| Titles | Abstract | Indexed Keywords | Author Keywords |
| Prevalence and zoonotic transmission of colistin-resistant and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales on German pig farms | The treatment of infections due to colistin-resistant (Col-E) and carbapenemase-producing (CPE) Enterobacterales challenges clinicians both in human and veterinary medicine. Preventing zoonotic transmission of these multidrug-resistant bacteria is a Public Health priority. This study investigates the prevalence of Col-E and CPE on 81 pig farms in North-West Germany as well as among 138 directly exposed humans working on these farms. Between March 2018 and September 2020, 318 samples of porcine feces were taken using boot swabs. Farm workers provided a stool sample. Both a selective culture-based approach and a molecular detection of colistin (mcr-1 to mcr-5) and carbapenem resistance determinants (blaOXA-48/blaVIM/blaKPC/blaNDM) was used to screen all samples. Isolates from farm workers and farms were compared using core genome multilocus-sequence typing (cgMLST) and plasmid-typing. CPE were cultured neither from porcine feces nor from human stool samples. In one stool sample, blaOXA-48 was detected, but no respective CPE isolate was found. Col-E were found in 18/318 porcine (5.7%) samples from 10/81 (12.3%) farms and 2/138 (1.4%) farmers, respectively. All Col-E isolates were Escherichia coli harboring mcr-1. Both farm workers colonized with Col-E worked on farms where no Col-E were detected in porcine samples. In conclusion, CPE were absent on German pig farms. This supports findings of culture-based national monitoring systems and provides evidence that even when improving the diagnostic sensitivity by using molecular detection techniques in addition to culture, CPE are not prevalent. Col-E were prevalent in porcine feces despite a recent decrease in colistin usage among German livestock and absence of colistin treatments on the sampled farms. Farmers carried Col-E, but zoonotic transmission was not confirmed. © 2021 The Authors | carbapenem; colistin; Article; bacterial colonization; bacterium isolate; carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae; colistin resistance; controlled study; drug determination; drug effect; Escherichia coli; feces analysis; genetic background; human; molecular typing; multilocus sequence typing; nonhuman; pig farming; plasmid; prevalence; zoonotic transmission | One health; OXA; Porcine; VIM; Zoonosis |
| One Health approach on human seroprevalence of anti-Toxocara antibodies, Toxocara spp. eggs in dogs and sand samples between seashore mainland and island areas of southern Brazil | Toxocariasis, caused by Toxocara spp. nematodes, is among the top 5 neglected parasitic diseases worldwide; however, no comprehensive study to date has serologically compared infections in people and their dogs and environmentally contaminated soil or sand of mainland and island locations. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of anti-Toxocara antibodies in traditional human seashore populations, the presence of eggs in dogs’ feces and hair, and the presence of eggs in environmental samples from islands compared to the adjacent mainland of southern Brazil. Overall, 212/328 (64.6%) people were positive for Toxocara spp. antibodies, including 125/190 (65.8%) island and 87/138 (63.0%) mainland residents. For dog samples, 12/115 (10.43%) were positive for the presence of Toxocara spp. eggs, all from dogs living in islands, and 22/104 (21.15%) dog hair samples contained eggs of Toxocara spp. Environmental contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs was observed in 50/130 (38.46%) samples from all sampled sites. No significant association was found between risk factors (age, sex, educational level, monthly income, owning dogs or cats, ingestion of treated water, and consumption of raw or uncooked meat) and Toxocara spp. seropositivity. The present study is the first concurrent report on people, their dogs, and environmental contamination of Toxocara spp. The high prevalence we observed in the seashore populations of both in island and mainland areas may be caused by exposure to contaminated sand and climatic factors favoring frequent exposure to Toxocara spp. In conclusion, seashore lifestyle and living conditions of both island and mainland areas may have predisposed higher contact with infected pets and contaminated soil, favoring the high prevalence of toxocariasis. © 2021 | parasite antibody; adult; Article; Brazil; climate change; controlled study; cross-sectional study; dog; environmental exposure; feces analysis; female; hair analysis; human; lifestyle; male; nonhuman; One Health; sand; seashore; seroprevalence; soil analysis; soil pollution; toxocariasis | One Health; Toxocara canis; Toxocara cati; Toxocariasis; Zoonoses |
| Widespread circulation of flaviviruses in horses and birds in northeastern spain (Catalonia) between 2010 and 2019 | The surveillance for West Nile virus (WNV) in Catalonia (northeastern Spain) has consist-ently detected flaviviruses not identified as WNV. With the aim of characterizing the flaviviruses circulating in Catalonia, serum samples from birds and horses collected between 2010 and 2019 and positive by panflavivirus competition ELISA (cELISA) were analyzed by microneutralization test (MNT) against different flaviviruses. A third of the samples tested were inconclusive by MNT, high-lighting the limitations of current diagnostic techniques. Our results evidenced the widespread circulation of flaviviruses, in particular WNV, but also Usutu virus (USUV), and suggest that chicken and horses could serve as sentinels for both viruses. In several regions, WNV and USUV over-lapped, but no significant geographical aggregation was observed. Bagaza virus (BAGV) was not detected in birds, while positivity to tick‐borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) was sporadically detected in horses although no endemic foci were observed. So far, no human infections by WNV, USUV, or TBEV have been reported in Catalonia. However, these zoonotic flaviviruses need to be kept under surveillance, ideally within a One Health framework. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Animals; Antibodies, Viral; Bird Diseases; Birds; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Flavivirus; Flavivirus Infections; Horse Diseases; Horses; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Spain; virus antibody; article; Catalonia; chicken; competition; controlled study; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; horse; human; human tissue; illumination; nonhuman; One Health; Tick borne encephalitis virus; Usutu virus; West Nile virus; animal; bird; bird disease; blood; Flavivirus; Flavivirus infection; genetics; horse; horse disease; immunology; isolation and purification; physiology; seroepidemiology; Spain; veterinary medicine; virology | Bagaza virus; Flaviviruses; Spain; Tick‐borne encephalitis virus; Usutu virus; West Nile virus |
| How One Health System is Demonstrating the Right Way to Build a Smart Growth Strategy | SUMMARY: Across the United States, health system growth has been tied to significant investments in physical growth such as the build-out of large, traditional hospitals. Concurrent with this infrastructure investment, value frequently has been sought by cost cutting and large-scale closures of lower-margin facilities.At Froedtert Health, a philosophy of providing the right care at the right time in the right place is driving new growth. As the demand for unique tertiary services at its academic medical center has surged, Froedtert Health is leveraging and enhancing a new community hospital strategy while investing in new capability platforms to complement the health network’s care model across Wisconsin. Copyright © 2021 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. | Hospitals; One Health; Sustainable Development; United States; hospital; One Health; sustainable development; United States |
| Probing Differences in Gene Essentiality Between the Human and Animal Adapted Lineages of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Using TnSeq | Members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) show distinct host adaptations, preferences and phenotypes despite being >99% identical at the nucleic acid level. Previous studies have explored gene expression changes between the members, however few studies have probed differences in gene essentiality. To better understand the functional impacts of the nucleic acid differences between Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we used the Mycomar T7 phagemid delivery system to generate whole genome transposon libraries in laboratory strains of both species and compared the essentiality status of genes during growth under identical in vitro conditions. Libraries contained insertions in 54% of possible TA sites in M. bovis and 40% of those present in M. tuberculosis, achieving similar saturation levels to those previously reported for the MTBC. The distributions of essentiality across the functional categories were similar in both species. 527 genes were found to be essential in M. bovis whereas 477 genes were essential in M. tuberculosis and 370 essential genes were common in both species. CRISPRi was successfully utilised in both species to determine the impacts of silencing genes including wag31, a gene involved in peptidoglycan synthesis and Rv2182c/Mb2204c, a gene involved in glycerophospholipid metabolism. We observed species specific differences in the response to gene silencing, with the inhibition of expression of Mb2204c in M. bovis showing significantly less growth impact than silencing its orthologue (Rv2182c) in M. tuberculosis. Given that glycerophospholipid metabolism is a validated pathway for antimicrobials, our observations suggest that target vulnerability in the animal adapted lineages cannot be assumed to be the same as the human counterpart. This is of relevance for zoonotic tuberculosis as it implies that the development of antimicrobials targeting the human adapted lineage might not necessarily be effective against the animal adapted lineage. The generation of a transposon library and the first reported utilisation of CRISPRi in M. bovis will enable the use of these tools to further probe the genetic basis of survival under disease relevant conditions. Copyright © 2021 Gibson, Passmore, Faulkner, Xia, Nobeli, Stiens, Willcocks, Clark, Sobkowiak, Werling, Villarreal-Ramos, Wren and Kendall. | nucleic acid; peptidoglycan; Article; bacterial gene; bacterial genome; bacterial growth; clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat; controlled study; essential gene; gene silencing; high throughput sequencing; in vitro study; Mycobacterium bovis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex; nonhuman; phagemid; transposon | CRISPRi; essential genes; mycobacteria; mycobacterium bovis; one health; TnSeq |
| Feasibility of using real-world data in the evaluation of cardiac ablation catheters: A test-case of the National Evaluation System for Health Technology Coordinating Center | Objectives To determine the feasibility of using real-world data to assess the safety and effectiveness of two cardiac ablation catheters for the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation and ischaemic ventricular tachycardia. Design Retrospective cohort. Setting Three health systems in the USA. Participants Patients receiving ablation with the two ablation catheters of interest at any of the three health systems. Main outcome measures Feasibility of identifying the medical devices and participant populations of interest as well as the duration of follow-up and positive predictive values (PPVs) for serious safety (ischaemic stroke, acute heart failure and cardiac tamponade) and effectiveness (arrhythmia-related hospitalisation) clinical outcomes of interest compared with manual chart validation by clinicians. Results Overall, the catheter of interest for treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation was used for 4280 ablations and the catheter of interest for ischaemic ventricular tachycardia was used 1516 times across the data available within the three health systems. The duration of patient follow-up in the three health systems ranged from 91% to 97% at ≥7 days, 89% to 96% at ≥30 days, 77% to 90% at ≥6 months and 66% to 84% at ≥1 year. PPVs were 63.4% for ischaemic stroke, 96.4% for acute heart failure, 100% at one health system for cardiac tamponade and 55.7% for arrhythmia-related hospitalisation. Conclusions It is feasible to use real-world health system data to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of cardiac ablation catheters, though evaluations must consider the implications of variation in follow-up and endpoint ascertainment among health systems. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. | acute heart failure; adult; Article; clinical outcome; clinical practice; cohort analysis; feasibility study; female; follow up; health care system; heart arrhythmia; heart catheterization; heart tamponade; heart ventricle tachycardia; hospitalization; human; ischemic stroke; major clinical study; male; medical information system; One Health; persistent atrial fibrillation; predictive value; retrospective study; United States | Cardiac devices; Device evaluation; Real world evidence |
| Blastocystis One Health Approach in a Rural Community of Northern Thailand: Prevalence, Subtypes and Novel Transmission Routes | Blastocystis is the most commonly found eukaryote in the gut of humans and other animals. This protist is extremely heterogeneous genetically and is classified into 28 subtypes (STs) based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene. Numerous studies exist on prevalence of the organism, which usually focus on either humans or animals or the environment, while only a handful investigates all three sources simultaneously. Consequently, understanding of Blastocystis transmission dynamics remains inadequate. Our aim was to explore Blastocystis under the One Health perspective using a rural community in northern Thailand as our study area. We surveyed human, other animal and environmental samples using both morphological and molecular approaches. Prevalence rates of Blastocystis were 73% in human hosts (n = 45), 100% in non-human hosts (n = 44) and 91% in environmental samples (n = 35). Overall, ten subtypes were identified (ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4 ST5, ST6, ST7, ST10, ST23, and ST26), eight of which were detected in humans (ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, ST7, ST10, and ST23), three in other animals (ST6, ST7, and ST23), while seven (ST1, ST3, ST6, ST7, ST10, ST23, and ST26) were found in the environment. In our investigation of transmission dynamics, we assessed various groupings both at the household and community level. Given the overall high prevalence rate, transmission amongst humans and between animals and humans are not as frequent as expected with only two subtypes being shared. This raises questions on the role of the environment on transmission of Blastocystis. Water and soil comprise the main reservoirs of the various subtypes in this community. Five subtypes are shared between humans and the environment, while three overlap between the latter and animal hosts. We propose soil as a novel route of transmission, which should be considered in future investigations. This study provides a thorough One Health perspective on Blastocystis. Using this type of approach advances our understanding on occurrence, diversity, ecology and transmission dynamics of this poorly understood, yet frequent gut resident. Copyright © 2021 Jinatham, Maxamhud, Popluechai, Tsaousis and Gentekaki. | CD82 antigen; olanzapine; RNA 16S; small subunit ribosomal RNA; transfer RNA; water; adult; agar gel electrophoresis; animal experiment; Article; Blastocystis; cat; Convolvulaceae; disease transmission; DNA extraction; dog; ecology; feces analysis; female; gastrointestinal tract; hepatitis E; Hepatitis E virus; household; human; Ipomoea; male; microbial diversity; nested polymerase chain reaction; nonhuman; One Health; phylogeny; polymerase chain reaction; prevalence; rural population; Sanger sequencing; sequence alignment; sequence analysis; soil; Thailand | asymptomatic hosts; Blastocystis; environmental transmission; One Health; rural community; Thailand |
| From the one health perspective: Schistosomiasis Japonica and flooding | Schistosomiasis is a water-borne parasitic disease distributed worldwide, while schistosomiasis japonica localizes in the People’s Republic of China, the Philippines, and a few regions of Indonesia. Although significant achievements have been obtained in these endemic countries, great challenges still exist to reach the elimination of schistosomiasis japonica, as the occurrence of flooding can lead to several adverse consequences on the prevalence of schistosomiasis. This review summarizes the influence of flooding on the transmission of schistosomiasis japonica and interventions responding to the adverse impacts from the One Health perspective in human beings, animals, and the environment. For human and animals, behavioral changes and the damage of water conservancy and sanitary facilities will increase the intensity of water contact. For the environment, the density of Oncomelania snails significantly increases from the third year after flooding, and the snail habitats can be enlarged due to active and passive diffusion. With more water contact of human and other reservoir hosts, and larger snail habitats with higher density of living snails, the transmission risk of schistosomiasis increases under the influence of flooding. With the agenda set for global schistosomiasis elimination, interventions from the One Health perspective are put forward to respond to the impacts of increased flooding. For human beings, conducting health education to increase the consciousness of self-protection, preventive chemotherapy for high-risk populations, supply of safe water, early case finding, timely reporting, and treating cases will protect people from infection and prevent the outbreak of schistosomiasis. For animals, culling susceptible domestic animals, herding livestock in snail-free areas, treating livestock with infection or at high risk of infection, harmless treatment of animal feces to avoid water contamination, and monitoring the infection status of wild animals in flooding areas are important to cut off the transmission chain from the resources. For the environment, early warning of flooding, setting up warning signs and killing cercaria in risk areas during and post flooding, reconstructing damaged water conservancy facilities, developing hygiene and sanitary facilities, conducting snail surveys, using molluscicide, and predicting areas with high risk of schistosomiasis transmission after flooding all contribute to reducing the transmission risk of schistosomiasis. These strategies need the cooperation of the ministry of health, meteorological administration, water resources, agriculture, and forestry to achieve the goal of minimizing the impact of flooding on the transmission of schistosomiasis. In conclusion, flooding is one of the important factors affecting the transmission of schistosomiasis japonica. Multi-sectoral cooperation is needed to effectively prevent and control the adverse impacts of flooding on human beings, animals, and the environment. © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | acaricide; artemisinin; deltamethrin; molluscacide; praziquantel; rain; water; agriculture; aquatic environment; Article; behavior change; cercaria; climate change; consciousness; cryptosporidiosis; diffusion; disease transmission; educational status; egg production; environment; environmental health; feces; flooding; greenhouse effect; health education; high risk population; human; livestock; miracidium; nonhuman; Oncomelania; Oncomelania hupensis; One Health; phenology; prevalence; remote sensing; risk factor; sanitation; Schistosoma; Schistosoma haematobium; schistosomiasis; schistosomiasis japonica; seroprevalence; sewage disposal; snail; sporocyst; systematic review; water availability; water conservation; water contamination; water pollution; water supply | Environment; Flooding; One health; Schistosomiasis |
| Collective global amnesia. One Health’s greatest challenge | [No abstract available] | Amnesia; Animals; Global Health; One Health; amnesia; Article; artificial intelligence; coronavirus disease 2019; ecology; ecosystem monitoring; human; One Health; psychological well-being; amnesia; animal; global health |
| Understanding pandemics such as covid-19 through the lenses of the “one health” approach | This study aims to contribute to research on systemic thinking in biology education, particularly how to best equip pre-service teachers to introduce health problems such as the COVID-19 pandemic using the “One Health” approach. We attempt to explore to what extent a group of pre-service teachers identify our lifestyle and relationships with nature as factors that contribute to the emergence of future pandemics. The research questions are as follows: (1) What dimensions of the One Health approach did the students identify as potential causes that can produce and prevent future pandemics such as the COVID-19 disease? (2) To what extent did the students show a systemic view aligned to the One Health approach? The participants were 43 pre-service elementary teachers working on a set of activities about the COVID-19 pandemic, in which they were asked about the potential causes of and ways to prevent future pandemics. Content analysis of individual written responses is applied for addressing the research questions, focusing on the dimensions of the One Health approach and the level of system thinking reflected. Most participants focused on the human dimension and a few mentioned environmental and animal dimensions, which points to the need to integrate the One Health notion into teacher training. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | COVID-19; epidemic; health education; lifestyle; research method; student | COVID-19 pandemic; Environmental problems; Health controversies; One Health; Primary pre-service teachers; Teachers’ training; Zoonosis |
| Identification and Characterization of Campylobacter Species in Livestock, Humans, and Water in Livestock Owning Households of Peri-urban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A One Health Approach | Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial infectious diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis globally, and is recognized as a significant zoonotic pathogen. Antimicrobial resistance amongst Campylobacter isolates is a significant global concern. A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify and characterize Campylobacter species in humans, animals and water sources in livestock owning households of peri-urban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and to characterize antimicrobial resistance. A total of 519 fecal samples from humans (n = 99), livestock (n = 179), poultry (n = 69), and water (n = 172) were collected. Samples were cultured for viable Campylobacter spp. and multiplex PCR utilized for the identification and confirmation. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was assessed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Campylobacter spp. was detected in 67/519 (13.0%) of the total tested samples, and the household level prevalence of Campylobacter was 42.4%. The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was: humans (10.1%), cattle (18.5%), poultry (13.0%), sheep (13.3%), goats (7.1%), and water (10.5%). Campylobacter jejuni and C. fetus were the most frequently isolated species, followed by C. coli. The majority of isolates obtained from human samples had co-occurrence with isolates from cattle, poultry or water samples from the same household. The use of stored water, the practice of indoor and outdoor manure collecting, and animal species Campylobacter positivity were significantly associated with greater odds of human Campylobacter spp. positivity. All Campylobacter isolates from humans, poultry, sheep, goats and water, and 96.0% of isolates from cattle were resistant to at least one or more of the tested antimicrobials, with 95.5% of isolates resistant to three or more classes of antimicrobials. A One Health approach is recommended to further investigate Campylobacter species infections, and other zoonotic infectious diseases, in the livestock owning populations in Ethiopia, where there is close interaction between humans, animals and the environment. Copyright © 2021 Chala, Eguale, Abunna, Asrat and Stringer. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Campylobacter; Cattle; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Ethiopia; Humans; Livestock; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; One Health; Sheep; Water; antiinfective agent; water; animal; bovine; Campylobacter; cross-sectional study; epidemiology; Ethiopia; human; livestock; microbial sensitivity test; One Health; sheep | antimicrobial resistance; Campylobacter; Ethiopia; livestock; one health; zoonosis |
| Upholding veterinary services as a pillar of one health in Myanmar | Veterinary service is one of the pillars to restore One Health in Myanmar. In the immediate future, international support provided to Myanmar can relieve food shortage and some humanitarian crises. In the long run, societal trauma from the military coup and violence, infrastructure breakdown, and economic downturn complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic will make recovery of the nation harder. While the building blocks to achieve peace and humanitarianism are long and complicated, part of the interim solution is to restore Myanmar veterinary services. The restoration will ease food scarcity in the short-run, reduce sylvatic and zoonotic infection risks and re-capitalise societal infrastructure building in the long-run. Myanmar society cannot rebuild on its own—it needs international and national support to facilitate peace and humanitarianism. © 2021 | rabies vaccine; agricultural management; agricultural worker; Article; civil disorder; disease transmission; food industry; food insecurity; human; humanitarian aid; infection risk; livestock; mass immunization; Myanmar; nonhuman; One Health; politics; preventive health service; public health; rabies; risk factor; tuberculosis control; veterinary medicine; violence; war; zoonosis | Myanmar; One health; Veterinary service |
| Challenges and Opportunities for Public Health Service in Oman From the COVID-19 Pandemic: Learning Lessons for a Better Future | Despite the apparent challenges inflicted by COVID-19 globally, the pandemic provided an opportunity to utilize and expand existing public health capacities for a more adaptive and resilient system during and after each wave of the disease. This paper provides a narrative review of Oman’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to July 2021, and the challenges it faced for a more rapid and efficient response. The review demonstrates that the three main pillars influencing the direction of the pandemic and aiding the control are Oman’s unified governmental leadership, the move to expand the capacity of the health care system at all levels, and community partnership in all stages of the response including the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The opportunities identified during response stages in the harmonization of the multisectoral response, streamlining communication channels, addressing vulnerable communities (dormitories, residences at border regions), and providing professional technical leadership provide an excellent precursor for expediting the transformation of Oman’s health care system to one with a multisectoral holistic approach. Some of the major challenges faced are the shortage of the public health cadre, lack of a fully integrated digital platform for surveillance, and the scarcity of experts in risk communication and community engagement. A future health system where the center for diseases surveillance and control acts as a nucleus for multisectoral expertise and leadership, which includes community representatives, is crucial to attain optimum health. The destruction inflicted by this prolong COVID-19 pandemic at all levels of human life had valued the importance of investing on preventive and preparedness strategies. Copyright © 2021 Al Khalili, Al Maani, Al Wahaibi, Al Yaquobi, Al-Jardani, Al Harthi, Alqayoudhi, Al Manji, Al Rawahi and Al-Abri. | COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Health Services; Humans; Oman; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; epidemiology; health service; human; Oman; pandemic | COVID-19; disease surveillance; health care system; Oman; One Health; pandemic; public health |
