Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading infectious cause of congenital disease worldwide and a major contributor to birth defects and neurodevelopmental disorders. Vertical transmission occurs when the virus breaches the maternal-fetal interface, a complex immunological environment where the placenta is in direct contact with either the uterine lining (decidua) or maternal blood covering the syncytium. The present review synthesises current understanding of HCMV pathogenesis at this critical interface, examining viral invasion mechanisms, host immune responses, and immune evasion strategies. We outline the structural and cellular features of the placenta and decidua, highlighting key immune populations such as uterine natural killer cells and their roles in antiviral defence. The present review examines the mechanisms of HCMV dissemination across the placenta alongside placental-specific defences to infection and details on how HCMV subverts both innate and adaptive immunity to establish and maintain infection. Critical gaps in diagnostics, the limited efficacy of current antiviral therapies, and obstacles in vaccine development are reviewed, underscoring the urgent need for prevention strategies. Finally, we assess experimental models, placental explants, primary trophoblast and decidual organoids, and microfluidic placenta-on-chip systems that are advancing insights into cell-type-specific tropism, immune interactions, and mechanisms of transplacental HCMV transmission. Continued research into host-virus interactions at the maternal-fetal interface and improved model systems are critical for developing targeted prevention and treatment strategies to reduce the burden of congenital HCMV infection.

Strategies to enhance DNA vaccine efficacy against emerging arboviruses: lessons from ZIKA and Chikungunya viruses.

Three-year virological outcomes among adolescent girls and young women living with human immunodeficiency virus enrolled in vertical transmission prevention services during pregnancy and postpartum in Tanzania: A prospective cohort study.

Vertical transmission of PRRSV2 strain NVSL 97-7895 occurs during mid-gestation.

The patterns and drivers of Oropouche virus and its primary vector invasions in Asia under global change.

Hepatitis B Prevention in Iraq: Addressing Vertical Transmission and Vaccination Completion Challenges

This case report describes the diagnosis of Hepatozoon canis in a 3-month-old male mixed-breed puppy with acute symptoms of lethargy, mucous membrane pallor, and severe gastrointestinal symptoms. The symptoms developed after routine vaccination. A thorough clinical history was obtained, followed by a complete physical examination and hematological analysis. Blood smears were prepared, stained with Giemsa, and examined microscopically. Molecular confirmation of infection was performed via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 18S rRNA gene. Hematological analysis showed normocytic normochromic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and a slight left shift. Microscopic examination of blood smears revealed multiple Hepatozoon gamonts in neutrophils, and molecular diagnosis was performed by PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene, which confirmed H. canis infection. Given the young age of the puppy, the lack of a possible history of exposure to ticks, and the observance of preventive care, vertical transmission from mother to fetus was likely. The acute onset of illness shortly after vaccination may indicate immune stress from the polyvalent vaccine and subsequent activation of a latent infection. This report suggests that H. canis should be considered as a possible diagnosis in young puppies presenting with severe gastrointestinal symptoms. The importance of vertical transmission and the role of immunological stressors, such as vaccination, in the emergence of acute disease from a dormant infection should be considered.

Arboviral diseases in Indonesia remain a public health problem and a threat. The annual increase in cases is caused by changes in bioclimatological factors, increased reports of resistance to insecticides and larvicides, and low community participation in vector control, resulting in an uncontrolled abundance of the species. Therefore, an alternative, safe, effective, and evidence-based vector control approach is needed. This narrative review, conducted via the SANRA protocol encompassing PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (2014-2024), aims to (1) synthesize current Insect-Specific Flavivirus (ISF) biology, classification, and distribution with emphasis on Indonesia and Southeast Asia; (2) evaluate evidence for ISF-mediated interference with pathogenic flavivirus transmission; (3) compare ISF with Wolbachia-based biocontrol strategies; and (4) identify research priorities and implementation considerations for ISF-based vector control in Indonesia. Eleven articles were further analyzed. Three ISF species ( cell-fusion agent virus , Culex flavivirus , and Aedes flavivirus ) have been detected in Indonesian mosquito populations. Experimental studies have shown that Nhumirim virus reduces Zika transmission, whereas Palm Creek virus suppresses West Nile virus replication. The Binjari virus -based chimeric vaccine platform produced a good prevention and control model; however, the varying vertical transmission of ISF, lack of field validation, and absence of a regulatory framework are barriers to implementation. However, ISF still requires optimization of population persistence and the development of large-scale application methods. Research priorities include field effectiveness validation, characterization of ISF interactions, and development of standardized release protocols for the translation of ISF technology as a complement to integrated vector control in Indonesia.

While India's HIV epidemic discloses substantial inter-state heterogeneity, Tamil Nadu (TN) achieved one of the country's earliest and most sustained reversals in transmission. Once a high-burden state, TN successfully decoupled its trajectory from other high-prevalence southern regions. This review examines the 'Tamil Nadu Model,' benchmarking its performance against West Bengal and global high-performers to identify specific drivers of success while comparing it with Karnataka, Maharashtra, and undivided Andhra Pradesh. We synthesized longitudinal data (2000-2024) from HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS), IBBS, NACO Spectrum estimates, and NFHS reports. Using a Strategic Blueprints (SB) framework, we analyzed 13 key epidemiological and health-system indicators, including TB-HIV collaborative care. We compared Tamil Nadu's performance with Karnataka, Maharashtra, undivided Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal, as well as international benchmarks including Thailand, New South Wales, and KwaZulu-Natal. Tamil Nadu recorded a 94% reduction in annual new infections, with adult prevalence falling from 1.15% (2000) to 0.16% (2024). TN became the first major Indian state to achieve the WHO threshold for eliminating vertical transmission (< 5%). Comparative analysis demonstrates that TN's "Administrative Agility" facilitated faster declines than low-intensity states like West Bengal. Furthermore, integrating TB-HIV services via the Ni-kshay platform and "Four-S" screening protocols achieved near-universal status awareness among TB patients, accelerating progress toward UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. Tamil Nadu's trajectory proves that administrative agility and institutional normalization are more effective than vertically siloed interventions. Its ability to outperform regional peers and global benchmarks underscores the robustness of its Strategic Blueprints. As programs transition toward 2030, integrating HIV care with non-communicable disease and TB management offers a scalable road-map for sustained control. Ultimately, shifting from state-level data to global policy lessons positions the "Tamil Nadu Model" as a transferable framework for ending AIDS in resource-limited settings worldwide.

Preconception care is an important intervention aimed at improving maternal and neonatal outcomes among women of reproductive age and HIV-positive women. Inadequate utilization of preconception care may increase the risk of vertical HIV transmission and adverse pregnancy outcomes. To assess utilization rate of preconception care and associated factors among Human Immune Deficiency Virus positive reproductive age women attending Anti-Retroviral Treatment clinics in Gamo zone, 2021. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1 to April 1, 2021. A total of 559 participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected through a structured, pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Variables with a p-value < 0.25 in the bivariable analysis were included in the multivariable logistic regression model. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value < 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval. Total of the 559 HIV-positive women selected for the study, 579 participated, resulting in a response rate of 96.5%. overall utilization of preconception care was 32%. Education, Monthly income, History of pregnancy, Number of pregnancy and Occupation were significantly associated with utilization of preconception care with (AOR: 4.42; 95% CI 1.48-13.17), (AOR: 2.85; 95% CI 1.41-5.74), (AOR: 2.99; 95% CI 1.18-7.71), (AOR: 2.97; 95% CI 1.28-6.91), and(AOR: 0.45; 95% CI 0.21-0.96) respectively. The utilization of preconception care among HIV-positive women was low. Educational status, occupation, monthly income, history of pregnancy, and gravidity were significantly associated with preconception care utilization. Healthcare providers, health facilities, and public health programs should enhance awareness creation, counseling, and accessibility of preconception care services, particularly among women with lower socioeconomic status and limited reproductive experience.

Contraceptive use is a cost-effective public health strategy to prevent unplanned pregnancy, maternal mortality and morbidity, and reduce vertical HIV transmission. However, contraceptive use remains low among women living with HIV. Reviews examining effect of behavioral interventions on contraceptive use among women living with HIV using randomized controlled trials are limited. We evaluated the effect of behavioral interventions on contraceptive use among women living with HIV using randomized controlled trials. We conducted a systematic literature search across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, ClinicalTrials.gov and the Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials from their inception to 09/15/2025. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA-2020) guidelines were followed in conducting this review. Peer reviewed and published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on behavioral interventions were included. Effect estimates (odds ratios) were pooled using a random-effects model (REM). Quality of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The search yielded 853 records. Five trials involving 5903 women living with HIV and published between 2009 and 2021 were included in this review. Across the trials, structured contraceptive counseling was the most common intervention implemented while others included provision of family planning vouchers, client outreaches and education and counseling on safe sex, and social support. Two of the studies were conducted in Uganda, two in Kenya and one in the United States. Two of the studies reported 100% antiretroviral therapy use with mean duration ranging 4.1years (SD = 3.33) to 7.8years (SD = 7.1), while one study reported 83.9% viral suppression among their sample. Across the trials, behavioral interventions were significantly associated with greater odds of contraceptive use among women living with HIV with pooled odds ratio, 3.61 (95% CI: 1.15, 11.32), p = 0.04 compared to controls. The findings underscore the efficacy of behavioral interventions in enhancing contraceptive use among women living with HIV. Leveraging behavioral interventions could offer an opportunity to increase contraceptive use and improve the reproductive health outcomes for women living with HIV.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) alters maternal metabolism and the gut microbiota, thereby significantly affecting neonatal health. This narrative review synthesizes current clinical and translational evidence on temporal changes in the maternal gut microbiota across the three pregnancy trimesters in women with GDM and examines its subsequent impact on neonatal microbiome composition, immune development, and long-term disease risk. GDM-associated dysbiosis has been reported early in pregnancy, but human evidence remains heterogeneous and does not establish direct vertical transmission; instead, maternal metabolic status and perinatal exposures may jointly shape early neonatal microbial patterns and immune-metabolic trajectories. These microbial alterations are closely associated with immune dysregulation and increased risks of inflammatory and metabolic disorders in offspring. Although diet, obesity, and probiotics influence microbial composition, their clinical efficacy in GDM remains inconsistent. Importantly, the available evidence remains heterogeneous, reflecting differences in cohort characteristics, sequencing methods, and study design, which limits definitive causal interpretation. Advances in microbiota-based diagnostics and personalized microbial interventions-including microbiome-guided dietary modulation, targeted probiotic strategies, and metabolite-focused approaches tailored to individual maternal metabolic and microbial profiles-offer promising strategies to mitigate adverse outcomes by targeting the maternal-neonatal microbiome axis, highlighting microbiome-based approaches as an emerging translational direction. Not applicable.

Octopamine (OA) is an important biogenic amine in insects, and regulates multiple physiological and behavioral processes. Tyrosine decarboxylase (TDC) and tyramine β-hydroxylase (TβH) are critical enzymes in the biosynthesis of OA. The small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus is a major rice pest and causes serious damage by transmitting plant viruses, such as rice stripe virus (RSV). However, the functions of TDC and TβH remain largely unknown in rice planthoppers. We cloned LsTDC and LsTβH from L. striatellus. LsTDC was significantly enriched in the 4th instar nymphs, and LsTβH was highly expressed in eggs. LsTDC and LsTβH were predominantly expressed in the brain. RNA interference (RNAi) targeting-mediated knockdown of LsTDC and LsTβH in female L. striatellus significantly reduced the fecundity and egg hatchability. Moreover, LsTDC and LsTβH knockdown markedly decreased the transcript levels of vitellogenin (LsVg) in the fat body and ovary, and Vg receptor (LsVgR) in the ovary, as well as changed the expressions of genes involved in juvenile hormone (JH) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) pathways. Additionally, targeting LsTDC and LsTβH significantly reduced the honeydew excretion and body weight of both female and male adults. Notably, the expressions of LsTDC and LsTβH were significantly higher in RSV-viruliferous L. striatellus, while LsTDC and LsTβH knockdown affected the expressions of capsid protein (CP), and vertical transmission rate of RSV. These results provide valuable insights into the roles of LsTDC and LsTβH in reproduction, feeding, and virus transmission in L. striatellus, highlighting their potential as promising targets for developing new pest control strategies. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly pathogenic henipavirus which causes severe, often fatal disease in humans and animals. African green monkeys (AGM) have been used extensively to investigate NiV disease and are the only nonhuman primate (NHP) model that accurately recapitulates human NiV pathogenesis. Here, we describe histopathological lesions in the reproductive tissues of an incidentally pregnant female AGM that succumbed to NiV disease. We employed multiplex immunohistochemistry techniques to profile specific cell populations which identified NiV antigen in both maternal and fetal cells of the placenta, which has not been previously described in NHP models of NiV disease.

Quantifying how multiple transmission routes contribute to the spread of HTLV-1 in different endemic foci: a mathematical modelling study.

IntroductionSub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Tanzania, is double-burdened with high rates of teenage pregnancy and new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15–24 years. Moreover, pregnant AGYW living with HIV in SSA have poorer adherence and retention on HIV treatment and elevated risks of vertical HIV transmission to their infants, as compared with older women. This paper describes the methods for the ENGAGE project, aiming to investigate and optimise healthcare for prevention of vertical HIV transmission (commonly prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT)) for AGYW living with HIV in Tanzania.Methods and analysisENGAGE uses a mixed-methods design to co-create and prototype an intervention package for pregnant/postpartum AGYW living with HIV through three phases in three Tanzanian regions. Phase 1 characterises the problem by investigating care engagement and outcomes in a cohort of N=10 147 AGYW receiving PMTCT services in routine healthcare. Phase 2 uses qualitative interviews to understand the social-structural drivers of care engagement from the perspective of AGYW, healthcare providers and community stakeholders and an evidence review of potential solutions. In phase 3, we will use findings from phase 1 and 2 to co-create (together with AGYW and healthcare providers) an intervention package to optimise PMTCT care for most at-risk AGYW. The co-creation will be done through an intervention development action cycle, where ideas are presented, feedback sought and refinements made iteratively via several workshops over about 6 months. The resulting co-created intervention package will be prototyped at selected facilities/communities and refined into a final version, ready for piloting for feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effect in a later phase. This protocol focuses on the co-creation phase 3 and its preceding phases 1 and 2.Ethics and disseminationENGAGE has received ethical approval from the Tanzania National Health Research Ethics Committee (NIMR/HQ/R.8a/Vol.IX/4637), and the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (2024-05745-01) for analysis of data in Sweden. Findings will be disseminated to AGYW, healthcare providers, community stakeholders, health officials, researchers, policy makers and the wider local and global scientific community.

Chlorella pyrenoidosa reduces fecal heavy metal concentrations and antibiotic resistance gene abundance in lambs by modulating the gastrointestinal microbiota.

Impact of co-occurrent assortative mating and vertical cultural transmission on measures of genetic associations.

BackgroundThe Guoshan Yao, a subgroup of the Yao ethnic minority in China, inhabit the biodiverse Nanling Mountain region. Their traditional knowledge (TK) of medicinal plants is increasingly threatened by socio-economic development, generational knowledge loss, and conservation policies. This study documents the medicinal plant diversity, and usage trends, analyzes TK transmission pathways, assesses influencing factors on the medicinal plant use knowledge and compares use knowledge with other Yao groups.MethodsA total of 86 respondents (aged 20–90) from Guoshan Yao households were interviewed in the villages of Nanling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong, China. The Relative Importance (RI) index of the recorded plant species was calculated, negative binomial regression was used to assess factors influencing medicinal plant use knowledge, and the Jaccard index of similarity (JI) was used for the cross cultural analysis.ResultsA total of 61.6% of respondents relied on medicinal plants for primary healthcare; however, 41.8% of respondents reported declining trend in this practice. We documented 224 medicinal plants from 188 genera and 90 families. The most common therapeutic use was for traumatic injuries and orthopedic conditions (71 species, 31.7%). Among the recorded species, Polygala japonica had the highest RI value (2). The negative binomial regression indicated that medicinal plant use knowledge was significantly associated with the source of knowledge transfer, with vertical and multiple sources being significant. Cross-cultural analysis with the Yao of Guangxi and Hunan showed that knowledge of medicinal plants is quite similar among the Yao of Gongcheng Guangxi (JI = 0.18) .ConclusionThe Guoshan Yao maintain substantial TK of medicinal plants, the conservation of which depends on vertical and multiple sources knowledge transmission systems. To conserve this knowledge, we recommend promoting the dissemination of knowledge beyond familial boundaries through community awareness programs, and inter-generational interaction.

Detection and infection dynamics of Marseillevirus-like viruses in Aedes aegypti: Evidence for vertical and human exposure pathways.