Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health challenge, necessitating rapid and accurate diagnostic tools. The World Health Organization (WHO) endorses nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) like Truenat MTB Plus and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra. While both are widely implemented, direct comparisons integrating diagnostic accuracy with operational and cost considerations across real-world settings are limited. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of Truenat MTB Plus and Xper...

BackgroundsFollowing an increase in mpox clade Ib cases in several African countries, the World Health Organization recognized mpox as a public health emergency of international concern, highlighting the need for reliable and accessible diagnostic tools. As several mpox clades are co-circulating in endemic countries, the analytical sensitivity of diagnostic assays should be evaluated for all of them in a comparative manner. MethodsThis study evaluated the analytical sensitivity of three rapid t...

BackgroundImmunocompromised (IC) individuals are at increased risk for persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections and can develop new viral mutations and lineages not seen in the community. In this case report, a persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection (330 days) in an IC patient is examined for viral mutations and mutations associated with cryptic lineages. Case PresentationThe patient was followed in a longitudinal study examining persistent SARS-CoV-2 in IC patients. The patient provided stool and nasal swab ...

BackgroundMpox has spread to 35 countries in Africa, yet many face challenges achieving nationwide PCR-based testing due to cost and limited access in remote and rural areas. Point-of-care antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests (AgRDTs) may help improve diagnostic access. ObjectivesTo evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of five mpox AgRDTs manufactured by Beijing Hotgen Biotech (China), Contipharma (Belgium), Hangzhou Testsea Biotechnology (China), Guangdong Wesail Biotech (China), and NG Biotech (F...

Over-the-counter (OTC) lateral flow tests for respiratory viruses have newly emerged since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and are increasingly available to consumers. While all marketed tests have met standards for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), De Novo classification or 510(k) clearance, limited data are available to inform consumers of their relative performance. We performed a head-to-head benchtop analytical assessment of OTC tests available for purchas...

Microbial keratitis is a sight-threatening corneal infection with varying etiological agents, primarily bacteria and fungi. Assessing and contrasting the virulence factors of microorganisms isolated from a non-contact lens-associated keratitis (NCLAK) and contact lens-associated keratitis (CLAK) is the goal of the current investigation. Samples were collected from over 60 patients and analysed using standard microbiological techniques, including culture, Gram staining, KOH mount, biochemical tes...

BackgroundViral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) remain a major public health threat in resource-limited settings. The 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease epidemic exposed critical gaps in laboratory preparedness and diagnostic capacity in most-at-risk countries, including Guinea. Sustainable in-country laboratory capacity is essential for early detection and rapid response to VHF outbreaks, including Lassa fever. MethodsA long-term laboratory capacity-strengthening programme was implemented in Guinea, comb...

Shigellosis remains underdiagnosed due to the lack of rapid, reliable diagnostics. Although Shigella spp. is known for causing dysentery, over 50% of Shigella-associated cases are watery diarrhea. Identifying and treating these cases of watery diarrhea caused by Shigella could be lifesaving, which would require a point-of-care (POC) Shigella test. Evidence-based treatment could also reduce the overuse of antibiotics. We evaluated the feasibility and applicability of the Rapid LAMP-based Diagnost...

Influenza A, Influenza B, SARS-CoV-2, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and other respiratory pathogens are an ongoing public health concern. The ability to rapidly identify these viruses early in infection is essential for effective treatment and outbreak control. The AMDI Fast PCR Mini Respiratory Panel (MRP) incorporates sample preparation and real-time RT-PCR for detection of Flu A, Flu B, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV from anterior nasal swab (ANS) specimens in less than 10 minutes at the point of care. We ...

BackgroundAccurate and comparable human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is essential for HPV vaccine research, HPV surveillance, and cervical cancer screening. In 2008, the WHO HPV Laboratory Network initiated global HPV proficiency testing traceable to International Standards (IS), which has been issued regularly since. Here, we summarize recent results and trends over time. MethodsThe HPV genotyping panel, used since 2008, consists of 43 blinded samples, including HPV 6, HPV 11, all oncogenic an...