| Isolation and Characterization of Group III Campylobacter jejuni–Specific Bacteriophages From Germany and Their Suitability for Use in Food Production | Campylobacter spp. are a major cause of bacterial foodborne diarrhea worldwide. While thermophilic Campylobacter species asymptomatically colonize the intestines of chickens, most human infections in industrial countries have been attributed to consumption of chicken meat or cross-contaminated products. Bacteriophages (phages) are natural predators of bacteria and their use at different stages of the food production chain has been shown to reduce the public health burden of human campylobacteriosis. However, regarding regulatory issues, the use of lytic phages in food is still under discussion and evaluation. This study aims to identify lytic phages suitable for reducing Campylobacter bacteria along the food production chain. Therefore, four of 19 recently recovered phages were further characterized in detail for their lytic efficacy against different Campylobacter field strains and their suitability under food production settings at different temperatures and pH values. Based on the results of this study, the phages vB_CjM-LmqsCP1-4 and vB_CjM-LmqsCP1-5 appear to be promising candidates for the reduction of Campylobacter jejuni in food production settings. Copyright © 2021 Steffan, Shakeri, Hammerl, Kehrenberg, Peh, Rohde, Jackel, Plotz and Kittler. | article; bacterial strain; biological pest control; Campylobacter jejuni; drug efficacy; food industry; Germany; human; nonhuman; pH; phage therapy; poultry meat | bacteriophages; Campylobacter virus; efficiency of plaquing; novel antimicrobials; one health approach; phage biocontrol; phage therapy; poultry meat |
| Exosomes derived from radioresistant breast cancer cells promote therapeutic resistance in naïve recipient cells | Radiation resistance is a significant challenge in the treatment of breast cancer in humans. Human breast cancer is commonly treated with surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy/radiotherapy, but recurrence and metastasis upon the development of therapy resistance results in treatment failure. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by most cell types and contain biologically active cargo that, when transferred to recipient cells, can influence the cells’ genome and proteome. We propose that exosomes secreted by radioresistant (RR) cells may be able to disseminate the RR phenotype throughout the tumour. Here, we isolated exosomes from the human breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, and the canine mammary carcinoma cell line, REM134, and their RR counterparts to investigate the effects of exosomes derived from RR cells on non-RR recipient cells. Canine mammary cancer cells lines have previously been shown to be excellent translational models of human breast cancer. This is consistent with our current data showing that exosomes derived from RR cells can increase cell viability and colony formation in naïve recipient cells and increase chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance, in both species. These results are consistent in cancer stem cell and non-cancer stem cell populations. Significantly, exosomes derived from RR cells increased the tumoursphere-forming ability of recipient cells compared to exosomes derived from non-RR cells. Our results show that exosomes are potential mediators of radiation resistance that could be therapeutically targeted. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | adult; article; breast cancer cell line; breast carcinoma cell line; cancer stem cell; cell population; cell viability; chemotherapy; colony formation; controlled study; exosome; human; human cell; in vitro study; One Health; phenotype; radiosensitivity; radiotherapy | Breast cancer; Chemoresistance; Comparative oncology; Exosomes; One Health; Radioresistance |
| Development and implementation of National External Quality Assurance Programs in a One Health approach: The Armenian experience | Introduction: Early warning and objective evidence of systematic errors in laboratory diagnosis ensures evidence based corrective and preventive actions that instill patient safety and confidence. External quality assessment contributes significantly to the above as an essential component of laboratory quality assurance. However, implementation of External Quality Assessment in resource-limited settings is challenged by high costs of enrolling in international schemes. To ensure sustainability, a National External Quality Assessment Program in Armenia was developed using a One Health approach. Methods: Through engagement of stakeholders from Ministry of Health and Department of Agriculture under Ministry of Economy the government of Armenia started the implementation of the Armenia Laboratory External Quality Assessment (ALEQA) program. Policies and procedures were defined, a web interface for return of results and feedback reporting was created. A training was offered for characterization of simulated samples for bacterial pathogens. Following a pilot survey, the program was successfully scaled up, with later addition of a Brucella serology discipline. Results: The return rate of results was 100% for all surveys. There was an improvement in the performance of the laboratories from the 2015 to the 2019 surveys. The bacterial pathogens EQA survey’s, was interrupted between 2017 and 2019. The Brucella Serology survey showed 77% of the 26 participating laboratories had satisfactory performance. Conclusion: This is one of the few National EQA Programs that have embraced the One Health approach to improve reach of EQA Programs in resource-limited settings in both human and veterinary laboratories. © 2021 | Armenia; Article; bacterial virulence; Brucella; feedback system; government; health care policy; health care system; human; laboratory test; nonhuman; One Health; online system; pilot study; serology; training; veterinary medicine; web browser | Bacterial pathogens; Brucellosis; External quality assessment; One Health; Quality assurance; Quality control |
| Surveillance for harmful algal bloom events and associated human and animal illnesses — One health harmful algal bloom system, United States, 2016–2018 | [No abstract available] | Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Animal Diseases; Animals; Child; Child, Preschool; Communicable Diseases; Environmental Exposure; Female; Harmful Algal Bloom; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Middle Aged; One Health; Public Health Surveillance; United States; Young Adult; adolescent; adult; adverse event; aged; algal bloom; animal; animal disease; child; communicable disease; environmental exposure; female; health survey; human; infant; male; middle aged; newborn; One Health; preschool child; procedures; United States; veterinary medicine; young adult |
| Measuring Changes in Perceptions of Access to Pet Support Care in Underserved Communities | Understanding social, economic, and structural barriers to accessing pet care services is important for improving the health and welfare of companion animals in underserved communities in the U.S. From May 2018-December 2019, six questions from the validated One Health Community Assessment were used to measure perceptions of access to pet care in two urban and two rural zip codes. One urban and one rural community received services from a pet support outreach program (Pets for Life), while the other served as a comparison community. After propensity score matching was performed to eliminate demographic bias in the sample (Urban = 512 participants, Rural = 234 participants), Generalized Estimating Equations were employed to compare the six measures of access to pet care between the intervention and comparison communities. The urban community with the Pets for Life intervention was associated with a higher overall measure of access to pet care compared to the urban site that did not have the Pets for Life intervention. When assessing each of the six measures of access to care, the urban community with the Pets for Life intervention was associated with higher access to affordable pet care options and higher access to pet care service providers who offer payment options than the community without the Pets for Life intervention. Further analyses with a subset of Pets for Life clients comparing pre-intervention and post-intervention survey responses revealed statistically significant positive trends in perceptions of two of the six measures of access to pet care. This study provides evidence that community-based animal welfare programming has the potential to increase perceptions of access to pet support services. Copyright © 2021 Hawes, Hupe, Winczewski, Elting, Arrington, Newbury and Morris. | adult; animal welfare; article; community assessment; demography; female; human; human experiment; human tissue; major clinical study; male; nonhuman; One Health; perception; pet animal; propensity score; rural population; social determinants of health; urban population | access to care; animal welfare; companion animals; generalized estimating equations; social determinants of health |
| Epidemiological features and geographical expansion of sporotrichosis in the state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil | Aim: Cases of sporotrichosis are emerging in several states of Brazil, especially in the southeast. Recently, sporotrichosis has been reported in the state of Pernambuco in the northeastern region. The goal of this study was to shed new light on sporotrichosis in terms of the geographic distribution of human cases and provide an overview of sporotrichosis associated with zoonotic transmission. Patients & methods: From March 2017 to November 2019, 179 patients were diagnosed with sporotrichosis. Georeferencing analysis, spatial distribution and epidemiological features of all cases are described. Results: The data show the dynamics of accelerated transmission of sporotrichosis across urban and coastal areas of the state of Pernambuco. Conclusion: There is a need to decentralize health services and implement a One Health approach to this emerging disease. © 2021 Future Medicine Ltd. | Brazil; Humans; Sporothrix; Sporotrichosis; amphotericin B; antifungal agent; itraconazole; potassium iodide; terbinafine; adult; Article; cat; clinical feature; disease transmission; epidemiological data; female; geographic distribution; geographic mapping; human; major clinical study; male; One Health; Pernambuco; retrospective study; seashore; spatial analysis; sporotrichosis; urban area; zoonotic transmission; Brazil; Sporothrix; sporotrichosis | Epidemiology; Georeferencing; Socioeconomic conditions; Sporothrix |
| Genomic comparisons of Escherichia coli ST131 from Australia | Escherichia coli ST131 is a globally dispersed extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli lineage contributing significantly to hospital and community acquired urinary tract and bloodstream infections. Here we describe a detailed phylogenetic analysis of the whole genome sequences of 284 Australian ST131 E. coli isolates from diverse sources, including clinical, food and companion animals, wildlife and the environment. Our phylogeny and the results of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis show the typical ST131 clade distribution with clades A, B and C clearly displayed, but no niche associations were observed. Indeed, interspecies relatedness was a feature of this study. Thirty-five isolates (29 of human and six of wild bird origin) from clade A (32 fimH41, 2 fimH89, 1 fimH141) were observed to differ by an average of 76 SNPs. Forty-five isolates from clade C1 from four sources formed a cluster with an average of 46 SNPs. Within this cluster, human sourced isolates differed by approximately 37 SNPs from isolates sourced from canines, approximately 50 SNPs from isolates from wild birds, and approximately 52 SNPs from isolates from wastewater. Many ST131 carried resistance genes to multiple antibiotic classes and while 41 (14 %) contained the complete class one integron-integrase intI1, 128 (45 %) isolates harboured a truncated intI1 (462-1014 bp), highlighting the ongoing evolution of this element. The module intI1-dfrA17-aadA5-qacEΔ1-sul1-ORF-chrA-padR-IS1600-mphR-mrx-mphA, conferring resistance to trimethoprim, aminoglycosides, quaternary ammonium compounds, sulphonamides, chromate and macrolides, was the most common structure. Most (73 %) Australian ST131 isolates carry at least one extended spectrum β-lactamase gene, typically blaCTX-M-15 and blaCTX-M-27. Notably, dual parC-1aAB and gyrA-1AB fluoroquinolone resistant mutations, a unique feature of clade C ST131 isolates, were identified in some clade A isolates. The results of this study indicate that the the ST131 population in Australia carries diverse antimicrobial resistance genes and plasmid replicons and indicate cross-species movement of ST131 strains across diverse reservoirs. | Animals; Australia; Birds; Dogs; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Proteins; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Whole Genome Sequencing; Escherichia coli protein; animal; Australia; bird; classification; dog; Escherichia coli; genetics; high throughput sequencing; human; phylogeny; procedures; single nucleotide polymorphism; whole genome sequencing | blaCTX-M-27; class 1 integrons; extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC); H41; one health; ST131; urinary tract infection (UTI) |
| One health, covid-19, and a right to health for hhr_final_logo_alone.Indd 1 human and nonhuman animals | COVID-19 is a reminder that human, nonhuman, and environmental health are linked, and so efforts to improve human, nonhuman, and environmental health should be linked as well. But current efforts to link these issues fall short by not doing enough for humans, not doing enough for nonhumans, and focusing narrowly on health instead of expansively on health, welfare, and rights. This paper surveys the case for respecting and promoting human and nonhuman welfare, health, and rights simultaneously. It then surveys the impacts of COVID-19 on human and nonhuman populations and proposes steps that humans can take to respect and promote human and nonhuman health, welfare, and rights ethically and effectively in this context. © 2021 Sellars, Bernotas, and Sebo. | Animals; COVID-19; Human Rights; Humans; One Health; Right to Health; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; public health; welfare provision; animal; human; human rights; One Health |
| EpiHacks, a Process for Technologists and Health Experts to Cocreate Optimal Solutions for Disease Prevention and Control: User-Centered Design Approach | Background: Technology-based innovations that are created collaboratively by local technology specialists and health experts can optimize the addressing of priority needs for disease prevention and control. An EpiHack is a distinct, collaborative approach to developing solutions that combines the science of epidemiology with the format of a hackathon. Since 2013, a total of 12 EpiHacks have collectively brought together over 500 technology and health professionals from 29 countries. Objective: We aimed to define the EpiHack process and summarize the impacts of the technology-based innovations that have been created through this approach. Methods: The key components and timeline of an EpiHack were described in detail. The focus areas, outputs, and impacts of the twelve EpiHacks that were conducted between 2013 and 2021 were summarized. Results: EpiHack solutions have served to improve surveillance for influenza, dengue, and mass gatherings, as well as laboratory sample tracking and One Health surveillance, in rural and urban communities. Several EpiHack tools were scaled during the COVID-19 pandemic to support local governments in conducting active surveillance. All tools were designed to be open source to allow for easy replication and adaptation by other governments or parties. Conclusions: EpiHacks provide an efficient, flexible, and replicable new approach to generating relevant and timely innovations that are locally developed and owned, are scalable, and are sustainable. © Nomita Divi, Mark Smolinski. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org),15.12.2021. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included. | COVID-19; Humans; Local Government; Mass Gatherings; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; User-Centered Design; active surveillance; adaptation; Article; coronavirus disease 2019; dengue; epihack; government; human; influenza; laboratory test; medical expert; One Health; open source software; pandemic; process technology; rural population; urban population; user-centered design | Control; Diagnostic; Disease surveillance; Epidemiology; Expert; Hack; Innovation; Innovative approaches to disease surveillance; One health; Prevention; Public health; Solution; Surveillance; Technology solution; Tool |
| Tracking animal reservoirs of pathogenic leptospira: The right test for the right claim | Leptospirosis is the most prevalent bacterial zoonosis worldwide and, in this context, has been extensively investigated through the One Health framework. Diagnosis of human leptospirosis includes molecular and serological tools, with the serological Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) still being considered as the gold standard. Mammals acting as reservoirs of the pathogen include species or populations that are able to maintain chronic infection and shed the bacteria via their urine into the environment. Animals infected by Leptospira are often identified using the same diagnosis tool as in humans, i.e., serological MAT. However, this tool may lead to misinterpretations as it can signal previous infection but does not provide accurate information regarding the capacity of animals to maintain chronic infection and, hence, participate in the transmission cycle. We employ in this paper previously published data and present original results on introduced and endemic small mammals from Indian Ocean islands to show that MAT should not be used for the identification of Leptospira reservoirs. By contrast, serological data are informative on the level of exposure of animals living in a specific environment. We present a sequential methodology to investigate human leptospirosis in the One Health framework that associates molecular detection in humans and animals, together with MAT of human samples using Leptospira isolates obtained from reservoir animals occurring in the same environment. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | agglutination test; animal reservoir; Article; bacterium detection; bacterium isolate; endemic species; exposure; human; Indian Ocean; Leptospira; Leptospira borgpetersenii; Leptospira interrogans; Leptospira kirschneri; Leptospira mayottensis; leptospirosis; Molossidae; Mormopterus acetabulosus; nonhuman; One Health; Rattus rattus; serology; small mammal; tenrec; Tenrec ecaudatus | Animal reservoir; Leptospira; MAT; One Health |
| A One-Health evaluation of the burden of cystic echinococcosis and its prevention costs: Case study from a hypo-endemic area in Italy | An integrated model, based on a One Health approach, was implemented to estimate the epidemiological and economic outcomes of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in Veneto region, an hypo-endemic area of Northern Italy, and the costs for its prevention. Data and information needed to populate the model were retrieved from published literature, official statistics, expert opinions, or actively searched through data mining (i.e., Hospital and slaughterhouse data), when fundamental data were not available. Human-health and animal-health costs, both public and private, were considered. The overall impact of CE in the study area was estimated in an yearly cost of about 0.5 million €, due to an average of 19.5 human hospitalized cases and about 200 infected animals among cattle and sheep, per year. The human:animal costs ratio was about 8:1. Most of the infected animals were autochthonous, while the identification of an autochthonous source of the infection for the human cases was extremely difficult, and unlikely in most cases. No specific action resulted to be in place for human surveillance, while veterinary surveillance accounted for a yearly cost of about 22,000 €. Sheepherders were found to pay privately an overall amount of around 2000 € for the preventive treatment of their dogs every year, but the applied protocol proved to be sub-optimal. The source of most of the human cases was likely external to the study area, and their economic impact accounts for a cost that is far exceeding that of surveillance and preventive actions in place in the veterinary sector. Although autochthonous human cases appeared to be very rare, the strengthening of preventive actions and surveillance systems can reduce the risk of their increment. © 2021 The Authors | adult; agricultural worker; animal health; Article; controlled study; data mining; disease surveillance; dog; echinococcosis; economic evaluation; endemic disease; female; health care cost; hospitalization cost; human; infection prevention; infection risk; Italy; major clinical study; male; nonhuman; One Health; private practice; public health service; risk reduction; sheepherder; veterinary medicine | Cystic echinococcosis; Economic evaluation; Epidemiology; Italy; One Health |
| One map: Using geospatial analysis to understand lead exposure across humans, animals, and the environment in an urban US city | Environmental lead contamination negatively impacts human, animal, and ecosystem health, yet there is a lack of research in this area that incorporates a One Health framework – examining co-exposures among species through their shared environment. The purpose of this study was to integrate human and animal data with public soil lead levels to better understand lead exposure patterns across species in an urban US city. Over 200 soil samples were collected, analyzed for lead, and mapped in combination with other risk factors pulled from the literature to identify areas of highest risk. Human socio-demographic data, dog, and house sparrow density data were mapped to investigate the association between these variables and soil lead levels. Geospatial analysis software was used to visualize the geospatial distribution of soil lead levels and known risk factors for environmental lead contamination, and a block group risk score was calculated and mapped. Associations between human and animal-associated variables and soil lead levels and block risk scores were assessed using Spearman’s correlations. Positive, statistically significant associations were found between soil lead levels and higher population density, higher education levels, and higher median household income. Areas with higher soil lead levels and lead exposure risk scores were associated with greater dog density and greater house sparrow density. This study fills an important knowledge gap on the risk of environmental lead exposure to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. © 2021 The Authors | article; contamination; demography; dog; domestic animal; household income; human; human experiment; major clinical study; nonhuman; Passer domesticus; population density; public health; risk assessment; risk factor; software; soil; tertiary education; wildlife | Conservation medicine; Environmental lead contamination; GIS; Lead exposure; One health; Public health |
| A cross‐sectional study of knowledge on ownership, zoonoses and practices among pet owners in northern portugal | Pet ownership is common in modern society. In Portugal, 38% and 31% of all households own at least one dog or cat, respectively. Few studies have ascertained the knowledge of pet owners on pet ownership and zoonoses, and none have been carried out in Portugal. The aim of the present study was to assess household knowledge and practices related to pet ownership and zoonoses in northern Portugal. A face‐to‐face questionnaire was completed by 424 pet owners, from November 2019 to February 2020. Most respondents (97.2%) considered pets as an important part of the family, especially women (p = 0.036); 73.1% allowed their pets to live an indoor/outdoor life; 41.3% denied sharing the bed with their pets while 29% assumed they did it daily; 20.3% reported never kissing their pets/pets licking their faces. Furthermore, 73.6% considered animals as potential sources of human diseases, but only 25.9% reported knowing the definition of zoonoses; 96.9% considered the role of veterinarians important in protecting public health. The low level of knowledge of pet owners and the occurrence of high‐risk behaviors indicates a need to strengthen communication between veterinarians, physicians, pet owners, and the general public towards reduce the risk of acquisition and transmission of zoonoses. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | antiparasitic agent; adolescent; adult; antihelminthic therapy; Article; avian influenza; bird; bovine spongiform encephalopathy; brucellosis; cancer patient; child; Colorado tick fever; coronavirus disease 2019; cross-sectional study; dengue; dermatophytosis; dirofilariasis; disease transmission; dog; echinococcosis; education; Escherichia coli infection; exotic animal; female; fish; giardiasis; high risk behavior; household; human; knowledge; leishmaniasis; leptospirosis; licking; Lyme disease; malaria; male; mental performance; nonhuman; occupation; organization and management; ornithosis; pet animal; physical activity; physician; piroplasmosis; Portugal; pregnant woman; prevalence; public health; Q fever; rabies; risk attitude; salmonellosis; scabies; taeniasis; toxoplasmosis; trichinosis; tuberculosis; turtle; veterinarian; West Nile fever; yellow fever; zoonosis | knowledge; One Health; Pet ownership; Pets; Portugal; Public health; Zoonoses |
| Neonatal calf diarrhea: A potent reservoir of multi-drug resistant bacteria, environmental contamination and public health hazard in Pakistan | Though emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria in the environment is a demonstrated worldwide phenomenon, limited research is reported about the prevalence of resistant bacteria in fecal ecology of neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) animals in Pakistan. The present study aimed to identify and assess the prevalence of bacterial pathogens and their resistance potential in the fecal ecology of NCD diseased animals of Pakistan. The presence of antibiotic resistance genes (blaTEM, blaNDM-1, blaCTX-M, qnrS) was also investigated. A total of 51 bacterial isolates were recovered from feces of young diarrheic animals (n = 11), collected from 7 cities of Pakistan and identified on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic analysis. Selected isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility by disc diffusion method while polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to characterize the blaTEM, blaNDM-1, blaCTX-M, qnrS and mcr-1 antibiotic resistance genes. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences (Accession numbers: LC488898 to LC488948), all isolates were identified that belonged to seventeen genera with the highest prevalence rate for phylum Proteobacteria and genus Bacillus (23%). Antibiotic susceptibility explained the prevalence of resistance in isolates ciprofloxacin (100%), ampicillin (100%), sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (85%), tetracycline (75%), amoxicillin (55%), ofloxacin (50%), ceftazidime (45%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (45%), levofloxacin (30%), cefpodoxime (25%), cefotaxime (25%), cefotaxime/clavulanic acid (20%), and imipenem (10%). MICs demonstrated that almost 90% isolates were multi-drug resistant (against at least three antibiotics), specially against ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline with the highest resistance levels for Shigella sp. (NCCP-421) (MIC-CIP up to 75 μg mL−1) and Escherichia sp. (NCCP-432) (MIC-TET up to 250 μg mL−1). PCR-assisted detection of antibiotic resistance genes showed that 54% isolates were positive for blaTEM gene, 7% isolates were positive for blaCTX-M gene, 23% isolates were positive for each of qnrS and mcr-1 genes, 23% isolates were co-positive in combinations of qnrS and mcr-1 genes and blaTEM and mcr-1 genes, whereas none of the isolate showed presence of blaNDM-1 gene. © 2021 Elsevier B.V. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; beta-Lactamases; Diarrhea; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Pakistan; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Phylogeny; Public Health; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Pakistan; Bacteria (microorganisms); Escherichia; Proteobacteria; Shigella sp.; Animals; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Bacteriology; Ecology; Health hazards; Microwave integrated circuits; Polymerase chain reaction; Public health; RNA; amoxicillin; amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid; ampicillin; antibiotic agent; cefotaxime; cefotaxime plus clavulanic acid; cefpodoxime; ceftazidime; ciprofloxacin; cotrimoxazole; imipenem; levofloxacin; ofloxacin; tetracycline; unclassified drug; antiinfective agent; beta lactamase; drug; RNA 16S; 16S rRNA gene; 16S rRNA gene sequence; Antibiotic resistance genes; ARG; Chain reaction; Drug-resistant bacteria; MDR; Neonatal calf diarrhea; One health; Pakistan; bacterium; diarrheal disease; phylogenetics; public health; RNA; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; Bacillus; bacterial gene; bacterium carrier; bacterium contamination; bacterium isolate; blaCTX M gene; blaNDM 1 gene; blaTEM gene; cattle disease; Escherichia; health hazard; microbial diversity; minimum inhibitory concentration; multidrug resistance; neonatal calf diarrhea; newborn; nonhuman; Pakistan; prevalence; Proteobacteria; public health; qnrS gene; Shigella; animal; diarrhea; genetics; microbial sensitivity test; multidrug resistance; phylogeny; Genes | 16S rRNA gene; ARGs; MDR; MICs; Neonatal calf diarrhea; One Health |
| Genomic investigation of a household SARS-CoV-2 disease cluster in Arizona involving a cat, dog, and pet owner | Arizona’s COVID-19 and Pets Program is a prospective surveillance study being conducted to characterize how SARS-CoV-2 impacts companion animals living in households with SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals. Among the enrolled pets, we identified a SARS-CoV-2-infected cat and dog from the same household; both animals were asymptomatic but had close contact with the symptomatic and SARS-CoV-2-positive owner. Whole genome sequencing of animal and owner specimens revealed identical viral genomes of the B.1.575 lineage, suggesting zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from human to at least one pet. This is the first report of the B.1.575 lineage in companion animals. Genetically linking SARS-CoV-2 between people and animals, and tracking changes in SARS-CoV-2 genomes is essential to detect any cross-species SARS-CoV-2 transmission that may lead to more transmissible or severe variants that can affect humans. Surveillance studies, including genomic analyses of owner and pet specimens, are needed to further our understanding of how SARS-CoV-2 impacts companion animals. © 2021 The Authors | adult; Arizona; Article; asymptomatic infection; case report; cat; clinical article; contact examination; coronavirus disease 2019; disease surveillance; dog; genetic analysis; genetic linkage; household; human; male; nonhuman; nose smear; pet animal; rectal swab; reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; virus genome; virus identification; virus transmission; whole genome sequencing; zoonosis; zoonotic transmission | Companion animals; Genomic sequencing; One health; Pets; SARS-CoV-2 |
| Unpacking the Theory Behind One Health Food Safety Programs: A Vietnam Case Study | Many One Health programs are inherently complex, characterized by multiple perspectives from multiple sectors, delivery across various scales, and a focus on complex problems at the convergence of people, animals, and the environment. This complexity makes them difficult to conceptualize, requiring frameworks to organize the different program components. Evaluation frameworks that unpack the sequence of events linking program activities to outcomes (e.g., Theory of Change) and track outcomes (e.g., Outcome Mapping) show promise in supporting the development of One Health programs. While widely used in international development and health contexts, there has been little reflection on the use of Theory of Change and Outcome Mapping within One Health efforts. This paper reflects on the process of applying these frameworks to conceptualize a One Health food safety program in Vietnam. We find Theory of Change fostered the characterization of a change pathway toward safer pork, while Outcome Mapping kept us informed of where along the change pathway we were. One Health programs considering evaluation frameworks should adopt elements that make sense to them, be intentional about co-designing the evaluation, and view evaluation as a process, not a product. Copyright © 2021 Lam, Nguyen, Tuan, Nguyen, Nguyen-Viet, Toribio, Thanh, Pham-Van, Grace and Unger. | article; food safety; health food; human; One Health; pork; program evaluation; theoretical study; Viet Nam | food safety; One Health; outcome mapping; program evaluation; theory of change; Vietnam |
| Reflections on One Health leadership training needs for the 21st century | [No abstract available] | Article; attitude; climate change; clinical decision making; coronavirus disease 2019; ecosystem health; endemic disease; funding; global health; government; health equity; human; knowledge; leadership; mentor; One Health; outcome variable; pollution; public health; skill; social aspect; student; training; veterinary medicine | Leadership; One Health; Training; Wicked problem |
| EMBRACE-WATERS statement: Recommendations for reporting of studies on antimicrobial resistance in wastewater and related aquatic environments | Background: A One Health approach requires integrative research to elucidate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment and the risks it poses to human health. Research on this topic involves experts from diverse backgrounds and professions. Shortcomings exist in terms of consistent, complete, and transparent reporting in many environmental studies. Standardized reporting will improve the quality of scientific papers, enable meta-analyses and enhance the communication among different experts. In this study, we aimed to generate a consensus of reporting standards for AMR research in wastewater and related aquatic environments. Methods: Based on a risk of bias assessment of the literature in a systematic review, we proposed a set of study quality indicators. We then used a multistep modified Delphi consensus to develop the EMBRACE-WATERS statement (rEporting antiMicroBial ResistAnCE in WATERS), a checklist of recommendations for reporting in studies of AMR in wastewater and related aquatic environments. Findings: Consensus was achieved among a multidisciplinary panel of twenty-one experts in three steps. The developed EMBRACE-WATERS statement incorporates 21 items. Each item contains essential elements of high-quality reporting and is followed by an explanation of their rationale and a reporting-example. The EMBRACE-WATERS statement is primarily intended to be used by investigators to ensure transparent and comprehensive reporting of their studies. It can also guide peer-reviewers and editors in evaluation of manuscripts on AMR in the aquatic environment. This statement is not intended to be used to guide investigators on the methodology of their research. Interpretation: We are hopeful that this statement will improve the reporting quality of future studies of AMR in wastewater and related aquatic environments. Its uptake would generate a common language to be used among researchers from different disciplines, thus advancing the One Health approach towards understanding AMR spread across aquatic environments. Similar initiatives are needed in other areas of One Health research. © 2021 The Authors | antibiotic resistance; aquatic environment; Article; checklist; consensus; Delphi study; human; information processing; medical expert; methodology; One Health; research; risk assessment; standard; systematic review; wastewater | Antimicrobial resistance; Aquatic; Environment; One health; Recommendations; Reporting |
| Extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli surveillance in the human, food chain, and environment sectors: Tricycle project (pilot) in Indonesia | The World Health Organization (WHO) has been implementing antimicrobial surveillance with a “One Health” approach, known as the Global Surveillance ESBL E. coli Tricycle Project. We describe the implementation of the Tricycle Project (pilot) in Indonesia, focusing on its results, challenges and recommendations. The samples were 116 patients with bloodstream infections caused by ESBL E. coli, 100 rectal swabs collected from pregnant women, 240 cecums of broiler, and 119 environmental samples, using the standardized method according to the guidelines. ESBL-producing E. coli was found in 40 (40%) of the 100 pregnant women, while the proportion of ESBL-producing E. coli was 57.7% among the total E. coli-induced bloodstream infections. ESBL-producing E. coli was isolated from 161 (67.1%) out of 240 broilers. On the other hand, the average concentration of E. coli in the water samples was 2.0 × 108 CFU/100 mL, and the ratio of ESBL-producing E. coli was 12.8% of total E. coli. Unfortunately, 56.7% of questionnaires for patients were incomplete. The Tricycle Project (pilot) identified that the proportion of ESBL-producing E. coli was very high in all types of samples, and several challenges and obstacles were encountered during the implementation of the study in Indonesia. The finding of this study have implication to health/the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance. We recommend continuing this project and extending this study to other provinces to determine the AMR burden as the baseline in planning AMR control strategies in Indonesia. We also recommend improving the protocol of this study to minimize obstacles in the field. © 2021 The Authors | adult; antibiotic resistance; Article; bacterium identification; bacterium isolate; bloodstream infection; broiler; child; concentration (parameter); epidemiological surveillance; extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Escherichia coli; female; food chain; human; Indonesia; major clinical study; male; nonhuman; One Health; pH; pregnant woman; prevalence; questionnaire; rectal swab; salinity; seasonal variation; water temperature | Antimicrobial resistance; ESBL-producing E. coli; Indonesia; One health |
| Strategic planning, components and evolution in zoonotic diseases frameworks: One health approach and public health ethics | Zoonotic diseases are seen as a major public health concern. Routes of the rapid transmission of zoonotic diseases and the economic damage they cause to communities are all reasons why health institutions and systems need to pay more attention to these diseases. Strategic planning is one of the important tasks of policymakers in every organization and system. It is a very reliable and useful tool for leading all kinds of organizations, including health organizations. Countries with clear policy plans have succeeded in controlling and reducing zoonotic diseases. Such countries used appropriate strategic planning and pursued annual goals to control and prevent diseases. Three important steps (strategy development, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation) should be considered in developing a strategic planning for controlling and prevention of zoonotic diseases. Health systems need to develop strategic planning in order to upgrade their capabilities in combating zoonotic diseases. These programs must be flexible, in line with the one health approach, based on the current needs, and aligned with the new challenges faced with health systems. The strategic planning is directly related to national and international policies, organizational goals and missions, dynamism, degree of complexity, and organizational structure of each country’s health system. Copyright © 2021 by Pacini Editore Srl, Pisa, Italy. | Animals; Humans; One Health; Public Health; Public Policy; Strategic Planning; Zoonoses; Article; evolution; goal attainment; health care organization; health care planning; health care policy; health care system; health workforce; human; infection control; infection prevention; medical ethics; One Health; organizational structure; public health; resource allocation; staff; strategic opportunity; strategic planning; strategic strength; strategic threat; strategic weakness; strategy development; strategy evaluation; strategy implementation; zoonosis; animal; One Health; public policy; zoonosis | Health policy; Health system; Public health ethics; Strategic planning; Zoonotic diseases |
| Stress-Related Herpesvirus Reactivation in Badgers Can Result in Clostridium Proliferation | Clostridium perfringens is an important food-borne zoonotic pathogen and a member of the commensal gut microbiome of many mammals. Predisposing factors such as coinfection with other pathogens or diet change can, however, cause overgrowth and subsequent disease development. Here we investigated the occurrence of C. perfringens in a free-ranging badger population with up to 100% prevalence of herpesvirus infection. Herpesvirus reactivation is known to be associated with increased susceptibility bacterial infections. PCR screening of rectal swabs from 69 free-ranging badgers revealed 15.9% (11/69, 95% CI = 9.1–26.3%) prevalence of detectable C. perfringens (Type A) DNA in the digestive tracts of assymptomatic animals. The results of Fisher’s exact test revealed C. perfringens detection was not biased by age, sex and seasons. However, badgers with genital tract gammaherpesvirus (MusGHV-1) reactivation (p = 0.007) and infection with a specific MusGHV-1 genotype (p = 0.019) were more prone to of C. perfringens proliferation, indicating coinfection biased dynamics of intestinal C. perfringens. An inclusion pattern analysis further indicated that, causally, MusGHV-1 reactivation potentiated C. perfringens detection. Whether or not specific MusGHV-1 genotype infection or reactivation plays a role in C. perfringens overgrowth or disease development in badgers will require further investigation. Nevertheless, a postmortem examination of a single badger that died of fatal disease, likely associated with C. perfringens, revealed MusGHV-1 detection in the small intestine. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animals; Cell Proliferation; Clostridium perfringens; Herpesviridae; Herpesviridae Infections; Mustelidae; animal; cell proliferation; Clostridium perfringens; genetics; herpes virus infection; Herpesviridae; Mustelidae; veterinary medicine | carnivora; food-borne disease; gammaherpesvirus; one health; sexually transmitted infection; wildlife |
| The one health landscape in Sub-Saharan African countries | Objectives: One Health is transiting from multidisciplinary to transdisciplinary concepts and its viewpoints should move from ‘proxy for zoonoses’, to include other topics (climate change, nutrition and food safety, policy and planning, welfare and well-being, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), vector-borne diseases, toxicosis and pesticides issues) and thematic fields (social sciences, geography and economics). This work was conducted to map the One Health landscape in Africa. Methods: An assessment of existing One Health initiatives in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries was conducted among selected stakeholders using a multi-method approach. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to One Health initiatives were identified, and their influence, interest and impacts were semi-quantitatively evaluated using literature reviews, questionnaire survey and statistical analysis. Results: One Health Networks and identified initiatives were spatiotemporally spread across SSA and identified stakeholders were classified into four quadrants. It was observed that imbalance in stakeholders’ representations led to hesitation in buying-in into One Health approach by stakeholders who are outside the main networks like stakeholders from the policy, budgeting, geography and sometimes, the environment sectors. Conclusion: Inclusion of theory of change, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and tools for standardized evaluation of One Health policies are needed for a sustained future of One Health and future engagements should be outputs- and outcomes-driven and not activity-driven. National roadmaps for One Health implementation and institutionalization are necessary, and proofs of concepts in One Health should be validated and scaled-up. Dependence on external funding is unsustainable and must be addressed in the medium to long-term. Necessary policy and legal instruments to support One Health nationally and sub-nationally should be implemented taking cognizance of contemporary issues like urbanization, endemic poverty and other emerging issues. The utilization of current technologies and One Health approach in addressing the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 and other emerging diseases are desirable. Finally, One Health implementation should be anticipatory and preemptive, and not reactive in containing disease outbreaks, especially those from the animal sources or the environment before the risk of spillover to human. © 2021 The Authors | Article; budget; coronavirus disease 2019; geographic information system; geography; government; health care policy; human; Kenya; peer review; poverty; public health; quantitative study; questionnaire; scoring system; systematic review; Uganda | Africa; Animal health; Antimicrobial resistance; Emerging and re-emerging diseases; Environment health; Food safety; One health (OH); Public health; Toxicosis; Zoonosis |
| Metagenomic analysis of MWWTP effluent treated via solar photo-Fenton at neutral pH: Effects upon microbial community, priority pathogens, and antibiotic resistance genes | The effectiveness of advanced technologies on eliminating antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and resistance genes (ARGs) from wastewaters have been recently investigated. Solar photo-Fenton has been proven effective in combating ARB and ARGs from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant effluent (MWWTPE). However, most of these studies have relied solely on cultivable methods to assess ARB removal. This is the first study to investigate the effect of solar photo-Fenton upon ARB and ARGs in MWWTPE by high throughput metagenomic analysis (16S rDNA sequencing and Whole Genome Sequencing). Treatment efficiency upon priority pathogens and resistome profile were also investigated. Solar photo-Fenton (30 mg L−1 of Fe2+ intermittent additions and 50 mg L−1 of H2O2) reached 76–86% removal of main phyla present in MWWTPE. An increase in Proteobacteria abundance was observed after solar photo-Fenton and controls in which H2O2 was present as an oxidant (Fenton, H2O2 only, solar/H2O2). Hence, tolerance mechanisms presented by this group should be further assessed. Solar photo-Fenton achieved complete removal of high priority Staphylococcus and Enterococcus, as well as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Substantial reduction of intrinsically multi-drug resistant bacteria was detected. Solar photo-Fenton removed nearly 60% of ARGs associated with sulfonamides, macrolides, and tetracyclines, and complete removal of ARGs related to β-lactams and fluoroquinolones. These results indicate the potential of using solar-enhanced photo-Fenton to limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance, especially in developing tropical countries. © 2021 The Authors | Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Hydrogen Peroxide; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Microbiota; Waste Water; Enterococcus; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Proteobacteria; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Staphylococcus; Amides; Antibiotics; Effluent treatment; Effluents; Genes; Image enhancement; Sulfur compounds; Wastewater treatment; ammonium acetate; ammonium vanadate; amoxicillin; beta lactam; catalase; ciprofloxacin; DNA 16S; ferrous gluconate; glutathione peroxidase; hydrogen peroxide; macrolide; phenanthroline; reactive oxygen metabolite; sulfamethoxazole; sulfonamide; sulfuric acid; tetracycline; trimethoprim; angiotensin receptor antagonist; antiinfective agent; dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase inhibitor; hydrogen peroxide; 16s rDNA sequencing; Antibiotic-resistant bacteria; Antimicrobial resistances; Bioinformatics analysis; H$-2$/O$-2$; One health; Resistance genes; Solar photo-Fenton; Tertiary municipal wastewater treatment; Whole genome sequencing; antibiotic resistance; bioinformatics; DNA; effluent; gene; genome; microbial community; pathogen; pH; wastewater treatment plant; Actinobacteria; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; bacterial gene; bacterial growth; bacterium culture; Bacteroidetes; bioinformatics; CFU counting; chemical procedures; DNA extraction; DNA sequencing; Enterococcus; fluoroquinolone resistance; illumina sequencing; infectious agent; Klebsiella pneumoniae; metagenomics; microbial community; minimum inhibitory concentration; nonhuman; pH; phylogenetic tree; phylogeny; physical chemistry; Proteobacteria; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; real time polymerase chain reaction; solar photo fenton; Staphylococcus; taxonomy; waste water treatment plant; whole genome sequencing; antibiotic resistance; genetics; microflora; wastewater; Bacteria | 16S rDNA sequencing; Antimicrobial resistance; Bioinformatic analysis; One Health; Tertiary municipal wastewater treatment; Whole Genome Sequencing |
| Colistin-resistant mcr-1-positive Escherichia coli ST1775-H137 co-harboring blaCTX-M-2 and blaCMY-2 recovered from an urban stream | The rapid dissemination of colistin resistance mcr-type genes and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-encoding genes at the human-animal-environment interface has raised concerns worldwide. In this study, we performed a genomic investigation of a multidrug (MDR)- and colistin-resistant Escherichia coli strain recovered from an urban stream strongly affected by pollution and used for recreational purposes in Brazil. E. coli strain EW827 was resistant to clinically significant antimicrobials, including polymyxins, extended-spectrum cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolones. Whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed that EW827 strain belonged to ST1775 and carried the fimH137 allele, clinically relevant antimicrobial resistance genes (e.g., mcr-1.1, blaCTX-M-2, and blaCMY-2), tolerance genes to metals, and biocide resistance genes. Moreover, IncX4 and IncI1-ST12 replicon types were identified carrying mcr-1.1 and blaCMY-2, respectively. A novel genetic environment of the mcr-1.1 gene, in which a 258-bp ∆IS5-like was inserted in the opposite orientation upstream of the mcr-1.1-pap2 element, was also detected. Additionally, the blaCTX-M-2 gene was harbored by a Tn21-like element on the chromosome. The occurrence of MDR E. coli co-harboring mcr-1.1, blaCTX-M-2, and blaCMY-2 in urban water represents a potential risk to humans, animals, and environmental safety. Therefore, epidemiological studies are required to monitoring multidrug-resistant bacteria and their antimicrobial resistance genes in aquatic ecosystems to determine possible routes and fates of these genes. © 2021 | Anti-Bacterial Agents; beta-Lactamases; Brazil; Colistin; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Proteins; Rivers; aminoglycoside; ampicillin; aztreonam; beta lactamase AmpC; biocide; cefepime; ceftazidime; ceftriaxone; chloramphenicol; ciprofloxacin; colistin; copper; extended spectrum beta lactamase; formaldehyde; gentamicin; hydrogen peroxide; imipenem; mercury; meropenem; nickel; organic solvent; quaternary ammonium derivative; quinolone derivative; sea water; sodium azide; sulfamethoxazole; tellurium; tetracycline; water; zinc; antiinfective agent; beta lactamase; beta-lactamase CMY-2; beta-lactamase CTX-2; colistin; Escherichia coli protein; MCR-1 protein, E coli; allele; antibiotic resistance; aquatic environment; Article; bacterial strain; bacterial virulence; bacterium isolation; blaCMY 2 gene; blaCTX M 2 gene; Brazil; chromosome; colistin resistance; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli EW827; gene; genome analysis; horizontal gene transfer; human; mcr 1 gene; mcr 1.1 gene; metal tolerance; multidrug resistant Escherichia coli; nonhuman; One Health; phylogeny; recreational drug use; replicon; serotype; stream (river); urban area; wastewater; water pollution; water sampling; water supply; whole genome sequencing; drug effect; genetics; metabolism; microbiology; river | Colistin resistance; Escherichia coli; Extended-spectrum β-lactamase; mcr-1; One Health; Plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamase; Water |
| T Cell Immune Profiles of Blood and Tumor in Dogs Diagnosed With Malignant Melanoma | Investigation of canine T cell immunophenotypes in canine melanomas as prognostic biomarkers for disease progression or predictive biomarkers for targeted immunotherapeutics remains in preliminary stages. We aimed to examine T cell phenotypes and function in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and baseline tumor samples by flow cytometry, and to compare patient (n = 11–20) T cell phenotypes with healthy controls dogs (n = 10–20). CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, FoxP3, Ki67, granzyme B, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were used to classify T cell subsets in resting and mitogen stimulated PBMCs. In a separate patient cohort (n = 11), T cells were classified using CD3, CD4, CD8, FoxP3, and granzyme B in paired PBMC and single cell suspensions of tumor samples. Analysis of flow cytometric data of individual T cell phenotypes in PBMC revealed specific T cell phenotypes including FoxP3+ and CD25+FoxP3- populations that distinguished patients from healthy controls. Frequencies of IFN-γ+ cells after ConA stimulation identified two different patient phenotypic responses, including a normal/exaggerated IFN-γ response and a lower response suggesting dysfunction. Principle component analysis of selected T cell immunophenotypes also distinguished patients and controls for T cell phenotype and revealed a clustering of patients based on metastasis detected at diagnosis. Findings supported the overall hypothesis that canine melanoma patients display a T cell immunophenotype profile that is unique from healthy pet dogs and will guide future studies designed with larger patient cohorts necessary to further characterize prognostic T cell immunophenotypes. Copyright © 2021 Sparger, Chang, Chin, Rebhun, Withers, Kieu, Canter, Monjazeb and Kent. | biological marker; concanavalin A; gamma interferon; granzyme B; interleukin 2 receptor alpha; Ki 67 antigen; transcription factor FOXP3; animal cell; animal tissue; Article; CD25+ T lymphocyte; CD3+ T lymphocyte; CD4+ T lymphocyte; CD8+ T lymphocyte; cell suspension; clinical article; cohort analysis; controlled study; cutaneous melanoma; disease exacerbation; dog; flow cytometry; histology; histopathology; human; immunophenotyping; lymph node biopsy; lymphadenopathy; melanoma; mouth cancer; nonhuman; perianal gland; peripheral blood mononuclear cell; principal component analysis; protein expression; regulatory T lymphocyte; submandibular lymph node; T lymphocyte subpopulation | canine; comparative oncology; dog; immune profile; melanoma; one health |
