Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (691 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
An illness caused by an infectious agent or its toxins that occurs through the direct or indirect transmission of the infectious agent or its products from an infected individual or via an animal, vector or the inanimate environment to a susceptible animal or human host.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Communicable Disease; Disease, Communicable; Diseases, Communicable; Infectious Diseases; Disease, Infectious; Diseases, Infectious; Infectious Disease.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Infections; Disease Attributes
- Narrower topics
- Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; Communicable Diseases, Imported; Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- See also
- Disease Reservoirs
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 614,083 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Communicable Diseases” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 106,727 of them (17.4%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 192,803 records.
Reviews account for 82,917 records (13.5%) and meta-analyses for 5,188. Randomized controlled trials number 17,510 (2.9%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 192,803 |
| 2000-2009 | 138,390 |
| 2010-2019 | 176,163 |
| 2020 onward | 106,727 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 82,917 | 13.5% |
| Meta-analyses | 5,188 | 0.8% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 17,510 | 2.9% |
Method: PubMed query "Communicable Diseases"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in infectious diseases
Infectious disease evidence combines microbiology, epidemiology and clinical trials. Laboratory studies identify pathogens and how they cause harm; surveillance and outbreak investigations describe who is affected and how infection spreads; trials establish whether treatments and vaccines work. Results depend on place and time, because pathogens evolve and resistance patterns and population immunity change. Check when and where the data were collected, how cases were defined and how up to date the evidence is.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costs of Delivering the Hep B PAST Model of Care in Remote Australia: A Retrospective Pre-Post Study | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42811936 · DOI · PMC13624689 |
| Central Nervous System Reservoirs and HIV Cure: Therapeutic Opportunities and Challenges | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 0 | cc by PMID 42891909 · DOI · PMC13676512 |
| Non-coding RNA-mediated tug-of-war between emerging viruses and host antiviral defense: lessons from animal viruses | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 0 | cc by PMID 42841343 · DOI · PMC13674655 |
Costs of Delivering the Hep B PAST Model of Care in Remote Australia: A Retrospective Pre-Post Study [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ObjectivesTo estimate the direct medical costs of the Hep B Partnership Program (Hep B PAST) model of care compared with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) usual care from the health system perspective (Northern Territory (NT) Department of Health and the Commonwealth).
- Closing excerpt
- Future cost savings from decreased hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure were not included.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (299 words)
ObjectivesTo estimate the direct medical costs of the Hep B Partnership Program (Hep B PAST) model of care compared with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) usual care from the health system perspective (Northern Territory (NT) Department of Health and the Commonwealth).Study typeRetrospective cohort study (2014-2023) that linked primary care with inpatient, emergency, outpatient and outreach datasets. Costs were applied using National Weighted Activity Units, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and NT Government costings. A pre- and post-implementation design from a health system perspective was applied, with costs in 2023 Australian dollars.SettingRemote communities in the NT, Australia.ParticipantsThe cohort included all First Nations people living with CHB who were attending a clinic in a remote community that had consented to the Hep B PAST program, and who received care between 1 July 2014 and 31 May 2023.Main outcome measuresAnnual mean and median healthcare costs per contact and per individual across service types, with comparisons of annual mean costs per individual between pre- and post-Hep B PAST using partially overlapping t-tests.ResultsAmong 1063 First Nations individuals with CHB, annual median costs per individual were similar for usual care ($639 [interquartile range, $366-1156]) and Hep B PAST ($770 [interquartile range, $400-1272]); mean costs were also similar for usual care versus Hep B PAST ($1701 vs. $1970; p = 0.12). By service type, annual median costs were similar for inpatient services ($7777 vs. $7795), primary care ($327 vs. $302) and outpatient visits ($1985 vs. $1858), and higher for Hep B PAST for emergency services ($1339 vs. $1672) and outreach care ($373 vs. $746).ConclusionsIn remote First Nations communities, Hep B PAST was delivered with a modest increase in direct medical costs compared with usual care. These findings can be used to inform future cost-effective evaluations. Future cost savings from decreased hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure were not included.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42811936 · DOI · PMC13624689
Central Nervous System Reservoirs and HIV Cure: Therapeutic Opportunities and Challenges [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Purpose of reviewDespite viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy, people with HIV (PWH) remain at increased risk of neurocognitive impairment, neuroinflammation, and potential viral rebound following therapy interruption.
- Closing excerpt
- Developing CNS-inclusive strategies that minimise adverse neurological effects may be an important step in achieving HIV cure.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (143 words)
Purpose of reviewDespite viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy, people with HIV (PWH) remain at increased risk of neurocognitive impairment, neuroinflammation, and potential viral rebound following therapy interruption. Although the central nervous system (CNS) is a recognised HIV reservoir, it is often not fully considered in cure approaches.Recent findingsHIV DNA and ongoing viral transcription persist in the CNS of ART-suppressed PWH, potentially contributing to neuroinflammation and neurocognitive dysfunction. HIV cure strategies, including latency-reversing/promoting agents, broadly neutralising antibodies and other approaches have varying degrees of CNS penetration, efficacy and potential neurotoxicity. Therefore, interventions aimed at silencing or eradicating HIV reservoirs require monitoring of both reservoir-targeting efficacy and neurological adverse effects. Greater consideration of CNS penetration, efficacy in targeting CNS reservoirs, and neurotoxicity is required in HIV cure studies. Developing CNS-inclusive strategies that minimise adverse neurological effects may be an important step in achieving HIV cure.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42891909 · DOI · PMC13676512
Non-coding RNA-mediated tug-of-war between emerging viruses and host antiviral defense: lessons from animal viruses [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Emerging animal viruses pose persistent threats to livestock breeding and public health, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of virus-host interactions.
