Histoplasma and Blastomyces are environmentally acquired fungi that can cause a wide spectrum of clinical disease, ranging from asymptomatic to life-threatening illness. These fungal infections are rarely encountered in patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), with only one case of histoplasmosis reported in the literature. We report histoplasmosis or blastomycosis with possible infection of the underlying LVAD. The patient is a 55-year-old male with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and an LVAD for sarcoid-related cardiomyopathy. He was on infliximab for sarcoidosis and presented with a fever of unclear etiology along with fatigue, poor appetite, and weight loss. Blood and urine cultures were negative. There was no drainage of the drive line (DL) exit site. A CT of the chest and abdomen showed nonspecific pulmonary ground-glass opacities and no intra-abdominal abscess. Eventually, urine Histoplasma and serum Blastomyces antigens returned positive. The patient was started on itraconazole, and infliximab was stopped. The patient started improving, and Histoplasma and Blastomyces antigen levels started declining. Since the fungal blood culture was negative and there was no end-organ disease for biopsy or fungal culture, we could not distinguish between histoplasmosis and blastomycosis. This case underscores the rarity of histoplasmosis/blastomycosis in patients with LVADs.

Healthcare settings are high-risk environments for the transmission of respiratory viruses. Effective strategies to prevent hospital-acquired influenza, particularly post-exposure prophylaxis for close contacts (CCs), are urgently needed. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of baloxavir marboxil (baloxavir) and oseltamivir in preventing influenza virus infection among CCs who have been exposed to confirmed influenza cases and are unable to be immediately isolated in the hospital ward.

Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) is a ubiquitous zoonotic pathogen that exists widely in nature and is an obligate intracellular parasite of eukaryotic cells, causing Q fever in both humans and animals. Therefore, the surveillance and prevention of Q fever are of great importance for public health and the livestock industry. In this study, specific RPA primers, probes, and crRNAs were designed and synthesized targeting the IS1111 gene of C. burnetii, a real-time fluorescence recombinase polymerase amplification (qRPA) assay and a RPA combined with CRISPR/Cas12a (RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a) assay for the rapid detection of C. burnetii were developed. The qRPA assay completed target gene amplification within 20 min, and the amplification curves were monitored in real time on a portable Genie III instrument at 39 °C. The entire single-tube RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay, including RPA amplification and CRISPR/Cas12a detection, was completed within 40 min, and the results could be directly visualized under blue-light illumination. Both assays exhibited high specificity for C. burnetii and showed no cross-reactivity with the tested microorganisms. The LOD of the qRPA assay for C. burnetii DNA standard was 54 copies/μL, whereas the LOD of the RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay was 1.3 copies/μL. The assays were further evaluated on 456 clinical samples for the detection of C. burnetii. The postive rates of the qRPA and RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assays were 3.73% (17/456) and 4.17% (19/456), respectively. Compared with qPCR detection results, the concordance rates were 99.34% and 99.78%, respectively. In conclusion, the qRPA and RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assays developed in this study are rapid, specific and sensitive, making them suitable for the on-site detection of C. burnetii at primary level.

Thrombocytopenia is common in dogs and has a wide range of underlying causes, including vector-borne infectious diseases, the relative frequency of which may vary geographically. This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to characterise the causes and clinicopathological features of thrombocytopenia in a hospital-based cohort of dogs evaluated at a mixed primary and referral veterinary hospital in Barcelona, Spain, and to identify differences across diagnostic categories, particularly those associated with primary immune thrombocytopenia (pITP). Medical records of dogs diagnosed with thrombocytopenia between 2021 and 2023 were reviewed. Of 612 dogs identified, 266 met the inclusion criteria. Neoplasia was the most common diagnosis (31.6%), followed by infectious diseases (24.4%), inflammatory or immune-mediated disorders (16.2%), miscellaneous conditions (15.4%) and primary immune thrombocytopenia (12.4%). Vector-borne diseases accounted for 10.9% of cases, mainly leishmaniosis and babesiosis. Dogs with neoplasia were older than those in other groups. Clinical bleeding was recorded in 42.5% of dogs and was most frequent in primary immune thrombocytopenia (78.8%). Fever was more common in infectious diseases, particularly non-vector-borne diseases. Albumin concentration was higher in primary immune thrombocytopenia than in infectious disease groups, whereas globulin concentration was higher in vector-borne diseases. Dogs with primary immune thrombocytopenia had lower platelet counts than all other groups. In this hospital-based cohort, neoplasia was the most common diagnostic category among dogs with thrombocytopenia, whereas vector-borne diseases were of intermediate frequency compared with reports from other European hospital-based cohorts. Distinct clinicopathological patterns, particularly severe thrombocytopenia and cutaneous haemorrhage, may help clinicians differentiate pITP from other causes of thrombocytopenia.

