Novel Species of Brucella Causing Human Brucellosis, French Guiana

Brucella osteoarthritis: recent progress and future directions

Brucellosis is a common zoonosis, and Brucella osteoarthritis is the most common chronic complication of brucellosis. Development of brucellosis osteoarthritis involves multiple organs, tissues, and cells. Brucella grows and multiplies in intrinsic cells of the skeleton, including osteoblasts, osteocyte and osteoclasts, which results in sustained release of bacteria that leads to exacerbation of the immune response. Concurrently, activation of the immune system caused by invasion with Brucella may affect the dynamic balance of the skeleton. A variety of in vitro and in vivo models have been employed to study Brucella osteoarthritis, such as using bone marrow-derived macrophages to establish cell models and mice to develop animal models of Brucella osteoarthritis. However, limited studies on the molecular pathological mechanisms of Brucella osteoarthritis have been performed and inadequate animal models have been developed due to the challenging parameters of Brucella research. This paper reviews recent advances in the clinical features, molecular pathological mechanisms, and animal models of Brucella osteoarticular infections. This review underscores the complexity of the pathogenesis of Brucella osteoarticular infections and highlights inflammation as a contributing factor to bone loss caused by Brucella. Additionally, the significant proliferation of Brucella in skeletal resident cells also is an important factor leading to bone loss. A deeper understanding of the molecular pathological mechanism of Brucella osteoarthrosis and their animal models could provide robust support for the prevention and treatment of Brucella osteoarticular disease.

Brucella microti and Rodent-Borne Brucellosis: A Neglected Public Health Threat

Brucellosis is one of the most important zoonoses worldwide, primarily affecting livestock but also posing a serious threat to public health. The major Brucella species are known to cause a feverish disease in humans with various clinical signs. These classical Brucella species are (re-)emerging, but also novel strains and species, some of them transmitted from rodents, can be associated with human infections. As a result of our review on rodent-borne brucellosis, we emphasise the need for more comprehensive surveillance of Brucella and especially Brucella microti in rodent populations and call for further research targeting the ecological persistence of rodent-associated Brucella species in the environment, their epizootic role in wild rodents and their virulence and pathogenicity for wildlife.

The Importance of Studying Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of Wild Animals in the Amazon Biome with a Focus on One Health

The Amazon Biome is home to an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, many of which are reservoirs or vectors for infectious and parasitic diseases that can impact not only the health of wild animals but also human and domestic animal populations. This narrative review highlights the critical importance of studying infectious and parasitic diseases in wild animals within the Amazon, particularly in the context of the One Health approach, which recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. This narrative review examines key pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites, that pose significant risks to wildlife conservation and public health. Through a synthesis of recent literature, this article emphasizes the need for comprehensive surveillance, research, and collaboration between the veterinary, medical, and environmental sectors. The results underscore the urgent necessity for an integrated response to emerging diseases, particularly as environmental changes and human activities increasingly disrupt ecosystems in the region. The conclusions advocate for the reinforcement of One Health initiatives in the Amazon Biome to ensure the protection of biodiversity and the prevention of zoonotic disease transmission to human populations.

Practical Steps to Design Brucellosis Preventive Interventions: An Intervention Mapping Approach

Background and Aims

Common diseases between humans and animals are one of the health problems of countries, which requires targeted intervention. The intervention mapping model provides guidance for choosing the most appropriate methods and applications. Since one of the most important challenges in the endemic areas of Iran is the control of brucellosis. Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine the intervention mapping model and its steps to design interventions to prevent this disease.

Methods

In this research, the practical steps of the Brucellosis prevention intervention were carried out with the intervention mapping approach in six steps from July 2023 to December 2023. In the first step, needs assessment was done through literature review, semi-structured in-depth interview and checklist. In the second step, the matrix of change objectives was designed. After selecting intervention methods based on theory and practical applications, and producing program components and materials, the intervention was implemented and evaluated.

Results

Intervention mapping helped us in designing and implementing the brucellosis control educational program with the participation of participants, specifying the definition of results, performance goals and determinants, theoretical methods, practical applications, intervention design, implementation and step-by-step evaluation.

Conclusion

The intervention mapping approach ensures the transparency of all intervention components and it provides a useful approach for developing behavior change interventions.

