Infectious Diseases of Poverty最新文献

{"title":"Climate justice as a public health imperative: a perspective from Sierra Leone considering the 2025 International Court of Justice opinion.","authors":"Ibrahim Franklyn Kamara, Sia Morenike Tengbe, Morie Vandi, Jacklyne Ashubwe, Binyam Hailu, Bobson Derrick Fofanah, Busi Anissette, Augustus Osborne, Rachel Tolhurst, Timo Minssen","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01460-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01460-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change poses an escalating threat to health, livelihoods, and economic development in Sierra Leone, a coastal, low-income country highly dependent on rain-fed agriculture for sustenance and revenue. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods, landslides, sea-level rise, and coastal erosion disrupt food systems and damage infrastructure, subsequently entrenching poverty, with projected gross domestic product losses of up to 10% by 2050. The health impacts fall disproportionately on children, adolescents and young people, pregnant women, the elderly, and the urban poor, including increased vector- and water-borne diseases, heat-related morbidity, non-communicable diseases, malnutrition, mental illness, and gender-based violence, particularly in informal coastal settlements. Despite these risks, climate adaptation and mitigation remain weakly integrated across sectors. Conflicting policies, fragmented governance systems, inadequate domestic financing, and over-reliance on unpredictable donor support undermine implementation of existing frameworks such as the National Adaptation Programme of Action. An example of policy conflicts is the extractive-sector priorities directly countering those of environmental protection and public health. This correspondence interrogates global and local institutional readiness to mitigate climate-related health risks, drawing on the WHO Operational Framework for Climate-Resilient Health Systems and the multidimensional climate justice approach. Using the July 2025 International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change as a legal and moral anchor, we argue for urgent, health-centred, and justice-oriented climate actions. We highlight the need for strengthened cross-sectoral governance, community-level implementation, and legal accountability, particularly in securing international climate financing for adaptation as part of States' human rights obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Loss and Damage Framework. We contend that the International Court of Justice opinion provides Sierra Leone with a critical new basis to advocate for international support to protect the fundamental right to health.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13196226/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148006998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A county-level indicator framework for assessing schistosomiasis transmission risk in post-transmission-interruption China.","authors":"Andong Xu, Hong Zhu, Jing Xu, Xiaowei Shan, Yi Dong, Hongqiong Wang, Chao Lv, Shiyi Huo, Shizhu Li","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01453-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01453-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In China's post-transmission-interruption stage of schistosomiasis control, infection signals are often sparse, and conventional surveillance indicators focused on infection detection may not adequately capture residual risk across heterogeneous ecological settings. This study aimed to develop an operational indicator framework for assessing schistosomiasis transmission risk and supporting routine risk assessment and management in this stage.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A county-level indicator framework for schistosomiasis transmission risk assessment was developed through a two-round Delphi consultation and weighted using a combined Delphi-entropy weight method. Using longitudinal data from six pilot counties during 2020-2024, an annual composite risk index (R) was calculated by weighted linear aggregation and classified into risk levels with trapezoidal fuzzy membership functions. Robustness was evaluated by perturbing the subjective preference coefficient (α) and examining the consistency of county-year rankings across scenarios using Spearman's rank correlation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The final framework comprised three first-level, twelve second-level, and thirty-nine third-level indicators spanning biological, environmental, and social domains. Across the six pilot counties, R ranged from 0.18 to 0.44 and the overall risk level was predominantly low. Nonetheless, distinct county-level risk profiles were observed between lake/marshland and mountainous settings. Risk rankings remained highly consistent under α perturbations (ρ = 0.909-0.998), indicating good robustness of the assessment results.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This framework translates multidimensional determinants relevant to the re-establishment of schistosomiasis transmission into interpretable county-level risk profiles. It provides an operational tool to support targeted surveillance and more efficient allocation of control resources in low-endemicity contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13182038/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Signature of resistance gene evolution and pyrethroid resistance escalation in the major malaria vector Anopheles funestus across Kenyan malaria-endemic regions separated by the Rift Valley.","authors":"David P Tchouassi, Amine M Mustapha, Gilbert Rotich, Trizah K Milugo, Brenda Musimbi, Ambrose Oruni, Carlos S D Tagne, Luna Kamau, Mahamat Gadji, Magellan Tchouakui, Baldwyn Torto, Charles S Wondji","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01458-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01458-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Landscape features such as the Rift Valley (RV) can restrict gene flow in malaria vectors and influence resistance patterns. Here, we assessed Plasmodium infection rates, resistance alleles and profiles in Anopheles funestus s.s. populations across Kenyan malaria-endemic regions separated by the RV.