Search Results (455)

Hurricanes cause severe impacts on lives, livelihoods, and essential systems. Hurricane Melissa impacted Jamaica as a Category 5 cyclone, resulting in estimated losses of approximately 41% of national GDP (US$8.8 billion) and eliciting widespread damage to housing, healthcare, agriculture, and urban infrastructure. Agriculture sustained heavy losses, with 41,000 hectares of damaged farmland and the loss of more than 1 million livestock animals. These impacts resulted in exposed animal closures with biological hazards. Using systems thinking, the PESTHEEL framework, and a One Health lens, we argue for viewing Hurricane Melissa as series of cascading inter-related One Health threats of waterborne and vector-borne diseases, zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, degraded indoor and outdoor air quality, chemical pollution, and shifting migration and border dynamics. These each unfold at different timings. A structured synthesis for Jamaica and other Caribbean Small Island Developing States is provided by integrating systems thinking, One Health, and the PESTHEEL framework. Immediate and lagged risk pathways are identified, and practical risk reduction actions are proposed to support anticipatory, multisectoral recovery: enhanced syndromic, laboratory, wastewater, vector, and rodent surveillance; resilient WASH and shelter systems; non-insecticidal and integrated vector management; biosecure aid and border protocols; environmental toxicology monitoring; and climate–health intelligence. Full article

Background and Objectives: New Caledonia, an archipelago in the South Pacific, experienced an unprecedented conjunction of prolonged border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 to 2022) and marked influence of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This context provided a unique opportunity to explore how environmental drivers, island isolation, and socio-demographic factors interact to shape infectious disease dynamics. This study aimed to assess the respective and combined effects of climatic variability, travel restrictions, and socio-demographic factors on the dynamics of four priority infectious diseases. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analysed data from 2017 to 2023 on four infectious diseases: leptospirosis, dengue, influenza, and hepatitis A (HAV). Satellite precipitation data and the Multivariate El Niño/Southern Oscillation Index (MEI) were used. Socio-demographic and economic variables were gathered. Statistical analyses employed descriptive analysis and Generalized Additive Mixed Models to evaluate the associations between climatic events, travel restrictions, and disease circulation using the communal level as a random effect and time (daily) as a spline effect. Results: We analysed 878 cases of leptospirosis, 165 of HAV, 6607 of influenza, and 7377 dengue cases. Influenza was associated with rainfall before lockdown (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.7, Confidence interval 95%, (CI95%), (0.6–0.8)) and disappeared during lockdown but resurged post-reopening losing its meteorological association. Dengue epidemics declined, coinciding with the Wolbachia program and border closure, and were associated with lower MEI (OR 0.78, CI95% (0.6–1) during the 2017 to 2020 period. HAV cases were correlated with the MEI (OR: 1.8, CI95% (1–3.3)). Leptospirosis cases were associated with cumulative rainfall (OR 1.12 (1.1–1.2)) and lower education (OR 1.04, CI95% (1–1.1)) and decreased with water supply (OR 0.7, CI95% (0.5–0.8)). Conclusions: Our findings highlight how climatic conditions, mobility restrictions, and socio-environmental inequities differentially shape infectious disease risks in island ecosystems. These results reinforce the need for integrated One Health surveillance that jointly addresses environmental change, social vulnerability, and infectious disease prevention. Full article

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a globally important high-value cash crop. However, long-term continuous cropping causes frequent soil-borne diseases and soil microecological imbalance, while overreliance on chemical pesticides leads to pesticide residues and water eutrophication. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are key resources for addressing tomato cultivation challenges, with their functions partly depending on the rhizosphere microenvironment inherently shaped by seedling tray materials. Using rhizosphere soil and substrates of tomato at different growth stages under biomass (BM) and plastic (PM) seedling tray treatments, this study combined culture-independent and culture-dependent techniques to analyze microbial community characteristics and screen high-efficiency PGPR. Results showed that pH and available nitrogen drove microbial community assembly. BM significantly enriched beneficial taxa (e.g., Trichoderma and Bacillus) and enhanced culturable microbial abundance and genetic diversity, while PM enriched potential pathogens (e.g., Fusarium and Pyrenochaeta). The multifunctional strain S25095 from BM, with phosphate-solubilizing, potassium-solubilizing, and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-producing abilities, significantly promoted tomato shoot and root growth, outperforming single-functional strains and synthetic consortia. This study reveals the effects of growth stages and seedling tray treatments on tomato rhizosphere microorganisms, providing valuable PGPR resources for tomato cultivation. Full article

