Wastewater surveillance of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens: A systematic review.

Infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacterial (ARB) pathogens are a serious threat to human and animal health. The active surveillance of ARB using an integrated one-health approach can help to reduce the emergence and spread of ARB, reduce the associated economic impact, and guide antimicrobial stewardship programs. Wastewater surveillance (WWS) of ARB provides composite samples for a total population, with easy access to the mixed community microbiome.

Fecal Carriage of Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamase Producing Escherichia coli among Health Science Students.

Background: The incidence of antibiotic resistance in commensal bacteria is increasing with the production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase. Therefore, this study was conducted to understand the status of fecal carriage of such enzyme producing Escherichia coli among health science students of seven different faculties of Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted over six months among the health science students.

Medical laboratory staff satisfaction and their perspective on the role of health institutions to combat COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To assess the facilities and challenges encountered in the clinical laboratories, satisfaction of the medical laboratory staff (MLS) toward their profession and their views on the role of related health institutions during the first wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Nepal.

Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among registered MLS in Nepal. Data were collected using a structured self-reported questionnaire on the Google Docs platform.

Effect of Preexisting Asthma on the Risk of ICU Admission, Intubation, and Death from COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies asthma as a comorbidity in COVID-19 that increases the risk of severity and death. However, research has shown that asthma is not associated with increased severity and death, thus making the consequences of asthma in COVID-19 unclear.

Methods: We searched the electronic databases PubMed, WHO COVID-19 database, and Taylor and Francis Online for studies that compared the medical outcomes of COVID-19 between patients with and without asthma, from the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in December 2019 to the 3 of September 2021, excluded duplicates, reviews, editorials, and case reports, and screened the titles, abstracts, and full texts.

It is time to define an organizational model for the prevention and management of infections along the surgical pathway: a worldwide cross-sectional survey.

Background: The objectives of the study were to investigate the organizational characteristics of acute care facilities worldwide in preventing and managing infections in surgery; assess participants' perception regarding infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, antibiotic prescribing practices, and source control; describe awareness about the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and IPC measures; and determine the role of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic on said awareness.

Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted contacting 1432 health care workers (HCWs) belonging to a mailing list provided by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery. The self-administered questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team.

Comparative study of Amsel's criteria and Nugent scoring for diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis in a tertiary care hospital, Nepal.

Background: The most common pathological cause of abnormal vaginal discharge in reproductive-aged women is bacterial vaginosis (BV). Amsel's criteria and Nugent scoring systems are commonly employed approaches for the diagnosis of BV. Despite the Nugent scoring system being the gold standard method for diagnosing BV, Amsel's criteria are generally preferred in clinical setup owing to the fact Nugent scoring requires considerable time and expert microscopist.

Characterisation of ESKAPE Pathogens with Special Reference to Multidrug Resistance and Biofilm Production in a Nepalese Hospital.

Background: "ESKAPE" is an acronym for a group of life-threatening nosocomial pathogens, viz, and spp. Global efforts on controlling multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms have been hampered by their ability to escape antibacterial drugs. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of ESKAPE pathogens with prime focus on biofilm production and antibiotic resistance.

Biofilm Formation by Pathogens Causing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia at Intensive Care Units in a Tertiary Care Hospital: An Armor for Refuge.

Background: Emerging threat of drug resistance among pathogens causing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) has resulted in higher hospital costs, longer hospital stays, and increased hospital mortality. Biofilms in the endotracheal tube of ventilated patients act as protective shield from host immunity. They induce chronic and recurrent infections that defy common antibiotics.

In vitro Antimicrobial Synergy Testing of Extensively Drug-Resistant Clinical Isolates at an Organ Transplant Center in Nepal.

Purpose: Inappropriate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics contributes to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Finding novel antimicrobial agents and strategies based on synergistic combinations are essential to combat MDR infections. This study was designed to determine in vitro synergy of different antimicrobials against extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Gram-negative clinical isolates.

Carbapenem Resistance in Non-Fermentative Gram-Negative Bacilli Isolated from Intensive Care Unit Patients of a Referral Hospital.

Background: Non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli or non-fermenters are opportunistic pathogens associated with serious infections in intensive care unit patients. Although carbapenems were considered as a backbone of treatment for life-threatening infections, these bacteria are increasingly acquiring resistance to carbapenems. Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are prioritized as critical pathogens by the World Health Organization.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia among ICU patients in WHO Southeast Asian region: A systematic review.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most frequent ICU-acquired infections and a leading cause of death among patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The South East Asian Region is a part of the world with limited health resources where infectious diseases are still underestimated. We aimed to review the literature in this part of the world to describe incidence, mortality and microbiological evidence of VAP and explore preventive and control strategies.