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Anopheles funestus s.s. populations in western, coastal and Kerio Valley (KV, within the RV) were genotyped for key resistance markers using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). TaqMan assay combined with nested PCR were used to screen the samples for Plasmodium sporozoite infection and association with resistance alleles and genotype frequencies assessed using Fisher's exact test or Pearson's chi-square test. Following established WHO guidelines, phenotypic resistance using F1 progeny was also assessed using diagnostic, intensity and piperonyl butoxide (PBO)-synergistic assays.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The 4.3kb-SV (n = 336) and G454A-Cyp9k1 (n = 445) alleles were nearly fixed in western Kenya but declined towards the RV and coast, whereas L119F-GSTe2 (n = 392) increased across a west-KV-coast gradient with a novel haplotype distinct from known African variants detected at the coast. There were lower odds of Plasmodium infection in mosquitoes with L119F-GSTe2-RR than RS genotype (OR 0.2, P = 0.046). Likewise, mosquitoes harboring the R allele of the 4.3 kb marker had higher Plasmodium infection rates than the S allele (OR 5.7, P = 0.049). An. funestus populations exhibited a high degree of pyrethroid resistance with intensity higher in KV compared to western Kenya, a traditional malaria hotspot. Pre-exposure to PBO increased mortality for type II (deltamethrin, alpha-cypermethrin), than I (permethrin) pyrethroids, yet mortality remained lower in KV, suggesting non-P450-mediated resistance. An. funestus mosquitoes from the coast showed extreme permethrin resistance (< 10% mortality at 10 × dose). Resistance to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was widespread, while all populations remained fully susceptible to bendiocarb, pirimiphos-methyl, clothianidin, and chlorfenapyr.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Region-specific selection may drive varying resistance profiles in An. funestus across Kenyan malaria-endemic regions separated by the Rift Valley, with implications for malaria transmission and insecticide resistance management.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13179624/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147949968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determining spatio-temporal distribution and hotspots for female schistosomiasis in Ghana, 2020-2024: a call for increased public health action against a neglected tropical disease.","authors":"Ebenezer Efichie, Christabel Gyebuaa Mensah, Jochoniah Muatha Nzomo","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01452-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01452-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Schistosomiasis remains a major neglected tropical disease in Ghana with substantial health and social consequences for women and girls. Long-standing mass drug administration (MDA) programmes with praziquantel have been implemented since 2008, yet the disease remains endemic in Ghana raising significant concerns about World Health Organization (WHO) efforts towards elimination by 2030. The study thus aimed to assess the spatio-temporal and hotspots for female schistosomiasis (FS) in Ghana and provide insight that informs gender-sensitive public health interventions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted an ecological, retrospective, spatio-temporal analysis using routine surveillance data on FS. Case counts from female population data were extracted from the District Health Information Management System 2 (DHIMS-2) for all 260 districts in Ghana between 2020 and 2024. Annual and period prevalence per 10,000 female populations were estimated. Global Moran's I was used to assess spatial autocorrelation, and clustering and hotspots were assessed using Anselin Local Moran's I and Getis-Ord Gi* statistics respectively, with False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 4864 FS cases were reported over the five years, with a significant increase in prevalence from 71.9 cases per 10,000 female population in 2020 to 99 cases per 10,000 female population in 2024. Majority of the cases occurred in the second half of the year. There was an observed diffusion of prevalence of the cases from the east-southern to west-southern part of the country. Spatial autocorrelation was observed for FS (Moran I index = 0.060032, Z-Score = 2.650757 and a P < 0.008). Ten districts showed high-high clustering, with districts in middle and south-western zones of the country showing significant hotspots for female schistosomiasis in Ghana.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The occurrence of female schistosomiasis is not a coincidence. Female populations in approximately 6.5% hotspot districts are at significant risk of female schistosomiasis infection. Hence, gender sensitive schistosomiasis control, including targeted MDA, should be directed towards clustered hotspots, focusing on zones with low prevalence fenced off by high prevalence zones.