Contamination Level of Staphylococcus spp. in Raw Goat Milk and Associated Risk Factors

This study was aimed to investigate the presence of pathogenic bacteria in raw goat milk by using Staphylococcus spp. as indicator bacteria, and also to evaluate the potential risk factors associated with them. Information regarding potential risk factors was collected by questionnaire. The conventional bacteriological method for bacterial isolation and the indirect test (California Mastitis Test (CMT)) for determining udder inflammation status were employed. A sample size of 300 udder halves milk samples from three commercial dairy goat farms in the Bogor District, West Java Province, Indonesia were investigated for counts and prevalence of indicator bacteria. Ten potential risk factors were also evaluated in relation to counts and prevalence of indicator bacteria. The results showed that the median value of indicator bacterial count from overall udder-half milk samples was 3.00 log cfu/ml. The indicator bacterial count from udder-half milk samples was significantly different (P < 0.05) among farms. Overall prevalence of Staphylococcus spp. was 78.7%. As one of potential risk factors, udder inflammation status was found to be risk factor for Staphylococcus spp. contamination in milk. Udders with inflammation had significant association and a higher chance of having contaminated samples by Staphylococcus spp. as compared to udders without inflammation. Additionally, according to these study results, CMT can be used as an effective, reliable, cheap and “farm and farmer friendly test" for screening test of intramammary infection (IMI) or sub clinical mastitis in dairy goats. Key words: goat milk, Staphylococcus spp., prevalence, risk factor, California Mastitis Tes

Keys to good knowledge, attitude and practice on rabies prevention in disease-free communities

Many developing countries have recently faced public health challenges due to outbreaks of human rabies, while some areas have remained free from outbreaks of the disease. The aim of this study was to identify keys to good knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) in rabies-free areas of Thailand to provide a functional model for rabies prevention in endemic zones. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire in conjunction with interviews that were designed to elicit relevant information. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and content analysis were used to interpret the data obtained from the questionnaire and interviews, respectively. The results gathered from 1,392 respondents and 36 interviewees indicated that age, education and the residential area of the subjects were associated with knowledge and practice, but not with attitude. Late midlife subjects reported good knowledge and practice scores due to some form of personal encounter with rabies and attendance at rabies meetings and campaigns, while secondary education levels or above were associated with higher knowledge and practice scores due to the inclusion of a rabies course in the secondary school curriculum. Moreover, the findings showed that a community using a form of public communication known as wired broadcasting had greater knowledge, and a community organizing comprehensive participatory activities had better practice. Ultimately, it was not only age, education and residential area, but also the integration of appropriate interventions and control measures by the authorities that proved beneficial in making good knowledge and practice more uniform throughout the communities included in the study

One Health perspectives on sustainable rabies prevention in Thailand: a qualitative interview study

Rabies is a challenging human and animal health concern that requires a multisectoral and interdisciplinary strategy for prevention and control. The aim of this study was to investigate One Health perspectives on long-term rabies prevention in disease-free subdistricts of Chiang Mai, Thailand. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was carried out in three rabies-free communities with diverse demographics, and the results were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings were gathered from 36 interviews with equal proportions of urban, suburban, and rural populations. Although none of the participants mentioned the term “One Health”, the majority of them comprehended that rather than a one-dimensional approach, a multi-dimensional approach to rabies prevention would be effective. The main theme from the interview analysis was multisectoral collaboration. The role of the local government in collaboration, the involvement of the medical and veterinary branches, and intersectoral action with community engagement were all sub-themes. Community leaders and village health volunteers collaborated with local authorities to connect community members. The use of wired broadcasting as a method of public communication was critical to increasing rabies knowledge and awareness. Human and animal health agencies provided support for rabies vaccine and medical equipment, as well as staff skills and practice training. Community participation in rabies activities contributed to preventing, detecting, and responding to the disease. The One Health concept must be developed and implemented in practice at all levels of all key sectors, particularly among the general population in rabies-endemic areas throughout the country

