Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data
11:21

Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data

Published on: July 27, 2018

[Orf in urban surroundings and religious practices: a study over a 3-year period]

P D Ghislain1, Y Dinet, J Delescluse

  • 1Service de Dermatologie, CH François Rabelais, Bruxelles, Belgique. PierreDominique.Ghislain@advalvas.be

Annales De Dermatologie Et De Venereologie
|October 9, 2001
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Orf virus, a sheep disease, can infect humans through close contact. This study found that specific cultural practices, not just professional exposure, can lead to Orf virus outbreaks.

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Dermatology
  • Zoonotic Diseases
  • Epidemiology

Context:

  • Orf virus (parapoxvirus) is a known zoonotic disease primarily associated with sheep.
  • Clinicians observed a surprising seasonal clustering of Orf cases in Brussels.
  • The typical professional transmission route did not explain the observed case distribution.

Purpose:

  • To investigate the epidemiology of Orf virus infections in a non-professional context.
  • To identify the transmission dynamics of Orf virus in the observed patient population.
  • To understand the factors contributing to the seasonal outbreaks of Orf.

Summary:

  • A three-year prospective study identified 44 Orf cases, with 42 occurring within a specific annual timeframe.
  • Only one patient had professional contact with sheep; the majority were Muslim, suggesting a link to religious practices.
  • The timing of infections correlated with the Islamic festival Aid el Kebir, where sheep are ritually slaughtered, facilitating transmission through skin trauma.

Impact:

  • Highlights that Orf virus transmission is not limited to occupational exposure in sheep farmers.
  • Demonstrates how specific cultural or religious practices can lead to epidemic-type outbreaks of zoonotic diseases.
  • Emphasizes the need for public health awareness regarding Orf virus risks during specific cultural events.

More Related Videos

Neuroimaging Field Methods Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Neuroimaging to Study Global Child Development: Rural Sub-Saharan Africa08:10

Neuroimaging Field Methods Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Neuroimaging to Study Global Child Development: Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

Published on: February 2, 2018

Religious Chanting and Self-Related Brain Regions: A Multi-Modal Neuroimaging Study05:05

Religious Chanting and Self-Related Brain Regions: A Multi-Modal Neuroimaging Study

Published on: May 31, 2024

Related Concept Videos

Naturalistic Observations02:30

Naturalistic Observations

If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
Archival Research01:40

Archival Research

Some researchers gain access to large amounts of data without interacting with a single research participant. Instead, they use existing records to answer various research questions. This type of research approach is known as archival research. Archival research relies on looking at past records or data sets to look for interesting patterns or relationships. For example, a researcher might access the academic records of all individuals who enrolled in college within the past ten years and...
Longitudinal Research02:20

Longitudinal Research

Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
Cross-Sectional Research01:50

Cross-Sectional Research

In cross-sectional research, a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time. If they were interested in people's dietary habits, the researcher might directly compare different groups of people by age. Instead of following a group of people for 20 years to see how their dietary habits changed from decade to decade, the researcher would study a group of 20-year-old individuals and compare them to a group of 30-year-old individuals and a group of 40-year-old...
Observational Studies01:11

Observational Studies

Observational studies are a type of analytical study where researchers observe events without any interventions. In other words, the researcher does not influence the response variable or the experiment's outcome.
There are three types of observational studies – Prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional.
Prospective Study
Prospective studies, also known as longitudinal or cohort studies, are carried out by collecting future data from groups sharing similar characteristics. One example of...
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture01:27

Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture

Adolescents from ethnic minority backgrounds face a multifaceted journey in forming their identities, shaped by the intersections of cultural expectations and personal exploration. For these adolescents, identity formation involves not only typical developmental challenges but also navigating the perceptions and attitudes of the majority culture. As they grow, adolescents in ethnic minority groups often become increasingly aware of stereotypes, social biases, and discrimination, all of which...