scholarly journals Low prevalence of handwashing and importance of signage at California county fair animal exhibits

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Melissa T. Ibarra ◽  
Cheryl L. Meehan ◽  
Miles Daniels ◽  
Woutrina A. Smith ◽  
Martin H. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Indirect Exposure ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Geographic Regions ◽  
Zoonotic Disease Transmission ◽  
County Fairs ◽  
Low Prevalence

Disease outbreaks among visitors at venues where animals are exhibited, such as animal shows at county fairs or petting zoos, are national public health concerns. Zoonotic disease transmission at fairs can occur through a variety of pathways, including direct contact with livestock and indirect exposure through contact with animals' immediate surroundings. Handwashing can reduce pathogen transmission. The goal of this observational study was to determine rates of handwashing among county fair visitors and to learn whether signage and/or contact with animals were correlated with handwashing practice. The investigation was conducted at four county fairs located across two geographic regions of California. Observations occurred over the course of one summer. Results from our observations of fair visitors revealed a low overall prevalence (5%) of handwashing behavior. However, fair visitors who made contact with animals were more likely to wash their hands. Additionally, those individuals who walked through barns where handwashing signage was present were significantly more likely to wash their hands than those who visited barns without signage.

scholarly journals Unravelling Transmission in Epidemiological Models and its Role in the Disease-Diversity Relationship

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein E.M. Toorians ◽  
Ailene MacPherson ◽  
T. Jonathan Davies
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
General Function ◽  
Transmission Method ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Host Diversity ◽  
Transmission Mechanisms

With the decrease of biodiversity worldwide coinciding with an increase in disease outbreaks, investigating this link is more important then ever before. This review outlines the different modelling methods commonly used for pathogen transmission in animal host systems. There are a multitude of ways a pathogen can invade and spread through a host population. The assumptions of the transmission model used to capture disease propagation determines the outbreak potential, the net reproductive success (R0). This review offers an insight into the assumptions and motivation behind common transmission mechanisms and introduces a general framework with which contact rates, the most important parameter in disease dynamics, determines the transmission method. By using a general function introduced here and this general transmission model framework, we provide a guide for future disease ecologists for how to pick the contact function that best suites their system. Additionally, this manuscript attempts to bridge the gap between mathematical disease modelling and the controversially and heavily debated disease-diversity relationship, by expanding the summarized models to multiple hosts systems and explaining the role of host diversity in disease transmission. By outlining the mechanisms of transmission into a stepwise process, this review will serve as a guide to model pathogens in multi-host systems. We will further describe these models it in the greater context of host diversity and its effect on disease outbreaks, by introducing a novel method to include host species’ evolutionary history into the framework.

scholarly journals Transmission of ‘Candidatus Anaplasma camelii’ to mice and rabbits by camel-specific keds, Hippobosca camelina

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. e0009671
Author(s):  
Joel L. Bargul ◽  
Kevin O. Kidambasi ◽  
Merid N. Getahun ◽  
Jandouwe Villinger ◽  
Robert S. Copeland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Northern Kenya ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Zoonotic Disease Transmission ◽  
June July ◽  
Tick Vectors

Anaplasmosis, caused by infection with bacteria of the genus Anaplasma, is an important veterinary and zoonotic disease. Transmission by ticks has been characterized but little is known about non-tick vectors of livestock anaplasmosis. This study investigated the presence of Anaplasma spp. in camels in northern Kenya and whether the hematophagous camel ked, Hippobosca camelina, acts as a vector. Camels (n = 976) and > 10,000 keds were sampled over a three-year study period and the presence of Anaplasma species was determined by PCR-based assays targeting the Anaplasmataceae 16S rRNA gene. Camels were infected by a single species of Anaplasma, ‘Candidatus Anaplasma camelii’, with infection rates ranging from 63–78% during the dry (September 2017), wet (June-July 2018), and late wet seasons (July-August 2019). 10–29% of camel keds harbored ‘Ca. Anaplasma camelii’ acquired from infected camels during blood feeding. We determined that Anaplasma-positive camel keds could transmit ‘Ca. Anaplasma camelii’ to mice and rabbits via blood-feeding. We show competence in pathogen transmission and subsequent infection in mice and rabbits by microscopic observation in blood smears and by PCR. Transmission of ‘Ca. Anaplasma camelii’ to mice (8–47%) and rabbits (25%) occurred readily after ked bites. Hence, we demonstrate, for the first time, the potential of H. camelina as a vector of anaplasmosis. This key finding provides the rationale for establishing ked control programmes for improvement of livestock and human health.

