Zoonotic and Public Health Implications of Campylobacter Species and Squamates (Lizards, Snakes and Amphisbaenians)

Campylobacter spp. is one of the most widespread infectious diseases of veterinary and public health significance. Globally, the incidence of campylobacteriosis has increased over the last decade in both developing and developed countries. Squamates (lizards, snakes and amphisbaenians) are a potential reservoir and source of transmission of campylobacteriosis to humans. This systematic review examined studies from the last 20 years that have reported squamate-associated human campylobacteriosis. It was found that C. fetus subsp. testudinum and C. fetus subsp. fetus were the most common species responsible for human campylobacteriosis from a squamate host. The common squamate hosts identified included bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps), green iguana (Iguana iguana), western beaked gecko (Rhynchoedura ornate) and blotched blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua nigrolutea). People with underlying chronic illnesses, the immunocompromised and the elderly were identified as the most vulnerable population. Exposure to pet squamates, wild animals, consumption of reptilian cuisines and cross contamination with untreated water were risk factors associated with Campylobacter infections. Proper hand hygiene practices, responsible pet ownership, ‘One Health’ education and awareness on zoonotic diseases will help reduce the public health risks arising from Campylobacter exposure through squamates. Continued surveillance using molecular diagnostic methods will also enhance detection and response to squamate-linked campylobacteriosis.

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Cyclosporiasis—Updates on Clinical Presentation, Pathology, Clinical Diagnosis, and Treatment

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9091863 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 1863

Author(s):

Blaine A. Mathison ◽

Bobbi S. Pritt

Keyword(s):

Clinical Presentation ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

The Elderly ◽

Developed Countries ◽

The United States ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Molecular Diagnostic ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Contaminated Food ◽

Locally Grown

Cyclospora cayetanensis is an intestinal coccidian parasite transmitted to humans through the consumption of oocysts in fecally contaminated food and water. Infection is found worldwide and is highly endemic in tropical and subtropical regions with poor sanitation. Disease in developed countries is usually observed in travelers and in seasonal outbreaks associated with imported produce from endemic areas. Recently, summertime outbreaks in the United States have also been linked to locally grown produce. Cyclosporiasis causes a diarrheal illness which may be severe in infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. The increased adoption of highly sensitive molecular diagnostic tests, including commercially available multiplex panels for gastrointestinal pathogens, has facilitated the detection of infection and likely contributed to the increased reports of cases in developed countries. This manuscript reviews important aspects of the biology, epidemiology, and clinical manifestations of C. cayetanensis and provides an in-depth discussion of current laboratory diagnostic methods.

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Unusual cryptosporidiosis cases in Swedish patients: extended molecular characterization ofCryptosporidium viatorumandCryptosporidiumchipmunk genotype I

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s003118201300084x ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 140 (14) ◽

pp. 1735-1740 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

MARIANNE LEBBAD ◽

JESSICA BESER ◽

MONA INSULANDER ◽

LILLEMOR KARLSSON ◽

JENS G. MATTSSON ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Characterization ◽

Cryptosporidium Parvum ◽

Geographical Variation ◽

Indian Subcontinent ◽

Common Species ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Molecular Diagnostic ◽

Cryptosporidium Hominis ◽

Genotype I ◽

Protein Locus

SUMMARYMost human cases of cryptosporidiosis are caused byCryptosporidium parvumorCryptosporidium hominis, but the use of molecular diagnostic methods has revealed that several other less common species or genotypes can also be involved. Here, we describe two unusual causes of cryptosporidiosis, one being the recently described speciesCryptosporidium viatorumand the otherCryptosporidiumchipmunk genotype I. Two Swedish patients who were infected withC. viatorumhad travelled to Kenya and Guatemala, respectively, and two others had been infected withCryptosporidiumchipmunk genotype I in Sweden. None of these four patients were immunocompromised, and all four showed classical symptoms of cryptosporidiosis. We performed extensive molecular characterization, including analysis of four loci. The twoC. viatorumisolates were found to differ slightly at the 70-kDa heat shock protein locus, which may indicate a local geographical variation in this species that has previously been described exclusively on the Indian subcontinent.

