The Mediterranean diet and One Health: A study in synergies

Abstract Food consumption patterns (diets) lie at the nexus of human wellness and environmental conservation. The Mediterranean diet, the traditional food and lifestyle patterns of the Mediterranean populations, is a plant-based whole foods cultural model of a healthy diet. The environmental benefits are rooted in the agro-silvo-pastoral farming systems promoting sustainable productivity, and conserving biodiversity and water resources, while also decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and future land clearing. Pasture-based husbandry results in improved animal health and welfare. Understanding the ancient hierarchy of synergies in this complex system can aid policy-makers, public health planners, agriculturists, and animal advocates meet present and future challenges. One Health Impact Statement Food choice can have a profound effect on human health and the environment. Less obvious is the impact on the health and welfare of food-producing animals. The Mediterranean dietary and lifestyle pattern is a plant-based whole foods diet, arising from sustainable agroecological practices, resulting in tangible benefits in all three domains. The synergistic aspects of each domain assemble into a complex system exemplifying the interdisciplinary concept of One Health that is crucial to meeting the challenges of today

Detection of West Nile Virus Infection in Birds in the United States by Blocking ELISA and Immunohistochemistry

A blocking ELISA targeting an immunodominant West Nile epitope on the West Nile Virus NSI protein was assessed for the detection of West Nile-specific antibodies in blood samples collected from 584 sentinel chickens and 238 wild birds collected in New Jersey from May-December 2000. Ten mallard ducks (Anus platyrirynchos) experimentally infected with West Nile virus and six uninfected controls were also tested. The ELISA proved specific in detecting WNV antibodies in 9/10 chickens and 414 wild birds previously confirmed as positive by Plaque Reduction Neutralization test (PRNT) at the Center for Disease Control, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Fort Collins, CO, USA (CDC). Nine out of the ten experimentally infected mallard ducks also tested positive for WN antibodies in the blocking ELISA, while 616 uninfected controls did not. Additionally, 1705 wild birds, collected in New Jersey from December 2000-November 2001 and Long Island, New York between November 1999 and August 2001 were also tested for WN antibodies by the blocking ELISA. These tests identified 30 positive specimens, 12 of which had formalin-fixed tissues available to allow detection of WN specific viral antigen in various tissues by WNV-specific immunohistochemistry. Our results indicate that rapid and specific detection of antibodies to WN virus in sera from a range of avian species by blocking ELISA is an effective strategy for WN Virus surveillance in avian hosts. In combination with detection of WN-specific antigens in tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC) the blocking ELISA will also be useful for confirming WN infection in diseased birds. Key Words: West Nile Virus-Blocking ELISA-Immunocytochemistry-Wild birds-Arbovirus-Serum-blood spot. Vector-Borne Zoonotic Dis. 3, 99-110

Organism Migration in Soils: Should We Be So Comfortable With Diagnosing Ancient Infectious Diseases?

Studies of the ancient history of infectious diseases have been facilitated greatly by development of a succession of novel analytical methods. In particular, laboratory analytical methods that are based on high-throughput ancient deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing have received considerable attention in this respect. Even so, significant environmental caveats remain. There are many means by which microbes move through soil, often fairly readily. Thus, the depositional component of the postmortem environment, especially with respect to unshielded animal or human remains, is a fertile arena for many microbes that can contaminate archaeological specimens well after deposition and decay of soft tissues. The huge number of pathogenic and nonpathologic genera and species clearly dictate renewed interest and research into the long-term biological activities of soil-covered remains. In a tuberculosis context, we focus on various depositional concerns and limitations, such as contamination prior to archaeological discovery (perhaps many years prior), various means of microorganism movement in soil, the influence of these factors on differential diagnosis, and real hazards for misinterpretation of investigational results

The Nature of Coxofemoral Joint Pathology Across Family Canidae

We evaluated coxofemoral joints from museum specimens of: Vulpes lagopus; Vulpes vulpes; Vulpes velox; Nyctereutes procyonoides; Urocyon cinereoargenteus; Aenocyon [Canis] dirus; Canis latrans; Canis lupus lupus; Canis lupus familiaris; C. l. familiaris × latrans; and Canis dingo. Acetabular components included: fossa; articular surface; medial and lateral articular margins; and periarticular surfaces. Acetabular components variably revealed: osteophyte-like features; varying appearance of articular margin rims (especially contour changes); rough bone surfaces (especially fossa and articular surface); and surface wear. Proximal femoral components included: articular surface; articular margin; periarticular surfaces; and joint capsule attachment. Femoral components variably revealed: rough bone surface; bone loss; articular margin osteophyte-like features; caudal post-developmental mineralized prominence; and enthesophytes along the joint capsule attachment. Non-metric multidimensional scaling was used to analyze right-left asymmetric relationships between observed traits, across taxa. Significantly different acetabular trait asymmetry involved only C. latrans-C. l. familiaris; V. vulpes-N. procyonoides, and U. cinereoargenteus-N. procyonoides. There were no significant lateralized differences in proximal femoral traits involving modern canids, ancient and modern C. l. familiaris, or modern vulpines. Thus, the observations were strongly bilateral. We hypothesized high similarity of traits across taxa. The data confirm the hypothesis and strongly suggest broad and deep morphological and mechanistic conservation that almost certainly pre-existed (at least) all modern canids. Further zoological studies are needed to evaluate phylogenic implications in greater detail

