In Cambodia, goat production and meat consumption are customary among Muslim communities. Recently, goat meat has gained popularity among Cambodians. Goat farmers use a traditional management system, ...including grazing, requiring minimal labour. The close proximity between humans and animals could increase the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. A serological survey was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of some priority zoonoses and high-impact animal diseases in the Cambodian goat population. A total of 540 samples were collected from goats in six provinces and analysed with commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for Brucella species, Q fever (Coxiella burnetii), Foot and Mouth Disease virus non-structural protein (FMDV NSP) and Peste des Petits Ruminants virus (PPRV). True seroprevalences with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI), taking into account imperfect tests, risk factors and odds ratios (ORs), were calculated to better understand the disease distribution and epidemiology. Independent variables used in statistical modellings included sex, body condition score, age, vaccination history, province and commune, while dependent variables were ELISA test results. The overall true prevalence of antibodies to Brucella spp., C. burnetii, FMDV and PPRV, were 0.1% (95% CI 0.0, 1.0), 7.2% (95% CI 5.3, 9.7), 57.7% (95% CI 53.1, 62.3) and 0.0% (95% CI 0.0, 0.0), respectively. There was no identified risk factor for brucellosis and PPR. The two risk factors for C. burnetii seropositivity were sex (p-value = 0.0005) and commune (p-value <0.0001). However, only the OR of C. burnetii seropositive female goat was significant at 9.7 (95% CI 2.7, 35.5) times higher than male. The risk factors of FMD NSP seropositivity were age (p-value = 0.001) and commune (p-value <0.0001). Only the age 'more than two-year-old' group with a significant OR of 6.2 (95% CI 2.1, 18.4) using the 'up to one-year-old' group as the reference. In summary, Brucella spp. seroprevalence was low, while no evidence of PPRV antibodies was detected in the goat populations. C. burnetii seroprevalence in female goats was significantly higher than for males, and there were significant differences in C. burnetii seroprevalence between communes. The overall FMDV NSP seroprevalence was high, especially in older animals. Vaccination should be advocated to protect animals from FMDV and improve productivity. As the impacts of these zoonoses on human and animal health were still unknown, further investigation of these zoonotic diseases' epidemiology is recommended.
Goat raising is a growing industry in Lao People's Democratic Republic, with minimal disease investigation to date, especially zoonoses. This study determined the proportional seropositivity of two ...zoonotic diseases: Q fever (causative agent Coxiella burnetii) and Brucellosis (Brucella species) in goats across five provinces (Vientiane Capital, Xayaboury, Xiengkhuang, Savannakhet and Attapeu). A total of 1458 goat serum samples were tested using commercial indirect ELISA for both pathogens, plus Rose Bengal agglutination test for Brucellosis. Overall individual seropositivity of C. burnetii was 4.1% and Brucella spp. was 1.4%. A multiple logistic regression model identified that province (Vientiane Capital, p = 0.05), breed (introduced Boer mixed breed, p = 0.006) and age (goats ≥3 years old, p = 0.014) were significant risk factors for C. burnetii seropositivity. The results of the survey indicated that province (Vientiane Capital, p<0.001), breed (introduced Boer mixed breed, p<0.001), production system (commercial, p<0.001), age (adult, p = 0.004), and farm size (large, 0.001) were all significant risk factors seropositivity for Brucella spp. It was concluded that Lao goats have been exposed to both C. burnetii and Brucella spp. however the risk of clinical disease has not yet been determined and there is an urgent need to determine human health risks and economic losses caused by Q fever and Brucellosis.
