Abstract
Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b virus continues to cause animal outbreaks and sporadic zoonotic infections. In a mouse model of lethal influenza disease, we compared oseltamivir, baloxavir, and molnupiravir monotherapies with 2-drug combinations. Baloxavir-based combinations improved survival, reduced lung viral loads, and prevented extrapulmonary dissemination, supporting H5N1 preparedness strategies.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.260186
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) are highly pathogenic paramyxoviruses that produce severe, often fatal disease in humans and animals. Zoonotic spillover of these henipaviruses from the Pteropid bat natural reservoir occurs near-annually in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Outbreaks of NiV disease frequently exceed case fatality rates of 75%, and person-to-person transmission makes controlling outbreaks in low-resource environments challenging. HeV is less transmissible between humans; however, the overall mortality rate is 57%. Approaches to human vaccine development have largely focused on NiV given the larger case burden, and immunogen selection has centered on display of the NiV attachment (G) or fusion (F) surface glycoproteins. However, experimental vaccines displaying these NiV antigens have failed to uniformly cross-protect against HeV disease in preclinical models. The HeV (G) antigen was shown to cross-protect against both HeV and NiV when delivered in a protein subunit form; however, attempts to utilize mRNA or canarypox vectors failed to achieve equivalent protection. We previously developed and evaluated a single-cycle recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored vaccine displaying the (G) glycoprotein of Nipah virus strain Bangladesh (NiV-B). This experimental vaccine (G*rVSV∆G-NiV-G) demonstrated ideal characteristics of rapid and durable protection against NiV-B challenge in nonhuman primates. In the present work, we show that the G*rVSV∆G-NiV-G vaccine cross-protects against lethal HeV challenge, with the protective response driven by a balance of both cell-mediated and humoral compartments.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1014646
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
We identified highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5 in stranded dolphins along the coastline of Brazil during 2023–2025. Infected animals included species classified as vulnerable or endangered. Our results highlight the need for ongoing surveillance of cetaceans susceptible to viral infections, which pose an additional threat to threatened species.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.260051
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
In March 2026, an unusually large outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Kent, UK, was linked to attendance at one nightclub over a single weekend. The outbreak organism was a Neisseria meningitidis variant belonging to the longstanding hyperinvasive genotype, cc41/44. Using genome analysis of six isolates from patients, alongside >48,000 meningococcal genomes, we investigated whether the outbreak variant had acquired traits potentially contributing to the highly invasive phenotype. The six isolates were capsular group B, sequence type (ST-)485, and essentially indistinguishable, consistent with the focal nature of the outbreak. Compared with their closest available relatives, we found changes mediated by phase variation, nucleotide variation, and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) involving adhesins, iron-acquisition systems (including Transferrin and Lactoferrin binding proteins, and FetA), and Type IV pili (Tfp), factors which affect bacteria-bacteria and bacteria-host interactions. These changes occurred in a ST-485 sub-lineage that expressed capsule at high levels and a PorA porin with a truncated surface-exposed epitope, both of which are predicted to reduce immune recognition. Donors for the HGT events were predominantly carriage-associated N. meningitidis and Neisseria cinerea. We show that meningococcal variants responsible for previous focal outbreaks have not been seen subsequently. We propose that focal outbreaks of IMD are caused by meningococcal variants that may have acquired traits from non- or less invasive organisms, but subsequently these variants disappear, as their highly invasive phenotype is inconsistent with sustained transmission. Ongoing disease surveillance alongside carriage studies are therefore essential to inform public health risk and manage epidemic IMD.
Competing Interest Statement
CMT and RME are inventors on patents for meningococcal vaccines. JPD is a co-founder and Director of Immunosig Ltd, a company which offers antigen microarray-based services. JL, RB, SAC and XB perform contract research on behalf of UKHSA for GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi and Serum Institute of India.
