Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “zoonotic potential”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Effect of length of time before incorporation on survival of pathogenic bacteria present in livestock wastes applied to agricultural soil.

In response to reports that the contamination of food can occur during the on-farm primary phase of food production, we report data that describes a possible cost-effective intervention measure. The effect of time before soil incorporation of livestock wastes spread to land on the rate of decline of zoonotic agents present in the waste was investigated. Fresh livestock wastes were inoculated with laboratory-cultured Salmonella, Listeria, and Campylobacter spp. and Escherichia coli O157 before they were spread onto soil. Incorporation of the spread wastes was either immediate, delayed for 1 week, or did not occur at all. Bacterial decline was monitored over time and found to be significantly more rapid for all waste types when they were left on the soil surface. There were no significant differences in initial bacterial decline rates when wastes were spread in summer or winter. Our results indicate that not incorporating contaminated livestock wastes into soil is a potential intervention measure that may help to limit the spread of zoonotic agents further up the food chain. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to current advice for livestock waste disposal.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2004

Monitoring for potentially xenozoonotic viruses in New Zealand pigs.

Shortage of human donor organs for transplantation has prompted evaluation of animals as an alternative donor source. Pigs are the most acceptable candidate animals but issues of xenozoonozes remain. Despite careful monitoring of high-health-status (HHS) pigs, there is still a risk that their tissues may carry infectious agents. Furthermore, pathogens which are significant in xenotransplantation are not necessarily those of veterinary importance. The detection of these potentially transmissible infectious agents may require the development and application of new surveillance technologies. We present data on monitoring for five potentially xenotic viruses in New Zealand pig herds, namely pig cytomegalovirus (PCMV), pig lymphotropic herpesvirus (PLHV), encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), pigcircovirus (PCV), and hepatitis E virus (HEV). These five viruses are either potentially oncogenic, establish persistent infection, or are known to be zoonotic. This study has expanded significantly the information on porcine viruses in New Zealand. Using this information, it is now possible to complete protocols for monitoring pig herds and tissues prior to their use in xenotransplantation. The study resulted in selection of a possible source herd for swine-to-human islet transplantation.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Lethal Giardia from a wild-caught sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) established in vitro chronically infects mice.

An axenic culture of Giardia was established from a sample of infected intestine obtained following autopsy of a sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita). The cockatoo recently captured in the wild and with good muscle tone died along with several other cage mates, apparently of an overwhelming, acute infection of Giardia. Trophozoites which established in the traditional, axenic Giardia medium (TYI-S-33 with supplementary bile) were morphologically identical to G. duodenalis. When outbred Quackenbush Swiss neonatal mice were infected with trophozoites a chronic infection was established and parasites were still present at 38 days post-inoculation. Weight gain by infected mice was reduced by 20%, thus mimicking failure-to-thrive syndrome in children, and maximum parasite load was more than 3-fold higher in comparison with other G. duodenalis strains. Analysis of the electrophoretic karyotype, rDNA and hybridization studies together with Giemsa- and trichrome-stained samples, and scanning electron microscopy indicated that the bird-derived Giardia belonged to the duodenalis group. This is the first report of infection of mammals with Giardia isolated from a bird. These data may have potentially serious implications for contamination of watersheds and establishment of zoonotic infections.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Canine visceral leishmaniasis: dog infectivity to sand flies from non-endemic areas.

Canine visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by Leishmania infantum (Leishmania chagasi in the New World), is a zoonotic, endemic disease in Western Europe and Latin America. The potential spreading to new regions was suggested by the appearance of canine VL among foxhounds in the US. Although the sand fly vectors in the major foci of transmission have been described, no information exists on other sand flies that could propagate the infection outside endemic areas. We evaluated the capacity of Lutzomyia shannoni (Dyar) and Lutomyia youngi (Feliciangeli & Murillo), which are widely distributed in the New World, to acquire L chagasi (Cunha and Chagas) infections. A high proportion of L youngi were infected after feeding on an oligosymptomatic dog (51 per cent) or a polysymptomatic individual (95 per cent), but the intensity of infection was low (< 200 promastigotes/fly). L shannoni became infected only by feeding on the polysymptomatic dog, and the infection rate was lower (9 per cent) than in Lutzomyia longipalpis (36 per cent), and Lutzomyia evansi (Nunez-Tovar) (Lutz and Neiva) (38 per cent), but the intensity of infection (200 to > 500 promastigotes/fly) was comparable (L longipalpis) or higher (L evansi) than in the New World vectors. It is hypothesised that the presence of infected dogs in areas where L shannoni or L youngi occur could initiate new endemic cycles of VL in both South and North America.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine and implications for human health.

