pathogens Archives - Resilient Landscapes (RL)

Prevalence of bacterial contamination on wild meat processing and cooking surfaces in rural Cameroon

The transmission of foodborne pathogens from wildlife to humans poses a serious public health concern, especially in regions where wild meat is commonly consumed. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the urgency of understanding the role of wild animals in disease transmission. This study investigates bacterial contamination in wild meat processing across four villages in southern Cameroon, emphasizing the importance of hygienic practices in disease prevention. A total of 100 samples were collected from utensils and surfaces used in wild meat preparation, revealing 577 bacterial strains—154 of which (27%) were pathogenic. Cooking pots emerged as major reservoirs, with 75% of pathogenic bacteria found on frequently used utensils. High levels of antimicrobial resistance were detected among Enterobacterales, particularly against amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole, and gentamicin. The findings highlight the health risks linked to wild meat handling and the economic implications of foodborne illnesses. They also stress the need for improved sanitation, safer cooking practices, and region-specific interventions. The study supports the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) recently approved by Cameroon’s Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, offering comprehensive guidelines for the safe handling, preparation, and consumption of wild meat.

Wildlife hunting and the increased risk of leprosy transmission in the tropical Americas: a pathogeographical study

Leprosy remains a persistent public health challenge, primarily transmitted human-to-human via respiratory droplets. However, in the tropical Americas, increasing evidence suggests that armadillos serve as zoonotic reservoirs, particularly through direct contact during hunting and handling. While such transmission was previously considered rare and localized, this study provides a spatial analysis of the role of armadillo hunting in leprosy transmission, quantifying its impact on disease prevalence and identifying geographic hotspots for targeted interventions. Using Brazil’s 326,001 reported leprosy cases (2013–2022), researchers applied a pathogeographical approach to study transmission dynamics. The dataset includes 554 hunted armadillos from 175 municipalities and M. leprae prevalence data from 376 armadillo individuals across 97 municipalities, revealing a mean infection rate of 38.5%. Spatial models were developed to assess hunting-related infection risk, integrating socioeconomic, climatic, and environmental factors into a generalized linear model to determine their effects on human leprosy prevalence. Armadillo hunting appears to have a greater role in human leprosy transmission than previously recognized. These findings emphasize the need for wildlife-associated transmission pathways to be incorporated into disease reduction strategies, particularly in tropical regions affected by environmental change and poverty.

Ecosystem concepts and current trends in forest management: time for reappraisal

Large areas of natural forest ecosystems are being converted into industrial plantations in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. In the short term, this seems to maximize returns from investment and to homogenize the raw material base for forest industries. It is argued here that society will continue to use more wood and foresters must produce it; in doing so, however, it is imperative that the immense importance of biotic diversity in containing pests and pathogens, in maintaining current levels of production in perpetuity, and in moderating the global climate should be addressed. Current criteria for economic evaluation do not adequately address these and other important considerations accruing from the management of whole forest ecosystems.

Delonicicola siamense gen. & sp. nov. (Delonicicolaceae fam. nov., Delonicicolales ord. nov.), a Saprobic Species from Delonix regia Seed Pods

This paper introduces a new genus Delonicicola, to accommodate D. siamense sp. nov., which was found associated with Delonix regia seed pods, collected in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. ITS sequence data confirmed a close relationship of Delonicicola with Liberomyces and Asteromella in Xylariomycetidae. Phylogenetic and molecular clock analyses of combined LSU, SSU and RPB2 sequence data provide evidence for a new family Delonicicolaceae and a new order Delonicicolales in Xylariomycetidae. Members of Delonicicolaceae are saprobes, endophytes or pathogens of angiosperms and it is characterized by pseudostromatal immersed, papillate ascomata, short pedicellate asci with a simple apex and 1-septate, hyaline ascospores. The asexual morph is coelomycetous with pycnidial conidiomata and allantoid, filiform or bacilloid, hyaline conidia.

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