How Well the Government of Nepal Is Responding to COVID-19? An Experience From a Resource-Limited Country to Confront Unprecedented Pandemic.

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, was first reported in Wuhan, China and is now a pandemic affecting over 218 countries and territories around the world. Nepal has been severely affected by it, with an increasing number of confirmed cases and casualties in recent days, even after 8 months of the first case detected in China. As of 26 November 2020, there were over 227,600 confirmed cases of COVID in Nepal with 209,435 recovered cases and 1,412 deaths.

Prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in Asia-A systematic review and meta-analysis.

What Is Known And Objective: The rise of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) has been a major health problem in most countries of the world including Asia, since its discovery. There is a paucity of data on VRE in many countries of Asia as well as limited pooled estimates. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate a pooled prevalence of VRE in Asia.

Bacteria on Medical Professionals' White Coats in a University Hospital.

The transient contamination of medical professional's attires including white coats is one of the major vehicles for the horizontal transmission of microorganisms in the hospital environment. This study was carried out to determine the degree of contamination by bacterial agents on the white coats in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal. Sterilized uniforms with fabric patches of 10 cm × 15 cm size attached to the right and left pockets were distributed to 12 nurses of six different wards of a teaching hospital at the beginning of their work shift.

A Syndemic Perspective on the Management of Non-communicable Diseases Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

The global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly affected the lives of people living with non-communicable diseases (PLWNCDs). The health of PLWNCDs worsens when synergistic epidemics or "syndemics" occur due to the interaction between socioecological and biological factors, resulting in adverse outcomes. These interactions can affect the physical, emotional, and social well-being of PLWNCDs.

Emergence of multidrug-resistant non-fermentative gram negative bacterial infection in hospitalized patients in a tertiary care center of Nepal.

Objective: This study was designed for the characterization and establishment of antibiotic susceptibility profiles of non-fermentative gram negative bacteria isolated from hospitalized patients in a tertiary care hospital of Nepal.

Results: A total of 402 non-fermentative gram negative bacteria was isolated in 1486 culture-positive cases from 6216 different clinical samples obtained from hospitalized patients. Among total non-fermentative gram negative bacterial isolates, the highest number was recovered from specimens collected from lower respiratory tract infections (n = 173, 43.

Burden of Multidrug-Resistant Infection in Hospitalized Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Nepal.

Introduction: has emerged as a significant multidrug-resistant (MDR) nosocomial pathogen worldwide and is responsible for various healthcare-associated infections. The MDR strains have been reported increasingly during the last decades in hospitalized patients. They have developed resistance to most of the available antibiotics and are known to produce various acquired β-lactamases.

Carriage of Extended-Spectrum--Lactamase- and AmpC--Lactamase-Producing (ESBL-PE) in Healthy Community and Outpatient Department (OPD) Patients in Nepal.

Background: Extended-spectrum -lactamase (ESBL)- and AmpC--lactamase (ESBL)- and AmpC- have recently emerged as a public threat in the treatment of nosocomial as well as community-acquired infections. Very little information is currently available about its existence in Nepal. We, therefore, aim to determine the prevalence of ESBL and AmpC--lactamase (ESBL)- and AmpC- have recently emerged as a public threat in the treatment of nosocomial as well as community-acquired infections.

Recent advances in infection: focus on vaccine development.

normally colonizes the nasal cavity and pharynx. After breaching the normal habitat, the organism is able to cause a number of infections at any site of the body. The development of antibiotic resistance has created a global challenge for treating infections.

Isolation, speciation and antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida isolates from various clinical specimens at a tertiary care hospital, Nepal.

Background: Candida species are responsible for various clinical infections ranging from mucocutaneous infection to life threatening invasive diseases along with increased resistance to antifungal drugs has made a serious concern. Resistance to antifungal agents has increased during the last decade. Thus, identification of Candida up to species level and its antifungal susceptibility testing has a paramount significance in the management of Candidal infections.

High burden of antimicrobial resistance among gram negative bacteria causing healthcare associated infections in a critical care unit of Nepal.

Background: Healthcare associated infections (HCAI) and antimicrobial resistance are principal threats to the patients of intensive care units and are the major determining factors for patient outcome. They are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, excess hospitalization and financial costs. The present study is an attempt to investigate the spectrum and antimicrobial resistance of bacterial isolates involved in healthcare associated infections (HCAI) in the patients of a critical care unit at a tertiary care university hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.