This review discusses why veterinary usage of antimicrobial agents is wrongly accused of causing a substantial part of the problem of resistant human pathogens. Without doubt, resistant organisms in animals are selected by veterinary antimicrobials. However, these are not a major human health risk either because the role of veterinary usage in selection or propagation is insignificant, or because resistant populations selected by veterinary usage do not pose a substantial risk to human health. Indeed, resistant bacterial infections in humans causing serious quantitative and qualitative health consequences are rarely food-borne and are not the same as those selected by veterinary usage of antimicrobial agents. The available evidence for veterinary selection of resistance, transmission to humans, and subsequent health consequences are reviewed for food-borne zoonotic pathogens. A risk assessment strategy is proposed to quantify potential hazards in order to decide on the most effective risk management strategy.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Infectious diseases emerging from Chinese wet-markets: zoonotic origins of severe respiratory viral infections.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In China, close contacts between humans and food animals have resulted in the transmission of many microbes from animals to humans. The two most notable infectious diseases in recent years are severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian influenza. In this review, these two severe zoonotic viral infections transmitted by the respiratory route, with pandemic potential, are used as models to illustrate the role of Chinese wet-markets in their emergence, amplification and dissemination. RECENT FINDINGS: Two research groups independently discovered the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-like viruses in horseshoe bats. An astonishing diversity of coronaviruses was also discovered in different species of bats. For the recent and still ongoing avian influenza H5N1 outbreak that originated in Southeast Asia, from 2003 to 21 April 2006, 204 humans have been infected, with 113 deaths. Most patients had recent direct contacts with poultry. SUMMARY: In Chinese wet-markets, unique epicenters for transmission of potential viral pathogens, new genes may be acquired or existing genes modified through various mechanisms such as genetic reassortment, recombination and mutation. The wet-markets, at closer proximity to humans, with high viral burden or strains of higher transmission efficiency, facilitate transmission of the viruses to humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1970

Mammalian ecology and epidemiology of zoonoses.

Insufficient use has been made of ecological data concerning potential hosts in studies to determine the life cycles of zoonotic parasites and pathogens. Factors such as the geographical distribution of hosts, the altitudes at which they live, their affinities for specific habitats, their vertical distribution within the habitat, and the periodicity of their activities have bearing on the hosts' predisposition to involvement in disease cycles. Diets and feeding habits may determine the likelihood of acquiring infection. Reproductive characteristics determine whether a species is suitable as a reservoir or as an amplifying host. Behavioral factors, such as selection of a particular kind of nest site, may also predispose the involvement of the host with parasites and pathogens. Behavior patterns may determine the maximum population densities of hosts. Estimates of population sizes, of relative abundances of species, and of the involvement of species in disease cycles may be strongly influenced by the collecting and sampling methods that are used and also by the behavioral response of the mammals toward collecting devices, such as traps.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Air evacuation under high-level biosafety containment: the aeromedical isolation team.

Military contingency operations in tropical environments and potential use of biological weapons by adversaries may place troops at risk for potentially lethal contagious infections (e.g., viral hemorrhagic fevers, plague, and zoonotic poxvirus infections). Diagnosis and treatment of such infections would be expedited by evacuating a limited number of patients to a facility with containment laboratories. To safely evacuate such patients by military aircraft and minimize the risk for transmission to air crews, caregivers, and civilians, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases maintains an aeromedical isolation team. This rapid response team, which has worldwide airlift capability designed to evacuate and manage patients under high-level containment, also offers a portable containment laboratory, limited environmental decontamination, and specialized consultative expertise. This article also examines technical aspects of the team's equipment, training, capabilities, and deployments.

Aircraft↗
PubMed2004

Bichat guidelines for the clinical management of Q fever and bioterrorism-related Q fever.

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii. Its interest as a potential biological weapon stems from the fact that an aerosol of very few organisms could infect humans. Another route of transmission of C. burnetii could be through adding it to the food supply. Nevertheless, C. burnetii is considered to be one of the less suitable candidate agents for use in a bioterrorist attack; the incubation is long, many infections are inapparent and the mortality is low. In the case of an intentional release of C. burnetii by a terrorist, clinical presentation would be similar to naturally occurring disease. It may be asymptomatic, acute, normally accompanied by pneumonia or hepatitis, or chronic, usually manifested as endocarditis. Most cases of acute Q fever are asymptomatic and resolve spontaneously without specific treatment. Nevertheless, treatment can shorten the duration of illness and decrease the risk of complications such as endocarditis. Post-exposure prophylaxis is recommended after the exposure in the case of a bioterrorist attack.

Bioterrorism↗
PubMed2006

Orf virus infection in humans--New York, Illinois, California, and Tennessee, 2004-2005.

