UCD One Health Conference 15th June 2022 - Full Programme

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9:30	OPENING REMARKS CECILY KELLEHER, College Principal, College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, UCD MARK STETTER, Dean of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis (recorded)
Session 1, Chairs: Gerald Barry and Cian Reid
9:40	KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Grace Mulcahy, UCD One Health Squared – 2020 Vision
10:10	SIOBHAN MCCLEAN, UCD Identification of a novel vaccine antigen which offers protection against VTEC infection
10:25	BART WEIMER, UC Davis Infectious disease tracking using population genomics
10:40	DARRELL ANDREWS, UCD Lipoxins promote tissue repair and regeneration in zebrafish
10:50	TADHG O’CROININ, UCD Investigating the link between Fluoroquinolone resistance and phenotypes key to virulence and survival in Camplyobacter jejuni
11:05	Break
Session 2, Chairs: Kieran Meade and Nneka Hull James
11:30	CHRIS BARKER, UC Davis  Translating data into evidence to support public-health decisions for vector-borne diseases
11:45	MICHAEL ZICCARDI, UC Davis Natural and anthropogenic animal disasters: The importance of a One Health approach
12:00	NICOLA FLETCHER, UCD A One Health approach to investigate Hepatitis E virus in humans, animals and the environment
12:15	JESSICA SMYTH, UCD Evidence for One Health from Archaeology: the nature and antiquity of human-cattle interdependence in Ireland
12:25	THEO KANNELLOS, ZOETIS INTERNATIONAL Zoetis’s Alliances in One Health
12:35	SUSANA FLORES-VILLALVA, UCD Effects of divergent vitamin D concentrations in vivo on microbicidal and immunoregulatory responses to Mycobacterium bovis BCG in dairy calves
12:45	Lunch
Session 3, Chairs: Tadhg O’Croinin and Ann Ying-An Chen
2:00	TORRES SWEENEY, UCD  Influence of maternal supplementation on the development of the digestive tract of the piglet
2:15	AIFRIC O’SULLIVAN, UCD Breast milk, the interconnection between mother and infant health
2:30	CLARE REYNOLDS, UCD  Maternal diet as a mediator of offspring health
2:45	JANE HOWARD, UCD Naturally occurring cancer in companion animals: A comparative medicine approach to understanding the aggressiveness of TNBC
3:00	ISAAC PESSAH, UC DAVIS (virtual) Promoting collaborative research strategies and experiences
3:10	Break
Session 4, Chairs: Nicola Fletcher and Carolyn Ingram
3:30	EKATERINA NESTERENKO, Science Foundation Ireland US-Ireland Partnership Programme
3:40	SIMON MORE, UCD Perspectives from the science-policy interface
3:55	CARRIE FINNO, UC Davis (virtual) Host-Helminth Interactions in Equine Metabolic Syndrome
4:10	KEYNOTE SPEAKER: JONNA MAZET, UC Davis One Health: Addressing the grand challenges of our time
4:40	CLOSING REMARKS ORLA FEELY, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact, UCD

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

 

Cecily Kelleher

Professor Cecily Kelleher is Chair of Public Health Medicine & Epidemiology at University College Dublin (UCD). She has been the Principal of the College of Health and Agricultural Sciences in UCD since 2015. She previously served as Dean and head of the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science. Professor Kelleher is a member of the Royal Irish Academy. She served as Chair for the report to the Minister for Health in the Republic of Ireland of the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel on Examination of Measures to 2021. Her main areas of research are on Lifecourse epidemiology and cardiovascular disease, childhood obesity, Traveller health, and the public health impacts of tobacco smoke.

Mark Stetter

Mark Stetter became Dean of University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine in  October 2021. He comes to UC Davis with a distinguished history of leadership and accomplishment in veterinary medicine. His research and clinical expertise have focused on zoo and wildlife medicine. He served as director of animal operations, director of animal health, and clinical veterinarian at Walt Disney World for 15 years where he provided oversight and leadership to the animal care and animal health teams at Walt Disney World and was responsible for more than 500 employees and multiple animal collections.

Stetter then spent a decade as dean and professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. He helped drive the creation of a new medical education program in partnership with the University of Colorado School of Medicine; worked with the provost’s office to create a university-wide One Health Initiative; established a new DVM education program with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks; and helped launch numerous Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Stetter has been active in many professional organizations, including service as President of the American College of Zoological Medicine, Founder and President of the Elephant Population. Currently, Dean Stetter serves as Treasurer for the American Association of Management Program, Chair for the Wildlife Scientific Advisory Board with Morris Animal Foundation, and Chair for the research committee within the Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinary Medical Colleges and as a Director of the Board with PetSmart Charities.

As dean of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Stetter has responsibility for the core missions of the school including education, research and service. Additionally, he helps provide oversight for strategic planning, management and administration, external affairs, outreach and development. The school is organized as a globally leading academic medical center, in which the veterinary medical school, hospital and institutes combine to impact lives and society through education, healthcare, research and public service. The school has additional centers in Tulare and San Diego, and One Health-based wildlife health operations in Washington, South America and central Africa.

 

Grace Mulcahy

Grace is Full Professor of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, and spent almost 10 years (Jan 2007- Sept 2016)  as Dean of Veterinary Medicine at UCD  and from Sept 2011-Sept 2016 Head of the newly-formed UCD School of  Veterinary Medicine.   She served two terms as a member of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, and was for two years a member of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges Board of Directors, as well as six years as a Board Member of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Northern Ireland.   She has an active research group focussing on helminth immunobiology, vaccines for veterinary parasites, and One Health.   She is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy.

 

Siobhan McClean

Siobhán is the head of Biochemistry in the School of Biomedical and Biomolecular Science and her independent research career has focused on Infection Biology since 2003.  She joined UCD in late 2016  and has 98 peer-reviewed papers to date.   She is the coordinator of a H2020 MSCA-funded Innovative Training network,  BactiVax, and more recently the coordinator of HEA-funded Vaccine Research and Training Alliance, AVACTA in collaboration with QUB, UCC and TCD. She has developed a significant international profile in respiratory infections and as a result of extensive studies on host-pathogen interactions her lab has identified several effective vaccine antigens against both respiratory and enteric pathogens.   Consequently, she has a strong interest in vaccinology and vaccine development and have a track record in innovation and commercialisation of her research outputs.  Prior to developing her own independent research group, she worked in Elan Pharmaceutical Technologies, as the Senior scientist on Vaccine development projects, including development of microencapsulated vaccines for oral and parenteral delivery.

 

Bart Weimer

Bart Weimer is a Professor of Population Health and Reproduction in the School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, California, and Director of the 100k Pathogen Genome Project

 

Darrell Andrews

Dr Andrews is currently a post-doctoral research fellow in the UCD Diabetes Complications Research Centre (DCRC)) at the UCD Conway Institute. She received a bachelor’s degree in Biological Science with Chemistry and a Higher Diploma in Education from the University of Limerick in 2010. Subsequently she completed an M.Sc in Biotechnology at University College Dublin in 2011. Following completion of an IRC funded PhD at the UCD Conway Institute, studying the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic eye disease, she joined the laboratory of Prof Catherine Godson to continue her research on the microvascular complications of diabetes. Her research focuses on mechanisms of inflammation and resolution in diabetic kidney disease, with a particular focus on the role of macrophages in these processes. She uses zebrafish models as an investigative tool to explore these mechanisms

 

Tadhg O’Croinin

My current research interest lies in the investigation of virulence gene regulation in bacterial pathogens during infection of the gastrointestinal tract. In particular I am interested in the role played by DNA supercoiling as a global regulator of virulence gene transcription in response to a variety of environmental signals which are encountered during the infectious cycle.

2008-present Lecturer in the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin2004-2007 SFI Research Fellow, Department of Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin2001-2003 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA 1999-2000 EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.1995-1999 Ph.D. University College Dublin1991-1995 B.A.mod Trinity College DublinResearch Links: SBBS Research | Biotechnology & Synthetic Biology Research in SBBS | Infection Biology Research in SBBS Tadhg O Croinin, Conway, Microbiology, Infection Biology, Gene Regulation, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Pathogenesis

 

Chris Barker

Chris Barker is a Professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and he is the Director of VectorSurv and the CDC-funded Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. He studies the epidemiology and ecology of mosquito-transmitted viruses,  with particular interest in the development of tools that translate surveillance and research data into evidence to inform public-health policies.

 

Michael Ziccardi

Dr. Ziccardi received his DVM, MPVM, and PhD in epidemiology from UC Davis, emphasizing free-ranging wildlife health and the effects of petroleum exposure in wildlife.  He has been an oil spill response veterinarian and coordinator since 1996, responding to more than 50 spills in the US and abroad, including as the Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Group Leader for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.  He has worked as a contract veterinarian for California Department of Fish and Game, a wildlife epidemiologist at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, and an Associate Professor of Clinical Wildlife Health and Co-Director of UC Davis’ Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center for UC Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine. He currently serves as Chair of the Global Oiled Wildlife Response System project (funded by OSRL), outgoing Chair of NOAA’s Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events and is a Committee Member on the National Academies “Oil in the Sea IV” consensus study revision. His current positions for UC Davis are Executive Director of the One Health Institute, Director of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, Director of the newly-formed California Veterinary Emergency Team, and Health Science Clinical Professor.

Nicola Fletcher

Nicola Fletcher is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor (Ad Astra fellow) at the School of Veterinary Medicine and a Fellow of the Conway Institute, UCD. She first trained as a scientist, with a BSc from the University of Limerick, followed by a year working in viral diagnostics at the Irish Equine Centre. Her PhD, supervised by Prof. Sean Callanan and Prof. David Brayden at UCD, developed an in vitro blood-brain barrier for the study of feline immunodeficiency virus neuropathology. She continued this work as a Science Foundation Ireland postdoctoral researcher until 2009. She then moved to the University of Birmingham to work with Prof. Jane McKeating, investigating the ability of hepatitis C to infect the brain and the role of the host immune system in this process. While at Birmingham, she worked closely with clinician scientists, and was inspired by their clinical approach to research, so in 2014 she took a four year break from research to study veterinary medicine as a Graduate Entry student at UCD. Once she qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 2018, she moved to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA-Weybridge) in the UK, and conducted research studies investigating economically important infectious diseases including rabies, African and classical swine fever, influenza, Newcastle disease, hepatitis E, tuberculosis and prion diseases in high level biocontainment.

Dr Fletcher's current research is focused on the characterisation of a novel antiviral against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease. She is also investigating the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and infectious virus in Irish sewage in collaboration with Prof Wim Meijer, and is investigating neurological disease that is seen in some patients with COVID-19. She is also focused on a One Health approach to the study of hepatitis E virus, an emerging zoonotic viral disease that is of increasing importance as a cause of acute hepatitis. Her research is funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences, UCD Ad Astra programme, Wellcome Trust, EU Horizon 2020 and Science Foundation Ireland. She is currently taking part in SUSTAIN, a programme run by the Academy of Medical Sciences to train and support female researchers in their independent research careers. She is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Veterinary Council of Ireland, Sheep Veterinary Society and British Veterinary Association and a Diplomate of the Royal College of Pathologists (DipRCPath). She is on the reviewer board for Cells, and a regular reviewer for Viruses, Hepatology, Journal of Virology, Antiviral Research, Molecules, Antiviral Therapy, PLoS, Pathogens, the Irish Veterinary Journal and Research Square.

 

Jessica Smyth

Dr Jessica Smyth is an Assistant Professor in Archaeology in the School of Archaeology, UCD. Her research currently focuses on the daily lives of early farming communities in Ireland and wider northwest Atlantic Europe c. 4000-2500 BC. She is PI of the 'Passage Tomb People' project, funded by an Irish Research Council Laureate Consolidator Grant

 

Theo Kannellos 

Theo Kanellos qualified as a veterinarian from the Aristotle University of Thessalonica in Greece and has been awarded an MSc in microbiology and PhD in molecular medicine from the University of London. He also has a business diploma from the Ecole Supérieur de Commerce de Paris (ESCP). During his career he worked as a clinician, an academic, a governmental official and for the last seventeen years as part of the management within the Pharmaceutical Industry where he has held several strategic roles. He has managed research laboratories, business development and M&A transactions, scientific and multi-functional alliances teams and programmes in several organisations that have led to the spinoff of biotechnology companies, the award of significant scientific grants, the founding of major strategic partnerships and the registration and licensing of successful commercial products and services. In his current role in Zoetis he establishes business transactions and entrepreneurial partnerships with companies, venture capitalist groups, universities, and governmental institutions, internationally and also is leading the Intergovernmental Tender and Grant Business. He holds a visiting professorship at the School of Health and Medicine at the University of Surrey and he is a board member in several organisations including the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines in Africa, The Global Antimicrobial Research Innovation Fund, Action Group of the One Health Platform etc. He is ad hoc advisor in several EU and national scientific and veterinary organisations. He is the author of over 40 peered reviewed papers and his articles, presentations and interviews have also featured in many trade and public media. 

 

Susana Flores Villalva

I’m a veterinarian and a researcher from Mexico and I have been working on bovine tuberculosis for around 10 years. In Mexico I work at the National Institute for Research in Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock (INIFAP) where I have collaborated in diverse projects on diagnosis, epidemiology, and immunology of bovine tuberculosis. In 2018 I started my PhD at School of Agriculture and Food Science in UCD under the guidance of Prof. Kieran Meade and Prof. Stephen Gordon. I recently submitted my thesis focused on understanding the role of vitamin D on the modulation of the bovine immune response to Mycobacterium bovis. After defending my thesis I’ll go back to Mexico and establish my research group with a special focus on veterinary immunology

 

Torres Sweeney

As Ireland expands it agricultural output to meet the ambitious targets of Harvest 2020, there are a spectrum of health, welfare and production issues in farm animal species that are a focus for my research interests: The first area is focused on developing genetic and biological markers to assist in the selection for economically important traits such as susceptibility to disease, meat quality and residual feed intake. The long term goal is to provide markers for these economically important traits that can be incorporated into national breeding programs and assist in the selection of healthy - efficient livestock. The species of interest are cattle, sheep and pigs. The second area is on molecular genetics and immunogenomics of host-pathogen interactions in farm animal species. Research topics include transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, brucellosis, gastrointestinal nematodes, verocytotoxigenic E.Coli 0157:H7, Salmonella and campylobacter infection in cattle, sheep, pigs and humans.

Torres Sweeney is a full professor in UCD’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

 

Aifric O’Sullivan

Aifric O’Sullivan (BSc, MSc, PhD) is an Assistant Professor and Associate Dean for International Programmes in the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, and PI in the UCD Institute of Food and Health. 

Aifric's research aims to understand interactions between diet and metabolism that define nutrition phenotypes across the lifespan. She uses twin studies to examine the impact of genes and environment on diet and metabolism and the interaction of both. The ultimate goal of this research is to understand inter and intra-individual variability, and why certain people respond or different diets and lifestyles with a view to informing personalised, sustainable nutrition strategies. The majority of her research projects involve the application of metabolomics to explore responses to diet, lifestyle and interventions. Some recent and ongoing projects include: AgriDiet, Understanding agriculture-nutrition linkages in Tanzania; UCD Twin Study, Investigating variation in nutrition phenotypes; ESTEA Twins Follow-up, Investigating nutrition-cognition linkages in childhood; NutriPlus, Inter-individual response to vitamin D supplementation; and SuHeGuide, Personalising food-based strategies to achieve a healthy, sustainable diet.

Aifric teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate level and leads a team of researchers which includes PhD students. She is the Vice Chair of the Executive Committee of the UCD Childhood and Human Development Research Centre, a member of the UCD Volunteers Overseas Board of Directors, the Royal Irish Academy representative on the IAP/EASAC Working Group on Food and Nutrition Security and Agriculture, on the Editorial Board for three Nutrition Journals and a member of the Metabolomics Society and the Nutrition Society (UK).

 

Clare Reynolds

Assistant Professor Clare Reynolds is an Ad Astra Fellow at University College Dublin. She was awarded her PhD in 2009 from the School of Public Health in University College Dublin and relocated to the Liggins Institute (University of Auckland), an internationally renowned center for maternal and perinatal research, from 2012-2020 where she was awarded the prestigious Health Research Council of New Zealand Sir Charles Hercus fellowship. 

For the last 15 years she has researched metabolic health with a specific focus on how diet influences the development of obesity, metabolic inflammation and adipose tissue dysfunction across the lifecourse (pregnancy, lactation, adult). This research also incorporates anti-inflammatory strategies to counteract the development of obesity.

Funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand, Ad Astra fellowship (UCD) and Institutional Strategic Support Scheme funding from UCD and the Wellcome Trust, has allowed for investigation into the mechanisms which influence parental (both maternal and paternal) diet induced developmental programming of obesity and metabolic dysfunction in the offspring. This work utilizes cell (both cell line and primary cells) and molecular technologies, small animal models, human milk bioactive profiles and birth cohort studies.

 

Jane Howard

Jane Howard received a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical, Health and Life Sciences from UCD in 2019. Currently, Jane is undertaking her PhD in UCD Conway Institute under the supervision of Prof. Amanda McCann and Dr. Pamela Kelly. Funded by the UCD PhD Advance Core Scheme, Jane’s work focuses on the role that Extracellular Vesicles play in both triple negative breast cancer and feline mammary adenocarcinoma. 

 

Isaac Pessah
Dr. Isaac Pessah, PhD- Distinguished Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Pessah obtained a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of Maryland College Park. He pursued postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley with Professor John Casida, during which time he discovered a family of calcium channels termed ryanodine receptors. Since then, his research and academic interests have focused on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of neurological disorders, especially in the areas of susceptible populations and gene by environment interactions. He has provided research mentorship to over one hundred PhD, DVM, postdoctoral and undergraduate scholars. He received the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence in 1997 and the Neurobehavioral Toxicology Society’s Distinguished Lecture Award in 2010. In 2018 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He has co-authored more than 260 peer reviewed primary research publications, reviews and book chapters.

 

Ekaterina Nesterenko

Dr Ekaterina Nesterenko received her MSc in Chemistry from M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), a PhD degree from Dublin City University and a degree of Candidate of Chemical Sciences from M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. Subsequently, she took up a research position at Bristol Myers-Squibb Ireland, and then moved to the Irish Separation Science Cluster, Dublin City University where she worked in the area of analytical chemistry, materials sciences and analytical instrumentation design and development, and was involved in various commercialisation activities and industry engagement. From 2014 she joined SFI Pre-Award team as a Fellow and from 2017 – as a Scientific Programme Manager and worked in the Pre-Award, Individual-Led Research, Challenge-Research teams. Her portfolio comprises all International Partnerships Programmes, including all funding mechanisms within US-Ireland R&D Partnership, partnerships with EPSRC, BBSRC, NSF China, the Royal Society and Wellcome Trust. She also continues to manage a number of Future Innovator Prize teams and assist Individual-Led Research and Challenge Research teams in various activities.

 

Simon More

Simon More is Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis within the School of Veterinary Medicine, and Director of CVERA, the UCD Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis. He is also Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Impact within the School.

In addition, Simon is Chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Food Safety Authority, an EU Agency which provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain in Europe.

In his primary role in Ireland, Simon leads scientific research across a range of issues relating to animal health and welfare in support of national decision-making by policy colleagues.

 

Carrie Finno

Dr Carrie Finno is a board-certified equine internist with a PhD in comparative pathology and post-doctorate training in comparative genomics. She has a strong commitment to biomedical research in the field of translational inherited neuromuscular disorders. At this stage of her career, Dr. Finno has published over 95 papers, including publications in Nature Communications and PLoS Genetics. Through support from her NIH-funded K01 grant and several university- and foundation-funded grants, Dr. Finno discovered parallel gene dysregulation pathways involving nuclear receptors in neural tissue from both vitamin E deficient horses and an experimental mouse model of vitamin E deficiency-. She is currently a co-investigator on an R01 award aimed at definitively answering one of the fundamental questions regarding vitamin E biology – are the neurologic consequences with vitamin E deficiency independent of the vitamin’s antioxidant effects? Dr. Finno was recently awarded the 2022 Chancellor’s Fellowship at UC Davis for her research efforts. 

 

Jonna Mazet

Jonna Mazet, DVM, MPVM, PhD, is the Vice Provost - Grand Challenges and Chancellor's Leadership Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology and Disease Ecology at the University of California, Davis, where she founded the One Health Institute. Prof. Mazet is active in global health problem solving, especially for emerging infectious disease and conservation. She was the Global Director of >$200 million viral emergence early warning project, PREDICT, developed with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats Program. An elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine, she also serves on the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats, One Health Action Collaborative, and Standing Committee on Emerging Infectiou Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats.

 

Orla Feely

Professor Feely is Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact and a Professor of Electronic Engineering at University College Dublin. She holds a BE degree from University College Dublin and MS and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, where her PhD thesis won the DJ Sakrison Memorial Prize for outstanding and innovative research. While at UC Berkeley, she also won the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award.  Her research is in the area of nonlinear circuits and systems, and she has been awarded research grants and prizes from a number of national, international and industry sources.

Professor Feely is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering. She has served as Chair of the Irish Research Council, the EU Advisory Group on Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions, and the IEEE Technical Committee on Nonlinear Circuits and Systems, and as a member of a number of Editorial Boards. 

She is a director of the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition and Deputy Chair of the Higher Education Authority.

POSTER ABSTRACTS

 

THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON TICKS AND TICKBORNE DISEASES: LYME BORRELIOSIS RISK IN IRELAND IN 1990 AND 2020

 

Annetta Zintl, University College Dublin

 

It is often suggested that due to climate change, the risk from tick-borne disease is increasing worldwide. However, the effects of climate on tick survival, activity, availability of competent reservoir hosts and human activity are complex.  

This study aimed to determine whether the risk of Lyme Borreliosis, which in Ireland is transmitted by the hard tick Ixodes ricinus, has changed in the last 30 years. 

1,404 questing nymphs collected by blanket dragging in 27 sites throughout Ireland were screened for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato using a TaqMan PCR aimed at the 23S rRNA gene sequence. All positive ticks were further analysed by nested PCR amplification and sequence analysis of the 5S-23S intergenic spacer. 

Comparison with historical data from the 1990s indicated that the infection rate of questing nymphs with B. burgdorferi s.l. and the prevalence of the various genospecies have remained surprisingly stable over the last 3 decades. 

INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF POTASSIUM CHANNELS IN THE REPLICATION OF ALPHAVIRUS, SEMLIKI FOREST VIRUS

 

Tristan Russell, University College Dublin

 

The Alphaviruses are a genus of arboviruses with several human and animal pathogens as members including Ross River virus, which has been detected in several mammalian and avian species and causes arthritic symptoms in humans. Semliki Forest virus (SFV) is a model Alphavirus, which can be studied to gain useful information into the pathogenic members of this genus. Cellular ion channels regulate many physiological processes by facilitating the movement of calcium, chloride (Cl-), potassium (K+) and sodium ions across cell membranes. Several viruses have been shown to hijack ion channels when replicating in cells. Drug screens of broad-range ion channel inhibitors showed that those targeting K+ channels attenuated SFV replication and protected infected cells from cytopathic effects. The most significant decrease in SFV replication was caused by KCl, which inhibits K+ channels by disrupting the K+ concentration gradient. Administering KCl up to eight hours post infection caused a reduction in SFV replication but its effectiveness was reduced when cells were infected with higher amounts of virus. K+ channels can be subdivided into different families based on their structure or function and family-specific K+ channel inhibitors were screened for their effects on SFV. The two-pore K+ channel inhibitors spermine and ruthenium red, but not drugs targeting other K+ channel families, both inhibited SFV replication. Initial mechanistic studies showed treatment with KCl disrupted an early, post-entry step of SFV replication, with a delay and reduction in viral RNA and protein observed. Treatment with KCl or spermine caused a reduction in replication and transcription of SFV RNA but how K+ channels contribute to these processes has not been determined. 

DECIPHERING THE GENOMIC ARCHITECTURE OF THE BOVINE PERIPHERAL BLOOD TRANSCRIPTOMIC RESPONSE TO MYCOBACTERIUM BOVIS INFECTION

 

John O’Grady, University College Dublin

 

Mycobacterium bovis is the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), a damaging and endemic zoonotic disease that represents a significant economic cost to global animal agriculture. Variability in the mammalian immune responses to M. bovis challenge involves a nuanced interaction, encompassing host genetics, the environment, and the pathogen. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) are genomic variants associated with messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript abundance. Expression QTLs can be classified as cis-eQTLs if proximal to the transcriptional start site (TSS) of the gene they regulate (< 1 Mb) or trans-eQTLs if distantly located from the TSS (> 1 Mb) or on a different chromosome. Expression QTLs associated with genes actively expressed in peripheral blood from confirmed bTB reactor animals (cattle used for potency testing of diagnostic reagents) can provide useful information about the genomic architecture of the transcriptional response to M. bovis infection. In the present study we use bulk RNA sequencing data (RNA-seq) from a large cohort of confirmed reactor cattle to detect and evaluate peripheral blood eQTLs.

 

Peripheral blood RNA-seq and high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP – Axiom™ Genome-Wide BOS 1 Bovine Array; > 640,000 genome-wide SNPs) data sets were generated for n = 64 reactor animals. Integrative analysis of these transcriptome and genomic SNP data identified many eQTLs for peripheral blood immune cells in M. bovis-infected cattle. The Ingenuity® Pathway Analysis (IPA) software data mining tool was used to further explore the genes regulated by cis- and trans-eQTLs, highlighting biological pathways and networks key to the bovine host immune response to M. bovis infection and bTB disease.

 

Expression QTLs identified in this study represent polymorphisms embedded in cis genomic regulatory elements (e.g., promoter sequences, and transcription factor and microRNA binding sites) and located proximal to, or within, genes encoding trans components of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) such as transcription factor proteins and microRNAs. These cis- and trans-eQTLs therefore provide a snapshot of the genomic architecture underpinning the peripheral blood transcriptional response to M. bovis infection. Results from this work can provide information relevant to genome-enabled breeding and genome editing of cattle with enhanced resilience to M. bovis infection and bTB disease. In addition, the genes regulated by these eQTLs may be used to refine biomarkers and biosignatures of infection to facilitate development of new diagnostics.

AMU-FARM PROJECT: IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF A BEHAVIOUR CHANGE INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ANTIMICROBIAL USE ON FARMS

 

Laura Gribben, Teagasc, Queen’s University Belfast, Animal Health Ireland

 

It has been recognised that imprudent antimicrobial use (AMU) practices in animal agriculture are a contributor to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) (Boeckel et al., 2017). New EU legislation (EC 2019/6) aims to address this challenge and will restrict how antimicrobials are used on the farm (European Commission, 2019). As the new legislation will require EU farmers to change their current AMU behaviours, the AMU-FARM project is focused on developing effective behaviour change strategies, to support Irish dairy and pig farmers in making the transition towards judicious AMU. Two approaches being investigated in this project are use of motivational interviewing (MI) and behaviour change techniques (BCTs) by key behaviour change agents in farming: vets and farm advisors.

