Indian Journal Watch
5 November 2026
Peer-reviewed microbiology, infectious disease, AMR and infection-control papers from India and South Asia, published or added to PubMed from 3 to 4 November 2026.
Lead articles
Vaccine-preventable disease · Seroepidemiology · Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics
Population level immunity to measles and rubella 5 years before and after the MR campaign in urban Vellore, South India
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics · doi:10.1080/21645515.2026.2750748 · PubMed 42980466
- What
- A study from the Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, comparing population-level immunity to measles and rubella in urban Vellore five years before and five years after the nationwide measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaign, as India works towards MR elimination by 2026.
- Design
- Biobanked samples from two community-based serosurveys (2013 and 2022) were tested for measles- and rubella-specific IgG by ELISA in age- and sex-stratified participants. Generalised additive models assessed age-specific seropositivity, and effective reproduction numbers (Re) were estimated by mixture modelling.
- Key findings
- A total of 1,029 samples from 2013 and 718 from 2022 were analysed. Measles seroprevalence rose from 33%, 41%, 47% and 48% in the 1-5, 6-15, 16-40 and >40 years age groups in 2013 to 77%, 71%, 89% and 96% in 2022. Rubella seroprevalence rose from 32%, 67%, 76% and 73% to 93%, 84%, 93% and 98%. No significant sex-based differences were observed. Estimated Re declined from 7.4 to 3.6 for measles and from 1.8 to 0.8 for rubella.
- Limitations
- Data come from a single urban site and two cross-sectional time points; the abstract does not report individual vaccination histories.
- Relevance to India
- Despite more than 90% vaccination coverage reported in NFHS-5 and NFHS-6, lower measles seroprevalence among children aged 1-15 years indicates persistent immunity gaps; the authors call for continued surveillance and targeted strategies.
Zoonoses · Seroepidemiology · PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Seroepidemiology of human leptospirosis in subtropical Bhutan, 2024
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases · doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0014821 · PubMed 42981271
- What
- A cross-sectional serosurvey estimating human exposure to Leptospira in subtropical southern Bhutan, where limited diagnostic capacity constrains surveillance, by researchers from the Central Regional Referral Hospital, Gelephu, and the International University of Health and Welfare, Japan.
- Design
- Adults in six subtropical communities were enrolled by probability-proportional-to-size sampling in September-October 2024. Sera were tested by IgM and IgG ELISA and by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), which defined seropositivity for serovar identification and multivariable risk-factor analysis.
- Key findings
- Of 503 adults enrolled, 492 were analysed. MAT-based seroprevalence was 19.3% (95% CI: 16.0 – 23.1), compared with 22.4% by ELISA IgM and 16.1% by ELISA IgG. Among MAT-positive samples (n = 95), the predominant serovars were Australis (49%) and Lai-like (13%). Paddy farming (adjusted OR: 4.74) and drinking unboiled water (adjusted OR: 2.34) were independently associated with seropositivity, as were residence in crowded urban (adjusted OR: 4.08) or urban areas (adjusted OR: 2.94) and lower education.
- Limitations
- The cross-sectional design cannot establish temporality, and self-reported exposures may be subject to recall bias.
- Relevance to India
- Approximately one in five adults had serological evidence of prior exposure, more than previously recognised; the data provide a baseline for leptospirosis surveillance in a subtropical area bordering India.
More from the journals
Tuberculosis & mycobacteria
- MIT World Peace University, Pune: interrupted time-series analysis of 13 TB indicators across national programme phases from RNTCP to NTEP (2000-2023), using India TB Report and WHO data.Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health · PubMed 42980714
- Symbiosis, Pune and ICMR-NIOH: PRISM-TB machine-learning model predicting drug resistance from protein sequence features; Random Forest identified 351 of 374 WHO-graded resistant mutations on external validation.Indian Journal of Medical Research · PubMed 42981329
- Pokhara University: among 140 drug-resistant TB patients in Lumbini Province, Nepal, the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 29.3% and 47.9% respectively.Kathmandu University Medical Journal · PubMed 42978431
- Banaras Hindu University: deletion of the hibernation-promoting factor gene in Mycobacterium smegmatis impaired growth and reduced susceptibility to paromomycin and neomycin.Microbiology Spectrum · PubMed 42980149
AMR, IPC & healthcare-associated infection
- University of Agriculture, Peshawar: 16 of 27 isolates from food-contact surfaces in seven university cafeterias were multidrug-resistant, with blaTEM and blaCTX-M most frequent and transferable β-lactam resistance shown by conjugation.Molecular Biology Reports · PubMed 42980930
- JIPMER, Puducherry: surgical site infection occurred in 4.5% of 2,000 women after lower-segment caesarean section; E. coli and Acinetobacter baumannii predominated, and suspected chorioamnionitis was an independent risk factor.Indian Journal of Medical Research · PubMed 42981327
- AIIMS Jammu and Raebareli: a one-day bundle-care programme for 34 PICU nurses in northern India was associated with a mean knowledge gain of 8.18 points out of 30 on CLABSI, CAUTI, SSI and VAP bundles.BMC Nursing · PubMed 42977978
Vector-borne & parasitic diseases
- ICMR-NIMR and partners: 24-year hospital-based study in Mangaluru, Karnataka; malaria positivity fell from 24.83% in 2002 to 0.35% in 2025, with an increasing proportion of P. vivax.Fortune Journal of Health Sciences · PubMed 42979498
- ICMR-NIVCR, Madurai: genome-wide SNP analysis of 38 Anopheles stephensi samples showed moderate genetic differentiation (FST = 0.14) between native Indian and invasive Ethiopian populations.Parasitology Research · PubMed 42980837
- Dhaka Medical College: case report of severe iron deficiency anaemia with koilonychia in an elderly farmer, with live Ascaris lumbricoides found in the duodenum at endoscopy.Cureus · PubMed 42979331
Virology
- PGIMER, Chandigarh: first reported case from India of inherited chromosomally integrated HHV-6A detected in a woman with unexplained infertility; only latent transcripts were found.Journal of Medical Case Reports · PubMed 42978022
- ICMR-NITVAR, Pune: Tinospora cordifolia extracts showed dose-dependent anti-HIV-1 activity in vitro in TZM-bl cells and PBMCs.Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine · PubMed 42979297
- BRAC University, Dhaka: docking and molecular dynamics prioritised bictegravir and oxacillin against chikungunya virus nsP2 protease and capsid; no biological validation was performed.BioMed Research International · PubMed 42979889
- Bangalore University: computational study modelling the Zika virus M protein as a candidate pentameric viroporin.Journal of Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics · PubMed 42978042
Outbreaks & public health
- ICMR School of Public Health: point-source diarrhoeal outbreak after a mass gathering in Shivamogga, Karnataka (attack rate 37%); Shigella spp. isolated and uncooked coconut chutney implicated.Indian Journal of Medical Research · PubMed 42981328
- Systematic review of three studies (Tanzania, Kenya, India) finding that SMS and telephone reminders improved adherence to anti-rabies vaccination, with low certainty of evidence.Indian Journal of Medical Research · PubMed 42981332
- Nagasaki University and Everest International Clinic, Kathmandu: article on climate-driven glacier-lake outburst floods in Nepal and emerging infectious-disease risks.Infectious Diseases · PubMed 42978036
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.