- Closing excerpt
- They also offer references for dissecting the pathogenic patterns of ASFV, SADS-CoV, and future unknown emerging viruses, as well as, for mining, screening, and identifying potential antiviral drug targets.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (249 words)
Emerging animal viruses pose persistent threats to livestock breeding and public health, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of virus-host interactions. Nevertheless, the regulatory roles and conserved mechanisms of host non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) during animal virus infections remain fragmented, and ncRNA-mediated mechanisms for emerging animal viruses are particularly poorly characterized, with no systematic collation or theoretical summarization available. Studies indicate that ncRNAs, including miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, have emerged as important regulators of the interplay between animal viruses and their hosts. This review synthesizes evidence from eleven animal viruses covering swine, poultry, ruminant, feline, canine, and mink hosts, with emphasis on virus-induced changes in ncRNA expression and their antiviral or proviral functions. Across diverse virus-host systems, three recurring regulatory paradigms are identified: host antiviral defense, viral hijacking, and viral antagonism. Host cells can dynamically reshape their ncRNA expression to regulate host restriction factors, proviral host factors, and other ncRNAs, thereby influencing innate immune signalling, viral replication cycles, autophagy, apoptosis, and metabolic reprogramming. Conversely, animal viruses, including PEDV, PRRSV, PRV, SVA, AIV, ALV-J, NDV, BVDV, FHV-1, CIV, and MEV, have evolved sophisticated strategies to hijack host ncRNA networks or antagonize ncRNA-mediated antiviral immunity, and remodel the intracellular microenvironment to facilitate viral replication. These paradigms provide a unified theoretical system for understanding and predicting ncRNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms in emerging animal viruses. They also offer references for dissecting the pathogenic patterns of ASFV, SADS-CoV, and future unknown emerging viruses, as well as, for mining, screening, and identifying potential antiviral drug targets.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42841343 · DOI · PMC13674655
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Estimating the effect of maternal viral load on perinatal and postnatal HIV transmission: a systematic review and meta-analysis [4]
- Research article Effects of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes on community rates of HPV-related disease and harms from vaccination [5]
- Research article Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for the prevention of cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases: a network meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Probability of vertical HIV transmission: a systematic review and meta-regression [7]
- Research article Prevalence and associated factors of HIV among female sex workers in Eastern and Southern Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Prevalence and burden of HBV-HIV co-morbidity: a global systematic review and meta-analysis [9]
References
- Nguyen H, Nguyen ALT, Binks P, McKinnon M, Vintour-Cesar E, Wills K, et al.. Costs of Delivering the Hep B PAST Model of Care in Remote Australia: A Retrospective Pre-Post Study. . 2026. PMID 42811936 · DOI · PMC13624689
- Angelovich TA, Roche M, Gorry PR, Churchill MJ. Central Nervous System Reservoirs and HIV Cure: Therapeutic Opportunities and Challenges. . 2026. PMID 42891909 · DOI · PMC13676512
- Chen N, Zhang B, Yu Z, Tong G, Jin J, Jiang Q, et al.. Non-coding RNA-mediated tug-of-war between emerging viruses and host antiviral defense: lessons from animal viruses. . 2026. PMID 42841343 · DOI · PMC13674655
- Dugdale CM, Ufio O, Giardina J, Shebl F, Coskun E, Pletner E, et al.. Estimating the effect of maternal viral load on perinatal and postnatal HIV transmission: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2025. PMID 40652949 · DOI · PMC12262163
- Henschke N, Bergman H, Buckley BS, Crosbie EJ, Dwan K, Golder SP, et al.. Effects of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes on community rates of HPV-related disease and harms from vaccination. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025. PMID 41276264 · DOI · PMC12640735
- Bergman H, Henschke N, Arevalo-Rodriguez I, Buckley BS, Crosbie EJ, Davies JC, et al.. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for the prevention of cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases: a network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025. PMID 41276263 · DOI · PMC12640750
- Walters MK, Bulterys MA, Barry M, Hicks S, Richey A, Sabin M, et al.. Probability of vertical HIV transmission: a systematic review and meta-regression. Lancet HIV. 2025. PMID 40753992 · DOI · PMC12720210
- Tesfie TK, Yismaw GA, Yirsaw BG, Abuhay HW, Alemayehu MA, Derseh NM, et al.. Prevalence and associated factors of HIV among female sex workers in Eastern and Southern Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2024. PMID 39621614 · DOI · PMC11611193
- Dagnaw M, Muche AA, Geremew BM, Gezie LD. Prevalence and burden of HBV-HIV co-morbidity: a global systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Public Health. 2025. PMID 40255371 · DOI · PMC12006096
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.