scholarly journals Genomic epidemiology of Salmonella enterica circulating in surface waters used in agriculture and aquaculture in central Mexico

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. E. Ballesteros-Nova ◽  
S. Sánchez ◽  
J. L. Steffani ◽  
L. C. Sierra ◽  
Z. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
North America ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Comparative Genomic ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Clinical Cases

Salmonella enterica (SE) can survive in surface waters (SuWa) and the role of non-host environments in its transmission has acquired increasing relevance. In this study, we conducted comparative genomic analyses of 172 SE isolates collected from SuWa across three months in six states of central Mexico during 2019. SE transmission dynamics were assessed using 87 experimental and 112 public isolates from Mexico collected during 2002-2019. We also studied genetic relatedness between SuWa isolates and human clinical strains collected in North America during 2005-2020. Among experimental isolates, we identified 41 SE serovars and 56 multi-locus sequence types (ST). Predominant serovars were Senftenberg (n=13), Meleagridis, Agona, and Newport (n=12 each), Give (n=10), Anatum (n=8), Adelaide (n=7), and Infantis, Mbandaka, Ohio and Typhimurium (n=6 each). We observed a high genetic diversity in the sample under study, as well as clonal dissemination of strains across distant regions. Some of these strains are epidemiologically important (ST14, ST45, ST118, ST132, ST198, and ST213), and were genotypically close to those involved in clinical cases in North America. Transmission network analysis suggests that SuWa are a relevant source of SE (0.7 source/hub ratio) and contributes to its dissemination as isolates from varied sources and clinical cases have SuWa isolates as common ancestors. Overall, the study shows SuWa act as reservoir of various SE serovars of public health significance. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms involved in SuWa contamination by SE, as well as develop interventions to contain its dissemination to food production settings. Study importance Surface waters are heavily used in food production worldwide. Several human pathogens can survive in these waters for long periods and disseminate to food production environments, contaminating our food supply. One of these pathogens is Salmonella enterica , a leading cause of foodborne infections, hospitalizations and deaths in many countries. This research demonstrates the role of surface waters as a vehicle for the transmission of Salmonella along food production chains. It also shows some strains circulating in surface waters are very similar to those implicated in human infections and harbor genes that confer resistance to multiple antibiotics, posing a risk to public health. The study contributes to expand our current knowledge on the ecology and epidemiology of Salmonella in surface waters.

Preventive Reassignment of Pregnant or Breast-Feeding Workers: The Québec Model

1998 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Lippel
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
North America ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Paid Leave ◽  
Fetal Protection ◽  
Safe Work ◽  
Definition Of

This article examines the Québec legislation regarding the preventive reassignment of pregnant or breast-feeding workers, a program designed to enable pregnant workers to obtain safe work or paid leave during pregnancy. The author describes the program, considers the role of treating physicians and public health physicians in its application, and concludes with an analysis of its qualities and drawbacks. Conclusions are based on the analysis of 349 Appeal Tribunal decisions representing all final appeal decisions relating to the program that circumscribe conditions of application, particularly in relation to definition of hazards and the role of doctors in adjudication. Although this program is currently unique in North America, the author suggests that it may serve as a model for other jurisdictions, providing a progressive alternative to traditional fetal protection policies.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 on local government stakeholders' perspectives on local food production

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Catherine Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Local Food Production ◽  
The Impact

Local food production (LFP) can play an impor­tant role in ensuring access to food during supply chain disruptions. Because the drafting, adoption, and implementation of policies regulating LFP is under the purview of local governments in many U.S. states, researchers at University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Exten­sion conducted a study to assess whether COVID-19 affected local government stakeholders’ (LGS) (N=92) perspectives on LFP and the role that LFP can play in responding to public health emergen­cies. LGS who oversee the drafting, adoption, and implementation of LFP policies include staff responsible for code enforcement, sustainability initiatives, and planning, as well as elected and ap­pointed leaders, such as mayors, city and county managers, and city and county commissioners. The survey assessed LGS’ attitudes and knowledge about LFP. The survey also asked LGS about their perceptions and awareness of LFP in their commu­nities, including their perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to LFP and the ways in which LFP producers were using the food they produced. Sur­vey questions also focused specifically on COVID-19 and the role of LFP in public health emergen­cies. In particular, survey questions asked whether LGS perceived a change in their own attitudes, knowledge, and perspectives; whether there had been a change in the LFP activi­ties in their communities following COVID-19; and what they thought the role of LFP was in responding to public health emergencies. Direct comparisons of LGS who responded to a 2019 survey (N=43) were assessed for statistically sig­nificant changes in overall attitudes, knowledge, or perceived benefits of LFP following COVID-19. This study found that LGS have generally positive attitudes and perceptions of benefits of LFP, including its role in public health emergencies, but have limited knowledge about LFP or awareness of barriers to its implementation. The results of this study indicate that LGS understand the potential benefits of LFP in public health emergencies but would benefit from information and training to support the development of policies and programs in their communities.

