The Berlin principles on one health - Bridging global health and conservation

Monitoring of Non-Maximum-Residue-Level Pesticides in Animal Feed: A Study from 2019 to 2023

Pesticides play a critical role in modern agriculture by protecting crops and ensuring higher yields, but their widespread use raises concerns about human health and environmental impact. Regulatory agencies impose Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) to ensure safety, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assesses pesticide risks. This study monitored pesticide residues in 169 feed samples from Piedmont (Italy) collected between 2019 and 2023. Using GC-MS/MS, residues were found in 92% of animal-based and 70% of cereal-based feedstuffs. The most common pesticides in cereal-based feeds were pyrimiphos-methyl, deltamethrin, cypermethrin, azoxystrobin, and tetramethrin, and the pesticide synergist piperonyl-butoxide demonstrated a significant increase in contaminated samples in 2023. The lower concentrations in 2021 were likely due to COVID-19 impacts on pesticide availability. In animal-based feeds, common pesticides included deltamethrin, cypermethrin, and the pesticide synergist piperonyl-butoxide. The results highlight the pervasive presence of low-dose pesticide mixtures in feed and food chains, which could impact health, although do not pose acute risks. The study emphasizes the need for ongoing pesticide monitoring and awareness of the long-term effects of chronic pesticide exposure on animal, human, and environmental health.

Microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystem: A review of existing policies and regulations

Environmental pollution due to plastic waste is a global challenge causing adverse impacts on the ecosystem and public health. Microplastic (MP) originates at the upstream processes such as industrial and household activities; however, their existence is affecting the downstream environment. Even though many governments and non-government organizations have taken technological and regulatory steps, these current efforts and strategies are insufficient to prevent the MP release in the environment. Thus, a multidisciplinary global approach is required, which must prioritize the reducing of plastic inputs to the environment. To regulate MP levels in the environment, worldwide reformative and preventive strategies are required because the issue is not limited to a single nation or region. In relation to marine plastic waste, a number of multilateral agreements and measures exist at global level. Several regulatory measures have been examined by regulatory bodies with the intention of safeguarding the environment from excessive MP contamination. However, neither of the frameworks in place is specifically made to stop the increased MP pollution in the environment. Therefore, this review focused on the preventive measures taken by the government and non-government organizations for MP control through legislations. The study also critically discussed MP-related policies aiming to increase the viability and efficiency of implementing future plastic management. This review is expected to provide the basic guidelines for formulating MP standards in the environment.

Bridging disciplines-key to success when implementing planetary health in medical training curricula

Planetary health is being or should be added to medical training curricula in accordance with association consensus. Several articles published in recent years have addressed concern on the implementation, and the challenges that can occur if not addressed properly. This scoping narrative literature review focuses on planetary health as a concept, as well as challenges and suggested solutions to address these challenges. Planetary health is an important concept and needs to be addressed in all medical training. We found that one main challenge is implementation without ensuring the right competences and resources. Medically trained teachers set out to understand and teach complex natural and social systems. At some institutions the time allocated to teach planetary health is limited or non-existent. Case studies and student led teaching are solutions suggested, while other argue that true interdisciplinarity by inviting experts are more in line with what we expect from other subjects. In conclusion, the roots of planetary health, the enormous health risks at stake and nature of the subject requires medical training to adopt a true inter/trans-disciplinary approach to succeed. It might not be expected for all students to become planetary health experts, but all need a general understanding of the most important aspects and values.

Beyond water and soil: Air emerges as a major reservoir of human pathogens

Assessing the risk of human pathogens in the environment is crucial for controlling the spread of diseases and safeguarding human health. However, conducting a thorough assessment of low-abundance pathogens in highly complex environmental microbial communities remains challenging. This study compiled a comprehensive catalog of 247 human-pathogenic bacterial taxa from global biosafety agencies and identified more than 78 million genome-specific markers (GSMs) from their 17,470 sequenced genomes. Subsequently, we analyzed these pathogens' types, abundance, and diversity within 474 shotgun metagenomic sequences obtained from diverse environmental sources. The results revealed that among the four habitats studied (air, water, soil, and sediment), the detection rate, diversity, and abundance of detectable pathogens in the air all exceeded those in the other three habitats. Air, sediment, and water environments exhibited identical dominant taxa, indicating that these human pathogens may have unique environmental vectors for their transmission or survival. Furthermore, we observed the impact of human activities on the environmental risk posed by these pathogens, where greater amounts of human activities significantly increased the abundance of human pathogenic bacteria, especially in water and air. These findings have remarkable implications for the environmental risk assessment of human pathogens, providing valuable insights into their presence and distribution across different habitats.

Who coined the term "One Health"? Cooperation amid the siloization

This short communication is an effort to describe and elucidate the trajectory of the modern historical concept of "One Health." It is dedicated to the many integrated approaches of health closely related to One Health, while also recognizing the contribution and origination of One Health perspectives/notions from those that have led the way and spearheaded this movement while considering Indigenous cultures across the world. The effects of synergies of those involved in building these integrative approaches are potentially bigger and better lasting than the sum of the individual players. It is only through collaboration, cooperation and diplomacy that we can achieve impactful transformation to benefit health. In this commentary, we aim to appropriately and accurately describe how the current use of "One Health" came to be and who were the main players.

Synergistic antibacterial effects of closantel and its enantiomers in combination with colistin against multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria

Drug combinations and repurposing have recently provided promising alternatives to cope with the increasingly severe issue of antibiotic resistance and depletion of natural drug molecular repertoires that undermine traditional antibacterial strategies. Closantel, an effective adjuvant, reverses antibiotic resistance in gram-negative bacteria. Herein, the combined antibacterial enantioselectivity of closantel is presented through separate enantiomer studies. Despite yielding unexpected differences, two closantel enantiomers (R, S) increased colistin activity against gram-negative bacteria both in vitro and in vivo. The fractional inhibitory concentration indices of R-closantel and S-closantel combined with colistin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli ranged from 0.0087 to 0.5004 and from 0.0117 to 0.5312, respectively. This difference was further demonstrated using growth inhibition assays and time-killing curves. Mechanistically, a higher intracellular concentration of R-CLO is more effective in enhancing the antimicrobial activity of combination. A mouse cutaneous infection model confirmed the synergistic stereoselectivity of closantel. This discovery provides novel insights for developing precision medication and containment of increasing antibiotic resistance.

