Browsing by Subject "infectious disease"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    An Assessment of the Risk Associated with the Movement of Layer Hatching Eggs Into, Within, and Outside of a Control Area During a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak
    (2011-05) Goldsmith, Timothy; Der, Christina; Ejigu, Girum; Funk, Janel; Halvorson, David; Weaver, Todd; Malladi, Sasidhar
    This document is a proactive Risk Assessment (RA) that seeks to evaluate the risk that movement of Layer Hatching Eggs during a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the poultry industry in the United States will result in the spread of HPAI virus to other premises with poultry. This assessment evaluates risks of HPAI spread associated with the movement of Layer Hatching Eggs originating from a Monitored Premises within, into, and outside a Control Area.
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    An Assessment of the Risk Associated with the Movement of Nest Run Eggs Into, Within, and Outside of a Control Area During a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak
    (2010-06) Goldsmith, Timothy; Funk, Janel; Halvorson, David; Lee, Brendan; Voss, Shauna; Weaver, Todd; Malladi, Sasidhar
    This document is a proactive Risk Assessment (RA) that seeks to evaluate the risk that movement of Nest Run Eggs during a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the poultry industry in the United States will result in the spread of HPAI virus to other premises with poultry. This assessment evaluates risks of HPAI spread associated with the movement of Nest Run Eggs originating from a Monitored Premises within, into, and outside a Control Area.
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    An Assessment of the Risk Associated with the Movement of Pasteurized Liquid Egg and Its Products Into, Within, and Outside of a Control Area During a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak
    (2009-01) Goldsmith, Timothy; Halvorson, David; Malladi, Sasidhar; McElroy, Kristina; Waters, Katherine; Clouse, Timothy
    This document is a proactive Risk Assessment (RA) that seeks to evaluate the risk that movement of Pasteurized Liquid Egg during a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the poultry industry in the United States will result in the spread of HPAI virus to other premises with poultry. This assessment evaluates risks of HPAI spread associated with the movement of Pasteurized Liquid Egg originating from a Monitored Premises within, into, and outside a Control Area.
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    An Assessment of the Risk Associated with the Movement of Turkey Hatching Eggs Into, Within, and Out of a Control Area During a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak
    (2015-01) Goldsmith, Timothy; Alexander, Carie; Halvorson, David; Malladi, Sasidhar; Snider, Timothy; Voss, Shauna; Weaver, Todd; Umber, Jamie
    This document is a proactive Risk Assessment (RA) that seeks to evaluate the risk that movement of Turkey Hatching Eggs during a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the poultry industry in the United States will result in the spread of HPAI virus to other premises with poultry. This assessment evaluates risks of HPAI spread associated with the movement of Turkey Hatching Eggs originating from a Monitored Premises within, into, and outside a Control Area.
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    An Assessment of the Risk Associated with the Movement of Washed and Sanitized Shell Eggs Into, Within, and Outside of a Control Area During a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak
    (2009-10) Goldsmith, Timothy; Funk, Janel; Halvorson, David; Hennesey, Morgan; Lee, Brendan; McElroy, Kristina; Waters, Katherine; Weaver, Todd; Malladi, Sasidhar
    This document is a proactive Risk Assessment (RA) that seeks to evaluate the risk that movement of Washed and Sanitized Shell Eggs during a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the poultry industry in the United States will result in the spread of HPAI virus to other premises with poultry. This assessment evaluates risks of HPAI spread associated with the movement of Washed and Sanitized Shell Eggs originating from a Monitored Premises within, into, and outside a Control Area.
