Genetic diversity and population structure in five Inner Mongolia cashmere goat populations using whole-genome genotyping.

OBJECTIVE: As a charismatic species, cashmere goats have rich genetic resources. In the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, there are three cashmere goat varieties named and approved by the state. These goats are renowned for their high cashmere production and superior cashmere quality. Therefore, it is vitally important to protect their genetic resources as they will serve as breeding material for developing new varieties in the future. METHODS: Three breeds including Inner Mongolia cashmere goats (IMCG), Hanshan White cashmere goats (HS), and Ujimqin white cashmere goats (WZMQ) were studied. IMCG were of three types: Aerbas (AEBS), Erlangshan (ELS), and Alashan (ALS). Nine DNA samples were collected for each population, and they were genomically re-sequenced to obtain high-depth data. The genetic diversity parameters of each population were estimated to determine selection intensity. Principal component analysis, phylogenetic tree construction and genetic differentiation parameter estimation were performed to determine genetic relationships among populations. RESULTS: Samples from the 45 individuals from the five goat populations were sequenced, and 30,601,671 raw single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained. Then, variant calling was conducted using the reference genome, and 17,214,526 SNPs were retained after quality control. Individual sequencing depth of individuals ranged from 21.13× to 46.18×, with an average of 28.5×. In the AEBS, locus polymorphism (79.28) and expected heterozygosity (0.2554) proportions were the lowest, and the homologous consistency ratio (0.1021) and average inbreeding coefficient (0.1348) were the highest, indicating that this population had strong selection intensity. Conversely, ALS and WZMQ selection intensity was relatively low. Genetic distance between HS and the other four populations was relatively high, and genetic exchange existed among the other four populations. CONCLUSION: The Inner Mongolia cashmere goat (AEBS type) population has a relatively high selection intensity and a low genetic diversity. The IMCG (ALS type) and WZMQ populations had relatively low selection intensity and high genetic diversity. The genetic distance between HS and the other four populations was relatively high, with a moderate degree of differentiation. Overall, these genetic variations provide a solid foundation for resource identification of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region cashmere goats in the future.

Provincial Maternal and Child Information System in Inner Mongolia, China: Descriptive Implementation Study.

BACKGROUND: After the implementation of 2- and 3-child policies, the rising proportion of high-age and high-risk pregnancies put enormous pressure on maternal and child health (MCH) services for China. This populous nation with an increasing population flow imperatively required the support of large-scale information systems for management. Municipal MCH information systems were commonly applied in developed cities of eastern provinces in China. However, implementation of provincial MCH information systems in relatively low-income areas is lacking. In 2020, the implementation of a regional maternal and child information system (RMCIS) in Inner Mongolia filled this gap. OBJECTIVE: This paper aimed to demonstrate the construction process and evaluate the implementation effect of an RMCIS in improving the regional MCH in Inner Mongolia. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study for the implementation of an RMCIS in Inner Mongolia. Based on the role analysis and information reporting process, the system architecture design had 10 modules, supporting basic health care services, special case management, health support, and administration and supervision. Five-color management was applied for pregnancy risk stratification. We collected data on the construction cost, key characteristics of patients, and use count of the main services from January 1, 2020, to October 31, 2022, in Inner Mongolia. Descriptive analysis was used to demonstrate the implementation effects of the RMCIS. RESULTS: The construction and implementation of the RMCIS cost CNY 8 million (US $1.1 million), with a duration of 13 months. Between 2020 and 2022, the system recorded 221,772 registered pregnant women, with a 44.75% early pregnancy registry rate and 147,264 newborns, covering 278 hospitals and 225 community health care centers in 12 cities. Five-color management of high-risk pregnancies resulted in 76,975 (45.45%) pregnancies stratified as yellow (general risk), 36,627 (21.63%) as orange (relatively high risk), 156 (0.09%) as red (high risk), and 3888 (2.30%) as purple (infectious disease). A scarred uterus (n=28,159, 36.58%), BMI≥28 (n=14,164, 38.67%), aggressive placenta praevia (n=32, 20.51%), and viral hepatitis (n=1787, 45.96%) were the top factors of high-risk pregnancies (yellow, orange, red, and purple). In addition, 132,079 pregnancies, including 65,018 (49.23%) high-risk pregnancies, were registered in 2022 compared to 32,466 pregnancies, including 21,849 (67.30%) high-risk pregnancies, registered in 2020. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of an RMCIS in Inner Mongolia achieved the provincial MCH data interconnection for basic services and obtained both social and economic benefits, which could provide valuable experience to medical administration departments, practitioners, and medical informatics constructors worldwide.