scholarly journals Effect of Temperature on Host Preference in Two Lineages of the Brown Dog Tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura H. Backus ◽  
Andrés M. López Pérez ◽  
Janet E. Foley
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Rhipicephalus Sanguineus ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Rickettsia Rickettsii ◽  
Hot Weather ◽  
Dog Tick ◽  
The Impact

Rhipicephalus sanguineus is a species complex of ticks that vector disease worldwide. Feeding primarily on dogs, members of the complex also feed incidentally on humans, potentially transmitting disease agents such as Rickettsia rickettsii, R. conorii, and Ehrlichia species. There are two genetic Rh. sanguineus lineages in North America, designated as the temperate and tropical lineages, which had occurred in discrete locations, although there is now range overlap in parts of California and Arizona. Rh. sanguineus in Europe are reportedly more aggressive toward humans during hot weather, increasing the risk of pathogen transmission to humans. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of hot weather on choice between humans and dog hosts among tropical and temperate lineage Rh. sanguineus individuals. Ticks in a two-choice olfactometer migrated toward a dog or human in trials at room (23.5°C) or high temperature (38°C). At 38°C, 2.5 times more tropical lineage adults chose humans compared with room temperature, whereas temperate lineage adults demonstrated a 66% reduction in preference for dogs and a slight increase in preference for humans. Fewer nymphs chose either host at 38°C than at room temperature in both lineages. These results demonstrate that risk of disease transmission to humans may be increased during periods of hot weather, where either lineage is present, and that hot weather events associated with climatic change may result in more frequent rickettsial disease outbreaks.

scholarly journals Quantity and Quality of Aquaculture Enrichments Influence Disease Epidemics and Provide Ecological Alternatives to Antibiotics

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 335
Author(s):  
Anssi Karvonen ◽  
Ville Räihä ◽  
Ines Klemme ◽  
Roghaieh Ashrafi ◽  
Pekka Hyvärinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Flavobacterium Columnare ◽  
Disease Epidemics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Environmental Microbes

Environmental heterogeneity is a central component influencing the virulence and epidemiology of infectious diseases. The number and distribution of susceptible hosts determines disease transmission opportunities, shifting the epidemiological threshold between the spread and fadeout of a disease. Similarly, the presence and diversity of other hosts, pathogens and environmental microbes, may inhibit or accelerate an epidemic. This has important applied implications in farming environments, where high numbers of susceptible hosts are maintained in conditions of minimal environmental heterogeneity. We investigated how the quantity and quality of aquaculture enrichments (few vs. many stones; clean stones vs. stones conditioned in lake water) influenced the severity of infection of a pathogenic bacterium, Flavobacterium columnare, in salmonid fishes. We found that the conditioning of the stones significantly increased host survival in rearing tanks with few stones. A similar effect of increased host survival was also observed with a higher number of unconditioned stones. These results suggest that a simple increase in the heterogeneity of aquaculture environment can significantly reduce the impact of diseases, most likely operating through a reduction in pathogen transmission (stone quantity) and the formation of beneficial microbial communities (stone quality). This supports enriched rearing as an ecological and economic way to prevent bacterial infections with the minimal use of antimicrobials.

scholarly journals Light Cross-Linkable Marine Collagen for Coaxial Printing of a 3D Model of Neuromuscular Junction Formation

