Vermamoeba vermiformis - A Free-Living Amoeba with Public Health and Environmental Health Significance

Many case reports emphasize the fact that Free-Living Amoebae (FLA) can relatively easily get in contact with humans or animals. The presence of several facultative parasitic FLA in habitats related to human activities supports their public health relevance. While some strains of Acanthamoeba,Naegleria fowleri,Balamuthia mandrillarisand several other FLA have been described as facultative human pathogens, it remains controversial whetherVermamoeba vermiformisstrains may have a pathogenic potential, or whether this FLA is just an incidental contaminant in a range of human cases. However, several cases support its role as a human parasite, either as the only etiological agent, or in combination with other pathogens. Additionally, a wide range of FLA is known as vectors of microorganisms (endocytobionts), hereby emphasizing their environmental significance. Among those FLA serving as hosts for and vectors of (pathogenic) endocytobionts, there are also descriptions ofV. vermiformisas a vehicle and a reservoir of those endocytobionts. The involvement in animal and human health, the role as vector of pathogenic microorganisms and the pathogenicity in cell cultures, led to the assumption thatV. vermiformisshould be considered relevant in terms of public health and environmental health.

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Occupational and Environmental Health

10.1093/oso/9780190662677.001.0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Occupational Health ◽

Environmental Health ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Practical Experience ◽

Global Perspective ◽

Clear Understanding ◽

Practical Case ◽

Environmental Sciences ◽

Wide Range

This thoroughly updated seventh edition is a comprehensive, clearly written, and practical textbook that includes information on both occupational health and environmental health, providing the necessary foundation for recognizing and preventing work-related and environmentally induced diseases and injuries. National and international experts share their knowledge and practical experience in addressing a wide range of issues and evolving challenges in their fields. A multidisciplinary approach makes this an ideal textbook for students and practitioners in public health, occupational and environmental medicine, occupational health nursing, epidemiology, toxicology, occupational and environmental hygiene, safety, ergonomics, environmental sciences, and other fields. Comprehensive coverage provides a clear understanding of occupational and environmental health and its relationships to public health, environmental sciences, and government policy. Practical case studies demonstrate how to apply the basic principles of occupational and environmental health to real-world challenges. Numerous tables, graphs, and photographs reinforce key concepts. Annotated Further Reading sections at the end of chapters provide avenues for obtaining further infomation. This new edition of the book is thoroughly updated and also contains new chapters on climate change, children’s environmental health, liver disorders, kidney disorders, and a global perspective on occupational health and safety.

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An Overview of Ethics and Environmental Health

The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190245191.013.60 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 697-703

Author(s):

David B. Resnik

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Environmental Health ◽

Environmental Ethics ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Biomedical Ethics ◽

Public Health Ethics ◽

Social Utility ◽

Toxic Substances ◽

Health Ethics ◽

Wide Range

This chapter provides an overview of the ethics of environmental health, and it introduces five chapters in the related section of The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics. A wide range of ethical issues arises in managing the relationship between human health and the environment, including regulation of toxic substances, air and water pollution, waste management, agriculture, the built environment, occupational health, energy production and use, environmental justice, population control, and climate change. The values at stake in environmental health ethics include those usually mentioned in ethical debates in biomedicine and public health, such as autonomy, social utility, and justice, as well as values that address environmental concerns, such as animal welfare, stewardship of biological resources, and sustainability. Environmental health ethics, therefore, stands at the crossroads of several disciplines, including public health ethics, environmental ethics, biomedical ethics, and business ethics.

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Free-Living Amoebae as Hosts for and Vectors of Intracellular Microorganisms with Public Health Significance

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v9040065 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 65 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Carsten Balczun ◽

Patrick Scheid

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Free Living ◽

Public Health Significance ◽

Health Significance

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Reservoirs of human pathogens: amoeba-associated microorganisms in the environment

Microscopy and Microanalysis ◽

10.1017/s1431927613000895 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 19 (S4) ◽

pp. 55-56

Author(s):

