Biology subjects

Cardinale, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Cardinale, E..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Distribution of antibiotic resistance genes across contrasted tropical agroecosystems in Reunion Island

This study presents the first exploratory assessment of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic residues in agricultural environments on Reunion Island, a French tropical territory in the south-western Indian Ocean. Sixteen samples from diverse matrices (manure, soil, water, and vegetables) across different agroecosystems were analyzed using high-throughput qPCR targeting 332 ARGs and chemical methods targeting 58 antibiotic compounds and trace elements. ARGs were widely detected across all matrices, with highest abundance observed in amended soils and manure. Surprisingly, ARG profiles, in terms of both abundance and average number, were comparable between unamended soils and natural soils. Antibiotic residues were found in only five manure and soil samples, with no clear correlation between the presence of these residues, trace elements and ARG abundance. Organic amendments significantly increased ARG levels in soils and non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed that ARG profiles clustered primarily by matrix type rather than by location. High-risk ARGs were widely prevalent, with 86% detected and 23% ubiquitous across all samples, and their occurrence in water and raw vegetables suggests potential human exposure through the food chain. This study highlights the influence of agricultural practices on environmental antimicrobial resistance in tropical island contexts and supports the need for expanded One Health surveillance integrating the environmental, animal and human compartments. SynopsisThis study shows that agricultural practices can shape the environmental spread of antibiotic resistance in tropical island ecosystems, highlighting potential risks for ecosystems, food safety, and human health. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=73 SRC="FIGDIR/small/702181v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (31K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d07b87org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@5e1150org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1c2afe4org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@a9be55_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Comparing Livestock Mobility-Informed Strategies for Peste des Petits Ruminants Control in Nigeria: The Central Role of the Network Backbone

Animal mobility is central to pastoral livelihoods and regional trade in West Africa, but it also facilitates the spread of transboundary animal diseases such as Peste des petits ruminants (PPR). In Nigeria, PPR outbreaks recur regularly, yet surveillance and control remain limited in the absence of routine animal-movement tracking. Here, we assess and compare movement-informed control options for PPR using a reconstructed livestock mobility network from a one-time market survey conducted in three northern Nigerian states. We simulate transmission on this network and evaluate three intervention strategies: (i) targeting vulnerable villages, (ii) targeting the links that connect movement communities, and (iii) targeting villages belonging to the network backbone. Across scenarios, backbone-based targeting consistently produced the largest reductions in network connectivity and epidemic outcomes, outperforming strategies focused on vulnerable nodes or inter-community links. These results suggest that backbone-informed control could provide a practical, resource-efficient pathway to strengthen PPR control in settings where routine movement data are scarce.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2024

Effectiveness and equity of vaccination strategies against Rift Valley fever in a heterogeneous landscape

Spatio-temporal variations in environment and socio-agricultural factors create heterogeneity in livestock disease transmission risk, raising challenges in identifying populations most at risk and how this risk changes over time. Consequently, prioritising control strategies, such as vaccination, to achieve optimal or equitable outcomes across regions impedes the design of an effective vaccination strategy. We developed a metapopulation model for Rift Valley fever transmission in livestock across the Comoros archipelago which incorporates livestock vaccination in addition to heterogeneity in viral transmission rates and animal movements. We used the model to evaluate three vaccine allocation strategies-proportional allocation, optimal allocation for maximising total infections averted across the archipelago, and optimal allocation for more equitable outcomes across islands--under different vaccination coverage levels and animal identification scenarios. We report that (i) both archipelago-wide and island-specific strategy effectiveness were impacted by vaccination rate, allocation strategy, and animal identification approach, (ii) optimally allocating vaccines improved strategy effectiveness compared with proportional allocation but resulted in inequitable outcomes between islands, and (iii) tagging animals post-vaccination boosted overall strategy effectiveness for all vaccination rates.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Drivers of Rift Valley fever virus persistence and the impact of control measures in a spatially heterogeneous landscape: the case of the Comoros archipelago, 2004-2015

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is one of the many zoonotic arboviral haemorrhagic fevers present in Africa. The ability of the pathogen to persist in multiple geographically distinct regions has raised concerns about its potential for spread to and persistence within currently disease-free areas. However, the mechanisms for which RVF virus persistence occurs at both local and broader geographical scales have yet to be fully understood and rigorously quantified. Here, we developed a mathematical metapopulation model describing RVF virus transmission in livestock across the four islands of the Comoros archipelago and fitted this model in a Bayesian framework to surveillance data conducted in livestock across those islands between 2004 and 2015. In doing so, we estimated the importance of island-specific environmental factors and animal movements between those islands on the persistence of RVF virus in the archipelago, and we further tested the impact of different control scenarios on reducing disease burden. We demonstrated that the archipelago network was able to sustain viral transmission over 10 years after assuming only one introduction event during early 2007. Movement restrictions were only useful to control the disease in Anjouan and Mayotte, as Grande Comore and Moheli were able to self-sustain RVF viral persistence, probably due to local environmental conditions that are more favourable for vectors. We also evidenced that repeated outbreaks during 2004-2020 may have gone under-detected by local surveillance in Grande Comore and Moheli. Strengthened longterm and coordinated surveillance would enable the detection of viral re-emergence and evaluation of different relevant vaccination programmes.

ecology↗