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Introduction: The increasing geographical spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) is of global concern due to the underlying zoonotic and pandemic potential of the virus and its economic impact. An integrated One Health model was developed to estimate the likelihood of Avian Influenza (AI) introduction and transmission in Cuba, which will help inform and strengthen risk-based surveillance activities. Materials and methods: The spatial resolution used for the model was the smallest administrative district (“Consejo Popular”). The model was parameterised for transmission from wild birds to poultry and pigs (commercial and backyard) and then to humans. The model includes parameters such as risk factors for the introduction and transmission of AI into Cuba, animal and human population densities; contact intensity and a transmission parameter (β). Results: Areas with a higher risk of AI transmission were identified for each species and type of production system. Some variability was observed in the distribution of areas estimated to have a higher probability of AI introduction and transmission. In particular, the south-western and eastern regions of Cuba were highlighted as areas with the highest risk of transmission. Discussion: These results are potentially useful for refining existing criteria for the selection of farms for active surveillance, which could improve the ability to detect positive cases. The model results could contribute to the design of an integrated One Health risk-based surveillance system for AI in Cuba. In addition, the model identified geographical regions of particular importance where resources could be targeted to strengthen biosecurity and early warning surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the complex evolution of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) situation reflects a change in the eco-epidemiology of the causative agent which, among other demands, renews the need for better understanding of the connectivity between countries through the main virus reservoirs to improve prevention, early warning and mitigate the associated risks. Our objective was to determine migratory connectivity of Blue-winged Teal and evaluate the risk of AIV introduction to Cuba by this species. The stable hydrogen isotope (d2H) value in flight feathers was analyzed. Individuals were sampled during the migratory season of 2021 (N=126) and winter residence of 2020 (N=152), in western and central Cuba, respectively. Based on banding records from 1955 to 2018, the transition probabilities from 3 breeding areas in North America to 9 wintering areas was estimated with a Burnham's live-recapture dead-recovery modeling framework. A map of likely origin in North America of the individuals sampled for each season was generated, combining the isotopic information and transition probabilities. Evidence of an age-related and phenological pattern in migratory origins was identified. Individuals harvested in the migratory season in western Cuba were most likely from molt or natal areas in the prairies and forest regions from United States and southern Canada. Alternatively, individuals harvested in winter in the center of Cuba had the most likely origin in the U.S. prairie region. The spatial-temporal pattern of AIV prevalence in the estimated region was analyzed and suggestions are made to assist the Cuban system of active AIV surveillance of wild birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home parenteral nutrition (PN) is associated with many complications including severe hepatobiliary dysfunction. Commercial ω-6 fatty acid-soybean based-lipid emulsions in PN may mediate long term PN associate liver disease (PNALD) whereas ω-3-fish oil parenteral emulsions have shown to reverse PNALD in children. However, its clinical effectiveness in adults has been scarcely reported. In this work, we study the role of soybean and fish oil lipid commercial emulsions on inflammatory and profibrotic liver markers in adults with long term PNALD and in in vitro cellular models. Inflammatory and profibrotic markers were measured in serum of ten adults with long term PNALD and in culture supernatants of monocytes. Liver epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) was induced by transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) to evaluate in vitro liver fibrosis. Omegaven®, a 100% fish oil commercial emulsion, was infused during four months in two patients with severe long term PNALD reversing, at the first month, the inflammatory, profibrotic and clinical parameters of PNALD. The effect was maintained during the treatment course but impaired when conventional lipid emulsions were reintroduced. The other patients under chronic soybean oil-based PN showed elevated inflammatory and profibrotic parameters. In vitro human monocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide induced a strong inflammatory response that was suppressed by Omegaven®, but increased by soybean emulsions. In other experiments, TGFβ1 induced EMT that was suppressed by Omegaven® and enhanced by soybean oil lipid emulsions. Omegaven® improves clinical, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic parameters in adults with long-term home PNALD.