Stratocumulus clouds over the Southern Ocean have fewer droplets and are more likely to exist in the predominately supercooled phase than clouds at similar temperatures over northern oceans. One ...likely reason is that this region has few continental and anthropogenic sources of cloud‐nucleating particles that can form droplets and ice. In this work, we present an overview of aerosol particle types over the Southern Ocean, including new measurements made below, in and above clouds in this region. These measurements and others indicate that biogenic sulfur‐based particles >0.1 μm diameter contribute the majority of cloud condensation nuclei number concentrations in summer. Ice nucleating particles tend to have more organic components, likely from sea‐spray. Both types of cloud nucleating particles may increase in a warming climate likely to have less sea ice, more phytoplankton activity, and stronger winds over the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. Taken together, clouds over the Southern Ocean may become more reflective and partially counter the region's expected albedo decrease due to diminishing sea ice. However, detailed modeling studies are needed to test this hypothesis due to the complexity of ocean‐cloud‐climate feedbacks in the region.
Plain Language Summary
Clouds over the Southern Ocean tend to have less droplets and ice crystals than similar clouds over northern oceans due to fewer sources of cloud‐nucleating aerosol particles in the region. In this work, we present an overview of aerosol particle types over the Southern Ocean, including new measurements made below, in and above clouds. These measurements indicate that while sea‐spray‐derived salts do provide cloud nuclei, the majority of aerosol particles that influence summertime clouds in this region are biogenic—that is, derived from ocean microorganisms, with the ocean region near Antarctica being a large summertime source. These cloud‐nucleating particles may increase in a warming climate likely to have less sea ice and more phytoplankton activity near Antarctica. These additional particles could make low clouds reflect more light and offset a portion of the warming expected due to diminishing sea ice in a future climate.
Key Points
Biogenic sulfate dominates the number concentration of 0.1–0.5 microns diameter particles and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) over the summertime Southern Ocean
Biogenic organics are a key component of ice nucleating particles over the Southern Ocean
As Antarctic climate changes, increased biological activity could partially offset warming effects of sea‐ice loss via influences on CCN
This study investigates volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at a large Australian university, within locations of campus services, restrooms, renovated offices, a green building, meeting areas, and ...classrooms. Analysis of 41 VOCs across 20 locations reveals indoor concentrations higher than outdoor concentrations for 97% of all VOC measurements (493 unique comparisons). Hazardous air pollutants (formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and xylenes) were up to an order of magnitude higher indoors than outdoors, and at the highest combined geometric mean concentrations in classrooms (51.6 μg/m3), renovated offices (42.8 μg/m3), and a green building (23.0 μg/m3). Further, d-limonene, ethanol, hexaldehyde, β-pinene, and isobutane were up to two orders of magnitude higher indoors than outdoors. The most prevalent VOCs (e.g., ethanol, d-limonene, and formaldehyde) have links with building materials, furnishings, and fragranced consumer products such as air fresheners and cleaning supplies. Highest indoor to outdoor concentration (I/O) ratios of formaldehyde (27), toluene (9), p-xylene (12), and m-xylene (11) were in a green building; highest of benzene (6) in renovated offices; and highest of o-xylene (9) in meeting areas. Results from this study are consistent with findings from similar international studies and suggest that university indoor environments may be important sources of pollutants.
•Hazardous air pollutants were higher indoors than outdoors across all locations.•A green building had highest I/O ratios of formaldehyde, toluene, and xylenes.•Renovated offices had highest I/O ratios of benzene.•Restrooms and campus services had highest I/O ratios of d-limonene and ethanol.•Building materials and fragranced consumer products can be main sources of VOCs.
Recently discovered tick-borne phleboviruses have been associated with severe disease and death among persons in Asia and the United States. We report the discovery of a novel tick phlebovirus in ...Tasmania State, Australia, that is closely related to those zoonotic viruses found in Asia and North America.
We tested the neuraminidase drug sensitivity of clade 1 and clade 2 influenza A (H5N1). All viruses demonstrated similar sensitivity to zanamivir, but compared with the 2004 clade 1 viruses, the ...Cambodian 2005 viruses were 6-fold less sensitive and the Indonesian clade 2 viruses were up to 30-fold less sensitive to oseltamivir.
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