Funder Information Declared
Wellcome Trust, https://ror.org/029chgv08, 218205/Z/19/Z, 221924/Z/20/Z
NIH Common Fund, https://ror.org/001d55x84, R01AI127793
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.17.752363
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Influenza antivirals (IAs) have been detected in aquatic environments inhabited by dabbling ducks, the natural reservoir of influenza A virus (IAV), raising concerns about the development of antiviral resistance. Because novel human IAV strains often contain genetic material of avian origin, this may contribute to resistance in viruses with pandemic potential. This study aimed to assess the environmental risk posed by four IAs—oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), zanamivir (ZA), peramivir (PE), and amantadine (AM)—based on their potential for environmental release, environmental stability, and induction of antiviral resistance. The assessment combined data from new experiments on (1) environmental release and (2) environmental stability of PE, AM, OC, and ZA, with results from previously published in vivo experiments in a mallard model examining (3) resistance development to OC, PE, and ZA in IAV. The risk of environmental release was assessed as high for OC, AM, and PE, and very high for ZA. Environmental stability ranged from very high to low, in the order PE > AM > OC > ZA. The potential to induce resistance in IAV was similar for PE and OC, and lower for ZA. Overall, the environmental risk ranking was PE > OC > ZA, with PE and OC posing the highest risks. Prudent use of IAs requires balancing the risk of resistance development against clinical benefit. In cases of complicated influenza or in high-risk patient groups, the clinical benefits are substantial and justify IA use. However, in uncomplicated influenza among otherwise healthy individuals, the clinical benefit is limited, and the risk of resistance development should be carefully considered. Among the evaluated antivirals, ZA showed the lowest environmental risk and should be preferred when feasible.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358447
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Oropouche virus (OROV) historically caused a self-limiting disease, yet recent strains have been clinically linked to congenital infection and neurodevelopmental disease. These observations highlight the need to study OROV as a congenital pathogen. Here, using both a historical and currently circulating strain, we show OROV infects neurons across differentiation states in human forebrain organoids. Compared with the neurotropic congenital pathogen Zika virus (ZIKV), OROV exhibits a heightened capacity for neuroinfection and pathology in both forebrain organoids and neonatal mice. The increased permissiveness of OROV is driven, in part, by a broader neuronal tropism and a relative insensitivity to neuronal type I interferon-mediated antiviral responses. Consistent with clinical observations, neonatal neuroinfection results in rapid and severe neuropathology marked by cerebral hemorrhage. Finally, using a transient type I interferon-blockade model, we demonstrate that OROV can productively infect the murine placenta and cause fetal growth restriction. Together, our complementary models support a unified framework in which placental and fetal barriers limit productive fetal brain infection, yet OROV exhibits marked neurotropism and neuropathogenic potential upon gaining access to developing neural tissues. These findings reinforce the need for vigilant monitoring of OROV as an emerging pathogen associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and congenital disease.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77859-5
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Swine influenza A viruses (IAV-S) caused the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and pose a future zoonotic and pandemic threat. Vietnam represents a critical hotspot for IAV-S emergence within East and Southeast Asia, with dense swine and human populations and intensive livestock trade. We conducted genomic surveillance of IAV-S in Vietnam during 2020–2024, extending previous surveillance from 2013–2019. We identified multiple co-circulating H1 and H3 clades, including pandemic H1N1, Eurasian avian-like, and European lineages, by conducting phylogenetic analysis of 56 IAV-S isolates (21 H1N1, 31 H1N2, and 4 H3N2). Three H1 clades persisted exclusively in Vietnam, circulating up to 12 years. Phylogeographic analysis revealed multiple independent introduction events from North America, Europe, China, Thailand, and Cambodia. We detected extensive reassortment that frequently involved pandemic H1N1 virus internal genes. We identified several lineage-specific mutations associated with mammalian adaptation. Our findings underscore the ongoing IAV-S evolution and need for sustained surveillance in Vietnam.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.260593
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
The continued circulation of H5 clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) has caused extensive mortality in wild bird populations worldwide with increasing spillover to mammals. In 2022, H5 HPAIV emerged in Svalbard, Norway, with subsequent detections in wild birds, walruses, polar bears, and arctic foxes. To understand the population-level exposure among Svalbard arctic foxes, we analysed body fluids from carcasses trapped in 2006-2015 (n = 56), 2023-2024 (n = 112), and 2024-2025 (n = 94) for antibodies to H5 avian influenza (anti-H5), influenza A nucleoprotein (anti-NP), and neuraminidase subtypes using ELISAs, haemagglutination inhibition (HI), and a multiplex assay. Only three samples from 2006-2015 tested positive for anti-H5 and were interpreted as false positives. In 2023-2024, seropositivity for anti-H5 was high (95%), supported by a lower anti-NP seropositivity (85%) and antibody profiles consistent with mixed H5N1 (42%) and H5N5 (52%) exposure. In 2024-2025, anti-H5 and anti-NP seroprevalences remained high (83% and 57%), with H5N5 (87%) exposure predominating over H5N1 (3%). A subset of anti-H5-positive samples tested positive by HI (2023-2024: 30%; 2024-2025: 14%). Juveniles with exposure limited to the previous season had higher odds of anti-H5 seropositivity in 2023-2024 than in 2024-2025 (OR 5.5). Analysis of paired lung extracts from a subset of individuals (n = 63) yielded results concordant with body fluids, using an indirect anti-H5 ELISA adapted for carnivores. Our findings demonstrate widespread H5 virus exposure. Together with occasional reports of progression to fatal HPAI, this highlights the need for continued population monitoring to evaluate ecological consequences.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funder Information Declared
