One Health and Transboundary Diseases

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 21480

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Veterinary Preventative Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
Interests: veterinary preventive medicine; veterinary epidemiology; one health and zoonotic diseases

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Guest Editor
Veterinary Preventative Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
Interests: emerging infectious diseases; zoonoses; molecular epidemiology; diagnostics

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Guest Editor
Veterinary Science, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
Interests: animal arboviral diseases; zoonotic viral diseases; viral diagnostics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of MDPI’s Journal, Pathogens will cover the topic of One Health and its application to transboundary diseases.

One Health is "the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally, to attain optimal health for people, animals and our environment", as defined by the One Health Initiative Task Force (OHITF).[1]

Transboundary Diseases (TDs) may be defined as those epidemic diseases which are highly contagious or transmissible and have the potential for very rapid spread, irrespective of national borders, causing serious socio-economic and possibly public health consequences.

In recent times it has become increasingly recognized that the effective prevention and control of TDs requires the efforts of multiple disciplines but little has been published on programs where this has successfully been carried out or on methodology illustrating the application of One Health principles to the prevention and control of TDs. It is hoped this special edition will afford scientists an opportunity to share their experiences and research in this regard so that a case can be built for the application of One Health to TDs.

Prof. Dr. Bruce Gummow
Dr. Paul Horwood
Prof. Dr. Estelle Venter
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • One Health
  • Transboundary Diseases
  • Application
  • Methodology
  • Infectious Diseases

