Disease Control Measures Research Articles

Assessment of rSodC, rPknG, rNanH, and rSpaC as Antigens for Diagnostic Tools Against Caseous Lymphadenitis.

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a bacillus that causes caseous lymphadenitis in small ruminants, leading to great losses to rural producers; thus, an efficient diagnosis is necessary for using disease control measures. This study aimed to evaluate the antigenic potential of four C. pseudotuberculosis recombinant proteins (rSodC, rPknG, rNanH, and rSpaC) against sera of goat and sheep experimentally infected with one of three different C. pseudotuberculosis strains. Goats were infected with CAP76 or CAP21 strain (n = 10), sheep with VD57 strain (n = 6), and a group of not-infected animals (goats and sheep) were kept as a healthy control (healthy n = 12). Sera were collected at 0, 14, 60, 90, 180, or 190days after inoculation for antigenicity testing using Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. Cross-reactivity tests with recombinant proteins were performed in goat serum experimentally vaccinated with Nocardia sp. or Rhodococcus equi bacterin. The rSodC protein showed discriminatory antigenic reactivity with a statistically significant difference against three different C. pseudotuberculosis strains evaluated in goats and sheep samples, while rPknG showed statistical significance only against two C. pseudotuberculosis strains evaluated in goats. rSodC was proved to be a strong candidate as a tool for diagnosis of C. pseudotuberculosis infection, once it was able to recognize antibodies against all strains evaluated in goats and sheep.

Barriers to vaccine use in small ruminants and poultry in Tanzania.

Vaccination is an important disease prevention and control measure; however, vaccine adoption by livestock farmers in Tanzania is still low. This cross-sectional study examined the challenges to vaccine use faced by livestock owners and animal health professionals (AHPs) in Tanzania. A questionnaire was administered to 216 households that kept small ruminants and poultry and 19 AHPs’ data were collected electronically via the survey platform Qualtrics, and descriptive statistics were performed. Households with poultry reported vaccinating mostly against Newcastle disease (91.7%), fowl pox (48.1%) and Gumboro disease (37.0%), whilst households with small ruminants reported contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (62.2%), sheep and goat pox (17.1%), foot-and-mouth disease (7.3%) and peste des petits ruminants (7.3%). The households’ decision to vaccinate was mostly influenced by knowledge of diseases (82.4%), disease history on the farm (69.4%) and vaccine price (63.4%). Most households (54.6%) experienced challenges when purchasing vaccines, including high vaccine cost (78.0%), long distance from vaccine source (61.0%) and vaccine unavailability (21.2%). The findings suggest that improving the knowledge of livestock owners regarding the priority diseases and the benefits of vaccination, establishing more vaccine suppliers, improving vaccine distribution and access and training AHPs and households on appropriate vaccine storage and handling are necessary to improve vaccine adoption and ensure vaccine quality and effectiveness.

The Relative Contribution of Climatic, Demographic Factors, Disease Control Measures and Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity to Variation of Global COVID-19 Transmission.

Despite a substantial number of COVID‐19 related research papers published, it remains unclear as to which factors are associated with the observed variation in global transmission and what are their relative levels of importance. This study applies a rigorous statistical framework to provide robust estimations of the factor effects for a global and integrated perspective on this issue. We developed a mixed effect model exploring the relative importance of potential factors driving COVID‐19 transmission while incorporating spatial and temporal heterogeneity of spread. We use an integrated data set for 87 countries across six continents for model specification and fitting. The best model accounts for 70.4% of the variance in the data analyzed: 10 fixed effect factors explain 20.5% of the variance, random temporal and spatial effects account for 50% of the variance. The fixed effect factors are classified into climatic, demographic and disease control groups. The explained variance in global transmission by the three groups are 0.6%, 1.1%, and 4.4% respectively. The high proportion of variance accounted for by random effects indicated striking differences in temporal transmission trajectories and effects of population mobility among the countries. In particular, the country‐specific mobility‐transmission relationship turns out to be the most important factor in explaining the observed global variation of transmission in the early phase of COVID‐19 pandemic.

Alternative Paradigms in Animal Health Decisions: A Framework for Treating Animals Not Only as Commodities.

Simple SummarySince zoonotic diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans, more comprehensive measures are needed when preventing and controlling these diseases. Because the value of animals is mainly based on monetary terms, animals are typically treated as commodities, impacting public health decisions. Therefore, a framework is proposed to value the health of animals beyond money for public health decision-making with a “One Health” approach. The aim is to have more comprehensive animal values based on the opinion of societies. However, tackling the dilemmas related to animal diseases, public health, and welfare still represents a challenge and a work in progress.Zoonoses are diseases transmitted from (vertebrate) animals to humans in the environment. The control and prevention of these diseases require an appropriate way to measure health value for prudent and well-balanced decisions in public health, production costs, and market values. Currently, the impact of diseases and animal disease control measures are typically assessed in monetary values, thus lacking consideration of other values such as emotional, societal, ecological, among others. Therefore, a framework is proposed that aims to explore, understand, and open up a conversation about the non-monetary value of animals through environmental and normative ethics. This method might help us complement the existing metrics in health, which are currently DALY and zDALY, adding more comprehensive values for animal and human health to the “One Health” approach. As an example of this framework application, participants can choose what they are willing to give in exchange for curing an animal in hypothetical scenarios selecting a human health condition to suffer, the amount of money, and lifetime as a tradeoff. Considering animals beyond their monetary value in public health decisions might contribute to a more rigorous assessment of the burden of zoonotic diseases, among other health decisions. This study is structured as follows: after a brief introduction of zoonoses, animal health, and health metrics, briefly, different environmental health perspectives are presented. Based on this, a framework for animal health decisions is proposed. This framework introduces the “anthropozoocentric interface” based on anthropocentrism and zoocentrism perspectives.

Modeling scenarios for mitigating outbreaks in congregate settings.

The explosive outbreaks of COVID-19 seen in congregate settings such as prisons and nursing homes, has highlighted a critical need for effective outbreak prevention and mitigation strategies for these settings. Here we consider how different types of control interventions impact the expected number of symptomatic infections due to outbreaks. Introduction of disease into the resident population from the community is modeled as a stochastic point process coupled to a branching process, while spread between residents is modeled via a deterministic compartmental model that accounts for depletion of susceptible individuals. Control is modeled as a proportional decrease in the number of susceptible residents, the reproduction number, and/or the proportion of symptomatic infections. This permits a range of assumptions about the density dependence of transmission and modes of protection by vaccination, depopulation and other types of control. We find that vaccination or depopulation can have a greater than linear effect on the expected number of cases. For example, assuming a reproduction number of 3.0 with density-dependent transmission, we find that preemptively reducing the size of the susceptible population by 20% reduced overall disease burden by 47%. In some circumstances, it may be possible to reduce the risk and burden of disease outbreaks by optimizing the way a group of residents are apportioned into distinct residential units. The optimal apportionment may be different depending on whether the goal is to reduce the probability of an outbreak occurring, or the expected number of cases from outbreak dynamics. In other circumstances there may be an opportunity to implement reactive disease control measures in which the number of susceptible individuals is rapidly reduced once an outbreak has been detected to occur. Reactive control is most effective when the reproduction number is not too high, and there is minimal delay in implementing control. We highlight the California state prison system as an example for how these findings provide a quantitative framework for understanding disease transmission in congregate settings. Our approach and accompanying interactive website (https://phoebelu.shinyapps.io/DepopulationModels/) provides a quantitative framework to evaluate the potential impact of policy decisions governing infection control in outbreak settings.

Modelling livestock infectious disease control policy under differing social perspectives on vaccination behaviour.

The spread of infection amongst livestock depends not only on the traits of the pathogen and the livestock themselves, but also on the veterinary health behaviours of farmers and how this impacts their implementation of disease control measures. Controls that are costly may make it beneficial for individuals to rely on the protection offered by others, though that may be sub-optimal for the population. Failing to account for socio-behavioural properties may produce a substantial layer of bias in infectious disease models. We investigated the role of heterogeneity in vaccine response across a population of farmers on epidemic outbreaks amongst livestock, caused by pathogens with differential speed of spread over spatial landscapes of farms for two counties in England (Cumbria and Devon). Under different compositions of three vaccine behaviour groups (precautionary, reactionary, non-vaccination), we evaluated from population- and individual-level perspectives the optimum threshold distance to premises with notified infection that would trigger responsive vaccination by the reactionary vaccination group. We demonstrate a divergence between population and individual perspectives in the optimal scale of reactive voluntary vaccination response. In general, minimising the population-level perspective cost requires a broader reactive uptake of the intervention, whilst optimising the outcome for the average individual increased the likelihood of larger scale disease outbreaks. When the relative cost of vaccination was low and the majority of premises had undergone precautionary vaccination, then adopting a perspective that optimised the outcome for an individual gave a broader spatial extent of reactive response compared to a perspective wanting to optimise outcomes for everyone in the population. Under our assumed epidemiological context, the findings identify livestock disease intervention receptiveness and cost combinations where one would expect strong disagreement between the intervention stringency that is best from the perspective of a stakeholder responsible for supporting the livestock industry compared to a sole livestock owner. Were such discord anticipated and achieving a consensus view across perspectives desired, the findings may also inform those managing veterinary health policy the requisite reduction in intervention cost and/or the required extent of nurturing beneficial community attitudes towards interventions.

Building a personalized patient education model for general practice by Delphi method.

As one of the 3 strategic measures for disease prevention and control in the 21st century identified by WHO, patient education is the most effective measure to change people's behaviour and lifestyle. However, there are many problems with patient education in general practice in China. Because there is no suitable and uniform mode of patient education for the busy and crowded Chinese general practice. Therefore, it is necessary to establish an appropriate personalized patient education model. There were 3 rounds of consultation of the Delphi method. Each round of consultation is adjusted, modified, or deleted based on the previous round according to the degree of concentration and coordination of expert opinions. Thus form the index system of personalized patient education model. Using Cronbach α to conduct an internal consistency test for the index system. Twenty-three participants participated in the study. The effective recovery rate of consultation was 100%. In the third round of consultation, the variation importance coefficient was 0-0.25, the variation operability coefficient was 0.07-0.26. Kendall's W of importance and operability score was significant (Kendall's W = 0.186; P < 0.01). The chi-square test result of importance is (X2 = 232.744) and operability is (X2 = 246.156). The Cronbach α was 0.974. EFA (exploratory factor analysis) indicates the model has good construct validity. The CAPDCA personalized patient education model was preliminarily constructed in this study. Specifically, 6 first-level indicators including collection (C), assessment (A), plan (P), do (D), check (C), aggrandizement (A), 24 second-level indicators, and 34 third-level indicators. That forms the cyclic personalized patient education paradigm which has reasonable structure and high feasibility.

Construction of IPA decision model for diabetes prevention and control based on economy and importance

Objective: To determine the priority of diabetes prevention and control measures in the perspective of the economy and importance, and provide theoretical support for guiding relevant departments to implement measures based on actual economic level. Methods: An online survey was conducted on the importance, feasibility and implementation of major chronic disease prevention and control measures in 488 national demonstration areas for comprehensive chronic disease prevention and control. The content of the survey was divided into individual and group levels, with 10 dimensions and 44 measures, to obtain the scores of the economy and importance. IPA model was used to divide the dimension index of diabetes prevention and control into quadrants. The standardized factor load coefficient of the second-order confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the priority of dimension index in the same quadrant. The priority of prevention and control measures in each dimension was determined by the discriminant parameter of project response theory. Results: The mean scores of economy and importance were 66.50 and 89.94, respectively, and the matrix was divided into four quadrants. The first quadrant was the "highest priority" with high importance and economy, including medical insurance and family doctors, health education, high-risk detection and intervention, patient management and community action. The second quadrant was characterized as high importance but low economy, which was the priority for improvement, including only one dimension of complication screening. The third quadrant was the lowest priority due to low importance and economy, including personal health service evaluation and follow-up, environmental support, diabetes co-infection prevention and glycemic policy. The last quadrant had low importance but high economy, which was the second improvement level. The priority measures in different quadrants were: (1) the highest priority: blood lipid control, occupational site, prevention and control work plan, blood glucose testing, family doctor contract service; (2) the priority improvement: annual neuropathy screening; (3)the lowest priority: universal access to risk scoring, healthy eating, healthy dining innovations and tuberculosis screening. Conclusion: IPA model can be used to construct a decision-making model for diabetes prevention and control and determine the priority of corresponding measures.

Development of PCR-Based Assays for Rapid and Reliable Detection and Identification of Canker-Causing Pathogens from Symptomatic Almond Trees.

Trunk and scaffold canker diseases (TSCDs) of almond cause significant yield and tree losses and reduce the lifespan of orchards. In California, several pathogens cause TSCDs, including Botryosphaeriaceae, Ceratocystis destructans, Eutypa lata, Collophorina hispanica, Pallidophorina paarla, Cytospora, Diaporthe, and Phytophthora spp. Field diagnosis of TSCDs is challenging because symptom delineation among the diseases is not clear. Accurate diagnosis of the causal species requires detailed examination of symptoms and subsequent isolation on medium and identification using morphological criteria and subsequent confirmation using molecular tools. The process is time-consuming and difficult, particularly as morphological characteristics are variable and overlap among species. To facilitate diagnosis of TSCD, we developed PCR assays using 23 species-specific primers designed by exploiting sequence differences in the translation elongation factor, β-tubulin, or internal transcribed spacer gene. Using genomic DNA from pure cultures of each fungal and oomycete species, each primer pair successfully amplified a single DNA fragment from the target pathogen but not from selected nontarget pathogens or common endophytes. Although 10-fold serial dilution of fungal DNA extracted from either pure cultures or infected wood samples detected as little as 0.1 pg of DNA sample, consistent detection required 10 ng of pathogen DNA from mycelial samples or from wood chips or drill shavings from artificially or naturally infected almond wood samples with visible symptoms. The new PCR assay represents an improved tool for diagnostic laboratories and will be critical to implement effective disease surveillance and control measures.

“Hominids with an Infected Brain” Engage in Viral Debate: Agamben and Žižek on the Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Human Relationships

“Hominids with an Infected Brain” Engage in Viral Debate: Agamben and Žižek on the Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Human Relationships

Insidensi dan Risiko Penularan Avian Influenza pada Peternakan Ayam Petelur di Kabupaten Pinrang

Avian Influenza (AI) is an infectious disease on poultry with a high mortality rate, caused by Avian Influenza type A viruses from the family Orthomyxoviridae. For the layer chicken, the negative impacts of AI are the decrease of egg production until the death. The aims of the study were to analyze disease’s case data, measure the spread of disease, describe the distribution of disease, and mapping the risk of AI occurrence. The data were collected from the records of Dinas Peternakan dan Perkebunan by conducting interviews using the structured questionnaires. The data were analysed by calculating the incidence rate and performing a geographic information system (GIS) for mapping. The results showed that the highest incidence rate among sub-districts for 3 years was in Mattiro Sompe sub-district of 2.015 cases per 10.000 animals-year, while the lowest incidence rate among 3 sub-districts for 3 years was in Duampanua, Lanrisang, and Mattiro Bulu sub-districts of 0 case per 10.000 animals-year. The highrisk district was Mattiro Sompe Subdistrict, so that the control measures need to be emphasized in this area by increasing the biosecurity practices, depopulation and stamping out in new infected area, vaccination, surveillance, routine socialization, monitoring, and provide additional animal health facilities and human resources, especially the veterinarians, to optimize the disease control measures. Keywords: Avian Influenza (AI), incidence rate, layer chicken, Pinrang district

Can Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection lead to cancer? Call for a paradigm shift in understanding TB and cancer

Infections are known to cause tumours though more attributed to viruses. Strong epidemiological links suggest association between bacterial infections and cancers as exemplified by Helicobacter pylori and Salmonella spp. Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB), has been reported to predispose patients to lung cancers and possibly in other organs as well. While this etiopathogenesis warrant inclusion of M. tb in IARC’s (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classified carcinogenic agents, the lack of well-defined literature and direct experimental studies have barred the research community from accepting the role of M. tb as a carcinogen. The background research, case studies, and experimental data extensively reviewed in Roy et al., 2021; provoke the debate for elucidating carcinogenic properties of M. tb. Moreover, proper, timely and correct diagnosis of both diseases (which often mimic each other) will save millions of lives that are misdiagnosed. In addition, use of Anti Tubercular therapy (ATT) in misdiagnosed non-TB patients contributes to drug resistance in population thereby severely impacting TB disease control measures. Research in this arena can further aid in saving billions of dollars by preventing the superfluous use of cancer drugs. In order to achieve these goals, it is imperative to identify the underlying mechanism of M. tb infection acting as major risk factor for cancer.

Acceptance and accessibility to the early phase COVID-19 vaccination among the healthcare workers and hill tribe population in Thailand

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a serious emerging disease and an extreme threat to human life. This study aimed to understand the perceptions of hill tribe people living in the border areas of Thailand-Myanmar and health workers regarding the acceptability and accessibility of the COVID-19 vaccine and health workers’ perceptions of the readiness to implement the vaccination program during the early period of national COVID-19 vaccination. A qualitative method was applied to elicit information from key informants who lived in hill tribe villages and the health professionals who served them. The study was conducted in seven hill tribe villages located along the Thailand-Myanmar borders in Mae Fah Luang District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. The participants were hill tribe villagers aged 20 years and over; public health care professionals working in village health centers who had primary roles in implementing disease prevention and control measures; and public health care professionals working in districts and provincial public health offices who had primary roles in policy development and implementation. A total of 63 participants (26 men and 37 women) from seven hill tribe villages provided information. Three acceptance choices regarding receiving the COVID-19 vaccine were found among the hill tribes: definite acceptance, likely acceptance, and no preference. Two factors related to obtaining access to the new COVID-19 vaccine were found: Thai citizenship and the level of literacy related to the vaccine. There was no process or protocol in place for implementing the new vaccine among health professionals working at the district, subdistrict, or community levels, but the national expanded immunization program (EPI) system was clearly demonstrated to extend throughout the health service chain in Thailand. During the early period of national COVID-19 vaccine implantation in Thailand, not all members of the hill tribes accepted the vaccine; participant acceptance depended on several factors, including a participant’s previous experience with vaccination, whether he or she required more information before making a decision, etc. While acceptance of the vaccine depended on the individual’s background, not everyone had an equal opportunity to access the vaccine. The new COVID-19 vaccine should be available at the village level, including in hill tribe villages, to reduce the systemic threat to the country.

Mango Plant Disease Detection System Using Hybrid BBHE and CNN Approach

Detection of plant diseases plays a crucial role in taking disease control measures to increase the quality and quantity of crops produced. Plant disease automation is beneficial because it eliminates surveillance work at significant farms. As plants are a food source, diagnosing leaf conditions early and accurately is essential. This work involves a detailed learning approach that automates leaf disease detection in mango plant species. This paper presents a detection system using Brightness Preserving Bi-Histogram Equalization (BBHE) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The photographs of mango leaves were first flattened, then resized and translated to their threshold value, followed by feature extraction. CNN and BBHE have extensively been used for pattern recognition. The test images of affected leaves were subsequently uploaded to the system and then matched to the ailments being trained. Training data and test data were cross-validated to balance over-adjustment and under-adjustment problems. The proposed method correctly detects the mango leaves disease at the early stage with 99.21% maximum accuracy.

Practice towards Prevention and Control Measures of Coronavirus Disease and Associated Factors among Healthcare Workers in the Health Facilities of the Horo Guduru Wollega Zone, West Ethiopia, 2021.

Background A novel coronavirus, a virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), was first identified in Wuhan, China, on December 2019. The virus affects the respiratory system and it is highly contagious, spreading from person to person. Healthcare workers are more at risk due to the nature of their work, which is caring for both COVID-19-affected and nonaffected patients. Lack of knowledge about the disease directly affects early diagnosis and treatment, which may result in the rapid spread of the infection in the community. Having enough knowledge about a disease can always affect an individual's attitudes and practices. However, there is limited evidence on the knowledge, attitude, practice of prevention, and control measures of COVID-19 and associated factors among healthcare workers (HCWs) in resource-limited countries, including Ethiopia. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study design was used among 334 samples of health workers who were selected using a stratified two-stage sampling technique, from health facilities of the Horo Guduru Wollega Zone from May to June 2021. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from the HCWs. The information collected was entered to EpiData version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 21 software for further analyses. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with the KA practice of the HCWs. Those variables with a p value <05 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were considered as statistically significantly associated with the outcome variable. Result Among the participating HCWs, 208 (64%; 95% CI: (58.8%, 69.2%)) of them had good practices of prevention and control measures of COVID-19 with the mean (±SD) practice score was 7.63 ± 2.45. Multivariable binary logistic regression revealed that being a health center worker (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI: (0.19, 0.60)), being trained (AOR = 0.41, 95% CI: (0.21, 0 .82)), and having sufficient knowledge (AOR = 2.73, 95% CI: (1.35, 5.53)) were significantly associated with good preventive practice. Conclusion The overall magnitude of practice of prevention and control measures of COVID-19 was not sufficient. Therefore, strategies for enhancing the capacity of healthcare workers to exercise practices of prevention and control measures of COVID-19 are needed.

Perspectives of public health professionals on border control practices for COVID-19 management in Europe

ObjectivesDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, internal European borders were temporarily re-established to mitigate the outbreak. Much research on pandemic border control measures has focused on quantifying their effectiveness for infectious disease control as well as on their social consequences for cross-border life in the European Union. However, little attention has been paid to the impacts for the practice and organisation of cross-border public health. To address this gap, the present study analysed the experiences and perspectives of public health professionals working in European border regions regarding border control measures in the pandemic. Study designQualitative interview-based study. MethodsIn total, 27 semistructured interviews with public health professionals were conducted in the border regions between Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Participants were asked about their perspectives on border control and the spread of COVID-19 in the region. Interviews were performed between December 2020 and April 2021 and carried out in German, English, Dutch and French. ResultsBefore the COVID-19 pandemic, borders had become largely invisible with extensive cross-border social life and mobility. Participants were sceptical about the role of cross-border mobility as a pandemic driver and consequently the effectiveness of enforcing border control for reducing the spread of COVID-19 in their border regions. At the same time, participants raised concerns about the negative consequences for the social fabric and provision of cross-border public health. ConclusionsPublic health professionals highlighted the uncertain role of border control measures for regional infectious disease control in border regions. Rather than border control, sustainable cross-border communication and collaboration is crucial to ensure effective pandemic management in border regions.

Screening South American Potato Landraces and Potato Wild Relatives for Novel Sources of Late Blight Resistance.

Late blight (LB) caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans is one of the most important biotic constraints for potato production worldwide. This study assessed 508 accessions (79 wild potato species and 429 landraces from a cultivated core collection) held at the International Potato Center genebank for resistance to LB. One P. infestans isolate belonging to the EC-1 lineage, which is currently the predominant type of P. infestans in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, was used in whole plant assays under greenhouse conditions. Novel sources of resistance to LB were found in accessions of Solanum albornozii, S. andreanum, S. lesteri, S. longiconicum, S. morelliforme, S. stenophyllidium, S. mochiquense, S. cajamarquense, and S. huancabambense. All of these species are endemic to South America and thus could provide novel sources of resistance for potato breeding programs. We found that the level of resistance to LB in wild species and potato landraces cannot be predicted from altitude and bioclimatic variables of the locations where the accessions were collected. The high percentage (73%) of potato landraces susceptible to LB in our study suggests the importance of implementing disease control measures, including planting susceptible genotypes in less humid areas and seasons or switching to genotypes identified as resistant. In addition, this study points out a high risk of genetic erosion in potato biodiversity at high altitudes of the Andes due to susceptibility to LB in the native landraces, which has been exacerbated by climatic change that favors the development of LB in those regions.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF ECHINOCOCCOSIS IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic helminthiasis of humans and animals, caused by Echinococcus granulosus tapeworms. Treatment of echinococcosis is often expensive and complex and may require extensive surgery or long-term drug therapy. In addition, echinococcosis causes serious damage to livestock every year. At any given time in the world, more than 1 million people are affected by echinococcosis. Kazakhstan is among the countries unfavorable for echinococcosis. The purpose of this study is to establish the infection of sheep with cystic echinococcosis in the most endemic regions in the south and west of the country. In addition, to analyze statistical data on the incidence of human larvaceous echinococcosis in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2020-2021. to assess the current situation on echinococcosis in the country. The situation with echinococcosis currently remains difficult. Echinococcosis is found in all regions of the republic, but the most endemic region is the south of Kazakhstan, which is a large livestock center. The highest rates of infection in sheep were found in the West Kazakhstan region and Almaty region - 16.7% and 12.52%. In terms of the incidence of people in the republic for a year and a half, 557 cases of larval echinococcosis have been identified. The highest rates are observed in Turkestan, Zhambyl, Almaty regions and in Shymkent. Echinococcosis is least common in Pavlodar, Kostanay regions and in the city of Nur-Sultan. The existing system of registration of patients with echinococcosis and statistical data do not fully reflect the real number of people infected with echinococcosis, since only surgical cases are taken into account. Monitoring of natural foci of echinococcosis is necessary, especially in the south, for coordinated disease control measures.

Retrospective review of outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma with COVID-19 infection (two-center study).

8048 Background: Coronavirus-2 has profound effects on patients (pts) with Multiple myeloma (MM). At the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 infection resulted an overall mortality around 54% (cook et al. BMJ 2020). Here, we report an updated morbidity and fatality for MM. Methods: After obtaining IRB approvals from each participating institute, retrospectively, between January 1, 2021 and August 30, 2021, we identified pts with MM and COVID-19 in two myeloma centers (Levine Cancer Institute (LCI) &amp; the University of Kansas medical center (KUMC). Results: We identified 162 MM pts who had COVID-19 (LCI n=132, UKMC n=30), including 57% males, with median age of 64 years. Current or former smoking reported in 40% of pts. Most pts have associated comorbid conditions: hypertension (45%), hypogammaglobulinemia (32%), CKD (30%), DM (22%), obesity (16.6%), CHF (14%), and CAD (13.5%). Within 3 months prior to infection, treatment included immunomodulatory combinations in 35%, proteasome inhibitors in 28 %, and Daratumumab in 26.5%. Symptoms are summarized in table. 69% had Mild symptoms (no need for hospitalization), 20 % had moderate symptoms (requiring hospitalization), and 9.8% had severe symptoms (ICU level of care). The 18% of pts required oxygen: 6 pts required invasive oxygenation and 3 pts needed vasopressors. The 32% of pts had RRMM, 29.5% on maintenance, and 12% was getting induction. Regarding MM response: &gt;VGPR in 45% and PD in 18%. The 78 pts had ASCT prior to COVID-19 infection: only 3 pts &lt; 1 year and 3 pts &lt; 6 months. MM response or ASCT did not affect hospitalization or mortality.The case fatality rate (CFR) was 6%. In the univariate analysis, CKD, DM, HTN and hepatic dysfunction were associated with an increased risk of hospitalization. However, in multivariate analysis, only CKD, hepatic dysfunction, and Hypogammaglobulinemia significantly increased the risk of admission with only age and lymphopenia were associated with increased COVID-19 related fatatlity. Conclusions: With implementation of center-specific disease control measures and universal screening, pts might have lower case severity and fatality rate than was initially reported. [Table: see text]

Protection of potatoes from late blight in Sakhalin

The article presents long-term studies on the study of agrotechnical and chemical measures to combat potato late blight in the Sakhalin region. At the initial stage of work (1951-1966), the local population of the fungus Phytophtora infestans was studied, and a method for short-term prognosis of the disease was developed. For the first time, a complex of agrotechnical and chemical measures was developed: preplant germination and treatment of tubers with microelements (Cu, B, Mn); joint application of fertilizers and copper sulfate; double spraying of potato seedlings with microelements; fungicide treatments; removal of tops on seed plots before harvesting; post-harvest planting of seed material. Between 1996 and 2019 the improvement of disease control measures was carried out on the basis of the use of chemical and biological agents. In 1996-2003 among the studied modern fungicides, the most effective were systemic preparations (Acrobat MC, Ordan), as well as the combined use of Ordan with the biological product Planriz and Sodium Humate, which made it possible to reduce the development of the disease by 24.2-69.1% and increase the yield by 17.3-48.9%. According to the results of research in 2016-2019. Innovative combined action fungicides Infinito and Consento had the maximum protective effect against fungal infection. The use of drugs under production conditions made it possible to reduce the degree of damage to the vegetative mass by the pathogen by 56.5-60.0%, and increase the yield by 31.2-36.5%. Technical efficiency corresponded to 67-71%. The studied biopreparations (Trichocin, Vitaplan) are recommended for prophylactic treatment of potatoes in the initial period of vegetation.