| Slaughterhouse workers, animals, and the environment: The need for a rights-centered regulatory framework in the United States that recognizes interconnected interests | The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a bright light on industrial slaughterhouses in the United States and their impacts on the vulnerable beings—both human and animal—they exploit. But the severity of these impacts is the result of a long history of failed regulatory oversight. This paper highlights the inadequacies of the current regulatory system in the United States and how they have contributed to dangerous conditions for slaughterhouse workers, environmental degradation, and severe animal suffering. Further, it argues that a rights-centered One Health approach would provide the necessary conceptual foundation for a new regulatory framework that can meaningfully address the interconnected rights, health, and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment. As a first step in establishing this new framework, the United States should create a federal Slaughterhouse Oversight Commission to strengthen the rights, health, and well-being of humans and animals.*. © 2021 Winders and Abrell. | Abattoirs; Animals; COVID-19; Human Rights; Humans; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; United States; United States; animal welfare; environmental degradation; human rights; livestock; regulatory framework; vulnerability; working conditions; abattoir worker; article; human; One Health; United States; wellbeing; animal; human rights; pandemic; slaughterhouse; United States |
| “If It Works in People, Why Not Animals?”: A Qualitative Investigation of Antibiotic Use in Smallholder Livestock Settings in Rural West Bengal, India | Smallholder farms are the predominant livestock system in India. Animals are often kept in close contact with household members, and access to veterinary services is limited. However, limited research exists on how antibiotics are used in smallholder livestock in India. We investigated antibiotic supply, usage, and their drivers in smallholder livestock production systems, including crossover-use of human and veterinary antibiotics in two rural sites in West Bengal. Qualitative interviews were conducted with key informants (n = 9), livestock keepers (n = 37), and formal and informal antibiotic providers from veterinary and human health sectors (n = 26). Data were analysed thematically and interpreted following a One Health approach. Livestock keepers and providers used antibiotics predominantly for treating individual animals, and for disease prevention in poultry but not for growth promotion. All providers used (highest priority) critically important antimicrobials for human health and engaged in crossover-use of human antibiotic formulations in livestock. Inadequate access to veterinary drugs and services, and a perceived efficacy and ease of dosing of human antibiotics in animals drove crossover-use. Veterinary antibiotics were not used for human health due to their perceived adverse effects. Given the extent of usage of protected antibiotics and crossover-use, interventions at the community level should adopt a One Health approach that considers all antibiotic providers and livestock keepers and prioritizes the development of evidence-based guidelines to promote responsible use of antibiotics in animals. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | amoxicillin; ampicillin; bacitracin; ceftiofur; ceftriaxone; ciprofloxacin; cloxacillin; enrofloxacin; gentamicin; marbofloxacin; neomycin; ofloxacin; tylosin; veterinary drug; animal health; antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial stewardship; Article; controlled study; drug cost; fever; health care cost; health care personnel; health care policy; human; interview; lethargy; livestock; mastitis; nonhuman; One Health; practice guideline; prophylaxis; vaccination; veterinary medicine; West Bengal | Animal health; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotic stewardship; Antibiotic usage; India; Livestock; One Health; Poultry; Qualitative; Smallholder |
| Global health security must embrace a One Health approach: Contributions and experiences of veterinarians during the COVID-19 response in Australia | SARS-CoV-2, a betacoronavirus of likely zoonotic origin, was first reported in December 2019. Its rapid worldwide spread precipitated a range of interventions, including by veterinarians, due to impacts on human health and well-being as well as animal health and welfare. We conducted 36 key informant interviews to explore the responses of Australian veterinarians, their engagement in One Health collaboration and cooperation, and their existing and developed insights to the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses were analysed using thematic analysis. Australian veterinarians provided valuable contributions to the national COVID-19 response by protecting animal welfare, maintaining local food security, providing essential veterinary services while mitigating human health risks in clinical settings and providing both key skills and surge capacity to the human health response. This was all guided by skills in scientific literacy and evidence-based communication. Informants identified a clear and urgent need for greater One Health coordination during pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, even in the case of a disease which largely only affects humans. © 2021 The Authors | animal welfare; Article; Australia; Australian; coronavirus disease 2019; evidence based medicine; food security; global health; health hazard; human; infection prevention; international cooperation; interpersonal communication; intersectoral collaboration; interview; introspection; literacy; national security; One Health; pandemic; personal experience; public health; qualitative research; risk management; skill; thematic analysis; veterinarian; veterinary clinic; work engagement | COVID-19; Global health security; One Health; Preparedness; Public health; Response; Veterinarian |
| Sensitivity and representativeness of one-health surveillance for diseases of zoonotic potential at health facilities relative to household visits in rural Guatemala | Most human and animal disease notification systems are unintegrated and passive, resulting in underreporting. Active surveillance can complement passive efforts, but because they are resource-intensive, their attributes must be evaluated. We assessed the sensitivity and representativeness of One-Health surveillance conducted at health facilities compared to health facilities plus monthly household visits in three rural communities of Guatemala. From September 2017 to November 2018, we screened humans for acute diarrheal, febrile and respiratory infectious syndromes and canines, swine, equines and bovines for syndromic events or deaths. We estimated the relative sensitivity as the incidence rate ratio of detecting an event in health facility surveillance compared to household surveillance from Poisson models. We used interaction terms between the surveillance method and sociodemographic factors or time trends to assess effect modification as a measure of relative representativeness. We used generalized additive models with smoothing splines to model incidence over time by surveillance method. We randomized 216 households to health facility surveillance and 198 to health facility surveillance plus monthly household visits. Health facility surveillance alone was less sensitive than when combined with household surveillance by 0.42 (95% CI: 0.34, 0.53), 0.56 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.79), 0.02 (95% CI: 0.00, 0.10), 0.28 (95% CI: 0.15, 0.50) and 0.22 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.92) times for human acute infections, human severe acute infections, and deaths in canines, swine and equines, respectively. Health facility surveillance alone underrepresented Spanish speakers (interaction p-value = 0.0003) and persons in higher economic assets (interaction p-values = 0.0008). The trend in incidence over time was different between the two study groups, with a larger decrease in the group with household surveillance (all interaction p-values <0.10). Surveillance at health facilities under ascertains syndromes in humans and animals which leads to underestimation of the burden of zoonotic disease. The magnitude of under ascertainment was differentially by sociodemographic factors, yielding an unrepresentative sample of health events. However, it is less time-intensive, thus might be sustained over time longer than household surveillance. The choice between methodologies should be evaluated against surveillance goals and available resources. © 2021 | Article; bovine; demography; diarrhea; economic aspect; Equus; fever; Guatemala; health care facility; health survey; human; incidence; nonhuman; pig; quantitative analysis; respiratory tract infection; rural area; social status; standard; trend study | Guatemala; Health facility surveillance; Household surveillance; One-health surveillance; Representativeness; Sensitivity |
| Protozoan and microbial pathogens of house cats in the province of tekirdag in western turkey | Domestic felines’ re-emerging infectious and neglected zoonotic diseases are a significant focus of global “One Health” efforts. This study aimed to rapidly diagnose 14 pathogens, including zoonoses by using PCR primers in 167 client-owned symptomatic cats, routinely accepted to the Veterinary Clinics of Tekirdag. The prevalence of pathogens investigated were as follows: Babesia canis canis (24%), Babesia microti (2.4%), Hepatozoon felis (10.8%), Cytauxzoon felis (6.6%), Bartonella henselae (40.1%), Anaplasma platys (30.5%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (7.2%), Rickettsia felis (26.3%), Borrelia burgdorferi (21%), and hemotropic Mycoplasma sp. (11.4%). There was a significant difference between the prevalence of the pathogens (χ2 = 152.26, df = 9, p < 0.001). There was also a statistical difference between the gender of the cats in terms of the prevalence of all pathogens considered together (χ2 = 4.80, df = 1, p = 0.028), where the female cats showed a higher prevalence. This was not the case for the different age groups (χ2 = 2.92, df = 1, p=0.088). The lowest infection was observed for B. microti (p < 0.001), while the highest infection was observed for B. henselae (p < 0.01). Leishmania donovani, Plasmodium spp., Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and Neoehrlichia mikurensis PCR test results were negative in all samples. In conclusion, house cats of Tekirdag are apparently highly susceptible to some neglected zoonoses important for “One Health,” and their prevalence in the region is most probably underestimated. Hence, applying PCR tests to assist fast clinic diagnosis in routine, may be an efficient option to protect the public as well as the cats from severe diseases. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | agar gel electrophoresis; Anaplasma platys; animal experiment; Article; Babesia canis canis; Babesia microti; Bartonella henselae; body weight loss; Borrelia burgdorferi; Cytauxzoon felis; DNA extraction; domestic cat; female; fever; hematologic disease; Hepatozoon felis; infectious agent; lymphadenopathy; male; microbial identification; Mycoplasma; nonhuman; organisms; polymerase chain reaction; prevalence; protozoon; Rickettsia felis; zoonosis | Cat; One Health; PCR; Turkey; Zoonoses |
| Rapid spread of critical priority carbapenemase-producing pathogens in companion animals: A One Health challenge for a post-pandemic world | The COVID-19 pandemic has increased relationships and interactions between human and companion animals, supported by widespread social distancing and isolation measures. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an exponential growth in antibiotic and biocide use worldwide, possibly inducing further pressure, contributing to the selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including WHO critical priority pathogens. While data from global surveillance studies reveal a linear trend of increasing carbapenem resistance among Gram-negative pathogens from companion animals, the acquisition of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales through direct contact with colonized hosts and contaminated veterinary hospital environments has been documented. This article highlights the rapid spread of WHO critical priority carbapenemase-producing pathogens in companion animals, which is a One Health challenge for a post-pandemic world. © 2021 The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Proteins; beta-Lactamases; COVID-19; Humans; One Health; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; biocide; carbapenem derivative; carbapenemase; antiinfective agent; bacterial protein; beta lactamase; carbapenemase; Article; bacterium contamination; carbapenem resistance; carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae; coronavirus disease 2019; disease surveillance; disease transmission; environmental factor; host; human; infectious agent; microbial colonization; non-fermenting bacterium; nonhuman; One Health; pandemic; pet animal; social distancing; social isolation; veterinary clinic; World Health Organization; animal; genetics; One Health |
| A One Health approach to study the circulation of tick-borne pathogens: A preliminary study | Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) have complex life cycles involving tick vectors and vertebrate hosts. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the zoonotic circulation of TBPs. In this study, we used a One Health approach to study the possible circulation of TBPs in ticks, animals and humans within a rural household in the foothills of the Fruška Gora mountain, northern Serbia. The presence of TBP DNA was assessed using microfluidic PCR (25 bacterial species, 7 parasite species, 5 bacterial genera, 3 parasite genera) in animal, human and tick samples and the presence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) RNA was screened for using RT-qPCR on tick samples. In addition, Lyme borreliosis serology was assessed in patients sera. Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Ixodes ricinus ticks were identified on dogs and Haemaphysalis punctata was identified on house walls. Rickettsia helvetica was the most common pathogen detected in pooled R. sanguineus and I. ricinus tick samples, followed by Hepatozoon canis. None of the H. punctata tick samples tested positive for the presence of TBPs. Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia monacensis were the most frequent pathogens detected in dogs, followed by Rickettsia felis, whereas Anaplasma bovis was the only pathogen found in one of the goats tested. None of the human blood samples collected from family members tested positive for the presence of TBPs. Although microfluidic PCR did not detect Borrelia sp. in any of the tested tick or blood samples, a family member with a history of Lyme disease was seropositive for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.). We conclude that, despite the presence of TBPs in tick and vertebrate reservoirs, there is no evidence of infection with TBPs across various components of the epidemiological chain in a rural Fruška Gora household. © 2021 | immunoglobulin G antibody; immunoglobulin M antibody; adolescent; adult; Anaplasma; Anaplasma bovis; Anaplasma phagocytophilum; Article; Borrelia afzelii; Borrelia burgdorferi; Borrelia garinii; controlled study; dog; female; goat; Haemaphysalis punctata; Hepatozoon canis; household; human; immunofluorescence assay; Ixodes ricinus; Lyme disease; male; microfluidic real time polymerase chain reaction; nonhuman; One Health; real time polymerase chain reaction; real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; Rhipicephalus sanguineus; Rickettsia felis; Rickettsia helvetica; Rickettsia monacensis; rural area; Serbia; serology; Tick borne encephalitis virus | Anaplasma bovis; One Health; Rickettsia helvetica; Tick-borne-pathogens; Ticks |
| Identification and Characterization of Oral Injury in Suspected Child Abuse Cases: One Health System’s Experience | OBJECTIVES: Accurately differentiating inflicted from accidental injury in infants and toddlers is critical. Many studies have documented characteristics of inflicted bruises, fractures, and head injuries facilitating the development of clinical tools. There are few studies characterizing inflicted oral injuries, and no clinical tools exist. This study identified characteristics that differentiated inflicted from accidental oral injuries in children younger than 24 months. METHODS: Retrospective review using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision billing codes and an internal clinical database tool identified children younger than 24 months between 2004 and 2014. Two groups were created according to the presence or absence of a child abuse diagnosis resulting in an accidental injury and suspected child abuse (SCA) group. Statistical analyses were performed on patient demographics, history of trauma, oral injury characterization, bruises, and fractures. RESULTS: Billing codes were applied differently between the accidental injury and SCA groups, even when the same injury was described. Patients with SCA were younger and less mobile when compared with those with accidental injuries (P < 0.0001). Tongue injuries (P < 0.0001) and oropharynx bruising (P = 0.0018) were observed more and lacerations were observed less (P < 0.0001) in the SCA group. The SCA group was less likely to have a trauma history than those with accidental injury (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Several differences in patient characteristics, trauma history, injury type, and location were identified between the accidental versus SCA groups. A future clinical tool that incorporates age, history of trauma on presentation, tongue injury, and oropharynx bruising may assist medical providers in placing child physical abuse in the differential diagnosis. Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. | Accidents; Child; Child Abuse; Craniocerebral Trauma; Humans; Infant; One Health; Retrospective Studies; accident; child; child abuse; diagnosis; head injury; human; infant; One Health; retrospective study |
| The seroepidemiology of a neglected zoonotic and livestock pathogen in free-ranging bovids: Leptospirosis in African buffaloes (syncerus caffer) | Multi-host pathogens are challenging to control and are responsible for some of the most important diseases of humans, livestock, and wildlife. Leptospira spp. are some of the most common multi-host pathogens and represent an important cause of zoonotic infections and livestock productivity loss in the developing world, where contact with wildlife species is common. Although there is increasing evidence that cattle in Africa harbour a broad diversity of Leptospira genotypes and serovars, little is known about the epidemiology of these pathogens in wild bovids, such as African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer). Using microscopic agglutination testing (MAT) on serum samples collected from free-ranging buffaloes (n = 98) captured in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP), South Africa, we demonstrated an overall seroprevalence of 21% with seropositivity almost exclusively limited to serovar Tarassovi (serogroup Tarassovi). Moreover, we found no evidence of seropositivity in unweaned calves and showed temporal-or herd-specific variation in exposure risk, and increased probability of seropositivity (OR = 5.44, 95% CI = 1.4–27) in female buffaloes. Together, these findings demonstrate that free-ranging African buffaloes are exposed to Leptospira spp. infections, providing insights into the epidemiology of an emerging Leptospira serovar in herds with an absence of any disease control and minimal management. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | adult; African buffalo; agglutination test; animal experiment; Article; bovid; bovine tuberculosis; disease control; female; Leptospira interrogans; leptospirosis; livestock; male; neglected disease; nonhuman; sensitivity and specificity; seroepidemiology; seroprevalence; tuberculin test | Africa; Disease ecology; Leptospirosis; Microscopic Agglutination Typing; One Health; Spillover; Zoonosis |
| On the need for integrating cancer into the One Health perspective | Recent pandemics have highlighted the urgency to connect disciplines studying animal, human, and environment health, that is, the “One Health” concept. The One Health approach takes a holistic view of health, but it has largely focused on zoonotic diseases while not addressing oncogenic processes. We argue that cancers should be an additional key focus in the One Health approach based on three factors that add to the well-documented impact of humans on the natural environment and its implications on cancer emergence. First, human activities are oncogenic to other animals, exacerbating the dynamics of oncogenesis, causing immunosuppressive disorders in wildlife with effects on host–pathogen interactions, and eventually facilitating pathogen spillovers. Second, the emergence of transmissible cancers in animal species (including humans) has the potential to accelerate biodiversity loss across ecosystems and to become pandemic. It is crucial to understand why, how, and when transmissible cancers emerge and spread. Third, translating knowledge of tumor suppressor mechanisms found across the Animal Kingdom to human health offers novel insights into cancer prevention and treatment strategies. © 2021 The Authors. Evolutionary Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd | cancer; comparative oncology; infectious diseases; One Health; Peto’s paradox |
| Maldi-TOF MS identification and antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from playground | In this study, it was aimed to determine the antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli strains isolated from samples taken from various children’s parks of Ankara and to confirm the resistance by molecular methods. Five hundred fifty-four samples, including soil samples from 140 different parks and 414 swab samples from slides, swings, ferris wheels, seesaws, and other toys from 176 different parks, were taken. Fourty E. coli strains isolated from these samples were included in the study. Antibiotic susceptibility tests of 40 E. coli isolates were performed by EUCAST recommendations. The resistance rates of E. coli isolates were found as ciprofloxacin 5%, ampicillin 17%, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole 15%, streptomycin 12.5%, tobramycin 5%, gentamicin 5%, cefotaxime 2.5%, and ceftazidime 2.5%. Intermediate rates were found as 95%, 90%, and 70% for tobramycin, gentamicin, and streptomycin respectively. blaCTX-M β-lactamase gene was investigated for an isolate determined to be resistant to both cefotaxime and ceftazidime but blaCTXM gene could not be detected. Aminoglycoside resistance of strains has been investigated because of high intermediate sensitivity rates. For this purpose, aac(6′)-Ib, aac(3′)-IIa, aph(3′)-VI, ant(3′)-I, aac(3′)-IV, ant(2′)-Ia genes scanned, and were detected 97.5% of our isolates ant (3′)-I, %25 aac(6′)-Ib’, 5% aac(3′)-IIa, 2.5% ant(2′)-Ia. Also, aph(3′)-VI, and aac(3′)-IV genes could not be detected in any of the isolates. Consequently, it has been revealed that resistant E. coli strains isolated from children’s parks can pose a potential risk in public health for transmission of resistant genes. © 2021 | Aminoglycosides; Anti-Bacterial Agents; beta-Lactamases; Child; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; aminoglycoside; ampicillin; cefotaxime; ceftazidime; ciprofloxacin; cotrimoxazole; gentamicin; streptomycin; tobramycin; aminoglycoside; antiinfective agent; beta lactamase; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; bacterial strain; bacterium identification; bacterium isolate; bacterium isolation; controlled study; Escherichia coli; matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry; microbial gene; nonhuman; recreational park; child; Escherichia coli; genetics; human; microbial sensitivity test | Aminoglycoside modifying enzymes; Antibiotic resistance; Environmental Escherichia coli isolates; One health |
| Rift Valley fever and Brucella spp. in ruminants, Somalia | Background: Fourteen-years after the last Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus (RVFV) outbreak, Somalia still suffers from preventable transboundary diseases. The tradition of unheated milk consumption and handling of aborted materials poses a public health risk for zoonotic diseases. Limited data are available on RVF and Brucella spp. in Somali people and their animals. Hence, this study has evaluated the occurrence of RVFV and Brucella spp. antibodies in cattle, goats and sheep sera from Afgoye and Jowhar districts of Somalia. Methods: Serum samples from 609 ruminants (201 cattle, 203 goats and 205 sheep), were serologically screened for RVF by a commercial cELISA, and Brucella species by modified Rose Bengal Plate Test (mRBPT) and a commercial iELISA. Results: Two out of 609 (0.3 %; 95 %CI: 0.04–1.2 %) ruminants were RVF seropositive, both were female cattle from both districts. Anti-Brucella spp. antibodies were detected in 64/609 (10.5 %; 95 %CI: 8.2–13.2 %) ruminants by mRBPT, which were 39/201 (19.4 %) cattle, 16/203 (7.9 %) goats and 9/205 (4.4 %) sheep. Cattle were 5.2 and 2.8 times more likely to be Brucella-seropositive than sheep (p = 0.000003) and goats (p = 0.001), respectively. When mRBPT-positive samples were tested by iELISA, 29/64 (45.3 %; 95 %CI: 32.8–58.3 %) ruminant sera were positive for Brucella spp. Only 23/39 (58.9 %) cattle sera and 6/16 (37.5 %) goat sera were positive to Brucella spp. by iELISA. Conclusions: The present study showed the serological evidence of RVF and brucellosis in ruminants from Afgoye and Jowhar districts of Somalia. Considering the negligence of the zoonotic diseases at the human-animal interface in Somali communities, a One Health approach is needed to protect public health. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animals; Brucella; Brucellosis; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Female; Goat Diseases; Goats; Rift Valley Fever; Rift Valley fever virus; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Somalia; Zoonoses; animal experiment; animal model; animal tissue; Article; blood sampling; bovine; Brucella; competitive ELISA; controlled study; female; geographic distribution; goat; nonhuman; One Health; prevalence; public health; Rift Valley fever; Rift Valley fever virus; risk factor; sensitivity and specificity; seroprevalence; sheep; Somalia; animal; Brucella; brucellosis; cattle disease; goat disease; isolation and purification; microbiology; Rift Valley fever; Rift Valley fever virus; seroepidemiology; sheep disease; Somalia; veterinary medicine; zoonosis | Brucella spp; Neglected zoonotic diseases; One Health; RVF |
