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Background: Kenya introduced Synflorix™ (GlaxoSmithKline, PCV10-GSK), a 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, in 2011, using three primary doses and, in select areas, catch-up campaigns. Surveys conducted 1-2 years post-introduction showed a stable prevalence of pneumococcal colonization, with declines in vaccine-type carriage. However, little is known about the long-term impact of PCV10-GSK in Kenya., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of pneumococcal carriage among children aged <5 years in November-December 2017 in Kibera (Nairobi informal settlement, no catch-up) and Asembo (rural western Kenya, 2-dose catch-up for children 1-4 years), using the same methods and settings as prior annual surveys from 2009 to 2013. Participants were randomly selected from an ongoing population-based surveillance platform. Nasopharyngeal swabs were frozen in skim milk-tryptone-glucose-glycerin media within 4 h and underwent culture with broth enrichment for pneumococcus. Isolates were serotyped by polymerase chain reaction and Quellung., Results: We enrolled 504 children, including 252 from each site; >90 % of participants had received 3 doses of PCV10-GSK. Pneumococcal colonization was detected in 210 (83.3 %) participants in Kibera and 149 (59.1 %) in Asembo, which was significantly lower than the prevalence observed in 2013 (92.9 % and 85.7 %, respectively). PCV10-GSK serotypes were detected in 35/252 (13.9 %) participants in Kibera and 23/252 (9.1 %) in Asembo, respectively; these prevalences were lower, but not statistically different, from vaccine-type carriage prevalences in 2013 (17.3 % and 13.3 %, respectively). In 2017 in both sites, serotypes 3, 6A, 19A, 19F, and 35B were among the most common serotypes., Conclusion: Six years post-PCV10-GSK introduction, the prevalence of pneumococcal carriage among children has decreased, and the impact of PCV10-GSK on vaccine-type carriage has plateaued. Kenya recently changed from PCV10-GSK to Pneumosil™ (Serum Institute of India), a 10-valent PCV that includes serotypes 6A and 19A; these data provide historical context for interpreting changes in vaccine-type carriage following the PCV formulation switch., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae), Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae), and Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis) are leading causes of childhood bacterial meningitis and preventable by vaccines. The aim of this hospital-based sentinel surveillance is to describe the epidemiological characteristics of pneumococcal meningitis, including disease burden, and to provide baseline data on pneumococcal serotype distribution to support decision making for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) introduction in Vietnam., Methods: Surveillance for probable bacterial meningitis in children 1-59 months of age is conducted in three tertiary level pediatric hospitals: one in Hanoi and two in Ho Chi Minh City. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were collected via lumbar puncture from children with suspected meningitis. Specimens were transferred immediately to the laboratory department of the respective hospital for cytology, biochemistry, and microbiology testing, including culture. PCR testing was conducted on CSF specimens for bacterial detection (S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and N. meningitidis) and pneumococcal serotyping., Results: During 2015-2018, a total of 1,803 children with probable bacterial meningitis were detected; 1,780 had CSF specimens available for testing. Of 245 laboratory-confirmed positive cases, the majority were caused by S. pneumoniae (229,93.5%). Of those with S. pneumoniae detected, over 70% were caused by serotypes included in currently available PCV products; serotypes 6 A/6B (27.1%), 14 (19.7%), and 23 F (16.2%) were the most common serotypes. Children with laboratory-confirmed pneumococcal meningitis were more likely to live in Hanoi (p < 0.0001) and children 12-23 months of age were at greater odds (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.11, 2.43; p = 0.006) of having confirmed pneumococcal meningitis compared to children < 12 months of age when compared to those without laboratory-confirmed bacterial meningitis. Additionally, children with confirmed pneumococcal meningitis were more likely to exhibit signs and symptoms consistent with clinical meningitis compared to negative laboratory-confirmed meningitis cases (p < 0.0001) and had a greater odds of death (OR = 6.18, 95% CI: 2.98, 12.86; p < 0.0001)., Conclusions: Pneumococcal meningitis contributes to a large burden of bacterial meningitis in Vietnamese children. A large proportion are caused by serotypes covered by PCVs currently available. Introduction of PCV into the routine immunization program could reduce the burden of pneumococcal meningitis in Viet Nam., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Background: The