African swine fever virus genotype II was detected in wild boar in Spain in 2025 after >30 years of absence. Whole-genome sequencing and molecular follow-up of 8 representative cases identified a stable 9.8-kb deletion affecting the multigene family in the left variable region, defining an ASFV genotype II variant.
We report 2 cases of chronic subcutaneous infection in immunocompetent persons caused by Fomitiporella spp. basidiomycetes. Both patients recovered after surgical excision without antifungal therapy. We confirmed the cause of infection using broad-range fungal PCR from formalin-fixed tissue, highlighting the value of molecular diagnostics for detecting rare environmental fungi.
We report the establishment of the Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum) and Rickettsia parkeri bacteria in Ohio, USA. We collected host-seeking ticks through surveillance in 2020-2021. Our discovery of established populations in 2 Ohio counties highlights a medically critical vector-pathogen system with serious public health implications.
Scrub typhus is a miteborne infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria. In Japan, most cases occur in spring and autumn and are transmitted by Leptotrombidium pallidum and L. scutellare mites; summer scrub typhus, transmitted by L. akamushi mites, is rarely reported. In August 2024, a pregnant woman had scrub typhus develop after attending a fireworks event in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, resulting in fetal death. A Vietnam-related Karp-like O. tsutsugamushi genotype, distinct from the Kato type usually associated with L. akamushi mites, was detected from patient samples. Field investigations at the site of the fireworks event revealed seasonal predominance of L. akamushi mites in summer. We detected O. tsutsugamushi sequences identical to the patient’s strain in 3 L. akamushi mite larvae and 1 field mouse, suggesting that L. akamushi mites were the source of human infection. Our findings suggest reemergence of summer scrub typhus associated with infected L. akamushi mites carrying a locally novel genotype.
Cost-effectiveness analyses of tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment rarely consider long-term TB consequences. We examined how long-term TB consequences influence the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of TB prevention among persons who immigrate to Canada. By using a Markov microsimulation model of 400,000 persons immigrating to Canada in 2025, we compared current postarrival TB infection screening levels (0.5%) with a screening level of 68% among new immigrants. Modelling scenarios included acute TB consequences and long-term TB-related death, illness, and healthcare costs (25-year horizon, 1.5% discount rate). Including long-term TB-related consequences increased the estimated TB-related quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost by 2.1-fold (95% uncertainty range 1.7-2.5-fold). When long-term TB-related consequences were included, estimated QALYs gained from expanded screening increased 2.4-fold (95% uncertainty range 1.6-4.4-fold), reducing the cost per QALY from $235,088 to $100,742 CAD. Ignoring long-term TB consequences substantially underestimates the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of preventive interventions; such consequences should be incorporated into future evaluations.
Trichophyton indotineae is an emerging dermatophyte that is often resistant to terbinafine. We analyzed data produced by the Mass Spectrometry Identification global network. Those data revealed a 3-fold increase in T. indotineae identification during 2022-2025, demonstrating that this application is an effective tool for monitoring global spread of this pathogen.
Powassan virus is a tickborne flavivirus that can cause severe encephalitis in humans. After the first known human case in Illinois, USA, we detected Powassan virus in adult Ixodes scapularis ticks collected from 2 sites in northern Illinois during 2025. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the virus as Powassan virus lineage II.
Brazilian spotted fever is a severe tickborne rickettsial disease endemic to Brazil. We report the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of 15 cases of Brazilian spotted fever caused by Rickettsia rickettsii in 2018 with high lethality. Our report highlights the need for early diagnosis to avert deaths.
We evaluated pediatric tuberculosis treatment outcomes in a tertiary care center in France during 2014-2024 by using updated World Health Organization definitions. Among 123 children, 60.9% were successfully treated. Unfavorable outcomes reflected suboptimal adherence, dosing errors, and incomplete follow-up, highlighting the need for implementation and evaluation of optimized care processes.
Fleaborne typhus (FBT) is reemerging as a significant cause of febrile illness in southern California, USA. We performed enhanced testing on low-titer Rickettsia typhi antibody-positive specimens from patients with FBT-compatible illness reported in Los Angeles County, California, during 2022-2024. We tested 114 specimens by repeat serology and 113 by real-time PCR; 81 (71%) were PCR-positive, and 95 (83%) had higher antibody titers by repeat serology. Most PCR-positive specimens were collected 8-10 days after illness onset, but some were collected up to 15 days after illness onset. All PCR-positive specimens were R. typhi-specific. After additional testing, 113 (99%) suspected cases were reclassified as probable or confirmed FBT cases. Our findings indicate that many low-titer seropositive results represent true infections and that use of minimum serology thresholds for public health investigation underestimates surveillance case counts. Expanding commercial molecular testing capacity will improve clinical FBT diagnosis and enhance surveillance accuracy.
After its elimination from Mexico in 2003, myiasis caused by New World screwworm (NWS), Cochliomyia hominivorax, has recently reemerged as a public and animal health concern. We conducted a retrospective study of human New World screwworm myiasis cases reported through Mexico's national surveillance system during April 13, 2025-March 14, 2026. Of 204 cases in official surveillance summaries, 202 had sufficient information for case-level clinical and epidemiologic analysis. Cases were concentrated in southern Mexico, particularly Chiapas, followed by Yucatán, Oaxaca, and Quintana Roo. Most (71.8%) cases occurred in men; mean patient age was 61.1 years. Lower limbs (55.0%) were the most frequently reported anatomic location, and 76.7% of patients had >1 concurrent condition. Six deaths were reported among patients with NWS myiasis; at the time of reporting, 1 death was attributed directly to NWS myiasis. Our findings support proactive clinical detection and integrated One Health surveillance along the expected northward spread of NWS.
Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) reemerged in Argentina during 2023-2024, raising public health concerns and posing a potential threat to blood transfusion safety. We assessed the effect of WEEV circulation on the blood supply by implementing responsive, community-informed interventions within a regional hemovigilance system, including epidemiologic mapping, enhanced donor selection criteria, and alphavirus-specific nucleic acid testing. Among 637 donors residing in outbreak-affected areas, we detected 1 asymptomatic viremic donor. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the viral sequence clustered within the contemporary South American outbreak lineage, consistent with ongoing regional transmission. Those findings demonstrate silent WEEV circulation among blood donors and highlight the critical role of donor surveillance as a sentinel system for emerging arboviruses. Hemovigilance provides valuable insights into viral circulation in the broader population, underscoring the need to integrate molecular surveillance into routine blood bank practices to strengthen transfusion safety and public health preparedness.
Chronic obesity is a growing public health threat in the United States; >40% of adults are affected. We retrospectively assessed the frequency of medically attended infection in infants born during 2008-2012 relative to absolute weight and body mass index outcomes at age 4-6 years of age and 10-15 years of age. Multivariable regression revealed those with early clinical infection had higher rates of obesity at 4-6 years and 10-15 years than those without, proportional to the number of infections diagnosed and corresponding to significant weight increases. Compared with infants whose infections were not treated with antimicrobial drugs, treatment was less predictive of weight outcomes. Most infections were viral. Our investigation found a correlation between infections diagnosed in infancy and later weight outcomes, but we could not determine the cause.
We report detection of a blaOXA-23-positive Proteus mirabilis clinical isolate through Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network testing that is closely related to OXA-23 producers identified in Europe. Combined with similar reports internationally, this finding suggests that Enterobacterales might serve as a silent reservoir of carbapenemase genes commonly associated with Acinetobacter species.
