scholarly journals Feeding sites promoting wildlife-related tourism might highly expose the endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) to parasite transmission

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eve Afonso ◽  
Rong Fu ◽  
Amaël Dupaix ◽  
Anne-Claude Goydadin ◽  
ZhongHua Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Buffer Zone ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Parasite Transmission ◽  
Rhinopithecus Bieti ◽  
Domesticated Animals ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
In The Wild

AbstractAn increasing number of studies have found that the implementation of feeding sites for wildlife-related tourism can affect animal health, behaviour and reproduction. Feeding sites can favour high densities, home range overlap, greater sedentary behaviour and increased interspecific contacts, all of which might promote parasite transmission. In the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti), human interventions via provisioning monkeys at specific feeding sites have led to the sub-structuring of a group into genetically differentiated sub-groups. The fed subgroup is located near human hamlets and interacts with domesticated animals. Using high-throughput sequencing, we investigated Entamoeba species diversity in a local host assemblage strongly influenced by provisioning for wildlife-related tourism. We identified 13 Entamoeba species or lineages in faeces of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, humans and domesticated animals (including pigs, cattle, and domestic chicken). In Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, Entamoeba prevalence and OTU richness were higher in the fed than in the wild subgroup. Entamoeba polecki was found in monkeys, pigs and humans, suggesting that this parasite might circulates between the wild and domestic components of this local social–ecological system. The highest proportion of faeces positive for Entamoeba in monkeys geographically coincided with the presence of livestock and humans. These elements suggest that feeding sites might indirectly play a role on parasite transmission in the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey. The implementation of such sites should carefully consider the risk of creating hotspots of disease transmission, which should be prevented by maintaining a buffer zone between monkeys and livestock/humans. Regular screenings for pathogens in fed subgroup are necessary to monitor transmission risk in order to balance the economic development of human communities dependent on wildlife-related tourism, and the conservation of the endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.

scholarly journals Disaster displacement and zoonotic disease dynamics: The impact of structural and chronic drivers in Sindh, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (12) ◽  
pp. e0000068
Author(s):  
Dorien H. Braam ◽  
Rafiq Chandio ◽  
Freya L. Jephcott ◽  
Alex Tasker ◽  
James L. N. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Zoonotic Disease ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Disease Dynamics ◽  
Displaced Populations ◽  
The Impact

Projected increases in human and animal displacement driven by climate change, disasters and related environmental degradation will have significant implications to global health. Pathways for infectious disease transmission including zoonoses, diseases transmitted between animals and humans, are complex and non-linear. While forced migration is considered an important driver for the spread of zoonoses, actual disease dynamics remain under researched. This paper presents the findings of a case study investigating how disaster displacement affected zoonotic disease transmission risk following the 2010 ‘superfloods’ in Sindh province, Pakistan. We interviewed 30 key informants and 17 household members across 6 rural communities between March and November 2019, supported by observational studies and a review of secondary data. Results were analysed using the ecosocial theoretical framework. Buffalo, cattle and goats were often the only moveable asset, therefore livestock was an important consideration in determining displacement modality and destination location, and crowded locations were avoided to protect human and animal health. Meanwhile however, livestock was rarely included in the humanitarian response, resulting in communities and households fragmenting according to the availability of livestock provisions. We found that rather than a driver for disease, displacement acted as a process affecting community, household and individual zoonotic disease risk dynamics, based on available resources and social networks before, during and after displacement, rooted in the historical, political and socio-economic context. We conclude that in rural Sindh, disaster displaced populations’ risk of zoonoses is the result of changes in dynamics rooted in pre-existing structural and chronic inequalities, making people more or less vulnerable to disease through multiple interlinked pathways. Our findings have implications for policy makers and humanitarian responders assisting displaced populations dependent on livestock, with a call to integrate livestock support in humanitarian policies and responses for health, survival and recovery.

scholarly journals Livestock movement informs the risk of disease spread in traditional production systems in East Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Divine Ekwem ◽  
Thomas A. Morrison ◽  
Richard Reeve ◽  
Jessica Enright ◽  
Joram Buza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Herd Size ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Transmission Potential ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Transmission Distance ◽  
Risk Of Disease

