Global challenges to our rapidly changing ecosystems urgently demand integrated approaches to improve human, other animal, and environmental health. Although One Health holds promise at local levels, One Health initiatives have mainly been implemented at global and national levels. This paper aims to (1) assess a representative sample of peer-reviewed and newspaper articles in the United States (U.S.) for One Health coverage and (2) highlight locally based cases that exemplify One Health approaches. We conducted a systematic search of peer-reviewed literature and local newspaper reports for articles published from January 2010 to May 2024 for references to human, other animal, and environmental health domains and community engagement and developed a rubric to score returned articles for relevant terms. We also describe three case examples of local One Health applications known to the authors from personal and professional experience. (1) The peer-reviewed literature returned no ar9cles about local One Health. A separate descriptive analysis was performed on newspaper articles. Out of a sample of 350 of the 2634 newspaper articles returned, 37 did not meet inclusion criteria, and only 8 (2.6
Domestic pigs and wild boar are well-established reservoirs for zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) but whether it also occurs in other Suidae, including warthog, is unknown. Serum samples from 267 free-ranging warthogs collected in Kruger National Park and Mokala National Park, South Africa, were tested for anti-HEV antibodies and for HEV RNA. Overall, 22
Infectious diseases remain a major global health challenge, and while AI is rapidly advancing diagnostic techniques such as Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and ultrasound, its full potential in the detection and management of these diseases has yet to be thoroughly explored. This study examines the global research trends, key contributors, and thematic shifts in the field of AI-driven diagnostics for infectious diseases. The publications obtained data from the Web of Science (WoS) database reveal an exponential growth with 5465 publications from 2005 to 2024. The search targeted studies on human, animal, and environmental health using keywords such as “infectious disease,” “communicable disease,” “environment,” “machine learning,” and “artificial intelligence” in title, abstract, and keyword fields. Bibliometric parameters such as publication trends, prolific authors, and geographical distribution were assessed, and core journals, institutions were identified, keyword co-occurrence analysis highlighted major research themes. Analyses were conducted using pyBibX, bibliometrix, and VOSviewer to map relationships among authors, journals, and thematic areas. The USA leads AI-driven infectious disease research, contributing 1687 publications and 72,732 citations, dominated the combined contributions of China and India, whose total amounts to 1768 publications and 34,927 citations. The Chinese Academy of Science (China), University of Oxford (UK), and Harvard Medical School (USA) emerged as the top institutions. “Scientific Reports” turned out to be the top journal with 157 publications followed by “PLOS One” (144) and “Frontiers in Immunology” (127). Citation network analysis highlighted regional disparities, with low-income countries such as Gambia and Mozambique underrepresented. Keyword clustering identified six key research themes, with machine learning as a central theme across diagnostics, epidemiology, imaging, and drug discovery. AI is transforming infectious disease research with significant contributions from high-income countries. However, emerging collaborations in lower middle-income countries highlight the need for equitable AI adoption. Addressing these disparities in infrastructure, funding, technological, and computational capability through global collaborations is important. Future studies should focus on overcoming the real-world implementation challenges to maximize AI’s impact in infectious disease research.
The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is an endangered native species in England, typically persisting in small, fragmented populations. A conservation translocation (reintroduction) programme has contributed to recovery by establishing new populations and regaining the lost range of the species. The translocation of wild animals has been associated with severe epidemic disease giving rise to extinctions, and therefore, caution is required in the planning of future translocations. In line with International Union for the Conservation of Nature recommendations, a disease risk analysis was conducted on the sand lizard reintroduction programme in 2003. A disease outbreak, associated with the bacterium Serratia marcescens, occurred in a sand lizard colony being prepared for reintroduction in 2004, and S. marcescens had not previously been recorded in reptiles in England. In order to reassess disease risk management methods, efforts were made to establish whether this bacterium was a naturally occurring species in UK sand lizards, and a survey was conducted on 194 free-living, wild sand lizards from a population that had not received reintroduced sand lizards. Cloacal swabs, collected from the free-living sand lizards, were cultured for bacteria, and S. marcescens was recorded at 1.5
Transhumant pastoralist communities in the Kashmir Himalayas represent a marginalized and understudied population, particularly vulnerable to health risks due to their mobility and isolation. This study examines their healthcare practices, knowledge, and attitudes (KAP), with a focus on zoonotic disease exposure. Data from 384 respondents revealed that only 15
The recent discourse by Andaria and Mole regarding the ecological imperatives of medical laboratory practices marks a significant intellectual contribution to the burgeoning field of planetary health. While the authors cogently argue for the integration of sustainability within diagnostic frameworks, there remains an urgent need to transition from qualitative advocacy to a more rigorous, quantitative paradigm of environmental accountability. This critique posits that the current reliance on voluntary "eco-conscious" shifts is insufficient against the backdrop of escalating global diagnostic demands. Specifically, the tension between the stringent requirements of clinical precision-governed by frameworks such as ISO 15189-and the mandates of ecological preservation requires a more nuanced exploration of "regulatory synergy". Of note, while the authors correctly identify the disparate impact on lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the discussion must move beyond infrastructural deficits to address the systemic "exportation of ecological debt" through the global medical supply chain. Furthermore, by implementing standardized Lifecycle Assessments (LCAs) and integrating sustainability metrics into the very core of healthcare accreditation, the laboratory sector can evolve from a passive participant in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to a proactive vanguard of the "One Health" initiative. This letter advocates for a mandatory "Green Diagnostic Charter" that transcends institutional goodwill to ensure that the pursuit of human health no longer occurs at the deleterious expense of our shared biosphere.