One Health Education Nexus: enhancing synergy among science-, school-, and teacher education beyond academic silos

Introduction

The fact that the daily lives of billions of people were affected by the medical, social, and political aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic shows the need to anchor the understanding of One Health in society. Hence, promoting awareness and deepening the understanding of the interrelation between human health, animal health, and ecosystems must be accomplished through quality education, as advocated by UN Sustainable Development Goal 4. The often-questioned and discussed measures taken by governments to control the global pandemic between 2020 and 2023 can be seen as an opportunity to meet the educational needs of civil society solutions in multi-stakeholder settings between public, universities, and schools.

Methods

This paper focuses on the integration of One Health principles in educational frameworks, particularly within the context of the higher education teaching framework "Teaching Clinic." This master-level course in the domain of pre-service teacher education serves as a potent vehicle for facilitating One Health Education, bridging the gap between research, higher education, and schools. Through the presentation of two case studies, this article demonstrates how the Teaching Clinic approach fosters interdisciplinary perspectives and provides a dynamic learning environment for pre-service teachers, as well as for pupils involved in the educational process.

Results

In both cases, the integration of educational One Health school teaching-learning settings effectively enhanced pupils' understanding of complex topics and engaged them in active learning experiences. Pre-service teachers played a crucial role in developing, implementing, and evaluating these interventions. In Case I, pupils demonstrated proficiency in analyzing data and evaluating mathematical models, while in Case II, the chosen instructional approach facilitated One Health knowledge acquisition and enjoyment among pupils. These results underscore the potential of the One Health Teaching Clinic as a valuable educational framework for enhancing teaching and learning outcomes for pre-service teachers and fostering pupil engagement in socio-scientific One Health-related topics.

Discussion

The discussion delves into the significance of breaking down disciplinary silos and the crucial role of teacher education in promoting a holistic approach to education, emphasizing the intersectionality of One Health Education and Education for Sustainable Development. This article underpins the significance of collaborative efforts across multiple (scientific) disciplines and across secondary and tertiary education levels to reach a nexus. Moreover, it emphasizes the alignment of this approach with the 2030 Agenda, Education for Sustainable Development, and Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting the potential for collective action toward a more sustainable future.

Holistic One Health Surveillance Framework: Synergizing Environmental, Animal, and Human Determinants for Enhanced Infectious Disease Management

Recent pandemics, including the COVID-19 outbreak, have brought up growing concerns about transmission of zoonotic diseases from animals to humans. This highlights the requirement for a novel approach to discern and address the escalating health threats. The One Health paradigm has been developed as a responsive strategy to confront forthcoming outbreaks through early warning, highlighting the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and their environment. The system employs several innovative methods such as the use of advanced technology, global collaboration, and data-driven decision-making to come up with an extraordinary solution for improving worldwide disease responses. This Review deliberates environmental, animal, and human factors that influence disease risk, analyzes the challenges and advantages inherent in using the One Health surveillance system, and demonstrates how these can be empowered by Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. The Holistic One Health Surveillance Framework presented herein holds the potential to revolutionize our capacity to monitor, understand, and mitigate the impact of infectious diseases on global populations.

Global Mapping and Visualization Analysis of One Health Knowledge in the COVID-19 Context

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the health, social, and economic systems, triggering lasting damage and exposing the complexity of the problem beyond just being a health emergency. This crisis has highlighted the need for a comprehensive and collaborative strategy to successfully counter infectious diseases and other global challenges. With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing One Health to the forefront of global health and sustainable development agendas, this concept has emerged as a potential approach for addressing these challenges. In the context of COVID-19, this study investigates global knowledge about One Health by examining its state, significant contributions, and future directions. It seeks to offer an integrated framework of insights guiding the development of well-informed decisions. A comprehensive search using the Scopus database was conducted, employing specific terms related to One Health and COVID-19. VOSviewer 1.6.19 software was used to generate network visualization maps. Countries' research output was adjusted based on their gross domestic product (GDP) and population size. The study identified a total of 527 publications. The United States led with 134 documents (25.4%), but India topped the adjusted ranking. One Health journal stood as the most common outlet for disseminating knowledge (49 documents; 9.3%), while Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States emerged as the most prolific institution (13 documents; 2.5%). Key topics were related to the virus transmission mechanisms, climate change impacts, antimicrobial resistance, ecosystem health, preparedness, collaboration, community engagement, and developing of efficient surveillance systems. The study emphasizes how critical it is to capitalize on the present momentum of COVID-19 to advance One Health concepts. Integrating social and environmental sciences, and a variety of professions for better interaction and collaboration is crucial. Additionally, increased funding for developing countries, and legislative empowerment are vital to advance One Health and boost disease prevention.

Transdisciplinary approaches to addressing factors that influence antimicrobial use in dairy cattle: A scoping review

Interest in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) associated with livestock farming is increasing. During the 1990s, 30-40 academic papers a year on the use of antibiotics in dairy farming were indexed on the scientific database PubMed, but this has grown to more than 200 a year in the 2020s. Most (85%) of these papers are published in veterinary or livestock science journals. There has been a corresponding increase in social science interest in why responsible antibiotic stewardship in the livestock sector is so challenging. However, most social science insights are published in journals specific to the lead authors' field(s), missing opportunities for knowledge translation to veterinary and animal science. This threatens to inhibit the transdisciplinary One Health approaches required to tackle the problem. Between 1 June and 31 December 2021, we undertook a scoping review of papers on the use of antibiotics in dairy farming indexed in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Our aim was to identify studies that incorporate social science approaches and methodologies, and to note the main field of the journal in which these studies are published. Papers were most likely to be published in veterinary science, dairy science and/or livestock science journals (61, 29 and 18 respectively out of 127 papers) and were most likely to be concerned with antibiotic use, prescribing practice, and/or diagnosis (94%, 39% and 33% of included papers respectively). Only 27% of papers meeting our inclusion criteria included a qualitative approach to understanding reasons for antibiotic use. Even fewer acknowledged underlying drivers of behaviour, whereas such reasons are frequently highlighted in social science literature. Thus, to address the global health threat from antibiotic resistance, more work is needed to bring together the disparate but equally valid disciplines, methodologies and researchers working on antibiotic use in the livestock sector.

