ReviewAntimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE2026
From infestation to infection: a systematic review of arthropod-mediated microbial transmission in hospitals.
Review in Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the evidence for arthropod-associated transmission of pathogens in healthcare facilities and synthesize available literature to support infection prevention practice and policy. Methods: We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL were searched using terms related to insects/arthropods, microbial transmission, and healthcare-associated infection, supplemented by grey literature and citation tracking. No date, language, or study-type restrictions were applied. After deduplication and screening in Covidence, 73 studies met inclusion criteria. Eligible studies described microbial isolation or transmission involving arthropods within healthcare environments. Data were extracted by multiple reviewers using a standardized manual and verified by a senior author. Analyses were descriptive and focused on identifying evidence of patient transmission and microbial carriage among arthropods. Results: Included studies spanned all world regions, most commonly from Asia and South America. Cockroaches, flies, and ants were the primary arthropods examined, with samples collected from both clinical and non-clinical hospital areas. Six studies investigated direct patient transmission, and three provided genetic or circumstantial evidence linking arthropods to patient infections, including Conclusions: Arthropods in healthcare environments commonly harbor clinically relevant and antimicrobial-resistant microbes, and limited but compelling evidence supports their potential role in patient transmission. Strengthened pest management and environmental hygiene are essential components of infection prevention.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.