ETIDIOH - NEW

  Overview Starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels ever since the conflict began almost two years ago .  Deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health , and humanitarian aid has cost many lives. Malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip , marked by a spike in deaths in July.  As of 5 September 2025, 361 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition , including 130 children .  As of 15 August 2025, Famine (IPC Phase 5)—with reasonable evidence—is confirmed in Gaza Governorate .  After 22 months of relentless conflict , over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death.  Another 1.07 million people (54%) are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), and 396 000 people (20%) are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3). More broadly, since 7 October 2023 , as reported by Ministry of Health (MoH), the number of casualties include 63 746 fatalities and 161 245 inju...

  Abstract We detected H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza in captive Greater Rhea (Rhea americana). Viral genetic analysis revealed the mammalian associated PB2-E627K mutation , indicating selection of mammalian-relevant mutations in ratites . Pathologic investigation of available tissues demonstrated severe multifocal necrotising inflammation , and a strong vasculotropism. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Source: BioRxIV,  https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.08.674895v1 ____

  Abstract Influenza continues to cause significant mortality globally and possesses substantial pandemic potential . Assessing pandemic risk requires a clear understanding of existing population immunity . Leveraging a unique large-scale cohort of human sera , we evaluated total and neutralising antibody -mediated immunity to multiple haemagglutinin (HA) proteins, including those from subtypes with high pandemic potential. Our analysis reveals that population immunity is heterogeneous , with distinct age-dependent differences in responses to H5, H7, and H9 avian influenza subtypes. These shifts align with historical circulation patterns of seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 human viruses. Notably, H7 viruses are primarily neutralised through head domain epitopes , while H5 viruses are targeted mainly via stem epitopes , although in both instances some neutralisation occurred via receptor binding site-adjacent epitopes . Furthermore, H7 responses were dominated by non-glycan-targeted IgG2 anti...

  A poultry farm in Nordland Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6767 ____

{Summary, excerpts} -- Avian influenza A(H9N2) :  - Anhui Province :  1) A two-year-old boy with onset on August 5, 2025.  - Chongqing Municipality :  2) A six-year-old boy with onset on July 30, 2025.  - Hunan Province 3) A two-year-old boy with onset on August 21, 2025.  - Sichuan Province :  4) A one-year-old boy with onset on July 28, 2025.  (...) Source: Centre for Health Protection, Hong Kong PRC SAR,  https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/2025_avian_influenza_report_vol21_wk36.pdf ____

  Summary Post-COVID-19 condition (also known as long COVID) affects a substantial proportion of individuals who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, profoundly affecting their daily lives and work. Diagnosis and prognosis of long COVID are complex and hindered by heterogeneous symptoms and the absence of validated biomarkers . This systematic review synthesises current evidence on the association between autoantibodies and long COVID, with the goal of evaluating their prognostic and diagnostic utility . Studies published in the PubMed and MEDLINE databases between Jan 1, 2020, and June 10, 2025, were considered. Study selection and quality assessment were done independently by two researchers. Of the 1113 publications screened, 44 studies met the inclusion criteria, with a total of 7571 participants, including 3372 individuals with long COVID. 31 ( 71% ) studies reported an association between autoantibodies and long COVID ; however, there was substantial heterogeneity in study des...

  Abstract Risk of death for both mother and fetus following Ebola virus infection is extremely high . In this study, healthy women in Rwanda aged ≥18 years were randomized to two-dose Ebola vaccination (Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo) during pregnancy (group A) or postpartum (group B). Unvaccinated pregnant group B women served as control. This was a parallel, randomized, controlled, open-label, single-center trial to evaluate the safety (primary endpoint—outcomes of interest and serious adverse events (SAEs)) and immunogenicity (secondary endpoint) of the two-dose Ebola vaccination. Among 3,484 women screened, 2,013 were randomized, and 2,012 women and 1,945 infants born alive were descriptively analyzed . Adverse outcomes of interest occurred in women ( 5.2% in group A and 7.3% in group B ) and infants ( 26.0% in group A and 25.6% in group B ). The most common maternal outcome of interest was pathways to preterm birth (3.2% in group A and 3.4% in group B), and the most common infant ou...