The present study proposes a narrative synthesis with an original translational approach to analyze the consequence of the global increase in waterborne microbial diseases. The focal point of this research is the relevance of these diseases for infection prevention and control (IPC) in dental settings and for public health. In order to analyze the main issues, the text focuses on studies published between January 2021 and September 2025. Over the past fifteen years, a small number of outbreaks and cases have been reported in dental settings. Nevertheless, the water utilized for dental care is frequently heavily contaminated with microbes, primarily opportunistic ones, which have the potential to cause pandemics of pseudo-infections. These include mainly Legionella, Pseudomonas, and nontuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM), antibiotic-resistant species, and other opportunistic pathogens with relative abundance exceeding 1%. This study focuses on five areas of research: (a) iatrogenic outbreaks and cases, and causes of underestimated waterborne infections; (b) the prevalence, complexity, and relevance of the dental unit water line contamination; (c) factors influencing water contamination in dental settings, (d) issues relating to products used for dental unit water line (DUWL) treatment, (e) main guidelines on water quality and European Union (EU) legislative acts and issues related to water testing. The text highlights the urgent need for greater awareness and preparedness in dental settings, as well as updated guidelines and rules to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare workers. Full article

The livestock sector underpins food security, employment, and rural livelihoods across the Southern African Development Community (SADC), contributing up to 50% of agricultural GDP and supporting more than 60% of rural households. Yet climate change poses escalating threats through heat stress, declining pasture productivity, water scarcity, and vector-borne diseases that compromise productivity and economic resilience. This review identifies and locates effective climate change mitigation strategies along the livestock value chain, spanning production, processing, transport, and consumption, to promote sustainable, low-emission, and inclusive growth in the SADC region. A broad review of 46 peer-reviewed and institutional sources (2000–2024) was undertaken, focusing on livestock-related mitigation within SADC and comparable agro-ecological systems. Strategies were thematically categorized by value-chain stage and assessed for their emission-reduction and livelihood-enhancement potential. Local strategies include genetic improvement for low-methane and heat-tolerant breeds, adaptive rangeland and feed management, renewable-energy adoption in processing, climate-resilient transport infrastructure, and consumer awareness of low-emission products. Evidence suggests potential GHG-emission reductions of 18–30%, coupled with productivity gains and improved smallholder incomes. Coordinated implementation through the SADC Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (2021–2030) and national policies can transform the livestock sector into a climate-resilient driver of inclusive growth. Further research should quantify the socioeconomic feasibility and scaling potential of these strategies across production systems. Successful integration of climate change mitigation imperatives must be tailored to local biophysical conditions (e.g., rainfall, soil type) and socioeconomic contexts (e.g., market access, cultural practices). Full article

Naturally abundant endophytes colonize plants internally without causing harm to their host plants. Endophytes are likely to occupy the same ecological niches as phytopathogens and thus have a high potential to be effective biological control agents. Their demonstrated ability to suppress more than one plant pathogen suggests that they can offer a viable alternative to chemical fungicides and a strategy for decreasing the inoculum potential of soil-borne pathogens. Some biocontrol endophytes are also known to improve soil health and the overall health of plants. However, the results in greenhouse studies do not always translate to consistent field efficacy. In this study, the efficacy of three endophytic bacterial isolates (PRT (Bacillus subtilis), PSL (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens), and IMC8 (Bacillus thuringiesis) were evaluated against Phytophthora capsici in a field environment and compared with two commercial biological fungicides, Serenade^® (Bayer Crop Science, St Louis MO, USA) and Double Nickel^® (Certis Biologicals, Columbia, MO, USA), and water control. Plants were inoculated with the bacteria strains using seed treatment for early plant colonization before transplanting to a field infested with P. capsici. Treatments with commercial bio-fungicides followed label recommendations. Data on plant growth vigor, disease severity, number of fruits, fruit size, total yield per plant, and percent of diseased fruits displayed significant differences between the bacteria treatments. While PRT was the best treatment for most traits, followed by PSL on pepper, PSL and Double Nickel were the best treatments on tomatoes. IMC8 was best for plant vigor and larger fruit size, but with fewer fruits per plant on both crops. This study suggests bacterial isolates PRT, PSL, and IMC8 can provide additional products for growth promotion and P. capsici disease management in pepper and tomatoes. Full article

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) is one of the most destructive soil-borne pathogens affecting tomato production worldwide, causing substantial yield losses and persisting in soil for extended periods. The increasing regulatory restrictions on chemical fungicides and the emergence of resistant pathogen strains have intensified the search for sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives. This systematic review synthesizes studies published between 2000 and 2025 that evaluated the antifungal efficacy of essential oils (EOs), their bioactive constituents, and EO-based nanoformulations against FOL in tomato. A total of 40 studies were included, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, encompassing in vitro, greenhouse, and limited field evaluations. Many EOs rich in phenolic compounds and oxygenated monoterpenes, such as thymol, carvacrol, eugenol, citral, and menthol, consistently inhibited FOL growth and spore germination, with reported mycelial growth inhibition ranging from 60 to 100% and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) between 0.05 and 1.5 µL ml⁻¹. However, the use of EOs is often limited because they evaporate quickly, do not mix well with water, can harm plants, and do not persist under field conditions. Nano-delivery systems, including nanoemulsions, polymeric nanoparticles, chitosan-based carriers, and lipid-based nanostructures, have been shown to enhance the stability, bioavailability, and antifungal efficacy of EOs. This has led to improved disease management and reduced pesticide application rates. In addition, several EO-based treatments have been reported to activate plant defense responses, including the induction of defense-related genes, antioxidant enzymes, and epigenetic modifications. Overall, EO-based nanoformulations show promise as next-generation biopesticides for the sustainable management of tomato Fusarium wilt. Nevertheless, large-scale field validation, standardized formulation protocols, and regulatory assessments are required before these technologies can be widely implemented in agriculture. Full article

With the continuous advancement of industrialization in China, industrial wastewater discharge has become a critical factor influencing water environmental quality, public health, and the long-term sustainability of regional development. This study systematically examines both the direct and spatial spillover effects of industrial wastewater on disease incidence. Based on panel data from 30 provincial-level regions in China over the period 2011–2020, a composite incidence index of four waterborne infectious diseases is constructed using the entropy weight method, and the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) is employed to capture both local and cross-regional effects. The results show that industrial wastewater discharge significantly increases disease incidence and exhibits clear spatial spillover effects, suggesting that the associated health risks may extend beyond local boundaries. Moreover, the analysis suggests that the “Water Ten Plan” reduced both local effects and regional spillovers, highlighting the value of stricter discharge control and coordinated basin-level governance for sustainable regional development. Overall, this study uncovers the spatial health externalities of industrial pollution and provides empirical support for integrated policy approaches linking environmental governance with public health protection. Full article

Climate change is reshaping global hydrological cycles, intensifying scarcity and heightening health risks in vulnerable regions. This study examines the health impacts of climate-driven water scarcity across the Middle East, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa using data on water availability, climate variability, and health outcomes. The study uses a multi-regional mixed methods approach that brings together climate, hydrology, governance, and health data to explore how climate-driven water scarcity affects public health in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the MENA region. It combines quantitative climate and health indicators with qualitative evaluations of water system vulnerability to compare exposure pathways and health outcomes across regions. Findings show that rising temperatures, altered rainfall, declining groundwater, and recurrent droughts undermine water security, leading to increased disease burdens through four pathways: (1) waterborne illnesses from unsafe or insufficient supplies; (2) reduced hygiene due to limited access; (3) food insecurity from crop failures; and (4) mental health stress, conflict, and displacement from water competition. Women, children, and low-income households face disproportionate impacts. Current adaptation measures are fragmented, highlighting the need for integrated water governance to build climate resilience. Recommended strategies include community-based water safety planning, digital water monitoring, and embedding health metrics in climate–water policies. This cross-regional analysis supports equitable, climate-resilient health systems and informs interventions to mitigate water scarcity under accelerating climate change. This study directly supports global policy agendas by providing evidence that advances the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals and international frameworks on climate resilience, water security, and food and health protection. Full article

