Chicken Exposures and Enteric Pathogens in Children Exposed through Environmental Pathways “ChEEP ChEEP”

Enteric infections contribute largely to the global burden of diarrheal disease. In low- income settings, domestic and industrial poultry production are ubiquitous. Understanding exposure risk to poultry-associated pathogens may help understand how to best mitigate the considerable health risk that these pathogens present in young children. Identifying these key additional points of exposure represents an important opportunity to design additional targeted interventions. Emory University, in collaboration with Eduardo Mondlane University, will identify critical exposure pathways to children posed by exposure to chicken agriculture in Maputo, Mozambique. To identify these pathways, our multidisciplinary approach will employ field microbiological methods, structured and unstructured observations, surveys, and quantitative microbial risk assessment. This will be explored through four main aims, which will answer:

1. What are the locations and behaviors that expose children to chickens and chicken feces?

2. Where along the chicken value chain are key poultry-associated pathogens in the highest concentrations? And what are the highest risk pathways for exposure of children to the most common chicken-associated pathogens?

3. What is the generalizability of the chicken value chain and children's points of contact with chicken products across contexts?

4. What are the potential strategies to address high risk exposure pathways along the chicken value chain for young children?

This research will generate evidence that will support the identification of potential intervention sites and strategies to mitigate risk associated with exposure to pathogens of poultry origin. We will apply a mixed methods framework, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis spanning the fields of poultry production, food hygiene and safety, and implementation science. Our overall question is: How can risk of exposure to chickens be managed to lessen the burden of disease in children?

Publications

• Opportunities to Interrupt Transmission of Enteropathogens of Poultry Origin in Maputo, Mozambique: A Transmission Model Analysis (2023)

• Quantifying Enteropathogen Contamination along Chicken Value Chains in Maputo, Mozambique: A Multidisciplinary and Mixed-Methods Approach to Identifying High Exposure Settings (2023)

Briefs, reports, case studies:

• Project summary

In the press: 

• Emory University: Rollins News - Researchers receive grant to study poultry-carried pathogens and prevention strategies in Mozambique

Timeline

2019-2022

Study Location

Maputo, Mozambique

Target Population

Children under 5 years old

Principal Investigators

Matthew Freeman (Co-PI), Karen Levy (Co-PI)

IMPLEMENTING partners

Eduardo Mondlane University

Funders

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Project Staff

Frederica Lamar, Hermogenes Mucache, Amelia Mondlane, Courtney Victor, Kelsey Jesser, Becky MacKay, Eric Fevre

Enumerators

Teresa Agostinho Cuinhane, Hagnesio Chiponde Chiponde