Preventive Veterinary Medicine

1Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal, transmissible disease in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and related species, is spreading across North America but has not yet been detected in Vermont, United States (U.S.). The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with partner agencies, wants to develop a proactive prevention and response plan in anticipation of the eventual detection of the disease. Between September 2023 and September 2025, staff from the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Vermont facilitated a structured decision-making (SDM) process with seven State and Federal agencies that have jurisdiction over some aspect of CWD management in Vermont. The aim of this process was to generate and evaluate alternative response plans against a range of long-term objectives important to the agencies. To aid in the evaluation of the alternatives, we developed a linked set of models for white-tailed deer population and disease dynamics, hunter participation and health, forest health, economic consequences, and agricultural opportunities related to the actions being contemplated as part of the response plan. We evaluated over 256 different permutations of management actions and used multi-criteria decision analysis, a branch of decision analysis designed to help decision makers navigate tradeoffs among competing objectives, to summarize the performance of those alternative strategies against the desired outcomes. Proactive actions--those designed to slow the arrival of CWD to Vermont--were moderately effective, but the most important proactive action was surveillance to detect the disease early after arrival, which triggered response actions after detection. With the insights generated by the SDM process and the results of the analyses, the participating agencies were able to identify a preferred strategy and outline the elements of a proactive response plan. This report describes the SDM process, the technical details of the modeling work, and the results of the analyses. It is intended to serve as the technical basis for Vermonts response plan. 2 Executive SummaryChronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal disease of deer, moose, and other cervids that is spreading across the United States (U.S.). As of December 2025, the nearest infected wild deer population to Vermont was in Pennsylvania, about 225 miles away; however, the disease has been detected closer to the state in New York and Quebec, Canada, but those detections are assumed to have been isolated and removed without additional spread in wild populations or captive facilities. The primary pathways of arrival to Vermont are natural spread in wild deer, import of infected live animals to captive cervid facilities, or disposal of imported infected deer parts on the Vermont landscape. Once CWD arrives, significant changes to many ecological, social, and economic resources are expected. Many State and Federal agencies could have a role in managing CWD, before and after its arrival. O_LIVermont Department of Fish and Wildlife (VDFW) has statutory responsibility for managing the wild deer and moose populations in the State, including through hunting; C_LIO_LIVermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is responsible for oversight of the nine captive cervid facilities in the State; C_LIO_LIVermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (VFPR) manages State Forests and Parks, which provide habitat for deer and recreational access for hunters; C_LIO_LIVermont Department of Health (VDH) provides information and guidance to the public that enables them to make informed decisions that can affect their health, including whether and how CWD poses any risk to humans; C_LIO_LIU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) manages two National Wildlife Refuges in the State, which provide public access, including to hunters; C_LIO_LIU.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services can provide contractual support for wildlife management, including targeted reduction of deer populations; and C_LIO_LIU.S. Forest Service manages extensive forest resources in the State, which provide habitat for deer and access for hunters. C_LI These agencies have expressed interest in co-development of a long-term collaborative plan for management of CWD. From September 2023 through September 2025, they engaged in a series of meetings, facilitated using the principles of structured decision making to explore potential proactive and reactive management strategies, and how well those strategies might perform against the fundamental objectives being sought by the agencies. As part of this work, the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Vermont developed quantitative predictive models to allow evaluation of alternative strategies against the fundamental objectives. The agencies identified seven fundamental objectives for a long-term (20-year) CWD management plan that arise from their enabling legislation and missions: O_LIMaximize herd health of native cervid populations in the state of Vermont; C_LIO_LIMaximize the public benefit of cervids (consumptive and non-consumptive); C_LIO_LIMinimize harm to other species, unique ecosystems, and forests; C_LIO_LIMinimize costs, staff time, and workload associated with CWD management; C_LIO_LIMinimize the effect (or potential effect) that CWD has on public health; C_LIO_LIMinimize the effect of CWD and its management on local economies; and C_LIO_LIMaintain opportunities for private landowners to engage in agricultural pursuits. C_LI In initial work to explore the effects of actions on the objectives, six broadly different alternative strategies were developed, where the strategies differed in philosophy, investment, timing, and proactive versus reactive emphasis. O_LIUnder the Status Quo strategy, existing protocols would remain in place until CWD is detected in the State, at which point an increase in surveillance and harvest opportunity would be implemented. C_LIO_LIThe Heavy Outreach strategy would rely primarily on outreach and communication with the public, notably hunters, to delay arrival, slow transmission, and mitigate impacts. C_LIO_LIThe Reduce Arrival strategy would invest primarily in proactive measures including both outreach and regulatory changes to slow arrival of CWD to the State. C_LIO_LIThe Prepare and React strategy would invest primarily in reactive measures after CWD arrives, with preparatory measures to detect it as early as possible and have in place the management tools to deploy upon arrival. C_LIO_LIThe Prevent and React strategy would make a moderate investment in both proactive and reactive measures. C_LIO_LIUnder the Kitchen Sink strategy, extensive investment would be made in both proactive and reactive measures. C_LI The estimated mean time to arrival of CWD in the State is 7.7 years under the Status Quo strategy. Concerted efforts to delay arrival could increase this time to 10.6 years, by significantly reducing two of the three arrival pathways. It will, however, take an average of 15-30 years after arrival to detect CWD in the State assuming effort is spread evenly throughout the State, owing to its slow growth in the deer population. Investment in surveillance leads to earlier detection and hence, an earlier opportunity to implement reactive measures. There are notable trade-offs among the alternative strategies in their ability to achieve outcomes of interest to the State, based on the analysis described in this report. O_LIThe arrival and spread of CWD can be slowed quite significantly, particularly with a combination of proactive and reactive measures, with the Kitchen Sink showing a 6-fold reduction in prevalence over 50 years compared to the Status Quo strategy. C_LIO_LIThe number of CWD-positive deer consumed by hunters, their families, and their friends largely tracks the prevalence of CWD in the population, although increased outreach efforts also contribute to reduced consumption. C_LIO_LIDeer harvest, and the economic benefits associated with it, is expected to increase under aggressive CWD management strategies, because the strategies encourage higher harvest to manage the disease, and lower prevalence of CWD keeps more hunters participating. C_LIO_LIThe positive outcomes associated with more aggressive proactive and reactive measures are counterbalanced by increases in costs to agencies, for surveillance, sharpshooting, outreach, and captive cervid management. C_LI Captive cervid farm operations in Vermont were estimated to be a low-risk introduction pathway because of the stringent regulations, agency oversight of importation, and disease testing that is already occurring. However, actions by VDFW could reduce the risk of spread from wild to captive deer. The more aggressive CWD management strategies reduce CWD prevalence and increase the long-term opportunity for captive cervid operations. The one exception to this is the Kitchen Sink strategy, which seeks to reduce the risk of arrival of CWD by proactively closing captive cervid facilities. The size of the statewide deer population is expected to be about the same in 20 years across all strategies, with all alternatives resulting in a decrease of about 5% compared to current population size estimates. In some strategies, the deer population decreases because of the effects of CWD; in others, the deer population decreases because of increased hunting that slows the transmission of CWD. After considering the results from the analysis of the six initial strategies, the participating agencies were interested in more carefully exploring the tradeoffs among three of the objectives: long-term prevalence of CWD in the State; the cost of management of CWD; and the opportunity for private farms to participate in captive cervid farming. An additional 256 strategies, which were permutations of the constituent actions under consideration, were created and analyzed. These results showed that the most effective way to keep CWD prevalence low over the long term was extensive surveillance to allow early detection, followed by sharpshooting or other targeted removal at a local level, to continually eliminate or reduce new incursions of the disease. This approach, however, is quite costly, so the balance between effort and effect was important to the agencies. Regarding captive cervid operations, proactive closing of captive cervid facilities does slightly lower the long-term prevalence of CWD and substantially diminishes the long-term costs of closing infected captive cervid farms in the future, but comes at the cost of farming opportunity. In September 2025, the participating agencies expressed a collective interest in a strategy that preserves captive cervid farming opportunities, invests heavily in surveillance for early detection of the disease, and prepares for targeted removal of deer when detections occur. Such a strategy, while potentially costly, achieves many of the objectives sought by the participating agencies on behalf of the people of Vermont. The agencies, without yet making any commitments, intend to undertake work to develop the details of this plan, discuss its aspects with stakeholders, and build support for its long-term implementation.

