Infectious Diseases of Poverty最新文献

{"title":"Changes in influenza-associated excess mortality in China between 2012-2019 and 2020-2021: a population-based statistical modelling study.","authors":"Xiaowei Deng, Jiangmei Liu, Minghan Wang, Nana Chen, Feiran Hao, Juan Yang, Maigeng Zhou, Hongjie Yu","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01323-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01323-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The seasonal cycle of the influenza virus causes substantial morbidity and mortality globally. The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on the circulation of influenza viruses can influence influenza-associated excess mortality. Given the few studies that have explored this topic, the objective of this study was to evaluate influenza-associated excess mortality in the Chinese mainland from 2012 to 2021 and quantify the changes from 2020 to 2021 compared with 2012-2019.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using data from national influenza surveillance report and disease surveillance points, we fitted a generalized additive model on all-cause (AC), pneumonia & influenza (P&I), and respiratory (R) mortality rates. In this model, we included data of influenza activity (A/H1N1, A/H3N2 and B), temperature, absolute humidity, the COVID-19 pandemic, and time trends. The excess mortality was estimated by subtracting the fitted baseline mortality from the predicted mortality, which set influenza activity to zero.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The respiratory mortality model explained more than 90% of the variance, indicating the good performance. We found that the influenza-associated mortality was generally decreasing from 2020 to 2021, for instance, influenza A/H1N1-associated excess respiratory mortality (ERM) decreased from 2.62 per 100,000 persons (95% confidence interval: 0.16-5.21) to 0.31 (0.02-0.60) in the northern region and from 3.79 (0.09-7.05) to 0.24 (0.02-0.46) in the southern region between 2012-2019 and 2020-2021. A similar pattern was observed for A/H3N2-associated ERM. While the influenza B remained similar scale, for instance, the ERM was 2.90 (0.72-4.3) and 2.26 (1.76-2.76) in the southern region between 2012-2019 and 2020-2021, respectively. Distinct pattern was observed for the AC and P&I outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced influenza-associated excess mortality, which may be a result of the reduced activity of the influenza virus caused by nonpharmaceutical interventions. Different patterns of regional differences differed for influenza-associated AC, P&I and R mortality. It should be noticed that the contribution of influenza B was generally similar when comparing 2012-2019 and 2020-2021, which highlighted the attention on the influenza B activity. Additional studies are needed to explore the changes in influenza-associated excess mortality afterwards.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"52"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12180205/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144334192","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":"Unveiling viral diversity and dynamics in mosquitoes through metagenomic analysis in Guizhou Province, China.","authors":"Yan Linghu, Rui-Si Hu, Xiao-Min Tang, Rong-Ting Li, Wei-Yi Li, Jia-Hong Wu","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01321-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01321-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Poverty, disease, and vector ecology intersect to present ongoing health threats, particularly in ecologically sensitive regions. Guizhou Province in China, with its complex karst topography and rich biodiversity, offers a unique environment to study mosquito-borne viral transmission. Despite over 5000 reported cases of Japanese encephalitis in the past two decades and the detection of Zika virus in 2016, the virological landscape of this region remains poorly understood. This study aims to characterize the mosquito-associated virome, assess viral diversity, and identify factors influencing transmission dynamics in Guizhou Province.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Between 2021 and 2022, we conducted a 2-year mosquito surveillance across eight ecologically distinct regions in Guizhou Province. Adult mosquitoes were collected using a variety of methods, including BG Mosquitaire CO₂ traps, mosquito-killing lamps, manual collection, human bait traps, and oviposition traps. To investigate the virome diversity and dynamics within mosquito populations, we performed metagenomic sequencing and bioinformatics analysis on pooled mosquito samples collected from geographically diverse sampling sites.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We collected more than 40,000 adult mosquitoes, primarily belonging to four genera: Aedes, Anopheles, Armigeres, and Culex. Dominant species included Aedes albopictus, Anopheles sinensis, Armigeres subalbatus, and Culex tritaeniorhynchus. Notably, we report the first provincial record of the Anopheles baileyi complex, expanding the known distribution of mosquito vector in this region. Viral metagenomic sequencing, coupled with bioinformatic analysis, identified 162 viral contigs, including 140 known and 22 previously uncharacterized viruses. We experimentally confirmed the genotypes of three medically important zoonotic viruses: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV-GI), Getah virus (GETV-GIII) and Banna virus (BAV-A2). Comparative analysis of viral abundance across mosquito species revealed that Aedes albopictus populations in Guizhou harbor a distinct virome composition, diverging from those reported in other geographic regions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study presents the comprehensive characterization of the mosquito-associated virome in Guizhou Province, providing critical insights into viral diversity, vector competence, and transmission dynamics within karst ecosystems. The detection of multiple zoonotic viruses highlights the need for strengthened surveillance and targeted public health interventions in this region.