| 1. |
- Evengård, Birgitta, 1952-, et al.
(författare)
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CLINF : climate-change effects on the epidemiology of infectious diseases, and the associated impacts on northern societies
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nordic perspectives on the responsible development of the Arctic. - Cham : Springer Nature. - 9783030523237 - 9783030523268 - 9783030523244 ; , s. 49-70
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The research initiative CLINF addresses a central issue in planning for the responsible development of the North: an understanding of the impact of climate change on the geographic distribution and epidemiology of climate sensitive infectious diseases (CSIs), and their associated consequences for Arctic health, economic growth, and societal prosperity. Changes in infectious diseases transmission patterns are a likely consequence of changing climates, a neglected problem that is likely to have a profound effect on northern societies, including indigenous cultures. There is an urgent need to learn more about the complex underlying dynamic relationships, and apply this information to the prediction of future CSI impacts, using more complete, better validated, and integrated data and models. This chapter provides an overview of the thoughts behind the CLINF NCoE (Nordic Centre of Excellence), and the integrative context expressed therein. The most recent findings regarding climate change in the Arctic, as published by IPCC and other global networks, are presented. In the international CLINF consortium of researchers, nine human and 18 animal husbandry diseases have been selected for study due to their potential for being climate sensitive. The human infections were selected by an international consortium of researchers, to represent fundamentally different transmission processes. The main CLINF objectives are the construction of practical tools for the decision-makers who are responsible for the development of northern societies. By contributing to the development of an early warning system for increased risks for CSIs to spread at the local level effective policy responses may be formulated. The overall aim of CLINF is to support the sustainability of Arctic development.
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| 2. |
- Evengård, Birgitta, 1952-, et al.
(författare)
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Healthy ecosystems for human and animal health : Science diplomacy for responsible development in the Arctic
- 2021
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Ingår i: Polar Record. - : Cambridges Institutes Press. - 0032-2474 .- 1475-3057. ; 57
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate warming is occurring most rapidly in the Arctic, which is both a sentinel and a driver of further global change. Ecosystems and human societies are already affected by warming. Permafrost thaws and species are on the move, bringing pathogens and vectors to virgin areas. During a five-year project, the CLINF - a Nordic Center of Excellence, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, has worked with the One Health concept, integrating environmental data with human and animal disease data in predictive models and creating maps of dynamic processes affecting the spread of infectious diseases. It is shown that tularemia outbreaks can be predicted even at a regional level with a manageable level of uncertainty. To decrease uncertainty, rapid development of new and harmonised technologies and databases is needed from currently highly heterogeneous data sources. A major source of uncertainty for the future of contaminants and infectious diseases in the Arctic, however, is associated with which paths the majority of the globe chooses to follow in the future. Diplomacy is one of the most powerful tools Arctic nations have to influence these choices of other nations, supported by Arctic science and One Health approaches that recognise the interconnection between people, animals, plants and their shared environment at the local, regional, national and global levels as essential for achieving a sustainable development for both the Arctic and the globe.
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| 3. |
- Garnaud, C., et al.
(författare)
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Toxoplasma gondii-specific IgG avidity testing in pregnant women
- 2020
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Ingår i: Clinical Microbiology and Infection. - : Elsevier. - 1198-743X .- 1469-0691. ; 26:9, s. 1155-1160
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The parasite Toxoplasma gondii can cause congenital toxoplasmosis following primary infection in a pregnant woman. It is therefore important to distinguish between recent and past infection when both T. gondii-specific IgM and IgG are detected in a single serum in pregnant women. Toxoplasma gondii-specific IgG avidity testing is an essential tool to help to date the infection. However, interpretation of its results can be complex.Objectives: To review the benefits and limitations of T. gondii-specific avidity testing in pregnant women, to help practitioners to interpret the results and adapt the patient management.Sources: PubMed search with the keywords avidity, toxoplasmosis and Toxoplasma gondii for articles published from 1989 to 2019.Content: Toxoplasma gondii-specific IgG avidity testing remains a key tool for dating a T. gondii infection in immunocompetent pregnant women. Several commercial assays are available and display comparable performances. A high avidity result obtained on a first-trimester serum sample is indicative of a past infection, which occurred before pregnancy. To date, a low avidity result must still be considered as non-informative to date the infection, although some authors suggest that very low avidity results are highly suggestive of recent infections depending on the assay. Interpretation of low or grey zone avidity results on a first-trimester serum sample, as well as any avidity result on a second-trimester or third-trimester serum sample, is more complex and requires recourse to expert toxoplasmosis laboratories. Implications: Although used for about 30 years, T. gondii-specific avidity testing has scarcely evolved. The same difficulties in interpretation have persisted over the years. Some authors have proposed additional thresholds to exclude an infection of <9 months, or in contrast to confirm a recent infection. Such thresholds would be of great interest to adapt management of pregnant women and avoid unnecessary treatment; however, they need confirmation and further studies.