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The European Union One Health 2023 Zoonoses report

This report by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control presents the results of zoonoses monitoring and surveillance activities carried out in 2023 in 27 Member States (MSs), the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) and 10 non-MSs. Key statistics on zoonoses and zoonotic agents in humans, food, animals and feed are provided and interpreted historically. In 2023, the first and second most reported zoonoses in humans were campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis, respectively. For both agents, an increase in the absolute number of cases was observed in comparison with 2022. Fifteen MSs and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) reached all the established targets in poultry populations with regard to the reduction in Salmonella prevalence for the relevant serovars. Salmonella samples from carcases of various animal species, and samples for Campylobacter quantification from broiler carcases, were more frequently positive when performed by the competent authorities than when own-checks were conducted. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) was the third most reported zoonotic agent in humans, followed by Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes and West Nile virus infections were the most severe zoonotic diseases, with the highest percentage of hospitalisations among cases and the highest case fatality rates. Twenty-seven MSs and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) reported a slight decrease in food-borne outbreaks in 2023 overall in comparison with 2022, although the overall number of reported human cases and hospitalisations increased. Salmonella Enteritidis remained the most frequently reported causative agent for reported cases and food-borne outbreaks. Salmonella in 'eggs and egg products' was the agent/food pair of most concern. In 2023 this combination caused the largest number of outbreaks and cases among all agent/food combination and ranked second in number of hospitalisations. Salmonella was also the causative agent associated with the majority of multi-country outbreaks reported in the EU in 2023. This report also provides updates on brucellosis, echinococcosis, Q fever, rabies, toxoplasmosis, trichinellosis, tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis or M. caprae, and tularaemia.

Multiple Brucella melitensis lineages are driving the human brucellosis epidemic in Shaanxi Province, China: evidence from whole genome sequencing-based analysis

Introduction

Human brucellosis is a severe public concern in Shaanxi Province, China, and investigating the epidemiological relationship and transmission pattern of B. melitensis is necessary to devise control strategies.

Methods

In this study, a conventional bio-typing approach and whole genome sequencing of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were employed to identify 189 strains.

Results

Based on the conventional bio-typing, 189 Brucella strains were identified as B. melitensis, of which 14 were in bv. 1, 145 were in bv. 3, and 30 were variant, and the Brucella strains were distributed in all ten cities in Shaanxi Province. SNP analysis was used to identify genetic variation in 189 B. melitensis genomes, and maximum-likelihood was used to generate a phylogeny that identified two clades (A and B) and 19 sequence types (STs). The two clades were highly diverse and exclusively of Eastern Mediterranean origin. Clade B contained 18 STs (2-19), with most isolates originating from a broad swath, implying that multiple B. melitensis lineages circulated in Shaanxi. The 19 STs were composed of 3 to 46 strains isolated from different counties and years, suggesting that multiple cross-county brucellosis outbreak events are driven by multiple B. melitensis lineages. Global phylogenetic analysis revealed that clade A was close to GTIIb, and clade B was placed in the GTIIh lineage, expanding the known diversity of B. melitensis from China.

Conclusion

The human brucellosis epidemic in Shaanxi is driven by multiple indigenous circulating B. melitensis lineages, the knowledge of which will contribute to devising a control strategy and providing the foundation for a comprehensive regional phylogeny of this important zoonotic pathogen.

Molecular typing methods to characterize Brucella spp. from animals: A review

Brucellosis is an infectious disease of animals that can infect humans. The disease causes significant economic losses and threatens human health. A timely and accurate disease diagnosis plays a vital role in the identification of brucellosis. In addition to traditional diagnostic methods, molecular methods allow diagnosis and typing of the causative agent of brucellosis. This review will discuss various methods, such as Bruce-ladder, Suiladder, high-resolution melt analysis, restriction fragment length polymorphism, multilocus sequence typing, multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis, and whole-genome sequencing single-nucleotide polymorphism, for the molecular typing of Brucella and discuss their advantages and disadvantages.

Etiology of Acute Febrile Illnesses in Adults in the Defense Community in French Guiana

