International Journal of Infectious Diseases最新文献

{"title":"Investigating an agnostic metagenomic virus discovery tool and evaluating the performance of Ion Torrent versus Oxford Nanopore Technology sequencing","authors":"Ms Tshegofatso Mahlangu , Dr Tongai Maponga , Mr Martin Deijs , Prof Lia van der Hoek , Prof Gert van Zyl , Prof Davey Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107457","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107457","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction and motivation</h3><div>Emerging and re-emerging viruses are a global health concern. Historically, such viruses have been identified through targeted approaches, which has been the gold standard in diagnosis. Unfortunately, these approaches are limited to known pathogens and thus inadequate for the monitoring of “unknown” viruses. Therefore, there is a need for a technology that can identify known, novel and unexpected viruses.</div><div>Virus discovery using copy deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) (also called VIDISCA) is a metagenomics approach that non-specifically enriches for viral sequences and then uses next generation sequencing (NGS) for virus discovery. VIDISCA has been used for the discovery of a several previously unknown viruses, including human coronavirus (HCoV) NL63 and Ntwetwe virus.</div><div>VIDISCA has previously relied on Ion Torrent NGS, and we hypothesised that Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT), which is easier to use, could be as effective as Ion Torrent sequencing. Therefore, we developed and validated VIDISCA with ONT and this compared to Ion Torrent NGS.</div></div><div><h3>Methodology</h3><div>A library made-up of different sample types was split into two identical libraries to sequence on the ONT and Ion Torrent platforms. The samples contained known viral pathogens which were blinded and treated as “unknown” samples for viral discovery. cDNA was synthesized with random primers from nucleic acid extracts that were depleted of rRNA complementary sequences. After second strand synthesis, DNA was digested with a restriction enzyme coupled with adaptor ligation, which served as priming sites for PCR enrichment. Templates are then sequenced, and output files were mapped against protein databases including human, mammal, insect, tick and avian virus sequences.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>The two NGS platforms performed similarly in identifying the pathogens in the prepared library that contained Human Mastadenovirus (HAdV), Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Hepatitis E virus (HEV), HCoV-NL63 and a virus free sample. Neither the ONT nor Ion Torrent platforms sequenced the HAdV. Both platforms also missed HEV in one sample. All other viruses were successfully identified by both platforms. Overall, ONT performed similarly to Ion Torrent.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion and relevance</h3><div>VIDISCA performed on Ion Torrent and ONT sequencing platforms has displayed similar Results. ONT sequencing has the advantage of a more rapid turnaround and low sequencing footprint with a similar cost estimation.</div><div>Future plans include the testing of residual patient samples where some viruses are often undiagnosed (such as cerebrospinal fluid) as well as sentinel species (such as rats and shrews) as a part of pandemic preparedness and novel virus discovery. If necessary, additional work, such as genome primer walking, will be conducted for full-genome ch","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107457"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antiviral Therapeutics Discovery for Enterovirus D68.","authors":"Prof Justin Jang H Chu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107818","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107818","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) can cause a spectrum of clinical symptoms from mild respiratory symptoms to severe disease which can lead to hospitalization and even fatality in the immunocompromised, the elderly, and young children. To date, there are no effective antiviral successfully developed for enterovirus infection and the current understanding on pathogenesis is limited, which has resulted in the persistent circulation and outbreaks across the globe.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>An immunofluorescence-based phenotypic high-throughput antiviral screen was performed on both RD and H1299 cells, where 7,987 compounds across nine commercially-available drug libraries were screened for antiviral activity against Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) strain US/KY/14-18953. Using a hit threshold of 50% inhibition and a toxicity threshold of nuclei count > 1000, 178 hits were identified. These hits were further filtered for novelty and potency, which led to the validation of 12 compounds. MARVAS DF01 was selected for subsequent experiments due to its high efficacy (IC50: 1.804 µM).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>MARVAS DF01 treatment of EV-D68 infected cells potently reduced viral protein and viral genomic RNA levels. The time-of-addition, time-of-removal, and entry bypass studies showed that MARVAS DF01 acts in the post-entry stages of EV-D68 replication, specifically between 4 to 6 hours post-infection. Transfecting a Nanoluciferase viral replicon containing a truncated viral 3D protein still resulted in a luminescence reduction, indicating that MARVAS DF01 affects viral protein translation. Following serial passaging of EV-D68 in the presence of MARVAS DF01, no resistant mutants were found after 18 passages, suggesting the target of MARVAS DF01 to be a host factor. To elucidate the specific target, siRNA knockdown of the four currently known host targets of MARVAS DF01 was performed, from which ULK1 and ULK2 were identified to be involved in EV-D68 replication. As these two proteins are canonically known as part of the autophagy pathway, MARVAS DF01 was investigated for its role in EV-D68-induced autophagy. Through western blot and immunofluorescence staining, the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and number of LC3 puncta-positive cells increased upon EV-D68 infection, indicating autophagy induction in infected cells. MARVAS DF01 treatment reversed this phenomenon, suggesting its mechanism of inhibition to be through the autophagy pathway. Additionally, MARVAS DF01 is a broad-spectrum enterovirus antiviral, inhibiting the replication of representative viruses from Enterovirus A-D and Rhinovirus A. MARVAS DF01 also reduced EV-D68 replication primary human nasal epithelial cells.