Journal of Vector Borne Diseases最新文献

Background objectives: Brucellosis, a bacterial zoonotic disease, is caused by various species of Brucella , predominantly affecting livestock. In India, human brucellosis is a significant public health concern due to the proximity between humans and animals. Moreover, under-reporting of cases and misdiagnosis of human brucellosis make it difficult to assess the problem and develop effective public health interventions. Therefore, the study's objectives were to estimate the prevalence, geographic spread, and seasonal patterns of human brucellosis in India; identify affected age groups and occupations, and examine risk factors contributing to its spread.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were explored for literature until September 3, 2024. Terms included in the search strategy were 'Human brucellosis' AND 'Prevalence,' 'Risk factors,' 'India.' Manual searches were also conducted on Google Scholar and relevant articles were selected.

Results: Final review included 29 articles. According to the 'Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist,' 4 studies have a low 'risk of bias' and 15 studies have moderate 'risk of bias'. Brucellosis affects individuals across all age groups, from children to older adults, with the highest number of cases occurring in the 20-40 years age group. Men are most affected, and IgG ELISA has the highest seropositive cases in all the studies.

Interpretation conclusion: This review highlights that human brucellosis constitutes a major public health issue in India, with higher prevalence in rural areas and among individuals with occupational exposure to livestock or animal products. Males are most affected; however, findings on gender susceptibility remain inconsistent, warranting further investigation.

Background objectives: Mass Drug Administration (MDA) is one of the important pillars of eliminating lymphatic filariasis. The present study aimed to determine the pooled coverage and compliance of MDA and its determinants in the Southeast Asian regional countries.

Methods: This proposal was registered in PROSPERO. The study focused on four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Central) and articles published between January 2019 and March 2025. The setting was taken from studies performed across the Southeast Asian Region. Stata Version 17 was used for meta-analysis of the selected studies. The overall and subgroup-wise analysis was computed using the DerSimonian-Laird method for the random-effects model in Forest plots. A funnel plot was done to find out the publication bias.

Results: Altogether, 34 articles were analysed. Of the 34 articles, 28 (82.3%) and 4 (11.8%) articles were published in India and Indonesia, respectively. The pooled coverage and compliance of MDA were found to be 80.16% (95% CI: 74.68-85.64%) and 67.25% (95% CI: 60.17-74.33%), respectively. Subgroup-wise, both coverage and compliance decreased in studies conducted in 2020 or afterwards. Side effects of the drugs, non-diseased status, suffering from some other diseases, too many drugs, bad taste of the drugs were some of the common barriers to successful MDA implementation.

Interpretation conclusion: Thus, time has come to develop strategies to improve MDA coverage and compliance at the community level. The strategy would be bilateral, involving both providers and beneficiaries, who need to be engaged in the proper implementation of MDA administration at the grassroot level.

Localized adverse events following mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis elimination are often selflimiting. However, they are of significant concern to the participants and may affect community drug compliance if not managed appropriately. Here, we report a rather uncommon adverse event, the 'string sign' in a south Indian woman with bancroftian filarial infection treated with the triple drug regimen (IDA: ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine and albendazole). String sign is the manifestation of acute lymphangitis as a cordlike subcutaneous swelling due to the swollen and inflamed lymphatic vessel, which is believed to occur due to the death of the adult filarial worms subsequent to chemotherapy. Health care workers need to be aware of such unusual localized adverse events that may occur following MDA for LF elimination. Prompt medical management of adverse events and health education are important to ensure adherence to drug consumption during mass drug administration program.

Background objectives: The proportion of asymptomatic malaria is one of the factors determining the dynamics of disease transmission and burden in endemic areas. This research focused on screening for Plasmodium parasitemia and analysing the relationship between proportion of malaria cases among asymptomatic and symptomatic people in Lokoja, Northcentral Nigeria.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey and experimental designs were adopted. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data on socio-demography and clinical status of the participants. Blood samples were randomly collected from 328 consenting participants during high transmission season (April to October) of malaria within a three-year period (2018-2021), and screened for Plasmodium species by light microscopy (LM). Statistical analyses of related parameters were performed.