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13169774/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147934725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimating the nationwide incidence of coxsackievirus A6-associated hand, foot and mouth disease in China, 2008-2022.","authors":"Yuanhua Liu, Na Wang, Fengfeng Liu, Ke Li, Michael P Ward, Nicholas C Grassly, Wei Tu, Jinming Yu, Wenjin Li, Yu Zhao, Jidan Zhang, Jiawen Dong, Tianren Lu, Mengxin Liu, Zhaorui Chang, Zhijie Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01446-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01446-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Due to insufficient routine surveillance, the nationwide disease burden of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6), an emerging serotype, in China remains unclear. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of CVA6-associated HFMD across the Chinese mainland.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>CVA6 positive data from 511 locations across the Chinese mainland during 2008-2022 were integrated from the national pathogen surveillance system and literature, and reported HFMD cases during the same period were obtained from the national infectious disease surveillance system. The predicted positivity rate and incidence of CVA6-associated HFMD in children under five years of age across the Chinese mainland were estimated using a Bayesian geostatistical Gaussian model based on positivity data, reported cases, and environmental, socioeconomic, demographic, and vaccination factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The model estimated that the average positivity rate of CVA6 in the Chinese mainland from 2008 to 2022 was 24.1%, with a 95% Bayesian credible interval (BCI) of 11.9-43.3%. The corresponding average annual incidence of CVA6-associated HFMD in children under five years of age was 506 (95% BCI: 272-805) per 100,000. The yearly incidence of CVA6-associated HFMD in children under five years of age peaked in 2018 (873 per 100,000; 95% BCI: 513-1309) before a subsequent decline after 2020. The incidence was highest in South China (1571 per 100,000; 95% BCI: 890-2420) and lowest in Northeast China (208 per 100,000; 95% BCI: 106-340). The estimated CVA6-associated HFMD incidence showed a consistent upward trend across different economic level groups before 2020, and tended to be higher in high-gross domestic product (GDP) per capita regions than in medium- and low-GDP regions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Model-based estimates indicate a potentially high incidence of CVA6-associated HFMD on the Chinese mainland, particularly in South China, highlighting the need for enhanced surveillance of CVA6 and targeted control efforts in high-incidence regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13159216/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147876329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative evaluation of Sm1-7-qPCR systems incorporated with Maxwell kit-based and NaOH-based DNA extraction methods for the detection of Schistosoma mansoni infection.","authors":"Yi Mu, Thomas G Egwang, Candia Rowel, Moses Adriko, Malcolm K Jones, Helena Ullyartha Pangaribuan, Toni Wandra, Donald P McManus, Pengfei Cai","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01444-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01444-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The World Health Organization's latest roadmap for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) 2021-2030 has highlighted diagnostics as one of four focus areas to achieve the targets set for 2030. Molecular diagnostic tests, such as quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), are valuable for diagnosing NTDs, including schistosomiasis. This study aimed to comparatively evaluate two Sm1-7-qPCR systems incorporating different DNA extraction approaches for the detection of Schistosoma mansoni infection.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Two copro-DNA-qPCR systems were developed: a Maxwell kit-based copro-DNA-Sm1-7-qPCR system (Sm1-7-qPCR-S1) and a NaOH-based copro-DNA-Sm1-7-qPCR system (Sm1-7-qPCR-S2). Both systems were tested on faecal samples collected from schistosomiasis endemic and non-endemic areas in Uganda (n = 482). A composite reference based on positive results of either the Kato-Katz (KK) or qPCR assays was used for calibration. The S. mansoni positivity rates were analyzed based on the results of different diagnostics. Differences in DNA concentration and cycle threshold (Ct) values from the two copro-DNA-qPCR systems were compared (Wilcoxon signed-rank test).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The overall S. mansoni positivity rate was 52.9% (229/433) according to the composite reference, whereas the KK, Sm1-7-qPCR-S1 and Sm1-7-qPCR-S2 recorded positivity rates of 36.7% (159/433), 43.9% (190/433), and 47.6% (206/433), respectively. Sm1-7-qPCR-S2 demonstrated a sensitivity of 90.0%, outperforming the KK and Sm1-7-qPCR-S1 with sensitivities of 69.4% and 83.0%, respectively (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.015, respectively, χ²_m test). For samples positive in both Sm1-7-qPCR systems (n = 179), Ct-values obtained from Sm1-7-qPCR-S2 were significantly lower than those from Sm1-7-qPCR-S1 (P < 0.0001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). A significant inverse correlation between Ct values and KK faecal egg counts was observed for both systems (Sm1-7-qPCR-S1, r = -0.5637, P < 0.0001; Sm1-7-qPCR-S2, r = -0.5723, P < 0.0001). The KK method showed substantial agreement with the composite reference (ƙ = 0.682), while both Sm1-7-qPCR systems exhibited almost perfect agreement