Global epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 and lessons for effective control of this and future pandemics

Review (Published online: 16-03-2021)

10. Global epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 and lessons for effective control of this and future pandemics

Emmanuel Okechukwu Njoga, Yusuf Feyisara Zakariya, Ishmael Festus Jaja, Chinwe Elizabeth Okoli and Philip Paul Mshelbwala

International Journal of One Health, 7(1): 78-87

ABSTRACT

Barely 1 year after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in China, the virus has infected approximately 120 million people, caused around 3 million deaths, and adversely affected the global economy. Despite stringent measures to flatten the epidemiologic curve of the pandemic, there have been spikes and waves of the infection in many countries, particularly in the American, European, and Asian continents. This review critically evaluated the global epidemiology of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to provide advice on other possible ways of managing the disease as various COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out. To effectively control this and possible future epidemics/pandemics, there is a need to maintain a healthy balance between saving lives and livelihoods in the implementation of lockdowns. Unwarranted human exposures to animals, particularly pangolins, civet cats, bats, dromedary camels, and other wildlife known to be reservoirs and intermediate hosts of coronaviruses should be prevented. All the identified strains of SARS-CoV-2, including the highly infectious UK and South African variants, should be incorporated in COVID-19 vaccine production; to widen the protection spectrum. Some of the COVID-19 vaccines require primary inoculation, booster vaccination after 2-4 weeks and annual revaccination for adequate immunization against SARS-CoV-2. Survivors of COVID-19 may require only a single vaccine dozing and annual revaccination thereafter. Adoption of One Health approach and the development of globally coordinated active surveillance systems against emerging and reemerging zoonotic viruses are imperative.

Keywords: COVID-19, coronaviruses, emerging zoonoses, new variant SARS-CoV-2, pandemic diseases, SARS-CoV-2, public health.

Molecular detection of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin genes isolated from mastitic milk and humans in El-Behira, Egypt

Research (Published online: 16-03-2021)

9. Molecular detection of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin genes isolated from mastitic milk and humans in El-Behira, Egypt

Mohamed S. Diab, Nermin A. Ibrahim, Yasser F. Elnaker, Sherif A. Zidan and Marwa A. Saad

International Journal of One Health, 7(1): 70-77

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Milk is a chief source of many nutrients. However, we must also bear in mind that it is a potential source for many cases of food poisoning. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of cow mastitis and evaluate the presence of enterotoxins and antibiotic resistance patterns in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from milk and contact humans in El-Behira Province, Egypt.

Materials and Methods: A total of 680 milk samples from 170 cows and 86 human samples consisting of 43 hand swabs and 43 nasal swabs were analyzed. The milk samples were subjected to the California mastitis test.

Results: The general occurrence was 23.1% (157/680) where 48 quarters had clinical mastitis and 109 had subclinical mastitis. Subsequently, S. aureus was isolated in Baird-Parker agar where typical and atypical colonies were selected and submitted to coagulase and complementary tests. Out of 48 samples of mastitic milk studied, 16 (33.3%) showed contamination by S. aureus whereas 109 samples of subclinical mastitis showed contamination in only 18 (16.5%). On the opposite hand, of the 86 human samples, 33 revealed S. aureus contamination, corresponding to 38.37% of the samples. Furthermore, multiplex polymerase chain reaction targeting nuc and the staphylococcal enterotoxin-encoding genes sea, seb, sec, sed, and see were performed after culture, revealing that 88.2% (30/34) of milk samples and 93.9% (31/33) of human samples were variably positive to those genes.

Conclusion: The use of nuc gene based PCR is an accurate and rapid method for S aureus isolates detection. A high prevalence of multiple drug-resistant isolates of S. aureus recovered from both human and milk represents further evidence for possible veterinary hazards as well as public hazards, especially to those that consume milk from this region.

Keywords: antibiotic sensitivity, dairy production, enterotoxins, multidrug resistance, multiplex polymerase chain reaction, nuc gene, Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin genes, Staphylococcus aureus.

Phylogenetic study of Theileria ovis and Theileria lestoquardi in sheep from Egypt: Molecular evidence and genetic characterization

Research (Published online: 13-03-2021)

12. Phylogenetic study of Theileria ovis and Theileria lestoquardi in sheep from Egypt: Molecular evidence and genetic characterization

Amira Adel Al-Hosary, Ahmed ElSify, Akram A. Salama, Mohamed Nayel, Ahmed Elkhtam, Layla Omran Elmajdoub, Mohamed Abdo Rizk, Manal Mohammed Hawash, Mohammad Ali Al-Wabel, Abdulaziz M. Almuzaini, Laila Salah El-Din Ahmed, Anand Paramasivam, Suresh Mickymaray and Mosaab A. Omar

Veterinary World, 14(3): 634-639

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Ovine theileriosis caused by Theileria ovis and Theileria lestoquardi is an important infectious disease affecting small ruminants in regions of the tropic and subtropic zones. There is limited studies about ovine theileriosis in Egypt; so the present study aims to assess the occurrence of ovine theileriosis in Egypt at the molecular level.

Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 115 randomly selected sheep, which were apparently healthy; the ages of the sampled sheep ranged from 1 to 5 years old, from a local breed (barkae and balade), and showed no symptoms indicating infection with Theileria spp. The study was conducted in three governorates representing Lower Egypt (Menoufia and Beheira) and Upper Egypt (El-Wady El-Geded). All blood samples were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and semi-nested PCR to target Theileria spp. 18S rRNA genes. Positive samples were sequenced, and these sequences were analyzed using nucleotide basic local alignment search tool (BLAST).

Results: Six animals (5.22%) were PCR-positive carriers for ovine theileriosis. Nucleotide BLAST and phylogenetic analyses of the six obtained sequences showed that T. ovis was present in five animals (4.37%) in Menoufia (n=2) and El-Wady El-Geded (n=3), whereas T. lestoquardi was detected in 1 animal (0.87%) in El-Wady El-Geded.

Conclusion: This study is the first to provide molecular evidence, genetic characterization, and phylogenetic analysis of ovine Theileria spp. in Egypt. Specifically, T. lestoquardi and T. ovis carrier statuses of sheep were confirmed. These results highlight the importance of developing an effective control strategy against ovine theileriosis carriers that might develop and/or spread theileriosis.

Keywords: Egypt, polymerase chain reaction, phylogeny, Theileria lestoquardi, Theileria ovis.

Molecular detection and identification of Babesia bovis and Trypanosoma spp. in one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) breeds in Egypt

Research (Published online: 12-03-2021)

11. Molecular detection and identification of Babesia bovis and Trypanosoma spp. in one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) breeds in Egypt

Shimaa Abd El-Salam El-Sayed, Mohamed A. El-Adl, Mayar O. Ali, Mostafa Al-Araby, Mosaab A. Omar, Mohamed El-Beskawy, Shimaa Sobhy Sorour, Mohamed Abdo Rizk and Magdy Elgioushy

Veterinary World, 14(3): 625-633

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Camels are a unique source of milk and meat, which helps recover from several diseases that affect humans worldwide. In Egypt, one of the great obstacles for this industry is tick-borne diseases. This study aimed to characterize blood parasite infections, such as Babesia (B.) bovis and Trypanosoma (T.) spp. in one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) (n=142) breeds in Halayeb and Shalateen, Egypt, through phylogenetic analysis.

Materials and Methods: The prevalence of B. bovis and Trypanosoma spp. was identified in camels using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting the Rhoptry-Associated Protein-1 and internal transcribed spacer 1 genes, respectively. A nested PCR technique was conducted to detect B. bovis. At the same time, KIN multispecies PCR assay was employed to diagnose and classify trypanosome DNA in camels.

Results: B. bovis was detected in 4/142 camels with an infection rate of 2.81%. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the strain of B. bovis isolated from this population was closely related to strains isolated from Argentine, the United States, and Brazil. Moreover, Trypanosoma evansi was detected in 8/142 camels with an infection rate of 5.63%. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that this isolated strain T. evansi was closely related to Trypanosoma theileri detected from cattle in Brazil.

Conclusion: The obtained data indicated the existence of B. bovis and T. evansi in camels from two provinces of Egypt. The obtained findings have economic significance and reflect the importance of implementing effective prevention and control methods across Egypt to reduce the incidence of B. bovis and T. evansi in camels.

Keywords: Babesia bovis, camel, Egypt, epidemiology, Trypanosoma spp.

The rabies distribution pattern on dogs using average nearest neighbor analysis approach in the Karangasem District, Bali, Indonesia, in 2019

Research (Published online: 11-03-2021)

10. The rabies distribution pattern on dogs using average nearest neighbor analysis approach in the Karangasem District, Bali, Indonesia, in 2019

Serli Eka Melyantono, Heru Susetya, Prima Widayani, I Wayan Masa Tenaya and Dinar Hadi Wahyu Hartawan

Veterinary World, 14(3): 614-624

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Rabies is a severe progressive encephalitis disease in dogs characterized as a zoonosis. The transmission of rabies between animals in Karangasem District, Bali is still high and continues until today; therefore, rabies in the district still actively circulating. The distribution pattern of rabies, especially in the district, is unknown. This research aimed to describe the spatial distribution of rabies in Karangasem District. The information would help in developing effective control strategies for the disease.

