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Parasites & Vectors Jan 2022Strongyloides stercoralis, a soil-transmitted helminth, occurs in humans, non-human primates, dogs, cats and wild canids. The zoonotic potential between these hosts is... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Strongyloides stercoralis, a soil-transmitted helminth, occurs in humans, non-human primates, dogs, cats and wild canids. The zoonotic potential between these hosts is not well understood with data available on prevalence primarily focused on humans. To increase knowledge on prevalence, this review and meta-analysis was performed to estimate the global status of S. stercoralis infections in dogs.
METHODS
Following the PRISMA guidelines, online literature published prior to November 2020 was obtained from multiple databases (Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar). Prevalence was calculated on a global and country level, by country income and climate, and in stray/animal shelter dogs versus owned dogs. Statistical analyses were conducted using R-software (version 3.6.1).
RESULTS
From 9428 articles, 61 met the inclusion criteria. The estimated pooled global prevalence of S. stercoralis in dogs was 6% (95% CI 3-9%). Infection was found to be the most prevalent in low-income countries with pooled prevalence of 22% (95% CI 10-36%). The highest pooled prevalence of S. stercoralis in dogs was related to regions with average temperature of 10-20 °C (6%; 95% CI 3-11%), an annual rainfall of 1001-1500 mm (9%; 95% CI 4-15%) and humidity of 40-75% (8%; 95% CI 4-13%). Prevalence was higher in stray and shelter dogs (11%; 95% CI 1-26%) than in owned dogs (3%; 95% CI 1-7%).
CONCLUSIONS
As with S. stercoralis in humans, higher prevalence in dogs is found in subtropical and tropical regions and lower-income countries, locations which also can have high dog populations. While this study presents the first estimated global prevalence of S. stercoralis in dogs, it is potentially an underestimation with 15 of 61 studies relying on diagnostic methods of lower sensitivity and a paucity of data from most locations. Standardized protocols (e.g. quantity of feces and number of samples for a Baermann) in future studies could improve reliability of results. More prevalence studies and raising veterinary awareness of S. stercoralis are needed for a One Health approach to protect humans and dogs from the impact of the infection.
Topics: Animals; Disease Reservoirs; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Global Health; Humans; Prevalence; Strongyloides stercoralis; Strongyloidiasis; Zoonoses
PubMed: 35012614
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-05135-0 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Jan 2022West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus which has been posing continuous challenges to public health worldwide due to the identification of new lineages and...
BACKGROUND
West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus which has been posing continuous challenges to public health worldwide due to the identification of new lineages and clades and its ability to invade and establish in an increasing number of countries. Its current distribution, genetic variability, ecology, and epidemiological pattern in the African continent are only partially known despite the general consensus on the urgency to obtain such information for quantifying the actual disease burden in Africa other than to predict future threats at global scale.
METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
References were searched in PubMed and Google Scholar electronic databases on January 21, 2020, using selected keywords, without language and date restriction. Additional manual searches of reference list were carried out. Further references have been later added accordingly to experts' opinion. We included 153 scientific papers published between 1940 and 2021. This review highlights: (i) the co-circulation of WNV-lineages 1, 2, and 8 in the African continent; (ii) the presence of diverse WNV competent vectors in Africa, mainly belonging to the Culex genus; (iii) the lack of vector competence studies for several other mosquito species found naturally infected with WNV in Africa; (iv) the need of more competence studies to be addressed on ticks; (iv) evidence of circulation of WNV among humans, animals and vectors in at least 28 Countries; (v) the lack of knowledge on the epidemiological situation of WNV for 19 Countries and (vii) the importance of carrying out specific serological surveys in order to avoid possible bias on WNV circulation in Africa.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides the state of art on WNV investigation carried out in Africa, highlighting several knowledge gaps regarding i) the current WNV distribution and genetic diversity, ii) its ecology and transmission chains including the role of different arthropods and vertebrate species as competent reservoirs, and iii) the real disease burden for humans and animals. This review highlights the needs for further research and coordinated surveillance efforts on WNV in Africa.