Microbiological Quality of Raw Goat Milk in Bogor, Indonesia

Milk samples were investigated for counts and prevalence of indicator bacteria, which were TPC, coliforms, coagulase positive Staphylococci (CPS), and coagulase negative Staphylococci (CNS). Ten potential risk factors were also evaluated in relation to the prevalence of indicator bacteria. The results showed that the median values of indicator bacterial counts from overall udder-half milk samples were 3.74, 0.70, 1.70, and 2.52 log cfu/ml and from bulk milk samples were 5.69, 2.98, 3.66 and 3.32 log cfu/ml for TPC, coliforms, CPS, and CNS, respectively. None of the median values of overall udder-half milk samples exceeded the maximum limit of the standards for all indicator bacteria. However, in the bulk milk samples only the median value of TPC below the maximum limit of the standards. Overall prevalence of coliforms, CPS and CNS from udder-half milk samples were 46.3%, 37.7%, and 66.0%, respectively, and from bulk milk samples were 86.7%, 76.7%, and 86.7%, respectively. Saanen crossbreed, fifth parity and udders with inflammation were found to be risk factors. This study results indicated that the hygienic practices in the dairy goat farms are still need to be increased.  To increase the hygienic level of the milk, the identified significant risk factors must be controlled

Occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing E. coli in broiler farm workers and the farm environment in Chiang Mai-Lamphun, Thailand

Antimicrobial resistance has become a major global public health threat. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli appears as an emergence cause of treatment failure and increase mortality due to limited available effective antimicrobial agents. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of ESBL producing E. coli in broilers, farm workers and environment in broiler farms in Chiang Mai-Lamphun, Thailand. The prevalence of ESBL producing E. coli in the broiler farms was 60.4% (29/48). The prevalence of ESBL producing E. coli from boot swabs, farm worker’s rectal swabs, feed and water samples were 43.8%, 55.7%, 12.5% and 2.1%, respectively. All isolates showed susceptible to imipenem and, in contrast, resistant to ampicillin. The results demonstrated high antimicrobial resistant rate to streptomycin (94.3%), gentamicin (86.8%), tetracycline (77.4%), chloramphenicol (66.0%), nalidixic acid (58.5%), and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (56.6%). High percentage (96.2%) of isolates was classified as multidrug resistance (MDR). Thirty-five antimicrobial resistance profiles were identified with AMP-GEN-SXT-NAL-TET-CHL-STR, AMP-GEN-SXT-TET-CHL-STR (14.3%) as the 2 most prevalent profiles. The common resistance profiles between farm workers and broilers was demonstrated. These findings are suggestive for possible transmission between poultry and humans in broiler farms, most likely via close contact. Antimicrobial usage should be strictly controlled together with increase awareness on hygiene practices in broiler farms

Persistence of passive immunity in calves receiving colostrum from cows vaccinated with a live attenuated lumpy skin disease vaccine and the performance of serological tests

This study aimed to determine the persistent duration of maternal immunity against lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) in dairy calves born from vaccinated cows using a virus neutralization test (VNT). The performance of the VNT and an in-house-ELISA test was also determined. Thirty-seven pregnant cows from 12 LSD-free dairy farms in Lamphun province, Thailand were immunized with a homologous Neethling strain-based attenuated vaccine and calved from December 2021 to April 2022. Blood samples from dam-calve pairs were collected within the first week after calving. Subsequently, blood samples were taken from the calves at monthly intervals over a period of 4 months and tested for the humoral immune response using a VNT. The calf sera were also tested with an in-house ELISA test to estimate the accuracy of both tests using a Bayesian approach. For the results, antibodies against LSDV can persist in cows for 4–9 months post-vaccination. Moreover, neutralizing antibodies and LSDV-specific antibodies against LSDV were detected in the majority of calves (75.68%) during the first week after colostrum intake. However, the percentage of seropositive calves declined to zero by day 120, with seropositivity dropping below 50% after day 60. Only a small number of seropositive calves (approximately 13.51%) were observed on day 90. These findings indicated that passive immunity against LSDV can last up to 3 months. The median of posterior estimates for sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of the VNT were 87.3% [95% posterior probability interval (PPI) = 81.1–92.2%] and 94.5% (95% PPI = 87.7–98.3%), respectively. The estimated Se and Sp for the ELISA test were 83.1% (95% PPI = 73.6–92.6%) and 94.7% (95% PPI = 88.4–98.5%), respectively. In conclusion, this study illustrates the transfer and persistence of maternal passive immunity against LSDV to calves under field conditions. This highlights a potential three-month vaccination gap in calves born from vaccinated cows, while an in-house ELISA test can be used as an ancillary test for LSDV immune response detection. However, further research is required to assess the vaccination protocols for calves as young as 2 months old to precisely determine the duration of maternal immunity