European Commission, https://ror.org/00k4n6c32, 101132473, 101084171
Dutch Research Council, ENWPP.SK.2025.001
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.17.752278
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
ABSTRACT
Limited A(H5)-specific vaccine supply is expected early in a potential A(H5N1) pandemic, raising the question of whether licensed seasonal influenza vaccines could enhance protection when administered before A(H5) vaccination. We evaluated this strategy in mouse and ferret models using clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) viruses. Seasonal influenza vaccination induced antibodies to seasonal haemagglutinins but did not induce detectable antibodies against A(H5) and did not consistently enhance A(H5)-directed antibody responses after A(H5) vaccination. In lethal challenge studies, seasonal vaccine priming before A(H5) vaccination was associated with improved outcomes compared with A(H5) vaccination alone in one of three mouse experiments, but this effect was not observed in the other two mouse experiments or in ferrets. These findings suggest that seasonal influenza vaccine priming provides limited added benefit to A(H5) vaccine-mediated protection against A(H5N1) under the conditions tested.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2026.2731495
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Shuni Virus (SHUV) is a reemerging zoonotic orthobunyavirus in the Peribunyaviridae family associated with neurological infections and birth defects in humans and animals in Africa and has emerged in the Middle East in the past 10 years. Limited epidemiological data exist in humans, partially due to a lack of clinical awareness and availability of diagnostic assays to determine the incidence of clinical cases and seroprevalence in the population. The goal of this study was to establish serologic and molecular diagnostic assays for SHUV for hospital-based surveillance and to investigate the clinical epidemiology in humans in South Africa. The incidence of SHUV infections was investigated in patients with acute fever of unknown cause with or without neurological signs (AFDUC/N) during the arbovirus season (January-June, 2019–2021). IgM and IgG ELISAs for SHUV were established using baculovirus-expressed glycoproteins and validated against virus-neutralization tests (VNT) positive sera. Orthobunyavirus quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) and IgM ELISA were used to identify acute infections, and IgG ELISA to define the seroprevalence in patients and healthy control groups in hospitals in Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa. In total, 3/349 (0.84%) AFDUC/N cases tested positive by RT-qPCR and confirmed as SHUV by sequencing. In total, 22/225 (9.7%) AFDUC/N patients had SHUV neutralising antibodies (VNT), of which 11/22 (50.00%) were IgM positive, with an IgM seropositivity of 4.89% (11/225 (4.89%)). Of the RT-PCR and double IgM + VNT+ patients, 60% presented with seizures and 40% with meningitis, of which 36.36% were children and 63.63% were adults, respectively. In total, 9/112 (8%) of the healthy control group tested positive on the IgG ELISA assay. These findings suggest that SHUV is a missed cause of acute neurological infections in hospitalized children and adults in South Africa and should be investigated in humans in Africa and other regions.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0014738
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Am J Obstet Gynecol
I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Arch Virol
I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5 clade 2.3.4.4b is the main driver of the ongoing unprecedented global panzootic. The recently emerged HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b genotype EA-2024-DI.2.1 has become predominant in Europe, with migratory wild birds, particularly waterfowl, playing a major role in its dissemination. Egypt lies along major Afro-Eurasian migratory flyways, which have historically played an important role in the introduction of emerging H5Nx viruses into the country. In this study, targeted surveillance was conducted on 416 wild birds offered for sale in in live bird markets (LBMs) and roadside trading points in northern Egypt, mainly in Damietta and Port Said. Of these, 118 birds showing mild clinical signs were examined post-mortem and lung and tracheal tissues were collected, while oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were collected from apparently healthy birds. Avian influenza virus was detected by RT-qPCR in 22 wild birds, all from tissue samples, whereas all swabs from apparently healthy birds were negative. Waterfowl accounted for 16 of the 22 positive birds (72.7%), with Eurasian teal showing the lowest Ct values (21-25). Phylogenetic and whole-genome analyses showed that the sequenced wild-bird viruses clustered within the recently emerged EA-2024-DI.2.1 sub-lineage and were closely related to contemporary European viruses. Compared with the EA-2021-AB genotype currently circulating in Egyptian poultry, the EA-2024-DI.2.1 viruses showed several HA amino acid differences, including A83D, L104M and T195A. These findings provide evidence for the introduction of EA-2024-DI.2.1 into Egypt through migratory wild birds and highlight the importance of continued genomic surveillance at the wild bird domestic poultry interface and antigenic evaluation against vaccines currently used in Egypt.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funder Information Declared
the British Council International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), UK, grant number 1203757062
the Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF), Egypt., project ID 50185
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.12.750890
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Highlights
• Ribavirin achieved 81% SVR in immunocompromised patients with chronic HEV.
• Adverse events occurred in 56% and led to discontinuation in 17%.
• Ribavirin dose reduction was associated with failure to achieve SVR.
• Higher baseline HEV RNA levels were associated with non-SVR.
• Baseline TTV load showed a nonsignificant trend toward higher levels in non-SVR patients.
Abstract
Background
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) affects immunocompromised individuals. Unlike immunocompetent hosts, who rarely develop chronic infection, up to two-thirds of immunocompromised patients progress to chronicity. Ribavirin is the recommended antiviral therapy, yet predictors of sustained virological response (SVR) remain unclear. Torque Teno Virus (TTV), a marker of immunosuppression, has been proposed as a potential predictor of viral clearance.
Objectives
We evaluated ribavirin treatment outcomes and adverse effects in immunocompromised patients with HEV infection, and assessed whether TTV load predicts SVR.
Study Design
A retrospective cohort study was conducted at the University Medical Center Groningen including solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) and haematology patients treated with ribavirin for HEV infection between 2010 and 2022. Clinical data and stored serum samples were analysed to determine infection duration and TTV load at treatment initiation and after three months. TTV loads in treated patients were compared with TTV loads of transplant recipients who spontaneously cleared HEV.
Results
Fifty-two patients received ribavirin; 27 had confirmed chronic infection. SVR was achieved in 81% of chronic cases. Adverse events occurred in 56%, leading to dose reduction in 25% and discontinuation in 17%. Non-SVR was associated with ribavirin dose reduction, lower mean daily dose, higher baseline HEV RNA, and lower ALT. Baseline TTV load showed a nonsignificant trend toward higher levels in non-SVR patients. TTV loads did not differ between treated patients and spontaneous clearers.
Conclusions
Ribavirin is effective for chronic HEV, but treatment-limiting toxicity is common. Adequate dosing appears critical for achieving SVR. TTV load did not reliably predict treatment outcome, underscoring the need for further research into immunological and virological predictors of response.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2026.106003
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
In 2025, highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus was detected in a poultry flock in Illinois, USA. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR, sequencing, and histopathology on cat and rat samples from the farm showed multiple positive tissues and high sequence identity to an avian isolate. Small mammals might contribute to H5N1 transmission.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.260418
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Despite its high propensity for host switching, the evolutionary mechanisms underlying influenza host adaptation remain unclear. H3Nx influenza viruses are uniquely generalist, with long-term lineages that circulate in avian, human, swine, equine, and canine hosts. Using 13,295 H3Nx sequences, we quantified host-specific adaptive evolution and developed a pipeline to map reassortment events onto trees with measures of statistical uncertainty. We find that while H3Nx viruses in mammals undergo adaptive evolution in HA and NA, viruses in birds experience very little directional selection. Instead, avian lineages exhibit high rates of reassortment, frequently generating novel reassortant lineages that persist transiently and turn over rapidly. 29.8-47.4% of all avian reassortant lineages are purged within the first year of circulation, and reassortment shows no fitness benefit in birds. In contrast, reassorted lineages in swine are more likely to persist long-term, suggesting that reassortment in swine may be broadly beneficial. Segment-specific reassortment patterns were also distinct between avian and mammalian viruses, with NA reassorting more frequently than expected in birds, but less frequently than expected in swine. Reassortment events are enriched between mammalian, but not avian, host switches, suggesting that reassortment may be most beneficial for mediating host switches among mammalian species. Together, our data suggest that host differences drive fundamentally different evolutionary outcomes for influenza viruses, transitioning from reassortment-dominant evolution in their avian reservoir, to varying degrees of adaptation upon establishment in mammals.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funder Information Declared
Pew Charitable Trusts
Margaret Q. Landenberger Research Foundation
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
United States Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Source:
Link: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.15.751820v1
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
In 2025, we detected highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in dead waterfowl at Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo, Brazil. Genomic characterization indicated a reassortant virus that emerged from locally circulating low pathogenicity avian influenza viruses and highly pathogenic North American lineages. Our results highlight cross-species transmission risk and underscore the need for enhanced surveillance.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.260723
