Research Roundup: Wearable immunization trackers, a potential pneumonia vaccine, and a newly recommended typhoid vaccine

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. A new study found a significant link between forest loss and the timing of Ebola outbreaks. Previous research had already established an association between deforestation patterns and outbreaks hotspots, but this study is the first to connect it to a timeline. Researchers tracked both deforestation events and nearby Ebola outbreaks and found a two-year gap between the event and the outbreak, suggesting there is a delayed, but causal link between deforestation and the emergence of the virus. This discovery may allow scientists to set up early warning systems and aid in the overall prediction of future outbreaks. New evidence has strengthened theories surrounding the role of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE)—or an antibody-facilitated attack that makes infection more deadly—in severe dengue complications. This evidence suggests individuals infected on more than one occasion with different serotypes—or variants—of dengue may develop a life-threatening infection called dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS), due to antibodies produced from the first infection binding with the virus during the second infection to allow it to more easily enter cells and reproduce. A study of more than 600 children found those with multiple dengue infections of different serotypes had a 7.64 times higher risk of developing DHF/DSS. This evidence sparked a debate about ADE, since genetics, T-cells, and innate immunity all play critical roles in disease complication. Scientists at Stanford University have created a crowd-sourced, cell-phone-based mosquito-monitoring platform to build a network of mosquito surveillance and a global map of mosquito distribution. The platform—Abuzz—will allow citizen scientists—or participants—to use their cell phones to record and submit the buzzing sound of a mosquito. The system then identifies the species using the particular sound of the buzz and plots on a map where and when the mosquito was sighted. The system is compatible with most cell phones—not just smartphones—which opens up the platform to many more people who may not have access to costly technology. If enough contributions are submitted from around the world, Abuzz could create a map of the locations of dangerous species, which the scientists hope could be used to improve mosquito control efforts.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. Researchers at the 48th Union World Conference on Lung Health highlighted three promising innovations that have the potential to modernize the tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic and treatment landscape. The first innovation builds upon the current therapy monitoring protocol, which involves directly observing patients to ensure they take their medicines, in a novel and contemporary way. The new system, Remote Observation Therapy (ROT), uses an edible sensor and a wearable patch to remotely track whether patients are taking their TB medicine and assist public health professionals with treatment monitoring to ensure that patients continue and complete TB therapies. The second is an oral swab alternative to sputum tests. Current sputum tests are difficult to collect and pose various problems for patients who need to produce the sample. Instead, a simple cheek swab has delivered promising results, though the swab will still require analysis from a GeneXpert or a similar machine. Lastly, a new, rapid prototype blood test, which can detect TB in as few as 15 minutes and requires no electricity and limited medical training, is showing promise. This diagnostic tool would address a major gap in blood-based TB diagnostics. A new, oral therapy has shown promising results in clinical trials for curing sleeping sickness, a debilitating disease that affects the neurological system.. The oral drug—fexindazole—cured 91 percent of patients with severe sleeping sickness and 99 percent of patients in the early stages of the disease. Fexindazole is a much-needed alternative to current combination therapies that involve a mix of pills and intravenous infusions, which can be challenging to administer in low-resource settings where infrastructure and highly trained health workers may be limited. Wellcome Trust, with assistance from the UK government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has announced the Global Burden of Disease Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) project , a new research initiative to track global data on drug-resistant infections and deaths. Over four years, the project will compile relevant data, produce detailed maps for intervention and clinical purposes, and provide publicly available visual representations on AMR’s global burden. This project will allow governments and researchers to strategically target global efforts to combat AMR.