Control Of Infectious Diseases Research Articles

Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) as a Solution of Decrease Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) in Aging

Advances in the control of infectious diseases have contributed to increasing life expectancy. As a result, the aging population has increased. Data shows that there were 771 million elderly in 2022, which is estimated to increase to 1.6 billion in 2050. This condition causes changes in disease patterns that lead to diseases related to age and aging. Recently, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) has received much attention. Therefore, the authors made this review article using the literature review method to describe role of NMN as an anti-aging modality and prevention of disease associated with a decrease in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Decreased NAD+ levels occur through several mechanisms, including activation of PARP-1 by oxidative stress, consumption of NAD+ by CD38 enzymes and sirtuins, injury induced by sterile alpha and toll/interleukin receptor motif-containing protein 1 (SARM1) in axon degeneration, and increased mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). NMN can increase NAD+ levels in the Salvage and Preiss-Handler pathways so that they will make a positive impact on aging, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, obesity, cerebral ischemia, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. The administration of NMN in low doses does not cause significant side effects. Keywords: aging, anti-aging, NAD+, NMN

Milwaukee Protocol — from idea to implementation

Despite the fact that rabies in the modern world is a rare sporadic disease, the relevance of its methods of treatment is beyond doubt, since in the absence of timely prevention, it is characterized by 100% mortality. As of 2020, there are about 70 cases of experimental rabies treatment protocols according to the Milwaukee Protocol Rabies Registry. The very idea that the human body can cope with the virus itself has been around for a long time. Even before the advent of the Milwaukee protocol, there were attempts at treatment at the stage of clinical manifestations. The first was Michael Huttwick of the Center for Infectious Disease Control in Atlanta, although the scientific community is still arguing whether it was really rabies. The essence of this protocol is the introduction of a patient into an artificial coma, the introduction of antiviral drugs, symptomatic therapy (anticolvusants, mechanical ventilation, etc.). At the moment, there is the sixth version of the Milwaukee Protocol (from 2018), which provides general recommendations for its maintenance, since the material base is too small to draw any general conclusions.

The role of pacas of captivity as a potential reservoir of zoonotic fungi in Acre, Western Amazon, Brazil

Wild animals can be natural reservoirs of different microorganisms, essential for monitoring these pathogens for the generation of knowledge and creation of tools aimed at programs for the prevention and control of infectious diseases, including zoonoses. The objective was to report the fungal diversity in the skin of pacas in captivity in Acre, Western Amazon, Brazil. Twenty-six animals were evaluated, from which skin samples were collected by superficial scraping, hair avulsion, and sterile plastic brush. The samples were seeded on Mycosel agar, and the phenotypic characteristics of the colonies were analyzed. In 80.8% of the samples, different fungi were isolated, from the genera Candida, Microsporum, and Trichophyton, among others. This is the first description of the identification of fungi in the skin of pacas and suggests that these animals can be considered essential reservoirs of saprophytic or pathogenic microorganisms with zoonotic potential in the Western Amazon.

Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Species and Their Mobile Genetic Elements from Poultry Farm Environments in Malaysia.

The prevalence and persistent outbreaks of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella in low-income countries have received growing attention among the public and scientific community. Notably, the excessive use of antibiotics in chicken feed for the purpose of treatment or as prophylaxis in the poultry industry have led to a rising rate of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the presence of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella species and its mobile genetic elements from soil and effluent samples of 33 randomly selected poultry farms in Selangor, Malaysia. Salmonella species were isolated on selective media (CHROMagar™ Salmonella). VITEK® 2 system was used to identify the isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibility. Subsequently, eight isolates were subjected to the whole genome sequencing (WGS). Based on the results, Salmonella spp. was detected in 38.1% (24/63) of samples, with the highest resistance to ampicillin (62.5%), followed by ampicillin/sulbactam (50.0%) and ciprofloxacin (45.8%). Meanwhile, the identified serovars were Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Weltevreden (S. Weltevreden), S. Jedburgh, and S. Brancaster. The most prevalent resistance genes detected include qnrS1, blaTEM-176, dfrA14, and tet(A). The IncX1 plasmid, with encoded resistance genes, was also detected in four isolates. Furthermore, mutations in the quinolone resistant-determining regions (QRDR) were discovered, specifically in the gyrA, gyrB, and parC genes. In short, surveillance such as continuous monitoring of antimicrobial resistance and emerging trends in resistance patterns through farm environmental samples could provide information to formulate public health interventions for effective infection prevention and disease control.

SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies in Free-Ranging Fallow Deer (Dama dama) and Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in Suburban and Rural Areas in Spain

Effective control of zoonotic infectious diseases requires identifying the animal species involved in the infectious cycle as transmitters or reservoirs where the pathogen could persist and evolve, increasing the risk of reintroduction of new variants in humans and animals. Multiple surveillance studies have detected the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) or specific antibodies in free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in North America, being the wild mammal species with the most reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, so far, all attempts to detect the infection in European cervids have been unsuccessful. In this study, we demonstrated the presence of specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in European fallow deer (Dama dama) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Spain. However, all samples of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), taxonomically related to the American white-tailed deer, were seronegative for the virus. We tested 215 serum samples from roe deer (n = 116), red deer (n = 63), and fallow deer (n = 36) collected in eight provinces of central-southern Spain between 2017 and 2022. We first screened sera by a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) ELISA based on the binding of the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and then confirmed positive samples by a conventional virus neutralization test (cVNT) against the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants. Four fallow deer and two red deer samples were seropositive in both neutralization assays. Four samples of fallow deer and one of red deer, collected in a suburban park near Madrid in February 2022, had antibodies against the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants, while a seropositive sample of red deer, collected in a rural area in February 2021, was specific for the Delta variant. All samples collected before the start of the pandemic in Spain were seronegative for sVNT, which also indicates that there are not cross-reactive antibodies potentially elicited by other viruses antigenically related to SARS-CoV-2. The results indicate probable human-to-deer transmission of SARS-CoV-2, but do not clarify whether there was subsequent spread within herds.

Empirical distributions of time intervals between COVID-19 cases and more severe outcomes in Scotland.

A critical factor in infectious disease control is the risk of an outbreak overwhelming local healthcare capacity. The overall demand on healthcare services will depend on disease severity, but the precise timing and size of peak demand also depends on the time interval (or clinical time delay) between initial infection, and development of severe disease. A broader distribution of intervals may draw that demand out over a longer period, but have a lower peak demand. These interval distributions are therefore important in modelling trajectories of e.g. hospital admissions, given a trajectory of incidence. Conversely, as testing rates decline, an incidence trajectory may need to be inferred through the delayed, but relatively unbiased signal of hospital admissions. Healthcare demand has been extensively modelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, where localised waves of infection have imposed severe stresses on healthcare services. While the initial acute threat posed by this disease has since subsided with immunity buildup from vaccination and prior infection, prevalence remains high and waning immunity may lead to substantial pressures for years to come. In this work, then, we present a set of interval distributions, for COVID-19 cases and subsequent severe outcomes; hospital admission, ICU admission, and death. These may be used to model more realistic scenarios of hospital admissions and occupancy, given a trajectory of infections or cases. We present a method for obtaining empirical distributions using COVID-19 outcomes data from Scotland between September 2020 and January 2022 (N = 31724 hospital admissions, N = 3514 ICU admissions, N = 8306 mortalities). We present separate distributions for individual age, sex, and deprivation of residing community. While the risk of severe disease following COVID-19 infection is substantially higher for the elderly and those residing in areas of high deprivation, the length of stay shows no strong dependence, suggesting that severe outcomes are equally severe across risk groups. As Scotland and other countries move into a phase where testing is no longer abundant, these intervals may be of use for retrospective modelling of patterns of infection, given data on severe outcomes.

Disaster Management Policy Framework in Bangladesh: The Role of Mobile Phones during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19, officially recognized as an epidemic by the WHO on March 11, 2020, has spread rapidly across Europe, the US, South America, India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Myanmar. Bangladesh has implemented preventive measures, such as the Disaster Management Act of 2012 and the Infectious Disease Prevention, Control, and Elimination Act of 2018, to prevent the virus and control mobilizations and gatherings. This constrained social and economic activities as well. The COVID-19 epidemic has necessitated the reliance on connectivity as an essential means for the sustained operation of commercial and social activities. The government has recognized the significance of mobile technology in supporting social and economic activities. Mobile connectivity in Bangladesh is crucial for economic and social activities during the pandemic, enabling businesses and educational institutions to sustain operations, facilitate social interaction, support work-related tasks, and provide access to services that improve quality of life. The government has categorized mobile technology and operators as a crucial public service. Mobile phones and mobile internet utilization is expected to continue enabling connectivity, providing access to novel opportunities, and contributing to economic growth and progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Digital Bangladesh. The capacity of individuals to access and effectively utilize mobile phone and internet services is essential for fully utilizing the social and economic benefits of mobile connectivity.