objective of this study was to identify antibiotic stewardship (AS) opportunities in Latin American medical-surgical intensive care units (MS-ICUs) and general wards (Gral-wards)., Methods: We conducted serial cross-sectional point prevalence surveys in MS-ICUs and Gral-wards in 41 Latin American hospitals between March 2022 and February 2023. Patients >18 years of age in the units of interest were evaluated for antimicrobial use (AU) monthly (MS-ICUs) or quarterly (Gral-wards). Antimicrobial data were collected using a standardized form by the local AS teams and submitted to the coordinating team for analysis., Results: We evaluated AU in 5780 MS-ICU and 7726 Gral-ward patients. The hospitals' median bed size (interquartile range) was 179 (125-330), and 52% were nonprofit. The aggregate AU prevalence was 53.5% in MS-ICUs and 25.5% in Gral-wards. Most (88%) antimicrobials were prescribed to treat infections, 7% for surgical prophylaxis and 5% for medical prophylaxis. Health care-associated infections led to 63% of MS-ICU and 38% of Gral-ward AU. Carbapenems, piperacillin-tazobactam, intravenous (IV) vancomycin, and ampicillin-sulbactam represented 50% of all AU to treat infections. A minority of IV vancomycin targeted therapy was associated with documented methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection or therapeutic drug monitoring. In both units, 17% of antibiotics prescribed as targeted therapy represented de-escalation, while 24% and 15% in MS-ICUs and Gral-wards, respectively, represented an escalation of therapy. In Gral-wards, 32% of antibiotics were used without a microbiologic culture ordered. Half of surgical prophylaxis antibiotics were prescribed after the first 24 hours., Conclusions: Based on this cohort, areas to improve AU in Latin American hospitals include antibiotic selection, de-escalation, duration of therapy, and dosing strategies., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Background: The burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Latin America is high. Little is known about healthcare workers' (HCWs) knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of antimicrobial stewardship (AS), AMR, and antibiotic use (AU) in the region., Methods: HCWs from 42 hospitals from 5 Latin American countries were invited to take an electronic, voluntary, anonymous survey regarding knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of AS, AMR, and AU between March-April 2023., Findings: Overall, 996 HCWs completed the survey (52% physicians, 32% nurses, 11% pharmacists, 3% microbiologists, and 2% "other"). More than 90% of respondents indicated optimizing AU was a priority at their healthcare facility (HCF), 69% stated the importance of AS was communicated at their HCF, and 23% were unfamiliar with the term "antibiotic stewardship". Most (> 95%) respondents acknowledged that appropriate AU can reduce AMR; however, few thought AU (< 30%) or AMR (< 50%) were a problem in their HCF. Lack of access to antibiogram and to locally endorsed guidelines was reported by 51% and 34% of HCWs, respectively. Among prescribers, 53% did not consider non-physicians' opinions to make antibiotic-related decisions, 22% reported not receiving education on how to select antibiotics based on culture results and 60% stated patients and families influence their antibiotic decisions., Conclusions: Although HCWs perceived improving AU as a priority, they did not perceive AU or AMR as a problem in their HCF. AS opportunities include improved access to guidelines, access to AMR/AU data, teamwork, and education on AS for HCWs and patients and families., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Antimicrobial resistance remains a significant global public health threat. Although development of novel antibiotics can be challenging, several new antibiotics with improved activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms have recently been commercialised. Expanding access to these antibiotics is a global public health priority that should be coupled with improving access to quality diagnostics, health care with adequately trained professionals, and functional antimicrobial stewardship programmes. This comprehensive approach is essential to ensure responsible use of these new antibiotics., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 World Health Organization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is an Open Access article published under the CC BY NC ND 3.0 IGO license which permits users to download and share the article for non-commercial purposes, so long as the article is reproduced in the whole without changes, and provided the original source is properly cited. This article shall not be used or reproduced in association with the promotion of commercial products, services or any entity. There should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organisation, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. This notice should be preserved along with the article's original URL.)

