Microbiology & Infectious Diseases

Amid promising developments in prevention and diagnostics, barriers persist for vulnerable groups, a WHO expert told EMJ at the 79th World Health Assembly.

A new study suggests Pseudomonas aeruginosa in chronic lung disease often exists as a single clonal strain, supporting current antibiotic strategies.

HIV cases continue to rise across the Middle East and North Africa despite progress in prevention and treatment, with stigma and inequality limiting care access for LGBTQIA+ communities.

New UKHSA report highlights lower testing uptake, PrEP access, and later diagnoses in Black African communities.

The WHO Director-General has convened an Emergency Committee regarding the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a public health emergency of international concern.

Pandemic risk is outpacing investments, an expert global monitoring group has warned in a new report launched on 18th May in the margins of the 79th World Health Assembly.

France’s HIV prevention efforts are hindered by low PrEP uptake, especially among women, migrants and younger people despite full health system reimbursement.

CMV screening and antenatal valacyclovir use increased in France after a pivotal 2020 trial, without a rise in pregnancy termination rates.

Plasmodium vivax malaria found in Duffy-negative individuals in Sudan, challenging assumptions about resistance and revealing parasite adaptation. Read more.

A single-dose viral vector-based rabies vaccine shows strong, sustained antibody responses in adults and children with a good safety profile at 1 year.

Australian cohort study has found that HIV incidence among transgender people fell by almost 94% between 2014 and 2023.

Influenza D virus infects human airway cells efficiently and evades early immune responses, raising concerns over zoonotic spillover risk.

New study shows antibody-based population immunity measures can predict influenza subtype dominance and epidemic size across multiple countries.

Machine learning tuberculosis drug resistance models predict antibiotic susceptibility and treatment outcomes, offering improved diagnostic precision and clinical insight.

Rasha Elshenawy highlighted the promise of AI in antimicrobial stewardship but warned that use must be responsible in exclusive insight from ESCMID Global 2026.

WHO-recommended first-line antibiotics for neonatal sepsis are likely to be effective in only 25% of cases in LMICs, according to new findings presented at ESCMID Global 2026.

Antibiotic resistance genes have been found in newborns within hours of birth, according to new research presented at ESCMID Global 2026.

Antiretroviral therapy has been found to reduce accelerated biological ageing in people with HIV by nearly 4 years in a landmark study presented at ESCMID Global 2026.

Cerebral malaria and severe malarial anaemia are tied to long-term cognitive impairment in children under five, according to new research presented at ESCMID Global 2026.

Maternal RSV vaccination cuts infant hospitalisation risk by over 80%, according to a new major UKHSA study presented at ESCMID Global 2026.

Influenza is frequently missed in winter deaths, a new Spanish study presented at ESCMID Global 2026 has found.

Wildlife trade increases pathogen sharing with humans, with each decade in trade linked to one additional zoonotic pathogen per species.

A phase 3 trial of two tuberculosis vaccines shows limited overall protection but meaningful efficacy against extrapulmonary disease in selected groups.

Approximately 3 million adults aged 80 and over and care home residents are set to get the RSV vaccine on the NHS, it announced on 2nd April 2026.

New antibiotics have not reduced mortality in drug-resistant infections, with treatment delays and mismatched therapy still driving poor outcomes.

New research defines RSV viral shedding timelines, showing a short infectious window and key immune responses to guide prevention.

Ending CDC-funded HIV testing could raise infections by 10%, with rural areas most affected, highlighting the key role of early diagnosis.

Metagenomic analysis reveals Treponema and microbial dysbiosis in children with noma, a poorly understood, devastating childhood disease.

Fluvoxamine may reduce long COVID fatigue and boost quality of life, while metformin shows no benefit in adults with persistent post-COVID symptoms.

A new AI platform offers free drug discovery tools to global health researchers, aiming to speed up treatments for malaria, tuberculosis, and more.

London measles outbreak prompts calls for stronger vaccination efforts, with low uptake and inequalities driving rising case numbers.

Study finds higher antimicrobial resistance genes in lung disease patients, with antibiotic use linked to increased resistance in airway microbiomes.

Italian health authorities have been alerted of the first human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) in the EU, identified in the Lombardy Region.

WHO recommends new tuberculosis testing tools, including near point-of-care tests, tongue swabs, and sputum pooling to improve diagnosis and access.

Tens of thousands of people remain undiagnosed while Europe’s multidrug-resistant tuberculosis rates are up to seven times the global average.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has reported that the general population in the EU is at very low risk of invasive meningococcal disease.

Persistent taste dysfunction in long COVID may stem from molecular changes rather than structural damage, offering new insight into lingering symptoms.

Study shows zoonotic viruses like SARS-CoV-2 can transmit between humans without prior adaptation, unlike lab-passaged viruses.

Study finds gut microbiota composition may be linked to future cardiometabolic disease and cardiovascular events in a large multi-ethnic cohort.

South Africa is exploring local production of lenacapavir, a long-acting HIV prevention drug, to improve regional access and strengthen supply chains.