Spatial analysis of animal bites in Iran(2015-2020):A cross-sectional study

Objective:To investigate the distribution pattern of animal bites in Mirjaveh,Iran from 2015 to 2020.Methods:The data on animal bites were collected from the Department of Infectious Diseases,the provincial health center.Monthly climatic data on precipitation and temperature during the study period were also collected.The correlation between incidence and temperature,precipitation rate,land type,and altitude was also analyzed.Results:The results showed that men were more affected by animal bites than women(76.4%,P<0.001),and the highest incidence rate occurred in the age group of 5-19 years.The incidence rate of animal bites was found to be correlated with temperature and altitude.An increase in temperature was associated with a rise in the incidence rate of animal bites.The number of animal bites increased until 2019,possibly due to an increase in the number of dogs in the area.Conclusions:Targeted interventions should be implemented to reduce the incidence of animal bites,particularly among children,housewives,and students.Improving access to appropriate treatments,increasing public awareness of the hazards of animal bites,and increasing the number of vaccinated dogs in the area are essential strategies to be considered.

The Establishment of the Concept of Shu Yi and Its Significance in the History of Knowledge

Plague is one of the severe infectious diseases which has had a huge impact on human society throughout history.Although there is abundant research on the disease,few studies focus on the concept of plague itself.It is generally believed that Shu Yi was first coined by Chinese doctors in the late 19th century,and it was closely related to the introduction of new medicine.This statement is not accurate,because plague was prevalent in Yunnan and Guangdong provinces in the late Qing Dynasty.At that time,people had already recognized the relationship between the outbreak of plague and the death of rats,and gradually named the epidemic disease as Shu Yi.This name was used by literati and doctors by coincidence.As the epidemic became more and more serious,more related works were widely disseminated,and Shu Yi changed from a folk name to a formal name.Later,with the help of the government’s active introduction of modern health and epidemic prevention mechanisms and the implementation of rodent control measures,Shu Yi became more popular and gradually recognized by all walks of society.The emergence and prevalence of Shu Yi created the history of zoonosis in China,and thus formed a new paradigm of naming human epidemics after related animal names.

The Knowledge about the Potential Health Risks of Illegal Bushmeat Activities among Local Communities Adjacent to Western Nyerere National Park, Tanzania

Establishing knowledge of local communities regarding the potential health risks of illegal bushmeat hunting and its related practices is among the essential means to developing effective conservation and public health programs. To reveal the understanding of the local people regarding the potential health risks of bushmeat consumption and handling of wildlife products, we used a semi-structured questionnaire to survey 261 households in eight villages located adjacent to the western part of Nyerere National Park. Also, we interviewed eight key informants, including conservation personnel and veterinary officers, in the study area. The proportion of local people who were unaware that handling of wildlife products and bushmeat consumption were risky behaviours towards acquiring zoonotic diseases was slightly higher (57%) than the proportion of respondents who were aware of the likely risks of zoonotic diseases from the practices. After all, the majority (83%) of local people admitted having come into contact with wildlife products, while over 70% reported having consumed bushmeat. We found that local communities living closer to the park boundaries (<15 km) have a higher likelihood of contacting wildlife products, and that community members who have lived in the area for more than ten years have experienced more contact with wildlife products than immigrants. Moreover, the age of inhabitants and length of stay were found to be the most significant factors in determining the likelihood of bushmeat consumption. Most people seemed to prefer bushmeat to domestic meat, arguing that bushmeat is far more flavorful, tender, not tainted with chemicals, and has less fat, making it safer. Our study demonstrated that local communities participate in risky practices without contemplating the health consequences that could emerge should a zoonotic disease outbreak occur. Among other strategies, we recommended conservation and public health institutions to increase awareness campaigns on the possible health risks of zoonotic diseases associated with wildlife.

Home Point Study of Birds and Mammals Diversity Allied to Humans in Lockdown of COVID-19 at Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal

The birds and mammals are nature gifted gene banks which differ greatly with variation in altitudes, climates, landscapes, vegetation and availability of food and water. The altitudinal variation in Nepal is 60 m to 8,848 m which affects climatic conditions and habitat types within short distance that influence species diversity of wild animals. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to reveal species richness, behaviors and luring factors for birds and mammals to attract to an urban area of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, the South-central lowland of Nepal. The methods applied to record species diversity of birds and mammals were made from a home point (a point of study made at the North-west corner of verandah in first floor of my home) located in Bharatpur-9, Saradpur, Sitalpath, in the coordinates of 27˚39'55"N and 84˚26'08"E. The animal species were observed thrice daily (at 7 AM, 10 AM and 2 PM) for 2 months beginning from 24 March to 23 May 2020 during the period of lockdown of COVID-19 and were listed in “Observation Data Sheet”. The photographs and/or videos were taken except one of the species of bats (i.e. Myotis formosus) and six species of birds which were flying swiftly over the sky in 70 m in diameter (i.e. 7,436 square meters or 22 kattha in area) of the home point. The results obtained from my study were;83 species, 53 genera and 37 families of wild birds;and 6 species, 5 genera and 3 families of wild mammals. Among birds, Dicrurus and Ploceus were recorded the highest 7.54% (4/53);followed by Acridotheres, Megalaima, Merops, Oriolus, Psittacula and Streptopelia with 5.66% (3/53), and remaining twelve genera were found 3.77% (2/53), and thirty three genera were 1.88% (1/53). Similarly, 33.33% (2/6) of Herpestes;and 16.66% (1/6) of each Canis, Vulpes, Pipistrellus and Myotis were recorded among mammals. Conclusively, I found that the species of birds and mammals were lured to human settlement area due to availability of food (i.e. small in/vertebrates, kitchen garbage etc.);crops (i.e. maize, sesame etc.);vegetables (i.e. bean);fruits (litchi, mango, berries etc.);nesting places and healthy environment. However, there is great chance of transmission of viral (rabies, foot-mouth disease etc.), bacterial (tuberculosis) and parasitic zoonoses (echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, helminthiasis etc.) to humans and domesticated animals through feces and saliva droppings in addition to the poultry raiding, biting to people and damage of fruits, vegetables and crops creating conflicts.

Occurrence of Multi-Drug Resistant <i>Listeria species</i>in Faecal Samples of Poultry Chickens in Rural Farms in Lagos State, Nigeria

Background: Listeriosis is a common zoonotic disease caused by a foodborne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. Poultry meat and products have been established as vehicles of transmission of pathogenic Listeria strains to humans. This study evaluates the occurrence of Listeria species in faeces of poultry chicken in Lagos. Methods: One hundred and fourteen pooled fresh faecal samples from cage-reared broiler chickens were collected from 12 farms in three rural areas in Lagos State from May to August 2019. All samples were analysed for Listeria species detection according to ISO11290-1 standard and confirmed using PCR assay. Susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. Results: Twenty-eight (24.6%) Listeria species were detected from 114 faecal samples. The isolated Listeria species were L. monocytogenes 8 (7.0%), L. ivanovii 9 (7.9%), L. grayi 7 (6.1%) and L. innocua 4 (3.5%). There was no significant difference in the frequency of occurrence of Listeria species across the different locations (X2 = 4.98, p = 0.08). The listeria species were susceptible to Augmentin (96.4%), vancomycin (85.7%) and co-trimoxazole (82.1%), but resistant to ceftazidime (100%), tetracycline (75.0%) and ciprofloxacin (71.4%). Conclusion: This study reveals high occurrence of multi-drug resistant Listeria species in faecal samples of poultry chickens in Lagos state which may be an important vector in the contamination of the environment and transmission of antibiotic resistant Listeria species to consumers.

Mediastinal and Pericardial Hydatidosis—A Case Report and Review of Literature

Hydatid disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus is endemic in Indian subcontinent and a common surgical problem. Although occurrence of hydatid cyst is common in liver and lungs, it can be encountered in almost every part of the body. Combined mediastinal and pericardial hydatid disease is a rare occurrence and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. Patients with hydatid cysts are usually asymptomatic. Our case report demonstrates a 57-year-old female patient who presented with chest pain and dyspnea on exertion for few months duration. Detailed imaging and laboratory investigation revealed a pericardial and mediastinal hydatid cyst. The patient underwent operation for curative excision. After surgery, the patient’s symptoms resolved and his clinical status improved.

A review on the Ebola virus,outbreak history and the current research tools to control the disease

The Ebola virus is a zoonotic pathogen causing hemorrhagic fever disease with a high mortality rate.The distribution of this pathogen has been limited to woodlands from Central and West Africa and the forest-savannah ecotone in East Africa.The likely reservoir species are frugivorous bats living in these areas.This pathogen is becoming an increasing threat to human populations since its distribution range is expanding faster than expected.The current Ebola outbreaks in Western Africa and in the Democratic Republic of Congo have rapidly spread infecting high numbers of individuals in five African countries.The disease has reached the United States and Spain.This expansion is due partly to increasing global connectivity.This situation represents a new challenge to control the spread of the disease.Experimental drugs have been used to treat a few infected people with promising results.This gives hope for an effective treatment against Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the near future,though thousands of people remain at risk of infection.The present review aims to give an update of the knowledge on the disease,including features of the Ebola virus,the history of disease outbreaks in Africa and the tools that are being developed in order to control this re-emergent disease.

The zoonotic and natural foci characteristics of SARS-CoV-2

The origin of SARS-CoV-2 is still an unresolved mystery.In this study,we systematically reviewed the main research progress of wild animals carrying virus highly homologous to SARS-CoV-2 and analyzed the natural foci characteristics of SARS-CoV-2.The complexity of SARS-CoV-2 origin in wild animals and the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 long-term existence in human populations are also discussed.The joint investigation of corona virus carried by wildlife,as well as the ecology and patho-ecology of bats and other wildlife,are key measures to further clarify the characteristics of natural foci of SARS-CoV-2 and actively defend against future outbreaks of emerging zoonotic diseases.

A global overview of the most important zoonotic bacteria pathogens transmitted from Rattus norvegicus to humans in urban environments

Zoonotic pathogens,comprising over 61%of all pathogenic microorganisms,can be transmitted from different animals to individuals in numerous ways either in the presence or the absence of a vector.Causing new emerging human infectious diseases,these pathogens could be categorized into 4 groups,bacteria,viruses,parasites,and fungi.Among the wide range of reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens,tremendous attention has been attracted to wild rats,due to their global distribution not only in urban environments but also in the sylvatic and agricultural surroundings.For the nonce,zoonotic bacteria transmitted via wild rats have turned into a global public health problem probably due to their ability to induce re-emerging diseases even after eradication and controlling man-agement.Despite the importance of wild rats in spreading pathogens,little data are available about the bacterial diversity present in urban wild rat populations.In this review,we present a complete list of zoonotic bacterial pathogens isolated from wild rats in urban environments.

Monkeypox virus(MPXV):A Brief account of global spread,epidemiology,virology,clinical features,pathogenesis,and therapeutic interventions

The largest monkeypox virus(MPXV)outbreak of the 21st century occurred in 2022,which caused epidemics in many countries.According to WHO,physical contact with infected persons,contaminated surfaces,or affected animals might be a source of this virus transmission.A febrile sickness including few symptoms found in MPX disease.Skin rash,lesions,fever,headache,fatigue,and muscle aches symptoms were observed commonly for this disease.Animal and in vitro,studies have shown that the antiviral medications cidofovir and brincidofovir are effective against MPXV.The first-generation vaccinia virus vaccine was developed in 1960,and it helped to protect against MPXV with its side effects.A second-generation vaccination with limitations was launched in 2000.However,the CDC advised vaccinations for risk groups in endemic countries,including positive patients and hospital employees.The JYNNEOS vaccine,administered in 2 doses,also provides protection from MPX.This article presents concisely the most recent findings regarding epidemiology,genomic transmission,signs and symptoms,pathogenesis,diagnosis,and therapeutic interventions for MPXV,which may be helpful to researchers and practitioners.WHO declared that MPX was no longer a global health emergency due to its declining case rate,and a number of countries have reported new incidences.Further research-based investigations must be carried out based on the 2022 outbreak.

Long-distance spread of Tembusu virus,and its dispersal in local mosquitoes and domestic poultry in Chongming Island,China

Background Chongming Island in China serves as a breeding and shelter point on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.The resting frequency of migratory birds,abundance of mosquito populations,and the popular domestic poultry industry pose a potential risk of mosquito-borne zoonotic diseases.The aim of this study is to explore the role of migratory birds in the spread of mosquito-borne pathogens and their prevalent status on the island.Methods We conducted a mosquito-borne pathogen surveillance in 2021,in Chongming,Shanghai,China.Approxi‑mately 67,800 adult mosquitoes belonging to ten species were collected to investigate the presence of faviviruses,alphaviruses,and orthobunyaviruses by RT-PCR.Genetic and phylogenetic analyses were conducted to explore the virus genotype and potential nature source.Serological survey was performed by ELISA to characterize Tembusu virus(TMUV)infection among domestic poultry.Results Two strains of TMUV and Chaoyang virus(CHAOV)and 47 strains of Quang Binh virus(QBV)were detected in 412 mosquito pools,with the infection rate of 0.16,0.16,and 3.92 per 1000 Culex tritaeniorhynchus,respectively.Fur‑thermore,TMUVs viral RNA was found in serum samples of domestic chickens and faecal samples of migratory birds.Antibodies against TMUV were detected in domestic avian serum samples,generally ranging from 44.07%in pigeons to 55.71%in ducks.Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the TMUV detected in Chongming belonged to Cluster 3,Southeast Asia origin,and most closely related to the CTLN strain,which caused a TMUV outbreak in chickens in Guangdong Province in 2020,but distant from strains obtained previously in Shanghai,which were involved in the 2010 TMUV outbreak in China.Conclusions We speculate that the TMUV was imported to Chongming Island through long-distance spreading by migratory birds from Southeast Asia,followed by spill over and transmission in mosquitoes and domestic avian species,threatening the local domestic poultry.In addition,the expansion and prevalence of insect-specifc favivi‑ruses and its simultaneous circulation with mosquito-borne virus are worthy of close attention and further study.

Towards a global One Health index: a potential assessment tool for One Health performance

Background:A One Health approach has been increasingly mainstreamed by the international community, as it provides for holistic thinking in recognizing the close links and inter-dependence of the health of humans, animals and the environment. However, the dearth of real-world evidence has hampered application of a One Health approach in shaping policies and practice. This study proposes the development of a potential evaluation tool for One Health performance, in order to contribute to the scientific measurement of One Health approach and the identification of gaps where One Health capacity building is most urgently needed.Methods:We describe five steps towards a global One Health index (GOHI), including (i) framework formulation;(ii) indicator selection;(iii) database building;(iv) weight determination;and (v) GOHI scores calculation. A cell-like framework for GOHI is proposed, which comprises an external drivers index (EDI), an intrinsic drivers index (IDI) and a core drivers index (CDI). We construct the indicator scheme for GOHI based on this framework after multiple rounds of panel discussions with our expert advisory committee. A fuzzy analytical hierarchy process is adopted to determine the weights for each of the indicators.Results:The weighted indicator scheme of GOHI comprises three first-level indicators, 13 second-level indicators, and 57 third-level indicators. According to the pilot analysis based on the data from more than 200 countries/territories the GOHI scores overall are far from ideal (the highest score of 65.0 out of a maximum score of 100), and we found considerable variations among different countries/territories (31.8–65.0). The results from the pilot analysis are consistent with the results from a literature review, which suggests that a GOHI as a potential tool for the assessment of One Health performance might be feasible.Conclusions:GOHI—subject to rigorous validation—would represent the world’s first evaluation tool that constructs the conceptual framework from a holistic perspective of One Health. Future application of GOHI might promote a common understanding of a strong One Health approach and provide reference for promoting effective measures to strengthen One Health capacity building. With further adaptations under various scenarios, GOHI, along with its technical protocols and databases, will be updated regularly to address current technical limitations, and capture new knowledge.

Factors explaining the abundance of rodents in the city of Luang Prabang,Lao PDR,as revealed by field and household surveys

A field and a household survey, the latter of which included inspections and interviews with the residents of a totalof 1370 properties, were conducted in 2004 in 30 villages of the city of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, in order to assessthe degree of rodent infestation and to identify potential factors influencing infestations. Roof rats, Rattus rattus,and the Polynesian rat, Rattus exulans, were the only rodents found in the city, and trapping results showed a cleardominance of roof rats (80–90% of all individuals). Measurements of rodent activity using tracking patchescorrelated positively with the trapping data, and revealed a significantly higher degree of rat infestation during therainy season (September) than during the dry season (November). If households in the vicinity of the samplinglocations were considered, villagers’ accounts of indoor rodent infestations recorded during the household surveycorrelated positively with measurements of rodent activity. At least every second household reported indoorinfestations. Using explorative statistical analyses (classification trees, factor analysis) we checked the predictiveor explanatory value of up to 28 variables assessed during household inspections for villagers’ observations onrodent infestation as the dependent variable. Trophic factors such as exposed food (indoors) and garbage (outdoors),and structural features such as open ceilings (indoors) and rat harborage in gardens (outdoors) ranked highest asexplanatory variables. Assessment of a small sample of roof rat droppings collected inside houses revealed thepresence of the potential disease agents Salmonella javiana, Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia duodenalis and theparasitic nematode Calodium hepaticum (syn. Capillaria hepatica). These results underline the need for anappropriate rodent management strategy for the city, whereby simple sanitation and rodent-proofing measurescould be cheap means of reducing rat infestation rates.

