Human Schistosoma exposure risk in rice fields and an exploration of fish species for snail and schistosomiasis biocontrol.

Schistosomiasis is a devastating parasitic disease in which the infectious stage to humans is released by intermediate host snails. The Senegal River Basin (SRB) is a high-risk area for both urogenital and fecal human schistosomiasis and has extensive rice cultivation. However, occupational risk of schistosomiasis to people working in irrigated rice fields is not well established.

Use of snail traps for surveillance of schistosome-shedding snails in rice fields and fragile ecosystems.

Human schistosomiasis is a waterborne trematode disease that often affects communities already dealing with poverty and limited access to health care. Sampling to look for the snail intermediate host of schistosomiasis is often done in resource-poor settings with a sweep net, but this can be damaging to aquatic plants, such as rice. To address this issue, we tested a baited snail trap to use in fragile ecosystems and rice fields where sweep netting might not be advisable.

Slaying the Serpent: A Research Agenda to Expand Intervention Development and Accelerate Guinea Worm Eradication Efforts.

Dracunculiasis, also known as Guinea worm disease, is targeted to become the second human disease and first parasitic infection to be eradicated. The global Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP), through community-based interventions, reduced the burden of disease from an estimated 3.5 million cases per year in 1986 to only 13 human cases in 2022.

A meta-analysis on global change drivers and the risk of infectious disease.

Anthropogenic change is contributing to the rise in emerging infectious diseases, which are significantly correlated with socioeconomic, environmental and ecological factors. Studies have shown that infectious disease risk is modified by changes to biodiversity, climate change, chemical pollution, landscape transformations and species introductions. However, it remains unclear which global change drivers most increase disease and under what contexts.

Passive Surveillance of Human-Biting Ticks in Massachusetts from 2015-2019.

This study aimed to analyze human-biting ticks submitted to TickReport tick testing service from 2015-2019 in Massachusetts to (1) examine possible patterns of pathogen-positive adult and nymphal ticks over time and (2) explore how socioeconomic factors can influence tick submissions. A passive surveillance data set of ticks and tick-borne pathogens was conducted over 5 years (2015-2019) in Massachusetts. The percentages of four tick-borne pathogens: , and were determined by Massachusetts county and by month and year.

A One Health Approach to Defining Animal and Human Helminth Exposure Risks in a Tribal Village in Southern India.

The high burden of soil-transmitted helminth infections has been studied in India; however, little data exist on zoonotic helminths, and on animal-associated exposure to soil-transmitted helminths. Our study took place in the Jawadhu Hills, which is a tribal region in Tamil Nadu, India. Using a One Health approach, we included animal and environmental samples and human risk factors to answer questions about the associations among infected household soil, domestic animals, and human risk factors.

Zoonotic Diseases from Horses: A Systematic Review.

Worldwide, horses play critical roles in recreation, food production, transportation, and as working animals. Horses' roles differ by geographical region and the socioeconomic status of the people, but despite modern advances in transportation, which have in some ways altered humans contact with horses, potential risks for equine zoonotic pathogen transmission to humans occur globally. While previous reports have focused upon individual or groups of equine pathogens, to our knowledge, a systematic review of equine zoonoses has never been performed.

Rapid Influenza Testing in an Austere Setting, Mongolia.

In 2015-2017, we helped rural Mongolian clinicians with poor infrastructure adopt rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs). In their hands, the Quidel Sofia Influenza A Test was both sensitive (75%) and specific (100%). If made widely available, such RIDTs would have the potential to markedly reduce influenza morbidity and mortality in Mongolia.

Low Prevalence of Enzootic Equine Influenza Virus among Horses in Mongolia.

Horses are critically important for Mongolian herders' livelihoods, providing transportation and food products, and playing important cultural roles. Equine influenza virus (EIV) epizootics have been frequent among Mongolia's horses, with five occurring since 1970. We sought to estimate the prevalence for EIV infection among horses and Bactrian camels with influenza-like illness between national epizootics.

MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF WILD TURTLES AT A NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE CLINIC: A 10-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE.

The medical records from 1,847 wild turtle patients seen between 2005 and 2014 by the Turtle Rescue Team at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine were analyzed. Eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina; n = 947), yellow-bellied sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta; n = 301), cooters ( Pseudemys spp.; n = 235), common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina; n = 165), and eastern painted turtles (Chrysemys picta; n = 93) made up 94.