Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous bacterium found in food, livestock and wild animals, soil, water and vegetation. The European ListAdapt project focused on the ability of strains of this bacterium to adapt to these different environments. It found that this ability is independent of the strains' environments of origin or their belonging to a given sub-group.

After more than five years, the One Health European Joint Programme (One Health EJP) will be ending on the 30th of September 2023. On this occasion, ANSES, as the Coordinator of the Programme, is holding the final meeting that will bring together members of the 44 partner organisations, alongside key European and international stakeholders, on the 11th and 12th of September, in the premises of the French Ministry of Health and Prevention in Paris. The One Health EJP (OHEJP) gathered researchers in the fields of animal health, public health and food safety to achieve significant advances in the areas of foodborne zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance and emerging zoonotic threats. Beyond research results, the programme has created a unique EU consortium supporting and, above all, implementing the One Health approach in food safety.

Ticks are the leading vector of disease for animals, and rank second for humans. Lyme disease, the best-known tick-borne illness, is caused by a bacterium. Tests have been conducted on an innovative vaccine targeting the tick microbiota, with a view to reducing tick infection by this bacterium. This work was carried out by INRAE in collaboration with ANSES and the Alfort National Veterinary School, and the results were published in the journal Microbiome on 24 July.

A multitude of players are involved in the surveillance of pathogenic bacteria that can be transmitted through food, from farm to fork. The European MATRIX project, which has just come to an end, sought to improve collaboration between the various bodies involved in the surveillance systems set up in each European country.

Many discoveries about bacteria of the Brucella genus have been made in recent years: new species have been discovered, others that were already known have been detected in animals not known to carry these bacteria, and species such as Brucella canis are emerging in Western Europe. Could these bacteria be transmitted to humans? Which animal species are concerned? How can these bacteria be distinguished from each other? These questions were the focus of the European IDEMBRU project, coordinated by ANSES as part of the One Health EJP programme.

ANSES has developed a PCR test for the rapid and inexpensive identification of Listeria monocytogenes strains causing foodborne infections, in collaboration with food safety laboratories in several other European countries. This test has already been used in some countries to investigate the origin of human cases of listeriosis.

The combined use of several different software applications could speed up the acquisition of knowledge on toxins known as mycotoxins, which are produced by certain types of mould growing in food. This innovative approach has been used by ANSES scientists to identify mycotoxins that may be mutagenic and/or carcinogenic.

Together with the Toulouse National Veterinary School, ANSES is co-publishing the results of two experiments carried out to test vaccines designed to protect ducks from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The two vaccines gave similar results: they greatly limited direct transmission when the animals were in close contact, and also blocked indirect airborne transmission.

Epizootic haemorrhagic disease is a viral disease that was first detected in Europe in late 2022. Since then it has affected several cattle herds in Italy and Spain. ANSES helped identify and monitor the spread of the virus, which is transmitted by biting midges.

After more than five years, the One Health European Joint Programme (EJP) will soon be coming to an end. Coordinated by ANSES, it has helped put the "One Health" concept into practice with a view to improving knowledge of zoonotic diseases, food safety, antimicrobial resistance and emerging diseases. Three questions for Arnaud Callegari, coordinator of the One Health European Joint Programme (EJP) within ANSES.