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Our research has taken a leap into the identification of novel antivirals for EV-D68 and highlight the gap that necessitates further research to devise novel broad spectrum treatment approaches and modalities to thwart","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107818"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Species distribution, antibiotic susceptibility and clinical characteristics in Enterococcal bacteremia; experience from South India","authors":"Dr Vettakkara Niyas, Dr Rajalakshmi Ananthanarayanan, Dr Febeena Hussain","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107403","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107403","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>While the incidence of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) infections in India remains lower than in other countries, recent reports indicate an upward trend. This study investigates the clinical characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility profile associated with Enterococcus bacteremia.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a retrospective analysis of patient records with Enterococcal bacteremia from January 2016 to December 2022 at our tertiary care center in Kerala, South India. For the detection of bacterial growth, BacT/AlLERT 3D instrument was used. Identification and antibiotic susceptibility were done by the VITEK-2 system.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>During the study period, we identified 214 unique Enterococcus isolates in blood cultures. The median age of patients was 62 years (interquartile range: 51-71 years), with males constituting 66% of the cases. The most prevalent comorbidity was diabetes, affecting 51% of patients (n=109), followed by chronic kidney disease in 27% (n=58), and chronic liver disease in 22% (n=48). Malignancies were present in 16% of patients (n=34), and 17% (n=36) experienced immunosuppression from either disease or medication. The primary sources of infection were genitourinary (17%, n=36) and intestinal (16%, n=35) tracts, with infective endocarditis (IE) observed in 7% (n=15).</div><div>E. faecalis was the predominant species, accounting for 50% of cases (n=107), followed by E. faecium at 39.5% (n=85). Other species included E. gallinarum (n=6), E. raffinose (n=4), E. durans (n=2), E. avium (n=2), and E. casseliflavus (n=1). Species identification was indeterminate in 6 isolates.</div><div>Among the E. faecalis isolates, 100% susceptibility was noted for vancomycin and linezolid, 95% for teicoplanin, 88% for penicillin, 86% for ampicillin, and 61% for gentamicin. For E. faecium, susceptibility rates were 95% for vancomycin and linezolid, 88% for teicoplanin, 36% for gentamicin, and only 11% for penicillin and ampicillin. Daptomycin was tested in 28 isolates, with 1 being resistant and 2 showing intermediate susceptibility. Among the 2 isolates that exhibited vancomycin and linezolid resistance, daptomycin remained susceptible.</div><div>Overall, 59% of patients improved, 30% expired, and 11% were discharged at their request and could not be followed up. Among the 95 patients with E. faecalis bacteremia, 67% survived, while among the 76 patients with E. faecium bacteremia, 64% survived. There was no statistically significant correlation between comorbidities, infection source, species, and clinical outcomes. Among those diagnosed with vancomycin-sensitive Enterococcus, almost one-third (29%) succumbed. Among the 4 patients diagnosed with VRE, 3 did not survive.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Enterococcal bacteremia is associated with significant mortality, with approximately one-third of patients succumbing to the illness. However, vancomycin re","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107403"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cholera Outbreak in Chienge District, Luapula Province, Zambia- 31st May – 9th June 2023: Re-emerging threat","authors":"Miss Tebello Kolobe","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Cholera remains a public health threat in Zambia, particularly in hotspot areas like Chienge district in Luapula Province, where the most recent previous outbreak was recorded in 2017. An outbreak of cholera in Chienge was first suspected on May 02, 2023, and confirmed on May 08, 2023. By May 18, 2023, the district had recorded 47 cases. This study aimed to describe cases, identify the cause, and risk factors, and propose control measures.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>An outbreak investigation followed by a 1: 2 matched case-control study were conducted. Suspected cases were individuals aged ≥2 years in the Lunchinda catchment area, presenting with acute watery diarrhoea with or without vomiting or signs of dehydration from April 28 to June 09, 2023. Confirmed cases involved isolation of vibrio cholerae O1 or 0139 from stool samples through culture. Cases and controls were matched by age and sex, with controls from the same household or neighbourhood. A structured questionnaire was used for interviews. The district is situated along the Luapula River and Lake Mweru, and has a total population of 189,893 that mainly depends on fishing as their main source of living. We conducted a descriptive analysis, calculated the case fatality rate (CFR), and applied Conditional logistic regression to determine odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval in R.