Zoonotic & Vector-Borne Diseases

A study in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that infants exposed to Zika in utero who do not show signs of congenital Zika syndrome may still be at risk for abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Rapid diagnostic tests provide a potential alternative for diagnosis of Chagas disease in the context of material constraints.

A meta-analysis of seroprevalence rates estimates that one-fifth of the world’s population carries antibodies against Toxocara.

Observations about the body’s response to malaria infection can lead to new treatments for HIV and lupus, investigators believe.

New guidance issued by the CDC offers details on the dosing, efficacy and safety of tafenoquine for prevention and antirelapse therapy for malaria.

A new commentary describes the EEE virus along and points to research and development that is needed to address the growing threat of the virus and other vector-borne conditions.

A new study published in Science Translational Medicine reveals that genetic testing can identify patients with leishmaniasis unlikely to respond to conventional treatments, allowing clinicians to find candidates for alternative therapies ahead of time.

Incorporating a signaling protein known as B cell activating factor into the rabies vaccine improved speed and strength of the antibody responses, investigators at Thomas Jefferson University found.

A new study demonstrates that having access to mobile phone location data can provide helpful information on an outbreak’s spread through the urban environment.

The vaccine candidate, TAK-003, is based on a live-attenuated dengue serotype 2 virus, which provides the genetic “backbone” for all 4 serotypes.

Zika virus was previously only found in regions of Asia, the Pacific Islands, South America, and Africa. ECDC has now confirmed 3 locally acquired cases in southern Europe.

By repurposing the HIV treatment rilpivirine, investigators have opened up possibilities for treating Zika virus and other flavivirus infections which overlap with HIV.

A group provides an overview of ongoing research and current approaches being evaluated for the prevention of tick-borne disease.

As of October 8, 2019, a total of 21 individuals have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella across 13 states.

An accidental discovery of a thermostable protein leads to the creation of an engineered vaccine that promises to be a boon to developing countries.

A total of 543 human cases of West Nile virus disease have been reported to the CDC in 46 states and the District of Columbia as of September 24, 2019.

A 10th human case of EEE in Massachusetts has also become the state’s second fatality, the state Department of Public Health has announced.

The vaccination schedule in Kenya will consist of 4 doses of the RTS,S vaccine: 3 doses given between 6 and 9 months of age and the fourth dose given at 24 months.

Although Cuba reported no cases of Zika virus in 2017 and 2018, investigators used travel data and genomic epidemiology to uncover a large, “hidden” Zika outbreak.

The total number of communities at critical risk of the mosquito-borne Eastern equine encephalitis stands at 28 statewide. Thirty-seven other towns are considered at high risk for EEE, while 126 are at moderate risk.

The African country was to be the third participant in a pilot program that would’ve inoculated 360,000 children against the mosquito-borne virus.

West Nile virus cases have been relatively low overall this summer season but, following a wetter than usual season, Arizona has already seen 6 times the normal number of seasonal cases.

In an investigation, 2 molecules, VU0071063 and pinacidil, were effective in reducing saliva secretion and blood ingestion in ticks.

According to the CDC, serologic assays that use a second enzyme immunoassay are acceptable alternatives to western immunoblot assays.

Although antibodies normally shield us from infection, a new study suggests that certain maternal antibodies may actually make it easier for Zika virus to gain a foothold and cause birth defects.

In total, 24 Massachusetts communities are now considered high risk for EEE virus and 18 communities have been designated to be at moderate risk.

Sterilization by radiation plus infection with Wolbachia bacteria in male mosquitoes can go a long way toward lowering the burden of deadly disease.

Investigators in the first human trial of a MERS-CoV candidate report strong immune responses and no serious adverse events, advancing the vaccine candidate to phase 1/2a and phase 2 trials.

The Florida Department of Health has confirmed that a locally-acquired case of dengue has been documented in Miami-Dade County.

From January 2019 to July 20, 2019, the Philippines has recorded 146,062 cases of dengue and 622 deaths, a 98% increase from the same period in 2018.