Scrub typhus is a significant public health concern in India. Despite numerous studies on its prevalence across hosts and vectors, country-specific data remain unavailable. This systematic review and meta-analysis provide comprehensive insights into the prevalence of scrub typhus across humans, animal hosts, and vectors to aid disease control programs. The PECOS framework was used to identify eligible studies. A systematic search across six databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Krishikosh, and Shodhganga) was conducted in March 2024. Data were classified by diagnostics and disease distribution across hosts and vectors for narrative synthesis. Study bias was assessed using a prevalence study checklist. A random- or common-effects meta-analysis model estimated overall and subgroup pooled prevalence across population types and diagnostic tests, with heterogeneity measured by the I2 index. A total of 83 eligible studies published between 2003 and 2024 covered different regions, hosts, and vectors. The pooled prevalence (95
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen widely distributed in the environment, but its occurrence in wildlife remains poorly understood. We isolated P. aeruginosa from the lung of a Ryukyu Islands tree rat (Diplothrix legata) that was rescued near the Yanbaru Forest, a World Natural Heritage Site. The drug resistance tests revealed that the isolate was resistant to three types of fluoroquinolones, and the genome analysis showed the isolate carried a total of 61 drug resistance genes. This study is the first to isolate drug-resistant P. aeruginosa from wildlife in Japan, indicating a need for AMR surveillance of the environment by drug-resistant bacteria.
Antibiotic resistance in wildlife is an emerging concern, as birds can serve as reservoirs and vectors for resistant bacteria. In this study, we investigated the diversity of bacteria belonging to the Enterobacterales order and their antibiotic resistance patterns in the unexplored Red-naped ibis (Pseudibis papillosa). It is a resident wading bird species in western India, i.e., Udaipur city, Rajasthan. It inhabits a wide range of environments, including urban areas, wetlands, agricultural fields, and fallow lands. Fecal samples (n = 45) were collected and a total of 60 bacterial isolates were analyzed for bacterial diversity and bacteria were characterized using biochemical, molecular, methods. Interestingly, four novel bacterial taxa from this host species were identified, i.e., Enterobacter mori, Enterobacter soli, Citrobacter freundii, and Leclercia adecarboxylata. Notably, E. mori and E. soli were reported for the first time in this bird species globally. Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed high levels of multidrug resistance, with 40
Feral cats in insular environments represent a relevant interface between wildlife, environmental contamination, and zoonotic risk under a One Health perspective, as feralization increases exposure to infections and facilitates pathogen transmission. Herein, we surveyed Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis spp., Neospora caninum, and SARS-CoV-2 in Furtada Island, Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where there has been a feral cat population since the 1950s. This study aimed to investigate serological, molecular, and morphological indicators of infection in feral cats by assessing antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis spp., Neospora caninum, and SARS-CoV-2, detecting Apicomplexa DNA in reproductive tissues, and evaluating the morphology of the uterus, ovaries, testes, and epididymides. It was demonstrated that 40.4
Zoonotic malaria caused by Plasmodium knowlesi is an emerging threat in Southeast Asia, where deforestation and habitat fragmentation are reshaping human–wildlife–vector interfaces. While deforestation is known to increase ecological overlap among humans, mosquitoes, and macaques, how changes in host communities and landscape structure jointly influence spillover risk remains unclear. Here, deforestation is represented as edge accumulation using the edge ratio—a continuous measure of forest–non-forest boundary—within a process-based simulation model parameterized with previously reported estimates. The model integrates mosquito abundance, host densities, biting preferences, and reservoir competence to evaluate how spillover risk responds to landscape fragmentation. Scenarios explore changes in host populations, and global sensitivity analysis quantifies the relative influence of key parameters. Model simulations suggest that spillover risk may peak at intermediate edge ratios, where mosquito density and host overlap are jointly elevated. Changes in host composition can alter both the magnitude and location of peak risk, and abrupt biodiversity loss may produce threshold-like increases under certain conditions. Notably, spillover risk is not estimated to be highest where human density is greatest, but where both humans and macaques are sufficiently represented in the mosquito biting pool, reflecting a nonlinear trade-off in host availability. Sensitivity analysis indicates that variation in macaque competence is a dominant driver of model outcomes. These results suggest that monitoring macaque infection and mosquito activity in fragmented forest–agriculture edges may help identify areas of elevated zoonotic malaria risk, although empirical validation is needed to assess their applicability in real-world settings.