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| 4. |
- Leibovici, Didier G., et al.
(författare)
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Associating land cover changes with patterns of incidences of climate-sensitive infections : An example on tick-borne diseases in the nordic area
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Some of the climate-sensitive infections (CSIs) affecting humans are zoonotic vector-borne diseases, such as Lyme borreliosis (BOR) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), mostly linked to various species of ticks as vectors. Due to climate change, the geographical distribution of tick species, their hosts, and the prevalence of pathogens are likely to change. A recent increase in human incidences of these CSIs in the Nordic regions might indicate an expansion of the range of ticks and hosts, with vegetation changes acting as potential predictors linked to habitat suitability. In this paper, we study districts in Fennoscandia and Russia where incidences of BOR and TBE have steadily increased over the 1995–2015 period (defined as ’Well Increasing districts’). This selection is taken as a proxy for increasing the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens due to increased habitat suitability for ticks and hosts, thus simplifying the multiple factors that explain incidence variations. This approach allows vegetation types and strengths of correlation specific to the WI districts to be differentiated and compared with associations found over all districts. Land cover types and their changes found to be associated with increasing human disease incidence are described, indicating zones with potential future higher risk of these diseases. Combining vegetation cover and climate variables in regression models shows the interplay of biotic and abiotic factors linked to CSI incidences and identifies some differences between BOR and TBE. Regression model projections up until 2070 under different climate scenarios depict possible CSI progressions within the studied area and are consistent with the observed changes over the past 20 years.
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| 5. |
- Ma, Yan, et al.
(författare)
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Linking climate and infectious disease trends in the Northern/Arctic Region
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recognition of climate-sensitive infectious diseases is crucial for mitigating health threats from climate change. Recent studies have reasoned about potential climate sensitivity of diseases in the Northern/Arctic Region, where climate change is particularly pronounced. By linking disease and climate data for this region, we here comprehensively quantify empirical climate-disease relationships. Results show significant relationships of borreliosis, leptospirosis, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), Puumala virus infection, cryptosporidiosis, and Q fever with climate variables related to temperature and freshwater conditions. These data-driven results are consistent with previous reasoning-based propositions of climate-sensitive infections as increasing threats for humans, with notable exceptions for TBE and leptospirosis. For the latter, the data imply decrease with increasing temperature and precipitation experienced in, and projected for, the Northern/Arctic Region. This study provides significant data-based underpinning for simplified empirical assessments of the risks of several infectious diseases under future climate change.
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| 6. |
- Orlov, Dmitry, et al.
(författare)
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Healthy Ecosystems Are a Prerequisite for Human Health-A Call for Action in the Era of Climate Change with a Focus on Russia
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 17:22
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Throughout history, humans have experienced epidemics. The balance of living in nature encircled by microorganisms is delicate. More than 70% of today's emerging infections are zoonotic, i.e., those in which microorganisms transmitted from animals infect humans. Species are on the move at speeds never previously recorded, among ongoing climate change which is especially rapid at high latitudes. This calls for intensified international surveillance of Northern infectious diseases. Russia holds the largest area of thawing permafrost among Northern nations, a process which threatens to rapidly disrupt the balance of nature. In this paper, we provide details regarding Russian health infrastructure in order to take the first steps toward a collaborative international survey of Northern infections and international harmonization of the procured data.
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| 7. |
- Pecl, Gretta T., et al.
(författare)
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Climate-driven 'species-on-the-move' provide tangible anchors to engage the public on climate change
- 2023
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Ingår i: People and Nature. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2575-8314. ; 5:5, s. 1384-1402
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Over recent decades, our understanding of climate change has accelerated greatly, but unfortunately, observable impacts have increased in tandem. Both mitigation and adaptation have not progressed at the level or scale warranted by our collective knowledge on climate change. More effective approaches to engage people on current and future anthropogenic climate change effects are urgently needed. Here, we show how species whose distributions are shifting in response to climate change, that is, ‘species-on-the-move’, present an opportunity to engage people with climate change by linking to human values, and our deep connections with the places in which we live, in a locally relevant yet globally coherent narrative. Species-on-the-move can impact ecosystem structure and function, food security, human health, livelihoods, culture and even the climate itself through feedback to the climate system, presenting a wide variety of potential pathways for people to understand that climate change affects them personally as individuals. Citizen science focussed on documenting changes in biodiversity is one approach to foster a deeper engagement on climate change. However, other possible avenues, which may offer potential to engage people currently unconnected with nature, include arts, games or collaborations with rural agriculture (e.g. new occurrences of pest species) or fisheries organisations (e.g. shifting stocks) or healthcare providers (e.g. changing distributions of disease vectors). Through the importance we place on the aspects of life impacted by the redistribution of species around us, species-on-the-move offer emotional pathways to connect with people on the complex issue of climate change in profound ways that have the potential to engender interest and action on climate change. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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| 8. |
- Rautio, Arja, et al.