African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating viral disease of domestic pigs and wild boar that continues to cause substantial economic losses to the global swine industry. Although molecular methods such as PCR remain the reference standard for early detection of acute infection, serological assays play an important role in antibody surveillance and herd management. In this study, we developed a metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) biosensor for the highly sensitive detection of African swine fever virus (ASFV)-specific antibodies. The sensor platform consists of a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) array fabricated by DC magnetron sputtering and thermal dewetting, followed by the deposition of an optimized silica (SiO2) spacer layer using RF sputtering. The resulting Au@SiO2 substrate exhibited a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak at approximately 565 nm, providing efficient spectral overlap with the Cy3 fluorophore. Surface characterization by water contact angle (WCA) measurements confirmed successful stepwise biofunctionalization from amine grafting to antigen immobilization and sequential antibody binding. The developed MEF platform demonstrated high analytical sensitivity, detecting ASFV antibodies at dilutions up to 1:10,240 with a clear concentration-dependent fluorescence response and high reproducibility (%RSD = 9.45%) across three fabrication batches. In addition, preliminary evaluation using ASFV-positive swine serum demonstrated the feasibility of the platform for serological antibody detection. These findings suggest that the proposed MEF biosensor represents a promising high-sensitivity platform for ASFV serological screening and antibody monitoring, complementing existing molecular diagnostic methods.

Multiplex bead-based immunoassays (MIAs) are promising tools for simultaneously detecting humoral immunity to multiple targets, potentially playing a crucial role in serosurveillance and vaccine response assessments. However, evaluation of assay performance is paramount prior to widespread use. This study presents a performance evaluation of a pan-filovirus MIA through characterization of the analytical range for the EBOV glycoprotein (GP) target and assessments of assay precision and antigen discrimination. The precision of the MIA was evaluated by comparing the detection of anti-filovirus antibodies at two independent laboratory sites: the University of Hawai'i, Honolulu (UH), and the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Forty-six samples from Yambuku, DRC, including Ebola virus Disease (EVD) survivors and close contacts, were tested at both sites. Additionally, 907 samples were tested in DRC before and after vaccination with a prophylactic EVD vaccine, ERVEBO. Results demonstrated low variability between laboratories, with intra-assay and inter-laboratory coefficients of variation below predefined thresholds for all filovirus targets included in the multiplex panel. Analyte correlation between sites was high (r2 = 0.86-0.92). Longitudinal analysis detected increased EBOV GP reactivity following vaccination, while reactivity to non-vaccine filovirus antigens remained stable, consistent with minimal cross-reactivity in a vaccinated cohort. These findings suggest that this pan-filovirus MIA produces reproducible results across distinct laboratory settings and may serve as a useful tool for comparative serologic investigations, serosurveillance, and evaluation of EBOV vaccine-associated antibody responses.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0341938.].

Child malnutrition remains a global crisis, exacerbated in border regions by Myanmar's post-2021 conflict. This study utilized Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the pathways linking household food insecurity (HFI) to undernutrition among migrant children along the Thailand-Myanmar border. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 384 mothers in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces with children aged 6-59 months. Data were collected via multistage sampling, face-to-face interviews, and anthropometric assessments. HFI was measured using the HFIAS scale. Undernutrition affected 37.0% of children, with specific prevalence for stunting (18.0%), wasting (19.8%), and underweight (18.5%). HFI was prevalent in 63.8% of households and served as a central structural mediator; notably, nearly 40% of stunted children resided in severely food-insecure households. SEM results indicated that higher socio-economic status (SES) consistently improved HAZ (β = 0.230, p < .001) and WAZ (β = 0.294, p < .001). Improved water availability, safe sanitation, and higher SES were strong predictors of better HFI status across all models (β ranging from 0.127 to 0.318, p < .023). Conversely, a higher number of children under five in the household negatively impacted food security (β ranging from -0.155 to -0.159, p < .003). This improved HFI status directly enhanced dietary diversity (β = 0.183, p = .001) and HAZ (β = 0.113, p = .033). Regarding acute outcomes, fever (β = -0.147, p = .008) and diarrhea (β = -0.131, p = .049) significantly reduced WHZ, while respiratory infections (β = -0.144, p = .014) negatively influenced WAZ. Addressing undernutrition in this migrant population requires integrated multi-sectoral interventions. Strategies must prioritize economic stability and HFI mitigation to address chronic growth failure, alongside WASH infrastructure and rapid illness response to mitigate acute and composite nutritional deficits through a synergistic, cross-sectoral approach.