with the reference (ƙ = 0.821 and 0.894, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study highlights that DNA samples extracted from both systems are suitable for robust qPCR amplification. The Sm1-7-qPCR-S2 system offers several advantages over the Sm1-7-qPCR-S1 system, including improved sensitivity, field accessibility, and lower cost. With further refinement, the Sm1-7-qPCR-S2 system could be integrated into the existing schistosomiasis surveillance network to aid the elimination of the disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13159289/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147876318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climate change and infectious diseases: breaking the poverty-disease-environment trap.","authors":"Mehdi Borhani, Vahid Nourani, Hao Wen","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01455-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01455-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change and infectious diseases jointly form a self-reinforcing poverty disease environment trap that disproportionately harms impoverished populations in low- and middle-income countries. Climate change amplifies the transmission of vector -borne, water-borne, and zoonotic infectious diseases by expanding vector distribution, triggering water source contamination via extreme weather, and disrupting ecological balance. Poverty worsens vulnerability due to insufficient health infrastructure, limited resource access, and weak adaptive capacity, with sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia facing the highest risks. Climate related health harms are projected to push 44 million people into extreme poverty by 2030. This correspondence aims to clarify the linkages between climate change, infectious diseases, and poverty, and propose integrated solutions to break the vicious cycle. Effective interventions include building climate resilient health systems, addressing social determinants of health vulnerability, and adopting cross sectoral One Health collaboration. This work highlights climate change as a critical public health and equity issue, calling for integrated and equitable actions to protect vulnerable groups and sustain global health progress.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13157659/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147870215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A rapid multiplex platform for simultaneous detection of chikungunya virus, dengue virus, and dengue serotyping based on isothermal amplification and lateral flow dipsticks.","authors":"Gaowen Liu, Xinlin Wu, Yingchao Chang, Mengyuan Zheng, Li Liu, Xueshan Xia, Yue Feng","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01450-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01450-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The expeditious and precise diagnosis of dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is paramount for effective patient management and the control of outbreaks. In this study, a duplex reverse transcription multi-enzyme isothermal amplification (RT-MIRA) assay was established for the simultaneous detection of DENV and CHIKV, followed by a nested RT-MIRA assay for DENV serotyping (DENV-1 to -4).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Specific primers and probes targeting the DENV 3'-UTR, CHIKV E1 gene, and four DENV serotypes were designed. The duplex RT-MIRA and nested DENV RT-MIRA serotyping reaction systems were optimized at 39 °C with portable fluorescence or lateral flow dipstick readouts. For methodological validation, specificity was evaluated against 35 related pathogens, and the 95% limit of detection (LOD95) was determined via probit regression. For clinical validation, serum samples from 236 suspected patients were tested, benchmarking against RT-qPCR and serology. Statistical analyses included the Wilson score method for calculating 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and Cohen's kappa (κ). For external verification, 12 CHIKV-positive clinical samples and 5 artificially simulated co-infection samples were retrospectively analyzed to validate assay accuracy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The duplex RT-MIRA assay exhibited no cross-reactivity with other pathogens. The LOD95 values were 13.47 copies/μl for DENV and 10.49 copies/μl for CHIKV. Clinical validation demonstrated sensitivities of 96.15% (95% CI: 89.28%-98.67%) for DENV and 88.89% (95% CI: 67.20%-96.90%) for CHIKV. Specificity was 100% (95% CI: 92.87%-100%) for both. Agreement with RT-qPCR was strong for DENV (κ = 0.96) and CHIKV (κ = 0.92). The nested RT-MIRA serotyping assay showed high sensitivity (LOD95: 1.6-18.7 copies/μl) without cross-reactivity, accurately differentiating 75 DENV-positive samples into 71 DENV-1 and 4 DENV-2. In the external verification, the assay accurately detected 10 CHIKV mono-infections and 2 CHIKV/DENV co-infections, and distinguished four DENV serotypes in simulated matrices.