Events

International Conference ‘One Health: An Integrated Approach to Zoonoses’: An Overview of the Most Relevant Infectious Diseases and How to Tackle Them

17 12 2024

An international scientific-practical conference ‘One Health: An Integrated Approach to Zoonoses’ took place at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) on 10 December 2024. The event featured presentations on zoonotic diseases by experts in human and veterinary medicine and representatives of public health and governmental institutions from Lithuania and abroad. The conference attracted over three hundred live and remote participants.

International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘One Health: An Integrated Approach to Zoonoses’.
Photo Miglė Verikaitė

The first part of the event focused on vector-borne (especially tick-borne) zoonotic viral diseases (Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, and other flavivirus diseases), which are becoming increasingly important in Lithuania. A guest speaker from the USA – Prof. Dr Kevin Dieckhaus from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine – gave a presentation on the epidemiology of Lyme disease and the impact of climate change on the spread of the disease, which not only covered the history of Lyme disease in the USA but also changes in the tick population caused by climate change and other factors, and the impact of these changes on the epidemiology of the disease. Much attention was paid to tick-borne encephalitis. Dr Vytautas Griška (Clinic of Infectious Diseases, LSMU) reviewed the results of the study into the mechanisms of virus-induced lesions in the brain, Prof. Dr Arūnas Stankevičius (Laboratory of Immunology, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, LSMU Academy of Veterinary Medicine) presented data on the prevalence of the virus in Lithuanian wild rodents and dogs, and Austėja Žilinskaitė, a student of the LSMU Academy of Veterinary Medicine, spoke of the dynamics of the virus in the Lithuanian horse population.

Conference speakers: left, Prof. Dr Kevin Dieckhaus and Dr Juozas Grigas, a member of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.
Photo Žaneta Štreimikytė-Mockeliūnė

The second part of the event was devoted to a discussion of various zoonotic diseases and related issues in Lithuania and abroad and to the dynamics and importance of zoonotic diseases in the context of the ‘One Health’ concept. The series of presentations was opened by Dr Dainius Zienius (Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, LSMU), who gave an overview of the history and mechanisms of the emergence of infectious diseases concerning both animals and humans and outlined their future importance. Dr Juozas Grigas (Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microbiology and Virology, LSMU) spoke about the research on the prevention and treatment against viral zoonotic pathogens such as Hepatitis E and SARS-CoV-2 viruses, which are of relevance in Lithuania and the world. Dr Jūratė Buitkuvienė and Dr Česlova Butrimaitė-Ambrozevičienė from the National Institute of Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment presented the institute's activities related to zoonotic disease surveillance programmes and epidemiological analysis in Lithuania. Dr Jurgita Aksomaitienė (Department of Food Safety and Quality, LSMU) discussed the application of whole-genome sequencing for the characterisation of foodborne bacteria. The series of presentations was closed by Paulius Gradeckas (Faculty of Public Health, LSMU), who gave a wider overview of the place of zoonotic agents in the context of infectious diseases and talked about the governmental preparedness and management programmes aimed at potential outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Dr Arnoldas Pautienius, chair of the Conference Organising Committee.
Photo Miglė Verikaitė

Throughout the event, presentations were followed by questions from the audience and discussions on zoonotic diseases. Participants from different professional backgrounds had the opportunity to discuss zoonotic disease issues relevant to their work with the conference experts and speakers. Therefore, the conference not only provided members of the general public and medical and health representatives with the most up-to-date information on zoonotic diseases prevalent in Lithuania and the world but also offered them the opportunity to receive answers and specific recommendations from experts working in this field.

International scientific-practical conference ‘One Health: An Integrated Approach to Zoonoses’.
Photo Miglė Verikaitė

Prepared by Dr Juozas Grigas, a member of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences