Transboundary and Emerging Diseases最新文献

Trichomoniasis, a prevalent sexually transmitted parasitic infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, represents a significant public health concern with transboundary implications. In males, trichomoniasis is often asymptomatic, whereas in females, the infection is a common cause of vaginal discharge. It is connected with multiple adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes, damaging the health of millions of humans. This review describes the current treatment of T. vaginalis infection, including metronidazole (and its mechanism of action), tinidazole, and secnidazole. Here, we highlight the challenges to managing trichomoniasis, including mild or severe side effects of the drug and/or drug resistance. Furthermore, the review focuses also on drug repurposing and current promising drug targets. To emphasize the impact of nanocarriers on drug efficacy, we consolidated the published data on the activity of various drug delivery systems such as liposomes, nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, nanocapsules, and others against T. vaginalis as well as Trichomonas gallinae and Trichomonas foetus. The present work explores the recent advances in the quest for antiprotozoal agents against trichomoniasis while delving into the challenges that persist in this endeavor.

Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) is endemic worldwide, causing gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases in cattle, making it a topic of significant interest. The present study investigated the prevalence and evolutionary characterization of BCoV identified in Yunnan, China. The results indicated that the overall seroprevalence was 21.75% (65/285), with a higher rate (25.56%) in diarrhea samples than in healthy samples (15.24%). Meanwhile, PCR was used to detect BCoV pathogens in 616 fecal samples. The overall BCoVs positive rate in Yunnan was 28.73% (177/616), with diarrhea samples showing a higher rate (37.46%) compared to healthy samples (20.50%). The whole genomes of three BCoV strain were successfully amplified, namely, BCoV/YN1LC/2023, BCoV/YNZT/2023, and BCoV/YNLP/2023. These identified strains showed high homology to strains derived from calf diarrhea and respiratory samples than to the classical and vaccine strains. Sequence analyses revealed that seven consistent amino acid mutations in the S protein of three BCoV identified strains, including M¹¹/T, K¹¹⁵/D, N¹⁴⁶/I, D¹⁴⁸/G, L¹⁵⁴/F, N⁴⁹⁹/S, and N⁵⁰⁹/H. Additionally, mutations L⁵/P, N⁴⁹/T, and L³⁹²/I were observed in the HE protein, and mutations L⁵³/Q, M³⁸⁶/T, M³⁸⁷/I, S⁴²³/I, and Y⁴⁴¹/F were found in the N protein. Identified as a recombinant strain, the BCoV/YNLP/2023 displays a unique mutation S⁵⁰¹/F in the S protein, D⁶⁶/G in the HE protein, and the ²⁰⁶SRA²⁰⁸ deletion in the N protein. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the identified strains could be the predominant strains in Yunnan Province or even in Southwest China, demonstrating geographic clustering. These data highlight BCoV’s high prevalence and evolutionary characterization in Yunnan, China, providing valuable information for the effective prevention and control of BCoV in the future.