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Between April 2018 to June 09, 2023, a total of 79 cases were recorded, with 24 lab-confirmed 01 (23 Inaba, 1 Ogawa) species and one community death (CFR: 1.27%). The overall attack rate was 3 cases per 1,000 population. Approximately 80% of the case patients clustered along the lake. All the cases were detected in the health facilities, and 92% exhibited severe dehydration. From 67 cases and 134 controls, none were vaccinated against cholera. The main water source was the lake (41%). The absence of hand washing stations (OR: 2.3, CI: 1.1-4.9), and chlorine before the outbreak (OR: 6.3, CI: 1.3-30.8) were significantly associated with cholera.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>The outbreak was linked to Vibrio cholerae O1, Inaba serotype. This community lacks safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services as it is not under the administrative jurisdiction of the district. Both sexes were equally susceptible. Although the 1.2% fatality rate indicates effective management, it slightly surpasses WHO's threshold, possibly due to late health-seeking behaviours. Unknown vaccination status highlights gaps in coverage since the district conducted Cholera vaccination in the recent past. Risk factors like water source and treatment practices showed varied significance, emphasizing hand hygiene's crucial role.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The outbreak was primarily caused by Inaba serotype. CFR was slightly above the WHO recommendation. Unavailability of chlorine and hand washing stations were the significant risk fact","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107433"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Monkeypox virus (MPXV) isolation from longitudinal samples of 11 patients to infer risk of onwards transmission","authors":"Dr Helen Callaby ,&nbsp;Dr Janie Olver ,&nbsp;Ms Kirsty Emery ,&nbsp;Dr Kevin Richards ,&nbsp;Dr Marian Killip ,&nbsp;Dr Natalie Groves ,&nbsp;Dr Jake Dunning ,&nbsp;Professor Malcolm G Semple ,&nbsp;Professor J Kenneth Baillie ,&nbsp;Dr Tommy Rampling ,&nbsp;Dr Catherine F Houlihan","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107458","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107458","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Monkeypox virus (MPXV), a DNA virus in the genus Orthopoxvirus, causes the clinical disease mpox. Human-to-human transmission occurs, primarily through contact with infectious lesions. The cycle threshold (Ct) value at which mpox virus can be isolated varies in the literature. Clarification of a Ct that correlates reliably with MPXV infectivity would have significant implications for infection control measures. Persistent viral shedding of mpox is widely reported but what is less well described is the duration of infectious MPXV from patient samples, using virus isolation as proxy.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This is a retrospective study using 169 longitudinal stored clinical isolates from 11 patients with clade II mpox. The samples were inoculated into African green monkey kidney (Vero E6) cells, termed passage 1 (P1). The P1 cultures were incubated and monitored for cytopathic effects (CPE). Cultures were sampled on day 0 and 7 and underwent virus inactivation, nucleic acid extraction and MPXV-specific PCR to support CPE observations. A decrease in mean MPXV Ct values from day 0 to 7 correlates to an increase in MPXV nucleic acid production, indicative of MPXV replication.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The sampling frame for these patients ranged from the swab of an asymptomatic contact 13 days prior to the onset of symptoms, to 109 days post the onset of symptoms. 98 samples had a detectable Ct on MPXV PCR at day 0 (Ct range 20.1 to 39.7) and virus was able to be isolated from 46.9% of these samples (46/98). The cycle threshold at which virus was able to be isolated ranged from 22.3 to 37.7. Median MPXV Ct value for which virus could be isolated was 30.7. The longest duration from MPXV culture positivity from diagnosis was 109 days, from a throat swab with a Ct value of 35.9. The sample was from a 40-50 year old man with poorly controlled HIV CD4+ T-lymphocyte count 57 cells/mm3. HIV viral load 52,800 copies/ML) who presented with an ulcerating rash affecting limbs and a necrotic tongue lesion. The median time from mpox diagnosis to culture negative was 11.5 days (range 2 to 109).</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>The duration of the infectious period of MPXV during clinical mpox is currently unclear with a paucity of robust longitudinal culture data, particularly from hospitalised patients. The median time of isolation of 11.5 days would fit within the known threshold but was far exceeded in a single immunocompromised patient at 109 days.