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Objectives: The objective of the present study was to examine the diversity of Staphylococcus aureus from mastitis milk samples of cows in Rwanda. Methods: A total of 1080 quarter milk samples from 279 dairy cows were collected in 80 different farms from all five provinces of Rwanda. In total, 135 S. aureus isolates were obtained and subjected to genotyping (spa typing, DNA microarray, whole-genome sequencing (WGS)), antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and phenotypic profiling by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy (including capsular serotyping). Results: Resistance to penicillin and/or tetracycline was most frequently observed. Ten sequence types (STs) (ST1, ST151, ST152, ST5477, ST700, ST7110, ST7983, ST7984, ST8320, ST97) belonging to seven clonal complexes (CCs) (CC1, CC130, CC152, CC3591, CC3666, CC705, CC97) were detected. The Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes (lukF-PV/lukS-PV), the bovine leukocidin genes (lukM/lukF-P83) and the human and bovine toxic shock syndrome toxin gene tst-1 variants were detected. FTIR-based capsular serotyping showed CC-specific differences. Most CC97 (cap5 allele) isolates were primarily nonencapsulated (82%), whereas isolates of CC3591 and CC3666 (cap8 allele) were mostly encapsulated (86.4% and 57.8%, respectively). Our results underline the widespread global distribution of cattle-adapted CC97. Conclusion: The presence of CC3591 and CC3666 in bovine mastitis suggests an important role in cattle health and dairy production in Rwanda. The results of the present study support the need for a rigorous One-Health Surveillance program of the bovine–human interface.

Abstract In the post-COVID-19 era, stakeholders, including policymakers, funders, and the public, are increasingly seeking for a cross-sectoral systems-based approach to health risks extending beyond conventional measures. Anchored on three health pillars -human, animal, and environmental- One Health offers a promising framework to effectively address this demand. While some nations have already implemented national One Health strategic plans, European countries, in general, are lagging behind the global agenda. On 22 February 2024, an initiative was launched in Austria toward addressing this gap, bringing together multiple sectors and disciplines, marking the initial step in creating a national One Health network. The workshop emphasized the importance of enhancing One Health education and addressed key topics, such as incorporating the environmental pillar of One Health as well as socio-economic and cultural drivers to further our understanding of outbreaks, and establishing trusted communication channels, including data sharing, between disciplines and sectors. Identified challenges encompassed the need for more funding of transdisciplinary research. Opportunities for advancement include initiating local One Health projects and showcasing their positive impacts. Moving forward, efforts will focus on establishing a mature and globally connected One Health framework in Austria and supporting the integration of One Health aspects into education curricula, research programs, and policies.

Abstract The eco-epidemiology of zoonoses is often oversimplified to host-pathogen interactions while findings derived from global datasets are rarely directly transferable to smaller-scale contexts. Through a systematic literature search, we compiled a dataset of naturally occurring zoonotic interactions in Austria, spanning 1975–2022. We introduce the concept of zoonotic web to describe the complex relationships between zoonotic agents, their hosts, vectors, food, and environmental sources. The zoonotic web was explored through network analysis. After controlling for research effort, we demonstrate that, within the projected unipartite source-source network of zoonotic agent sharing, the most influential zoonotic sources are human, cattle, chicken, and some meat products. Analysis of the One Health 3-cliques (triangular sets of nodes representing human, animal, and environment) confirms the increased probability of zoonotic spillover at human-cattle and human-food interfaces. We characterise six communities of zoonotic agent sharing, which assembly patterns are likely driven by highly connected infectious agents in the zoonotic web, proximity to human, and anthropogenic activities. Additionally, we report a frequency of emerging zoonotic diseases in Austria of one every six years. Here, we present a flexible network-based approach that offers insights into zoonotic transmission chains, facilitating the development of locally-relevant One Health strategies against zoonoses.

Abstract Leptospirosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease. The standard serological test, known as Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), requires the use of live Leptospira strains. To enhance its sensitivity and specificity, the usage of locally circulating strains is recommended. However, to date, no local strain is available from Austria. This study aimed to isolate circulating Leptospira strains from cattle in Austria to enhance the performances of the routine serological test for both humans and animals. We used a statistical approach combined with a comprehensive literature search to profile cattle with greater risk of leptospirosis infection and implemented a targeted sampling between November 2021 and October 2022. Urine and/or kidney tissue were sampled from 410 cattle considered at higher risk of infection. Samples were inoculated into EMJH-STAFF culture media within 2–6 h and a real-time PCR targeting the lipL32 gene was used to confirm the presence/absence of pathogenic Leptospira in each sample. Isolates were further characterised by core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST). Nine out of 429 samples tested positive by PCR, from which three isolates were successfully cultured and identified as Leptospira borgpetersenii serogroup Sejroe serovar Hardjobovis, cgMLST cluster 40. This is the first report on the isolation and genotyping of local zoonotic Leptospira in Austria, which holds the potential for a significant improvement in diagnostic performance in the country. Although the local strain was identified as a cattle-adapted serovar, it possesses significant zoonotic implications. Furthermore, this study contributes to a better understanding of the epidemiology of leptospirosis in Europe.

Abstract Animal movements represent a major risk for the spread of infectious diseases in the domestic swine population. In this study, we adopted methods from social network analysis to explore pig trades in Austria. We used a dataset of daily records of swine movements covering the period 2015–2021. We analyzed the topology of the network and its structural changes over time, including seasonal and long-term variations in the pig production activities. Finally, we studied the temporal dynamics of the network community structure. Our findings show that the Austrian pig production was dominated by small-sized farms while spatial farm density was heterogeneous. The network exhibited a scale-free topology but was very sparse, suggesting a moderate impact of infectious disease outbreaks. However, two regions (Upper Austria and Styria) may present a higher structural vulnerability. The network also showed very high assortativity between holdings from the same federal state. Dynamic community detection revealed a stable behavior of the clusters. Yet trade communities did not correspond to sub-national administrative divisions and may be an alternative zoning approach to managing infectious diseases. Knowledge about the topology, contact patterns, and temporal dynamics of the pig trade network can support optimized risk-based disease control and surveillance strategies.

Current research on SARS-CoV-2 has largely focused on the pandemic's impact on humans, with insufficient attention paid to monitoring, sharing, and communicating information about viral circulation and evolution in animal hosts. The objective of this study was to estimate and characterise the data gap between the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases and related deaths in animals officially notified to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) via its World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS) and known cases reported through two other data sources: ProMED-mail and scientific papers.We used the previously published dataset SARS-ANI to retrieve SARS-CoV-2 events in animals published through WAHIS and ProMED-mail. Additionally, we generated SARS-ANI SciLit v1.0, a novel structured dataset of SARS-CoV-2 events in animals published through scientific literature retrieved from PubMed.We evidenced that at least 52.8% of the SARS-CoV-2 animal cases and 65.8% of the deaths were not reported to WAHIS during 29/02/2020–16/08/2022. Combining information from three different data sources, we compiled a new comprehensive list of 35 animal species reported as susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 under natural conditions, representing a significant advance from the figures reported by the WOAH and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Furthermore, we identified animal species that were underreported to the WAHIS and found that dogs and cats garnered the most attention in research studies. We also showed that, compared to the official WAHIS reports, scientific papers generally experienced longer publication lags and demonstrated that national strategies regarding reporting/publishing of SARS-CoV-2 events in animals greatly differed among countries.This analysis provides valuable insights into the patterns of reporting animal infections with SARS-CoV-2. The study emphasises the need for improvements in data sharing regarding SARS-CoV-2 events in animals, as this is crucial for effective One Health surveillance, prevention, and control of emerging diseases of zoonotic origin.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease which is globally distributed and represents a classic One Health issue that demands a comprehensive understanding of the hosts, transmission paths, and risk factors of transmission. Bovine leptospirosis often results in economic losses through its severe impact on reproduction performance while it threatens human health at human-cattle-environment interfaces. However, a clear analysis of the disease characteristics in European cattle is currently lacking.The objective of this review was to summarise the current knowledge on the epidemiology of bovine leptospirosis in Europe. We conducted a systematic literature review, screening four electronic databases, and filtered articles published between 2001 and 2021, in English, German, and French.Sixty-two articles were ultimately included in the review. The seroprevalence of leptospirosis in cattle was remarkably variable among studies, probably reflecting local variations but also heterogeneity in the study designs, laboratory methods, and sample sizes. Risk factors positively associated with the disease were diverse, related to local, environmental, and climatic parameters as well as farming practices. The most reported circulating Leptospira serogroups in European cattle were Sejroe (58.5%), Australis (41.5%), Grippotyphosa (41.5%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (37.7%), and Pomona (26.4%), which have also been associated with human infections worldwide. Abortion (58.6%) and fertility disorders (24.1%) were the most frequently reported signs of leptospirosis in European cattle and were generally associated with chronic infections.This work highlights several research gaps, including a lack of harmonisation in diagnostic methods, a lack of large-scale studies, and a lack of molecular investigations. Given that predictions regarding the climatic suitability for leptospirosis in Europe suggest an increase of leptospirosis risk it is important to raise awareness among stakeholders and motivate an integrated One Health approach to the prevention and control of this zoonotic disease in cattle and humans.

