Search results for "Zoonosis"
showing 10 items of 51 documents
The Zoonotic Parasite Dirofilaria repens Emerged in the Baltic Countries Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in 2008–2012 and Became Established and Endem…
2021
The zoonotic parasite Dirofilaria repens has spread toward north in Europe, and cases of autochthonous dirofilariosis caused by D. repens have emerged in the Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. We conducted a review on the emergence of dirofilariosis in humans and domestic dogs in these three countries in northeastern Europe. Based on the available literature and reports, the first finding in the Baltic countries was made in Latvia in 2008, followed by the first in Lithuania in 2010, and the first in Estonia in 2012. In all three countries, further findings were reported soon after the first reports. By the end of 2019, autochthonous human D. repens infections had been describe…
Human subcutaneous dirofilariasis, Russia
2007
We report 14 cases of human subcutaneous dirofilariasis caused by Dirofilaria repens, diagnosed from February 2003 through July 2004, in patients from Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Serologic analysis showed evidence of high risk of exposure to D. repens. Surveillance studies on prevalence and prevention effectiveness of canine infection are needed to control this emerging zoonosis.
Hepatitis E virus infection as a cause of acute hepatitis in Southern Italy
2011
Abstract Background Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute hepatitis in developing countries, whereas it is not considered a major health problem in Western World. Aims To investigate the spread of HEV and its possible role in causing acute hepatitis in Southern Italy. Methods Four hundred and thirty patients observed from April to December 2009 were studied and grouped as follows: 55 individuals with acute hepatitis (AH), 33 of whom cryptogenic; 321 individuals with chronic liver diseases (CLD), (278 Italians and 43 immigrants); 54 individuals without liver disease (control-group). Serum samples from all cases were tested for IgG anti-HEV antibodies and those positive to this te…
Vector-borne and zoonotic infections and their relationships with regional and socioeconomic statuses: An ID-IRI survey in 24 countries of Europe, Af…
2021
Background: In this cross-sectional, international study, we aimed to analyze vector-borne and zoonotic infections (VBZI), which are significant global threats. Method: VBZIs’ data between May 20–28, 2018 was collected. The 24 Participatingcountries were classified as lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income. Results: 382 patients were included. 175(45.8%) were hospitalized, most commonly in Croatia, Egypt, and Romania(P = 0.001). There was a significant difference between distributions of VBZIs according to geographical regions(P < 0.001). Amebiasis, Ancylostomiasis, Blastocystosis, Cryptosporidiosis, Giardiasis, Toxoplasmosis were significantly more common in the Middle-East while B…
The widespread presence of a family of fish virulence plasmids in Vibrio vulnificus stresses its relevance as a zoonotic pathogen linked to fish farms
2021
Vibrio vulnificus is a pathogen of public health concern that causes either primary septicemia after ingestion of raw shellfish or secondary septicemia after wound exposure to seawater. In consequence, shellfish and seawater are considered its main reservoirs. However, there is one aspect of its biology that is systematically overlooked: its association with fish in its natural environment. This association led in 1975 to the emergence of a zoonotic clade within phylogenetic lineage 2 following successive outbreaks of vibriosis in farmed eels. Although this clade is now worldwide distributed, no new zoonotic clades were subsequently reported. In this work, we have performed phylogenetic, ge…
Molecular detection of Bartonella spp. in deer ked pupae, adult keds and moose blood in Finland
2014
SUMMARYThe deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) is a haematophagous ectoparasite of cervids that harbours haemotrophic Bartonella. A prerequisite for the vector competence of the deer ked is the vertical transmission of the pathogen from the mother to its progeny and transstadial transmission from pupa to winged adult. We screened 1154 pupae and 59 pools of winged adult deer keds from different areas in Finland for Bartonella DNA using PCR. Altogether 13 pupa samples and one winged adult deer ked were positive for the presence of Bartonella DNA. The amplified sequences were closely related to either B. schoenbuchensis or B. bovis. The same lineages were identified in eight blood samples collected fro…
Dracunculiasis: water-borne anthroponosis vs. food-borne zoonosis.
2019
Abstract Dracunculiasis is the first parasitic disease set for eradication. However, recent events related to the Dracunculus medinensis epidemiology in certain African countries are apparently posing new challenges to its eradication. Two novel facts have emerged: the existence of animal reservoirs (mainly dogs but also cats and baboons), and possibly a new food-borne route of transmission by the ingestion of paratenic (frogs) or transport (fish) hosts. Therefore, instead of being exclusively a water-borne anthroponosis, dracunculiasis would also be a food-borne zoonosis. The existence of a large number of infected dogs, mainly in Chad, and the low number of infected humans, have given ris…
Human leptospirosis cases in Palermo Italy. The role of rodents and climate
2018
Many regions of the world are increasingly exposed to leptospirosis due to poverty, global warming and high urban density. Here, we report a molecular survey for pathogenic Leptospira spp. in rodents and two symptomatic human cases of leptospirosis in the city of Palermo, Italy.Four rodent species were captured in six areas of the city, and a molecular analysis for pathogenic Leptospira spp. on DNA from the kidney samples showed a different prevalence of leptospirosis in all the species of rodents. In addition, two human cases that occurred in May and October of 2009 in the city were also reported. A 67-year-old woman recovered after antibiotic treatment, whereas a 71-year-old woman did not…
Guinea Worm Infection in Dogs: A Case of Reverse Zoonosis that Impedes Dracunculus medinensis Eradication
2020
Dracunculus medinensis or Guinea worm was largely considered an exclusive human parasite. The adult female D. medinensis (up to 100 cm long and 1.5–2.0 mm thick) inhabits and moves in the connective tissue, including the skin. Large females protrude from the skin causing unusual and unambiguous signs. Hosts become infected by drinking water containing the crustacean intermediate hosts (cyclopoid copepods known as water fleas) infected with Guinea worm L3 larvae. After years of a successful eradication campaign (focused mainly on preventing humans from drinking unfiltered or untreated water), Guinea worm transmission has been eliminated from most, but not all, countries. An unforeseeable hig…
Integration of animal health and public health surveillance sources to exhaustively inform the risk of zoonosis: An application to visceral leishmani…
2019
Abstract Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic disease that is endemic in more than 80 countries, and leads to high fatality rates when left untreated. We investigate the relationship of VL cases in dogs and human cases, specifically for evidence of VL in dogs leading to excess cases in humans. We use surveillance data for dogs and humans for the years 2007–2011 to conduct both spatial and spatio-temporal analyses. Several models are evaluated incorporating varying levels of dependency between dog and human data. Models including dog data show marginal improvement over models without; however, for a subset of spatial units with ample data, models provide concordant risk classification …