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1429 KiB  
Article
Rabies Virus Seroprevalence among Dogs in Limpopo National Park and the Phylogenetic Analyses of Rabies Viruses in Mozambique
by Milton Mapatse, Ernest Ngoepe, Darrell Abernethy, José Manuel Fafetine, Iolanda Anahory and Claude Sabeta
Pathogens 2022, 11(9), 1043; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens11091043 - 14 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1883
Abstract
Rabies is considered a neglected disease among many developing Asian and African countries, including Mozambique, where its re-emergence is often attributed to low dog parenteral vaccination coverage. The objectives of this study were two-fold: (1) to assess the level of antibodies against rabies [...] Read more.
Rabies is considered a neglected disease among many developing Asian and African countries, including Mozambique, where its re-emergence is often attributed to low dog parenteral vaccination coverage. The objectives of this study were two-fold: (1) to assess the level of antibodies against rabies virus in dogs (n = 418) in Limpopo National Park (LNP), and (2) to genetically characterise selected rabies viruses from brain tissue samples collected in 2017 and 2018. To meet the first objective, we used the BioProTM Rabies blocking ELISA antibody kit, and the results were expressed as the percentage of blocking (%PB). Dog sera with PB ≥ 40% were considered positive for antibodies to rabies virus, whereas sera with PB < 40% were negative. Just under ninety percent (89.2%; n = 373) of dogs were seronegative, and the rest (10.8%; n = 45) had detectable levels of rabies virus-specific antibodies. All eight brain tissue samples were positive for rabies virus antigen using a direct fluorescent antibody test and amplified in a quantitative real-time PCR, but only five (n = 4 from dogs and n = 1 from a cat) were amplified in a conventional reverse-transcription PCR targeting partial regions of the nucleoprotein (N) and the glycoprotein (G) genes. All samples were successfully sequenced. Phylogenetically, the rabies viruses were all of dog origin and were very closely related to each other (Africa 1b rabies virus lineage). Furthermore, the sequences had a common progenitor with other rabies viruses from southern Africa, confirming the transboundary nature of rabies and the pivotal role of dogs in maintaining rabies cycles. The study demonstrates the principal application of the BioProTM rabies ELISA antibody for the detection of anti-lyssavirus-specific antibodies in the serum samples of dogs, and most importantly, it highlights the low levels of antibodies against rabies virus in this dog population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue One Health and Transboundary Diseases)
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7 pages, 426 KiB  
Article
Detection of Rift Valley Fever Virus in Aedes (Aedimorphus) durbanensis, South Africa
by Carien van den Bergh, Peter N. Thompson, Robert Swanepoel, Antonio P. G. Almeida, Janusz T. Paweska, Petrus Jansen van Vuren, William C. Wilson, Alan Kemp and Estelle H. Venter
Pathogens 2022, 11(2), 125; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens11020125 - 21 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2587
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne, zoonotic phlebovirus-causing disease in domestic ruminants and humans in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and some Indian Ocean islands. Outbreaks, characterized by abortion storms and a high morbidity rate in newborn animals, occur after heavy and [...] Read more.
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne, zoonotic phlebovirus-causing disease in domestic ruminants and humans in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and some Indian Ocean islands. Outbreaks, characterized by abortion storms and a high morbidity rate in newborn animals, occur after heavy and prolonged rainfalls favouring the breeding of mosquitoes. However, the identity of the important mosquito vectors of RVFV is poorly known in most areas. Mosquitoes collected in the Ndumo area of tropical north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, were tested for RVFV nucleic acid using RT-PCR. The virus was detected in a single pool of unfed Aedes (Aedimorphus) durbanensis, indicating that this seasonally abundant mosquito species could serve as a vector in this area of endemic RVFV circulation. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the identified virus is closely related to two isolates from the earliest outbreaks, which occurred in central South Africa more than 60 years ago, indicating long-term endemicity in the region. Further research is required to understand the eco-epidemiology of RVFV and the vectors responsible for its circulation in the eastern tropical coastal region of southern Africa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue One Health and Transboundary Diseases)
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19 pages, 1184 KiB  
Article
Policy and Linkages in the Application of a One Health System for Reporting and Controlling African Trypanosomiasis and Other Zoonotic Diseases in Zambia
by Gloria M. Mulenga, Boniface Namangala, Kalinga Chilongo, Lars Henning and Bruce Gummow
Pathogens 2022, 11(1), 30; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens11010030 - 28 Dec 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1830
Abstract
The capacity to detect, control and manage emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases in Africa has been limited by a lack of utilisation of available reporting structures and policies to support programmes at national and local levels. This study explored the impact of the [...] Read more.
The capacity to detect, control and manage emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases in Africa has been limited by a lack of utilisation of available reporting structures and policies to support programmes at national and local levels. This study explored the impact of the Zambian government policies on animal and human disease reporting and management and on One Health opportunities. An in-depth review and analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the existing policies and reporting structures in the departments responsible for Veterinary Services, Health, and Wildlife, was conducted. According to our findings, sub-optimal implementation of existing policies related to the control of zoonotic diseases was impacting disease reporting, and reporting structures play an important role in effective and sustainable reporting of zoonotic diseases. Further, the study explored capacities and strategies in trypanosomiasis control as a case study that could prompt effective adoption of a One Health approach, and as such, the study suggests measures that could help to assess the performance of a One Health system in the control of African trypanosomiasis and other zoonotic diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue One Health and Transboundary Diseases)
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Review