Assessing grassland cultural ecosystem services supply and demand for promoting the sustainable realization of grassland cultural values.

Grasslands deliver essential provisioning and regulatory ecosystem services, concomitantly with indispensable cultural services that merit profound consideration. However, grassland cultural ecosystem services (GCES) face a conspicuous knowledge lacuna due to the lack of a unified research framework and quantitative methodology. This study endeavors to fill this gap by quantifying the potential supply and actual demand of GCES, concurrently scrutinizing spatial congruencies and disparities between GCES supply and demand in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR), China. To achieve this, we integrated social survey data, Point of Interest (POI) data, social media data, the Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES) model and GIS Getis-Ord Gi* statistical analysis. Our analysis unveiled grid-scale spatial patterns of GCES supply and demand, furnishing a nuanced high-low ranking of GCES. It transpired that scenic travel holds the highest potential supply of GCES with a high-value area proportion of 46.0 %, while grassland recuperation ranks the lowest. Notably, road accessibility emerged as the most crucial factor influencing GCES patterns. Furthermore, we observed a substantial misalignment in the GCES supply-demand relationship, with 65.99 % of IMAR experiencing excess supply compared to demand and only 20.66 % achieving equilibrium. At a 95 % significance level, hot spots (excess supply) and cold spots (excess demand) accounted for 26.03 % and 22 %, respectively. We propose targeted suggestions that regions with oversupply of GCES should channel efforts toward augmenting road accessibility, whereas regions grappling with excess demand should prioritize the judicious allocation of resources to avert surpassing the environmental carrying capacity. Our study furnished insights for decision-makers to formulate sustainable development plans pertaining to grassland culture.

Nine new species of black lichenicolous fungi from the genus Cladophialophora (Chaetothyriales) from two different climatic zones of China.

Lichenicolous fungi are parasites of lichens. Many of these fungi are referred to as "black fungi". A diversity of these black fungi include species that are pathogenic to humans and plants. A majority of black fungi reside in the phylum Ascomycota within the sub-classes Chaetothyriomycetidae and Dothideomycetidae. To explore the diversity of lichenicolous "black fungi" associated with lichens in China, we conducted several field surveys in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province between 2019 and 2020. We recovered 1,587 fungal isolates from the lichens collected during these surveys. During the preliminary identification of these isolates using the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS), partial large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (LSU), and small subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (SSU), we identified 15 fungal isolates from the genus Cladophialophora. However, these isolates had low sequence similarities with all known species from the genus. Therefore, we amplified additional gene regions, such as, translation elongation factor (TEF) and partial ß-tubulin gene (TUB), and constructed a multi-gene phylogeny using maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference. In our datasets, we included type sequences where available for all Cladophialophora species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that none of the 15 isolates belonged to any of the previously described species in the genus. Therefore, using both morphological and molecular data, we classified these 15 isolates as nine new species within the genus Cladophialophora: C. flavoparmeliae, C. guttulate, C. heterodermiae, C. holosericea, C. lichenis, C. moniliformis, C. mongoliae, C. olivacea, and C. yunnanensis. The outcome from this study shows that lichens are an important refugia for black lichenicolous fungi, such as those from Chaetothyriales.