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Because the epidemiology of Bundibugyo virus remains unclear, we reanalyzed the first recognized outbreak (Uganda, 2007). Adjusting for case under-ascertainment and the effect of control measures, we estimated the effective reproduction number (1.55, falling to <1 after intervention) and case-fatality rate (31%, declining to 25%). The underascertainment rate was 15%.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.261175
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b virus continues to spread globally and sporadically transmits from avian reservoirs to mammalian hosts. In May 2024, H5N1 infections in young goats and alpacas in the United States were reported. Nevertheless, the overall susceptibility of camelids to clade 2.3.4.4b virus remains unclear. We conducted a controlled experimental infection study in 6 alpacas, assessing clinical signs, viral shedding, tissue distribution, and serologic responses after intranasal inoculation with HPAI H5N1 genotype B3.13 virus. Observed illness was generally mild; body temperature increased slightly and food intake reduced for up to 3 days postinfection. We detected viral RNA in nasal swab samples and confirmed infectious HPAI H5N1 virus. Immunohistochemistry and RNA in situ hybridization detected virus only in the nasopharyngeal tonsil and nasal conchae at 4 days postinfection. Our findings suggest alpacas are susceptible to productive H5N1 infection, highlighting implications for livestock surveillance and biosecurity in regions with ongoing circulation.
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.260491
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
Abstract
Human seasonal influenza evolves rapidly, necessitating twice yearly decisions about whether to update the strains in the vaccine. To help inform this decision, we have been using high-throughput sequencing-based neutralization assays to make twice yearly measurements of how recent human sera neutralize current human H3N2 and H1N1 strains. Here we provide the third installment in this series of measurements by reporting 47,851 titers representing neutralization of 148 viral strains by 325 human sera collected between April and August of 2026. Our measurements show that new H3N2 subclade K strains with mutations in antigenic region D and new H1N1 subclade D.3.1.1 strains with mutations in antigenic region Sa (such as G155E) have reduced neutralization by human sera, with notable heterogeneity in the impact of some of these mutations across sera from different individuals. This paper is accompanied by an interactive summary (https://jbloomlab.github.io/flu-seqneut-2026/summary.html) that enables detailed exploration of the results, and all titer data are publicly available for further analysis to aid vaccine antigen selection and studies of viral evolution.
Competing Interest Statement
JDB consults for Pfizer, GSK, Apriori Bio, and Merck. JDB has received stock options in the Vaccine Company. JDB is an inventor on Fred Hutch licensed patents related to techniques to characterize the antigenic effects of viral variation. SEH is a co-inventor on patents that describe the use of nucleoside-modified mRNA as a vaccine platform. SEH reports receiving consulting fees from Sanofi, Pfizer, Lumen, Novavax, and Merck. ALG reports contract testing to UW from Abbott, Cepheid, Novavax, Pfizer, Janssen, Assembly Biosciences, Aicuris, Innovative Molecules, and Hologic, research support from Gilead, personal consulting fees from Arisan Therapeutics, outside of the described work. JAE reports support to her institution from GSK, Pfizer, Moderna, and is a consultant for GSK, Pfizer, Merck, Meissa vaccines, Moderna, and Shionogi. ST reports research funding from Pfizer for a separate study.
Funder Information Declared
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, R01AI165821, F30AI186284, 75N93021C00015
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, https://ror.org/006w34k90
Source:
Link: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.15.751855
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I am an Italian blogger, active since 2005 with main focus on emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza, SARS, antibiotics resistance, and many other global Health issues. Other fields of interest are: climate change, global warming, geological and biological sciences. My activity consists mainly in collection and analysis of news, public services updates, confronting sources and making decision about what are the 'signals' of an impending crisis (an outbreak, for example). When a signal is detected, I follow traces during the entire course of an event. I started in 2005 my blog ''A TIME'S MEMORY'', now with more than 40,000 posts and 3 millions of web interactions. Subsequently I added an Italian Language blog, then discontinued because of very low traffic and interest. I contributed for seven years to a public forum (FluTrackers.com) in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, I left the site to continue alone my data tracking job.