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have impacted outpatient antibiotic prescribing in low- and middle-income countries such as Brazil. However, outpatient antibiotic prescribing in Brazil, particularly at the prescription level, is not well-described., Methods: We used the IQVIA MIDAS database to characterize changes in prescribing rates of antibiotics commonly prescribed for respiratory infections (azithromycin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, levofloxacin/moxifloxacin, cephalexin, and ceftriaxone) among adults in Brazil overall and stratified by age and sex, comparing prepandemic (January 2019-March 2020) and pandemic periods (April 2020-December 2021) using uni- and multivariate Poisson regression models. The most common prescribing provider specialties for these antibiotics were also identified., Results: In the pandemic period compared to the prepandemic period, outpatient azithromycin prescribing rates increased across all age-sex groups (incidence rate ratio [IRR] range, 1.474-3.619), with the greatest increase observed in males aged 65-74 years; meanwhile, prescribing rates for amoxicillin-clavulanate and respiratory fluoroquinolones mostly decreased, and changes in cephalosporin prescribing rates varied across age-sex groups (IRR range, 0.134-1.910). For all antibiotics, the interaction of age and sex with the pandemic in multivariable models was an independent predictor of prescribing changes comparing the pandemic versus prepandemic periods. General practitioners and gynecologists accounted for the majority of increases in azithromycin and ceftriaxone prescribing during the pandemic period., Conclusions: Substantial increases in outpatient prescribing rates for azithromycin and ceftriaxone were observed in Brazil during the pandemic with prescribing rates being disproportionally different by age and sex. General practitioners and gynecologists were the most common prescribers of azithromycin and ceftriaxone during the pandemic, identifying them as potential specialties for antimicrobial stewardship interventions., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. L. A. H. is an unpaid volunteer member on the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Board of Trustees and the American College of Physicians Clinical Guidelines Committee. All other authors report no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America 2023.)

Background: The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on antimicrobial use (AU) and resistance has not been well evaluated in South America. These data are critical to inform national policies and clinical care., Methods: At a tertiary hospital in Santiago, Chile, between 2018 and 2022, subdivided into pre- (3/2018-2/2020) and post-COVID-19 onset (3/2020-2/2022), we evaluated intravenous AU and frequency of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE). We grouped monthly AU (defined daily doses [DDD]/1000 patient-days) into broad-spectrum β-lactams, carbapenems, and colistin and used interrupted time-series analysis to compare AU during pre- and post-pandemic onset. We studied the frequency of carbapenemase-producing (CP) CRE and performed whole-genome sequencing analyses of all carbapenem-resistant (CR) Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKpn) isolates collected during the study period., Results: Compared with pre-pandemic, AU (DDD/1000 patient-days) significantly increased after the pandemic onset, from 78.1 to 142.5 (P < .001), 50.9 to 110.1 (P < .001), and 4.1 to 13.3 (P < .001) for broad-spectrum β-lactams, carbapenems, and colistin, respectively. The frequency of CP-CRE increased from 12.8% pre-COVID-19 to 51.9% after pandemic onset (P < .001). The most frequent CRE species in both periods was CRKpn (79.5% and 76.5%, respectively). The expansion of CP-CRE harboring blaNDM was particularly noticeable, increasing from 40% (n = 4/10) before to 73.6% (n = 39/53) after pandemic onset (P < .001). Our phylogenomic analyses revealed the emergence of two distinct genomic lineages of CP-CRKpn: ST45, harboring blaNDM, and ST1161, which carried blaKPC., Conclusions: AU and the frequency of CP-CRE increased after COVID-19 onset. The increase in CP-CRKpn was driven by the emergence of novel genomic lineages. Our observations highlight the need to strengthen infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship efforts., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. R. A. reports funding