scholarly journals Understanding the Community Perceptions and Knowledge of Bats and Transmission of Nipah Virus in Bangladesh

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1814
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mahmudul Hassan ◽  
Md. Abul Kalam ◽  
Mahabub Alam ◽  
Shahanaj Shano ◽  
Abdullah Al Faruq ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Nipah Virus ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Attitudes And Perceptions ◽  
Outbreak Areas

Bats are known reservoirs of Nipah virus (NiV) and some filoviruses and also appear likely to harbor the evolutionary progenitors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). While bats are considered a reservoir of deadly viruses, little is known about people’s knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of bat conservation and ecology. The current study aimed to assess community people’s knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of bat ecology, myths, and the role of bats in transmitting NiV in Bangladesh. Since 2001, NiV has been a continuous threat to public health with a mortality rate of approximately 70% in Bangladesh. Over the years, many public health interventions have been implemented to raise awareness about bats and the spreading of NiV among the community peoples of Nipah outbreak areas (NOAs) and Nipah non-outbreak areas (NNOAs). We hypothesized that people from both areas might have similar knowledge of bat ecology and myths about bats but different knowledge regarding their role in the spreading of NiV. Using a four-point Likert scale-based questionnaire, our analysis showed that most people lack adequate knowledge regarding the role of bats in maintaining the ecological balance and instead trust their beliefs in different myths about bats. Factor score analysis showed that respondents’ gender (p = 0.01), the outbreak status of the area (p = 0.03), and their occupation (p = 0.04) were significant factors influencing their knowledge of bat ecology and myths. A regression analysis showed that farmers had 0.34 times the odds of having correct or positive knowledge of bat ecology and myths than businesspersons (odds ratio (OR) = 0.34, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.15–0.78, p = 0.01). Regarding the spreading of NiV via bats, people had a lower level of knowledge. In NOAs, age (p = 0.00), occupation (p = 0.00), and level of education (p = 0.00) were found to be factors contributing to the amount of knowledge regarding the transmission of NiV, whereas in NNOAs, the contributing factors were occupation (p = 0.00) and level of education (p = 0.01). Regression analysis revealed that respondents who were engaged in services (OR = 3.02, 95% CI = 1.07–8.54, p = 0.04) and who had completed primary education (OR = 3.06, 95% CI = 1.02–9.17, p < 0.05) were likely to have correct knowledge regarding the spreading of NiV. Based on the study results, we recommend educational interventions for targeted groups in the community, highlighting the ecosystem services and conservation of bats so as to improve people’s current knowledge and subsequent behavior regarding the role of bats in ecology and the spreading of NiV in Bangladesh.

scholarly journals Unsustainable groundwater use for global food production and related international trade

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Dalin ◽  
Makoto Taniguchi ◽  
Timothy R. Green
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Virtual Water ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Groundwater Use ◽  
Global Food

Non-technical summary Most of the water humans consume is for agriculture. Rapidly increasing water demand has led to overexploitation of water resources in many important food-producing regions. In particular, growing groundwater-based irrigation causes potentially damaging depletion. Food systems are increasingly globalized, leading to large export-oriented production. Much research has focused on quantifying the amount of water resources embedded in traded products, but less attention has been given to the role of groundwater use and the related sustainability of agriculture globally. We assess current knowledge of virtual water trade in light of groundwater use and sustainability and highlight remaining challenges in this field.

Predators with Pouches

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menna Jones ◽  
Chris Dickman ◽  
Mike Archer
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
North America ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Physiological Basis ◽  
Juvenile Dispersal ◽  
Book Covers

Predators with Pouches provides a unique synthesis of current knowledge of the world’s carnivorous marsupials—from Patagonia to New Guinea and North America to Tasmania. Written by 63 experts in each field, the book covers a comprehensive range of disciplines including evolution and systematics, reproductive biology, physiology, ecology, behaviour and conservation. Predators with Pouches reveals the relationships between the American didelphids and the Australian dasyurids, and explores the role of the marsupial fauna in the mammal community. It introduces the geologically oldest marsupials, from the Americas, and examines the fall from former diversity of the larger marsupial carnivores and their convergent evolution with placental forms. The book covers all aspects of carnivorous marsupials, including interesting features of life history, their unique reproduction, the physiological basis for early senescence in semelparous dasyurids, sex ratio variation and juvenile dispersal. It looks at gradients in nutrition—from omnivory to insectivory to carnivory—as well as distributional ecology, social structure and conservation dilemmas.

scholarly journals A review of the resistome within the digestive tract of livestock

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Ma ◽  
Tim A. McAllister ◽  
Le Luo Guan
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Digestive Tract ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance Genes ◽  
Production Animals

AbstractAntimicrobials have been widely used to prevent and treat infectious diseases and promote growth in food-production animals. However, the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance poses a huge threat to public and animal health, especially in less developed countries where food-producing animals often intermingle with humans. To limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance from food-production animals to humans and the environment, it is essential to have a comprehensive knowledge of the role of the resistome in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), The resistome refers to the collection of all antimicrobial resistance genes associated with microbiota in a given environment. The dense microbiota in the digestive tract is known to harbour one of the most diverse resistomes in nature. Studies of the resistome in the digestive tract of humans and animals are increasing exponentially as a result of advancements in next-generation sequencing and the expansion of bioinformatic resources/tools to identify and describe the resistome. In this review, we outline the various tools/bioinformatic pipelines currently available to characterize and understand the nature of the intestinal resistome of swine, poultry, and ruminants. We then propose future research directions including analysis of resistome using long-read sequencing, investigation in the role of mobile genetic elements in the expression, function and transmission of AMR. This review outlines the current knowledge and approaches to studying the resistome in food-producing animals and sheds light on future strategies to reduce antimicrobial usage and control the spread of AMR both within and from livestock production systems.

scholarly journals Role of Flavonoids in the Interactions among Obesity, Inflammation, and Autophagy

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 342
Author(s):  
María García-Barrado ◽  
María Iglesias-Osma ◽  
Elena Pérez-García ◽  
Sixto Carrero ◽  
Enrique Blanco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Bariatric Surgery ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Autophagic Flux ◽  
Obese Patients ◽  
Lifestyle Modifications ◽  
Inflammatory Signaling

Nowadays, obesity is considered as one of the main concerns for public health worldwide, since it encompasses up to 39% of overweight and 13% obese (WHO) adults. It develops because of the imbalance in the energy intake/expenditure ratio, which leads to excess nutrients and results in dysfunction of adipose tissue. The hypertrophy of adipocytes and the nutrients excess trigger the induction of inflammatory signaling through various pathways, among others, an increase in the expression of pro-inflammatory adipocytokines, and stress of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A better understanding of obesity and preventing its complications are beneficial for obese patients on two facets: treating obesity, and treating and preventing the pathologies associated with it. Hitherto, therapeutic itineraries in most cases are based on lifestyle modifications, bariatric surgery, and pharmacotherapy despite none of them have achieved optimal results. Therefore, diet can play an important role in the prevention of adiposity, as well as the associated disorders. Recent results have shown that flavonoids intake have an essential role in protecting against oxidative damage phenomena, and presents biochemical and pharmacological functions beneficial to human health. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the anti-inflammatory actions and autophagic flux of natural flavonoids, and their molecular mechanisms for preventing and/or treating obesity.

Mesophyll conductance: the leaf corridors for photosynthesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 429-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Gago ◽  
Danilo M. Daloso ◽  
Marc Carriquí ◽  
Miquel Nadal ◽  
Melanie Morales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Mesophyll Conductance ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Cell Structures ◽  
Leaf Tissues ◽  
Change Framework ◽  
Chloroplast Stroma

Besides stomata, the photosynthetic CO2 pathway also involves the transport of CO2 from the sub-stomatal air spaces inside to the carboxylation sites in the chloroplast stroma, where Rubisco is located. This pathway is far to be a simple and direct way, formed by series of consecutive barriers that the CO2 should cross to be finally assimilated in photosynthesis, known as the mesophyll conductance (gm). Therefore, the gm reflects the pathway through different air, water and biophysical barriers within the leaf tissues and cell structures. Currently, it is known that gm can impose the same level of limitation (or even higher depending of the conditions) to photosynthesis than the wider known stomata or biochemistry. In this mini-review, we are focused on each of the gm determinants to summarize the current knowledge on the mechanisms driving gm from anatomical to metabolic and biochemical perspectives. Special attention deserve the latest studies demonstrating the importance of the molecular mechanisms driving anatomical traits as cell wall and the chloroplast surface exposed to the mesophyll airspaces (Sc/S) that significantly constrain gm. However, even considering these recent discoveries, still is poorly understood the mechanisms about signaling pathways linking the environment a/biotic stressors with gm responses. Thus, considering the main role of gm as a major driver of the CO2 availability at the carboxylation sites, future studies into these aspects will help us to understand photosynthesis responses in a global change framework.

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