International Journal of Infectious Diseases

BackgroundRespiratory viruses are major contributors to population mortality, but cause-of-death coding undercounts their impact. Ecological regression models linking viral circulation to mortality fluctuations can address this limitation. AimTo estimate the population attributable fraction (PAF) of mortality associated with influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2 in Ontario, Canada (1993-2024). MethodsWe analysed monthly all-cause mortality data with laboratory su...

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to systematically describe the current status of patient delay among pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients in Huyanghe City, Xinjiang, from 2014 to 2024, and to examine factors associated with patient delay, thereby providing an evidence base for developing targeted interventions to reduce delays in care seeking and strengthen TB prevention and control. MethodsThis observational study was based on the Tuberculosis Patient Management Subsystem of the China C...

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...

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most serious threats to global public health, with a disproportionate burden borne by low- and middle-income countries. Rural healthcare settings in India remain under-represented in molecular AMR surveillance despite high antimicrobial use and limited diagnostic capacity. ObjectivesTo describe longitudinal phenotypic and molecular AMR patterns in clinical bacterial isolates from a rural district hospital in Gujarat, India, and to a...

BackgroundMillions of people worldwide suffer from thyroid dysfunction, and especially hypothyroidism, which is a prevalent endocrine disorder contributing extensively to systemic and metabolic illness. In hypothyroidism, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), thyroid hormones that control metabolism in several organ systems, are insufficiently secreted. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to determine the effect of anti-thyroid antibodies on thyroid function in Bangladeshi newly diagn...

BackgroundDengue fever is a major neglected tropical disease with a rapidly rising global burden, and localized outbreaks are increasingly reported in southern subtropical China. Fujian Province, a coastal subtropical region with favorable ecological conditions for Aedes albopictus breeding and frequent cross-border exchanges with dengue-endemic areas, has had continuous local dengue cases for over a decade, raising concerns about the establishment of a stable natural endemic focus. Sustained lo...

BackgroundRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children, often leading to hospitalisation in infants. In low-resource settings where routine RSV diagnostics are unavailable, clinical overlap with bacterial pneumonia frequently results in unnecessary antibiotic use, contributing to antimicrobial resistance. ObjectiveTo evaluate the frequency and clinical determinants of antibiotic use among RSV-positive children under two years at a tertiary...

Recent studies suggested that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) exposure may increase tuberculosis (TB) disease risk. We assessed the association between active HCMV infection and recent HCMV exposure with tuberculosis (TB) disease among TB-presumptive South African adults. This was a nested case-control analysis that utilized stored plasma and serum samples collected from adults ([≥]18 years) with presumptive TB self-presenting to primary care clinics in in the Kraaifontein District in Cape Town,...

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...

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains a major health concern, especially in high-burden areas like Gabons Haut-Ogooue region. This study investigates the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) and associated factors in the Haut-Ogooue region. Drug resistance poses a significant threat to global TB control efforts. We conducted a retrospective and prospective study at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Franceville from August 2022 to August 2024. A total of 1,792 participants were ...

BackgroundSevere Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) is an acute infectious disease with high mortality. This study aimed to develop a quantitative scoring system for grading SFTS severity using dynamic clinical data. MethodsA retrospective study included 547 confirmed SFTS patients from two hospitals. Clinical data were collected over a 14-day course (divided into four phases). Patients were grouped into survivors (n=451) and non-survivors (n=96). Statistical analyses, including Kaplan...

BackgroundHealth status influences uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, with vaccinated individuals generally being healthier than their unvaccinated counterparts. However, the extent to which this healthy vaccinee effect biases vaccine effectiveness estimates remains unclear. This study investigated how different levels of the healthy vaccinee effect may impact these estimates. MethodsThree national, matched, retrospective cohort studies were conducted on the population of Qatar from February 5, 20...

BackgroundEnteric fever, caused by Salmonella Typhi or Paratyphi, is a major public health issue in low-and middle-income countries. Accurate burden estimation is hampered by limited microbiological facilities and low sensitivity of blood culture tests. Serosurveillance offers a scalable alternative to address these challenges. This study estimated the seroincidence of enteric fever in Bangladesh using cross-sectional rapid serosurveys. MethodsSchool-based surveys (January-June 2022) were condu...

The seasonal circulation of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in countries such as Japan, together with the transient nature of passive immunity conferred to infants via maternal vaccination or monoclonal antibody administration, may warrant a differential strategy for those born during the RSV inter-seasonal period. Maximal effectiveness may be achieved by deferring immunisation of this cohort from birth until entry into their first RSV season using catch-up administration of monoclonal antibod...

There is limited epidemiologic data on varicella zoster virus (VZV) infections from low- and middle-income countries including Kenya. We aimed to describe the seroepidemiology of VZV in Kilifi, Kenya, where varicella vaccine is not included in the national infant immunization program, in order to generate evidence to inform vaccine policy. We conducted a retrospective serosurvey utilizing archived plasma and serum samples from cross-sectional population-based serosurveys conducted within the Kil...

BackgroundArmed conflict disrupts health systems, undermining routine immunization and disease surveillance. These disruptions can delay outbreak detection and allow population susceptibility to accumulate unnoticed. This study assessed the impact of the 2020 - 2022 conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia, on measles epidemiology, focusing on surveillance reporting, age distribution of cases, and vaccination status. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective longitudinal analysis of national case-based measles s...

BackgroundRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of severe acute respiratory infection in infants, young children and vulnerable adults. Despite implications for designing interventions, our understanding of RSV infection/reinfection patterns during community outbreaks is incomplete. MethodsTo characterize respiratory virus infections regardless of symptom status, we performed a prospective cohort surveillance in coastal Kenya from August 2023 to August 2024. Nasopharyngeal/oropha...

A number of vaccines and long-acting monoclonal antibodies have been shown to be effective in the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease. However, an immune correlate of protection for RSV has not yet been identified. We conducted a systematic review to identify published reports of immunogenicity and/or efficacy in vaccines and long-acting monoclonal antibodies against RSV and performed a meta-analysis on extracted data to identify any relationship between antibody increase and...

Asymptomatic TB represents half of prevalent TB yet frequently remains undetected. We assessed the performance of plasma IL-6 and CRP as diagnostic biomarkers for asymptomatic TB identified by community-based screening. Both proteins were elevated in asymptomatic TB compared to community controls, but neither performed well as a diagnostic biomarker.

BackgroundHospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP) and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP), particularly those caused by multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs), often require newer antibiotic treatment. The efficacy and safety of newer antibiotics compared to generic antibiotics in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have not been evaluated before. MethodsIn this systematic review, we searched RCTs in the United States National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Cochrane Central Reg...