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"51"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178013/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144334194","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":"Estimation and prediction on the economic burden of schistosomiasis in 25 endemic countries.","authors":"Xian-Fa Chen, Qin Li, Robert Bergquist, Jin-Xin Zheng, Su-Ying Guo, Qiu-Feng Lan, Zheng-Ze He, Li-Juan Zhang, Chun-Li Cao, Jing Xu, Xiao-Nong Zhou","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01330-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01330-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease, primarily prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. It imposes a significant health and economic burden in low- and middle-income countries, but a study of its comprehensive economic impact of the disease at the global level has not been carried out. As this is essential for evidence-based decision-making, this study aims to estimate the macroeconomic burden of schistosomiasis in 25 endemic countries.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used a health-augmented macroeconomic (HAM) model, as well as observed data from 2010 to 2021 and projected data from 2022 to 2050, to model gross domestic product (GDP) under two scenarios: with and without schistosomiasis. The data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021), the World Bank database, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) database, the International Labour Organization (ILO) database, the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects 2022 database, the Barro-Lee Educational Attainment dataset, the Penn World Table (PWT) database, and relevant literature. The economic burden was quantified as the difference in GDP between these two scenarios. The HAM model considered: (i) the impact of schistosomiasis mortality and morbidity on labor supply; (ii) age and gender differences in education and work experience among schistosomiasis patients; and (iii) the impact of schistosomiasis treatment costs on physical capital accumulation. To be able to compare the purchasing power of different countries, we used international dollars (INT$), a hypothetical currency unit based on purchasing power parity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We estimated the macroeconomic burden of schistosomiasis in 25 schistosomiasis endemic countries was INT$ 49,504 million [uncertainty interval (UI): 48,668-50,339] for the study period, using a 3% discount rate in the main analysis. The result implies that the economic burden of schistosomiasis across these 25 countries during study period is equivalent to 0.0174% (UI: 0.0171-0.0177) of total GDP. Among all schistosomiasis-endemic countries included, Egypt had the largest absolute economic burden (INT$ 11,400 million, UI: 11,221-11,578), followed by Brazil (INT$ 9779 million, UI: 9717-9841) and South Africa (INT$ 6744 million, UI: 6676-6811).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The global economic burden of schistosomiasis remains substantial and is inequitably distributed among countries and regions. Our study highlights the need for increased investment and global collaborative efforts to control schistosomiasis and its associated health and economic burdens. By advancing the elimination of schistosomiasis, substantial economic returns can be achieved.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"49"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12168328/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144310642","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 impact of hot nights on dengue incidence: a nationwide case crossover study in Brazil.","authors":"Mintao Su, Junjun Chen, Zhisheng Liang, Qinfeng Zhou, Junxiong Ma, Huining Yang, Shaym Biswal, Murugappan Ramanathan, Haojun Fan, Fan Dai, Wei Huang, Minghui Ren, Zhenyu Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01326-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01326-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, is influenced by temperature. As global warming intensifies, the frequency of hot nights has increased. However, the relationship between hot nights and dengue transmission remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of hot night exposures on dengue incidence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We collected individual dengue data from Brazil's SINAN database (2014-2021), covering 5,708,691 patients. Hot night exposures, including the average maximum nighttime temperatures, hot night excess, and hot night duration, were calculated using the ERA5-land dataset. A case-crossover design was employed to assess the association between each hot night exposure and dengue incidence using conditional logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The average maximum nighttime temperature, hot night excess, and hot night duration were all significantly associated with increased risk of dengue, with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.86 (95% CI 1.86-1.87), 1.01 (95% CI 1.01-1.01), and 1.05 (95% CI 1.05-1.05), respectively. The attributable risks for each hot night exposure were 14.02% (95% CI 13.49%-14.60%), 27.80% (95% CI 27.33%-28.21%), and 26.95% (95% CI 26.58%-27.38%), respectively, when the exposure value was above the 90th percentile of its distribution.