Water buffaloes in northern Australia occupy tropical wetlands where conditions favour the proliferation of arthropod vectors and the transmission of vector-borne livestock diseases. However, their role in maintaining economically important arboviruses such as Akabane virus (AKAV), bluetongue virus (BTV), and bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) remains poorly understood. These three viruses cause significant production losses in cattle and pose ongoing surveillance challenges in remote areas. To assess exposure to these viruses, a convenience sample of feral water buffaloes from the Northern Territory, Australia, was collected. Commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were used to detect antibodies against AKAV, BTV, and BEFV in 119 samples stored as dried blood on filter paper. Seroprevalence was 18.5% for AKAV, 66.4% for BTV, and 15.1% for BEFV. These results are consistent with previous serological studies in northern Australian cattle, confirming the circulation of these pathogens in the region. Our findings demonstrate that water buffaloes are exposed to these economically important arboviruses and may contribute to their maintenance, highlighting the need to consider feral buffalo populations in regional arbovirus surveillance strategies and livestock disease management. Full article

Freshwater ecosystems play an important role in human survival, ecosystem functioning, and biodiversity conservation, yet industrialisation and urbanisation dump over 80% of untreated sewage into them. This inadequate wastewater management leads to enteric pathogens like Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Vibrio cholerae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Legionella pneumophila that are responsible for a wide range of waterborne human diseases globally with extensive morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that at least 2 billion individuals drink water contaminated with pathogens, resulting in illnesses like cholera, dysentery, and diarrhoea, and approximately 50,000 diarrheal deaths annually. Classical epidemiology approaches are the basis for determining disease burden in public health, but they are limited in their capacity to predict future health risks. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) addresses this by estimating the potential health risks of any exposure to microbial pathogens in any environment using four key elements, which include the identification of the microbial hazards, human exposure to the hazard through diverse activities, dose–response relationships, and the estimated risk of the infection. This review summarises information on freshwater pathogens, their occurrence, sources and health implications. The methodological approaches of QMRA in freshwater systems are reviewed with examples drawn from recreational activities, drinking water, and wastewater-impacted environments. Global QMRA studies indicate a wide range of infection risk estimates, reflecting differences in water sources, pathogens, and exposure conditions. Thus, QMRA is known to be a valuable public health tool for freshwater ecosystems, linking microbial contamination dynamics to health risk estimates that support proactive management and policy-relevant decision-making. Full article

Continuous cultivation in solar greenhouses degrades black soil, leading to soil-borne diseases, nutrient imbalances, reduced porosity, and microbial dysbiosis, all of which collectively decrease crop productivity. Improving soil structure and microbial balance often requires costly amendments that are inconsistent in their effectiveness. This study evaluated two low-cost soil amendments—carbonized rice hull (CRH) and fermented rice hull (FRH)—using colored pepper as a model crop. Treatments included soil mixed with 30% CRH (T1), 30% FRH (T2), and untreated black soil (CK). Both amendments significantly improved soil physical properties. Compared with CK, soil porosity increased by 8.80% in T1 and 17.84% in T2, while water-holding capacity increased by 75.32% and 133.45%, respectively. Soil microbial richness, as indicated by Abundance-based Coverage Estimator (ACE) and Chao indices, followed the order T2 > T1 > CK. Plant physiological performance was also enhanced. Net photosynthetic rate increased by 7.18% (T1) and 15.33% (T2), plant height increased by 14.42% (T1) and 28.85% (T2), and root activity improved significantly. Fruit weight increased by 15.33% in T1 and 21.62% in T2. Both rice hull amendments improved soil quality and promoted crop growth, with FRH performing consistently better. These findings indicate that fermented rice hull is a promising, low-cost strategy for greenhouse soil remediation. Full article