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>MPXV was isolated at higher Ct values than the previously reported, potentially removing the reassurance of lack of “infectiousness” in a patient with a rising Ct on PCR. Immunocompromised patients may be infectious with MPXV for longer than those with a competent immune system and these patients may require longer isolation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107458"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Female genital schistosomiasis: Addressing diagnostic and programmatic gaps to advance elimination efforts","authors":"Martha Mberu ,&nbsp;Kelly Zongo ,&nbsp;Ellie Leaning ,&nbsp;Louise Makau-Barasa ,&nbsp;Kimberly Kamara ,&nbsp;Julie Jacobson","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107798","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107798","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This report underscores the critical need to include Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) within schistosomiasis elimination frameworks and sexual and reproductive health programs. Affecting an estimated 40-56 million women, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, FGS is often underdiagnosed and neglected in public health programs. This paper highlights FGS as a vital gap in schistosomiasis control and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, advocating for integrated approaches that address FGS awareness and diagnosis within disease elimination initiatives and health services. Enhanced diagnostic and treatment capabilities for FGS in endemic regions are essential to alleviate the physical, psychological, and reproductive health impacts on affected women and to advance global schistosomiasis elimination goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107798"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143052427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bionomics of Aedes mosquito species in three eco-epidemiological settings of Cameroon and their susceptibilities profiles to insecticides","authors":"Ms Bertille Djapoum ,&nbsp;Ms Gisele Aurelie Foko Dadji ,&nbsp;Mr Borel DJIAPPI-TCHAMEN ,&nbsp;Mr Christophe ANTONIO-NKONDJIO","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107437","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107437","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Background&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Arboviruses represent a serious concern in tropical/subtropical countries. In Cameroon, port cities and cities surrounded by forests constitute the main hot-spot of dengue and yellow fever. Due to the absence of effective treatments and vaccines against most arboviruses diseases, vector control remains the most effective measure to prevent further resurgence. To date, little is known about the bionomics of their main vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in such environments. This study aim to assess the bioecology, distribution and susceptibility profiles to insecticides of these vectors in three cities of Cameroon.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Entomological surveys were undertaken from September 2021 to October 2022 in Bertoua (savanna area), Kribi (city port) and Sangmelima (forested area). Immature stages of Aedes spp. were collected by deeping and Stegomyia indexes were estimated. After emergence and morphological identification, F0 and F1 of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus progeny will be used to assess the current phenotypic resistance status to the commonly used insecticides using WHO bioassays and mortality rates were assess according to the different insecticides tested.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;A total 475 breeding sites in Sangmelima (41.47%), Kribi (33.47%) and Bertoua (25.05%) were identified. Tires and plastic containers were most abundant. A total of 2364 mosquitoes belonging to 4 genera and 9 species were collected. Aedes species recorded (1864) included Ae. albopictus (72%), Ae. aegypti (25.91%), and Aedes spp. (2.09%). These main vectors were present in all the study sites. Ae. albopictus was predominant in Sangmelima and Kribi while Ae. aegypti was mostly found in Bertoua. According to house indexes, transmission of dengue and yellow fever were high in Kribi and Bertoua. Ae. aegypti across study sites were found to be resistant to permethrin, deltamethrin and DDT, while Ae. albopictus was resistant to bendiocarb in Kribi and Bertoua. However, all these species were susceptible to malathion.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Discussion&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The study shows that Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti larvae live in a wide variety of breeding sites (Ngo et al., 2020), those species are largely distributed across the country(Tedjou et al., 2019). Ae. albopictus and Aedes aegypti were sensitive to organophosphates (malathion). These results are similar to previous studies (Kamgang et al., 2017). The tolerance and resistance observed could be due to the use of insecticides such as sprays and reminders, which are becoming more and more common(Nchoutpouen et al., 2019).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The implementation of surveillance and control programmes for arbovirus vectors is urgent required in view of the increase in cases of arboviroses. To control arboviruses effectively, a targeted approach is needed to limit the spread of these vectors in our environment. This work is a contri","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107437"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The current landscape in antibiotic access and supply issues: a qualitative study with key experts and opinion leaders","authors":"Dr Esmita Charani ,&nbsp;Dr Vrinda Nampoothiri ,&nbsp;Dr Ritika Kondal ,&nbsp;Dr Avaneesh Pandey ,&nbsp;Dr Oluchi Mbamalu ,&nbsp;Dr Jennifer Cohn ,&nbsp;Dr Sanjeev Singh ,&nbsp;Dr Nusrat Shafiq","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107391","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107391","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Introduction&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;There is an increasing lack of access to safe and effective antibiotics for human consumption. We investigated the main drivers for current antibiotic shortages and existing mitigation strategies undertaken in different regions.