Veterinary parasitologyJingyi Wen, Chaoqun Wu, Wei Wei, Chengyu Ma, Zhengyi Li, Rigai Sa, Guoshuai Li, Yaxian Du, Rui Wang
Hyalomma asiaticum is a dominant tick vector in arid and semi-arid regions. It transmits multiple pathogens affecting livestock health and production. Long-term spatiotemporal patterns of this tick and associated pathogens remain poorly characterized across the Belt and Road region. We systematically integrated 1970-2025 Chinese and English language literature to construct spatiotemporal distribution and pathogen risk databases for H. asiaticum. Standard deviational ellipse (SDE) analysis, kernel density estimation (KDE), and centroid shift methods were applied to quantify tick expansion and pathogen distribution. Host composition and environmental and human activity-related factors were evaluated as potential ecological correlates. H. asiaticum showed a literature-derived apparent spatial expansion pattern over the past half century. However, this pattern may partly reflect increased sampling effort and publication intensity over time. Five key pathogen groups (CCHFV, SFGR, Anaplasma spp., Coxiella burnetii, piroplasmids) displayed heterogeneous spatial patterns. For comparative interpretation, these pathogens were operationally grouped according to their major One Health risk relevance, primarily related to livestock production and trade or to public health. Livestock-associated pathogens showed higher detection metrics in hub regions, whereas public health risk pathogens showed no significant hub-region difference and only a weak HFP-related trend. This study provides a comprehensive, long-term assessment of H. asiaticum and its associated pathogens, highlighting livestock interfaces as key risk areas. Findings support targeted tick surveillance and cross-border biosecurity strategies, offering practical guidance for veterinary public health management along the Belt and Road corridor.
One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)Sherry Khoddami, Erin Fraser, Chelsea G Himsworth, Anya F Smith, Ellen Boyd
Premises Identification (PID) programs in Canada assign unique identification numbers to locations where animals, such as livestock and poultry, are kept. These programs are provincial and territorial, with a purpose of supporting various animal disease outbreaks, natural disaster emergencies, and animal traceability. While most PID programs have been operating since early 2000s, there has been no study reporting on PID programs in Canada. This qualitative study explored PID programs across Canada through the perspectives of government-employed stakeholders to (1) describe PID programs in participating Canadian provinces and territories, and (2) identify the strengths and weaknesses across PID programs. Stakeholders from nine provinces and one territory (N = 22) participated in online one-on-one interviews or focus groups. Data were analyzed inductively using codebook thematic analysis. Findings suggest that PID programs must build trust with farmers through transparent communication of intended data usage, ideally through familiar social networks. Furthermore, compliance with PID appears to be stronger when there are robust cross-compliance measures in place that have proportional incentives and enforcement measures. Programs with increased capacity and resources were better equipped to maintain data quality, which was achieved by some programs by narrowing the eligibility criteria for PID around the species of interest. This study provides valuable insights for improving the effectiveness of PID programs in Canada. Future research should explore the perspectives of other stakeholders, such as farmers eligible for the program.
Veterinary medicine and scienceSelçuk Alan, Gönül Damla Büyük, Seda Çavuş Alan
BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to reshape learning processes, especially through tools such as ChatGPT. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate veterinary students' attitudes towards AI-supported veterinary public health education applications, their anxiety levels and their experiences regarding the education process. METHODS: The study adopted a mixed method design in which quantitative and qualitative methods were used together. The study was conducted with final-year veterinary students (n = 60) enrolled in the Veterinary Public Health course. This study consisted of four phases: (1) the Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale (AIAS) was administered as a pre-test, (2) traditional face-to-face training was given, (3) the same topic was repeated with a ChatGPT-based AI-supported exercise and (4) after the trainings, the AIAS was administered again and post-test was conducted and a questionnaire consisting of closed and open-ended questions was administered to the students. Factor analysis revealed that the scale had high internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.90). RESULTS: Analysis of the scale scores revealed that veterinary students exhibited moderate anxiety towards AI and that AI-focused education did not significantly alter this anxiety in the short term. In the content analysis of qualitative data, students stated that they benefited from the aspects of AI such as fast access to information, practicality and time-saving; the same time, they expressed concerns about ethical concerns, information reliability and professional role change. CONCLUSION: Overall, the findings indicate a duality in students' potential attitudes towards AI. These findings indicate the applicability of AI-based educational practices in the context of veterinary public health education and point to the need for multidimensional evaluation of student attitudes.