 

HARNESSING IN VITRO IMMUNOLOGICAL SYNAPSE SCREENING FOR VACCINE AND ADJUVANT CANDIDATES IN PIGS: A PILOT STUDY FOLLOWING PRRSV VACCINATION

 

Ann Ying An Chen, University College Cork

 

The immunological synapse (IS) is specialized cell to cell junction that forms between lymphocytes and antigen presenting cells (APC) following an infectious insult or vaccination. Upon interaction, these cells communicate and trigger signal transduction pathways which ultimately estab-lishes long-lasting immunity. For the first time, we characterized the porcine immunological syn-apse by co-culturing APC with T cell subsets to screen for potential effective vaccine and adjuvant candidates following vaccination against Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSV). Here, twelve Landrace-Yorkshire specific pathogen-free (SPF) pigs were separated into 3 groups, control and two groups vaccinated with either PRRSV-1 or PRRSV-2. After 28 days, four purified T cell subsets from peripheral blood (Tn cells; CD4+CD25-, NK cells; CD4-CD25+, Tregs; CD4+CD25+, and Mixed cells; CD4-CD25-) were co-cultured for 12 hours with pulmonary alveolar macrophages. Toll-like receptor mRNA expression patterns and cytokine levels were analyzed. Also, three stages of the IS were characterised by morphological features following conju-gation. Results showed a significant upregulated in Toll-like receptors (TLR) 3,4,7,8 and 9 in both vaccinated groups. Further, a significantly lower level of IL-10 was produced in co-cultures with PRRSV-2 compared to controls. Finally, T cells also exerted different TLR expression patterns. Together, these findings demonstrate that the porcine immunological synapse can be characterised in vitro to screen for micro-environment factors, with future applications in vaccine/adjuvant candidate or effective antigen epitopes. Ultimately, this method could potentially aid in reducing the use of experimental animals during the preliminary stages of vaccine development.

COMPARATIVE GENOMIC AND PHYLOGENOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE GENUS HAFNIA

 

Amy Kate Fala, University College Cork, APC Microbiome Ireland

 

Hafnia sp. are isolated from foods and the gut of healthy human participants, as well as being developed as probiotics for human and animal health. However, certain members are regarded as opportunistic pathogens and some isolates have been implicated in invasive disease. This work interrogates publicly available Hafnia spp. genomes using a comparative genomic and phylogenomic approach to clarify the relationships of existing strains within this genus and review their taxonomic affiliations. The analysis was augmented through the inclusion of several novel Hafnia sp. strains recently isolated from dairy foods. Further, a metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) recovery strategy was used to identify novel Hafnia sp. MAGs from publicly available food metagenomes.

MEASURING THE PERSISTENCE OF VIABLE SARS-COV-2 ON ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC SURFACES FOUND IN MEAT PROCESSING PLANTS

 

Tristan Russell, University College Dublin

 

Factors contributing to COVID-19 outbreaks in meat processing plants include the physical work carried out in cramped conditions and recirculation of cooled air, which increased the risk of airborne transmission. Fomite transmission can also contribute to outbreaks of respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the potential for shipped foods contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 to transport virus between countries. Determining the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to persist on beef, pork and salmon has failed to rule out that foods could act as vehicles for the movement of SARS-CoV-2 between countries because it remained viable for at least 22 days at -20˚C and for at least 12 days at 4˚C. SARS-CoV-2 persistence on salmon scales was similar to that on salmon flesh, but viable virus recovered from pork fat was significantly reduced compared to pork meat at 4˚C. Viable SARS-CoV-2 was inactivated on food and abiotic surfaces by incubation at 56˚C or 75˚C for sufficient time with more rapid inactivation observed for abiotic surfaces. The contribution of fomites to outbreaks in meat processing plants cannot be ruled out due to the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on stainless steel and fabric under conditions representative of meat processing plants. Addition of bodily fluids or meat juices to virus inoculum decreased or increased the amount of virus recovered from surfaces, respectively. Results of this investigation have shown that disinfection of surfaces found in meat processing plants is required to prevent fomite transmission between workers and prevent contamination of foods being shipped to different locations.  

 

CARA NETWORK - COLLABORATION TO REDUCE ANTIMICROBIAL USE AND RESISTANCE AND IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT AND AWARENESS

 

Akke Vellinga, University College Dublin

 

Antibiotic resistance is driven by the prescription of antibiotics resulting in difficult to treat infections. The focus of many interventions is on reducing prescribing and avoiding unnecessary antibiotics in patients in hospitals or the community. To support stakeholders, such as hospitals, community, and pharmacies, to understand how they can improve the use of antibiotics, the CARA network aims to provide an open access data infrastructure where data on infections and antibiotics can be compared in easy visualisations.

 

For GPs we provide dashboards where they can upload patient data from their practice (in few easy steps) and compare this to data from other practices. Through an app, anonymous patient data is extracted and uploaded to the CARA data infrastructure. Once data is uploaded, GPs can view and visualise their own patient data and compare this to other (anonymous) practices through the dashboard. Visualisations can be customized and comparisons can be made using filters. In addition, custom made audit reports can be made and submitted as part of the GP’s annual clinical competency requirement. 

 

To include hospital data and allow comparison between primary and secondary health settings, we obtained hospital discharge data (HIPE). Hospital data will be linked and included in CARA’s data infrastructure and visualised through the use of dashboard. The CARA team will explore other databases to be included and linked in the data infrastructure expanding the opportunities for visualisation within and between healthcare settings. 

 

The CARA network is funded by the Irish Health Research Board (2021-2025) through a Leadership Award. The project is led by Prof Akke Vellinga, SPHPSS, UCD and has partners in the Data Science Institute, Galway, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), the Health Protection and Surveillance Centre (HPSC), Imperial College London and Dublin City University.

BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS AND GENE REGULATORY NETWORKS PERTURBED DURING MYCOBACTERIUM BOVIS INFECTION IN A LARGE COHORT OF CATTLE

 

Gillian P. McHugo, University College Dublin

 

Objective: 

There is an urgent need for improved bovine tuberculosis (bTB) diagnostics to augment existing tests. Mycobacterium bovis infection, the primary cause of bTB, is known to induce differential expression of genes in peripheral blood immune cells from infected cattle when compared to non-infected control animals. Examining the biological functions and interactions of these gene products can provide insights into the immunobiology of bTB disease and has the potential to identify sensitive and specific biomarkers of M. bovis infection. In the current study we use bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to study the peripheral blood transcriptomes from two groups of animals: 1) a cohort of confirmed reactor animals used for potency testing of diagnostic reagents for M. bovis infection; and 2) a cohort of non-infected control animals of similar genetic background. We identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and examine their biological functions using biological pathway and gene regulatory network (GRN) analyses.

Key results/findings: 

Transcriptomics (RNA-seq) data were generated from a panel of 64 confirmed bTB reactor cattle and 64 uninfected control animals. These data were analysed to identify DEGs between the two groups. These DEGs were then analysed using Ingenuity® Pathway Analysis (IPA®) to identify biological pathways and networks significantly perturbed in peripheral blood immune cells due to M. bovis infection. 

Significance/Impact of study: 

The cohorts of reactor cattle and uninfected control animals provide large enough sample sizes such that variation in responses to M. bovis infection caused by intrapopulation genomic variation can be better understood. In addition, high statistical power can be achieved to detect DEGs and identify immunologically relevant biological pathways and GRNs. Our results provide new insights into the immunobiology of M. bovis infection, host-pathogen interaction, and bTB disease; they also signpost new diagnostic modalities based on peripheral blood transcriptional biomarkers and biosignatures. 

 

EXPLORING KEY INFORMANTS PERCEPTIONS OF COVID-19 VACCINE HESITANCY IN A LOW-SES URBAN COMMUNITY IN IRELAND: EMERGENCE OF A ‘5Cs’ MODEL

 

Carolyn Ingram, University College Dublin

 

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore key informants’ views on and experiences with Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in a Dublin community of low socioeconomic status (SES) and to identify feasible, community-centred solutions for improving vaccination acceptance and uptake.

 

Methods: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were carried out at a local community-centre and a central hair salon. Twelve key informants from the target community were selected based on their professional experience with vulnerable population groups: the unemployed, adults in recovery from addiction, the elderly, and Irish Travellers. Inductive thematic framework analysis was conducted to identify emergent themes and sub-themes.

 

Results: Drivers of vaccine hesitancy identified by key informants largely fell under the WHO ‘3Cs’ model of hesitancy: lack of confidence in the vaccine and its providers, complacency towards the health risks of COVID-19, and inconvenient access conditions. COVID-19 Communications emerged as a fourth ‘C’ whereby unclear and negative messages, confusing public health measures, and unmet expectations of the vaccine’s effectiveness exacerbated anti-authority sentiments and vaccine scepticism during the pandemic. Community-specific recommendations involved the provision of accurate and accessible information, collaborating with community-based organisations to build trust in the vaccine through relationship building and ongoing dialogue, and ensuring acceptable access conditions.

 

Conclusions: A Confidence, Complacency, Convenience, Communications, Community-centred Solutions (‘5Cs’) model of vaccine hesitancy emerged through inductive analysis of key informant interviews in a low-SES urban community. The model and in-depth key informants’ perspectives can be used to complement equitable vaccination efforts currently underway by Health Services Executive Ireland and non-governmental organizations.

 

BENCHMARKING BIOINFORMATIC TOOLS FOR AMPLICON BASED HIGH THROUGHPUT SEQUENCING OF NOROVIRUS

 

Amy Heather Fitzpatrick, Teagasc, Marine Institute, MTU

 

In order to survey noroviruses in our environment using High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) it is essential that our methods, both wet-lab and computational, are fit for purpose. In this body of work, we have evaluated pipelines and classifiers for the genotypic characterisation of norovirus VP1 region using simulated sequencing data.

 

Denoising based pipelines Dada2, Deblur and USEARCH-UNOISE3 were included, alongside clustering based pipelines VSEARCH and FROGS. NoroNet and CaliciNet classifiers were compared to QIIME2 feature-classifier with standard and custom databases. Pipelines were compared to the expected sequences and composition using a variety of measures, Bray-Curtis distance, UniFrac weighted and unweighted and a confusion matrix. 

 

Contrary to the expected performance of clustering versus denoising methods, clustering approaches produced data more closely reflecting the expected composition, on all measures, similarity/dissimilarity distances and phylogenetic. VSEARCH performed the best, in terms of similarity to expected composition. However, FROGS produced sequences and compositions distinctly different from all other pipelines. The impact of reduced depth of coverage on performance was assessed for VSEARCH and there were no differences in composition, phylogenetic similarity or taxonomic assignment. Classification was more strongly impacted by database rather than classification method. QIIME2 feature-classifier provides 99% agreement with NoroNet typing tool to capsid designation level. Disagreement increases with the inclusion capsid variant designation. 

 

VSEARCH provides a robust option for analysing viral amplicons. Pipeline choice impacted false positives (Dada2) and sub-standard classification (FROGS).  QIIME2 feature-classifier is a viable alternative to external classification, however maintenance of the input database is essential. 

 

PREFERENTIAL DIFFERENTIAL GENE EXPRESSION IN THE WC1.1+ γδ T CELL COMPARTMENT IN CATTLE 

 

Sajad Bhat, University College Dublin

 

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis, continues to cause significant issues for the global agriculture industry as well as for human health. An incomplete understanding of the host immune response contributes to the challenges of control and eradication of this zoonotic disease. In this study, high-throughput bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to characterize differential gene expression in γδ T cells – a subgroup of T cells which bridge innate and adaptive immunity and have specific anti-mycobacterial response mechanisms. γδ T cell subsets are classified on the basis of expression of the Workshop Cluster 1 (WC1) pathogen-recognition receptor and we hypothesized that altered function of specific WC1 subsets may contribute to bTB pathogenesis. Peripheral blood was collected from naturally M. bovis-infected (positive for single intradermal comparative tuberculin test (SICTT) and IFN-γ ELISA) and age- and sex-matched, non-infected control Holstein-Friesian cattle. γδ T subsets were isolated using fluorescence activated cell sorting and high-quality RNA extracted from each purified lymphocyte subset (WC1.1+, WC1.2+, WC1- and γδ-) was used to generate transcriptomes using bulk RNA-seq (n = 6 per group). Relatively small numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed between most cell subsets; however, 189 genes were significantly differentially expressed between the M. bovis-infected and control groups for the WC1.1+ γδ T cell subset (Log 2 FC ≥ 1.5 and FDR P adj ≤ 0.1). The majority of these DEGs (168) were significantly increased in expression in cells from the infected cattle and included the granzyme A gene (GZMA) and multiple killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes. Biological pathway overrepresentation analysis revealed enrichment of genes with multiple immune functions including chemokine signalling. In conclusion, WC1.1+ γδ T cell subset have been proposed as major regulatory cell subset in cattle, and we provide evidence for preferential differential activation of this specific subset in cattle naturally infected with M. bovis. Understanding the role of these critical immune cells during mycobacterial infection will contribute to our understanding of bTB disease and host immunity and facilitate identification of mechanisms by which this successful pathogen may enhance its survival.

