Evaluation of DF-1 cell culture based vaccine development for infectious bursal disease virus in Ethiopia.

Infectious Bursal Disease is a highly contagious, immunosuppressive viral disease of young chicks caused by the Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV). The study was carried out at the National Veterinary Institute (NVI) of Ethiopia to evaluate the competence of the DF-1 cell culture adapted vaccine strain of IBDV as a vaccine candidate. DF-1 cells at passage 27 confluent monolayer was infected with 1 ml of LC-75 vaccine strain virus by adsorption method and recorded as passage 1 (P).

Voluntary optimisation of antimicrobial consumption in swine and poultry production in Thailand: a policy analysis.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health concern with significant implications on economies and health security, affecting humans, animals, food, and the environment. To tackle this issue, promoting responsible antimicrobial use in livestock production has emerged as a crucial intervention. In 2018, Thailand introduced the Voluntary Optimization of Antimicrobial Consumption (VOAC) programme, with the objective to encourage responsible antimicrobial use practises.

Genomic characterisation of isolated from poultry at retail through Sink Surveillance in Dhaka, Bangladesh reveals high levels of multi-drug resistance.

The surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commensal from livestock at slaughter is widely employed to assess the potential for risk to humans. There is currently a limited understanding of AMR in Bangladesh poultry at retail in live bird markets, with studies focussing solely on phenotypic characterisation of resistance. To address this evidence gap we performed antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole genome sequencing on obtained from chickens from live bird markets in Dhaka in 2018 ( = 38) and 2020 ( = 45).

Genetic insights of H9N2 avian influenza viruses circulating in Mali and phylogeographic patterns in Northern and Western Africa.

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) of the H9N2 subtype have become widespread in Western Africa since their first detection in 2017 in Burkina Faso. However, the genetic characteristics and diffusion patterns of the H9N2 virus remain poorly understood in Western Africa, mainly due to limited surveillance activities. In addition, Mali, a country considered to play an important role in the epidemiology of AIVs in the region, lacks more comprehensive data on the genetic characteristics of these viruses, especially the H9N2 subtype.

H7N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza in Mozambique, 2023.

On 13 October 2023, the National Directorate for Livestock Development in Mozambique was notified of a suspected outbreak of avian influenza in commercial layers. Samples were screened by real-time and conventional RT-PCR and were positive for both H7 and N6. Full genome sequences were obtained for three representative samples.

The Evolution of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5) in Poultry in Nigeria, 2021-2022.

In 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and global food insecurity, the Nigerian poultry sector was exposed to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus and its economic challenges. Between 2021 and 2022, HPAI caused 467 outbreaks reported in 31 of the 37 administrative regions in Nigeria. In this study, we characterized the genomes of 97 influenza A viruses of the subtypes H5N1, H5N2, and H5N8, which were identified in different agro-ecological zones and farms during the 2021-2022 epidemic.

A systematic approach toward progressive improvement of national antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems in food and agriculture sectors.

The first Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), published in 2016, identified the need to develop capacity for AMR surveillance and monitoring in food and agriculture sectors. As part of this effort, FAO has developed the "Assessment Tool for Laboratories and AMR Surveillance Systems" (FAO-ATLASS) to assist countries in systematically assessing their AMR surveillance system in food and agriculture. FAO-ATLASS includes two different modules for surveillance and laboratory assessment.

One Health gains momentum in Africa but room exists for improvement.

Objectives: The degree of One-Healthiness of a system relates to the effectiveness of an institution to operate within the six main dimensions which identify to what extent it complies with One Health concept. This paper evaluates institutional compliance with One Health concept in 14 institutions from eight African countries.

Methods: We utilised the adapted Network for the Evaluation of One Health (NEOH) tool.

Emergence of a Reassortant 2.3.4.4b Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus Containing H9N2 PA Gene in Burkina Faso, West Africa, in 2021.

Since 2006, the poultry population in Burkina Faso has been seriously hit by different waves of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 epizootics. In December 2021, three distinct regions of Burkina Faso, namely, Gomboussougou, Bonyollo, and Koubri, detected HPAI H5N1 viruses in poultry. Whole genome characterization and statistical phylogenetic approaches were applied to shed light on the potential origin of these viruses and estimate the time of virus emergence.

Public Health Surveillance for Adverse Events Following COVID-19 Vaccination in Africa.

Local, national, and international health agencies have advocated multi-pronged public health strategies to limit infections and prevent deaths. The availability of safe and effective vaccines is critical in the control of a pandemic. Several adverse events have been reported globally following reception of different vaccines, with limited or no data from Africa.

An atlas to support the progressive control of tsetse-transmitted animal trypanosomosis in Burkina Faso.

Background: African animal trypanosomosis (AAT), transmitted by tsetse flies, is arguably the main disease constraint to integrated crop-livestock agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, and African heads of state and governments adopted a resolution to rid the continent of this scourge. In order to sustainably reduce or eliminate the burden of AAT, a progressive and evidence-based approach is needed, which must hinge on harmonized, spatially explicit information on the occurrence of AAT and its vectors.

Methods: A digital repository was assembled, containing tsetse and AAT data collected in Burkina Faso between 1990 and 2019.

Will Africans take COVID-19 vaccination?

The economic and humanistic impact of COVID-19 pandemic is enormous globally. No definitive treatment exists, hence accelerated development and approval of COVID-19 vaccines, offers a unique opportunity for COVID-19 prevention and control. Vaccine hesitancy may limit the success of vaccine distribution in Africa, therefore we assessed the potentials for coronavirus vaccine hesitancy and its determinants among Africans.

The one health landscape in Sub-Saharan African countries.

Objectives: One Health is transiting from multidisciplinary to transdisciplinary concepts and its viewpoints should move from 'proxy for zoonoses', to include other topics (climate change, nutrition and food safety, policy and planning, welfare and well-being, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), vector-borne diseases, toxicosis and pesticides issues) and thematic fields (social sciences, geography and economics). This work was conducted to map the One Health landscape in Africa.

Methods: An assessment of existing One Health initiatives in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries was conducted among selected stakeholders using a multi-method approach.

Multisectoral cost analysis of a human and livestock anthrax outbreak in Songwe Region, Tanzania (December 2018-January 2019), using a novel Outbreak Costing Tool.

Objectives: We applied a novel Outbreak Costing Tool (OCT), developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to estimate the costs of investigating and responding to an anthrax outbreak in Tanzania. We also evaluated the OCT's overall utility in its application to a multisectoral outbreak response.

Methods: We collected data on direct costs associated with a human and animal anthrax outbreak in Songwe Region (December 2018 to January 2019) using structured questionnaires from key-informants.

Antimicrobial Use, Residues, Resistance and Governance in the Food and Agriculture Sectors, Tanzania.

All infections are potentially curable as long as the etiological agents are susceptible to antimicrobials. The increased rate at which antimicrobials are becoming ineffective is a global health risk of increasing concern that threatens withdrawal of beneficial antimicrobials for disease control. The increased demand for food of animal origin, in particular eggs, meat and milk has led to intensification and commercial production systems where excessive use and misuse of antimicrobials may prevail.

Efficacy of two vaccines against recent emergent antigenic variants of clade 2.3.2.1a highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in Bangladesh.

H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) have caused outbreaks in poultry in Bangladesh since 2007. While clade 2.2.

A 'what-if' scenario: Nipah virus attacks pig trade chains in Thailand.

Background: Nipah virus (NiV) is a fatal zoonotic agent that was first identified amongst pig farmers in Malaysia in 1998, in an outbreak that resulted in 105 fatal human cases. That epidemic arose from a chain of infection, initiating from bats to pigs, and which then spilled over from pigs to humans. In Thailand, bat-pig-human communities can be observed across the country, particularly in the central plain.

Qualitative risk assessment of transmission pathways of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus at live poultry markets in Dhaka city, Bangladesh.

Analysis of environmental samples obtained from the Live Poultry Markets (LPMs) of Dhaka City, Bangladesh, has revealed that the highest degree of prevalence of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI, H5N1), besides other subtypes of the LPAI virus, poses the plausible risk of transmission of these viruses between human and poultry species. The present study was conducted using the OIE risk analysis framework to assess the risk level of each pathway successively. The estimated risk parameters were integrated towards to obtain the overall risk level for each specific HPAI transmission pathway using the matrix adapted by Cristobel Zepeda accompanying other expert consultations.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Dromedary Camels in Africa and Middle East.

Dromedary camels are the natural reservoirs of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Camels are mostly bred in East African countries then exported into Africa and Middle East for consumption. To understand the distribution of MERS-CoV among camels in North Africa and the Middle East, we conducted surveillance in Egypt, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.

Risk factors for H5 avian influenza virus prevalence on urban live bird markets in Jakarta, Indonesia-Evaluation of long-term environmental surveillance data.

In the re-emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), live bird markets have been identified to play a critical role. In this repeated cross-sectional study, we combined surveillance data collected monthly on Jakarta's live bird markets over a five-year period, with risk factors related to the structure and management of live bird markets, the trading and slaughtering of birds at these markets, and environmental and demographic conditions in the areas where the markets were located. Over the study period 36.

Social network analysis for the assessment of pig, cattle and buffalo movement in Xayabouli, Lao PDR.

The aim of this study is to understand the role that the movement patterns of pigs, cattle and buffalo play in the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). A cross-sectional survey consisting of a questionnaire was used in a hotspot area for FMD: Xayabouli Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic. A total of 189 respondents were interviewed.

Raising awareness of antimicrobial resistance in rural aquaculture practice in Bangladesh through digital communications: a pilot study.

One of the key strategic objectives of the World Health Organisation's global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) action plan is to improve public awareness and understanding of this issue. Very few AMR awareness campaigns have targeted the animal production sector, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where rural communities can be geographically difficult to access via traditional face-to-face community engagement methods. Aquaculture is a major food production industry in Bangladesh and across Asia, an area which poses a significant risk to global AMR dissemination.