BackgroundDog-mediated rabies remains a major neglected tropical disease and an important cause of preventable human mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite ongoing control efforts, limited laboratory-confirmed surveillance data hinder accurate assessment of the disease burden and the development of evidence-based interventions in Ghana. This study investigated the epidemiological characteristics of laboratory-confirmed rabies cases among suspected animal submissions and evaluated the contribution of routine diagnostic surveillance to rabies control. Methodology/Principal FindingsA retrospective analysis was conducted using laboratory surveillance records of suspected rabies cases submitted to a regional veterinary laboratory in Ghana between 2020 and 2025. Brain tissue samples were examined using Sellers staining, the direct fluorescent antibody test (FAT), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Epidemiological information, including animal species, vaccination history, ownership status, bite history, and diagnostic outcomes, was extracted and analysed descriptively. Of the 51 suspected cases examined, 46 (90.2%) were laboratory confirmed as rabies. Domestic dogs accounted for 96.1% of submissions, while cats represented 3.9%. Most suspected animals were either unvaccinated (64.7%) or had unknown vaccination status (33.3%), and 90.2% had reportedly bitten humans before submission. Confirmed cases were detected throughout the study period, indicating sustained viral circulation and continued zoonotic risk within the study area. Conclusions/SignificanceThe consistently high proportion of laboratory-confirmed rabies cases demonstrates persistent transmission of rabies virus among domestic animals and highlights substantial risks to human health. The integration of conventional and advanced laboratory diagnostic methods strengthened surveillance and improved case confirmation. These findings underscore the urgent need to expand dog vaccination coverage, strengthen laboratory-based surveillance, improve bite reporting systems, and enhance collaboration between veterinary and public health sectors. Reinforcing integrated One Health strategies will be essential to accelerate progress towards the global goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies by 2030. Author SummaryRabies remains one of the worlds oldest and most devastating zoonotic diseases, which is fatal yet preventable, causing thousands of human deaths each year, particularly in Africa and Asia. In Ghana, domestic dogs are the principal reservoir of the rabies virus, but information on the epidemiology of animal rabies from routine laboratory surveillance is limited in many regions. We reviewed six years (2020 - 2025) of laboratory records from the Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Techiman, Bono East Region, to describe the epidemiological characteristics of suspected animal rabies cases and laboratory-confirmed infections. Of the 51 brain samples submitted for diagnosis, 46 (90.2%) were confirmed positive for rabies. Domestic dogs accounted for almost all submissions, and most confirmed cases involved animals that were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination history. Furthermore, most suspected animals had reportedly bitten humans before laboratory investigation, highlighting the continuing public health risk posed by canine rabies. The study also documents how regional diagnostic capacity was strengthened through collaboration with national reference laboratories, enabling the routine use of internationally recommended diagnostic methods such as the fluorescent antibody test and polymerase chain reaction. These findings provide valuable evidence to support enhanced rabies surveillance, increased mass dog vaccination, improved public awareness, and strengthened One Health collaboration. Such measures are essential for reducing human rabies deaths and supporting Ghanas contribution to the global goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies by 2030.