Current influenza surveillance and pandemic mitigation strategies, addressing One Health from a global perspective, demand a broader geographic capacity for research and surveillance on animal influenza viruses (IVs). The aim of this work was to characterize the temporal and geographic shape of research and surveillance on animal IVs in the Caribbean region. A retrospective study, based on the PRISMA statement, was conducted to systematically review the peer reviewed articles on animal IVs generated in Caribbean countries from January 1950 to March 2019. References were obtained from PubMed Central and Sciendirect databases, whereas Academic Google and some animal disease databases were used as supplementary data sources. The selection process identified 32 articles or disease reports generated from 2007 to March 2019, which averaged 2.66/year. There was an overall trend of increased numbers of articles over time, although it varied among topics. The diagnosis embodied the majority of studies (14, 43.75 %) and the scattering by species showed a vast predominance of those targeting avian (wild bird and poultry) species with respect to swine and horses. The disease reports were restricted to avian influenza (AIV) in poultry with five notifications submitted by three different countries (Dominican Republic, Haiti and Belize), which were all due to an H5N2 low pathogenic (LP) AIV. This systematic review suggested the need of a further increase in scientific studies on animal influenza generated in the Caribbean based on risk assessment and networking through international collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water buffalo is important livestock in several countries in the Latin American and Caribbean regions. This buffalo species can be infected by tick-borne hemoparasites and remains a carrier of these pathogens which represent a risk of infection for more susceptible species like cattle. Therefore, studies on the epidemiology of tick-borne hemoparasites in buffaloes are required. In this study, the prevalence of Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, and Anaplasma marginale were determined in water buffalo herds of western Cuba. To this aim, a cross-sectional study covering farms with large buffalo populations in the region was performed. Eight buffalo herds were randomly selected, and blood samples were collected from 328 animals, including 63 calves (3-14 months), 75 young animals (3-5 years), and 190 adult animals (> 5 years). Species-specific nested PCR and indirect ELISA assays were used to determine the molecular and serological prevalences of each hemoparasite, respectively. The molecular and serological prevalence was greater than 50% for the three hemoparasites. Differences were found in infection prevalence among buffalo herds, suggesting that local epidemiological factors may influence infection risk. Animals of all age groups were infected, with a higher molecular prevalence of B. bigemina and A. marginale in young buffalo and calves, respectively, while a stepwise increase in seroprevalence of B. bovis and B. bigemina from calves to adult buffaloes was found. The co-infection by the three pathogens was found in 12% of animals, and when analyzed by pair, the co-infections of B. bovis and B. bigemina, B. bigemina and A. marginale, and B. bovis and A. marginale were found in 20%, 24%, and 26%, respectively, underlying the positive interaction between these pathogens infecting buffaloes. These results provide evidence that tick-borne pathogen infections can be widespread among water buffalo populations in tropical livestock ecosystems. Further studies should evaluate whether these pathogens affect the health status and productive performance of water buffalo and infection risk of these pathogens in cattle cohabiting with buffalo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to assess the economic impact of oestrosis in the Cuban sheep herds affected. A data set of oestrosis outbreaks during six years (2006-2011) regarding relative mortality and prevalence was used for assessing disease loss. The direct disease cost exceeded a million of the local currency (pesos) on a susceptible population of 139 536 sheep. The cost opportunity for fighting or either controlling oestrosis was considered beneficial, because the antiparasitic price was lower concerning 7 pesos/sheep as disease impact. The Cuban sheep raising is mainly for meat production. As a consequence of the disease, there is a loss of 472 kg of sheep live weight/thousand susceptible animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonosis due to its impact on human and animal health. Toxoplasma gondii is the causal agent of this disease. This protozoan has a complex biological cycle in which felines are the definitive hosts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the seropositivity to T. gondii in cats from Güines municipality, Mayabeque province, as well as to characterize the breeding practices of their owners and determine the main clinical symptoms in seropositive cats. Thirty cats (19 females and 11 males) were studied. A total of 96.7 % (29/30) were seropositive to T. gondii, with no significant differences between sexes. The survey showed that 86.6 % (26/30) of the animals lived with other cats and went out on the streets daily. In addition, 52.6 % females and 100 % males were not sterilized. Paleness of visible mucous membranes was the most frequently observed sign (12/29, 41.37 %) in seropositive cats. It is concluded that there is a high frequency of positivity to Toxoplasma gondii in cats from Güines municipality, favored by certain