Habitat suitability map of Ixodes ricinus tick in France using multi-criteria analysis.

The tick Ixodes ricinus is widely distributed across Europe and is responsible for the transmission of several pathogens to humans and animals. In this study, we used a knowledge-based method to map variations in habitat suitability for I. ricinus ticks throughout continental France and Corsica.

Evaluation using latent class models of the diagnostic performances of three ELISA tests commercialized for the serological diagnosis of Coxiella burnetii infection in domestic ruminants.

ELISA methods are the diagnostic tools recommended for the serological diagnosis of Coxiella burnetii infection in ruminants but their respective diagnostic performances are difficult to assess because of the absence of a gold standard. This study focused on three commercial ELISA tests with the following objectives (1) assess their sensitivity and specificity in sheep, goats and cattle, (2) assess the between- and within-herd seroprevalence distribution in these species, accounting for diagnostic errors, and (3) estimate optimal sample sizes considering sensitivity and specificity at herd level. We comparatively tested 1413 cattle, 1474 goat and 1432 sheep serum samples collected in France.

Seroprevalence of horses to Coxiella burnetii in an Q fever endemic area.

Coxiella burnetii can infect many animal species, but its circulation dynamics in and through horses is still unclear. This study evaluated horse exposure in an area known to be endemic for ruminants and humans. We assessed antibody prevalence in horse serum by ELISA, and screened by qPCR horse blood, ticks found on horses and dust from stables.

Population genetics, community of parasites, and resistance to rodenticides in an urban brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) population.

Brown rats are one of the most widespread urban species worldwide. Despite the nuisances they induce and their potential role as a zoonotic reservoir, knowledge on urban rat populations remains scarce. The main purpose of this study was to characterize an urban brown rat population from Chanteraines park (Hauts-de-Seine, France), with regards to haematology, population genetics, immunogenic diversity, resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides, and community of parasites.

A new standard model for milk yield in dairy cows based on udder physiology at the milking-session level.

Milk production in dairy cow udders is a complex and dynamic physiological process that has resisted explanatory modelling thus far. The current standard model, Wood's model, is empirical in nature, represents yield in daily terms, and was published in 1967. Here, we have developed a dynamic and integrated explanatory model that describes milk yield at the scale of the milking session.

Molecular epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii in French livestock reveals the existence of three main genotype clusters and suggests species-specific associations as well as regional stability.

Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. In domestic ruminants, Q fever main clinical manifestations are abortions. Although the clinical signs may differ between ruminant species, C.

Hedgehogs and Mustelid Species: Major Carriers of Pathogenic Leptospira, a Survey in 28 Animal Species in France (20122015).

Human leptospirosis is a zoonotic and potentially fatal disease that has increasingly been reported in both developing and developed countries, including France. However, our understanding of the basic aspects of the epidemiology of this disease, including the source of Leptospira serogroup Australis infections in humans and domestic animals, remains incomplete. We investigated the genetic diversity of Leptospira in 28 species of wildlife other than rats using variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) and multispacer sequence typing (MST).

Co-infection of Ticks: The Rule Rather Than the Exception.

Introduction: Ticks are the most common arthropod vectors of both human and animal diseases in Europe, and the Ixodes ricinus tick species is able to transmit a large number of bacteria, viruses and parasites. Ticks may also be co-infected with several pathogens, with a subsequent high likelihood of co-transmission to humans or animals. However few data exist regarding co-infection prevalences, and these studies only focus on certain well-known pathogens.

Emerging horizons for tick-borne pathogens: from the 'one pathogen-one disease' vision to the pathobiome paradigm.

Ticks, as vectors of several notorious zoonotic pathogens, represent an important and increasing threat for human and animal health in Europe. Recent applications of new technology revealed the complexity of the tick microbiome, which may affect its vectorial capacity. Appreciation of these complex systems is expanding our understanding of tick-borne pathogens, leading us to evolve a more integrated view that embraces the 'pathobiome'; the pathogenic agent integrated within its abiotic and biotic environments.

The importance of multiparasitism: examining the consequences of co-infections for human and animal health.

Most parasites co-occur with other parasites, although the importance of such multiparasitism has only recently been recognised. Co-infections may result when hosts are independently infected by different parasites at the same time or when interactions among parasite species facilitate co-occurrence. Such interactions can have important repercussions on human or animal health because they can alter host susceptibility, infection duration, transmission risks, and clinical symptoms.

To be or not to be associated: power study of four statistical modeling approaches to identify parasite associations in cross-sectional studies.

A growing number of studies are reporting simultaneous infections by parasites in many different hosts. The detection of whether these parasites are significantly associated is important in medicine and epidemiology. Numerous approaches to detect associations are available, but only a few provide statistical tests.

A probabilistic model in cross-sectional studies for identifying interactions between two persistent vector-borne pathogens in reservoir populations.

Background: In natural populations, individuals are infected more often by several pathogens than by just one. In such a context, pathogens can interact. This interaction could modify the probability of infection by subsequent pathogens.

Introduced Siberian chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus barberi) contribute more to lyme borreliosis risk than native reservoir rodents.

The variation of the composition in species of host communities can modify the risk of disease transmission. In particular, the introduction of a new host species can increase health threats by adding a new reservoir and/or by amplifying the circulation of either exotic or native pathogens. Lyme borreliosis is a multi-host vector-borne disease caused by bacteria belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex.

Co-infection of Borrelia afzelii and Bartonella spp. in bank voles from a suburban forest.

We report the molecular detection of Borrelia afzelii (11%) and Bartonella spp. (56%) in 447 bank voles trapped in a suburban forest in France. Adult voles were infected by significantly more Borrelia afzelii than juveniles (p<0.

Environmental factors associated with the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Boars (Sus scrofa), France.

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite infecting humans and animals. Wild boars Sus scrofa are a potential source of human infection and an appropriate biological model for analyzing T. gondii dynamics in the environment.

Reproducibility of local environmental factors for the abundance of questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs on pastures.

In ecology and epidemiology, exploratory field studies based on multivariate statistical models commonly are used to identify factors that are associated with a phenomenon. The challenge is to evaluate whether these factors are indeed correlated to the phenomenon or if the statistical significance results from fortuitous association or type 1 statistical error (probability of rejecting a null hypothesis when it is true). This is particularly the case when the phenomenon is linked to environmental factors that usually are more or less correlated to each other and when the phenomenon is itself highly variable.

Risk factors for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 infection in backyard chicken farms, Thailand.

To reduce the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 infection in humans, the pathways by which HPAI is spread in poultry must be determined. Backyard poultry farmers are particularly vulnerable to the threat of HPAI, with both their health and livelihoods at risk. Identifying the risk factors for HPAI infection in backyard farms should allow control measures to be better targeted.

Quantitative estimation of genetic risk for atypical scrapie in French sheep and potential consequences of the current breeding programme for resistance to scrapie on the risk of atypical scrapie.

Background: Since 2002, active surveillance programmes have detected numerous atypical scrapie (AS) and classical scrapie cases (CS) in French sheep with almost all the PrP genotypes. The aim of this study was 1) to quantify the genetic risk of AS in French sheep and to compare it with the risk of CS, 2) to quantify the risk of AS associated with the increase of the ARR allele frequency as a result of the current genetic breeding programme against CS.

Methods: We obtained genotypes at codons 136, 141, 154 and 171 of the PRNP gene for representative samples of 248 AS and 245 CS cases.

Ecological factors characterizing the prevalence of bacterial tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks in pastures and woodlands.

Ecological changes are recognized as an important driver behind the emergence of infectious diseases. The prevalence of infection in ticks depends upon ecological factors that are rarely taken into account simultaneously. Our objective was to investigate the influences of forest fragmentation, vegetation, adult tick hosts, and habitat on the infection prevalence of three tick-borne bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Rickettsia sp.

Anthropogenic factors and the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1: prospects from a spatial-based model.

Beginning in 2003, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus spread across Southeast Asia, causing unprecedented epidemics. Thailand was massively infected in 2004 and 2005 and continues today to experience sporadic outbreaks. While research findings suggest that the spread of HPAI H5N1 is influenced primarily by trade patterns, identifying the anthropogenic risk factors involved remains a challenge.

Discrepant epidemiological patterns between classical and atypical scrapie in sheep flocks under French TSE control measures.

The occurrence of secondary cases of atypical and classical scrapie was examined in 340 outbreaks of atypical and 296 of classical sheep scrapie detected in France during active surveillance programmes between 2002 and 2007. The prevalence of atypical scrapie in these flocks was 0.05% under selective culling and 0.