This study evaluated the chemical and radiological safety of animal-derived food products from the Abai region of Kazakhstan adjacent to the former Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site. A total of 450 samples of beef, horse meat, mutton, poultry meat, and whole cow's milk were collected from the Abai, Ayagoz, and Aksuat districts, which differ in their degree of potential technogenic and residual radiological impact. Lead, cadmium, copper, and zinc concentrations were determined by anodic stripping voltammetry, while 137Cs and 90Sr activities were measured by gamma spectrometry and radiochemical beta counting. Non-carcinogenic risk was assessed using the Target Hazard Quotient and Hazard Index, and radiological risk was evaluated using the Annual Effective Dose and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk. Significant inter-district differences were observed, with the highest contaminant burdens generally detected in the Abai district and the lowest in the Aksuat district. Lead concentrations in whole cow's milk exceeded the applicable regulatory limit in all three districts, representing the most important food-safety finding of the study, whereas most other analytes remained within permissible levels. Despite these local exceedances, all calculated non-carcinogenic and radiological risk indicators remained below internationally accepted threshold values for adults under the assumed consumption scenario. These findings indicate a low overall health risk from consumption of the investigated products, while supporting the need for territorially differentiated and product-specific veterinary-sanitary monitoring in historically affected regions within a One Health framework.
Advances in virologySirwan Sleman, Basm Ali, Zaniar A Abass, Barham J Abdullah, Omed I Abid, Masood B Ameen, Rand Swara, Ali Sirwan
This study presents a new molecular epidemiology dataset on the prevalence of selected viral pathogens, including Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline calicivirus (FCV), and feline coronavirus (FCoV) (systemic feline infectious peritonitis [FIP]), in domestic cats in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan region, Iraq. From October 2024 to January 2025, a total of 145 clinically suspected cats aged 2-24 months presented to private veterinary hospitals were analyzed using quantitative PCR (qPCR) and reverse transcription qPCR (RT-qPCR) on blood, feces, oral swabs, and abdominal effusion. Our findings revealed that 86/145 (59.3%) cats were positive for at least one virus: FCoV (including FIP) was detected in 13/25 (52%) samples, FPV in 63/102 (61.8%), and FCV in 10/20 (50%). All categorical comparisons are presented with explicit numerical values (n and %), improving interpretability. Most positive cases were reported among younger cats (2-12 months). Additionally, infection prevalence was higher in nonvaccinated (25.9%) and stray cats (22.5%) compared with vaccinated cats (15.0%). Vaccination status was recorded; however, detailed vaccine type and schedule were not consistently available. These findings suggest a strong association between vaccination status and infection risk, underscoring the importance of immunization programs. This study establishes the first molecular baseline for feline viral infections in Sulaymaniyah and supports the development of targeted surveillance, vaccination strategies, and improved veterinary public health interventions in the region.
Veterinary sciencesGhizlane Larif, Nourredine Bouchriti, Rachid Khatouf, Oleya El Hariri, Said Dahani
Monitoring chemical residue levels in foods of animal origin is essential to ensure food safety and protect consumer health. Sulfites are commonly used in crustaceans to preserve quality; however, excessive levels may raise public health concerns, particularly for sensitive individuals. This study aimed to assess the compliance of shrimp from offshore and coastal fisheries in Morocco with current regulatory standards. A total of 60 samples were collected and analyzed for residual sulfite levels using the semi-quantitative strip test method. The results showed that sulfite concentrations ranged from 5 to 100 mg/kg in offshore samples, with a mean value of 41 mg/kg. Higher concentrations were observed in coastal samples, with an average of 172 mg/kg. Despite the observed differences between fishing origins, most samples complied with the established regulatory limits. These results support the importance of systematic monitoring programs within the fisheries supply chain to strengthen food safety control and contribute to veterinary public health protection.