Diversity and prevalence of zoonotic infections at the animal-human interface of primate trafficking in Peru

Wildlife trafficking creates favorable scenarios for intra- and inter-specific interactions that can lead to parasite spread and disease emergence. Among the fauna affected by this activity, primates are relevant due to their potential to acquire and share zoonoses - infections caused by parasites that can spread between humans and other animals. Though it is known that most primate parasites can affect multiple hosts and that many are zoonotic, comparative studies across different contexts for animal-human interactions are scarce. We conducted a multi-parasite screening targeting the detection of zoonotic infections in wild-caught monkeys in nine Peruvian cities across three contexts: captivity (zoos and rescue centers, n = 187); pet (households, n = 69); and trade (trafficked or recently confiscated, n = 132). We detected 32 parasite taxa including mycobacteria, simian foamyvirus, bacteria, helminths, and protozoa. Monkeys in the trade context had the highest prevalence of hemoparasites (including Plasmodium malariae/brasilianum, Trypanosoma cruzi, and microfilaria) and enteric helminths and protozoa were less common in pet monkeys. However, parasite communities showed overall low variation between the three contexts. Parasite richness (PR) was best explained by host genus and the city where the animal was sampled. Squirrel (genus Saimiri) and wooly (genus Lagothrix) monkeys had the highest PR, which was ~2.2 times the PR found in tufted capuchins (genus Sapajus) and tamarins (genus Saguinus/Leontocebus) in a multivariable model adjusted for context, sex, and age. Our findings illustrate that the threats of wildlife trafficking to One Health encompass exposure to multiple zoonotic parasites well-known to cause disease in humans, monkeys, and other species. We demonstrate these threats continue beyond the markets where wildlife is initially sold; monkeys trafficked for the pet market remain a reservoir for and contribute to the translocation of zoonotic parasites to households and other captive facilities where contact with humans is frequent. Our results have practical applications for the healthcare of rescued monkeys and call for urgent action against wildlife trafficking and ownership of monkeys as pets.

Global Food Security and Sustainability Issues: The Road to 2030 from Nutrition and Sustainable Healthy Diets to Food Systems Change

The accomplishment of food/nutrition security for all across sustainable food systems (SFS) is tied to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SFS is connected to all SDGs via the traditional framework of social inclusion, economic development, environmental safety, inclusivity, and the development of sustainable food systems. We suggest that, for the world to achieve sustainable development, a shift to SFS is necessary to guarantee food/nutrition security for all, while operating within planetary boundaries to protect ecosystems and adapt to and mitigate climate change. Therefore, there is a requirement for original approaches that implement systemic and more participatory methods to engage with a wider range of food system stakeholders. However, the lack of skills and tools regarding novel methodologies for food system transformation is a key obstacle to the deployment of such approaches in practice. In the first part of this review, a summary of some challenges that occur in the governance of food system transformation is given. Through a case study of plant-based proteins and their biological and chemical modification as diets shift towards alternative proteins, we demonstrate that resource-efficient food systems and food waste, through system transformation, are useful in understanding both (i) how food system transformation has ensued and (ii) how the required transformation is prohibited. Finally, we discuss the implications of food system transformation in terms of nutrition and sustainable healthy diets, which are needed to achieve changes in food safety systems in the future. The linkage of food and the environment is evident, focusing on nutrition and sustainable healthy diets. This cannot be accomplished without system change and research towards new foods and, more specifically, new proteins such as plant-based ones and their biological and chemical modification.

Future directions for One Health research: Regional and sectoral gaps

Implementation of a One Health approach varies considerably between different geographical regions and remains challenging to implement without greater inclusivity of different disciplinary capacity and expertise. We performed comparative analyses of abstracts presented at the 1st World One Health Congress (WOHC 2011) and 6th WOHC (2020) to explore and describe the evolving demographics and disciplinary scope of One Health research. We classified abstracts into six One Health research categories and twenty-three subcategories. We also recorded corresponding authors' country and regional affiliation as well as study country (i.e., the country in which the research was conducted) to explore potential asymmetries between funding recipients and study subjects. The WOHC has seen a significant expansion in participation over the last 10 years. The numbers of abstracts accepted to the Congress increased threefold over the last decade (i.e., 302 abstracts in 2010, and 932 abstracts in 2020). At both Congresses, "Disease Surveillance" accounted for the largest proportion (105/302 (35%) and 335/932 (36%) in 2010 and 2020, respectively) of all abstracts accepted. However, "Environmental and Ecological Issues" (33/302 (10%) and 94/932 (11%)), and "Sustainable Food Systems" (19/302 (6%) and 44/932 (4%)) were less well-represented categories of One Health research in both 1st and 6th WOHC respectively. In contrast, "Antimicrobial Resistance" related research increased substantially over time (4/302 (1%) in 2011) and (119/932 (13%) in 2020). There were also differences in the type of research by authors based in "Very High Human Development" index countries compared to "Medium and Low Human Development. "Public Policy" dominated the former, whereas "Disease Surveillance" dominated the latter, suggesting potential regional differences regarding One Health research priorities. The results of the study highlight potential regional gaps and differences in One Health research priorities, with respect to emphasis on operational (surveillance) versus strategic (policy) One Health activities.

Can Citizen Science Contribute to Avian Influenza Surveillance?

Global change is an important driver of the increase in emerging infectious diseases in recent decades. In parallel, interest in nature has increased, and different citizen science platforms have been developed to record wildlife observations from the general public. Some of these platforms also allow registering the observations of dead or sick birds. Here, we test the utility of live, sick and dead observations of birds recorded on the platform Observation.org for the early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) outbreaks in the wild in Belgium and The Netherlands. There were no significant differences in the morbidity/mortality rate through Observation.org one to four weeks in advance. However, the results show that the HPAIV outbreaks officially reported by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) overlapped in time with sudden increases in the records of sick and dead birds in the wild. In addition, in two of the five main HPAIV outbreaks recorded between 2016 and 2021, wild Anseriformes mortality increased one to two months before outbreak declaration. Although we cannot exclude that this increase was related to other causes such as other infectious diseases, we propose that Observation.org is a useful nature platform to complement animal health surveillance in wild birds. We propose possible approaches to improve the utility of the platform for pathogen surveillance in wildlife and discuss the potential for HPAIV outbreak detection systems based on citizen science to complement current surveillance programs of health authorities.

One Health in a Digital World: Technology, Data, Information and Knowledge

OBJECTIVES

To describe the origins and growth of the One Health concept and its recent application in One Digital Health.

METHODS

Bibliometric review and critical discussion of emergent themes derived from co-occurrence of MeSH keywords.

RESULTS

The fundamental interrelationship between human health, animal health and the wider environment has been recognized since ancient times. One Health as a distinct term originated in 2004 and has been a rapidly growing concept of interest in the biomedical literature since 2017. One Digital Health has quickly established itself as a unifying construct that highlights the critical role of technology, data, information and knowledge to facilitate the interdisciplinary collaboration that One Health requires. The principal application domains of One Digital Health to date are in FAIR data integration and analysis, disease surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship and environmental monitoring.