Materials and Methods: An observational study was carried out using 38 positive rabies cases confirmed by the direct fluorescent antibody test diagnosed at the Disease Investigation Centre of Denpasar from September 2018 to September 2019. The Global Positioning System was used to take the geographical coordinates of the places where positive rabies cases had been confirmed in Karangasem District. The ArcGIS version 10.3 (ESRI) was used to determine and analyze the distribution pattern using the average nearest neighbor (ANN) method.

Results: On the basis of the ANN analysis, the rabies distribution pattern in Karangasem District in 2019 was clustered in groups but not significant (Z-score=–1.670309 [<–1.65], p=0.094858 [<0.1]; nearest neighbor ratio=0.858364). The rabies distribution pattern in each subdistrict of Karangasem was dispersed significantly since it had z-score of more than 2.58, p-value less than 0.1 and nearest neighbor ratio of more than 1.

Conclusion: The rabies distribution in Karangasem District had a clustered pattern, although this was not significant. The grouping of rabies in Karangasem District showed a significant dispersed pattern in the subdistricts Abang, Bebandem, and Karangasem. The dispersed pattern of the rabies cases in the subdistricts was caused by unidentified stray dogs that lived in rice fields and other fields and by the whole district's hilly and mountainous topography. The ANN analysis suggested that for rabies control in Karangasem District, vaccination, elimination, and sterilization of stray dogs should be conducted in densely populated areas.

Keywords: average nearest neighbor, rabies distribution pattern, rabies.

Identification and distribution of Brachyspira species in feces from finishing pigs in Argentina

Research (Published online: 10-03-2021)

9. Identification and distribution of Brachyspira species in feces from finishing pigs in Argentina

Alicia Carranza, Julián Parada, Pablo Tamiozzo, Malena Flores León, Pablo Camacho, Gabriel Di Cola, Enrique Corona-Barrera, Arnaldo Ambrogi and Gustavo Zielinski

Veterinary World, 14(3): 607-613

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Brachyspira are Gram-negative, aerotolerant spirochetes that colonize the large intestine of various species of domestic animals and humans. The aim of this study was to determine the presence and distribution of different species of Brachyspira presents in feces from finishing pigs in Argentina.

Materials and Methods: Fecal samples (n=1550) were collected from finishing pigs in 53 farms of the most important swine production areas of Argentina, and Brachyspiras species were identified by bacteriological and molecular methods.

Results: The regional prevalence of Brachyspira spp. was at the level of 75.5% (confidence interval 95%, 62.9-87.9), and it was lower among those farms with >1001 sows. One hundred and twenty-eight isolates of Brachyspira were properly identified and the species found were: Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, Brachyspira pilosicoli, Brachyspira innocens, and Brachyspira murdochii. B. hyodysenteriae and B. pilosicoli had low prevalence (1.9% and 7.5%, respectively), B. innocens was isolated from 34% of the farms and B. murdochii was found in 39.6%.

Conclusion: The present study provides epidemiological data about herd prevalence of the different Brachyspira species in Argentina, showing that the prevalence figure seems to be higher than that reported in other countries.

Keywords: Brachyspira species, diagnosis, herd prevalence, intestinal spirochetes, swine.

Prevalence and molecular characterization of canine parvovirus

Research (Published online: 09-03-2021)

8. Prevalence and molecular characterization of canine parvovirus

Parikshit Singh, Gurpreet Kaur, Mudit Chandra and P. N. Dwivedi

Veterinary World, 14(3): 603-606

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Canine parvovirus (CPV) belonging to family Parvoviridae causes hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in dogs and heavy mortality in young dogs. The virus has three structural (VP1, VP2 and VP3) and two non-structural proteins (NS1 and NS2), VP2 being highly immunogenic. This study aims to study molecular epidemiology of CPV by sequence analysis of VP2 gene to determine the prevailing antigenic type(s) in the northern regions of India.

Materials and Methods: A total of 118 rectal swabs collected from dogs exhibiting clinical signs of CPV infection were processed for the isolation of DNA and subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested PCR (NPCR). A total of 13 NPCR products selected randomly were subjected to sequence analysis of VP2 gene.

Results: The percent positivity of CPV was found 28% and 70% by PCR and NPCR, respectively. Dogs with vaccination history against CPV too were found positive with a percent positivity of 24.10%. Gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of VP2 gene from these isolates revealed that most samples formed a clade with CPV-2a isolates.

Conclusion: Sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis of VP2 gene in the studied regions of northern India revealed that CPV-2a was the most prevalent antigenic type.

Keywords: canine parvovirus, nested polymerase chain reaction, polymerase chain reaction, sequence analysis, VP2 gene.