LONG-TERM IN VIVO VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION IN CALVES MODULATES IL-1 AND CHEMOKINE SIGNALLING IN EX-VIVO WHOLE BLOOD STIMULATIONS

 

Cian Reid, Trinity College Dublin, Teagasc

 

Vitamin D deficiency has been identified in calves at birth, followed by prolonged insufficiency in early life which may predispose calves to disease. It has been postulated vitamin D may induce an increased anti-inflammatory and bactericidal immune response to disease. However, the exact consequences of vitamin D levels for both baseline and induced innate immunity remains unclear, particularly due to the lack of long-term supplementation trials in vivo. Here, a standardized whole blood immunophenotyping assay was used to compare innate immune responses to disease relevant PAMPs (LPS, Pam3CSK4 and R848) in 10 male Holstein-Friesian calves raised on an industry standard diet, and 12 supplemented with vitamin D from birth until 7 months of age. Gene expression analysis revealed differential expression of 27 genes at baseline (unstimulated whole blood) between vitamin D supplemented and control calves, including reduced expression of IL-1 and inflammasome signaling genes and increased chemokine signaling. In response to LPS, increased IL-1 and inflammasome signaling was observed in supplemented calves, as well as significantly increased expression of CASP1, CX3CR1, CAT, and decreased expression of STAT1 gene. Similarly, in response to Pam3CSK4, increased IL-1 and inflammasome signaling was observed, as well as significantly increased expression of IL1A, IL1B and CAT and decreased expression of C5AR1 genes. In response to R848, decreased chemokine signaling was observed in supplemented calves, in addition to significantly decreased expression of STAT1 and S100A8 genes. Furthermore, protein analysis revealed significantly increased IL-1β in response to Pam3CSK4 and R848, and decreased IL-8 in responses to all PAMPs. These results indicate vitamin D has a significant immunomodulatory role at baseline and modulates PAMP responses via enhanced IL-1 and inflammasome signaling, and diminished chemokine signaling. Overall, vitamin D supplementation is driving differential systemic innate immune responses that could have important implications for disease susceptibility and may offer a potential One Health tool in disease prevention and reduction in use of anti-microbials.

DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL SKIN PRICK TEST EVALUATION METHODOLOGY USING A LOW-COST, SMARTPHONE-BASED THERMOGRAPHIC IMAGING

 

Polak Goktas, University College Dublin

 

Skin prick test (SPT) is the most widely used diagnostic method as materials are cheap and give immediate results in the Allergy clinics. However, subjective interpretation of skin test responses may induce error-prone procedures. For this reason, we aim to validate smartphone-based thermographic imaging as a sensitive and objective indicator for the assessment of allergen-induced skin reactions.

MOTOR PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS USING OPTICAL MOTION CAPTURE AND SMARTPHONE: A NEW RESEARCH PLATFORM

 

Hananeh Younesian, University College Dublin

 

Introduction: Traditionally, passive or active optical motion capture systems have been used for movement analysis among different populations (i.e. pathological patients, athletes). These golden standard measurement methods often require expensive equipment, are limited to indoor setting, requiring skilful experts, and time-consuming data analysis. Moreover, the real performance of individuals can be affected when they are under observation. Recent years have seen the emergence of computer vision pose models that facilitate 2D motion analysis using markerless video capture as a data source.  This leads to the likelihood that the smartphone camera can be a viable source of data for accurate motion analysis in the future.  However, there is still a lot of work to do regarding the validation of computer vision models that rely on smartphones as a data source.  Here we present a research platform that enables the simultaneous capture of data using an optical motion capture system and an array of synchronised smartphones.  This platform will underpin a programme of work where we will validate the smartphone camera as a data source for analysis of motor performance in elite athletes.   

Methodology: The platform incorporates the CODA (Charnwood Dynamics, UK) active marker optical motion camera system and up to 4 smartphones arranged around the study participant performing the motor task. In this case we demonstrate the platform using five repetitions of a Counter Movement Jump (CMJ) test, a commonly performed test of jumping power in athletes.  CMJs were performed by one healthy adult male (age: 32 years old, BMI: 27 kg/m2) and were simultaneously recorded using the CODA system sampling @100Hz and one smartphone (Galaxy S10) sampling @30Hz.  Human pose estimation (AlphaPose 0.4.0) was applied to extract multivariate time series data from smartphone video. Jump height was measured based on flight time in two different capture systems.

Result: Jump heights measured (mean ± standard deviation) from CODA and video were 39.27±3.27 cm and 37.69±7.48 cm respectively.

Discussion: The experimental setup, and the workflow for data capture, processing and analysis, were appropriate for the intended purpose of the research platform.  In this test case, our results seem to show that mean absolute error of jump height using 2D pose estimation from a single smartphone camera and 3D optical motion capture devices are in the range of 4.45±2.66 cm. This error might be due to the noisy nature of pose estimation output. The research platform will enable capture of a larger dataset across a wider range of motor tests with multiple camera views.  This will enable us to enhance data processing models, improve measurement accuracy, and make recommendations regarding optimal smartphone placement for specific tests. 

ATTITUDES OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN EMPLOYEES TO DOG FOULING: MALES VS. FEMALES

 

Laura Keogh, Whitehouse Veterinary Clinic, University College Dublin, Freedom for Animals

Introduction 

Dog fouling in public spaces is a source of public disgust. When dog owners do not pick up after their dogs, it pollutes the human environment often rendering beaches, parks and playgrounds unfit for human recreation, presents a hazard to wheel- and pushchair users on paved surfaces and sparks conflict between the dog owner and the public, often leading to a negative view of dog ownership. Despite being a sanctionable offence by law in Ireland, each year there are still frequent complaints to the dog control services about dog fouling, multiple campaigns across different counties intended to keep public areas free of dog faeces and a substantial number of newspaper articles written on the topic. To date, there have been no studies in Ireland on people’s attitudes to dog fouling and how they might differ between males and females. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitude to dog owners picking up after their dogs have fouled in a number of different contexts and to determine if there were differences in attitudes between males and females. 

 

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of University College Dublin employees (2016).

Data were collected via online questionnaire. Exposure information included: Gender,

dog ownership status and educational level. We asked participants to indicate their level of agreement with five statements starting with “Dog owners should always clean-up after their dogs when the dog has fouled in the following circumstances”:  On the street or paved walkway (“On Street”), in  a public park or playing field (“In Public Park), whether or not there is a bin (“If No Bin”), regardless of location  (“All Locations”) and in scrubland or the open countryside (“In Scrubland”).  Response options were: “Strongly Disagree”, “Disagree”, “Neither Agree or Disagree”, “Agree”, or “Strongly Agree”. We used Microsoft Excel 2019 to estimate the prevalences (P) of, males and females who either agreed or strongly agreed as well as the prevalence differences (PD) in agreement between both groups. We also used the Mann-Whitney procedure to estimate the probability (ProbMW) that a randomly chosen female was more likely to agree with a given statement than a male. The Normal approximation was used to calculate ninety-five percent confidence intervals (95% CIs) for all parameters. 

 

Results 

There were 441 females (216 owners, 225 non-owners) and 238 males (111 owners, 127 non-owners) who participated with 95% having tertiary education. The overall prevalence of persons who agreed that owners should always clean-up after their dogs, was higher ( P > 80%) for “On Street”, “In Public Park”, and If No Bin” and lower ( P <80%), for ‘All Locations” and “In Scrubland” with females being more likely to agree than males for all statements. 