AbstractIn Africa, livestock are important to local and national economies, but their productivity is constrained by infectious diseases. Comprehensive information on livestock movements and contacts is required to devise appropriate disease control strategies; yet, understanding contact risk in systems where herds mix extensively, and where different pathogens can be transmitted at different spatial and temporal scales, remains a major challenge. We deployed Global Positioning System collars on cattle in 52 herds in a traditional agropastoral system in western Serengeti, Tanzania, to understand fine-scale movements and between-herd contacts, and to identify locations of greatest interaction between herds. We examined contact across spatiotemporal scales relevant to different disease transmission scenarios. Daily cattle movements increased with herd size and rainfall. Generally, contact between herds was greatest away from households, during periods with low rainfall and in locations close to dipping points. We demonstrate how movements and contacts affect the risk of disease spread. For example, transmission risk is relatively sensitive to the survival time of different pathogens in the environment, and less sensitive to transmission distance, at least over the range of the spatiotemporal definitions of contacts that we explored. We identify times and locations of greatest disease transmission potential and that could be targeted through tailored control strategies.

Investigating Male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Attraction to Different Oviposition Containers Using Various Configurations of the Sound Gravid Aedes Trap

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 957-961
Author(s):  
Kyran M Staunton ◽  
Barukh B Rohde ◽  
Michael Townsend ◽  
Jianyi Liu ◽  
Mark Desnoyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Male Dispersal ◽  
Olfactory Attractant

Abstract Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus), the primary vectors of the arboviruses dengue virus and Zika virus, continue to expand their global distributions. In efforts to better control such species, several mosquito control programs are investigating the efficacy of rearing and releasing millions of altered male Aedes throughout landscapes to reduce populations and disease transmission risk. Unfortunately, little is known about Ae. aegypti, especially male, dispersal behaviors within urban habitats. We deployed Sound-producing Gravid Aedes Traps (SGATs) in Cairns, northern Australia, to investigate male Ae. aegypti attraction to various oviposition container configurations. The traps were arranged to include: 1) water only, 2) organically infused water, 3) infused water and L3 larvae, 4) infused water and a human-scented lure, and lastly 5) no water or olfactory attractant (dry). Our data suggest that males were more attracted to SGATs representing active larval sites than potential larval sites, but were equally attracted to dry SGATs relative to those containing water and/or infusion. Additionally, we found that female Ae. aegypti were equally attracted to wet SGATs, with or without infusion, but not dry ones. These results suggest that male Ae. aegypti within northern Australia are more attracted to active larval sites and equally attracted to dry containers as wet or infused ones. Additionally, female Ae. aegypti are unlikely to enter dry containers. Such findings contribute to our understanding of potentially attractive features for local and released Ae. aegypti throughout the northern Australian urban landscape.

scholarly journals Avian MHC Evolution in the Era of Genomics: Phase 1.0

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily A. O’Connor ◽  
Helena Westerdahl ◽  
Reto Burri ◽  
Scott V. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Structural Evolution ◽  
Great Depth ◽  
Long Read ◽  
Ecological Patterns ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Many ◽  
Avian Mhc

Birds are a wonderfully diverse and accessible clade with an exceptional range of ecologies and behaviors, making the study of the avian major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of great interest. In the last 20 years, particularly with the advent of high-throughput sequencing, the avian MHC has been explored in great depth in several dimensions: its ability to explain ecological patterns in nature, such as mating preferences; its correlation with parasite resistance; and its structural evolution across the avian tree of life. Here, we review the latest pulse of avian MHC studies spurred by high-throughput sequencing. Despite high-throughput approaches to MHC studies, substantial areas remain in need of improvement with regard to our understanding of MHC structure, diversity, and evolution. Recent studies of the avian MHC have nonetheless revealed intriguing connections between MHC structure and life history traits, and highlight the advantages of long-term ecological studies for understanding the patterns of MHC variation in the wild. Given the exceptional diversity of birds, their accessibility, and the ease of sequencing their genomes, studies of avian MHC promise to improve our understanding of the many dimensions and consequences of MHC variation in nature. However, significant improvements in assembling complete MHC regions with long-read sequencing will be required for truly transformative studies.

