Publications by authors named "Jonna Mazet"

Article Synopsis
  • This study examines the feasibility of tracking One Health outbreak milestones in Uganda, aiming to improve timeliness metrics for outbreak detection and response.
  • Researchers compiled a database of 282 public health emergencies between 2018 and 2022 and conducted interviews with experts across various sectors to analyze the reporting frequency and challenges.
  • While stakeholders agree on the value of timeliness metrics, inconsistencies in tracking certain metrics hinder efforts to enhance epidemic intelligence and response strategies.
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Understanding viral infection dynamics in wildlife hosts can help forecast zoonotic pathogen spillover and human disease risk. Bats are particularly important reservoirs of zoonotic viruses, including some of major public health concern such as Nipah virus, Hendra virus, and SARS-related coronaviruses. Previous work has suggested that metapopulation dynamics, seasonal reproductive patterns, and other bat life history characteristics might explain temporal variation in spillover of bat-associated viruses into people.

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  • The article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230802 has been updated for accuracy.* -
  • The corrections made address specific errors or clarifications in the original text.* -
  • Readers are encouraged to refer to the corrected version for the most reliable information.*
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Background: Since 2005, highly pathogenic avian influenza A H5N1 viruses have spread from Asia worldwide, infecting poultry, humans and wild birds. Subsequently, global interest in avian influenza (AI) surveillance increased.

Objectives: Mongolia presents an opportunity to study viruses in wild birds because the country has very low densities of domestic poultry and supports large concentrations of migratory water birds.

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Background: In recognition of the interconnected nature of complex challenges such as COVID-19, a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach, referred to as One Health, has been employed to address sustainable development and strengthen global health security. Although significant investments have been made to build global health capacity, characterization of the One Health is absent from the literature.

Methods And Findings: We collected and analyzed perspectives from students, graduates, workers, and employers in One Health through a multinational online survey across health disciplines and sectors.

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Understanding disease burden and transmission dynamics in resource-limited, low-income countries like Nepal are often challenging due to inadequate surveillance systems. These issues are exacerbated by limited access to diagnostic and research facilities throughout the country. Nepal has one of the highest COVID-19 case rates (915 cases per 100,000 people) in South Asia, with densely-populated Kathmandu experiencing the highest number of cases.

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  • A One Health surveillance approach was used in Vietnam to monitor biological samples from bats, pigs, and humans for zoonotic viruses at high-risk locations.
  • Over 1,600 samples were tested for five types of viruses, revealing a significant presence of coronaviruses in bats near pigs, indicating a potential spillover risk due to high pig density.
  • While direct human infections from these bat viruses weren't found, serological tests indicated possible past exposure to other dangerous viruses, showcasing the importance of coordinated surveillance in tracking viral threats.
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As part of a public health behavior change and communication strategy related to the identification of a novel ebolavirus in bats in Sierra Leone in 2016, a consortium of experts launched an effort to create a widely accessible resource for community awareness and education on reducing disease risk. The resulting picture book, , includes technical content developed by a consortium of experts in public health, animal health, conservation, bats, and disease ecology from 30 countries. The book has now been adapted, translated, and used in more than 20 countries in Africa and Asia.

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  • Campylobacter spp. are underreported bacteria that can cause gastroenteritis in humans and are commonly found in animals like Rhesus macaques, especially in developing countries.
  • A study in Kathmandu analyzed 67 diarrheal samples from monkeys, finding Campylobacter spp. in 96% of them, with a specific focus on Candidatus Campylobacter infans and potential new sub-species.
  • The presence of these pathogens in both monkeys and environmental samples highlights the need for a One Health approach to control and prevent diarrheal outbreaks affecting both humans and animals.
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One Health is a transdisciplinary approach used to address complex concerns related to human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health. One Health frameworks and operational tools are available to support countries and communities, particularly for the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance and the protection of food safety. However, One Health has yet to be implemented in a manner that fully considers the complexities and interconnectedness of the diverse influences that have impacts at a larger system level.

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Hydatid disease is a neglected zoonotic parasitic disease caused by cysts of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. Canids, especially domestic dogs, are definitive hosts of the parasite and are the most pragmatic targets for control programs. A governmental dog deworming campaign was established in 1979 to control hydatidosis in southern Chile, which succeeded in reducing the prevalence of canine echinococcosis in Tierra del Fuego province from 68.

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The endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo is frequently in contact with humans through tourism, research activities, and illegal entry of people into protected gorilla habitat. Herpesviruses, which are ubiquitous in primates, have the potential to be shared in any setting where humans and gorillas share habitat. Based on serological findings and clinical observations of orofacial ulcerated lesions resembling herpetic lesions, an alpha-herpesvirus resembling human herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) has long been suspected to be present in human-habituated mountain gorillas in the wild.

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Article Synopsis
  • The straw-colored fruit bat is essential for plant population health in tropical Africa, but habitat loss has forced it to adapt to urban living, increasing human-bat interactions.
  • High contact with these bats raises concerns about the potential spread of coronaviruses, necessitating research to understand the timing and dynamics of virus shedding.
  • Our study in Ghana and Tanzania found that the risk of coronavirus shed by E. helvum peaks during the pup weaning period, suggesting that protecting human populations should focus on reducing contact with bats during this time.
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Background: As the global population soars, human behaviours are increasing the risk of epidemics. Objective performance evaluation of outbreak responses requires that metrics of timeliness, or speed in response time, be recorded and reported. We sought to evaluate how timeliness data are being conveyed for multisectoral outbreaks and make recommendations on how One Health metrics can be used to improve response success.

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  • Scientists study how viruses and their animal hosts have changed together over time and how they can jump from animals to humans.
  • They used special models to see which newly found viruses from wildlife might be able to infect people, focusing on high-risk areas in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
  • The research shows that new coronaviruses might infect more types of animals compared to other viruses, helping to figure out where to look for potential outbreaks in humans.
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Efforts to mitigate the increasing emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will benefit from a One Health perspective, as over half of animal antimicrobials are also considered medically important in humans, and AMR can be maintained in the environment. This is especially pertinent to low- and middle-income countries and in community settings, where an estimated 80% of all antibiotics are used. This study features AMR genes found among humans, animals, and water at an urban informal settlement in Nepal with intensifying livestock production.

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As part of a broad One Health surveillance effort to detect novel viruses in wildlife and people, we report several paramyxovirus sequences sampled primarily from bats during 2013 and 2014 in Brazil and Malaysia, including seven from which we recovered full-length genomes. Of these, six represent the first full-length paramyxovirid genomes sequenced from the Americas, including two that are the first full-length bat morbillivirus genome sequences published to date. Our findings add to the vast number of viral sequences in public repositories, which have been increasing considerably in recent years due to the rising accessibility of metagenomics.

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Bats are important hosts of zoonotic viruses with pandemic potential, including filoviruses, MERS-Coronavirus (CoV), SARS-CoV -1, and likely SARS-CoV-2. Viral infection and transmission among wildlife are dependent on a combination of factors that include host ecology and immunology, life history traits, roosting habitats, biogeography, and external stressors. Between 2016 and 2018, four species of insectivorous bats from a readily accessed roadside cave and buildings in Ethiopia were sampled and tested for viruses using consensus PCR assays for five viral families/genera.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied pangolins and civets in Viet Nam to identify possible sources of SARS-related coronaviruses, screening 696 specimens for various viral RNA, but found most were negative for these viruses.
  • They discovered 12 specimens from confiscated pangolins that tested positive for Sarbecoviruses, which were related to coronaviruses found in pangolins from other parts of China.
  • Data collection on wildlife confiscation showed that many pangolins in Viet Nam were being trafficked toward consumers in China, highlighting the global trade issue surrounding these animals.
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Background: In Ghana, the conversion of land to agriculture, especially across the vegetative belt has resulted in fragmented forest landscapes with increased interactions among humans, domestic animals, and wildlife.

Methods: We investigated viruses in bats and rodents, key reservoir hosts for zoonotic viral pathogens, in a small agricultural community in the vegetation belt of Ghana. We also administered questionnaires among the local community members to learn more about people's awareness and perceptions of zoonotic disease risks and the environmental factors and types of activities in which they engage that might influence pathogen transmission from wildlife.

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Knowledge of the origin and reservoir of the coronavirus responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is still fragmentary. To date, the closest relatives to SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in Rhinolophus bats sampled in the Yunnan province, China. Here we describe the identification of SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses in two Rhinolophus shameli bats sampled in Cambodia in 2010.

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