scholarly journals Challenges and Opportunities Developing Mathematical Models of Shared Pathogens of Domestic and Wild Animals

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Huyvaert ◽  
Robin Russell ◽  
Kelly Patyk ◽  
Meggan Craft ◽  
Paul Cross ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Domestic Animal ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Transmission Pathways ◽  
And Control

Diseases that affect both wild and domestic animals can be particularly difficult to prevent, predict, mitigate, and control. Such multi-host diseases can have devastating economic impacts on domestic animal producers and can present significant challenges to wildlife populations, particularly for populations of conservation concern. Few mathematical models exist that capture the complexities of these multi-host pathogens, yet the development of such models would allow us to estimate and compare the potential effectiveness of management actions for mitigating or suppressing disease in wildlife and/or livestock host populations. We conducted a workshop in March 2014 to identify the challenges associated with developing models of pathogen transmission across the wildlife-livestock interface. The development of mathematical models of pathogen transmission at this interface is hampered by the difficulties associated with describing the host-pathogen systems, including: (1) the identity of wildlife hosts, their distributions, and movement patterns; (2) the pathogen transmission pathways between wildlife and domestic animals; (3) the effects of the disease and concomitant mitigation efforts on wild and domestic animal populations; and (4) barriers to communication between sectors. To promote the development of mathematical models of transmission at this interface, we recommend further integration of modern quantitative techniques and improvement of communication among wildlife biologists, mathematical modelers, veterinary medicine professionals, producers, and other stakeholders concerned with the consequences of pathogen transmission at this important, yet poorly understood, interface.

scholarly journals Investigation of the spread of brucellosis among human and animal populations in southeastern Bulgaria, 2007

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
V Tzaneva ◽  
S Ivanova ◽  
M Georgieva ◽  
E Tasheva
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Products ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Spread Of Infection ◽  
And Control ◽  
Positive Results

Three human cases of brucellosis were reported in summer 2007 in the region of Haskovo in southeastern Bulgaria. Subsequently, the regional veterinary and public health authorities carried out investigations to determine the spread of infection in domestic animals and in the human population. As a result, over 90,000 animals were tested, and 410 were found infected with brucellosis. The screening of 561 people believed to have been at risk of infection yielded 47 positive results. The majority of these persons had direct contact with domestic animals or had consumed unpasteurised dairy products. The investigations revealed evidence of disease among animals in the region and a considerable risk to humans, thus emphasising the need for effective prevention and control programmes.

Antibodies to snowshoe hare virus of the California group in the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) and domestic animal populations of Prince Edward Island

1981 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 1224-1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. L. McFarlane ◽  
J. E. Embree ◽  
J. A. Embil ◽  
H. Artsob ◽  
J. B. Weste ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hemagglutination Inhibition ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Domestic Animal ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Virus Neutralization ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Inhibition Antibody

This study, the first of arbovirus activity in Prince Edward Island, has shown antibodies to the snowshoe hare strain of the California encephalitis group virus to be present in sera of wild and domestic animals; 15.35% of snowshoe hare, 20% of equine, and 2.5% of bovine sera were positive for hemagglutination inhibition antibody, confirmed by virus neutralization procedures.

scholarly journals Drivers of disease emergence and spread: Is wildlife to blame?

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Kock
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Domestic Animal ◽  
Emerging Infections ◽  
Disease Emergence ◽  
Emerging Pathogens ◽  
Wildlife Reservoirs ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Changing Demographics

The global focus on wildlife as a major contributor to emerging pathogens and infectious diseases (EIDs) in humans and domestic animals is not based on field, experimental or dedicated research, but mostly on limited surveys of literature, opinion and the assumption that biodiversity harbours pathogens. The perceived and direct impacts of wildlife, from being a reservoir of certain human and livestock pathogens and as a risk to health, are frequently overstated when compared to the Global burden of disease statistics available from WHO, OIE and FAO. However organisms that evolve in wildlife species can and do spill-over into human landscapes and humans and domestic animal population and, where these organisms adapt to surviving and spreading amongst livestock and humans, these emerging infections can have significant consequences. Drivers for the spill-over of pathogens or evolution of organisms from wildlife reservoirs to become pathogens of humans and domestic animals are varied but almost without exception poorly researched. The changing demographics, spatial distribution and movements, associated landscape modifications (especially agricultural) and behavioural changes involving human and domestic animal populations are probably the core drivers of the apparent increasing trend in emergence of new pathogens and infectious diseases over recent decades.

Heterogeneity, Stochasticity and Complexity in the Dynamics and Control of Mosquito-Borne Pathogens

2020 ◽  
pp. 13-28
Author(s):  
Robert C. Reiner Jr. ◽  
David L. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Basic Reproductive Number ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Simple Version ◽  
Dynamics And Control ◽  
And Control ◽  
Entomological Data

A theory for the transmission dynamics and control of malaria was developed around a set of concepts, quantities, and mathematical models introduced by Ronald Ross. Decades later, Macdonald linked Ross's models to epidemiological and entomological data, developed the concept of the basic reproductive number, R0, and proposed a rudimentary theory of control based on sensitivity to parameters. Here, we review development of the Ross–Macdonald model, present one simple version, and provide an eclectic critique of the theory based on studies conducted more recently. While mosquito populations are logically necessary for mosquito-borne pathogen transmission, the study of transmission since then shows it is noisy, heterogeneous, and complex. Heterogeneity, stochasticity, and complexity represent important challenges for applying theory in context.

scholarly journals What Does Tolerance Mean for Animal Disease Dynamics When Pathology Enhances Transmission?

