Factors Related to Wildlife Consumption, Contact, and Environmental Exposures Across Ethnic Communities in Border...

The One Health (OH) approach recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, particularly in Southeast Asia, where rapid environmental change and intensive human-animal interactions increase the risk of emerging infectious diseases. Wildlife interaction and environmental exposures are important but underexplored pathways for zoonotic disease transmission, especially in rural and ethnically diverse communities. Understanding these interconnected exposures is essential for informing effective disease prevention and control strategies.

This study applied a One Health framework to determine factors associated with wildlife contact, wildlife consumption patterns, and environmentally acquired infections among ethnic communities residing in Thailand's border provinces bordering the Lao PDR and Myanmar.

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2020 and August 2022. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire, and blood samples were obtained for laboratory testing of melioidosis. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed using R statistical software to identify factors associated with wild boar consumption, rodent consumption, self-reported fever within the previous six months, and laboratory-confirmed melioidosis. Variables with P < 0.15 in bivariate analyses were entered into backward stepwise multivariable logistic regression, with statistical significance set at P < 0.05.

Four hundred villagers participated in this study. Most of them were females (260, 65.00%), aged between 50 and 59 years old (160, 40.00%), and had agriculture-related occupations (257, 65.25%). They mainly were Thais (214, 53.50%), followed by unspecified Karen (49, 12.25%). Around 94.00% (376) and 63.00% (252) of them reported consuming wildlife in their lifetime and within six months prior to the data collection. Wild boar was the most commonly consumed species (226, 56.50%), followed by rice field rats (164, 41.00%). The results also showed that the participants lacked understanding of the risks associated with wildlife exposure, consumption, zoonotic diseases, and how immunity works to prevent disease recurrence after wild animal consumption. Moreover, only one subdistrict in Wan Yai, Mukdahan, had 11 (19.80%) melioidosis IgG-positive participants.

Based on the findings, health education and health literacy should be strengthened among health personnel, village health volunteers (VHVs), and community members regarding the risks associated with wildlife contact and consumption. Risk communication and health education should promote safer practices using culturally appropriate, community-based, and widely accessible approaches.