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New Advances in Infection Control Research
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New Advances in Infection Control Research

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 13739

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Raja Veerapandian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Center of Emphasis in Infectious Diseases, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, El Paso, TX 79905, USA
Interests: infectious disease; antimicrobial resistance; drugs/vaccines against infectious pathogens
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jagdish Joshi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), Erie, PA 16509, USA
Interests: pulmonary infectious diseases; lung regeneration and repair; immunopharmacology; neuropharmacology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the major threats of our time, and it is one of the top 10 global public health issues. According to the CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Threat Report, >35,000 people died due to AMR in 2019. The seriousness of the fact is that microbes do not need to be resistant to all antibiotics: resistance to even one antibiotic may cause a serious complication. AMR may result in no treatment, or cause serious side effects due to the use of high dosages. If antibiotics lose their efficacy due to AMR then we will be unable to treat infections, which is a major public health concern. AMR is challenging, especially in low-income countries, due to the irrational use of antimicrobials. Given the complexity of AMR and its impact on humans, animals, and the environment, we need multiple approaches to overcome these obstacles. Potential topics for submission to this Special Issue include (but are not limited to) the following topics: the mechanism of AMR, new therapeutic strategies such as drugs and vaccines against AMR pathogens, diagnostic strategies that help to identify infections, COVID-19 and AMR, the surveillance of AMR, and infection control plans.

Dr. Raja Veerapandian
Dr. Jagdish Joshi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • antimicrobial resistance
  • drugs
  • vaccines
  • resistance mechanisms
  • surveillance
  • infection control plans
  • diagnosis

