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Veterinary Sciences
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Veterinary Epidemiology and One Health: Integrating Data-Driven Surveillance and Risk...
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Veterinary Epidemiology and One Health: Integrating Data-Driven Surveillance and Risk Assessment to Combat Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 2435

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mabel Aworh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Forensic Sciences, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC 28301, USA
Interests: veterinary epidemiology; One Health; AMR; genomics; disease surveillance
Dr. Dawn M. Hull

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
One Health (OH)-Entomology Branch, Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Interests: infectious diseases; zoonosis; molecular epidemiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue highlights the critical role of veterinary epidemiology in advancing the One Health framework, with a particular focus on data-driven surveillance and risk assessment in infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It examines the complex interactions among animal, human, and environmental health. By emphasizing innovative approaches that integrate multi-source data, genomics, bioinformatics, and quantitative risk assessment, this Special Issue underscores the need for coordinated strategies in disease prevention and control.

We welcome contributions across a broad range of topics, including epidemiological studies on zoonotic diseases, AMR in human and animal populations within a One Health framework, surveillance systems, pathogen genomics, food safety, wastewater monitoring, and the development of novel strategies to mitigate public health threats. Collectively, these papers will provide a comprehensive understanding of the veterinary sector’s vital contributions to global health security and the prevention of infectious disease transmission.

Dr. Mabel Aworh
Dr. Dawn M. Hull
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • epidemiology
  • One-Health
  • infectious diseases
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • data-driven disease surveillance
  • integrated risk assessment
  • zoonoses
  • pathogen genomics
  • public health
  • veterinary public health
  • food safety
  • environmental surveillance
  • disease prevention and control

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 499 KB  
Article
Epidemiology of a Salmonella Outbreak at a South African Equine Veterinary Academic Hospital Between October and December 2016
by Tahiyya Shaik, Henry Annandale and Daniel N. Qekwana
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(4), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13040331 - 29 Mar 2026
Viewed by 337
Abstract
Salmonellosis in equine medicine is of clinical and public health significance. There are no published studies on nosocomial Salmonella outbreaks in South Africa. Electronic medical records of patients admitted to the equine veterinary academic hospital between October and December 2016 were reviewed. The [...] Read more.
Salmonellosis in equine medicine is of clinical and public health significance. There are no published studies on nosocomial Salmonella outbreaks in South Africa. Electronic medical records of patients admitted to the equine veterinary academic hospital between October and December 2016 were reviewed. The SOPs for hospital infection, prevention and control measures pre-, during, and post-outbreak, and possible zoonotic transmission were collected using structured questionnaires. Salmonella was isolated from 25% of patients, including a white rhinoceros. Salmonella Typhimurium was the most common serotype isolated from patients (42%), stables (72.2%), and clinic areas (84%). Hospitalisation duration (p = 0.017) and repeated faecal samples (p = 0.011) were significantly associated with Salmonella infection, but there was no association between syndromic clinical presentation of salmonellosis and Salmonella infection. Four students reported symptoms of salmonellosis, and one was hospitalised with a positive faecal culture. The importance of heightened biosecurity around high-risk patients cannot be over-emphasised. A continuous surveillance programme of both patients and the environment is essential to identify early lapses in infection prevention and control measures, and patient care should be optimised to reduce the length of hospitalisation. Syndromic clinical signs of salmonellosis cannot always be used to identify Salmonella-positive patients as previously suggested, emphasising the importance of a surveillance programme. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Veterinary Epidemiology and One Health: Integrating Data-Driven Surveillance and Risk Assessment to Combat Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance)
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11 pages, 1923 KB  
Article
Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) from Sohag, Egypt
by Alsagher O. Ali, Wael Qossa, Fatma A. Khalifa, Caroline F. Frey and Ragab M. Fereig
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(2), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13020166 - 7 Feb 2026
Viewed by 745
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a globally prevalent protozoan parasitic disease of livestock, among others, with significant zoonotic potential. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum samples from water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in Sohag governorate, Upper Egypt. In [...] Read more.
Toxoplasmosis is a globally prevalent protozoan parasitic disease of livestock, among others, with significant zoonotic potential. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum samples from water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in Sohag governorate, Upper Egypt. In addition, several factors related to animals, management, and environment were analyzed to identify the risk factors for T. gondii infection. A cross-sectional epidemiological approach was employed, with samples collected from various locations across the region and tested using a commercially available indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). Animal and environmental factors were evaluated to identify potential risk factors for the disease. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii among the tested buffaloes was 7% (24/342). Seasonal variations were observed, with the highest seropositivity recorded in spring (10.7%; 11/103), followed by autumn (8%; 2/25), summer (5.6%; 7/125), and winter (2.2%; 2/89). High seropositivity was detected in aborted females, at 19% (4/21), and in repeated breeders, at 10.5% (4/38), in relation to buffaloes showing anestrus (no positive cases), although the differences were not statistically significant. Our findings suggest that T. gondii is endemic in Sohag, with water buffaloes serving as sentinel animals for the disease. The spring season appears to be a risk factor for infection. Further studies are needed to assess the potential risk to humans, particularly regarding the consumption of raw or undercooked buffalo meat infected with T. gondii. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Veterinary Epidemiology and One Health: Integrating Data-Driven Surveillance and Risk Assessment to Combat Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance)
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19 pages, 3271 KB  
Article
Tracking ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli Across Municipal Wastewater and Farm Ecosystems: A One Health Investigation
by Jordan Deutschlander, Isaiah Joseph Taylor, Stacious Ward-Swan, Deepa Gopal Struble, Katrina Edwards, Yvette Wittenborn, Giannah Dowen, Lyndy Harden, Rhonda Locklear, Mitsu Suyemoto and Mabel Kamweli Aworh
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(2), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13020138 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 959
Abstract
Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC) threatens public health by driving widespread antimicrobial resistance transmission in environmental and agricultural settings. This study examined the prevalence, genetic determinants, and phylogenetic relationships of ESBL-EC isolated from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and farm environments in southeastern [...] Read more.
Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC) threatens public health by driving widespread antimicrobial resistance transmission in environmental and agricultural settings. This study examined the prevalence, genetic determinants, and phylogenetic relationships of ESBL-EC isolated from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and farm environments in southeastern North Carolina. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between May and September 2025 across two WWTPs and two farms (cattle and poultry). We sampled influent and effluent wastewater, plus fecal and water specimens collected from chickens, ducks, and cattle. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method against nine drugs, while PCR and sequencing were used for genotypic characterization. Phylogenetic analysis assessed genetic relatedness among isolates. ESBL-EC was detected in 27.4% (n = 124) of 452 samples, with the highest prevalence in chickens (31.5%), followed by WWTP influents (28.2%), ducks (18.5%), and cattle (12.1%). Dominant resistance genes included blaCMY-2 (71.8%), blaCTX-M-1 and blaOXA (54% each), and blaSHV (29.8%). Co-occurrence of blaCMY-2 with blaCTX-M-1 and blaOXA was observed in poultry isolates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed clonal relatedness between poultry and cattle isolates. These findings highlight poultry as a key reservoir and emphasize the need for One Health surveillance to mitigate cross-reservoir transmission of resistant E. coli. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Veterinary Epidemiology and One Health: Integrating Data-Driven Surveillance and Risk Assessment to Combat Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance)
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