Seroprevalence of Anti–Hepatitis E Virus and Anti-Salmonella Antibodies in Pigs at Slaughter in Switzerland

2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 1483-1485 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. WACHECK ◽  
E. SARNO ◽  
E. MÄRTLBAUER ◽  
C. ZWEIFEL ◽  
R. STEPHAN
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Immunoglobulin G ◽  
Hepatitis E Virus ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Hepatitis E ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Zoonotic Pathogens ◽  
Meat Juice ◽  
Fattening Pigs

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) and Salmonella bacteria are zoonotic pathogens that can be acquired by foodborne transmission because food animals, for example pigs, are recognized as a reservoir. The objectives of this study were to determine the seroprevalence of anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) and anti-Salmonella antibodies from healthy pigs at slaughter in Switzerland, a country with a good health status of pig herds (e.g., eradication of enzootic pneumonia) compared with those of many countries in the European Union, and a rate of importation of live pigs that is very low (<1%). Based on pooled (diaphragm muscles from 3 to 5 animals per producer) meat juice samples, 120 (60%) of 200 and 8 (4%) of 200 samples were positive for anti-HEV IgG and anti-Salmonella antibodies, respectively. HEV seems to be highly prevalent among fattening pigs in Switzerland, whereas the low seroprevalence of anti-Salmonella IgG has not changed in recent years.

scholarly journals Blood Donor Screening for Hepatitis E Virus in the European Union

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Boland ◽  
Auxiliadora Martinez ◽  
Louise Pomeroy ◽  
Niamh O'Flaherty
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Blood Donor ◽  
Hepatitis E Virus ◽  
Hepatitis E ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Donor Screening ◽  
Blood Donor Screening

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, Hepatitis E Virus and Salmonella antibodies in meat juice samples from pigs at slaughter in Switzerland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucien Kelbert ◽  
Roger Stephan ◽  
Caroline Furtwaengler ◽  
Juan Antonio Pinillo ◽  
Marina Morach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Hepatitis E Virus ◽  
Hepatitis E ◽  
Diaphragm Muscle ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Meat Juice ◽  
Seropositive Animal ◽  
Fattening Pigs

Toxoplasma gondii , hepatitis E virus (HEV) and Salmonella are zoonotic foodborne pathogens that may be transmitted to humans through the consumption of raw or undercooked pork.  The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti- Toxoplasma gondii , anti-HEV and anti- Salmonella antibodies from healthy pigs at slaughter in Switzerland. In the period of August to September 2020 diaphragm muscle of Swiss fattening pigs was collected in three Swiss abattoirs from a total of 188 farms. Two randomly chosen pig carcasses per farm were selected. On the basis of the slaughter data, the production system and the canton of origin were noted, comparing indoor (n=120) and free-range farming (n=68), and regional allocation. The meat juice of these samples was analyzed for pathogen-specific antibodies using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The seroprevalences were 1.3% for T. gondii , 71.8% for the HEV and 5.3% for Salmonella , respectively. Comparing the origins, the results of many cantons weren't meaningful due to the low number of samples. No regional accumulations were found for T. gondii and the HEV. The results showed that 2.1% of the farms had least one T. gondii seropositive animal, 80.3% had at least one HEV seropositive animal, and 8.5% had at least one Salmonella seropositive animal, respectively. The seropositivity of T. gondi i was higher in free-range pigs than in indoor pigs, whereas anti- Salmonella antibodies were more common in pigs from indoor farming than in outdoor pigs. The seroprevalence of anti HEV-Abs was similar in free-range and indoor farming pigs. Compared to studies from 2012 the seroprevalence of T. gondii has decreased whereas the seroprevalence of the HEV has increased and is highly prevalent among fattening pigs in Switzerland. The low seroprevalence of Salmonella has remained stable in recent years.

