Developing an Integrated Medical-Veterinary Data Framework for Investigating Human Toxoplasmosis: A One Health...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Zoonotic Disease Research

Background:

• Toxoplasmosis is a significant global zoonotic disease, contributing substantially to foodborne illnesses in Europe.
• Effective management necessitates a 'One Health' approach, integrating human, animal, and environmental sectors.
• Current infrastructure lacks adequate tools for cross-sectoral information sharing in managing zoonoses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel, four-part epidemiological data collection tool for human toxoplasmosis.
• To facilitate the identification of risk factors and infection sources within a One Health framework.
• To serve as a model for developing similar integrative tools for other zoonotic diseases.

Main Methods:

• Development of a conceptual, four-part questionnaire for epidemiological data collection.
• The tool is designed for sequential completion by patients, physicians, veterinarians, and reference laboratories.
• Focus on a One Health-oriented approach to epidemiological investigation.

Main Results:

• A proposed framework for a non-validated, four-part data collection tool for toxoplasmosis.
• The tool aims to integrate multi-sectoral data for enhanced epidemiological investigation.
• The framework provides a model for future development of zoonotic disease surveillance tools.

Conclusions:

• The proposed tool supports a One Health strategy for investigating toxoplasmosis.
• Further validation studies are required to assess the tool's practical utility and feasibility.
• This framework can guide the development of integrated surveillance tools for other zoonotic diseases.