Meir Cherniak , Matan J Cohen , Yonatan Oster , Daniel Grupel
{"title":"Persistence of positive Brucella Melitensis blood cultures is not associated with focal infection","authors":"Meir Cherniak , Matan J Cohen , Yonatan Oster , Daniel Grupel","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107941","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107941","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Brucellosis is a global zoonotic disease complicated by focal infections requiring treatment modifications. In other bacterial infections, persistent positive blood cultures prompt evaluation for metastatic foci. We aimed to assess whether persistent bacteremia predicts focal infections in patients with <em>Brucella melitensis</em> infection.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a retrospective cohort study from 2010 to 2022. We included adults hospitalized due to Brucella melitensis bacteremia. Patients were categorized into persistently positive (PFUBC), negative (NFUBC), or no follow-up cultures. The primary outcome was focal infection (FI).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of 108 patients included, 74.8% exhibited persistent bacteremia (PFUBC). FI occurred in 27.8% of cases. Persistent bacteremia was not associated with FI occurrence. Localizing symptoms at presentation strongly predicted FI (OR: 9.4; 95% CI, 3.24-27.4). Among FI-negative patients, PFUBC status was associated with a significant increase in imaging studies (mean 1.8 vs 0.9; <em>P</em> = 0.003) and physician encounters (17.4 vs 11.9; <em>P</em> = 0.012), but did not improve clinical outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Persistently positive blood cultures in <em>B. melitensis</em> bacteremia do not predict focal infections or adverse clinical outcomes but significantly increase healthcare resource utilization without clinical benefit. Clinical symptoms should guide diagnostic evaluations rather than repeated blood cultures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 107941"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144191763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Global dengue epidemic worsens with record 14 million cases and 9000 deaths reported in 2024","authors":"Najmul Haider , Mohammad Nayeem Hasan , Joshua Onyango , Masum Billah , Sakirul Khan , Danai Papakonstantinou , Priyamvada Paudyal , Md Asaduzzaman","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107940","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107940","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dengue, caused by the dengue virus (DENV), is the fastest-growing mosquito-borne disease worldwide. We utilised monthly data on dengue cases and deaths reported through the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global surveillance system for the period of 1<sup>st</sup> January to 31<sup>st</sup> December 2024. We then performed a generalised linear regression model to understand country-level determinants of dengue-related mortality. In 2024, 14.1 million dengue cases were reported globally, surpassing the historic milestone of 7 million observed in 2023. This figure represents a twofold increase compared to 2023 and a 12-fold rise compared to 2014 (<em>n</em>=1,206,644). In 2024, 9,508 dengue-related deaths were recorded, resulting in a global case-fatality rate of 0.07%. In the regression analysis, countries in the Southern hemisphere (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 5.95, 95% CI: 4.19-8.46), aged population (IRR 1.04, CI: 1.01-1.07), and mean annual temperature (IRR 1.21, CI: 1.16-1.26) were significantly associated with higher dengue-related mortality per million population. The ongoing dengue outbreak underscores the urgent need for global investment in DENV research, vaccine development, vector control, and therapeutic strategies. We urge the inclusion of DENV in the WHO’s Research and Development Priority Disease list to address this growing global health threat.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 107940"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144191762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yana Debie , Lise Verbruggen , Marc Peeters , Peter A. van Dam , Timon Vandamme
{"title":"mRNA COVID-19 vaccines induce superior immunoglobulin A titers in patients with cancer compared with viral vector vaccines: implications for immunization strategies","authors":"Yana Debie , Lise Verbruggen , Marc Peeters , Peter A. van Dam , Timon Vandamme","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107939","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107939","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Immunoglobulin (Ig) A antibodies are involved in mucosal immunity and eliminate pathogens immediately at the point of entry. Vaccine-induced IgA antibodies could contribute to an additional layer of protection against SARS-CoV-2 for infection-prone patients with cancer. This might be particularly relevant for patients with cancer because they mount reduced IgG antibody titers after dual-dose BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination and even lower responses after double-dose ChAdOx1 vaccination than healthy individuals. However, data on vaccine-induced IgA antibodies are scarce, especially in patients with cancer.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study compares SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike (S1) IgA antibodies after dual-dose BNT162b2 vs ChAdOx1 vaccination in patients with cancer. SARS-CoV-2 anti-S1 IgA antibodies were quantified in serum samples collected 7 days after the second vaccination dose (N = 213) (IEQ-CoVS1RBD-IgA-1-RB enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, RayBiotech) and analyzed with colorimetric detection. In addition, correlations with different aspects of humoral immunity were assessed (neutralizing and IgG antibodies).