Plant Viruses as Adjuvants for Next-Generation Vaccines and Immunotherapy.

Vaccines are the cornerstone of infectious disease control and prevention. The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has confirmed the urgent need for a new approach to the design of novel vaccines. Plant viruses and their derivatives are being used increasingly for the development of new medical and biotechnological applications, and this is reflected in a number of preclinical and clinical studies. Plant viruses have a unique combination of features (biosafety, low reactogenicity, inexpensiveness and ease of production, etc.), which determine their potential. This review presents the latest data on the use of plant viruses with different types of symmetry as vaccine components and adjuvants in cancer immunotherapy. The discussion concludes that the most promising approaches might be those that use structurally modified plant viruses (spherical particles) obtained from the Tobacco mosaic virus. These particles combine high adsorption properties (as a carrier) with strong immunogenicity, as has been confirmed using various antigens in animal models. According to current research, it is evident that plant viruses have great potential for application in the development of vaccines and in cancer immunotherapy.

Understanding the impact of local funding cuts on environmental health and regulatory services and gastrointestinal infection outcomes: a longitudinal ecological study protocol

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) infections result in 17 million cases annually, with foodborne illness costing the National Health Service (NHS) £60m per year. The burden of GI infection is unequally distributed, with greater impact in more socioeconomically disadvantaged groups and areas. Local authorities (LA) provide vital services that protect public health and wellbeing. The impact of funding cuts to local services and their effect on public health is an area of concern. Environmental health and regulatory (EH) services are responsible for roles such as food safety and infectious disease control. This study aims to understand the impact of local funding cuts on EH and GI infection outcomes. Methods: We will conduct an ecological longitudinal study in England from 2010-2019 at the LA level to examine how changes in EH expenditure overtime have impacted EH and GI infection outcomes. Data will be gathered on food hygiene enforcement, food hygiene compliance levels, GI infection hospitalisation, NHS 111 calls relating to GI infection symptoms, GI infection pathogen data, deprivation, and population density. Measures will be aggregated to LA level and statistical analysis will be carried out. Ethics and dissemination: University of Liverpool Ethics committee have confirmed ethical approval will not be required. All data will be aggregated and anonymised, therefore only data sharing agreements will be required. Findings will be disseminated to the stakeholder group in addition to outputs through conferences and publications. These findings will help understand impact of key services on public health and should inform government and public health policy and strategy.

Trends in the Use of Probiotics in Aquaculture of Bangladesh—Present State, Problems, and Prospects

Aquaculture in Bangladesh has expanded, diversified, and intensified over the last decades. Control of infectious diseases is critical for a successful and sustainable aquaculture. In this study, we examined the extent of use of probiotics in aquaculture of Bangladesh, using a questionnaire. Data were collected from 200 individual respondents from commercial fish farms located at Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Jashore, and Cumilla (50 from each) regions. A total of 88 different probiotics products from 36 companies, mostly imported, are used in the aquaculture in Bangladesh. Although in most cases the purpose of the use of probiotics is not clear for the farm owners, several representatives of different companies suggested the use of their different probiotic products, for different situations. Most of the farm owners responded that they used probiotics to get higher production by promoting the growth of fish. A considerable number of farm owners responded that probiotics reduced mortality as well as reduced gas emissions from the aquaculture ponds. Although the use of commercial probiotics varies from region to region, Pondcare and Safegut, the product of SK + F, are mostly used in aquaculture based on the responses (32% and 21% of respondents, respectively). To safeguard and clarify the value and effectiveness of these goods, the fish feed manufacturers and regulatory authorities should monitor their production, collection, and marketing.

Genomic epidemiology offers high resolution estimates of serial intervals for COVID-19

Serial intervals – the time between symptom onset in infector and infectee – are a fundamental quantity in infectious disease control. However, their estimation requires knowledge of individuals’ exposures, typically obtained through resource-intensive contact tracing efforts. We introduce an alternate framework using virus sequences to inform who infected whom and thereby estimate serial intervals. We apply our technique to SARS-CoV-2 sequences from case clusters in the first two COVID-19 waves in Victoria, Australia. We find that our approach offers high resolution, cluster-specific serial interval estimates that are comparable with those obtained from contact data, despite requiring no knowledge of who infected whom and relying on incompletely-sampled data. Compared to a published serial interval, cluster-specific serial intervals can vary estimates of the effective reproduction number by a factor of 2–3. We find that serial interval estimates in settings such as schools and meat processing/packing plants are shorter than those in healthcare facilities.

