Abstract
The increasing intensification of pork production in southeast Asia necessitates an urgent requirement to better understand the dual impact of pig-associated zoonotic disease on both pig production and human health in the region. Sharing porous borders with five countries and representing many regional ethnicities and agricultural practices, the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) appears well placed to gauge the levels of pig-associated zoonoses circulating in the wider region. Despite this, little is known about the true impact of zoonotic pathogens such as leptospirosis, Trichinella, hepatitis E virus (HEV), Japanese encephalitis (JE), and Taenia solium on human health and livestock production in the country. A comprehensive review of the published prevalences of these five pig-associated zoonoses in Lao PDR has demonstrated that although suspicion remains high of their existence in pig reservoirs across the country, epidemiological data are scarce; only 31 epidemiological studies have been undertaken on these diseases in the past 25 years. A greater understanding of the zoonoses prevalence and subsequent risks associated with pork production in the southeast Asian region could help focus public health and food safety interventions at key points along the value chain, benefiting both livestock producers and the broader animal and human health systems in the region.
Highlights
The growth in livestock production in recent years has raised concerns of the increasing risks of zoonotic disease transmission, with pig production in particular expanding in several regions of the world.[1,2,3] Asia is a major global producer of pork, with southeast Asia and southern China currently comprising the majority of regional production.[4]
Leptospirosis is an important reemerging zoonotic disease worldwide caused by the bacterial species Leptospira interrogans, which is subdivided into 24 serogroups and over 200 serovars based on the bacteria’s outer envelope lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
Regional animal health programs in southeast Asia have placed a significant focus on trade-impacting transboundary animal diseases (TADs) such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and classical swine fever (CSF)
Summary
The growth in livestock production in recent years has raised concerns of the increasing risks of zoonotic disease transmission, with pig production in particular expanding in several regions of the world.[1,2,3] Asia is a major global producer of pork, with southeast Asia and southern China currently comprising the majority of regional production.[4]. Pig-associated zoonoses previously described throughout parts of southeast Asia include Taenia solium cysticercosis, hepatitis E virus (HEV), Streptococcus suis, Japanese encephalitis (JE), and trichinellosis. The role of pigs in the transmission of other significant zoonotic pathogens such as leptospirosis, brucellosis, and Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) are largely unknown. Production and trade implications from zoonoses such as T. solium cysticercosis, S. suis, brucellosis, and leptospirosis have the potential to further increase the socioeconomic impact of zoonotic disease through lost market opportunities.[5] With pig consumption and production set to increase further across the globe, in the southeast Asian region, the requirement to map the current knowledge of pig-associated zoonoses burdens, and highlight the gaps in our understanding regarding transmission and control, is becoming vitally important. This review summarizes the currently available published research on five pig-associated zoonoses considered to have important implications for animal
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