from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the China Center for Disease Control, and the Chile Ministry of Science (ANID). They report receiving consulting fees for COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Sinovac; attending the Tecnofarma meeting on COVID-19 vaccines; and holding a leadership position with the COVID-19 external advisory group to the Chile Ministry of Health. All other authors report no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Background: Antimicrobial resistance has worsened in Latin America. There is an urgent need to understand the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) and the barriers to implementing effective ASPs in light of limited national action plans or policies to promote ASPs in the region., Methods: We performed a descriptive mixed-methods study of ASPs in 5 Latin American countries in March-July 2022. An electronic questionnaire with an associated scoring system (hospital ASP self-assessment) was used, and ASP development was classified based on the scores (inadequate, 0-25; basic, 26-50; intermediate, 51-75; or advanced, 76-100). Interviews among healthcare workers (HCWs) involved in antimicrobial stewardship (AS) inquired about behavioral and organizational factors that influence AS activities. Interview data were coded into themes. Results from the ASP self-assessment and interviews were integrated to create an explanatory framework., Results: Twenty hospitals completed the self-assessment, and 46 AS stakeholders from these hospitals were interviewed. ASP development was inadequate/basic in 35% of hospitals, intermediate in 50%, and advanced in 15%. For-profit hospitals had higher scores than not-for-profit hospitals. Interview data validated the self-assessment findings and provided further insight into ASP implementation challenges, which included limited formal hospital leadership support, inadequate staffing and tools to perform AS work more efficiently, limited awareness of AS principles by HCWs, and limited training opportunities., Conclusions: We identified several barriers to ASP development in Latin America, suggesting the need to create accurate business cases for ASPs to obtain the necessary funding for their effective implementation and sustainability., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. V. F. reports funding support from CDC including funding to present this work. S. E. C., reports funding support from the CDC. All other authors report no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. The authors: No reported conflicts of interest. Both authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest.

Background: High rates of antibiotic use (AU) among inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) despite low rates of bacterial coinfection and secondary infection have been reported. We evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on AU in healthcare facilities (HCFs) in South America., Methods: We conducted an ecologic evaluation of AU in inpatient adult acute care wards in 2 HCFs each in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. The AU rates for intravenous antibiotics were calculated as the defined daily dose per 1000 patient-days, using pharmacy dispensing records and hospitalization data from March 2018-February 2020 (prepandemic) and March 2020-February 2021 (pandemic). Differences in median AU were compared between the prepandemic and pandemic periods, using the Wilcoxon rank sum test to determine significance. Interrupted time series analysis was used to analyze changes in AU during the COVID-19 pandemic., Results: Compared with the prepandemic period, the median difference in AU rates for all antibiotics combined increased in 4 of 6 HCFs (percentage change, 6.7%-35.1%; P < .05). In the interrupted time series models, 5 of 6 HCFs had significant increases in use of all antibiotics combined immediately at the onset of the pandemic (immediate effect estimate range, 15.4-268), but only 1 of these 5 HCFs experienced a sustained increase over time (change in slope, +8.13; P < .01). The effect of the pandemic onset varied by antibiotic group and HCF., Conclusions: Substantial increases in AU were observed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting the need to maintain or strengthen antibiotic stewardship activities as part of pandemic or emergency HCF responses., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. All authors report no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America 2023.)

