Universidad de la Salle

Las siguientes son publicaciones realizadas por los investigadores de la Universidad de La Salle en Salud y Bienestar Animal.

Ensemble-trained source apportionment of fine particulate matter and method uncertainty analysis

An ensemble-based approach is applied to better estimate source impacts on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and quantify uncertainties in various source apportionment (SA) methods. The approach combines source impacts from applications of four individual SA methods: three receptor-based models and one chemical transport model (CTM). Receptor models used are the chemical mass balance methods CMB-LGO (Chemical Mass Balance-Lipschitz global optimizer) and CMB-MM (molecular markers) as well as a factor analytic method, Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). The CTM used is the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. New source impact estimates and uncertainties in these estimates are calculated in a two-step process. First, an ensemble average is calculated for each source category using results from applying the four individual SA methods. The root mean square error (RMSE) between each method with respect to the average is calculated for each source category; the RMSE is then taken to be the updated uncertainty for each individual SA method. Second, these new uncertainties are used to re-estimate ensemble source impacts and uncertainties. The approach is applied to data from daily PM2.5 measurements at the Atlanta, GA, Jefferson Street (,JST) site in July 2001 and January 2002. The procedure provides updated uncertainties for the individual SA methods that are calculated in a consistent way across methods. Overall, the ensemble has lower relative uncertainties as compared to the individual SA methods. Calculated CMB-LGO uncertainties tend to decrease from initial estimates, while PMF and CMB-MM uncertainties increase. Estimated CMAQ source impact uncertainties are comparable to other SA methods for gasoline vehicles and SOC but are larger than other methods for other sources. In addition to providing improved estimates of source impact uncertainties, the ensemble estimates do not have unrealistic extremes as compared to individual SA methods and avoids zero impact days. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Comparative seroprevalence of leptospira interrogans in colombian mammals along a climatic gradient

Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease with well-established impacts on human health in tropical and subtropical regions. Although Leptospira spp. are known to readily infect many wildlife species, the understanding of interspecies and climatic variability in patterns of infection in Neotropical mammals is limited. To improve the understanding of this interplay, 85 mammals representing 17 species were sampled from four Colombian zoos along a climatic gradient. Prevalence of the 21 primary serovars against Leptospira interrogans was determined using the microagglutination test. Individuals were considered positive for a given serovar if antibodies were observable at a 1:100 dilution or greater. Overall prevalence was 9.52%, with positive titers to serovar hurstbridge in Carnivora (Canidae); serovar sarmin in Primata (Atelidae); and serovars australis, mini, autumnalis, pomona, icterohaemorrhagiae, and seramanga in Primata (Cebidae). Prevalence was positively correlated with humidity and temperature, with significantly higher prevalence at the site characterized by high humidity, severe flooding because of rainfall, and warm weather throughout the year. All positive animals were classified as clinically asymptomatic, meaning that antibodies from a current or past infection were detected but no overt symptoms were apparent. The diversity of serovars observed and the taxon-specific nature of these associations suggest that the epidemiology of Leptospira transmission is likely to be complex and multidimensional. The strong association observed between prevalence and climate suggests that the important role of climate as an indicator of Leptospira infection risk in humans may also be applicable to wildlife. Future studies in both wild and captive populations of Neotropical wildlife will further elucidate this disease interplay.

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Risk perception about zoonoses in immigrants and Italian workers in Northwestern Italy

OBJECTIVE: To assess factors associated with a low risk perception of zoonoses and to identify the gaps in knowledge about transmission and prevention of zoonoses in immigrant and Italian workers. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 175 workers in the agro-livestock and agro-food industry in Piemonte, Italy, was carried out. Data were collected with a semi-structured questionnaire based on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey. We calculated proportions and used chi-square tests and odds ratios to assess associations. Eight individual interviews with key informants on immigration and public health in Piemonte were carried out. RESULTS: Participants were 82 (47%) Italians and 93 (53%) immigrants. Immigrants were from Romania, Morocco, Albania, India, China, Argentina, Peru, Macedonia, Ivory Coast, Ukraine and Colombia. The study revealed significant differences in risk perception at work (p = 0.001). We found associations between not having correct knowledge about zoonoses and the following variables: i. being immigrant OR = 4.1 (95% CI 1.7; 9.8 p <= 0.01); ii. working in the livestock industry OR = 2.9 (95% CI 1.2; 15.4 p = 0.01); and iii. being an unqualified worker OR = 4.4 (95% CI 2.9; 15.4 p <= 0.01). Another strong association was found between being immigrant and having a low job qualification OR = 6.7 (IC95% 2.9 - 15.4 p = 0.01). Asian immigrants were the group with the highest frequency of risky behaviours and the lowest level of knowledge about zoonoses. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that there were differences in risk perception of zoonoses between the groups participating in our study. These results suggest that immigrant status can be considered a risk factor for having lower risk perception and lower level of knowledge of zoonoses at work. There is a relationship between this specific knowledge of zoonoses and lack of training and instruction among migrant populations. Our results stress the need for developing education programs on zoonoses prevention among the immigrant population in Piemonte, Italy.

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