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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12 pages, 1646 KiB  
Article
Early Warning Systems for Emerging Profiles of Antimicrobial Resistance in Italy: A National Survey
by Jessica Iera, Chiara Seghieri, Lara Tavoschi, Claudia Isonne, Valentina Baccolini, Daniele Petrone, Antonella Agodi, Martina Barchitta, Luca Arnoldo, Roberta Creti, Silvia Forni, Annibale Raglio, Enrico Ricchizzi, Lorenzo Bandini, Adriano Grossi and Fortunato D’Ancona
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(9), 5623; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095623 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1962
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national surveillance systems in Italy lack alert systems for timely detection of emerging profiles of AMR with potential relevance to public health. Furthermore, the existence of early warning systems (EWS) at subnational level is unclear. This study aims at mapping [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national surveillance systems in Italy lack alert systems for timely detection of emerging profiles of AMR with potential relevance to public health. Furthermore, the existence of early warning systems (EWS) at subnational level is unclear. This study aims at mapping and characterizing EWS for microbiological threats available at regional level in Italy, focusing on emerging AMR, and at outlining potential barriers and facilitators to their development/implementation. To this end, a three-section, web-based survey was developed and administered to all Italian regional AMR representatives from June to August 2022. Twenty out of twenty-one regions and autonomous provinces (95.2%) responded to the survey. Among these, nine (45%) reported the implementation of EWS for microbiological threats at regional level, three (15%) reported that EWS are in the process of being developed, and eight (40%) reported that EWS are not currently available. EWS characteristics varied widely among the identified systems concerning both AMR profiles reported and data flow: the microorganisms most frequently included were extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Enterobacterales, with the lack of a dedicated regional IT platform reported in most cases. The results of this study depict a highly heterogeneous scenario and suggest that more efforts aimed at strengthening national AMR surveillance systems are needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Infection Control Research)
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17 pages, 5088 KiB  
Article
Alteration of Cell Membrane Permeability by Cetyltrimethylammonium Chloride Induces Cell Death in Clinically Important Candida Species
by Ravi Jothi, Ravichellam Sangavi, Veerapandian Raja, Ponnuchamy Kumar, Shunmugiah Karutha Pandian and Shanmugaraj Gowrishankar
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010027 - 20 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2512
Abstract
The increased incidence of healthcare-related Candida infection has necessitated the use of effective disinfectants/antiseptics in healthcare settings as a preventive measure to decontaminate the hospital environment and stop the persistent colonization of the offending pathogens. Quanternary ammonium surfactants (QASs), with their promising antimicrobial [...] Read more.
The increased incidence of healthcare-related Candida infection has necessitated the use of effective disinfectants/antiseptics in healthcare settings as a preventive measure to decontaminate the hospital environment and stop the persistent colonization of the offending pathogens. Quanternary ammonium surfactants (QASs), with their promising antimicrobial efficacy, are considered as intriguing and appealing candidates for disinfectants. From this perspective, the present study investigated the antifungal efficacy and action mechanism of the QAS cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) against three clinically important Candida species: C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. glabrata. CTAC exhibited phenomenal antifungal activity against all tested Candida spp., with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFC) between 2 and 8 µg/mL. The time–kill kinetics of CTAC (at 2XMIC) demonstrated that an exposure time of 2 h was required to kill 99.9% of the inoculums in all tested strains. An important observation was that CTAC treatment did not influence intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), signifying that its phenomenal anticandidal efficacy was not mediated via oxidative stress. In addition, sorbitol supplementation increased CTAC’s MIC values against all tested Candida strains by three times (8–32 μg/mL), indicating that CTAC’s possible antifungal activity involves fungus cell membrane destruction. Interestingly, the increased fluorescence intensity of CTAC-treated cells in both propidium iodide (PI) and DAPI staining assays indicated the impairment of cell plasma membrane and nuclear membrane integrity by CTAC, respectively. Additionally, CTAC at MIC and 2XMIC was sufficient (>80%) to disrupt the mature biofilms of all tested spp., and it inhibited the yeast-to-hyphae transition at sub-MIC in C. albicans. Finally, the non-hemolytic activity of CTAC (upto 32 µg/mL) in human blood cells and HBECs signified its non-toxic nature at the investigated concentrations. Furthermore, thymol and citral, two phytocompounds, together with CTAC, showed synergistic fungicidal effectiveness against C. albicans planktonic cells. Altogether, the data of the present study appreciably broaden our understanding of the antifungal action mechanism of CTAC and support its future translation as a potential disinfectant against Candida-associated healthcare infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Infection Control Research)
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17 pages, 1373 KiB  
Systematic Review
Effectiveness of Infection Control Teams in Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Moe Moe Thandar, Md. Obaidur Rahman, Rei Haruyama, Sadatoshi Matsuoka, Sumiyo Okawa, Jun Moriyama, Yuta Yokobori, Chieko Matsubara, Mari Nagai, Erika Ota and Toshiaki Baba
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 17075; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192417075 - 19 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6084
Abstract
The infection control team (ICT) ensures the implementation of infection control guidelines in healthcare facilities. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ICT, with or without an infection control link nurse (ICLN) system, in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). We searched four [...] Read more.
The infection control team (ICT) ensures the implementation of infection control guidelines in healthcare facilities. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ICT, with or without an infection control link nurse (ICLN) system, in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). We searched four databases to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in inpatient, outpatient and long-term care facilities. We judged the quality of the studies, conducted meta-analyses whenever interventions and outcome measures were comparable in at least two studies, and assessed the certainty of evidence. Nine RCTs were included; all were rated as being low quality. Overall, ICT, with or without an ICLN system, did not reduce the incidence rate of HCAIs [risk ratio (RR) = 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45–1.07], death due to HCAIs (RR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.04–2.69) and length of hospital stay (42 days vs. 45 days, p = 0.52). However, ICT with an ICLN system improved nurses’ compliance with infection control practices (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00–1.38). Due to the high level of bias, inconsistency and imprecision, these findings should be considered with caution. High-quality studies using similar outcome measures are needed to demonstrate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ICT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Infection Control Research)
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9 pages, 961 KiB  
Brief Report
Pulsed-Xenon Ultraviolet Light Highly Inactivates Human Coronaviruses on Solid Surfaces, Particularly SARS-CoV-2
by Melissa Bello-Perez, Iris Esparza, Arancha De la Encina, Teresa Bartolome, Teresa Molina, Elena Sanjuan, Alberto Falco, Luis Enjuanes, Isabel Sola and Fernando Usera
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 13780; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113780 - 23 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1890
Abstract
In the context of ongoing and future pandemics, non-pharmaceutical interventions are critical in reducing viral infections and the emergence of new antigenic variants while the population reaches immunity to limit viral transmission. This study provides information on efficient and fast methods of disinfecting [...] Read more.
In the context of ongoing and future pandemics, non-pharmaceutical interventions are critical in reducing viral infections and the emergence of new antigenic variants while the population reaches immunity to limit viral transmission. This study provides information on efficient and fast methods of disinfecting surfaces contaminated with different human coronaviruses (CoVs) in healthcare settings. The ability to disinfect three different human coronaviruses (HCoV-229E, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2) on dried surfaces with light was determined for a fully characterized pulsed-xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) source. Thereafter, the effectiveness of this treatment to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 was compared to that of conventional low-pressure mercury UVC lamps by using equivalent irradiances of UVC wavelengths. Under the experimental conditions of this research, PX-UV light completely inactivated the CoVs tested on solid surfaces since the infectivity of the three CoVs was reduced up to 4 orders of magnitude by PX-UV irradiation, with a cumulated dose of as much as 21.162 mJ/cm2 when considering all UV wavelengths (5.402 mJ/cm2 of just UVC light). Furthermore, continuous irradiation with UVC light was less efficient in inactivating SARS-CoV-2 than treatment with PX-UV light. Therefore, PX-UV light postulates as a promising decontamination measure to tackle the propagation of future outbreaks of CoVs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Infection Control Research)
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