Tropical medicine and infectious diseaseAbdullateef Abdullah Alshehri, Mohammad Y Alqahtani, Osman Ae Elnoubi, Mohsen A Qahtani, Dehiyyan E Alyami, Meshal M Alabbas, Mosa M Bahnass, Abdullah Alshehar…
Brucellosis remains an important zoonotic disease in southern Saudi Arabia; however, community-level knowledge, risk-related practices, and information pathways in Najran City are insufficiently characterized. This study assessed brucellosis-related knowledge, attitudes, practices, and information pathways among adults in Najran City to inform locally relevant One Health interventions. In this cross-sectional survey, adults were recruited using stratified time-location (venue-based) sampling across community and exposure-relevant sites in Najran City. A total of 608 adults completed a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Composite scores were calculated for knowledge (0-21), attitude (0-22), practice (0-64), and information-source breadth (0-6). Descriptive statistics, group comparisons, correlation analyses, and multivariable linear regressions were performed. The findings suggest that participants more commonly relied on interpersonal social networks, especially family and friends, for information related to brucellosis (53.9%), whereas formal sources were less commonly reported, including health professionals (7.9%), media (4.6%), internet sources (3.3%), educational institutions (2.0%), and agricultural or veterinary organizations (1.3%). Mean knowledge scores were moderate (10.7/21), attitudes were generally favorable (19.5/22), and practice scores were moderate (36.6/64). Exposure-related behaviors remained common, particularly the consumption of unpasteurized milk or dairy products (56.6%). The breadth of information sources showed a moderate positive correlation with knowledge (rho = 0.561), whereas attitude showed only small positive correlations with knowledge and practice. Finally, knowledge was weakly and inversely correlated with practice. Among adults recruited in this venue-based sample, favorable attitudes did not consistently correspond to safer practices. These findings support practical One Health interventions, including coordinated veterinary-public health messaging on animal abortion events, safe-dairy guidance at points of sale and community venues, workplace-based training for livestock-contact groups, and referral pathways linking suspected animal cases with veterinary services and human care-seeking. Because recruitment was venue-based and non-probability, the results should be interpreted as descriptive and hypothesis-generating rather than population-representative; however, they still identify practical communication and service-delivery priorities for future intervention studies in Najran.
Transboundary and emerging diseasesYiping Wang, Binbin Zhu, Fei Zhao, Zhiyuan Zheng, Senhong Zhao, Yi Zheng, Xiaobo Huang, Qin Zhao, Senyan Du, Yiping Wen, Rui Wu, Tongqing An, Sanjie Cao
Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is an important swine pathogen that causes significant economic losses in the pig industry. In addition to its swine host, PRV also infects a wide variety of animals as well as humans, posing a threat to veterinary public health. Thus, the development of potent antiviral drugs against PRV is required. Bovine lactoferrin (BLF) is widely known as an iron-binding glycoprotein in the transferrin family, which gains great attention for biomedical applications due to its beneficial physiological functions to human health as an antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, and immunomodulatory agent. In the work described here, we identified BLF as a novel and potent antiviral agent against PRV. BLF exhibited strong antiviral activity against PRV infection in multiple pig, human, and mouse permissive cells. Systematic analysis of the effect of BLF on PRV inhibition revealed that BLF blocks PRV attachment to target cells. Through surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, BLF was demonstrated to directly interact with heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycan (HSPG), a primary attachment receptor for PRV. Addition of exogenous HS completely abolished BLF inhibition of PRV attachment, demonstrating that BLF represses PRV attachment by interacting with cell-surface HS. However, BLF failed to inhibit the attachment of a PRV mutant virus with the deletion of glycoprotein C (gC), the primary viral envelop component for HS binding, suggesting that PRV gC is required for BLF inhibition of PRV infection. Cumulatively, these findings demonstrated that BLF inhibits PRV attachment by binding cell-surface HS to block the interaction between viral gC and HS.