between October 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022. We used logistic regression to investigate the association of vaccination and prior infection with the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and used Cox regression to investigate the association of vaccination, prior infection and monoclonal antibody therapy with the risks of intensive care unit (ICU) stay and death...

BACKGROUND: Although most adults infected with SARS-CoV-2 fully recover, a proportion have ongoing symptoms, or post-COVID conditions (PCC), after infection. The objective of this analysis was to estimate the number of US adults with activity-limiting PCC on November 1, 2021. METHODS: We modeled the prevalence of PCC using reported infections occurring from February 1, 2020 - September 30, 2021, and population-based, household survey data on new activity-limiting symptoms ≥1 month following SARS-CoV-2 infection...

BACKGROUND: Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) infections confer notable morbidity and mortality. Differential diagnosis to determine whether the infections are caused by either the hvKp or classical K. pneumoniae (cKp) strain is particularly important for undertaking optimal clinical care and infection control efforts. AIM: To identify and assess the potential predictors of hvKp infections. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for all relevant publications from January 2000 to March 2022...

BACKGROUND: Women living with human immunodeficiency virus (WLH) have an elevated risk for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated anal cancer. Primary anal cancer screening results from this population could inform practice guidelines. METHODS: 381 WLH with anal cytology screening, high-risk HPV (hrHPV) testing and genital (cervical or vaginal) cotesting within 6 months were identified during 2012-2019. Those with anal cytology of Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance or worse (ASCUS+) underwent high-resolution anoscopy and biopsy...

BACKGROUND: Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 'frequent' screening of sexually transmitted infections (STI) for people who use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, there is no evidence for optimal frequency. METHODS: We searched five databases and used random-effects meta-analysis to calculate pooled estimates of STI test positivity. We narratively synthesized data on secondary outcomes, including adherence to recommended STI screening frequency and changes in STI epidemiology...

OBJECTIVES: Herpesviruses are ubiquitous and after primary infection they establish lifelong latency. The impairment of maintaining latency with short-term or long-term consequences could be triggered by other infection. Therefore, reactivation of herpesviruses in COVID-19 patients represents an emerging issue. DESIGN AND METHODS: This study provided the first systematic review with meta-analysis of studies that evaluated active human herpesvirus (HHV) infection (defined as the presence of IgM antibodies or HHV-DNA) in COVID-19 patients and included 36 publications collected by searching through PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of science until November 2022...