CONCLUSIONS

One Health and One Digital Health offer powerful lenses to examine and address crises in our living world. We propose thinking in terms of Learning One Health Systems that can dynamically capture, integrate, analyse and monitor application of data across the biosphere.

[The implications of the concepts One Health and Planetary Health for the environmental medicine of the 21st century]

In the 21st century, an accumulation of complex crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, wars, and pandemics is leading to economic, social, and health problems for people of current and future generations. These problems are essentially due to the disregard of natural regenerative capacities of ecosystems. Health approaches such as One Health and Planetary Health have gained popularity since the early 2000s and are increasingly used in politics, science, and the health professions. Environmental medicine is also influenced by the growing number of crises and environmental problems and the increasing interest in the concepts of One Health and Planetary Health.In this discussion paper, the development of the two concepts is first presented. Then, their significance for environmental medicine will be discussed. Health professionals working on environmental medicine issues must now consider both local and global causes and health effects when assessing environmental impacts, which can complicate decisions and lead to conflicting objectives.

Demystifying a buzzword: Use of the term "human-animal-interface" in One Health oriented research based on a literature review and expert interviews

As of today, 75% of infectious human diseases are caused by zoonotic pathogens, which use the interface between humans and animal species to cross. Due to this ability, zoonoses affect more than just one health sector and the effective control is a matter of the One Health concept. One defining feature of this concept is the "human-animal-interface". However, even though the term is ubiquitously used in the field of infectious disease research, a clear definition of the term is lacking, leading to a rather nebulous understanding of what this interface really encompasses. Based on this observation, this study aimed to analyze the use of the term "human-animal-interface" in scientific literature to identify patterns and categories facilitating a scientific categorization. A systematic literature search of two electronic databases was performed complemented by interviews with health experts in the field of zoonoses/One Health conducted between March 2019 and May 2021. From identified publications, keywords and interface descriptions were extracted and categorized. Interviews followed a questioning route, were audio recorded, transcribed, and qualitative content was inductively categorized. Findings are based on 208 publications and 27 expert interviews. "Transmission" and "zoonosis" were the most frequent literature-based keywords, while the interviewees clearly favored "interface" followed by "contact". Seven categories of contact interfaces were inductively derived: direct contact (physical contact), consumption of animal products, use of animal products (blood transfusion, skin), contact with animal products (blood, secretion, meat), indirect contact (dust, inhalation, droplets), environmental contact (same surface or food), vector contact). Precise descriptions of the interfaces varied greatly depending on the pathogen domain (bacterial, viral, fungal). Specific patterns could be identified that were consistent between the literature and experts. The study results showed a general concordance in defining and describing the human-animal-interface indicating a general understanding of the term. However, studies on a larger scale are recommended (e.g. systematic review) to allow a more thorough view of the understanding and definition of the human-animal-interface.

Climate change and public health in Germany - An introduction to the German status report on climate change and health 2023

Global warming of 1.5°C and even 2°C is likely to be exceeded during the 21st century. Climate change poses a worldwide threat and has direct and indirect effects on infectious diseases, on non-communicable diseases and on mental health. Not all people are equally able to protect themselves against the impacts of climate change; particularly populations that are vulnerable due to individual factors (children, older persons, those immunocompromised or with pre-existing conditions), social factors (the socially disadvantaged), or living and working conditions (e. g. people who work outdoors) are subject to an increased risk. Concepts such as One Health or Planetary Health provide a framework to frame both climate change itself and adaptation strategies or sets of actions for environmental human and animal health. Knowledge of climate change impacts has grown in recent years, and mitigation and adaptation strategies have been developed.

It's time to take a sustainable approach to health care in the face of the challenges of the 21st century

Health challenges in the 21st century have become increasingly complex and global. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the many problems faced by health care systems around the world and sadly, exposed various flaws. With ageing populations, particularly in Canada, as well as unavoidable factors such as globalization and accelerating climate change, it is becoming imperative to implement a new health care approach based on intersectorality and interdisciplinarity. Furthermore, links must be forged between all the stakeholders, i.e. the researchers, the health system and its specialists, the communities and the individuals themselves. It is in this perspective, where everyone concerned must be equally involved in attaining a better quality of life, that the concepts of One Health and sustainable health must be deployed.

[One Health: a perspective of the informal ministerial network : "What if the One Health approach became the guiding theme of cooperation at the national, European and global level?"]

In the view of the German government, the One Health approach is a pioneering compass for inter- and transdisciplinary thinking, networking, and action. To protect the health of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems, it should always receive attention at all its interfaces and activities. The One Health approach has gained political importance in recent years and is being taken into account in several strategies.This article reports on the current strategies using a One Health approach. These include the German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy, the German Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change, the global initiative Nature for Health, and the international pandemic agreement, which is currently being drafted and in which prevention also plays an important role. The issues of biodiversity loss and climate protection must be placed in a common context that takes into account the interdependencies of the health status of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. By involving relevant disciplines at different levels as a matter of course, we can succeed in making a joint contribution to sustainable development, as required by the United Nations' Agenda 2030. This perspective guides Germany's global engagement in global health policy toward greater stability, freedom, diversity, solidarity, and respect for human rights. Thus, a holistic approach such as One Health can contribute to achieving sustainability and strengthening democratic principles.

Advances and perspectives in the development of vaccines against highly pathogenic bunyaviruses

Increased human activities around the globe and the rapid development of once rural regions have increased the probability of contact between humans and wild animals. A majority of bunyaviruses are of zoonotic origin, and outbreaks may result in the substantial loss of lives, economy contraction, and social instability. Many bunyaviruses require manipulation in the highest levels of biocontainment, such as Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratories, and the scarcity of this resource has limited the development speed of vaccines for these pathogens. Meanwhile, new technologies have been created, and used to innovate vaccines, like the mRNA vaccine platform and bioinformatics-based antigen design. Here, we summarize current vaccine developments for three different bunyaviruses requiring work in the highest levels of biocontainment: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV), and Hantaan virus (HTNV), and provide perspectives and potential future directions that can be further explored to advance specific vaccines for humans and livestock.

Interventions to Reduce Risk for Pathogen Spillover and Early Disease Spread to Prevent Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Pandemics

The pathogens that cause most emerging infectious diseases in humans originate in animals, particularly wildlife, and then spill over into humans. The accelerating frequency with which humans and domestic animals encounter wildlife because of activities such as land-use change, animal husbandry, and markets and trade in live wildlife has created growing opportunities for pathogen spillover. The risk of pathogen spillover and early disease spread among domestic animals and humans, however, can be reduced by stopping the clearing and degradation of tropical and subtropical forests, improving health and economic security of communities living in emerging infectious disease hotspots, enhancing biosecurity in animal husbandry, shutting down or strictly regulating wildlife markets and trade, and expanding pathogen surveillance. We summarize expert opinions on how to implement these goals to prevent outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics.

