Gastrointestinal safety of coxibs: systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies on selective inhibitors of cyclo‐oxygenase 2

Prior meta‐analyses have shown a higher gastrointestinal risk of nonselective NSAIDs versus placebo and a lower gastrointestinal risk of coxibs versus nonselective NSAIDs. However, the available data about gastrointestinal risk for coxibs versus placebo are scarce. The aim of this study was to review the current evidence on the use of coxibs and to evaluate the risk of gastrointestinal adverse outcomes (GAO) associated with coxibs versus nonexposed. Search was conducted on PubMed and Embase databases. We selected cohort observational, case‐control, nested case‐control and case‐crossover studies that reported the risk of GAO associated with coxibs versus nonexposed as relative risk (RR), odds ratio (OR), hazard ratio (HR) or incidence rate ratio (IRR). It was estimated the pooled RR and the 95% confidence interval (CI) for coxibs both individually and as a whole by the DerSimonian and Laird method. Twenty‐eight studies met inclusion criteria. Overall, coxibs were associated with a significant increment in the risk of GAO [RR 1.64 (95% CI 1.44–1.86)]. The analysis by individual drugs showed that etoricoxib [RR 4.85 (95% CI 2.64–8.93)] presented the highest gastrointestinal risk, followed by rofecoxib [RR 2.02 (95% CI 1.56–2.61)] and celecoxib [RR 1.53 (95% CI 1.19–1.97)]. Gastrointestinal risk was also high for the subgroups aged <65 years and low‐dose coxibs. The use of coxibs is associated with a statistically significant increased risk of GAO, which would be high even for low‐dose coxibs and <65‐year‐old subgroups. The risk would be higher for etoricoxib than for celecoxib and rofecoxib.     

Molecular xenomonitoring and host identification of Leishmania sand fly vectors in a Mediterranean periurban wildlife park

The epidemiological cycle of zoonotic phlebotomine‐borne Leishmania infantum is a complex system in which domestic animals and wildlife interact and participate in its maintenance and transmission. In this study, we combined entomological surveillance, xenomonitoring of L. infantum and identification of host feeding sources of engorged females to investigate the potential contribution of a periurban wildlife park to leishmaniosis in neighbouring residential areas. Overall, 7,309 sand flies were collected in 111 trap‐days during the summers of 2016–2018 in an endemic area in south‐east Spain. Five different sand fly species were captured, with Phlebotomus perniciosus, the main L. infantum vector in this region, representing the most common species. Sand fly distribution was spatially heterogeneous in terms of species, sexes and female physiological stage (unfed, gravid and engorged females) and related to host distribution and management, and environmental features. None of the 602 sand flies analysed for L. infantum infection by kinetoplast real‐time PCR were positive. We used molecular tools to identify the vertebrate hosts of sand flies and identified 17 host species, mainly mammals. Human DNA was not identified in engorged sand flies. This study provides evidence that wildlife parks in south‐east Spain are ideal grounds for sand fly vectors but do not necessarily increase L. infantum infection risk to humans and dogs living in surrounding residential areas. This is probably because vectors feed mostly on non‐L. infantum competent hosts and this should be investigated for a better understanding of the contribution of wildlife parks to the local epidemiology of L. infantum.