In tropical countries, acute febrile illnesses represent a complex clinical problem for general practitioners. We describe the prevalence of different etiologies of acute febrile illnesses occurring among French service members and their families, excluding children, in general practice in French Guiana. From June 2017 to March 2020, patients with a fever ≥37.8°C with a duration of less than 15 days who sought medical care at the army medical centers in Cayenne and Kourou were prospectively enrolled. Based on clinical presentation, blood, urine, nasopharyngeal, and stool samples were collected for diagnostic testing for viruses, bacteria, and parasites (by direct examination, microscopic examination of blood smears, culture, serology, or polymerase chain reaction), and standardized biological tests were systematically performed. Among 175 patients retained for analysis, fever with nonspecific symptoms was predominant (46.9%), with 10 Plasmodium vivax malaria cases, 8 dengue infections, and 6 cases of Q fever. The second most frequent cause of acute febrile illness was upper respiratory tract infections (32.0%) due to influenza virus (n = 18) or human rhinovirus (n = 10). Among the causes of acute febrile illness in French Guiana, clinicians should first consider arboviruses and malaria, as well as Q fever in cases of elevated C-reactive protein with nonspecific symptoms and influenza in cases of signs and symptoms associated with upper respiratory tract infections. Despite an expanded microbiological search, the etiology of 51.4% of acute febrile illnesses remain unknown. Further investigations will be necessary to identify the etiology of acute febrile illnesses, including new pathogens, in French Guiana.

Social determinants of health among people working on informal gold mines in French Guiana: a multicentre cross-sectional survey

INTRODUCTION

Social determinants of health, such as living and working conditions, economical and environmental context and access to care, combine to impact the health of individuals and communities. In French Guiana (FG), the persons working in informal artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the rainforest are a particularly vulnerable population which lives in precarious conditions and far from the health system. Previous studies have demonstrated their high morbidity due to infectious diseases. This study aims to describe the social determinants of health in this specific population.

METHODS

This international multicentre cross-sectional survey included people working on the informal FG gold mines at the crossing points located at both borders with Suriname and Brazil. After collecting written informed consent, a structured questionnaire was administered.

RESULTS

From September to December 2022, 539 gold miners were included. These poorly educated migrants, mainly from Brazil (99.1%) did not have access to drinkable water (95.4%), lived in close contact with wild fauna by hunting, eating bushmeat or being bitten and were exposed to mercury by inhalation (58.8%) or ingestion (80.5%). They report frequent accidents (13.5%) and chronic treatment interruptions (26.6% of the 11.9% reporting chronic treatment). Half of them considered themselves in good health (56.4%).

CONCLUSION

This study shows a singular combination of adverse exposures of gold miners working in FG such as zoonoses, heavy metal poisoning, aggression of wild fauna. For ethical as well as public health reasons, actions towards health equity must be considered at different levels: individual, community, environmental, systemic and global level. As end users of minerals, we must assume our responsibilities for the well-being of the extractors by including health in political decisions to engage together in global health.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT05540470.

Virulent Brucella nosferati infecting Desmodus rotundus has emerging potential due to the broad foraging range of its bat host for humans and wild and domestic animals

Desmodus rotundus, vampire bats, transmit dangerous infections, and brucellosis is a hazardous zoonotic disease, two adversities that coexist in the subtropical and tropical areas of the American continent. Here, we report a 47.89% Brucella infection prevalence in a colony of vampire bats inhabiting the tropical rainforest of Costa Rica. The bacterium induced placentitis and fetal death in bats. Wide-range phenotypic and genotypic characterization placed the Brucella organisms as a new pathogenic species named Brucella nosferati sp. nov., isolated from bat tissues, including the salivary glands, suggesting feeding behavior might favor transmission to their prey. Overall analyses placed B. nosferati as the etiological agent of a reported canine brucellosis case, demonstrating its potential for infecting other hosts. To assess the putative prey hosts, we analyzed the intestinal contents of 14 infected and 23 non-infected bats by proteomics. A total of 54,508 peptides sorted into 7,203 unique peptides corresponding to 1,521 proteins were identified. Twenty-three wildlife and domestic taxa, including humans, were foraged by B. nosferati-infected D. rotundus, suggesting contact of this bacterium with a broad range of hosts. Our approach is appropriate for detecting, in a single study, the prey preferences of vampire bats in a diverse area, demonstrating its suitability for control strategies where vampire bats thrive. IMPORTANCE The discovery that a high proportion of vampire bats in a tropical area is infected with pathogenic Brucella nosferati and that bats forage on humans and many wild and domestic animals is relevant from the perspective of emerging disease prevention. Indeed, bats harboring B. nosferati in their salivary glands may transmit this pathogenic bacterium to other hosts. This potential is not trivial since, besides the demonstrated pathogenicity, this bacterium possesses all the required virulent arsenal of dangerous Brucella organisms, including those that are zoonotic for humans. Our work has settled the basis for future surveillance actions in brucellosis control programs where these infected bats thrive. Moreover, our strategy to identify the foraging range of bats may be adapted for exploring the feeding habits of diverse animals, including arthropod vectors of infectious diseases, and therefore of interest to a broader audience besides experts on Brucella and bats.