Opportunities to Interrupt Transmission of Enteropathogens of Poultry Origin in Maputo, Mozambique: A Transmission Model Analysis
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Enteropathogens are challenging to control because they are transmitted via multiple pathways. Chickens are an important animal protein source, but live chickens and their products are often highly contaminated with enteropathogens. We modeled how reducing transmission along various pathways could improve human health. Methods: We developed transmission models for Campylobacter spp. and non-typhoidal Salmonella spp. that captured person-to-person, water-to-person, food-to-person, soil-to-person, animal-to-person, and all-other-sources-to-person in an urban, low-income setting in Mozambique. We calibrated these models using prevalence data from Maputo, Mozambique and estimates of attributable fraction of transmission pathways for the region. We simulated the prevalence of human infection after reducing transmission through each pathway. Findings: Simulation results indicated that if foodborne transmission were reduced by 90%, the prevalence of Campylobacter and Salmonella infection would decline by 52.2% (95% credible interval: 39.7-63.8%) and 46.9% (39-55.4%), respectively. Interruption of any other pathway did not have a substantial impact. Combined with survey and microbiology data, if contamination of broiler chicken meat at informal markets in Maputo could be reduced by 90%, the total infection of Campylobacter and Salmonella could be reduced by 21% (16-26%) and 12% (10-13%), respectively. Interpretation: Food was revealed as the dominant source of enteropathogens in our study site, and likely in other similar contexts, but mitigation of this transmission pathway has not received sufficient attention. Our model can serve as a tool to identify effective mitigation opportunities to control zoonotic enteropathogens. Funding: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Declaration of Interest: We declare no competing interests. Ethical Approval: The Institutional Review Board at Emory University (IRB00108546) and the Research Council to the Veterinary Faculty at Eduardo Mondlane University determined that this research was exempt from human subjects review, and the Municipality of Maputo (Reference number 754/SG/426/GP/2019) authorized this research.
DOI: 10.1289/ehp12314
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,000
Awards: Collaborative Research: Efficient Methods for Identifiability of Dynamic Models, University of Michigan - to provide evidence, based on existing data and modeling, on the link between sanitation and public health, including the link between hygiene and ..., Infectious Diseases Across Scales Training Program
OpenAlex ID: W4388127500