Topics: Aedes; Africa; Animals; Culex; Humans; Insect Control; Mosquito Vectors; Ticks; West Nile Fever; West Nile virus
PubMed: 35007285
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010075 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Dec 2021Improving our understanding of Mayaro virus (MAYV) ecology is critical to guide surveillance and risk assessment. We conducted a PRISMA-adherent systematic review of the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Improving our understanding of Mayaro virus (MAYV) ecology is critical to guide surveillance and risk assessment. We conducted a PRISMA-adherent systematic review of the published and grey literature to identify potential arthropod vectors and non-human animal reservoirs of MAYV. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, SciELO and grey-literature sources including PAHO databases and dissertation repositories. Studies were included if they assessed MAYV virological/immunological measured occurrence in field-caught, domestic, or sentinel animals or in field-caught arthropods. We conducted an animal seroprevalence meta-analysis using a random effects model. We compiled granular georeferenced maps of non-human MAYV occurrence and graded the quality of the studies using a customized framework. Overall, 57 studies were eligible out of 1523 screened, published between the years 1961 and 2020. Seventeen studies reported MAYV positivity in wild mammals, birds, or reptiles and five studies reported MAYV positivity in domestic animals. MAYV positivity was reported in 12 orders of wild-caught vertebrates, most frequently in the orders Charadriiformes and Primate. Sixteen studies detected MAYV in wild-caught mosquito genera including Haemagogus, Aedes, Culex, Psorophora, Coquillettidia, and Sabethes. Vertebrate animals or arthropods with MAYV were detected in Brazil, Panama, Peru, French Guiana, Colombia, Trinidad, Venezuela, Argentina, and Paraguay. Among non-human vertebrates, the Primate order had the highest pooled seroprevalence at 13.1% (95% CI: 4.3-25.1%). From the three most studied primate genera we found the highest seroprevalence was in Alouatta (32.2%, 95% CI: 0.0-79.2%), followed by Callithrix (17.8%, 95% CI: 8.6-28.5%), and Cebus/Sapajus (3.7%, 95% CI: 0.0-11.1%). We further found that MAYV occurs in a wide range of vectors beyond Haemagogus spp. The quality of evidence behind these findings was variable and prompts calls for standardization of reporting of arbovirus occurrence. These findings support further risk emergence prediction, guide field surveillance efforts, and prompt further in-vivo studies to better define the ecological drivers of MAYV maintenance and potential for emergence.
Topics: Alphavirus; Alphavirus Infections; Animals; Arthropod Vectors; Birds; Disease Reservoirs; Humans; Mammals; Mosquito Vectors; Primates; Reptiles
PubMed: 34898602
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010016 -
Viruses Oct 2021Hantaviruses are zoonotic pathogens that can cause serious human disorders, including hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. As... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Hantaviruses are zoonotic pathogens that can cause serious human disorders, including hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. As the main risk factor for human infections is the interaction with rodents, occupational groups such as farmers and forestry workers are reportedly at high risk, but no summary evidence has been collected to date. Therefore, we searched two different databases (PubMed and EMBASE), focusing on studies reporting the prevalence of hantaviruses in farmers and forestry workers. Data were extracted using a standardized assessment form, and results of such analyses were systematically reported, summarized and compared. We identified a total of 42 articles, including a total of 28 estimates on farmers, and 22 on forestry workers, with a total workforce of 15,043 cases (821 positive cases, 5.5%). A pooled seroprevalence of 3.7% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.2-6.2) was identified in farmers, compared to 3.8% (95% CI 2.6-5.7) in forestry workers. Compared to the reference population, an increased occurrence was reported for both occupational groups (odds ratio [OR] 1.875, 95% CI 1.438-2.445 and OR 2.892, 95% CI 2.079-4.023 for farmers and forestry workers, respectively). In summary, our analyses stress the actual occurrence of hantaviruses in selected occupational groups. Improved understanding of appropriate preventive measures, as well as further studies on hantavirus infection rates in reservoir host species (rodents, shrews, and bats) and virus transmission to humans, is needed to prevent future outbreaks.
