📄 Category

infectious diseases

166 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

Performance of five risk stratification tools for paediatric pneumonia against WHO scores using data from the PediCAP trial in sub-Saharan Africa

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.

Nalwanga, D., Clements, M., Musiime, V., Mulenga, V., Mujuru, H. A., Sidat, M., Buck, W. C., Madhi, S., Bielicki, J. A. (…)2026-06-17
📄 infectious diseases

Clinical Study Protocol of the 'Biomarkers of Severity of COVID-19 Patients' (BIOMARCOVID) Project

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.

Dinh, T.-A., Leroy, C., Brandolini-Bunlon, M., Berthier, S., Trocme, C., Varoquaux, N., Plazy, C., Vilotitch, A., Terra (…)2026-06-17
📄 infectious diseases

Higher Population Coverage with Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine is Needed to Induce Herd Protection: Evidence from a Cluster-Randomized Trial in Urban Bangladesh

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.

Ahmmed, F., khanam, F., Islam, T., Park, S. E., Ongadi, B., Im, J., Zhang, Y., Khan, A. I., Aziz, A. B., Akter, A., Ngug (…)2026-06-16
📄 infectious diseases

Projected population level impact and cost-effectiveness of clinic and community-based tuberculosis screening approaches

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.

McCreesh, N., Khan, P. Y., Yoon, I., Govender, I., Sithole, M., Houben, R. M., White, R. G., Grant, A. D., Sweeney, S.2026-06-13
📄 infectious diseases

Disentangling Confounders from Pathology in Long-COVID Trajectory Prediction for Women: An Interpretable Large-Language-Model Approach

This paper proposes an interpretable, causally disentangled large language model to accurately predict Long COVID severity in women by distinguishing true pathological signals from confounding factors like hormonal transitions and comorbidities that mimic hallmark symptoms.

Wang, J., Galis, Z., Zhang, T., Luo, Y., Sra, A., Niu, X., Shen, J., Xie, Q., Weiss, J. C.2026-06-12
📄 infectious diseases

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus transmission: exploring perceptions of human-animal-tick interactions across six districts in Uganda

This qualitative study conducted across six Ugandan districts identifies specific human-animal-tick interaction behaviors, such as close cohabitation with livestock, slaughtering sick animals, and consuming engorged ticks, as critical yet under-quantified risk factors for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus transmission that necessitate culturally tailored interventions.

Kugler, M., Mujumbusi, L., Pickering, L., Muhumuza, R., Akugizibwe, M., Obicho, E., Apangu, T., Umo, E., Nuwamanya, S. (…)2026-06-12
📄 infectious diseases

Microbial etiology, antibiotic susceptibility profiles, and multidrug resistance of urinary tract infections at a secondary healthcare facility in Ghana

This study conducted at a secondary healthcare facility in Ghana reveals a 22.8% prevalence of urinary tract infections dominated by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, particularly *E. coli*, which exhibit extreme resistance to common beta-lactams and cephalosporins but remain susceptible to amikacin, levofloxacin, and gentamicin, highlighting the urgent need to revise empirical treatment protocols.

Agyapong, J. K., Damalie, G., Dombawel, R., Noah, A., Balo, Y., Acheampong, A., Kudzordzi, P.-C., Nyarko, P., Ofori, D. (…)2026-06-12
📄 infectious diseases

Emergence and Spread of Artemisinin-Resistant Malaria in Zambia

A 2024 study in Zambia reveals the rapid emergence and spread of a novel *Pfkelch13* A724E mutation conferring partial artemisinin resistance, evidenced by its rise from 0% to 79% prevalence in Kaoma between 2018 and 2026 and its strong association with day-3 parasite positivity following treatment.

Mwenda, M., Oliveira, R., Mambwe, B., Chiyesu, C., Bohmeier, B., Mosler, K., Phiri, M., Sinyoolo, A., Chiposa, V., Namon (…)2026-06-10
📄 infectious diseases

SchistoTrackNet: machine learning for diagnosis of schistosomiasis-associated periportal fibrosis from ultrasound images

This paper introduces SchistoTrackNet, the first deep learning model capable of automatically diagnosing varying severities of schistosomiasis-associated periportal fibrosis from ultrasound images, offering a scalable solution for large-scale surveillance in low-resource settings to support global elimination efforts.

Ockenden, E. S., Anguajibi, V., Mpooya, S., Ntegeka, B., Mugume, T., Nabatte, B., Kabatereine, N. B., Noble, A., Chami (…)2026-06-02