May 26, 2025
One Health Trust webinar highlights challenges and opportunities in the fight against mpox
On April 29, 2025, the One Health Trust hosted a webinar that featured experts discussing the challenges to curbing mpox transmission, efforts to respond to mpox outbreaks, and gaps in the global approach to mpox. As of March 17, 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, and Uganda have reported the most cases of mpox Clade I (the primary outbreak of concern) since January 2024. Speakers noted the immense challenges faced in ensuring that vulnerable populations such as small children and infants, pregnant people, and displaced people receive treatment, diagnosis, and vaccines. They also discussed the opportunities for building a better healthcare infrastructure during this response to address potential and future outbreaks. The webinar was moderated by OHT’s Dr. Samantha Serrano and featured Professor Yap Boum II (Africa CDC), Mr. Nodar Kipshidze (OHT), and Dr. Aula Abbara (MSF Amsterdam and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust). [One Health Trust]
Higher national action rates to control AMR improve health outcomes for all income levels
Governments worldwide have affirmed their commitment to controlling antimicrobial resistance (AMR). To investigate how national action levels affect AMR outcomes, a group of researchers led by OHT’s Dr. Eili Klein used data from the Global Database for Tracking AMR to analyze trends of antibiotic use and resistance across 73 countries from 2000 to 2016. Higher national action levels in 2016 were consistently linked with improved trends in antibiotic use, resistance rates, and the Drug Resistance Index. These links remained strong even when accounting for socioeconomic and environmental factors. Despite data limitations and varied implementation timelines, the results underscore the importance of sustained, high-level national efforts in reducing antibiotic resistance and improving health outcomes across all income levels. [PLOS Global Public Health]
Comparing whole-genome-sequencing pipelines to identify clusters of food-borne pathogens
A multi-country whole genome sequencing (WGS) study assessed the cluster composition at the outbreak level for four foodborne pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter jejuni) to determine how various countries and sectors utilize WGS to monitor foodborne pathogens. Variations in clustering patterns across various WGS pipelines highlight the challenge of result comparability globally. However, the authors demonstrated that ongoing assessments are feasible to identify where alignment is strong and where improvements are needed to enhance global surveillance efforts to monitor foodborne diseases. [Nature Communications]
High prevalence of healthcare-associated infections in intensive rehabilitation centers in Italy
A point-prevalence survey conducted in 22 long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Italy found that the overall prevalence of residents with at least one healthcare-associated infection (HAI) was 4.8 percent, with variations by type of LTCF (ranging from 1.1 percent for residents in residential care to 12.1 percent for patients in intensive rehabilitation). The most frequently reported infections were urinary tract infections (44.8 percent) and pneumonia (10.2 percent). Most of the prescribed antibiotics in this study belong to the “Watch” category of the World Health Organization AWaRe antibiotic classification, meaning that they are broad-spectrum drugs with a higher potential for resistance. [Journal of Infection and Public Health]
Identifying virulence factors and AMR genes in multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae in Peru
A phenotypic and molecular analysis of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), carbapenemases (a type of β-lactamases that can hydrolyze carbapenems), and virulence factors in multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from three hospitals in the Cusco region in Peru revealed that all MDR K. pneumoniae strains tested positive for ESBLs, with 14.3 percent producing carbapenemases. Furthermore, a genomic analysis revealed various antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, including porin-coding gene mutations, aminoglycoside resistance linked to fluoroquinolone resistance, and multidrug efflux pump regulators. Notably, this study is the first to identify the high-risk, “pandemic” clone ST147 associated with carbapenem resistance in the Cusco region. [Nature Scientific Reports]
Oxygen levels may influence the resistance profiles of Gram-negative bacteria.
A study assessing the minimum inhibitory concentration in aerobic and anaerobic conditions of isogenic E. coli strains, each containing a particular antimicrobial resistance cassette (ARC), revealed oxygen-dependent differences in their resistance profiles. At least eight ARCs displayed substantial changes in their performance in anaerobic conditions, suggesting that anaerobiosis may lead to lower resistance levels and that the availability of dissolved oxygen in water bodies may have implications for the selection of antimicrobial resistance in the environment. [Science of the Total Environment]
Factors contributing to delayed times to alert and control anthrax in Africa
A systematic review and meta-analysis found that the pooled median time to control anthrax outbreaks in Africa was 40.5 days, which is greater than 2 anthrax incubation periods (14 days). Of note, the longest anthrax incubation is 7 days, and ideally, the outbreak should be controlled shortly after 2 incubation periods. Limited awareness of anthrax symptoms and transmission routes and cultural practices may lead to communities failing to recognize the disease early or understand the risks associated with handling or consuming infected animals. Furthermore, economic pressure to salvage meat from diseased animals, failure to map hotspots in areas that may not have experienced anthrax outbreaks before, and mistrust in government and health authorities may contribute to the delayed response and control times observed in the examined studies. [PLOS Global Public Health]
The need for a One Health approach to curb H5N1 transmission in the United States
Since the start of the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak in commercial poultry in Indiana in 2022, the spread of the virus among bird flocks, swine, dairy cattle, and humans has threatened agriculture, human health, and animal health across the United States. Given the wide range of hosts, a One Health approach is crucial to understanding viral transmission and curbing its cross-sectoral impact. This might include a review of farm biosecurity practices, implementation of viral surveillance and vaccination efforts, and an assessment of control measures in dairy and commercial poultry. [Journal of Dairy Science]
The vaccine development landscape for antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacteriaceae
As antibiotic-resistant infections become increasingly prevalent and hard to treat, targeted vaccines for extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli and K. pneumoniae can reduce their threat to public health. Since the 1990s, various technologies for a vaccine against these two pathogens have been explored, including those that target bacterial O-antigens – components of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Despite the numerous similarities between extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli and K. pneumoniae, including their potential vaccine targets, the two bacteria may mount different host responses, underscoring the need for further research to accelerate vaccine development. [npj antimicrobials and resistance]
Predicting infectious disease trends using pet insurance claims data
Comparing disease trends for human cases of Lyme disease, Giardia, and Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) with pet insurance claims by Fetch, Inc., between 2008 and 2022 in the United States highlights the effectiveness of a One Health approach in tracking and combating infectious diseases in both humans and pets. Notably, soil-transmitted helminth infections in humans could not be directly compared to intestinal worm diagnoses in dogs due to limited data after the 1980s. However, canine Lyme incidence trends appeared to precede human Lyme incidence trends by 2 years at the national and top 15 state levels, indicating that canine data may enhance the predictability of human cases of infectious diseases. [Nature Scientific Reports]
Image from Canva