Climate suitability division of solar greenhouse in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

To resolve the issue of scientific planning and rational layout of different vegetable greenhouses in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, we selected the days of low temperature in winter, sunshine hours, overcast days, extreme minimum temperature, days of monsoon disaster, days of snow cover in production season of greenhouse as the climate zoning indicators, based on ground-based observation data from 119 meteorological stations (1991 to 2020) and the growing demand of leafy and fruity vegetables in greenhouse, combined with the analysis of key meteorological factors in production season and the study of meteorological disaster indicators such as low temperature and cold damage, wind disaster, snow disaster. We analyzed the indices, classification and division of comprehensive climate suitability zoning of leafy and fruity vegetables at various slopes (35°, 40°) of solar greenhouse by the weighted sum method. The results showed that the climatic suitability zoning grades of leafy and fruity vegetables at 35° and 40° slope of greenhouse was highly consistent, and that the greenhouse climate suitability of leafy vegetables was higher than that of fruity vegetables in the same region. As the slope increased, wind disaster index decreased and snow disaster index increased. Climate suitability was different in areas affected by wind and snow disasters. The northeast of the study area was mainly affected by snow disasters, and the climate suitability of 40° slope was higher than 35°. The southeast of the study area was mainly affected by wind disasters, and the climate suitability of 35° slope was higher than 40°. Alxa League, Hetao Irrigation District, Tumochuan Plain, most parts of Ordos, southeast of Yanshan foothills and the south of West Liaohe Plain were the most suitable area for the solar greenhouse, because they had the suitable solar and hot resources and the low risks of wind and snow damage, which were also the key development areas of current and future facility agriculture. Due to the deficiency of solar and hot resources, high energy consumption in greenhouse production and frequent snow storms, the area around Khingan range in the northeast of Inner Mongolia was unsuitable for greenhouse.

Health risk assessment of eight chemicals in urban drinking water in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 2021 / 环境与职业医学

Background The safety of drinking water is closely related to people's health. In recent years, relevant studies have identified some health related problems with drinking water in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The complex and diverse natural environment embraced by the vast jurisdiction of the region may lead to uneven drinking water quality across the region. Objective To evaluate eight chemicals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium (hexavalent), lead, mercury, fluoride, trichloromethane, and carbon tetrachloride in urban drinking water in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 2021, and to provide reference for optimizing urban water supply system and ideas for further developing strategies to promote population health. Methods A total of 1228 monitoring sites were set up in urban areas of Inner Mongolia, and water samples were collected once in dry season (May) and once in wet season (August−September). Eight chemicals of interest in drinking water were detected according to the Standard examination methods for drinking water, and assessed for health risks using the health risk assessment model recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and following the Technical guide for environmental health risk assessment of chemical exposure. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the concentrations of eight chemicals in urban drinking water by water seasons and water sample types. Results In 2021, a total of 2381 samples of urban drinking water were tested in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, including 1195 samples in wet season and 1186 samples in dry season; 389 samples of finished water and 1992 samples of tap water. The positive rates of arsenic and fluoride were 26.25% and 96.77%, respectively. The positive rates of cadmium, chromium (hexavalent), lead, mercury, trichloromethane, and carbon tetrachloride were 6.22%, 16.63%, 6.09%, 16.67%, 18.98%, and 8.36%, respectively. The exceeding standard rate of fluoride was 4.87%. Trichloromethane and carbon tetrachloride were qualified in all samples. There were statistical differences in the concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium (hexavalent), lead, and carbon tetrachloride in urban drinking water between water seasons (Z=−3.847, P<0.05; Z=2.464, P=0.014; Z=−3.129, P=0.002; Z=4.341, P<0.05; Z=4.342, P<0.05). Only fluoride concentration was found statistically different among different water sample types (Z=−2.287, P=0.022). The non-carcinogenic risks of ingestion and dermal exposure to each chemical in drinking water by water seasons and water sample types were all less than 1, but the P95 total non-carcinogenic risks of oral exposure were greater than 1. The P95 carcinogenic risks of oral exposure to some chemicals in drinking water by water seasons and water sample types were>10−4, which suggested carcinogenic risks, while the carcinogenic risks of dermal explore to chemicals were all less than 10−6. Conclusion In 2021, urban drinking water in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is generally safe, but arsenic, cadmium, chromium (hexavalent), lead, mercury, and fluoride still exceed the national limits, posing certain health risks.

