Applied genomics for identification of virulent biothreats and for disease outbreak surveillance

Fortifying our preparedness to cope with biological threats by identifying and targeting virulence factors may be a preventative strategy for curtailing infectious disease outbreak. Virulence factors evoke successful pathogenic invasion, and the science and technology of genomics offers a way of identifying them, their agents and evolutionary ancestor. Genomics offers the possibility of deciphering if the release of a pathogen was intentional or natural by observing sequence and annotated data of the causative agent, and evidence of genetic engineering such as cloned vectors at restriction sites. However, to leverage and maximise the application of genomics to strengthen global interception system for real-time biothreat diagnostics, a complete genomic library of pathogenic and non-pathogenic agents will create a robust reference assembly that can be used to screen, characterise, track and trace new and existing strains. Encouraging ethical research sequencing pathogens found in animals and the environment, as well as creating a global space for collaboration will lead to effective global regulation and biosurveillance.

Risk of infection and appeal to public benefit increase compliance with infection control measures

To handle an infectious outbreak, the public must be informed about the infection risk and be motivated to comply with infection control measures. Perceiving the situation as threatening and seeing public benefits to complying may increase the public’s motivation to comply. The current study used a preregistered survey experiment to investigate if emphasizing high infection risk and appealing to societal benefits impacted intention to comply with infection control measures. The results show main effects of risk and of appeals to societal benefits. There was no interaction between risk scenario and motivational emphasis. The results suggest that to maximize compliance, information about disease outbreak should emphasize the individual risk of contracting the disease, and could also underline the public value of limiting infection spread. These findings can inform communication strategies during an infectious disease outbreak and help health authorities limit transmission.

Battling Against COVID-19 Infodemic in Indonesia: A Sociocybernetics Perspective

As Indonesians collectively fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation is simultaneously combatting the rampant spread of misinformation related to COVID-19. This phenomenon is often referred to as an ‘infodemic,’ defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the mass spread of information, factual or nonfactual, during a disease outbreak. In this article, we employ the methods of sociocybernetics analysis to examine the COVID-19 infodemic in Indonesia. We divide this paper into two sections. In the first section, we lay out the current state of the problem in Indonesia -how misinformation has challenged the post-pandemic recovery and changed the dynamics of Indonesian society at all levels, ranging from individuals to the society as-a-whole. In the second section, we propose a model, based on the approach of sociocybernetics, by which we propose to assess this challenge not just as a single entity but as a continuous, looping process, from the conception to the impact it has caused at all levels (micro, meso, and macro) of society. Given the complexity of this issue, we propose to develop an awareness and the education of cybernetics or systems thinking across multiple sectors when dealing with the infodemic in Indonesia.

Risk Factor Assessment, Sero-Prevalence, and Genotyping of the Virus That Causes Foot-and-Mouth Disease on Commercial Farms in Ethiopia from October 2018 to February 2020

A cross-sectional serological, active outbreak search and a questionnaire-based survey were carried out to investigate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) sero-epidemiology in Ethiopia. The circulating serotype of the FMD virus (FMDV) was identified, and the knowledge regarding FMD and husbandry practices was assessed. Using the questionnaire survey, a total of 237 individuals were interviewed, and the majority responded that there is no practice of reporting disease outbreak, free in and out movement of livestock, or share pastures, and they use traditional case management as a means of controlling the disease. A total of 1938 cattle, 490 domestic small ruminants, and 426 swine were sampled randomly for serological analysis using the 3ABC non-structural protein (NSP) enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. An overall prevalence of 25% in cattle, 5% in domestic small ruminants, and 2% in swine was recorded. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that cattle from the Oromia, Tigray, and Amhara regions had the highest probability of being sero-positive as compared with Addis Ababa odds ratio(OR)(OR: 4 (95% confidence interval (CI)(CI [3–6], 3 (95% CI [2,5]), and 2 (95% CI 2 [1,3]), respectively). Older cattle (older than three years) and domestic small ruminants (>18 months) had a higher chance of being seropositive (OR: 2, 95% CI [1.6,3]) and (OR: 6, 95% CI [2,18]), respectively). Female and older swine older than three years of age had a higher chance of being sero-positive (p < 0.05). Local breed cattle had the lowest chance (OR: 0.2. 95% CI [0.1–0.3]) of being sero-positive. A region, age, and breed proved to have a statistically significant association with sero-positivity (p < 0.05) in cattle. Swine from Bishoftu were less likely to test positive than swine from Addis Ababa (OR: 0.04, 95% CI [0.01–0.3]). From 96 herds, 72 pooled outbreak samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), virus isolation, serotyping (antigen enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA)), sequencing, and phylogenetic tree analysis. Six serotype A (G-IV) FMD viruses and three serotype O east African (EA-3 and EA-4) FMDVs were identified. Thus, this study established the lack of disease outbreak reporting, poor husbandry problems, and the prevalence of FMD in three domestic species (cattle, small ruminant, and swine). In addition, continuous circulation of serotype A and O in the study area was confirmed.

Lungworms (Metastrongylus Spp.) Demonstrated in Domestic Pigs with Respiratory Disease - What was the True Relevance of that?

BackgroundAn outdoor pig herd was affected by severe respiratory disease in one out of three pastures. At necropsy, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida were detected in the lungs, as well as the lung worm Metastrongylus apri. The life cycle of Metastrongylus spp. includes earth worms as an intermediate host, and since domesticated pigs mainly are reared indoors lungworms has not been diagnosed in domestic pigs in Sweden for decades, not even in pigs reared outdoors. Therefore, this disease outbreak was scrutinised from the view of validating the impact of Metastrongylus spp..ResultsAt the time of the disease outbreak, neither eggs of Metastrongylus spp. nor Ascaris suum were detected in faeces of pigs aged ten weeks. In contrast, five-months-old pigs at the pasture with respiratory disease shed large amounts of eggs from Ascaris suum, whereas Ascaris suum not was demonstrated in healthy pigs aged six months at another pasture. Low numbers of eggs from Metastrongylus spp. were seen in faecal samples from both these age categories.At slaughter, seven weeks later, ten normal weighted pigs in the preceding healthy batch were compared with ten normal weighted and five small pigs from the affected batch. Healing Mycoplasma-like pneumonic lesions were seen in all groups. Small pigs had more white spot liver lesions, and all small pigs shed eggs of Ascaris suum in faeces, compared to around 50% of the pigs in the normally sized groups. Metastrongylus spp. were demonstrated in 13 of the 25 pigs (52%), %), representing all groups included.ConclusionAs Metastrongylus spp. were demonstrated regardless of health status, and in another healthy outdoor herd, the impact of Metastrongylus spp. on the outbreak of respiratory disease was depreciated. Instead, Metastrongylus spp. was suggested to be common in outdoor production, although rarely diagnosed. The reason for this is because they will escape detection at routine inspection at slaughterhouses, and that they appeared to generally not induce clinical signs of respiratory disease. Instead, a possible association with a high burden of Ascaris suum was suggested to have preceded the severe outbreak with respiratory disease.