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Elderly suicide rates: the importance of a non-linear relationship with distal risk and protective factors

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610212000750 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 24 (9) ◽

pp. 1363-1367 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ajit Shah ◽

Ravi Bhat ◽

Sofia Zarate-Escudero

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Protective Factors ◽

Population Level ◽

The Elderly ◽

Risk And Protective Factors ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Health Concern ◽

National Study ◽

Detailed Knowledge ◽

Suicide Rates

The elderly population size is increasing worldwide due to prolonged life expectancy and falling birth rates. Traditionally, suicide rates increase with age. For example, a recent cross-national study of 62 developing and developed countries reported an increase in suicide rates with aging in males and females in 25 and 27 countries respectively (Shah, 2007a). Thus, suicides in the elderly are an important public health concern. While much is known about proximal (individual level) risk and protective factors for elderly suicides (e.g. Conwell et al., 1991; Cattell and Jolley, 1995; Harwood et al., 2001), less is known about more distal (societal or population level) risk and protective factors (Rehkopf and Buka, 2006). Moreover, detailed knowledge of these distal factors may have greater public health relevance for the development of comprehensive prevention strategies (Knox et al., 2004).

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Some Demographic Features of the Disabled Population in Pakistan

The Pakistan Development Review ◽

10.30541/v31i4iipp.1021-1036 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 31 (4II) ◽

pp. 1021-1036

Author(s):

Mohammad Afzal

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Developing Countries ◽

Life Expectancy ◽

Age Structure ◽

The Elderly ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Disabled Persons ◽

Nutritional Deficiencies ◽

World Population ◽

The Disabled

Although disability has been the area of concern in the domain of such disciplines as social welfare and public health, the serious concern on the demography of disability as an important research subject has emerged only recently. In the less developed countries where most of the world popUlation lives, the rapid decline in mortality with little reduction in fertility, under the conditions of underdevelopment, nutritional deficiencies, insufficient coverage for health, inadequate sanitation and safe water facilities, has been contributing to the increasing number of disabled persons. This is because the availability of modern medicine, even to an inadequate extent, has contributed to the reduction in mortality, but many of those who survive become permanently disabled. Apart from the differences in data collection systems in different countries and the problems associated with such approaches, the variations in prevalence of disability are partly attributed to such factors as differential chronic and infectious disease patterns; differential life expectancy; the age structure of populations and population composition; differential nutritional status; differential rates of exposure to environmental, occupational and traffic hazards; and variations in public health practice [United Nations. (1990)]. In developed countries where the increase in life expectancy had started to occur earlier than the developing countries, the decline in fertility led to the growing proportions of the elderly in their population. As the proportion of the elderly popUlation in the total population gets larger the proportion of the disabled become conspicuous. This is because in both developed and deVeloping countries the age structure of the disabled popUlation is predominantly elderly in comparison to the overall population age structure. It has been observed that in such developed countries where the ageing process has gone furthest, the number of disabled persons have increased rapidly. [Okoliski (1986).]

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Ophthalmopathology of the old people. Population research. Preliminary results

POINT OF VIEW EAST – WEST ◽

10.25276/2410-1257-2021-1-9-12 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 9-12

Author(s):

M.M. Bikbov ◽

◽

T.R. Gilmanshin ◽

R.M. Zainullin ◽

G.M. Kazakbaeva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Old Age ◽

Vision Loss ◽

The Elderly ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽

Ophthalmological Examination ◽

Old People ◽

Age Related ◽

Region Of Residence

Currently, the percentage of old people is growing from year to year in developed countries their share ranges from 10 to 15% of the entire population. In connection with such trends the issue of old age should be given special attention. Purpose. Identify the main risk factors and assess the incidence of ophthalmopathology among the elderly. Material and methods. In Ufa Eye Research Institute was examined 1526 people over 85 years old. Ophthalmological examination included standard and additional diagnostic methods: ultrasound biometry, keratotopography, computed perimetry, ophthalmoscopy using a fundus camera, optical coherence tomography. Results. The main cause of vision loss in the elderly was cataract – 41.7%, followed by AMD – 32.6%, then glaucoma – 10.1%, other eye diseases – 8.1%, optic disc pathology – 54.1% and diabetic angioretinopathy – 2.4%. The most significant association of the ophthalmopathology development is associated with such factors as age, gender, region of residence, axial length of the eye. Conclusions. Timely detection of ophthalmic pathology among old people will allow to preserve the patients visual functions, increase the social rehabilitation level and ensure their active and creative longevity. Key words: old age, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma.

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Bovine Tuberculosis: A Review of Molecular Diagnostic Methods and Impact on Public Health

American Journal of Microbiological Research ◽

10.12691/ajmr-9-1-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Mahendra Pal ◽

Gemechu Berhanu ◽

Diba Feyisa ◽

Bizunesh Mideksa ◽

Venkataramana Kandi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Bovine Tuberculosis ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Molecular Diagnostic

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Molecular Methods for Diagnosis of Viral Encephalitis

Clinical Microbiology Reviews ◽

10.1128/cmr.17.4.903-925.2004 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 903-925 ◽

Cited By ~ 140

Author(s):

Roberta L. DeBiasi ◽

Kenneth L. Tyler

Keyword(s):

