Understanding the risks of zoonotic disease from swine production & exchange systems in Cambodia
Abstract
Across Asia, consumption and production of livestock has increased dramatically in recent years, with livestock systems undergoing rapid change. The implications for the emergence and spread of zoonotic pathogens with pandemic potential, such as influenza, remain unclear but are likely to be profound. Research and surveillance on infectious diseases at the humanlivestock interface is particularly needed in Cambodia, a country undergoing a rapid rise in swine production, and where the supply of pigs to urban areas still relies on rural smallholder systems. Furthermore, highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) is prevalent in poultry in Cambodia, and cross-species transmission to pigs is of concern for pandemic emergence. To identify where risks of zoonotic transmission and reassortment of influenza viruses are highest, and how changing livestock practices may influence these risks, information will be collected on pig distributions, movements, and husbandry practices from small backyard farms to largescale units in Cambodia. Longitudinal epidemiological surveys will measure seroprevalence and incidence of influenza infection in pigs and humans, and phylogenetic analyses conducted to investigate virus evolution and spread. These data will be used to estimate viral transmission among pigs and the force of infection between pigs and humans. Mathematical models, fitted to the epidemiological and genetic data, will be used to anticipate the impact of livestock intensification on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of influenza at the swine-human interface, and guide in the formulation of surveillance and control strategies to reduce zoonotic and pandemic disease risk. The direct involvement, training, and laboratory strengthening of key Cambodian governmental and academic partners (across human health and agricultural sectors) will be integral to the project, augmenting "One Health" surveillance and improving country capabilities to understand, detect, and reduce biological threats that pose profound public health and socio-economic risks at local, national, and global levels.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 10, 2018
- Source ID
- HDTRA11810051
Entities
People
- William Rudge
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine