Scientists develop groundnut resistant to aflatoxin.

Scientists develop groundnut resistant to aflatoxin. The discovery has the potential to drastically improve food safety and reduce losses caused by the contamination from the poisonous carcinogen, aflatoxin. 

The discovery was recently published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal. Aflatoxins pose a major risk to human and animal health worldwide and result in an enormous amount of food waste. 

The molds, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which infect groundnut, maize, cottonseed and chilly, produce these toxins which suppress the immune system, hinder growth in children and even cause liver cancer. The fungus which produces these toxins can stay dormant in soil for years. It infects maize and groundnut during drought and heat stress. 

 Contamination also happens when grain is stored in hot, humid and poorly-ventilated conditions. Since aflatoxins are potent carcinogens, the United States does not allow the sale and export of food with aflatoxin levels exceeding 20 parts per billion (ppb). European Union standards are more stringent; the bar is 2 ppb.

Women's long work hours linked to alarming increases in cancer, heart disease.

Women's long work hours linked to alarming increases in cancer, heart disease.Women who put in long hours for the bulk of their careers may pay a steep price: life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Work weeks that averaged 60 hours or more over three decades appear to triple the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis for women, according to new research. Women who put in long hours for the bulk of their careers may pay a steep price: life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Work weeks that averaged 60 hours or more over three decades appear to triple the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis for women, according to new research from The Ohio State University. The risk begins to climb when women put in more than 40 hours and takes a decidedly bad turn above 50 hours, researchers found. "Women -- especially women who have to juggle multiple roles -- feel the effects of intensive work experiences and that can set the table for a variety of illnesses and disability," said Allard Dembe, professor of health services management and policy and lead author of the study, published online this week in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Livestock-associated MRSA found among MRSA from humans.

Livestock-associated MRSA found among MRSA from humans. New survey results show more frequent detections and geographical dispersion of LA-MRSA in humans in the EU/EEA since 2007, and highlight the public health and veterinary importance of LA-MRSA as a 'One Health' issue. The ECDC advocates for periodic systematic surveys or integrated multi-sectorial surveillance to facilitate control measures. Livestock-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) poses a zoonotic risk, particularly for those working in close contact with livestock. Nonetheless, surveillance of LA-MRSA in humans in Europe is currently not systematic, but mainly event-based. In 2014, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) initiated a questionnaire survey to collect data on the numbers of LA-MRSA from human samples at national or regional reference laboratories in EU/EEA countries in 2013. ECDC received responses from 28 reference laboratories from 27 (90%) EU/EEA countries.

Explosion of rats, clovers, bedbugs, mosquitoes unintended evolutionary consequence of urbanization.

Explosion of rats, clovers, bedbugs, mosquitoes unintended evolutionary consequence of urbanization.The recent uproar about seats on a British Airways flight crawling with bedbugs is only one of the unintended consequences that urbanization worldwide has on evolution, say Marc Johnson, an associate professor of biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, and Jason Munshi-South, who is an associate professor of biological sciences at Fordham University. "As we build cities, we have little understanding of how they are influencing organisms that live there," says Johnson, who is also director of the University of Toronto's Centre for Urban Environments. "It's good news that some organisms are able to adapt, such as native species that have important ecological functions in the environment. But it can also be bad news that the ability of some of these organisms to adapt to our cities might increase the transmission of disease. Bedbugs, for example, were scarce two decades ago, but they've adapted to the insecticides used to keep them at bay and have exploded in abundance worldwide." In the first study to take a comprehensive look at the way urbanization is affecting evolution, Johnson and Munshi-South reviewed all existing research studies about urbanization and evolution and synthesized the results.

CDC; One Health: From Concept to Action.

CDC; One Health: From Concept to Action.The One Health concept recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. This video provides a brief introduction to One Health and why it is important for public health professionals, veterinarians, ecologists, and environmental health professionals to work together. By promoting this collaboration, CDC keeps people safe and healthy.

One Health for Man ,Animal and Nature.

One Health for Man ,Animal and Nature. One Health concept which is aimed at harmony among man, animal and nature. It is based on promoting the health and well being of the humans, animals and the environment through a holistic multidisciplinary approach. One Health focuses on zoonoses, emerging diseases and issues like food safety and environmental hazards at the human-animal-ecosystem interface.

VETERINARIANS AND ONE HEALTH .

THE ROLE OF VETERINARIANS IN ONE HEALTH. Happy one health day!!!One Health. Such a significant movement—and veterinarians are a vital part.Happy One Health Day! Every year on November 3, International One Health Day is observed around the world. Veterinarians and their teams are involved in many of the areas that fall under the One Health umbrella. You provide veterinary care for cats, dogs, horses and exotic pets to prevent zoonoses from spreading to their human families and to preserve the human-animal bond for as many years as possible. Vets know a lot about vector-borne and parasitic infections and how to prevent them, perhaps more than their counterparts in human medicine. Vets strive to ensure food safety and are at the forefront of combating antimicrobial resistance. Veterinarians work on technology and procedures that one day may translate to human medicine, or the converse; veterinarians also are working to adapt human medical advances to the veterinary field. The One Health connections is everywhere you look. When you see science bulletins such as “Flying Insects Are Disappearing at Huge Rates, And We Should All Be Worried,” you’re knowledgeable enough to understand the implications—and you see the connections. Or when you see news articles such as “Pollution linked to 9 million deaths worldwide each year,” you’re concerned about pollution’s effects on animals, as well as humanity—and you see the connections. Or when you read about current events like the deadly black plague outbreak in Madagascar, you know Yersinia is usually transmitted through flea bites and rodents are involved—and you see the connections. Should you ever doubt the importance of the role of veterinarians in One Health, please take just 13 minutes to watch this;