Free-roaming dog populations pose challenges to public health and animal welfare, and their management and protection is legally mandated in many countries to control zoonotic diseases such as rabies, reduce bites, mitigate fear of aggressive dogs, and preserve animal welfare. Although international organisations recommend holistic dog population management with surgical sterilisation as a key component, stakeholders report a lack of evidence-based guidance on effective and cost-efficient strategies. To address this, we developed a deterministic model of a closed free-roaming dog (FRD) population, including dogs dependent on and independent of humans, parameterised using data from southern India. We evaluated a wide range of sterilisation strategies varying duration, interval, frequency, intensity, targeting different population subsets, and fixed or responsive approaches. Strategies were assessed based on their effects on independent FRD population size and implementation costs. Female sterilisation coverage (FSC) strongly determined population reduction and cost-effectiveness. Repeated, short sterilisation periods with appropriately timed intervals and high early intensity best balanced population reduction and cost-efficiency. Excluding dependent dogs (cared for by humans) severely constrained population reduction, while male sterilisation enhanced impact at little extra cost, assuming direct effects on pregnancy rates. Costs and population impacts can be visualised on an interactive web application (https://field.shinyapps.io/DogPopSimApp), allowing practitioners and policymakers to explore sterilisation strategy outcomes. Overall, cost-effective population reduction required sustained commitment and coverage-driven strategies that balance welfare, population reduction and the operational needs of dog-mediated rabies control.

Vaccination of free-roaming dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and cats (Felis catus) remains a major public health challenge. Rapid urbanization forces these species into complex contact zones, where structural failure of pulsed vaccination under high demographic turnover undermines standard One Health interventions. In such cases species-specific intervention cycles are needed to reduce zoonotic disease risk. We integrated field-data within a simulated vaccination campaign to determine how species-specific turnover rates drive the erosion of herd immunity at an Amazonian urban sentinel site (university campus). We monitored free-roaming populations (72 dogs, 75 cats) using a non-invasive photographic mark-resight protocol from 2023 to 2025. We modelled time-to-disappearance using Cox Proportional Hazards and simulated the trajectory of effective vaccination coverage against a 40% herd immunity threshold, distinguishing between loss of vaccinated individuals and recruitment of susceptible individuals. The campus functioned as a high-turnover system, with 72% of dogs and 48% of cats classified as transients. Species significantly predicted persistence (Hazard Ratio = 0.56; 95% CI: 0.33-0.94; p=0.029), with cats exhibiting double the median residency of dogs (432 vs. 193 days). Consequently, the species experienced divergent epidemiological failure modes. For dogs, simulated vaccination coverage collapsed below a 40% herd immunity threshold in 160 days, driven by rapid immunity attrition (the loss of vaccinated individuals). Although cats persisted longer, their effective coverage was eroded by immunity dilution due to recruitment of naive juveniles, creating a 33% gap between cohort survival and population-level immunity by day 365. Annual vaccination campaigns are likely insufficient in this high-turnover urban dog population. Effective One Health zoonotic control strategies must transition from static abundance-based targets to dynamic, species-specific and turnover-adjusted intervention schedules.