(författare)
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Climate Change in the Arctic : The Need for a Broader Gender Perspective in Data Collection
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:2
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate change in the Arctic affects both environmental, animal, and human health, as well as human wellbeing and societal development. Women and men, and girls and boys are affected differently. Sex-disaggregated data collection is increasingly carried out as a routine in human health research and in healthcare analysis. This study involved a literature review and used a case study design to analyze gender differences in the roles and responsibilities of men and women residing in the Arctic. The theoretical background for gender-analysis is here described together with examples from the Russian Arctic and a literature search. We conclude that a broader gender-analysis of sex-disaggregated data followed by actions is a question of human rights and also of economic benefits for societies at large and of the quality of services as in the health care.
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| 9. |
- Samoilov, Andrei E., et al.
(författare)
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Lethal Outcome of Leptospirosis in Southern Russia : Characterization of Leptospira Interrogans Isolated from a Deceased Teenager
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 17:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article describes a lethal case of leptospirosis that occurred in Southern Russia. TheLeptospirastrain was isolated and characterized using a microscopic agglutination test, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, targeted PCR, and high-throughput sequencing. We show that molecular and mass-spectrometry methods can be an alternative to conventional methods of leptospirosis diagnostics andLeptospirastudy, which require highly qualified staff and can be performed only at specialized laboratories. We also report the first whole genome ofL.interrogansisolated in Russia.
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| 10. |
- Thierfelder, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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CLINF : an integrated project design
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nordic perspectives on the responsible development of the Arctic. - Cham : Springer Nature. - 9783030523237 - 9783030523268 - 9783030523244 ; , s. 71-92
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As introduced in the preceding chapter of this book, the CLINF Nordic Centre of Excellence (NCoE) addresses the broad scenario of warming northern landscapes transforming into warmer biomes, that may attract vector organisms such as ticks, mosquitoes, and rodents. These have the potential of carrying new zoonotic infections onto humans and husbandry animals of the North. With Far-North societies being generally dependent on their husbandry animals, i.e. by terms of economy, status, and tradition, an altered exposure towards infectious diseases may strike at the very heart of northern cultures. When added to other direct or indirect societal effects of climate change, such as the direct effects of altered human exposure, the resulting holistic approach to health is called OneHealth. CLINF is devoted to inquiring into the OneHealth effects of a warming North. Addressing such a broad topic requires an interdisciplinary science approach, in combination with an elaborative plan for how to engage bilaterally with stakeholders at scales ranging from the local to the international. The following chapter outlines the CLINF endeavour, from typical OneHealth problem identification and formulation, through principles of integrated projects design into the outlines of the finally implemented NCoE, and further on to the resulting discoveries and lessons learned. The chapter may be perceived as a case-study of integrated projects design, and as an example to study for others that find themselves in the situation of designing a large integrated science project.
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| 11. |
- Tronin, Andrei, et al.
(författare)
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Study of the Relationship between the Average Annual Temperature of Atmospheric Air and the Number of Tick-Bitten Humans in the North of European Russia
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 17:21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent decades, a considerable increase in the number of tick-bitten humans has been recorded in the north of European Russia. At the same time, significant climatic changes, such as an increase in air temperature, were noticed in this region. The northern border of the ixodidae distribution area lies in the north of European Russia, therefore the analysis of the population dynamics is of particular interest regarding the possible impact of the climate changes. Unfortunately, in such a large territory field, studies on tick abundance are very difficult. In our study, the official statistics for the number of tick-bitten humans were used. This kind of statistical analysis has been conducted in the Russian Federation for many years, and can be used for the estimation of climate change impact on tick abundance. Statistical data on tick-bitten humans have been collected in three large regions for several decades. For the same regions, the average annual air temperature was calculated and modeled. An S-shaped distribution of the number of victims depending on the average annual air temperature was established, which can be described as "Verhulst's law", or logistic function. However, the development of the population does not depend on time, but on the temperature of the ambient air.
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