Results: A total of 12.4% (25/202) and 85.7% (108/126) asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals were recorded respectively. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the mean distribution of malaria cases among the asymptomatic and symptomatic persons. All cases identified were uncomplicated and falciparum-specific; and 40.5% (133/328) prevalence of P. falciparum malaria with hyperparasitemia was observed in the area. The implications of these findings were discussed in relation to previous rates and other nearby endemic settings.

Interpretation conclusion: As a matter of success towards malaria elimination, a renewed call is made for regular monitoring of malaria prevalence using more efficient means of diagnosis and consideration of control strategies such as regular mass antimalarial administration, particularly targeting the often-neglected asymptomatic reservoir subset.

Background objectives: The increasing prevalence of life-threatening viral diseases like dengue fever necessitates comprehensive research into their causes, recovery, and preventive measures. Dengue outbreak data often suffers from irregularities, underreporting, delays, and missing information, which challenge the development of reliable prediction models.

Methods: To overcome these issues, the study proposes an innovative framework that combines Evolutionary Sampling with Prediction (ESP) to handle temporal and stochastic dynamics, along with a Minimax K-nearest neighbour imputer to correct missing data biases. Additionally, a novel Firefly Dynamic Evolution (FDE) approach optimizes model parameters, while a Random Forest classifier captures complex, nonlinear relationships in the data. The model was evaluated using 10-fold cross-validation on two datasets: the Local Epidemics Dengue Fever dataset (San Juan and Iquitos) and the Brazil dengue dataset.

Results: The proposed model achieved a low Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 22.1 and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 46.37 on the local dataset, and an MAE of 48.36 and RMSE of 86.76 on the Brazil dataset, demonstrating improved accuracy and robustness.

Interpretation conclusion: These findings highlight the model's potential for early warning systems and broader applications in forecasting other infectious diseases.

Background objectives: Scrub typhus (ST) is a serious mite-bome disease which is recently considered as underrecognized cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). The current study was undertaken to elucidate finer details of the role of inflammatory response in the pathophysiology of scrub typhus associated AKI (STAKI).

Methods: This prospective study was carried out on patients admitted to the Department of Nephrology, SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, India, a tertiary care hospital of the state. All sera were tested for O. tsutsugamushi using IgM ELISA kit and PCR assay. The serum level cytokines were detected by using commercially available ELISA kits.

Results: The study reveals that 31.4% of the hospitalized AKI samples were positive for scrub typhus. IL-33, IL-17, TNF-α, IFN-γ and Ang-2 were significantly high in both scrub typhus associated febrile patients and STAKI patients. However, IL-17, TNF-α and Ang-2 were found to be significantly high in STAKI patients in comparison to scrub typhus associated febrile patients. Further, significantly high expression of IL-10 was observed in both groups of scrub typhus patients with and without AKI.

Interpretation conclusion: Significantly high levels of IL-17, TNF-α and Ang-2 in STAKI patients showed the dysregulated inflammatory response during pathogenesis and can be used as potential biomarkers for monitoring disease progression. However, more studies are needed to shed light on delineating the mechanism which will help in developing future therapeutic target for the management of this neglected tropical disease.

Background objectives: Diagnostically refractory mutations/deletions in Plasmodium falciparum pose significant obstacles to malaria diagnosis and treatment. This study aims to enhance the understanding and management of efforts towards sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) treatments in the north eastern regions of India.

Methods: A total of 87 samples collected retrospectively from the years 2018-2019 in four north east states Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura were studied. The extracted genomic DNA was subjected to intactness analysis using the msp 1, 2 and glurp genes, genotyping for diagnostic refractory gene deletions in ( Pfhrp2/Pfhrp3 ) and drug resistance gene mutations ( Pfdhfr and Pfdhps ). Sequence analysis was performed to evaluate single, double, triple and quadruple mutations in the genes Pfdhfr and Pfdhps .

Results: Out of 87 samples, 50 (57%) samples were found with Pfhrp2 and/or Pfhrp3 gene deletions (partial/complete). Out of these 50 samples, 47 showed Pfhrp2 gene deletion, 29 showed Pfhrp3 gene deletion and 26 samples showed deletions in both the genes. The presence of drug resistant with single, double, triple, quadruple mutations including mixed Pfdhfr and Pfdhps gene was seen in 75 (86%) samples. Out of 75 samples, 10 samples observed with sharing double (2) and triple (8) mutation in both Pfdhfr and Pfdhps genes. These samples were from Assam (one), Meghalaya (two), Mizoram (six) and Tripura (one). Interestingly four of these ten samples, one each from Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, had Pfhrp2 -exon2 gene deletions showing resistance to diagnosis.