Equity analysis and policy suggestions for medical and health resource allocation in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region / 上海预防医学

ObjectiveTo analyze the equity of medical and health resource allocation in 12 cities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and to provide policy suggestions for further optimizing the allocation of medical and health resources. MethodsBased on two dimensions of geography and population， a comprehensive evaluation of the equity of medical and health resource allocation was conducted using location entropy， health resource density index （HRDI）， entropy-weighted TOPSIS method， and GIS spatial analysis. ResultsLocation entropy showed that the allocation of medical resources in each league city exceeded or approached 1 in the population dimension， but less than 1 in the geography dimension. HRDI revealed that the number of health institutions in Tongliao City was 8.3 times that of Alxa League； the number of beds， health technical personnel， practicing （assistant） physicians， and registered nurses in Wuhai City was 20.3 times， 18.2 times， 15.2 times， and 22.7 times that of Alxa League. The entropy-weighted TOPSIS method showed that the top three weighted indicators were registered nurses （24.14%）， health technical personnel （22.63%）， and practicing （assistant） physicians （21.13%）. Allocation of medical resources in Hulunbuir City， Xilinguole League， and Alashan League was significantly inequitable； GIS spatial analysis showed that the equity of medical resource allocation exhibited a decreasing distribution pattern from the central region to the western and eastern regions. ConclusionThere is a significant disparity in the equity of medical and health resource allocation among various leagues and cities， with resource allocation in the population dimension being better than in the geographical dimension. Allocation of medical and health human resources should be strengthened.

New record of Tylodelphys metacercariae (Diplostomidae) from Perccottus glenii (Odontobutidae) and their phylogenetic assessment.

Metacercariae of Tylodelphys sp. were found in the abdominal cavity of the Chinese sleeper (Perccottus glenii) collected in Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. The sequences of the mitochondrial cox1 gene and ribosomal ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2 region were obtained and used for molecular identification and phylogenetic assessment of this parasite species. Results of phylogenetic analyses based on ITS and cox1 markers showed that the metacercariae of Tylodelphys sp. ex P. glenii from China were conspecific with specimens of Tylodelphys sp. collected by Sokolov et al. (2013) from the same fish-host species captured earlier in West Siberia, Russia. The examined Tylodelphys sp. ex. P. glenii is the only member of the genus whose metacercariae parasitise the abdominal cavity of fish in northern Eurasia. Tylodelphys sp. ex P. glenii clustered with T. darbyi, T. immer, T. podicipina, and Tylodelphys sp. of Soldánová et al., 2017 based on mitochondrial DNA markers, and with T. darbyi, T. immer, T. kuerepus, and T. schreuringi using nuclear DNA markers.

Quantitative real-time PCR detection and analysis of a lumpy skin disease outbreak in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a severe disease of bovine characterized by nodules on the skin, mucous membranes, and profuse nasal discharge which causes severe economic losses. In October 2020, an LSD outbreak case was found in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. A total of 1,206 cattle were sold from the same imported animal quarantine field to 36 farms after the quarantine period finished, and over 30 farmers reported symptoms such as skin scabs found in newly arrived cattle shortly after that. A large-scale LSD outbreak investigation was launched after laboratory diagnosis confirmed LSD. The clinical samples of 1,206 cattle from 36 farms, including 1,206 whole blood, 1,206 oral and nose swabs, and 355 scabs, were collected for the qRT-PCR test. The result showed that 51 whole blood samples (4.23%), 580 swab samples (48.09%), and 350 skin scabs (98.59%) were lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) positive, 33 of 36 farms were affected. This study aims to provide a basis for LSD epidemiological traceability, movement control, and measures for prevention and control.

Surveillance of hepatitis C among five high-risk populations in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2021 / 预防医学

