Sentinel Surveillance: Hepatitis E and the Case for Domestic Animal Surveillance Article Swipe
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· 2025
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1009131
· OA: W4408055158
Globalization and geoclimatic changes are driving the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. Today, nearly two thirds of emerging Infectious diseases are zoonotic in nature (75% originating in wildlife). Despite individuals generally having little contact with wildlife (or livestock), public health continues to rely on reactionary surveillance in humans and livestock to track disease incidence and prevalence. It is only after the pathogen has spilled over from wild animal hosts, established itself among human or livestock populations, and become a cause of morbidity and mortality, that most current public health systems are able to detect or track. This chapter examines the role dogs may play in a sentinel surveillance system to track hepatitis E in humans. It is based on a seroprevalence study in Texas. In this study, a total of 144 dogs were sampled from three different types of care facility. The overall Hepatitis E prevalence was 48%. The type of care facility was significantly associated with infection rates. We explore the utility of different types of surveillance systems, yet circle back to domestic animal sentinel surveillance, and specifically hepatitis E (genotypes 3/4) in domestic dogs, as both an early warning system and baseline monitoring system that allows public health practitioners across the globe to address this pathogen before outbreaks occur.