Interpretation conclusion: These findings show evidence regarding the simultaneous presence of diagnostic refractory and drug resistant P. falciparum parasites in Northeast India. Further assessments of the mutations and deletions in these genes will help in understanding the positive selection pressures on such mutated P. falciparum parasites.

Background objectives: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a prevalent and serious ailment impacting millions worldwide, including India. The disease has been recognized since the 6th century B.C. and well documented since the 18th century, and it is regarded as one of the most concerning vector-borne diseases. India accounts for nearly 40% of the worldwide burden of LF.

Methods: A comprehensive review was conducted using online and offline databases, focusing on studies related to different aspects of LF in India.

Results: Literature suggests that in India, about 98% of infections are produced by Wuchereria bancrofti , and in more than 99% of cases, Culex quinquefasciatus is the primary vector. Review reveals that the disease is gender- and age-specific; in most areas of India, rural and male populations are more affected than females, while middle- or working-age people are more affected. Filarial hydrocele is the leading cause of the higher prevalence in males (sometimes >10%), while adeno-lymphangitis, lymphodema, and elephantiasis are often more common in females. Acute and chronic filarial morbidities impose physical, social, marital, psychological, and economic consequences on the patients, their families, society, and the government. In India, it was estimated that about 2 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), US$811 million in annual wages, and up to 8% of the potential labour participation were lost due to LF.

Interpretation conclusion: Although the current situation has improved from the past, hundreds of Indian districts still require special attention from the mass drug administration program, along with sustainable vector management, morbidity management, public awareness, etc., as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Background objectives: Mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and filariasis pose a significant public health threat in India, especially in regions like Uttar Pradesh. Despite national programs, community participation and preventive practices remain inadequate. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices (KAP) related to mosquito-borne diseases among the study population; examine the association between sociodemographic factors (education, age, occupation, housing type) and KAP levels; and evaluate the relationship between knowledge levels and observed or self-reported mosquito-preventive practices.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 adult participants, selected through two-stage random sampling from 300 households (one participant per household) across six villages in Raebareli district, Uttar Pradesh. Data were gathered using structured questionnaire and direct observations. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and logistic regression analyses were performed using Jamovi software.

Results: The study found high illiteracy (34%) and unskilled occupation rates (65%) among the study population. Poor knowledge, attitude, and practices were reported in 53.3%, 12%, and 41.7% of respondents, respectively. Significant associations were found between education, age, occupation, and housing type with KAP components (p < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that education up to 10th or 12th grade significantly predicted better knowledge (AOR: 2.38, 2.48). Older age was linked to improved attitude and practices. Knowledge was significantly associated with observed waste disposal behavior (p < 0.001) but not with self-reported practices.

Interpretation conclusion: Higher education and older age were strong predictors of improved KAP. Targeted health education interventions and community-based vector control strategies are needed in rural Uttar Pradesh.

Dengue continues to escalate as a major global health challenge, driven by rapid urbanization, ecological change, and the expanding distribution of Aedes aegypti . Conventional surveillance systems, dominated by larval indices, provide limited predictive value and fail to capture the real-time transmission risk posed by infective adult females the sole vectors of dengue virus. This review re-examines dengue surveillance by emphasizing the epidemiological and operational significance of adult mosquito monitoring. Existing traps such as BG-Sentinel, CDC light and gravid traps, and gravid Aedes -specific devices are critically evaluated for their sensitivity, adaptability, and diagnostic utility. Metrics like threshold vector density and minimum infection rate (MIR) are identified as reliable indicators of transmission potential. The paper advocates for the development and large-scale deployment of next-generation adult traps that combine dual-attractant systems, power-free operation, and compatibility with molecular and digital diagnostic tools. Such innovations can transform dengue surveillance from reactive control to predictive, evidence-based intervention, offering a pathway toward sustainable, anticipatory vector management.