Impact of California’s Senate Bill 27 on Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli Urinary Tract Infection in Humans: Protocol for a Study of Methods and Baseline Data

BackgroundOveruse of antibiotics contributes to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and is a growing threat to human health worldwide. Previous work suggests a link between antimicrobial use in poultry and human AMR extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (E coli) urinary tract infections (UTIs). However, few US-based studies exist, and none have comprehensively assessed both foodborne and environmental pathways using advanced molecular and spatial epidemiologic methods in a quasi-experimental design. Recently, California enacted Senate Bill 27 (SB27), which changed previous policy to require a veterinarian’s prescription for the use of antibiotic drugs, and which banned antibiotic use for disease prevention in livestock. This provided an opportunity to evaluate whether SB27 will result in a reduction in antimicrobial-resistant infections in humans. ObjectiveWe describe in detail the methods implemented to achieve the overarching objective of this study to evaluate the impact of SB27 on downstream antibiotic resistance rates in human UTIs. MethodsA summary of the overall approach and the partnerships between Columbia University, George Washington University (GWU), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) Research and Evaluation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sanger Institute at Stanford University, Sutter Health Center for Health Systems Research, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford is presented. The collection, quality control testing, and shipment of retail meat and clinical samples are described. Retail meat (chicken, beef, turkey, and pork) was purchased from stores throughout Southern California from 2017 to 2021. After processing at KPSC, it was shipped to GWU for testing. From 2016 to 2021, after clinical specimens were processed for routine clinical purposes and immediately before discarding, those with isolated colonies of E coli, Campylobacter, and Salmonella from KPSC members were collected and processed to be shipped for testing at GWU. Detailed methods of the isolation and testing as well as the whole-genome sequencing of the meat and clinical samples at GWU are described. KPSC electronic health record data were used to track UTI cases and AMR patterns among the cultured specimens. Similarly, Sutter Health electronic health record data were used to track UTI cases in its Northern California patient population. ResultsFrom 2017 to 2021, overall, 12,616 retail meat samples were purchased from 472 unique stores across Southern California. In addition, 31,643 positive clinical cultures were collected from KPSC members during the same study period. ConclusionsHere, we presented data collection methods for the study, which was conducted to evaluate the impact of SB27 on downstream antibiotic resistance rates in human UTI. To date, it is one of the largest studies of its kind to be conducted. The data collected during this study will be used as the foundation for future analyses specific to the various objectives of this large body of work. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/4510

Unlocking the potential of urban forests : developing a local urban forestry action plan

Project title: Uforest. Uforest is a three-year Knowledge Alliance project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission. The project and alliance aim at promoting Europe's innovation capacity among universities, cities and businesses to deliver a new approach to Urban Forestry.In recent years, urban forestry has increasingly caught the attention of policymakers and politicians as a nature-based approach to tackling some of our key societal challenges. These include the impact of climate change, biodiversity loss, urban densification, the demand for forest products and the health and recreation needs of urban populations. Furthermore, urban forestry offers potential to deliver key aspects of European Union (EU) policies such as the New Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the EU Urban Agenda. This document aims to increase awareness about urban forestry, the numerous and diverse benefits that it can provide and practical steps for developing an Urban Forestry Action Plan at a local level. In this respect, the multifunctionality of urban forestry and the cross-cutting outputs and services that it can deliver must be considered one of its greatest strengths

Genome sequencing and analysis of Aspergillus oryzae

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Influenza Epidemiology And Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness During The 2016-2017 Season In The Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network (Gihsn)

BackgroundThe Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network (GIHSN) aims to determine the burden of severe influenza disease and Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness (IVE). This is a prospective, active surveillance and hospital-based epidemiological study to collect epidemiological data in the GIHSN. In the 2016-2017 influenza season, 15 sites in 14 countries participated in the GIHSN, although the analyses could not be performed in 2 sites. A common core protocol was used in order to make results comparable. Here we present the results of the GIHSN 2016-2017 influenza season.MethodsA RT-PCR test was performed to all patients that accomplished the requirements detailed on a common core protocol. Patients admitted were included in the study after signing the informed consent, if they were residents, not institutionalised, not discharged in the previous 30days from other hospitalisation with symptoms onset within the 7days prior to admission. Patients 5years old or more must also complied the Influenza-Like Illness definition. A test negative-design was implemented to perform IVE analysis. IVE was estimated using a logistic regression model, with the formula IVE=(1-aOR)x100, where aOR is the adjusted Odds Ratio comparing cases and controls.ResultsAmong 21,967 screened patients, 10,140 (46.16%) were included, as they accomplished the inclusion criteria, and tested, and therefore 11,827 (53.84%) patients were excluded. Around 60% of all patients included with laboratory results were recruited at 3 sites. The predominant strain was A(H3N2), detected in 63.6% of the cases (1840 patients), followed by B/Victoria, in 21.3% of the cases (618 patients). There were 2895 influenza positive patients (28.6% of the included patients). A(H1N1)pdm09 strain was mainly found in Mexico. IVE could only be performed in 6 sites separately. Overall IVE was 27.24 (95% CI 15.62-37.27. Vaccination seemed to confer better protection against influenza B and in people 2-4years, or 85years old or older. The aOR for hospitalized and testing positive for influenza was 3.02 (95% CI 1.59-5.76) comparing pregnant with non-pregnant women.ConclusionsVaccination prevented around 1 in 4 hospitalisations with influenza. Sparse numbers didn't allow estimating IVE in all sites separately. Pregnancy was found a risk factor for influenza, having 3 times more risk of being admitted with influenza for pregnant women.Wo