One health outlook最新文献

Background: Urbanization and intensifying interactions between humans, animals, and the environment present complex challenges for One Health, particularly in regions like Central Nigeria. This study investigates the dynamics of human-animal-environment interfaces within a Nigerian abattoir during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, focusing on zoonotic transmission pathways and multispecies interactions.

Methods: We employed a mixed-methods approach, combining ethnographic observations, semi-structured interviews, and biological sampling of livestock, dogs, and small mammals. Virological analyses included RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection and ELISA for antibody identification. Fieldwork spanned rainy and dry seasons in 2022 to capture seasonal variations in human-animal interactions.

Results: The abattoir compound is centre of life of multiple species, involving humans, livestock, synanthropic mammals, and domestic animals, and as such, serves as a dynamic hub for their interactions. Seasonal changes influence interaction intensity, with higher densities during the rainy season. While SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected in animal samples, antibodies were identified in cattle, goats, sheep, dogs, and shrews, with higher occurrence in the rainy season. These findings suggest prior exposure of the animals to SARS-CoV-2, underscoring the influence of environmental and human behavioural factors on zoonotic transmission risks.

Conclusions: This One Health study demonstrates the value of integrating ethnographic insights with serological data, and highlights the abattoir compound as a critical site for zoonotic pathogen circulation. Findings emphasize the need for targeted interdisciplinary surveillance and mitigation strategies in high-density, multispecies environments to address zoonotic disease risks and enhance health resilience across species.

Background: Zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis, Rift Valley fever, anthrax, rabies and bovine tuberculosis are highly prevalent among pastoralist communities in low-and middle-income countries.

Methods: This study adopts a One Health approach, employing a range of participatory methods including informal observations, "go-along interviews," narrative-, and key informant- interviews, to explore the cultural, behavioral, and structural drivers of zoonotic disease transmission among pastoralist communities in East Africa. We unpack how the physical environment, socio-economic systems, health systems, community influence and cultural competence as well as individual pastoralists' unique characteristics, behaviors and lifestyles can be leveraged for effective public health interventions that reduce zoonotic risks and improve health outcomes for both humans and livestock.

Results: We present data from 214 purposively selected participants, including 19 key informants, 68 in-depth interviews, 20 focus group discussions, and 22 direct ethnographic observations. Traditional knowledge and beliefs, risky cultural dietary practices such as consumption of raw milk, meat and blood, unprotected parturition assistance, unsafe disposal of carcasses and aborted fetuses were common and carried increased risk of zoonotic transmission. Women and children handled and milked small ruminants while adult men and morans (young warriors) were mostly involved with cattle, camels and slaughtering; hence exposing them to zoonotic pathogens disproportionately. There were piles of manure made up of animal excreta and secretions that were potentially highly contaminated with saprophytes and soil-borne zoonotic pathogens.

Discussion: While livestock play a significant and indispensable role in the daily livelihoods of pastoralist communities, close association of pastoralists with livestock coupled with their unique cultural and behavioral practices increases their risk of exposure to deadly zoonotic diseases. Although, most of these practices are environmentally and culturally adaptive, their risk for transmission is often overlooked. The study also highlights inadequate sanitary practices, poor disposal of animal carcasses and placentae and the absence of veterinary oversight in the production, distribution and consumption of livestock products.

Conclusions: Our study provides a holistic understanding of the subjective perspectives and nuanced insights underlying the emergence and persistence of zoonotic diseases within pastoralist communities. It also underscores the need for culturally sensitive One Health interventions that address these practices and enhance community awareness of zoonotic disease risks and prevention strategies which are often overlooked by conventional epidemiological studies.

Background: Addressing the barriers to outbreak reporting is critical to prevent future outbreaks from becoming epidemics or pandemics. As most emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin, this requires understanding the barriers affecting both the human and animal health sectors. However, previous reviews of outbreak reporting barriers have only looked at barriers with respect to humans or animals independently. Therefore, we undertook a One Health approach to holistically understand the impact of outbreak reporting barriers across the human health, animal health, and environmental sectors.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify barriers and facilitators for outbreak reporting affecting human health, animal health, and the environment. We selected studies that identified discrete barriers or facilitators at the subnational, national, and international levels using quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed methods, or reviews. We extracted information on publication information, barriers, and facilitators, and we thematically summarised our findings.

