Ecohealth最新文献

Community gardens in urban Brooklyn, New York are social spaces that provide food sovereignty to many New Yorkers, but the arrival of the mosquito Aedes albopictus and longtime presence of Culex pipiens makes socializing in these spaces more dangerous. Ae. albopictus is associated with several mosquito-borne diseases including dengue fever, Zika virus, and chikungunya virus while Cx. pipiens is a longtime vector of West Nile virus. Since Ae. albopictus and Cx. pipiens both breed in human-made plastic containers, knowledge of their preferred container types and locations could aid best management practices for community gardeners. This research looked at the abundance and genera of mosquito larvae in 22 Brooklyn community gardens to understand the breeding habits and survivability of these mosquitoes. This research found that non-purposeful container types and lower total volumes of water were significant predictors of higher mosquito densities, but these variables did not predict egg laying preference.

The international demand for shrimp from Bangladesh exhibits a Telecoupled system. Semi-intensive to intensive shrimp farming has changed vast coastal areas into saline zones by altering land use and land cover. While shrimp cultivation significantly contributes to foreign exchange earnings, it also leads to various social and environmental impacts that affect planetary health. This study sees shrimp farming as a result of these Telecoupled dynamics. It uses a mixed-methods approach, combining both primary and secondary data to examine its effects on planetary health in Bangladesh's southwestern coastal areas. The findings reveal several important health and social issues associated with shrimp farming. These include (i) scarcity of drinking and household water, (ii) infectious diseases, (iii) non-infectious diseases, (iv) food and nutritional insecurity, (v) antimicrobial resistance and chemical contamination, (vi) mental pressure, (vii) disaster-related health vulnerability, (viii) social conflict, (ix) healthcare inequality, and (x) rural-urban migration. This analysis enhances our understanding of the complex interactions between humans and nature in shrimp farming systems and their evolving impacts on planetary health in southwestern coastal Bangladesh. The study stresses the urgent need for integrated, ecosystem-based agricultural practices to find a balance between economic benefits and sustainable health and environmental outcomes.

Land use and land cover (LULC) change-especially habitat disruption-has long been linked to zoonotic disease emergence, yet direct empirical evidence remains limited. Using new spatially disaggregated data, this study offers the clearest evidence to date that fire-linked vegetation loss significantly increases zoonotic risk in forest landscapes, but not in agricultural or other-use areas. Monthly vegetation anomalies, captured via NDVI deviations, are tracked across landscape types. A quasi-experimental mediation design estimates the indirect effect of fire on outbreaks through vegetation loss. Results show that in forests, fire-driven vegetation decline is associated with increased outbreak rates, while no significant effects appear in agricultural or other zones. Fires-including slash-and-burn practices and uncontrolled natural fires-hence play a key role in shaping zoonotic risk. The results underscore the need for integrated fire management and land-use strategies to reduce spillover potential and align public health with climate and conservation goals.

This paper investigates the role that sustainability played in shaping interstate difference in pandemic outcomes among the 50 states of the USA, in terms of standardized death rate from COVID-19 and excess death rates. Political ideology is currently a popular possible explanation for discrepancies among states in pandemic outcomes, given that Republican states tended to have higher death rates compared to Democratic ones. Additionally, partisan politics have been criticized for hindering the US pandemic response, especially in the early stages of the pandemic. However, this study demonstrates that the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) index may serve as a more significant predictor of the death and excess death rates among the US states than political affiliation. This suggests that it was not "red" or "blue," but rather "green" that was the most important factor in determining COVID-19 mortality. Pandemic lessons are lessons of sustainability.

The international amphibian trade is a cause for concern due to its potential to introduce different lineages of the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd) into new environments, threatening native populations. Current diagnostic methods, particularly qPCR, lack the capability to differentiate between these lineages, necessitating more accurate genotyping approaches. Here we propose the application of TaqMan SNP genotyping assays to discriminate Bd genotypes (Bd-GPL, Bd-ASIA2/Bd-BRAZIL, and Hybrid) in skin swabs, tadpole mouthparts, and Bd cultures from Brazilian bullfrog farms. Employing two assays utilizing both qPCR and dPCR, we identified genotype presence and analyzed the relationship between Bd load and genotype determination. The genotyping assay achieved approximately 57% success overall, rising to nearly 82% in samples with over 1,000 genomic equivalents. The use of dPCR also enabled the recovery of genotypes in previously unresolved samples, enhancing lineage detection in challenging field contexts. Culture samples achieved a 100% success rate. We identified all Bd genotypes previously reported in Brazil-the targets of our assay-and detected coinfections and hybrids in high-density farms. We hereby present an efficient method for discriminating Bd genotypes, applicable to both pure cultures and field samples with low Bd loads. We emphasize the need for advanced discriminatory methods and comprehensive genetic studies, particularly regarding national regulations governing breeding sites and the global amphibian trade. Our findings highlight the feasibility and relevance of the method and support further research into infection dynamics by different Bd lineages to inform amphibian conservation efforts and trade regulatory policies.

To predict and prevent public health risks from urban rats, studies often examine zoonotic pathogen prevalence in rats in different urban environments. However, human exposure to rats and their awareness of the associated risks are poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to identify factors associated with two aspects of vulnerability to leptospirosis as a model rat-associated disease: (1) exposure to rat urine in the home and (2) lack of awareness that rats carry leptospirosis. To collect data on residents' experiences and knowledge about rats, we mailed a survey to randomly selected households along an income gradient in Chicago. Of 432 complete cases, 36% had observed rat urine in the home and 73% were unaware that rats carry leptospirosis. Using logistic regression, we found that non-white respondents had over three times higher odds of observing rat urine in the home than white respondents. Dog owners and respondents who sought out information about rats, regardless of source, were more likely to be aware that rats carry leptospirosis. When we examined both aspects of vulnerability simultaneously using multinomial regression, we found that residents most vulnerable to leptospirosis (who had been exposed to urine and were not aware that rats carry leptospirosis) were significantly less likely to be white and less likely to be dog owners. Our results suggest that more public education is needed about rat-associated diseases spread through feces and urine and that exposure to rats should be considered another environmental health burden that is disproportionately persistent in underserved communities of color.

Dengue is a neglected tropical disease with a huge disease burden globally. Even though previous studies have focused on socio-demographic and climatic predictors of dengue, the independent effects of age, period, and birth cohort have not been studied. Here, using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, a joinpoint regression analysis and an age-period-cohort model were applied to identify temporal trends in age-standardized incidence and mortality rates and to estimate the longitudinal age curves, the rate ratios of period and cohort effects, the net drift, and the local drift values of dengue incidence and mortality in India, respectively. Dengue incidence and mortality trends in India showed a significant increase from 1990 to 2021. The average annual percent change (AAPC) of age-standardized incidence (AAPC: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.34, 1.44) and mortality (AAPC: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.23, 2.08) increased significantly over the study period. The Error, Trend, and Seasonality model forecasts a rise in cases from 28.86 million in 2020 to 32.06 million, while the ARIMA model projects an increase from 28.95 million to 33.43 million by 2031. The age-standardized rates of incidence, mortality, age, period, and cohort effects of dengue incidence and mortality in India show an increasing trend in all age groups from 1990 to 2021 in both sexes. The findings underscore the need for enhanced dengue prevention and control strategies in India.

In previous studies exploring the causes of lung cancer, smoking has long been recognized as the primary risk factor, while the impact of air pollution has been relatively overlooked. This is particularly true in Asia, where efficiency evaluation studies examining the relationship between industrial and transportation-related pollution and lung cancer remain limited. Moreover, existing literature often relies on static or single-stage models, with limited integration of dynamic and multi-stage approaches to capture the complex interactions between pollution and health outcomes. This study is the first to apply a Two-stage Undesirable Dynamic SBM model to analyze the efficiency relationship between air pollution and lung cancer, using 22 counties and cities in Taiwan as DMUs. It systematically evaluates the "production and environment efficiency" in the first stage and the "life health and well-being efficiency" in the second stage. By addressing a significant gap in Asian research on pollution-related lung cancer efficiency, this study also develops an analytical framework with high relevance for policy applications. The model provides robust empirical evidence to support government initiatives in promoting precision health and sustainable development goals (SDG 3 and SDG 11).

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a growing threat to One Health, with wild birds serving as sentinels and reservoirs for resistant pathogens. Despite Brazil's rich avian biodiversity, studies on AMR in wild bird populations are limited. This study investigated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcaceae in wild birds from Southern Brazil, analyzing molecular characteristics of isolates. Oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 248 birds in two protected areas and two wildlife rehabilitation centers over one year. The sample included resident, partially migratory, and migratory species from terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Using selective culture and molecular tests, methicillin-resistant isolates were identified in 2.8% of the birds. These isolates also exhibited multidrug resistance and were predominantly found in resident birds within protected areas and nearby, suggesting environmental circulation of resistance genes. This is the first report of methicillin-resistant S. haemolyticus with SCCmec type I in Brazilian wild birds. The detection of mecA-positive isolates human-impacted areas underscores the need for ongoing surveillance. By addressing a critical knowledge gap, this study highlights the importance of monitoring AMR dynamics in biodiversity-rich regions to mitigate the spread of resistant bacteria and safeguard both environmental and public health.