Feature Papers of Zoonotic Diseases 2023

A special issue of Zoonotic Diseases (ISSN 2813-0227).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 12133

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Department of Medical Sciences, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT 06518, USA
Interests: immunology; ticks; tick-borne diseases; ectoparasites; vector-borne diseases; parasitology; zoonoses
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue entitled “Feature Papers of Zoonotic Diseases 2023”. Zoonotic Diseases is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal that provides an advanced forum for studies related to mutually transmissible infections between humans and other animal species. The journal will complete the group of international journals in the field of Zoonotic Diseases that we are expecting to very soon gain popularity and prestige.

For this Special Issue, we are seeking the submission of manuscripts from the field of zoonotic disease that would be of interest to our international readers. In this case, well-designed studies and high-quality datasets are required to promote the quality of, and interest in, our new journal. We welcome both original research articles and comprehensive review papers. The papers in this Special Issue will be published via our open-access platform after a thorough peer review, a process which will benefit both our authors and readers.

As evidenced by the keywords list, the fields to be included in this Special Issue have been broadened to best represent the scope of the journal, while creating more opportunities for international research contributions.

You are welcome to send short proposals for feature paper submissions to the Editorial Office ([email protected]) before submission.

We look forward to receiving your excellent work.

Prof. Dr. Stephen K. Wikel
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Zoonotic Diseases is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • zoonotic diseases
  • zoonoses and public health
  • veterinary medicine
  • infectious diseases
  • veterinary medicine and human health
  • one health and eco-health
  • microbiology
  • virology
  • parasitology
  • epidemiology
  • control and prevention of zoonotic disease
  • disease ecology
  • disease vectors
  • disease detection and diagnostics
  • disease modeling

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 880 KiB  
Article
Real-Time Surveillance of Dog Bite Incidence in Islamabad: A Cross-Sectional Study from December 2019 to July 2020
by Shafiq ur Rehman, Moin Iqbal, Wajiha Waqar Ali, Muhammad Wasif Malik, Zulfiqar Ali, Mumtaz Ali Khan, Jamil Ahmed Ansari, Muazam Abbas Ranjha, Emily S. Bailey and Aamer Ikram
Zoonotic Dis. 2023, 3(3), 179-187; https://doi.org/10.3390/zoonoticdis3030015 - 17 Jul 2023
Viewed by 2115
Abstract
Rabies is a neglected viral zoonotic disease with an almost 100% fatality rate. A pilot project was initiated by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, in collaboration with Health Security Partners (HSP) to establish a real-time dog bite surveillance in humans in [...] Read more.
Rabies is a neglected viral zoonotic disease with an almost 100% fatality rate. A pilot project was initiated by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, in collaboration with Health Security Partners (HSP) to establish a real-time dog bite surveillance in humans in public sector secondary care hospitals of Islamabad. The main objective of this study was to analyze different characteristics of dog bite cases, identify gaps in surveillance, and recommend suggestions to improve and strengthen real-time dog bite surveillance systems. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in two major public sector hospitals in Islamabad from December 2019 to July 2020. Data on demographic information, site of the dog bite, category of the dog bite, and treatment was collected via a WVS mobile-based application. Descriptive analysis was carried out for different variables at a p-value of <0.05. A total of 338 dog bite cases were captured in the World Veterinary Service (WVS) application, and most cases (n = 226, 85.6%) were reported in December 2019 with a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. Most cases were reported from the age group of 22 to 31 years (n = 178, 53%). Out of the total number of cases, 263 (78%) presented with a single anatomical location, and 174 (51%) had Category II wounds. All dog bite patients were given only the first dose of the anti-rabies vaccine at the hospital level. Real-time dog bite surveillance via a mobile-based application proved to be effective for the timely recording and management of dog bite cases. Young people were reported to be mostly affected by dog bites, and nearly half of the cases were managed in hospitals. Refresher training was conducted for medics and paramedics for mobile-based applications, dog bite management, and proper referral of cases to tertiary care hospitals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Zoonotic Diseases 2023)
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Review

