Apparent Seroprevalence of Salmonella spp. in Harp Seals in the Greenland Sea as Determined by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay

An indirect ELISA was developed as a possible tool for surveillance of the seroprevalence of Salmonella spp. in harp seals. This species is hunted for human consumption and thus transmission of disease to humans cannot be excluded. To cover a broad spectrum of serogroups, a mixture of the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of S. typhimurium and S. choleraesuis was used as the antigen in this pilot study. Chicken anti-harp-seal immunoglobulin horseradish peroxidase conjugate served as the immunoconjugate. Sera from four captive harp seals, which were Salmonella culture-negative and had no clinical or historical evidence of salmonellosis, were used as negative controls. After immunization with an inactivated S. typhimurium vaccine, further sera from these seals were used as positive controls, as no serum from naturally infected animals was available. Serum samples from 93 harp seals caught in the Greenland sea in 1999 were examined, and anti-Salmonella antibodies were found in the samples from two individuals (seroprevalence 2.2%). Although Salmonella has been isolated from other pinniped species, this is the first documentation of Salmonella-seropositive harp seals. This study contributes to the evaluation of the importance of salmonellosis in arctic marine mammals and thus to the prevention of potential outbreaks of this important zoonosis.     

人兽共患病病因浅析及其防治对策

人类传染病60%来源于动物,近年来禽流感、猪链球菌病的暴发直接威胁到了人类的健康和生命。本文通过对全球气候变暖、抗生素滥用、动物亚健康水平等病因以及发病趋势的分析,认为应健全法制、提高公民意识、加快科研速度、协调各方面的力量,以预防为主来防控人兽共患病的暴发。     

Collaborative control initiatives targeting zoonotic agents of alveolar echinococcosis in the northern hemisphere

Alveolar echinococcosis is one of the most important lethal zoonotic helminth infections in the northern hemisphere. Currently, the threat to public health is increasing, as evidenced by the rising prevalence rate of alveolar echinococcosis, as well as the invasion of urban areas by infected wild foxes. This threat is further increased due to the involvement of pet dogs, and probably cats, as emerging sources of infection. These increased threats to public health also have associated economic risks; therefore, there is a need for effective and sustainable methods of control. In this paper, initiatives to control alveolar echinococcosis by targeting its definitive hosts through anthelmintic baiting campaigns initiated by local residents who used local resources for bait production, distribution and collection of fecal samples for diagnosis are described. Further, when such distribution programs are coupled with the use of GIS-based maps, the optimum distribution of bait was obtained. These programs have also included the use of intravital diagnostic analyses of infection rates, which have been overseen by the Forum on Environment and Animals (FEA), and also allowed a nationwide monitoring of echinococcosis in difinitive hosts. In addition, a government initiative requiring mandatory reporting of echinococcosis in dogs to health authorities was recently initiated in Japan. Overall, the results of this study have shown that use of collaborative control initiatives targeting zoonotic agents of alveolar echinococcosis can be an effective method for reducing the threat of lethal echinococcosis in the northern hemisphere.     

Seroprevalence of Salmonella spp. in Wild Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Iceland

Veterinary Research Communications -     

Economic losses due to cystic echinococcosis in India: Need for urgent action to control the disease

Cystic ehinococcosis (CE) caused by Echinococcus granulosus remains a neglected zoonotic disease despite its considerable human and animal health concerns. This is the first systematic analysis of the livestock and human related economic losses due to cystic echinococcosis in India.     

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection in Two Pet Marmosets in Japan

An 8-month-old common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) was presented with tic-like symptoms, and a 2-year-old pigmy marmoset (Callithrix pygmaea) was presented with dyspnea and hypersalivation. Both monkeys died within a few days, and necropsies were performed. Histopathological examinations revealed ulcerative stomatitis with epithelial cell swelling and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in the oral epithelium of both cases. In the central and peripheral nervous systems, neuronal cell degeneration with intranuclear inclusion bodies was observed. Immunohistochemical examination using anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 antibody revealed virus antigens in both cases. Both animals had been kept as pets with limited exposure to the ambient environment except via their owners. Therefore, herpes simplex virus type-1 was probably acquired from close contact with their owners.     

Spatial association between primary Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection and exposure to dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) is an emerging zoonotic disease. Exposure to dromedary camels (Camelus dromedaries) has been consistently considered the main source of primary human infection. Although Saudi Arabia reports the highest rate of human MERS‐CoV infection and has one of the largest populations of dromedary camels worldwide, their spatial association has not yet been investigated. Thus, this study aimed to examine the correlation between the spatial distribution of primary MERS‐CoV cases with or without a history of camel exposure reported between 2012 and 2019 and dromedary camels at the provincial level in Saudi Arabia. In most provinces, a high proportion of older men develop infections after exposure to camels. Primary human infections during spring and winter were highest in provinces characterized by seasonal breeding and calving, increased camel mobilization and camel–human interactions. A strong and significant association was found between the total number of dromedary camels and the numbers of primary camel‐exposed and non‐exposed MERS‐CoV cases. Furthermore, spatial correlations between MERS‐CoV cases and camel sex, age and dairy status were significant. Via a cluster analysis, we identified Riyadh, Makkah and Eastern provinces as having the most primary MERS‐CoV cases and the highest number of camels. Transmission of MERS‐CoV from camels to humans occurs in most primary cases, but there is still a high proportion of primary infections with an ambiguous link to camels. The results from this study include significant correlations between primary MERS‐CoV cases and camel populations in all provinces, regardless of camel exposure history. This supports the hypothesis of the role of an asymptomatic human carrier or, less likely, an unknown animal host that has direct contact with both infected camels and humans. In this study, we performed a preliminary risk assessment of prioritization measures to control the transmission of infection from camels to humans.     

Factors associated with Echinococcus multilocularis infection in coyotes in southern Ontario

Echinococcus multilocularis was recently reported in wild canids across southern Ontario, a newly recognized endemic area in Canada. In such areas, a comprehensive understanding of factors associated with infection in definitive hosts (wild canids) is critical for mitigating risk of transmission to humans. However, little is known about the transmission dynamics of the parasite in definitive hosts for this region. A study was therefore carried out to investigate the association of host‐level (sex, body condition), environmental (southern Ontario region, land cover), temporal (season, hunting season, calendar year) and extraneous factors (submitter type) with E. multilocularis infection in coyotes in southern Ontario. Between November 2015 and March 2017, 416 coyotes were collected from across the region as part of a study that investigated the prevalence and distribution of the parasite in wild canids; approximately 24% of coyotes were positive for E. multilocularis. Associations between infection and factors of interest were assessed via a mixed‐effects logistic regression model with a random intercept for submitter to account for clustering. Coyotes with poor body condition were at greater odds of E. multilocularis infection than those in good condition (odds ratio [OR] 2.14; 95% CI: 1.08–4.26; p = .030). A negative association was observed between infection in coyotes and the proportion of natural land in a coyote's estimated home range (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.52–0.85; p = .001). Coyotes from the western region of southern Ontario had lower odds of infection compared to coyotes from the central region (OR: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.12–0.55; p < .001). These results can be used to help guide future public health prevention strategies for human alveolar echinococcosis.     

Staphylococcus sciuri peritonitis in a patient on peritoneal dialysis

Staphylococcus sciuri is an occasional cause of human infection that has been described in the flora of numerous animal species and in environmental specimens. Here, we report a rare case of S. sciuri peritonitis in a dialysis patient who had exposure to peridomestic animals.