Bacterial co-infection and antibiotic stewardship in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Understanding the proportion of patients with COVID-19 who have respiratory bacterial co-infections and the responsible pathogens is important for managing COVID-19 effectively while ensuring responsible antibiotic use.

Objective: To estimate the frequency of bacterial co-infection in COVID-19 hospitalized patients and of antibiotic prescribing during the early pandemic period and to appraise the use of antibiotic stewardship criteria.

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis was performed using major databases up to May 5, 2021.

Towards environmental detection of Chagas disease vectors and pathogen.

Chagas disease vector control relies on prompt, accurate identification of houses infested with triatomine bugs for targeted insecticide spraying. However, most current detection methods are laborious, lack standardization, have substantial operational costs and limited sensitivity, especially when triatomine bug densities are low or highly focal. We evaluated the use of FTA cards or cotton-tipped swabs to develop a low-technology, non-invasive method of detecting environmental DNA (eDNA) from both triatomine bugs and Trypanosoma cruzi for use in household surveillance in eastern Colombia, an endemic region for Chagas disease.