Features of the Femoral Proximocaudal Joint Capsule Insertion Among Canids

This observational study was conducted to evaluate the anatomic relationship between the proximocaudal femoral joint capsule insertion and the femoral caudolateral curvilinear osteophyte (CCO), across ancient and modern domestic and non-domestic canids. Museum specimens of proximal femora were screened for presence of remnant enthesophytes of the caudal joint capsule insertion (first inclusion criterion) and then for the CCO (second inclusion criterion). The initially screened population included 267 dry bone specimens: Six Canis species, hybrid coyote × domestic dog, and five vulpines (three Vulpes species, one Urocyon, and one Nyctereutes). Proximocaudal joint capsule insertion remnant enthesophytes were limiting at n = 19 specimens: Seven ancient domestic dogs, four modern coyotes, two ancient coyotes, two modern hybrid coyote × dog, two modern red foxes, and two modern raccoon dogs. The joint capsule enthesophytes are associated with inflammation, but are observed far less frequently than the CCO. The CCO is seen radiographically but is visible more frequently by direct inspection. The primary inclusion criterion necessarily was a visible caudal joint capsule insertion; spatial relationships of the CCO can be assigned with confidence only when a capsule insertion line can be recognized clearly. We demonstrate that the anatomic CCO associates with the joint capsule insertion being nonspecific and species-independent. A joint capsule insertion-CCO spatial relationship across species is an important new observation, strongly indicating that both are pathological features. Our data indicate need for new research to characterize the canid coxofemoral joint and its overt and incipient pathology in a phylogenetic context. Anat Rec, 302:2164–2170, 2019

Developmental Features of the Canid Proximocaudal Femur

We continued direct morphological studies of the canid coxofemoral joint, considering early-life spatial relationships around the locus of the proximocaudal joint capsule insertion. Our primary goal was to elucidate the postnatal developmental gross anatomy of the proximocaudal femur, among juveniles across Canidae. From an original database of 267 independent (museum) specimens from 11 canid taxa and 1 hybrid taxon, we identified 29 ancient or modern candidate juvenile specimens (nine taxa and one hybrid taxon). Based on optimal ability to recognize landmarks, the best photographic data were categorized into five groups of four each (n = 20). The data groups approximated early juvenile, early-mid juvenile, mid-juvenile, mid-late juvenile; and young adult stages. In this descriptive photographic essay, we demonstrate the developmental spatial proximity among (a) the dorsal meeting of the respective lateral and medial extensions from the growth centers of the femoral head and greater trochanter; (b) the caudodorsal aspect of the coxofemoral joint capsule attachment; (c) a segment of the proximocaudal femoral shaft physis; and (d) an eventual associated mineralized prominence. The latter occurs frequently but not universally, suggesting natural population variability across taxa. Across taxa and juvenile age categories, the morphology thus supports developmental conservation among ancient and modern Canidae. The biomechanical and biological cause-effect implications are not yet clear. For zoological purposes, we apply the term postdevelopmental mineralized prominence to the residual caudolateral surface feature. We extend the original anatomical work of Morgan in zoological and phylogenic arenas, using direct observation of cleared skeletal specimens

Differential diagnosis of vertebral spinous process deviations in archaeological and modern domestic dogs

Paleopathological study of domestic animal remains can elucidate human-domesticate relationships, when all reasonable differential diagnoses are considered. Deviated spinous processes found on ancient domesticated dog vertebrae have been assumed to result from pack burdens, although consideration of diagnostic alternatives has been unclear. To more thoroughly assess the potential significance of these features, we first generated an extensive differential diagnosis of potential causes. Broad causal categories included: (i) morphological; (ii) infectious; (iii) taphonomic; (iv) life history (in utero to death), with numerous subcategories that sometimes overlap. We then evaluated these possibilities through an observational and radiology study of 15 ancient deliberate domestic dog burials (191 vertebrae) from the midwestern USA, dating between 10,130 and 200 years ago. Archaeological specimens from the UK were included to evaluate for geographic uniqueness of our observations. We characterized deviations of spinous processes of cervical (n = 74), thoracic (n = 51), lumbar (n = 60), and sacral (n = 6) vertebrae. Affected spinous processes were found in 34% of cervical vertebrae, 63% of thoracic vertebrae, 78% of lumbar vertebrae, and 50% of sacral vertebrae. Four types of spinous process deviations were observed: (a) lateral leaning from the base but not otherwise deviated; (b) lateral curving at some point above the base; (c) bowing because of multiple curves; and (d) torsion along the vertical axis. Computed tomography and micro-computed tomography were essential tools for establishing differential diagnoses