  Abstract Background :  West Nile (WNV), Usutu (USUV), and Sindbis (SINV) virus were initially detected in the African region , and subsequently across temperate regions where they were absent. Wild birds are primary reservoirs for these arboviruses and are considered major contributors to their global spread through seasonal migration . To understand the transmission dynamics of arboviruses in wild birds and the potential of migratory birds to spread the viruses at an intercontinental scale , we investigated arboviral infections and exposures in African resident and Palearctic migratory birds at wintering locations in Nigeria.  Methodology/Principal Findings :  Oropharyngeal- and cloacal swabs , feathers and blood were collected from resident and migratory birds at two wintering locations ( Amurum and Ngel-Nyaki Forest Reserves ). Swabs and feathers were tested using RT-PCR for WNV, USUV and SINV, and blood with ELISA and FRNT90 or PRNT80 for antibodies. 573 birds ...

  ABSTRACT Swine influenza A virus (swIAV) is an important zoonotic pathogen with the potential to cause human influenza pandemics . Swine are considered “ mixing vessels ” for generating novel reassortant influenza A viruses . In 2009, a swine-origin reassortant virus (2009 pandemic H1N1, pdm/09 H1N1 ) spilled over to humans , causing a global influenza pandemic . This virus soon spread back into swine herds and reassorted with the circulating swIAVs. We previously reported that the genotype 4 (G4) reassortant Eurasian avian-like (EA) H1N1 virus , which bore pdm/09- and triple reassortant (TR)-derived internal genes, had been predominant in swine populations of China since 2016, posing a threat to both the swine industry and public health . Here, our ongoing surveillance confirmed that G4 EA H1N1 viruses remained the predominant swIAVs in China from 2019 to 2023 and had reassorted with the co-circulating swIAVs, such as the H3N2 virus, to generate novel reassortant EA H1N2 viruses...

  ABSTRACT The ferret model is widely used to study influenza A viruses (IAVs) isolated from multiple avian and mammalian species , as IAVs typically replicate in the respiratory tract of ferrets without the need for prior host adaptation . During standard IAV risk assessments , tissues are routinely collected from ferrets at a fixed time point post-inoculation to assess the capacity for systemic spread. Here, we describe a data set of virus titers in tissues collected from both respiratory tract and extrapulmonary sites 3 days post-inoculation from over 300 ferrets inoculated with more than 100 unique IAVs (inclusive of H1, H2, H3, H5, H7 , and H9 IAV subtypes, both mammalian and zoonotic origin ). All experiments were conducted by a single research group under a uniform experimental protocol , making it the largest well-controlled publicly available data set to date of discrete tissue titers reported on a per-ferret level. Analysis of these tissues revealed spatial variation in i...

  Highlights •  The H5N1 influenza virus-like particle vaccines are prepared through baculovirus expression vector system. • In vitro assessments have confirmed that this VLP vaccine has the correct conformation and functional activity. • This VLP vaccine induces robust humoral and cellular immune responses in mice , and provides complete protection against infection with the matched strain. Abstract Avian influenza virus infections pose a potential pandemic threat . The currently licensed vaccines have inherent limitations, emphasizing the urgent need for improved influenza vaccines. Here, we developed a novel hemagglutinin (HA) virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate through the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS). The engineered VLPs incorporate HA from H5N1 and matrix 1 (M1) protein from H1N1 . Comprehensive characterization revealed that purified HA VLPs exhibited morphological fidelity to native influenza virions while maintaining key viral biological propert...