MBPD: A multiple bacterial pathogen detection pipeline for One Health practices

Bacterial pathogens are one of the major threats to biosafety and environmental health, and advanced assessment is a prerequisite to combating bacterial pathogens. Currently, 16S rRNA gene sequencing is efficient in the open-view detection of bacterial pathogens. However, the taxonomic resolution and applicability of this method are limited by the domain-specific pathogen database, taxonomic profiling method, and sequencing target of 16S variable regions. Here, we present a pipeline of multiple bacterial pathogen detection (MBPD) to identify the animal, plant, and zoonotic pathogens. MBPD is based on a large, curated database of the full-length 16S genes of 1986 reported bacterial pathogen species covering 72,685 sequences. In silico comparison allowed MBPD to provide the appropriate similarity threshold for both full-length and variable-region sequencing platforms, while the subregion of V3-V4 (mean: 88.37%, accuracy rate compared to V1-V9) outperformed other variable regions in pathogen identification compared to full-length sequencing. Benchmarking on real data sets suggested the superiority of MBPD in a broader range of pathogen detections compared with other methods, including 16SPIP and MIP. Beyond detecting the known causal agent of animal, human, and plant diseases, MBPD is capable of identifying cocontaminating pathogens from biological and environmental samples. Overall, we provide a MBPD pipeline for agricultural, veterinary, medical, and environmental monitoring to achieve One Health.

Good practice in medicine and biology: scientific integrity needs global bioethics

We consider scientific integrity to constitute a new theory of morality of science, in a very specific deontological sense. Indeed, at least in practice, scientific integrity extends beyond scientific concerns, seeking to develop specific moral duties and/or procedures based on general moral values and/or standards, leading to common moral frameworks for usual scientific practices. This is, of course, necessary. Contemporary history has shown us only too well that usual scientific practices need common moral frameworks, especially in medicine and biology. However, like scientific practices, and medical and biological practices in particular, the persistence of certain moral values and/or standards and the priority attributed to them, can change significantly, due to changes in society, people, the times and/or environments, and they may be under strong tension. We therefore believe that a new theory of ethics of science, in a very specific teleological sense, may be required in this case, particularly in medicine and biology, in addition to scientific integrity. This ethical theory, through research, professionals and structures in ethics of science also called medical ethics, research ethics or bioethics in the fields of medicine and biology, should seek to identify and find specific ethical solutions to these tensions, applicable at a particular place and time, based on common ethical purposes and/or consequences. As a result, these specific ethical solutions may, or may not, lead to an evolution of common moral frameworks, which may, or may not, be developed on the basis of scientific integrity. In the fields of medicine and biology, this ethical theory is closely related to another theory, global bioethics, but with a number of new conceptual and methodological developments.

Strengthening a One Health approach to emerging zoonoses

Given the enormous global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Canada, and manifold other zoonotic pathogen activity, there is a pressing need for a deeper understanding of the human-animal-environment interface and the intersecting biological, ecological, and societal factors contributing to the emergence, spread, and impact of zoonotic diseases. We aim to apply a One Health approach to pressing issues related to emerging zoonoses, and propose a functional framework of interconnected but distinct groups of recommendations around strategy and governance, technical leadership (operations), equity, education and research for a One Health approach and Action Plan for Canada. Change is desperately needed, beginning by reorienting our approach to health and recalibrating our perspectives to restore balance with the natural world in a rapid and sustainable fashion. In Canada, a major paradigm shift in how we think about health is required. All of society must recognize the intrinsic value of all living species and the importance of the health of humans, other animals, and ecosystems to health for all.

Reimagining global health: From decolonisation to indigenization

In the wake of global racial justice and Indigenous sovereignty movements, there have been calls to decolonise global health as an academic discipline and set of policies, programmes, and practices. Identifying these calls for decolonisation of global health as both promising but limited, we argue that global health needs to engage in deeper critical reassessment of its ontological foundations in Western thought and that Indigenous ontologies have an important role to play in deconstructing and reimagining global health. We identify four Western ontological assumptions that are particularly relevant to global health and demonstrate how Indigenous ontologies assist in thinking outside of and beyond these assumptions, offering a path toward a reconstructed Indigenized imagining of global health.

The Joint Initiative for Teaching and Learning on Global Health Challenges and One Health experience on implementing an online collaborative course

The “Joint Initiative for Teaching and Learning on Global Health Challenges and One Health” piloted the online course “Global Health Challenges and One Health in 2021. The present work documents this experience, lessons learned, and the future outlook of the course. A descriptive study was conducted based on the evaluations performed with the enrolled students and course coordinators. Of 30 enrolled students from graduate programs of six institutions from Brazil, Germany, Mozambique, and Kosovo, two unenrolled, and nine failed for not completing the activities. Therefore, 19 (63%) students completed the course. Some challenges identified were language and technology access barriers, difficulty scheduling group meetings due to different time zones, and high workload per credit in some institutions. Activities in groups conducted synchronously, such as debates, journal clubs, and case studies, were highlighted as those with higher impact in the learning process, having more participation of students when carried in small groups. Some students reported the establishment of research and work partnerships with other participants from partner institutions. The experience reinforces the importance of international exchange to improve collaboration between institutions and the impact of working in small interprofessional groups to develop technical, intercultural, and interdisciplinarity competencies necessary to human resources working with the One Health approach. The success of such international educational initiatives depends on overcoming barriers to implementation, which can be detected in institutional and course levels. Therefore, continuing evaluation of the course and improvements must be performed and involve all participants.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and One Health - a call for action to integrate

One Health (OH) has gained considerable prominence since the beginning of the 21^st century, among others, driven by the recent epidemics and the increasing importance of zoonotic diseases. Yet, despite the holistic and multidimensional nature of OH, to date, most emphasis has been on the interactions between animal and human health, with considerably less attention to environmental and plant health. However, there is growing evidence that the challenges of climate change, growing food and nutritional insecurity, and biodiversity loss can best be addressed within the context of the OH framework. Conceptionally, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) could perfectly fit into such an approach, but historically, IPM has been practiced very much in a compartmentalized manner. New approaches such as Regenerative Agriculture and Sustainable Intensification offer solutions to how to successfully embed IPM into a OH framework.