In response to COVID-19, governments worldwide are implementing public health and social measures (PHSM) that substantially impact many areas beyond public health. The new field of PHSM data science collects, structures, and disseminates data on PHSM; here, we report the main achievements, challenges, and focus areas of this novel field of research.

Measurement(s) SARS-CoV-2 event in animal hosts Technology Type(s) Manual data collection from text sources Factor Type(s) ID • primary_source • archive_event_number • link_web • secondary_source • secondary_source_ID • secondary_source_web • host_com_orig • host_sci_orig • host_com_res • host_sci_res • host_colloq • host_sci_spec_res • family • epidemiological_unit • number_cases • number_susceptible • number_tested • number_deaths • age • sex • country_iso3 • country_name • subnational_administration • city • location_detail • date_confirmed • date_reported • date_published • related_to_other_entries • related_ID • test • sampling_type • test_2 • sampling_type_2 • test_3 • sampling_type_3 • negative_test • negative_sampling_type • negative_test_2 • negative_sampling_type_2 • reason_for_testing • symptoms • outcome • living_conditions • source_of_infection • variant • control_measures • original_source • link_original_source Sample Characteristic - Organism animal host(s) Sample Characteristic - Environment domestic • wild• captive• farmed Sample Characteristic - Location Global

Stringent COVID-19 public health and social measures (PHSMs) have challenged the work of animal health professionals, especially in the early phase of the pandemic. We aimed to qualitatively describe how COVID-19 PHSMs have affected the surveillance and control of African swine fever (ASF) in Europe, assess how professionals engaged in these activities perceived the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and identify potential areas of improvement. An online questionnaire was proposed via email between 9 December 2020 and 22 January 2021 to professionals engaged in ASF-related activities in Europe and Eastern neighboring countries. The questionnaire contained questions pertaining to ASF surveillance and control activities between March and May 2020, respondent's perception of the impact of COVID-19 PHSMs on these activities, and respondent's opinion on potential improvements to prepare for future crises. Economic and sanitary variables were used to describe the national contexts over the study period. Twenty-seven respondents from 24 countries participated to the study. Essential activities related to surveillance and management of ASF were reduced and/or adapted but maintained in most surveyed countries. Communication was mentioned as the first area of improvement during crisis while maintenance of efficient veterinary services and surveillance activities were cited second and third top priorities. The need for the development of remote procedures was also recognized. Some respondents highlighted difficulties in ensuring biosecurity and biosafety of the field actors due to shortage in protective equipment. Only a small majority (52%) of the survey participants agreed that their institution/working group is better prepared to future lockdown-type situations. Our study emphasizes that short-term measures were globally successful to tackle the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the routine duties of professionals involved in ASF surveillance and control. Our findings suggest that country-specific improvements are necessary to support and advance the preparedness of the actors involved in infectious animal disease surveillance and control in case lockdown-like measures are implemented. Overall, our results highlight the crucial importance of recognizing animal health services as essential activities during crisis.

Pneumocystis spp. are thought to adapt to the lungs of potentially all mammals. However, the full host range, fungal burden and severity of infection are unknown for many species. In this study, lung tissue samples originating from 845 animals of 31 different families of eight mammal orders were screened by in situ hybridization (ISH) using a universal 18S rRNA probe for Pneumocystis, followed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining for determining histopathological lesions. A total of 216 (26%) samples were positive for Pneumocystis spp., encompassing 36 of 98 investigated mammal species, with 17 of them being described for the first time for the presence of Pneumocystis spp. The prevalence of Pneumocystis spp. as assessed by ISH varied greatly among different mammal species while the organism load was overall low, suggesting a status of colonization or subclinical infection. Severe Pneumocystis pneumonia seemed to be very rare. For most of the Pneumocystis-positive samples, comparative microscopic examination of H&E- and ISH-stained serial sections revealed an association of the fungus with minor lesions, consistent with an interstitial pneumonia. Colonization or subclinical infection of Pneumocystis in the lung might be important in many mammal species because the animals may serve as a reservoir.