Results: Among 5,177 records examined, we selected 151 matched parameters for data abstraction and analysis. The most employed methodology was qualitative (56 studies), and the East Asia and Pacific (43 studies) and Sub-Saharan Africa (40 studies) regions were the most studied. Only 45 studies evaluated outbreak reporting with respect to a specific disease. Identified outbreak reporting barriers and facilitators fell under three major themes: technical; economic, political, and bureaucratic; and behavioural and social. We found substantial evidence for technical barriers to outbreak reporting across all regions and sectors and resistance to reporting among agricultural producers. However, evidence for additional barriers, particularly barriers to environmental reporting, is more limited.

Conclusions: This study affirms the importance of building countries' technical capacity to report outbreaks. However, it also indicates the need to sensitize reporters and government officials on the importance of outbreak reporting. A comprehensive understanding of the full breadth of outbreak reporting barriers and facilitators across human health, animal health, and the environment otherwise remains incomplete, with critical implications for ongoing and future outbreaks. Future studies should endeavour to fill these gaps in the evidence base as part of an integrated One Health strategy to improve the outbreak reporting process.

In 2024, Brazil reached significant milestones in advancing the One Health framework, notably with the establishment of the Interinstitutional Technical Committee for One Health and the launch of the São Paulo Declaration on One Health. These developments mark a crucial step forward in Brazil's strategy to address the interconnected challenges of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. The One Health framework underscores the need for cross-sectoral collaboration, transdisciplinary partnerships, and community-driven engagement, particularly as global issues such as climate change, ecosystem degradation, and health crises become increasingly urgent. The São Paulo Declaration advocates for integrated health surveillance, fostering intersectoral cooperation, and promoting sustainable practices to tackle emerging health threats. It calls for a unified approach to addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and social vulnerability while prioritizing research, capacity building, and policy integration across all governance levels. This commentary highlights the importance of the São Paulo Declaration in advancing Brazil's One Health strategy and calls for sustained action from academia, governments, and society. These collective efforts are critical to ensuring a resilient and sustainable future, safeguarding the health of humans, animals, and the environment through holistic collaboration.

Countries with the highest potential exposure to viral haemorrhagic fever viruses are also those with low expenditure on health services, limiting the capacity for surveillance and detection of these viruses, and effective treatment and outbreak containment. The COVID-19 pandemic further limited travel and in-person collaborative training opportunities for researchers, laboratory and public health professionals. Digital learning offers the prospect of addressing some of the shortfall in training needs. In this short report, we describe our experiences in the development of effective laboratory training tools using digital learning methods. We describe the teaching methodology, list barriers to successful implementation and offer some potential solutions.

Background: Mosquitoes are well-known vectors for arthropod-borne viruses, yet their role as passive carriers of non-arthropod-borne viruses remains underexplored. Xenosurveillance, a method that utilizes blood-feeding arthropods to sample host and pathogen genetic material, has emerged as a valuable tool in viral ecology. In this study, we investigated the viral landscape of blood-fed mosquitoes from Senegal and report the first detection of Jaagsiekte Sheep Retrovirus (JSRV)-related and Enzootic Nasal Tumor Virus 2 (ENTV-2)-related sequences, alongside endemic arboviruses. Our study aimed to investigate whether mosquitoes can serve as sentinels for detecting both pathogens and host-derived markers in complex ecosystems.

Methods: Mosquitoes were collected between 2016 and 2019 from three ecologically significant regions in Senegal (Louga, Barkedji, and Kedougou). Blood-fed mosquitoes were pooled and subjected to RNA extraction and metagenomic sequencing using Illumina NextSeq550. Sequencing data were analyzed with CZ-ID and BLAST for viral identification. RT-qPCR assays were designed to validate the presence of JSRV-related sequences, targeting conserved regions of the envelope gene and 3' untranslated region. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using MAFFT and IQ-TREE to compare the detected sequence with global exogenous and endogenous JSRV references.