Contamination of agricultural water poses significant health risks that are often underrecognized in clinical practice. This review synthesizes peer-reviewed literature from biomedical and environmental sciences. It examines the pathways by which nitrates and zoonotic pathogens contaminate rural drinking water and delineates the resulting spectrum of acute and chronic health risks relevant to primary care. Agricultural practices are a primary source of nitrates and pathogens (e.g., Escherichia coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia) in rural water supplies. Nitrate nitrogen exposure is linked not only to acute infant methemoglobinemia but also to chronic conditions like colorectal and thyroid cancers and adverse birth outcomes. These risks are observed at concentrations below the current United States Environmental Protection Agency regulatory limit of 10 mg L⁻¹ NO₃⁻–N. Pathogen exposure leads to acute gastrointestinal illness and can trigger long-term sequelae, including irritable bowel syndrome. Agricultural communities are uniquely vulnerable because they rely heavily on unregulated private wells, which are more prone to contamination than public systems. Evidence suggests a substantial and often underrecognized burden of waterborne disease in agricultural communities. The findings highlight a critical need for clinical vigilance regarding low-level nitrate nitrogen exposure and long-term post-infectious syndromes. By identifying these patterns, family physicians serve as essential sentinels for both individual patient safety and community public health. Full article

This study examines the historical relationship between water management and epidemic diseases in the Region of Murcia (Southeast Spain) between the 16th and 19th centuries. It focuses on two major pathologies—yellow fever and cholera—which, despite differing transmission mechanisms (vector-borne and waterborne, respectively), both depended critically on aquatic and semi-endorheic ecosystems. By analysing archival records, parish death registers, and historical reports of floods and droughts, the paper demonstrates how inadequate hydraulic infrastructure and poor sanitation practices intensified epidemic outbreaks. At least five large-scale epidemic episodes (1804, 1834, 1854, 1865, and 1885) coincided with extreme hydrological events, indicating a clear correlation between water governance failures and mortality peaks. Conversely, periods of effective state intervention through regulation and infrastructure maintenance reveal a marked reduction in disease incidence. The results highlight that water governance was not only a technical challenge but also a socio-political determinant of public health. These historical insights remain relevant today, particularly as climate change exacerbates water-related risks worldwide. Understanding the long-term interactions between ecology, infrastructure, and disease contributes to current debates on environmental resilience and sustainable management of water resources as key components of collective health and social stability. Full article

Tick-borne diseases account for a substantial proportion of the global incidence of infectious diseases, and their recent expansion has been increasingly associated with climate change. Nevertheless, previous studies have produced heterogeneous and often inconclusive results, largely due to differences in spatial scale, variable selection, and limited integration of climatic, ecological, and host-related drivers. Here, we assess the modeled impact of climate trends on the global distribution patterns of ticks parasitizing humans and livestock, rather than changes in tick abundance or pathogen transmission. This study is not an evaluation of human or animal contact rates with ticks. Using the largest curated compilation of georeferenced tick records available to date (213,513 records from 138 Ixodidae species), we adopt a global, climate-centered perspective based on the Holdridge life zones framework. The study characterized current climatic niches of tick genera and projected changes in suitability under future climate scenarios for 2040, 2060, 2080, and 2100. Our results reveal a strong association between tick occurrence patterns and large-scale gradients of temperature and atmospheric water balance, while precipitation plays a comparatively minor role. Projections indicate increasing climatic suitability for human-biting ticks at higher northern latitudes, concurrent with declining suitability across parts of central and southern Africa. By integrating modeled suitability with human population projections and livestock distributions, we estimated future changes in exposure risk. Although local processes such as tick abundance and pathogen prevalence are beyond the scope of this study, our findings provide a coherent global synthesis of how climate change may reshape tick distributions and associated risks. Full article