Rebecca Louise Smith

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; WTD) are an abundant species in the United States of America (U.S.) that live closely with humans and carry zoonotic pathogens. In 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spilled over from humans into WTD and spread throughout the population. In many areas of the U.S., chronic wasting disease (CWD), a slow-progressing and fatal prion disease, is endemic in WTD populations. WTD infected with CWD may have altered behavior or physiological conditions that pre-dispose them to infection with other pathogens. This study aimed to examine the co-occurrence patterns of CWD and SARS-CoV-2. Individual WTD were tested for both SARS-CoV-2 and CWD during two fall/winter seasons (2021–2022 and 2022–2023) across the CWD-endemic area of Illinois. We investigated the co-occurrence of the two diseases in individuals and spatially at the scale of management ‘sections’ to identify potential predictive factors. We did not find evidence that SARS-CoV-2 was more likely to occur in individual WTD that also tested positive for CWD. However, management sections with CWD detections predicted a 481% increase in the probability of SARS-CoV-2 detection, suggesting that the presence of CWD increases the chance of SARS-CoV-2 detection in the same area. We found also that occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 at the section level was predicted by different environmental factors than CWD, suggesting that their non-random co-occurrence was not driven by the same underlying mechanisms.

Very few data have been published on the breeding of Paraguayan birds, and those available are typically scattered across relatively low-circulation journals. Here we compile reproductive data from Paraguay for two orders of birds, the Caprimulgiformes and Nyctibiiformes, from published and unpublished sources. Information is provided for eight species of nightjar and three species of potoo. The following species are migratory and are not considered to breed in Paraguay: Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis, Common Nighthawk C. minor and Band-winged Nightjar Systellura longirostris bifasciata. Breeding data for Paraguayan Caprimulgiformes is highly seasonal, being concentrated in late August–January, i.e., the Southern Hemisphere spring and early summer. Additionally, we provide evidence of nest relocation by a Pauraque Nyctidromus albicollis. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FA364DA3-4C80-4F85-998A-CEFE8F445A37

Purpose of Review: Antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) are often transmitted among microbes via mobile genetic elements (MGEs), but few antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance programs incorporate MGEs. This review presents our current understanding of the role of MGEs in AMR dynamics with examples and recommendations for their inclusion in AMR surveillance. Recent Findings: MGEs have been incorporated successfully in retrospective AMR outbreak investigation, but are not yet considered in prospective surveillance programs. Summary: We recommend the development of standardized approaches for inclusion of MGEs in AMR surveillance systems.

The distribution of mammals in Paraguay is poorly known and for many species it is assumed by extrapolations or undocumented reports. Here we confirm the presence of pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus) in two departments of southern Paraguay, Misiones and Ñeembucú. The presence of the collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) was confirmed in southern Paraguay, with populations persisting at least in Ñeembucú and Itapúa departments, despite being believed to be extinct in these departments. Finally, we present a new record of Eurasian brown hare (Lepus europaeus) which extends the range of the species to the west in the country into the Mesopotamian Grasslands ecoregion.

Palms of the genus Acrocomia (Arecaceae) are widely distributed across the Neotropics, but their taxonomy is not yet resolved, with between two and seven species being recognized (Henderson, Galean...

Shigella spp are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis, posing a public health concern in the United States. This study analyzed surveillance data on Shigella spp outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via the National Outbreak Reporting System from 2009 to 2022. A total of 1208 outbreaks were reported across the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, with the outbreak incidence varying significantly across time and space. State-level outbreak incidence rates were calculated and mapped across 5 multiyear periods. Moran’s I was used to identify local clusters and outliers. Poisson spatial and space-time scan statistics were applied to detect areas and periods of elevated or reduced outbreak rates. Persistent high-rate spatial and space-time clusters were identified in the Midwest, South, and Southwest, including Ohio, Texas, Minnesota, and Arizona. Prolonged low-rate clusters were concentrated in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. These findings demonstrate that Shigella spp outbreaks in the United States exhibit persistent and regionally distinct spatiotemporal clustering patterns. Identifying areas with sustained elevated outbreak risk can support targeted surveillance, prevention, and response efforts.

The rapid spread of West Nile virus (WNV) is a growing concern. With no vaccines or specific medications available, prevention through mosquito control is the only solution to curb the spread. Mosquito traps, used to detect viral presence in mosquito populations, are essential tools for WNV surveillance. But how do we decide where to place a mosquito trap? And what makes a good trap location, anyway? We present a robust statistical approach to determine a mosquito trap’s ability to predict human WNV cases in the Chicago metropolitan area and its suburbs. We then use this value to detect the landscape, demographic, and socioeconomic factors associated with a mosquito trap’s predictive ability. This approach enables resource-limited mosquito control programs to identify better trap locations while reducing trap numbers to increase trap-based surveillance efficiency. The approach can also be applied to a wide range of different environmental surveillance programs.

Background: Shigella infections remain a significant public health threat in the United States because of their diverse outbreak patterns and high disease impact, particularly among young children. This study aimed to investigate the trends in Shigella outbreak incidence and demographic patterns by age and sex from 2009 to 2022 in order to inform targeted prevention strategies. Methods: We performed a retrospective observational analysis of 1,208 Shigella outbreak surveillance data sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) via the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS). The incidence rates per 1 million population–years were calculated overall and by age and sex. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, and joinpoint regression with 95% confidence intervals was used to identify trends. Results: The outbreak incidence rate was 0.27 (95% CI: 0.01–0.84) per 1 million population–years in 2009, peaking at 0.74 (95% CI: 0.65–0.84) in 2016 and declining to 0.03 (95% CI: 0.01–0.05) by 2022. Children aged 1–4 years had the highest incidence, and females had a slightly higher incidence rate than males, as indicated in outbreak–associated case data. Joinpoint incidence trends showed an annual percent change (APC) of 25.12% (95% CI: 11.47–53.76, p = 0.001) from 2009 to 2015, followed by a decline with an APC of −38.91% (95% CI: −60.07 to −29.57, p < 0.001). The outbreaks were predominantly person–to–person transmission, with the highest frequency occurring in childcare settings. Conclusion: These findings underscore the need for targeted prevention strategies, such as ongoing hygiene education and sanitation enhancements in childcare, as well as reminders about Shigella prevention in shared educational facilities before the fall semester.