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14 pages, 888 KiB  
Review
Recurrent Episodes of Some Mosquito-Borne Viral Diseases in Nigeria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Anyebe Bernard Onoja, Arome Cornelius Omatola, Mamoudou Maiga and Ishaya Samuel Gadzama
Pathogens 2022, 11(10), 1162; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens11101162 - 08 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1836
Abstract
Different ecological zones favor the breeding of Aedes species. The molecular epidemiology of dengue virus (DENV), yellow fever virus (YFV), and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was determined from outbreaks and surveillance activities in Nigeria. Twenty-eight DENV, twenty-five YFV, and two CHIKV sequences from Nigeria [...] Read more.
Different ecological zones favor the breeding of Aedes species. The molecular epidemiology of dengue virus (DENV), yellow fever virus (YFV), and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was determined from outbreaks and surveillance activities in Nigeria. Twenty-eight DENV, twenty-five YFV, and two CHIKV sequences from Nigeria were retrieved from GenBank. Genotyping was performed with a genome detective typing tool. The evolutionary comparison was performed by the Maximum Likelihood method on MEGA. Chi-square was used to compare the association between the proportions of viral infections at different times. Six DENV-1 were detected in 1964, 1965, 1978, 2007, and 2018. Nineteen DENV-2 strains were reported, four belonging to sylvatic VI, one belonging to cosmopolitan II, and twelve to Asian I genotype V. DENV-2 genotype VI was detected in 1966, and genotypes II and V in 2019. All three DENV-3 were detected in 2018, while only one DENV-4 was identified in 2019. YFV was reported in 1946 and then in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2018, and 2019 with reports to date. CHIKV is still circulating following its identification in 1964 and 1965. Recurrent episodes of dengue, Chikungunya, and yellow fever continue unabated. Vector control initiatives and immunization should be greatly sustained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue One Health and Transboundary Diseases)
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14 pages, 2547 KiB  
Review
Arboviral Disease Outbreaks in the Pacific Islands Countries and Areas, 2014 to 2020: A Systematic Literature and Document Review
by Rosie J. Matthews, Ishani Kaluthotage, Tanya L. Russell, Tessa B. Knox, Paul F. Horwood and Adam T. Craig
Pathogens 2022, 11(1), 74; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens11010074 - 07 Jan 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3508
Abstract
Arthropod-borne diseases pose a significant public health threat, accounting for greater than 17% of infectious disease cases and 1 million deaths annually. Across Pacific Island countries and areas (PICs), outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are increasing in frequency and scale. Data about [...] Read more.
Arthropod-borne diseases pose a significant public health threat, accounting for greater than 17% of infectious disease cases and 1 million deaths annually. Across Pacific Island countries and areas (PICs), outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are increasing in frequency and scale. Data about arbovirus outbreaks are incomplete, with reports sporadic, delayed, and often based solely on syndromic surveillance. We undertook a systematic review of published and grey literature and contacted relevant regional authorities to collect information about arboviral activity affecting PICs between October 2014 and June 2020. Our literature search identified 1176 unique peer-reviewed articles that were reduced to 25 relevant publications when screened. Our grey literature search identified 873 sources. Collectively, these data reported 104 unique outbreaks, including 72 dengue outbreaks affecting 19 (out of 22) PICs, 14 chikungunya outbreaks affecting 11 PICs, and 18 Zika outbreaks affecting 14 PICs. Our review is the most complete account of arboviral outbreaks to affect PICs since comparable work was published in 2014. It highlights the continued elevated level of arboviral activity across the Pacific and inconsistencies in how information about outbreaks is reported and recorded. It demonstrates the importance of a One-Health approach and the role that improved communication and reporting between different governments and sectors play in understanding the emergence, circulation, and transboundary risks posed by arboviral diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue One Health and Transboundary Diseases)
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17 pages, 1105 KiB  
Review
The Ecology and Evolution of Japanese Encephalitis Virus
by Peter Mulvey, Veasna Duong, Sebastien Boyer, Graham Burgess, David T. Williams, Philippe Dussart and Paul F. Horwood
Pathogens 2021, 10(12), 1534; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pathogens10121534 - 24 Nov 2021
Cited by 53 | Viewed by 8012
Abstract
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus mainly spread by Culex mosquitoes that currently has a geographic distribution across most of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Infection with JEV can cause Japanese encephalitis (JE), a severe disease with a high mortality [...] Read more.
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus mainly spread by Culex mosquitoes that currently has a geographic distribution across most of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Infection with JEV can cause Japanese encephalitis (JE), a severe disease with a high mortality rate, which also results in ongoing sequalae in many survivors. The natural reservoir of JEV is ardeid wading birds, such as egrets and herons, but pigs commonly play an important role as an amplifying host during outbreaks in human populations. Other domestic animals and wildlife have been detected as hosts for JEV, but their role in the ecology and epidemiology of JEV is uncertain. Safe and effective JEV vaccines are available, but unfortunately, their use remains low in most endemic countries where they are most needed. Increased surveillance and diagnosis of JE is required as climate change and social disruption are likely to facilitate further geographical expansion of Culex vectors and JE risk areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue One Health and Transboundary Diseases)
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