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Hot night exposures were associated with an increased risk of dengue in Brazil. The public health burden of dengue is likely to rise with increasing hot night exposures, especially as hot nights become more frequent worldwide. Implementation of targeted vector control strategies and improved access to cooling equipment, such as air-conditioning, may serve as important mitigation measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"50"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12168315/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144310643","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":"Clinical features and outcomes of infective endocarditis in persons experiencing homelessness.","authors":"Torrance Teng, Kyle Crooker, Tess Hickey, Max HoddWells, Ashwini Sarathy, Sean Muniz, Jennifer Lor, Amy Chang, Bradley J Tompkins, Aaron O'Brien, Elly Riser, Devika Singh, Jean Dejace, Andrew J Hale","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01318-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01318-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and current treatment guidelines recommend a prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics. However, individuals experiencing homelessness face greater barriers to standard IE care. The aim of this study was to compare IE characteristics and outcomes in an unhoused population versus a housed population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective cohort study encompassing 2010-2020 was conducted in Burlington, Vermont, comparing characteristics and outcomes of patients with IE who did or did not experience homelessness at the time of their infection. Primary outcomes included 30-day, 90-day, and 365-day mortality, IE-related mortality, and IE-related readmission rates. Secondary outcomes included rates of microbiologic failure and treatment failure.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 378 included patients with IE, 30 (7.9%) experienced homelessness and 348 (92.1%) did not. The unhoused cohort was more likely to have right-sided IE involving the tricuspid valve (50.0% vs 21.6%, P = 0.006) and for the causative organism to be methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [9 (30.0%) vs 43 (12.4%), P = 0.039]. Mortality, IE-related mortality, and IE-related readmission rates were not significantly different between groups at any time point measured. For secondary outcomes, differences in microbiologic failure [5 (16.7%) vs 36 (10.3%), P = 0.543] and treatment failure [9 (30.0%) vs 105 (30.2%), P = 1.000] were also not statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Future research should elucidate factors that entail increased risk of poor outcomes in this important underserved population and how to best mitigate them.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"48"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12164142/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144295160","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":"Settlement characteristics and transmission of echinococcosis: a cross-sectional study in nomadic communities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China.","authors":"Qian Wang, Yifei Wang, Zhaohui Luo, Sha Liao, Wenjie Yu, Guangjia Zhang, Liu Yang, Wei He, Zhongshuang Zhang, Diming Cai, Jun Liu, Guo Zhou, Yongzhong Li, Yan Huang, Ruirui Li, Qi Wang, Renxin Yao, Quzhen Gongsang","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01316-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01316-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Echinococcosis remains highly endemic in some nomadic communities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, where alveolar echinococcosis (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE) exhibit notably high prevalence rates of 3.64% and 2.37%, respectively. Recent settlement expansion in the region has raised concerns, as smaller, remote settlements often lacked waste disposal and sewage systems, potentially facilitating echinococcosis transmission. The aim of this study is to investigate how settlement characteristics influence echinococcosis transmission.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The study was conducted from 2022-2024 in nomadic communities of Shiqu County in China. The overall prevalence rate of echinococcosis in 51 settlements was found to be 2.34% (321/13,701; 95% CI: 2.10-2.61), which included a prevalence rate of 1.62% (222/13,701; 95% CI: 1.42-1.85) for AE and a prevalence rate of 0.72% (99/13,701; 95% CI: 0.59-0.88) for CE. The prevalence rate of AE was significantly (χ² = 49.57, P < 0.01) higher than that of CE. Settlements with a smaller population size (Z = -4.27, P < 0.01), a greater distance to the township center (Z = 2.66, P < 0.01) and a higher density of owned dogs (Z = 5.90, P < 0.01) were associated with higher prevalence rates of CE. These associations were also observed for AE prevalence, except for the density of owned dogs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study indicates that the transmission of AE was more active than that of CE in the nomadic communities. Smaller, remote settlements had higher prevalence rates for both CE and AE. The density of owned dogs was a significant risk factor for CE prevalence but not for AE prevalence. Targeted interventions are needed in these high-risk settlements. Future research should investigate how settlement characteristics interact with hygiene practices, the infection status of intermediate and definitive hosts, and their population dynamics to better understand combined effects on echinococcosis prevalence.