  Abstract Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of the H5N1 subtype has been infecting U.S dairy cattle and spreading among dairy farms since March 2024 . H5N1 surveillance systems for dairy farms are needed, but information on whether environmental sampling can inform these systems is lacking. To guide a surveillance framework , we determined the environmental locations on H5N1-affected dairies (n = 25) in four states (California, Colorado, Michigan, and Ohio) that harbored influenza A virus (IAV), and explored sample characteristics that may influence viral detection. A total of 623 samples from environments and sale barns were characterized for IAV and classified into six categories based on location. A total of 94 samples ( 15.1% ) had IAV detected , the majority in the following categories: milking equipment/personal protective equipment , parlor surfaces , and wastewater/lagoons/manure . These results suggest that dairy environments most likely to harbor IAV are those with...

  Public Domain. Source: WikiArt,  https://www.wikiart.org/en/filippo-lippi/the-adoration-of-the-infant-jesus-1459 ____

  Am J Obstet Gynecol ROSSEN LM, Hoyert DL, Horon I, Branum AM, et al Trends in Maternal Mortality Rates by State, United States, 2018-2023. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2025 Aug 28:S0002-9378(25)00585. PubMed           Abstract available Antiviral Res BI W, Zhu T, Xu Y, Chen Y, et al An engineered chimeric ACE2-HR2 peptide exhibits potent and broad-spectrum activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Antiviral Res. 2025;242:106265. PubMed           Abstract available ICHIKAWA T, Tamura T, Nao N, Suzuki H, et al Characterization of remdesivir resistance mutations in COVID-19 patients with various immunosuppressive diseases. Antiviral Res. 2025;242:106264. PubMed           Abstract available TASHIMA R, Kuroda T, Nobori H, Miyagawa S, et al Ensitrelvir suppresses prolonged olfactory abnormalities derived from SARS-CoV-2 infection in hamsters. Antiviral Res. 2025 Sep 2:106270. doi...

  Antimicrob Agents Chemother YAMADA AY, de Souza AR, Madalosso G, de Assis DB, et al Emergence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clonal complex 2 in multiple hospitals in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2025 Jul 23:e0186524. doi: 10.1128/aac.01865. PubMed           Abstract available Biochemistry XIA H, Wei D, Guo Z, Chung LW, et al Machine Learning on the Impacts of Mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD on Binding Affinity to Human ACE2 Based on Deep Mutational Scanning Data. Biochemistry. 2025;64:3790-3800. PubMed           Abstract available Cell KONG W, Lu WJ, Dubey M, Suryawanshi RK, et al Neuroendocrine cells orchestrate regeneration through Desert hedgehog signaling. Cell. 2025;188:5020-5038. PubMed           Abstract available J Gen Virol POKHAREL BR, Majumdar N, Williams F, Dickerson A, et al SARS-CoV-2 infection of su...

  Abstract Understanding the transmission routes of high-pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) is crucial for developing effective control measures to prevent its spread . In this context, windborne transmission , the idea that the virus could travel through the air over considerable distances, is a contentious concept, and documented cases have been rare. Here, though, we provide genetic evidence supporting the feasibility of windborne transmission . During the 2023−24 HPAI season , molecular surveillance identified identical H5N1 strains among a cluster of unrelated commercial farms about 8 km apart in the Czech Republic . The episode started with the abrupt mortality of fattening ducks on one farm. This was followed by disease outbreaks at two nearby high-biosecurity chicken farms . Using genetic, epizootiological, meteorological and geographical data, we reconstructed a mosaic of events strongly suggesting wind was the most probable mechanism of infection transmission between po...

  By Superalbs - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93344176 Source: Wikipedia,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FS_Class_ETR_460 ____

  Situation at a glance On 1 September 2025, WHO received an alert from the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) regarding suspected cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Bulape Health Zone, Kasai Province, DRC .  The first known index case was a pregnant woman who presented at Bulape General Reference Hospital on 20 August 2025 with symptoms of high fever, bloody diarrhoea, haemorrhage and extreme weakness . She died on 25 August from multiple organ failure .  On 4 September 2025 , following confirmatory laboratory testing, the Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of EVD .  Ebola virus disease is a serious , often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood or secretions of infected wildlife and then spreads through human-to-human transmission .  As of 4 September 2025, 28 suspected cases, including 15 deaths (case fatality ratio (CFR): 54%), have been reported from three ar...