Multi-Locus Sequence Analysis Indicates Potential Cryptic Speciation in the Chigger Mite Neoschoengastia gallinarum (Hatori, 1920) Parasitising Birds in Asia.

Neoschoengastia gallinarum is widely distributed in Asia, preferentially parasitising birds, and heavy infestations have clinical impacts on domestic fowl. In common with other trombiculid mites, the genetic diversity and potential variation in host preferences or pathology induced by N. gallinarum are poorly understood. This study aimed to unravel the geographical variation and population structure of N. gallinarum collected from galliform birds in Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand by inference from concatenated mitochondrial-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), and nuclear-encoded internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and 18S ribosomal DNA gene sequences, including a comparison with previously published data from southeastern China. Our multi-locus sequence analysis revealed three monophyletic clades comprising (A) specimens from Peninsular Malaysia, (B) the samples from Thailand together with a minority of Chinese sequences, and (C) the majority of sequences from China. Similarly, most species delimitation approaches divided the specimens into three operational taxonomic units. Analysis of molecular variance revealed 96.41% genetic divergence between Malaysian and Thai populations, further supported by the absence of gene flow (Nm = 0.01). In conclusion, despite the two countries sharing a land border, populations of N. gallinarum from Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand appear to be genetically segregated and may represent distinct cryptic species.

New species and new records of chigger mites (Acariformes, Trombiculidae) from Cambodia.

Two new chigger species, Leptotrombidium mondulkiri sp. nov. and Walchia keoseima sp. nov., and one new subspecies, Leptotrombidium pilosum cambodiensis subsp. nov., are described from Cambodia. Three species, Walchia lupella (Traub and Evans, 1957), W. micropelta (Traub and Evans, 1957), and W. kritochaeta (Traub and Evans, 1957), are for the first time reported from the country. A redescription of W. lupella is given based on new materials from Cambodia and Thailand.

A protocol and a data-based prediction to investigate virus spillover at the wildlife interface in human-dominated and protected habitats in Thailand: The Spillover Interface project.

The Spillover Interface Project aims at assessing the encounter of wildlife, domestic animals, and humans along a landscape gradient from a protected area to a residential community, through areas of reforestation and agricultural land. Here, we present the protocols of the project that combine virus screening in humans, bats, rodents and dogs with camera trapping, land-use characterization, and network analyses. The project is taking place in the sub-district of Saen Thong (Nan Province, Thailand) in collaboration with local communities, the District Public Health Office, and Nanthaburi National Park. To formulate a predictive hypothesis for the Spillover Interface Project, we assess the wildlife diversity and their viral diversity that could be observed in Saen Thong through a data science analysis approach. Potential mammalian species are estimated using data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and their associated viral diversity from a published open database. A network analysis approach is used to represent and quantify the transmission of the potential viruses hosted by the mammals present in Saen Thong, according to the IUCN. A total of 57 viruses are expected to be found and shared between 43 host species, including the domestic dog and the human species. By following the protocols presented here, the Spillover Interface Project will collect the data and samples needed to test this data-driven prediction.

Developing One Health surveillance systems.

The health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the environment are inter-dependent. Global anthropogenic change is a key driver of disease emergence and spread and leads to biodiversity loss and ecosystem function degradation, which are themselves drivers of disease emergence. Pathogen spill-over events and subsequent disease outbreaks, including pandemics, in humans, animals and plants may arise when factors driving disease emergence and spread converge. One Health is an integrated approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize human, animal and ecosystem health. Conventional disease surveillance has been siloed by sectors, with separate systems addressing the health of humans, domestic animals, cultivated plants, wildlife and the environment. One Health surveillance should include integrated surveillance for known and unknown pathogens, but combined with this more traditional disease-based surveillance, it also must include surveillance of drivers of disease emergence to improve prevention and mitigation of spill-over events. Here, we outline such an approach, including the characteristics and components required to overcome barriers and to optimize an integrated One Health surveillance system.

Proposed solutions to anthropogenic climate change: A systematic literature review and a new way forward.

Humanity is now facing what may be the biggest challenge to its existence: irreversible climate change brought about by human activity. Our planet is in a state of emergency, and we only have a short window of time (7-8 years) to enact meaningful change. The goal of this systematic literature review is to summarize the peer-reviewed literature on proposed solutions to climate change in the last 20 years (2002-2022), and to propose a framework for a unified approach to solving this climate change crisis. Solutions reviewed include a transition toward use of renewable energy resources, reduced energy consumption, rethinking the global transport sector, and nature-based solutions. This review highlights one of the most important but overlooked pieces in the puzzle of solving the climate change problem - the gradual shift to a plant-based diet and global phaseout of factory (industrialized animal) farming, the most damaging and prolific form of animal agriculture. The gradual global phaseout of industrialized animal farming can be achieved by increasingly replacing animal meat and other animal products with plant-based products, ending government subsidies for animal-based meat, dairy, and eggs, and initiating taxes on such products. Failure to act will ultimately result in a scenario of irreversible climate change with widespread famine and disease, global devastation, climate refugees, and warfare. We therefore suggest an "All Life" approach, invoking the interconnectedness of all life forms on our planet. The logistics for achieving this include a global standardization of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) or similar measures and the introduction of a regulatory body for verification of such measures. These approaches will help deliver environmental and sustainability benefits for our planet far beyond an immediate reduction in global warming.