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"47"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12160359/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144286921","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":"Wastewater-based epidemiological study on helminth egg detection in untreated sewage sludge from Brazilian regions with unequal income.","authors":"Andrey Duarte Boava, Alberto Jorge da Rocha Silva, Paula Beatriz Santiago, Bruno Dias Batista, Daniela Cunha Coelho, Ivana Mirtes Feu Silva, Patrícia Barbosa Machado, Patrícia Souza Sobrinho, Carla Nunes de Araújo, Izabela Marques Dourado Bastos","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01314-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01314-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Helminthiases are neglected diseases that affect billions of people worldwide, particularly those with inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene practices, and limited access to clean water. Due to frequent underreporting, wastewater-based epidemiology has emerged as a valuable tool for monitoring parasitic infections at population-level. This study aimed to detect and quantify helminth eggs in untreated sewage sludge from eight wastewater treatment plants located in different Brazilian socioeconomic regions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was conducted from June 2021 to December 2023 in Goiás and Federal District, the Brazilian federative unit with the highest income inequality. Samples were collected bimonthly (n = 121). Helminth eggs were recovered using centrifugation and flotation with a ZnSO₄ solution (d = 1.30 g/ml). After 21-28 days of incubation in sulfuric acid, viable eggs were identified and counted using a Sedgewick-Rafter Chamber under an optical microscope. Statistical analyses included One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's multiple comparisons test to evaluate differences in helminth egg counts between low-, medium- and high-income regions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twelve helminth genera were identified, revealing significant differences in prevalence and diversity across socioeconomic strata. Cestode eggs, particularly Hymenolepis spp. (44.28%), were the most prevalent overall. Trematode eggs were less frequent but exhibited greater taxonomic diversity. Sludge from low-income areas had the highest egg concentration [16.61 ± 3.02 eggs per gram of dry mass ( eggs/g DM)], nearly five times greater than in high-income areas such as Brasília Norte (3.56 ± 0.55 eggs/g DM; P = 8.8 × 10⁻⁹). Ascaris spp. (19.27%) and Trichuris spp. (7.90%) predominated in low-income areas. Medium-income regions showed intermediate values, with notable regional variation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results demonstrate that helminth egg diversity and concentration in sewage sludge are closely related to the socioeconomic characteristics of the served population. These findings may inform prevention and control strategies in vulnerable areas and support the development of public health and sanitation policies that address social and environmental inequalities in Brazil's Central-Western region.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"46"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12153139/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144276379","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":"Babesia microti (Babesiidae, Piroplasmida) infection in a Chinese traveler returning from the United States of America.","authors":"Xin-An Huang, Rong Xiang, Ru-He Liao, Yu-Bo Luan, Yi-Lin Zhao, Ji-Hu Yang, Chun-Feng Luo, Lin Huang, Luo-Yuan Xia, Dai-Yun Zhu, Yi Sun, Lei Wang, Jia-Fu Jiang","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01311-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01311-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Human babesiosis, caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Babesia (Piroplasmida, Babesiidae), is a globally emerging zoonosis transmitted primarily through Ixodes spp. ticks. Babesia microti, which is endemic particularly in the northeastern and midwestern United States, accounts for the majority of globally reported human cases. Recent studies highlight its spread to non-traditional regions and cross-border transmission, driven by climate change, blood transfusions and increased human mobility. Despite increasing reports of autochthonous B. microti infections in certain areas of China, imported cases remain critically underrecognized due to overlapping clinical manifestations with malaria and limited diagnostic awareness.</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>We report a diagnostically challenging case of acute B. microti infection in a 52-year-old Chinese woman, presenting with a sudden recurrent fever (39.0-41.0 °C), hemolytic anemia (hemoglobin 104 g/L), thrombocytopenia (platelet 78 × 10⁹ /L) and splenic hypodense lesions on July 11, 2023, seven days after returning from a 14-day visit to rural Wisconsin, United States. Peripheral blood smears demonstrated characteristic intraerythrocytic ring forms (parasitemia: 7800 organisms/μl) and pathognomonic \"Maltese cross\" tetrads. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 18S rRNA gene confirmed B. microti infection (GenBank No. PP087232), showing 99.8% identity with the US-type strain Gray (AY693840) and the sequence obtained from a US travel-acquired case in Singapore (MK609547). The patient received intravenous clindamycin (600 mg twice daily), oral dihydroartemisinin (80 mg twice daily), packed red blood cell transfusions, and supportive care, ultimately achieving full recovery after 17 days.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study documented the first imported cases of human babesiosis in China, emphasizing the need for heightened clinical and public health vigilance. Screening travelers from endemic areas presenting with fever or hemolytic anemia for Babesia, bolstering molecular diagnosis, improving transfusion safety, and intensifying regional surveillance are crucial in reducing underdiagnosis and preventing transmission. These measures are essential for controlling babesiosis in China.