Infectious Disease / Microbiology Updates

Neuroangiostrongyliasis: Early Treatment—and Beware of Slugs in Your Drinks https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/83/3/ii/8875994?rss=1

Hematospermia in a Returning Traveler https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/83/3/e664/8876018?rss=1

A Diagnostic Thumbprint Leaves Its Mark https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/83/3/481/8876019?rss=1

An Unusual Appearance of Pruritus in the Elderly https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/83/3/495/8876036?rss=1

Saint Thecla Praying for the Plague-Stricken https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/83/3/i/8876067?rss=1

Serologic Assessment of Public Health Action Needed for Trachoma, Coastal Ecuador, 2021–2024 https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/11/26-1024_article

Nationwide Surveillance and Control Measures during Large Measles Outbreak, Bangladesh, 2026 https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/11/26-0996_article

The Impermanence of Public Health Gains—Lessons Learned from Measles Resurgence, Bangladesh, 2026 https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/11/26-1019_article

[Editorial] Turkish Government crackdown on HIV and LGBTQ+ groups https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(26)00232-8/fulltext?rss=yes In the early hours of Sept 13, Turkish police raided gay bars and the offices and homes of LGBTQ+ and HIV activists and advocates across Türkiye. In the preceding days, the websites of various advocacy and support groups in the country had been blocked. This is the latest in a decade-long campaign by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's antagonistic campaign against LGBTQ+ people. Not only are these actions condemnable on the basis of human rights, but in a country where incidences of HIV and AIDS have been rising, these actions will only exacerbate the growth of the epidemic.

[Review] Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in people living with HIV: a framework for integrated screening and care https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(26)00172-4/fulltext?rss=yes Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has emerged as a major cause of liver-related and cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV, driven by ageing, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and long-term antiretroviral therapy. Approximately 20–41% of people living with HIV have MASLD, and significant liver fibrosis affects 12–20% of all people living with HIV, suggesting a fibrosis burden that exceeds that of the general population. HIV-specific mechanisms, including chronic immune activation, altered adipose distribution, and historical exposure to older antiretroviral agents, contribute to a more severe metabolic liver phenotype.

[Articles] Expediting a UNIVERSAL first-line regimen of a dolutegravir–emtricitabine–tenofovir alafenamide fixed-dose ratio for children living with HIV older than 4 weeks: a 24-week, open-label, single-arm, phase 1–2, pharmacokinetic, safety, and antiviral activity trial https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(26)00168-2/fulltext?rss=yes These data support proposed dosing of the dispersible fixed-dose combination (dolutegravir [5 mg]–emtricitabine [15 mg]–tenofovir alafenamide [1·88 mg]) for children weighing between 3 kg and less than 20 kg and extension of the licensed film-coated tablet (dolutegravir [50 mg]–emtricitabine [200 mg]–tenofovir alafenamide [25 mg]) for children weighing 20 kg or over.

[Comment] Advancing a fixed-dose combination for children with HIV https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(26)00199-2/fulltext?rss=yes Antiretrovirals and other therapeutic drugs for adults are often licensed for a decade before they are approved in children.1 Compounding this gap in drug availability for children with HIV is the lack of fixed-dose combinations (of licensed therapies) that are appropriate for use in weight bands for children across the ages, with only one distinct fixed-dose combination available for children weighing at least 3 kg and greater than 1 month of age.2 Published in The Lancet HIV, the UNIVERSAL1 study evaluated safety and pharmacokinetics of a fixed dose per weight band of emtricitabine–tenofovir alafenamide with dolutegravir in children.

[Articles] Plasma dolutegravir exposure testing to identify people with HIV at highest risk for dolutegravir resistance (ITREMA-2): a two-centre, prospective implementation study in South Africa https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(26)00144-X/fulltext?rss=yes Laboratory-initiated reflex plasma dolutegravir exposure testing provides an objective, cost-efficient strategy to predict the absence of dolutegravir resistance and supports adherence management, enabling timely, individualised treatment decisions. Reflex dolutegravir exposure testing could enhance clinical decision making, improve treatment outcomes, and strengthen HIV treatment and resistance monitoring algorithms in programmatic settings.

Pediatric Deaths during Measles Outbreak, Jerusalem, Israel, 2025–2026 https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/11/26-1397_article

Importation-Driven Measles Resurgence and the Fragility of Elimination, Japan, 2024–2026 https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/11/26-1187_article

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[News] Infection prevention and control gaps in Pakistan https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(26)00491-3/fulltext?rss=yes Clusters of HIV infections in children caused by unsafe injection practices in hospitals in Pakistan continue to occur. Talha Burki reports.

[Comment] South Sudan's first 100 days of Bundibugyo Ebola readiness https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(26)00480-9/fulltext?rss=yes When the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) on May 15, 2026, South Sudan looked likely to be the next country affected. Modelling estimated a 70% probability that at least one case would cross into the country within 12 weeks,1 driven by intense population movement across porous borders with DR Congo and Uganda. The amplifiers that have propelled the epidemic in the Ituri province—armed conflict, displacement, and a fragile health system—are at least as pronounced in South Sudan, and pathogens do not respect borders.

[Correspondence] Cross-reactive Bundibugyo antibody responses in Guinean survivors of Ebola virus and recipients of rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (Ervebo) in an outbreak setting https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(26)00475-5/fulltext?rss=yes Control of the ongoing outbreak of Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) in DR Congo, already the largest on record, has been hindered by the absence of licensed vaccines. Although BDBV-specific vaccines are under development, the licensed and stockpiled Ebola virus vaccine (rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP; Ervebo, Merck Sharp & Dohme) warrants evaluation as a potential stopgap measure, particularly for those at high exposure risk (eg, front-line responders, health-care workers, and contacts). rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP has conferred partial heterologous protection against BDBV challenge in non-human primates,1,2 and mixed BDBV responses have been detected in west African3 and Congolese participants4 receiving this vaccine.

Age Differences in Pertussis Epidemics, New South Wales, Australia, 2015 and 2024 https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/10/26-0332_article