The H10 subtype avian influenza virus (AIV), an important zoonotic pathogen, is widely prevalent in host species (wild fowl) and continues to infect humans, imposing a huge threat to public health. Thus, the H10 subtype AIV is considered a potential pandemic strain and has drawn the attention of scholars worldwide. Therefore, a fast, sensitive, and economical detection method for H10 subtype AIV needs to be developed for the surveillance and prevention of this infection. Quantum dot fluorescent microsphere-based immunochromatographic strip (QDFM-ICS) has a great application prospect in the rapid detection of the virus. In this study, two monoclonal antibodies (1E8 and 2G9) were generated by immunizing mice with the purified hemagglutinin (HA) protein, and QDFM-ICS was designed to detect the H10 subtype influenza antigen. We illustrated that the limit of detection (LOD) of QDFM-ICS for the HA titer and purified HA protein of the H10 subtype AIV was 0.125 per 80 μL of the sample and 4 ng/mL, respectively. The specificity of QDFM-ICS was 100%, which indicated that mAb 2G9 specifically bound to the H10 subtype influenza antigen without cross-reacting with other subtype AIVs. The method has good reproducibility. Additionally, the results of preliminary tests on clinical samples showed high consistency between QDFM-ICS and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The QDFM-ICS has simple analysis steps and can produce objective results within 15 min. Hence, it can be suggested that QDFM-ICS can be used to monitor and prevent the infection caused by H10 subtype AIVs.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) and canine enteric coronavirus (CCoV) are primary viral pathogens responsible for causing diarrhea in carnivores. CCoV infection generally induces mild enteritis, whereas infections solely by CPV or coinfections involving both CPV and CCoV frequently result in severe diarrhea and can lead to fatal outcomes in affected animals. This study investigated CPV and CCoV infections in raccoon dogs farmed in China between 2018 and 2023. Among the 133 small intestine tissue samples from raccoon dogs with severe diarrhea, 107 of 133 (80.5%) were CPV nucleic acid positive, involving CPV-2 and CPV-2a subtypes. The CPV-2 amplicons maintained I418T, S927A, and T27S. Moreover, the CPV-2a subtype amplicons possessed G300S, N562V, and Y573F mutations compared to dog-ori CPV-2a. Moreover, 30 of the 133 (22.6%) samples were positive for CCoV, containing the CCoV-IIa and CCoV-IIb subtypes. Of these, 25 of 30 (83.3%) samples were coinfected with CPV and CCoV. In CCoV infection alone, mild inflammatory infiltration was observed in the lamina propria of the small intestine. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that CCoV antigens were mainly detected in the crypts of the small intestine. Furthermore, coronavirus-like particles were observed in small intestine samples. Next, we analyzed the detailed binding model for raccoon dog-origin (RD-ori) CCoV-IIa with host aminopeptidase N (APN). The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of RD-ori CCoV-IIa showed robust binding to raccoon dog APN but not to human APN. Our results demonstrated that CPV-2a and CCoV are emerging in farmed raccoon dogs in northern China. Further investigations should be performed to monitor the potential evolution and recombination events of RD-ori CPV and CCoVs.

European badgers are opportunistic animals that could serve as important hosts in the life cycle of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) when entering peri-urban and urban environments. In this study, ticks and spleen samples were collected from badgers (Meles meles) found as roadkill between 2020 and 2021 in peri-urban habitats in Central Europe, Hungary. Altogether, 117 ticks, representing seven species (Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes kaiseri, Ixodes canisuga, Ixodes hexagonus, Haemaphysalis concinna, Alloceraea inermis and Dermacentor reticulatus) were removed from 49 badgers. Following assessment of suitability for obtaining spleen samples from the carcasses, DNA was extracted, and conventional or real-time PCRs were used to detect tick-borne pathogens in spleen samples of 38 badgers. Among protozoan parasites, two Babesia species, representing two phylogenetic groups, and Hepatozoon martis were identified. In addition, Candidatus Neoehrlichia lotoris, a novel Ehrlichia species (provisionally named as Candidatus Ehrlichia transdanubiensis), and Anaplasma phagocytophilum were detected in these tissue samples. The presence of these tick-borne pathogens in peri-urban mustelids indicate that they may provide a source for the infection of ixodid ticks which can in turn transmit these pathogens to humans or pet dogs in urban habitats. Thus, badgers pose an important epidemiological risk factor at the interface of sylvatic and synanthropic environments.