African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar poses major surveillance and control challenges, particularly in periurban and human-modified landscapes where ecological complexity, delayed detection, and heterogeneous host movements complicate out-break interpretation. In late 2025, ASF was detected in wild boar in Catalonia, Spain, creating a high-priority epidemiological scenario at the wildlife-urban interface. In this study, we analysed the 2025-2026 Catalonia outbreak using scenario-based spatial modelling with the WIMBOARD (Wild Integrated Movement Boar Outbreak and Risk Dynamics) framework. Simulations under baseline control conditions were used to interpret spread dynamics and support anticipatory surveillance. The results indicate that outbreak expansion was structured and directional rather than isotropic. Temporal outputs suggested delayed detectability between infection prevalence and mortality signals, whereas cumulative spatial risk maps, time-to-infection surfaces, and monthly infection-risk dynamics identified directional asymmetries and differentiated phases of spread. An early southward dispersal signal was consistent with initial field observations, while the north-northwest sector emerged as the most consequential expansion scenario because of its stronger functional connectivity and higher potential for regional amplification and persistence, while a later northeast-ward phase remained comparatively less influential within the 500-day simulation horizon. Monthly risk surfaces further showed that ASF spread behaved as a moving eco-epidemiological wavefront, allowing identification of shifting surveillance windows before mortality became apparent. These findings support the interpretation of the Catalonia outbreak as a landscape-mediated epidemiological process shaped by functional connectivity, wildlife behavioural adaptation, peri-urban ecological structure, and delayed detection. This study shows how spatially explicit eco-epidemiological modelling can support outbreak interpretation, surveillance prioritisation, and proactive wildlife disease management under complex field conditions.

We report an unusual mortality event affecting the isolated Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) population in northern Cyprus, combining clinical admissions, microbiological findings, and roost surveys to assess magnitude and potential drivers. From January to June 2025, the Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute (CWRI) Wildlife Hospital received an unprecedented surge in admissions with 12 individuals (versus sporadic admissions in prior years), with high acute mortality: most bats arrived moribund and died within 12-24 hours. Clinical records noted localized purulent lesions and abscesses in a substantial fraction of cases. Bacteriological culture and PCR assays recovered Staphylococcus aureus from abscesses and skin swab samples in multiple individuals; isolates exhibited susceptibility to tested antibiotics. Necropsy sampling confirmed viable S. aureus in several specimens despite prolonged storage. Concurrent targeted surveys of ten known roosts in Feb-Mar 2026 documented marked declines at multiple historical sites, including reductions from hundreds to single-digit counts at formerly large colonies and the complete absence of bats at multiple roosts. No clear evidence of recent human disturbance, extreme weather anomalies, or reduced food availability was found; shotgun cartridges from historical hunting were present, but no direct anthropogenic cause was apparent. While S. aureus infections--seasonally concentrated in winter--are consistent with observed lesions and may have contributed to morbidity and mortality, causality for the population-level declines remains unknown, and other factors (toxins, unassessed pathogens, multi-factor stressors) cannot be excluded. Given the genetic isolation and conservation significance of the Cyprus Egyptian fruit bat population, these findings are concerning. We recommend urgent, coordinated longitudinal population monitoring, expanded pathogen surveillance including whole-genome sequencing of S. aureus isolates, toxicological screening, and development of a species recovery plan incorporating emergency response, habitat protection, and public outreach.

Livestock welfare models are developed under controlled experimental conditions but deployed across farms, breeds, management systems and label regimes, where reliability remains uncertain. We introduce the Protocol-Driven Transfer Evaluation (PDTE) framework, which treats the adaptation protocol, comprising label mapping, objective design, domain alignment, model selection, calibration and threshold policy, as the experimental variable and evaluates transfer through animal-level external validation with uncertainty quantification. We apply PDTE to a bovine welfare task involving transfer of a facial pain representation from postoperative beef cattle to dairy cows under shifts in breed, sex, production system, clinical etiology, recording environment and label fidelity. Using an author-collected Canadian Holstein and Jersey dataset with an independent eight-cow test cohort, direct source-domain transfer was weak, with sequence AUC 0.418 and cow-level AUC 0.400. PDTE identified two failure modes under weak supervision: threshold collapse, in which adaptation converges to a single prediction class, and calibration-induced collapse, in which score ranking is preserved while decision behavior deteriorates. Across protocols, objective design dominated performance. Class-balanced focal adaptation achieved stable operating behavior (sequence AUC 0.611; cow-level AUC 0.667), while a target-only model attained comparable performance without source initialization (sequence AUC 0.596; paired p = 0.984), indicating that protocol design and operating-point choices contributed more than pretraining under weak-label conditions. Animal-level uncertainty remained substantial, with a bootstrap 95% confidence interval of 0.20 to 1.00, exceeding the transfer effect. These findings show that transferability limits cannot be inferred from source-domain performance alone and require protocol-controlled, uncertainty-aware evaluation in livestock AI.

