ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar
One Health

Author: Begoña Pérez Cabezas

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Expo One Health

This year the Porto One Health Day is celebrated at ICBAS on 2, 3 and 4 November.

Visitors will be able to perform practical activities and interact with specialists from various areas of health (Environment, Medicine, and Veterinary, among others). 

In addition to the 25 stands, the Expo One Health will also feature sessions that aim to expose the One Health approach from different points of view.

The event is for the whole family and entry is free. Access to ICBAS (floor 4) can be via the main entrance – Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228 – or via Rua Dom Manuel II (4050-313 Porto).

Read the news about the event here.

Schedule Expo One Health: 2 and 3 November from 12 pm to 6 pm; 4 November from 11 am to 7 pm.

Lecture program:

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ICBAS Summer School brought together several areas around One Health

The 1st edition of the joint course between ICBAS, FCUP, i3S and CIBIO took place between July and September, with 10 participants from different areas.

The 1Health1Welfare summer school finished, promoted by the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar of the University of Porto (ICBAS), in partnership with the Faculty of Sciences (FCUP), the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO) of the University of Porto.

The first edition of the school was attended by 10 students and researchers from different areas and sought to promote the One Health concept through a strong focus on the laboratory aspect aimed at protecting human and animal health and well-being.

Read the full text here.

Source: Notícias UP; Image: ICBAS

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Cyanobacteria and their impacts on the ecosystem

By Ivo Pinto, PhD Student at ICBAS | CIIMAR, UMIB

PORTO – The degradation of freshwater bodies is a constant and increasingly relevant concern. The effects of climate change (increase in average annual temperature and extreme drought events) together with poor land use practices (improper discharges, intensive agriculture, among others) lead to the eutrophication of these water masses and create imbalances in the ecosystem.

In eutrophic surface waters, cyanobacteria can produce a variety of toxic metabolites that have numerous impacts on the ecosystem (resilience and integrity of the food chain) as well as on ecosystem services (recreational activities and drinking water).

Hepatotoxins one of the toxin groups produced by these organisms, target the liver and are responsible for the destruction of the internal structure, potentially leading to intrahepatic haemorrhage, hypovolemic shock, and death. Another group of toxins produced by cyanobacteria, the neurotoxins, work by interrupting the normal propagation of nerve stimulation to muscles, resulting in muscle paralysis and possible death from respiratory failure. Also produced by cyanobacteria, dermatoxins act through simple contact with the skin or body mucous membranes, resulting in an allergic reaction.

The increasing presence of these toxins in the environment is a cause for concern as they affect human, animal welfare and biodiversity. Moreover, because these toxins can bioaccumulate, they can be bioamplified throughout the food chain, potentially reaching humans who consume animals carrying toxins. This might represent a risk for food safety.

As a roadmap for the application of the One Health approach to the ecosystem in order to prevent potential risks, surveillance and sharing of information about these toxins are essential to ensure an early detection and the adoption of preventive procedures. Ultimately, this integrated strategy will ensure the sustainable use and management of the water bodies, as well as the surrounding area, protecting the human, animal and environmental health.

Image - Cyanobacteria green scum in a Portuguese temperate reservoir. Credits: Ivo Pinto

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There is a dog at ICBAS who will help with students' mental health

A joint initiative between the Student Support Office and the veterinarian at ICBAS Luísa Guardão was presented at the reception ceremony for new students.

Starting this academic year, students at the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar of the University of Porto (ICBAS-UP) will be able to participate in sessions assisted by a certified dog. The novelty is the result of a partnership between the Student Support Office and the veterinarian Luísa Guardão, with the aim of making a difference in the prevention of students' mental health and well-being.

On the other side of the Student Support Office door, ICBAS students can find, this academic year, not only one of the service's psychologists, but also the dog “Lola” – recently certified to carry out animal-assisted interventions by ÂNIMAS, together with the veterinarian Luísa Guardão -, with whom you can contact in previously scheduled sessions.

Read the full text here.

Source: Notícias UP; Image: NVSTUDIO

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There are more cruises on the Douro but not all of them treat water

Guardianship guarantees its own residual station on Portuguese hotel ships, but not on foreign ones. Captaincy issued five notices. Waste collected by tanker trucks is dumped into the sewer system.

In the first half of this year alone, there were 11,322 trips on the Douro River, including hotel ships, day cruises or pleasure boats. There are 132 more than registered last year. And, although the Ministry of Economy and the Sea guarantees, to JN, that “hotel ships flying the Portuguese flag all have their own wastewater or sewage treatment system”, the same cannot be said about foreign cruises operating in the Douro. António Costa Silva's office says that they are certified "as local auxiliary vessels", but the "construction process does not pass through Portugal", not ensuring that they have a similar system.

Read the full text here.

Source: Jornal de Notícias / Image Credits: Pedro Correia – Arquivo Global Imagens

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Pollution levels of the Ave River above those recommended by the EU

ICBAS researchers warn of the impact of pollution caused by farming in the Ave river basin.