scholarly journals Mobilising community-based research on zoonotic infections: A case study of longitudinal cohorts in Vietnam

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Saylors ◽  
Tue Ngo Tri ◽  
Toan Tran Khanh ◽  
Kiet Bach Tuan ◽  
Heiman FL Wertheim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Zoonotic Infections ◽  
Response Capacity ◽  
Domestic Livestock ◽  
Study Sites

We initiated the Vietnam Initiative on Zoonotic Infections (VIZIONS) research program to better understand the epidemiology of disease transmission at the human–animal interface in Vietnamese rural communities and to integrate One Health approaches to disease surveillance. We established a longitudinal community cohort study of individuals with occupational exposure to animals, which involves concurrent targeted sampling from domestic livestock species and follow-up monitoring of human clinical cases. The project was implemented by government agencies at the provincial and district levels of the public health and animal health sectors in Vietnam. Engaging with rural communities builds response capacity at the grassroots level, and has improved dialogue between local stakeholders responsible for monitoring human and animal health. Here we describe the process of initiating participatory research and cohort field implementation over the first year in two study sites in Vietnam.Keywords: Vietnam, participatory research, zoonoses, field epidemiology

scholarly journals Seroprevalence of Rodent Pathogens in Wild Rats from the Island of St. Kitts, West Indies

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 228
Author(s):  
Kenneth Boey ◽  
Kanae Shiokawa ◽  
Harutyun Avsaroglu ◽  
Sreekumari Rajeev
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Pneumocystis Carinii ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Adenovirus Type ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Wild Rats ◽  
Group B ◽  
Monitoring Protocols

A pilot seroprevalence study was conducted to document exposure to selected pathogens in wild rats inhabiting the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Serum samples collected from 22 captured wild rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus) were tested for the presence of antibodies to various rodent pathogens using a rat MFI2 serology panel. The samples were positive for cilia-associated respiratory bacillus (13/22; 59.1%), Clostridium piliforme (4/22; 18.2%), Mycoplasma pulmonis (4/22; 18.2%), Pneumocystis carinii (1/22; 4.5%), mouse adenovirus type 2 (16/22; 72.7%), Kilham rat virus (15/22; 68.2%), reovirus type 3 (9/22; 40.9%), rat parvovirus (4/22; 18.2%), rat minute virus (4/22; 18.2%), rat theilovirus (2/22; 9.1%), and infectious diarrhea of infant rats strain of group B rotavirus (rat rotavirus) (1/22; 4.5%). This study provides the first evidence of exposure to various rodent pathogens in wild rats on the island of St. Kitts. Periodic pathogen surveillance in the wild rat population would be beneficial in assessing potential regional zoonotic risks as well as in enhancing the current knowledge when implementing routine animal health monitoring protocols in facilities with laboratory rodent colonies.

scholarly journals More appropriate disease control policies for the developing world : policy and trade issues

2009 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Mariner
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Critical Points ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Market Effects ◽  
Disease Impact ◽  
Health Situation

Investment in disease control should be targeted to critical points that provide the greatest benefit to the livelihoods of livestock-dependent stakeholders. Risk-based targeting should balance the impacts of diseases against the feasibility of their control. This requires sensitive and specific surveillance systems that provide representative overviews of the animal health situation for accurate assessment of disease impact and transmission patterns. Assessment of impact should include household and market effects. The key in surveillance is involving livestock owners using active methods that ensure their disease priorities are addressed. Epidemiological targeting of interventions to critical points in disease transmission cycles should be done to obtain maximal disease reduction. Interventions should be delivered in full partnership with both private and community-based stakeholders to assure high uptake and sustainability. In developing countries, approaches such as participatory disease surveillance and community-based animal health programs have been effective and comply with international animal health standards.

