scholarly journals The relationship between socioeconomic indices and potentially zoonotic pathogens carried by wild Norway rats: a survey in Rhône, France (2010–2012)

2014 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
pp. 586-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. AYRAL ◽  
J. ARTOIS ◽  
A.-L. ZILBER ◽  
F. WIDÉN ◽  
K.C. POUNDER ◽  
...  

SUMMARYLeptospira interrogans, hantaviruses (particularly Seoul virus), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and Toxoplasma gondii are rat-associated zoonoses that are responsible for human morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to describe the infection patterns of these four pathogens in wild rats (Rattus norvegicus) across socioeconomic levels in neighbourhoods in Lyon, France. The infection or exposure status was determined using polymerase chain reaction or serology for 178 wild rats captured in 23 locations; additionally, confirmatory culture or mouse inoculation was performed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate whether morphological and socioeconomic data could predict the infection status of the rats. This study revealed that the rat colony's age structure may influence the prevalence of L. interrogans, hantavirus, and HEV. In addition, areas with high human population densities and low incomes may be associated with a greater number of infected rats and an increased risk of disease transmission.

Author(s):  
Reza Zare-Feyzabadi ◽  
Majid Mozaffari ◽  
Majid Ghayour-Mobarhan ◽  
Mohsen Valizadeh

Background: Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is defined by a clustering of metabolic abnormalities associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. There has been an increasing interest in the associations of genetic variants involved in diabetes and obesity in the FABP1 pathway. The relationship between the rs2241883 polymorphism of FABP1 and risk of MetS remains unclear. Objective: We aimed to examine the association between this genetic polymorphism and the presence of MetS and its constituent factors. Methods: A total of 942 participants were recruited as part of the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerosis Disorders (MASHAD study) Cohort. Patients with MetS were identified using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria (n=406) and those without MetS (n=536) were also recruited. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and used for genotyping of the FABP1 rs2241883T/C polymorphism using Tetra-Amplification Refractory Mutation System Polymerase Chain Reaction (Tetra-ARMS PCR). Genetic analysis was confirmed by gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing. Results: Using both univariate and multivariate analyses after adjusting for age, sex and physical activity, carriers of C allele (CT/CC genotypes) in FABP1 variant were related to an increased risk of MetS, compared to non-carriers (OR: 1.38, 95%CI: 1.04,1.82, p=0.026). Conclusion: The present study shows that C allele in the FABP1 variant can be associated with an increased risk of MetS. The evaluation of these factors in a larger population may help further confirm these findings.


Author(s):  
Elliot Spicer ◽  
BCIT School of Health Sciences, Environmental Health ◽  
Helen Heacock

Background: Seniors participate in sports to improve physical, mental, and social health; however, such activities may increase the risk of illness and injury. Curling is popular in this age group because it is physically manageable, strategic, and provides social connection. Certain factors in curling such as handshaking, play during the flu season, and shared contact with curling stones suggest an increased risk of disease transmission. The purpose of this study was to determine the qualitative risk of communicable enteric disease transmission due to shared contact with curling stone handles in a senior men’s curling league. Methods: 3M™ Quick Swabs were used to sample 22 curling stone handles for total coliforms before a senior’s league game. To analyze microbial shedding during gameplay, the same 22 handles were sampled after the game. Samples were plated on 3M™ Petrifilm™ Coliform Count Plates and incubated at 30ºC ± 1ºC for 24 hours ± 2 hours. Colonies were enumerated in units of CFU (colony forming units)/cm2. Ambient and handle surface temperatures were measured, and curler hygiene-related behaviours documented. Results: Total coliform counts for all samples were 0 CFU/cm2. The ambient temperature was 6.6°C pre-game, and 8.0°C post-game. Mean handle surface temperature was 3.6°C. Hygiene behaviours of concern were hand-face contact, handkerchief/tissue use, and handshaking. Conclusion: There is low risk of enteric disease transmission due to shared contact with curling stone handles by male curlers 55 years and older. Absence of coliforms may have been due to adequate player hygiene, transference of microbial load before sampling, error, or environmental conditions. Health promotion and education can reduce the infection risk elevated by poor hand hygiene, face contact, and handshaking in senior’s curling, thereby protecting the health and welfare of all participants.


2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan L. Cox ◽  
Michael S. Mulvihill ◽  
Ashley Y. Choi ◽  
Muath Bishawi ◽  
Asishana A Osho ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-li Liu ◽  
Jian-zong Du ◽  
Yu-miao Zhou ◽  
Qin-fen Shu ◽  
Ya-guo Li

Clinical and experimental data have demonstrated that inflammation plays fundamental roles in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. Interleukin-16 (IL-16) is identified as a proinflammatory cytokine that is a key element in the ischemic cascade after cerebral ischemia. We aimed to examine the relationship between theIL-16polymorphisms and the risk of ischemic stroke in a Chinese population. A total of 198 patients with ischemic stroke and 236 controls were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing method. We found that the rs11556218TG genotype and G allele ofIL-16were associated with significantly increased risks of ischemic stroke (TG versus TT, adjusted OR = 1.88; 95% CI, 1.15–3.07; G versus T, adjusted OR = 1.54; 95% CI, 1.05–2.27, resp.). However, there were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies ofIL-16rs4778889 T/C and rs4072111 C/T polymorphisms between the two groups, even after stratification analyses by age, gender, and the presence or absence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. These findings indicate that theIL-16polymorphism may be related to the etiology of ischemic stroke in the Chinese population.


Plant Disease ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 705-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Dutta ◽  
H. Scherm ◽  
R. D. Gitaitis ◽  
R. R. Walcott

Infested seed are typically the primary source of inoculum for bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) of cucurbits. An inoculum threshold of 1 infested seed per 10,000 seeds is widely used in seed health testing for Acidovorax citrulli. However, the influence of seed inoculum load on BFB seedling transmission has not been elucidated. In this study, watermelon seedlots (128 seeds/lot) containing one seed inoculated with A. citrulli at levels ranging from 1 × 101 to 1 × 107 CFU were used to investigate the effect of seed inoculum load on seedling transmission and spatiotemporal spread of BFB under greenhouse conditions. The relationship between A. citrulli seed inoculum load and frequency of BFB seedling transmission followed a sigmoidal pattern (R2 = 0.986, P = 0.0047). In all, 100 and 96.6% of seedlots containing one seed with 1 × 107 and 1 × 105 CFU of A. citrulli, respectively, transmitted the pathogen to seedlings; in contrast, the proportion of seedlots that yielded BFB-infected seedlings was lower for lots with one seed infested with 1 × 103 (46.6%) and 1 × 101 (16.7%) CFU of A. citrulli. The relationship between A. citrulli seed inoculum load and frequency of pathogen detection in seedlots using immunomagnetic separation combined with a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay also followed a sigmoidal pattern (R2 = 0.997, P = 0.0034). Whereas 100% of samples from seedlots (10,000 seeds/lot) with one seed containing ≥1 × 105 CFU tested positive for A. citrulli, 75% of samples from lots with one seed containing 1 × 103 CFU tested positive for the pathogen, and only 16.7% of samples with one seed containing 10 CFU tested positive. Because disease transmission was observed for lots with just one seed containing 10 A. citrulli CFU, zero tolerance for seedborne A. citrulli is recommended for effective BFB management. The seedling transmission experiments also revealed that temporal spread of BFB in 128-cell seedling trays increased linearly with A. citrulli inoculum load (r2 = 0.976, P = 0.0037). Additionally, the frequency of spatial spread of BFB from an inoculated seedling in the center of a planting tray to adjacent healthy seedlings over one-, two-, or three-cell distances was greater for lots with one seed infested with at least 1 × 105 CFU than for lots with one seed infested at lower inoculum loads (1 × 101 and 1 × 103 CFU/seed).


Parasitology ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 501-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. ROPER ◽  
W. RICHARDSON ◽  
I. M. ELHASSAN ◽  
H. GIHA ◽  
L. HVIID ◽  
...  

Residents of Daraweesh village in Sudan were monitored for Plasmodium falciparum infection and malaria morbidity in 3 malaria seasons from 1993 to 1996. Malaria parasites were detected microscopically and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in a series of cross-sectional surveys. PCR revealed submicroscopical infections during the dry season, particularly among individuals who had recovered from a malaria episode following successful drug treatment. Clinical and subclinical infections were contrasted by assaying for allelic polymorphism at 2 gene loci, MSP-1 and GLURP and 2 hypotheses examined with reference to these data: that clinical malaria is associated with infection with novel parasite genotypes not previously detected in that host, or alternatively, that clinical malaria episodes are associated with an increased number of clones in an infection. We detected more mixed infections among clinical isolates, but people carrying parasites during the dry season were not found to have an increased risk of disease in the following malaria season. There was a clear association of disease with the appearance of novel parasite genotypes.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jordan E. Ezekian ◽  
Michael S. Mulvihill ◽  
Brian Ezekian ◽  
Morgan L. Cox ◽  
Sonya Kirmani ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Increased risk donors in paediatric heart transplantation have characteristics that may increase the risk of infectious disease transmission despite negative serologic testing. However, the risk of disease transmission is low, and refusing an IRD offer may increase waitlist mortality. We sought to determine the risks of declining an initial IRD organ offer. Methods and results: We performed a retrospective analysis of candidates waitlisted for isolated PHT using 20072017 United Network of Organ Sharing datasets. Match runs identified candidates receiving IRD offers. Competing risks analysis was used to determine mortality risk for those that declined an initial IRD offer with stratified Cox regression to estimate the survival benefit associated with accepting initial IRD offers. Overall, 238/1067 (22.3%) initial IRD offers were accepted. Candidates accepting an IRD offer were younger (7.2 versus 9.8 years, p < 0.001), more often female (50 versus 41%, p = 0.021), more often listed status 1A (75.6 versus 61.9%, p < 0.001), and less likely to require mechanical bridge to PHT (16% versus 23%, p = 0.036). At 1- and 5-year follow-up, cumulative mortality was significantly lower for candidates who accepted compared to those that declined (6% versus 13% 1-year mortality and 15% versus 25% 5-year mortality, p = 0.0033). Decline of an IRD offer was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio for mortality of 1.87 (95% CI 1.24, 2.81, p < 0.003). Conclusions: IRD organ acceptance is associated with a substantial survival benefit. Increasing acceptance of IRD organs may provide a targetable opportunity to decrease waitlist mortality in PHT.


Author(s):  
Philippe Pérot ◽  
Franck Bielle ◽  
Thomas Bigot ◽  
Vincent Foulongne ◽  
Karine Bolloré ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Human encephalitis represents a medical challenge from a diagnostic and therapeutic point of view. We investigated the cause of 2 fatal cases of encephalitis of unknown origin in immunocompromised patients. Methods Untargeted metatranscriptomics was applied on the brain tissue of 2 patients to search for pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, or protozoans) without a prior hypothesis. Results Umbre arbovirus, an orthobunyavirus never previously identified in humans, was found in 2 patients. In situ hybridization and reverse transcriptase–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) showed that Umbre virus infected neurons and replicated at high titers. The virus was not detected in cerebrospinal fluid by RT-qPCR. Viral sequences related to Koongol virus, another orthobunyavirus close to Umbre virus, were found in Culex pipiens mosquitoes captured in the south of France where the patients had spent some time before the onset of symptoms, demonstrating the presence of the same clade of arboviruses in Europe and their potential public health impact. A serological survey conducted in the same area did not identify individuals positive for Umbre virus. The absence of seropositivity in the population may not reflect the actual risk of disease transmission in immunocompromised individuals. Conclusions Umbre arbovirus can cause encephalitis in immunocompromised humans and is present in Europe.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 20150984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita M. López-Uribe ◽  
Warren B. Sconiers ◽  
Steven D. Frank ◽  
Robert R. Dunn ◽  
David R. Tarpy

Social living poses challenges for individual fitness because of the increased risk of disease transmission among conspecifics. Despite this challenge, sociality is an evolutionarily successful lifestyle, occurring in the most abundant and diverse group of organisms on earth—the social insects. Two contrasting hypotheses predict the evolutionary consequences of sociality on immune systems. The social group hypothesis posits that sociality leads to stronger individual immune systems because of the higher risk of disease transmission in social species. By contrast, the relaxed selection hypothesis proposes that social species have evolved behavioural immune defences that lower disease risk within the group, resulting in lower immunity at the individual level. We tested these hypotheses by measuring the encapsulation response in 11 eusocial and non-eusocial insect lineages. We built phylogenetic mixed linear models to investigate the effect of behaviour, colony size and body size on cellular immune response. We found a significantly negative effect of colony size on encapsulation response (Markov chain Monte Carlo generalized linear mixed model (mcmcGLMM) p < 0.05; phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that insects living in large societies may rely more on behavioural mechanisms, such as hygienic behaviours, than on immune function to reduce the risk of disease transmission among nest-mates.


Author(s):  
Stella Capoccia ◽  
Michael Masters ◽  
Scott Risser

This research investigates the relationship among human knowledge, behavior, and risk as they relate to urban chicken husbandry in the U.S. Concern over zoonotic diseases has been on the rise, especially with increasing contact. In particular, avian influenza, or bird flu, Salmonella enterica (salmonella), and Escherichia coli (E. coli), can all cross species lines between people and poultry. This study analyzed knowledge and practices in urban chicken husbandry to assess how they relate to risk of disease acquisition, hypothesizing that certain practices associated with a lessened knowledge base may heighten the risk. This study used social surveys to examine the self-reported knowledge base of individuals involved in chicken husbandry as they relate to beliefs and behaviors associated with the care of these animals. These results identify key factors that may heighten the risk of disease transmission, and demonstrate that an increased knowledge base could act to lessen this risk.


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