 

The difference in prevalence of agreement between females and males was substantial for  ‘In Scrubland’ (PD = 14%; 95% CI: 12-15%) and “All locations” (PD = 11%;  95% CI: 10 -15%) but less so  for  “If No Bins” (PD = 8%, 95% CI:  7-9%), “In Public Park” (PD = 4%, 95% CI: 3 -4%), and “On Street’ (PD = 1%, 95% CI: 0.6-1.3%). Similarly, the chance that a randomly chosen female was more likely to agree that “Dog owners should always clean-up after their dogs…” than a randomly chosen male, was greater than 50% for each scenario, being lowest for “On Street” (ProbMW = 52%; 95% CI: 51-53%) and highest for “In Scrubland” (ProbMW = 60%; 95% CI: 59-61%). 

 

Conclusion 

The results show that among this university population, there was a high prevalence of persons agreeing that dog owners should always clean up after their dogs with females consistently showing greater agreement than among males. This is consistent both with the frequency of complaints about dog fouling in Ireland and previous research in other countries that suggests that women are more likely to show concern for the environment than men. 

ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE IN E. COLI FROM IRISH HORSES

 

Nneka Hull James, University College Dublin

 

Introduction

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to human, animal and environmental health. Resistant bacteria from horses, among other animals, can be shed into the environment or transmitted directly to humans. Information on the AMR prevalence in E. coli from horses is scarce and necessary for One Health risk evaluation. 

 

Aim of Investigation

To compare the prevalence of a) resistance to selected critically important antimicrobials, b) multidrug resistance (MDR) and c) extensive drug resistance (XDR) in E. coli isolated from selected equine clinical samples. 

 

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of antimicrobial susceptibility data of E. coli isolated from horses by site of origin (2017-2018). Duplicate isolates with same animal, year and site of origin were removed. Data from reproductive (498), faecal (391) and other (i.e. integumentary, musculoskeletal, respiratory and urinary (IMRU)) systems (179) were analyzed. SPSS was used to estimate the site of origin – specific prevalence (PR) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for resistance to fluoroquinolones and 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins, as well for MDR (PMDR) and XDR (PXDR).  

 

Results

Overall E. coli isolates from the reproductive system had the lowest prevalence of resistance while those of IMRU origin had the highest. For example, reproductive system isolates had lower resistance levels to fluoroquinolones and 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins (PR = 7 - 9%) compared to E. coli from IMRU (PR = 24 - 27%). Levels of MDR and XDR for E. coli ranged from PMDR=29.3% (95% CI: 25.3-33.3) (reproductive) to PMDR = 50.3% (95% CI: 42.9 - 57.7) (IMRU) and PXDR = 10.2% (95% CI: 7.8 - 12.9) (reproductive) to PXDR = 30.7% (95% CI: 23.9 - 37.6) (IMRU). 

 

Discussion

Increased MDR and resistance in isolates of IMRU origin may be due to distinct populations of E. coli at each site or may reflect previous antimicrobial treatment. This study provides baseline data which may inform both human and veterinary medical clinicians and aid in the development of future AMR stewardship programmes.

INVESTIGATING THE PRESENCE OF SARS-COV-2 IN SELECTED FOODS AND FOOD PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTS USING HARMONISED RT-qPCR AND WvGS PROTOCOLS

 

Guerrino Macori, University College Dublin

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on food systems. Despite control measures applied, the final stages of the farm-to-fork continuum present the greatest risk to public health. Several food processing sites and meat-processing plants (MPPs), in Europe and elsewhere, suspended operations, when workers tested positive, though no food recalls were instituted. Food safety regulators around the world, remain cautious, continuing to gather and evaluate information describing the potential persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on food. International food trade was disrupted when SARS-CoV-2 from packaging material on fish products and poultry was isolated although there is no evidence to support the food matrix as a transmission route for SARS-CoV-2. The virus can be transmitted by asymptomatic hosts who harbour the virus during its early incubation period before symptoms appear and considering that the infection is easily transmitted spreading from person-to-person via coughing, sneezing, respiratory droplets or aerosols and close contact with infected people, food matrices along with their packaging could potentially expose susceptible individuals to infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Food samples representing diverse types (including soft fruits; raw meats of poultry, pork and beef origin; seafood and ready-to-eat products) available for retail sale in Ireland were sourced from domestic and foreign producers. RNA was purified from these matrices using standardised protocols and subjected to RT-qPCR testing for detection of SARS-CoV-2. Further, all surfaces of the packaging material and skin from the fruits and vegetables were tested, along with two dairy food processing facilities, implementing COVID-19 controls, participated in the study providing high-touch surface swabs, and composite samples from sewage outlets. An experimental approach for studying survival of the virus based on meat and fish matrices was also included and a strategy was developed for recovering viral particles from positive, spent rapid antigen detection tests (RADT), suitable for direct whole virus genome sequencing. Samples positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA were sequenced using a tiling amplicon sequencing approach and the data were used for detecting variants and lineages.

In total, 1,261 samples were obtained and tested. These included: RNA purified from food matrices (713 samples), swabs originating from packaging and the skin of fruit (467 samples) and from high touch surfaces (75 samples) and six concentrated wastewater samples. All samples tested negative for the presence of RNA of SARS-CoV-2, including associated food packaging and food production samples. Additionally, the SARS-CoV-2 survival studies carried out under laboratory conditions and designed to simulate contaminated meat and fish matrices, showed that virus numbers reduced quickly when the matrix was incubated at 4°C. In contrast, at -20°C, the virus could be recovered in a culturable state. To evaluate if virus recovered from positive RADT devices gives good quality sequence data, six RADTs were spiked with diluted suspension of cultured virus and the protocol for extracting virus particles was adopted. The RNA extracted was used as a template for the RT-qPCR and the samples resulted positive while the sequencing, allowed to assign the lineages to all the tested RADT.

No SARS-CoV-2 was detected in foods nor their packaging materials or the waste water systems tested. Findings from this study suggest that the food chain does not represent a risk to human health for the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. This virus could be recovered from food stored at -20°C after at least 21 days and with the protocol newly developed, the inactivated particles suitable for whole virus genome sequencing could be recovered from positive spent RADTs, extending their diagnostic utility, as a risk management tool that could be deployed also in MPPs setting. The approaches and the protocols developed here provide an effective and comprehensive tool kit for overcoming the challenges during a pandemic to ensure food safety by implementing scientifically based countermeasures and assess risk. More broadly, the establishment of the methodology and infrastructure necessary to enable this level of risk analysis is equally important in mitigating the threat posed by other zoonotic spill-over events that are almost inevitable. The One Health paradigm provides a framework for anticipating, understanding, preventing and controlling any future such events.