Regulating wildlife conservation and food safety to prevent human exposure to novel virus

Epidemiological investigation suggested that the current outbreak of COVID-19 virus was associated with a seafood market,and COVID-19 has been identified a probable bat origin.Similar to SARS event in 2003,such a zoonotic disease showed an animal-to-person and even more serious person-to-person spread,and posed a significant threat to the global health and socio-economic development.We analyzed the association of both outbreaks with wildlife diet in China and proposed suggestions for regulating wildlife conservation and food safety to prevent human exposure to the novel virus,including increasing social awareness of hazards in eating wild animals,strengthening legislation on eating and trading of wild animals,improving the standards for food safety,and establishing market supervision mechanism.Regulatory intervention is not only critical for China but also for other countries where wildlife hunting is prevalent to prevent from novel virus exposures.

Several major issues concerning the environmental transmission and risk prevention of SARS-CoV-2

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) is the most serious infectious disease pandemic in the world in a century, and has had a serious impact on the health, safety, and social and economic development of all mankind. Since the earth entered the“Anthropocene”, human activities have become the most important driving force of the evolution of the earth system. At the same time, the epidemic frequency of major human infectious diseases worldwide has been increasing, with more than 70% of novel diseases having zoonotic origins. The review of several major epidemics in human history shows that there is a common rule, i.e., changes in the natural environment have an important and profound impact on the occurrence and development of epidemics. Therefore, the impact of the natural environment on the current COVID-19 pandemic and its mechanisms have become scientific issues that need to be resolved urgently. From the perspective of the natural environment, this study systematically investigated several major issues concerning the environmental transmission and risk prevention of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2). From a macroscopic temporal and spatial scale, the research focus on understand the impact of the destruction of the natural environment and global changes on the outbreak of infectious diseases;the threat of zoonotic diseases to human health;the regularity for virus diffusion, migration and mutation in environmental media;the mechanisms of virus transmission from animals and environmental media to humans;and environmental safety, secondary risk prevention and control of major epidemics. Suggestions were made for future key research directions and issues that need attention, with a view to providing a reference for the prevention and control of the global coronavirus disease 2019, and to improving the ability of response to major public health emergencies.

West Nile virus:North American experience

West Nile virus,a mosquito-vectored flavivirus of the Japanese encephalitis serogroup,was first detected in North America following an epizootic in the New York City area in 1999.In the intervening 11 years since the arrival of the virus in North America,it has crossed the contiguous USA,entered the Canadian provinces bordering the USA,and has been reported in the Caribbean islands,Mexico,Central America and,more recently,South America.West Nile virus has been reported in over 300 species of birds in the USA and has caused the deaths of thousands of birds,local population declines of some avian species,the clinical illness and deaths of thousands of domestic horses,and the clinical disease in over 30000 Americans and the deaths of over 1000.Prior to the emergence of West Nile virus in North America,St.Louis encephalitis virus and Dengue virus were the only other known mosquito-transmitted flaviviruses in North America capable of causing human disease.This review will discuss the North American experience with mosquito-borne flavivirus prior to the arrival of West Nile virus,the entry and spread of West Nile virus in North America,effects on wild bird populations,genetic changes in the virus,and the current state of West Nile virus transmission.

Why has canine rabies remained endemic in the Kilosa district of Tanzania? Lessons learnt and the way forward

Background:Domestic dogs are the main targets for rabies control as they are the principal reservoir for transmission of the rabies virus to humans and other domestic animals.The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that contribute to the rabies virus infecting the human population in a rural community of Eastern Tanzania.Methods:Using a cross-sectional study design,field visits were conducted to gather information on villagers’knowledge on and practices associated with canine rabies control and dog vaccination campaigns.Results:A total of 248 individuals were interviewed in the Kilosa district,Tanzania.Almost two-thirds(61.3%)had a primary school education.The majority(91.1%)of the respondents were aware that rabies is acquired through dog bites and 66.9%knew about the clinical signs of rabies in an animal.Very few(17.7%),however,were aware of the clinical signs of rabies in humans.Only 20.4%of the respondents knew how rabies is controlled in dogs and 71%were not aware of dog vaccination campaigns.The average number of dogs kept per household was 4±3.3;70.0%of the respondents had one to five dogs,28.3%had six to dog dogs,and 1.6%had 16–20 dogs.The dogs were primarily used to guard livestock and property,and to hunt.About 59.7%of the respondents indicated that rabies was a public health problem.Low vaccination coverage was observed in the study area,with previous mass vaccination campaigns covering only 24.4%of the dog population.Dogs appeared to have limited value in the studied community.Furthermore,there were no proper waste disposal facilities and oftentimes wild canids and felids visited the villages to scavenge on kitchen leftovers.Conclusion:Although communities in the Kilosa district had knowledge on rabies in dogs,they were not aware of the public health implication of the disease,which thus led a poor response during mass dog vaccination campaigns.Establishment of a well-coordinated rabies control program,strategic public health awareness campaigns,and active and passive surveillance systems for humans and domestic and wild animals should be considered as strategies to control and eradicate rabies.