| One health pathogen surveillance demonstrated the dissemination of gut pathogens within the two coastal regions associated with intensive farming | Background: Intensive aquaculture farming has caused significant degradation of coastal wetlands and has been proposed as a reservoir for pathogenic Vibrio spp. Results: Gut pathogens including Vibrio spp., Salmonella spp., and Klebsiella spp. were isolated from bird feces, shrimp and wetland water in two typical coastal regions of China in 2015 and 2017 and were subsequently subjected to whole-genome sequencing. Meanwhile, local patient isolates were also selected to confirm the epidemiological links. Bacterial community composition analyses of the sediments that were sampled in 2015 and 2017 were conducted by the hypervariable region 4 of the 16S rRNA gene. Together with the local clinical isolates, we observed highly related Vibrio isolates from waterbirds, wetlands and shrimp. Phylogenetic genome comparisons also demonstrated that sequence types ST3 and ST2414 Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates obtained from aquatic animals were clonally related to patient isolates. Likewise, three Salmonella typhimurium isolates were also genomically related to one clinical strain. The results showed that farming activities significantly altered the community composition and resulted in the emergence of several pathogens, including Acinetobacter, Mycobacterium and Legionella. Conclusions: In conclusion, our results demonstrated that intensive shrimp farming in wetlands has two devastating impacts: pathogen dissemination from aquatic animals into migratory birds and transmission of foodborne pathogens into local communities. © 2021, The Author(s). | One health; Shrimp farming; Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Vibrio vulnificus; Wetlands |
| Systemic factors for enhancing intersectoral collaboration for the operationalization of One Health: a case study in India | Background: One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. Operationalization of the One Health approach is still unclear for various local health systems with their respective targets. In this scenario, the empirical study of intersectoral collaboration between the human and animal health systems provides an opportunity to investigate the appropriate strategies and their enabling factors at the local health system level. Thus, this study documented and validated the innovative strategy for intersectoral collaboration, focusing on effectual prevention and control of zoonotic diseases with its enabling factors for a city in western India, Ahmedabad. Methods: This case study was conducted in three phases: phase I (qualitative data collection, i.e., vignette interview), phase II (quantitative data collection through modified policy Delphi), and phase III (participatory workshop). The vignette data were handled for content analysis, and the Delphi data, like other quantitative data, for descriptive statistics. The participatory workshop adapts the computerized Sensitivity Model® developed by Vester to analyse the health system dynamics. Result: Out of the possible 36 strategies, this study validated the top 15 essential (must-have) and five preferred (should-have) strategies for the study area. For operationalization of the One Health approach, the enabling factors that were identified through the systems approach are micro-level factors at the individual level (trust, leadership, motivation, knowledge), meso-level factors at the organizational level (human resource, capacity-building, shared vision, decision-making capacity, laboratory capacity, surveillance), macro-level factors at the system level (coordinated roles, relationships, common platform), and external factors outside of the system (guidelines/policies, community participation, a specific budget, political will, smart technology). Discussion: This study reveals that the micro-level factors at the individual level are potential levers of the health system. More attention to these factors could be beneficial for the operationalization of the One Health approach. This study recommends a systems approach through a bottom-up exploration to understand the local health system and its enabling factors, which should be accounted for in formulating future One Health policies. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animals; Health Policy; Humans; India; Intersectoral Collaboration; One Health; Zoonoses; Article; attitude to health; budget; capacity building; case study; community participation; content analysis; Delphi study; disease surveillance; health care policy; health care system; human; India; infection control; intersectoral collaboration; leadership; medical technology; motivation; One Health; politics; practice guideline; qualitative research; shared decision making; smart technology; statistics; trust; validation study; vignette; workshop; zoonosis; animal; intersectoral collaboration | Health system; India; Intersectoral collaboration; One Health; Operationalization |
| Sero-epidemiological survey of orthopoxvirus in stray cats and in different domestic, wild and exotic animal species of central Italy | Orthpoxvirus infection can spread more easily in a population with a waning immunity with the subsequent emergence/re-emergence of the viruses pertaining to this genus. In the last two decades, several cases of Orthopoxvirus, and in particular Cowpoxvirus infections in humans were reported in different parts of the world, possibly due to the suspension of smallpox vaccinations. To date, in Italy, few investigations were conducted on the presence of these infections, and because of this a serosurvey was carried out to evaluate Cowpoxvirus infection in feline colonies situated in the province of Rome, since these are also susceptible to other zoonotic viruses belonging to Orthopoxvirus, and from which humans may contract the infection. The sample design was set at an expected minimum seroprevalence of 7.5%, a 5% standard error and 95% confidence level. In parallel, a serological investigation was conducted using convenience sampling in domestic, exotic and wild susceptible animals of the Latium and Tuscany Regions, which are areas in the jurisdiction of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana, coordinating this study. The serological methods employed were indirect immunofluorescence for 36 sera of nonhuman primate and virus neutralization for 1198 sera of different species. All the 1234 sera examined were negative for the presence of antibodies against Cowpoxvirus, indicating its limited circulation in the areas of investigation. The methodology applied for the serosurveillance could be adopted in the case of outbreaks of this infection and for the evaluation of the spread of this infection in the area of interest, to obtain essential information crucial for animal and public health policies according to the One Health concept. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Animals; Animals, Exotic; Animals, Wild; Antibodies, Viral; Cats; Communicable Diseases; Disease Outbreaks; Italy; Orthopoxvirus; Poxviridae Infections; Seroepidemiologic Studies; virus antibody; animal experiment; article; convenience sample; Cowpox virus; exotic animal; immunofluorescence; Italy; nonhuman; One Health; primate; public health; serological surveillance; seroprevalence; stray cat; virus neutralization; animal; blood; cat; communicable disease; epidemic; exotic animal; Italy; Orthopoxvirus; pathogenicity; poxvirus infection; seroepidemiology; veterinary medicine; virology; wild animal | Cat; Cowpox virus; Mammals; Orthopoxvirus; Seroprevalence; Target population; Zoo |
| Molecular detection of vancomycin and methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from food processing environments | Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known foodborne pathogen. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of S. aureus isolated from serving utensils in food processing environments in Mymensingh city, Bangladesh and to determine their antibiogram and resistance determinants. A total of 120 environmental samples were collected from different food settings. Isolation and identification were conducted using conventional biochemical tests. Molecular identification of isolates and detection of methicillin and vancomycin resistance were done using primer-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting Tuf, nuc, mecA, and mecC genes. Antibiotic sensitivity tests were performed, and resistance genes were also detected by amplifying blaTEM, vanA, vanB, and vanC genes. Among the 120 samples, 81 (67.5%) were positive for Staphylococcus spp. and 41 (50.62%) were positive for the nuc-gene. Among the 41 isolates, 5 (12.20%) were positive for mecA, but none were positive for the mecC gene. A total of 12.2% of the isolates were vanC-positive, of which 4 isolates (9.76%) were also positive for the mecA gene. Antibiotic sensitivity testing revealed that all S. aureus isolates (100%) from hotel samples were sensitive to ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol, 90.32% were sensitive to doxycycline, and 80.65% were sensitive to streptomycin. Conversely, all isolates (100%) were resistant to ampicillin, and 29.03% were resistant to vancomycin. All S. aureus isolates obtained from non-hotel samples were susceptible to chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, meropenem, and vancomycin; however, 40% of isolates were resistant to novobiocin. Among the hotel isolates, 29 (93.55%) of the ampicillin-resistant isolates harbored the blaTEM gene while 5 (55.55%) of the vancomycin-resistant isolates harbored the vanC gene. Four of the five vanC positive isolates were also positive for the mecA gene. The presence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) which is also vancomycin-resistant in food processing environments is a threat to public health. This is the first report on the molecular detection of methicillin and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus isolated from food processing environments in Bangladesh. © 2021 The Author(s) | ampicillin; ceftriaxone; chloramphenicol; ciprofloxacin; doxycycline; meropenem; novobiocin; streptomycin; tetracycline; vancomycin; amplicon; Article; bacterial gene; bacterium identification; bacterium isolation; disk diffusion; DNA extraction; food processing; methicillin resistance; methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus; multidrug resistance; nonhuman; phenotype; polymerase chain reaction; Staphylococcus aureus; vancomycin resistance; vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus | antimicrobial resistance; Methicillin; One health; Staphylococcus aureus; Vancomycin |
| Roadmap for onboarding a new infection preventionist: One health care system’s approach | Beginning a new career as a subject matter expert in Infection Prevention (IP) can be challenging. The scope of the service is broad, and the reference materials can be challenging to navigate. Ascension Wisconsin created a team to produce a tool to assist with the onboarding process. This project encompassed national roadmap literature blended with the healthcare system materials. The result was a compilation of IP resources, best practices, education resources, and internal talent a new IP can benefit from regardless of their experience. This tool was instrumental to the successful onboarding of 4 novice IPs during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2021 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. | COVID-19; Delivery of Health Care; Humans; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Wisconsin; Article; coronavirus disease 2019; health care delivery; health care organization; health care system; health workforce; human; infection prevention; job experience; one health care system; pandemic; standardization; pandemic; Wisconsin | Education; On-boarding; Standardization |
| Black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) in captivity: Analysis of the oral microbiota in a one health perspective | This study aimed to characterize the susceptibility profile to antibiotics and biofilm formation of Gram-negative bacterial isolates obtained from the oral cavity of the black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata). From eight individuals from a zoo located in Portugal, samples of the oral microbiota were collected with sterile swabs and then placed in closed tubes with a transport medium. Culture was carried out for media of Gram-negative bacteria. Twenty-two isolates were obtained and subjected to susceptibility tests to twenty-five antimicrobial agents belonging to seven different classes. All tested isolates demonstrated resistance to, at least, one antibiotic, and it was possible to observe multidrug resistance in 11 of the 22 isolates (50%). It should be noted that an isolate showed phenotypic resistance to imipenem, an antibiotic for exclusive use in a hospital environment. All the isolates showed an increasing ability of biofilm formation over time. The obtained results show that wild mammals in captivity could be reservoirs and potential sources of multi-resistant pathogens. In view of this fact and considering the One Health concept, it will be advisable to establish local monitoring programs worldwide that benefit and protect human, animal and environmental health. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | acetic acid; amikacin; amoxicillin; amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid; antibiotic agent; aztreonam; cefalotin; cefotaxime; cefoxitin; ceftriaxone; chloramphenicol; ciprofloxacin; cotrimoxazole; crystal violet; erythromycin; extended spectrum beta lactamase; fosfomycin; gentamicin; imipenem; kanamycin; macrolide; nalidixic acid; penicillin derivative; piperacillin plus tazobactam; quinolone derivative; ticarcillin; timentin; ureidopenicillin; animal experiment; animal model; animal welfare; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; bacterium isolate; biofilm; biomass; environmental health; Escherichia coli; Gram negative bacterium; Lemur (genus); Lemuridae; mouth cavity; mouth flora; multidrug resistant bacterium; nonhuman; One Health; phenotype; veterinary medicine | Antibiotics; Biofilm; Lemurs; Multidrug-resistant bacteria; One health; Oral microbiota |
| Evaluation of a multimodal intervention to promote rational antibiotic use in primary care | Background: Increasing antimicrobial resistance is a serious societal challenge affecting outpatient, inpatient and veterinary care. The German One-Health project, RAI (Rational use of Antibiotics via Information and Communication) addresses all three sectors. In the outpatient sector, General Practitioners (GPs) are the main prescribers of antibiotics and were therefore, targeted for this study. A multimodal intervention focusing on Acute Respiratory Tract infections (ARI) was designed and implemented. The aim of this study was to evaluate acceptance, rating and the self-reported impact of the intervention among GPs. Methods: The intervention offered six tools: a GP training on rational antibiotic use, an app for self-monitoring, a leaflet and a set of posters (both for use as information materials in waiting rooms) and both digital and printed information prescriptions (material for ‘prescribing’ information instead of an antibiotic to the patient). The tools could be used according to individual preferences. The intervention was conducted between August 2016 and July 2017. Following the intervention, a three pages anonymous questionnaire was sent to all 271 participants. Items covered socio-demographic and professional background, use and judgement of the intervention tools (6 point Likert scale), impact of the intervention tools (4 point Likert scale). Results: The response rate was 39% (n = 107). On average, respondents used 3.1 of the six available tools, with printed information prescriptions used most frequently (79%). Digital information prescriptions were used more frequently by men than by women (OR 2.8; 95% CI 1.16–7.24; p = 0.02). Eighty-seven percent of respondents stated that information prescriptions supported doctor-patient communication. In a comparison of the overall impression of the different intervention tools the GP training on rational antibiotic use was rated best (1.67 on a 6 point scale with 1 = highest, 6 = lowest) and most often noted as having had a “strong” or “very strong” impact on personal antibiotic prescribing behavior. Conclusions: The multimodal intervention addressing education and communication was well accepted among GPs and could help in fostering rational use of antibiotics in primary care. © 2021, The Author(s). | Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Female; General Practitioners; Germany; Humans; Inappropriate Prescribing; Male; Middle Aged; Mobile Applications; One Health; Physician-Patient Relations; Practice Patterns, Physicians’; Primary Health Care; Respiratory Tract Infections; Surveys and Questionnaires; antibiotic agent; antiinfective agent; adult; aged; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic therapy; Article; digitalization; doctor patient relationship; drug use; electronic prescribing; female; general practitioner; health promotion; human; information dissemination; intervention study; male; medical education; medical practice; mobile application; One Health; outpatient care; patient preference; prescription; primary medical care; priority journal; program evaluation; questionnaire; respiratory tract infection; self monitoring; self report; sex difference; waiting room; work experience; clinical practice; education; Germany; inappropriate prescribing; middle aged; prevention and control; primary health care; respiratory tract infection; very elderly | Acute respiratory tract infection; Antimicrobial use; General practitioners; Outpatient care; Primary care; Rational antibiotic use |
| Is one health a viable strategy in animal health litigation: Evidence from civil lawsuits in China | Several litigation strategies are used to gain support from courts in order to protect animals. While the emerging litigation strategy themed in One Health stimulates judicial protection in the animal health sector, little is known about whether and how such strategies are supported by courts. In this article, we investigate how animal welfare litigation strategies influence judge’s choices within their discretion. We argue that litigators equipped with the litigation strategy themed in One Health are placed in an advantageous position in animal health cases, but that this tendency varies markedly across zoonoses. Specifically, we suggest that litigators utilizing One Health’s litigation strategy are associated with higher probabilities to win, whereas normal litigators are not. Further, we propose that litigators equipped with the One Health litigation strategy are awarded more damages from judges. We test and find support for our predictions using a cross sectional dataset of civil lawsuit cases centering on the animal health industry in Chinese mainland. Our findings indicate that courts indeed were persuaded by the One Health litigation strategy, even when bound by the discretion rules. At the same time, we suggest that for advocates who would like to litigate for animal welfare in the animal health sector, the litigation strategy themed in One Health might have potentially positive implications. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | drinking water; animal abuse; animal health; animal welfare; antibiotic resistance; Article; avian influenza; awareness; biodiversity; breeding; brucellosis; child abuse; coronavirus disease 2019; decision making; disease control; disease transmission; domestic violence; ecosystem; emotion; environmental health; environmental protection; food safety; foot and mouth disease; law suit; legal liability; malpractice; morality; morbidity; negligence; nonhuman; One Health; pandemic; prophylaxis; public health; public policy; rabies; schistosomiasis; systematic review; vaccination; water quality; wellbeing; wildlife; wildlife conservation; zoonosis | Animal law; Law and economics; Litigation strategy; One Health; Strategic litigation |
| First outbreak of glanders in Nepal and possible implications for the animal sector | [No abstract available] | Animals; Burkholderia mallei; Disease Outbreaks; Glanders; Horse Diseases; Horses; Melioidosis; Nepal; animal care; animal sector; animal welfare; Article; Burkholderia mallei; complement fixation test; disease re-emergence; disease surveillance; disease transmission; donkey; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; Equus; Foot and mouth disease virus; glanders; government; horse; hygiene; immunity; indirect ELISA; infection control; livestock; mule; Nepal; nonhuman; nutritional status; One Health; prevalence; public health; quarantine; respiratory tract injury; risk factor; serodiagnosis; seroprevalence; sheep; skin defect; vaccination; zoonosis; animal; Burkholderia mallei; epidemic; glanders; horse disease; melioidosis; veterinary medicine | Burkholderia mallei; One Health; quarantine; re-emerging disease; zoonosis |
| Genetic diversity of hepatitis e virus type 3 in Switzerland—from stable to table | Hepatitis E caused by hepatitis E viruses of the genotype 3 (HEV-3) is a major health concern in industrialized countries and due to its zoonotic character requires a “One Health” approach to unravel routes and sources of transmission. Knowing the viral diversity present in reservoir hosts, i.e., pigs but also wild boars, is an important prerequisite for molecular epidemiology. The aim of this study was to gain primary information on the diversity of HEV-3 subtypes present along the food chain in Switzerland, as well as the diversity within these subtypes. To this end, samples of domestic pigs from slaughterhouses and carcass collection points, as well as from hunted wild boars, were tested for HEV RNA and antibodies. HEV positive meat products were provided by food testing labs. The HEV subtypes were determined using Sanger and next generation sequencing. The genetic analyses confirmed the predominance of a Swiss-specific cluster within subtype HEV-3h in pigs, meat products, and wild boars. This cluster, which may result from local virus evolution due to the isolated Swiss pig industry, supports fast differentiation of domestic and imported infections with HEV. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). | virus antibody; virus RNA; animal tissue; Article; carcass; cycle threshold value; disease reservoir; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; European wild boar; feces analysis; food chain; genetic analysis; genetic variability; Hepatitis E virus; high throughput sequencing; host; meat; molecular epidemiology; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; One Health; open reading frame; phylogeny; prevalence; real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; RNA extraction; Sanger sequencing; sequence alignment; seroprevalence; slaughterhouse; Switzerland; Trichinella spiralis; viral diversity; viral evolution | Food chain; Hepatitis E virus; One health; Pig; Subtyping; Switzerland; Wild boar |
| New viruses on the rise: A One Health and ecosystem-based perspective on emerging viruses | [No abstract available] | Article; ecosystem; global health; human; metagenomics; nonhuman; One Health; public health; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; virus; virus genome | ecosystem; emerging; global; novel; one health; virus |
| Access, use and disposal of antimicrobials among humans and animals in Wakiso district, Uganda: a qualitative study | Background: Inappropriate use of antimicrobials in both humans and animals is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In addition, human behaviours such as poor disposal of antimicrobials in the environment can increase their exposure to microbes which can impact on humans and animals. However, evidence on access, use and disposal of antimicrobials for humans and animals at community level in Uganda is limited. This study therefore explored access, use and disposal of antimicrobials among humans and animals in Wakiso district, Uganda. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted that involved focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). Participants of the FGDs were community health workers (CHWs) and farmers involved in animal husbandry, while key informants included: officials from the Ministry of Health; Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries; human and animal health professionals; district health officials; and members of the national AMR surveillance committee. Twelve FGDs were held (8 for CHWs and 4 for farmers) while 15 KIIs were conducted. Thematic analysis in NVivo (version 12) was performed. Results: Five main themes emerged from the study: access to antimicrobials in humans; access to antimicrobials in animals; use of antimicrobials in humans; use of antimicrobials in animals; and disposal of antimicrobials. Community members mainly accessed antimicrobials for humans from public health facilities such as government health centres, as well as private facilities, including drug shops and clinics. Antimicrobials for animals were obtained from veterinary practitioners and drug shops (both for humans and veterinary). Examples of inappropriate use of antimicrobials in both humans and animals was evident, such as sharing antibiotics among household members, and giving human-prescribed antimicrobials to food-producing animals as growth promoters. While some CHWs returned unused antimicrobials to public health facilities for proper disposal, community members mainly disposed of antimicrobials with general household waste including dumping in rubbish pits. Conclusions: There is a need to increase awareness among the population on proper access, use and disposal of antimicrobials for both humans and animals. Development of a drug disposal system at community level would facilitate improved waste management of antimicrobials. Together, these measures would help prevent the rate of progression of AMR in communities. © 2021, The Author(s). | antiinfective agent; agricultural worker; animal husbandry; antibiotic resistance; Article; awareness; controlled study; domestic waste; drug use; dumping; food industry; health auxiliary; health care access; health care facility; health practitioner; household; human; nonhuman; paraveterinary worker; pharmacy (shop); population structure; prescription; qualitative research; social participation; structured interview; thematic analysis; Uganda; waste disposal; waste management | Animals; Antimicrobial resistance; Antimicrobial stewardship; Antimicrobials; Community; Humans; One Health; Uganda; Waste management |
| The origins and lineage of One Health, Part I | [No abstract available] | Animals; One Health; Article; Bacillus anthracis; bacterial zoonosis; comparative medicine; coronavirus disease 2019; disease transmission; ethnic group; human; medical research; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; One Health; receiver operating characteristic; society and environment; Vibrio cholerae; animal |