breeding practices which increase the risk of exposure to T. gondii, benefit the dispersion of the protozoan and even represent the insufficient knowledge of their owners to adopt preventive measures against zoonosis. From the clinical signs observed, there is a need to improve tenure systems with implications for human and animal health and welfare, based on the One Health approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this investigation was to establish the geospatial risk of occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Guyana at the Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC) level. Knowledge based multicriteria analysis was used taking into account various risk factors adjusted to the spatial resolution of the administrative districts of the country. First the risk of introduction of the causing virus was deduced and then the risk of exposure. From these two risks, by means of algebra of maps with the geographic information system QGIS version 2.18.10, the risk occurrence of disease was deduced. Equivalent proportions of districts with very high or high risk were highlighted, with 28 of 116 (24.1%) in each category. The remainder of the districts in descending order of risk classes grouped as low and negligible in 34 (29.3%) NDC. The regions that corresponded to high risk were: Barima-Waini with 2 out of 5 districts in this category; Pomeroon - Supenaam with 2 out of 7 districts; Essequibo Islands - West Demerara with 5 out of 19 districts (26%); Demerara-Mahaica with 5 out of 19 districts (26%); East Berbice - Corentyne with 8 out of 21 districts (38%) and Upper Takutu - Upper Essequibo with 2 out of 8. The geospatial risk of occurrence of HPAI was not distributed evenly in Guyana, which presents an opportunity for prioritization strategies including the development and implementation of a risk-based surveillance system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical swine fever (CSF), or hog cholera, is a highly contagious multisystemic viral disease that is notifiable to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) because of the threat of its transboundary spread. It exclusively affects domestic and wild swine, with heterogeneous clinical and lesional signs, depending on host, virus and environmental factors, which complicate its epidemiological behavior. The prolonged endemism of the disease in Cuba and the systematic application of a live vaccine, modified from the Chinese Strain (produced by LABIOFAM), have led to positive selection processes on the circulating strains, which explain their classification in a new genotype 1.4 and the appearance of moderate to low virulence strains, which have aggravated the clinical suspicion of the cases. In addition, there is the presence of persistently infected pigs (pre- and postnatally), which do not respond to vaccina‐ tion and constantly shed virus into the environment. In this scenario, the serological profile of pig populations from technified and semi-technified farms, with different productive system (closed and open cycle, and both combined), systematically subjected to vaccination was characterized in one province. Antibody detection against CSFV was carried out by ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay) (ELISA CSFV Ab Test IDEXX 99-43220). There was a low level of population immunity in the territory with only 52.4 % of positive animals out of 7502 pigs tested. Pigs for reproductive replacement in genetic farms showed the highest percentage (79.27 %), even with respect to their progenitors. Fattener groups showed a lower frequency of positive animals compared to breeders, and in general, it was higher in technified farms (57.97 %) compared to semi-technified farms (45.1 %). Closed cycle farms showed a lower frequency of positive animals (48.2 %) compared to open and combined cycle farms. Pigs under semi-technified production conditions showed only 42.66 % of positive animals and there were differences depending on the farms of origin. These results may be associated both to the presence of unprotected animals due to vaccine failure at vaccination (33 ±3 days of age) in the presence of high maternal antibody titers, and to a high percentage of pre- or postnatally infected pigs that are immunotolerant and do not respond to the vaccine. These conditions favor CSF endemism in that territory and require the review of the strategies used to control the disease. An analysis of these results 10 years after this research was carried out is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oestrus ovis L. (Diptera: Oestridae) is an important myiasis-producing agent of sheep and goats in diverse production environments. Despite of the cosmopolitan distribution of this agent, the first report of its presence in Cuba was in 1995 in Imias municipality, Guantánamo province. Since that, oestrosis has been reported in other two eastern provinces (Santiago de Cuba and Granma). Some aspects regarding biology, host action and control of Oestrus ovis have been summarized. Information on the parasitic phase, clinical expression as well the treatment of the disease is provided from studies conducted by the authors in Cuba. Oestrosis outbreaks registered by the Veterinary Services during a 6 year period (2006-2011) in Guantánamo province showed that disease has an morbidity average of 50.2%; while either mortality or lethality used to be lower (2.17% and 4.33% respectively). The active diagnosis of oestrosis revealed that the 80% of the herds examined are affected by its causal agent, indicating a high prevalence. According to these data, oestrosis may have