Social insights on the implementation of One Health in zoonosis prevention and control: a scoping review

Background:The One Health (OH) concept has been promoted widely around the globe. OH framework is expected to be applied as an integrated approach to support addressing zoonotic diseases as a significant global health issue and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of zoonosis prevention and control. This review is intended to overview the social impact of the implementation of OH on zoonosis prevention and control.Methods:A scoping review of studies in the past 10 years was performed to overview the integration feature of OH in zoonosis prevention and control and the social impacts of OH. PubMed and Web of Science were searched for studies published in English between January 2011 and June 2021. The included studies were selected based on predefined criteria.Results:Thirty-two studies were included in this review, and most of them adopted qualitative and semi-qualitative methods. More than 50% of the studies focused on zoonosis prevention and control. Most studies were conducted in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. Applying OH approach in diseases control integrates policymakers, stakeholders, and academics from various backgrounds. The impact of OH on economic is estimated that it may alleviate the burden of diseases and poverty in the long term, even though more financial support might be needed at the initial stage of OH implementation. OH implementation considers social and ecological factors related to zoonosis transmission and provides comprehensive strategies to assess and address related risks in different communities according to regions and customs.Conclusions:Based on reviewed literature, although there seems to be a lack of guidelines for assessing and visualizing the outcomes of OH implementation, which may limit the large-scale adoption of it, evidence on the contributions of implementing OH concepts on zoonosis prevention and control indicates long-term benefits to society, including a better integration of politics, stakeholders and academics to improve their cooperation, a potential to address economic issues caused by zoonosis, and a comprehensive consideration on social determinants of health during zoonosis prevention and control.

International chicken trade and increased risk for introducing or reintroducing highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) to uninfected countries

Every year billions of chickens are shipped thousands of miles around the globe in order to meet the ever increasing demands for this cheap and nutritious protein source.Unfortunately,transporting chickens internationally can also increase the chance for introducing zoonotic viruses,such as highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1)to new countries.Our study used a retrospective analysis of poultry trading data from 2003 through 2011 to assess the risk of H5N1 poultry infection in an importing country.We found that the risk of infection in an importing country increased by a factor of 1.3(95%CI:1.1e1.5)for every 10-fold increase in live chickens imported from countries experiencing at least one H5N1 poultry case during that year.These results suggest that the risk in a particular country can be significantly reduced if imports from countries experiencing an outbreak are decreased during the year of infection or if biosecurity measures such as screening,vaccination,and infection control practices are increased.These findings show that limiting trade of live chickens or increasing infection control practices during contagious periods may be an important step in reducing the spread of H5N1 and other emerging avian influenza viruses.

Comparison of gastrointestinal parasite communities in vervet monkeys

Globally,habitat degradation is accelerating,especially in the tropics.Changes to interface habitats can increase environmental overlap among nonhuman primates,people,and domestic animals and change stress levels in wildlife,leading to changes in their risk of parasite infections.However,the direction and consequences of these changes are unclear,since animals may benefit by exploiting human resources(e.g.,improving nutrition­al health by eating nutritious crops)and decreasing susceptibility to infection,or interactions with humans may lead to chronic stress and increased susceptibility to infection.Vervet monkeys are an excellent model to under­stand parasitic disease transmission because of their tolerance to anthropogenic disturbance.Here we quantify the gastrointestinal parasites of a group of vervet monkeys(Chlorocebus aethiops)near Lake Nabugabo,Ugan­da,that frequently overlaps with people in their use of a highly modified environment.We compare the parasites found in this population to seven other sites where vervet monkey gastrointestinal parasites have been identi­fied.The vervets of Lake Nabugabo have the greatest richness of parasites documented to date.We discuss how this may reflect differences in sampling intensity or differences in the types of habitat where vervet parasites have been sampled.