Development and validation of the Self-Regulation of Eating Behaviour Questionnaire for adults

Background Eating self-regulatory capacity can help individuals to cope with the obesogenic environment and achieve, as well as maintain, a healthy weight and diet. At present, there is no comprehensive, reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing this capacity and measuring change in response to self-regulation interventions in adults. This paper reports the development of the Self-regulation of Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (SREBQ) for use in UK adults, and presents evidence for its reliability and construct validity. The development of the SREBQ involved generation of an item pool, followed by two pilot studies (Samples 1 and 2) and a test of the questionnaire’s underlying factor structure (Sample 3). The final version of the SREBQ was then assessed for reliability and construct validity (Sample 4). Results Development of the SREBQ resulted in a 5-item questionnaire. The face validity was satisfactory, as assessed by the pilot studies. The factor structure analysis (Sample 3) suggested that it has a single underlying factor, which was confirmed in a second sample (Sample 4). The SREBQ had strong construct validity, showing a positive correlation with general measures of self-regulation. It was also positively correlated with motivation and behavioural automaticity, and negatively correlated with food responsiveness and emotional over-eating (p < 0.001). It showed good discriminant validity, as it was only weakly associated with satiety responsiveness, food fussiness and slowness in eating. Conclusions The SREBQ is a reliable and valid measure for assessment of eating self-regulatory capacity in the general UK adult population

Design of a randomized controlled trial for multiple cancer risk behaviors among Spanish-speaking Mexican-origin smokers

Background: Smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity account for as much as 60% of cancer risk. Latinos experience profound disparities in health behaviors, as well as the cancers associated with them. Currently, there is a dearth of controlled trials addressing these health behaviors among Latinos. Further, to the best of our knowledge, no studies address all three behaviors simultaneously, are culturally sensitive, and are guided by formative work with the target population. Latinos represent 14% of the U. S. population and are the fastest growing minority group in the country. Efforts to intervene on these important lifestyle factors among Latinos may accelerate the elimination of cancer-related health disparities

Role of fruit juice in achieving the 5-a-day recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake

Although there is strong evidence that consumption of fruit and vegetables is associatedwith a reduced rate of all-cause mortality, only a minority of the population consumes5 servings a day, and campaigns to increase intake have had limited success.This review examines whether encouraging the consumption of fruit juice might offera step toward the 5-a-day target. Reasons given for not consuming whole fruit involvepracticalities, inconvenience, and the effort required. Psychologically, what isimportant is not only basic information about health, but how individuals interprettheir ability to implement that information. It has been argued that fruit juice avoidsthe problems that commonly prevent fruit consumption and thus provides a practicalmeans of increasing intake and benefitting health through an approach with whichthe population can readily engage. Those arguing against consuming fruit juice emphasizethat it is a source of sugar lacking fiber, yet juice provides nutrients such asvitamin C, carotenoids, and polyphenols that offer health-related benefits. Actively encouragingthe daily consumption of fruit juice in public health policy could help populationsachieve the 5-a-day recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake