Human Surveillance Systems Research Articles

Characteristics of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from retail meat products in North Carolina.

Escherichia coli is commonly used as an indicator for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in food, animal, environment, and human surveillance systems. Our study aimed to characterize AMR in E. coli isolated from retail meat purchased from grocery stores in North Carolina, USA as part of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS). Retail chicken (breast, n = 96; giblets, n = 24), turkey (n = 96), and pork (n = 96) products were purchased monthly from different counties in North Carolina during 2022. Label claims on packages regarding antibiotic use were recorded at collection. E. coli was isolated from meat samples using culture-based methods and isolates were characterized for antimicrobial resistance using whole genome sequencing. Multi-locus sequence typing, phylogroups, and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based maximum-likelihood phylogenic tree was generated. Data were analyzed statistically to determine differences between antibiotic use claims and meat type. Of 312 retail meat samples, 138 (44.2%) were positive for E. coli, with turkey (78/138; 56.5%) demonstrating the highest prevalence. Prevalence was lower in chicken (41/138; 29.7%) and pork (19/138;13.8%). Quality sequence data was available from 84.8% (117/138) of the E. coli isolates, which included 72 (61.5%) from turkey, 27 (23.1%) from chicken breast, and 18 (15.4%) from pork. Genes associated with AMR were detected in 77.8% (91/117) of the isolates and 35.9% (42/117) were defined as multidrug resistant (MDR: being resistant to ≥3 distinct classes of antimicrobials). Commonly observed AMR genes included tetB (35%), tetA (24.8%), aph(3'')-lb (24.8%), and blaTEM-1 (20.5%), the majority of which originated from turkey isolates. Antibiotics use claims had no statistical effect on MDR E. coli isolates from the different meat types (X2 = 2.21, p = 0.33). MDR was observed in isolates from meat products with labels indicating "no claims" (n = 29; 69%), "no antibiotics ever" (n = 9; 21.4%), and "organic" (n = 4; 9.5%). Thirty-four different replicon types were observed. AMR genes were carried on plasmids in 17 E. coli isolates, of which 15 (88.2%) were from turkey and two (11.8%) from chicken. Known sequence types (STs) were described for 81 E. coli isolates, with ST117 (8.5%), ST297 (5.1%), and ST58 (3.4%) being the most prevalent across retail meat types. The most prevalent phylogroups were B1 (29.1%) and A (28.2%). Five clonal patterns were detected among isolates. E. coli prevalence and the presence of AMR and MDR were highest in turkey retail meat. The lack of an association between MDR E. coli in retail meat and antibiotic use claim, including those with no indication of antimicrobial use, suggests that additional research is required to understand the origin of resistance. The presence of ST117, an emerging human pathogen, warrants further surveillance. The isolates were distinctly diverse suggesting an instability in population dynamics.

Comparative assessment of the human and animal health surveillance systems in Tanzania: Opportunities for an integrated one health surveillance platform

ABSTRACT Globally, there have been calls for an integrated zoonotic disease surveillance system. This study aimed to assess human and animal health surveillance systems to identify opportunities for One Health surveillance platform in Tanzania. A desk review of policies, acts and strategies addressing disease surveillance that support inter-sectoral collaboration was conducted. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to key informants from the two sectors. Databases with potential relevance for surveillance were assessed. One Health-focused policies, acts, strategic plans and guidelines emphasising inter-sectoral collaboration strengthening were in place. Stable systems for collecting surveillance data with trained staff to implement surveillance activities at all levels in both sectors were available. While the human surveillance system was a mix of paper-based and web-based, the animal health system was mainly paper-based. The laboratory information system existed in both sectors, though not integrated with the epidemiological surveillance systems. Both the animal and human surveillance systems had low sensitivity to alert outbreaks. The findings indicate that individual, organisational, and infrastructure opportunities that support the integration of surveillance systems from multiple sectors exist. Challenges related to data sharing and quality need to be addressed for the effective implementation of the platform.

Detection of enzootic circulation of a new strain of West Nile virus lineage 1 in sentinel chickens in the north of Tunisia

Tunisia has experienced various West Nile disease outbreaks. Notwithstanding the serological and molecular confirmations in humans, horses and birds, the human surveillance system can still be improved. Three sentinel chicken flocks were placed in different Tunisian endemic regions and followed up from September 2016 to January 2017. A total of 422 sera from Sejnene (north of Tunisia), 392 from Moknine (east coast of Tunisia) and 386 from Tozeur (south of Tunisia) were tested for West Nile-specific antibodies and viral RNA. The WNV elisa positive rate in sentinel chickens in Sejnene was 10.7% (95% CI: 5.08-21.52). No positive samples were detected in Moknine. In Tozeur, the overall serological elisa positive rate during the study period was 9.8% (95% CI:4.35-21.03). West Nile virus nucleic acid was detected in two chickens in Sejnene.Phylogenetic analysis of one of the detected partial NS3 gene sequences showed that recent Tunisian WNV strain belong to WNV lineage 1 and is closely related to Italian strains detected in mosquitoes in 2016 and in a sparrow hawk in 2017. This report showed the circulation, first molecular detection and sequencing of WNV lineage 1 in chickens in the north of Tunisia and highlights the use of poultry as a surveillance tool to detect WNV transmission in a peri-domestic area.

An Event-Driven Multiple Objects Surveillance System

Traditional surveillance systems are constrained because of a fixed and preset pattern of monitoring. It can reduce the reliability of the system and cause an increased generation of false alarms. It results in an increased processing activity of the system, which causes an augmented consumption of system resources and power. Within this framework, a human surveillance system is proposed based on the event-driven awakening and self-organization principle. The proposed system overcomes these downsides up to a certain level. It is achieved by intelligently merging an assembly of sensors with two cameras, actuators, a lighting module and cost-effective embedded processors. With the exception of low-power event detectors, all other system modules remain in the sleep mode. These modules are activated only upon detection of an event and as a function of the sensing environment condition. It reduces power consumption and processing activity of the proposed system. An effective combination of a sensor assembly and a robust classifier suppresses generation of false alarms and improves system reliability. An experimental setup is realized in order to verify the functionality of the proposed system. Results confirm proper functionality of the implemented system. A 62.3-fold system memory utilization and bandwidth consumption reduction compared to traditional counterparts is achieved, i.e. a result of the proposed system self-organization and event-driven awakening features. It confirms that the proposed system outperforms its classical counterparts in terms of processing activity, power consumption and usage of resources

West Nile virus transmission: results from the integrated surveillance system in Italy, 2008 to 2015.

In Italy a national Plan for the surveillance of imported and autochthonous human vector-borne diseases (chikungunya, dengue, Zika virus disease and West Nile virus (WNV) disease) that integrates human and veterinary (animals and vectors) surveillance, is issued and revised annually according with the observed epidemiological changes. Here we describe results of the WNV integrated veterinary and human surveillance systems in Italy from 2008 to 2015. A real time data exchange protocol is in place between the surveillance systems to rapidly identify occurrence of human and animal cases and to define and update the map of affected areas i.e. provinces during the vector activity period from June to October. WNV continues to cause severe illnesses in Italy during every transmission season, albeit cases are sporadic and the epidemiology varies by virus lineage and geographic area. The integration of surveillance activities and a multidisciplinary approach made it possible and have been fundamental in supporting implementation of and/or strengthening preventive measures aimed at reducing the risk of transmission of WNV trough blood, tissues and organ donation and to implementing further measures for vector control.

Restoration of endangered orchid species, <i>Dendrobium moniliforme</i> (L.) Sw. (Orchidaceae) in Korea

한국의 ë©¸ì¢ ìœ„ê¸° 난과 식물인 석곡 13,000 촉을 증식하여 2013ë „ 6월에 완도군 보길도 일대의 자연서식지에 복원하였다. 연구팀은 복원 후 2ë „ê°„ ìƒìž¥ê³¼ì •ì„ 모니터링 하였다. 모본의 확보, 교배, ì¢ ìží˜•ì„±, íŒŒì¢ , 계대배양, 순화배양 등의 ê³¼ì •ì„ 거쳐 ë³µì›í• 13,000 촉을 육성하였다. 복원 ì „ì— 5개 엽록체 마커와 핵 ITS 지역을 이용하여 ë³µì›í• ê°œì²´ë“¤ì˜ ìœ ì „ì  다양성을 검증한 ê²°ê³¼ 국내의 자연집단 사이에서 관찰되는 수준의 ìœ ì „ì  다양성이 ìž ì¦ë˜ì—ˆë‹¤. 현지복원은 연구팀과 지역주민들과의 공조체계를 구축하여 협동으로 수행하였다. 복원 이후 1ë „, 2ë „ì˜ ì‹œì ì— 생존율, ì˜ì–‘ë²ˆì‹ë¥ , ìƒìž¥ë¥ ë“±ì„ 조사하여 자료화 하였다. 복원 후 훼손은 없었으며, 97% 이상의 생존율을 보였다. 복원 후 영양번식이 활발하여, 복원 ì‹œì ë³´ë‹¤ 촉수가 227%로 증가하였다. 그러나 복원당시에 비하여 개체의 í‰ê· ê¸¸ì´ëŠ” 짧아졌다. ì™„ì „í•œ 양지나 음지에 비해서 반 음지 지역에서 석곡 개체들은 가장 잘 ë²ˆì‹í•˜ê³ ìƒìž¥í•˜ì˜€ë‹¤. 또한 부착한 기주 식물에 따라서 ì˜ì–‘ë²ˆì‹ë¥ ë° ìƒìž¥ë¥ ì— 차이를 보였다. 그늘쪽 바위틈과 참가시나무의 수피에 부착한 개체들이 가장 활발하게 ì¦ì‹í•˜ì˜€ê³ , 동백나무 수피에 부착하는 개체들이 세 번째 높은 ì¦ì‹ë¥ ì„ 보였다. 일부 복원 개체들은 야생에서 꽃을 í”¼ìš°ê³ , 수분되어 ì¢ ìžê°€ 결실되는 것을 확인하였다. ì „ë°˜ì ìœ¼ë¡œ 복원한 개체의 촉수가 크게 증가하여 ì„±ê³µì ì¸ 복원으로 평가된다. ì¸ìœ„ì ì¸ 훼손방지를 위하여 국립공원 및 지역주민들과 ê³µì¡°ì²´ì œë¥¼ êµ¬ì¶•í•˜ì˜€ê³ , CCTV를 설치하여 감시활동을 í•˜ê³ ìžˆë‹¤. 주요어: ë©¸ì¢ ìœ„ê¸°ì¢ , 석곡, 복원, ìœ ì „ì ë‹¤ì–‘ì„±, 영양번식

Assessment of Arbovirus Surveillance 13 Years after Introduction of West Nile Virus, United States.

Before 1999, the United States had no appropriated funding for arboviral surveillance, and many states conducted no such surveillance. After emergence of West Nile virus (WNV), federal funding was distributed to state and selected local health departments to build WNV surveillance systems. The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists conducted assessments of surveillance capacity of resulting systems in 2004 and in 2012; the assessment in 2012 was conducted after a 61% decrease in federal funding. In 2004, nearly all states and assessed local health departments had well-developed animal, mosquito, and human surveillance systems to monitor WNV activity and anticipate outbreaks. In 2012, many health departments had decreased mosquito surveillance and laboratory testing capacity and had no systematic disease-based surveillance for other arboviruses. Arboviral surveillance in many states might no longer be sufficient to rapidly detect and provide information needed to fully respond to WNV outbreaks and other arboviral threats (e.g., dengue, chikungunya).

Integrated Human Surveillance Systems of West Nile Virus Infections in Italy: The 2012 Experience

In Italy, a West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance plan was firstly implemented in 2008 and 2009 in two affected regions and, since 2010, according to a national plan, a WNV neuroinvasive disease (WNND) surveillance has to be carried out each year during the period 15 June–30 November, in those regions where WNV circulation has been demonstrated among humans, animals or vectors. Moreover, since WNV can be transmitted to humans even by blood transfusions and organ transplants obtained from infected donors, the national surveillance integrates the blood transfusions and organs transplant surveillances too. The paper describes the results of this integrated human surveillance in Italy in 2012. Overall, in 2012, 28 autochthonous confirmed cases of WNND were reported, 14 blood donations were found WNV positive by Nucleic Acid Amplification Test and no solid organ donors tested positive for WNV. Moreover, 17 cases of WNV fever were confirmed in Veneto region. When comparing the number of WNND cases reported to the surveillance system in previous 4 years (43 cases during the period 2008–2011), with those reported in 2012 an important increase was observed in 2012. The geographic distribution of human cases was consistent with the WNV circulation among animals and vectors. Moreover, the implementation of preventive measures for WNV transmission through blood components allowed the detection of blood donors positive for WNV, avoiding the further spread of the disease. Since surveillance strategies and preventive measures are based on the integration among human, animal and vector control activities, the Italian experience could be considered a good example of collaboration among different sectors of public health in a “one health” perspective.

The Complex Epidemiological Scenario of West Nile Virus in Italy

Entomological, veterinary, and human surveillance systems for West Nile virus (WNV) infection have been implemented in Italy since the first detection of the virus in 1998. These surveillance activities documented a progressive increase of WNV activity and spread in different regions and the emergence of new WNV lineages and strains. Italy is a paradigmatic example of the complex epidemiology of WNV in Europe, where sporadic cases of WNV infection, clusters, and small outbreaks have been reported in several regions. In addition, different strains of both WNV lineage 1 and lineage 2 have been identified, even co-circulating in the same area.

Concurrent 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection in Ferrets and in a Community in Pennsylvania

We report a fall 2010 cluster of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 (pH1N1) infections in pet ferrets in Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. The ferrets were associated with one pet shop. The influenza cluster occurred during a period when the existing human surveillance systems had identified little to no pH1N1 in humans in the Lehigh Valley, and there were no routine influenza surveillance systems for exotic pets. The index case was a 2.5-month-old neutered male ferret that was presented to a veterinary clinic with severe influenza-like illness (ILI). In response to laboratory notification of a positive influenza test result, and upon request from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH), the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) conducted an investigation to identify other ill ferrets and to identify the source and extent of infection. PDA notified the PADOH of the pH1N1 infection in the ferrets, leading to enhanced human surveillance and the detection of pH1N1 human infections in the surrounding community. Five additional ferrets with ILI linked to the pet shop were identified. This simultaneous outbreak of ferret and human pH1N1 demonstrates the important link between animal health and public health and highlights the potential use of veterinary clinics for sentinel surveillance of diseases shared between animals and humans.