| Titles | Abstract | Indexed Keywords | Author Keywords |
| Towards One Health clinical management of zoonoses: A parallel survey of Australian general medical practitioners and veterinarians | General medical practitioners (GPs) and veterinarians have different but complementary knowledge and skills, with potential to enhance clinical management of zoonoses in human and animal patients through taking a One Health approach that promotes cross-professional collaboration. Ability and willingness to engage within this framework is contingent on knowledge of endemic zoonoses and an understanding of the diversity of professional roles; however, previous research suggests that this is lacking. A unique parallel survey of Australian GPs and veterinarians was implemented to ascertain clinician experience, concern, confidence and current practices regarding zoonoses management as well as willingness to engage in cross-professional collaboration where it is beneficial to overall health outcomes. Responses from 528 GPs and 605 veterinarians were analysed. Veterinarians in clinical practice were found to more frequently diagnose zoonoses; have greater concern about zoonoses; be more confident in diagnosing, managing and giving advice about the prevention of zoonoses; more likely to give advice about managing the risk of zoonoses; and more likely to initiate cross-professional referral compared to GPs (p <.001 in all areas, adjusted for other factors). The findings of this study indicate a need for change in both clinical and continuing professional education, especially for GPs, in order to better equip them in the area of zoonoses management. Exploration of pathways to encourage and facilitate cross-professional referral and collaboration will further improve clinical outcomes for both human and animal patients. © 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH | Animals; Australia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data Collection; Female; General Practitioners; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; One Health; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Veterinarians; Zoonoses; adult; angiostrongyliasis; Article; Australian; continuing education; controlled study; cross-sectional study; data analysis software; dermatophytosis; female; gastroenteritis; general practice; health care survey; human; leptospirosis; male; normal human; occupational exposure; One Health; parallel design; pathogen load; physician; priority journal; Q fever; rabies; salmonellosis; spontaneous abortion; toxoplasmosis; vector borne disease; veterinarian; veterinary medicine; vocational education; zoonosis; animal; attitude to health; Australia; general practitioner; information processing; questionnaire; risk factor; veterinarian; zoonosis | general practitioners; One Health; veterinarians; zoonoses |
| Ebola virus outbreak preparedness plan for developing Nations: Lessons learnt from affected countries | Background: Ebola virus (EBOV); a public health emergency of international concern,is known to pose threat of global outbreaks. EBOV has spread in African continent and due to unchecked international travel, importation of cases has been reported in different countries. In this alarming scenario, developing countries need to evaluate and upgrade their preparedness plan to contain the spread of EBOV. The present review lays down the updated preparedness plan for developing countries to contain future EBOV outbreaks. Methods: The literature on EBOV outbreaks and preparedness strategies reported were searched on Pubmed and Google Scholar using the MeSH terms such as “Ebola virus disease, Epidemic, Outbreak, Imported case, Preparedness, Public health interventions” combined with Boolean operator (OR) for the period of 2011–2020. Additionally, World Health organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) websites were searched for the guidelines, reports, containment strategies, containment plan of countries, actions taken by countries and international partners, etc. Results: The present review analyzed the EBOV outbreaks between 2011–2020 and containment strategies used by the affected countries. Based on the lessons learned from EBOV outbreaks and personal experience in infectious disease management, we have recommended a preparedness and response plan for EBOV containment in developing countries. Conclusion: Developing countries are particularly vulnerable to major outbreaks of EBOV due to increased international travel and unchecked transmission. The recommended preparedness plan will help developing counties to contain EBOV outbreaks in future. © 2021 The Authors | Civil Defense; Contact Tracing; Developing Countries; Disease Outbreaks; Ebolavirus; Epidemics; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola; Humans; Point-of-Care Testing; Public Health Surveillance; amiodarone; antivirus agent; atoltivimab plus maftivimab plus odesivimab; brincidofovir; convalescent plasma; Ebola vaccine; favipiravir; galidesivir; mb 003; mil 77; recombinant vaccine; regn eb 3; remdesivir; t 750; TKM Ebola; unclassified drug; ZMapp; Article; community care; community participation; Congo; contact examination; Democratic Republic Congo; developing country; diagnostic test; diagnostic test accuracy study; disease surveillance; Ebola hemorrhagic fever; epidemic; Guinea; health care facility; health care personnel management; health care planning; human; hygiene; Italy; laboratory diagnosis; Liberia; medical ethics; Medical Subject Headings; Medline; Nigeria; nonhuman; nucleic acid amplification; One Health; organizational development; personal experience; point of care testing; politics; practice guideline; prevention and control; priority journal; real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; sanitation; scientific literature; Senegal; sensitivity and specificity; Sierra Leone; Spain; strategic planning; systematic review; Uganda; United States; vaccination; World Health Organization; civil defense; developing country; Ebola hemorrhagic fever; Ebolavirus; epidemic; health survey; procedures | Containment plan; Ebola virus; One health approach; Resource limited settings |
| Shifting From Sectoral to Integrated Surveillance by Changing Collaborative Practices: Application to West Nile Virus Surveillance in a Small Island State of the Caribbean | After spreading in the Americas, West Nile virus was detected in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) for the first time in 2002. Ever since, several organizations have conducted research, serological surveys, and surveillance activities to detect the virus in horses, birds, mosquitoes, and humans. Organizations often carried them out independently, leading to knowledge gaps within the current virus’ situation. Nearly 20 years after the first evidence of West Nile virus in the archipelago, it has not yet been isolated, its impact on human and animal populations is unknown, and its local epidemiological cycle is still poorly understood. Within the framework of a pilot project started in Guadeloupe in 2019, West Nile virus was chosen as a federative model to apply the “One Health” approach for zoonotic epidemiological surveillance and shift from a sectorial to an integrated surveillance system. Human, animal, and environmental health actors involved in both research and surveillance were considered. Semi-directed interviews and a Social Network Analysis were carried out to learn about the surveillance network structure and actors, analyze information flows, and identify communication challenges. An information system was developed to fill major gaps: users’ needs and main functionalities were defined through a participatory process where actors also tested and validated the tool. Additionally, all actors shared their data, which were digitized, cataloged, and centralized, to be analyzed later. An R Shiny server was integrated into the information system, allowing an accessible and dynamic display of data showcasing all of the partners’ information. Finally, a series of virtual workshops were organized among actors to discuss preliminary results and plan the next steps to improve West Nile Virus and vector-borne or emerging zoonosis surveillance. The actors are willing to build a more resilient and cooperative network in Guadeloupe with improved relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness of their work. © Copyright © 2021 Geffroy, Pagès, Chavernac, Dereeper, Aubert, Herrmann-Storck, Vega-Rúa, Lecollinet and Pradel. | Animals; Caribbean Region; Guadeloupe; Horses; Mosquito Vectors; Pilot Projects; West Indies; West Nile Fever; West Nile virus; animal; Caribbean; Caribbean Islands; Guadeloupe; horse; mosquito vector; pilot study; West Nile fever; West Nile virus | Guadeloupe (French West Indies); information system; integrated surveillance; One Health; social network analysis; West Nile virus |
| A one health investigation of pathogenic trypanosomes of cattle in Malawi | Parasitic protozoan trypanosomes of the genus Trypanosoma cause infections in both man and livestock in Africa. Understanding the current spatial distribution of trypanosomes, herd-level factors associated with Trypanosoma brucei infection as well as local knowledge of African trypanosomosis is key to its prevention and control. A cross-sectional study was performed that sampled 53 livestock farmers and 444 cattle throughout Malawi. Cattle were screened for trypanosomes using serology and molecular techniques. Questionnaires were administered to livestock herders and incidence of hospital diagnosed human trypanosome infections was estimated from reports submitted to the Department of Health Unit. The apparent prevalence of trypanosome species based on molecular detection was low for Trypanosoma brucei (2%; 95 % CI: 1–4 %) and Trypanosoma congolense (3%; 95 % CI: 2–5 %) but higher for Trypanosoma theileri (26 %; 95 % CI: 22–30 %). The central region of the country was identified as being at a higher risk of T.brucei infection. One of the sampled cattle was confirmed as being infected with Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. Human trypanosome cases were more frequently reported in the northern region with an estimated incidence of 5.9 cases per 100,000 people in Rumphi District. The control of zoonotic diseases that impact poor livestock herders requires a One Health approach due to the close contact between humans and their animals and the reliance on animal production for a sustainable livelihood. © 2020 | Animals; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cross-Sectional Studies; Incidence; Malawi; One Health; Prevalence; Species Specificity; Trypanosoma; Trypanosomiasis; animal tissue; Article; controlled study; cross-sectional study; data analysis software; diagnostic accuracy; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; human; incidence; loop mediated isothermal amplification; Malawi; microorganism detection; nagana; nonhuman; One Health; polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism; prevalence; priority journal; sensitivity and specificity; Trypanosoma; Trypanosoma brucei; Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense; Trypanosoma congolense; Trypanosoma theileri; animal; bovine; cattle disease; isolation and purification; parasitology; species difference; trypanosomiasis; veterinary medicine | Loop-mediated isothermal amplification; Sleeping sickness; Spatial epidemiology; Trypanosoma brucei; Trypanosoma congolense; Trypanosoma theileri |
| Research priorities for control of zoonoses in South Africa | Background: Zoonoses pose major threats to the health of humans, domestic animals and wildlife, as seen in the COVID-19 pandemic. Zoonoses are the commonest source of emerging human infections and inter-species transmission is facilitated by anthropogenic factors such as encroachment and destruction of wilderness areas, wildlife trafficking and climate change. South Africa was selected for a ‘One Health’ study to identify research priorities for control of zoonoses due to its complex disease burden and an overstretched health system. Methods: A multidisciplinary group of 18 experts identified priority zoonotic diseases, knowledge gaps and proposed research priorities for the next 5 y. Each priority was scored using predefined criteria by another group of five experts and then weighted by a reference group (n=28) and the 18 experts. Results: Seventeen diseases were mentioned with the top five being rabies (14/18), TB (13/18), brucellosis (11/18), Rift Valley fever (9/11) and cysticercosis (6/18). In total, 97 specific research priorities were listed, with the majority on basic epidemiological research (n=57), such as measuring the burden of various zoonoses (n=24), followed by 20 on development of new interventions. The highest research priority score was for improving existing interventions (0.77/1.0), followed by health policy and systems research (0.72/1.0). Conclusion: Future zoonotic research should improve understanding of zoonotic burden and risk factors and new interventions in public health. People with limited rural services, immunocompromised, in informal settlements and high-risk occupations, should be the highest research priority. © 2021 The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. | Aged; Animals; Child; Cost of Illness; COVID-19; Female; Humans; Male; Pandemics; Research; SARS-CoV-2; South Africa; Zoonoses; Article; brucellosis; cysticercosis; health care policy; human; infection control; medical expert; multidisciplinary team; pathogen load; professional knowledge; rabies; research priority; Rift Valley fever; South Africa; tuberculosis; zoonosis; aged; animal; child; cost of illness; female; male; pandemic; prevention and control; research; zoonosis | disease burden; one health; research priorities; South Africa; zoonoses |
| Biodiversity and Global Health: Intersection of Health, Security, and the Environment | [No abstract available] | Animals; Biodiversity; Climate Change; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; Disease Outbreaks; Ecosystem; Global Health; Humans; One Health; animal; biodiversity; climate change; communicable disease; ecosystem; epidemic; global health; human; One Health | Biodiversity; Infectious diseases; Public health preparedness/response; Risk communication; Surveillance |
| Genomic comparison of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from humans and gulls in Alaska | Objectives: Wildlife may harbour clinically important antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, but the role of wildlife in the epidemiology of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections in humans is largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess dissemination of the blaKPC carbapenemase gene among humans and gulls in Alaska. Methods: We performed whole-genome sequencing to determine the genetic context of blaKPC in bacterial isolates from all four human carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) infections reported in Alaska between 2013–2018 and to compare the sequences with seven previously reported CPE isolates from gull faeces within the same region and time period. Results: Genomic analysis of CPE isolates suggested independent acquisition events among humans with no evidence for direct transmission of blaKPC between people and gulls. However, some isolates shared conserved genetic elements surrounding blaKPC, suggesting possible exchange between species. Conclusion: Our results highlight the genomic plasticity associated with blaKPC and demonstrate that sampling of wildlife may be useful for identifying clinically relevant antimicrobial resistance not observed through local passive surveillance in humans. © 2021 | Alaska; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae; Charadriiformes; Enterobacteriaceae Infections; Genomics; Humans; carbapenemase; antiinfective agent; Alaska; antibiotic resistance; Article; bacterial genome; bacterium isolate; carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae; controlled study; feces; gene sequence; nonhuman; priority journal; whole genome sequencing; wildlife; Alaska; animal; Charadriiformes; Enterobacteriaceae infection; genomics; human | Antimicrobial resistance; bla<sub>KPC</sub>; Carbapenem resistance; Molecular epidemiology; One Health |
| Knowledge, attitude, and practices to zoonotic disease risks from livestock birth products among smallholder communities in Ethiopia | Many causes of abortion in livestock are due to zoonotic pathogens that pose serious infection risks for humans. Carefully designed, empirical One Health research allows to untangle the complexity around these risks and guides the development of practical health education guidelines and best prevention practices for veterinary public health interventions. To support this, the study presented here aimed at understanding knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on zoonotic risks from livestock birth products among rural communities in Ethiopia. From July 2018 to February 2019, a cross-sectional study design was conducted with 327 randomly selected farmers and pastoralists in five districts in three regions in Ethiopia. The structured questionnaire consisted of 48 items to evaluate knowledge (24), attitude (9), and prevention practices (15) related to zoonotic diseases risks from livestock birth products. A unidimensional two-parameter logistic (2-PL) Item Response Theory (IRT) model was used for zoonotic disease risk KAP scale construction and evaluation. The 2-PL IRT model was fitted to determine the probability of a person to appropriately respond to an item with a provided zoonotic disease KAP level. We then examined differential item functioning (DIF) concerning to five important covariates. The attitude subscale had the highest total mean score (37.3, ± 28.92%) and the knowledge subscale had the lowest mean score (22.4, ± 33.6%) among the three subscales. The mixed model regression analysis indicated that region was the only apparent factor explaining differences in zoonotic diseases knowledge, attitude, and practice total mean scores. The knowledge and attitude subscales had good internal consistency with a Cronbach’s α at 0.83 and 0.81, respectively, whereas the practice subscale had lower internal consistency with 0.51. There was a positive association between responding to knowledge questions correctly and a positive attitude (r2 = 0.44, p < 0.0001) and self-reported good practice (r2 = 0.307, p < 0.0001). The differential item functioning test showed that 19 of 37 (51.35%) and 12 of 37 (32.43%) items of the retained KAPs survey items had non-uniform and uniform DIF linked to at least one covariate respectively and all the covariates were related with DIF in at least one item. This study found substantial knowledge gaps, a low level of the desired attitude, and high-risk behavioural practices regarding zoonotic disease from livestock birth products. Consequently, livestock keepers are likely exposed to pathogens and thus these practices are an important contributing factor for zoonotic disease infection in people. © 2021 The Author(s) | adult; age distribution; agricultural procedures; agricultural worker; Article; attitude assessment; attitude to illness; clinical practice; controlled study; cross-sectional study; descriptive research; Ethiopia; female; human; infection prevention; infection risk; internal consistency; livestock; male; One Health; practice guideline; randomized controlled trial; risk assessment; zoonosis | Differential item functioning; Ethiopia; IRT; KAPs; Livestock birth products; Zoonotic disease |
| Evaluating the Integration of One Health in Surveillance Systems for Antimicrobial Use and Resistance: A Conceptual Framework | It is now widely acknowledged that surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) must adopt a “One Health” (OH) approach to successfully address the significant threats this global public health issue poses to humans, animals, and the environment. While many protocols exist for the evaluation of surveillance, the specific aspect of the integration of a OH approach into surveillance systems for AMR and antimicrobial Use (AMU), suffers from a lack of common and accepted guidelines and metrics for its monitoring and evaluation functions. This article presents a conceptual framework to evaluate the integration of OH in surveillance systems for AMR and AMU, named the Integrated Surveillance System Evaluation framework (ISSE framework). The ISSE framework aims to assist stakeholders and researchers who design an overall evaluation plan to select the relevant evaluation questions and tools. The framework was developed in partnership with the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS). It consists of five evaluation components, which consider the capacity of the system to: [1] integrate a OH approach, [2] produce OH information and expertise, [3] generate actionable knowledge, [4] influence decision-making, and [5] positively impact outcomes. For each component, a set of evaluation questions is defined, and links to other available evaluation tools are shown. The ISSE framework helps evaluators to systematically assess the different OH aspects of a surveillance system, to gain comprehensive information on the performance and value of these integrated efforts, and to use the evaluation results to refine and improve the surveillance of AMR and AMU globally. © Copyright © 2021 Aenishaenslin, Häsler, Ravel, Parmley, Mediouni, Bennani, Stärk and Buckeridge. | antimicrobial resistance; evaluation; framework; integrated surveillance; methodology; One Health; surveillance |
| Transmission Dynamics of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in New Zealand Cattle from Farm to Slaughter | Cattle are asymptomatic carriers of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains that can cause serious illness or death in humans. In New Zealand, contact with cattle feces and living near cattle populations are known risk factors for human STEC infection. Contamination of fresh meat with STEC strains also leads to the potential for rejection of consignments by importing countries. We used a combination of PCR/matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to evaluate the presence and transmission of STEC on farms and in processing plants to better understand the potential pathways for human exposure and thus mitigate risk. Animal and environmental samples (n = 2,580) were collected from six farms and three meat processing plants in New Zealand during multiple sampling sessions in spring of 2015 and 2016. PCR/MALDI-TOF analysis revealed that 6.2% were positive for “Top 7” STEC. Top 7 STEC strains were identified in all sample sources (n = 17) tested. A marked increase in Top 7 STEC prevalence was observed between calf hides on farm (6.3% prevalence) and calf hides at processing plants (25.1% prevalence). Whole-genome sequencing was performed on Top 7 STEC bacterial isolates (n = 40). Analysis of STEC O26 (n = 25 isolates) revealed relatively low genetic diversity on individual farms, consistent with the presence of a resident strain disseminated within the farm environment. Public health efforts should focus on minimizing human contact with fecal material on farms and during handling, transport, and slaughter of calves. Meat processing plants should focus on minimizing cross-contamination between the hides of calves in a cohort during transport, lairage, and slaughter. Importance Cattle are asymptomatic carriers of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) strains, which can cause serious illness or death in humans. Contact with cattle feces and living near cattle are known risk factors for human STEC infection. This study evaluated STEC carriage in young calves and the farm environment with an in-depth evaluation of six farms and three meat processing plants over 2 years. An advanced molecular detection method and whole-genome sequencing were used to provide a detailed evaluation of the transmission of STEC both within and between farms. The study revealed widespread STEC contamination within the farm environment, but no evidence of recent spread between farms. Contamination of young dairy calf hides increased following transport and holding at meat processing plants. The elimination of STEC in farm environments may be very difficult given the multiple transmission routes; interventions should be targeted at decreasing fecal contamination of calf hides during transport, lairage, and processing. © 2021 Browne et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. | Abattoirs; Animal Husbandry; Animals; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Escherichia coli Infections; Female; New Zealand; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Whole Genome Sequencing; New Zealand; Bacteria (microorganisms); Escherichia coli; Diseases; Escherichia coli; Ionization potential; Mass spectrometry; Materials handling; Meats; Toxic materials; Transmissions; Transportation routes; Laser desorption ionization; Meat processing plants; Multiple transmission routes; Shiga toxin-producing E. coli; Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli; Time of flight mass spectrometry; Transmission dynamics; Whole genome sequencing; cattle; coliform bacterium; detection method; genetic analysis; genetic variation; genome; mass spectrometry; animal; animal husbandry; bovine; cattle disease; Escherichia coli infection; female; matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry; microbiology; New Zealand; physiology; polymerase chain reaction; Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli; slaughterhouse; veterinary medicine; whole genome sequencing; Contamination | cattle; genomics; MALDI-TOF; One Health; Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli |
| An epidemiological survey regarding ticks and tick-borne diseases among livestock owners in punjab, pakistan: A one health context | Recent global changes have led to an increase in the spread of ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) affecting domestic ruminants and humans, with an annual loss of US $13.9–$18.7 billion. The current study determined the perception and practices of livestock farmers regarding tick infestation. A total of 112 livestock farms were surveyed in Punjab, Pakistan, among which animals from 42 (37.5%) farms were infested with ticks. Only 28.6% (n = 32) of the dairy farmers were consulting veterinarians for ticks control, while 86.7% (n = 97) of the respondents did not consider biosecurity measures in the control of tick transmission. Most of the respondents, 71.4% (n = 80), did not consider manual tick removal from their animals (i.e., by hand, followed by physically crushing) as a risky practice for spreading zoonotic diseases. Improper disposal of bottles of acaricides in the farm drainage was also observed, putting the environment and aquatic life at risk. These wrong practices may contribute to high disease burdens and economic losses, increasing the possibility of transmission of zoonotic TBDs and pollution of the environment. Therefore, an integrated One Health approach is required for the control of TBDs through environmentally friendly approaches. © 2021 by the authors. | acaricide; acaricidal activity; agricultural worker; Article; health survey; human; human experiment; livestock; nonhuman; prevalence; tick borne disease; tick control; tick infestation | Environment; Livestock; One health; Tick-borne disease; Zoonosis |
| What is One Health? | [No abstract available] | Animals; One Health; animal; One Health |
| Characterization of multidrug-resistant avian pathogenic Escherichia coli: an outbreak in canaries | The canary (Serinus canaria) is appreciated for its beautiful song, colors, and docile temperament and drives a lucrative business. However, diseases caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) compromise the health of canaries, and the inadequate antimicrobial treatment can lead to the emergence of resistant strains. This study aimed to characterize 21 isolates of E. coli obtained from canaries infected with colibacillosis during an outbreak in northern Paraná State, Brazil. APEC and diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) virulence genes were screened for by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All isolates were positive for the hlyF, iss, and ompT genes, which are characteristic of APEC. The iroN gene was found in 95.2% of isolates, and none had the iutA gene. The ipaH gene, characteristic of enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), was found in 71.4% of isolates, all belonging to the phylogenetic group B1. High genetic similarity (>95%) was found using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR (ERIC-PCR). The isolates belonged to serotypes O117:H4 (71.4%) and O1:H20 (23.8%). This is the first report of a clonal colibacillosis outbreak in canaries caused by APEC. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, and tetracycline. The high rate of multidrug resistance in our study shows the importance of avoiding the inadequate antibiotic treatment. We suggest that further studies should be conducted to contribute to the understanding of colibacillosis in canaries since the health of animals is linked to human and environmental health, as defined by the concept of One Health. © 2021, Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Brazil; Canaries; Disease Outbreaks; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Genes, Bacterial; Genotype; HeLa Cells; Humans; Phylogeny; Poultry Diseases; Serogroup; Virulence Factors; antiinfective agent; virulence factor; animal; bacterial gene; bird disease; Brazil; drug effect; epidemic; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli infection; genetics; genotype; HeLa cell line; human; isolation and purification; microbiology; multidrug resistance; pathogenicity; phylogeny; Serinus; serotype; veterinary medicine | Antimicrobial resistance; Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC); Colibacillosis; enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC); One Health; Serinus canaria |
