Zoonoses and Public Health最新文献

Introduction: Taenia solium places substantial burden on communities in low and middle-income countries, where neurocysticercosis is a leading cause of preventable epilepsy. Current diagnostic tests for T. solium are not suited for low resource settings or perform poorly. Several risk-assessment tools have been developed to support countries in identifying areas for further T. solium investigation and intervention. These tools are based on risk, rather than disease data, and have yet to be validated against biological results.

Methods: Two national quantitative risk-assessment tools (LISA and MCDA), two local semi-quantitative tools (rapid and in-depth), and a local qualitative tool (workshop) had their performance assessed against biological T. solium taeniasis data from 28 villages. The final risk category, risk score and individual components of each tool were assessed independently against village T. solium status by logistic regression.

Results: T. solium positive villages had higher odds of being high-risk villages for all tools, however, this was only significant for the LISA and workshop tools. For the LISA tool, the median risk score was also significantly greater in positive villages. A unit increase in LISA risk score led to a significant increase in the odds of a village being positive for T. solium. Other tools that calculated risk scores also showed similar results, however, were not statistically significant. All positive villages were hotspots for unimproved toilets by the LISA tool. The open defaecation component of the local rapid tool was the only component of any tool to demonstrate a significant relationship with positive T. solium villages.

Conclusions: This first biological validation of T. solium risk-assessment tools demonstrates that there are multiple tools that should be considered for further development. Supporting endemic countries to implement recently developed risk-assessment tools is consistent with the World Health Organization's goal of intensified control of T. solium in hyperendemic areas.

Background: Rabies, a fatal zoonotic encephalitis, is rarely reported in elephants.

Objectives: To present the first confirmed case of rabies in a captive Asian elephant in Bihar, India, using both ante-mortem and post-mortem diagnostics and discuss its implications for wildlife conservation and public health.

Methods: An 8-year-old female elephant exhibited acute neurologic signs including aggression, muscle spasms, anorexia and recumbency. Corneal smears and saliva samples were tested ante-mortem using the fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and a rapid diagnostic kit. Following the animal's death on Day 6, a post-mortem necropsy was performed, and direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) testing on brain tissues confirmed the diagnosis.

Results: Rabies antigen was detected in corneal smears (FAT) and confirmed in cerebellum and brainstem tissues (DFA). No bite history was evident. The elephant died on Day 6 post-onset. All personnel classified as exposed under WHO criteria through contact with infectious secretions or involvement in high-risk clinical or necropsy procedures received immediate post-exposure prophylaxis.

Introduction: Livestock markets are critical hubs within animal trade networks that influence pathogen dissemination at the regional and national scale. Indeed, a 2016 Salmonella serovar Heidelberg outbreak, initially linked to surplus dairy calves at livestock markets, sickened 63 people across 17 states. The objectives of this repeated cross-sectional study were to (i) assess the prevalence and relatedness of Salmonella serovars of public health relevance in Ohio and Wisconsin livestock markets; and (ii) determine if S. Heidelberg was circulating in Midwestern livestock markets.

Methods: Twenty-four livestock markets (14 from WI and 10 from OH) were enrolled in the study from April to November 2019. Market environments were sampled twice 3 months apart. State inspectors used boot swabs to sample the loading docks, main livestock thruway, and two pens used to hold surplus calves at each market. Swabs were shipped overnight to the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for sample culture and serotyping. Whole genome sequencing was conducted at the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Results: Sample-level Salmonella prevalence was 99.1% (111/112) in WI markets and 94.9% (75/79) in OH markets with all negative OH samples collected from the same market. Salmonella ser. Heidelberg was not recovered from any market; however, other serovars of public health relevance were identified including Newport, Agona and Typhimurium. Sequencing data revealed closely related strains across markets. For instance, a group of closely related Salmonella ser. Panama isolates was recovered from three WI markets, and the isolates clustered closely with isolates from retail meat, other livestock species, and human diagnostic labs.

Conclusion: These results suggest livestock markets play an important and under-researched role in the dissemination of pathogens between livestock populations.

Lyme disease (LD), a tick-borne infection, is endemic in Nova Scotia. One decade ago, the seropositivity rate to Borrelia burgdorferi was 2/1855 (0.14%). In the current study, using residual sera representing ages 10–64 years, we demonstrate an increase in seroprevalence, to 25/1872 (1.60%), with the highest seroprevalence in the western area of the province.