Topics: Agriculture; Animals; Chiroptera; Climate Change; Databases, Factual; Farmers; Forestry; Orthohantavirus; Hantavirus Infections; Humans; Public Health; Rodentia; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Shrews
PubMed: 34834957
DOI: 10.3390/v13112150 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Nov 2021Tanzania is among the tropical countries of Sub-Saharan Africa with the environmental conditions favorable for transmission of Leptospira. Leptospirosis is a neglected...
BACKGROUND
Tanzania is among the tropical countries of Sub-Saharan Africa with the environmental conditions favorable for transmission of Leptospira. Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease, and although there are several published reports from Tanzania, the epidemiology, genetic diversity of Leptospira and its host range are poorly understood.
METHODS
We conducted a comprehensive review of human and animal leptospirosis within the 26 regions of the Tanzanian mainland. Literature searches for the review were conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar. We further manually identified studies from reference lists among retrieved studies from the preliminary search.
RESULTS
We identified thirty-four studies describing leptospirosis in humans (n = 16), animals (n = 14) and in both (n = 4). The number of studies varied significantly across regions. Most of the studies were conducted in Morogoro (n = 16) followed by Kilimanjaro (n = 9) and Tanga (n = 5). There were a range of study designs with cross-sectional prevalence studies (n = 18), studies on leptospirosis in febrile patients (n = 13), a case control study in cattle (n = 1) and studies identifying novel serovars (n = 2). The most utilized diagnostic tool was the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) which detected antibodies to 17 Leptospira serogroups in humans and animals. The Leptospira serogroups with the most diverse hosts were Icterohaemorrhagiae (n = 11), Grippotyphosa (n = 10), Sejroe (n = 10), Pomona (n = 9) and Ballum (n = 8). The reported prevalence of Leptospira antibodies in humans ranged from 0.3-29.9% and risk factors were associated with occupational animal contact. Many potential reservoir hosts were identified with the most common being rodents and cattle.
CONCLUSION
Leptospirosis is prevalent in humans and animals in Tanzania, although there is regional and host variation in the reports. Many regions do not have information about the disease in either humans or their animal reservoirs. More studies are required to understand human leptospirosis determinants and the role of livestock in leptospirosis transmission to humans for the development of appropriate control strategies.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Zoonoses; Biodiversity; Cats; Cattle; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease Reservoirs; Dogs; Humans; Leptospira; Leptospirosis; Rats; Rodentia; Swine; Tanzania
PubMed: 34784354
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009918 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2021The COVID-19 outbreak is a global health concern. Understanding the transmission modes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is key to limit the spread of the pandemic. A lack of... (Review)
Review
The COVID-19 outbreak is a global health concern. Understanding the transmission modes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is key to limit the spread of the pandemic. A lack of knowledge about the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and infection through contaminated surfaces is noticeable and recent studies have stated conflicting findings. This scoping review aims to understand the risks of contaminations via fomites better. Relevant publications were selected through Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane Library, with related keywords. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed. Out of the 565 articles found, exclusion criteria were applied, duplicates removed, and a total of 25 articles were finally included in the study. The included documents were assessed by the contamination risk: "low" (37.5%), "high" (16.7%), "plausible" (8.3%), "unlikely" (8.3%) risk, and "insufficient evidence" (29.2%). Research in hospital settings was found as the main setting in the reviewed papers, which precisely indicated the risk of contaminated surfaces. This scoping review underscores the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection via contaminated surfaces assessed as low in the majority of the reviewed articles. Further evaluation of the risk of the virus transmission by fomites and providing adequate information on its infectivity via contaminated surfaces in real-life conditions is essential.
Topics: COVID-19; Fomites; Hospitals; Humans; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 34769538
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111019 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Oct 2021Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) represents a global health burden. However, its epidemiology in the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) and North Africa (NA) regions is... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) represents a global health burden. However, its epidemiology in the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) and North Africa (NA) regions is currently not well understood. This review had four key objectives: to describe asymptomatic meningococcal carriage, IMD epidemiology (e.g. serogroup prevalence, case-fatality rates [CFRs]), IMD presentation and management (e.g. clinical diagnosis, antibiotic treatments) and economic impact and evaluation (including health technology assessment [HTA] recommendations) in EM and NA.
METHODS
A systematic literature search (MEDLINE and EMBASE) was conducted (January 2000 to February 2021). Search strings included meningococcal disease and the regions/countries of interest. Identified publications were screened sequentially by title/abstract, followed by screening of the full-text article; articles were also assessed on methodological quality. Literature reviews, genetic sequencing or diagnostic accuracy studies, or other non-pertinent publication type were excluded. An additional grey literature search (non-peer-reviewed sources; start date January 2000) was conducted to the end of April 2019.
RESULTS
Of the 1745 publications identified, 79 were eligible for the final analysis (n = 61 for EM and n = 19 for NA; one study was relevant to both). Asymptomatic meningococcal carriage rates were 0-33% in risk groups (e.g. military personnel, pilgrims) in EM (no data in NA). In terms of epidemiology, serogroups A, B and W were most prevalent in EM compared with serogroups B and C in NA. IMD incidence was 0-20.5/100,000 in EM and 0.1-3.75/100,000 in NA (reported by 7/15 countries in EM and 3/5 countries in NA). CFRs were heterogenous across the EM, ranging from 0 to 57.9%, but were generally lower than 50%. Limited NA data showed a CFR of 0-50%. Data were also limited in terms of IMD presentation and management, particularly relating to clinical diagnosis/antibiotic treatment. No economic evaluation or HTA studies were found.
CONCLUSIONS
High-risk groups remain a significant reservoir of asymptomatic meningococcal carriage. It is probable that inadequacies in national surveillance systems have contributed to the gaps identified. There is consequently a pressing need to improve national surveillance systems in order to estimate the true burden of IMD and guide appropriate prevention and control programmes in these regions.
Topics: Africa, Northern; Humans; Incidence; Meningococcal Infections; Meningococcal Vaccines; Neisseria meningitidis; Serogroup
PubMed: 34686136
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-021-06781-6 -
FEMS Microbiology Reviews Jan 2022Understanding the interactions of ecosystems, humans and pathogens is important for disease risk estimation. This is particularly true for neglected and newly emerging...
Understanding the interactions of ecosystems, humans and pathogens is important for disease risk estimation. This is particularly true for neglected and newly emerging diseases where modes and efficiencies of transmission leading to epidemics are not well understood. Using a model for other emerging diseases, the neglected tropical skin disease Buruli ulcer (BU), we systematically review the literature on transmission of the etiologic agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU), within a One Health/EcoHealth framework and against Hill's nine criteria and Koch's postulates for making strong inference in disease systems. Using this strong inference approach, we advocate a null hypothesis for MU transmission and other understudied disease systems. The null should be tested against alternative vector or host roles in pathogen transmission to better inform disease management. We propose a re-evaluation of what is necessary to identify and confirm hosts, reservoirs and vectors associated with environmental pathogen replication, dispersal and transmission; critically review alternative environmental sources of MU that may be important for transmission, including invertebrate and vertebrate species, plants and biofilms on aquatic substrates; and conclude with placing BU within the context of other neglected and emerging infectious diseases with intricate ecological relationships that lead to disease in humans, wildlife and domestic animals.