| Canine heartworm: Natural infection along remote coastal area of Rio de Janeiro; [Dirofilariose canina: Infecção natural ao longo de área costeira remota do Rio de Janeiro] | Dirofilaria immitis is a mosquito-borne nematode that often infects dogs worldwide and causes what is commonly referred to as heartworm disease. The infection is recognized as being more prevalent in tropical and subtropical coastal regions; however, due to recent climate changes, it has been detected in regions previously considered free of infection. The asymptomatic animals presented in this case report had their infections detected opportunistically. One was presented for a routine checkup and the other for pre-operative evaluation. In the checkup case, heartworm disease was suspected after auscultation. In the presurgical case, microfilariae were found when cytology was performed. Both dogs had D. immitis infection confirmed by antigen detection using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. The microfilariae were confirmed to be D. immitis. This report highlights the unsuspected finding of the infection in a region where canine heartworm disease has not been a concern. It throws light on the importance of constant surveillance of animal vector-borne diseases in areas of ecotone. Surveillance must be reinforced when natural resources are disturbed, especially in the face of global climate change. © Copyright Santos Filho et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. | abnormal respiratory sound; adult; animal experiment; Article; blood cell count; Canis; climate change; controlled study; cytology; Dirofilaria immitis; dirofilariasis; disease surveillance; dog; Doppler echocardiography; dyspnea; echocardiography; ecotone; environment; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; global climate; infection; lung auscultation; male; microfilaria (nematode larva); natural resource; nematode; nonhuman; One Health; preoperative care; preoperative evaluation; pulmonary artery; remote sensing; seashore; thorax radiography; vector borne disease; zoonosis | Dirofilaria immitis; Heartworm; One Health; Zoonosis |
| Molecular detection of zoonotic pathogens in the blood and tissues of camels (Camelus dromedarius) in central desert of Iran | Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) play a major economic role in many countries in Africa and Asia. Although they are resistant to harsh environmental conditions, they are susceptible to a wide range of zoonotic agents. This study aimed to provide an overview on the prevalence of selected zoonotic pathogens in blood and tissues of camels in central Iran. Blood, liver, portal lymph node, and brain were collected from 100 apparently healthy camels at a slaughterhouse in Qom city to assess the presence of DNA of Brucella spp., Trypanosoma spp., Coxiella burnetii, and Bartonella spp. PCR products were sequenced bidirectionally and phylogenetic analyses were performed. Eleven percent of camels tested positive for Brucella abortus (3%) and Trypanosoma evansi (8%). Coxiella burnetii and Bartonella spp. DNA was not detected. Our data demonstrate that camels from Iran contribute to the epidemiology of some zoonotic pathogens. Performing proper control strategies, such as vaccination of camels and humans in contact with them, test-and-slaughter policy, and education of the general population is necessary for minimizing the risk of zoonotic infection. © 2021. | Animals; Camelus; Coxiella burnetii; Humans; Iran; Phylogeny; Zoonoses; genomic DNA; RNA polymerase; animal experiment; animal model; Article; Bartonella; bcsp31; blood sampling; brain; Brucella abortus; camel; Coxiella burnetii; DNA extraction; DNA sequence; female; gene; gitA; infectious agent; ITS1; liver; lymph node; male; molecular evolution; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; OMP2; omp31; phylogeny; polymerase chain reaction; RNA gene; rpoB; sampling; sequence analysis; tissues; Trypanosoma evansi; zoonosis; animal; Coxiella burnetii; human; Iran; zoonosis | Bartonella; Brucella abortus; Camel; Camelus dromedarius; Coxiella burnetii; Iran; One Health; PCR; Trypanosoma evansi; Zoonosis |
| Human colonization with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing e. Coli in relation to animal and environmental exposures in bangladesh: An observational one health study | BACKGROUND: Human exposure to intensively farmed livestock is a potential risk for transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) but few studies have assessed the relative role of animal vs. environmental sources of ARB in low-resource community settings. OBJECTIVES: We conducted an observational study to compare ARB colonization and antibiotic-resistant gene prevalence and abundance in humans with high or low exposure to poultry in rural households, commercial poultry farms, and urban markets in Bangladesh. METHODS: Extended-spectrum b-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and carbapenem-resistant E. coli were quantified in feces from adults with high or low poultry exposure (n = 100, respectively), poultry (n = 200), drinking water (n = 120), and wastewater (n = 120) from 40 rural households, 40 poultry farms, and 40 urban markets. RESULTS: ESBL-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC) prevalence was 67.5% (95% CI: 61.0, 74.0) in samples from adults, 68.0% (95% CI: 61.5, 74.5) in samples from poultry, and 92.5% (95% CI: 87.7, 97.3) in wastewater samples. Carbapenem-resistant E. coli prevalence was high in market wastewaters [30% (95% CI: 15.0, 45.0)] but low in humans (1%) and poultry (1%). Human, poultry, and wastewater isolates shared common resistance genes: blaCTX-M-1, qnr, and blaTEM. Human colonization was not significantly associated with exposure to poultry or setting (rural, farm, or market). Ninety-five percent of commercial poultry farms routinely administered antibiotics. Susceptibility tests were significantly different in household vs. farm and market poultry isolates for four of seven antibiotic classes. In human isolates, there were no differences except aminoglycoside resistance (16.4% high vs. 4.4% low exposure, p =0:02). Urban market wastewaters and poultry samples had significantly higher concentrations of ESBL-EC (p <0:001) and blaCTX-M-1 (p <0:001) compared with samples from farms and rural households. DISCUSSION: ESBL-EC colonization was high in humans but not significantly associated with exposure to poultry. Bidirectional transmission of antibiotic resistance is likely between humans, poultry, and the environment in these community settings, underlining the importance of One Health mitigation strategies. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7670. © 2021, Public Health Services, US Dept of Health and Human Services. All rights reserved. | Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bangladesh; beta-Lactamases; Environmental Exposure; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Humans; One Health; aminopenicillin; ampicillin; beta lactamase CTX M; cefepime; cefixime; cefotaxime; cefoxitin; ceftazidime; ceftriaxone; ciprofloxacin; colistin; cotrimoxazole; enrofloxacin; ertapenem; erythromycin; imipenem; macrolide; meropenem; methyltransferase; nalidixic acid; nitrofurantoin; piperacillin plus tazobactam; plasmid DNA; polymyxin; polymyxin derivative; quinolone derivative; RNA 16S; sulfonamide; tetracycline; trimethoprim; tylosin; angiotensin receptor antagonist; antiinfective agent; beta lactamase; dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase inhibitor; adult; aminoglycoside resistance; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; bacterial colonization; bacterial count; bacterial gene; carbapenem resistant Escherichia coli; cross-sectional study; DNA extraction; environmental exposure; extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Escherichia coli; feces culture; female; gene frequency; household; human; male; nonhuman; observational study; poultry; prevalence; real time polymerase chain reaction; risk factor; rural area; season; wastewater; animal; Bangladesh; environmental exposure; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli infection; genetics; One Health; veterinary medicine |
| Change in outbreak epicentre and its impact on the importation risks of COVID-19 progression: A modelling study | Background: The outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China has now spread to every inhabitable continent, but now the attention has shifted from China to other epicentres. This study explored early assessment of the influence of spatial proximities and travel patterns from Italy on the further spread of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide. Methods: Using data on the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and air travel data between countries, we applied a stochastic meta-population model to estimate the global spread of COVID-19. Pearson’s correlation, semi-variogram, and Moran’s Index were used to examine the association and spatial autocorrelation between the number of COVID-19 cases and travel influx (and arrival time) from the source country. Results: We found significant negative association between disease arrival time and number of cases imported from Italy (r = −0.43, p = 0.004) and significant positive association between the number of COVID-19 cases and daily travel influx from Italy (r = 0.39, p = 0.011). Using bivariate Moran’s Index analysis, we found evidence of spatial interaction between COVID-19 cases and travel influx (Moran’s I = 0.340). Asia-Pacific region is at higher/extreme risk of disease importation from the Chinese epicentre, whereas the rest of Europe, South-America and Africa are more at risk from the Italian epicentre. Conclusion: We showed that as the epicentre changes, the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 spread change to reflect spatial proximities. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd | Air Travel; China; Communicable Diseases, Imported; COVID-19; Humans; Italy; Models, Statistical; Population Surveillance; Risk; SARS-CoV-2; Travel; Algeria; Article; Austria; aviation; Brazil; China; coronavirus disease 2019; data quality; epidemic; human; infection risk; Italy; mathematical model; nonhuman; One Health; pandemic; population model; priority journal; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; spatial analysis; Switzerland; travel; virus transmission; World Health Organization; communicable disease; health survey; isolation and purification; risk; statistical model; travel | China; Coronavirus; COVID-19; Epicentre; Health security; Italy; One health; Spatial proximity; Travel |
| Antimicrobial resistance in humans, animals, water and household environs in rural andean peru: Exploring dissemination pathways through the one health lens | Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat, especially for low and middle-income countries (LMIC) where the threat has not been fully identified. Our study aims to describe E. coli AMR in rural communities to expand our knowledge on AMR bacterial contamina-tion. Specifically, we aim to identify and describe potential dissemination routes of AMR-carrying bacteria in humans (children’s stools), community water sources (reservoirs and household sources), household environments (yard soil) and domestic animals of subsistence farmers in rural Andean areas. Our cross-sectional study was conducted in rural households in the region of Cajamarca, Peru. A total of 266 samples were collected. Thirty-four point six percent of reservoir water and 45% of household water source samples were positive for thermotolerant coliforms. Of the reservoir water samples, 92.8% were positive for E. coli, and 30.8% displayed resistance to at least one antibiotic, with the highest resistance to tetracycline. E. coli was found in 57.1% of the household water sources, 18.6% of these isolates were multidrug-resistant, and displayed the highest resistance to tetracycline (31.3%). Among samples from the children’s drinking water source, 32.5% were positive for thermotolerant coliforms, and 57.1% of them were E. coli. One third of E. coli isolates were multidrug-resistant and displayed the highest AMR to tetracycline (41.6%) and ampicillin (25%). Thermotolerant coliforms were found in all the soil samples, 43.3% of the isolates were positive for E. coli, 34.3% of the E. coli isolates displayed AMR to at least one antibiotic, and displayed the highest AMR to tetracycline (25.7%). We determined thermotolerant coliforms in 97.5% of the child feces samples; 45.3% of them were E. coli, 15.9% displayed multidrug resistance, and displayed the highest resistance to ampicillin (34.1%). We identified thermotolerant coliforms in 67.5% of the animal feces samples. Of those, 38.7% were E. coli, and 37.7% were resistant to at least one antibiotic. For all the samples, the prevalence of resistance to at least one antibiotic in the E. coli and Klebsiella spp. isolates was almost 43% and the prevalence of MDR in the same isolates was nearly 9%, yet the latter nearly doubled (15.9%) in children’s stools. Our results provide preliminary evidence for critical pathways and the interconnectedness of animal, human and environmental transmission but molecular analysis is needed to track dissemination routes properly. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; One Health; Peru; Rural Population; Water; Peru; Bacteria (microorganisms); Escherichia coli; Klebsiella; amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid; ampicillin; aztreonam; cefepime; cefotaxime; cefoxitin; ceftazidime; ceftriaxone; chloramphenicol; ciprofloxacin; cotrimoxazole; drinking water; gentamicin; imipenem; nalidixic acid; tetracycline; antiinfective agent; water; antibiotics; antimicrobial activity; coliform bacterium; public health; rural area; ampicillin resistance; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; bacterial gene; bacterium contamination; bacterium isolate; Citrobacter; coliform bacterium; controlled study; cross-sectional study; Enterobacter; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; feces; gene identification; household; human; Klebsiella; multidrug resistance; nonhuman; Peru; prevalence; rural area; tetracycline resistance; water supply; animal; antibiotic resistance; child; Escherichia coli; microbial sensitivity test; One Health; rural population | Antimicrobial resistance; Child feces; E. coli; Environment; One health; Peru |
| Population-level effects of wildlife rehabilitation and release vary with life-history strategy | Wildlife rehabilitation is the treatment and subsequent release of injured wildlife. Wildlife rehabilitation benefits individual animals receiving care, but also supports Conservation Medicine approaches by providing opportunities to monitor wildlife health, contaminant loads, and disease prevalence. However, it is typically considered to have negligible effects on population growth, and has not traditionally been acknowledged as an effective tool for wildlife conservation. To explore whether rehabilitation and release could directly support population recovery in some cases (i.e., increase population growth rates), we considered five case study species along a spectrum of life-history strategies (Raccoon, Painted Turtle, Blanding’s Turtle, Snapping Turtle, and Little Brown Bat). We simulated populations over 200 years, while varying two parameters: 1) the rate of severe injury (0, 1, 2, or 5 % of the population); and 2) how many of these injured animals are successfully rehabilitated (0, 10, 25, or 50 %). The effect of the rehabilitation scenarios was largest when additive severe injury rates were highest (5 %). Species that were most sensitive to increased adult injury rates (turtles and bats) also exhibited the greatest population-level responses to rehabilitation and release interventions. We conclude that wildlife rehabilitation can support in situ recovery and help stabilize declining populations when 1) injury is an ongoing source of high additive mortality, 2) the target population is small, 3) the species exhibits a K-selected life-history strategy, 4) rehabilitation can be combined with other interventions, including in situ threat mitigations, and 5) rehabilitation efforts do not jeopardize or limit in situ conservation interventions. © 2021 The Author(s) | Chelydra serpentina; Chrysemys; Myotis lucifugus; Procyon; Testudines; Varanidae; life history; medicine; mortality; nature conservation; population growth; population viability analysis | Additive mortality; Conservation Medicine; One Health; Population augmentation; Population viability analyses; Vortex |
| Individual, household and environmental factors associated with arboviruses in rural human populations, Brazil | Landscape change is one of the foremost drivers of the emergence of infectious diseases. Exploring demographic, household and environmental conditions under which infectious diseases occur may inform strategies to prevent disease emergence in human populations. We collected blood samples from 523 humans and explore factors for arbovirus emergence in Bahia, Brazil. The overall arbovirus seroprevalence was 65.2%, with the genus Flavivirus most prevalent (64.4%). Based on monotypic reactions, the population had contact with five arbovirus: Dengue 3, Ilheus, Oropouche, Caraparu and Eastern equine encephalitis virus. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting exposure to Oropouche, Caraparu and Eastern equine encephalitis virus in human populations in Bahia, Northeast of Brazil. The best model fit demonstrated that household and environmental variables were more predictive of the risk of arbovirus exposure than demographic variables. The presence of forest and free-living monkeys in the areas close to the communities had a protective effect for the human population (i.e. lower seroprevalence). The dilution effect is considered as one explanation for this finding. These results highlight the important ecological role of wildlife-friendly agriculture. © 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH | Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Viral; Arboviruses; Brazil; Child; Environmental Microbiology; Family Characteristics; Female; Housing; Humans; Male; Risk Factors; Rural Population; Seroepidemiologic Studies; yellow fever vaccine; virus antibody; adolescent; adult; agroforestry; antisepsis; Arbovirus; arbovirus infection; Article; Brazil; Chikungunya virus; child; controlled study; demography; dengue; Dengue virus; Dengue virus 3; Eastern equine encephalitis virus; environmental exposure; environmental factor; environmental protection; epigastric pain; female; headache; hemagglutination inhibition; household; human; laboratory test; major clinical study; male; prevalence; priority journal; risk factor; rural population; seroprevalence; Western equine encephalitis virus; yellow fever; aged; Arbovirus; blood; environmental microbiology; epidemiology; family size; housing; isolation and purification; seroepidemiology | arbovirus; Atlantic forest; dilution effect; Flavivirus; one health; serology; zoonosis |
| Improving the dialogue between public health and ecosystem science on antimicrobial resistance | The concept of health has evolved markedly from a bio-medical, mechanistic model to include an interdisciplinary perspective where human, animal and ecosystem health are integrated. One Health, EcoHealth and Planetary Health are examples of approaches to health advocating collaboration and interdisciplinarity at multiple levels. In practice, successful integration has been challenging and in particular, understanding of the ecosystem component of health lags behind the human and animal components. Antimicrobial resistance is an important threat to human health, which develops, is maintained and transmitted at the human–animal–environment interface. While the human and livestock components of resistance are well understood, this is not the case for the ecosystem component. This gap in knowledge leads to a poor representation of the environmental dimension of antimicrobial resistance in key policy documents and in interdisciplinary work around this issue. We interviewed a group of leading researchers in public health and ecology to explore their perceptions on the integration of ecosystem and public health research in the context of antimicrobial resistance. Experts from both fields considered that research on antimicrobial resistance is only beginning to consider ecosystems. They highlighted various barriers that have contributed to limited integration, such as conceptual barriers, and a lack of knowledge translators as facilitators. Better interdisciplinary integration is needed to address the challenge of antimicrobial resistance. Improving the dialogues between the disciplines is a necessary first step in this process. Greater engagement of ecologists is needed to build a more complete understanding of the role of ecosystems in human health, and identify how human interactions with ecosystems can both contribute to, and restrict, the development of antimicrobial resistance. © 2021 The Authors. Oikos published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Society Oikos. | antimicrobial activity; ecosystem health; interdisciplinary approach; public health | AMR; ecosystems; interdisciplinarity; One Health; policy; public health |
| Launching a one health column | [No abstract available] | antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial stewardship; Article; awareness; biodiversity; coronavirus disease 2019; decision making; disease hotspot; food industry; food safety; food security; Lyme disease; management; nonhuman; One Health; pathogen transmission; vaccination |
| Endophytic lifestyle of global clones of extended-spectrum b-lactamase-producing priority pathogens in fresh vegetables: A Trojan horse strategy favoring human colonization? | The global spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their resistance genes is a critical issue that is no longer restricted to hospital settings, but also represents a growing problem involving environmental and food safety. In this study, we have performed a microbiological and genomic investigation of critical priority pathogens resistant to broad-spectrum cephalosporins and showing endophytic lifestyles in fresh vegetables sold in a country with high endemicity of extended-spectrum b-lactamases (ESBLs). We report the isolation of international high-risk clones of CTX-M-15-producing Escherichia coli, belonging to clonal complexes CC38 and CC648, and Klebsiella pneumoniae of complex CC307 from macerated tissue of surface-sterilized leaves of spinach, cabbage, arugula, and lettuce. Regardless of species, all ESBL-positive isolates were able to endophytically colonize common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) seedlings, showed resistance to acid pH, and had a multidrug-resistant (MDR) profile to clinically relevant antibiotics (i.e., broad-spectrum cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones). Genomic analysis of CTX-M-producing endophytic Enterobacterales revealed a wide resistome (antibiotics, biocides, disinfectants, and pesticides) and virulome, and genes for endophytic fitness and for withstanding acidic conditions. Transferable IncFIB and IncHI2A plasmids carried blaCTX-M-15 genes and, additionally, an IncFIB plasmid (named pKP301cro) also harbored genes encoding resistance to heavy metals. These data support the hypothesis that fresh vegetables marketed for consumption can act as a figurative Trojan horse for the hidden spread of international clones of critical WHO priority pathogens producing ESBLs, and/or their resistance genes, to humans and other animals, which is a critical issue within a food safety and broader public and environmental health perspective. IMPORTANCE Extended-spectrum b-lactamases (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales are a leading cause of human and animal infections, being classified as critical priority pathogens by the World Health Organization. Epidemiological studies have shown that spread of ESBL-producing bacteria is not a problem restricted to hospitals, but also represents a growing problem involving environmental and food safety. In this regard, CTX-M-type b-lactamases have become the most widely distributed and clinically relevant ESBLs worldwide. Here, we have investigated the occurrence and genomic features of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales in surface-sterilized fresh vegetables. We have uncovered that international high-risk clones of CTX-M-15-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae harboring a wide resistome and virulome, January/February 2021 Volume 6 Issue 1 e01125-20 carry additional genes for endophytic fitness and resistance to acidic conditions. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that these CTX-M-15-positive isolates are able to endophytically colonize plant tissues. Therefore, we believe that fresh vegetables can act as a figurative Trojan horse for the hidden spread of critical priority pathogens exhibiting endophytic lifestyles. Copyright © 2021. | carbapenem derivative; ertapenem; imipenem; meropenem; penicillinase; quinolone; quinolone derivative; sulfonamide; tetracycline derivative; trimethoprim; acid tolerance; Article; bacterial colonization; bacterial strain; bacterium isolate; cabbage; controlled study; environmental health; Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa; Escherichia coli; Klebsiella pneumoniae; lettuce; nonhuman; spinach; vegetable | CTX-M-15; E. coli ST38; E. coli ST648; ESBL; Food; K. pneumoniae CC307; One Health |
| Plant volatiles of lettuce and chicory cultivated in aquaponics are associated to their microbial community | In this work, an aquaponic cultivation system for Lactuca sativa (L.) and Chicorium intybus (L.) was compared to a hydroponic one, focusing on the main microbial populations related to food safety and their volatile compounds (VOCs), concluding with Spearman correlations among the microbes and VOCs. Different sections of both systems were sampled at the end of the commercial development of the plants. Plants cultivated in aquaponics were in general more contaminated than those from hydroponics, while for the cultivation waters a higher contamination of the hydroponics than aquaponics system was unexpectedly observed. Furthermore, the chicory exhibited higher levels of all microbial groups compared to lettuce grown under the same cultivation system. The results obtained also showed correlations between the distribution of some VOCs and microbial groups in the phyllosphere, while some examples of positive correlations between 2-nonanone (a positive phytostimulant compound) and anaerobic bacilli of the rhizosphere in lettuce were reported. So far, multivariate analysis of VOCs was able to discriminate on the basis of varieties but not on the cultivation systems. In conclusion, the microbial characteristics of the two ecosystems depended both on plant variety and cultivation method but further studies will need to deeply investigate the variables influencing the microbial quality of vegetable foods obtained by aquaponics. On the other hand, the analysis of the VOCs was more related to the microbial community of each plant variety considered, whatever the cultivation system. In precision agriculture, metabolomics may represent an opportunity to study the holobiome and through it the interactions between plants and their microbial populations, to possibly provide for a tool to assess the microbiological quality of vegetable foods obtained by aquaponic systems. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Chicorium intybus; Food safety; Holobiome; Lactuca sativa; Nile tilapia; One Health; VOCs |