| Operationalising the “One Health” approach in India: facilitators of and barriers to effective cross-sector convergence for zoonoses prevention and control | Background: There is a strong policy impetus for the One Health cross-sectoral approach to address the complex challenge of zoonotic diseases, particularly in low/lower middle income countries (LMICs). Yet the implementation of this approach in LMIC contexts such as India has proven challenging, due partly to the relatively limited practical guidance and understanding on how to foster and sustain cross-sector collaborations. This study addresses this gap by exploring the facilitators of and barriers to successful convergence between the human, animal and environmental health sectors in India. Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted using a detailed content review of national policy documents and in-depth semi-structured interview data on zoonotic disease management in India. In total, 29 policy documents were reviewed and 15 key informant interviews were undertaken with national and state level policymakers, disease managers and experts operating within the human-animal-environment interface of zoonotic disease control. Results: Our findings suggest that there is limited policy visibility of zoonotic diseases, although global zoonoses, especially those identified to be of pandemic potential by international organisations (e.g. CDC, WHO and OIE) rather than local, high burden endemic diseases, have high recognition in the existing policy agenda setting. Despite the widespread acknowledgement of the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration, a myriad of factors operated to either constrain or facilitate the success of cross-sectoral convergence at different stages (i.e. information-sharing, undertaking common activities and merging resources and infrastructure) of cross-sectoral action. Importantly, participants identified the lack of supportive policies, conflicting departmental priorities and limited institutional capacities as major barriers that hamper effective cross-sectoral collaboration on zoonotic disease control. Building on existing informal inter-personal relationships and collaboration platforms were suggested by participants as the way forward. Conclusion: Our findings point to the importance of strengthening existing national policy frameworks as a first step for leveraging cross-sectoral capacity for improved disease surveillance and interventions. This requires the contextual adaptation of the One Health approach in a manner that is sensitive to the underlying socio-political, institutional and cultural context that determines and shapes outcomes of cross-sector collaborative arrangements. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animals; Humans; India; One Health; Zoonoses; animal; human; India; One Health; zoonosis | Cross-sectoral convergence; Emerging infectious disease; Health system; India; One health; Zoonoses |
| SARS-CoV-2 antibodies seroprevalence in dogs from France using ELISA and an automated western blotting assay | Dogs are occasionally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, developing few or no clinical signs. Epidemiological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in dogs requires testing to distinguish it from other canine coronaviruses. In the last year, significant advances have been made in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, allowing its surveillance in both human and animal populations. Here, using ELISA and automated western blotting (AWB) assays, we performed a longitudinal study on 809 apparently healthy dogs from different regions of France to investigate anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. There were three main groups: (i) 356 dogs sampled once before the pandemic, (ii) 235 dogs sampled once during the pandemic, and (iii) 218 dogs, including 82 dogs sampled twice (before and during the pandemic), 125 dogs sampled twice during the pandemic and 11 dogs sampled three times (once before and twice during the pandemic). Using ELISA, seroprevalence was significantly higher during the pandemic [5.5% (25/453)] than during the pre-pandemic period [1.1% (5/449)]. Among the 218 dogs sampled twice, at least 8 ELISA-seroconversions were observed. ELISA positive pre-pandemic sera were not confirmed in serial tests by AWB, indicating possible ELISA cross-reactivity, probably with other canine coronaviruses. A significant difference was observed between these two serological tests (Q = 88, p = 0.008). A clear correlation was observed between SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in dogs and the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human population from the same area. AWB could be used as a second line assay to confirm the doubtful and discrepant ELISA results in dogs. Our results confirm the previous experimental models regarding the susceptibility of dogs to SARS-CoV-2, suggesting that viral transmission from and between dogs is weak or absent. However, the new variants with multiple mutations could adapt to dogs; this hypothesis cannot be ruled out in the absence of genomic data on SARS-CoV-2 from dogs. © 2021 The Authors | SARS-CoV-2 antibody; adult; animal experiment; animal model; Article; automation; controlled study; coronavirus disease 2019; correlational study; cross reaction; disease predisposition; dog; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; female; France; incidence; longitudinal study; male; nonhuman; pandemic; serology; seroprevalence; virus transmission; Western blotting | COVID-19; Dog; Epidemiosurveillance; One health; SARS-CoV-2; Serology |
| Stamping Out Animal Culling: From Anthropocentrism to One Health Ethics | Culling is used in traditional public health policies to control animal populations. These policies aim primarily to protect human interests but often fail to provide scientific evidence of effectiveness. In this article, we defend the need to move from a strictly anthropocentric approach to disease control towards a One Health ethics, using culling practices as an example. We focus on the recent badger culls in the UK, claiming that, based on data provided by the English Government, these culls may be unjustified, all thing considered. We highlight the relevance of ethical reasoning rooted in One Health for this discussion, and make several suggestions including a moratorium on culling until data are provided to support the effectiveness of culling; to conduct a randomized trial to compare proactive culling with alternative methods; to apply deliberative democratic methods to assess public opinion towards the culls, and to find in Brexit an opportunity for aiming for more effective control measures. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. | United Kingdom; Taxidiinae; ethics; health impact; health policy; local government; policy implementation; public health | Badgers; Culling; One Health; Practical ethics |
| Domestic pig prioritized in one health action against fascioliasis in human endemic areas: Experimental assessment of transmission capacity and epidemiological evaluation of reservoir role | The Northern Bolivian Altiplano is the human fascioliasis hyperendemic area where the highest prevalences and intensities in humans have been reported. Preventive chemotherapy was implemented in the last ten years. Surveillance showed high human infection and re-infection rates in between the annual triclabendazole monodose treatments. A complementary One Health control action was launched to decrease the infection risk. Among the multidisciplinary axes, there is the need to establish animal reservoir species priorities for a more efficient control. Laboratory and field studies were performed for the first time to assess the Fasciola hepatica transmission capacity of the pig and its potential reservoir role. The experimental follow-up of altiplanic pig isolates through altiplanic Galba truncatula snail vector isolates were performed at different miracidial doses and different day/night temperatures. Experiments included egg embryonation, miracidial infectivity, lymnaeid snail infection, intramolluscan larval development, cercarial production, chronobiology of the cercarial shedding, vector survival to infection, metacercarial infectivity of mammal host, and adult stage development. Surveys included the assessment of prevalence, intensity, egg measurements and egg shedding rates in nature. Pig contribution was evaluated by comparing with the main altiplanic reservoirs sheep and cattle. Results demonstrated that the pig assures the whole F. hepatica life cycle and participates in its transmission in this area. The fast egg embryonation, high cercarial production, long multi-wave shedding chronobiological pattern in monomiracidial infections at permanent 20 °C temperature, and the high daily egg outputs per pig are worth mentioning. The high infection risk suggests early infection of freely running piglets and evolutionary long-term adaptation of the liver fluke to this omnivorous mammal, despite its previously evoked resistance or non-suitability. Genetic, physiological and immune similarities with humans may also underlie the parasite adaptation to humans in this area. The pig should be accordingly included for appropriate control measures within a One Health action against human fascioliasis. The pig should henceforth be considered in epidemiological studies and control initiatives not only in fascioliasis endemic areas with human infection risk on other Andean countries, but also in rural areas of Latin America, Africa and Asia where domestic pigs are allowed to run freely. © 2021 | triclabendazole; animal experiment; animal model; Article; bovine; cercaria; chronobiology; disease reservoir; domestic pig; embryo development; endemic disease; fascioliasis; follow up; Galba truncatula; infection control; infection risk; larval development; Lymnaea; metacercaria; miracidium; nonhuman; parasite egg count; parasite load; parasite transmission; parasite virulence; prevalence; rat; reinfection; risk reduction; sheep; temperature | Andean countries; Bolivia; Fasciola hepatica; Field epidemiology; Galba truncatula experimental transmission; Human fascioliasis hyperendemic; One Health; Pig; Reservoir role |
| Collapse of the public health system and the emergence of new variants during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil | The worldwide spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused the most severe public health crisis since the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic. After the introduction of public health interventions aimed at reducing the number of COVID-19 cases, many countries across the world obtained success at containing the fast spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the first wave of the pandemic. However, the SARS-CoV-2 has resurged in many countries causing a even more devastating second wave. Brazil is one the most affected countries and currently is facing one of the worst public health crises in its history. Here, we discuss the unprecedented challenges faced by the Brazilian public health system in the midst of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly regarding the collapse of the Brazilian health system and the emergence of new variants of concern (VOCs). Finally, we suggest some insights using a one health approach that will help the country to face and overcome the current COVID-19 crisis. © 2021 | chloroquine; convalescent plasma; coronavac; mRNA-1273 vaccine; neutralizing antibody; tozinameran; Article; artificial ventilation; Brazil; Brazilian; clinical trial (topic); comparative study; coronavirus disease 2019; disease severity; drug approval; drug safety; drug tolerability; economic crisis; gene sequence; government; health care access; health care policy; health care system; herd immunity; home quarantine; hospital admission; hospitalization; human; immune response; immunogenicity; in vitro study; in vivo study; India; infection control; infection rate; infection risk; intensive care unit; Italy; laboratory test; leisure; lockdown; mortality rate; nonhuman; One Health; pandemic; political system; public health service; publication; reinfection; SARS Cov 2 variant B.1.427; SARS-Cov-2 variant 20J/501Y.V3; SARS-Cov-2 variant 501Y.V1; SARS-CoV-2 variant 501Y.V2; SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.617.2; SARS-CoV-2 variant CAL.20C; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; social behavior; social distancing; South Africa; United Kingdom; United States; universal health care; virus genome; virus immunity; virus load; virus mutation; virus neutralization; virus replication; virus strain; virus transmission | Coronavirus; COVID-19; One health; Public health; SARS-CoV-2; Variants |
| A Survey on One Health Approach in Colombia and Some Latin American Countries: From a Fragmented Health Organization to an Integrated Health Response to Global Challenges | The “One Health” (OH) approach has been recognized by world health authorities such as FAO/OIE/WHO, advocating for effective, multi-sectoral, and transdisciplinary collaboration. However, there is a lack of published evidence of the awareness of the OH concept in Colombia and other countries in the Latin American Region. In order to explore existing collaboration amongst the animal health, human-public health, environmental health sectors, and to describe the perception, knowledge, and barriers on OH in Colombia and other countries of Latin America, an online questionnaire-based survey was distributed among key professionals representing the three OH pillars (August 2018–August 2020). Overall, 76 key respondents from 13 countries (Colombia, México, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Perú, Guatemala, Nicaragua Uruguay, and Venezuela) completed the questionnaire. Respondents worked in institutions of animal (59%), public (20%), human (7%), and environmental health (7%); they mainly belonged to higher academic institutions (59%), followed by ministries (11%), and research organizations (9%). Most participants (92%) were familiar with the OH term and 68% were aware of the formal cooperation among sectors in their countries, mostly on zoonoses; in 46% of the cases, such connections were established in the last 5 years. The main reported limiting factors to intersectorality were the lack of commitment of policy-makers, resources, and budget for OH (38%) and the “siloed approach” of sectors and disciplines (34%). Respondents ranked a median score of 3.0 (1–5 scoring) in how good OH activities are implemented in their countries, and a median score of 2.0 in the citizen awareness on OH as regards their countries. The most important OH issues were identified in vector-borne diseases, rabies, wrong and/or improper use of antimicrobials, emerging viral diseases, food-borne diseases, neglected parasitic diseases, deforestation, and ecosystem fragmentation. Although there is a high-perceived importance on conjoint cooperation, OH implementation, and operationalization remain weak, and the environmental component is not well-integrated. We consider that integration and implementation of the OH Approach can support countries to improve their health policies and health governance as well as to advocate the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of the Region. Copyright © 2021 Cediel Becerra, Olaya Medellin, Tomassone, Chiesa and De Meneghi. | Animals; Colombia; Ecosystem; Humans; Latin America; One Health; Surveys and Questionnaires; animal; Colombia; ecosystem; human; One Health; questionnaire; South and Central America | barriers; Colombia; intersectoral collaboration; Latin America countries; one health; perception; questionnaire survey |
| Critical Evaluation of Cross-Sectoral Collaborations to Inform the Implementation of the “One Health” Approach in Guadeloupe | In Guadeloupe, a French overseas territory located in the Eastern Caribbean, infectious and non-infectious diseases, loss of biodiversity, natural disasters and global change threaten the health and well-being of animals, plants, and people. Implementing the “One Health” (OH) approach is crucial to reduce the archipelago’s vulnerability to these health threats. However, OH remains underdeveloped in Guadeloupe, hampering efficient and effective intersectoral and transdisciplinary collaborations for disease surveillance and control. A multidisciplinary research group of volunteer researchers working in Guadeloupe, with collective expertise in infectious diseases, undertook a study to identify key attributes for OH operationalization by reviewing past and current local collaborative health initiatives and analyzing how much they mobilized the OH framework. The research group developed and applied an operational OH framework to assess critically collaborative initiatives addressing local health issues. Based on a literature review, a set of 13 opinion-based key criteria was defined. The criteria and associated scoring were measured through semi-directed interviews guided by a questionnaire to critically evaluate four initiatives in animal, human, plant, and environmental health research and epidemiological surveillance. Gaps, levers, and prospects were identified that will help health communities in Guadeloupe envision how to implement the OH approach to better address local health challenges. The methodology is simple, generic, and pragmatic and relies on existing resources. It can be transposed and adapted to other contexts to improve effectiveness and efficiency of OH initiatives, based on lessons-learned of local past or current multi-interdisciplinary and intersectoral initiatives. © Copyright © 2021 Gruel, Diouf, Abadie, Chilin-Charles, Etter, Geffroy, Herrmann Storck, Meyer, Pagès, Pressat, Teycheney, Umber, Vega-Rúa and Pradel. | Animals; Caribbean Region; Guadeloupe; Humans; Natural Disasters; One Health; West Indies; animal; Caribbean; Caribbean Islands; Guadeloupe; human; natural disaster; One Health | animal health; environmental health; evaluation; human health; interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaborations; One Health; operationalization; plant health |
| Predators in northern Germany are reservoirs for parasites of One Health concern | Urbanisation and invasion of wildlife into urban areas as well as human leisure activities create diverse wildlife-domestic animal-human interfaces, increasing the risk of (zoonotic) parasite spillover from sylvatic to domestic and synanthropic cycles. This study investigated the endo- and ectoparasite fauna, emphasising on parasites of One Health Concern, of the most common predators in northern Germany between November 2013 and January 2016. Eighty red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), 18 stone martens (Martes foina) and nine raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) were available for the study. Overall, 79 (73.8%) of the examined predators (n=107) harboured at least one endoparasite. The most frequently detected endoparasites in red foxes were Toxocara canis (43.8% positive individuals), Capillaria spp. (36.3%), Alaria alata (25.0%), Echinococcus multilocularis (26.3%) and Uncinaria stenocephala (25.0%). Furthermore, Toxascaris leonina, Trichuris vulpis, Taenia ssp., Mesocestoides spp. and coccidian oocysts were observed. The endoparasite species richness in raccoon dogs was comparable to red foxes, while in stone martens, only Capillaria spp. were found. Muscle digestion for detection of Trichinella spp. and antigen testing for Giardia spp. did not show positive results. Ectoparasite analyses revealed infestations with ticks species of the genus Ixodes as well as Dermacentor reticulatus. Scabies mites were not present in digested skin samples, while Demodex spp. mites were observed by faecal flotation in one red fox. Furthermore, fleas (Archaeopsylla erinacei and Chaetopsylla globiceps) were observed in the fur of red foxes, while lice were not present in any predator species. However, infestation frequency with ectoparasites was with 19.2% generally low in available predator skins (n=99). Overall, the present study showed that predators in northern Germany serve as reservoirs for parasites of One Health concern, with four of the five most frequent endoparasites being zoonotic, highlighting the need of parasite surveillance in wildlife predators in order to implement measures avoiding spillovers to domestic animals and humans. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animals; Foxes; Germany; One Health; Parasites; Prevalence; Raccoon Dogs; cepetor; embutramide; ketamin; ketamine; mebezonium iodide; medetomidine; tetracaine; adult; Alaria alata; alveolar echinococcosis; animal experiment; animal model; Archaeopsylla erinacei; Article; Capillaria; capillariasis; Chaetopsylla globiceps; Coccidia; coinfection; controlled study; Demodex; Dermacentor reticulatus; digestion; domestic animal; Echinococcus multilocularis; ectoparasite; endoparasite; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; fauna; female; flea; flotation; Germany; infestation; intestine parasite; Ixodes; male; Martes foina; Mesocestoidea; muscle; nonhuman; One Health; one health concern; parasitosis; predator; prevalence; raccoon dog; scabies; species comparison; species richness; statistically significant result; Taenia; tick; Toxascaris leonina; Toxocara canis; toxocariasis; Trichuris vulpis; Uncinaria stenocephala; uncinariasis; Vulpes vulpes; zoonosis; animal; epidemiology; fox; parasite | Echinococcus spp; Helminths; Prevalence; Raccoon dog; Red fox; Zoonoses |
| Volcanic and limnic eruption: A potential threat to one health | Nyiragongo volcanic eruption can cause a limnic eruption, which is a lesser-known disaster. The Nyiragongo volcano can stream into Lake Kivu and boil the water, resulting in a CH4 explosion and CO2 emission into the external environment. This potential overturn of Lake Kivu might result in multitudinous adverse effects. It would be a tragedy because residents of the lake basin would asphyxiate due to rising CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Therefore, it is critical to inform and educate the population regarding the danger and the appropriate behaviour if the emergency matters. Implementing mechanisms to extract and reduce CO2 would significantly prevent the catastrophe and sustain the population. There is equally a need to strengthen Lake Kivu protection and monitoring measures and regulate human activities. We advocate for a multifaceted one ealth approach to establishing resilient prevention and preparedness mechanisms. This article aimed to discuss the possible effects of the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption on Lake Kivu and how they might affect One Health, providing valuable and necessary information for public health practitioners and policymakers to consider. © 2021, Pan African Medical Journal. All rights reserved. | CO<sub>2</sub> emission; disasters; lake Kivu; limnic eruption; Nyiragongo volcanic eruption; one health |
| Diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi parasites infecting Triatoma dimidiata in Central Veracruz, Mexico, and their One Health ecological interactions | Triatoma dimidiata is the main vector of Trypanosoma cruzi parasites in Veracruz, Mexico, and its association with human housing appears variable. Also, in spite of a high seroprevalence of T. cruzi infection in humans, parasite transmission remains poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to identify T. dimidiata blood feeding sources and its parasite and microbial diversity to reconstruct T. cruzi parasite transmission ecology in central Veracruz, Mexico, within a One Health/Ecohealth framework. We used a metabarcoding and deep sequencing approach of specific markers for the simultaneous identification of T. dimidiata haplogroup (ITS-2), vertebrate blood meals (12 s gene), T. cruzi parasites (mini-exon gene), and gut microbiota (bacterial 16 s). Twelve species of domestic/synanthropic animals and humans were identified as blood sources, with multiple feeding on 4.2 ± 0.4 hosts per bug. The feeding/parasite transmission network was strongly centered on humans, emphasizing a significant risk of infection. We also unambiguously confirmed the presence of TcI, TcII, TcV and TcVI DTUs in T. dimidiata, and sequences from Veracruz tended to cluster apart from parasites from other regions, suggesting some level of local differentiation. Analysis of T. dimidiata microbiota suggested that several bacterial families may be associated with the presence/absence of T. cruzi, and some of these associations may also be parasite DTU-specific. Such integrative approaches within the EcoHealth/One Health framework provide key insights on T. cruzi transmission and potential novel strategies for disease control. © 2021 Elsevier B.V. | Animals; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Genetic Variation; Mexico; One Health; Triatoma; Trypanosoma cruzi; internal transcribed spacer 2; Article; Chagas disease; Cimex lectularius; Enterobacteriaceae; gene network analysis; gene sequence; genotyping; geographic origin; haplogroup; infection risk; intestine flora; Mexico; microbial diversity; Nocardiaceae; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; parasite transmission; phylogenetic tree; polymerase chain reaction; sanguivore; sequence alignment; Triatoma dimidiata; Trypanosoma cruzi; animal; genetic variation; genetics; intestine flora; One Health; parasitology; Triatoma; Trypanosoma cruzi | Blood meal; Chagas disease; Discrete typing unit; Hematophagous; Microbiome; One health; Parasite diversity; Transmission network |
| Lessons from a community based interdisciplinary learning exposure: benefits for both students and communities in Uganda | Background: Makerere University implemented a One Health Institute (OHI) in 2016 involving undergraduate students selected from different disciplines. The students were first taken through theoretical principles of One Health followed by a field attachment in communities. The field attachment aimed to expose students to experiential educational opportunities in the communities in a One Health approach. In this paper, we present students’ experiences and their contributions to the communities of attachment. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, utilizing qualitative data collection methods. The study involved students who participated in the OHI field attachment and community members in a One Health demonstration site-Western Uganda. Four focus group discussions (FGDs) and four in-depths interviews (IDIs) were conducted among the students, while four FGDs and twelve IDIs were conducted among community members. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed manually. Results: The four themes that emerged are: students’ understanding and appreciation of One Health concept, their experiences and gains from the multi-disciplinary field attachment, students’ contributions to the community, and challenges faced by the students. Students had good knowledge of One Health. They appreciated that health cannot be achieved by one discipline or sector and thus the need to collaborate across sectors. Regarding experiences and gains during the multi-disciplinary field attachment, the students appreciated that each discipline had a role to play in achieving health in the community. They appreciated the training citing skills gained in communication, team work and collaboration. They also reported a feeling of gratitude and accomplishment because they felt they made a positive change to the community by putting in place interventions to address some of the community challenges. Similarly, the communities appreciated the students’ contribution in solving their health challenges, ranging from conducting health education to improving sanitation and hygiene. Conclusions: Through the OHI, students gained One Health competencies including communication, teamwork, and collaboration. Adopting an interdisciplinary model in university teaching system especially during field placement would strengthen skills of collaboration, team work and communication which are critical for a multi-disciplinary approach which is needed among the future workforce in order to solve the current health challenges. © 2021, The Author(s). | Cross-Sectional Studies; Health Education; Humans; Problem-Based Learning; Students; Uganda; article; case report; clinical article; cross-sectional study; genetic transcription; health center; health education; human; human experiment; hygiene; interview; learning; One Health; sanitation; skill; teaching; teamwork; Uganda; workforce; health education; problem based learning; student; Uganda | Multi-disciplinary field attachment; One Health approach; One Health Institute; community based training; Uganda |
