Publications by authors named "Zoe Grange"

Article Synopsis
  • * Using national Scottish data, the study finds that individuals with five or more conditions are significantly more likely to test negative for antibodies post-vaccination and have a much higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or death.
  • * There's a clear link showing that lower antibody levels after vaccination are associated with increased risks of severe outcomes, including hospitalization and death, indicating the importance of monitoring antibody levels in vaccinated individuals.
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Background: Vaccination continues to be the key public health measure for preventing severe COVID-19 outcomes. Certain groups may be at higher risk of incomplete vaccine schedule, which may leave them vulnerable to COVID-19 hospitalisation and death.

Aim: To identify the sociodemographic and clinical predictors for not receiving a scheduled COVID-19 vaccine after previously receiving one.

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Objectives: To assess whether having a pet in the home is a risk factor for community-acquired urinary tract infections associated with extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)- or AmpC β-lactamase (ACBL)- producing Enterobacterales.

Methods: An unmatched case-control study was conducted between August 2015 and September 2017. Cases (n = 141) were people with community-acquired urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by ESBL- or ACBL-producing Enterobacterales.

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Article Synopsis
  • Current UK vaccination policy targets high-risk individuals for future COVID-19 booster doses, but the specific groups that would benefit the most remain uncertain.
  • A study analyzed data from 30 million people across the UK to identify risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes in those who completed their primary vaccination and received a booster dose of certain vaccines.
  • The findings highlighted that from late December 2021 to February 2022, only a small percentage of vaccinated individuals experienced severe COVID-19 outcomes, indicating the effectiveness of the vaccination program, especially when considering variations in risk factors.
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Background: The two-dose BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine has demonstrated high efficacy against COVID-19 disease in clinical trials of children and young people (CYP). Consequently, we investigated the uptake, safety, effectiveness and waning of the protective effect of the BNT162b2 against symptomatic COVID-19 in CYP aged 12-17 years in Scotland.

Methods: The analysis of the vaccine uptake was based on information from the Turas Vaccination Management Tool, inclusive of Mar 1, 2022.

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Article Synopsis
  • Living Labs have emerged as a method in Europe to connect service providers with the actual needs of older adults, focusing on enhancing their quality of life rather than just managing aging as a risk.
  • The research aims to identify what constitutes a "good life" for elderly people through qualitative methods, including interviews and observations, involving 70 participants from diverse living situations.
  • The project consists of three steps: defining a good life with the elderly, sharing insights with service providers for service improvement, and broadly disseminating findings to influence stakeholders in the region and the broader scientific community.
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Background: The UK COVID-19 vaccination programme has prioritised vaccination of those at the highest risk of COVID-19 mortality and hospitalisation. The programme was rolled out in Scotland during winter 2020-21, when SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were at their highest since the pandemic started, despite social distancing measures being in place. We aimed to estimate the frequency of COVID-19 hospitalisation or death in people who received at least one vaccine dose and characterise these individuals.

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In the light of the urgency raised by the COVID-19 pandemic, global investment in wildlife virology is likely to increase, and new surveillance programmes will identify hundreds of novel viruses that might someday pose a threat to humans. To support the extensive task of laboratory characterization, scientists may increasingly rely on data-driven rubrics or machine learning models that learn from known zoonoses to identify which animal pathogens could someday pose a threat to global health. We synthesize the findings of an interdisciplinary workshop on zoonotic risk technologies to answer the following questions.

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The death toll and economic loss resulting from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic are stark reminders that we are vulnerable to zoonotic viral threats. Strategies are needed to identify and characterize animal viruses that pose the greatest risk of spillover and spread in humans and inform public health interventions. Using expert opinion and scientific evidence, we identified host, viral, and environmental risk factors contributing to zoonotic virus spillover and spread in humans.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the epidemiology and disease reservoirs of Salmonella enterica serovars Mississippi and Typhimurium DT160 in Australia and New Zealand, focusing on isolates from humans, animals, and the environment.* -
  • Findings indicated that wild birds are likely reservoirs for DT160, while Salmonella Mississippi showed greater variability in sources, with isolates forming distinct genetic groups in each country.* -
  • The research highlighted the potential of real-time whole-genome sequencing to identify transmission sources and improve public health measures, notably in cases like the travel-associated transmission of DT160.*
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  • Translocating endangered wildlife, like the takahe bird in New Zealand, to new environments could lead to unexpected problems with pathogen spread and evolution, particularly with diseases such as Salmonella.
  • In a study of nine takahe sub-populations, Salmonella was found only in one group on a private island, with a notable prevalence of 32%.
  • The research showed there were environmental factors and reptiles contributing to this pathogen's existence, emphasizing the importance of genomic approaches in studying disease dynamics to better protect vulnerable wildlife.
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Isolation of wildlife into fragmented populations as a consequence of anthropogenic-mediated environmental change may alter host-pathogen relationships. Our understanding of some of the epidemiological features of infectious disease in vulnerable populations can be enhanced by the use of commensal bacteria as a proxy for invasive pathogens in natural ecosystems. The distinctive population structure of a well-described meta-population of a New Zealand endangered flightless bird, the takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri), provided a unique opportunity to investigate the influence of host isolation on enteric microbial diversity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Understanding the dynamics of infectious disease in endangered species, particularly in Takahe, requires insights into both environmental factors and genetic variation of pathogens.
  • Researchers studied Campylobacter spp. in Takahe populations through culture and DNA analysis, finding a significant prevalence of the bacterium (99%) and varied species distribution among subpopulations.
  • Results indicated that factors like population management, environmental conditions, and agricultural practices influenced the prevalence of different Campylobacter species, highlighting the potential risks of translocating wildlife in altered habitats.
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Social network analysis is being increasingly used in epidemiology and disease modeling in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. We investigated this tool in describing a translocation network (area that allows movement of animals between geographically isolated locations) used for the conservation of an endangered flightless rail, the Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri). We collated records of Takahe translocations within New Zealand and used social network principles to describe the connectivity of the translocation network.

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