| Modeling the Potential Distribution of the Malaria Vector Anopheles (Ano.) pseudopunctipennis Theobald (Diptera: Culicidae) in Arid Regions of Northern Chile | The extreme north of Chile presents a subtropical climate permissive of the establishment of potential disease vectors. Anopheles (Ano.) pseudopunctipennis is distributed from the south of the United States to the north of Argentina and Chile, and is one of the main vectors of malaria in Latin America. Malaria was eradicated from Chile in 1945. Nevertheless, the vector persists in river ravines of the Arica and Tarapacá regions. The principal effect of climate change in the north of Chile is temperature increase. Precipitation prediction is not accurate for this region because records were erratic during the last century. The objective of this study was to estimate the current and the projected distribution pattern of this species in Chile, given the potential impact due to climate change. We compiled distributional data for An. (Ano.) pseudopunctipennis and constructed species distribution models to predict the spatial distribution of this species using the MaxEnt algorithm with current and RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, using environmental and topographic layers. Our models estimated that the current expected range of An. (Ano.) pseudopunctipennis extends continuously from Arica to the north of Antofagasta region. Furthermore, the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 projected scenarios suggested that the range of distribution of An. (Ano.) pseudopunctipennis may increase in longitude, latitude, and altitude limits, enhancing the local extension area by 38 and 101%, respectively, and local presence probability (>0.7), from the northern limit in Arica y Parinacota region (18°S) to the northern Antofagasta region (23°S). This study contributes to geographic and ecologic knowledge about this species in Chile, as it represents the first local study of An. (Ano.) pseudopunctipennis. The information generated in this study can be used to inform decision making regarding vector control and surveillance programs of Latin America. These kinds of studies are very relevant to generate human, animal, and environmental health knowledge contributing to the “One Health” concept. © Copyright © 2021 Valderrama, Ayala, Reyes and González. | Animals; Anopheles; Argentina; Chile; Disease Vectors; Humans; Malaria; Mosquito Vectors; animal; Anopheles; Argentina; Chile; disease carrier; human; malaria; mosquito vector | climate change; Latin America; malaria; maxent; One health; species distribution model |
| Seasonal prevalence, risk factors, and One Health intervention for prevention of intestinal parasitic infection in underprivileged communities on the Thai-Myanmar border | Background: Tha Song Yang District, located on the Thai-Myanmar border, contributes to the second highest cases of amoebic dysentery due to intestinal parasitic infections (IPI). However, there were limited disease prevalence data, specific surveillance systems, and interventions available. Objective: This study aimed to explore the epidemiological features of the IPIs and apply the One Health (OH) approach to solve IPI-related problems. Methods: Prevalence of asymptomatic infections in human and animals, yearly symptomatic cases, and associated risk factors were investigated. The OH intervention included improving the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of the community, microscopic diagnosis training, and stakeholder engagement for IPI prevention designs. Results: The prevalence of asymptomatic cases was much higher than that of the symptomatic cases. Infective stages of the intestinal parasites were discovered in animal stool and water samples, indicating possible transmission routes. One year after the intervention, there were significant declines in asymptomatic IPIs and symptomatic cases of amoebic dysentery. Significant improvements in KAP and awareness regarding water and manure-waste management of the community were observed. Conclusion: We reported the successful application of the OH intervention in reducing the IPI prevalence and mitigating disease-related risks. The intervention might be applied to address other infectious diseases in the future. © 2021 The Authors | Animals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Feces; Female; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Male; Myanmar; One Health; Parasitic Diseases, Animal; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Seasons; Surveys and Questionnaires; Thailand; Vulnerable Populations; Article; asymptomatic infection; bloody diarrhea; clinical feature; controlled study; disease transmission; dry season; feces analysis; female; hand washing; health care personnel; helminthiasis; human; infection risk; intestinal amebiasis; intestine infection; intestine parasite; laboratory personnel; major clinical study; male; mixed infection; Myanmar; One Health; parasitosis; patient attitude; polymerase chain reaction; practice guideline; prevalence; rainy season; risk factor; seasonal variation; stakeholder engagement; Yates continuity correction; animal; animal parasitosis; cross-sectional study; feces; intestine infection; parasitology; prevalence; questionnaire; season; Thailand; vulnerable population | Intestinal parasitic infection; One Health intervention; Risk factors; Seasonal prevalence |
| One Health Evaluation: A Case Study at the University of Bologna | The level of One Health (OH), or “One Health-ness,” of health interventions has been defined as the capacity to operate according to six dimensions concerning OH operations and OH infrastructures, respectively (thinking, planning, and working; and information sharing, reciprocal learning, and systemic organization). Although health initiatives and research increasingly claim their orientation toward OH, such a capacity is rarely assessed. The objective of this study is to evaluate the One Health-ness of the academic team of the University of Bologna (UNIBO Team) working in the “ELEPHANT” project (Empowering universities’ Learning and rEsearch caPacities in the one Health Approach for the maNagement of animals at the wildlife, livestock and human interface in SouTh Africa). This project involves universities, six from South Africa and two from Europe, and aims at embedding OH in research and learning to enable the control of diseases at the human, animal, and environmental interface, and to emphasize the interests of local African communities with wildlife conservation. The methodology adopts the NEOH method, developed in 2018 by the EU-COST Action, “Network for the Evaluation of One Health.” The approach is based on questionnaires delivered to participants, which focus on the six OH dimensions, and then translate answers into quantitative metrics through the OH Index (OHI) and the OH Ratio (OHR). The following two evaluation levels are foreseen: the whole project and the single partner institutions. The evaluations are carried on in parallel, with preliminary, mid-term, and final assessments, to monitor the efficacy of the project actions. The preliminary evaluation of the UNIBO Team resulted in the OHI of 0.23 and the OHR of 1.69 which indicate a low degree of OH-ness and an imbalance between OH operation and OH infrastructure. The UNIBO case study will be the baseline for the evaluation of the other partner institutions involved in the ELEPHANT project. This type of evaluation can support the implementation of OH practices inside a project and underpin the strategies that allow to achieving more effective results. Any improvement in the OH-ness of each single academic team can be also considered as a result of the ELEPHANT project, thus showing its multiplier effect in the context. © Copyright © 2021 Aragrande, Canali, Roccaro, Ferraro, Bonoli, Savini, Piva, Gallina, Peli, Sambri and Scagliarini. | Animals; Europe; Humans; One Health; South Africa; Universities; animal; Europe; human; One Health; South Africa; university | interdisciplinarity; one health; self-evaluation; system thinking; theory of change; transdisciplinarity |
| Representations of free-living and unrestrained dogs as an emerging public health issue in australian newspapers | That dogs can live and breed as free-living animals contributes to public health risks including zoonotic transmission, dog bites, and compromising people’s sense of safety in public spaces. In Australia, free-living dog populations are comprised of domestic dogs, dingoes, and dog– dingo hybrids, and are described using various terms (for example, stray or community), depending on social or geographic context. Urban expansion and regional migration mean that risks associated with contact between humans and free-living dogs are increasing. Public health authorities, local governments, and community organisations have called for transdisciplinary partnerships to address dog-related health risks with a sustainable long-term approach. Values pluralism and a lack of sustained community engagement in affected areas have meant that the outcome of such efforts to date has been mixed. To identify ideas in public circulation about the impact of unrestrained and free-living dogs on human health and well-being, and understand the framework through which these animals are problematised and solutions are proposed in public discourse, we systematically examined coverage of these issues in print media. Our analyses indicate that reporting in Australian newspapers tends to frame the public health impacts of free-living dogs as problems of public order requiring direct government action to re-establish control. The public health impacts of free-living dog populations in Australia have complex causes that intersect at the nexus between human and canine behaviour, agricultural and land management practices, local bylaws, and efforts to conserve ecological systems. Placing responsibility on governments limits opportunities for greater community involvement in developing integrated One Health approaches. Better-quality evidence of the impacts of dog populations on community health and well-being, and broad community support are needed to reshape public debates on animal control, which, ultimately, will promote more effective approaches to mitigate dog-related public health risks at the human–animal–environment interface. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Accidental Injuries; Animals; Australia; Bites and Stings; Dogs; One Health; Public Health; Australia; canid; health risk; mass media; public attitude; public health; safety; social policy; animal care; Article; Australia; community care; dingo; dog; domestic animal; geography; health hazard; health status; human; human-animal interaction; nonhuman; One Health; physical well-being; population distribution; program sustainability; public health; risk assessment; risk factor; stray dog; animal; Australia; bites and stings; dog; One Health; public health | Animal control; Australia; Dog bites; Media analysis; Public health; Social policy |
| Detection and genome sequencing of sars-cov-2 in a domestic cat with respiratory signs in Switzerland | Since the emergence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in late 2019, domestic cats have been demonstrated to be susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) under natural and experimental conditions. As pet cats often live in very close contact with their owners, it is essential to investigate SARS-CoV-2 infections in cats in a One-Health context. This study reports the first SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cat in a COVID-19-affected household in Switzerland. The cat (Cat 1) demonstrated signs of an upper respiratory tract infection, including sneezing, inappetence, and apathy, while the cohabiting cat (Cat 2) remained asymptomatic. Nasal, oral, fecal, fur, and environmental swab samples were collected twice from both cats and analyzed by RT-qPCR for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA. Both nasal swabs from Cat 1 tested positive. In addition, the first oral swab from Cat 2 and fur and bedding swabs from both cats were RT-qPCR positive. The fecal swabs tested negative. The infection of Cat 1 was confirmed by positive SARS-CoV-2 S1 receptor binding domain (RBD) antibody testing and neutralizing activity in a surrogate assay. The viral genome sequence from Cat 1, obtained by next generation sequencing, showed the closest relation to a human sequence from the B.1.1.39 lineage, with one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) difference. This study demonstrates not only SARS-CoV-2 infection of a cat from a COVID-19-affected household but also contamination of the cats’ fur and bed with viral RNA. Our results are important to create awareness that SARS-CoV-2 infected people should observe hygienic measures to avoid infection and contamination of animal cohabitants. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Animals; Cat Diseases; Cats; COVID-19; Feces; Genome, Viral; Male; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; RNA, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; Switzerland; amoxicillin; amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid; clavaseptin; meloxicam; methylprednisolone; methylprednisolone acetate; robenacoxib; virus RNA; animal experiment; anosmia; apathy; Article; blood analysis; body temperature; controlled study; coronavirus disease 2019; coughing; cycle threshold value; disease surveillance; domestic cat; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; feces analysis; geographic distribution; high throughput sequencing; immunofluorescence assay; male; myalgia; nonhuman; nose smear; open reading frame; oral swab; oropharyngeal swab; pet animal; phylogenetic tree; phylogeny; real time polymerase chain reaction; real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; receptor binding; rectal swab; RNA extraction; sequence analysis; serology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; single nucleotide polymorphism; sneezing; sore throat; Switzerland; upper respiratory tract infection; virus detection; virus genome; virus isolation; virus load; virus neutralization; virus replication; virus transmission; whole genome sequencing; animal; case report; cat; cat disease; classification; feces; genetics; isolation and purification; veterinary medicine; virology; virus genome | Companion animals; Contamination; COVID-19; Domestic cat; Human-to-feline transmission; Neutralizing activity; Next generation sequencing; One-Health; SARS-CoV-2; Serology |
| Journey towards national institute of one health in india | Background & objectives: Issues such as emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food security, biosafety and biosecurity are associated with changes in land use, population growth, urbanization, global travel and trade and climate change. As a result, a trans-disciplinary approach among human, animal and environmental health disciplines gained support. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) decided to establish a National Institute of One Health at Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. In this context, two collaborative research projects, funded by the ICAR and ICMR were initiated to conduct the epidemiological surveillance of selected zoonotic diseases in Central India. Methods: Disease surveillance and molecular detection employing standard techniques like enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immuno-fluroscent assay (IFA), standard tube agglutination test (STAT) , Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were undertaken based on the disease to be screened. Results: In animals, the seropositivities for listeriosis (7.66%) and brucellosis (11.69%) were recorded. The occurrence of tuberculosis (3.8%) and leptospirosis (6.33%) was detected by PCR. Through cross-sectional studies from suspected human population with associated risk factors for zoonotic diseases, the seropositivity of brucellosis (1.83-11%), listeriosis (1.01-10.18 %), leptospirosis (8.14-12.67%) and scrub typhus (1.78-20.34%) was recorded. The investigations on scrub typhus indicated bimodal pattern during the months of pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season with a peak in post-monsoon in human cases. Ornithonyssus bacoti mites were identified from the rodents as a vector harbouring Orientia tsutsugamushi. The bovine tuberculosis was detected in 1.43 per cent human cases employing molecular assay. Interpretation & conclusions: The data indicated the occurrence of important zoonotic diseases adversely affecting the livestock health and human wellbeing. The scientific collaboration between veterinary and medical faculties has set an example for effective implementation of One Health (OH) programme for the establishment of National Institute of OH. © 2021 Indian Journal of Medical Research. | Animals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; India; One Health; Orientia tsutsugamushi; Scrub Typhus; agglutination test; animal experiment; animal model; animal tissue; antibiotic resistance; Article; biosafety; blood sampling; bovine tuberculosis; Brucella; brucellosis; climate change; cross-sectional study; disease surveillance; environmental health; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; female; food security; health program; human; human tissue; immunofluorescence assay; India; leptospirosis; listeriosis; livestock; major clinical study; nested polymerase chain reaction; nonhuman; observational study; One Health; Orientia tsutsugamushi; Ornithonyssus bacoti; population growth; prevalence; retrospective study; risk factor; rodent; scrub typhus; serology; seroprevalence; spontaneous abortion; tuberculosis; urbanization; veterinary medicine; wellbeing; zoonosis; animal; epidemiology; Orientia tsutsugamushi; scrub typhus | Brucellosis; Listeriosis; One health; Scrub thypus; Surveillance; Zoonotic diseases |
| Towards development of an anti-vampire bat vaccine for rabies management: Inoculation of vampire bat saliva induces immune-mediated resistance | The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is a hematophagous species responsible for paralytic rabies and bite damage that affects livestock, humans and wildlife from Mexico to Argentina. Current measures to control vampires, based upon coumarin-derived poisons, are not used exten-sively due in part to the high cost of application, risks for bats that share roosts with vampires and residual environmental contamination. Observations that vampire bat bites may induce resistance in livestock against vampire bat salivary anticoagulants encourage research into novel vaccine-based alternatives particularly focused upon increasing livestock resistance to vampire salivary components. We evaluated the action of vampire bat saliva-Freund’s incomplete adjuvant administered to sheep with anticoagulant responses induced by repeated vampire bites in a control group and examined characteristics of vampire bat salivary secretion. We observed that injections induced a response against vampire bat salivary anticoagulants stronger than by repeated vampire bat bites. Based upon these preliminary findings, we hypothesize the utility of developing a control technique based on induction of an immunologically mediated resistance against vampire bat anticoagulants and rabies virus via dual delivery of appropriate host and pathogen antigens. Fundamental characteristics of host biology favor alternative strategies than simple culling by poisons for practical, economical, and ecologically relevant management of vampire populations within a One Health context. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Anticoagulants; Chiroptera; Female; Livestock; Rabies; Rabies Vaccines; Rabies virus; Saliva; Sheep; Vaccination; adjuvant; antigen; rabies vaccine; anticoagulant agent; immunological adjuvant; rabies vaccine; adult; animal experiment; anticoagulation; Argentina; Article; bat; bite; blood clotting time; controlled study; immune response; inoculation; livestock; Mexico; nonhuman; One Health; rabies; Rabies virus; saliva; salivation; seroconversion; sheep; vaccination; vampire bat; wildlife; animal; blood; chemistry; female; immunology; metabolism; rabies; virology | Anticoagulant; Blood; Control; Lyssavirus; Rabies; Saliva; Vampire bat; Zoonosis |
| Tackling modern-day crises: Why understanding multilevel interconnectivity is vital | Complex crises like the coronavirus pandemic are showing us that modern societies are becoming increasingly unable to live in equilibrium with nature. These crises are the result of multiple causes, which interact at different scales and across different domains. Therefore, investigating their proximate causes is not enough to fully understand them. It is also crucial to take into account the structural factors involved. As concerns the global pandemic, I suggest four levels of analysis: (i) the surface or “proximate” level of the crisis; (ii) the human–environment–animal interface, as pointed out by the One Health approach; (iii) the broader socioeconomic context; and (iv) the deeper or worldview level. Furthermore, I argue that there is the need for a mindset shift if we want to properly trace causality. Much more attention must be given to the study of multilevel connecting patterns and nonlinear mechanisms as the producers of emergent global effects. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC | Animals; COVID-19; Ecosystem; Global Health; Humans; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Socioeconomic Factors; anticipation; Article; causality; climate change; coronavirus disease 2019; crystallization; economic model; environmental health; human; One Health; socioeconomics; urbanization; animal; ecosystem; epidemiology; ethics; global health; pandemic; pathogenicity; psychology; virology | complex thinking; coronavirus pandemic; multilevel causes; non-linearity; One Health |
| Harnessing Clinical Trial Capacity to Mitigate Zoonotic Diseases: The Role of Expert Scientists in Ethiopia | Background: The emergence and resurgence of zoonotic diseases have continued to be a major threat to global health and the economy. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable due to agricultural expansions and domestication of animals with humans. Scientifically sound clinical trials are important to find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat zoonotic diseases, while there is a lack of evidence to inform the clinical trials’ capacity and practice in countries highly affected with the diseases. This study aimed to investigate expert scientists’ perceptions and experiences in conducting clinical trials toward zoonotic diseases in Ethiopia. Methods: This study employed a descriptive, qualitative study design. It included major academic and research institutions in Ethiopia that had active engagements in veterinary and public health researches. It included the National Veterinary Institute, the National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center, the College of Veterinary Medicine at Addis Ababa University, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, the Armauer Hansen Research Institute, and the College of Health Sciences at Addis Ababa University. In-depth interviews were conducted with expert scientists. Data were collected from October 2019 to April 2020. Data analysis was undertaken using open code 4.03 for qualitative data analysis. Results: Five major themes, with 18 sub-themes, emerged from the in-depth interviews. These were: challenges in the prevention, control, and treatment of zoonotic diseases; One Health approach to mitigate zoonotic diseases; personal and institutional experiences in conducting clinical trials on zoonotic diseases; barriers in conducting clinical trials toward zoonotic diseases; and strategies that promote conducting clinical trials on zoonotic diseases. Conducting clinical trials on zoonotic diseases in Ethiopia is hampered by a lack of clearly articulated ethics and regulatory frameworks, trial experts, financial resources, and good governance. Conclusion: In Ethiopia, conducting clinical trials on zoonotic diseases deserves due attention. Strengthening institutional and human resources capacity is a pre-condition to harness effective implementation of clinical trials on zoonotic diseases in the country. In Ethiopia where skilled human resource is scarce, One Health approach has the potential to form multidisciplinary teams to systematically improve clinical trials capacity and outcomes in the country. © Copyright © 2021 Belay, Giday and Manyazewal. | Animals; Ethiopia; Global Health; Humans; Physicians; Qualitative Research; Zoonoses; animal; Ethiopia; global health; human; physician; qualitative research; zoonosis | clinical trial; Ethiopia; human resources; one health; zoonotic disease |
| Factors associated with preventive behaviors, anxiety among healthcare workers and response preparedness against COVID-19 outbreak: A one health approach | Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) is the causative agent of COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the preventive behavior, and responses to national preparedness and response readiness to the COVID-19 outbreak by Healthcare workers in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1200 HCW was carried out, three hundred and forty-six (346) responded to the online questionnaire on demographic characteristics, national preparedness, and preventive behavior towards COVID-19 by HCWs. Descriptive analysis of variables in the form of tables and graphs was carried out. A binary logistic regression analysis was applied and expressed as odds ratio (OR) at a 95% confidence interval (C·I) and p-value of 0.05 as significant values. Results: Of the (346) HCWs, 249 (72.0%) were males, 214 (61.8%) belong to the age group 30–39 years, age group of between 20 and 49 years were more likely to be anxious about been infected of SARS-CoV-2. HCWs in the S.E. region were 35 times more likely to use a face mask (OR 35.0; 95% C·I 3.48–370.41; P = 0.0003), and 140 (40.5%) of the HCWs supported one health approach for containing the spread of COVID-19. HCWs were anxious (OR = 5.885; 95% C·I: 1.634–20.973; p = 0.007) about their families becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 because of their occupation. Conclusion: The national preparedness and response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria were below expectations. Healthcare workers were worried about infection with SARS-CoV-2. One health approach is recommended for the fight against the infectious disease of animal origin like COVID-19. © 2020 INDIACLEN. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). | adult; age; anxiety; Article; attitude to health; behavior; coronavirus disease 2019; cross-sectional study; demography; emergency health service; epidemic; family; female; gender; health care personnel; health personnel attitude; high risk population; human; infection control; infection prevention; male; middle aged; Nigeria; occupation; One Health; pandemic; preventive behavior; priority journal; questionnaire; vulnerable population | Coronavirus; National response preparedness; Nigeria; Pandemic; SARS-CoV-2 |
| Commentary infectious disease threats: A rebound to resilience | The US has experienced a series of epidemics during the past five decades. None has tested the nation’s resilience like the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has laid bare critical weaknesses in US pandemic preparedness and domestic leadership and the nation’s decline in global standing in public health. Pandemic response has been politicized, proven public health measures undermined, and public confidence in a science-based public health system reduced. This has been compounded by the large number of citizens without ready access to health care, who are overrepresented among infected, hospitalized, and fatal cases. Here, as part of the National Academy of Medicine’s Vital Directions for Health and Health Care: Priorities for 2021 initiative, we review the US approach to pandemic preparedness and its impact on the response to COVID-19. We identify six steps that should be taken to strengthen US pandemic resilience, strengthen and modernize the US health care system, regain public confidence in government leadership in public health, and restore US engagement and leadership in global partnerships to address future pandemic threats domestically and around the world. © 2021, Project HOPE. All rights reserved. | Civil Defense; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; COVID-19; Delivery of Health Care; Health Care Reform; Humans; Infection Control; Leadership; Public Health; Resilience, Psychological; Article; coronavirus disease 2019; government; health care disparity; health care policy; health care system; human; leadership; One Health; pandemic; public health; United States; civil defense; communicable disease; health care delivery; infection control; leadership; psychological resilience; public health |
| The Interconnected Health Initiative: A Smithsonian Framework to Extend One Health Research and Education | To better tackle diseases and sustain healthy ecosystems, One Health programs must efficiently bridge health in humans, domestic/livestock species, wild animals and plants, agriculture/aquaculture, and the environment. The Smithsonian Institution proposes to address this by considering ‘health’ in a broad sense – the absence of undue pathogens and unnecessary stress for any organisms as well as access to good living conditions in functional environments. Considering the interconnectedness of all life forms, the Smithsonian plans to create a framework that will integrate cultural, social, and educational components into health research on humans, animals, plants, or ecosystems. The objectives of this perspective article are to (1) propose an innovative framework to support an interconnected/integrated approach to health and (2) provide examples fostering impactful collaborations on One Health research and education. Based on the core strengths of the Smithsonian (multidisciplinary research, outreach and education programs, libraries/archives, and collections) and central institutional support, this framework has the potential to extend existing health-related projects, address new needs and situations (e.g., response to pandemics), provide invaluable resources to inform policy and decision makers, and educate all audiences globally. © Copyright © 2021 Comizzoli, Pagenkopp Lohan, Muletz-Wolz, Hassell and Coyle. | collections; disease; education; interdisciplinary; multidisciplinary; museum; One Health; research |
