Fresh Off The Journal: March 2026

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic arthropod-borne viral disease that often flies under the radar. Despite recurring outbreaks in East Africa, the risk remains poorly understood in the DR Congo. This multi-country study — spanning DR Congo, Kenya, and Uganda — documented the presence of history of RVF infections in the population of eastern DR Congo and aimed to characterise the risk landscape in the region, a critical step from response to prevention.

Lepore, L., Odinoh, R., Dawa, J., Situma, S., Nyakarahuka, L., Makiala, S., ... & Vanlerberghe, V. (2026). Understanding the Rift Valley fever exposure risk: A comparative perspective from a multi-country study in East and Central Africa, 2021-24. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 20(3), e0014082. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0014082

Plague in Madagascar tends to follow seasonal patterns, but the reasons remain unclear. Researchers from the University of Nottingham, with contributions from ITM and teams in Madagascar, Canada, and Norway, studied how small-scale climate conditions in rat burrows affect flea development. Their model showed that favourable climate boosts flea development, followed by more human plague cases, but field data suggest flea development is only part of the puzzle.

Fell, H. G., Bailey, J., Rasoamalala, F., Ramasindrazana, B., Shipley, L., Jones, M., ... & Atkinson, S. (2026). Integrating microclimate to understand vector development and disease patterns: challenges and lessons from plague in Madagascar’s Central Highlands. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 293(2067). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2496

Rapid molecular tests can help guide treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis, but how reliable are they in practice? In this multi-country study across sub-Saharan Africa, researchers from Benin, with partners including ITM, evaluated Xpert-MTB/XDR. It reliably detected the most common forms of resistance, yet missed off-target mutations and could miss minority variants in case both susceptible and resistant bacilli are present, suggesting it is best used alongside other diagnostic approaches.

Massou, F., Diarra, B., Ba Diallo, A., Bah, K. S., Vuchas, C., Neh, A., ... & Rigouts, L. (2026). Multicentre field evaluation of Xpert MTB/XDR in sub-Saharan Africa. ERJ Open Research, 12(2), 00427-2025. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00427-2025

Invasive Salmonella infections are becoming more resistant against commonly used antibiotics in Kisantu, DR Congo, raising concerns about how well the available treatments will continue to work. In this study, led by the national research institute (INRB) with contributions from ITM, bloodstream infections were frequently caused by bacteria resistant to these antibiotics. Young children were most affected, and resistance increased sharply between 2019 and 2022. This points to growing pressure on treatment options and the need for better surveillance and prevention.

Mbuyamba, J., Nkoji-Tunda, G., Vita, D., Ngara, L., Bonebe, E., Phoba, M. F., ... & Lunguya, O. (2026). Epidemiology, Temporal Trends and Resistance Patterns of ESBL-Producing Non-Typhoidal Salmonella Isolated from Blood Cultures in Kisantu, DRC (2019–2022). Antibiotics, 15(3), 271. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15030271