242 papers
Infectious diseases represent one of the most dynamic frontiers in global health, covering everything from seasonal flu outbreaks to emerging viral threats that cross borders. This field focuses on how pathogens spread, how our immune systems respond, and the strategies scientists use to stop infections before they become epidemics. Because the science moves fast, waiting for traditional publication often means missing critical insights that could save lives.
At Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this category directly from medRxiv to ensure you see the latest findings the moment they appear. Our team transforms these raw studies into both accessible plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries, bridging the gap between complex research and public understanding. Below are the latest papers in infectious diseases, updated daily with fresh insights from the global research community.
This study reveals that the Qdenga dengue vaccine elicits serotype-skewed and immune imprinting-dependent responses, resulting in poor tetravalent immunity—particularly against DENV-4—and limited gains from a second dose, thereby highlighting critical challenges for its deployment in DENV-naive populations.
This study uses transmission models to demonstrate that in aging populations, the optimal timing and frequency of vaccination depend critically on pathogen transmissibility and immunity duration, as strategies that suppress infections early without providing long-term protection can paradoxically shift infections to older ages with higher fatality risks, thereby increasing overall mortality and years of life lost.
In a single-center, assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial involving 180 adults with localized skin and soft tissue infections, the addition of topical fresh *Taraxacum mongolicum* wet dressing to intravenous ceftriaxone significantly improved day-7 clinical response rates compared to ceftriaxone alone, though the findings require cautious interpretation due to the study's single-center design and lack of a placebo dressing control.
This 2024 cross-sectional study of 750 university students in Cucuta, Colombia, reveals that while HPV vaccine perception is predominantly positive, it is significantly shaped by gender, university type, and general HPV knowledge, highlighting the need for gender-inclusive educational strategies that address non-cervical HPV-related diseases.
This paper utilizes a mechanistic SEIR model and historical hospital data to demonstrate that the return of smallpox in Copenhagen after a 16-year hiatus was primarily driven by the waning of vaccine-induced immunity after approximately 20 years, which shifted the disease's burden from children to young adults.
This prospective cohort study demonstrates that baseline within-host genetic diversity of *Mycobacterium tuberculosis*, quantified by the number of unfixed variants at diagnosis, serves as an independent predictor of unfavorable treatment outcomes in patients with rifampicin-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis.
A secondary analysis of the PediCAP trial data from five sub-Saharan African countries found that five published paediatric pneumonia risk scores did not meaningfully outperform existing WHO IMCI clinical criteria in predicting mortality, suggesting that strengthening the implementation of current WHO guidelines is more effective than adopting complex prediction tools in low-resource settings.
This retrospective, monocentric cohort study at CHUGA aims to identify novel metabolite biomarkers through untargeted LC-MS/MS metabolomics to enhance the predictive accuracy of COVID-19 severity outcomes beyond standard clinical and routine blood parameters.
Evidence from a cluster-randomized trial in urban Bangladesh indicates that while the Vi-TT typhoid conjugate vaccine provides high direct protection to recipients, significant herd protection for non-vaccinees is only achieved in clusters with higher overall population coverage, suggesting that vaccinating adults in addition to children is necessary for effective typhoid control.
A mathematical modeling study of South Africa's tuberculosis screening strategies from 2026 to 2035 finds that community-based radiographic screening is the most cost-effective standalone approach, but combining it with clinic-based methods offers the greatest overall impact and cost-effectiveness by addressing both high-risk populations and those with low existing screening coverage.