| Bats and humans during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak: The case of bat-coronaviruses from Mexico | The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has attracted attention due to the high number of human cases around the world. It has been proposed that this virus originated in bats, possibly transmitted to humans by an intermediate host, making bats a group of great interest during this outbreak. Almost 10% of the world’s bat species inhabit Mexico, and 14 previous novel CoVs have been recorded in Mexican bats. However, the phylogenetic relationships between these viruses and the novel coronavirus are unknown. The aim of this communication was therefore to describe the phylogenetic relationships between Mexican bat-CoVs and SARS-CoV-2. We showed that Mexican bat-CoVs sequences are grouped into two genera, Alphacoronavirus and Betacoronavirus, and the new coronavirus is an independent clade within Betacoronavirus. Due to the diversity of CoVs in Mexican bats, the propensity of CoVs to shift hosts, the invasion mechanisms described for this new virus, and previous reports of animals infected by SARS-CoV-2, the risk of possible infection from humans to Mexican bats should not be discarded and warrants further analyses. To avoid future zoonotic infectious diseases and to limit persecution of bats, we urge researchers and the general population to take extreme precautions and avoid manipulation of bats during the current and future similar outbreaks. © 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH | Alphacoronavirus; Animals; Chiroptera; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; Coronaviridae; COVID-19; Evolution, Molecular; Genome, Viral; Humans; Mexico; Phylogeny; SARS-CoV-2; Zoonoses; Alphacoronavirus; Article; bat; Betacoronavirus; controlled study; coronavirus disease 2019; human; Molossidae; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; Phyllostomidae; phylogeny; SARS coronavirus; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Vespertilionidae; zoonosis; animal; bat; classification; communicable disease; Coronaviridae; genetics; Mexico; molecular evolution; virology; virus genome; zoonosis | conservation; CoV; COVID-19; emerging infectious diseases; One Health |
| Survey of the knowledge and use of antibiotics among medical and veterinary health professionals and students in portugal | Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent and complex problem worldwide, exacerbated by the frequently inappropriate use of antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to survey the levels of knowledge and awareness about antibiotic use and stewardship, among human and veterinary health professionals or students in Portugal, and the associations between antibiotic knowledge factors and socio-professional groups. In cross-sectional survey design, a total of 449 online structured questionnaires were completed in 2018–2019. The statistical analysis was performed dividing the respondents into four groups, A (undergraduate students), B (PhD students and researchers), C (lecturers), and D (technicians and other occupation). Among all respondents, 17% (n = 75) revealed some gap in knowledge about antibiotic resistance and the antibiotics that should be administered for different infection types (bacterial, viral, or fungal). Of the 159 pet owners among the respondents, only half had administered antibiotics to their animal and 64% (n = 102) knew that veterinary prescription is mandatory when administering antibiotics to animals. All groups statistically agreed that the AMR is a major public health problem and the antibiotics should be administrated for bacterial infections and used until the whole pack has been finished (p = 0.00). As expected, only groups B and C demonstrated a higher level of knowledge to recognize the antibiotic name and their active ingredient than undergraduate students (p = 0.00). About the antibiotic use on pets, only group B was statistically significant to no used antibiotics on their pets (p = 0.00). However, groups A, C, and D were statistically significant for the knowledge about the mandatory veterinarian prescription and groups C and D were significantly statistics for fully aware of the transmission of bacteria between animals and humans. In conclusion, in matters related to AMR, the behavior, education, and training of the general public and health professionals, including those who prescribe antibiotics for humans and animals, need to be improved. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Portugal; Students; Surveys and Questionnaires; Portugal; Bacteria (microorganisms); antibiotic agent; antiinfective agent; antibiotics; antimicrobial activity; disease transmission; drug prescribing; health worker; infectious disease; medical geography; public health; questionnaire survey; adult; aged; antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial stewardship; Article; awareness; bacterial infection; bacterial transmission; cross-sectional study; data analysis; drug use; female; health care personnel; health care survey; human; male; medical student; occupation; paraveterinary worker; PhD student; Portugal; prescription; professional knowledge; public health problem; scientist; structured questionnaire; undergraduate student; veterinarian; veterinary student; animal; attitude to health; questionnaire; student | AMR; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial resistance; Awareness; One Health; Questionnaire; Stewardship |
| Old politics in pandemic management | [No abstract available] | Article; coronavirus disease 2019; democracy; health care policy; human; infection prevention; leadership; lockdown; medical technology; One Health; pandemic; personal hygiene; politics; public figure; public health service; public policy; vaccination |
| Is There a Correlation Between Dog Obesity and Human Obesity? Preliminary Findings of Overweight Status Among Dog Owners and Their Dogs | Background and Aim: Obesity is a serious health issue in people and their pets, with a need for innovative and engaging prevention strategies. One possible strategy is a One Health approach incorporating dogs into prevention programs; however, little data exist in the U.S. about the association between weight status among dog owners and their dogs. The objective of this study was to determine if there was an association between body mass index of adult dog owners and corresponding weight status in their dogs. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional correlation study collected data from 38 adult dog owners aged 18 years and older and their dogs at three pet festivals throughout New England. Body mass index of dog owners and body condition scores of dogs were measured on site. Spearman correlation was used to compare weight status in dogs and their owners. Results: The median body mass index of dog owners was 26 (range of 17–53) and the median body condition score of dogs was 6 (range of 4–9). Frequency of overweight and obesity in dog owners was 31.6 and 26.3%, respectively, and 50.0 and 13.2% in dogs, also, respectively. Owner body mass index was positively correlated with dog body condition score (r = 0.60, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings support a possible association between overweight status in dogs and their owners. These findings could be leveraged in future interventions to promote healthier and more active lifestyles for both dog owners and their dogs in an engaging and innovative obesity prevention approach. © Copyright © 2021 Linder, Santiago and Halbreich. | adult; Article; body composition; body constitution; body mass; body weight; cross-sectional study; dog; human; human-animal bond; nonhuman; obesity; One Health; United States | dogs; human-animal bond; human-animal interaction; obesity; obesity prevention; One Health |
| A Survey on One Health Perception and Experiences in Europe and Neighboring Areas | A questionnaire survey was promoted under the COST Actions “Network for Evaluation of One Health-NEOH” and “European Network for Neglected Vectors and Vector-Borne Infections-EURNEGVEC”, from June 2016 to April 2017, to collect information on the existence of One Health (OH) collaboration and implementation of OH initiatives in 37 EU COST Countries. The questionnaire was to be answered by key respondents representing the three major OH components: (i). Animal Health; (ii). Human Health/Public Health; (iii). Environmental Health. A target respondent rate of nine respondents/country was aimed for, representing the following categories: (i). ministries; (ii). academia-research; (iii). private sector and NGOs, associations and scientific societies. The questionnaire, composed of 27 questions organized in six sections, was circulated to target respondents by Committee Members of the two COST actions. A total of 171 respondents from 34 countries completed the questionnaire, mainly belonging to academic and research institutions (55.5%), and to Animal Health/Animal Science fields (53.8%). Although the majority (57.9%) declared they had heard about OH, few respondents (10.7%) provided a complete definition. The “human” and “animal” elements prevailed over other key elements of OH definition (ecosystem, intersectoral, transdisciplinary, holistic, collaboration). Overall, 62.6% respondents declared to take part in OH initiatives. Antimicrobial resistance, avian influenza and environmental pollution were cited as the top three OH issues over the past 5 years. Limitations and gaps in intersectoral collaboration included communication and organizational problems resulting in poor networking, differing priorities and a lack of understanding between sectors. Regarding control and monitoring of zoonotic diseases, respondents from different sectors preferentially selected their own directorates/ministries while actually in most countries both Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture are engaged. According to respondents, the level of awareness of OH amongst the general public is limited. Similarly, a dearth of opportunities of collaborations at different institutional and/or professional levels was described. Our survey provided an overview of how respondents in COST countries perceived and experienced OH and current limits to OH implementation. Identifying how initiatives are currently working and knowing the promoting and hindering factors allowed suggesting strategies to promote efficiency and effectiveness of OH implementation in the future. © Copyright © 2021 Chiesa, Tomassone, Savic, Bellato, Mihalca, Modry, Häsler and De Meneghi. | Animals; Ecosystem; Europe; Humans; One Health; Perception; Surveys and Questionnaires; animal; ecosystem; Europe; human; One Health; perception; questionnaire | EU COST countries; interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary; intersectoral collaboration; OH strategies and policies; One Health; questionnaire survey |
| Attention to the Tripartite’s one health measures in national action plans on antimicrobial resistance | The WHO, FAO, and OIE (the Tripartite) promote One Health (OH) as the guiding frame for national responses to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Little is known, however, about how much national action plans (NAPs) on AMR actually rely on the OH measures outlined by the Tripartite. The paper investigates attention to OH through a systematic content analysis of 77 AMR NAPs to discern regional and income patterns in the integration of these OH measures. Our findings suggest that (1) AMR NAPs almost universally address the three key sectors of OH, namely, human, animal, and environmental health; (2) AMR NAPs primarily apply OH measures in policies related to human health care, food production, hygiene, and agriculture, whereas the level of attention to OH measures in sanitation, aquaculture, waste management, and water governance is generally low and mainly present in NAPs from low-income countries; (3) AMR NAPs of low-income and lower-middle-income countries’ display greater congruence with OH measures than NAPs from upper-middle-income and high-income countries; and (4) the level of OH attention on paper appears to matter little for the extent of multisectoral collaboration in practice. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited part of Springer Nature. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Humans; One Health; Policy; antiinfective agent; animal; antibiotic resistance; human; One Health; policy | Antimicrobial resistance; Cross-country comparative study; National action plans; National policy-making; One health |
| Evaluating the Potential Benefit of a Combined Weight Loss Program in Dogs and Their Owners | Introduction: Little has been published on the psychological bond between the owner and the pet, and how this might influence shared habits that could lead to overweight and obesity. Another factor that could improve the effectiveness of a weight loss plan, is that the owner would see the dog as a weight loss partner and therefore this could increase the motivation to follow the assigned diet and exercise guidelines. Objective: The aim of this research was to evaluate the potential mutual effects of weight loss programs for both dogs and dog owners. Methods: Two studies were conducted: In the human-centered trial, 60 dog owners were enrolled, who signed up to receive dietary and exercise recommendations to lose weight themselves during an 8 week period, from which 29 were randomly assigned to also get recommendations for their dog. For the dog-centered trial, we selected 13 dog owners that wanted their dog to lose weight during a 6 week period, from which 7 were randomly assigned to also get recommendations for themselves. The average weight loss over the time period was recorded. A questionnaire was used to evaluate diet and exercise habits, as well as information about the relationship between the dog and owner. Results: The average human weight loss was 2.6% in the owner+dog group (n = 29) and 2.3% in the owner only group (n = 31; p > 0.05). Forty percent (24/60) of the dogs in the human-centered trial were overweight. The overweight dogs in the owner+dog group (n = 12/29) lost 3.7% of their body weight, compared to 1.2% in the overweight dogs from the owner only group (n = 12/31; p > 0.05). In the dog-centered trial, the 7 dogs in the dog+owner group lost 8.0% of their body weight, vs. 8.3% in the six dogs in the dog only group (p > 0.05). The owners in the dog+owner group lost 2.5% of their body weight, compared to 0.5% in the dog only group (p > 0.05). In both trials owners’ perceived responsibility for both their own and their dogs’ weight significantly increased. In addition, habit strength regarding unhealthy feeding and exercise behaviors in relation to the dogs decreased, and self-efficacy in relation to providing the dog with healthy food and exercise increased. Conclusion: Active weight loss in either dog owner or dog, seemed to lead to passive weight loss in the other, especially when some tools or guidelines were provided. These findings support mutual benefits of weight loss programs for dogs and dog owners, and support future weight loss programs to be a One Health approach. © Copyright © 2021 Niese, Mepham, Nielen, Monninkhof, Kroese, de Ridder and Corbee. | adult; aged; Article; body fat percentage; body weight loss; controlled study; diet therapy; dog; dog owner; exercise; female; human; human-animal bond; major clinical study; male; named groups of persons; nonhuman; obesity; One Health; practice guideline; questionnaire; randomized controlled trial; responsibility; self concept; waist circumference; weight loss program | canine; human-animal bond; obesity; overweight; weight loss |
| Exposure to Leptospira spp. and associated risk factors in the human, cattle and dog populations in Bhutan | Leptospirosis is a neglected worldwide zoonotic bacterial disease with a high prevalence in subtropical and tropical countries. The prevalence of Leptospira spp. in humans, cattle and dogs is unknown in Bhutan. Therefore, we sought to find out whether humans, cattle or dogs had been infected in the past with leptospires by measuring antibodies in the serum. We therefore collected blood from 864 humans ≥13 years of age, 130 bovines and 84 dogs from different rural and urban areas in Bhutan and tested the serum for antibodies specific for leptospires with a screening of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and a confirmatory microscopic agglutination test (MAT). In humans, 17.6% were seropositive by ELISA and 1.6% by MAT. The seropositivity was stronger in bovines (36.9%) and dogs (47.6%). “Having had a fever recently” (OR 5.2, p = 0.004), “working for the military” (OR 26.6, p = 0.028) and “being unemployed” (OR 12.9, p = 0.041) (reference category = housemaker) were statistically significantly associated with seropositivity when controlled for the effects of other risk factors. However, due to the small number of positive test results, the findings on risk factors should be interpreted with caution. Based on the serogroups found in the three species, dogs could be a source of infection for humans, or dogs and humans are exposed to the same environmental risk factors Clinical leptospirosis in humans and domestic animals should be investigated by testing blood and urine for the presence of leptospires by molecular methods (qPCR). © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | adolescent; adult; aged; agglutination test; Article; blood; blood sampling; bovine; controlled study; cross-sectional study; dog; domestic animal; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; female; fever; geographic distribution; hospital; human; human experiment; Leptospira; Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae; leptospirosis; major clinical study; male; middle aged; nonhuman; normal human; real time polymerase chain reaction; Rickettsia; risk assessment; risk factor; sensitivity and specificity; serology; seroprevalence; serum; urine; very elderly; young adult | Bhutan; Cattle; Dog; Leptospirosis; Microscopic agglutination test (MAT), seroprevalence; One health; Yak |
| One health approach: An overview of q fever in livestock, wildlife and humans in asturias (northwestern spain) | This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of C. burnetii in domestic ruminants, wild ungulates, as well as the current situation of Q fever in humans in a small region in northwestern Spain where a close contact at the wildlife–livestock–human interface exists, and information on C. burnetii infection is scarce. Seroprevalence of C. burnetii was 8.4% in sheep, 18.4% in cattle, and 24.4% in goats. Real-time PCR analysis of environmental samples collected in 25 livestock farms detected Coxiella DNA in dust and/or aerosols collected in 20 of them. Analysis of sera from 327 wild ungulates revealed lower seroprevalence than that found in domestic ruminants, with 8.4% of Iberian red deer, 7.3% chamois, 6.9% fallow deer, 5.5% European wild boar and 3.5% of roe deer harboring antibodies to C. burnetii. Exposure to the pathogen in humans was determined by IFAT analysis of 1312 blood samples collected from patients admitted at healthcare centers with Q fever compatible symptoms, such as fever and/or pneumonia. Results showed that 15.9% of the patients had IFAT titers ≥ 1/128 suggestive of probable acute infection. This study is an example of a One Health approach with medical and veterinary institutions involved in investigating zoonotic diseases. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | immunoglobulin A; immunoglobulin G; immunoglobulin M; adolescent; adult; aerosol; aged; agricultural worker; Article; bacterium identification; bovine; child; cow; Coxiella burnetii; DNA extraction; domestic animal; environmental exposure; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; female; fever; gene amplification; genotype; geographic distribution; goat; human; immunofluorescence; livestock; major clinical study; male; One Health; open reading frame; pneumonia; prevalence; Q fever; real time polymerase chain reaction; risk factor; ruminant; seasonal variation; seroprevalence; sheep; vegetation; viral zoonosis; virus detection; wildlife | Aerosols; Coxiella burnetii; Dust; Humans; Q fever; Ruminants; Seroprevalence; Wildlife |
| EMS Safety and Prehospital Emergency Care of Animals | Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel frequently encounter animals in situations ranging from injured law enforcement canines (LEK9s) to pets with smoke inhalation injury. In recent years, several US states have enacted laws that legally allow EMS personnel to provide basic emergency care to certain animals. Currently, nine states allow some type of emergency medical treatment and/or ambulance transport of animals by EMS, and five states limit liability for vehicle damage resulting from rescuing animals trapped inside. Despite this expanding body of legislation encouraging EMS to assist animals, EMS personnel are not typically trained in the safe handling or medical treatment of animals. Interaction with veterinary patients can pose serious injury and infectious disease risks to untrained EMS personnel. Furthermore, relationships with veterinarians must be built and treatment and transport protocols must be developed for EMS agencies to appropriately care for these animals. This report serves as an initial framework from the veterinary perspective for EMS consideration regarding current legislation, safety concerns, transport protocols, and common life-saving treatments in the prehospital emergency care of animals. Increased collaboration between EMS personnel and veterinary professionals provides an opportunity to develop quality training programs for EMS and to improve disaster preparedness of the whole community. © 2021 Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved. | Animals; Dogs; Emergency Medical Services; Emergency Treatment; Humans; Law Enforcement; animal; dog; emergency health service; emergency treatment; human; law enforcement | animal; disaster preparedness; Emergency Medical Services (EMS); One Health; veterinary |
| Bacteria with a Potential for Multidrug Resistance in Hospital Material | The objective of this research was to determine the antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from items related to hygiene and antisepsis, equipment, and instruments used in different hospital wards. Bacterial isolation and identification, phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility assays, mecA gene detection, and multiple antimicrobial resistance index analysis were performed. In total, 105 bacteria were isolated from 138 items. Of these, 49.52% bacteria were collected from instruments, 43.80% from equipment, and 6.66% from items related to hygiene and antisepsis. All gram-positive bacteria (88 isolates) were identified as coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Five species of gram-negative bacilli (17 isolates) were isolated, and the prevalence of Enterobacter agglomerans (29.41%), Escherichia coli (11.76%), and Serratia liquefaciens (11.76%) was high. Antimicrobial resistance was reported for 93.33% of the isolates. Gram-positive bacteria were resistant to sulfazotrim (88.64%) and penicillin (82.95%), while gram-negative bacteria showed resistance to sulfazotrim (70.59%) and ampicillin (64.71%). Analysis of multiple antibiotic resistance index showed that 73.33% of the isolates were a high risk to public health. The mecA gene was detected in 23 (71.88%) isolates. The evaluation of microorganisms isolated in the hospital environment revealed their high multidrug resistance index. Thus our study presses the need to pay more attention to the cleanliness of frequently used instruments, which may be potential sources of infections. © Copyright 2021, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 2021. | Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Proteins; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Genes, Bacterial; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Hospitals; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; amikacin; amoxicillin; amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid; ampicillin; aztreonam; cefepime; cefotaxime; cefoxitin; ceftazidime; ceftiofur; ceftriaxone; chloramphenicol; chlorhexidine; ciprofloxacin; clindamycin; cotrimoxazole; enrofloxacin; ertapenem; gentamicin; imipenem; meropenem; nalidixic acid; norfloxacin; oxacillin; penicillin derivative; tetracycline; tobramycin; vancomycin; antiinfective agent; bacterial protein; amikacin resistance; ampicillin resistance; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; antisepsis; Article; bacterial gene; bacterium identification; bacterium isolate; bacterium isolation; Brazil; cefotaxime resistance; ceftazidime resistance; chloramphenicol resistance; ciprofloxacin resistance; coagulase negative Staphylococcus; controlled study; Escherichia coli; extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae; gentamicin resistance; Gram negative bacterium; Gram positive bacterium; hospital hygiene; mecA gene; multidrug resistance; non-fermenting Gram-negative bacterium; nonhuman; Pantoea agglomerans; penicillin resistance; prevalence; Serratia liquefaciens; tetracycline resistance; tobramycin resistance; vancomycin resistance; ward; antibiotic resistance; drug effect; genetics; hospital; human; isolation and purification; microbial sensitivity test | antimicrobial; bacterial resistance; hospital infections; one health |
| Ecology of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) as a host for Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) infection in Ethiopia | The global programme for the eradication of Guinea worm disease, caused by the parasitic nematode Dracunculus medinensis, has been successful in driving down human cases, but infections in non-human animals, particularly domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), now present a major obstacle to further progress. Dog infections have mainly been found in Chad and, to a lesser extent, in Mali and Ethiopia. While humans classically acquire infection by drinking water containing infected copepods, it has been hypothesized that dogs might additionally or alternatively acquire infection via a novel pathway, such as consumption of fish or frogs as possible transport or paratenic hosts. We characterized the ecology of free-ranging dogs living in three villages in Gog woreda, Gambella region, Ethiopia, in April–May 2018. We analysed their exposure to potential sources of Guinea worm infection and investigated risk factors associated with infection histories. The home ranges of 125 dogs and their activity around water sources were described using GPS tracking, and the diets of 119 dogs were described using stable isotope analysis. Unlike in Chad, where Guinea worm infection is most frequent, we found no ecological or behavioural correlates of infection history in dogs in Ethiopia. Unlike in Chad, there was no effect of variation among dogs in their consumption of aquatic vertebrates (fish or frogs) on their infection history, and we found no evidence to support hypotheses for this novel transmission pathway in Ethiopia. Dog owners had apparently increased the frequency of clean water provision to dogs in response to previous infections. Variations in dog ranging behaviour, owner behaviour and the characteristics of natural water bodies all influenced the exposure of dogs to potential sources of infection. This initial study suggests that the classical transmission pathway should be a focus of attention for Guinea worm control in non-human animals in Ethiopia. © 2020 The Authors. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH | Animals; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Dracunculiasis; Dracunculus Nematode; Ethiopia; Female; Humans; Male; drinking water; lignin; rain; stable isotope; water; adult; animal experiment; animal model; Anura; Article; binge eating disorder; controlled study; cysticercosis; diet; dietary intake; disease eradication; disease transmission; dog; domestic cat; dracunculiasis; Dracunculus medinensis; ecology; Ethiopia; female; fish; helminthiasis; home range; livestock; machine learning; male; nematode; nonhuman; omnivore; questionnaire; risk assessment; risk factor; satellite imagery; social status; stomach cancer; tropical disease; water supply; animal; dog; dog disease; dracunculiasis; Dracunculus; human; parasitology; physiology; veterinary medicine | disease ecology; disease eradication; domestic dogs; Guinea worm; Neglected Tropical Diseases; One Health |
| Biodiversity and Human Health Interlinkages in Higher Education Offerings: A First Global Overview | Introduction: Biodiversity is inextricably linked to human health. As an important area of research of the Convention on Biological Diversity and a key avenue for the dissemination of biodiversity and health knowledge, we investigated how well-embedded biodiversity and health interlinkages are in institutional higher education offerings. Methods: Using One Health education programs as a starting point, we collected a global list of institutions potentially carrying out education in the links between biodiversity and health through previously published research, academic partners of global conglomerates, and our own networks. We then analyzed the offerings from these institutions to determine the degree of integration of biodiversity and health interlinkages. Results: We found 105 educational offerings in biodiversity and health interlinkages from 89 institutions in 30 countries. These were primarily found in faculties of public health, veterinary sciences, and medicine, with varying degrees of coverage of the interlinkages. Conclusion: Education incorporating the links between biodiversity and health exists globally, but should be more widely integrated, particularly through inter-faculty and inter-institutional collaboration. © Copyright © 2021 Cianfagna, Bolon, Babo Martins, Mumford, Romanelli, Deem, Pettan-Brewer, Figueroa, Velásquez, Stroud, Lueddeke, Stoll and Ruiz de Castañeda. | Biodiversity; Faculty; Humans; biodiversity; human; university | biodiversity; capacity-building; climate change; conservation; education; global health; one health; planetary health |
| Sustainable food production: The contribution of genome editing in livestock | The growing demand for animal source foods to feed people has been pushing the livestock industry to increase productivity, a tendency that will continue throughout this century. The challenge for the coming years is to increase the food supply to ensure equity in access to high quality food, while maintaining global sustainability including combating climate change, avoiding deforestation, and conserving biodiversity, as well as ensuring animal health and welfare. The question is, how do we produce more with less? Classical methods to enhance livestock productivity based on the improvement of animal health, nutrition, genetics, reproductive technologies and management have made important contributions; however, this is not going to be enough and thus disruptive approaches are required. Genome editing with CRISPR may be a powerful contributor to global livestock transformation. This article is focused on the scope and perspectives for the application of this technology, which includes improving production traits, enhancing animal welfare through adaptation and resilience, conferring resistance to infectious diseases, and suppressing pests and invasive species that threaten livestock. The main advantages and concerns that should be overcome by science, policy and people are discussed with the aim that this technology can make a real contribution to our collective future. This review is part of the special issue “Genome Editing in Animal Systems to Support Sustainable Farming and Pest Control”. © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | animal welfare; biodiversity; climate change; deforestation; food production; food quality; genetic analysis; genome; infectious disease; invasive species; livestock farming; sustainability | CRISPR; Gene drive; Gene editing; One Health; Precision breeding; Transgenesis |
| Colistin-Resistant mcr-1-Positive Escherichia coli ST131-H22 Carrying blaCTX–M–15 and qnrB19 in Agricultural Soil | The pandemic Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) carrying plasmid-mediated colistin resistance mcr genes has emerged worldwide causing extraintestinal infections, with lineages belonging to three major clades (A, B, and C). Clade B is the most prevalent in animals, contaminating associated meat products, and can be transmitted zoonotically. However, the blaCTX–M–15 gene has only been associated with C2 subclade so far. In this study, we performed a genomic investigation of an E. coli (strain S802) isolated from a kale crop in Brazil, which exhibited a multidrug-resistant (MDR) profile to clinically significant antimicrobials (i.e., polymyxin, broad-spectrum cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones). Whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed that the S802 strain belonged to serotype O25:H4, ST131/CC131, phylogenetic group B2, and virotype D5. Furthermore, S802 carried the clade B-associated fimH22 allele, genes encoding resistance to clinically important antimicrobials, metals, and biocides, and was phylogenetically related to human, avian, and swine ST131-H22 strains. Additionally, IncHI2-IncQ1, IncF [F2:A-:B1], and ColE1-like plasmids were identified harboring mcr-1.1, blaCTX–M–15, and qnrB19, respectively. The emergence of the E. coli ST131-H22 sublineage carrying mcr-1.1, blaCTX–M–15, and qnrB19 in agricultural soil represents a threat to food and environmental safety. Therefore, a One Health approach to genomic surveillance studies is required to effectively detect and limit the spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and their resistance genes. © Copyright © 2021 Lopes, Furlan, dos Santos, Gallo and Stehling. | aminoglycoside; beta lactamase; cephalosporin derivative; polymyxin; quinolone derivative; tetracycline; trimethoprim; vancomycin; virulence factor; Article; bacterial gene; bacterial virulence; bacterium identification; bacterium isolate; bacterium isolation; biofilm; broth dilution; DNA isolation; environmental health; Escherichia coli; gene sequence; genetic analysis; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; phylogenetic tree; plasmid; polymerase chain reaction; sequence analysis; serotype; single nucleotide polymorphism; Vibrio cholerae; whole genome sequencing | acquired polymyxin resistance; emerging zoonotic E. coli; extended-spectrum β-lactamase; food and environmental safety; genomic surveillance; mcr-1; multidrug-resistant; One Health |
| Urban Horses As Environmental Bioindicators for Leishmaniasis | The presence of DNA and anti-Leishmania spp. antibodies in the serum of 112 healthy horses was investigated by evaluating the physical examination, from a rural society located in the north central region of Paraná. The antigens of Leishmania amazonensis, Leishmania braziliensis, and Leishmania infantum were used to perform the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, where it was possible to detect the reaction in 27.67% of the samples. These were also subjected to the real-time quantitative PCR, which confirmed the presence of Leishmania spp. DNA in 67.34% of the tested samples. The results show that the tested animals were previously exposed to the protozoan. Thus, these animals can be considered environmental bioindicators of the presence of Leishmania spp. at the study site. The material used in this study (serum), although not ideal, proved to be effective and less invasive. Taking into account the importance of the disease, the absence of more in-depth information on the species, the high zootechnical value of these animals, and their strictly close contact with the urban area and the human species, it is essential that further studies are carried out to elucidate the epidemiological profile of them in the face of the disease, as well as the possibility of them acting not only as hosts but also as reservoirs. © 2021, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. | Animals; Brazil; Environmental Biomarkers; Horse Diseases; Horses; Leishmania braziliensis; Leishmania infantum; Leishmania mexicana; Leishmaniasis; Leishmaniasis, Visceral; parasite antigen; protozoal DNA; protozoon antibody; environmental marker; animal experiment; Article; environmental indicator; horse; immunoreactivity; indirect ELISA; Leishmania amazonensis; Leishmania braziliensis; Leishmania infantum; leishmaniasis; nonhuman; real time polymerase chain reaction; rural population; serological surveillance; animal; Brazil; genetics; horse; horse disease; Leishmania braziliensis; Leishmania infantum; Leishmania mexicana; leishmaniasis; veterinary medicine; visceral leishmaniasis | Leishmania spp; One Health; Phlebotomines; urban area; zoonosis |
| What Do Adolescents Know About One-Health and Zoonotic Risks? A School-Based Survey in Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Mauritius, and Japan | More than 60% of the 1,700 infectious diseases that affect human come from animals and zoonotic pandemics, after starting from sporadic phenomena limited to rural areas, have become a global emergency. The repeated and frequent zoonotic outbreaks such as the most recent COVID-19 pandemic can be attributed also to human activities. In particular, the creation of enormous intensive domestic animal farms, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, the destruction of forests, the consumption of the meat of wild animals and the illegal animal trade are all factors causing the insurgence and the transmission of zoonotic diseases from animals to humans. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge of the One Health concept including the zoonotic risk potentially derived from illegally traded pet animals and wildlife among adolescents in 6 different countries (Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Germany, Mauritius, and Japan). A representative sample of 656 students was recruited and all participants took an anonymous questionnaire. Data were analyzed by ANOVAs to estimate the prevalence of correct health prevention behaviors and to identify the influential factors for these behaviors. After two theoretical-practical lectures, the same anonymous questionnaire was administered for the second time in order to assess the efficacy of the program. The proportion of students who did not know that many diseases affecting humans come from animals is 28.96% while 32.16% of them did not know what a zoonosis is. The circularity of the One Health concept related to the transmission of diseases from animals to humans and vice-versa is not understood from a large prevalence of the adolescents with 31.40 and 59.91% of wrong responses, respectively. Furthermore, rabies is not considered as a dangerous disease by 23.02% of the adolescents. After two theoretical-practical classroom sessions, the correct answers improved to 21.92% according to the different question. More than a third of the student cohort investigated showed a profound ignorance of the zoonotic risks and a poor understanding of the One Health concept. The authors believe that the teaching of health prevention with a One Health approach and a practical training should be included in every school curriculum. © Copyright © 2021 Zucca, Rossmann, Dodic, Ramma, Matsushima, Seet, Holtze, Bremini, Fischinger, Morosetti, Sitzia, Furlani, Greco, Meddi, Zambotto, Meo, Pulcini, Palei and Zamaro. | Adolescent; Animals; Austria; Germany; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Italy; Japan; Mauritius; One Health; Schools; Slovenia; Surveys and Questionnaires; Zoonoses; adolescent; animal; attitude to health; Austria; Germany; human; Italy; Japan; Mauritius; One Health; questionnaire; school; Slovenia; zoonosis | adolescents; biocrime project; education; medical intelligence; one health; rabies; risk perception; zoonoses |
| The union between technical knowledge and activism as a tool to save the donkey; [A união entre o conhecimento técnico e o ativismo de proteção animal como ferramenta para salvar os jumentos] | This case report presents the importance of articulation between legal professionals with the expertise of those who work in different areas of animal science and the activists of animal cause. The report is based on the experience that took place in the interior of the State of Bahia, with a donkey herd, the target of foreign groups interested in donkey hide exploration. The animals were rescued from mistreatment and slaughter, thanks to efficient legal work, aided by several areas of the veterinary sciences, and supported politically by the movement of animal activists. The union between activism and technical knowledge in the areas of health, breeding, nutrition, animal welfare, and legal knowledge is a tool that should not be overlooked. On the contrary, it has proved effective, confirming a strong and innovative link capable of saving animals, promoting their welfare, generating technical knowledge, and new and promising proposals for intersectoral action. © 2021, Universidade de Sao Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinaria e Zootecnia. All rights reserved. | animal experiment; animal welfare; article; Bahia; breeding; donkey; human; nonhuman; nutrition; slaughtering; veterinary medicine | Animal protection; Animal welfare; One health; Technical cooperation |
| Towards an integrated approach for monitoring toxoplasmosis in southern italy | Toxoplasmosis is a widespread worldwide zoonotic infection caused by the intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. This protozoan infection is considered one of the most important food-borne parasitic zoonoses globally. Beyond its impact on public health, toxoplasmosis has also important veterinary implications, because it causes miscarriage or congenital malformations in livestock with negative economic impacts. An integrated monitoring programme aimed to deepen the epidemiological data on toxoplasmosis and to identify the risk factors that may favour T. gondii infections in animals and humans was conducted in an endemic area of southern Italy. The monitoring activities were based on the following tasks: (i) parasitological analysis and risk factors for T. gondii in livestock (sheep, goat, cattle and water buffalo) farms; (ii) serological and molecular monitoring at slaughterhouse in meat-producing livestock; (iii) analysis of hospital discharge records (HDRs); (iv) outreach activities (information, dissemination and health education) to farmers, vet practitioners and school-age children. The present study confirmed a very high seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in livestock farms (e.g., up to 93.1% in sheep farms) in southern Italy and highlighted the potentially significant public health risk in this area. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | analysis; animal experiment; animal model; animal welfare; Article; copromicroscopic analysis; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; health education; hospital discharge; Italy; livestock; microscopy; molecular analysis; multivariate logistic regression analysis; nonhuman; parasitological analysis; parasitology; prevalence; public health; questionnaire; real time polymerase chain reaction; risk factor; seroprevalence; slaughterhouse; Toxoplasma gondii; toxoplasmosis | Humans; Italy; Livestock; Monitoring; One Health; Risk factors; Toxoplasma gondii |
| A preliminary assessment of indirect impacts on aquaculture species health and welfare in Scotland during COVID-19 lockdown. | COVID-19 led to sudden changes in human activities, mainly due to restrictive measures required to supress the virus. We assess the preliminary evidence for impacts on animal health and welfare in Scottish aquaculture, a key economic activity in remoter areas of the country. We summarise the industry structure, explore pathways of vulnerability to aquatic animal disease within a One Health framework that may be accentuated by impacts of COVID-19, and use basic routine data collection on the key welfare indicators of salmon mortality and parasitic sea lice counts. The indicators were published on schedule and provide no evidence of gross impact on health and welfare, at least for salmon, during the period of intensive lockdown restrictions in Scotland. Longer term effects cannot be ruled out and we do not assess impacts on the economic or social aspects of aquaculture production. © 2021 | animal health; animal welfare; Article; controlled study; coronavirus disease 2019; disease predisposition; economic aspect; environmental impact; environmental indicator; fish disease; fishery management; industry; information processing; lockdown; mortality rate; nonhuman; One Health; pandemic; pisciculture; rural area; Salmo salar; Scotland; sea louse infestation; social aspect | Aquaculture management; Atlantic salmon; Fish disease management; Pandemic |
| Poultry-origin extraintestinal Escherichia coli strains carrying the traits associated with urinary tract infection, sepsis, meningitis and avian colibacillosis in India | Aim: In-depth ‘One Health’ risk assessment of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains carrying the traits of urinary tract infection, sepsis, meningitis and avian colibacillosis in poultry of India. Methods and Results: A total of 230 E. coli isolates were recovered from chicken samples representing the different sources (faeces vs caeca), stages (poultry farms vs retails butcher shop) or environments (rural vs urban) of poultry in India. Among all poultry-origin E. coli isolates, 49 (21·1%) strains were identified as ExPEC possessing multiple virulence determinants regardless of their association with any specific phylogenetic lineages. Of particular, potentially virulent ExPEC pathotypes, that is, uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC, 20·4%), avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC, 34·6%), septicaemia-associated E. coli (SEPEC, 47·0%) and neonatal meningitis-causing E.39 coli (NMEC, 2·0%) were also detected among all ExPEC strains. Conclusions: Our study is the first to assess ExPEC strains circulating in the different settings of poultry in India and significantly demonstrates their potential ability to cause multiple extraintestinal infections both in humans and animals. Significance and Impact of the Study: The data of our study are in favour of the possibility that poultry-origin putative virulent ExPEC pathotypes consequently constitute a threat risk to ‘One Health’ or for food safety and a great concern for poultry production of India. © 2020 The Society for Applied Microbiology | Animals; Biofilms; Bird Diseases; Cecum; DNA, Bacterial; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli Proteins; Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli; Feces; Genetic Association Studies; Genotyping Techniques; Humans; India; Meningitis; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sepsis; Urinary Tract Infections; Virulence Factors; India; Escherichia coli; Gallus gallus; bacterial DNA; Escherichia coli protein; virulence factor; coliform bacterium; extinction risk; food safety; health risk; infectious disease; meningitis; poultry; risk assessment; spatiotemporal analysis; virulence; Article; avian colibacillosis; avian pathogenic Escherichia coli; bacterial meningitis; bacterial strain; bacterial virulence; bacterium detection; bacterium isolate; chicken; controlled study; extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli; feces; female; Gram negative sepsis; human; male; newborn; newborn infection; nonhuman; normal human; pathotype; phylogeny; poultry; Rajasthan; risk assessment; rural area; urban area; urinary tract infection; uropathogenic Escherichia coli; animal; biofilm; bird disease; cecum; classification; Escherichia coli infection; extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli; genetic association study; genetics; genotyping technique; growth, development and aging; India; isolation and purification; meningitis; microbiology; pathogenicity; polymerase chain reaction; sepsis; urinary tract infection; veterinary medicine | ExPEC pathotypes; extraintestinal-pathogenic E. coli; India; one health; poultry |
| Bartonella spp. detection in ticks, Culicoides biting midges and wild cervids from Norway | Bartonella spp. are fastidious, gram-negative, aerobic, facultative intracellular bacteria that infect humans, and domestic and wild animals. In Norway, Bartonella spp. have been detected in cervids, mainly within the distribution area of the arthropod vector deer ked (Lipoptena cervi). We used PCR to survey the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in blood samples from 141 cervids living outside the deer ked distribution area (moose [Alces alces, n = 65], red deer [Cervus elaphus, n = 41] and reindeer [Rangifer tarandus, n = 35]), in 44 pool samples of sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus, 27 pools collected from 74 red deer and 17 from 45 moose) and in biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae, 120 pools of 6,710 specimens). Bartonella DNA was amplified in moose (75.4%, 49/65) and in red deer (4.9%, 2/41) blood samples. All reindeer were negative. There were significant differences in Bartonella prevalence among the cervid species. Additionally, Bartonella was amplified in two of 17 tick pools collected from moose and in 3 of 120 biting midge pool samples. The Bartonella sequences amplified in moose, red deer and ticks were highly similar to B. bovis, previously identified in cervids. The sequence obtained from biting midges was only 81.7% similar to the closest Bartonella spp. We demonstrate that Bartonella is present in moose across Norway and present the first data on northern Norway specimens. The high prevalence of Bartonella infection suggests that moose could be the reservoir for this bacterium. This is the first report of bacteria from the Bartonella genus in ticks from Fennoscandia and in Culicoides biting midges worldwide. © 2020 The Authors. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases published by Wiley-VCH GmbH | Animals; Animals, Wild; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Ceratopogonidae; Deer; Ixodes; Norway; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA 16S; adult; agltA gene; Article; bacterial infection; bacterium detection; Bartonella; Ceratopogonidae; climate change; Culicoides; deer; DNA extraction; female; gene; gene sequence; genetic distance; genetic similarity; geographic distribution; Haemaphysalis; Ixodes ricinus; male; molecular epidemiology; nonhuman; Norway; nucleotide sequence; phylogenetic tree; polymerase chain reaction; prevalence; red deer; Rhizobiales; ribC gene; Rickettsia rickettsii; rpoB gene; Sanger sequencing; sequence analysis; sequence homology; tick; animal; Bartonella; bartonellosis; deer; epidemiology; genetics; isolation and purification; Ixodes; microbiology; veterinary medicine; wild animal | biting midges; Ixodes ricinus; moose; One Health; red deer; reindeer |
| Known and Unknown Transboundary Infectious Diseases as Hybrid Threats | The pathogenicity, transmissibility, environmental stability, and potential for genetic manipulation make microbes hybrid threats that could blur the distinction between peace and war. These agents can fall below the detection, attribution, and response capabilities of a nation and seriously affect their health, trade, and security. A framework that could enhance horizon scanning regarding the potential risk of microbes used as hybrid threats requires not only accurately discriminating known and unknown pathogens but building novel scenarios to deploy mitigation strategies. This demands the transition of analyst-based biosurveillance tracking a narrow set of pathogens toward an autonomous biosurveillance enterprise capable of processing vast data streams beyond human cognitive capabilities. Autonomous surveillance systems must gather, integrate, analyze, and visualize billions of data points from different and unrelated sources. Machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms can contextualize capability information for different stakeholders at different levels of resolution: strategic and tactical. This document provides a discussion of the use of microorganisms as hybrid threats and considerations to quantitatively estimate their risk to ensure societal awareness, preparedness, mitigation, and resilience. © Copyright © 2021 Valdivia-Granda. | Algorithms; Artificial Intelligence; Biosurveillance; Communicable Diseases; Humans; Machine Learning; algorithm; artificial intelligence; biosurveillance; communicable disease; human; machine learning | analytics and data mining; biosecurity; biosurveillance; one health; risk |
| An efficient cephalosporin stewardship programme in French swine production | By 2010, systems set up to monitor the antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial usage identified a sustained increase regarding third- and fourth-generation cephalosporin resistance in French pig production. This sector mobilised and collectively committed to responsible action in the following months. This led to a multi-professional voluntary stewardship programme that was started in 2011. A consensus of veterinary opinion led to the definition of restrictive rules on the prescription of the third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins targeted by the antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP). All pig sector professionals, including farmers, were informed. Existing monitoring systems for usage and resistance were supplemented by data from the records of veterinarians’ cephalosporin deliveries and from individual pig farm surveys investigating antimicrobial usage. The second step, from 2014, entailed regulatory measures that consolidated the programme by setting quantitative reduction objectives and specifying the terms and conditions for prescribing and dispensing a list of critical antimicrobial molecules including cephalosporins. All the data sources confirmed a significant fall of more than 90% in cephalosporin usage in the French pig production sector between 2010 and 2016. Monitoring systems recorded that the resistance of commensal and pathogenic Escherichia coli isolates also tended to decrease over the same period. The stewardship programme proved highly effective in reducing usage and containing resistance, illustrating the efficiency of a well-defined multi-professional strategy. © 2020 The Authors Veterinary Medicine and Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd | Animal Husbandry; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antimicrobial Stewardship; Cephalosporins; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Female; France; Prevalence; Sus scrofa; Swine; Swine Diseases; cefotaxime; cephalosporin; quinolone derivative; antiinfective agent; cephalosporin derivative; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; antimicrobial stewardship; Article; community hospital; drug cost; drug efficacy; Escherichia coli; follow up; food industry; health care organization; health promotion; leadership; mortality; nonhuman; patient satisfaction; pharmaceutical care; porcine pleuropneumonia; prescription; prevalence; zone of inhibition; animal; animal husbandry; antimicrobial stewardship; drug effect; Escherichia coli infection; female; France; isolation and purification; legislation and jurisprudence; microbiology; pig; swine disease; veterinary medicine | antimicrobial stewardship; cephalosporin resistance; Escherichia coli; One Health |
| A Concrete Example of the One Health Approach in the Brazilian Unified Health System | [No abstract available] | Brazil; Delivery of Health Care; Government Programs; National Health Programs; One Health; Brazil; government; health care delivery; One Health; public health | health systems; Latin America; One Health; primary care; surveillance; transdisciplinarity |
| Microbiological risk assessment of Turkey and chicken meat for consumer: Significant differences regarding multidrug resistance, mcr or presence of hybrid aEPEC/ExPEC pathotypes of E. coli | To assess the microbiological risk for consumers, we propose a lab workflow based on six virulence/antimicrobial resistance (AMR) traits, and including a duplex PCR for the screening of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). This protocol was tested in 100 poultry meat products. The characterization of 323 isolates revealed that poultry meat is a rich phylogenetic source of E. coli phylogroups (A to G) and Escherichia clade I. Non-susceptible E. coli isolates to monobactams, 3rd-generation cephalosporins and/or fluoroquinolones, were present in 71% of the samples. Besides, 47% carried ≥2 different E. coli positive for ESBL, pAmpC or mcr genes. Isolates from 78% of the poultry meat exhibited ExPEC status, and 53% were carriers of isolates positive for the uropathogenic (UPEC) status. The sequence types (STs) identified in 86% of the samples belonged to the so-called ExPEC high-risk lineages, being 73% carriers of clonal groups identified in human infections of the same Health Area. Moreover, different human-associated clones co-occurred in same meat sample: ST131-B2 (CH40-22), ST648-F (CH4-58), ST93-A (CH11-neg) or ST95-B2 (CH38-27), ST354-F (CH88-58), ST155-B1 (CH4-neg). Globally, 84% of the meat samples posed ≥3 risks, including resistance genes, successful clones and virulence traits. Turkey meat showed significant higher rates concerning mcr-carriage or multidrug resistance; while the ExPEC status rate, or the presence of hybrid pathotypes such as the aEPEC/ExPEC O153:H10-A-ST10 (CH11-54), were associated with chicken origin (P < 0.05). In a “Farm to Fork Strategy”, ExPEC should be clearly included in food surveillance. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd | Antimicrobial resistance (AMR); ESBL; Escherichia coli; ExPEC; mcr-1; One-health; Poultry meat; Risk assessment; ST131 |
| Alaria alata in terms of risks to consumers’ health | Alaria alata flukes are cosmopolitan parasites. In Europe, the definitive hosts are red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), wolves (Canis lupus), and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides), as well as animals that belong to the Felidae family. Intermediate hosts, such as snails and frogs, are the sources of infection for definitive hosts. The developmental stages of A. alata mesocercariae may occur in paratenic hosts, including many species of mammals, birds, and reptiles, as well as in wild boars (Sus scrofa), which are important from the zoonotic point of view. Because there are no regulations concerning the detection of A. alata in meat, this fluke is usually detected during official obligatory Trichinella spp. inspections. However, a method dedicated to A. alata detection was developed. The growing popularity of game and organic meat has led to an increased risk of food-associated parasitic infections, including alariosis, which is caused by the mesocercarial stage of A. alata. The aim of this article is to highlight the problem of A. alata as an emerging parasite, especially in the terms of the increasing market for game and organic meats that have been processed with traditional methods, often without proper heat treatment. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Alaria alata; Meat; One health; Parasite; Pork; Risk; Venison |
| Health system contact and awareness of zoonotic diseases: Can it serve as one health entry point in the urban community of Ahmedabad, India? | One Health (OH) is emphasized globally to tackle the (re)emerging issues at the human-animal-ecosystem interface. However, the low awareness about zoonoses remain a challenge in global south, thus this study documented the health system contact and its effect on the awareness level of zoonoses in the urban community of Ahmedabad, India. A community-based household survey was conducted between October 2018 and July 2019. A total of 460 households (HHs) were surveyed from two zones and 23 wards of the city through cluster sampling. A structured, pilot-tested, and researcher-administered questionnaire in the vernacular language was used to collect the information on demographic details, socio-economic details, health-seeking behavior for both the humans and their animals, human and animal health system contact details and the participants’ awareness on selected zoonotic diseases based on the prioritization (rabies, brucellosis, swine flu, and bird flu). Out of 460 surveyed households, 69% of HHs and 59% of HHs had a health system contact to the human and animal health system respectively at the community level. There are multiple health workers active on the community level that could potentially serve as One Health liaisons. The investigation of the knowledge and awareness level of selected zoonotic diseases revealed that 58.5%, 47.6%, and 4.6% know about rabies, swine and/or bird flu, and brucellosis, respectively. The mixed-effect linear regression model indicates that there is no significant effect on the zoonotic disease awareness score with the human health system contact; however, a minimal positive effect with the animal health system contact was evident. © 2021,Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine Inc.All rights reserved. | Animals; Ecosystem; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; India; One Health; Surveys and Questionnaires; Swine; Zoonoses; adult; animal health; Article; avian influenza; awareness; brucellosis; city; cluster analysis; community; community awareness; controlled study; cross-sectional study; demographics; female; health care; health system contact; help seeking behavior; household; human; India; knowledge; linear regression analysis; male; One Health; questionnaire; rabies; social status; socioeconomics; swine influenza; urban population; ward; zoonosis; animal; attitude to health; ecosystem; pig; zoonosis | Community awareness; Health system contact; India; One Health; Zoonotic diseases |
| Veterinary-prescribed physical activity: Feasibility and acceptability among veterinary staff and dog owners | Physical inactivity remains a global epidemic leading to an estimated 5 million preventable deaths per year. Although there exist numerous public-health campaigns aimed at increasing physical activity (PA), a potentially fruitful but underexplored avenue to promote both human and animal health is veterinary-prescribed PA programs. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of incorporating veterinary-prescribed PA programming into a diverse array of clinic settings. Participants (n = 722 veterinary-clinic staff (VS); n = 1028 dog owners (DOs)) completed an online survey assessing: (a) the perceived importance of PA for promoting health and preventing disease, (b) willingness to participate in a veterinary-prescribed PA program, and (c) potential benefits and barriers of such a program. Both groups of participants indicated that PA is important for both human and animal health (97% and 98% of VS and 92% and 93% of DOs said PA is very or extremely important for animal and human health, respectively). Additionally, most participants in both groups expressed an interest in participating in a veterinary-prescribed PA program in the future, with only 11% of DOs and 10% of VS saying they were not interested. Benefits and barriers of this type of intervention for both practitioners and patients were also identified. Incorporating veterinary-prescribed PA programming into veterinary clinics seems to be acceptable to both DOs and VS. Additionally, many VS believe such programming would be feasible at their clinics; thus, pursuing such programs appears to be a promising avenue for promoting human and animal health. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Animals; Dogs; Feasibility Studies; Health Personnel; Health Promotion; Humans; Sedentary Behavior; Surveys and Questionnaires; animal welfare; canid; epidemic; health status; physical activity; public health; adult; animal health; Article; controlled study; disease control; dog; feasibility study; female; health program; health promotion; health status; health survey; human; male; nonhuman; patient comfort; patient identification; physical activity; pilot study; prescription; veterinary clinic; veterinary medicine; animal; health care personnel; health promotion; questionnaire | Dog-walking; Exercise prescription; One Health; Physical activity; Veterinary |
| Reducing campylobacter jejuni, enterobacteriaceae, escherichia coli, and total aerobic bacteria on broiler carcasses using combined ultrasound and steam | Campylobacteriosis is the most frequently reported foodborne illness in Europe and many other parts of the world. Campylobacter can colonize the intestines of broilers, mostly in large amounts. Broilers are usually slaughtered in a high-speed automated system that could cause rupture of the intestines during evisceration, resulting in contamination of carcasses with intestinal bacteria like Campylobacter. This study evaluated the combined effects of ultrasound and steam (SonoSteam) on naturally contaminated chicken carcasses at a large-scale abattoir in Sweden. Ultrasound at 30 to 40 kHz and steam at 84 to 85°C or 87 to 88°C were used at slaughter, with a line speed of 18,000 birds per hour. The amounts of Campylobacter spp., Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, and total aerobic bacteria on neck skins from 103 chicken carcasses, sampled before and after treatment by ultrasound-steam, were analyzed. Campylobacter spp. were quantified in 58 (56%) of the neck skins, from birds belonging to four of the seven flocks represented. All 58 isolates were identified as Campylobacter jejuni. After the ultrasound-steam treatment, the mean reductions in C. jejuni, Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli and total aerobic bacteria were 0.5 6 0.8, 0.6 ± 0.6, 0.5 ±0.6, and 0.4 ±0.7 log CFU/g, respectively. No significant differences in reduction between the two different treatment temperatures were observed for any of the bacteria. Although the bacterial reductions were significant, large amounts of bacteria remained on the carcasses after treatment. Further studies are needed to identify optimal measures at slaughter to reduce food spoilage bacteria and pathogenic bacteria, which should be considered in a One Health perspective. © 2021 International Association for Food Protection. All rights reserved. | Abattoirs; Animals; Bacteria, Aerobic; Campylobacter; Campylobacter jejuni; Chickens; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; Europe; Food Microbiology; Steam; Sweden; aerobic bacterium; animal experiment; article; broiler; Campylobacter jejuni; carcass; Escherichia coli; food spoilage; neck; nonhuman; One Health; skin; slaughterhouse; Sweden; ultrasound; velocity; water vapor; aerobic bacterium; animal; Campylobacter; chicken; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; Europe; food control; water vapor | Broiler carcass; Campylobacter; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; Total aerobic bacteria; Ultrasound-steam |
| Invasive species as hosts of zoonotic infections: The case of american mink (neovison vison) and leishmania infantum | Leishmania infantum produces an endemic disease in the Mediterranean Basin that affects humans and domestic and wild mammals, which can act as reservoir or minor host. In this study, we analyzed the presence of the parasite in wild American minks, an invasive species in Spain. We screened for L. infantum DNA by PCR using five primer pairs: Two targeting kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), and the rest targeting the ITS1 region, the small subunit of ribosomal RNA (SSU) and a repetitive sequence (Repeat region). The detection limit was determined for each method using a strain of L. infantum and a bone marrow sample from an infected dog. PCR approaches employing the Repeat region and kDNA (RV1/RV2 primers) showed higher sensitivity than the other PCR methods when control samples were employed. However, only PCR of the Repeat region and nested PCR of SSU (LnSSU) detected the parasite in the samples, while the other three were unable to do so. The majority of the analyzed animals (90.1%) tested positive. American mink may act as an incidental host of the disease for other mammals and should be further investigated, not only for their negative impact on the local fauna, but also as carriers of zoonotic diseases. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | American mink; Hosts; ITS; KDNA; Leishmaniasis; One health; Repeat region; SSUrRNA; Wild carnivore; Zoonosis |
| Surveillance of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in flies (Diptera) in Rio de Janeiro city | Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria were isolated from muscoid dipterans collected at five different areas of Rio de Janeiro city, in proximity to hospitals. Extracts obtained by maceration of flies were diluted and used as inocula for different culture media, with or without antibiotic (ceftriaxone 1 mg/L) supplementation. Purified isolates were submitted to antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Bacterial identification was performed by MALDI TOF Microflex LT (Bruker Daltonics). A total of 197 bacterial strains were obtained from 117 dipterous muscoids. Forty-two flies (35.9%) carried bacteria resistant to at least one antimicrobial, while 7 insects (5.9%) carried multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR), which were all members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Among 10 MDR bacteria (5%), 5 strains (2,5%) were positive by PCR for one or more of the following antibiotic resistance genes: aac(6’)-Ib, blaTEM-1, blaCTX-M-15, blaKPC-2 and blaNDM-1. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and cluster analysis compared the number of resistant isolates per collection point and showed that a single location was statistically different from the others with regard to resistance. Although there are still no criteria to determine the environmental contamination by resistant bacteria the fact that they have been isolated from flies is an indication of a disseminated contamination. As such, these insects may be useful in monitoring programs of antibiotic resistance in non-hospital environments, where they could function as sentinels. © 2021 | Animals; Bacteria; Brazil; Diptera; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Brazil; Rio de Janeiro [Brazil]; Rio de Janeiro [Rio de Janeiro (STT)]; Bacteria (microorganisms); Diptera; Enterobacteriaceae; Hexapoda; cefepime; cefoxitin; ceftazidime; ceftriaxone; chloramphenicol; ciprofloxacin; colistin; cotrimoxazole; gentamicin; meropenem; RNA 16S; tetracycline; antibiotic resistance; bacterium; biomonitoring; fly; gene; hospital sector; aac Ib gene; amplicon; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; Atherigona orientalis; Bacillus; bacterial gene; bacterium identification; bacterium isolation; blaCTX M 15 gene; blaCTX M gene; blaGES gene; blaIMP gene; blaKPC 2 gene; blaKPC gene; blaNDM 1 gene; blaNDM gene; blaOXA 143 gene; blaOXA 23 gene; blaSHV gene; blaSIM gene; blaSPM gene; blaTEM 1 gene; blaTEM gene; blaVIM gene; Chrysomya; Chrysomya megacephala; Chrysomya putoria; controlled study; Diptera; Enterobacter cloacae; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; house fly; Klebsiella; Klebsiella quasipneumoniae; Lucilia cuprina; Malacophagomya filamenta; mcr 1 gene; mcr 2 gene; multidrug resistant bacterium; nonhuman; Ophyra chalcogaster; Peckia lambens; prevalence; Raoultella ornithinolytica; Rio de Janeiro (state); RNA sequencing; sequence alignment; Serratia marcescens; Synthesiomyia nudiseta; Tricharaea occidua; animal; bacterium; Brazil; Diptera; human; isolation and purification; microbial sensitivity test; microbiology; multidrug resistance | Muscoid dipterans; one health; resistance genes |
| Plasmid-Borne and Chromosomal ESBL/AmpC Genes in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Global Food Products | Plasmid-mediated extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), AmpC, and carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae, in particular Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, with potential zoonotic transmission routes, are one of the greatest threats to global health. The aim of this study was to investigate global food products as potential vehicles for ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria and identify plasmids harboring resistance genes. We sampled 200 food products purchased from Finland capital region during fall 2018. Products originated from 35 countries from six continents and represented four food categories: vegetables (n = 60), fruits and berries (n = 50), meat (n = 60), and seafood (n = 30). Additionally, subsamples (n = 40) were taken from broiler meat. Samples were screened for ESBL/AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae and whole genome sequenced to identify resistance and virulence genes and sequence types (STs). To accurately identify plasmids harboring resistance and virulence genes, a hybrid sequence analysis combining long- and short-read sequencing was employed. Sequences were compared to previously published plasmids to identify potential epidemic plasmid types. Altogether, 14 out of 200 samples were positive for ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli and/or K. pneumoniae. Positive samples were recovered from meat (18%; 11/60) and vegetables (5%; 3/60) but were not found from seafood or fruit. ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli and/or K. pneumoniae was found in 90% (36/40) of broiler meat subsamples. Whole genome sequencing of selected isolates (n = 21) revealed a wide collection of STs, plasmid replicons, and genes conferring multidrug resistance. blaCTX–M–15-producing K. pneumoniae ST307 was identified in vegetable (n = 1) and meat (n = 1) samples. Successful IncFII plasmid type was recovered from vegetable and both IncFII and IncI1-Iγ types from meat samples. Hybrid sequence analysis also revealed chromosomally located beta-lactamase genes in two of the isolates and indicated similarity of food-derived plasmids to other livestock-associated sources and also to plasmids obtained from human clinical samples from various countries, such as IncI type plasmid harboring blaTEM–52C from a human urine sample obtained in the Netherlands which was highly similar to a plasmid obtained from broiler meat in this study. Results indicate certain foods contain bacteria with multidrug resistance and pose a possible risk to public health, emphasizing the importance of surveillance and the need for further studies on epidemiology of epidemic plasmids. © Copyright © 2021 Kurittu, Khakipoor, Aarnio, Nykäsenoja, Brouwer, Myllyniemi, Vatunen and Heikinheimo. | aminoglycoside; beta lactam; beta lactamase AmpC; cefepime; cefotaxime; ceftazidime; clavulanic acid; extended spectrum beta lactamase; fosfomycin; lincosamide; macrolide; mikamycin B; quinoline derived antiinfective agent; rifampicin; sulfonamide; tetracycline; trimethoprim; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; bacterial gene; bacterial virulence; bacterium identification; bioinformatics; controlled study; disk diffusion; DNA extraction; Escherichia coli; food; Klebsiella pneumoniae; matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry; multilocus sequence typing; nonhuman; phenotype; plasmid; replicon; sequence alignment; whole genome sequencing | antimicrobial resistance; extended-spectrum beta-lactamases; hybrid sequencing; imported food; multidrug resistance; one health; whole genome sequencing |
| Prevalence and molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli from multiple sectors of the swine industry in Korea: A Korean nationwide monitoring program for a one health approach to combat antimicrobial resistance | Background: One health is a flexible concept with many facets, including the environment, community, and the nosocomial super-bacteria resistance network. We investigated the molecular prevalence of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) in workers, livestock, and the farm environment in Korea. Methods: ESBL-EC isolates were obtained from samples from 19 swine farms, 35 retail stores, seven slaughterhouses, and 45 related workers throughout Korea from August 2017 to July 2018, using ChromID ESBL (BioMérieux, Marcy l’Etoile, France) agar and enrichment broth. The presence of ESBL and mobilized colistin resistance (mcr) genes and antimicrobial resistance were determined. Clonality was evaluated with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Results: In total, 232 ESBL-EC isolates were obtained from 1,614 non-duplicated samples (14.4% positive rate). The ESBL-EC isolates showed regional and source-related differences. blaCTX-M-55 (N=100), blaCTX-M-14 (N=65), blaCTX-M-15 (N=33), and blaCTX-M-65 (N=23) were common ESBL types. The ESBL-EC isolates showed high resistance rates for various antimicrobial classes; however, all isolates were susceptible to carbapenem. One swine-originating colistin-resistant isolate did not carry any known mcr gene. PFGE was successful for 197 of the 232 isolates, and most PFGE types were heterogeneous, except for some dominant PFGE types (O, R, T, U, and V). MLST of 88 isolates was performed for representative PFGE types; however, no dominant sequence type was observed. Conclusions: The proportion of ESBL-EC in swine industry-related samples was significant, and the isolates harbored common clinical ESBL gene types. These molecular epidemiologic data could provide important evidence for antimicrobial-resistance control through a one health approach. © Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; beta-Lactamases; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Molecular Epidemiology; Multilocus Sequence Typing; One Health; Prevalence; Republic of Korea; Swine; antiinfective agent; beta lactamase; animal; antibiotic resistance; drug effect; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli infection; genetics; molecular epidemiology; multilocus sequence typing; One Health; pig; prevalence; South Korea | Antimicrobial resistance; Escherichia coli; Extended-spectrum-β-lactamase; Mobilized colistin resistance; One health; Swine |
| Cardiac Rehabilitation Is Essential in the COVID-19 Era: DELIVERING UNINTERRUPTED HEART CARE BASED on the CLEVELAND CLINIC EXPERIENCE | The unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged how and whether patients with heart disease are able to safely access center-based exercise training and cardiac rehabilitation (CR). This commentary provides an experience-based overview of how one health system quickly developed and applied inclusive policies to allow patients to have safe and effective access to exercise-based CR. © 2021 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved. | Cardiac Rehabilitation; Comorbidity; COVID-19; Exercise Therapy; Heart Failure; Home Care Services; Humans; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Article; coronavirus disease 2019; exercise; experience; health care access; heart rehabilitation; human; One Health; telehealth; universal precaution; comorbidity; heart failure; heart rehabilitation; home care; kinesiotherapy; organization and management; pandemic; procedures | facial mask; preventive cardiology; SARS-CoV-2; secondary prevention; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 |
| Wide Distribution and Specific Resistance Pattern to Third-Generation Cephalosporins of Enterobacter cloacae Complex Members in Humans and in the Environment in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) | Species belonging to Enterobacter cloacae complex have been isolated in numerous environments and samples of various origins. They are also involved in opportunistic infections in plants, animals, and humans. Previous prospection in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) indicated a high frequency of E. cloacae complex strains resistant to third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) in a local lizard population (Anolis marmoratus), but knowledge of the distribution and resistance of these strains in humans and the environment is limited. The aim of this study was to compare the distribution and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of E. cloacae complex members from different sources in a “one health” approach and to find possible explanations for the high level of resistance in non-human samples. E. cloacae complex strains were collected between January 2017 and the end of 2018 from anoles, farm animals, local fresh produce, water, and clinical human samples. Isolates were characterized by the heat-shock protein 60 gene-fragment typing method, and whole-genome sequencing was conducted on the most frequent clusters (i.e., C-VI and C-VIII). The prevalence of resistance to 3GCs was relatively high (56/346, 16.2%) in non-human samples. The associated resistance mechanism was related to an AmpC overproduction; however, in human samples, most of the resistant strains (40/62) produced an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase. No relation was found between resistance in isolates from wild anoles (35/168) and human activities. Specific core-genome phylogenetic analysis highlighted an important diversity in this bacterial population and no wide circulation among the different compartments. In our setting, the mutations responsible for resistance to 3GCs, especially in ampD, were diverse and not compartment specific. In conclusion, high levels of resistance in non-human E. cloacae complex isolates are probably due to environmental factors that favor the selection of these resistant strains, and this will be explored further. © Copyright © 2021 Pot, Reynaud, Couvin, Ducat, Ferdinand, Gravey, Gruel, Guérin, Malpote, Breurec, Talarmin and Guyomard-Rabenirina. | Anolis marmoratus; Caribbean; cephalosporinase overproduction; Enterobacter cloacae complex; ESBL; hsp60; one health; phylogeny |
| Role of reptiles and associated arthropods in the epidemiology of rickettsioses: A one health paradigm | We assessed the presence of Rickettsia spp., Coxiella burnetii and Anaplasma phagocyto-philum in reptiles, their ectoparasites and in questing ticks collected in a nature preserve park in southern Italy, as well as in a peri-urban area in another region. We also investigated the exposure to these pathogens in forestry workers, farmers and livestock breeders living or working in the nature preserve park given the report of anecdotal cases of spotted fever rickettsioses. Rickettsia spp. were molecularly detected in Podarcis muralis and Podarcis siculus lizards (i.e., 3.1%), in Ixodes ricinus (up to 87.5%) and in Neotrombicula autumnalis (up to 8.3%) collected from them as well as in I. ricinus collected from the environment (up to 28.4%). Rickettsia monacensis was the most prevalent species followed by Rickettsia helvetica. An undescribed member of the family Anaplasmataceae was detected in 2.4% and 0.8% of the reptiles and ectoparasites, respectively. Sera from human subjects (n = 50) were serologically screened and antibodies to Rickettsia spp. (n = 4; 8%), C. burnetti (n = 8; 16%) and A. phagocytophilum (n = 11; 22%) were detected. Two ticks collected from two forestry workers were positive for spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae. Ixodes ricinus is involved in the transmission of SFG rickettsiae (R. monacensis and R. helvetica) in southern Europe and lizards could play a role in the sylvatic cycle of R. monacensis, as amplifying hosts. Meanwhile, N. autumnalis could be involved in the enzootic cycle of some SFG rickettsiae among these animals. People living or working in the southern Italian nature preserve park investigated are exposed to SFG rickettsiae, C. burnetii and A. phagocytophilum. © 2021 Mendoza-Roldan et al. | Adult; Aged; Anaplasma phagocytophilum; Anaplasmataceae; Animals; Arthropods; Coxiella burnetii; Europe; Female; Humans; Italy; Ixodes; Male; Middle Aged; One Health; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reptiles; Rickettsia; Rickettsia Infections; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Snakes; Young Adult; alkaline phosphatase; genomic DNA; indapamide; plant extract; RNA 16S; adult; agricultural worker; Anaplasma; Anaplasma phagocytophilum; arthropod; Article; boutonneuse fever; Coxiella burnetii; Dermacentor marginatus; DNA extraction; DNA sequence; ectoparasite; Escherichia coli; female; fever; forest worker; geographic distribution; health care policy; human; immunofluorescence; Leptospira; livestock; lizard; male; nonhuman; phylogenetic tree; prevalence; Q fever; questionnaire; reptile; Ricinus; Rickettsia helvetica; Rickettsia monacensis; Rickettsia parkeri; rickettsiosis; sequence alignment; serology; seroprevalence; urban area; aged; Anaplasmataceae; animal; arthropod; Europe; genetics; Italy; Ixodes; microbiology; middle aged; One Health; polymerase chain reaction; reptile; Rickettsia; Rickettsiaceae infection; snake; veterinary medicine; young adult |
| Association between predator species richness and human hantavirus infection emergence in Brazil | Hantavirus infection is a rodent-borne disease (RBD) transmitted by urine or feces (as the natural reservoirs) with an annual estimated worldwide incidence of ~150,000 cases. Previous ecological studies suggested that higher species richness of rodents could decrease the risk of RBDs in humans, because the regulatory pressure of predators could reduce contact among rodents, and between humans and rodents. Using surveillance data, we investigated the association of predator species richness with hantavirus infection emergence in 5562 Brazilian inland municipalities between 2007 and 2017. Multivariable logistic regression models were used for the analyses. Diurnal and non-diurnal predator species were independent explanatory variables in the models. Rodent species richness and demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors were used as covariates. During the study period, 1084 cases were reported in 429 municipalities. The results showed a reverse-U-shaped association between diurnal predator species richness and hantavirus infection emergence (odds ratio [OR] 0.463, 0.688, and 0.553 for the first [lowest], third, and fourth [highest] quartiles, respectively, using the second quartile as a reference), while higher non-diurnal predator species richness tended to be associated with higher emergence risk (OR 0.134, 1.065, and 2.708 for the first, third, and fourth quartiles, respectively). The difference in these associations illustrates the complexity of the effects of predator species richness on human RBDs, which require further investigation in follow-up studies. The results showed a close link between environmental factors and public health, emphasizing that the One Health concept should be employed to understand the dynamics of RBDs. © 2020 The Author(s) | Article; Brazil; disease association; environmental factor; Hantavirus infection; human; nonhuman; predator; public health; species diversity; species richness | Hantavirus emergence; One health; Predator diversity; Species richness |