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Purposive sampling was used to identify stakeholders with expertise in antibiotic access and supply chains. Consented participants were interviewed using a piloted semi-structured interview guide that was developed using the PESTELI (political, economic, sociological, ecological, technological, legal, industry) framework. Analysis and data collection are iterative and recursive, using constant comparison. Theoretical sampling is being applied to develop categories until saturation is reached.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Between August 2023 and March 2024, 14 key stakeholders with local, national, and global roles in supply chain management (South Africa-7, UK-2, Sweden- 2, Netherlands-1, Belgium-1, USA-1) were interviewed. Political engagement on antibiotic shortages is reported to facilitate effective mitigation strategies, especially in areas where there is strong evidence of government investment. Political support manifests as legal measures for example in the EU and UK in supporting the response to shortages, giving rights to pharmacists to intervene through protocolized measures to use alternative agents, and negotiating with pharmaceutical companies for greater transparency on the challenges in manufacturing. Economic incentives are required at all levels and are currently missing. There is increasing monopolization of active pharmaceutical ingredients and raw materials in the pharmaceutical industry with a lack of information, partly due to technological insufficiency to gather appropriate data at scale across sectors for example on procurement in the community, for key antibiotics at high risk of being impacted by shortages. Sociological impacts and drivers of shortages include adopting appropriate communication to not cause panic buying and hoarding by organisations when there is an impending shortage and recognising the important role of a multidisciplinary response. The key stakeholders identified for developing mitigation strategies included pharmaceutical manufacturers, policymakers and regulators, and global organisations such as WHO. Mitigation strategies included moving stock between pharmacies, pharmacists being assigned to monitor antibiotic supply and shortages at the hospital level, and implementation of serious shortage protocols in the UK which enable pharmacists to dispense alternate antibiotics in case of shortages.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Discussion&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;There is a need for improved communications regarding shortages from the suppliers and transparency about potential problems in the supply chain. We were not able to interview actors from the pharmaceutical industry due to their restrictions which was a limitation since ","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107391"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advanced HIV as a Neglected Disease","authors":"Joe Jarvis","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107379","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107379","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although HIV treatment coverage has increased substantially in recent years, the associated reductions in AIDS-related deaths have been smaller and slower than expected. The proportion of people with advanced HIV disease remains high: it is estimated that more than 4 million people have advanced HIV disease, and each year more than 600,000 of them are expected to die. Many of these deaths can be prevented. Until recently, advanced HIV was viewed as a problem of late presentation, so the solution was thought to be testing more people and diagnosing the disease earlier. Although late presentation remains problematic, however, advanced HIV is now predominantly seen among people who started care but were not effectively engaged or have disengaged, returning only when they're ill. This talk will discuss who is at risk for the worst outcomes; which infections lead to the greatest morbidity and mortality; new tools for diagnosing, preventing, and treating these conditions; and how systems could adapt to delivering these tools effectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107379"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First reports of urogenital schistosomiasis in the Ndikiniméki health district, Centre-Cameroon","authors":"Mr Bienvenu Balifeli","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107444","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107444","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Schistosomiasis is still a public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Cameroon. In this context, a cross-sectional study was carried out from June 2023 to July 2023 in the Ndikiniméki subdivision with the aim of knowing the status of this locality in relation to Schistosoma haematobium infection.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Parasitological analysis of S. haematobium eggs was carried out on urine samples using the sedimentation technique.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 402 urine samples were collected from households. The age range of participants was 1 to 96 years, with the most signified age group being 1 to 9 years. Women were the most represented, with a proportion of 56.47%. Of the 402 people examined, 18 (4.45%) were affected, with an average intensity of 54.43±85.30 eggs/10ml urine. Women were the most affected, with a prevalence and average parasite intensity of 3.73% and 53.10±131.27 eggs/10ml of urine. The most affected age group was 10 to 19-year-olds, with a prevalence and intensity of 4.60% and 49.49±67.00 eggs per 10 ml of urine, respectively. Of those infected, 72.22% were lightly infected and 27.28% were heavily infected.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study indicates that this locality is a risk area for urinary schistosomiasis despite its low prevalence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"152 ","pages":"Article 107444"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}