Employment status of AFROHUN-Uganda one health alumni, and facilitators and barriers to application of the one health approach: a tracer study

Background

The One Health (OH) approach integrates multiple competencies in the prevention and control of disease outbreaks. Through a range of OH competence-based activities, the Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN) built the capacity of selected students at Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology. This study applied the Systems Theoretical Framework (STF) of career development to establish the employment status of AFROHUN-Uganda alumni, and the facilitators and barriers to application of the OH approach in their organisations.

Methods

We conducted an embedded mixed-methods study among a random sample of 182 AFROHUN-Uganda alumni of the 2013–2018 cohorts. For quantitative data, descriptive statistics were computed using Stata 14.0 statistical software. A total of 12 in-depth interviews were conducted, and NVivo 12 Pro was used to organise data during thematic analysis.

Results

While the majority, 87.4% were or got employed after participating in the AFROHUN Uganda capacity building programme, 68.1% were employed at the time of the survey, 57.7% had worked with their current employer for at least a year, and 39% held managerial positions. The facilitators of applying the OH approach into employing organisations included being knowledgeable about OH, the presence of a multidisciplinary workforce, the nature of activities implemented, and existing partnerships and collaborations between organisations. The barriers to the application of the OH approach included limited funding, a negative attitude towards working with people from other disciplines, and limited knowledge of the One Health approach.

Conclusion

Notably, more than two-thirds of the OH alumni were employed, and more than a third held managerial position. While these findings portray a fairly good absorption rate of the OH alumni into the workforce, they also highlight the facilitators of application of the OH approach that need to be promoted as well as the barriers that need to be addressed if the application of the OH approach is to be improved within the workforce.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08537-7.

An argument for pandemic risk management using a multidisciplinary One Health approach to governance: an Australian case study

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant global impact. However, COVID-19 is just one of several high-impact infectious diseases that emerged from wildlife and are linked to the human relationship with nature. The rate of emergence of new zoonoses (diseases of animal origin) is increasing, driven by human-induced environmental changes that threaten biodiversity on a global scale. This increase is directly linked to environmental drivers including biodiversity loss, climate change and unsustainable resource extraction. Australia is a biodiversity hotspot and is subject to sustained and significant environmental change, increasing the risk of it being a location for pandemic origin. Moreover, the global integration of markets means that consumption trends in Australia contributes to the risk of disease spill-over in our regional neighbours in Asia-Pacific, and beyond. Despite the clear causal link between anthropogenic pressures on the environment and increasing pandemic risks, Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, like most of the world, has centred largely on public health strategies, with a clear focus on reactive management. Yet, the span of expertise and evidence relevant to the governance of pandemic risk management is much wider than public health and epidemiology. It involves animal/wildlife health, biosecurity, conservation sciences, social sciences, behavioural psychology, law, policy and economic analyses to name just a few.The authors are a team of multidisciplinary practitioners and researchers who have worked together to analyse, synthesise, and harmonise the links between pandemic risk management approaches and issues in different disciplines to provide a holistic overview of current practice, and conclude the need for reform in Australia. We discuss the adoption of a comprehensive and interdisciplinary 'One Health' approach to pandemic risk management in Australia. A key goal of the One Health approach is to be proactive in countering threats of emerging infectious diseases and zoonoses through a recognition of the interdependence between human, animal, and environmental health. Developing ways to implement a One Health approach to pandemic prevention would not only reduce the risk of future pandemics emerging in or entering Australia, but also provide a model for prevention strategies around the world.

Examining the paradox of urban disease ecology by linking the perspectives of Urban One Health and Ecology with Cities

The ecology of zoonotic, including vector-borne, diseases in urban social-ecological systems is influenced by complex interactions among human and environmental factors. Several characteristics contribute to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases in urban places, such as high human population densities, favorable habitat for vectors, and humans' close proximity to animals and their pathogens. On the other hand, urban living can contribute to the improvement of public health through better access to health services and creation of ecological and technological infrastructure that reduces disease burdens. Therefore, urbanization creates a disease ecology paradox through the interplay of urban health penalties and advantages for individual and community outcomes. To address this contradiction, we advocate a holistic Urban One Health perspective for managing urban systems, especially their green spaces and animal populations, in ways that more effectively control the spread of zoonotic diseases. This view should be coupled with an Ecology with Cities approach which emphasizes actionable science needed for urban planning, management and policymaking; developing disease and vector surveillance programs using citizen and community science methods; and improving education and communication actions that help diverse stakeholders understand the complexities of urban disease ecology. Such measures will enable scholars from many disciplines to collaborate with professionals, government officials, and others to tackle challenges of the urban disease paradox and create more sustainable, health-promoting environments.

Planning Effective Conservation Landscapes for Nature and People: An Editorial Overview

The interrelated global crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, disease, and war are all caused and experienced by humankind [...]

A one health approach versus Acanthamoeba castellanii, a potential host for Morganella morganii

Acanthamoeba castellanii, known as the “Trojan horse of the microbial world,” is known to host a variety of microorganisms including viruses, yeasts, protists, and bacteria. Acanthamoeba can act as a vector and may aid in the transmission of various bacterial pathogens to potential hosts and are found in a variety of places, thus impacting the health of humans, animals, and the environment. These are interconnected in a system known as “one health.” With the global threat of antibiotic resistance, bacteria may avoid harsh conditions, antibiotics, and disinfectants by sheltering within Acanthamoeba. In this study, Acanthamoeba castellanii interaction with Morganella morganii, a Gram-negative bacterium was studied. Escherichia coli K1 interaction with Acanthamoeba was carried out as a control. Association, invasion, and survival assays were accomplished. Morganella morganii was found to associate, invade, and survive within Acanthamoeba castellanii. Additionally, Escherichia coli K1 was also found to associate, invade, and survive within the Acanthamoeba at a higher number in comparison to Morganella morganii. For the first time, we have shown that Morganella morganii interact, invade, and survive within Acanthamoeba castellanii, suggesting that Acanthamoeba may be a potential vector in the transmission of Morganella morganii to susceptible hosts. Taking a one health approach to tackle and develop disinfectants to target Acanthamoeba is warranted, as the amoebae may be hosting various microbes such as multiple drug-resistant bacteria and even viruses such as the novel coronavirus.