A study of the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar of the University of Porto (ICBAS-UP), part of the ATLANTIDA Project (financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the NORTE 2020 Program), and recently published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, demonstrated that the use of pesticides from agricultural practices still has a significant negative impact on the Ave river.

What was, about 30 years ago, one of the most polluted rivers in the country and in Europe, the result of discharges from the textile industry characteristic of that region, continues today to face problems related to the pollution caused by the agricultural exploitation located in its hydrographic basin.

For Maria João Rocha, responsible for the study, these results are very relevant, in the sense that pollution in the Ave River is associated with the presence of industries, often forgetting that the effluents also come from agricultural areas.

Read the full text here.

Source: Notícias UP / Image credits: Câmara Municipal de Vila do Conde

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Malaria – no solution without One Health

By Begoña Pérez-Cabezas, ICBAS

PORTO - Malaria is a disease caused by the parasite Plasmodiumwhich is transmitted by the bite of infected Anophelesmosquitoes. Although it is preventable and usually treatable, there were an estimated 247 million cases of malaria and 619000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2021. The most affected continent was Africa, with 95% of malaria world cases and 96% of malaria deaths. Children under 5 years of age accounted for about 80% of all malaria deaths in this continent. The disease also has consequences for economy, education, and equity, impairing the development of the affected communities.

Although there is a vaccine against malaria approved and being implemented, its efficacy is modest and short-lived. Moreover, resistance to antimalarial drugs has been confirmed in some of the parasite species. So, vector-control tools are crucial to prevent infection and to reduce disease transmission. To act at the vector level, it is essential to understand the ecology of the Anopheles mosquitoes and the environmental conditions that contribute to the spread of these mosquito species and, consequently, of the disease. Increase population’s literacy on this topic is also essential to enhance prevention.

Core interventions against the mosquito are insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying. However, resistance to insecticides among Anopheles mosquitoes has also been emerging. Other threats of these control measures are limited access, loss of nets due to day-to-day life damages, and changing behaviour of mosquitoes, which appear to be biting early before people go to bed. Warming temperatures related with climate change are also moving mosquitoes to higher elevations and away from the Equator. This expands malaria’s range, which can be devastating for countries unprepared to manage with the disease.

One Health is essential to deal with vector-borne diseases like malaria. In order to address the challenges of malaria prevention, the approach has to be supported by multiple stakeholders and to integrate the communities. Improving surveillance methods and information sharing will be key to ensure early detection (drug and insecticide resistance, mosquito presence, changes on behaviour) and to adapt prevention and treatment policies.

Image credits: Pixabay

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How warmer sea water will affect our health and food

In Santos Populares, there were those who noticed that the fish were not that big. It is a direct effect of rising sea temperatures, but the consequences do not stop there.

Diseases, new animal species and more storms. Sea water is warming from year to year and this will have consequences in many ways, affecting our well-being, but also health and safety.

The increase in water temperature is causing an effect that is still unknown, but that scientists have already begun to identify, lacking to understand the dimension. Adriano Bordalo e Sá, Professor at the 'Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar' (ICBAS), warns that the absence of regular screenings may be hiding a problem in Portuguese waters.

Read the full text here.

Source: CNN Portugal

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Increase of marine bacteria on beaches endangers public health

Vila Nova de Gaia, 19/08/2022 - Praias em Vila Nova de Gaia estão interditas a banhos por causa de uma bactéria. Praia de Canide Norte em Vila Nova de Gaia. ( José Carmo / Global Imagens )

The scientist's alert follows a study by ICBAS, subsidized by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), on water quality on beaches in the North region.

The researcher from the University of Porto Adriano Bordalo Sá warned about the danger to public health in beach waters, due to the increase in non-fecal pathogenic bacteria during the summer, and recommends an urgent national diagnosis.

In an interview with the Lusa agency in the context of climate change that is increasing the temperature of sea water in the north of the country, the scientist and professor at the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto, recommended to the Health authorities to perform an “immediate diagnosis at national level”, because the situation found on the northern beaches could be happening along the coast, which is about 900 kilometers long.

Read the full text here.

Source: Diário de Notícias | Image Credits: José Carmo/Global Imagens

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ICBAS wants to make Porto a “pilot city” of the “One City, One Health” concept

The Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar of the University of Porto (ICBAS), which has been working on the One Health concept for four years, wants to make Porto a "pilot city" in the reflection around the relationship between animals, humans and the environment.

“The objective is to use Porto, a city with international visibility, and with an important regional and national weight, as a pilot for the 'One city, One Health' project and think about health with these three components [animals, environment and people] and not individually. Thinking about the animals that are on the streets without forgetting environmental policies, including people, seeing the characteristics of the environment where they live, thinking, for example, that a health support infrastructure can not be created without respect for the environment”, said the director of ICBAS, Henrique Cyrne Carvalho.

In an interview with the Lusa agency – on the One Health subject, a concept and vision that ICBAS leads and which has already taken Cyrne Carvalho to the European Parliament this year, after having been on the Ethics Committee National Council for Life Sciences in the Portuguese Parliament – he said that he has already met with the Porto municipality and that the partnership is “being worked on”.

Read the full text here.

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