#13,761
The end of the year is often a `dry' season for disease blogging since so many agencies and journals take time away for the holidays. This year, between the dearth of bird flu reports and the U.S. government shutdown, it is even more noticeable.
Although infectious disease news is an important part of this blog, I far prefer reading - and writing about - journal studies. Over the past 12 months I've highlighted scores of research papers, and have hopefully managed to add some context along the way.So today, I've put together a list of some of my favorite research paper reviews from the past year that you may have missed, or may feel deserve a second look.
While an admittedly eclectic collection - one that runs the gamut from avian and seasonal flu to MERS to toilet plume research - you'll find many of these studies share common ground.
January
WHO: First Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS) Report
NEJM: Acute Myocardial Infarction After Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Infection
PNAS: Infectious Virus Exhaled In Breath Of Symptomatic Seasonal Flu CasesFebruary
Eurosurveillance Review: Association Between Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) & Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68)
mBio: Pandemic Paradox - Early Life H2N2 Infection Enhanced Mortality From H1N1pdm09
Study: Obesity & Influenza-Like-Illness (ILI) Severity
JNeurosci: Another Study On The Neurocognitive Impact Of Influenza Infection
NEJM: Flu Season A Risk Factor For Developing Post-Cardiac Surgery ARDS
WHO: Genetic Characteristics Of Avian H7N4
MMWR: Interim Estimates of 2017–18 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) — US Feb. 2018
Toilet Bowl Sunday
March
C.I.D.: Revisting The Parotitis Clusters During The 2014-15 Flu Season
EID J. & Virology Reports On Emerging Coxsackievirus A6
Eur. Resp.J.: Influenza & Pneumonia Infections Increase Risk Of Heart Attack and Stroke
mBio: The Gathering Storm: Is Untreatable Typhoid Fever on the Way?
MMWR: Emergence of Monkeypox — West and Central Africa, 1970–2017
Emerg. Microbes & Infect.: Virulence, Transmissibility & Evolution of Canine H3N2 Influenza Viruses
April
The Lancet Inf. Dis.: MERS-CoV Risk Factors & Determinants Of Primary, Household, & Nosocomial Transmission
J.I.D.: Dynamic Variation & Reversion in the Signature Amino Acids of H7N9 Virus During Human Infection
Back To The Bat Cave: More Influenza In Bats
Frontiers Med.: MERS-CoV In 7 Pediatric Patients
Frontiers Vet. Sci.: Patterns In the Emergences Of HPAI H5 & H7 Viruses In Poultry
May
Influenza & Other Resp. Viruses.: Airborne & Fomite Detection of Avian H7N2 - NYC 2016
EID Journal: Reemergence of Reston Ebolavirus in Cynomolgus Monkeys, the Philippines, 2015
J.I.D.: Population Serologic Immunity To H2N2 For Pandemic Risk Assessment
Emerg. Infect. & Microbes: Novel Triple-Reassortant influenza Viruses In Pigs, Guangxi, China
Emerg. Microbes & Infect.: Effect Of D701N Substitution In PB2 Of EAH1N1 Swine Flu Viruses
Sci. Rpts.: Whooper Swans Transmit H5N1 Between China & Mongolia
June
Sci. Reports: Efficacy Of AI Vaccines Against The H5N8 Virus in Egypt
Neuroinfluenza: A Review Of Recently Published Studies
HPAI H5Nx Clade 2.3.4.4. Shedding In Cottontail Rabbits
EID Journal: Geographic Distribution of MERS-CoV among Dromedary Camels, Africa
Clinical & Epidemiological Characteristics of A(H9N2) Infection In A Young Child - China, 2017
KLRD1 : A Biomarker For Predicting Influenza Susceptibility?
Study: Burnout & PTSD Among Nurses Working During A Large MERS-CoV Outbreak - Korea, 2015
JVI: Divergent Human Origin influenza Viruses Detected In Australian Swine Populations
July
BMC Vet.: Novel Reassortant H1N2 & H3N2 Swine Influenza A Viruses - Chile
Frontiers Public Health: Live Poultry Trading Drives China's H7N9 Viral Evolution
BMC Inf. Dis.: Clinical Management Of Suspected MERS-CoV Cases
Emerg. Microbes & Infect.: Low Zoonotic Potential Of Clade 2.3.4.4B H5N8 Virus
J. Virology: Pathogenesis & Transmission of H3N2v Viruses Isolated in the United States, 2011-2016
The Global Seasonal Occurrence of MERS-CoV
August
EID Journal: Introduction of Eurasian-Origin Influenza A(H8N4) Virus into North America by Migratory Birds
EID Journal: Emerging Enteroviruses In China 2010-2016
Transbound Emerg Dis: H5N2, H1N2 & Other Reassortants In Mexican Swine
Evaluation of a Visual Triage for the Screening of MERS-CoV Patients
Sci. Repts.: Characterization Of Avian Influenza Virus Attachment Patterns To Human & Pig Tissues
Viruses: Reported Direct & Indirect Camel Contact Among Lab Confirmed MERS-CoV Cases
Study: Simulated Influenza A Transmission In An Office Environment
September
Nature Sci Repts: Direct RNA Sequencing of the Coding Complete Influenza A Virus Genome
Clin. Infect. Diseases: Revisiting the 2009 pH1N1 `Canadian Problem'
CDC: Classifying Influenza Season Severity
October
EID Journal: HPAI H5N6 In Domestic Cats - Korea, 2016
mBio: High Prevalence of MERS-CoV Infection in Camel Workers in Saudi Arabia
MMWR: H3N2v Outbreak At Three Fairs — Maryland, 2017
AJIC:Intermittent Positive Testing For MERS-CoV
JIDC: Atypical Presentation Of MERS-CoV In A Lebanese Patient
mBio: Contemporary EV-D68 Strains Have Acquired The Ability To Infect Human Neuronal Cells
Trans. Emerg, Dis: Continued Reassortment of Avian H6 viruses - Southern China, 2014-2016.
November
EID Journal: Complexity of the Basic Reproduction Number (R0)
BMC Infect. Dis.: Pandemic Influenza Preparedness In The WHO African Region
EID Journal: Canine Influenza Virus A(H3N2) Clade with Antigenic Variation, China, 2016–2017
WHO: Migratory Birds & The Potential Spread Of Avian Influenza
J Infect Dis: Serological Evidence Of H7N2 Infection Among Animal Shelter Workers, NYC 2016
H7N9: Ferret Transmission Redux?
December
Transbound Emerg Dis: Serological Evidence Of Canine H3N2 In Horses - China
Potential For Zoonotic Emergence Of Coronavirus In Latin America
J. Envir. Health: Link Between Public Transport Use & Airborne Transmission Of Infectious Disease
NIAC: Surviving A Catastrophic Power Outage
PLoS One: How Closing LBMs May Have Inadvertently Helped Spread H7N9 In China
Vaccine: Safety & Immunogenicity Of H5N1 Vaccine Stored Up To 12 Years
AHA: Study Shows Flu Shots Reduce Deaths From Heart Failure
If you find any of these study reviews useful, I'm pleased to say the above 72 blogs represent less than half the studies I've blogged in 2018, and that over the past 13 years there are hundreds of others in the queue.
