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Quantifying human-animal contact rates in Malaysian Borneo: Influence of agricultural landscapes on contact with potential zoonotic disease reservoirs

Authors :
Hannah Klim
Timothy William
Tock H. Chua
Giri S. Rajahram
Chris J. Drakeley
Miles W. Carroll
Kimberly M. Fornace
Source :
Frontiers in Epidemiology, Vol 2 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2023.

Abstract

Changing landscapes across the globe, but particularly in Southeast Asia, are pushing humans and animals closer together and may increase the likelihood of zoonotic spillover events. Malaysian Borneo is hypothesized to be at high risk of spillover events due to proximity between reservoir species and humans caused by recent deforestation in the region. However, the relationship between landscape and human-animal contact rates has yet to be quantified. An environmentally stratified cross-sectional survey was conducted in Sabah, Malaysia in 2015, collecting geolocated questionnaire data on potential risk factors for contact with animals for 10,100 individuals. 51% of individuals reported contact with poultry, 46% with NHPs, 30% with bats, and 2% with swine. Generalised linear mixed models identified occupational and demographic factors associated with increased contact with these species, which varied when comparing wildlife to domesticated animals. Reported contact rates with each animal group were integrated with remote sensing-derived environmental data within a Bayesian framework to identify regions with high probabilities of contact with animal reservoirs. We have identified high spatial heterogeneity of contact with animals and clear associations between agricultural practices and high animal rates. This approach will help inform public health campaigns in at-risk populations and can improve pathogen surveillance efforts on Malaysian Borneo. This method can additionally serve as a framework for researchers looking to identify targets for future pathogen detection in a chosen region of study.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
26741199
Volume :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Epidemiology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9663eabf8c0d4f6d89cfaba19fb864f0
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fepid.2022.1057047