Urban rat populations are widely assumed to increase under climate change, largely due to recent studies. This narrative is often extended to cities worldwide, irrespective of their local climate. Yet, this oversimplification obscures complex ecological and social processes that shape commensal rat dynamics. Here, we synthesize evidence across rodent ecology, epidemiology, urbanization, and human behavior to propose a multi‑dimensional framework for urban rat‑release: a climate‑mediated relaxation of seasonal constraints that reduces winter burrow confinement and increases above‑ground activity, dispersal, apparency, and reproductive output in cold‑temperate cities, often producing short‑term population increases before density‑dependent processes stabilize numbers. Warming winters may extend breeding windows and increase winter food availability, but these effects interact with expanding arthropod vectors, shifting pathogen pressures, and the compounding forces of urban architecture, waste management systems, and human activity. Human social responses-sanitation reforms, surges in panic‑driven control, and predictable political attention cycles-can either magnify or suppress populations, often more strongly than ecological factors. We argue that climate change will not produce uniform increases in rat abundance; instead, outcomes will vary predictably across cold‑temperate, mild‑temperate, and tropical cities depending on the alignment of these interacting dimensions. Importantly, rat populations may stabilize or surge depending on how disease dynamics, density-dependent constraints, and public responses converge. This framework provides a foundation for forecasting models and offers practical guidance for urban planning, public health, and policy development in warming climates where rats and vectors reshape urban risks. These dynamics align with the One Health perspective, which emphasizes the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental systems.
Bats are a diverse order of mammals that play an important role in ecosystem services. Numerous recent studies have focused on bats’ role in the emergence and transmission of zoonotic pathogens, particularly viruses, but relatively fewer studies have investigated antimicrobial resistance in bacteria harbored by bats. Here, we estimate the prevalence and antibiotic profiling of Staphylococcus (S.) aureus in oral and rectal samples from bats in Northern Pakistan and assess factors associated with carriage of these bacteria by bats. Two hundred individual bats of five species: Pipistrellus javanicus (n = 17), Pipistrellus pipistrellus (n = 10), Rhinopoma microphyllum (n = 48), Rousettus leschenaultii (n = 124), and Scotophilus kuhlii (n = 1) were captured for non-lethal collection of samples to isolate S. aureus. Bats sampled were collected from two different provinces of Pakistan, specifically Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, in August 2018 and from Sheikhupura Fort in October 2019. Bats were sampled from three sites: a natural cave, a man-made castle, and an animal shed, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. Out of 400 samples, 58 swabs were positive for S. aureus, including 34 rectal and 24 oral swabs. Prevalence of S. aureus carriage varied significantly among species (0–100
Mosquito-borne diseases remain a major global public health concern, with Culex quinquefasciatus acting as an important vector of lymphatic filariasis. This study investigated ecological and physico-chemical characteristics of larval breeding habitats across 14 villages in the Ajodhya Hill Forest, Purulia, India, between November 2023 and September 2024. Per-dip larval density (PDLD) was highest in polluted drains near human habitations (38.4 ± 1.5 larvae/dip), compared to ponds (25.53 ± 0.70) and roadside ditches (10.46 ± 0.35). Aerobic heterotrophic bacterial counts ranged from 4.13 × 105 to 21.56 × 105 cfu, with significantly greater microbial loads in organically polluted habitats. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive associations of PDLD with turbidity (r = 0.943), total dissolved solids (r = 0.919–0.963 depending on bacterial indicators), and bacterial abundance, whereas dissolved oxygen showed a negative correlation (r = − 0.890). Principal component analysis indicated that the first axis explained 53.1
