Human–Bird Interactions in the United States Upland Gamebird Industry and the Potential for Zoonotic Disease Transmission

Abstract Background Emerging and endemic zoonoses continue to have adverse global impacts. One Health approaches promoting multisectoral, transdisciplinary collaboration are important methods to address zoonoses threats through disease surveillance, prevention, control, and response. We conducted a One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization (OHZDP) workshop in the United States (US) to identify zoonotic diseases of greatest national concern that should be jointly addressed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of the Interior, and partners. Methods We used CDC’s OHZDP tool to prioritize zoonoses. Workshop participants selected criteria for prioritization, and developed questions and weights for each criterion. Questions were answered using available literature and expert opinion with subsequent scoring resulting in a ranked zoonotic disease list. After agreeing on a final prioritized disease list, participants used components of the One Health Systems Mapping and Analysis Resource Toolkit, developed by USDA and University of Minnesota, to review multidisciplinary coordination processes for the prioritized zoonotic diseases. Results Participants selected epidemic or pandemic potential, disease severity, economic impact, introduction or increased transmission potential, and national security as criteria to prioritize 56 zoonoses. The eight prioritized zoonotic diseases for the US were zoonotic influenzas, salmonellosis, West Nile virus, plague, emerging coronaviruses (e.g., SARS, MERS), rabies, brucellosis, and Lyme disease. Agencies then discussed recommendations to enhance One Health approaches to surveillance, response, prevention, and control of the prioritized zoonoses. Key themes and next steps for further implementation of One Health approaches were identified. Conclusion This OHZDP workshop represents the first use of a One Health approach to zoonotic disease prioritization in the United States. It is a critical step forward in US government agency collaboration using One Health approaches. Further, the workshop created a foundation for future US government One Health systems strengthening for the prioritized zoonoses. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

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Differential effects of intervention timing on COVID-19 spread in the United States

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.abd6370 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (49) ◽

pp. eabd6370 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sen Pei ◽

Sasikiran Kandula ◽

Jeffrey Shaman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Human Mobility ◽

The United States ◽

Control Measures ◽

Basic Reproductive Number ◽

Transmission Model ◽

Reproductive Number ◽

Mobility Data ◽

Nonpharmaceutical Interventions

Assessing the effects of early nonpharmaceutical interventions on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread is crucial for understanding and planning future control measures to combat the pandemic. We use observations of reported infections and deaths, human mobility data, and a metapopulation transmission model to quantify changes in disease transmission rates in U.S. counties from 15 March to 3 May 2020. We find that marked, asynchronous reductions of the basic reproductive number occurred throughout the United States in association with social distancing and other control measures. Counterfactual simulations indicate that, had these same measures been implemented 1 to 2 weeks earlier, substantial cases and deaths could have been averted and that delayed responses to future increased incidence will facilitate a stronger rebound of infections and death. Our findings underscore the importance of early intervention and aggressive control in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

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From People to Panthera: Natural SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Tigers and Lions at the Bronx Zoo

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.02220-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Denise McAloose ◽

Melissa Laverack ◽

Leyi Wang ◽

Mary Lea Killian ◽

Leonardo C. Caserta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

Genomic Data ◽

The United States ◽

Cellular Damage ◽

Animal Reservoir ◽

Live Virus ◽

The World

ABSTRACT Despite numerous barriers to transmission, zoonoses are the major cause of emerging infectious diseases in humans. Among these, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and ebolaviruses have killed thousands; the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has killed millions. Zoonoses and human-to-animal cross-species transmission are driven by human actions and have important management, conservation, and public health implications. The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which presumably originated from an animal reservoir, has killed more than half a million people around the world and cases continue to rise. In March 2020, New York City was a global epicenter for SARS-CoV-2 infections. During this time, four tigers and three lions at the Bronx Zoo, NY, developed mild, abnormal respiratory signs. We detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory secretions and/or feces from all seven animals, live virus in three, and colocalized viral RNA with cellular damage in one. We produced nine whole SARS-CoV-2 genomes from the animals and keepers and identified different SARS-CoV-2 genotypes in the tigers and lions. Epidemiologic and genomic data indicated human-to-tiger transmission. These were the first confirmed cases of natural SARS-CoV-2 animal infections in the United States and the first in nondomestic species in the world. We highlight disease transmission at a nontraditional interface and provide information that contributes to understanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission across species. IMPORTANCE The human-animal-environment interface of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an important aspect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that requires robust One Health-based investigations. Despite this, few reports describe natural infections in animals or directly link them to human infections using genomic data. In the present study, we describe the first cases of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in tigers and lions in the United States and provide epidemiological and genetic evidence for human-to-animal transmission of the virus. Our data show that tigers and lions were infected with different genotypes of SARS-CoV-2, indicating two independent transmission events to the animals. Importantly, infected animals shed infectious virus in respiratory secretions and feces. A better understanding of the susceptibility of animal species to SARS-CoV-2 may help to elucidate transmission mechanisms and identify potential reservoirs and sources of infection that are important in both animal and human health.