First discovery of parasite eggs in a vertebrate coprolite of the Late Triassic in Thailand.

A paleoparasitological investigation of a vertebrate coprolite from the Huai Hin Lat Formation (Upper Triassic) was carried out. Five morphotypes of potential parasite eggs or sporocysts were identified in the coprolite by microscopic analysis using thin section technique. The rounded or oval shape and thick shell of one of the five morphotypes suggests that it belongs to nematode of the order Ascaridida. Systematic assignment of other morphotypes cannot be done in detail but suggests that the host was parasitized by different species of parasites. This is the first record of parasites in terrestrial vertebrate hosts from the Late Triassic in Asia and it provides new information on parasite-host interactions during the Mesozoic era.

Invasive hematophagous arthropods and associated diseases in a changing world.

Biological invasions have increased significantly with the tremendous growth of international trade and transport. Hematophagous arthropods can be vectors of infectious and potentially lethal pathogens and parasites, thus constituting a growing threat to humans-especially when associated with biological invasions. Today, several major vector-borne diseases, currently described as emerging or re-emerging, are expanding in a world dominated by climate change, land-use change and intensive transportation of humans and goods. In this review, we retrace the historical trajectory of these invasions to better understand their ecological, physiological and genetic drivers and their impacts on ecosystems and human health. We also discuss arthropod management strategies to mitigate future risks by harnessing ecology, public health, economics and social-ethnological considerations. Trade and transport of goods and materials, including vertebrate introductions and worn tires, have historically been important introduction pathways for the most prominent invasive hematophagous arthropods, but sources and pathways are likely to diversify with future globalization. Burgeoning urbanization, climate change and the urban heat island effect are likely to interact to favor invasive hematophagous arthropods and the diseases they can vector. To mitigate future invasions of hematophagous arthropods and novel disease outbreaks, stronger preventative monitoring and transboundary surveillance measures are urgently required. Proactive approaches, such as the use of monitoring and increased engagement in citizen science, would reduce epidemiological and ecological risks and could save millions of lives and billions of dollars spent on arthropod control and disease management. Last, our capacities to manage invasive hematophagous arthropods in a sustainable way for worldwide ecosystems can be improved by promoting interactions among experts of the health sector, stakeholders in environmental issues and policymakers (e.g. the One Health approach) while considering wider social perceptions.

Identification of the Tembusu Virus in Mosquitoes in Northern Thailand.

Among emerging zoonotic pathogens, mosquito-borne viruses (MBVs) circulate between vertebrate animals and mosquitoes and represent a serious threat to humans via spillover from enzootic cycles to the human community. Active surveillance of MBVs in their vectors is therefore essential to better understand and prevent spillover and emergence, especially at the human-animal interface. In this study, we assessed the presence of MBVs using molecular and phylogenetic methods in mosquitoes collected along an ecological gradient ranging from rural urbanized areas to highland forest areas in northern Thailand. We have detected the presence of insect specific flaviviruses in our samples, and the presence of the emerging zoonotic Tembusu virus (TMUV). Reported for the first time in 1955 in Malaysia, TMUV remained for a long time in the shadow of other flaviviruses such as dengue virus or the Japanese encephalitis virus. In this study, we identified two new TMUV strains belonging to cluster 3, which seems to be endemic in rural areas of Thailand and highlighted the genetic specificities of this Thai cluster. Our results show the active circulation of this emerging flavivirus in Thailand and the need for continuous investigation on this poorly known but threatening virus in Asia.

Operationalizing One Health: Environmental Solutions for Pandemic Prevention.

Human pressure on the environment is increasing the frequency, diversity, and spatial extent of disease outbreaks. Despite international recognition, the interconnection between the health of the environment, animals, and humans has been historically overlooked. Past and current initiatives have often neglected prevention under the One Health preparedness cycle, largely focusing on post-spillover stages. We argue that pandemic prevention initiatives have yet to produce actionable targets and indicators, connected to overarching goals, like it has been done for biodiversity loss and climate change. We show how the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework, already employed by the Convention on Biological Diversity, can be repurposed to operationalize pandemic prevention. Global responses for pandemic prevention should strive for complementarity and synergies among initiatives, better articulating prevention under One Health. Without agreed-upon goals underpinning specific targets and interventions, current global efforts are unlikely to function at the speed and scale necessary to decrease the risk of disease outbreaks that might lead to pandemics. Threats to the environment are not always abatable, but decreasing the likelihood that environmental pressure leads to pandemics, and developing strategies to mitigate these impacts, are both attainable goals.

Ecological factors shaping the ectoparasite community assembly of the Azara's Grass Mouse, Akodon azarae (Rodentia: Cricetidae).

Parasites are integral members of the global biodiversity. They are useful indicators of environmental stress, food web structure and diversity. Ectoparasites have the potential to transmit vector-borne diseases of public health and veterinary importance and to play an important role in the regulation and evolution of host populations. The interlinkages between hosts, parasites and the environment are complex and challenging to study, leading to controversial results. Most previous studies have been focused on one or two parasite groups, while hosts are often co-infected by different taxa. The present study aims to assess the influence of environmental and host traits on the entire ectoparasite community composition of the rodent Akodon azarae. A total of 278 rodents were examined and mites (Mesostigmata), lice (Phthiraptera), ticks (Ixodida) and fleas (Siphonaptera) were determined. A multi-correspondence analysis was performed in order to analyze interactions within the ectoparasite community and the influence of environmental and host variables on this assembly. We found that environmental variables have a stronger influence on the composition of the ectoparasite community of A. azarae than the host variables analyzed. Minimum temperature was the most influential variable among the studied. In addition, we found evidence of agonistic and antagonistic interactions between ticks and mites, lice and fleas. The present study supports the hypothesis that minimum temperature plays a major role in the dynamics that shape the ectoparasite community of A. azarae, probably through both direct and indirect processes. This finding becomes particularly relevant in a climate change scenario.

The risk of pig and chicken farming for carriage and transmission of Escherichia coli containing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes in Thailand.

South-East Asian countries report a high prevalence of extended-spectrum cephalosporin- (ESC-) and colistin-resistant Escherichia coli (Col-R-Ec). However, there are still few studies describing the molecular mechanisms and transmission dynamics of ESC-R-Ec and, especially, Col-R-Ec. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and transmission dynamics of Ec containing extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes using a 'One Health' design in Thailand. The ESC-R-Ec and Col-R-Ec isolates of human stool samples (69 pig farmers, 155 chicken farmers, and 61 non-farmers), rectal swabs from animals (269 pigs and 318 chickens), and the intestinal contents of 196 rodents were investigated. Resistance mechanisms and transmission dynamics of Ec isolates (n=638) were studied using short and long read sequencing. We found higher rates of ESBL-Ec isolates among pig farmers (n=36; 52.2%) than among chicken farmers (n=58; 37.4 %; P<0.05) and the control group (n=61; 31.1 %; P<0.05). Ec with co-occurring ESBL and mcr genes were found in 17 (6.0 %), 50 (18.6 %) and 15 (4.7 %) samples from humans, pigs and chickens, respectively. We also identified 39 (13.7 %) human samples with non-identical Ec containing ESBL and mcr. We found higher rates of ESBL-Ec, in particular CTX-M-55, isolates among pig farmers than among non-pig farmers (P<0.01). 'Clonal' animal-human transmission of ESBL-Ec and Ec with mcr genes was identified but rare as we overall found a heterogenous population structure of Ec. The Col-R-Ec from human and animal samples often carried mcr-1.1 on conjugative IncX4 plasmids. The latter has been identified in Ec of many different clonal backgrounds.

Two New Species of Annulotrema (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) Gill Parasites of Brycinus macrolepidotus Valenciennes, 1849 from Nyong River, Cameroon.

PURPOSE: Research on gill monogeneans of Characiform has made it possible to find two new species belonging to the genus Annulotrema. The purpose of this paper is to carry out their morphological description. METHODS: Specimens of Brycinus macrolepidotus were captured in the Nyong River at Akonolinga. Each monogenean was mounted between slide and cover slip in a drop of glycerin ammonium picrate mixture. The sclerotized parts of their haptor and reproductive organs were then drawn and measured. RESULTS: Two new species of Annulotrema were described. Annulotrema ngombiensis n. sp. is morphologically close to Annulotrema tenuicirra Paperna, 1973 and Annulotrema pikei Price, Peebles and Bamford, 1969. However, the new species differs from these other two mainly by the characteristic well-marked terminal cap and the tubiform prostatic reservoir of the accessory part of its MCO, as well as by its dorsal bar with a characteristic triangular piece in the middle of the fork and its ventral bar without filaments. Annulotrema nkengfacki n. sp. is distinguished from all other species previously described as well as from its closest congeners, Annulotrema helicocirra Paperna, 1973 and Annulotrema bouixi Birgi, 1988 by the structure of its MCO whose accessory part is composed of a trapezoid structure surmounted by another which is forked-shaped and by its arched-shaped ventral bar with an inner lining. CONCLUSION: Brycinus macrolepidotus from Cameroon can harbour two species of Annulotrema, both described in the current study. This result contributes to the knowledge of the species diversity of this genus in the Nyong Basin.

Viral Zoonoses: Interactions and Factors Driving Virus Transmission.

The beginning of the 21st century was marked by an increase in the number of emerging/reemerging infectious diseases detected worldwide and by the challenging COVID-19 pandemic [...].

In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Piper betle Leaf Extract and Some Topical Agents against Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus Strains from Canine Pyoderma.

As multidrug-resistant methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) is becoming more prevalent in canine pyoderma, the discovery of new therapeutic options is required. This study aimed to test the antimicrobial activity of crude Piper betle leaf extract and some topical antimicrobial agents against canine Staphylococcus clinical strains by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The results showed that the mean MICs of chlorhexidine, miconazole, crude P. betle leaf extract, azelaic acid, and benzoyl peroxide against Staphylococcus strains were 1.41, 1.62, 252.78, 963.49, and 1342.70 mg/L, respectively. Therefore, betel leaf extract demonstrated a superior efficacy to azelaic acid and benzoyl peroxide. Furthermore, the ratio of MBC/MIC of betel leaf extract was 1.75, indicating its bactericidal action. When applied to methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) and methicillin-susceptible S. pseudintermedius (MSSP), betel leaf extract was equally efficient towards both groups. S. pseudintermedius strains were more susceptible to betel leaf extract than S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans. In gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, eugenol and hydroxychavicol appeared to be the major components of betel leaf extract. Given its efficacy, dogs with pyoderma could benefit from the use of betel leaf extract as a topical antimicrobial alternative.

Orientia tsutsugamushi in Chiggers and Small Mammals in Laos.

Background: Scrub typhus is a leading cause of febrile illness in Laos and accounts for a high burden of disease. There have been no previous studies on the causative agent, Orientia tsutsugamushi, in vector mites ("chiggers") or their small mammal hosts in Laos. Materials and Methods: Small mammals and free-living chiggers were trapped in districts of Vientiane Province and Capital. Tissues were tested for O. tsutsugamushi by PCR and serum for IgG to O. tsutsugamushi by immunofluorescence assays (IFAs). Chiggers removed from small mammals and collected in their free-living stage using black plates were identified and tested for O. tsutsugamushi by PCR. Results: Over an 18-month period, 131 small mammals of 14 species were collected in 5 districts. Seventy-eight of 131 small mammals were infested with chiggers, but all tissues were O. tsutsugamushi PCR negative. Eighteen species of chigger were identified and 1,609 were tested by PCR. A single pool of chiggers tested O. tsutsugamushi positive. Sera from 52 small mammals were tested by IFA, with 16 testing positive. Conclusions: These are the first molecular and serological data on O. tsutsugamushi in chiggers and small mammals in Laos. Further studies are needed to better understand the key vector species and ecology of scrub typhus in areas with high disease incidence in Laos.

Rats and the city: Implications of urbanization on zoonotic disease risk in Southeast Asia.

Urbanization is rapidly transforming much of Southeast Asia, altering the structure and function of the landscape, as well as the frequency and intensity of the interactions between people, animals, and the environment. In this study, we explored the impact of urbanization on zoonotic disease risk by simultaneously characterizing changes in the ecology of animal reservoirs (rodents), ectoparasite vectors (ticks), and pathogens across a gradient of urbanization in Kuching, a city in Malaysian Borneo. We sampled 863 rodents across rural, developing, and urban locations and found that rodent species diversity decreased with increasing urbanization-from 10 species in the rural location to 4 in the rural location. Notably, two species appeared to thrive in urban areas, as follows: the invasive urban exploiter Rattus rattus (n = 375) and the native urban adapter Sundamys muelleri (n = 331). R. rattus was strongly associated with built infrastructure across the gradient and carried a high diversity of pathogens, including multihost zoonoses capable of environmental transmission (e.g., Leptospira spp.). In contrast, S. muelleri was restricted to green patches where it was found at high densities and was strongly associated with the presence of ticks, including the medically important genera Amblyomma, Haemaphysalis, and Ixodes. Our analyses reveal that zoonotic disease risk is elevated and heterogeneously distributed in urban environments and highlight the potential for targeted risk reduction through pest management and public health messaging.