Tracking tick-borne diseases in Mongolian livestock using next generation sequencing (NGS).

The livestock industry in Mongolia accounts for 24% of national revenue, with one third of the population maintaining a pastoral lifestyle. This close connection between Mongolian population and livestock is a major concern for pathogen transfer, especially given the increase in vector-borne diseases globally. This study examines blood samples from livestock to assess the prevalence of tick-borne bacterial infections across three provinces in Mongolia (Dornogovi, Selenge, Töv). Whole blood samples from 243 livestock (cattle=38, camel=11, goat=85, horse=22, sheep=87) were analyzed with 16S metagenomics next-generation sequencing (NGS) to screen for bacterial pathogens. Positive-NGS samples for Anaplasma, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, Francisella, Leptospira, and Rickettsia were confirmed by conventional PCR and DNA sequencing. Prevalence rates of Anaplasma, Bartonella, and Ehrlichia were 57.6%, 12.8%, and 0.4%, respectively. A significant difference in the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. in livestock by province was observed, with a higher prevalence in Selenge (74.2%, p<0.001) and Töv (64.2% p = 0.006) compared to the semi-arid region of Dornogovi (39.8%). In contrast, no association was observed in Bartonella prevalence by provinces. All Anaplasma sequences (N = 139) were characterized as A. ovis. For Bartonella species characterization, phylogenetic analyses of gltA and rpoB genes identified three Bartonella species including B. bovis, B. melophagi and Candidatus B. ovis. Bartonella bovis was detected in all 22-positive cattle, while B. melophagi and Candidatus B. ovis were found in four and three sheep, respectively. This study identifies a high prevalence of tick-borne pathogens within the livestock population and to our knowledge, is the first time NGS methods have been used to explore tick-borne diseases in Mongolia. Further research is needed in Mongolia to better understand the clinical and economic burdens associated with tick-borne diseases in both livestock and pastoral herder populations.

Elimination or more accurate estimation? Investigation of trends in malaria diagnoses in the Ouest Department of Haiti from 2008 to 2017.

BACKGROUND: According to the 2016 World Malaria Report, the malaria incidence in Haiti declined by > 40% between 2010 and 2015. Though elimination efforts have likely contributed, this time period also corresponded to a national change in diagnostic methods. METHODS: Monthly reports of aggregated patient data were acquired from five clinics in the Ouest Department of Haiti. Generalized linear models were used to compare the number of febrile patients tested, the number of positive tests, and the proportion of tests that were positive (TRP) before and after the national adoption of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). RESULTS: Prior to the earthquake when microcopy was used for diagnosis, a total of 1,727 patients with 557 (32.3%) positive; post-earthquake testing was reduced and the TPR was variable; during the post recovery period when RDTs were used exclusivly, a total of 5,132 patients were tested using RDTs, only 83 (1.62%) were positive. Compared to the pre-earthquake period, there was a 69% increase in the number of patients tested (IRR: 1.69; 95% CI IRR 1.59, 2.79), and a 97.0% decrease in the proportion of patients with a positive test result (IRR: 0.03; 95% CI IRR 0.02, 0.04) in the post-recovery period. CONCLUSIONS: While the decline in malaria indicators between 2010 and 2015 has been cited as evidence of progress towards elimination, these reports derived estimates of the malaria burden in Haiti using two different diagnostic tests. Thus, comparison of these periods in the context of malaria elimination should be made with caution.