Urban environments represent unique ecosystems where dense human populations may come into contact with wildlife species, some of which are established or potential reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens that cause human diseases. Finding practical ways to monitor the presence and/or abundance of zoonotic pathogens is important to estimate the risk of spillover to humans in cities. As brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) are ubiquitous in urban habitats, and are hosts of several zoonotic viruses, we conducted longitudinal sampling of brown rats in Vienna, Austria, a large population center in Central Europe. We investigated rat tissues for the presence of several zoonotic viruses, including flaviviruses, hantaviruses, coronaviruses, poxviruses, hepatitis E virus, encephalomyocarditis virus, and influenza A virus. Although we found no evidence of active infections (all were negative for viral nucleic acids) among 96 rats captured between 2016 and 2018, our study supports the findings of others, suggesting that monitoring urban rats may be an efficient way to estimate the activity of zoonotic viruses in urban environments.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are waterborne protozoa that cause intestinal infections in a wide range of warm-blooded animals. Human infections vary from asymptomatic to life-threatening in immunocompromised people, and can cause growth retardation in children. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence and diversity of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in urban surface water and in brown rats trapped in the center of Vienna, Austria, using molecular methods, and to subsequently identify their source and potential transmission pathways. Out of 15 water samples taken from a side arm of the River Danube, Cryptosporidium and Giardia (oo)cysts were detected in 60% and 73% of them, with concentrations ranging between 0.3–4 oocysts/L and 0.6–96 cysts/L, respectively. Cryptosporidium and Giardia were identified in 13 and 16 out of 50 rats, respectively. Eimeria, a parasite of high veterinary importance, was also identified in seven rats. Parasite co-ocurrence was detected in nine rats. Rat-associated genotypes did not match those found in water, but matched Giardia previously isolated from patients with diarrhea in Austria, bringing up a potential role of rats as sources or reservoirs of zoonotic pathogenic Giardia. Following a One Health approach, molecular typing across potential animal and environmental reservoirs and human cases gives an insight into environmental transmission pathways and therefore helps design efficient surveillance strategies and relevant outbreak responses.

Brown rats are one of the most widespread urban species worldwide. Despite the nuisances they induce and their potential role as a zoonotic reservoir, knowledge on urban rat populations remains scarce. The main purpose of this study was to characterize an urban brown rat population from Chanteraines park (Hauts-de-Seine, France), with regards to haematology, population genetics, immunogenic diversity, resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides, and community of parasites. Haematological parameters were measured. Population genetics was investigated using 13 unlinked microsatellite loci. Immunogenic diversity was assessed for Mhc-Drb. Frequency of the Y139F mutation (conferring resistance to rodenticides) and two linked microsatellites were studied, concurrently with the presence of anticoagulant residues in the liver. Combination of microscopy and molecular methods were used to investigate the occurrence of 25 parasites. Statistical approaches were used to explore multiple parasite relationships and model parasite occurrence. Eighty-six rats were caught. The first haematological data for a wild urban R. norvegicus population was reported. Genetic results suggested high genetic diversity and connectivity between Chanteraines rats and surrounding population(s). We found a high prevalence (55.8%) of the mutation Y139F and presence of rodenticide residues in 47.7% of the sampled individuals. The parasite species richness was high (16). Seven potential zoonotic pathogens were identified, together with a surprisingly high diversity of Leptospira species (4). Chanteraines rat population is not closed, allowing gene flow and making eradication programs challenging, particularly because rodenticide resistance is highly prevalent. Parasitological results showed that co-infection is more a rule than an exception. Furthermore, the presence of several potential zoonotic pathogens, of which four Leptospira species, in this urban rat population raised its role in the maintenance and spread of these pathogens. Our findings should stimulate future discussions about the development of a long-term rat-control management program in Chanteraines urban park.