Using the Kolb's experiential learning cycle to explore the extent of application of one health competencies to solving global health challenges; a tracer study among AFROHUN-Uganda alumni

BACKGROUND

The Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has since 2012 conducted pre and in-service One health (OH) trainings with the objective of improving global health security. These trainings aim to build competencies that, enhance a multidisciplinary approach to solving global health challenges. Despite the investment in OH trainings, there is limited documentation of the extent of acquisition and application of the OH competencies at workplaces. This tracer study explored the extent of acquisition and application of the OH competencies by the AFROHUN-Uganda alumni.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample of 182 AFROHUN-Uganda alumni of 2013-2018 cohorts. A blended approach of interviewer-administered and self-administered questionnaires was used. Virtual platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft teams, and Skype, and phone interviews were used to collect data when face-to-face interactions with alumni were not possible. Data were collected electronically, either through a link or with the aid of the KoboCollect mobile application, pre-installed on android enabled devices, and analysed using STATA14.0.

RESULTS

The majority of respondents, 78.6% (143/182) had jobs that required application of OH knowledge and skills, 95.6% (174/182) had learned employable skills from OH activities and 89.6% (163/182) had applied such skills when searching for employment. About 21.7% (34/180) to a very high extent required OH field-specific theoretical knowledge at their workplaces, 27.4% (43/80) to a very high extent required OH field-specific practical knowledge/skills, 42.7% (67/180) to a high extent required a change in attitude and perceptions towards working with people from different disciplines, 49.0% (77/180) required collaboration and networking skills, and more than half, 51.0% (80/180) required team building skills.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of OH alumni to a very high extent acquired and applied OH competences such as teamwork, effective communication, community entry and engagement, report writing and problem-solving skills. This study revealed the significant contribution of the AFROHUN Uganda OH activities towards supportive work environments, and highlights areas of improvement such as supporting the trainees to acquire people-management skills, innovation, and an entrepreneurial mind set.

Understanding the changing role of global public health in biodiversity conservation

Zoonotic disease emergence has become a core concern of biodiversity conservation amid the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Major international conservation groups now comprehensively center larger human-nature imbalances not only as problems of global public health but as a core challenge of the conservation movement, alongside habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and climate change. There is, however, little consideration of how new biosecurity concerns might alter conservation practice with unexpected and potential harmful impacts on human communities, particularly in developing nations with significant human-wildlife interfaces. Reviewing emerging policy positions from key conservation organizations, this article argues that the proposed responses to the COVID-19 pandemic hold the potential to (a) amplify existing people-park conflicts, and (b) generate new tensions by integrating global systems of viral surveillance into biodiversity conservation. I conclude that the close integration of biosecurity concerns into conservation policies requires greater acknowledgment of the unique challenges for human communities.

How are large-scale One Health initiatives targeting infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance evaluated? A scoping review

While One Health initiatives are gaining in popularity, it is unclear if and how they are evaluated when implementation at scale is intended. The main purpose of this scoping review was to describe how One Health initiatives targeting infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance at a large scale are evaluated. Secondary objectives included identifying the main facilitators and barriers to the implementation and success of these initiatives, and how their impacts were assessed. Twenty-three studies evaluating One Health initiatives were eligible. Most studies included the human (n = 22) and animal (n = 15) sectors; only four included the environment sector. The types of evaluated initiative (non-exclusive) included governance (n = 5), knowledge (n = 6), protection (n = 17), promotion (n = 16), prevention (n = 9), care (n = 8), advocacy (n = 10) and capacity (n = 10). Studies used normative (n = 4) and evaluative (n = 20) approaches to assess the One Health initiatives, the latter including impact (n = 19), implementation (n = 8), and performance (n = 7) analyses. Structural and economic, social, political, communication and coordination-related factors, as well as ontological factors, were identified as both facilitators and barriers for successful One Health initiatives. These results identified a wide range of evaluation methods and indicators used to demonstrate One Health's added values, strengths, and limitations: the inherent complexity of the One Health approach leads to the use of multiple types of evaluation. The strengths and remaining gaps in the evaluation of such initiative highlight the relevance of comprehensive, mixed-method, context-sensitive evaluation frameworks to inform and support the implementation of One Health initiatives by stakeholders in different governance settings.

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Studies evaluating One Health initiatives were scarce.

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Only One Health initiatives related to infectious diseases were evaluated.

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Evaluations were mainly conducted using quantitative approaches.

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Involvement of the community was identified as a major facilitator.

The urgency of wider adoption of one health approach for the prevention of a future pandemic

Recurring outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging zoonoses serve as a reminder that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are interconnected. Therefore, multisectoral, transdisciplinary, and collaborative approaches are required at local, regional, and global levels to tackle the ever-increasing zoonotic threat. The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 zoonosis has been posing tremendous threats to global human health and economies. The devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic teaches us to adopt a "One Health Approach (OHA)" to tackle a possible future pandemic through a concerted effort of the global scientific community, human health professionals, public health experts, veterinarians and policymakers through open science and open data sharing practices. The OHA is an integrated, holistic, collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach to tackle potential pandemic zoonotic diseases. It includes expanding scientific inquiry into zoonotic infections; monitoring, and regulating traditional food markets, transforming existing food systems, and incentivizing animal husbandry and legal wildlife trade to adopt effective zoonotic control measures. To adopt an OHA globally, research and academic institutions, governments and non-government sectors at the local, regional, and international levels must work together. This review aimed to provide an overview of the major pandemics in human history including the COVID-19, anthropogenic drivers of zoonoses, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse zoonoses, the concept of OHA and how an OHA could be utilized to prevent future pandemic threats to the human-animal-ecosystem interfaces. In addition, this review article discusses the strategic framework of OHA and possible challenges to implement OHA in practice to prevent any future pandemics. The practices of open data sharing, open science, and international collaboration should be included in the OHA to prevent and/or rapidly tackle any health emergencies in the future.

Os agrotóxicos no contexto da Saúde Única

RESUMO A industrialização da agricultura e da pecuária, além de gerar um ambiente propício à disseminação de agentes infecciosos, é responsável pelo uso generalizado de diversas substâncias tóxicas que afetam a saúde humana, animal e ambiental. O objetivo deste estudo foi promover a reflexão sobre o uso de agrotóxicos e medicamentos veterinários como elementos de debate na construção da Saúde Única. Para isso, foi realizada uma revisão exploratória literária de artigos, livros e documentos oficiais disponíveis em plataformas de banco de dados. A discussão inclui as problemáticas do uso de substâncias tóxicas em plantas e animais. Aborda, também, como os resíduos oriundos de sua utilização impactam a qualidade de alimentos, ar, solo, água com consequências à saúde humana. Embora essa discussão seja escassa na temática de Saúde Única, é fundamental que, além da participação da sociedade civil organizada, gestores públicos assegurem, por meio de políticas públicas, maior segurança e controle na utilização de substâncias tóxicas na agricultura e na pecuária.