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15 pages, 1415 KiB  
Review
Heartland Virus: An Evolving Story of an Emerging Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Disease
by Emily K. Mantlo and Nicholas J. Haley
Zoonotic Dis. 2023, 3(3), 188-202; https://doi.org/10.3390/zoonoticdis3030016 - 29 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2964
Abstract
Heartland virus (HRTV) is an emerging tick-borne bandavirus that is capable of causing severe disease characterized by acute thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia. The virus is endemic to the eastern United States and is carried by the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Since [...] Read more.
Heartland virus (HRTV) is an emerging tick-borne bandavirus that is capable of causing severe disease characterized by acute thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia. The virus is endemic to the eastern United States and is carried by the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Since its discovery in 2009, at least 60 human infections have been recorded across this area, with an overall 5–10% estimated mortality rate. All infections reported thus far have occurred following a known tick bite or exposure to tick-infested areas, but the possibility of nosocomial transmission has not been ruled out. Despite relatively high rates of seroprevalence among certain wildlife species such as white-tailed deer, the reservoir species for HRTV remains unknown, as the virus has never been isolated from any mammalian wildlife species. Furthermore, how the virus is transmitted to its vector species in nature remains unknown, though laboratory studies have confirmed both horizontal and vertical transmission of HRTV in A. americanum. In addition, the recent 2017 introduction of the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) to the US has raised concerns about possible spillover of HRTV into a new tick species that has been confirmed to be a competent vector for HRTV in the laboratory. Thus, an increased awareness of its clinical presentation is needed, and further research is urgently required to establish the natural transmission cycle and develop new countermeasures for this novel zoonotic pathogen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Zoonotic Diseases 2023)
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Other

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11 pages, 2172 KiB  
Brief Report
Detection of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus from Brain Samples of Equines with Encephalitis
by Bernal León, Josimar Estrella-Morales and Carlos Jiménez
Zoonotic Dis. 2023, 3(3), 215-225; https://doi.org/10.3390/zoonoticdis3030018 - 16 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1548
Abstract
Alphavirus species are globally distributed zoonoses primarily transmitted by arthropods. The Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) are endemic in Costa Rica. This study aims to detect these viruses in brain samples from equines displaying nervous signs. For [...] Read more.
Alphavirus species are globally distributed zoonoses primarily transmitted by arthropods. The Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) are endemic in Costa Rica. This study aims to detect these viruses in brain samples from equines displaying nervous signs. For this purpose, four published Universal RT-PCR methods were compared. The most sensitive and specific RT-PCR method was used to test a total of 70 brain samples, including 40 from bovines and 30 from equines, all exhibiting nervous signs. In the positive cases, eight different brain regions were extracted and tested using this RT-PCR. Positive cases were confirmed through sequencing. Torii RT-PCR demonstrated the highest sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing VEEV and EEEV/Sind among the four Universal RT-PCR assays. Not all assessed brain regions showed DNA amplification. None of the bovine brains was positive, and out of the 30 equine brain samples, only four tested positive, and sequencing confirmed two of these samples as VEEV subtype IE. Torii RT-PCR successfully detected VEEV in pools of the hippocampus, spinal cord, and basal nuclei, making these brain regions suitable for diagnosing this virus. None of the samples were positive for EEEV or WEEV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Zoonotic Diseases 2023)
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14 pages, 1991 KiB  
Case Report
Incidental Finding of Dirofilaria immitis (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) Microfilariae in the Bone Marrow of a Dog with Mixed Leishmania infantum-Dirofilaria immitis Infection
by Ilaria Lensi, George Lubas and Roberto Amerigo Papini
Zoonotic Dis. 2023, 3(2), 162-175; https://doi.org/10.3390/zoonoticdis3020013 - 9 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4058
Abstract
We report a rare and interesting case of mixed infection with Leishmania infantum and Dirofilaria immitis associated with the incidental finding of microfilariae in the bone marrow of a 9-year-old, intact, male Bullmastiff which was seropositive to L. infantum. Clinical signs showed [...] Read more.
We report a rare and interesting case of mixed infection with Leishmania infantum and Dirofilaria immitis associated with the incidental finding of microfilariae in the bone marrow of a 9-year-old, intact, male Bullmastiff which was seropositive to L. infantum. Clinical signs showed progressive weakness, pale mucosae membranes, and a very low body condition score. Laboratory abnormalities included moderate, normocytic, normochromic, non-regenerative anemia; mild leukocytosis, neutrophilia, monocytosis, and eosinopenia; low platelet count; elevated C reactive protein; mild hyperkalemia, hypoalbuminemia, and hyperbeta-2-globulinemia; and a low A/G ratio. Hypoadrenocorticism, euthyroid sick syndrome, and alteration in the fibrinolytic phase of hemostasis were also detected. Microfilariae were incidentally found in bone marrow cytology aspirate in the absence of clinical features indicative of co-infection with D. immitis. PCR confirmed the identification of the Dirofilaria species. It is assumed that the microfilariae may have left the microcirculation and migrated to bone marrow tissues by crossing the vessel wall. To the best of our knowledge, only one such case has been previously reported in dogs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Zoonotic Diseases 2023)
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