| Antibiotic Prescription in Veterinary Consultations in Bhutan: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study | The veterinary prescription of antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) remains largely undocumented. In Bhutan, however, the national veterinary service keeps records of their activities and prescriptions, which offer an opportunity to establish a benchmark to assess the use of these agents in this and other LMIC. A cross-sectional retrospective study was designed and 2,266 handwritten veterinary records from 2017 were sampled from 23 animal health premises (AHPs) to estimate individual and an overall proportion of consultations that resulted in an antibiotic prescription. The frequency of antibiotic prescription per species, type of AHP, and according to WHO’s AWaRe index and OIE list of priority antimicrobials were also explored. It was estimated that 31% (95% confidence interval: 29–33%; intracluster correlation: 0.03) of the veterinary consultations resulted in an antibiotic prescription. The incidence of antibiotic prescription was highest in consultations of poultry across AHP. Across species, diarrhea and wounds were frequently treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics including sulfonamides, tetracyclines, trimethoprim + sulfa, and penicillin. Between 45% and 70% antibiotics prescribed correspond to AWaRe’s access group and up to 25% to AWaRe’s watch group. Over 70% of antibiotics dispensed in veterinary consultations for any species correspond to the OIE’s veterinary critically important antimicrobial agents. Overall, the study demonstrated positive features of veterinary antimicrobial stewardship in Bhutan, given the conservative proportion of consultation that results in this type of prescription and the type of antibiotic prescribed. Although the veterinary service closely follows the Bhutanese Standard Treatment Guidelines, the prescription of antibiotics to key species should be closely monitored. Our study suggests that further improvements of antibiotic stewardship can be achieved through standardisation of antibiotic prescription to some species, a revision of the guidelines toward reducing the prescription of antibiotics of high relevance for human medicine, and by including details of clinical investigation, use of tests, and treatment outcomes in veterinary consultation records. © Copyright © 2021 Villanueva-Cabezas, Rinzin, Dorjee, Tshewang, Namgyel, Sharma, Stevenson and McVernon. | aminoglycoside; antibiotic agent; chloramphenicol; cotrimoxazole; nitrofural; nitroimidazole derivative; oxytetracycline; penicillin derivative; penicillin plus streptomycin; streptomycin; sulfadiazine; sulfonamide; tetracycline derivative; unclassified drug; animal experiment; anorexia; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic therapy; antimicrobial stewardship; Article; Aware Index; Bhutan; classification; confidence interval; consultation; correlation analysis; cross-sectional study; diarrhea; eye infection; incidence; low income country; mastitis; medical record review; middle income country; nonhuman; One Health; poultry; practice guideline; prescription; retrospective study; species; standardization; veterinary clinic; World Health Organization; wound | antibiotic prescription; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic stewardship; antibiotic treatment; low-and middle-income countries; One Health; veterinary antibiotic; veterinary service |
| Who Is Dermanyssus gallinae? Genetic Structure of Populations and Critical Synthesis of the Current Knowledge | Despite the economic and animal welfare importance of the Poultry Red Mite Dermanyssus gallinae, its genetic structure has been studied in a scattered way so far. The prophylaxis and control of such a globally distributed ectoparasite can be significantly improved by understanding its genetic population structure (composition in species and intraspecific variants). The present study aims to establish a rigorous framework for characterizing the neutral genetic structure of D. gallinae based on a literature review combined with an integrative analysis of the data available in GenBank on population-level nucleotide sequence diversity supplemented by a new dataset. The integrative analysis was conducted on sequence data extracted from GenBank coupled with new sequences of two fragments of the mitochondrial gene encoding Cytochrome Oxidase I (CO1) as well as of an intron of the nuclear gene encoding Tropomyosin (Tpm) from several PRM populations sampled from European poultry farms. Emphasis was placed on using the mitochondrial gene encoding CO1 on which the main universal region of DNA barcoding in animals is located. The species D. gallinae sensu lato is a species complex, encompassing at least two cryptic species, i.e., not distinguishable by morphological characters: D. gallinae sensu stricto and D. gallinae L1. Only D. gallinae s.s. has been recorded among the populations sampled in poultry farms worldwide. Current knowledge suggests they are structured in three mitochondrial groups (haplogroups A, B, and C). Haplogroup A is cosmopolitan, and the other two present slightly contrasted distributions (B rather in the northern part of Europe, C most frequently found in the southern part). Recent data indicate that a dynamic geographic expansion of haplogroup C is underway in Europe. Our results also show that NUMT (nuclear mitochondrial DNA) pseudogenes have generated artifactual groups (haplogroups E and F). It is important to exclude these artifact groups from future analyses to avoid confusion. We provide an operational framework that will promote consistency in the analysis of subsequent results using the CO1 fragment and recommendations for future analyses. © Copyright © 2021 Roy, Giangaspero, Sleeckx and Øines. | cytochrome c oxidase; mitochondrial DNA; tropomyosin; animal welfare; Article; Dermanyssus gallinae; Dermanyssus gallinae infestation; DNA barcoding; DNA sequence; gene structure; geographic distribution; mitochondrial gene; mitochondrial haplogroup; morphological trait; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; pseudogene; stop codon | CO1; Dermanyssus gallinae; epidemiology; haplogroups; mitochondrial DNA; NUMTs; one-health; tropomyosin |
| From Modern Planetary Health to Decolonial Promotion of One Health of Peripheries | The concept of Planetary Health has recently emerged in the global North as a concern with the global effects of degraded natural systems on human health. It calls for urgent and transformative actions. However, the problem and the call to solve it are far from new. Planetary health is a colonial approach that disregards alternative knowledge that over millennia have accumulated experiences of sustainable and holistic lifestyles. It reinforces the monolog of modernity without realizing that threats to “planetary health” reside precisely in its very approach. It insists on imposing its recipes on political, epistemological, and ontological peripheries created and maintained through coloniality. The Latin American decolonial turn has a long tradition in what could be called a “transformative action,” going beyond political and economic crises to face a more fundamental crisis of civilization. It deconstructs, with other decolonial movements, the fallacy of a dual world in which the global North produces epistemologies, while the rest only benefit from and apply those epistemologies. One Health of Peripheries is a field of praxis in which the health of multispecies collectives and the environment they comprise is experienced, understood, and transformed within symbolic and geographic peripheries, ensuing from marginalizing apparatuses. In the present article, we show how the decolonial promotion of One Health of Peripheries contributes to think and advance decentralized and plural practices to attend to glocal realities. We propose seven actions for such promotion. © Copyright © 2021 Baquero, Benavidez Fernández and Acero Aguilar. | Colonialism; Humans; Knowledge; One Health; colonialism; human; knowledge; One Health | coloniality; decolonial turn; health inequities; modernity; more-than-human biopolitics; One Health; One Health of Peripheries; Planetary Health |
| An animal-assisted education intervention with dogs to promote emotion comprehension in primary school children—the federico ii model of healthcare zooanthropology | Emotion comprehension (EC) is a crucial competence for children, as it determines the quality of peer interactions. This study assessed the efficacy of an animal-assisted education (AAE) intervention with dogs based on the Federico II Model of Healthcare Zooanthropology (FMHZ) to promote EC in a group of primary school children. One hundred and four children (48 females) aged 6–7 years took part in the study, of whom 63 participated in the AAE intervention (i.e., experimental group) and 41 did not (i.e., control group). The intervention was deployed in a school setting through a group format and consisted of five bimonthly sessions. EC was assessed pre-and post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Student’s t-test and mixed-model ANOVA were performed to analyze the effect of the intervention on EC. EC significantly improved in children of the experimental group compared to the control group. Significant time effects from pre-to post-intervention, post-intervention to follow-up, and pre-intervention to follow-up assessment were found in the experimental group only. AAE based on FMHZ was effective in improving EC in children. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | analysis of variance; animal experiment; animal model; article; comparative effectiveness; comprehension; controlled study; dog; emotion; female; follow up; human; human-animal interaction; interspecific relationship; nonhuman; primary school | Animal-assisted intervention; Dogs; Emotional development; Human– animal interaction; Inter-specific relationship; One health; School |
| Rabies control in South Asia requires a One Health approach | Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease present in more than 150 countries around the world. Globally, almost 60,000 people die each year from rabies, of which more than 58% are in Asia and around 45% in South Asia with especially high incidence in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Vaccination coverage of both people and stray dogs is low in the region and in general people are not given enough protection and information about pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. Engagement of multiple sectors and One Health collaboration including community education, awareness programmes and vaccination campaigns are critical to control and elimination of rabies. © 2021 | rabies vaccine; Afghanistan; Article; Bangladesh; Bhutan; disease elimination; disease surveillance; domestic animal; environmental health; health program; human; incidence; India; infection control; Nepal; nonhuman; One Health; Pakistan; post exposure prophylaxis; public health; public health campaign; rabies; risk reduction; South Asia; Sri Lanka; vaccination coverage; wild animal | Post exposure prophylaxis; Stray dogs; Transboundary diseases; Vaccination |
| Robotic Antimicrobial Susceptibility Platform (RASP): A next-generation approach to One Health surveillance of antimicrobial resistance | Background: Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is critical to reducing its wide-reaching impact. Its reliance on sample size invites solutions to longstanding constraints regarding scalability. A robotic platform (RASP) was developed for high-throughput AMR surveillance in accordance with internationally recognized standards (CLSI and ISO 20776-1:2019) and validated through a series of experiments. Methods: Experiment A compared RASP’s ability to achieve consistent MICs with that of a human technician across eight replicates for four Escherichia coli isolates. Experiment B assessed RASP’s agreement with human-performed MICs across 91 E. coli isolates with a diverse range of AMR profiles. Additionally, to demonstrate its real-world applicability, the RASP workflow was then applied to five faecal samples where a minimum of 47 E. coli per animal (239 total) were evaluated using an AMR indexing framework. Results: For each drug-rater-isolate combination in Experiment A, there was a clear consensus of the MIC and deviation from the consensus remained within one doubling dilution (the exception being gentamicin at two dilutions). Experiment B revealed a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.9670 (95% CI: 0.9670-0.9670) between the robot-and human-performed MICs. RASP’s application to the five faecal samples highlighted the intra-animal diversity of gut commensal E. coli, identifying between five and nine unique isolate AMR phenotypes per sample. Conclusions: While adhering to internationally accepted guidelines, RASP was superior in throughput, cost and data resolution when compared with an experienced human technician. Integration of robotics platforms in the microbiology laboratory is a necessary advancement for future One Health AMR endeavours. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; One Health; Robotics; agar; ampicillin; cefoxitin; ceftiofur; ceftriaxone; chloramphenicol; ciprofloxacin; colistin; cotrimoxazole; florfenicol; gentamicin; streptomycin; tetracycline; antiinfective agent; antibiotic resistance; Article; bacterium identification; bacterium isolate; broth dilution; commensal Escherichia coli; consensus; correlation coefficient; dilution; Escherichia coli; feces culture; health survey; human; indicator organism; inoculation; intestine flora; minimum inhibitory concentration; nonhuman; One Health; phenotype; practice guideline; robotic antimicrobial susceptibility platform; animal; antibiotic resistance; microbial sensitivity test; robotics |
| The Missing Professional Perspective: Medical, Veterinary, and Dual Degree Public Health Student Perceptions of One Health | Introduction: One Health (OH) is an important concept to design appropriate public health responses to emerging diseases such as COVID-19. How trainee health professionals understand this concept is important to its implementation. In this study, we explored how medical (MD), veterinary (DVM), and dual degree MD and DVM Master of Public Health (MPH) students define OH and its relevance to practice. Methods: Students participated in a survey that included the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), and two questions requiring them to define and explain the relevance of OH. The transcripts of the OH responses underwent thematic analysis. Role theory was used to explain the variation in how students from these different programmes viewed the concept. Results: The responses of the MD and DVM students in contrast to the dual degree MPH students reflected gaps in their understanding of the concept that pertained to the specific health impacts of global warming; antimicrobial resistance, food security; social, cultural and environmental determinants of zoonoses occurrence, and health policy formation. Discussion: Mitigation of the global risks to public health require a collaborative approach by health professionals. Our findings suggest that MD and DVM students are unaware of many factors that impact patient health outside of their own discipline. The inclusion of dual degree students revealed novel insights that undertaking an MPH may have enabled them to be more aware about the interdisciplinary relevance of OH to their professional practice. We recommend that structured incorporation of OH should inform future medical and veterinary curricula. © Copyright © 2021 Roopnarine, Boeren and Regan. | Animals; COVID-19; Humans; One Health; Perception; SARS-CoV-2; Students, Public Health; animal; human; One Health; perception; public health student | COVID-19; dual degree; medical; One Health; public health; role theory; veterinary |
| Microplastic toxicity: A review of the role of marine sentinel species in assessing the environmental and public health impacts | The ubiquity of plastics is a concern for the health of humans and marine ecosystems. Plastics and their composite endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are associated with adverse health outcomes in humans and marine species. With continued plastic production, waste mismanagement and global population increases, exposure effects will continue to escalate. The ‘One Health’ paradigm describes ‘health’ as a cross-species universal ‘good’. Adverse outcomes from plastic exposure are shared cross-species, indicating common mechanisms of toxicity. Marine species with individuals ingesting naturally disparate levels of plastic present valuable opportunities for researchers in understanding the real-world impacts of plastic. Sampling from sentinels monitors dynamic exposures to the evolving plastics landscape, allowing transcriptomic and epigenetic adaptations to these exposures to be assessed. Advances in bioinformatics enable elucidation of shared biological pathways from plastic toxicity in a systems level context. This review examines microplastics in the marine environment, adverse health exposure outcomes, and the exploitation of marine sentinel species in this context to elucidate the impacts of plastics. Hierarchical priorities when selecting marine plastic sentinels are explored. Abundant seabirds such as the herring gull or the northern fulmar represent ideal marine plastic sentinels. © 2020 The Author(s) | Bioaccumulation; Biomarkers of exposure; Epigenetics; Indicator species; Microplastics; One health; Plastic-derived EDCs; Sentinel species; Site fidelity; Transgenerational inheritance; Trophic transfer |
| Use of the milan pet quality of life instrument (Mpql) to measure pets’ quality of life during covid-19 | The COVID-19 pandemic caused lifestyle changes, with unknown effect on pets’ quality of life (QoL). Between May and July 2020, we distributed an online survey to investigate the role of several factors on feline and canine QoL, including lockdown-related factors. We used existing scales to measure human and pets’ personalities (Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire, RST-PQ; RST-Dog; RST-Cat) and the human–animal relationship (Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, LAPS) and the Milan Pet Quality of Life instrument (MPQL). Overall, 235 participants reported about 242 adult pets (Ncats = 78, Ndogs = 164). Factor analysis confirmed the structure and internal reliability of the existing scales (RST-PQ, RST-Dog, RST-Cat, LAPS) and suggested a four-factor structure for the MPQL (physical, psychological, social, environmental). The results indicate that the pets’ psysical QoL was largely explained by pet-related elements (pets’ demographics and life experience, and pets’ personality). Conversely, the pets’ psychological QoL was explained mostly by owner-related elements, such as the owners’ demographics, COVID-19-related changes, and the owners’ personality. Predictably, the pets’ environmental QoL is mostly explained by environmental factors, such as the outdoor access in the home environment and the country. Finally, the pets’ social QoL was explained by the larger combination of models: pets’ characteristics and personality, environment and COVID-19-related changes, and the pet–human relationship. These findings can be explained by two non-mutually exclusive mechanisms. The reported changes may be a by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic’s psychological and lifestyle effects on the owners, which in turn alter the way the owners interact with their pets and look after them. However, the owners’ characteristics and mood may bias their answers regarding their pets. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | adult; animal experiment; animal model; Article; clinical assessment; confirmatory factor analysis; coronavirus disease 2019; disease severity; education; environmental factor; factor analysis; female; health survey; human; human-animal relation; lifestyle; Likert scale; lockdown; major clinical study; male; middle aged; nonhuman; personal experience; personality; personality assessment; pet quality of life scale; psychological aspect; quality of life; questionnaire; reinforcement (psychology); reliability; sensitivity analysis; social distancing; social interaction; social media | Cat; COVID-19; Dog; One Health; Personality; Quality of life |
| One Health drivers of antibacterial resistance: Quantifying the relative impacts of human, animal and environmental use and transmission | Objectives: Antibacterial resistance (ABR) is a major global health security threat, with a disproportionate burden on lower-and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is not understood how ‘One Health’, where human health is co-dependent on animal health and the environment, might impact the burden of ABR in LMICs. Thailand’s 2017 “National Strategic Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance” (NSP-AMR) aims to reduce AMR morbidity by 50% through 20% reductions in human and 30% in animal antibacterial use (ABU). There is a need to understand the implications of such a plan within a One Health perspective. Methods: A model of ABU, gut colonisation with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria and transmission was calibrated using estimates of the prevalence of ESBL-producing bacteria in Thailand. This model was used to project the reduction in human ABR over 20 years (2020–2040) for each One Health driver, including individual transmission rates between humans, animals and the environment, and to estimate the long-term impact of the NSP-AMR intervention. Results: The model predicts that human ABU was the most important factor in reducing the colonisation of humans with resistant bacteria (maximum 65.7–99.7% reduction). The NSP-AMR is projected to reduce human colonisation by 6.0–18.8%, with more ambitious targets (30% reductions in human ABU) increasing this to 8.5–24.9%. Conclusions: Our model provides a simple framework to explain the mechanisms underpinning ABR, suggesting that future interventions targeting the simultaneous reduction of transmission and ABU would help to control ABR more effectively in Thailand. © 2021 The Authors | antiinfective agent; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic therapy; Article; bacterial colonization; bacterial transmission; cohort analysis; environmental factor; extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae; human; intestine flora; nonhuman; One Health; prediction; prevalence; Thailand; therapy effect | Antibacterial resistance; Antibacterial usage; Mathematical model; One health; Thailand; Transmission |
| Much more than just a ‘veterinary club’ | As OIE director general, Monique Éloit holds one of the most significant roles in global animal health. Here, in an in-depth interview – her first since being elected for a second five-year term – she tells Josh Loeb about her plans to further enhance the reputation of the organisation by emphasising its role at the nexus of One Health. © 2021 British Veterinary Association. | Animal Diseases; Animals; Humans; International Agencies; One Health; animal; animal disease; human; international cooperation; interview; One Health; organization and management |
| One health and hansen’s disease in Brazil | [No abstract available] | Animals; Armadillos; Bacterial Zoonoses; Brazil; Disease Reservoirs; Humans; Leprosy; Mycobacterium leprae; One Health; phenolic glycolipid I; Article; Brazil; climate change; disease transmission; education; genotype; Leishmania; leprosy; Mycobacterium leprae; nonhuman; One Health; population growth; prevalence; risk factor; Sarcocystis; Schistosoma mansoni; seasonal variation; Sporothrix; Trypanosoma cruzi; virus transmission; visceral leishmaniasis; wildlife; Zika virus; animal; armadillo; Brazil; disease carrier; human; isolation and purification; leprosy; microbiology; One Health; veterinary medicine |
| One Health of Peripheries: Biopolitics, Social Determination, and Field of Praxis | Amid the urgency to solve countless and severe health problems, asking what is health or who can and must have it may seem like a waste of time. However, some responses can reveal prevailing practices that divert attention from fundamental problems, thus maintaining privileges and deepening health inequities. One Health of Peripheries arises from these questions and takes three interdependent senses. The first refers to attributes determining the well-being and suffering of peripheral multispecies collectives: a state, a process, the realization of capacities. The second problematizes marginalizing apparatuses that define health and who can and should have it. The third encompasses practices in more-than-human social spaces in which, and through which, One Health is experienced, understood, and transformed. The qualification of health as “one” does not refer to the lack of plurality, nor to the simple aggregation of health fragments (human + animal + environmental), but to the complexity of health in a field with peripheral places, ensuing from margins to privilege those who are inside and legitimize the exploitation of those who are outside. The interaction among margins creates degrees and kinds of privilege and vulnerability that materialize epidemiologic profiles while articulating different peripheral strengths and needs supports a collective resistance to break margins. Social determination, a key concept in the (Latin American) collective health movement, underlies such profiles. However, this movement overlooks the more-than-human dimension of social determination; that is to say, One Health of Peripheries is a blind spot of collective health. The cartography of One Health of Peripheries has unique needs regarding participation, research, and inclusive policies for the decolonial promotion of healthy lifestyles. © Copyright © 2021 Baquero. | Humans; One Health; human; One Health | collective health; critical animal studies; critical epidemiology; health inequities; more-than-human biopolitics; one health; one health of peripheries; social determinants of health |
| Vaccination as a control tool in bovine tuberculosis: Social media monitoring to assess public response to government policy development and implementation | Vaccine hesitancy does not only concern human vaccines but incorporates One Health policies also; including vaccination of cattle and badgers as part of the government’s bovine tuberculosis eradication strategy for England. Both digital and social media can propagate healthcare misinformation and thus affect vaccine policy support. The use of social media monitoring to understand real-time public perceptions of One Health policies is crucial to identify misinformation and address public concerns appropriately to achieve successful policy implementation. Digital and social media data surrounding two government announcements regarding the bovine tuberculosis eradication strategy for England were collected and screened using the Meltwater media monitoring platform. Communication patterns were studied using InfraNodus. Twitter analysis was conducted to identify key influencers, public engagement, and trending communications. Online social media activity increased rapidly after each announcement. Initially, badger culling took primary public concern and major influencers were identified. Cattle vaccination dominated discussion after the second announcement, with public perception being influenced by increased online activity from news sites, animal welfare charities, governmental bodies, and medical professionals. The greatest ambiguity towards the strategy was detected within farming communities, with the main disparity existing between cattle vaccination and badger culling opinions. Social media monitoring has potential use in surveying public perception of government policy, both prior to, and after implementation to identify and address areas of miscommunication and misinformation to improve public support for One Health policies. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Article; bovine tuberculosis; controlled study; government; governmental organization; health care planning; health care policy; human; interrater reliability; machine learning; misinformation; nonhuman; One Health; perception; qualitative research; social media; social media monitoring; social network; social welfare; thematic analysis; tuberculosis control; vaccination | Badger; Cattle; Cull; Media monitoring; Policy; Tuberculosis; Vaccination |
| Prevalence and Relatedness of mcr-1-Mediated Colistin-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolated From Livestock and Farmers in Japan | Colistin is used to treat infectious diseases in humans and livestock; it has also been used as a feed additive for livestock for approximately 50 years. Since the mcr-1 plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene was discovered in China in 2015, it has been detected worldwide, mainly in livestock. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and characteristics of mcr-mediated colistin-resistant Escherichia coli in livestock and farmers in Japan. We collected fecal samples from 295 healthy livestock (202 cattle and 93 swine) and 62 healthy farmers from 72 livestock farms (58 cattle farms and 14 swine farms) between 2013 and 2015. Twenty-eight mcr-1-harboring E. coli strains were isolated from 25 livestock (six cattle and 19 swine) and three farmers (two cattle farmers and one swine farmer). The prevalence rates of mcr-1-harboring E. coli in livestock and farmers were 8.47 and 4.84%, respectively. Of the 28 strains, the resistance genes of three were transferable via the mcr-1-coding plasmids to E. coli J53 at low frequencies (10−7–10−8). Six strains coharbored mcr-1 with CTX-M β-lactamases (CTX-M-14, CTX-M-27, or CTX-M-156). Of the isolates obtained from livestock and farmers in four farms (farms C, I, N, and P), nine strains had the same genotypical characteristics (sequence types and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis band patterns), plasmid characteristics (incompatibility group and plasmid transferability), and minimum inhibitory concentrations. Thus, the findings suggested that clonal strains could spread among livestock and farmers within farms. To our knowledge, this is the first study to detect clonal relatedness of mcr-1-mediated colistin-resistant E. coli in livestock and farmers. It is suggested that farmers are at a higher risk of acquiring mcr-1-harboring strains, calling for our attention based on the One Health concept. © Copyright © 2021 Nakano, Nakano, Nishisouzu, Suzuki, Horiuchi, Kikuchi-Ueda, Ubagai, Ono and Yano. | colistin; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; bacterial gene; bacterium isolate; bacterium isolation; carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae; genotype; livestock; mass spectrometry; minimum inhibitory concentration; multilocus sequence typing; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; plasmid; polymerase chain reaction; serotyping | colistin resistance; Escherichia coli; farmer; genotype; livestock; mcr-1; one health |