Biomedicines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Borja Sanz ◽  
Ane Albillos Sanchez ◽  
Bonnie Tangey ◽  
Kerry Gilmore ◽  
Zhilian Yue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Engineering ◽  
Neuromuscular Junction ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Attractive Alternative ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Zoonotic Disease Transmission ◽  
And Migration

Collagen is a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that modulates cell adhesion, growth, and migration, and has been utilised in tissue engineering applications. However, the common terrestrial sources of collagen carry the risk of zoonotic disease transmission and there are religious barriers to the use of bovine and porcine products in many cultures. Marine based collagens offer an attractive alternative and have so far been under-utilized for use as biomaterials for tissue engineering. Marine collagen can be extracted from fish waste products, therefore industry by-products offer an economical and environmentally sustainable source of collagen. In a handful of studies, marine collagen has successfully been methacrylated to form collagen methacrylate (ColMA). Our work included the extraction, characterization and methacrylation of Red Snapper collagen, optimisation of conditions for neural cell seeding and encapsulation using the unmodified collagen, thermally cross-linked, and the methacrylated collagen with UV-induced cross-linking. Finally, the 3D co-axial printing of neural and skeletal muscle cell cultures as a model for neuromuscular junction (NMJ) formation was investigated. Overall, the results of this study show great potential for a novel NMJ in vitro 3D bioprinted model that, with further development, could provide a low-cost, customizable, scalable and quick-to-print platform for drug screening and to study neuromuscular junction physiology and pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Revealing the Micro-scale Signature of Endemic Zoonotic Disease Transmission in an African Urban Setting

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. e1005525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hervé Bourhy ◽  
Emmanuel Nakouné ◽  
Matthew Hall ◽  
Pierre Nouvellet ◽  
Anthony Lepelletier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Zoonotic Disease ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Micro Scale ◽  
Zoonotic Disease Transmission

Commissioned Corps Deployments & Family Resiliency

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Arceneaux ◽  
James Dickens ◽  
Wanza Bacon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Family Resiliency ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
The U.S

Established in 1889, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (Corps) is one of the seven uniformed services and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Corps is committed to protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of the nation with a history that dates back over two centuries, beginning as the U.S. Marine Hospital Service. Today, the Corps responds and serves in many areas impacted by natural disasters, disease outbreaks, terrorist attacks and public health emergencies. Corps officers have deployed to provide assistance during national public health emergencies (e.g., hurricanes, bombings, flooding and wild fires); to combat the Ebola epidemic in West Africa; and to provide humanitarian assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean. Corps deployments impact not only service members but also their families. This article offers a brief overview of the Corps and discusses how deployments impact families. Family resiliency and future implications for research and practice will also be examined.

scholarly journals EpiCore: Crowdsourcing Health Professionals to Verify Disease Outbreaks

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Local Information ◽  
Outbreak Detection ◽  
False Information ◽  
The World ◽  
Geographic Regions ◽  
Human Animal

IntroductionEpiCore draws on the knowledge of a global community of human,animal, and environmental health professionals to verify informationon disease outbreaks in their geographic regions. By using innovativesurveillance techniques and crowdsourcing these experts, EpiCoreenables faster global outbreak detection, verification, and reporting.MethodsThrough a secure online platform, members are able to easily andquickly provide local information to expedite outbreak verification.EpiCore volunteer applications are vetted to ensure that they possessthe public health and epidemiologic expertise necessary to contributeto the platform.ResultsEpiCore currently has over 1600 members that span 135 countries.During the first 8 months of EpiCore’s launch, 172 requests forinformation to volunteers have been posted with an average responserate of over 80%.ConclusionsWith its geographical distribution of members and high responserate, EpiCore is poised to enable the world to verify potential outbreaksignals faster. By improving situational awareness, de-escalatingrumors or false information, and corroborating using other existingsources, EpiCore is able to reduce the signal to noise ratio in diseasesurveillance. Hence, by detecting and verifying outbreaks faster,health officials can generate early responses that can curb epidemicsand save lives.

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