R. Costa ◽

M. Fugas ◽

M.F. Caeiro ◽

F.F. Vale ◽

A. Amorim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Legionella Pneumophila ◽

Uranyl Acetate ◽

Pathogenic Microorganisms ◽

Human Pathogens ◽

Free Living ◽

Pathogenic Potential ◽

Thin Sections ◽

Morphological Criteria ◽

Need To Evaluate

Microorganisms, that evolve to acquire resistance to environmental amoeba, are likely to become human pathogens due to the physiological similarities of free-living amoebae to human macrophages. In this sense free-living amoebae can be regarded as nurseries of pathogenic microorganisms. Due to the widespread distribution of amoebae in the environment and their resistance to current disinfection procedures, they may constitute important reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms. Striking examples are Legionella pneumophila and several mycobacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This work represents the first attempt to detect and characterize amoebae and their associated microorganisms in Portugal.Detection, isolation and in vitro culture of amoebae from several environmental sources, including lagoon and estuarine water and sediments, were performed according to previously developed methods. Identification of the isolated amoebae was done by optical microscopy based on morphological criteria and by DNA sequence analysis of PCR products amplified with one of the following two sets of primers: EUK and ITS. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies and PCR/sequencing approaches were used to detect and identify amoeba-associated microorganisms (AAMs). Bacterial 16S region was amplified with the primers 616V/630R. TEM studies were performed according to standard procedures. In short, samples were fixed sequentially in glutaraldehyde, osmium tetroxide and uranyl acetate, dehydrated in ethanol and embedded in Epon-Araldite. Thin sections contrasted with uranyl acetate and lead citrate were observed with a JEOL 100-SX electron microscope.Several species of amoeba (Acanthamoeba lenticulata, A. polyphaga, A. rhyzodes, Platyamoeba oblongata, Saccamoeba limax, Vannella simplex, Vannella sp. and other unidentified amoebae) were found and AAMs were detected both by TEM and PCR/sequencing. The bacteria species Variovorax paradoxus, previously found in association with Saccamoeba and Arcella, were isolated and identified by the PCR/sequencing approach, which also allowed the detection of an unidentified species with about 85% identity with Marivirga tractuosa, a species not yet associated with amoebae. These results point to the existence of AAMs in the environments subjected to this study and the need to evaluate their pathogenic potential. This is an important issue particularly in environments related to human recreational, nutritional and public health activities.

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Other bacterial diseasesAnaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and neorickettsiosis

10.1093/med/9780198570028.003.0020 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Richard Birtles

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Case Reports ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Public Health Importance ◽

Granulocytic Anaplasmosis ◽

The Usa ◽

Population Sizes ◽

Health Significance ◽

Obligate Intracellular Bacteria ◽

Human Infections

In 2001, taxonomic reorganization of the bacterial genera Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Cowdria and Neorickettsia resulted in the transfer of numerous species between these taxa, and the renaming of the transferred species to reflect their new taxonomic position (Dumler et al. 2001). Among the members of these genera, there are four species of established zoonotic importance, which are therefore the subject of this chapter. Two of these species were affected by the changes outlined above.Although these four species possess markedly different ecologies, they share the fundamental biological character of being obligate intracellular bacteria that reside within vacuoles of eukaryotic cells. This lifestyle underlies their fastidious nature in the laboratory and hence our limited knowledge of their biology and pathogenicity. Nonetheless, despite this shortfall, all four are associated with diseases of established or emerging importance: E. chaffeensis provokes human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME), E. ewingii causes human ewingii ehrlichiosis (HEE), A. phagocytophilum causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), N. sennetsu is the agent of sennetsu neorickettsiosis.The first three pathogens are transmitted by hard (ixodid) ticks and are encountered across the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere (and maybe beyond), although the vast majority of human infections caused by them are currently reported in the USA. There, HME and HGA are second only to Lyme disease (caused by Borrelia burgdorferi) in terms of public health significance. Furthermore, given that there is evidence of increasing population sizes and changing distributions for ixodid species (Scharlemann et al. 2008), it is not unreasonable to predict that the infections they transmit will present an increased medical burden in the future. N. sennetsu remains an enigmatic pathogen; case reports remain scarce, but serological surveys suggest high levels of exposure. The widespread consumption of raw fish across east Asia presents specific infection risks to this region, and an increased awareness that sennetsu neorickettsiosis is among the infections that can be acquired from this source is required before its public health importance can be accurately assessed.

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Identifying barriers to organizational health literacy in public health departments in Germany

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz186.239 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

A Mehlis ◽

C Hornberg

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Environmental Health ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Organizational Health ◽

Health Departments ◽

Public Health Departments ◽

Wide Range ◽

Environmental Administration

Abstract Background To master challenges to their environmental health, people have to have health literacy (HL). At a national and communal level, focus is shifting from individual HL to health care organizations. They have to raise their organizational health literacy (OHL) to help their users to access information and services. In Germany, public health departments are responsible for environmental health at a population level while the environmental administration is responsible for health-related environmental protection. To date, there is no research on the OHL of public health departments in Germany. Which are the barriers that keep public health organizations from raising their OHL as well as from making better use of possible synergies with the environmental administration? Methods The study consisted of interviews with experts from public health (n = 7) and environmental departments (n = 5) at communal (n = 8) up to federal state level (n = 4). Experts were asked for their insight on barriers for OHL as well as for cross-sector collaboration. They were selected for a wide range in socioeconomic factors and administrative levels. The interviews were recorded between 10/2018-04/2019. After transcription the anonymized interviews underwent qualitative content analysis. Results In twelve interviews 10.4 h of audio were recorded. Content analysis revealed 13 barriers for OHL. Several of those had been described for hospitals before while others, like low responsiveness to the needs of the public, were unknown so far. Preliminary results also indicated several barriers for cross-sectoral cooperation as well as recommendations to overcome said barriers. Conclusions Interviews with public health and environmental administrative organizations turned up 13 barriers that keep them from raising their OHL. Implementing preliminary recommendations could result in better cooperation, in higher OHL, higher environmental health and therefore contribute to public health in the general population. Key messages Interviews with experts from public health and environmental administrative organizations in Germany turned up barriers that keep them from raising both their OHL and cross-sectoral cooperation. Implementing preliminary recommendations could result in higher OHL of public health departments and higher environmental health of the general public and thus contribute greatly to public health.

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