Nucleic Acid ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Antiviral Drug ◽

Developed Countries ◽

The United States ◽

Etiologic Agent ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Molecular Diagnostic ◽

Predictive Values ◽

Cns Disease

SUMMARY Hundreds of viruses cause central nervous system (CNS) disease, including meningoencephalitis and postinfectious encephalomyelitis, in humans. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is abnormal in >90% of cases; however, routine CSF studies only rarely lead to identification of a specific etiologic agent. Diagnosis of viral infections of the CNS has been revolutionized by the advent of new molecular diagnostic technologies to amplify viral nucleic acid from CSF, including PCR, nucleic acid sequence-based amplification, and branched-DNA assay. PCR is ideally suited for identifying fastidious organisms that may be difficult or impossible to culture and has been widely applied for detection of both DNA and RNA viruses in CSF. The technique can be performed rapidly and inexpensively and has become an integral component of diagnostic medical practice in the United States and other developed countries. In addition to its use for identification of etiologic agents of CNS disease in the clinical setting, PCR has also been used to quantitate viral load and monitor duration and adequacy of antiviral drug therapy. PCR has also been applied in the research setting to help discriminate active versus postinfectious immune-mediate disease, identify determinants of drug resistance, and investigate the etiology of neurologic disease of uncertain cause. This review discusses general principles of PCR and reverse transcription-PCR, including qualitative, quantitative, and multiplex techniques, with comment on issues of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. The application of molecular diagnostic methods for diagnosis of specific infectious entities is reviewed in detail, including viruses for which PCR is of proven efficacy and is widely available, viruses for which PCR is less widely available or for which PCR has unproven sensitivity and specificity, and nonviral entities which can mimic viral CNS disease.

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Körperliche Beschwerden bei älteren Migranten in Deutschland 1Erstellt unter Mitwirkung der Arbeitsgruppe «Abuse of the Elderly in the European Region» (ABUEL): Joaquim F. J. Soares, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; Francisco Torres-González, Departmental Section of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University of Granada, Spain; Elisabeth Ioannidi-Kapolou, National School of Public Health, Department of Sociology, Athens, Greece; Giovanni Lamura, Italian National Research Centre on Ageing Department of Gerontological Research, Unit of Health Economics, Ancona, Italy; Mindaugas Stankunas, Kaunas University of Medicine, Department of Health Management, A. Mickeviciaus, Kaunas, Lithuania; Henrique Barros, Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal.

Zeitschrift für Psychiatrie Psychologie und Psychotherapie ◽

10.1024/1661-4747.a000028 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 58 (3) ◽

pp. 199-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rosina-Martha Csöff ◽

Gloria Macassa ◽

Jutta Lindert

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Management ◽

The Elderly ◽

Health Department ◽

Research Unit ◽

Research Centre ◽

Public Health Department ◽

Karolinska Institute ◽

Psychological Medicine ◽

Körperliche Beschwerden

Körperliche Beschwerden sind bei Älteren weit verbreitet; diese sind bei Migranten bislang in Deutschland und international noch wenig untersucht. Unsere multizentrische Querschnittstudie erfasste körperliche Beschwerden bei Menschen im Alter zwischen 60 und 84 Jahren mit Wohnsitz in Stuttgart anhand der Kurzversion des Gießener Beschwerdebogens (GBB-24). In Deutschland wurden 648 Personen untersucht, davon 13.4 % (n = 87) nicht in Deutschland geborene. Die Geschlechterverteilung war bei Migranten und Nichtmigranten gleich; der sozioökonomische Status lag bei den Migranten etwas niedriger: 8.0 % (n = 7) der Migranten und 2.5 % (n = 14) der Nichtmigranten verfügten über höchstens vier Jahre Schulbildung; 12.6 % (n = 11) der Migranten und 8.2 % (n = 46) der Nichtmigranten hatten ein monatliches Haushaltsnettoeinkommen von unter 1000€; 26.4 % der Migranten und 38.1 % (n = 214) der Nichtmigranten verfügten über mehr als 2000€ monatlich. Somatische Beschwerden lagen bei den Migranten bei 65.5 % (n = 57) und bei den Nichtmigranten bei 55.8 % (n = 313). Frauen wiesen häufiger somatische Beschwerden auf (61.8 %) als Männer (51.8 %). Mit steigendem Alter nahmen somatische Beschwerden zu. Mit Ausnahme der Altersgruppe der 70–74-Jährigen konnte kein signifikanter Unterschied zwischen Migranten und Nichtmigranten hinsichtlich der Häufigkeit körperlicher Beschwerden gezeigt werden. Ausblick: Es werden dringend bevölkerungsrepräsentative Studien zu körperlichen Beschwerden bei Migranten benötigt.

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