an important economic impact on sheep production because of the high amount of susceptible animals in the eastern region of Cuba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feasibility of ARIMA models for syndromic surveillance was evaluated to determine anomalies in births and mortality in swine offspring from a typical commercial farm, and to predict alarm thresholds. For this purpose, data series of these variables aggregated by month over an eight-year period (2010-2017) were analyzed. Models were selected based on the verification of the admissible, parsimonious and stable assumptions, as well as the Akaike criterion for predicting values and their 90 % confidence interval. The best fitting model for both births and mortality was an ARIMA (1,1,0). The lower limit of prediction, set as an alarm level for births, was 109 offspring. In the case of mortality, the alarm level corresponding to the upper limit of the prediction interval was 12.67 %. The ARIMA models established were feasible for syndromic surveillance strategies based on birth and mortality data series, with prediction of alarm thresholds (births <109 offspring and mortality > 10.6 %) that enable early warning and the development of timely responses to correct deviations of productive parameters and their implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently an increasing need for new substances or secondary metabolites from natural products with antiviral activity. The aim of this study was to determine the antiviral activity of Rhizophora mangle L. against DNA and RNA virus. With this aim, R. mangle aqueous bark extract (RMABE) and its butanolic fraction (BF-RMABE) were evaluated for the cytotoxicity and cytopathic effect inhibition assay. The selectivity index was also calculated. An in vitro antiviral activity was demonstrated for RMABE and BF-RMABE against the RNA prototype of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) (CI50 83.30 and 86.10 μg/mL, respectively) and the DNA prototype of Bovine Herpes Virus type 1 (BHV-1) (CI50 87.50 and 90.63 μg/mL, respectively). The results showed the promising antiviral effect of the evaluated R. mangle extracts, suggesting the need for further tests to confirm its in vivo activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Huambo, Angola, there is little knowledge about bovine dermatophilosis and its risk of occurrence, which are crucial aspects to design a better prevention and control strategy. The aim of this study was to determine the behavior of bovine dermatophilosis and to identify factors and risk areas in Huambo, Angola. Based on data from the Veterinary Authority, a longitudinal, retrospective and descriptive study on the occurrence and spatiotemporal distribution of the disease was carried out 2010 to 2014. In the period, 876 cases were reported distributed in 87 outbreaks. The level of precipitation had a higher positive correlation (0,525) with the occurrence of cases two months later, while the odds ratio for occurrence of rainy season cases, compared todry season, was between three and 14 times more likely. According to the exposed bovine population, the municipalities with the highest risk of occurrence were Bailundo and Tchicala-Tcholoanga. However, a large area east of the province, which brought together significantly low rates of occurrence to six contiguous municipalities (Tchindjenje, Ukuma, Longonjo, Ecunha, Londuimbale, Caala), demands future studies to clarify the causes. The moderate correlation of the rainfall level, with the occurrence of dermatophylosis two months later, presents a potential for health alert and a reinforcement of preventive control measures. This advantage is further justified by the high strength of association found in the present study for the occurrence of dermatophilosis in the rainy season in Huambo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical swine fever (CSF) is an endemic disease in Cuba with significant economic impact on the swine industry, not only for the animal losses, but also for the operating expenses of the national coverage control program (technical staff, surveillance, diagnosis, vaccines, disinfectants, etc.). For implementing more effective control and eradication measures, the epidemiological analysis is necessary for a better understanding of the disease spatial and temporal distribution. With this aim, it was used the information about municipalities with CSF outbreaks during a seven-year period (2007-2013) registered by the Epizootiological Surveillance System. The spatiotemporal scan statistics analysis was performed; a Bernoulli probabilistic model was used to detect clusters of outbreak occurrence. Also, a temporal analysis was made through logistic regression. Three significant clusters (p<0.05) of high rates were detected, two of them from 2007 to 2009 with relative risks (RR) of 1.99 and 1.8, respectively. The third cluster had a RR=2.46 in 2008. Also two low rates clusters were observed, the first with a RR= 0.08 from 2009 to 2011, and the second with a RR= 0.43 from 2011to 2012. Furthermore, a tendency to a decreasing percentage of affected municipalities was observed in the studied period; a low risk of the municipalities to be affected were observed in 2011 (OR: 0.518, 0.332-0.809, I.C. 95%, p=0.004) and 2012 (OR: 0.577, 0.371-0.897, I.C 95%, p=0.015). Finally, to investigate the factors associated with the clusters of disease outbreak occurrence is the next step to progress in the CSF control and eradication campaign in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case of unusual mortality was studied to elucidate the