Objective@#To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among five high-risk populations in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, so as to provide insights into improvements in the control strategy for hepatitis C. @*Methods@#The detection of anti-HCV antibody was collected from patients receiving renal dialysis, patients receiving invasive diagnosis and treatment in hospitals, physical examination populations, unpaid blood donors and subjects admitted to family planning clinics in national hepatitis C surveillance sentinels in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2021, and the year-, gender- and age-specific prevalence of anti-HCV antibody was analyzed. @*Results@#The mean prevalence of anti-HCV antibody was 2.19%, 1.81%, 0.05%, 0.10% and 0.03% among 3 600 patients receiving renal dialysis, 3 600 patients receiving invasive diagnosis and treatment in hospitals, 18 000 physical examination populations, 18 000 volunteer blood donors and 3 600 subjects admitted to family planning clinics, respectively. The prevalence of anti-HCV antibody appeared a tendency towards a decline among patients receiving renal dialysis (χ2trend=49.065, P<0.001) and volunteer blood donors (χ2trend=11.419, P=0.001). The prevalence of anti-HCV antibody was higher among male patients receiving invasive diagnosis and treatment in hospitals than among females (2.34% vs. 1.36%; χ2=4.826, P=0.028), and no gender-specific prevalence of anti-HCV antibody was seen among other four high-risk populations (all P>0.05). The highest prevalence of anti-HCV antibody was detected among patients receiving renal dialysis (3.30%) and patients receiving invasive diagnosis and treatment in hospitals at ages of 50 to 59 years (3.35%), while the highest prevalence was found among physical examination populations at ages of 60 years and greater (0.18%). @*Conclusion@#The prevalence of anti-HCV antibody was high among patients receiving renal dialysis and patients receiving invasive diagnosis and treatment in hospitals and low among physical examination populations, volunteer blood donors and subjects admitted to family planning clinics in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2021. Periodical monitoring of anti-HCV antibody is recommended among the elderly.

Current situation and analysis of radiological diagnosis and treatment resources in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, 2019 / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To comprehensively obtain the present situation of medical radiation protection resources by investigating the basic information of all medical institutions in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China from 2017 to 2019. Methods An investigation was conducted on the basic information of medical institutions according to the unified plan of medical radiation protection monitoring project issued in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, involving all radiodiagnostic medical institutions throughout the region. Results By the end of 2019, there were 1195 radiological diagnosis and treatment institutions, 7285 radiation workers, 2705 sets of radiological diagnostic equipment, 36 medical accelerators, and 22 sets of nuclear medicine equipment in the whole region. Conclusion The radiological diagnosis and treatment resources in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are developing rapidly. However, the problems of insufficient per capita resources and uneven development among the cities are becoming increasingly prominent.

Community Intervention System: COVID-19 Control in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

The COVID-19 epidemic has caused giant influences on people's life, and China's communities play an important role in dealing with these major public health events (MPHEs). Community as the grassroots autonomous organization has various significant functions in intervening in MPHEs. The community intervention follows a system which directly influences the anti-epidemic effectiveness. To explore the mechanism, we devise a theoretical system for community intervention, mainly consisting of "organizational structure", "functional performance" and "internal and external connections". Questionnaire surveys, the chi-square test, the independent sample T-test, and principal component analysis are used to identify the characteristics of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's (Inner Mongolia) community intervention. Through the empirical research, it is verified that the community intervention in MPHEs is the combination of "the structural response of the organization", "the performance of the community's own function", and "the establishment of internal and external connections". The central Inner Mongolia delivers the best performance in community intervention compared to eastern Inner Mongolia and western Inner Mongolia. The urban communities commonly perform better than that in the agricultural and pastoral areas. The built system and findings could provide a guidance for future community to improve its intervention capability.