Orf virus is a zoonotic parapoxvirus endemic to most countries in the world and is principally associated with small ruminants (e.g., sheep and goats). Human orf infections appear as ulcerative skin lesions after contact with an infected animal or contaminated fomite. This report summarizes the epidemiologic and laboratory investigations of four sporadic cases of human orf infection, emphasizing the temporal association between human lesions and skin trauma or recent flock vaccination with live orf vaccine. This zoonotic infection shares clinical manifestations and exposure risks with other, potentially life-threatening zoonoses (e.g., cutaneous anthrax) and is likely under-recognized because of a lack of clinical suspicion and widely available diagnostics. Barrier precautions and proper hand hygiene are recommended for the prevention of orf virus infection in humans.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Overview of food- and water-borne zoonotic parasites at the farm level.

Zoonotic parasites found in food animals include a wide variety of protozoa, nematodes, trematodes, and cestodes. Many of these parasites are emerging or already occur globally due to changes in farming practices and the increased movement of animals, food, and people. Some of the emerging or ubiquitous parasites, including Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, Trichinella, and Taenia, present enormous risks to global food production and consumer health. The parasite life cycle stages, such as eggs, oocysts, and cysts, typically resist adverse temperatures, desiccation, natural irradiation, chemicals, and disinfectants that are commonly used for controlling bacteria and viruses. Other important parasites include trematodes such as Clonorchis and Paragonimus, which are transmitted via fish or crustaceans and cause serious human disease in specific regions of the world. The potential for global occurrence of these parasites is increasing. Control of zoonotic parasites at the producer level requires education and the development and implementation of effective measures to eliminate the contamination of agricultural water and feed with viable stages of parasites. Standardisation, implementation, and documentation of control measures should increase confidence in global food trade.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Reassortment of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza as a Driver for Zoonotic Spillover, Asia.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5Nx viruses remain a major zoonotic threat, yet global attention has focused largely on clade 2.3.4.4b, potentially overlooking major changes within long-endemic H5N1 lineages in Asia. Recent reports from South and Southeast Asia describe the emergence of reassortant clade 2.3.2.1 viruses alongside renewed human infections after apparent prolonged epidemiologic stability. Collectively, those events suggest a regional pattern rather than isolated anomalies. In this article, we argue that reassortment, rather than point mutation alone, might be an underrecognized driver of zoonotic risk in endemic H5N1 lineages and is reshaping those lineages. We examine why such events might be underrecognized in settings with entrenched poultry influenza, identify limitations of current surveillance systems, and call for integrated, real-time approaches linking genomic detection with phenotypic assessment across animal and human health sectors to enable timely risk assessment and coordinated public health action.

Asia↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence and genotypes of Giardia duodenalis in 1-2 year old dairy cattle.

To determine the prevalence of Giardia genotypes in 12-24 month old dairy heifers, fecal specimens were collected from two farms each in Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. Specimens, cleaned of fecal debris and concentrated using CsCl density gradient centrifugation, were subjected to PCR and DNA sequence analysis. Prevalence of Giardia infection, ranged from 11% to 75% on 14 farms with an average prevalence of 36% (204 positive cattle out of 571 examined). DNA sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed 91% of the 204 Giardia isolates were Assemblage E, and 9% were Assemblage A. The prevalence of these genotypes varied greatly from farm to farm, with four farms having exclusively Assemblage E Giardia. Overall, Assemblage E was present in 33% of all animals tested and Assemblage A was present in 3% of the animals. Thus, while many of the heifers were infected with a genotype that is not known to be infectious for humans, 1-2 year old heifers on 10 of 14 farms did harbor zoonotic Assemblage A Giardia. Therefore, heifers cannot be overlooked as a potential source of human infectious cysts in the environment, with some farms representing a much higher risk than others.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1987

Gastrointestinal zoonoses.

Infectious gastrointestinal diseases affect man and animals throughout the world. Certain etiologic agents (for example, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica, Cryptosporidia, Strongyloides stercoralis, Echinococcus granulosa) seem to have the potential to be transmitted from pets to people, causing severe disease in the latter. Other agents seem unlikely to be transmitted but may have the potential to be zoonoses. This article discusses proved, suspected, and possible zoonotic agents that may originate from the gastrointestinal tract of dogs and cats.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

A national survey of laboratory animal workers concerning occupational risks for zoonotic diseases.

In this cross-sectional survey of laboratory animal workers in the United States, 23 of 1367 persons reported 28 cases of infection with zoonotic agents from research animals at their workplace during the past 5 years, with six persons indicating that their infections were medically confirmed. Based on these data, the annualized incidence rate for work-related transmission of zoonotic agents from laboratory animals was 45 cases per 10,000 worker-years at risk (95% confidence interval, 30 to 65 cases), approximating the rate for nonfatal occupational illnesses in the agricultural production-livestock industry and for those employed in the health services during 2002. Logistic regression analysis found various characteristics of persons and their employers that were significantly associated with the likelihood of having been medically evaluated for exposure to a zoonotic agent from laboratory animals. Most (95.595% +/- 1.1%) persons working with laboratory animals or their tissues indicated that they knew whom to talk to at their institution for medical evaluation and care should they be concerned about the possibility of an occupationally acquired zoonotic disease in future. However, occupational illnesses and exposures among laboratory animal workers was underreported, as 10 of the 28 (36%) alleged zoonotic disease cases were not communicated to the employee's supervisor. Lack of concern about the potential significance to their health and the perception of punitive consequences to the employee were some of the reasons cited for underreporting, an issue which must be vigorously addressed in the interests of continuing progress toward zoonotic disease prevention in this field.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Campylobacter spp., Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Yersinia spp., and Cryptosporidium oocysts in semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Northern Finland and Norway.

The specific aim of this study was to assess the faecal shedding of zoonotic enteropathogens by semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) to deduce the potential risk to human health through modern reindeer herding. In total, 2,243 faecal samples of reindeer from northern regions of Finland and Norway were examined for potentially enteropathogenic bacteria (Campylobacter species, Enterococcus species, Escherichia coli, Salmonella species and Yersinia species) and parasites (Cryptosporidium species) in accordance with standard procedures. Escherichia coli were isolated in 94.7%, Enterococcus species in 92.9%, Yersinia species in 4.8% of the samples and Campylobacter species in one sample only (0.04%). Analysis for virulence factors in E. coli and Yersinia species revealed no pathogenic strains. Neither Salmonella species nor Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected. The public health risk due to reindeer husbandry concerning zoonotic diseases included in this study has to be considered as very low at present but a putative epidemiological threat may arise when herding conditions are changed with respect to intensification and crowding.

Adhesins, Bacterial↗
PubMed2025

Viral zoonosis and human cancer: a perspective.

Zoonotic viruses, which are pathogens naturally transmitted from animals to humans, pose a significant and evolving challenge to public health. Although most known zoonotic viruses do not exhibit the persistence typically necessary for viral oncogenesis, the potential cancer-causing effects of these infections remain unclear. Persistent infection, latency, or abortive replication within susceptible but non-permissive human cells may allow some animal-origin viruses to evade immune clearance, disrupt host cell signaling, and induce genomic instability-key features of cancer development. Evidence from both in vitro and in vivo studies indicates that certain animal viruses can enter human cells, integrate their genetic material, or express oncogenic proteins, even without completing full replication. These mechanisms resemble those of established human oncoviruses and suggest that, under specific host and environmental conditions, zoonotic viruses could contribute to neoplastic transformation. Given the increasing frequency of human-animal interactions through companionship, agriculture, wildlife trade, and food production, multidisciplinary research combining virology, oncology, and epidemiology is essential. Such efforts should focus on sensitive molecular detection, mechanistic studies, and population-based investigations to better understand the long-term cancer risks associated with zoonotic viral infections and to guide effective prevention strategies.

Cancer↗
PubMed2004

[Occupational bio hazards: current issues].

Over the last decade, there was noted a large advancement of knowledge on living organisms and their products posing a potential occupational risk. Novel risk factors, often new to science, were identified, the role and significance of already known factors better comprehended, and occupational groups endangered by biological hazards more thoroughly recognized. Novel viruses and prions, emerging in different parts of the world, may pose a particular threat to health and life of health care workers, agriculture workers and veterinarians. A new coronavirus (SCoV) that evoked a rapid outbreak of disease described as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the first half of 2003 may serve as an example. The disease was particularly common among health care workers. Previously discovered zoonotic viruses, Nipah virus in pigs and Hendra virus in horses, may be a cause of fatal encephalitis in animal farmers. Hantaviruses (Puumala, Hantaan, Sin Nombre and others) infecting field rodents may be a cause of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) or pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in farmers and laboratory workers. Prions responsible for inducing a zoonotic variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) are considered to be a potential cause of work-related infections in agricultural and health care workers, however, this assumption has not as yet been supported by any conclusive evidence. In many countries, blood-borne occupational infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major epidemiological problem among health care workers, mostly because no vaccine against this virus has been produced to date. Vaccinations effectively restricted the number of occupational infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and work-related infections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are very rare. Hazardous bioserosols, occurring in many work environments, pose an occupational health hazard of particular importance. Many new biological factors present in organic dusts that may induce work-related allergic and immunotoxic diseases among farmers and workers of the agricultural and wood industries have been identified. Droplet aerosols, which are generated from water, oils, oil-water emulsions and other liquids in various work environments, may contain infectious agents (Legionella spp.) as well as allergic and/or toxic agents. It has been shown that allergens and endotoxins produced by Gram-negative bacteria occurring in oil mist from metalworking fluids may cause occupational respiratory diseases in workers of the metallurgic industry.

Animals↗