Detection of Echinococcus spp. and other taeniid species in lettuces and berries: Two international multicenter studies from the MEmE project.

Cystic and alveolar echinococcosis are severe zoonotic diseases characterized by long asymptomatic periods lasting months or years. Viable Echinococcus spp. eggs released into the environment through the feces of canids can infect humans through accidental ingestion via hand-to-mouth contact or consumption of contaminated food or water.

Literature review on micro-organisms from domestic goats potentially causing human pneumonia.

In the Netherlands, living in proximity to goat farms has been consistently associated with an increased incidence of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The cause remains largely unknown though airborne microbial agents could play a role. The aim of this study is to explore micro-organisms present in goats that can cause human pneumonia.

in calves, cattle and humans from Dutch dairy farms: Predominance of PCR ribotype 695 (clade 5, sequence type 11) in cattle.

Background: is a leading cause of infectious diarrhea in both humans and livestock. In particular, strains belonging to sequence type (ST) 11 are common enteropathogens. The aim of this study was to determine the presence and genetic relatedness of types in dairy cattle and calves.

Attitudes towards zoonotic disease risk vary across sociodemographic, communication and health-related factors: A general population survey on literacy about zoonoses in the Netherlands.

Introduction: Literacy about zoonoses can contribute people adapt their behaviour to minimize zoonotic risks. In this study, associations between sociodemographic factors and zoonotic risk-averse attitudes were explored.

Objective: To determine factors significantly associated with literacy about zoonoses across sociodemographic groups to inform targeted interventions aiming at improving awareness and zoonotic risk-avoidance behaviours.

Human fetal brain self-organizes into long-term expanding organoids.

Human brain development involves an orchestrated, massive neural progenitor expansion while a multi-cellular tissue architecture is established. Continuously expanding organoids can be grown directly from multiple somatic tissues, yet to date, brain organoids can solely be established from pluripotent stem cells. Here, we show that healthy human fetal brain in vitro self-organizes into organoids (FeBOs), phenocopying aspects of in vivo cellular heterogeneity and complex organization.

A predictive risk map for human leptospirosis guiding further investigations in brown rats and surface water.

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by the spirochete spp. It is often not clear why certain areas appear to be hotspots for human leptospirosis. Therefore, a predictive risk map for the Netherlands was developed and assessed, based on a random forest model for human leptospirosis incidence levels with various environmental factors and rat density as variables.

Virulence and antimicrobial resistance of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli from dairy goat and sheep farms in The Netherlands.

Aims: The aim of our study was to investigate the virulence and resistance of STEC from small ruminants farms in The Netherlands. Moreover, the potential transmission of STEC between animals and humans on farms was evaluated.

Methods And Results: From 182 farms, in total, 287 unique STEC isolates were successfully recovered from animal samples.

Risk factors for acute toxoplasmosis in the Netherlands.

Toxoplasmosis caused by the protozoan parasite occurs worldwide. Infections range from asymptomatic to life-threatening. infection is acquired either via bradyzoites in meat or via oocysts in the environment, but the relative importance of these path ways and the different sources remains unclear.

Clampless 2 Device: Experimental Study of a Lateral Aorto-Prosthetic Anastomosic Device Without Clamping or Suturing.

Background: To offer an alternative to conventional techniques of lateral prosthetic anastomosis on arteries which require a long training, and impose an extensive open surgery, we are proposing the clampless 2 device (C2D) implanted by a simple arterial puncture and allows a lateral implantation of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) vascular graft in an artery, without arterial clamping or suture.

Methods: C2D is a "T" shaped 25-mm long and 8-mm diameter Nitinol stent with a 6-mm PTFE graft prosthesis mounted laterally on the stent, and implanted in an artery, via a 21-French sheath, and a compliant balloon inflation. In vitro testing of the C2D was first performed on a bench including a segment of a 7-mm internal diameter pig abdominal aorta.

Signalling and responding to zoonotic threats using a One Health approach: a decade of the Zoonoses Structure in the Netherlands, 2011 to 2021.

In the Netherlands, the avian influenza outbreak in poultry in 2003 and the Q fever outbreak in dairy goats between 2007 and 2010 had severe consequences for public health. These outbreaks led to the establishment of an integrated human-veterinary risk analysis system for zoonoses, the Zoonoses Structure. The aim of the Zoonoses Structure is to signal, assess and control emerging zoonoses that may pose a risk to animal and/or human health in an integrated One Health approach.

Potential risk factors for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in finishing pigs on conventional farms in the Netherlands.

Background: The parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) causes a substantial human disease burden worldwide. Ingesting improperly cooked pork containing T.

Zoonotic Pathogens in Eurasian Beavers (Castor fiber) in the Netherlands.

Successful repopulation programs of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) have resulted in an increase in beaver populations throughout Europe. This may be of public health relevance because beavers can host multiple zoonotic pathogens. From March 2018 to March 2020, opportunistic testing of dead beavers was performed for hepatitis E virus, orthohantavirus, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella spp.

Mining Public Metagenomes for Environmental Surveillance of Parasites: A Proof of Principle.

Parasites often have complex developmental cycles that account for their presence in a variety of difficult-to-analyze matrices, including feces, water, soil, and food. Detection of parasites in these matrices still involves laborious methods. Untargeted sequencing of nucleic acids extracted from those matrices in metagenomic projects may represent an attractive alternative method for unbiased detection of these pathogens.

Population genetics, invasion pathways and public health risks of the raccoon and its roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis in northwestern Europe.

The geographic range of the zoonotic raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) is expanding together with the range of its host, the raccoon (Procyon lotor). This creates a new public health risk in parts of Europe where this parasite was previously absent. In the Netherlands, a raccoon population is becoming established and incidental findings of B.

Effect of a health literacy training program for surgical oncologists and specialized nurses on disparities in referral to breast cancer genetic testing.

Background: There is an underuse of genetic testing in breast cancer patients with a lower level of education, limited health literacy or a migrant background. We aimed to study the effect of a health literacy training program for surgical oncologists and specialized nurses on disparities in referral to genetic testing.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter study in a quasi-experimental pre-post (intervention) design.

A first pregnancy seems associated with a positive effect on the course of inflammatory bowel disease: data from a prospective pregnancy cohort.

The effect of pregnaSSncy on the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains controversial. We aimed to describe the disease course before and after a first pregnancy in IBD patients. We analyzed data from a prospectively followed-up pregnancy cohort (minimal follow-up of 7 years), with clinical, biochemical and endoscopic characteristics obtained pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy and post-pregnancy.

Unravelling the genetic diversity and relatedness of Echinococcus multilocularis isolates in Eurasia using the EmsB microsatellite nuclear marker.

The cestode Echinococcus multilocularis is the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis, a severe helminthic zoonotic disease distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. The lifecycle of the parasite is mainly sylvatic, involving canid and rodent hosts. The absence of genetic data from most eastern European countries is a major knowledge gap, affecting the study of associations with parasite populations in Western Europe.

Inactivation of Trichinella muscle larvae at different time-temperature heating profiles simulating home-cooking.

Background: Trichinellosis is caused by consumption of raw or undercooked meat containing infective Trichinella muscle larvae (ML). Only few studies on heat-inactivation of Trichinella ML are available in literature and more validated data concerning heat inactivation is needed to improve the risk estimation.

Objective And Methods: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the two in vitro methods "staining" and "morphological examination" as proxies for Trichinella ML heat inactivation in comparison with the mouse bioassay method to get more insight in the relationship between heat, heating time and inactivation of Trichinella ML.

Surveillance of foodborne parasitic diseases in Europe in a One Health approach.

In 2012, WHO/FAO ranked 24 foodborne parasites (FBP) using multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) to provide risk assessors with a basis for prioritising control of highly ranked FBP on the global level. One conclusion was that ranking may differ substantially per region. In Europe, the same methodology was used to rank FBP of relevance for Europe.