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Significantly lower anti-S1 IgA antibody titers were reported in patients with cancer after dual-dose ChAdOx1 than BNT162b2 vaccination. Moreover, patients with cancer who received dual-dose BNT162b2 vaccination had a significant 16.44-fold increased chance to mount detectable IgA antibodies compared with patients receiving ChAdOx1 vaccination.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings highlight the potential role of boosters or alternative strategies to sustain mucosal immunity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 107939"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Concerns about statistical analyses in the study on polymyxin B treatment of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli infections.","authors":"Jing Zhao, Yue Bi","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107936","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107936","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":"107936"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144110620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Japhet Kabalu Tshiongo , Lise Kuseke , Thierry Kalonji , Patrick Mitashi , Aimée Mupuala , Kassoum Kayentao , Trésor Zola Matuvanga , Vivi Maketa Tevuzula , Yann Kafala , Henk D.F.H. Schallig , Hypolite Muhindo Mavoko , Petra F. Mens
{"title":"Impact of malaria in pregnancy on infant neurodevelopment and malaria susceptibility during the first year of life in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo","authors":"Japhet Kabalu Tshiongo , Lise Kuseke , Thierry Kalonji , Patrick Mitashi , Aimée Mupuala , Kassoum Kayentao , Trésor Zola Matuvanga , Vivi Maketa Tevuzula , Yann Kafala , Henk D.F.H. Schallig , Hypolite Muhindo Mavoko , Petra F. Mens","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107927","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107927","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To compare the neurodevelopment and malaria susceptibility of infants born to mothers infected or uninfected with malaria at the time of delivery.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cohort of 388 mother–child pairs was recruited at delivery. Maternal malaria was assessed by microscopy at birth, and infant malaria was based on a history of fever. Infant neurodevelopment was evaluated at 4-6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), which include scores for gross motor (GM), and early learning composite (ELC). Infant malaria incidence and neurological functioning were compared based on malaria exposure at delivery.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In total, 62/385 (16.1%) infants were exposed to malaria at delivery, confirmed by microscopy for both peripheral and placental malaria. These exposed infants had a significantly lower birth weight (LBW) (2824.68 ± 493.85 g) than those born of uninfected mothers (3032.69 ± 487.8 g; p = 0.0023). GM at 12 months showed no significant differences between groups (mean GM score for exposed: 47.2 ± 9.8 vs unexposed: 47.6 ± 9.7; p = 0.757). However, infants exposed to malaria infection had significantly lower ECL (−7.70 [95% confidence interval {CI}: −15.0, −0.36]; <em>P</em> = 0.04). Infant malaria, malnutrition, and LBW were significantly associated with reduced GM scores (−1.2 [95% CI: −2.25, −0.18], <em>P</em> = 0.021; −0.96 [95% CI: −1.92, −0.02], and −1.59 [95% CI: −3.06, −0.11], respectively). Malaria incidence peaked at 12 months, affecting 54.7% of the exposed group vs 70.6% of non-exposed infants (risk ratio = 1.04 [95% CI: 0.87-1.25], <em>P</em> = 0.631).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Malaria at delivery was associated with impaired ELC but not with GM. Malaria susceptibility during the first 12 months was not influenced by maternal malaria exposure. However, LBW, malnutrition and infant malaria impacted infant development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"157 ","pages":"Article 107927"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144093665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lian He , Jitian Weng , Fuyu Zhu , Yuhe Zhang , Junru Chen , Shuting Chen , Miaojia Lu , Harish Nair , You Li , Xin Wang
{"title":"The morbidity spectrum of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus and human parainfluenza virus in young children by age and country income level: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Lian He , Jitian Weng , Fuyu Zhu , Yuhe Zhang , Junru Chen , Shuting Chen , Miaojia Lu , Harish Nair , You Li , Xin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107938","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107938","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Influenza virus (IFV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and parainfluenza virus (hPIV) cause substantial disease burden in children under 5 years, but the infection spectrum remains unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We systematically reviewed studies published between 1995 and 2023 to estimate probabilities between viral test positivity, symptomatic infections, acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), ALRI with chest-wall indrawing (CWI), ALRI hospitalization, and very severe ALRI – p(symptomatic | test positive), p(ALRI | symptomatic), p(CWI | ALRI), p(hosp | ALRI) and p(very severe | hosp). (PROSPERO CRD42024584039; CRD42023439269).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Based on 129 studies, we estimated that 67.7% of IFV test-positives were symptomatic and 16.2% of symptomatic IFV infections developed ALRI. In children under 2 years, 71.8% of RSV test-positives were symptomatic. Across the viruses, the estimated p(CWI | ALRI) and p(hosp | ALRI) were higher in infants than older children; between 2.6% and 41.2% of hospitalized children with ALRI were very severe, with higher estimates in low and lower-middle income countries.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Infants and children under 5 years in low and lower-middle income countries are important risk groups for immunization due to their high vulnerability to severe outcomes. These findings provide critical data to support immunization assessment and development of immunization strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"157 ","pages":"Article 107938"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144093728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qi Huang , Lu Kang , Xiaofeng Wei , Cheng Gong , Hui Xie , Maozhong Li , Yiting Wang , Mei Dong , Fang Huang
