Electronic data collection to enhance disease surveillance at the slaughterhouse in a smallholder production system

Globally, meat inspection provides data for animal health surveillance. However, paper-based recording of data is often not reported through to higher authorities in sufficient detail. We trialled the use of an electronic meat inspection form in Kenyan slaughterhouses, in lieu of the currently used paper-based format. Meat inspectors in two ruminant slaughterhouses completed and submitted an electronic report for each animal slaughtered at their facility. The reports, which captured information on the animal demographics and any eventual condemnations, were stored in a central database and available in real-time. A stakeholder meeting was held towards the end of the study. Over the 2.75 year study period, 16,386 reports were submitted; a downward linear trend in the monthly submissions was noted. There was a week effect, whereby more reports were submitted on the market day. Of the slaughtered animals, 23% had at least a partial condemnation. The most frequently condemned organs were the liver, lungs and intestines; the primary reasons for condemnations were parasitic conditions. Lack of feedback and difficulty capturing animal origin information were the primary challenges highlighted. The study demonstrated that electronic data capture is feasible in such challenging environments, thereby improving the timeliness and resolution of the data collected

Methods used by people to remove bats from buildings.

Attempts to remove bats were common and frequently led to direct contact with bats that could facilitate pathogen exposure. This question allowed for multiple responses from respondents.</p

People surveyed about human-bat interactions in their buildings reported both direct (e.g., touching, scratches, bites) and indirect (e.g., contact with bat excrement) contacts between humans and bats.

(A) Indirect interactions were the most reported of the two interaction types; (B) Frequency of these contacts varied from daily interactions to never having these interactions.</p

Demographics of respondents asked about their interactions with bats living in their buildings in rural Kenya.

Data from these demographics were incorporated into analyses to understand risk factors for direct and indirect interactions between humans and bats in anthropogenic structures. (DOCX)</p

This file contains 1) the English questionnaire used during surveys of people living and working with bats in their buildings, and 2) the demographic data of people surveyed for this study.

This file contains 1) the English questionnaire used during surveys of people living and working with bats in their buildings, and 2) the demographic data of people surveyed for this study.</p

The number of respondents reporting the length of time bats had been present in their buildings.

The number of respondents reporting the length of time bats had been present in their buildings.</p

This file contains the data used in this study.

Simultaneous use of domestic spaces by humans and wildlife is little understood, despite global ubiquity, and can create an interface for human exposure to wildlife pathogens. Bats are a pervasive synanthropic taxon and are associated with several pathogens that can spill over and cause disease in humans. Urbanization has destroyed much natural bat habitat and, in response, many species increasingly use buildings as roosts. The purpose of this study was to characterize human interactions with bats in shared buildings to assess potential for human exposure to and spillover of bat-borne pathogens. We surveyed 102 people living and working in buildings used as bat roosts in Taita-Taveta county, Kenya between 2021 and 2023. We characterized and quantified the duration, intensity, and frequency of human-bat interactions occurring in this common domestic setting. Survey respondents reported living with bats in buildings year-round, with cohabitation occurring consistently for at least 10 years in 38% of cases. Human contact with bats occurred primarily through direct and indirect routes, including exposure to excrement (90% of respondents), and direct touching of bats (39% of respondents). Indirect contacts most often occurred daily, and direct contacts most often occurred yearly. Domestic animal consumption of bats was also reported (16% of respondents). We demonstrate that shared building use by bats and humans in rural Kenya leads to prolonged, frequent, and sometimes intense interactions between bats and humans, consistent with interfaces that can facilitate exposure to bat pathogens and subsequent spillover. Identifying and understanding the settings and practices that may lead to zoonotic pathogen spillover is of great global importance for developing countermeasures, and this study establishes bat roosts in buildings as such a setting.</div

The files contains the completed STROBE checklist, showing this study’s adherence to observational study guidelines.

The files contains the completed STROBE checklist, showing this study’s adherence to observational study guidelines.</p

Antimicrobial Resistance in Slaughterhouses, Kenya

Slaughterhouses are hotspots for the transmission of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. We conducted stakeholder discussions on antimicrobial-resistant pathogens within the slaughterhouse setting. Butchers were described as powerful stakeholders; challenges included limited funding and staff, inadequate infrastructure, and limited laboratory capacity. Slaughterhouse workers understood that their work increased their risk for exposure