IDSA’s Journal of Infectious Diseases has launched a new monthly roundup of JID papers with direct relevance to clinicians. Read on to learn more about HPV prevalence among the cervical screening population in Sweden from 2014-2023, the mechanism of the MMR vaccine and other research ready to inform clinical practice. (Titles and summaries are adapted from the April 2025 issue of JID.)
Rickettsia rickettsii subsp californica subsp nov, the Etiologic Agent of Pacific Coast Tick Fever
Companion editorial: Genomics Should Inform Appropriate Analysis of Taxonomy and Pathogenesis of Rickettsia
Pacific Coast tick fever is a moderately severe tickborne illness that resembles Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In this article, using an integrative taxonomic approach, the etiologic agent causing PCTF is now defined as Rickettsia rickettsii subsp Californica. This rickettsial species was previously termed the ambiguous Rickettsia 364D. Rickettsia rickettsii subsp Californica is distinct from Rickettsia rickettsii, the etiological agent of RMSF.
The live attenuated measles vaccine is extremely effective in preventing measles and induces mucosal immunity in the respiratory tract, however the mechanism is not known. Watkins and Brockhurst et al. show that the live attenuated measles vaccine virus, which is delivered by injection, commonly travels to the respiratory tract in healthy infants and macaques, and that this may contribute to induction of robust mucosal immunity without evidence of measles virus transmission to unvaccinated individuals.
Efficacy of Laundry Practices in Eliminating Mpox Virus From Fabrics
There is uncertainty about the efficacy of laundry detergents and disinfectants or the reduction of risk achieved by washing clothes for mpox virus. In a trial of simulated manual clothes washing, sodium hypochlorite, liquid sanitizer and two powdered laundry detergents in room temperature water, as well as 70-degree Celsius water alone, completely inactivated mpox virus (MPXV, >99.9% inactivation) on both cotton and polyester fabrics.
Population-Based Age-Period-Cohort Analysis of Declining Human Papillomavirus Prevalence
Using 836,314 primary HPV-based cervical screening tests in the Swedish National Cervical Screening Registry and age-period-cohort modelling, the authors monitored the HPV prevalence among the cervical screening population from 2014 to 2023. Among women eligible for school-based HPV vaccination, a 99% and 98% decline in HPV16 and 18 infection, respectively, was observed. This indicates a strong overall protective effect.
Staphylococcus aureus Tetracycline Resistance and Co-Resistance in a Doxycycline Postexposure Prophylaxis–Eligible Population
Among doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis eligible men, Staphylococcus aureus tetracycline non-susceptibility is more prevalent than in the overall population and is associated with resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and clindamycin. Doxy-PEP may select for multidrug-resistant S. aureus, underscoring the importance of surveillance.