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    The Complex Eco-Epidemiology of Tick Borne Disease: Ticks, Hosts and Pathobiomes in an Urbanizing Environment
    (2017-08) Bennett, Steve
    Emerging infectious diseases have become a rapidly increasing public health threat over the past 4 decades with the majority of pathogens being zoonotic or vector borne. Ticks are the second most important vector of disease globally, behind mosquitoes, and transmit a more diverse group of pathogens of medical importance than any other vector. Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) represent the most common vector-borne disease threats in North America, impacting both human and animal health. In Minnesota, the Lyme disease agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, emerged in 1980 and over the past two decades, incidence has risen over 700%. In order to better understand the local eco-epidemiology of these pathogens in the Twin Cities metro area a holistic approach to their ecology must be taken into account. The pathobiome concept has been introduced to ecological research to move beyond the ‘one pathogen= one disease’ principle. Pathogens must be evaluated within the framework of the microbial communities in which they exists. The impact of these communities can significantly drive disease transmission and vector competence. There are many gaps in data that currently exist in regards to the Ixodes scapularis pathobiome. To fill existing knowledge gaps, data were collected from the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District which had been trapping rodents and collecting ticks in the metro area since 1991. First, the pathobiome of Ixodes scapularis ticks was described. The analysis revealed significant changes depending upon the year ticks were collected. Next, tick and mammal population changes from 1993-2013 were analyzed to determine host vector relationships as well as vector range expansion. Ixodes scapularis have greatly expanded their range around the twin cities; however, urban development may have impacted that expansion. Additionally, the role of the Eastern chipmunk was shown to be important in local TBD ecology, and there is evidence of possible competition between tick species. Lastly, the impact of host blood meal and pathogen acquisition on the pathobiome of I. scapularis was examined. Both pathogens and host meal had a significant impact on tick pathobiome. The results from these studies are a step towards better understanding tick and TBD ecology and hopefully predicting and mitigating future transmission risk.
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    The Epidemiology of Civil War
    (2022-07) Stundal, Logan
    This dissertation explores the causal connection between violence occurring in armed conflicts and the emergence of infectious disease within or in close proximity to active conflict zones. While we have known for quite some time that war leads to disease, our understanding of what types of violence contribute to higher (or lower) incidence of specific types of infectious disease remains limited. Establishing the connection between disease and patterns of violence in armed conflict is important since that knowledge can help to inform where humanitarian aid should go and, crucially, what form that aid should take to best support the health needs of civilians suffering the effects of violence. I propose a new theory explaining the disease-conflict connection through a mechanism of civilian population movements in response to changing patterns of observable violence occurring across varying conflict contexts. Variation in conflict intensity as well as the spatial location of that violence – conflict geography – helps to explain downstream variation in the spread of infectious disease. This theory relies upon a mechanism of rational civilians making decisions to maximize their safety in response to violence. As security conditions deteriorate, civilians attempt to improve their situation by pursuing a strategy to remove themselves from areas which present the greatest risk to their personal integrity. In order to decide how to respond to the violence they observe, civilians jointly examine the intensity and geographic location of violence and decide whether to shelter in place, shuffle into nearby areas to find safety, or flee longer distances into neighboring regions or countries. My dissertation demonstrates that conflict context shapes how civilians respond to changing levels of violence. The varied strategies civilians pursue in response to this violence influences the spread of infectious disease by shaping which disease-causing pathogens civilians are more or less likely to encounter. Some patterns of violence facilitate contagious disease transmission while others create ideal conditions for noncontagious disease infections. By explaining the connection between conflict and war through civilian displacement mechanisms, the theory presented and tested in this dissertation allows us to better understand why disease emerges in some conflicts but not others, but also where and what types of disease will emerge across different conflict contexts.
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    Neisseria Meningitidis, Meningococcal Vaccines and Nutrition in Children in the African Meningitis Belt
    (2018-05) Sundaram, Maria
    Abstract Introduction: Human nutrition plays an important role in immune function and protection against infectious diseases. Populations experiencing nutritional deficiencies may benefit less from vaccines (which require robust immune system function) and may be at increased risk of disease. Methods: I identified populations living in the African meningitis belt and assessed potential relationships between 1) protein-energy undernutrition and meningococcal vaccine immunogenicity; 2) iron and vitamin A deficiency and long-term vaccine antibody persistence; and 3) iron status and risk of asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis (Nm). Results: Protein-energy undernutrition was not consistently significantly related to meningococcal vaccine immunogenicity in children 0-2 years old. However, increasing iron status was significantly related to a reduction in meningococcal vaccine-elicited antibody at 2 years post-vaccination. Finally, increasing iron status was significantly related to reduced odds of asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriage of Nm in children 5-11 (for iron measured by serum ferritin) and 12-17 (for iron measured by soluble transferrin receptor) years old. Discussion: This dissertation identifies potential relationships between iron status and meningococcal vaccine antibody persistence as well as the odds of Nm carriage. Further studies should assess these relationships in larger populations of children, at a greater number of time points, and consider additional iron biomarkers.