BackgroundAntibiotic stewardship during stem cell transplantation (SCT) is challenging.. Procalcitonin (PCT) has been employed successfully in critical care patients to safely guide stewardship. However, procalcitonin guided stewardship has not been robustly assessed in SCT recipients. We sought to evaluate the potential utility of PCT to guide antimicrobial de-escalation during engraftment. Methods100 SCT patients were prospectively enrolled in a "strategy trial" and had infectious complicatio...

The rapid diagnosis of Campylobacter infections is important for the management of infectious gastroenteritis. Although stool culture is considered the gold standard, its sensitivity is limited and it requires prolonged incubation times. We performed a prospective multicenter study at nine healthcare facilities in Japan to evaluate a Campylobacter rapid antigen test using stool specimens between March 2024 and August 2025. Patients with suspected infectious gastroenteritis were consecutively enr...

BackgroundAccurate diagnostic tools are needed in schistosomiasis elimination settings to determine prevalence thresholds for assigning or stopping interventions, guide pre- and post-elimination surveillance, and verify whether elimination has been reached. We assessed the accuracy of six different diagnostic tests in Pemba, Tanzania, a setting approaching Schistosoma haematobium elimination. MethodologyA prospective diagnostic accuracy study was conducted from February to April 2025. From an i...

Since 2014, Cubas National Tuberculosis Control and Elimination Program (PNCET, acronym in Spanish) has been using the Xpert(R) MTB/RIF technique (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) for rapid molecular diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). Due to financial limitations and difficult access to kits and cartridges (both of which are of U.S. origin), this test is only intended for prioritized vulnerable groups. Thus, only one third of the cases reported annually are diagnosed by rapid tests, as an initial techn...

After the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater monitoring is increasingly used for infectious disease surveillance. Using the data from a controlled experimental hospital setting, this paper examines the association wastewater SARS-CoV-2 with COVID-19 hospital admission and mortality, and whether this association varies by patients characteristics. Weekly wastewater samples were collected from the University of Miami (UM) hospitals where COVID-19 patients were admitted from February 2020 to October 202...

The world is far from achieving universal access to rapid tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics that align with World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic standards. Although WHO-recommended molecular rapid diagnostics (mWRDs), including low-complexity automated nucleic acid amplification tests (LCaNAAT), have significantly improved TB detection, scale-up has been constrained by high capital, maintenance, and consumable costs. Recently, lower-cost, near-point-of-care nucleic acid amplification tests (NP...

ObjectiveThe rapid availability of phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility results is crucial for the timely detection of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms and for guiding optimized treatment strategies. Recently, novel methods have been introduced that enable direct antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) from positive blood cultures. However, their performance has not yet been systematically compared in head-to-head evaluations. This study aimed to assess the analytical performanc...

IntroductionHemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a serious condition induced by Dengue virus which becomes fatal if not detected early and treated appropriately. So objectives of the present study are to observe the different patterns of presentations, clinical features and outcome of HLH induced by Dengue. MethodsIn this observational study, 14 patients admitted and diagnosed HLH as per diagnostic criteria, were included after informed written consent. Study conducted in a period of six...

BackgroundCambodia has made great progress in reducing malaria transmission and is targeting elimination. While this progress is particularly marked for Plasmodium falciparum, the situation is different for Plasmodium vivax. It is generally assumed that symptomatic patients are effectively diagnosed using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), regardless of transmission intensity. MethodsIn 2023 we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 986 treatment-seeking patients in 6 provinces of Cambodia with v...

IntroductionDengue has been prevalent in a regular fashion in Bangladesh and Chattogram for the last 6-7 years and is showing some serotype twisting. So, the objectives of the present study were to explore the burden of dengue serotypes in Chattogram. MethodsIn this study, 223 Dengue RT-PCR positive patients were evaluated for serotyping. Gender and age group, along with cycle threshold (CT) values, were also collected. Data after collection were compiled, analyzed, and plotted in Microsoft Exc...