{"title":"Epidemiology and genetic diversity of common human coronaviruses in Beijing, 2015-2023: A prospective multicenter study","authors":"Qi Huang , Lu Kang , Xiaofeng Wei , Cheng Gong , Hui Xie , Maozhong Li , Yiting Wang , Mei Dong , Fang Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107926","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107926","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To investigate the epidemiological and genetic features of common human coronaviruses (HCoVs) in Beijing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We collected clinical samples from patients with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in 35 sentinel hospitals from 2015 to 2023. HCoVs were detected via multiple real-time PCR, and S gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were subsequently performed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>From 2015 to 2023, the combined detection rate of HCoVs was 1.55% (909/58,550). During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant increase in HCoVs detection was observed (<em>P</em> < 0.001). Overall, the epidemic season of four HCoVs was from July to October, and each HCoV showed different epidemic seasons. Notably, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-229E exhibited pronounced annual alternations in prevalence. The highest combined detection rates of HCoVs were in the ≥60 years age group (1.85%), followed by the 0-5 years age group (1.48%). HCoV-229E was more prevalent in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) (<em>P</em> = 0.001). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the four HCoVs were subjected to negative selection pressure, and multiple high-frequency amino acid site mutations were observed. HCoV-229E formed an emerging lineage after 2021.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This nine-year multicenter study in Beijing systematically elucidated that the four HCoVs exhibit distinct epidemiological characteristics, susceptible populations, and common mutations in amino acid sites, especially in the context of COVID-19. Therefore, continuous epidemiological surveillance and genetic characterization studies are imperative for predictive warning and timely identification of emerging coronavirus.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 107926"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144086208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Concerns about statistical analyses in the study on polymyxin B treatment of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli infections: authors' reply.","authors":"Simin Zhou, Weihong Ge","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107937","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107937","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":"107937"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144086207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pietro Valsecchi , Matteo Calia , Paola Giordani , Cecilia Giuliani , Alessia Arcuri , Valeria Scotti , Elena Seminari , Raffaele Bruno
{"title":"Navigating troubled waters: a systematic review of prosthetic valve endocarditis reported cases treated with suppressive antimicrobial treatment","authors":"Pietro Valsecchi , Matteo Calia , Paola Giordani , Cecilia Giuliani , Alessia Arcuri , Valeria Scotti , Elena Seminari , Raffaele Bruno","doi":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107934","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107934","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>We aimed to characterize suppressive antimicrobial treatment (SAT) for non-surgical candidate patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We systematically reviewed PubMed and Embase databases for studies reporting individual data on patients with PVE medically treated for longer than 8 weeks published until the 31<sup>st</sup> of June 2024. The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO database [CRD42024529650].</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>One hundred seventy patients were retrieved from 91 studies. PVE-related death during follow-up occurred in 26 (15.57%) patients, being associated with coagulase-negative staphylococci PVE in multivariate Cox regression model (HR 3.40, 95% CI 1.06-10.97, <em>P</em>-value = 0.04). Relapse occurred in 15 (8.92%) patients and was similar according to SAT discontinuation (long-rank test <em>P</em>-value = 0.8). This was confirmed after performing landmark analysis to adjust for survival bias (HR 0.97; 95% CI 0.21-4.4, <em>P</em>-value = 0.98). SAT-related adverse events were reported in 15% of the patients.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Supporting evidence for SAT is low and derived from case reports and case series. SAT seems well tolerated, but clinical effectiveness should be further evaluated due to the relevant mortality rate. In selected cases when SAT discontinuation is considered, close and long-term follow-up is crucial to prevent relapse.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14006,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infectious Diseases","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 107934"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144078006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}