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a cause of invasive diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, and other serious infections among children and adults in Paraguay. This study was conducted to establish S. pneumoniae baseline prevalence, serotype distribution, and antibiotic resistance patterns in healthy children aged 2 to 59 months and adults ≥60 years of age prior to the introduction of PCV10 in the national childhood immunization program in Paraguay. Between April and July 2012, a total of 1444 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected, 718 from children aged 2 to 59 months and 726 from adults ≥60 years of age. The pneumococcal isolation, serotyping, and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed using standard tests. Pneumococcal colonization prevalence was 34.1% (245/718) in children and 3.3% (24/726) in adults. The most frequent pneumococcal vaccine-types (VT) detected in the children were 6B (42/245), 19F (32/245), 14 (17/245), and 23F (20/245). Carriage prevalence with PCV10 serotypes was 50.6% (124/245) and PCV13 was 59.5% (146/245). Among colonized adults, prevalence of PCV10 and PCV13 serotypes were 29.1% (7/24) and 41.6% (10/24), respectively. Colonized children were more likely to share a bedroom, have a history of respiratory infection or pneumococcal infection compared to non-colonized children. no associations were found in adults. However, no significant associations were found in children and neither in adults. Vaccine-type pneumococcal colonization was highly prevalent in children and rare in adults in Paraguay prior to vaccine introduction, supporting the introduction of PCV10 in the country in 2012. These data will be useful to evaluate the impact of PCV introduction in the country., Competing Interests: The autors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Chamorro et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Importance: The association of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) use with pneumonia hospitalization in older adults, especially those with underlying medical conditions, is not well described., Objective: To evaluate the association of PCV13 use with pneumonia, non-health care-associated (non-HA) pneumonia, and lobar pneumonia (LP) hospitalization among US Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study with time-varying exposure assignment analyzed claims data from US Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older enrolled in Parts A/B with a residence in the 50 US states or the District of Columbia by September 1, 2014. New Medicare Parts A/B beneficiaries within 6 months after their 65th birthday were continuously included in the cohort after September 1, 2014, and followed through December 31, 2017. Participants were censored if they died, changed enrollment status, or developed a study outcome. Most of the analyses were conducted from 2018 to 2019, and additional analyses were performed from 2021 to 2022., Exposures: Use of PCV13 vaccination 14 days or more before pneumonia hospitalization., Main Outcomes and Measures: Discrete-time survival models were used to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) and number of pneumonia hospitalizations averted through PCV13 use. The adjusted IRR for the association of PCV13 vaccination with pneumonia hospitalization was used to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE)., Results: At the end of follow-up (December 2017), 24 121 625 beneficiaries (13 593 975 women [56.4%]; 418 005 [1.7%] Asian, 1 750 807 [4.8%] Black, 338 044 [1.4%] Hispanic, 111 508 [0.5%] Native American, and 20 700 948 [85.8%] White individuals) were in the cohort; 4 936 185 (20.5%) had received PCV13 only, and 10 646 220 (79.5%) had not received any pneumococcal vaccines. More than half of the beneficiaries in the cohort were younger than 75 years, White, and had either immunocompromising or chronic medical conditions. Coverage with PCV13 increased from 0.8% (September 2014) to 41.5% (December 2017). The VE for PCV13 was estimated at 6.7% (95% CI, 5.9%-7.5%) for pneumonia, 4.7% (95% CI, 3.9%-5.6%) for non-HA pneumonia, and 5.8% (95% CI, 2.6%-8.9%) for LP. From September 2014 through December 2017, an estimated 35 127 pneumonia (95% CI, 33 011-37 270), 24 643 non-HA pneumonia (95% CI, 22 761-26 552), and 1294 LP (95% CI, 797-1819) hospitalizations were averted through PCV13 use., Conclusions and Relevance: The study results suggest that PCV13 use was associated with reduced pneumonia hospitalization among Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older, many of whom had underlying medical conditions. Increased PCV13 coverage and use of recently approved higher-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines may avert additional pneumonia hospitalizations in adults.

