ETIDIOH - NEW

  Abstract Wastewater monitoring enables non-invasive, population-scale tracking of community infections independent of healthcare-seeking behavior and clinical diagnosis. Metagenomic sequencing extends this capability by enabling broad, pathogen-agnostic detection, genomic characterization , and identification of novel or unexpected threats . Here, we present data from CASPER (the Coalition for Agnostic Sequencing of Pathogens from Environmental Reservoirs), a U.S.-based wastewater metagenomic sequencing network designed for deep, untargeted pathogen monitoring at national scale. This release includes 1,206 samples collected between December 2023 and December 2025 from 27 sites across nine states , covering 13 million people . Deep sequencing (~1 billion read pairs per sample) generated 1.2 trillion read pairs ( 347 terabases ), enabling detection of even rare taxa , with CASPER representing 66% of all untargeted wastewater sequencing data currently available on the NCBI Sequence ...

  Summary Background Adult obesity has been linked to specific infections, but evidence across the full spectrum of infectious diseases remains scarce . In this multicohort study with impact modelling, we examined the association between this preventable risk factor and the incidence, hospitalisations, and mortality of 925 bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal infectious diseases, and estimated their global and regional attributable impact. Methods We used pooled data from two Finnish cohort studies and repeated analyses in an independent population from the UK Biobank . BMI was assessed at baseline (1998–2002 in the Finnish studies; 2006–10 in UK Biobank), and participants were categorised as having healthy weight (18·5–24·9 kg/m2), overweight (25·0–29·9 kg/m2) or obesity, classified as class I (30·0–34·9 kg/m2), class II (35·0–39·9 kg/m2), or class III (≥40·0 kg/m2). Participants were followed up through national hospitalisation and mortality registries for hospital admissions ...

  Summary Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping infectious disease diagnostics by supporting clinical decision making , optimising laboratory and clinical workflows, and enabling real-time disease surveillance. AI approaches improve pathogen detection, antimicrobial stewardship , and treatment monitoring , enhancing diagnostic accuracy , efficiency, and scalability. The role of AI in combating antimicrobial resistance is particularly significant, enabling rapid pathogen identification and personalised treatment . Despite progress over the past two decades, widespread AI adoption in infectious disease diagnostics faces challenges. In high-income countries, fragmented data ecosystems , incomplete datasets , and algorithmic bias hinder clinical integration. Meanwhile, low-income and middle-income countries contend with limited digital infrastructure, unstandardised data, and financial constraints, exacerbating disparities in diagnostic access. Further barriers include concerns ove...

Abstract The repeated emergence of pandemic viruses underscores the linkages between land-use change and wildlife disease , and urban-adapted wildlife are of special interest due to their close proximity to humans . However, viral diversity within urban-adapted species and their zoonotic potential remain largely unexplored. We compiled a large dataset on seven priority urban-adapted mammal species and their viruses covering over 115 countries from 1574 to 2023. These urban-adapted species host 286 virus species spanning 24 orders and 38 families , 14 of which are potentially high risk for human infection. Raccoons carried the most high-risk viruses, while raccoon dogs had increased viral positivity in urban habitats compared to raccoons, wild boars , and red foxes . Many viruses in urban-adapted species were phylogenetically related to those found in humans, and we also observed evidence of possible viral spillback . These results highlight zoonotic risks associated with urban-adapted ...