Punching Above its Weight: Current and Future Aging Policy in Malta

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 1384-1391
Author(s):  
Marvin Formosa ◽  
Charles Scerri
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Aging Policy

Abstract Malta has been at the forefront in aging policy and healthy aging development. It was the first country to highlight the need of a United Nations-led international action plan aimed at meeting the needs of an emerging global aging population. Through a number of initiatives, Malta has managed to put aging as a top priority on its national policy agenda. The country boasts of the longest life span spent in good health among all European Union countries with its inhabitants expected to live a significant portion of their life free of disability. Malta’s ranking in the Active Ageing Index experienced consistent improvements in the past decade, registering the sharpest progress in the European Union. In response to an increase in individuals with dementia, Malta was also among the first countries to adopt a national strategic policy for dementia. Notwithstanding such significant progress, Malta still lags behind in developing policy directions addressing gender inequalities and minority groups’ interests among its older population. Similar to other Southern European countries, Malta’s accelerated rate of population aging raises concerns with regard to economic growth, sustainability of effective health care and pension systems, and the well-being of older persons. Gender will also feature prominently in the future planning of long-term care policy as older women are projected to increase threefold in the foreseeable years with the high risk of poverty associated with older single and widowed women, implying that a few would be able to opt for private care.

scholarly journals Prevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus immunoglobulin G in HIV-infected individuals over three decades

2019 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 67-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lene Holm Harritshøj ◽  
Ditte Marie Kirkegaard-Klitbo ◽  
Niels Mejer ◽  
Inge Panum ◽  
Sofie Elisabeth Midgley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immunoglobulin G ◽  
Hepatitis E Virus ◽  
Hepatitis E

scholarly journals Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Infection in Children in the Northeast of Spain

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 732-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Buti ◽  
Pere Plans ◽  
Angela Domínguez ◽  
Rossend Jardi ◽  
Francisco Rodriguez Frias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Virus Infection ◽  
Immunoglobulin G ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Hepatitis E Virus ◽  
Hepatitis E ◽  
Healthy Children

ABSTRACT The prevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti-hepatitis E virus (anti-HEV) antibodies was studied with a representative sample of 1,249 healthy children aged between 6 and 15 years. IgG anti-HEV antibodies were detected in 57 (4.6%) of the 1,249 samples analyzed, suggesting that some children are exposed to HEV in early childhood.

Health expectancies in the European Union: same concept, different methods, different results

2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-213791
Author(s):  
João Vasco Santos ◽  
João Viana ◽  
Brecht Devleesschauwer ◽  
Juanita A Haagsma ◽  
Cristina Costa Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Disability Weight ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health States ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Health Measure

BackgroundHealthy life expectancy (HLE) is a population health measure that combines mortality and morbidity, which can be calculated using different methods. In this study, we aimed to assess the correlation, reliability and (dis)agreement between two estimates monitored in the European Union (EU), that is, the European Commission's HLE based on self-perceived health (SPH-HLE) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's HLE based on disability weight (DW-HLE), by sex, and comparing these results with LE and proportion of life spent in good health (%GH).MethodsWe performed a retrospective study in the EU28 countries, between 2010 and 2017. The HLE methods differ in definition, measurement and valuation of health states. While SPH-HLE relies directly on one question, DW-HLE relies on epidemiological data adjusted for DW. Spearman’s r, intraclass correlation coefficient, information-based measure of disagreement and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess reliability, correlation and disagreement in HLE resulting from both methods and in LE or %GH measured by both institutions.ResultsCorrelation and reliability between SPH-HLE and DW-HLE were good (better for males), with low disagreement, and were even better for LE between both institutions. The HLE Bland-Altman plots suggest a variability range of approximately 6 years for both sexes, higher for females. There was also an increasing HLE difference between methods with higher average HLE for both sexes.ConclusionWe showed wide variations between both methods with a clear and different high impact on female and male HLE, showing a tendency for countries with higher health expectancies to yield larger gaps between SPH-HLE and DW-HLE.

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