Topics: Animals; Buruli Ulcer; Ecosystem; Humans; Mycobacterium ulcerans; Plants
PubMed: 34468735
DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab045 -
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases Sep 2022Zoonotic tick-borne diseases threat human and animal health. Understanding the role of hosts in the production of infected ticks in an epidemiological system is... (Review)
Review
Zoonotic tick-borne diseases threat human and animal health. Understanding the role of hosts in the production of infected ticks in an epidemiological system is essential to be able to design effective measures to reduce the exposure of humans and animals to infectious tick bites. The reservoir host potential, that is, number of infected ticks produced by a host species, depends on three components: tick production, realized reservoir competence and host density. The parameters and factors that determine the reservoir host potential need to be characterized to achieve a robust understanding of the dynamics of pathogen-tick-host systems, and thus to mitigate the acarological risk of emerging infections. Few studies have investigated the role of birds in the local spread of Lyme borreliosis Borrelia. Knowledge of the research effort on the reservoir host potential of birds in Lyme borreliosis Borrelia circulation is necessary to prioritize future research on this topic. We provide a systematic review of the research effort on components of the reservoir host potential of wild birds for Lyme borreliosis Borrelia circulation, and factors that modulate these components in the European epidemiological system. Our review of 242 selected publications showed that tick production has been 1.4 and 21 times more studied than realized reservoir competence and bird density respectively. Only one study achieved to characterize the global host reservoir potential of birds in a given epidemiological system. Investigated factors were mostly related to bird species identity, individual characteristics of birds and tick characteristics, whereas the influence of bird life-history traits have been largely under-investigated. Because simultaneous characterization of all parameters is notoriously complex, interdisciplinary research is needed to combine and accumulate independent field and laboratory investigations targeting each parameter on specific epidemiological system or host species. This can help gain an integrated appraisal of the functioning of the studied system at a local scale.
Topics: Animals; Birds; Borrelia; Humans; Ixodes; Lyme Disease; Tick-Borne Diseases; Ticks
PubMed: 34453490
DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14305 -
World Journal of Nephrology Jul 2021Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common medical condition that is increasing in prevalence. Existing published evidence has revealed through regression analyses that...
BACKGROUND
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common medical condition that is increasing in prevalence. Existing published evidence has revealed through regression analyses that several clinical characteristics are associated with mortality in CKD patients. However, the predictive accuracies of these risk factors for mortality have not been clearly demonstrated.
AIM
To demonstrate the accuracy of mortality predictive factors in CKD patients by utilizing the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) analysis.
METHODS
We searched Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for eligible articles through January 2021. Studies were included based on the following criteria: (1) Study nature was observational or conference abstract; (2) Study populations involved patients with non-transplant CKD at any CKD stage severity; and (3) Predictive factors for mortality were presented with AUC analysis and its associated 95% confidence interval (CI). AUC of 0.70-0.79 is considered acceptable, 0.80-0.89 is considered excellent, and more than 0.90 is considered outstanding.
RESULTS
Of 1759 citations, a total of 18 studies ( = 14579) were included in this systematic review. Eight hundred thirty two patients had non-dialysis CKD, and 13747 patients had dialysis-dependent CKD (2160 patients on hemodialysis, 370 patients on peritoneal dialysis, and 11217 patients on non-differentiated dialysis modality). Of 24 mortality predictive factors, none were deemed outstanding for mortality prediction. A total of seven predictive factors [N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), BNP, soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), augmentation index, left atrial reservoir strain, C-reactive protein, and systolic pulmonary artery pressure] were identified as excellent. Seventeen predictive factors were in the acceptable range, which we classified into the following subgroups: predictors for the non-dialysis population, echocardiographic factors, comorbidities, and miscellaneous.
CONCLUSION
Several factors were found to predict mortality in CKD patients. Echocardiography is an important tool for mortality prognostication in CKD patients by evaluating left atrial reservoir strain, systolic pulmonary artery pressure, diastolic function, and left ventricular mass index.
PubMed: 34430385
DOI: 10.5527/wjn.v10.i4.59