ContextThe movement of vertebrate hosts across urbanized landscapes can play a key role in the transmission of direct-contact diseases. Understanding how wildlife hosts move in urban landscapes, and how transmission is affected by their landscape-constrained and disease-altered movements, is imperative for better predicting the spread of disease. ObjectiveWe assess how the movement of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) according to landcover type, and their infection status, affect the spread of mange (caused by Sarcoptes scabiei) in an urbanized landscape. MethodsWe developed a mange transmission model (MTM) using an agent-based model to compare two movement behaviours of foxes in Scarborough (Ontario, Canada): random and landcover-based. We further assessed the effects of movement on disease transmission by considering the foxs infection status and comparing a range of movement probability scenarios. We quantified the number of effective contact events and the effective reproduction number (Re) according to each scenario. ResultsWe found that both landcover-dependent movement and infection status influenced the spread of mange within fox populations. The number of effective contact events and effective reproduction number Re was greatest when landscape heterogeneity was included in the model and foxes moved through paths of least resistance to movement, and when susceptible and infected foxes had an equal probability of leaving a fragmented habitat patch. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that mange spread may be accelerated along movement corridors in fragmented, heterogenous landscapes. As urban areas expand and remnant habitat within these is further lost and animals are relegated to fewer movement pathways, disease transmission may increase.

Background: Flea infestation is an important companion-animal health problem and a prime source of zoonotic exposure. However, information on cat owners awareness and preventive behavior regarding fleas and flea-borne diseases (FBDs) in Bangladesh is limited. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of cat owners regarding flea infestation and flea-borne diseases in selected areas of central Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from November 2025 to July 2026 among 238 cat owners attending veterinary clinics in Savar, Dhamrai and Manikganj Upazila. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire covering respondent characteristics, flea biology and transmission, perceived risks, and flea-prevention and control practices. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the findings, and respondents were classified according to their overall KAP scores. Results: Of the respondents, 47.1% owned cats with outdoor access and 77.7% reported that their pets had previously experienced flea infestation. Although 65.5% used flea-control treatments, awareness of zoonotic and disease-transmission risks was limited. Only 14.7% recognized that fleas can parasitize humans, while 17.6% knew that fleas can transmit infectious agents. Overall, 83.2% of respondents had poor knowledge, whereas 69.7% demonstrated moderate attitudes and 63.9% showed moderate practices. Good knowledge and good practice were uncommon, accounting for only 3.8% and 4.6% of respondents, respectively. Veterinary recommendation was the most frequently reported motivation for using flea-control products. Conclusions: Cat owners attending in the surveyed areas frequently reported flea exposure and treatment use, but substantial gaps remained in their understanding of flea biology, zoonotic potential and comprehensive control. Targeted veterinary education emphasizing routine prevention, treatment of all susceptible household animals and environmental management is needed. These findings provide regional baseline evidence and should not be interpreted as nationally representative. Keywords: Bangladesh; cat owners; ectoparasites; flea-borne diseases; flea control; knowledge, attitudes and practices; One Health.

BackgroundIdentifying risk factors for Leishmania infection in dogs is essential for understanding disease epidemiology and informing control and targeted prevention. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined these risk factors across endemic and non-endemic regions of Europe. MethodsInclusion criteria included studies that quantified the association between Leishmania infection (both asymptomatic infection and canine leishmaniosis) and risk factors among European dogs. Non-peer reviewed grey literature and studies that focus only on prevention were excluded. The search included all records indexed in PubMed up to 17th March 2026. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-E tool. Random-effects multilevel models were used for meta-analysis, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess robustness. ResultsOf the 46 studies included, 94% were cross-sectional and 76% assessed seroprevalence. Studies were primarily conducted in Southern Europe (Spain 35%, Portugal 17%, Italy 17%, and Greece 11%). There was considerable evidence of an association between increasing age and infection (OR = 1.15 [95% CI: 1.10, 1.21] per year). Five additional factors showed some evidence of association: male sex (OR = 1.17 [1.01, 1.36]), higher body weight (OR = 1.06 [1.02, 1.09] per kg), outdoor housing (OR = 1.84 [1.26, 2.69]), outdoor sleeping (OR = 2.50 [1.52, 4.09]), and neuter status showing higher odds in neutered dogs (OR = 2.22 [1.37, 3.61]). Other potential risk factors, with weak or no clear evidence, included fur length, coat color, breed, utilization (e.g. pet or hunting), urbanicity, care setting, clinical signs, cohabitation, co-infection, sand fly density, land cover, home features, owner perception and knowledge of the disease, travel history and origin of dog, and area-level socioeconomic deprivation. Over 75% of analytical units were assessed as having a high risk of bias, with the remaining assessed as moderate risk. Inadequate handling of confounders was the primary source of bias risk. ConclusionsThe results highlight key risk factors to consider in future research and for improving prevention and disease control, with most identified factors likely acting as proxies of exposure to sand fly bites. Future studies should ensure adequate control for confounding, while causal inference would be strengthened by conducting longitudinal cohort studies.