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A rapid and sensitive integrated method has been developed that combines duplex RT-MIRA for detecting DENV and CHIKV, and nested RT-MIRA for serotyping DENV. The simplicity and speed of the amplification and detection steps demonstrate this platform's potential for use in point-of-care testing and surveillance in areas with limited resources, particularly when used alongside portable extraction methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13156856/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147857440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diagnostic accuracy of plasma cell-free DNA qPCR for Schistosoma haematobium assessed by Bayesian latent class analysis in a cohort of pregnant women from Lambaréné, Gabon.","authors":"Youssef Hamway, Theresa Josten, Sherif Abdellatif, Piyas Mukherjee, Julia Schluckebier, Sèyigbéna P Déo-Gracias Berry, Yabo Josiane Honkpèhedji, Moustapha Nzamba Maloum, Romeo Laclong Lontchi, Paul A Nguema Moure, Brice Meulah, Pytsje T Hoekstra, Inge Kroidl, Govert J van Dam, Andrea Kreidenweiss, Meral Esen, Ayôla Akim Adégnika, Clarissa Prazeres da Costa","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01447-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01447-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Effective diagnosis of Schistosoma haematobium is critical for disease management. However, current tools often lack sensitivity for low-intensity infections, a challenge noted in the recent WHO Roadmap for Neglected Tropical Diseases. This study aimed to evaluate a novel cell-free DNA (cfDNA) quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) assay, utilizing 20 µl of plasma with crude DNA extraction. This approach intends to improve diagnostic accuracy and lower implementation barriers for molecular tests in field settings. We compared its performance against urine filtration microscopy and the Up-converting Reporter Particle Lateral Flow Circulating Anodic Antigen (UCP-LF CAA) test in pregnant women from Lambaréné, Gabon.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 296 pregnant women in Gabon. EDTA blood, urine, and stool samples were collected from December 2018 to November 2020. Urine samples were analyzed by urine filtration microscopy and UCP-LF CAA. The cfDNA qPCR assay was performed retrospectively on 20 µl of frozen plasma using a simplified DNA extraction method. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed via sensitivity, specificity, and agreement measures. Bayesian latent class analysis (BLCA) was used to estimate test performance in the absence of a gold standard.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Diagnostic positivity varied: 24.3% by cfDNA qPCR, 18.6% by urine filtration microscopy, and 20.9% by UCP-LF CAA. Agreement between tests was limited. BLCA indicated qPCR to be the most sensitive (74.0%, 95% CrI: 57.2-90.8), followed by UCP-LF CAA (65.7%, 95% CrI: 49.0-82.8). Microscopy was the most specific (94.9%, 95% CrI : 89.6-99.3). Estimated prevalence ranged between 22.5 and 27.1%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis confirmed good individual performance (AUC 0.837-0.868), with performance improving when combining any two tests (AUC up to 0.931).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study validates the high sensitivity of a novel cfDNA qPCR approach using only 20 µl of plasma, demonstrating performance comparable to microscopy and UCP-LF CAA. While microscopy maintains high specificity, combining it with a high-sensitivity test such as qPCR or UCP-LF CAA provides significant diagnostic improvement. Further optimizing the specificity of this streamlined qPCR assay brings us closer to a highly accurate, feasible point-of-care diagnostic crucial for schistosomiasis control programs in resource-limited settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13156850/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147857421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The ribosomal RNA synthesis ratio biomarker in Mycobacterium ulcerans for drug activity evaluation.","authors":"Juan Calvet-Seral, Emma Sáez-López, Patricio R López-Expósito, Santiago Ferrer-Bazaga, Juan José Vaquero, Santiago Ramón-García, Alfonso Mendoza-Losana","doi":"10.1186/s40249-026-01449-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-026-01449-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Buruli ulcer (BU), a neglected tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans (Mul), is treated with an 8-week regimen of rifampicin (RIF) and clarithromycin (CLA). Clinical trials are currently evaluating amoxicillin/clavulanate (AMX/CLV) co-administration to reduce treatment duration. However, conventional methods for assessing in vitro drug efficacy against Mul, like colony-forming units (CFUs), are slow and cumbersome. The ribosomal RNA synthesis ratio (RS-ratio) measures ribosome biogenesis and serves as a proxy of metabolic activity. While it is a promising predictive biomarker for treatment shortening in tuberculosis, its application in Mul remains unexplored. Here, we evaluated the RS-ratio for Mul drug activity assessment through RNA extractions from time-kill assays using RIF, CLA, and AMX/CLV, alone or in combinations. RIF + AMX/CLV-containing combinations produced a potent, rapid RS-ratio reduction, decreasing from a baseline of ≈2000 to ≈200 as early as day 3, and reaching their maximal inhibition (≈50-60) between days 7 and 10. Notably, this metabolic decline preceded the CFUs and luminescence drops observed in prior studies. Interestingly, the RS-ratio detected a metabolic recovery between days 14 and 28 (≈400), suggesting remaining bacterial viability, a phenomenon not observed by CFUs or luminescence. In summary, this is the first report using the RS-ratio to evaluate antibiotic activity against Mul. Our findings validate the RS-ratio as a molecular tool for assessing the sterilizing potential of new regimens to inform future research and clinical trial designs for the treatment of BU. Our results support the RIF + CLA + AMX/CLV regimen selection for BU treatment shortening in the BLMs4BU clinical trials (NCT05169554, PACTR202209521256638).</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13154490/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147857414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}