5th ASM - Orals New and Emerging Zoonoses

Joke van der Giessen, from RIVM in Bilthoven, The Netherlands, reported about the resurgence of Echinococcus multilocularis as a relevant zoonotically transmitted agent and the new scenarios in public health of Western European countries related to import and endemization of the pathogen in domestic animals, particularly cattle.

A description of an outbreak of re-emerging leptospirosis that possibly involved more than 150 seasonal strawberry harvesters in Germany, 2007, was presented by Andreas Jansen of the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Germany. Accidental contact with rodents and hand wounds were highlighted as risk factors, increased rainfalls and temperatures were also regarded as other possible factors.

Reimar Jones (BfR, Berlin, Germany) highlighted the occurrence of Hepatitis E Virus in asymptomatic wild boars in different rural and urban regions in Germany, applying sensitive molecular methods to detection of genomic RNA in liver tissue. The remarkable prevalence of animal HEV infection in rural areas requires attention in relation to diffuse hunting and meat consumption of this game species in Germany.

A final presentation by Nerea García of the Universidad Complutense in Madrid concerned an in silico approach to the molecular detection of highly variable influenza A viruses. The extensive polymorphism found by analysis of more than 300 virus genomes was considered to urge constant revision of available genome sequences to adapt primer design for efficient diagnostics.

Overall, the session stressed that globalization and, particularly, the intensified exchange of travelling and trading across expanding Europe may further boost the appearance of new and emerging zoonotic diseases. Public health and veterinary offices are therefore called to implement surveillance and look at unusual infectious agents with a new perspective. In parallel, efforts are to be undertaken in molecular detection and characterization to promptly intervene in case of outbreaks and identify transmission pathways involved.

Chairs: Franco M Ruggeri (ISS) & Francesca Martelli (VLA)