Getting out of crises: Environmental, social-ecological and evolutionary research is needed to avoid future risks of pandemics

The implementation of One Health/EcoHealth/Planetary Health approaches has been identified as key (i) to address the strong interconnections between risk for pandemics, climate change and biodiversity loss and (ii) to develop and implement solutions to these interlinked crises. As a response to the multiple calls from scientists on that subject, we have here proposed seven long-term research questions regarding COVID-19 and emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) that are based on effective integration of environmental, ecological, evolutionary, and social sciences to better anticipate and mitigate EIDs. Research needs cover the social ecology of infectious disease agents, their evolution, the determinants of susceptibility of humans and animals to infections, and the human and ecological factors accelerating infectious disease emergence. For comprehensive investigation, they include the development of nature-based solutions to interlinked global planetary crises, addressing ethical and philosophical questions regarding the relationship of humans to nature and regarding transformative changes to safeguard the environment and human health. In support of this research, we propose the implementation of innovative multidisciplinary facilities embedded in social ecosystems locally: ecological health observatories and living laboratories. This work was carried out in the frame of the European Community project HERA (www.HERAresearchEU.eu), which aims to set priorities for an environment, climate and health research agenda in the European Union by adopting a systemic approach in the face of global environmental change.

Disease Risk and Conservation Implications of Orangutan Translocations

Critically Endangered orangutans are translocated in several situations: reintroduced into historic range where no wild populations exist, released to reinforce existing wild populations, and wild-to-wild translocated to remove individuals from potentially risky situations. Translocated orangutans exposed to human diseases, including Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), pose risks to wild and previously released conspecifics. Wildlife disease risk experts recommended halting great ape translocations during the COVID-19 pandemic to minimize risk of disease transmission to wild populations. We collected data on orangutan releases and associated disease risk management in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and developed a problem description for orangutan disease and conservation risks. We identified that at least 15 rehabilitated ex-captive and 27 wild captured orangutans were released during the study period. Identified disease risks included several wild-to-wild translocated orangutans in direct contact or proximity to humans without protective equipment, and formerly captive rehabilitated orangutans that have had long periods of contact and potential exposure to human diseases. While translocation practitioners typically employ mitigation measures to decrease disease transmission likelihood, these measures cannot eliminate all risk, and are not consistently applied. COVID-19 and other diseases of human origin can be transmitted to orangutans, which could have catastrophic impacts on wild orangutans, other susceptible fauna, and humans should disease transmission occur. We recommend stakeholders conduct a Disease Risk Analysis for orangutan translocation, and improve pathogen surveillance and mitigation measures to decrease the likelihood of potential outbreaks. We also suggest refocusing conservation efforts on alternatives to wild-to-wild translocation including mitigating human-orangutan interactions, enforcing laws and protecting orangutan habitats to conserve orangutans in situ.

The Glycosylphosphatidylinositol Anchor: A Linchpin for Cell Surface Versatility of Trypanosomatids

The use of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) to anchor proteins to the cell surface is widespread among eukaryotes. The GPI-anchor is covalently attached to the C-terminus of a protein and mediates the protein’s attachment to the outer leaflet of the lipid bilayer. GPI-anchored proteins have a wide range of functions, including acting as receptors, transporters, and adhesion molecules. In unicellular eukaryotic parasites, abundantly expressed GPI-anchored proteins are major virulence factors, which support infection and survival within distinct host environments. While, for example, the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) is the major component of the cell surface of the bloodstream form of African trypanosomes, procyclin is the most abundant protein of the procyclic form which is found in the invertebrate host, the tsetse fly vector. Trypanosoma cruzi, on the other hand, expresses a variety of GPI-anchored molecules on their cell surface, such as mucins, that interact with their hosts. The latter is also true for Leishmania, which use GPI anchors to display, amongst others, lipophosphoglycans on their surface. Clearly, GPI-anchoring is a common feature in trypanosomatids and the fact that it has been maintained throughout eukaryote evolution indicates its adaptive value. Here, we explore and discuss GPI anchors as universal evolutionary building blocks that support the great variety of surface molecules of trypanosomatids.

Torchetti M, DeLiberto TJ, Amman BR, Cossaboom CM, Harvey RR, Wendling NM, Rettler H, Taylor D, Towner JS, Barton Behravesh C, Blehert DS. An Opportunistic Survey Reveals an Unexpected Coronavirus Diversity Hotspot in North America

In summer 2020, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected on mink farms in Utah. An interagency One Health response was initiated to assess the extent of the outbreak and included sampling animals from on or near affected mink farms and testing them for SARS-CoV-2 and non-SARS coronaviruses. Among the 365 animals sampled, including domestic cats, mink, rodents, raccoons, and skunks, 261 (72%) of the animals harbored at least one coronavirus. Among the samples that could be further characterized, 127 alphacoronaviruses and 88 betacoronaviruses (including 74 detections of SARS-CoV-2 in mink) were identified. Moreover, at least 10% (n = 27) of the coronavirus-positive animals were found to be co-infected with more than one coronavirus. Our findings indicate an unexpectedly high prevalence of coronavirus among the domestic and wild free-roaming animals tested on mink farms. These results raise the possibility that mink farms could be potential hot spots for future trans-species viral spillover and the emergence of new pandemic coronaviruses.

Biodiversity and COVID-19: A report and a long road ahead to avoid another pandemic

A report from a workshop organized by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on biodiversity and pandemics examined the scientific evidence on the origin of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other emerging zoonotic diseases. Here, we reflect upon the report's findings regarding how several important global initiatives are tackling the problems of preventing the emergence of zoonotic diseases by using the One Health approach.

The rise of infodemiology and infoveillance during COVID-19 crisis

We noticed an increase in the relative number of published papers on topics such as infoveillance, infodemiology and Google Trends. Collected PubMed data are from the period of January 2020 to March 2021 and were searched with the use of five keywords: infoveillance, infodemiology, Google Trends, diabetes and in silico. We compared an increase in the number of papers from PubMed with search interest expressed in Google Trends. Collected Google Trends data is from the same period, covering fifteen months starting January 2020 and were searched with the use of three search topics: coronavirus, lockdown and social distancing. The geographic setting for search engine users was worldwide. We propose a hypothesis that after increased interest in searches during the pandemic's initial months came an increased number of published papers on topics such as infoveillance, infodemiology and Google Trends.

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Google Trends data underline the importance and duration of the COVID-19 effects.

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PubMed data reveal an increase in the number of papers in infoveillance, infodemiology and Google Trends

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Current restrictions such as lockdown and social distancing are reflected in the number of internet searches