Indian Journal Watch
4 November 2026
Peer-reviewed microbiology, infectious disease, AMR and infection-control papers from India and South Asia, published or added to PubMed from 2 to 3 November 2026.
Lead articles
Vector-borne disease · Public health surveillance · Malaria Journal
Malaria in an informal settlement of a socioeconomically disadvantaged population in Rajasthan, a non-endemic state of India, 2024: an epidemiological investigation
Malaria Journal · doi:10.1186/s12936-026-06173-8 · PubMed 42972346
- What
- An outbreak investigation by the India Epidemic Intelligence Service, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi, into three suspected malaria deaths reported in November 2024 from an informal settlement in Sirohi district, Rajasthan, a malaria non-endemic state with fewer than 1 case per 1000 population.
- Design
- Verbal autopsies of the three deceased children, a house-to-house survey for suspected cases (fever between 11 October and 10 December 2024), confirmation by rapid antigen test or blood smear microscopy, larval and adult mosquito collection, and observation of slide preparation and microscope quality at the nearest health facility.
- Key findings
- All three deceased children (aged two, five and 11 years) were siblings with fever lasting 6-10 days; two died at home untreated and one was confirmed as P. falciparum in hospital. Among 752 residents, 41 suspected cases were identified and 21 confirmed (18 Pf, 3 Pv; attack rate 2.8%); six needed hospitalisation (all Pf), and the case fatality rate was 14.3% (3/21). Larval breeding was found in six of 160 water bodies. Of 278 adult Anopheles collected, An. subpictus (29.3%), An. stephensi (20%), An. fluviatilis (19%) and An. culicifacies (12.5%) predominated. Most cases (95%) slept outdoors without nets.
- Limitations
- A single-settlement field investigation; the authors describe contributing factors as probable rather than established.
- Relevance to India
- Microscopy facilities were non-functional and incorrect slide-preparation practices were observed; the settlement was unmapped and excluded from routine surveillance and control. The team trained field staff, carried out source reduction and community awareness, and recommended strengthening laboratory diagnostics.
Antimicrobial resistance · Laboratory · MicrobiologyOpen
In-Vitro Activity of Ceftazidime-Avibactam and Comparator Agents Against Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Isolates at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study
MicrobiologyOpen · doi:10.1002/mbo3.70449 · PubMed 42975008
- What
- A laboratory-based cross-sectional study from National Hospital and Medical Centre and Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, assessing the in-vitro activity of ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) and comparator agents against carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative isolates in Pakistan.
- Design
- Consecutive non-duplicate carbapenem-resistant isolates from a tertiary care centre (December 2024 to May 2025) were tested by MIC and disc diffusion with CLSI interpretation. The primary outcome was CAZ-AVI susceptibility with exact binomial 95% CIs; Fisher’s exact test, McNemar’s test and multivariable logistic regression were used.
- Key findings
- Of 210 isolates, 200 had CAZ-AVI results; susceptibility was 70.5% (141/200; 95% CI 63.7-76.7). It varied by sample source (p = 0.008), from 81.2% in blood cultures to 38.5% (5/13) in other specimens, but not by organism, department, age or gender. CAZ-AVI susceptibility exceeded gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, piperacillin-tazobactam and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, was similar to amikacin, and was lower than colistin, fosfomycin and tigecycline. Among 59 CAZ-AVI-resistant isolates, colistin (94.5%), fosfomycin (92.9%), tigecycline (79.5%) and chloramphenicol (76.7%) were most active.
- Limitations
- Single centre; no molecular characterisation. The authors describe metallo-β-lactamase production as a plausible but unconfirmed explanation for resistance, and the sample-source estimate (adjusted OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.05-0.68) as imprecise.
- Relevance to South Asia
- Metallo-β-lactamases, which CAZ-AVI does not inhibit, are common in South Asia. The authors state the findings support surveillance and susceptibility-guided rather than empirical use, and call for molecular characterisation and evaluation of CAZ-AVI plus aztreonam.
More from the journals
Antimicrobial resistance & stewardship
- Popular Medical College, Dhaka: open-label RCT (n = 129) in mild-to-moderate community-acquired pneumonia; clinical cure at days 10-14 was 98.5% with oral faropenem versus 95.3% with co-amoxiclav plus clarithromycin (risk difference +3.1%, 95% CI -2.8 to +9.1).Cureus · PubMed 42973964
- Banaras Hindu University: non-randomised study of 100 chronic-wound patients; therapy duration was shorter with topical bacteriophage therapy (1.46 ± 0.63 months) than conventional therapy (2.92 ± 1.02), and neutralising antibodies developed in 2/45 (4.4%).International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds · PubMed 42974786
- East West University, Dhaka: editorial on therapeutic drug monitoring as a complementary lever against antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries.Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease · PubMed 42973682
- IISER Bhopal: N-terminal glycine-selective bioconjugation enables species-specific detection and in-vivo targeting of Staphylococcus aureus, including resistant strains and biofilms.Nature Communications · PubMed 42971949
Vector-borne, parasitic & zoonotic
- University of Balochistan, Quetta: microscopy and ITS1 PCR confirmed cutaneous leishmaniasis in 86% of 100 suspected patients, with sequencing showing Leishmania tropica; culture was positive in 16.Iranian Journal of Parasitology · PubMed 42974181
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and colleagues: longitudinal cohort of 84 children and family members in Bangladesh; most Cryptosporidium infections were subclinical (96.1%) and were associated with gut microbiome changes, including increased Shigella abundance.Journal of Infectious Diseases · PubMed 42975138
- ICMR-NIV Pune: tomatidine derivatives 5d, 5f and 5c inhibited dengue virus in Vero cells, with 5d achieving a 2.81 log decrease in viral RNA.Microbiology Spectrum · PubMed 42975050
- Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, King Faisal University and University of Agriculture, Faisalabad: 3ABC ELISA found foot-and-mouth disease virus non-structural protein seropositivity of 71.18% (410/576) in cattle and buffaloes across nine districts of Punjab, Pakistan.Transboundary and Emerging Diseases · PubMed 42974939
Tuberculosis
- Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad: a five-gene host signature (GBP5, GBP1, ANKRD22, CCR5AS, KLF2) distinguished active TB with AUC 0.98 in whole blood and 0.94 in plasma cell-free RNA, using public datasets.Evolutionary Bioinformatics Online · PubMed 42973979
- Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu: SLE flare with class IV lupus nephritis and probable tuberculous meningitis (GeneXpert-negative) in a 25-year-old man, treated with empirical antitubercular therapy.Case Reports in Rheumatology · PubMed 42974234
Mycology
- PGIMER Chandigarh and the Fungal Infection Study Forum: modified Delphi consensus (19-20 experts) on diagnosis and management of aspergillosis, mucormycosis and Pneumocystis pneumonia in non-neutropenic critically ill adults in India and Asia.BMC Infectious Diseases · PubMed 42972511
- Army Institute of Cardiothoracic Sciences, Pune, and PGIMER: review of treatment-associated changes in inflammatory biomarkers in asthma with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.Journal of Inflammation Research · PubMed 42973553
Virology & diagnostics
- Foundation for Medical Research, Mumbai: RT-qPCR wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2, influenza and RSV (2023 and 2024) comparing sewage treatment plants with open drains; detection rates were highest in STP influent.Food and Environmental Virology · PubMed 42975701
- Manipal Institute of Virology: systematised review of 66 studies on metagenomic NGS for respiratory viruses; sensitivity against routine methods ranged from 62.5% to 95%.Virology Journal · PubMed 42972591
- IIT Madras: molecular dynamics suggest darunavir and tipranavir bind an allosteric pocket in the tail region of monomeric HIV-1 protease, a possible target for blocking dimerisation.Biochemistry · PubMed 42975164
IPC, sepsis & clinical infection
- Manipal College of Nursing: IPCAF survey of 36 hospitals in Karnataka and Delphi study; all private hospitals had infection control nurses, whereas only two public hospitals had certified ICNs and 90% reported poorly functioning IPC committees.SAGE Open Nursing · PubMed 42973714
- Kasturba Medical College, Manipal: case-based evidence review of severe generalised tetanus management, describing an Ablett grade III patient managed without intubation.Infection · PubMed 42975860
- IIT Mandi: Helicobacter pylori-induced neutrophil extracellular vesicles enriched in LL-37 promoted stress and apoptosis in gastric epithelial cells.Journal of Extracellular Vesicles · PubMed 42976050
Items are summaries of published abstracts and are not clinical advice. Readers should consult the original article. Figures are quoted as reported in each abstract.