Sustainable control of infectious disease in rural Senegal

Sustainable control of infectious disease in rural Senegal

Bridging Borders for Health: The Vital Role of Regional Cooperation in Infectious Disease Control and Mitigation of Health Emergencies; A Response to the Recent Commentaries.

Bridging Borders for Health: The Vital Role of Regional Cooperation in Infectious Disease Control and Mitigation of Health Emergencies; A Response to the Recent Commentaries.

A new approach to the epidemiological control of infectious diseases in the Russian population

The article describes a development related to the field of public health and molecular biology, in particular, medical diagnostics. We present the Isascreen-8 portable analyzer (Registration Certificate No. RZN 2022/17322, May 24, 2022) and its application for rapid diagnostics of a new coronavirus infection with the use of commercially available sets IsoAmp SARS-CoV-2 (Lytech Co. Ltd., Russia), and also our own development TB-IZATEST (Invention Application No. 2022133809, December 22, 2022) for diagnostics of tuberculosis pathogen. The approach proposed in this article can be used for rapid detection of genetic material (DNA/RNA) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2 in biological samples using the method of loop isothermal amplification in less than 20 minutes, and also as a universal platform for detection of genetic material of other pathogens in a biological sample. Using the proposed approach, various research tasks for epidemiological monitoring of tuberculosis and new coronavirus infection, qualitative and quantitative analysis of bacterial and viral load in samples, including evaluation of the effectiveness of the prescribed antibiotic therapy regimen, can be solved. The advantage is that this method can be used not only in diagnostic laboratories, but also in field laboratories in the most remote regions of Russia if the mandatory sanitary and epidemiological requirements are observed. With sufficient distribution, the proposed approach could help ensure epidemiological control of the prevalence of these socially significant infections.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake in Greece and Cyprus during the Pandemic.

Despite the rigorous investigation of the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy and refusal during the COVID-19 pandemic, the socioeconomic determinants of this phenomenon remain poorly investigated on a global scale. Following proportional quota sampling, we conducted a population-based cross-sectional study. We recruited participants on-site and online from different settings, regions, and socioeconomic strata in two Eastern Mediterranean populations, Greece and Cyprus. Our approach provided a nationwide sample (n = 576) approaching the adult population structure of the two countries, with a slight underrepresentation of men and older people. Our results indicate clear socioeconomic differences in vaccine hesitancy and vaccination coverage, consistent with wider social inequalities in health. In particular, we reveal a clear socioeconomic gradient characterized by lower vaccine hesitancy and higher vaccination coverage, with increasing educational attainment and income. Additionally, participants residing in semi-urban areas show higher vaccine hesitancy and have lower vaccination coverage than those residing in urban and rural areas. Our results could inform Public Health approaches aiming to tackle the alarming phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy by enabling the targeting of population groups who are particularly vaccine-hesitant, rendering such approaches more targeted and effective while at the same time reducing inequalities in the control and prevention of infectious diseases.

Report on Changes in Women's Working Environments Before and After the Spread of the New Coronavirus Infection in Japan: A Case Study

Japan has been taking measures to prevent new-type coronavirus infection by promoting vaccination, testing, and therapeutic drugs, and by further strengthening the flow from detection to early treatment. However, on January 27, 2023, the Infectious Diseases Subcommittee of the Health and Welfare Science Council of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare summarized that new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) should be placed in the category of category 5 infectious diseases because it is not considered a condition that meets the private right restriction under the Infectious Diseases Control Law, and on May 8, it was changed to category 5 infectious diseases The status was changed to a category 5 infectious disease on May 8, 20111) . 1) In line with this change, workers have been changing their working environment from telecommuting, etc., which had been introduced since FY 2020, the year of the coronary disaster, but nothing has been done to clarify the actual situation. In this study, the authors clarified the actual situation for working women.

Professional ethics for infectious disease control: moral conflict management in modern public health practice

ObjectivesDespite scientific evidence that confirms their effectiveness, use of vaccines and microbiological mass testing during the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with social and moral controversies. In this commentary, it is suggested how such conflicts originating from moral/normative imperatives can be managed in infectious disease control. Study designThis was a commentary analysis. MethodsA case example of scientific and public debate regarding infectious disease control and policy-making during the early pandemic response is first presented. The case is used to characterize how conflicts arising from moral constraints occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. These features are thereafter used as a basis for outlining a strategy for moral conflict prevention and management. ResultsA challenge for infectious disease control throughout the pandemic was how to manage persuasive initiatives originating from social forces competing with science for influence. Purposively maneuvered information distributed through social media and internet websites could predispose population factions to contest legitimate (evidence and legally based) pandemic response measures. During the pandemic, fact-based criticism of professionals responsible for infectious disease control was mixed with a critique of their moral standards and intentions so as to diminish effectiveness and credibility. Such blending could be curtailed if infectious disease control professionals are made accountable for public health decisions made in the light of prevalent scientific evidence and legislation. ConclusionsIf the infectious disease control community would embrace the international code of medical professional ethics, this would help to deal with moral conflicts, especially ones arising from external threats, in modern public health.