| Spatial variations in Leishmaniasis: A biogeographic approach to mapping the distribution of Leishmania species | Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is the most prevalent form of Leishmaniasis and is widely endemic in the Americas. Several species of Leishmania are responsible for CL, a severely neglected tropical disease and the treatment of CL vary according to the different species of Leishmania. We proposed to map the distribution of the Leishmania species reported in French Guiana (FG) using a biogeographic approach based on environmental predictors. We also measured species endemism i.e., the uniqueness of species to a defined geographic location. Our results show that the distribution patterns varied between Leishmania spp. and were spatially dependent on climatic covariates. The species distribution modelling of the eco-epidemiological spatial patterns of Leishmania spp. is the first to measure endemism based on bioclimatic factors in FG. The study also emphasizes the impact of tree cover loss and climate on the increasing distribution of L. (Viannia) braziliensis in the most anthropized regions. Detection of high-risk regions for the different between Leishmania spp. is essential for monitoring and active surveillance of the vector. As climate plays a major role in the spatial distribution of the vector and reservoir and the survival of the pathogen, climatic covariates should be included in the analysis and mapping of vector-borne diseases. This study underscores the significance of local land management and the urgency of considering the impact of climate change in the development of vector-borne disease management strategies at the global scale. © 2021 The Authors | Article; biogeography; climate; cutaneous leishmaniasis; deforestation; disease carrier; endemic species; French Guiana; human; Leishmania; Leishmania braziliensis; leishmaniasis; model; nonhuman; One Health; species distribution; tree; vector borne disease; zoonosis | Biogeography; Cutaneous leishmaniasis; Deforestation; One health; Stacked species distribution modelling; Zoonosis |
| Animal Health Week 2021-October 3 to 9, 2021 Animal Health + Human Health + Planet Health = One Health; [Semaine de la santé animale -du 3 au 9 octobre 2021 Santé animale + santé humaine + santé de la planete = Une seule santé] | [No abstract available] | animal health; article; Article; health insurance; nonhuman; One Health; planetary health; scientific literature |
| Communicating with Migrant Patients: An Unsolved Problem?; [La comunicación con el paciente migrante: ¿asignatura pendiente?] | [No abstract available] | Article; human; interpersonal communication; migrant; doctor patient relationship; emigrant; health care system; immigrant; immigration; language; medical ethics; nonverbal communication; One Health; patient care; primary medical care; public health campaign; social status; Spain; verbal communication |
| Antimicrobial resistance in Galapagos tortoises as an indicator of the growing human footprint | Antimicrobial resistance has become one of the main public health threats worldwide with anthropogenic activities driving the spread of resistance. Understanding and combatting the spread of resistant bacteria is a top priority for global health institutions, and it is included as one of the main goals of the One Health initiative. Giant tortoises (Chelonoidis spp.), some of the most iconic species on Earth, are widely distributed across the Galapagos archipelago and are thus perfect candidates to test the hypothesis that wildlife species in the Galapagos carry antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs) associated with human activities. We sampled a total of 200 free-living Galapagos tortoises from western Santa Cruz Island (C. porteri), the most human-populated island of the archipelago, and 70 tortoises (C. vandenburghi) from the isolated Alcedo Volcano on Isabela Island, a natural area with minimal human presence. Fecal samples were analyzed by quantitative PCR for a panel of 21 ARGs conferring resistance for eight antimicrobial classes. We found ARGs in both Santa Cruz and Alcedo Volcano giant tortoises; however, both qualitative and quantitative results showed higher loads of ARGs in tortoises inhabiting the human modified environments of Santa Cruz. Moreover, Santa Cruz tortoises sampled in higher human-modified landscapes (i.e., farmlands and urban areas) presented a higher number of ARGs, antimicrobial classes, and multi-resistant microbiomes than those from less anthropized areas within the same island. Our findings suggest that human activities in Galapagos have a negative impact on ecosystem health through ARG dispersal. This research highlights a new threat for the health and conservation of the unique wildlife of the Galapagos, their ecosystems, and the humans inhabiting this World Heritage Site. Our recommendation to local policy makers is to control and reduce the use of antibiotics in both human and animal health, thus helping enforce antimicrobial regulations. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd | Animals; Animals, Wild; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Ecuador; Humans; Microbiota; Turtles; California; Channel Islands [California]; Santa Cruz Island; United States; Alcedo; Indicator indicator; Testudinidae; Antibiotics; Ecosystems; Health risks; Microorganisms; Polymerase chain reaction; Veterinary medicine; Volcanoes; aminoglycoside; antibiotic agent; chloramphenicol; macrolide; polymyxin; quinolone; sulfonamide; tetracycline derivative; antiinfective agent; Anthropogenic activity; Antibiotics resistance; Antimicrobial resistances; Antimicrobial resistant gene; Chelonoidi spp; Human activities; Human footprints; One health; Resistant genes; Wildlife surveillance; antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial activity; footprint; human activity; public health; turtle; wildlife management; agricultural land; animal health; antibiotic resistance; Article; beta-lactam resistance; DNA extraction; ecosystem health; endangered species; feces; human impact (environment); inheritance; island (geological); microbiome; national park; nonhuman; quantitative analysis; real time polymerase chain reaction; tail length (animal); tortoise; tourism; urban area; volcano; wildlife; animal; antibiotic resistance; Ecuador; human; microflora; turtle; wild animal; Animals | Antibiotic resistance; ARG; Chelonoidis spp; One health; Wildlife surveillance |
| Who could be One Health Activist at the community level?: A case for India | Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are the mainstay of the public health system, serving for decades in low-resource countries. Their multi-dimensional work in various health care services, including the prevention of communicable diseases and health promotion of non-communicable diseases, makes CHWs, the frontline workers in their respective communities in India. As India is heading towards the development of One Health (OH), this study attempted to provide an insight into potential OH activists (OHA) at the community level. Thus, this case study in one of India’s western cities, Ahmedabad, targeted identifying OHA by exploring the feasibility and the motivation of CHWs in a local setting. Methods: This case study explores two major CHWs, i.e., female (Accredited Social Health Activists/ASHA) health workers (FHWs) and male (multipurpose) health workers (MHWs), on their experience and motivation for becoming an OHA. The data were collected between September 2018 and August 2019 through a mixed design, i.e., quantitative data (cross-sectional structured questionnaire) followed by qualitative data (focus group discussion with a semi-structured interview guide). Results: The motivation of the CHWs for liaisoning as OHA was found to be low; however, the FHWs have a higher mean motivation score [40 (36–43)] as compared to MHWs [37 (35–40)] out of a maximum score of 92. Although most CHWs have received zoonoses training or contributed to zoonoses prevention campaigns, their awareness level was found to be different among male and female health workers. Comparing the female and male health workers to act as OHA, higher motivational score, multidisciplinary collaborative work experience, and way for incentive generation documented among the female health workers. Conclusion: ASHAs were willing to accept the additional new liaison role of OHAs if measures like financial incentives and improved recognition are provided. Although this study documented various systemic factors at the individual, community, and health system level, which might, directly and indirectly, impact the acceptance level to act as OHA, they need to be accounted for in the policy regime. © 2021, The Author(s). | Community Health Workers; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; India; Male; Motivation; One Health; cross-sectional study; female; health auxiliary; human; India; male; motivation; One Health | ASHA; CHW; India; Motivation; OHA; One Health |
| Operationalization of One Health Burnout Prevention and Recovery: Participatory Action Research-Design of Nature-Based Health Promotion Interventions for Employees | Burnout is, besides a global, complex phenomenon, a public health issue with negative consequences on personal, organizational, social, and economic levels. This paper outlines the co-design of a novel Nature-based Burnout Coaching intervention, called NABUCO. Due to the complexity of burnout, we propose a One Health approach in healthcare, educational and governmental pilot organizations, to deliver guidelines and protocols for prevention and recovery of burnout. We advocate the inclusion of the salutogenic and mutual healing capacity of nature connectedness, facilitating a positive impact on mental and environmental health. A transdisciplinary Participative Action Research-design resulted in an iterative adaptive cycle of co-design, implementation, and evaluation of NABUCO. © Copyright © 2021 Sterckx, Van den Broeck, Remmen, Dekeirel, Hermans, Hesters, Daeseleire, Broes, Barton, Gladwell, Dandy, Connors, Lammel and Keune. | Burnout, Professional; Health Promotion; Health Services Research; Humans; One Health; Research Design; burnout; health promotion; health services research; human; methodology; One Health; prevention and control | biophilic design; burnout; health promotion intervention; mental health; nature connectedness; nature-based; one health; participative action research |
| Invasive snails, parasite spillback, and potential parasite spillover drive parasitic diseases of Hippopotamus amphibius in artificial lakes of Zimbabwe | Background: Humans impose a significant pressure on large herbivore populations, such as hippopotami, through hunting, poaching, and habitat destruction. Anthropogenic pressures can also occur indirectly, such as artificial lake creation and the subsequent introduction of invasive species that alter the ecosystem. These events can lead to drastic changes in parasite diversity and transmission, but generally receive little scientific attention. Results: In order to document and identify trematode parasites of the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) in artificial water systems of Zimbabwe, we applied an integrative taxonomic approach, combining molecular diagnostics and morphometrics on archived and new samples. In doing so, we provide DNA reference sequences of the hippopotamus liver fluke Fasciola nyanzae, enabling us to construct the first complete Fasciola phylogeny. We describe parasite spillback of F. nyanzae by the invasive freshwater snail Pseudosuccinea columella, as a consequence of a cascade of biological invasions in Lake Kariba, one of the biggest artificial lakes in the world. Additionally, we report an unknown stomach fluke of the hippopotamus transmitted by the non-endemic snail Radix aff. plicatula, an Asian snail species that has not been found in Africa before, and the stomach fluke Carmyerius cruciformis transmitted by the native snail Bulinus truncatus. Finally, Biomphalaria pfeifferi and two Bulinus species were found as new snail hosts for the poorly documented hippopotamus blood fluke Schistosoma edwardiense. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that artificial lakes are breeding grounds for endemic and non-endemic snails that transmit trematode parasites of the common hippopotamus. This has important implications, as existing research links trematode parasite infections combined with other stressors to declining wild herbivore populations. Therefore, we argue that monitoring the anthropogenic impact on parasite transmission should become an integral part of wildlife conservation efforts. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animals; Anthropogenic Effects; Artiodactyla; Bulinus; Ecosystem; Hunting; Lakes; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases; Snails; Zimbabwe; animal; Artiodactyla; Bulinus; ecosystem; epidemiology; lake; parasite; parasitology; parasitosis; snail; Zimbabwe | Artificial lake<sub>5</sub>; Barcoding<sub>4</sub>; Biological invasions<sub>10</sub>; Conservation<sub>9</sub>; Integrative taxonomy<sub>6</sub>; One Health<sub>3</sub>; Parasitology<sub>8</sub>; Taxonomic impediment<sub>7</sub>; Trematodiasis<sub>1</sub>; Xenomonitoring<sub>2</sub> |
| Multiple antimicrobial resistance in methicillin-resistant staphylococcus sciuri group isolates from wild ungulates in Spain | The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) strains in non-managed wild ungulates present in a typical Mediterranean forest in Spain. For this purpose, nasal swabs were obtained from 139 animals: 90 wild boar (Sus scrofa), 42 red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 7 fallow deer (Dama dama), which were subsequently pre-enriched in BHI+ NaCl (6.5%) (24 h/37 °C), and then seeded in Columbia blood agar (24 h/37 °C)). The presence of the mecA gene was investigated by PCR, first from the confluent and then from individual colonies. A total of 10 mecA+ colonies were obtained of which only seven showed phenotypic resistance to oxa-cillin/cefoxitin (methicillin resistance). All MRS strains belonged to the Staphylococcus sciuri group. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was not detected. In addition, a significant number of MRS strains showed resistance to other antimicrobials, mainly β-lactam (7/7), gentamicin (7/7), fusidic acid (6/7) and quinupristin–dalfopristin (6/7), showing an irregular correlation with their coding genes. The genetic profiles grouped the seven strains obtained according to the bacterial species but not in relation to the animal source or the geographical place of origin. The presence of SCCmec type III, common to animals and humans, has been detected in three of the strains ob-tained. In conclusion, the study reveals that the wild ungulates investigated play a role as potential reservoirs of multi-resistant strains of MRS. Such strains, due to their characteristics, can be easily transferred to other wild or domestic animal species and ultimately to humans through their prod-ucts. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Antimicrobial resistance; Methicillin-resistant; One health; Red deer; Staphylococcus sciuri; Wild boar; Wildlife |
| Genetic relatedness of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli isolated from humans, chickens and poultry environments | Background: Inappropriate use of antimicrobial agents in animal production has led to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in foodborne pathogens. Transmission of AMR foodborne pathogens from reservoirs, particularly chickens to the human population does occur. Recently, we reported that occupational exposure was a risk factor for multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli (E. coli) among poultry-workers. Here we determined the prevalence and genetic relatedness among MDR E. coli isolated from poultry-workers, chickens, and poultry environments in Abuja, Nigeria. This study was conducted to address the gaps identified by the Nigerian AMR situation analysis. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among poultry-workers, chickens, and poultry farm/live bird market (LBM) environments. The isolates were tested phenotypically for their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, genotypically characterized using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and in silico multilocus sequence types (MLST). We conducted a phylogenetic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) analysis to determine relatedness and clonality among the isolates. Results: A total of 115 (26.8%) out of 429 samples were positive for E. coli. Of these, 110 isolates were viable for phenotypic and genotypic characterization. The selection comprised 47 (42.7%) isolates from poultry-workers, 36 (32.7%) from chickens, and 27 (24.5%) from poultry-farm or LBM environments. Overall, 101 (91.8%) of the isolates were MDR conferring resistance to at least three drug classes. High frequency of resistance was observed for tetracycline (n = 102; 92.7%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (n = 93; 84.5%), streptomycin (n = 87; 79.1%) and ampicillin (n = 88; 80%). Two plasmid-mediated colistin genes—mcr-1.1 harboured on IncX4 plasmids were detected in environmental isolates. The most prevalent sequence types (ST) were ST-155 (n = 8), ST-48 (n = 8) and ST-10 (n = 6). Two isolates of human and environmental sources with a SNPs difference of 6161 originating from the same farm shared a novel ST. The isolates had similar AMR genes and plasmid replicons. Conclusion: MDR E.coli isolates were prevalent amongst poultry-workers, poultry, and the poultry farm/LBM environment. The emergence of MDR E. coli with novel ST in two isolates may be plasmid-mediated. Competent authorities should enforce AMR regulations to ensure prudent use of antimicrobials to limit the risk of transmission along the food chain. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickens; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Farms; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Multilocus Sequence Typing; Nigeria; Phylogeny; Plasmids; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Poultry; Whole Genome Sequencing; amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid; ampicillin; cefalotin; cefotaxime; ceftazidime; ceftriaxone; cefuroxime; chloramphenicol; colistin; cotrimoxazole; gentamicin; imipenem; nalidixic acid; nitrofurantoin; streptomycin; tetracycline; antiinfective agent; AMR gene; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; bacterium isolation; clonal variation; controlled study; disk diffusion; DNA sequence; gene; gene expression profiling; gene expression regulation; gene replication; genetic association; molecular phylogeny; multidrug resistant Escherichia coli; multilocus sequence typing; nonhuman; phylogenetic tree; phylogeny; plasmid; replicon; single nucleotide polymorphism; whole genome sequencing; agricultural land; animal; chicken; cross-sectional study; Escherichia coli; genetics; human; isolation and purification; microbial sensitivity test; microbiology; multidrug resistance; Nigeria; poultry | Antimicrobial resistance; Chicken; Escherichia coli; Genetic relatedness; Multidrug resistance; Nigeria; One health; Prevalence |
| Impact of climate change and biodiversity collapse on the global emergence and spread of infectious diseases | The reality of climate change and biodiversity collapse is irrefutable in the 21st century, with urgent action required not only to conserve threatened species but also to protect human life and wellbeing. This existential threat forces us to recognise that our existence is completely dependent upon well-functioning ecosystems that sustain the diversity of life on our planet, including that required for human health. By synthesising data on the ecology, epidemiology and evolutionary biology of various pathogens, we are gaining a better understanding of factors that underlie disease emergence and spread. However, our knowledge remains rudimentary with limited insight into the complex feedback loops that underlie ecological stability, which are at risk of rapidly unravelling once certain tipping points are breached. In this paper, we consider the impact of climate change and biodiversity collapse on the ever-present risk of infectious disease emergence and spread. We review historical and contemporaneous infectious diseases that have been influenced by human environmental manipulation, including zoonoses and vector- and water-borne diseases, alongside an evaluation of the impact of migration, urbanisation and human density on transmissible diseases. The current lack of urgency in political commitment to address climate change warrants enhanced understanding and action from paediatricians – to ensure that we safeguard the health and wellbeing of children in our care today, as well as those of future generations. © 2021 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians). | Animals; Biodiversity; Child; Climate Change; Communicable Diseases; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; Ecosystem; Humans; Article; biodiversity; child care; cholera; climate change; coronavirus disease 2019; crowding (area); disease transmission; dysentery; ecological diversity; ecosystem; endangered species; environmental sanitation; environmental temperature; evolution; feedback system; food insecurity; hepatitis E; human; human-animal interaction; infection; infection risk; infection sensitivity; influenza A (H1N1); nonhuman; pediatrician; politics; population density; population migration; prophylaxis; psychological well-being; urbanization; vector borne disease; water borne disease; zoonosis; animal; biodiversity; child; climate change; communicable disease | biodiversity; climate change; emerging infectious disease; one health; zoonoses |
| Antimicrobial multidrug resistance in the era of COVID-19: a forgotten plight? | Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global problem to which the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may further contribute. With resources deployed away from antimicrobial stewardship, evidence of substantial pre-emptive antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients and indirectly, with deteriorating economic conditions fuelling poverty potentially impacting on levels of resistance, AMR threat remains significant. Main body: In this paper, main AMR countermeasures are revisited and priorities to tackle the issue are re-iterated. The need for collaboration is stressed, acknowledging the relationship between human health, animal health and environment (“One Health” approach). Among the stated priorities, the initiative by the European Medicines Regulatory Network to further strengthen the measures in combatting AMR is highlighted. Likewise, it is asserted that other emerging health threats require global collaboration with the One Health approach offering a valuable blueprint for action. Conclusion: The authors stress the importance of an integrated preparedness strategy to tackle this public health peril. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animal Feed; Animal Welfare; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antimicrobial Stewardship; Bacteria; Bacterial Infections; COVID-19; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Europe; Humans; International Cooperation; Livestock; One Health; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; antiinfective agent; animal health; antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial stewardship; Article; coronavirus disease 2019; environmental health; environmental sanitation; health care policy; health care quality; health education; health program; health promotion; health status; human; intersectoral collaboration; medical countermeasure; multidrug resistance; nonhuman; pandemic; priority journal; public health problem; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; stakeholder engagement; water quality; animal; animal food; animal welfare; antibiotic resistance; bacterial infection; bacterium; drug effect; epidemiology; Europe; genetics; international cooperation; legislation and jurisprudence; livestock; microbiology; One Health; pandemic; pathogenicity | Antibiotics; Antimicrobial resistance; Antimicrobial stewardship; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; One health; Pandemic; SARS-CoV-2 |
| Diversity of metal and antibiotic resistance genes in Enterococcus spp. from the last century reflects multiple pollution and genetic exchange among phyla from overlapping ecosystems | Arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), and copper (Cu) are among the major historical and contemporary metal pollutants linked to global anthropogenic activities. Enterococcus have been considered indicators of fecal pollution and antibiotic resistance for years, but its largely underexplored metallome precludes understanding their role as metal pollution bioindicators as well. Our goal was to determine the occurrence, diversity, and phenotypes associated with known acquired genes/operons conferring tolerance to As, Hg or Cu among Enterococcus and to identify their genetic context (381 field isolates from diverse epidemiological and genetic backgrounds; 3547 enterococcal genomes available in databases representing a time span during 1900–2019). Genes conferring tolerance to As (arsA), Hg (merA) or Cu (tcrB) were used as biomarkers of widespread metal tolerance operons. Different variants of metal tolerance (MeT) genes (13 arsA, 6 merA, 1 tcrB) were more commonly recovered from the food-chain (arsA, tcrB) or humans (merA), and were shared with 49 other bacterial taxa. Comparative genomics analysis revealed that MeT genes occurred in heterogeneous operons, at least since the 1900s, with an increasing accretion of antibiotic resistance genes since the 1960’s, reflecting diverse antimicrobial pollution. Multiple MeT genes were co-located on the chromosome or conjugative plasmids flanked by elements with high potential for recombination, often along with antibiotic resistance genes. Phenotypic analysis of some isolates carrying MeT genes revealed up to 128× fold increase in the minimum inhibitory concentrations to metals. The main distribution of functional MeT genes among Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis from different sources, time spans, and clonal lineages, and their ability to acquire diverse genes from multiple taxa bacterial communities places these species as good candidates to be used as model organisms in future projects aiming at the identification and quantification of bioindicators of metal polluted environments by anthropogenic activities. © 2021 Elsevier B.V. | Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Ecosystem; Enterococcus; Enterococcus faecium; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Bacteria (microorganisms); Enterococcus; Enterococcus faecalis; Enterococcus faecium; Firmicutes; Antibiotics; Arsenic; Bacilli; Biomarkers; Mercury (metal); Pollution; arsenic; copper; erythromycin; fusidic acid; mercury; rifampicin; tetracycline; vancomycin; antiinfective agent; Anthropogenic activity; Antibiotic resistance genes; Enterococcus spp; Firmicutes; Genetic exchange; Mercury; Metal resistances; Metal tolerance; One-health; Time span; antibiotic resistance; arsenic; bacterium; biomarker; copper; gene; genome; mercury (element); metal; plasmid; pollution; antibiotic resistance; arsA gene; Article; bacterial gene; bacterium isolate; comparative genomics; controlled study; ecosystem; Enterococcus faecalis; Enterococcus faecium; genetic variability; limit of quantitation; merA gene; microbial community; minimum inhibitory concentration; nonhuman; operon; phenotype; phylogeny; tcrB gene; antibiotic resistance; ecosystem; Enterococcus; genetics; human; microbial sensitivity test; Genes | Arsenic; Copper; Firmicutes; Mercury; One-health; Plasmids |
| A pan-coronavirus RT-PCR assay for rapid viral screening of animal, human, and environmental specimens | We examined a collection of 386 animal, 451 human, and 109 archived bioaerosol samples with a new pan-species coronavirus molecular assay. Thirty-eight (4.02%) of 946 specimens yielded evidence of human or animal coronaviruses. Our findings demonstrate the utility of employing the pan-CoV RT-PCR assay in detecting varied coronavirus among human, animal, and environmental specimens. This RT-PCR assay might be employed as a screening diagnostic for early detection of coronaviruses incursions or prepandemic coronavirus emergence in animal or human populations. © 2021 The Authors | animal experiment; Article; Avian infectious bronchitis virus; controlled study; Coronavirinae; human; Human coronavirus 229E; Human coronavirus HKU1; human experiment; nonhuman; One Health; pan-coronavirus real time polymerase chain reaction assay; Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus; Porcine respiratory coronavirus; real time polymerase chain reaction; Sanger sequencing; sequence alignment; Teschovirus; virus detection; zoonosis | Coronaviruses; Infectious diseases; One health; RT-PCR; Zoonotic diseases |