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Cryptic Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) Detection and Prevalence in Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Midge Populations in the United States

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jme/tjaa003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 57 (4) ◽

pp. 1262-1269 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hunter Covey ◽

Rafe H Hall ◽

Alyssa Krafsur ◽

Megan L Matthews ◽

Phillip T Shults ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Vector Control ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

The United States ◽

Hemorrhagic Disease ◽

Human Pathogens ◽

Control Approach ◽

16S Gene ◽

Culicoides Sonorensis

Abstract Culicoides midges vector numerous veterinary and human pathogens. Many of these diseases lack effective therapeutic treatments or vaccines to limit transmission. The only effective approach to limit disease transmission is vector control. However, current vector control for Culicoides midges is complicated by the biology of many Culicoides species and is not always effective at reducing midge populations and impacting disease transmission. The endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis Hertig may offer an alternative control approach to limit disease transmission and affect Culicoides populations. Here the detection of Wolbachia infections in nine species of Culicoides midges is reported. Infections were detected at low densities using qPCR. Wolbachia infections were confirmed with the sequencing of a partial region of the 16S gene. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of Culicoides sonorensis Wirth and Jones adults and dissected ovaries confirm the presence of Wolbachia infections in an important vector of Bluetongue and Epizootic hemorrhagic disease viruses. The presence of Wolbachia in Culicoides populations in the United States suggests the need for further investigation of Wolbachia as a strategy to limit transmission of diseases vectored by Culicoides midges.

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Public Health Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Hepatitis A Vaccination in the United States: A Disease Transmission Dynamic Modeling Approach

Value in Health ◽

10.1016/j.jval.2015.02.004 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 358-367 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Praveen Dhankhar ◽

Chizoba Nwankwo ◽

Matthew Pillsbury ◽

Andreas Lauschke ◽

Michelle G. Goveia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Dynamic Modeling ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Hepatitis A ◽

Health Impact ◽

The United States ◽

Public Health Impact ◽

Transmission Dynamic

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Discussion of the Compendium of Veterinary Standard Precautions: Preventing Zoonotic Disease Transmission in Veterinary Personnel

Zoonoses and Public Health ◽

10.1111/j.1863-2378.2008.01143.x ◽

2008 ◽

pp. ???-???

Author(s):

B. Elchos ◽

J. Scheftel

Keyword(s):

Disease Transmission ◽

Zoonotic Disease ◽

Standard Precautions ◽

Zoonotic Disease Transmission

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DONOR-DERIVED DISEASE TRANSMISSION EVENTS IN THE UNITED STATES 2006 – 2008: A REPORT FROM THE OPTN/UNOS DISEASES TRANSMISSION ADVISORY GROUP (DTAG)

Transplantation Journal ◽

10.1097/01.tp.0000332159.11752.28 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 86 (Supplement) ◽

pp. 222-223

Author(s):

M Ison ◽

J Hager ◽

V McEwen ◽

E Blumberg ◽

K Carney ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

The United States ◽

Advisory Group

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Bayesian Inference of State-Level COVID-19 Basic Reproduction Numbers across the United States

10.1101/2021.09.27.21264188 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Abhishek Mallela ◽

Jacob Neumann ◽

Ely F Miller ◽

Ye Chen ◽

Richard G Posner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Bayesian Inference ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Case Reports ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

State Level ◽

The United States ◽

Expected Number ◽

Reproduction Numbers ◽

A Posteriori Estimates

Although many persons in the United States have acquired immunity to COVID-19, either through vaccination or infection with SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 will pose an ongoing threat to non-immune persons so long as disease transmission continues. We can estimate when sustained disease transmission will end in a population by calculating the population-specific basic reproduction number R_0, the expected number of secondary cases generated by an infected person in the absence of any interventions. The value of R_0 relates to a herd immunity threshold (HIT), which is given by 1-1/R_0. When the immune fraction of a population exceeds this threshold, sustained disease transmission becomes exponentially unlikely (barring mutations allowing SARS-CoV-2 to escape immunity). Here, we report state-level R_0 estimates obtained using Bayesian inference. Maximum a posteriori estimates range from 7.1 for New Jersey to 2.3 for Wyoming, indicating that disease transmission varies considerably across states and that reaching herd immunity will be more difficult in some states than others. R_0 estimates were obtained from compartmental models via the next-generation matrix approach after each model was parameterized using regional daily confirmed case reports of COVID-19 from 21-January-2020 to 21-June-2020. Our R_0 estimates characterize infectiousness of ancestral strains, but they can be used to determine HITs for a distinct, currently dominant circulating strain, such as SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta (lineage B.1.617.2), if the relative infectiousness of the strain can be ascertained. On the basis of Delta-adjusted HITs, vaccination data, and seroprevalence survey data, we find that no state has achieved herd immunity as of 20-September-2021.

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