Rabies remains a major zoonotic public health threat, associated with approximately 59,000 annual deaths globally, with Africa bearing 36% of this burden. In Uganda, an estimated 36 human deaths and 1.8 million dog bite exposures occur annually, yet national dog vaccination coverage remains critically low at approximately 10%. This study investigated factors associated with rabies vaccination uptake among dog owners in Butaleja Town Council, Eastern Uganda, a high-risk setting. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 173 dog owners between May 18 and June 28, 2024, using semi-structured questionnaires. The primary outcome was vaccination uptake ([≥]1 dose in the past year). Modified Poisson regression with robust variance estimated adjusted prevalence ratios for all socio-demographic, veterinary system, health system, dog-related, and knowledge factors. Among 173 dog owners, 57.2% vaccinated at least one dog, corresponding to 54.6% (166/304) of all dogs vaccinated. Factors associated with vaccination uptake included older age (21-40 years: aPR 1.43, 95% CI: 1.15-1.71; 41-60 years: aPR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.22-1.82; [≥]61 years: aPR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.33-2.23), higher education (primary: aPR 1.20, 95% CI: 1.00-1.45; secondary: aPR 1.55, 95% CI: 1.20-2.00), higher income, access to veterinary clinics (aPR 2.50, 95% CI: 1.52-3.75), and participation in community education sessions (aPR 1.71, 95% CI: 1.34-2.15). While household-level uptake showed moderate engagement, the resulting dog population vaccination coverage of 48.4% remained substantially below the 70% World Health Organization threshold required for herd immunity. Achieving the "Zero by 30" elimination dog-bite mediated Rabies target in this setting requires targeted interventions addressing the identified associated factors including; enhanced community education, improved veterinary service accessibility, reminder systems, and strategies to convert partial household vaccination into complete coverage particularly among younger, less educated, and lower-income dog owners.

Occupational ocular injuries are a preventable yet neglected public health problem, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Maintenance workers are exposed to diverse ocular hazards daily, yet compliance with protective measures is consistently poor. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 85 maintenance workers at the Maintenance and Essential Services Organization (MESO) of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, recruited through stratified convenience sampling across seven occupational sections. A structured questionnaire assessed knowledge of ocular hazards and protective equipment, attitudes toward ocular safety, and safety practices. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA); chi-square and Fishers exact tests assessed associations (p < 0.05). Participants were predominantly male (84/85, 98.8%), with a mean age of 44.5 {+/-} 10.4 years. Overall knowledge was good (mean 9.40 {+/-} 1.59 out of 11), but attitude and practice scores were average (2.78 {+/-} 0.92 and 3.27 {+/-} 0.93, respectively). Most workers correctly identified goggles and face shields as protective, but only about half recognized that ordinary sunglasses and spectacles offer inadequate protection. Although 97.6% (83/85) recognized the need for ocular protection, only 7.1% (6/85) reported consistent protective eyewear use, and fewer than half (45.9%, 39/85) had received formal ocular safety training. Routine general protective equipment use was significantly associated with ocular protection use (Fishers exact test, p = 0.011). Sand and dust particles were the leading causes of injury and only 25% (5/20) of injured workers sought formal care. Workers demonstrated good knowledge but poor attitudes and practices toward ocular safety, suggesting that knowledge alone does not translate into protective behaviour even within a relatively well-resourced institutional setting. Findings suggest that limited access to task-appropriate protective eyewear may represent an important institutional barrier. Institutional PPE supply and section-specific safety training are essential to bridge this knowledge-practice gap.

Introduction: Veterinary Professionals are at risk of contracting zoonoses, including potential emerging infections. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) could reduce infection transmission risk, but use of it in the profession is low. Understanding Veterinary Professionals experiences with PPE could help identify facilitators and barriers, therefore informing a future strategy to improve usage. Methods: Two focus group discussion with veterinary nurses and two with veterinarians took place at a tertiary small animal teaching hospital. With an interpretivist epistemology, transcriptions were inductively coded and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Veterinary Professionals frequently reported underusing PPE, despite significant zoonotic risk. Friction in interdisciplinary relationships negatively impacted veterinary professionals experiences with PPE: differing views on risk, policy and PPE, contrasting perceptions of each other, and challenges with communication impacted PPE decision-making. Barriers included an absence of initial recognition of risk, a staff culture of prioritising patient health over risk to self, friction in response to others PPE use or lack thereof, an overly complex policy, and a lack of cultural and institutional reaction to occupationally contracted zoonoses. Facilitators included effective inter and intradisciplinary communication and previous personal experience with serious zoonoses. Conclusion: Veterinary Professionals experiences with PPE, are shaped by social and professional factors, such as interdisciplinary friction, perceptions of self and others, of risk and policy. Recommendations are for the findings to be used locally to embed PPE use into everyday practice. At a national level, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) should use the findings to evaluate current policies regarding PPE and zoonoses in veterinary practice and produce a simplified national guidance, in collaboration with veterinary professionals with lived experience. Further research into General Practice Veterinary Professionals experiences and the interdisciplinary social dynamics is recommended.

