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HEADLINES: Occupational Risk and Mitigation * Regional Variability of Environmental Risk * One Health Programs Making a Difference * NEW Video from Dr. Breitschwerdt discussing the Bartonella 4-Species Serology Panel * More
Occupational Risk and Mitigation
Occupational risks are hazards associated with the workplace. Recent headlines include a scalpel cut while performing surgery on an infected heart, vector-borne pathogens and people who serve those experiencing homelessness, and H5N1 risks to animal workers.
Shortcomings in understanding of occupational risks by workers and the public can lead to shunning of certain workers (such as can happen to healthcare workers working with infectious disease), lack of protections for workers, and refusal to provide services to people who bring risks that can be mitigated.
Occupational Exposure to Coxiella burnetii During Cardiac Surgery: A Case Report and Review of the Literature by P Diwunga et al. publishing from Marseille, France – A patient was undergoing heart surgery for endocarditis caused by C. burnetii (Q fever) when a scalpel cut into a nurse’s finger. Q fever is a zoonotic pathogen that usually causes human infection after exposure to animals. It is an occupational risk to healthcare workers who are exposed to the pathogen through aerosols and blood, including when performing autopsies of infected patients. The nurse was treated with prophylactic antibiotics.
Knowledge and Practices Related to Louse- and Flea-Borne Diseases among Staff Providing Services to People Experiencing Homelessness in the United States by SN Rich et al., a team publishing from the US CDC, regional and state health departments, and university researchers nationwide – Are people who work in homeless shelters and outreach aware of their occupational risk from biting insects? The researchers found that most workers knew that fleas and body lice can be found on people who are experiencing homelessness. About half knew that body lice and fleas could transmit pathogens, but most did not know how to manage the insects and their risk. This can lead to exposure risks for both clients and staff and can also lead to people experiencing homelessness being denied needed services.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus: Identification of Human Infection and Recommendations for Investigations and Response Distributed by the US CDC Health Alert Network – An outbreak of H5N1 avian flu in cattle in the United States has led to concerns about occupational risk for dairy workers and other animal workers and hobbyists.
Find out more about Bartonella infection, an occupational risk for veterinary workers.
Regional Variability of Environmental Risk
One Health means looking at the relationships of people, animals, and the environment. What can we do with the environment to reduce pathogen risk? Does reducing rodents and small mammals decrease the risk of getting diseases like Lyme disease?
In the case of tick-borne disease, the results of research have been frustratingly variable. A recent study found that fixed landscape items such as stone walls in Connecticut increased small mammal populations and consequently tick nymph populations. On the other hand, a study of reducing rodent populations on islands in Finland found no change in tick-borne disease risk.
Clearly these are extremely different environments with many more variables to consider. It makes sense that avoiding tall grass and vegetation that can transfer ticks to people can reduce tick-bite risk. But the best techniques to reduce environmental risk may be very local, with further research identifying the best techniques for different regions.
Evaluation of Landscaping and Vegetation Management to Suppress Host-Seeking Ixodes scapularis (Ixodida: Ixodidae) Nymphs on Residential Properties in Connecticut, USA by MA Linske & SC Williams publishing from The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Effects of Rodent Abundance on Ticks and Borrelia: Results from an Experimental and Observational Study in an Island System by N. Kiran et al. publishing from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland
One Health Programs Making a Difference
After years of pushing uphill, One Health is making real changes in how governments approach disease risk. Examples from Canada and the US show the results of concrete change.
One Health Communication Channels: A Quantitative Case Study of Swine Influenza in Canada in 2020 by J Denis-Robichaud et al. publishing from universities and public health agencies in Canada – The response to a human case of H1N2v swine flu in Canada in 2020 provides an opportunity to evaluate how One Health programs are working. Relationships that started well before an event were found to be a key element of the response.
The USGS One Health Approach to Infectious Diseases of Wildlife and Environmental Change – The US Geological Survey was created in 1879 with a fairly broad mission to provide scientific resources to government and the public. One Health is part of providing services needed in the 21st century.
NEW Video from Dr. Breitschwerdt discussing the Bartonella 4-Species Serology Panel
Listen to Galaxy Diagnostics Chief Scientific Officer and Cofounder Dr. Edward Breitschwerdt discussing the answers to these questions and more:
– Why is it important to test for antibodies against multiple Bartonella species?
– What symptoms do you see with Bartonella infection?
– Why is Bartonella koehlerae an important species to test for?
MORE: Spotted Fever Rickettsia in South Carolina * Bartonella schoenbuchensis in Germany * Updated Ohio Department of Health Tick Website * Increased Tick Counts in the UK * Reverse Zoonosis * Immune Effects of Dormant Bacteria * Spotted Fever Rickettsia in South Carolina
Eco-epidemiology of Rickettsia amblyommatis and Rickettsia parkeri in Naturally Infected Ticks (Acari: Ixodida) from South Carolina by L Gual-Gonzalez et al. publishing from The University of South Carolina, the South Carolina Public Health Laboratory, and Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia – R. rickettsii, the cause of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, is the most well-known spotted fever Rickettsia in the US. This study looks at R. parkeri and R. amblyommatis in South Carolina and found them mainly in forests and wetlands. More information is needed about the risk of human transmission and the risk to human health.
Find out more about Rickettsia infection and the testing available at Galaxy Diagnostics.
Bartonella schoenbuchensis in Germany
Detection of Bartonella schoenbuchensis (Sub)species DNA in Different Louse Fly Species in Saxony, Germany: The Proof of Multiple PCR Analysis Necessity in Case of Ruminant-Associated Bartonellae Determination by I Vogt et al. publishing from Germany, the Netherlands, and Czech Republic – This investigation of louse flies in Germany found B. schoenbuchensis subspecies in all four species of flies collected. Their zoonotic risk requires further research, and researchers also suggest the subspecies be re-classified as separate species.
Updated Ohio Department of Health Tick Website
The Tickborne Diseases in Ohio website maintained by the Ohio Department of Health has been updated. The website has information about diseases spread by tick-bite and preventing bites.
Increased Tick Counts in the UK
Increased tick counts and increased tick diseases in the UK mean that some people are encountering ticks for the first time just as using protection against tick-bite is becoming more important.
Reverse Zoonosis
While Humans Fear the Zoonotic Disease, Animals Fear the Reverse by Timothy Little writing on BugBitten, a blog hosted by the journal Parasites and Vectors. The risk may be bigger than many realize.
Immune Effects of Dormant Bacteria
In this “look back” section, we revisit blood microbiome research from 2015 and 2018. The research investigated small amounts of dormant bacteria in blood and blood cells that can generate immune response leading to chronic inflammatory conditions.
As highlighted by Galaxy Diagnostics Cofounder and CEO Dr. Amanda Elam on LinkedIn earlier this week, in a blood microbiome study published a decade ago, Potgieter et al. (2015) concluded that “many more inflammatory diseases may have a microbial component than are presently considered, and may be treatable using bactericidal antibiotics or vaccines.”
The Dormant Blood Microbiome in Chronic, Inflammatory Diseases (May 2015) by M Potgieter, J Bester, DB Kell & E Pretorius publishing from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and The University of Manchester, UK
On the Translocation of Bacteria and Their Lipopolysaccharides Between Blood and Peripheral Locations in Chronic, Inflammatory Diseases: The Central Roles of LPS and LPS-Induced Cell Death (November 2015) by DB Kell & E Pretorius publishing from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and The University of Manchester, UK
No Effects Without Causes: The Iron Dysregulation and Dormant Microbes Hypothesis for Chronic, Inflammatory Disease (March 2018) by DB Kell & E Pretorius publishing from the University of Pretoria, South Africa and The University of Manchester, UK