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"45"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12150541/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144259206","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":"Global estimation of dengue disability weights based on clinical manifestations data.","authors":"Han-Qi Ouyang, Zi-Yu Zhao, Okugbe Ebiotubo Ohore, Wei-Hao Li, Li Hong, Li-Ying Wang, Hong-Rui Zhang, Fu-Chun Zhang, Raman Velayudhan, Daniel Argaw Dagne, Ibrahima Socé Fall, Guo-Jing Yang","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01317-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01317-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Dengue is a major global health threat with varied clinical manifestations across age groups, countries, and regions. This study aims to estimate global dengue disability weights (DWs) based on clinical manifestations data and examine variations across different demographics and geographical areas. These findings will inform public health strategies and interventions to reduce the global burden of dengue.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a systematic search across six databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, and Database of Chinese sci-tech periodicals) for studies on human dengue clinical manifestations or infection from the establishment of each database through December 31, 2023. DWs were estimated by combining clinical manifestations frequencies with corresponding DW values derived from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, using Monte Carlo simulations to generate uncertainty intervals. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and Chi-square tests were performed to compare clinical manifestations between adults and children.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 35 adult studies (7109 cases) and 17 pediatric studies (2996 cases) were analysed. Adults had higher rates of muscle pain (OR = 9.18; 95% CI: 8.17-10.33) and weak (OR = 4.95; 95% CI 4.12-5.98). Children showed higher frequencies of decreased appetite (OR = 0.12; 95% CI: 0.11-0.14) and lymphadenectasis (OR = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.03-0.06). Severe dengue was more prevalent in children (8.2%) than adults (4.6%). The global DW for universal dengue was 0.3258 in adults and 0.4022 in children, with Indian children showing the highest DW for severe dengue (0.6991) and Chinese adult showing the highest DW for severe dengue (0.7214). Regionally, most studies were from South and Southeast Asia, with India contributing the largest number of publications (80 articles). Additionally, India had the highest dengue disease burden in 2021 (352,468.54 person-years).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings reveal important age and regional differences in dengue disease burden. There is a relative lack of research on dengue clinical manifestations in several high-burden countries in the Americas, and these gaps may affect the comprehensiveness and accuracy of global dengue disability weight estimates. These highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions and optimized resource allocation to mitigate its global impact.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"44"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12147332/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144250453","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":"Prevalence of Toxocara infection and associated risk factors: a cross-sectional study in Zhejiang, China.","authors":"Yi Yang, Die Zhong, Haiyan Wu, Zhiwei Xiong, Chenyu Yang, Lei Yang, Hongli Zhang, Beibei Wu, Guangxu Ma","doi":"10.1186/s40249-025-01312-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40249-025-01312-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Human toxocariasis, caused by the zoonotic parasites Toxocara canis (dog roundworm) and T. cati (cat roundworm), affects approximately 19% of the global population, ranking it among the most prevalent neglected infection of poverty. However, public awareness about this zoonotic disease has not yet been achieved in China. In this study, we conducted an epidemiological survey to assess the prevalence and risk factors of Toxocara infection in dogs and cats, as well as toxocariasis or Toxocara exposure in humans in Zhejiang.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An epidemiological survey was conducted between January 2023 and April 2024 to ascertain the prevalence of Toxocara infection in Zhejiang, where has been set to be a model for common prosperity in China. Fecal samples from dogs (n = 1156) and cats (n = 818) were examined for Toxocara eggs using the saturated saline floatation method and molecular tools, while human serum samples (n = 347) were tested for antibodies against Toxocara species by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Risk factors for Toxocara infection in dogs, cats and humans were analyzed using logistic regression models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The overall prevalence of Toxocara infection was 5.36% in dogs, 2.08% in cats, and 12.10% in humans in Zhejiang, China. Age (≤ 6 months, OR = 6.22, P = 0.026), season (autumn, OR = 13.93, P = 0.017 and spring, OR = 11.07, P = 0.027) and deworming frequency (< 4 times/year, OR = 0.18, P < 0.001) were identified as major risk factors for T. canis infection in dogs, whereas residing in an animal shelter (OR = 13.14, P = 0.020) was a risk factor for T. cati infection in cats. Occupation exposure (OR = 4.53, P = 0.009) was the most significant risk factor for Toxocara infection in humans.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Due to the good economic status and social welfare, the prevalence of Toxocara infection in dogs, cats and humans is relatively low in Zhejiang, China. However, an \"One Health\" paradigm about human toxocariasis intervention is lacking and the risk factors (particularly pet deworming and occupational exposure) for Toxocara infection and transmission warrant improved public awareness.</p>","PeriodicalId":48820,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases of Poverty","volume":"14 1","pages":"43"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12139274/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144227302","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}