Researchers warn that zoonoses—pathogens that can jump from animals to humans—could trigger the next global pandemic. We joined Greifswald researchers as they examined some adorable pet chickens for a major study.
00:00This silky Bantam chicken is about to have a thorough checkup.
00:07We're going to take a close look at why scientists are interested in pets like this
00:12and what that has to do with possible pandemics.
00:17Let's get started.
00:23In the course of the examination I'd like to take samples.
00:26The first step informed consent.
00:30Owner Marcel Czollik has to agree to the tests.
00:34We always do what works best for the animals and never use force.
00:38Sometimes that means we can't get a sample.
00:40If you're okay with all that, please tick yes.
00:47Then it's off to the chicken coop.
00:50All of the data from Marcel's three silky Bantams will flow into the ship study.
00:55SHIP stands for Study of Health in Pomerania.
00:59More on this fascinating health project later.
01:02But first, why is Marcel taking part?
01:05We live close to nature here, surrounded by lots of trees, with lots of wild birds around that often eat the feed we give our chickens.
01:17So there's a lot of interaction with wildlife.
01:23And for us, of course, it's interesting to see, within the framework of this study, whether our pets might have picked up diseases from wildlife.
01:32Marcel doesn't need to bring his chickens to a clinic.
01:38The clinic has come to him.
01:40This way, the researchers can also see what kind of conditions the birds are kept in, like whether the coop is clean and light enough.
01:47Meet Astrid Puppe, the veterinarian examining the study participants' pets.
01:56In the SHIP One Health study, we're looking at the complex relationships between the health of pets, humans, and how does the environment actually have its impact on it.
02:10In focus are pathogens that can jump from animals to humans, called zoonoses.
02:17In the SHIP One Health study, we're also testing on avian influenza.
02:21It's a bit tricky.
02:22The virus is able to mutate and could jump species barriers, what we are mostly afraid of.
02:29There were cases in the UK where a sheep was just infected.
02:32I think in the US or even here, I think.
02:36Milk cows showed no clinical signs, but you found it in the milk.
02:41And so you really have to, yeah, it's good to keep track where the virus is and what is happening.
02:49Greifswald, a small city in northeastern Germany with a rich history.
02:55Home to a university.
02:58Since 1997, adults here have been regular subjects in the SHIP study, which is recognized by researchers internationally.
03:09It's the most thorough long-term study in the world, says Henry Völske.
03:14He's its director.
03:19We have the most comprehensive assimilation program, which has ever been performed in a population-based project.
03:26So people stay over 25 hours in our examination centers.
03:31And there are a lot of examinations, all non-invasive examinations, and our focus is on subclinical diseases.
03:40A subclinical pathogen causes only mild symptoms.
03:43So disorders, which are actually not diseases, but precursors.
03:47And we would like to observe the development from subclinical disorders to diseases.
03:53And one speciality of SHIP is that it does not focus on one specific disease or disease group like cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
04:03We try to include all common diseases in one study. So it's a very complex project.
04:09This round, for the first time, includes pets.
04:18Or it will if they can be caught.
04:21The researchers want to know how having a pet can affect an owner's health.
04:28As well as how feeding and housing the animals in specific ways might help reduce the risk of pathogen transmission.
04:39And yeah, I will take the swab in a minute and then we will measure the temperature.
04:51After taking swab and fecal samples, the vet checks the chicken from head to toe.
04:58And I'm having a look at the feathers. And I will have a look at the eyes.
05:05She doesn't like it. But this looks really good and healthy. There are no lesions.
05:13Now I'm also looking at the ears.
05:18Yes, chickens have ears. They are just hidden under its feathers.
05:22So, is she looking for anything in particular? A specific pathogen?
05:32One pathogen we are especially looking for is Campylobacter iyuni.
05:38That's a bacteria that causes fever and diarrhea in humans.
05:42It's often spread by undercooked poultry.
05:44The animals usually don't show any signs. Sometimes they have diarrhea, but not in all cases.
