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In 2022, a national study titled The DUHEI (Drug Use in Higher Educationin Ireland) was conducted to determine the prevalence and problem of drug use among students in institutes of higher education. The findings of the DUHEI revealed that drug use is prevalent among college students in Ireland, with over half reporting they use or hadused drugs in the past.The study also uncovered a subpopulation of students who have recovered from a previous problem with drug or alcohol use in thepast, known as students in recovery. These students were identifiedas a unique and vulnerable population in need of specific support on college campuses. The authors of the report recommend the establishment of collegiate recovery programs in institutes of higher education in Ireland to support these students in active recovery from addiction. Collegiate recovery programs are well established in the U.S and are emerging in the UK and Canada. This perspective article echoes, and extends upon the DUHEI recommendationto implement CRPs in Ireland, by highlighting the evidence base which demonstrates the efficacy of collegiate recovery programs. Itis important that Irish colleges and Universities follow international best practice by establishing collegiate recovery program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Enterobacterales are a group of Gram-negative bacteria frequently exhibiting extended antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and involved in the transmission of resistance genes to other bacterial species present in the same environment. Due to their impact on human health and the paucity of new antibiotics, the World Health Organization (WHO) categorized carbapenem resistant and ESBL-producing as critical. Enterobacterales are ubiquitous and the role of the environment in the transmission of AMR organisms or antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) must be examined in tackling AMR in both humans and animals under the one health approach. Animal manure is recognized as an important source of AMR bacteria entering the environment, in which resistant genes can accumulate. Methods: To gain a better understanding of the dissemination of third generation cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone resistance genes between isolates in the environment, we applied whole genome sequencing (WGS) to Enterobacterales (79 E. coli, 1 Enterobacter cloacae, 1 Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 1 Citrobacter gillenii) isolated from farm effluents in Ireland before (n = 72) and after (n = 10) treatment by integrated constructed wetlands (ICWs). DNA was extracted using the MagNA Pure 96 system (Roche Diagnostics, Rotkreuz, Switzerland) followed by WGS on a MiSeq platform (Illumina, Eindhoven, Netherlands) using v3 chemistry as 300-cycle paired-end runs. AMR genes and point mutations were identified and compared to the phenotypic results for better understanding of the mechanisms of resistance and resistance transmission. Results: A wide variety of cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone resistance genes (mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and chromosomal mutations) were identified among isolates that mostly explained the phenotypic AMR patterns. A total of 31 plasmid replicon types were identified among the 82 isolates, with a subset of them (n = 24), identified in E. coli isolates. Five plasmid replicons were confined to the Enterobacter cloacae isolate and two were confined to the Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate. Virulence genes associated with functions including stress, survival, regulation, iron uptake secretion systems, invasion, adherence and toxin production were identified. Conclusion: Our study showed that antimicrobial resistant organisms (AROs) can persist even following wastewater treatment and could transmit AMR of clinical relevance to the environment and ultimately pose a risk to human or animal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Salmonella is an important zoonotic pathogen and is one of the main causes of foodborne outbreaks and infections in the European Union. Pigs are a significant reservoir and are frequently subclinical carriers of this organism. Salmonella can be shed in the faeces allowing infection to spread to other pigs, the environment, transport vehicles, lairages and other areas. Inadvertent spillage of gut contents during the slaughter process also leads to contamination. A pig Salmonella control programme has operated in Ireland since 2002 but many local surveys and an EUMS baseline survey in 2008 continued to indicate high levels of the organism in the pig sector. The objectives of this study were to generate updated information on the prevalence of Salmonella spp, in slaughter pigs and carcasses in Irish abattoirs. Five pigs from each of 164 herds were randomly sampled over a 14-week period during 2016. One sample from each of the five pigs of; caecal content, ileo-caecal lymph nodes and carcass swabs (pre-chill) were collected. The five caeca and lymph node samples from each herd were processed as one pool of caecal samples and one pool of lymph node samples, respectively, while the five carcass swabs were tested as individual samples. All isolates were characterised by serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility. Results: In total, 235 Salmonella spp. were isolated from 820 individual carcass swabs, 164 pooled lymph nodes and 164 caecal contents. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 54.3% of the caecal contents and from 31.7% of the ileocaecal lymph node sample pools. A total of 11.5% of carcass-swab samples yielded Salmonella spp. S. Typhimurium 4,[5],12:i:1,2 or its monophasic variant 4,[5],12:i:-: predominated among isolates from all positive samples; accounting for 73% of lymph nodes, 68% of caecal contents and 56% of carcass swab isolates. S. London and S. Derby were the next most common isolated serotypes. Conclusions: These results confirm continuing high levels of Salmonella in fattening pigs in Ireland although reductions in carcass contamination compared to previous surveys were noted. A high prevalence of Salmonella in lymph nodes suggests that it remains a significant problem pre slaughter and a challenge to abattoirs in adhering to process hygiene requirements. The high prevalence of monophasic S. Typhimurim 4,[5],12:i:-: is of serious concern. Therefore, it is important to identify contributing factors in the dissemination of this pathogen in the pork industry in order to minimise the risk of human salmonellosis cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim was to exploit whole genome sequencing (WGS) to assess genomic diversity, identify virulence genes and deduce the proportion of Campylobacter colonized broilers that directly contaminate their carcasses. Methods and Results: Campylobacter jejuni isolates (107) from caeca and carcass neck skin samples (50 pairs from the same batch plus 7 individual caeca) sampled at three poultry slaughterhouses over a one‐year period were selected for sequencing (MiSeq; Illumina). FastQ files were submitted to BioNumerics for analysis using the wgMLST scheme for allele calling. Campylobacter cgMLST and hierarchical clustering was performed by applying the single linkage algorithm. Sequence types (STs) were determined in silico from the WGS data and isolates were assigned into clonal complexes (CCs) using the CampylobacterPubMLST.org database. Virulence genes were determined by downloading core sequences from the virulence factor database (VFDB) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). A high degree of diversity was observed with 23 different STs identified. ST257 and CC‐21 were the most common STs and CCs, respectively. cgMLST analysis suggested that 56% of carcass contamination was a direct result of contamination from caeca from the same batch. Virulence genes known to play a role in human C. jejuni infection were identified such as the wlaN gene and the genes associated with lipooligosaccharide synthesis, which were identified in 30% of isolates. Conclusions: Caecal colonization was the more plausible occurring source of C. jejuni contamination of broiler carcasses, compared with cross‐contamination from another batch or the environment. The high rate of genetic diversity observed amongst caecal isolates is consistent with a wide variety of Campylobacter strains circulating in poultry flocks in Ireland. Significance and Impact of Study: The results will further inform broiler processors and regulators about the influence and importance of on‐farm colonization versus slaughterhouse cross‐contamination and the relationship between C. jejuni in caeca and carcasses during processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many autistic children experience difficulties in their communication and language skills development, with consequences for social development into adulthood, often resulting in challenges over the life-course and high economic impacts for individuals, families, and society. The Preschool Autism Communication Trial (PACT) intervention is effective in terms of improved social communication and some secondary outcomes. A previously published within-trial economic analysis found that results at 13 months did not support its cost-effectiveness. We modeled cost-effectiveness over 6 years and across four European countries., Methods: Using simulation modeling, we built on economic analyses in the original trial, exploring longer-term cost-effectiveness at 6 years (in England). We adapted our model to undertake an economic analysis of PACT in Ireland, Italy, and Spain. Data on resource use were taken from the original trial and a more recent Irish observational study., Results: PACT is cost-saving over time from a societal perspective, even though we confirmed that, at 13 months post-delivery, PACT is more expensive than usual treatment (across all countries) when given to preschool autistic children. After 6 years, we found that PACT has lower costs than usual treatment in terms of unpaid care provided by parents (in all countries). Also, if we consider only out-of-pocket expenses from an Irish study, PACT costs less than usual treatment., Discussion: PACT may be recommended as a cost-saving early intervention for families with an autistic child.