In February 2021, Peru launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign among healthcare personnel using an inactivated whole-virus vaccine. The manufacturer recommended 2 vaccine doses 21 days apart. We evaluated vaccine effectiveness among an existing multiyear influenza vaccine cohort at 2 hospitals in Lima. We analyzed data on 290 participants followed during February-May 2021. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire and provided weekly self-collected nasal swab samples; samples were tested by real-time reverse transcription PCR. Median participant follow-up was 2 (range 1-11) weeks. We performed multivariable logistic regression and adjusted for preselected characteristics. During the study, 25 (9%) participants tested SARS-CoV-2-positive. We estimated adjusted vaccine effectiveness at 95% (95% CI 70%-99%) among fully vaccinated participants and 100% (95% CI 88%-100%) among partially vaccinated participants. These data can inform the use and acceptance of inactivated whole-virus vaccine and support vaccination efforts in the region.

Introduction: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is an important strategy to control antimicrobial resistance. Resources are available to provide guidance for design and implementation of AMS programmes, however these may have limited applicability in resource-limited settings including those in Asia. This scoping review aims to identify context-specific domains and items for the development of a healthcare facility (HCF)-level tool to guide AMS implementation in Asia., Methods and Analysis: This review is the first step in a larger project to assess AMS implementation, needs and gaps in Asia. We will employ a deductive qualitative approach to identify locally appropriate domains and items of AMS implementation guided by Nilsen and Bernhardsson's contextual dimensions. This process is also informed by discussions from a technical advisory group coordinated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop an AMS HCF-level assessment tool for low-income and middle-income countries. We will review English-language documents that discuss HCF-level implementation, including those describing frameworks, components/elements or recommendations for design, implementation or assessment globally and specific to Asia. We have performed the search in August-September 2021 including general electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Google Scholar), region-specific databases, national action plans, grey literature sources and reference lists to identify eligible documents. Country-specific documents will be restricted to countries in three subregions: South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia. Codes and themes will be derived through a content analysis, classified following the predefined context dimensions and used for developing domains and items of the assessment tool., Ethics and Dissemination: Results from this review will feed into our stepwise process for developing a context-specific HCF-level assessment tool for AMS programmes to assess the implementation status, identify intervention opportunities and monitor progress over time. The process will be done in consultation with local stakeholders, the end-users of the generated knowledge., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in well-resourced countries has been associated with reductions in antibiotic-resistant infections and improved patient outcomes. Several guidance documents providing recommendations on how to structure antimicrobial stewardship activities at the national and hospital level in resource-limited settings have been published. However, few hospitals in Latin America report having a structure or resources needed for a successful ASP. Given the alarming increases in antimicrobial resistance in Latin America, better understanding of barriers to promote implementation of effective ASPs is urgently needed. We have summarized past and present antimicrobial stewardship activities in Latin American hospitals, and we describe key elements needed in future efforts to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship in the region., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) P.1 (Gamma variant) emerged in the Amazonas State, Brazil, in November 2020. The epidemiological consequences of its mutations have not been widely studied, despite detection of P.1 in 36 countries, with local transmission in at least 5 countries. A range of mutations are seen in P.1, ten of them in the spike protein. It shares mutations with VOCs previously detected in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7, Alpha variant) and South Africa (B.1.351, Beta variant)., Methods: We estimated the transmissibility and reinfection of P.1 using a model-based approach, fitting data from the national health surveillance of hospitalized individuals and frequency of the P.1 variant in Manaus from December-2020 to February-2021., Results: Here we estimate that the new variant is about 2.6 times more transmissible (95% Confidence Interval: 2.4-2.8) than previous circulating variant(s). Manaus already had a high prevalence of individuals previously affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and our fitted model attributed 28% of Manaus cases in the period to reinfections by P.1, confirming the importance of reinfection by this variant. This value is in line with estimates from blood donors samples in Manaus city., Conclusions: Our estimates rank P.1 as one of the most transmissible among the SARS-CoV-2 VOCs currently identified, and potentially as transmissible as the posteriorly detected VOC B.1.617.2 (Delta variant), posing a serious threat and requiring measures to control its global spread., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2021.)