05:52If a human catches the germ, they can get really bad diarrhea and have to go to the hospital.
05:59In most of the cases, it's not clear what the humans have.
06:03And this is also a point we want to bring awareness to.
06:05That maybe we could aim for better connections of human doctors and vets to actually connect and speak about the diseases going on.
06:17Because I recently had a patient who was hospitalized and didn't know what was happening.
06:24After three weeks, they did a test on the germ and later on we found out that that was also from a chicken.
06:30One last blood sample, then the silky bantam chicken is done.
06:37Along with chickens, vets in the study have also examined ducks, geese, pigeons, cats and dogs.
06:44Samples are sent, among other places, to Germany's Federal Institute for Animal Health.
06:50Founded over a century ago, the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute is located on the island of Riems, an isolated part of the country.
07:00Before analysis, samples have to be prepared.
07:03And that's not always exactly a fun job.
07:06This one is dog poop.
07:09But the researcher's curiosity is stronger than their disgust.
07:18Under the microscope, a different sample proves to be loaded with parasites.
07:23This one is sporulated, so it's infectious.
07:27The sample came from a cat.
07:30They might be adorable, but our fairy feline friends can transmit pathogens.
07:35An infected cat will shed millions into the environment in those sort of 10 to 14 days that they're infectious.
07:42Yeah.
07:44The researchers have identified the pathogen that causes toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma gondii.
07:48It's a parasite mainly spread by cats.
07:53The WHO estimates a third of the global population is infected with it.
07:58In humans, often it's an asymptomatic infection, meaning that we really don't see the effects of the infection.
08:04But where the real concern is, is that when pregnant ladies become infected, depending on what stage of gestation that they're at, it can have some pretty serious consequences on the fetus.
08:15So that's where our real concern around Toxoplasma gondii comes from.
08:21This is Johanna Dubz-Bergmann, an epidemiologist who specializes in parasites.
08:30How can infections like Toxoplasma gondii be prevented?
08:35The researchers don't just publish their findings, they also provide information and tips for pet owners.
08:41The goal? To stop zoonoses.
08:48Of all our emerging infectious diseases that we're seeing currently, about 75% of them are coming from an animal reservoir.
08:54They're zoonotic diseases.
08:56Which means, really thinking of it from a numbers perspective, there is a good chance that the next pandemic may come from an animal reservoir
09:03or an infection or a disease that is circulating animals at the moment and is able to cross that species barrier into humans.
09:09So that is where the idea of One Health comes in, which is saying we can no longer look at these infectious diseases in isolation.
09:17We need to look at them on the more holistic area to understand where can we have effective interventions to try and protect the health of humans
09:26through protecting the health of animals, you know, via protecting our environment as well.
09:30Because each of those elements will work together to allow something to potentially cross the species barrier and become another pandemic or something.
09:43Back to our silky Benthams.
09:46The checkup took about an hour.
09:48In total, 1,100 pets were examined during the study.
09:51Preventing outbreaks is hard work.
09:54And if efforts are successful, the success goes unnoticed.
10:03For Astrid Puppe, two things have become really clear.
10:07First, pet owners need more information about vaccinations, parasites and deworming.
10:12And second, we have a lot of chicken owners living in the city and just housing their chicken in the backyard.
10:22But concerning an outbreak, this is of course really interesting because you would never actually expect an outbreak of avian influenza just within the city, more in the countryside.
10:33And in this case, that was really interesting for me in the study to see where chickens are kept and held.
10:41And we also give feedback to the veterinary authority.
10:45And from my part of view, there could be an improvement to actually monitor these chicken owners more that live within the city.
10:56The vet is satisfied with how the silky Benthams checkup went.
11:00Look, an egg.
11:01I even found an egg.
11:07Time for a preliminary assessment.
11:10The animals look good, although the lab still has to analyze the samples.
11:15So in general, all street chickens are bright and healthy.
11:20If I have a specific finding, I will call the owner.
11:23If we don't find anything specific, he only gets the results per post in a few weeks.
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