Spatial overlap of domestic animals and wildlife can have positive effects such as increased biodiversity in some areas and reduction in forest fires but it can also have negative consequences such as pathogen spillover, vector and pathogen propagation into new areas among others. Thus, understanding the interactions between wildlife and domestic animals on shared landscapes is critical for conservation and management purposes. To investigate these cattle-wildlife interactions, we chose Buck Island Ranch (BIR) in southcentral Florida. We studied spatial overlap between Domestic Cattle (Bos Taurus) and multiple wildlife species such as Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Rabbits (Sylvilagus spp) and others in pasture, semi-pasture, and hammock habitats/vegetation types at BIR. Five management blocks were selected that had pasture and hammock habitats and within each block we established matched pairs of 100m transects. Animal dung samples were surveyed and identified in 13 pairs of transects. We used Wilcoxon signed rank test to determine differences in dung counts between the habitats and calculated Simpson diversity index to analyze the differences in diversity between the habitat types. We found that there was greater dung count of white-tailed deer in hammock habitats compared to pastures (p=0.048) and greater diversity of wildlife in hammocks than pastures (p=0.028). Cattle dung was found in high density in both hammocks and pastures. These results indicate that hammocks are areas shared between cattle and wildlife at BIR and depending on the extent of direct and indirect contacts between these animals there can be a risk for pathogen spillover. We recommend further research on local land and cattle management practices that can facilitate the co-existence of livestock and wildlife.

Background/ObjectivesThe integration of large language model (LLM)-based AI tools into veterinary clinical practice is rapidly increasing; however, no systematically derived taxonomy of veterinary AI query patterns has been established. This study aimed to develop and refine an exploratory taxonomy of veterinary AI query patterns across clinical stages through a structured expert-panel review process. MethodsAn exploratory cross-sectional expert panel study was conducted. 5,372 real-world query logs from a veterinary clinical AI chatbot deployed over eight months were analyzed using AI-assisted inductive coding to derive an initial taxonomy. The taxonomy was refined through literature review and subsequently reviewed by an expert panel of 38 veterinary professionals via structured online survey across five clinical stages. ResultsA taxonomy of 3 categories and 21 subtypes was established: Clinical Support Queries (Types A-H), Evidence-Based Research Queries (Types I-L), and Terminology and Drug Reference Queries (Types M-U). Type B (Differential Reasoning) had the highest overall frequency (57/188 first-choice responses), while Type D (Clinical Decision Support) was dominant immediately post-consultation (55.3%). Veterinary professionals with [&ge;]10 years of experience showed a higher frequency of Type G (Evidence Search) preference than those with <10 years of experience (18 vs. 4), while university-affiliated professionals demonstrated a distinct pattern dominated by Type G. ConclusionsTo our knowledge, no published study has previously established a veterinary-specific, clinical-stage-sensitive exploratory taxonomy of AI query patterns; this study addresses that gap. The findings provide a foundational framework for designing context-aware, stage-adaptive veterinary AI systems and benchmark evaluation tools.

Objectives: Research on mental health in agriculture has increased in recent years; however, it remains largely focused on farmers themselves and is predominantly male-oriented. The mental health of farm wives and partners, many of whom play integral roles in farm operations, business management, and family life, remains difficult to characterise. This study therefore aims to explore the prevalence and causes of mental health challenges among farm wives and partners, and to investigate their use of, and barriers to, mental health support services. Methods: Quantitative data was collected using over 450 structured questionnaire responses that assessed mental health prevalence, contributing stressors and support service utilisation. Results: Findings indicate that there is a high prevalence of mental ill health amongst farm wives, seemingly due to industry stressors and support role overwhelm. Interpersonal relationships played a significant role in the types of mental distress experienced and highlighted the toll that farm life can take on farm wives' social and emotional connections. Despite a range of formal and informal support services being available, and effective when used, significant barriers to accessing these services were identified, including both practical difficulties and self-stigmatisation due to cultural beliefs. Conclusions: Farm wives and partners experience substantial mental health burdens linked to their diverse and often underrecognized roles within agricultural systems. In future, targeted interventions are needed to reduce stigma, improve service accessibility, and recognize women's contributions within farm enterprises. Further research and dedicated investment are also essential to better understand and help improve the mental health of this overlooked population within agricultural industries.

Mortality causes and survival rate estimates from individual follow-ups of GPS-collared animals provide reliable demographic data, but such estimates are rare for red foxes Vulpes vulpes. We used data from 126 GPS-collared red foxes tracked between 2011 and 2019 across a latitudinal gradient in central Sweden and Norway to quantify mortality causes and estimate annual survival probabilities using the Andersen-Gill extension of the Cox proportional hazards model. Hunting was the dominant mortality cause (63%), followed by vehicle collisions (14%), stress or malnutrition (11%), sarcoptic mange (9%), and predation (3%). Annual survival was 0.58 for adults and 0.32 for subadults. Subadults had approximately twice the hazard of adults, males had elevated hazard relative to females, and mortality risk was highest in autumn and early winter. These collar-based estimates are strikingly similar to mark-recovery estimates from the same region nearly five decades earlier, despite an intervening population collapse from sarcoptic mange, subsequent full recovery, and a major decline in harvest pressure. This convergence is consistent with density-dependent regulation at a food-determined and food-limited carrying capacity, suggesting that current harvest levels are not limiting the population. Furthermore, human-caused mortality was approximately four times greater than natural mortality, illustrating that living in close proximity to humans -- which often favours generalist predators such as red foxes -- may also come at a cost of increased mortality risk. Developing validated census methods for red foxes in boreal Scandinavia is identified as a key priority for quantitative population management.

