[Newsdesk] Research brief
Squirrels might have caused or maintained an epidemic of leprosy in medieval England. Genetic analysis of Mycobacterium leprae from a pre-Norman skull found in a garden in Suffolk has lent support to the suggestion that East Anglia was the epicentre of the medieval leprosy epidemic. The M leprae strain found on the skull matches the strain found on skeletal remains from medieval Denmark and Sweden. The bacteria might have arrived on the east coast of England along viking trade routes for the then-popular squirrel meat and fur. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Dara Mohammadi Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research
[Newsdesk] Infectious disease surveillance update
Since the outbreak began in August, 2017, the total number of cases of plague in Madagascar has risen to 1554, including 113 deaths as of Oct 27. 63% of patients have the pneumonic form of the illness, which spreads from person to person. 40 of the 114 districts in Madagascar have reported pneumonic plague cases during this outbreak, including the most populous cities of Antananarivo and Toamasina. Contact tracing is ongoing; so far 30% of people who have had contact with cases have been traced. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Ruth Zwizwai Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research
[Newsdesk] Highlights from IDWeek 2017
IDWeek brings together experts across infectious diseases and health-care epidemiology. This year's meeting was held in San Diego, Oct 4 –8. Sean Cleghorn describes the highlights. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Sean Cleghorn Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research
[Newsdesk] Marseilles' lazaretto for the 21st century
A new integrated infectious diseases facility opened in Marseilles last year. John McConnell paid a visit. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: John McConnell Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research
[Newsdesk] Plague in Madagascar
Madagascar has long been affected by plague, but the latest outbreak is proving unusual in more ways than one. Talha Burki reports. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Talha Burki Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Proton-pump inhibitors and glecaprevir plus pibrentasvir in HCV infection – Authors' reply
Conclusions cannot be reached given the small sample size of the subpopulation of patients receiving proton-pump inhibitors in only one study. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Xavier Forns, Federico J Mensa Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Proton-pump inhibitors and glecaprevir plus pibrentasvir in HCV infection
Drug interactions between proton-pump inhibitors and direct-acting antiviral drugs are a great concern in patients with hepatitis C virus infection, because of the potential for suboptimal plasma concentrations of direct-acting antiviral drugs leading to compromised outcomes.1,2 In the phase 3 trial reported by Xavier Forns and colleagues,3 31 (21%) patients with hepatitis C virus infection and compensated cirrhosis receiving glecaprevir plus pibrentasvir were concurrently treated with proton-pump inhibitors. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Guo Yu, Guo-Fu Li, Hong-Hao Zhou Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Prediction and prevention of tuberculosis in contacts – Authors' reply
We thank Sandra Arend and Jonathan Uzorka for their interest in our study. They argue that because our risk score predicts tuberculosis independently of the contact tuberculin skin test (TST) results and index case smear grade, it is likely that subsequent re-exposure to tuberculosis was an important risk factor. Therefore, they debate the justification for our calculation of numbers needed to treat (NNT) with preventive therapy at the time of known exposure to prevent each tuberculosis case. Although we agree that re-exposure might have been an important, unmeasured risk factor in our population, the highest rate of tuber...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Matthew J Saunders, Tom Wingfield, Marco A Tovar, Matthew R Baldwin, Sumona Datta, Carlton A Evans Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Prediction and prevention of tuberculosis in contacts
We read with great interest the Article by Matthew Saunders and colleagues on the use of a tuberculosis risk score.1 The authors developed their much-needed scoring system to predict the risk of tuberculosis development in contacts of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. They also showed the feasibility of their scoring system in a population of contacts of patients with tuberculosis. However, their score slightly overestimated the risk in the high-risk group of the external validation cohort (the observed 2 ·5-year risk was 11·6% in the high-risk group in the derivation cohort vs 8·6% in the external validation cohort...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Nidhi Tejan, Ravi Uniyal, Vimal Kumar Paliwal, Hardeep Singh Malhotra, Ravindra Kumar Garg Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Prediction and prevention of tuberculosis in contacts
Targeting of treatment of latent tuberculosis infection to patients at highest risk is a key component of the prevention and control of the disease, and any measure to reach that target with less effort is valuable. Matthew Saunders and colleagues1 derived a composite risk score to predict and stratify the risk of active tuberculosis in adult contacts of index cases with pulmonary tuberculosis from an underprivileged Peruvian community. In an independent prospective validation cohort, the score retained its predictive value. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Sandra M Arend, Jonathan W Uzorka Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Diagnostic algorithm for low-volume CSF samples in tuberculous meningitis
Nathan Bahr and colleagues1 reported the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra for tuberculous meningitis in HIV-infected adults. They report significantly high sensitivity of Xpert-Ultra (95%) versus Xpert (45%), which was similar to Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) culture. The authors also show that no test is 100% accurate, and even Xpert-Ultra can miss or give indeterminate results in culture-positive cases. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Sarman Singh, Mani M Sankar Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Can defective interfering RNAs affect the live attenuated influenza vaccine? – Authors' reply
We thank Nigel Dimmock and Andrew Easton for drawing attention to new research, which has become available since the publication of our article,1 describing their interesting observation of defective interfering RNAs in two batches of Fluenz Tetra (MedImmune, Nijmegen, Netherlands; AstraZeneca, Luton, UK) for the 2014 –15 influenza season.2 This research warrants further investigation to understand its implications. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Anika Singanayagam, Maria Zambon, Ajit Lalvani, Wendy Barclay Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Can defective interfering RNAs affect the live attenuated influenza vaccine?
In their thoughtful Personal View, Anika Singanayagam and colleagues1 raise several important questions relating to the apparent loss of efficacy of the live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) vaccine. One factor not considered by the authors is the presence, in batches of the Fluenz Tetra vaccine (MedImmune, Nijmegen, Netherlands; AstraZeneca, Luton, UK) of substantial amounts of small RNAs derived from the genomes of both the influenza A and influenza B components of the vaccine itself.2 If the vaccine was composed only of infectious virus, one would expect to see only the eight full-length influenza segments of the viral...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Nigel J Dimmock, Andrew J Easton Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Scabies and mortality
Chante Karimkhani and colleagues1 highlighted the substantial burden of scabies, reporting that scabies accounted for 0 ·21% of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) from all conditions globally in 2015. Although the documentation of global morbidity is timely, the contribution of scabies to mortality is yet to be elucidated. Karimkhani and colleagues' DALY calculations were unable to take into account years of lif e lost (YLL); instead, a null mortality was assumed. Furthermore, scabies was attributed a maximum disability severity of 1, corresponding to itch or pain, which potentially under-represents its severity as a ...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Sarah Lynar, Bart J Currie, Robert Baird Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Emergence of Plasmodium falciparum triple mutant in Cambodia
We share Mallika Imwong and colleagues'1 concern regarding the spread of single-fit multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites along the borders of Cambodia —ie, to Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. In 2016, in Cambodia, artesunate-mefloquine (ASMQ) replaced dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ) as the first-line treatment for uncomplicated P falciparum malaria. The rationale for this combination relies on evidence that parasites carrying markers of res istance both to artemisinin (pfKelch13-580Y mutant) and piperaquine (later associated with the amplification of pfplasmepsin2)3,4 have regained susceptibil...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 23, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Gabriele Rossi, Martin De Smet, Nimol Khim, Jean-Marie Kindermans, Didier Menard Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