| Occurrence of tick-borne pathogens in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks from Wester Ross, Northwest Scotland | Background: Lyme borreliosis and other tick-borne diseases emerge from increased interactions between humans, other animals, and infected ticks. The risk of acquiring a tick-borne infection varies across space and time, so knowledge of the occurrence and prevalence of pathogens in ticks can facilitate disease diagnosis in a specific area and the implementation of mitigation measures and awareness campaigns. Here we identify the occurrence and prevalence of several pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Wester Ross, Northwest Scotland, a region of high tourism and tick exposure, yet data-poor in terms of tick-borne pathogens. Methods: Questing I. ricinus nymphs (n = 2828) were collected from 26 sites in 2018 and 2019 and tested for the presence of tick-borne pathogens using PCR-based methods. Prevalence was compared with other regions of Scotland, England, Wales, and the Netherlands. Results: Anaplasma phagocytophilum (4.7% prevalence), Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) (2.2%), Babesia from clade X (0.2%), Rickettsia helvetica (0.04%), and Spiroplasma ixodetis (0.4%) were detected, but no Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Borrelia miyamotoi, or Babesia microti. Typing of A. phagocytophilum using a fragment of the GroEL gene identified the presence of both ecotype I and ecotype II. Genospecies identification of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. revealed B. afzelii (53% of infected nymphs), B. garinii (9%), B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (7%), and B. valaisiana (31%). We found similar prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in Wester Ross as in the Netherlands, but higher than in other parts of Great Britain. We found lower B. burgdorferi s.l. prevalence than in England or the Netherlands, and similar to some other Scottish studies. We found higher prevalence of B. valaisiana and lower prevalence of B. garinii than in other Scottish studies. We found S. ixodetis at much lower prevalence than in the Netherlands, and R. helvetica at much lower prevalence than in England and the Netherlands. Conclusions: As far as we know, this is the first description of S. ixodetis in Great Britain. The results are relevant for disease surveillance and management for public and veterinary health. The findings can also aid in designing targeted public health campaigns and in raising awareness among outdoor recreationists and professionals. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animals; Bacteria; England; Female; Humans; Ixodes; Male; Netherlands; Nymph; Prevalence; Scotland; Tick Infestations; Tick-Borne Diseases; Anaplasma; Anaplasma phagocytophilum; anaplasmosis; Article; awareness; Babesia microti; Borrelia burgdorferi; Borreliella; cross-sectional study; disease surveillance; DNA extraction; ecotype; female; geographic distribution; human; Ixodes ricinus; Lyme disease; major clinical study; male; microorganism detection; nonhuman; phylogeny; polymerase chain reaction; prevalence; Rickettsia helvetica; Sanger sequencing; sequence analysis; Spiroplasma; tick; tick borne disease; tick borne relapsing fever; animal; bacterium; classification; England; genetics; isolation and purification; Ixodes; microbiology; Netherlands; nymph; pathogenicity; Scotland; tick borne disease; tick infestation | Anaplasmosis; Cross-sectional study; Hard tick-borne relapsing fever; Lyme borreliosis; One Health; Tick-borne diseases |
| Establishment of the network and the surveillance for wildlife health in Albania | Wildlife health surveillance is important in conservation of the wild species but also to identify the wild animal reservoirs of pathogens affecting human and domestic animals. The Wildlife Health Surveillance plays an important role in ensuring veterinary public health and human health and contrib-utes to safe animal-human-ecosystems interfaces. The Albanian network for wildlife health surveillance was established in 2009. The building of a surveillance network and system for wildlife health began with the support of World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument of the European Commission (EU TAIEX Programme, Ministry of Education of Albania and World Bank. Training and staff preparation for wildlife health surveillance was provided. In addition, a research laboratory for surveillance of some important wildlife disease was built. The surveillance for rabies in wild carnivores, HPAI in wild birds, the hantaviruses in rodents and tularaemia in wild rabbits, which are also zoonoses, are some results of these endeavours in Albania. Albanian public veterinary health and public human health envisage improving the strategy for wildlife health surveillance under One Health approach in order to ensure veterinary health, public health and environmental health and to contribute to the OIE wildlife health information system as well. © 2021, Trakia University. All rights reserved. | agglutination test; Albania; animal health; animal reservoir; Apodemus flavicollis; Article; disease surveillance; domestic animal; environmental health; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; Hantavirus; health survey; human; medical information system; mouse; nonhuman; One Health; phylogeny; polymerase chain reaction; public health; rabies; tularemia; virus detection; wild animal; wildlife; zoonosis | Disease surveillance; Wildlife health surveillance network |
| Bovine Mastitis, a Multifactorial Disease, Requires a Multipronged Approach for Cattle Health Management | Bovine mastitis is one of the most lethal infectious disease causing severe economic consequences to farmers and dairy industry. Clinical Mastitis(CM) can be identified with the symptoms whereas Subclinical Mastitis(SCM) is asymptomatic, critical to detect at early stages is a challenge for dairy health care today. Both CM and SCM causes substantial economic loss, another concern is the transient zoonotic spread from bovine to humans. The menace of SCM and CM as a zoonotic concern can be tackled through implementation of collaborative approach between producers, veterinarians, human and environmental professionals at different horizons by the conscept of” One Health”. This collaborative, multifactorial technological inovations will aid to detectpotential health treats and prevents the zoonotic transmission caused by mastitis. © 2021 Indian Veterinary Assocaition. All rights reserved. | animal welfare; Article; artificial intelligence; asymptomatic disease; bovine mastitis; diagnostic procedure; disease transmission; drug cost; economic crisis; environmental factor; fever; health care management; health economics; inflammation; machine learning; mass spectrometry; mastitis; multifactorial genetic disorder; nonhuman; One Health; proteomics; sensitivity and specificity; somatic cell; thermography; zoonosis | Bovine; Mastitis; One Health; Subclinical; Zoonotic |
| Policy implications for awareness gaps in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use among commercial Nepalese poultry producers | Background: Nepal’s poultry industry has increased with a growing middle class, which has translated to an increase in antimicrobial consumption and thus a rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Describing and understanding antimicrobial use practices among commercial poultry producers in Nepal may help minimize the risks of AMR development in both humans and animals and determine the effectiveness of relevant policies. Methods: From July to August 2018, poultry farmers were randomly recruited from Nepal’s Chitwan District to participate in a cross-sectional study. The lead producer in each poultry operation was administered a quantitative structured-survey via a 30-min interview. Participants were asked to provide demographics, production practices, and knowledge about their antimicrobial use practices. Descriptive data analysis was performed to obtain frequencies and compare practices. Results: In total, 150 commercial poultry producers of whom raised between 300 and 40,000 birds completed the interviews. Only 33% (n = 49) of producers reported knowing what AMR was, and among them only 50% (n = 25) consulted a veterinarian for treatment options. Antimicrobial administration for growth promotion was still employed by 13% of poultry producers. Similarly, critically important antimicrobial drugs, specifically colistin, were identified at 35% of participating operations. Producers reported low overall understanding and compliance of withdrawal periods (n = 41; 27%), which may result in both AMR development and adverse health reactions among consumers who ingest antimicrobial residues. Although Nepal has publicized antimicrobial use policies and awareness campaigns to instill healthy production practices, most producers (82%) were unaware of them. Conclusion: Many Nepalese poultry producers lack overall antimicrobial use and AMR awareness, which is evidenced by low antimicrobial withdrawal period compliance, use of antimicrobials for growth promotion, and the sustained use of critically important antimicrobials. Improved outreach and educational capacities, paired with increased veterinary resources and extensive monitoring in operations and retail meat products, may increase AMR awareness and policy enforcement. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animal Husbandry; Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Farmers; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Policy; Nepal; Poultry; antiinfective agent; agricultural worker; animal; animal husbandry; antibiotic resistance; attitude to health; cross-sectional study; health care policy; legislation and jurisprudence; Nepal; poultry; psychology | Antimicrobial resistance; Health policy; Nepal; One health; Poultry; Withdrawal period |
| Corals as canaries in the coalmine: Towards the incorporation of marine ecosystems into the ‘One Health’ concept | ‘One World – One Health’ is a developing concept which aims to explicitly incorporate linkages between the environment and human society into wildlife and human health care. Past work in the field has concentrated on aspects of disease, particularly emerging zoonoses, and focused on terrestrial systems. Here, we argue that marine environments are crucial components of the ‘One World – One Health’ framework, and that coral reefs are the epitome of its underlying philosophy. That is, they provide vast contributions to a wide range of ecosystem services with strong and direct links to human well-being. Further, the sensitivity of corals to climate change, and the current emergence of a wide range of diseases, make coral reefs ideal study systems to assess links, impacts, and feedback mechanisms that can affect human and ecosystem health. There are well established protocols for monitoring corals, as well as global networks of coral researchers, but there remain substantial challenges to understanding these complex systems, their health and links to provisioning of ecosystem services. We explore these challenges and conclude with a look at how developing technology offers potential ways of addressing them. We argue that a greater integration of coral reef research into the ‘One World – One Health’ framework will enrich our understanding of the many links within, and between, ecosystems and human society. This will ultimately support the development of measures for improving the health of both humans and the environment. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. | Animals; Anthozoa; Climate Change; Coral Reefs; Ecosystem; Oceans and Seas; One Health; animal; Anthozoa; climate change; coral reef; ecosystem; One Health; physiology; sea | Coral biodiversity; Coral disease; Health indices; Reefs; SCTLD; Vibrio; Zoonosis |
| “He Who Relies on His Brother’s Property Dies Poor”: The Complex Narratives of Livestock Care in Northern Tanzania | Background: Endemic zoonoses have important impacts for livestock-dependent households in East Africa. In these communities, people’s health and livelihoods are severely affected by livestock disease losses. Understanding how livestock keepers undertake remedial actions for livestock illness has the potential for widespread benefits such as improving health interventions. Yet, studies about livestock and human health behaviours in the global south tend to focus on individual health choices. In reality, health behaviours are complex, and not solely about individualised health experiences. Rather, they are mediated by a range of “upstream” factors (such as unequal provision of services), which are beyond the control of the individual. Methods: This paper presents qualitative research conducted from 2014 to 2019 for a study focused on the Social, Economic, and Environmental Drivers of Zoonoses in Tanzania (SEEDZ). Qualitative data were collected via focus group discussions, community meetings, informal interviews, formal in-depth interviews, observations and surveys that addressed issues of health, disease, zoonotic disease risks, and routes for treatment across 21 villages. Thematic analysis was carried out on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Conceptual analyses and observations were made through application of social science theories of health. Findings: Livestock keepers undertake a range of health seeking strategies loosely categorised around self and formal treatment. Two key themes emerged that are central to why people make the decisions they do: access to resources and trust in health care providers. These two issues affect individual sense of agency which impacts their ability to act to improve livestock health outcomes. We suggest that individual choice and agency in veterinary health seeking decisions are only beneficial if health systems can offer adequate care and health equity is addressed. Significance: This study demonstrates the value of in-depth qualitative research which reveals the nuance and complexity of people’s decisions around livestock health. Most importantly, it explains why “better” knowledge does not always translate into “better” practise. The paper suggests that acknowledging and addressing these aspects of veterinary health seeking will lead to more effective provision. © Copyright © 2021 Davis, Virhia, Buza, Crump, de Glanville, Halliday, Lankester, Mappi, Mnzava, Swai, Thomas, Toima, Cleaveland, Mmbaga and Sharp. | intrinsic factor; animal health; Article; community care; controlled study; East Coast fever; health behavior; health care access; health care cost; health equity; health survey; household; human; interview; livestock; One Health; qualitative analysis; qualitative research; risk assessment; risk factor; self care; semi structured interview; sense of self; sociology; Tanzania; thematic analysis; trypanosomiasis; veterinary medicine; zoonosis | East Africa; health seeking behaviours; KAP; livestock health; One Health |
| Feline Leishmaniasis Caused by Leishmania infantum: Parasite Sequencing, Seropositivity, and Clinical Characterization in an Endemic Area From Brazil | Zoonotic leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum is a disease of One Health concern since human and animal cases and environmental damage are interconnected. L. infantum has a complex epidemiological cycle with multiple hosts, including mammals—humans, domestic, and wild animals—and arthropod vectors. Knowledge on mammal infections in endemic areas is crucial for developing control strategies. This work aimed to detect and characterize L. infantum infection in domestic cats from areas where human and canine leishmaniasis cases occur. No cases of feline leishmaniasis (FeL) had been previously reported in those areas. Five municipalities from Bahia state were chosen, comprising 2,480.8 km2 with 1,103,866 inhabitants. Ninety domiciliated and/or sheltered cats underwent clinical examination and serology by a rapid reference test recommended by the Brazilian government. Cytology, PCR, and parasite DNA sequencing were performed in bone marrow samples. Rapid tests detected antibodies in 5.6% (5/90) of the cats. Leishmania infantum infection was confirmed in 7.8% (7/90) of the cats by PCR, sequencing, and parasite isolation. Three out of the five municipalities (60%) had infected cats, and PCR positivity varied from 6.9 to 29%. One cat was categorized as harboring active L. infantum infection with amastigote forms in bone marrow smears. No clinical signs were detected at the first clinical exam, but 1 month later the cat developed severe FeL. The cat isolate was grown in culture, typed and its DNA sequence was homologous to the L. infantum reference strain (PP75). In conclusion, cats are potential hosts and may acquire L. infantum in endemic areas where canine and human cases occur. For cats, the need for surveillance, differential diagnosis and clinical care is highly recommended since a fast clinical progression of FeL developed in a subclinical animal. An accurate standardized immunodiagnostic assay for FeL is warranted. © Copyright © 2021 Santos, Pinho, Hlavac, Nunes, Almeida, Solcà, Varjão, Portela, Rugani, Rêgo, Barrouin-Melo and Soares. | acepromazine; kinetoplast DNA; lidocaine; pethidine; amastigote; animal tissue; antibody detection; Article; Bahia; bone marrow biopsy; clinical assessment; clinical examination; controlled study; cytology; differential diagnosis; DNA sequence; DNA sequencing; domestic cat; female; Leishmania infantum infection; male; nonhuman; parasite isolation; polymerase chain reaction | bone marrow cytology; cats; leishmaniasis; one health; PCR; zoonosis |
| Animal Health Week 2021 – October 3 to 9, 2021: Animal Health + Human Health + Planet Health = One Health; [Semaine de la santé animale du 3 au 9 octobre 2021: Santé animale + santé humaine + santé de la planète = Une seule santé] | [No abstract available] | animal health; Article; awareness; behavior; emotional support; health care delivery; health care personnel; health insurance; human; nonhuman; One Health; planetary health; social media; veterinary medicine |
| One Health Evaluation of Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Surveillance: A Novel Tool for Evaluating Integrated, One Health Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Surveillance Programs | We describe the development, application and utility of our novel, One Health Evaluation of Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Surveillance (OHE-AMURS) tool that we created to evaluate progress toward integrated, One Health surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU) as a complex system in Canada. We conducted a qualitative inquiry into the current state of policy and programs for integrated AMR/AMU surveillance using explicit and tacit knowledge. To assess the “messy” state of public health surveillance program development, we synthesized recommendations from previous reports by the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases and the Canadian Council of Chief Veterinary Officers; conducted an environmental scan to find all federal, provincial, and territorial AMR/AMU surveillance programs in Canada; and conducted semi-structured interviews with Canadian subject matter experts. To integrate evidence from these different sources we adapted two published tools to create a new evaluation matrix, deriving 36 components of the ideal integrated AMR/AMU surveillance system. Our two-way matrix tool allowed us to examine seven common, foundational elements of sustainable programs for each component, and assign a stage of development/sustainability ranking for each component according to the matrix definitions. Our adaptable novel tool allowed for granular and repeatable assessment of the many components of a complex surveillance system. The assessment proved robust and exacting to ensure transparency in our methods and results. The matrix allows flexible assignment of program components based on program principles, and stages can be adapted to evaluate any aspect of an AMR/AMU surveillance or other multi-faceted, multi-jurisdictional system. Future refinement should include an assessment of the scope of surveillance components. © Copyright © 2021 Haworth-Brockman, Saxinger, Miazga-Rodriguez, Wierzbowski and Otto. | Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Canada; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; One Health; antiinfective agent; antibiotic resistance; Canada; epidemiology; One Health | antimicrobial resistance; complex systems; evaluation tool; program evaluation; surveillance |
| Evolution of public health prevention of leptospirosis in a one health perspective: The example of mahasarakham province (Thailand) | Leptospirosis is an endemic disease with moderate to high incidence in Mahasarakham province, Thailand. The present study was designed to assess the policy implementation mission regarding leptospirosis prevention and control from the national level to the local administrative levels, through a One Health perspective. A qualitative study was conducted, using documentation review, individual in-depth interviews with public health officers, local government officers, livestock officers who developed policy implementation tools or have responsibilities in leptospirosis prevention and control. The results show that Thailand has progressively developed a leptospirosis prevention and control policy framework at the national level, transferring the responsibility of its implementation to the local level. The province of Mahasarakham has decided to foster cooperation in leptospirosis prevention and control at the local level. However, there are insufficient linkages between provincial, district and sub-district departments to ensure comprehensive disease prevention activities at the local level concerning leptospirosis patients and the whole population. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Article; early diagnosis; early intervention; epidemic; government; health care personnel; health care planning; human; infection prevention; information processing; leptospirosis; livestock; longitudinal study; medical documentation; One Health; prevention and control; public health; public policy; qualitative research; responsibility; structured interview; symptom; Thailand | Leptospirosis; One Health; Prevention and control; Public policy implementation; Thailand |
| Nanopore-based surveillance of zoonotic bacterial pathogens in farm-dwelling peridomestic rodents | The effective control of rodent populations on farms is crucial for food safety, as rodents are reservoirs and vectors for several zoonotic pathogens. Clear links have been identified between rodents and farm-level outbreaks of pathogens throughout Europe and Asia; however, comparatively little research has been devoted to studying the rodent–agricultural interface in the USA. Here, we address this knowledge gap by metabarcoding bacterial communities of rodent pests collected from Minnesota and Wisconsin food animal farms. We leveraged the Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencer to provide a rapid real-time survey of putative zoonotic foodborne pathogens, among others. Rodents were live trapped (n = 90) from three dairy and mixed animal farms. DNA extraction was performed on 63 rodent colons along with 2 shrew colons included as outgroups in the study. Full-length 16S amplicon sequencing was performed. Our farm-level rodent-metabarcoding data indicate the presence of multiple foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium spp., along with many mastitis pathogens circulating within five rodent species (Microtus pennsylvanicus, Mus musculus, Peromyscus leucopus, Peromyscus maniculatus, and Rattus norvegicus) and a shrew (Blarina brevicauda). Interestingly, we observed a higher abundance of enteric pathogens (e.g., Salmonella) in shrew feces compared to the rodents analyzed in our study. Knowledge gained from our research efforts will directly inform and improve farm-level biosecurity efforts and public health interventions to reduce future outbreaks of foodborne and zoonotic disease. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | RNA 16S; amplicon; animal experiment; animal model; Article; bacterial zoonosis; bioinformatics; bovine; Campylobacter; Clostridium; colon; disease transmission; DNA extraction; DNA library; DNA sequencing; enteropathogen; farm dwelling peridomestic rodent; feces analysis; foodborne pathogen; gene library; horse; mastitis; microbial community; microbial diversity; microbiome; Microtus pennsylvanicus; mouse; Mus musculus; nanopore sequencing; nonhuman; Peromyscus leucopus; Peromyscus maniculatus; pig; polymerase chain reaction; Rattus norvegicus; rodent; Salmonella; sampling; Staphylococcus aureus; taxonomy | 16S amplicon sequencing; Agriculture; Blarina brevicauda; Dairy cattle; Metabarcoding; Mus musculus; Nanopore sequencing; One Health; Peromyscus leucopus; Rattus norvegicus |
| Research priority-setting for human, plant, and animal virology: an online experience for the Virology Institute of the Philippines | Background: Viral pandemics have had catastrophic consequences on population health and economies. The Philippine government intends to establish the Virology Institute of the Philippines, one of the key areas of which will be virology research. This project aimed to develop the institute’s research agenda across the fields of human, plant, and animal virology. Methodology: Key considerations for the prioritization methodology were (1) the imminent establishment of the Virology Institute of the Philippines, (2) mobility restrictions caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, (3) the timeline to develop the research agenda, and (4) the need to separate the research agenda for the three fields of human, plant, and animal virology. The process was fully conducted online in four steps: stakeholder identification, soliciting research priorities, generating initial research priorities, and final prioritization consultations conducted on Zoom Pro. Results: Twenty-eight participants attended three online consultations between 21 and 27 July 2020 through Zoom Pro. Participants selected the research prioritization criteria and its weights, and used these to evaluate the research priorities. The final research agenda covers topics in epidemiology, diagnostics, surveillance, biosafety, and genomics. Conclusion: This initiative resulted in the first research agenda for the Virology Institute of the Philippines across the three fields of human, plant, and animal virology. An expert-driven process which places a premium on consensus-building facilitated through online platforms was the most feasible approach to develop the research agenda. This process resulted in an agenda aligned with the mandates of national research councils but leaves gaps on areas such as emerging infectious diseases. Pre-COVID-19 literature expressed apprehensions on the online medium that weakens social ties necessary for consensus. Our experience with changing the mode of consensus-building shows that users will continually adapt to technology. Online tools are currently able to address the limitations of the virtual space. © 2021, The Author(s). | Animals; COVID-19; Humans; Philippines; Research; SARS-CoV-2; animal; Article; biosafety; coronavirus disease 2019; diagnostic procedure; disease surveillance; experience; female; health care planning; health care policy; human; male; nonhuman; online system; pandemic; Philippines; plant; research priority; videoconferencing; viral genomics; virology; research | Agenda-setting; Health planning; Health policy; One Health; Priority-setting; Virology |