Zoonotic diseases not only cause great harm to animal health but also involve the development of animal husbandry, which in turn endangers human life and health and public health safety. Protein ubiquitination and autophagy are important ways for the body to degrade invading pathogens, which correspond to the ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagic lysosomal pathway (ALP), respectively, and play an important role in the occurrence and development of diseases. For UPS, the substrate is delivered to the 26S proteasome system via a ubiquitination cascade and subsequently degraded and removed. For ALP, the substrate is encapsulated to form autophagosomes, which subsequently fuse with lysosomes to form autophagolysosomes, which are eventually degraded and cleared. However, a variety of zoonotic pathogens can interfere with the protein ubiquitination pathway and autophagy process to promote self-replication and survival, and resist host immune defense. This article reviews the mechanisms by which multiple pathogens interfere with protein degradation pathways, providing a new perspective for the treatment and prevention of zoonotic diseases.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is endemic in China, with swine as the most common reservoir. It poses a zoonotic public health risk to swine workers. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis E vaccination for this high-risk group in China. A decision tree-Markov model was utilized to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of two hepatitis E vaccination strategies, without or following screening, for swine workers aged 16–60 in China from societal perspectives, compared to no vaccination. We calculated HEV-related cases and deaths averted, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) with a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of GDP per capita. A sensitivity analysis was conducted. Additionally, we stimulated the scenarios of fully receiving 3-dose schedule, partially receiving 3-dose schedule, and fully receiving 2-dose schedule. Both hepatitis E vaccination strategies significantly reduced HEV-related cases and deaths compared to no vaccination. ICERs were estimated to be USD 11,428.16 and 9830.71/QALY averted for vaccination without and following screening, respectively, both lower than GDP per capita (USD 12,325.24, 2023). Furthermore, one-way sensitivity analysis identified the discount rate, utility in asymptomatic cases, and probability of symptomatic infection as crucial factors affecting ICER. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) showed a 47.5% cost-effectiveness probability for hepatitis E vaccination following screening, compared to 52.5% for no vaccination. Notably, vaccination following screening was cost-ineffective after age 40 and at a price of USD 138.0/dose. Additionally, fully receiving 2-dose and partially 3-dose schedules were cost-effective, regardless of hepatitis E vaccination without or following screening strategies, while fully receiving 3-dose schedule was cost-ineffective with the vaccination without screening strategy. Hepatitis E vaccination following screening would be optimal for swine workers in China. Vaccination starting at an earlier age and lower vaccine prices can improve the cost-effectiveness. Additionally, 2-dose schedule may be recommended during a hepatitis E outbreak to achieve cost-effectiveness.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a significant infectious disease impacting the global swine industry. Due to high frequency of viral mutation and recombination, PRRSV exhibits complex genetic diversity; however, its lineage classification, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns, and spatiotemporal distribution have not been systematically analyzed in China. In this study, we sequenced PRRSV-2 open reading frame (ORF)5 sequences from clinical samples (n = 364) and retrieved all the available PRRSV-2 ORF5 sequences in China in 1991–2023 from GenBank (n = 5773). Systematically analysis revealed that PRRSV-2 strains in China were classified into five lineages (L1, L3, L5, L8, and L9) and eight sublineages (L1A-L1C, L5A, L5B, L8C, L8E, and L9B), the L8E and L1C PRRSV-2 were widely distributed across almost all provinces in China, the L1C and L1A strains were increasing and gradually replacing L8 as dominant epidemic strains, and L1B PRRSV-2 in China was analyzed for the first time. The L3 PRRSV-2 has a trend of spreading gradually from the southern to the northern provinces, which needs to be paid attention to the monitoring and prevention of PRRSV-2. Meanwhile, PRRSV-2 strains in China were classified into 112 different RFLP patterns. RFLP 1-4-4 PRRSVs were detectable in China, which accounted for 12.71% of all Chinese PRRSV-2 strains. Although they are different from the RFLP 1-4-4 L1C variant in the United States, it is necessary to enhance surveillance of the RFLP 1-4-4 L1C PRRSVs. These results contributed the understanding of genetic diversity and spatiotemporal distribution of PRRSV-2 in China and provide important references for future PRRSV-2 monitoring and control in China.

In 2023, the dengue virus (DENV) outbreak infected over 0.3 million cases and 1500 deaths in Bangladesh. Our study conducted serotyping and genomic surveillance in four districts of Southwest Bangladesh between September and October 2023. The surveillance data from 2019 to 2023 extracted from the Directorate General of Health Services in Bangladesh indicated a significant increase of Dengue infections in 2023, particularly during September–November. The two-layered hypothesis examination confirmed that, despite endemic months, 2023 dengue outbreak had a higher morbidity rate compared to previous years (2019–2022) in the southwest of Bangladesh. Serotyping using RT-PCR and E gene sequence analysis of 25 randomly selected positive samples reveals that DENV-2 was the dominant serotype circulating in this region during the study period. Genomic analysis (phylogenetic analysis and classical multidimensional scaling [cMDS]) exposed a new strain of DENV-2, classified under Cosmopolitan genotype within C clade, distinct from previous Bangladeshi strains until 2022. This strain, possibly migrating from India, might have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic years and exhibited higher morbidity rates, thus challenging our existing mitigation strategies. This investigation provides valuable insights for public health interventions and underscores the importance of continuous genomic surveillance in managing dengue outbreaks.