Serologically Confirmed Human Leptospirosis in Colombia, 2015-2020.

Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection transmitted through contact with infected animals or contaminated water sources, imposes a substantial health burden in Colombia. Since 2007, the National Institute of Health (INS) has mandated the notification and confirmation of all suspected leptospirosis cases. This passive surveillance program employs the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) on serum samples to ascertain confirmed cases of leptospirosis infection.

The potential importance of the built-environment microbiome and its impact on human health.

There is increasing evidence that interactions between microbes and their hosts not only play a role in determining health and disease but also in emotions, thought, and behavior. Built environments greatly influence microbiome exposures because of their built-in highly specific microbiomes coproduced with myriad metaorganisms including humans, pets, plants, rodents, and insects. Seemingly static built structures host complex ecologies of microorganisms that are only starting to be mapped.

Enrollment of dengue patients in a prospective cohort study in Umphang District, Thailand, during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for research and policy.

Background And Aims: Dengue is endemic in Thailand and imposes a high burden on the health system and society. We conducted a prospective cohort study in Umphang District, Tak Province, Thailand, to investigate the share of dengue cases with long symptoms and their duration. Here we present the results of the enrollment process during the COVID-19 pandemic with implications and challenges for research and policy.

Effectiveness of the second COVID-19 booster against Omicron: a large-scale cohort study in Chile.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, understanding the effectiveness of various booster vaccination regimens is pivotal. In Chile, using a prospective national cohort of 3.75 million individuals aged 20 or older, we evaluate the effectiveness against COVID-19-related intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and death of mRNA-based second vaccine boosters for four different three-dose background regimes: BNT162b2 primary series followed by a homologous booster, and CoronaVac primary series followed by an mRNA booster, a homologous booster, and a ChAdOx-1 booster.

Prevalence of depressive disorder in the adult population of Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Depressive disorder is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide; however its prevalence and association with inequality and crime is poorly characterised in Latin America. This study aimed to: . systematically review population-based studies of prevalence of ICD/DSM depressive disorder in Latin America, .

A review of the global emergence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Infantis.

Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis is an emergent foodborne and zoonotic Salmonella serovar with critical implications for global health. In recent years, the prevalence of S. Infantis infections has increased in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, due to contaminated chicken and other foods.

Demographic and clinical risk factors associated with severity of lab-confirmed human leptospirosis in Colombia, 2015-2020.

Background: Leptospirosis is a common zoonoses and is a major global public health threat. Most cases are mild, typically presenting as a non-specific acute febrile illness. However, leptospirosis can have life-threatening manifestations, including pulmonary hemorrhage syndrome, and acute kidney injury.

The impact of inpatient bloodstream infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) produced by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) cause a substantial disease burden worldwide. However, most estimates come from high-income settings and thus are not globally representative. This study quantifies the excess mortality, length of hospital stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and economic costs associated with ARB BSIs, compared to antibiotic-sensitive bacteria (ASB), among adult inpatients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Heavy Metal Pollution From a Major Earthquake and Tsunami in Chile Is Associated With Geographic Divergence of Clinical Isolates of Methicillin-Resistant in Latin America.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a priority pathogen listed by the World Health Organization. The global spread of MRSA is characterized by successive waves of epidemic clones that predominate in specific geographical regions. The acquisition of genes encoding resistance to heavy-metals is thought to be a key feature in the divergence and geographical spread of MRSA.

Socioeconomic disparities in the reopening of schools during the pandemic in Chile.

The COVID-19 pandemic produced the most significant disruption in education in history. More than 190 countries suspended in-person instruction, affecting an estimated 1.6 billion students.

Evaluation of country infrastructure as an indirect measure of dog-mediated human rabies deaths.

Background: Rabies is a neglected disease, primarily due to poor detection stemming from limited surveillance and diagnostic capabilities in most countries. As a result, there is limited ability to monitor and evaluate country, regional, and global progress towards the WHO goal of eliminating human rabies deaths by 2030. There is a need for a low-cost, readily reproducible method of estimating rabies burden and elimination capacity in endemic countries.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Integrated Bite Case Management and Sustained Dog Vaccination for Rabies Control.

The successful prevention, control, and elimination of dog-mediated rabies is challenging due to insufficient resource availability and inadequate placement. An integrated dog bite case management (IBCM) system plus dog vaccination can help address these challenges. Based on data from the IBCM system in Haiti, we conducted a cost-effectiveness evaluation of a newly established IBCM system plus sustained vaccination and compared it with 1) a no bite-case management (NBCM) and 2) a non-risk-based (NRB) program, where bite victims presenting at a health clinic would receive post-exposure prophylaxis regardless of risk assessment.

Country-level gender inequality is associated with structural differences in the brains of women and men.

Gender inequality across the world has been associated with a higher risk to mental health problems and lower academic achievement in women compared to men. We also know that the brain is shaped by nurturing and adverse socio-environmental experiences. Therefore, unequal exposure to harsher conditions for women compared to men in gender-unequal countries might be reflected in differences in their brain structure, and this could be the neural mechanism partly explaining women's worse outcomes in gender-unequal countries.

Effectiveness of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in children and adolescents: a large-scale observational study.

Background: Policymakers urgently need evidence to adequately balance the costs and benefits of mass vaccination against COVID-19 across all age groups, including children and adolescents. In this study, we aim to assess the effectiveness of CoronaVac's primary series among children and adolescents in Chile.

Methods: We used a large prospective national cohort of about two million children and adolescents 6-16 years to estimate the effectiveness of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) in preventing laboratory-confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19), hospitalisation, and admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) associated with COVID-19.

Trends and socioeconomic, demographic, and environmental factors associated with antimicrobial resistance: a longitudinal analysis in 39 hospitals in Chile 2008-2017.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the most critical global health threats of the 21st century. AMR is primarily driven by the use and misuse of antibiotics but can be affected by socioeconomic and environmental factors. Reliable and comparable estimates of AMR over time are essential to making public health decisions, defining research priorities, and evaluating interventions.

Transmission of gram-negative antibiotic-resistant bacteria following differing exposure to antibiotic-resistance reservoirs in a rural community: a modelling study for bloodstream infections.

Exposure to community reservoirs of gram-negative antibiotic-resistant bacteria (GN-ARB) genes poses substantial health risks to individuals, complicating potential infections. Transmission networks and population dynamics remain unclear, particularly in resource-poor communities. We use a dynamic compartment model to assess GN-ARB transmission quantitatively, including the susceptible, colonised, infected, and removed populations at the community-hospital interface.

Childhood adversity increases risk of psychotic experiences in patients with substance use disorder.

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk of psychotic experiences (PE), but little is known about heterogeneities of this association in different developmental stages, dimensions, or whether they are affected by substance use disorder (SUD). This study examines the association between different types of ACEs at various developmental stages and lifetime PE in patients with SUD in Chile.

Methods: We included 399 consenting adults in outpatient or residential SUD treatment programs.

Effectiveness of CoronaVac in children 3-5 years of age during the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron outbreak in Chile.

The outbreak of the B.1.1.