scholarly journals EpiExploreR: A Shiny Web Application for the Analysis of Animal Disease Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Savini ◽  
Luca Candeloro ◽  
Samuel Perticara ◽  
Annamaria Conte
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Control Measure ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
R Shiny ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Interactive Map

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are a significant public and animal health threat. In some zoonosis, the early detection of virus spread in animals is a crucial early warning for humans. The analyses of animal surveillance data are therefore of paramount importance for public health authorities to identify the appropriate control measure and intervention strategies in case of epidemics. The interaction among host, vectors, pathogen and environment require the analysis of more complex and diverse data coming from different sources. There is a wide range of spatiotemporal methods that can be applied as a surveillance tool for cluster detection, identification of risk areas and risk factors and disease transmission pattern evaluation. However, despite the growing effort, most of the recent integrated applications still lack of managing simultaneously different datasets and at the same time making available an analytical tool for a complete epidemiological assessment. In this paper, we present EpiExploreR, a user-friendly, flexible, R-Shiny web application. EpiExploreR provides tools integrating common approaches to analyze spatiotemporal data on animal diseases in Italy, including notified outbreaks, surveillance of vectors, animal movements data and remotely sensed data. Data exploration and analysis results are displayed through an interactive map, tables and graphs. EpiExploreR is addressed to scientists and researchers, including public and animal health professionals wishing to test hypotheses and explore data on surveillance activities.

scholarly journals Place-based social contact and mixing: a typology of generic meeting places of relevance for infectious disease transmission

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (12) ◽  
pp. 2582-2593 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. STRÖMGREN ◽  
E. HOLM ◽  
Ö. DAHLSTRÖM ◽  
J. EKBERG ◽  
H. ERIKSSON ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Infectious Disease Transmission ◽  
Swedish Population ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family

SUMMARYThis study aims to develop a typology of generic meeting places based on social contact and mixing of relevance for infectious disease transmission. Data were collected by means of a contact diary survey conducted on a representative sample of the Swedish population. The typology is derived from a cluster analysis accounting for four dimensions associated with transmission risk: visit propensity and its characteristics in terms of duration, number of other persons present and likelihood of physical contact. In the analysis, we also study demographic, socio-economic and geographical differences in the propensity of visiting meeting places. The typology identifies the family venue, the fixed activity site, the family vehicle, the trading plaza and the social network hub as generic meeting places. The meeting place typology represents a spatially explicit account of social contact and mixing relevant to infectious disease modelling, where the social context of the outbreak can be highlighted in light of the actual infectious disease.

Mapping the Potential for Infectious Disease Transmission in a Wide-Body Aircraft Cabin

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seif Mahmoud ◽  
James S. Bennett ◽  
Mohammad H. Hosni ◽  
Byron Jones
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Radial Distance ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Tracer Gas ◽  
Infectious Disease Transmission ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Aircraft Cabin

Abstract With more than two billion passengers annually, in-flight transmission of infectious diseases is a major global health concern. It is widely believed that principal transmission risk associated with air travel for most respiratory infectious diseases is limited to within two rows of an infectious passenger. However, several passengers became infected despite sitting several rows away from the contagious passenger. This work thoroughly investigated the potential for disease spread inside airplane cabins using tracer gas to quantify airborne dispersion. Measurements were conducted in a full-scale, 11-row mock-up of a wide-body aircraft cabin. Heated mannequins to simulate passengers’ thermal load were placed on the cabin seats. Tracer gas was injected at the breathing level at four different hypothetical contagious passenger locations. The tracer gas concentration was measured radially up to 3.35 m away from the injection location representing four rows of a standard aircraft. A four-port sampling tree was used to collect samples at the breathing level at four different radial locations simultaneously. Each port was sampled for 30 minutes. A total of 42 tests were conducted in matching pairs to alleviate potential statistical or measurements bias. The results showed that the airflow pattern inside the mock-up airplane cabin plays a major role in determining tracer gas concentration meaning that the concentration at the same radial distance in different directions are not necessarily the same. Also, due to the air distribution pattern and cabin walls, concentrations at some seats may be higher than the source seat.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document