Active animal disease surveillance is essential for detecting zoonotic emerging infectious diseases. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), limited infrastructure, economic instability, and armed conflict constrain surveillance capability. This ongoing work to characterize the prevalence of zoonoses like Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus implements an in-country One Health approach to disease surveillance and capacity building in a limited-resource setting. Veterinarians and technicians from the DRC's Central Veterinary Laboratory with technical support from national and international partners completed 135 site visits across 9 provinces between June 2023 and July 2024 collecting bovine, porcine, and human serum samples along with attached and grossly engorged ticks. At each site, community animal health workers and local veterinarians were invited to participate for training in clinical competencies and emerging zoonosis identification. Facility survey data revealed that, while more than half of sites report using antibiotics (63% of sites with cattle; 75% of sites with swine), only a quarter of sites vaccinate livestock (18% of sites with cattle; 28% of sites with swine)-a larger trend of curative care outpacing preventative action. This disparity demonstrates a need for veterinary capacity strengthening to realize long-term gains in disease prevention and economic stability.
Molecular surveillance of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli in environmental reservoirs is essential for understanding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) transmission within the One Health framework. This study aimed to characterize the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of blaCTX-M and blaTEM genes in ESBL-producing E. coli isolated from hospital wastewater in Manila and Quezon City, Philippines. Seventeen isolates carrying blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-9, and blaTEM-1 genes, confirmed by multiplex PCR, were subjected to DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis alongside global reference strains. Phylogenetic analysis of the blaCTX-M gene sequences revealed two distinct clusters: six blaCTX-M-15 variants clustered within the CTX-M-1 clade, showing close relatedness to strains from Thailand, Iran, and neighboring Southeast Asian clinical and environmental samples, while two blaCTX-M-27 clustered within the CTX-M-9 group, closely related to isolates from India, Australia, and Spain. All blaTEM-1 gene sequences aligned with globally disseminated TEM-1 references. The co-occurrence of multiple ESBL gene variants in individual effluent samples underscores active horizontal gene transfer facilitated by mobile genetic elements in wastewater environments. These findings reveal substantial genetic diversity of ESBL determinants and demonstrate the convergence of clinical and environmental AMR reservoirs through hospital effluents. Incorporating genetic surveillance of hospital wastewater into national AMR action plans can enhance detection of emerging resistance variants, inform risk assessment, and guide targeted interventions to mitigate environmental dissemination. Future work should integrate whole-genome sequencing to elucidate plasmid dynamics and resistance gene mobilization mechanisms, advancing One Health strategies to curb the AMR threat.
Infectious skin diseases in nonhuman primates are of importance due to their zoonotic transmission potential, especially in biodiversity rich areas where human-wildlife interactions are frequent. Here, we report the presence of a skin disease in unhabituated wild Guinea baboons (Papio papio) inhabiting an agroforest landscape in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, exclusively using non-invasive surveillance methods. We combined 107 georeferenced baboon presence points, camera trap footage obtained during 2224 camera trap days, with molecular analysis of 272 biological samples collected opportunistically. Given the presence of leprosy in western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Cantanhez and yaws in nonhuman primates in Sub-Saharan Africa, we tested the samples using specific PCR protocols for Mycobacterium leprae and Treponema pallidum as possible causative agents. We estimated the minimum ranging area of the baboons, which overlapped with 27.25% of the home range of a chimpanzee community affected by leprosy. We identified at least seven baboons with lesions on the muzzle, eyebrow, ears, tail, hindquarters, joints, hands and/or feet. Clinical signs partially aligned with descriptions of nonhuman primates affected by leprosy and yaws. Molecular analysis failed at conclusively showing the presence of either suspected pathogen. Longitudinal monitoring and additional sampling are needed to identify the causative agent, which may be relevant to conservation and public health, as baboon meat is consumed by humans in Guinea-Bissau.