Results: Sequencing revealed a broad viral diversity across mosquito species, including insect-specific viruses, arboviruses (West Nile, Sindbis, Bagaza, Usutu, Barkedji), and two retroviral sequences. A JSRV-related sequence was confirmed in a pool from Barkedji (2019) and clustered phylogenetically with endogenous JSRV. A nearly complete ENTV-2 genome, closely related to pathogenic Chinese strains, was recovered from the same pool. Other viruses grouped within established African lineages, supporting persistent regional circulation.

Discussion: This study presents the first report of retroviral sequences detected in mosquitoes, alongside the identification of actively circulating arboviruses and insect-specific viruses, highlighting the broader potential of mosquitoes as environmental sentinels. While mosquitoes are not biological vectors for retroviruses, their ability to capture both host-derived retroviral material and pathogenic viral genomes through bloodmeals reinforces the value of xenosurveillance for monitoring livestock-vector-environment interactions. These findings contribute to broader efforts in integrated disease surveillance and underscore the utility of combining metagenomics with molecular diagnostics to detect diverse viral signals in high-risk ecological settings.

Background: "One Health," a concept that highlights the need to bring on board multiple players and actors together to address major health problems, has been proposed to be effective in data gathering to mitigate the menace of antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR). Genomic data on extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) across humans, animals, and the environment are limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Ghana.

Objective: This study determined the prevalence and patterns of AMR in E. coli from diverse sources, and characterized AMR genes, sequence types (STs), and plasmid replicon types in ESBL-EC.

Methodology: In a cross-sectional study, we randomly collected 1500 specimens from healthy humans, cattle, pigs, lettuce, spring onions, pork, beef, and soil samples, between January 2022 - April 2023. E. coli was isolated by routine culture and confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS. E. coli isolates were screened for their susceptibility against 13 antimicrobial agents and ESBL-production. ESBL-EC isolates were whole-genome sequenced (WGS), and in silico analysis was used to determine AMR genes, sequence types (STs), and plasmid replicon types.

Result: Of the 1500 specimens from diverse sources cultured, 140 (9.3%) were positive for E. coli. No E. coli was isolated from lettuce, spring onions, and pork. Fifty (35.7%) E. coli isolates were resistant to three or more of the antimicrobials tested, and 30 (21.4%) were ESBL-EC. The proportion of ESBL-EC identified in healthy humans were 14 (20%), cattle 9 (22.5%), pigs 3 (15%), beef 1 (50%) and soil 3 (37.5%). ESBL-EC isolates were highly resistant to ampicillin (100%), cefuroxime (100%), ciprofloxacin (53.6%), and tetracycline (58.2%). However, all ESBL-EC were susceptible to meropenem. Commonly detected AMR genes were blaTEM-1B (32%), tetA (48%) and sul2 (32%), with majority recovered from healthy human and soil samples. The dominant sequence types found were 12% (3) for ST10, ST 9312, ST 206, and ST 4151. The prevalent plasmid replicon types detected were IncFIB (Apoo1918) (40%) and IncFII (pCoo) (36%).

Conclusion: Within the metropolis surveyed, we identified MDR ESBL-EC harbouring various AMR genes and plasmid replicon types with diverse E. coli sequence types in healthy humans, animals, and the environment. The detection of blaCTX-M-15 in agricultural soil isolate is worrisome, emphasizing the need for a "One Health" approach in combating AMR.

Outbreaks of animal and zoonotic diseases in South Africa are costly and raise concerns about national biosecurity. The interconnectedness of humans, livestock, wildlife and their social and ecological environment necessitates a holistic approach to prevention, preparedness and response to zoonotic and animal diseases. One Health is an increasingly accepted approach in contemporary science and policy spheres, but with limited consideration for economic dimensions. To more fully estimate costs of animal and zoonotic diseases in the country and to explore further scope for applying a One Health economics lens, the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa, in collaboration with partners, held a One Health Economics mini-congress to provide a platform where multidisciplinary stakeholders discussed practical examples, primarily from the Southern African region. Discussions at the mini-congress centred around One Health economics and opportunities, economic insights on prevention and control of Rift Valley fever (RVF), avian influenza and other zoonotic diseases, return on investment for One Health approaches, and insights from the natural resources and animal and human health sectors. Regional and international perspectives on multi-sectoral economic analysis and financing were also shared. Key recommendations from the mini-congress included promoting coordination, co-creation and co-implemented efforts to minimize effects of One Health challenges, and including economic aspects of multi-sectoral engagement to identify and reduce trade-offs and maximize co-benefits of strategies and programmes. Integration of economics in One Health fora, research and collaboration, and promotion of communities of practice and applied training to enhance learning and knowledge exchange were also identified as important.

Background: Anthrax is an infectious zoonotic disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped, and spore-forming bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis. It continues to be a disease of public health importance in Uganda, with sporadic outbreaks reported annually in many parts of the country. In November 2023, Kyotera District reported a strange illness, characterized by itching, rash, swelling, and skin lesions which was later confirmed as anthrax. We investigated to assess its magnitude, identify potential exposures, and propose evidence-based control measures.

Methods: A suspected cutaneous anthrax case was an acute onset of skin itching/swelling plus ≥ 2 of: skin reddening, lymphadenopathy, headache, fever or general body weakness. A suspected gastrointestinal anthrax case was an acute onset of ≥ 2 of: abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth lesions or neck swelling. A confirmed anthrax case was a suspected case with Bacillus anthracis PCR-positive results. To identify cases, we reviewed medical records and conducted community active case-finding. We conducted an unmatched case-control study and used logistic regression to identify risk factors of anthrax transmission. Controls were selected at a 1:4 ratio from the same villages as the case-patients.

Results: We identified 63 cases (46 suspected and 17 confirmed); 48 (76%) were male. Of the 63, 55 cases (87%) were cutaneous and 8 (13%) were gastrointestinal, with a mean age of 42 years. Overall attack rate (AR) was 3.1/1,000; males were more affected (AR = 4.5/1,000) than females (AR = 1.5/1,000). Case-fatality rate was 19% (n = 12). Among the 63 cases, 18 (29%) sought care from health facilities; 33 (52%) were managed by traditional healers. The odds of anthrax infection were highest in individuals who both consumed and handled infected meat (OR = 20.9, 95% CI: 8.8-49.8), followed by those who only consumed the meat (OR = 5.81, 95% CI: 2.12-15.9).

Conclusion: The anthrax outbreak in Kyotera District was primarily attributed to the consumption and handling of meat from cattle that had suddenly died. Poor health-seeking behavior and seeking care from traditional healers likely contributed to the high case fatality rate. To prevent future outbreaks, authorities should enforce cattle inspection protocols, expand anthrax vaccination campaigns, and enhance community education on safe meat handling and medical care-seeking practices.

Background: Enhanced availability of veterinary drugs in Ethiopia has led to a growing use of these drugs in food-producing animals. However, the use of drugs in livestock is not commonly supervised by trained veterinarians. In addition, smallholder livestock producers often lack sufficient education and information about antimicrobial use to achieve the intended impact.

Methods: We used Community Conversations to raise awareness and knowledge about antimicrobial use and resistance within rural communities. We used single-sex and mixed-gender discussion groups to explore community members' perceptions and practices regarding antimicrobial use and resistance.

Results: The data revealed knowledge and behavioral patterns in antimicrobial use and resistance, which vary between communities based on gender roles and information sources. Initially, antimicrobial resistance was poorly understood, but gradually, frequent drug use, poor-quality medications, poor regulatory system, and poor veterinary service emerged as key contributors. Although communities recognized the importance of preventive measures to reduce antimicrobial use, knowledge gaps and resource constraints limit their implementation.

Conclusions: Raising awareness and knowledge within rural communities is an effective approach to promoting behavior change about antimicrobial use and resistance. The insights gained from understanding community perceptions and practices can help develop targeted education and training programs for stakeholders involved in the antimicrobial supply chain.