| Temporal, Spatial, and Genomic Analyses of Enterobacteriaceae Clinical Antimicrobial Resistance in Companion Animals Reveals Phenotypes and Genotypes of One Health Concern | Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a globally important one health threat. The impact of resistant infections on companion animals, and the potential public health implications of such infections, has not been widely explored, largely due to an absence of structured population-level data. Objectives: We aimed to efficiently capture and repurpose antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results data from several veterinary diagnostic laboratories (VDLs) across the United Kingdom to facilitate national companion animal clinical AMR surveillance. We also sought to harness and genotypically characterize isolates of potential AMR importance from these laboratories. Methods: We summarized AST results for 29,330 canine and 8,279 feline Enterobacteriaceae isolates originating from companion animal clinical practice, performed between April 2016 and July 2018 from four VDLs, with submissions from 2,237 United Kingdom veterinary practice sites. Results: Escherichia coli (E. coli) was the most commonly isolated Enterobacteriaceae in dogs (69.4% of AST results, 95% confidence interval, CI, 68.7–70.0) and cats (90.5%, CI 89.8–91.3). Multi-drug resistance was reported in 14.1% (CI 13.5–14.8) of canine and 12.0% (CI 11.1–12.9) of feline E. coli isolates. Referral practices were associated with increased E. coli 3rd generation ≤ cephalosporin resistance odds (dogs: odds ratio 2.0, CI 1.2–3.4). We selected 95 E. coli isolates for whole genome analyses, of which seven belonged to sequence type 131, also carrying the plasmid-associated extended spectrum β-lactamase gene blaCTX–M–15. The plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-9 was also identified for the first time in companion animals. Conclusions: Linking clinical AMR data with genotypic characterization represents an efficient means of identifying important resistance trends in companion animals on a national scale. © Copyright © 2021 Singleton, Pongchaikul, Smith, Bengtsson, Baker, Timofte, Steen, Jones, Roberts, Sánchez-Vizcaíno, Dawson, Noble, Radford, Pinchbeck and Williams. | antimicrobial resistance; companion animal; digital health; Escherichia coli; one health; surveillance |
| Surveillance of Resistance to New Antibiotics in an Era of Limited Treatment Options | As with any health threat, our ability to respond to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance depends on our ability to understand the scale of the problem, magnitude, geographical spread, and trends over time. This is especially true for resistance emergence to newer antibiotics coming to the market as last-resort treatments. Yet current antibiotic surveillance systems are limited to monitoring resistance to commonly prescribed drugs that have been on the market for a long time. This qualitative study determined the essential elements and requirements of antimicrobial resistance surveillance for new antibiotics based on literature review, interviews and expert consensus. After an extensive mapping exercise, 10 experts participated in a modified Delphi consultation to identify consensus on all elements required for surveillance of resistance to novel antibiotics. The main findings indicate that there is a need for a two-phase system; an early alert system transitioning to routine surveillance, led by the public sector to gather and share essential data on resistance to newer antibiotics in a transparent manner. The system should be decentralized, run largely from national level, but be coordinated by an arm of an existing international public health institution. Priority should be given to monitoring emergence of resistance among already multi-drug resistant pathogens causing infections, over a broader selection of pathogens to maximize clinical impact. In conclusion, we cannot rely on current AMR surveillance systems to monitor resistance emergence to new antibiotics. A new, public system should be set-up, starting with a focus on detecting resistance emergence, but expanding to a more comprehensive surveillance as soon as there is regional spread of resistance to the new antibiotic. This article provides a framework based on expert agreement, which could guide future initiatives. © Copyright © 2021 Morel, de Kraker, Harbarth and The Enhanced Surveillance Expert Consensus Group (CANSORT-SCI). | antibiotic agent; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; antibiotic therapy; Article; bacterium isolate; consensus development; disease burden; funding; genotype; hospital; human; infection; infectious agent; nonhuman; One Health; phenotype; practice guideline; public health | antibiotics; antimicrobial resistance; antimicrobial susceptibility; early warning systems; resistance surveillance |
| Assessment of Evaluation Tools for Integrated Surveillance of Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Based on Selected Case Studies | Regular evaluation of integrated surveillance for antimicrobial use (AMU) and resistance (AMR) in animals, humans, and the environment is needed to ensure system effectiveness, but the question is how. In this study, six different evaluation tools were assessed after being applied to AMU and AMR surveillance in eight countries: (1) ATLASS: the Assessment Tool for Laboratories and AMR Surveillance Systems developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, (2) ECoSur: Evaluation of Collaboration for Surveillance tool, (3) ISSEP: Integrated Surveillance System Evaluation Project, (4) NEOH: developed by the EU COST Action “Network for Evaluation of One Health,” (5) PMP-AMR: The Progressive Management Pathway tool on AMR developed by the FAO, and (6) SURVTOOLS: developed in the FP7-EU project “RISKSUR.” Each tool was scored using (i) 11 pre-defined functional aspects (e.g., workability concerning the need for data, time, and people); (ii) a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)-like approach of user experiences (e.g., things that I liked or that the tool covered well); and (iii) eight predefined content themes related to scope (e.g., development purpose and collaboration). PMP-AMR, ATLASS, ECoSur, and NEOH are evaluation tools that provide a scoring system to obtain semi-quantitative results, whereas ISSEP and SURVTOOLS will result in a plan for how to conduct evaluation(s). ISSEP, ECoSur, NEOH, and SURVTOOLS allow for in-depth analyses and therefore require more complex data, information, and specific training of evaluator(s). PMP-AMR, ATLASS, and ISSEP were developed specifically for AMR-related activities—only ISSEP included production of a direct measure for “integration” and “impact on decision making.” NEOH and ISSEP were perceived as the best tools for evaluation of One Health (OH) aspects, and ECoSur as best for evaluation of the quality of collaboration. PMP-AMR and ATLASS seemed to be the most user-friendly tools, particularly designed for risk managers. ATLASS was the only tool focusing specifically on laboratory activities. Our experience is that adequate resources are needed to perform evaluation(s). In most cases, evaluation would require involvement of several assessors and/or stakeholders, taking from weeks to months to complete. This study can help direct future evaluators of integrated AMU and AMR surveillance toward the most adequate tool for their specific evaluation purpose. © Copyright © 2021 Sandberg, Hesp, Aenishaenslin, Bordier, Bennani, Bergwerff, Chantziaras, De Meneghi, Ellis-Iversen, Filippizi, Mintiens, Nielsen, Norström, Tomassone, van Schaik and Alban. | antibiotic agent; antibiotic resistance; Article; assessment of humans; Assessment Tool for Laboratories and AMR Surveillance Systems; clinical assessment tool; decision making; drug use; Evaluation of Collaboration for Surveillance tool; human; Integrated Surveillance System Evaluation Project tool; laboratory test; Network for Evaluation of One Health tool; nonhuman; One Health; Progressive Management Pathway Tool for AMR; scoring system; Survtools; United Nations | AMR; evaluation; integrated surveillance; one health; tools |
| From the farms to the dining table: The distribution and molecular characteristics of antibiotic-resistant enterococcus spp. in intensive pig farming in South Africa | Foodborne pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant species, constitute a severe menace to food safety globally, especially food animals. Identifying points of concern that need immediate mitigation measures to prevent these bacteria from reaching households requires a broad understanding of these pathogens’ spread along the food production chain. We investigated the distribution, antibiotic susceptibility, molecular characterization and clonality of Enterococcus spp. in an intensive pig production continuum in South Africa, using the farm-to-fork approach. Enterococcus spp. were isolated from 452 samples obtained along the pig farm-to-fork continuum (farm, transport, abattoir, and retail meat) using the IDEXX Enterolert®/Quanti-Tray® 2000 system. Pure colonies were obtained on selective media and confirmed by real-time PCR, targeting genus-and species-specific genes. The susceptibility to antibiotics was determined by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method against 16 antibiotics recommended by the WHO-AGISAR using EUCAST guidelines. Selected antibiotic resistance and virulence genes were detected by real-time PCR. Clonal relatedness between isolates across the continuum was evaluated by REP-PCR. A total of 284 isolates, consisting of 79.2% E. faecalis, 6.7% E. faecium, 2.5% E. casseliflavus, 0.4% E. gallinarum, and 11.2% other Entero-coccus spp., were collected along the farm-to-fork continuum. The isolates were most resistant to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (78.8%) and least resistant to levofloxacin (5.6%). No resistance was observed to vancomycin, teicoplanin, tigecycline and linezolid. E. faecium displayed 44.4% resistance to quinupristin-dalfopristin. Also, 78% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant. Phenotypic resistance to tetracycline, aminoglycosides, and macrolides was corroborated by the presence of the tetM, aph(3′)-IIIa, and ermB genes in 99.1%, 96.1%, and 88.3% of the isolates, respectively. The most detected virulence gene was gelE. Clonality revealed that E. faecalis isolates belonged to diverse clones along the continuum with major REP-types, mainly isolates from the same sampling source but different sampling rounds (on the farm). E. faecium isolates revealed a less diverse profile. The results suggest that intensive pig farming could serve as a reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could be transmitted to occupationally exposed workers via direct contact with animals or consumers through animal products/food. This highlights the need for more robust guidelines for antibiotic use in intensive farming practices and the necessity of including Enterococcus spp. as an indicator in antibiotic resistance surveillance systems in food animals. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Antibiotic resistance; Biosecurity; Enterococcus spp; Farm-to-fork; Food safety; Intensive pig farming; Multidrug resistance; One health; Public health; Virulence genes |
| Fate of biodegradable engineered nanoparticles used in veterinary medicine as delivery systems from a one health perspective | The field of veterinary medicine needs new solutions to address the current challenges of antibiotic resistance and the need for increased animal production. In response, a multitude of delivery systems have been developed in the last 20 years in the form of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), a subclass of which are polymeric, biodegradable ENPs, that are biocompatible and biodegradable (pbENPs). These platforms have been developed to deliver cargo, such as antibiotics, vaccines, and hormones, and in general, have been shown to be beneficial in many regards, particularly when comparing the efficacy of the delivered drugs to that of the conventional drug applications. However, the fate of pbENPs developed for veterinary applications is poorly understood. pbENPs undergo biotransformation as they are transferred from one ecosystem to another, and these transformations greatly affect their impact on health and the environment. This review addresses nanoparticle fate and impact on animals, the environment, and humans from a One Health perspective. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Animals; Biodegradable Plastics; Drug Delivery Systems; Ecosystem; Nanoparticles; One Health; Veterinary Medicine; Water Pollutants, Chemical; biodegradable plastic; nanoparticle; adverse event; animal; chemistry; drug delivery system; ecosystem; One Health; veterinary medicine; water pollutant | Antibiotics; Hormones; Nanoparticles; One health; Vaccines; Veterinary medicine |
| Getting ahead of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in U.S. hogs | Antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, an opportunistic bacterial pathogen, have emerged in industrial livestock operations and agricultural settings. In the United States, there is limited access to industrial livestock operations and farm-level antibiotic use data. As a result, studies often rely on retail meat as a proxy for direct animal sampling. To move beyond this limitation and assess S. aureus colonization in hogs, we purchased the heads of recently-slaughtered hogs and compared S. aureus populations in those raised on industrial hog operations versus those raised without antibiotics. S. aureus isolates were analyzed for antibiotic resistance and putative genotypic markers of livestock adaptation. Although methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was not detected in this study, all of the hogs from industrial hog operations (n = 9/9) carried multidrug-resistant S. aureus (MDRSA) with two livestock-adaptation markers (scn-negative and clonal complex (CC) 9 or 398) compared to 11% of hogs raised without antibiotics (n = 1/9). Hogs from industrial operations were 9.0 times (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4–57.1) as likely to carry livestock-adapted S. aureus and 4.5 times (95% CI: 1.3–15.3) as likely to carry MDRSA as hogs raised without antibiotics. In contrast, the majority of antibiotic-free hogs (67%, n = 6/9) contained human-adapted S. aureus (i.e. scn-positive, CC1) compared to 11% (n = 1/9) of IHO hogs. These results indicate that antibiotic use in IHO hogs may make them more conducive hosts to antibiotic-resistant, livestock-adapted S. aureus strains when compared to hogs raised without antibiotics. Our results are important, as they provide strong evidence that antibiotic use practices influence the S. aureus populations carried by U.S. hogs, supporting the need for increased access to routine monitoring of hog operations for antibiotic resistance management using a One Health framework. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. | Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Humans; Livestock; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus aureus; United States; Bacteria (microorganisms); Staphylococcus aureus; amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid; cefoxitin; ciprofloxacin; clindamycin; cotrimoxazole; dalfopristin plus quinupristin; erythromycin; gentamicin; levofloxacin; lincomycin; linezolid; penicillin derivative; rifampicin; spectinomycin; tetracycline; antiinfective agent; antibiotic resistance; antibiotics; bacterium; confidence interval; pathogen; sampling; animal tissue; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic sensitivity; Article; bacterial strain; bacterium isolate; controlled study; data analysis software; genotype; livestock; multidrug resistant Gram positive bacterium; nonhuman; One Health; pig; prevalence; priority journal; slaughterhouse; Staphylococcus aureus; United States; animal; genetics; human; methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus infection | Antibiotic resistance; Hogs; Livestock-adaptation; One health; Staphylococcus aureus |
| Factors determining the implementation of measures aimed at preventing zoonotic diseases in veterinary practices | Background: Zoonoses prevention relies mainly on the implementation of different biosecurity measures. This study aimed to assess the level of implementation of biosecurity measures by veterinary practitioners and students and to identify the possible behaviour change determinants. Methods: The data was collected through a cross-sectional survey (N = 382). Statistical analyses were implemented based on the Health Belief Model to identify the possible determinant of the behaviours and the explanatory variables of the perceptions. Results: The survey showed a good level of implementation of the biosecurity measures (median of 81%). The implementation was associated with a higher perception of the zoonoses’ susceptibility and the measures’ benefits, and with a lower perception of the zoonoses’ severity. The study also revealed that the decision to implement a measure was mainly taken on a case-by-case basis depending on the perceived risk of exposure related to a specific context or intervention. Conclusion: The main determining factors identified for the implementation of biosecurity measures (BSMs) were the risk susceptibility and the benefits of the biosecurity measures, which could be influenced by evidence-based communication. The methodology developed can be applied regularly and in other countries to better capture these changes in perceptions over time. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | animal husbandry; Article; autopsy; behavior change; binomial distribution; biosecurity measure; demography; disease predisposition; disease severity; female; geography; Health Belief Model; health insurance; human; human experiment; infectious agent; male; normal human; puncture; questionnaire; rabies; risk aversion; risk factor; scoring system; validation process; veterinarian; wound care; zoonosis | Behaviour; Biosecurity; Health Belief Model; One health; Perception; Risk; Students; Veterinarians |
| The emergence of rift valley fever in gedaref state urges the need for a cross-border one health strategy and enforcement of the international health regulations | This study investigated the causative agent of a haemorrhagic fever epidemic in Gedaref state, south-east Sudan. Six cases of febrile illness with haemorrhagic manifestations presented at outpatient health-clinics. Blood samples were collected from the patients and shipped to Khartoum where they were tested for dengue virus (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) using real-time qPCR. Fifty percent (3/6) of them tested positive for RVFV and neither DENV or CHIKV was detected. All patients were males between 20 and 48 years old who had no history of recent travel. This finding describes the first emergence of RVFV in Gedaref state. Considering that the state hosts a major market of livestock, and it has one of the largest-seasonal open pastures in the country that is usually flooded with herds from the neighbouring states and countries during the rainy season, this emergence could represent a major threat to public health in the region and countries importing animals and/or animal products from east Africa. Therefore, we urge the policymakers of the health and animal resources sectors to implement a one health strategy with a well-established early warning surveillance and response system to prevent the establishment of the disease in the area. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | Arboviruses; Emergence; Epidemic; Gedaref state; One health; Outbreak; Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV); Sudan; Zoonotic diseases |
| Circulation of Babesia Species and their exposure to humans through Ixodes Ricinus | Human babesiosis in Europe has been attributed to infection with Babesia divergens and, to a lesser extent, with Babesia venatorum and Babesia microti, which are all transmitted to humans through a bite of Ixodes ricinus. These Babesia species circulate in the Netherlands, but autochthonous human babesiosis cases have not been reported so far. To gain more insight into the natural sources of these Babesia species, their presence in reservoir hosts and in I. ricinus was examined. Moreover, part of the ticks were tested for co-infections with other tick borne pathogens. In a cross-sectional study, qPCR-detection was used to determine the presence of Babesia species in 4611 tissue samples from 27 mammalian species and 13 bird species. Reverse line blotting (RLB) and qPCR detection of Babesia species were used to test 25,849 questing I. ricinus. Fragments of the 18S rDNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene from PCR-positive isolates were sequenced for confirmation and species identification and species-specific PCR reactions were performed on samples with suspected mixed infections. Babesia microti was found in two widespread rodent species: Myodes glareolus and Apodemus sylvaticus, whereas B. divergens was detected in the geographically restricted Cervus elaphus and Bison bonasus, and occasionally in free-ranging Ovis aries. B. venatorum was detected in the ubiquitous Capreolus capreolus, and occasionally in free-ranging O. aries. Species-specific PCR revealed co-infections in C. capreolus and C. elaphus, resulting in higher prevalence of B. venatorum and B. divergens than disclosed by qPCR detection, followed by 18S rDNA and COI sequencing. The non-zoonotic Babesia species found were Babesia capreoli, Babesia vulpes, Babesia sp. deer clade, and badger-associated Babesia species. The infection rate of zoonotic Babesia species in questing I. ricinus ticks was higher for Babesia clade I (2.6%) than Babesia clade X (1.9%). Co-infection of B. microti with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Neoehrlichia mikurensis in questing nymphs occurred more than expected, which reflects their mutual reservoir hosts, and suggests the possibility of co-transmission of these three pathogens to humans during a tick bite. The ubiquitous spread and abundance of B. microti and B. venatorum in their reservoir hosts and questing ticks imply some level of human exposure through tick bites. The restricted distribution of the wild reservoir hosts for B. divergens and its low infection rate in ticks might contribute to the absence of reported autochthonous cases of human babesiosis in the Netherlands. © 2021 by the authors. | cytochrome c oxidase; DNA 18S; RNA 18S; adult; Article; Babesia; Babesia microti; blotting; coinfection; controlled study; DNA extraction; DNA sequence; European bison; genetic variability; geographic distribution; human; infectious agent; Ixodes ricinus; nonhuman; piroplasmosis; real time polymerase chain reaction; red deer; reverse line blotting; roe deer; species identification; species specific polymerase chain reaction; Vulpes vulpes | Babesiosis; Disease risk; Ixodes ricinus; One health; Sylvatic cycle; Zoonoses |
| Human‐to‐cat sars‐cov‐2 transmission: Case report and full‐genome sequencing from an infected pet and its owner in Northern Italy | There have been previous reports of the human‐to‐cat transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2, but there are only a few molecular studies that have compared the whole genome of the virus in cats and their owners. We here describe a case of domestic SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission from a healthcare worker to his cat for which nasopharyngeal swabs of both the cat and its owner were used for full-genome analysis. The results indicate that quarantine measures should be extended to pets living in SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected households. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. | animal experiment; article; cat; genome analysis; health care personnel; household; human; Italy; male; nasopharyngeal swab; nonhuman; quarantine; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; whole genome sequencing | Cat; Full‐genome analysis; One health; SARS‐CoV‐2 |
| The scientific basis of rational prescribing. A guide to precision clinical pharmacology based on the WHO 6-step method | Background and methods: This opinion paper expanded on the WHO “six-step approach to optimal pharmacotherapy,” by detailed exploration of the underlying pharmacological and pathophysiological principles. This exercise led to the identification of a large number of domains of research that should be addressed to make clinical pharmacology progress toward “precision clinical pharmacology,” as a prerequisite for precision medicine. Result: In order to improve clinical efficacy and safety in patient groups (to guide drug development) as well as in individuals (to guide therapeutic options and optimize clinical outcome), developments in clinical pharmacology should at least tackle the following: (1) molecular diagnostic assays to guide drug design and development and allow physicians to identify the optimal targets for therapy in the individual patient in a quick and precise manner (to guide selection of the right drug for the right patient); (2) the setting up and validation of biomarkers of target engagement and modification as predictors of clinical efficacy and safety; (3) integration of physiological PK/PD models and intermediate markers of pharmacological effects with the natural evolution of the disease to predict the drug dose that most effectively improves clinical outcome in patient groups and individuals, making use of advanced modeling technologies (building on deterministic models, machine-learning, and deep learning algorithms); (4) methodology to validate human or humanized in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models for their ability to predict clinical outcome with investigational therapies, including nucleic acids or recombinant genes together with vectors (including viruses or nanoparticles), cell therapy, or therapeutic vaccines; (5) methodological complements to the gold-standard, large Phase 3 randomized clinical trial to provide clinically relevant and reliable data on the efficacy and safety of all treatment options at the population level (pragmatic clinical trials), as well as in small groups of patients (as low as n = 1); (6) regulatory science, so as to optimize the ethical review process, documentation, and monitoring of clinical trials, improve efficiency, and reduce costs of clinical drug development; (7) interventions to effectively improve patient compliance and to rationalize polypharmacy for the reduction of adverse effects and the enhancement of therapeutic interactions; and (8) appraisal of the ecological and societal impact of drug use to safeguard against environmental hazards (following the “One Health” concept) and to reduce drug resistance. Discussion and conclusion: As can be seen, precision clinical pharmacology aims at being highly translational, which will require very large panels of complementary skills. Interdisciplinary collaborations, including non-clinical pharmacologists, will be key to achieve such an ambitious program. © 2020, The Author(s). | Biomarkers; Drug Design; Humans; Models, Biological; Pharmacology, Clinical; Precision Medicine; Prescription Drugs; Research Design; World Health Organization; nanoparticle; nucleic acid; biological marker; prescription drug; algorithm; Article; cell therapy; clinical outcome; clinical pharmacology; deep learning; disease simulation; documentation; drug design; drug effect; drug efficacy; drug safety; ex vivo study; experimental therapy; gold standard; human; in vitro study; in vivo study; molecular diagnosis; One Health; polypharmacy; pragmatic trial; prescription; priority journal; recombinant gene; validation process; biological model; clinical pharmacology; methodology; organization and management; personalized medicine; procedures; World Health Organization | Eurpean Association for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (EACPT); Precision clinical pharmacology; Research agenda |