suspicion of toxicosis in a feedlot herd of 98 Boer goats. The basic diet consisted of conventional feedstuff, Mulato grass (B. ruzizienses- B. brizanta) forage from the own unit areas, hay produced from the same grass, and water ad libitum. There was a subacute curse mainly characterized by anorexia, progressive deterioration, ruminal paralysis in isolated cases, icterus in absence of fever in the majority of animals. Morbidity reached up to50 % and mortality up to 16%. As part of the case research, haematological, bacteriological, and serological studies were carried out. Pathomorphological studies were done on two of the dead animals. A hepatic-renal insufficiency and hemorrhagic diathesis due to an acute hepatic insufficiency were consistent with death cause. It was concluded that the process studied was caused by the consumption of Mulato grass as the unique fibrous food, due to the toxic effect of saponins present in this Brachiaria species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaplasma marginale is a Rickettsia infecting mature erythrocytes of cattle, causing great economic losses in tropical and subtropical regions. The disease is characterized by a marked hemolytic anemia, weight loss, abortion and sometimes death. Animals, which recover from the acute phase of the disease, stay persistently infected and become reservoir for transmission to healthy animals. There is a need of more sensitive diagnostic techniques to be used in the international movement of livestock towards disease free areas, which allow the detection of carrier animals, as well as to determine the prevalence of the disease in tropical and subtropical regions. For anaplasmosis diagnostic, different techniques are used, among them, agent detection, Giemsa staining to blood smears, inoculation of splenectomized animals, which is the gold standard for diagnosing the disease and the molecular diagnostic methods, which are currently used for the international movement of livestock, because of their sensitivity and specificity. For the detection of antibodies, a complement fixation has been extensively used since a few decades. Card agglutination, indirect immunofluorescence and ELISA tests are the most commonly used for the detection of antibodies, but many of these techniques use crude antigens, contaminated with erythrocyte membranes, which results in a high number of false negatives when persistently infected animals are analyzed. Recent advances and development of new diagnostic methodologies can provide great benefits in improving the diagnostic of this entity. This study discusses the trends existing in the diagnostic of Anaplasma marginale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The increasing geographical spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) is of global concern due to the underlying zoonotic and pandemic potential of the virus and its economic impact. An integrated One Health model was developed to estimate the likelihood of Avian Influenza (AI) introduction and transmission in Cuba, which will help inform and strengthen risk-based surveillance activities., Materials and Methods: The spatial resolution used for the model was the smallest administrative district ("Consejo Popular"). The model was parameterised for transmission from wild birds to poultry and pigs (commercial and backyard) and then to humans. The model includes parameters such as risk factors for the introduction and transmission of AI into Cuba, animal and human population densities; contact intensity and a transmission parameter (β)., Results: Areas with a higher risk of AI transmission were identified for each species and type of production system. Some variability was observed in the distribution of areas estimated to have a higher probability of AI introduction and transmission. In particular, the south-western and eastern regions of Cuba were highlighted as areas with the highest risk of transmission., Discussion: These results are potentially useful for refining existing criteria for the selection of farms for active surveillance, which could improve the ability to detect positive cases. The model results could contribute to the design of an integrated One Health risk-based surveillance system for AI in Cuba. In addition, the model identified geographical regions of particular importance where resources could be targeted to strengthen biosecurity and early warning surveillance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Montano Valle, Berezowski, Delgado-Hernández, Hernández, Percedo-Abreu, Alfonso and Carmo.)

Ticks and the vast array of pathogens they transmit, including bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and helminths, constitute a growing burden for human and animal health worldwide. In Cuba, the major tropical island in the Caribbean, ticks are an important cause of vector-borne diseases affecting livestock production, pet animal health and, to a lesser extent, human health. The higher number of tick species in the country belong to the Argasidae family and, probably less known, is the presence of an autochthonous tick species in the island, Ixodes capromydis . Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) affecting animal and human health in Cuba. The review covers research results including ecophysiology of ticks, the epidemiology of TBPs, and the diagnostic tools used currently in the country for the surveillance of TBPs. We also introduce the programs implemented in the country for tick control and the biotechnology research applied to the development of anti-tick vaccines., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.