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1220-1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amberleigh E Henschen ◽  
James S Adelman
Keyword(s):  
Graphical Models ◽  
Tissue Level ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Infectious Period ◽  
Disease Dynamics ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Damage Repair ◽  
Host Competence ◽  
And Control ◽  
Damage Avoidance

Abstract Host competence, or how well an individual transmits pathogens, varies substantially within and among animal populations. As this variation can alter the course of epidemics and epizootics, revealing its underlying causes will help predict and control the spread of disease. One host trait that could drive heterogeneity in competence is host tolerance, which minimizes fitness losses during infection without decreasing pathogen load. In many cases, tolerance should increase competence by extending infectious periods and enabling behaviors that facilitate contact among hosts. However, we argue that the links between tolerance and competence are more varied. Specifically, the different physiological and behavioral mechanisms by which hosts achieve tolerance should have a range of effects on competence, enhancing the ability to transmit pathogens in some circumstances and impeding it in others. Because tissue-based pathology (damage) that reduces host fitness is often critical for pathogen transmission, we focus on two mechanisms that can underlie tolerance at the tissue level: damage-avoidance and damage-repair. As damage-avoidance reduces transmission-enhancing pathology, this mechanism is likely to decrease host competence and pathogen transmission. In contrast, damage-repair does not prevent transmission-relevant pathology from occurring. Rather, damage-repair provides new, healthy tissues that pathogens can exploit, likely extending the infectious period and increasing host competence. We explore these concepts through graphical models and present three disease systems in which damage-avoidance and damage-repair alter host competence in the predicted directions. Finally, we suggest that by incorporating these links, future theoretical studies could provide new insights into infectious disease dynamics and host–pathogen coevolution.

scholarly journals Do domestic animals contribute to bacterial contamination of infant transmission pathways? Formative evidence from Ethiopia

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 655-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Budge ◽  
Paul Hutchings ◽  
Alison Parker ◽  
Sean Tyrrel ◽  
Tizita Tulu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Contamination ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Coliform Bacteria ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Bacterial Transmission ◽  
Animal Exposure ◽  
Transmission Pathways ◽  
Floor Surfaces

Abstract Child stunting is associated with poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), partly due to the effect of infection on intestinal nutrient absorption. WASH interventions, however, show little effect on growth. A hypothesis is that bacterial contamination of hands and floors from domestic animals and their faeces, and subsequent ingestion via infant hand-to-mouth behaviours, may explain this. This formative study used microbial testing and survey and observational data from 20 households in Ethiopia to characterise principle bacterial transmission pathways to infants, considering WASH facilities and practices, infant behaviours and animal exposure. Microbial swabbing showed the contamination of hands and floor surfaces from thermotolerant coliform bacteria. Animal husbandry practices, such as keeping animals inside, contributed significantly (all p < 0.005). There was no evidence that latrine facilities mitigated contamination across infant (p = 0.76) or maternal (p = 0.86) hands or floor surfaces (p = 0.36). This small study contributes to the evidence that animal faeces are an important source of domestic bacterial contamination. The results imply that interventions aiming to reduce pathogen transmission to infants should think beyond improving WASH and also consider the need to separate infants and animals in the home. Intervention studies will be required to determine whether this reduces infant infection and improves linear growth.

scholarly journals Over-the-counter sales of antibiotics for human use in India: The challenges and opportunities for regulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-173
Author(s):  
Gerard Porter ◽  
Anita Kotwani ◽  
Lovleen Bhullar ◽  
Jyoti Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Information Campaigns ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Regulatory Instruments ◽  
Human Use ◽  
And Control

This article assesses the regulatory framework relating to over-the-counter (OTC) sales of antibiotics for human use in India. The OTC sale of antibiotics is recognised as a pathway for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR); a serious public health challenge in need of urgent regulatory responses. Analytically, this article identifies opportunities within existing laws in India and highlights gaps that need to be filled by modifying existing laws or developing new ones. Conceptually, it suggests a need to reflect on the limits of traditional, top-down, ‘command-and control’ regulation and to think about alternative approaches. The article therefore advocates for an approach to regulation that incorporates two elements. First, it argues for a broader concept of regulation that encompasses binding as well as non-binding regulatory instruments and initiatives aimed at influencing stakeholder behaviour (including soft regulation, economic incentives, information campaigns and uses of technology). Second, it makes the case for enhanced stakeholder participation in regulatory design. The article will be relevant for health policy and drug regulators in India and other low- and middle-income countries, as well as legal scholars, social scientists and others interested in the regulation of OTC sales of antibiotics for AMR containment.

Alternative transmission pathways for guinea worm in dogs: implications for outbreak risk and control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Vinson ◽  
Andrew W. Park ◽  
Christopher A. Cleveland ◽  
Michael J. Yabsley ◽  
Vanessa O. Ezenwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Guinea Worm ◽  
Transmission Pathways ◽  
And Control

scholarly journals Widespread detection of antibodies to Leptospira in feral swine in the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 143 (10) ◽  
pp. 2131-2136 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. PEDERSEN ◽  
K. L. PABILONIA ◽  
T. D. ANDERSON ◽  
S. N. BEVINS ◽  
C. R. HICKS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Geographical Range ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Feral Swine ◽  
Livestock Predation

SUMMARYAs feral swine continue to expand their geographical range and distribution across the United States, their involvement in crop damage, livestock predation, and pathogen transmission is likely to increase. Despite the relatively recent discovery of feral swine involvement in the aetiology of a variety of pathogens, their propensity to transmit and carry a wide variety of pathogens is disconcerting. We examined sera from 2055 feral swine for antibody presence to six serovars of Leptospira that can also infect humans, livestock or domestic animals. About 13% of all samples tested positive for at least one serovar, suggesting that Leptospira infection is common in feral swine. Further studies to identify the proportion of actively infected animals are needed to more fully understand the risk they pose.

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