Reducing Baylisascaris procyonis Roundworm Larvae in Raccoon Latrines

Baylisascaris procyonis roundworms, a parasite of raccoons, can infect humans, sometimes fatally. Parasite eggs can remain viable in raccoon latrines for years. To develop a management technique for parasite eggs, we tested anthelmintic baiting. The prevalence of eggs decreased at latrines, and larval infections decreased among intermediate hosts, indicating that baiting is effective

Transmission Heterogeneity and Control Strategies for Infectious Disease Emergence

The control of emergence and spread of infectious diseases depends critically on the details of the genetic makeup of pathogens and hosts, their immunological, behavioral and ecological traits, and the pattern of temporal and spatial contacts among the age/stage-classes of susceptible and infectious host individuals.We show that failing to acknowledge the existence of heterogeneities in the transmission rate among age/stage-classes can make traditional eradication and control strategies ineffective, and in some cases, policies aimed at controlling pathogen emergence can even increase disease incidence in the host. When control strategies target for reduction in numbers those subsets of the population that effectively limit the production of new susceptible individuals, then control can produce a flush of new susceptibles entering the population. The availability of a new cohort of susceptibles may actually increase disease incidence. We illustrate these general points using Classical Swine Fever as a reference disease.Negative effects of culling are robust to alternative formulations of epidemiological processes and underline the importance of better assessing transmission structure in the design of wildlife disease control strategies

Enzootic Rabies Elimination from Dogs and Reemergence in Wild Terrestrial Carnivores, United States

Independent enzootics in wild terrestrial carnivores resulted from spillover events from long-term enzootics associated with dogs

Oral Rabies Vaccination in North America: Opportunities, Complexities, and Challenges

Steps to facilitate inter-jurisdictional collaboration nationally and continentally have been critical for implementing and conducting coordinated wildlife rabies management programs that rely heavily on oral rabies vaccination (ORV). Formation of a national rabies management team has been pivotal for coordinated ORV programs in the United States of America. The signing of the North American Rabies Management Plan extended a collaborative framework for coordination of surveillance, control, and research in border areas among Canada, Mexico, and the US. Advances in enhanced surveillance have facilitated sampling of greater scope and intensity near ORV zones for improved rabies management decision-making in real time. The value of enhanced surveillance as a complement to public health surveillance was best illustrated in Ohio during 2007, where 19 rabies cases were detected that were critical for the formulation of focused contingency actions for controlling rabies in this strategically key area. Diverse complexities and challenges are commonplace when applying ORV to control rabies in wild meso-carnivores. Nevertheless, intervention has resulted in notable successes, including the elimination of an arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) rabies virus variant in most of southern Ontario, Canada, with ancillary benefits of elimination extending into Quebec and the northeastern US. Progress continues with ORV toward preventing the spread and working toward elimination of a unique variant of gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) rabies in west central Texas. Elimination of rabies in coyotes (Canis latrans) through ORV contributed to the US being declared free of canine rabies in 2007. Raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies control continues to present the greatest challenges among meso-carnivore rabies reservoirs, yet to date intervention has prevented this variant from gaining a broad geographic foothold beyond ORV zones designed to prevent its spread from the eastern US. Progress continues toward the development and testing of new bait-vaccine combinations that increase the chance for improved delivery and performance in the diverse meso-carnivore rabies reservoir complex in the US

Bapsi Sidhwa oral history interview and transcript

This recording and transcript form part of a collection of oral history interviews conducted by the Chao Center for Asian Studies at Rice University. This collection includes audio recordings and transcripts of interviews with Asian Americans native to or living in Houston.Bapsi Sidhwa is an internationally acclaimed author residing in Houston, Texas. She was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in the pre-partition area, and has many vivid memories of the troubled period before, during, and after the partition—memories that often served as inspiration for her novels. She married once in Bombay, India, after attending Kinnaid College, and had two children in her first marriage. She was divorced and later married her current husband, with whom she now lives in Houston. The couple moved to the United States and moved to a few places, including Charleston and Atlanta, before eventually settling in Houston. Mrs. Sidhwa began her writing career in Pakistan, and continues to write even in retirement (she taught at several universities in the United States). She is known for collaborating with Indian director Deepa Mehta, who directed a film adaptation of Mrs. Sidhwa’s novel, Cracking India. Mrs. Sidhwa is a practicing Zoroastrian, and does quite a bit of volunteer work in various Houston organizations

Foodborne illness - An age old problem requiring contemporary solutions

Foodborne illness has always been with us, and food safety is an increasingly important public health issue affecting populations worldwide. In the United States of America, foodborne illness strikes millions of people and kills thousands annually, costing our economy billions of dollars in medical care expense and lost productivity. The nature of food and foodborne illness has changed dramatically in the last century. The regulatory systems have evolved to better assure a safe food supply. The food production industry has invested heavily to meet regulatory requirement and to improve the safety of their products. Educational efforts have increased public awareness of safe food handling practices, empowering consumers to fulfill their food safety role. Despite the advances made, none of the Healthy People 2010 targets for reduction of foodborne pathogens has been reached. There is no single solution to eliminating pathogen contamination from all classes of food products. However, irradiation seems especially suited for certain higher-risk foods such as meat and poultry and its use should advance the goal of reducing foodborne illness by minimizing the presence of pathogenic organisms in the food supply. This technology has been studied extensively for over 50 years. The Food and Drug Administration has determined that food irradiation is safe for use as approved by the Agency. It is time to take action to educate consumers about the benefits of food irradiation. Consumer demand will compel industry to meet demand by investing in facilities and processes to assure a consistent supply of irradiated food products

The evolution of tutelary gods in ancient Rome from the Late Republic to the reign of Octavian Augustus

Praca poświęcona jest zagadnieniu bóstwa opiekuńczego jednostki w okresie późnej republiki do czasów Oktawiana Augusta. Na przykładzie wybranych wielkich wodzów republikańskich (Lucjusza Korneliusza Sulli, Pompejusza Wielkiego, Juliusza Cezara) oraz ich głównych bogów-patronów przedstawiony jest ten koncept oraz jego znaczenie w rywalizacji politycznej. W późniejszej części praca skupia się na osobie Oktawiana Augusta oraz jego przeciwników politycznych - Marka Antoniusza i Sekstusa Pompejusza. Tam również przedstawieni są ich bogowie opiekunowie oraz rola jaką pełnili. Celem pracy było wykazanie zmian konceptu bycia pod opieką danego boga, jakie zaszły w wybranym okresie.The essay is dedicated to the issue of the protective deity of an individual from the late republic period to the times of Octavian Augustus. Through the example of selected great republican leaders (Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar) and their main patron gods, this concept and its significance in political rivalry are presented. In the later part of the essay, the focus shifts to the figure of Octavian Augustus and his political opponents - Mark Antony and Sextus Pompey. Their patron deities and the roles they played are also presented there. The aim of the essay was to demonstrate the changes in the concept of being under the protection of a specific deity that occurred during the chosen period