The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine (YJBM) June 2021 issue highlights a broad scope of research seeking to address both the current and arising issues in the field of zoonotic disease, which is caused by germs that spread between animals and people. This includes a diverse array of work that not only explores the sources of infection and the consequences of disease, but also provides solutions for the future by identifying infrastructure needs and genetic tools for empowering study.
Highlights of the issue include original research by Julius et al. that has found that several strains of Streptobacillus, responsible for rat-bite fever, have unique colonizing capacity in various Rattus species, each of which is endemic to South Africa. A case study of Falciparum malaria by Abdullah et al. demonstrates the difficulty and pitfalls in properly diagnosing zoonotic disease that is not endemic to a particular area.
Swai et al. note the importance of cattle in supporting the livelihood of farmers in the Kasulu district of Tanzania. They further show wide prevalence of brucellosis in herds, likely contributing to decreased production and an increase for cattle-to-human spillover. Bahari et al. tell a similar story of the prevalence of zoonotic diseases in economically important animals in Iran. Dromedary camels carry a number of zoonotic pathogens and this continues to pose a threat to public health in Iran and other parts of Asia and Africa.
YJBM was founded in 1928 and has been in continuous publication since its launch. Clarivate, which rates the impact of various medical journals, has given YJBM an impressive impact factor of 3.549 (2019). YJBM’s editorial board consists of students and faculty members from Yale School of Medicine and Yale University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
The deputy editors for the June 2021 issue are Kavita Israni-Winger and Devon Wasche, both graduate students in the Department of Immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine. The editors-in-chief for this issue are graduate students Kelsie Cassell (Public Health), Mallory Ellingson (Public Health), and Wei Ng (Microbiology).