[Spatial distribution of canine echinococcosis in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution and changing trend of canine echinococcosis in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, so as to provide the scientific evidence for prevention and control of canine echinococcosis in high-risk areas of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. METHODS: All data pertaining to Echinococcus infections in canine feces and sampling survey of human echinococcosis were collected from the echinococcosis-endemic foci of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018, and the prevalence of Echinococcus infections was investigated in dogs and humans. In addition, the spatial distribution characteristics and clusters of canine echinococcoses were identified. RESULTS: A total of 164 139 canine fecal samples were detected in the echinococcosis-endemic foci of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018, and there were 2 136 fecal samples positive for Echinococcus coproantigens. The positive rates of Echinococcus coproantigens were 0.54% to 1.73% in dogs from 2012 to 2018, with a tendency towards a decline seen in the prevalence of Echinococcus infections in dogs (χ2 = 108.83, P < 0.01), and there was a significant difference in the positive rate of Echinococcus coproantigens in dogs among years (χ2 = 155.27, P < 0.01). Three-dimensional trend analysis showed that canine echinococcosis was mainly concentrated in east of central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and a high prevalence was detected in New Barag Right Banner and Sonid Right Banner. The global spatial distribution of canine echinococcosis appeared a random pattern in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018 (Moran's I > 0, P > 0.05), and there were "high-high" and "high-low" clusters of canine echinococcosis in local areas. The prevalence of human echinococcosis was 0.08%, and there was a significant difference in the prevalence among regions (χ2 = 147.61, P < 0.01), with a high prevalence seen in West Ujimqin Banner, Jarud Banner and New Barag Right Banner. In addition, the prevalence of human echinococcosis correlated positively with the Echinococcus coproantigen-positive rate in dogs (r = 0.52, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of Echinococcus infections shows an overall tendency towards a decline in dogs in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018, with a high prevalence found in New Barag Right Banner and Sonid Right Banner. Human echinococcosis is concentrated in clusters of canine echinococcosis, where health education and targeted control interventions requires to be intensified.

Spatial distribution of canine echinococcosis in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018 / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the distribution and changing trend of canine echinococcosis in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, so as to provide the scientific evidence for prevention and control of canine echinococcosis in high-risk areas of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Methods All data pertaining to Echinococcus infections in canine feces and sampling survey of human echinococcosis were collected from the echinococcosis-endemic foci of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018, and the prevalence of Echinococcus infections was investigated in dogs and humans. In addition, the spatial distribution characteristics and clusters of canine echinococcoses were identified. Results A total of 164 139 canine fecal samples were detected in the echinococcosis-endemic foci of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018, and there were 2 136 fecal samples positive for Echinococcus coproantigens. The positive rates of Echinococcus coproantigens were 0.54% to 1.73% in dogs from 2012 to 2018, with a tendency towards a decline seen in the prevalence of Echinococcus infections in dogs (χ2 = 108.83, P < 0.01), and there was a significant difference in the positive rate of Echinococcus coproantigens in dogs among years (χ2 = 155.27, P < 0.01). Three-dimensional trend analysis showed that canine echinococcosis was mainly concentrated in east of central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and a high prevalence was detected in New Barag Right Banner and Sonid Right Banner. The global spatial distribution of canine echinococcosis appeared a random pattern in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018 (Moran’s I > 0, P > 0.05), and there were “high-high” and “high-low” clusters of canine echinococcosis in local areas. The prevalence of human echinococcosis was 0.08%, and there was a significant difference in the prevalence among regions (χ2 = 147.61, P < 0.01), with a high prevalence seen in West Ujimqin Banner, Jarud Banner and New Barag Right Banner. In addition, the prevalence of human echinococcosis correlated positively with the Echinococcus coproantigen-positive rate in dogs (r = 0.52, P < 0.01). Conclusions The prevalence of Echinococcus infections shows an overall tendency towards a decline in dogs in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2018, with a high prevalence found in New Barag Right Banner and Sonid Right Banner. Human echinococcosis is concentrated in clusters of canine echinococcosis, where health education and targeted control interventions requires to be intensified.

[Epidemic situation of human echinococcosis in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region: a sampling survey from 2012 to 2017].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of human echinococcosis in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, so as to provide evidence for the development of the precision control strategy of human echinococcosis in the region. METHODS: A sampling survey of human echinococcosis was conducted in 28 banners (counties, districts) of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2017, and the epidemiological characteristics were descriptively analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 90 058 residents were examined for echinococcosis in 28 banners (counties, districts) of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2017, and 71 patients were detected with echinococcosis, with a detection rate of 0.08%. No echinococcosis cases were identified in 8 banners (counties), and there were 6 banners (counties) with echinococcosis prevalence of 0.1% to 1%, and 14 with prevalence of 0 to 0.1%. The echinococcosis prevalence was significantly greater in women (0.11%) than in men (0.05%) (χ2 = 10.09, P = 0.001), and the highest prevalence was detected in patients at ages of over 50 years (38 cases, 53.52%). In addition, the highest echinococcosis prevalence was detected in herdsmen (0.14%), or in primary school children (0.13%). CONCLUSIONS: Human echinococcosis is widely, but lowly prevalent in Inner Mongolia Region, with a diverse density of infections. Echinococcosis has remarkable characteristics of regional and population clusters in Inner Mongolia Region, and the management of echinococcosis requires to be reinforced in key regions and populations.

Epidemiologically characteristics of human brucellosis and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Brucella melitensis in Hinggan League of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

BACKGROUND: Hinggan League is located in the Northeast of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the historically endemic area of animal and human brucellosis. In this study, the epidemiological characteristics of human brucellosis were analyzed, and the genotypic profile and antimicrobial susceptibilities of Brucella melitensis strains isolated from humans in Hinggan League were investigated. METHODS: The epidemic characteristics were described using case number, constituent ratio, and rate. The 418 human blood samples were collected and tested by bacteriology, and suspect colonies were isolated and identified by conventional biotyping assays, the VITEK 2.0 microbial identification system, and AMOS (Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, B. ovis, and B. suis)-PCR. Subsequently, all strains were genotyped using multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) assays, and the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Brucella strains against the 10 most commonly used antibiotics was determined by microdilution method. RESULTS: A total of 22 848 cases of human brucellosis were reported from 2004 to 2019, with an annual average incidence of 87.2/100 000. The incidence rates in developed areas of animal husbandry (Horqin Youyi Qianqi [161.2/100 000] and Horqin Youyi Zhongqi [112.1/100 000]) were significantly higher than those in forest areas (Arxan [19.2/100 000]) (χ2 = 32.561, P < 0.001). In addition, peak morbidity occurred during May-August, accounting for 72.6% (16582/22 848) of cases. The highest number of cases occurred in the 40+ age group, accounting for 44.4% (10 137/22484) of cases, and morbidity in males was significantly higher than that in females in all age groups (χ2 = 299.97, P < 0.001), the most common occupation was farmers. A total of 54 B. melitensis strains were divided into 37 genotypes (GT1-37) with 80-100% genetic similarity. All 25 strains were sensitive to seven tested antibiotics, phenotypic resistance to cotrimoxazole and azithromycin was observed in 5 (20%) and 25 (100%) of the isolates, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Human brucellosis exhibited a significant increasing trend and B. melitensis is the main pathogen responsible for human brucellosis in this region. Improved surveillance of infected animals (sheep) and limiting their transfer and trade are optional strategies for decreasing the incidence of this disease.

[Spatial distribution characteristics of reported echinococcosis patients in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2018].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the spatial distribution patterns and changing tendency of reported echinococcosis patients in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2018, so as to provide the evidence for the management of echinococcosis in high-risk areas. METHODS: All data pertaining to echinococcosis patients in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were captured from the National Notifiable Communicable Disease Reporting System from 2013 to 2018 and analyzed using a spatial epidemiological method. RESULTS: The incidence of reported echinococcosis was 0.22 to 0.41 per 100 000 in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2018, and the number of banner reporting echinococcosis patients increased from 24 in 2013 to 39 in 2018. The highly prevalent areas of echinococcosis were mainly concentrated in West Ujimqin Banner (the highest incidence, 19.23 per 100 000), East Ujimqin Banner (the highest incidence, 12.93 per 100 000) and New Barag Right Banner (the highest incidence, 11.66 per 100 000). Three-dimensional trend analysis showed that the areas with high incidence of reported echinococcosis were mainly located in central by eastern parts of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. There was a positive spatial autocorrelation in the number of echinococcosis patients, and the cases appeared a clustering distribution (Moran's I > 0, P < 0.05), with "high-high" and "low-high" regions. CONCLUSIONS: The reported echinococcosis patients show a spatial aggregation in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the hotspot areas are mainly concentrated in Xilingol League and Chifeng City, in which targeted control interventions for Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are recommended to be intensified.

Spatial distribution characteristics of reported echinococcosis patients in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2018 / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the spatial distribution patterns and changing tendency of reported echinococcosis patients in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2018, so as to provide the evidence for the management of echinococcosis in high-risk areas. Methods All data pertaining to echinococcosis patients in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were captured from the National Notifiable Communicable Disease Reporting System from 2013 to 2018 and analyzed using a spatial epidemiological method. Results The incidence of reported echinococcosis was 0.22 to 0.41 per 100 000 in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2018, and the number of banner reporting echinococcosis patients increased from 24 in 2013 to 39 in 2018. The highly prevalent areas of echinococcosis were mainly concentrated in West Ujimqin Banner (the highest incidence, 19.23 per 100 000), East Ujimqin Banner (the highest incidence, 12.93 per 100 000) and New Barag Right Banner (the highest incidence, 11.66 per 100 000). Three-dimensional trend analysis showed that the areas with high incidence of reported echinococcosis were mainly located in central by eastern parts of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. There was a positive spatial autocorrelation in the number of echinococcosis patients, and the cases appeared a clustering distribution (Moran’s I > 0, P < 0.05), with “high-high” and “low-high” regions. Conclusion The reported echinococcosis patients show a spatial aggregation in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the hotspot areas are mainly concentrated in Xilingol League and Chifeng City, in which targeted control interventions for Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are recommended to be intensified.

Epidemic situation of human echinococcosis in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region: a sampling survey from 2012 to 2017 / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of human echinococcosis in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, so as to provide evidence for the development of the precision control strategy of human echinococcosis in the region. Methods A sampling survey of human echinococcosis was conducted in 28 banners (counties, districts) of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2017, and the epidemiological characteristics were descriptively analyzed. Results A total of 90 058 residents were examined for echinococcosis in 28 banners (counties, districts) of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2012 to 2017, and 71 patients were detected with echinococcosis, with a detection rate of 0.08%. No echinococcosis cases were identified in 8 banners (counties), and there were 6 banners (counties) with echinococcosis prevalence of 0.1% to 1%, and 14 with prevalence of 0 to 0.1%. The echinococcosis prevalence was significantly greater in women (0.11%) than in men (0.05%) (χ2 = 10.09, P = 0.001), and the highest prevalence was detected in patients at ages of over 50 years (38 cases, 53.52%). In addition, the highest echinococcosis prevalence was detected in herdsmen (0.14%), or in primary school children (0.13%). Conclusions Human echinococcosis is widely, but lowly prevalent in Inner Mongolia Region, with a diverse density of infections. Echinococcosis has remarkable characteristics of regional and population clusters in Inner Mongolia Region, and the management of echinococcosis requires to be reinforced in key regions and populations.

Epidemiological characteristics and its trends of other infectious diarrhea diseases in infants in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 2005-2016 / 中华传染病杂志

Objective@#To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and its trends of other infectious diarrhea diseases in infants in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.@*Methods@#Statistical analysis was conducted on other infectious diarrhea cases of infants in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from China Information System for Disease Prevention and Control from 2005 to 2016. The main methods were descriptive epidemiology for population, area and time distribution of these registered cases in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The trends were analyzed by the ratio of fixed base and ring base. Area map method was used for regional differences.@*Results@#From 2005 to 2016, 17 760 other infectious diarrhea diseases of infants were reported in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, accounting for 58% of the total reported cases. The cases number and incidence showed an overall upward trend. After 2011, the growth rate of case reports and incidences slowed down relatively. The peak of the incidence was in July and August (4 739 cases), accounting for 27% of cases of the whole year. Seventy-three point forty-four percent of the cases were located in Hulunbeier City (5 161 cases, 29.06%), Hohhot City (4 465 cases, 25.14%) and Baotou City (3 417 cases, 19.24%) . Except for Wuhai City, the remaining 11 cities showed increased incidence of other infectious diarrhea diseases in infants. The ratio of male to female was 1.55∶1, and the incidence in males was higher than that in females every year. Twelve-month-old (5 800 cases, 33%) had the greatest proportion. Clinical diagnosis (56.26%) and confirmed diagnosis (43.51%) were the main categories, but the rate of pathogen labeling was only 7.60%.@*Conclusions@#After 2011, the incidence of other infectious diarrhea diseases of infants in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have slowed down relatively. However, the incidence has significant time, region and population aggregation.