Adenoviral vectors infect B lymphocytes in vivo

B cells are the antibody-producing arm of the adaptive immune system and play a critical role in controlling pathogens. Several groups have now demonstrated the feasibility of using engineered B cells as a therapy, including infectious disease control and gene therapy of serum deficiencies. These studies have largely utilized exvivo modification of the cells. Direct invivo engineering would be of utility to the field, particularly in infectious disease control where the infrastructure needs of exvivo cell modification would make a broad vaccination campaign highly challenging. In this study we demonstrate that engineered adenoviral vectors are capable of efficiently transducing murine and human primary B cells both exvivo and invivo. We found that unmodified human adenovirus C5 was capable of infecting B cells invivo, likely due to interactions between the virus penton base protein and integrins. We further describe vector modification with B cell-specific gene promoters and successfully restrict transgene expression to B cells, resulting in a strong reduction in gene expression from the liver, the main site of human adenovirus C5 infection invivo.

Disentangling transport movement patterns of trucks either transporting pigs or while empty within a swine production system before and during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Transport of pigs between sites occurs frequently as part of genetic improvement and age segregation. However, a lack of transport biosecurity could have catastrophic implications if not managed properly as disease spread would be imminent. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive study of vehicle movement trends within swine systems in the Midwest. In this study, we aimed to describe and characterize vehicle movement patterns within one large Midwest swine system representative of modern pig production to understand movement trends and proxies for biosecurity compliance and identify potential risky behaviors that may result in a higher risk for infectious disease spread. Geolocation tracking devices recorded vehicle movements of a subset of trucks and trailers from a production system every 5 min and every time tracks entered a landmark between January 2019 and December 2020, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We described 6,213 transport records from 12 vehicles controlled by the company. In total, 114 predefined landmarks were included during the study period, representing 5 categories of farms and truck wash facilities. The results showed that trucks completed the majority (76.4%, 2,111/2,762) of the recorded movements. The seasonal distribution of incoming movements was similar across years (P > 0.05), while the 2019 winter and summer seasons showed higher incoming movements to sow farms than any other season, year, or production type (P < 0.05). More than half of the in-movements recorded occurred within the triad of sow farms, wean-to-market stage, and truck wash facilities. Overall, time spent at each landmark was 9.08% higher in 2020 than in 2019, without seasonal highlights, but with a notably higher time spent at truck wash facilities than any other type of landmark. Network analyses showed high connectivity among farms with identifiable clusters in the network. Furthermore, we observed a decrease in connectivity in 2020 compared with 2019, as indicated by the majority of network parameter values. Further network analysis will be needed to understand its impact on disease spread and control. However, the description and quantification of movement trends reported in this study provide findings that might be the basis for targeting infectious disease surveillance and control.

Assessing edge-coupled interdependent network disintegration via rank aggregation and elite enumeration

The disintegration of networks is a widely researched topic with significant applications in fields such as counter-terrorism and infectious disease control. While the traditional approaches for achieving network disintegration involve identifying critical sets of nodes or edges, limited research has been carried out on edge-based disintegration strategies. We propose a novel algorithm, i.e., a rank aggregation elite enumeration algorithm based on edge-coupled networks (RAEEC), which aims to implement tiling for edge-coupled networks by finding important sets of edges in the network while balancing effectiveness and efficiency. Our algorithm is based on a two-layer edge-coupled network model with one-to-one links, and utilizes three advanced edge importance metrics to rank the edges separately. A comprehensive ranking of edges is obtained using a rank aggregation approach proposed in this study. The top few edges from the ranking set obtained by RAEEC are then used to generate an enumeration set, which is continuously iteratively updated to identify the set of elite attack edges. We conduct extensive experiments on synthetic networks to evaluate the performance of our proposed method, and the results indicate that RAEEC achieves a satisfactory balance between efficiency and effectiveness. Our approach represents a significant contribution to the field of network disintegration, particularly for edge-based strategies.