BACKGROUND Drug resistant tuberculosis (DR TB) is a major global public health threat. India, sharing a large fraction of the world's TB burden, is in a critical phase due to the rise of drug resistance. Monitoring the prevalence and patterns of drug resistance is essential to measure the progress of TB control programs. We aimed to systematically review Indian studies on the prevalence and patterns of drug resistant TB among various treatment types and risk groups. METHODS A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, IndMed, major TB journals and other databases for English language articles published till March 2018 that estimated the prevalence of DR TB in new, previously treated, presumptive MDR, paediatric and HIV co-infected pulmonary TB patients. Two authors independently conducted the search, assessed study quality and extracted relevant data. Pooled prevalence of DR TB and its types were calculated byDerSimonian-Laird random effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was investigated by subgroup and sensitivity analyses. RESULTS Ninety non-duplicate studies were included. Prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR), any drug resistance and extensive drug resistance was 3.5%, 24.9% and 0.06% (among new) and 26.7%, 58.4% and 1.3% (among previously treated), respectively. read more MDR prevalence among presumptive MDR, paediatric and HIV co-infected TB patients was 23.3%, 5.1% and 18.8%, respectively. MDR prevalence among new TB patients was highest in Maharashtra and lowest in Telangana. There was high heterogeneity between studies. Study period, place of study and zone were significantly associated with MDR prevalence. CONCLUSIONS India suffers from a significant burden of DR TB. Its patterns and prevalence are very heterogeneous across time, region and setting. Implementation of Universal drug susceptibility testing in all districts and continuous DR TB surveillance is crucial to ensure programmatic success. INTRODUCTION Tuberculosis (TB) is considered one of the most fatal diseases worldwide with an estimation of 10.1 million cases (WHO 2018). In this study, Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was used to perform genomic characterization of 40 Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) isolates from patients with different nationalities hospitalized in the Czech Republic. MATERIALS AND METHODS Susceptibility testing for first line drugs was performed. DNA was sequenced using Illumina MiSeq platform. Spoligotypes Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and mutations in antibiotic resistant genes were detected and phylogenetic analysis was performed. RESULTS Samples showing phenotypic resistance to at least one drug were 12 to streptomycin, 11 to isoniazid, seven to rifampicin, six to ethambutol and five to pyrazinamide. Phenotypic and genotypic profiles didn't match in all cases suggesting the presence of novel mutation in some cases and low expression of resistant genes in others. The presented phylogeny enables the correct assignation of M. tuberculosis lineages and sub-lineages. Our results suggest that the most dominant lineage in our samples was lineages 4 (33/40). CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first study using this approach to be done in Czech Republic. Lineage 4 was the predominant lineage identified among our samples. Nevertheless, the dominance of Lineage 4 along with other lineages suggests that infections can be originated from different sources. OBJECTIVE Antimicrobial stewardship is one of the strategic objectives of the WHO global action plan on antimicrobial resistance. This paper sought to review the extent of implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs) in African countries and the reported outcomes. METHODS We searched five electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane library, African Journal Online, CINAHL and Google scholar for papers published between 1990 and March 2019. We combined the names of countries in the five regions of Africa with antimicrobial stewardship terms. Studies of any design, employing any stewardship strategies were included. The quality of included studies was assessed using the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) quality assessment tool for before and after studies. RESULTS Of 1752 titles identified, 13 studies met the criteria for inclusion. Seven of the studies were conducted in South Africa, three in Kenya and one each in Sudan, Tanzania and Egypt. Eleven studies were of high quality with low risk of bias. The included studies mainly assessed the outcome using process measures and these were associated with improved compliance with antibiotic guidelines, appropriateness of prescribing, reduction in antibiotic use and cost savings. Decrease in rate of surgical site infections and nonsignificant change in mortality and 30-day readmission rate were reported in two studies respectively. CONCLUSION Findings of this review show the paucity of data on implementation of ASPs in African countries. Although the continent is faced with challenges which impact on effective implementation of ASPs, the successes reported in the included studies show that other African countries can implement these programmes. OBJECTIVES Vancomycin is a first-line antibiotic for invasive infections in human medicine due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Based on the premise that antibiotic combinations can exhibit synergistic and antagonistic interactions, medications used in the treatment of infection and other medical conditions were evaluated for their ability to alter MRSA susceptibility to vancomycin. METHODS A chemical library comprised of 1,237 pharmacological agents was evaluated in 96-well plate format for its ability to inhibit MRSA growth in combination with half the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of vancomycin. Caspofungin and tolcapone were further assessed for synergistic potential by isobologram (checkerboard) and flow cytometric analysis. In addition, antibacterial activity spectrum and effects of growth conditions of the two drugs were delineated by MIC determination. RESULTS The study identified seventeen nonantibiotic library members with synergistic or additive potential, including caspofungin and tolcapone.