Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Food security at the crossroads of conflict and economic priorities: the case of Bukavu, DRC

In Bukavu and other Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) cities, food security faces significant challenges due to rapid population growth, war-driven immigration, and a governmental orientation towards the mineral sector. These issues are exacerbated by the exodus from...

Gaps in diabetes care among people living with HIV and hypertension in Botswana: A cross‐sectional analysis of the InterCARE study

Abstract Objectives Data on diabetes screening and monitoring, within HIV care programmes in sub‐Saharan Africa, remain limited. This study describes the quality of diabetes screening and management among people living with HIV with comorbid hypertension receiving care at facilit...

Outdoor attractive targeted sugar bait Phase III trials for malaria control in Kenya, Mali, and Zambia: An individual participant data meta-analysis

Attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSB) are a potential new class of vector control tool that act through an “attract and kill” mechanism on mosquitoes. We conducted a meta-analysis using data from three large-scale Phase III trials of the Westham Sarabi v1.2 ATSB (0.11% dinotefur...

Potential health impacts and costs of active case finding guided by Mycobacterium tuberculosis immunoreactivity survey results in Blantyre, Malawi: A mathematical modeling study

Background Active case finding (ACF) for tuberculosis (TB) can reduce transmission, yet efficient targeting requires high-quality surveillance data. We investigated the potential costs and impact of targeted ACF, guided by local estimates of the annual risk of TB infection (ARTI)...

Patient-Reported Outcome scale for Bronchiectasis (BE-PRO): development and validation in China

BACKGROUND: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have become essential endpoints in clinical trials for bronchiectasis. However, no validated PRO instrument currently exists for the Chinese population. This study aimed to develop and validate a disease-specific Patient-Reported Outco...

Maternal healthcare quality, continuity, and experiences among pregnant adolescents and adult women in Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa: A cohort study

The capacity of health systems to provide quality care for pregnant adolescents remains underexplored. This study examined the quality, continuity, and experiences of maternal healthcare among pregnant adolescents (<20 years) compared with adult women (20 + years) in Ethiopia, Ke...

When the system fails, the community leads: field insights from the self-efficacy and knowledge (SEEK) trial during Lebanon’s 2024 active conflict

Adolescent girls and young women affected by conflict experience persistent sexual and reproductive health challenges along with poorer mental health and wellbeing. Among Syrian adolescent girls and young women living in Lebanon, these challenges are exacerbated by displacement,...

Socioeconomic inequalities and spatial dependence in multidimensional household water–energy–food nexus deprivation in Malawi

Access to safe drinking water, modern energy and adequate food is fundamental to household well-being, yet many households in Malawi continue to experience overlapping deprivations across these essential resources. Although water, energy and food systems are inherently interdepen...

The anthropogenic fingerprint on emerging infectious diseases

Abstract Emerging infectious diseases are a hallmark of the Anthropocene 1,2 . Human-driven ecosystem changes and human–wildlife–livestock contact can drive the emergence of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases 3–5 , but how much these processes shape landscapes of outbreak risk is...

Genome-wide sequence analysis of malaria vectors reveals genetically isolated Anopheles coluzzii populations along the slopes of Mount Cameroon

Malaria remains a major public health burden in sub-Saharan Africa, sustained by genetically diverse Anopheles vectors. Mount Cameroon’s altitudinal gradient harbours Anopheles gambiae complex subpopulations and unravelling the population structure of these vectors could provide...

Hunting for Helminths: short- and long-read shotgun metagenomics for helminth detection in faecal samples

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) pose significant challenges to public health in endemic areas, necessitating reliable methods for their detection. Shotgun metagenomics enables simultaneous detection of STHs and microbes in a sample without prior knowledge of what is present. Ho...

Exploring Relational Dynamics in Global Institutional Partnerships: A Protocol for a Multi-Method Qualitative Study of Capacity Strengthening

Capacity strengthening is widely invoked within global health and development, yet the concept lacks a shared foundation. Its inconsistent use, coupled with limited theoretical and methodological development, hampers efforts to establish equitable and well-functioning collaborati...

Effects of heat exposure on self-reported heat strain symptoms among pregnant and postpartum women in South Africa

Abstract Heat exposure can harm pregnant and postpartum women, yet heat strain symptoms in this population remain underexplored. This study implemented a novel mobile application and assessed the environmental context of five self-reported heat strain symptoms: skin rashes, sleep...

No geographical population structure of malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii but weak structure in Anopheles arabiensis within Burkina Faso: implications for vector control and gene drive implementation

Abstract Background Malaria control tools are nowadays challenged by the expansion and persistence of insecticide resistance in the malaria vector along with the changes in vector behaviour. To complement and reinforce the existing control tools, innovative vector control methods...

The genomic origins and evolutionary path to a key innovation in the world’s most venomous snakes

Abstract Evolutionary innovation is a key driver of the colonization of new environments and the adaptive radiations of major groups. Novel traits typically evolve through the modification of pre-existing characters but the genetic paths underlying their origin have been challeng...

The impact of social protection interventions on treatment and socioeconomic outcomes of tuberculosis-affected people and households in low income, high burden settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death due to infectious disease worldwide. Social protection interventions can benefit TB-affected households. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the effectiveness of social protection on...

Multiple orthoflaviviruses secrete sfRNA in mosquito saliva to promote transmission by inhibiting MDA5-mediated early interferon response

Abstract Numerous orthoflaviviruses transmitted through the bites of different mosquito species infect more than 500 million people annually. Skin infection at the bite site represents a critical and conserved step in transmission and a deeper understanding of this process will p...

Delivery of multiple PspA fragments by CyaA toxoid induces broad protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae

Abstract Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract (LRT) infections and invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD). Conjugate vaccines are effective against IPD and nasal colonization but offer coverage limited to serotypes included in the formulations. Pne...

Virus-like particle display of consensus α-neurotoxins does not enhance neutralising antibody responses against elapid venoms

Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease, with neurotoxic elapid venoms in particular posing a major therapeutic challenge due to the rapid action and inter-species diversity of α-neurotoxins. Consensus toxin approaches have emerged as a promising strategy for generat...

Evaluating mental health and psychosocial support outcomes of the Self-Efficacy and Knowledge (SEEK) community-based randomized controlled trial in lebanon during active conflict

<title>Abstract</title> <bold>Background:</bold> Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) affected by forced displacement are at high risk of poorer mental health and psychosocial wellbeing due to intersecting stressors. In humanitarian contexts like Lebanon, mental health challen...