📄 Category

infectious diseases

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.

📄 infectious diseases

Infectious disease outbreaks among hospitalised neonates in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

This systematic review of 172 neonatal outbreaks across 32 low- and middle-income countries reveals that multidrug-resistant *Klebsiella* species are the predominant pathogens, highlighting critical gaps in antimicrobial resistance data, whole-genome sequencing utilization, and outbreak source identification that necessitate coordinated investment and standardized reporting to improve infection control.

Fortuin, C., Hasan, F., Secka, F., Dramowski, A., Whitelaw, A., Holt, K. E., Rodrigues, C., Newton-Foot, M., Bolton, L. (…)2026-10-28
📄 infectious diseases

The distribution of asymptomatic disease duration in transmission models for tuberculosis: implications for epidemic projections and the impact of active case finding

This study demonstrates that using a gamma-distributed model for the duration of asymptomatic tuberculosis, rather than the commonly assumed exponential distribution, better fits observed progression data and reveals that active case finding interventions could have a substantially larger impact on reducing TB incidence than previously projected.

Zhou, Z., Menzies, N. A., Cohen, T.2026-10-26
📄 infectious diseases

Low Dose Naltrexone for Post-COVID Fatigue Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in Canada, low-dose naltrexone (up to 4.5 mg/day) was found to be well-tolerated but ineffective in reducing fatigue severity or improving other clinical outcomes in adults with post-COVID fatigue syndrome compared to placebo over 16 weeks.

Naik, H., Boulter, T., Cooke, E., Cristobal, J., Izquierdo, A. M., Colla Machado, B. A., Khor, E., Flanagan, N., Tsai, M (…)2026-10-26
📄 infectious diseases

Longitudinal entomological study using molecular xenomonitoring of Wuchereria bancrofti in Culex quinquefasciatus in three Nepalese districts: Implications for lymphatic filariasis transmission assessment and elimination

This longitudinal study in three Nepalese districts demonstrates that molecular xenomonitoring of *Culex quinquefasciatus* using gravid traps effectively detects ongoing *Wuchereria bancrofti* transmission, revealing significant spatial and seasonal variations that highlight the need for targeted surveillance to support lymphatic filariasis elimination efforts.

Shrestha, D., Bajracharya, B., Shah, P., Shrestha, P., Ghimire, S., Paudel, S. R., Dangol, S., Shrestha, P., Rajbanshi (…)2026-10-26
📄 infectious diseases

Estimating the Direct Impact of Influenza Vaccination and Vaccine-Averted Illnesses Using an Extended Static Compartmental Model

This paper presents an extended static compartmental model that incorporates waning immunity, differential vaccine effectiveness by severity, and multi-season dynamics to estimate the direct impact of influenza vaccination on averted illnesses and deaths across diverse program settings.

Yoo, Y. M., Chard, A. N., Jara, J. H., Rolfes, M. A., Couto, P., Nogareda, F., Duca, L. M., Tempia, S.2026-10-26
📄 infectious diseases

Predicting Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes: A Leakage-Controlled Evaluation of Topological Data Analysis Augmentation

This study demonstrates that while topological data analysis augmentation failed to significantly improve the predictive accuracy of drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment outcomes over clinical baselines in a leakage-controlled evaluation, it successfully revealed meaningful geometric structures in the patient population useful for risk stratification and understanding adverse outcome composition.

Mutakwa, D. T., Visaya, M. V., Chirove, F.2026-10-26
📄 infectious diseases

Associations with SARS-CoV-2 Positivity Among People in Refugee Settlements

This study in Ugandan refugee settlements found that while few self-reported symptoms were significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 positivity, with only unusual fatigue remaining an independent predictor after adjustment, interactive voice response platforms offer a feasible strategy for screening and surveillance in resource-constrained humanitarian settings.

Muwonge, T. R., Klabbers, R. E., Ajidiru, S., Pham, P., Vinck, P., Mujugira, A., Nsubuga, R., Sharma, M., Borthakur, S. (…)2026-10-22
📄 infectious diseases

Filovirus Seroreactivity Beyond Virus-Specific Outbreak Regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2015-2023

A 2015–2023 serological study across seven provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reveals widespread and geographically heterogeneous exposure to multiple filoviruses, including Bundibugyo, Ebola, Marburg, and Sudan viruses, extending far beyond known outbreak regions and suggesting undetected zoonotic spillovers or cross-reactive viral exposures.

Merritt, S., Kompany, J. P., Mukadi, P., Halbrook, M., Musene, K., Beya, M., Kalengi, H., Tambu, M., Kelly, J. D., Ball (…)2026-10-22
📄 infectious diseases

Can identifying recent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection support faster tuberculosis vaccine trials?

This paper argues that using emerging diagnostic tests for recent *Mycobacterium tuberculosis* infection, rather than current long-lasting IGRA tests, could significantly reduce the number of participants needed for tuberculosis vaccine trials by 4.2 to 6-fold, thereby improving trial efficiency and potentially lowering overall costs despite increased screening requirements.

Hadley, L., Brown, T. S., Nelson, K., Kissler, S. M.2026-10-21
📄 infectious diseases

Towards Early Warning Systems for Shigellosis in Africa: Multi-Horizon Forecasting of Incidence in Rural Western Kenya Using Statistical State-Space and Machine Learning Models

This study demonstrates that multi-horizon forecasting of Shigella incidence in rural Western Kenya can be effectively achieved by selecting horizon-specific models—such as Extreme Gradient Boosting for short-term and Exponential Smoothing for long-term predictions—that balance accuracy, uncertainty calibration, and computational feasibility to support proactive public health interventions.

Ogwel, B., Onyando, B. O., Nyawanda, B. O., Awuor, A. O., Ogutu, J., Ochieng, J. B., Garcia Quesada, M., Pavlinac, P. B. (…)2026-10-21