The emergence and spread of vector-borne pathogens, such as the mosquito-borne parasite Dirofilaria immitis, the causative agent of canine heartworm disease pose increasing challenges for public and veterinary health. These parasites have expanded from Southern Europe into Central and Eastern Europe, where locally acquired transmission is increasingly documented in pets and wild animals, and is now considered an emerging infectious disease. Understanding the dynamics of its emergence and public awareness is essential for effective surveillance and intervention. Here, we evaluated whether human online search behavior, as measured by Google Trends (GT), reflects patterns of dirofilariosis emergence in Hungary. We analyzed GT data for heartworm-related terms from 2012 to 2025, exploring geographical and temporal trends. Our analyses revealed a sustained increase in search interest over time beginning in 2012, with pronounced rise after 2015. Spatially, the highest relative search volumes were concentrated in southeastern Hungary. We found a strong positive association between regional search activity and mosquito infection rate. These findings demonstrate that GT-derived data accurately mirror both the temporal increase and geographic distribution of canine dirofilariosis, supporting the use of digital epidemiology as a complementary surveillance tool to inform public health and veterinary strategies for emerging vector-borne diseases.

The recent shift in Bangladesh from tradition backyard rearing system to modern commercial layer farming has made the birds immune to infectious diseases. Pediculosis, however, continues to pose a challenge in modern production system due to its invasive nature, often going unnoticed and neglected as it is typically non-lethal, yet capable of causing significant production losses. Lice infestation is a persistent threat in poultry production; however, its implications in battery-caged commercial layer hens in Bangladesh remain insufficiently characterized. The study aimed to identify the causative louse species and evaluate its associations with clinical pathology, hematological alteration and productive performance in 30 white-feathered (15 infested + 15 non-infested) and 30 brown-feathered (15 infested + 15 non-infested) laying birds from two commercial farms in Tangail. Morphological characterization confirmed the parasite as Menacanthus stamineus, distinguished by a dorsoventrally flattened body, parabolicallly rounded head wider than long, concealed club-shaped antennae, an oblong-oval abdomen with fine setae and three pairs of short legs each bearing paired claws. Infested birds exhibited consistent clinical pathology, including pale combs, petechial hemorrhages around the vent, severe feather damage with alopecic and exudative areas and incidence of irregular and broken-shelled eggs. Production performance analysis revealed significant reduction in hen-day egg production, egg weight, and feed intake, accompanied by significantly increased feed conversion ratios. Hematological evaluation demonstrated significantly reduced hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit and erythrocyte counts in infested hens, indicating mild anemia and compromised oxygen-carrying capacity. Collectively, pediculosis was strongly associated with lice-induced self-inflicted injury and cannibalism, systemic physiological stress, impaired erythropoiesis, reduced production efficiency and compromised welfare in caged laying hens. To best of our knowledge, it was the first integrative reports from Bangladesh documenting M. stramineus infestation in battery-caged commercial layer system with concurrent evidence of hematological disruption and measurable productivity losses, underscoring its epidemiological and economic significance and urgent need for targeted, evidence-based ectoparasite control strategies.

Background Tsetse are vectors of trypanosomes responsible for African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). While Cote dIvoire has successfully eliminated HAT as a public health problem and approaches elimination of transmission, AAT remains a major obstacle to agriculture and livestock production. Understanding the spatial distribution of tsetse is essential for prioritizing and sustaining disease control and elimination efforts. Methodology/Principal Findings Using 1,702 occurrence records from the national tsetse atlas we modeled the habitat suitability of the nine tsetse species present in Cote dIvoire. We identified suitable habitats in unsampled areas and quantified environmental constraints on tsetse distribution. Resampling the data to a 1km x 1km grid produced spatially explicit outputs at a resolution more relevant for operational planning. An ensemble modeling approach was employed integrating four algorithms--Random Forest, XGBoost, Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt), and Generalized Additive Models (GAM)-- with satellite-derived environmental and anthropogenic predictors--which achieved high predictive accuracy, area under the curve and True Skill Statistics 0.80 and 0.83, respectively. Distance to waterbodies, soil moisture, distance to protected areas, maximum land surface temperature, and sheep density were key drivers of habitat suitability. Importantly, the models identified suitable habitats in 11 administrative regions not covered by the atlas, providing an improved national tsetse risk profile. Conclusions/Significance These results provide a detailed assessment of the ecological suitability of tsetse across Cote dIvoire and their persistence in agroecological mosaics with high human and livestock densities. We offer a high-resolution blueprint for vector and disease control, particularly in areas where field data are currently lacking. We provide a robust framework for evidence-based decision-making within the Progressive Control Pathway (PCP) for AAT by enabling the identification of priority areas and resource allocation optimization to improve livestock productivity through more effective AAT control and reduce the risk of resurgence of HAT.