Home›Neurology› Meta-analysis-guided sampling plan targets 14 zoonotic and animal diseases across India
Meta-analysis-guided sampling plan targets 14 zoonotic and animal diseases across IndiaNew sampling plan helps track diseases jumping from animals to humans
Frontiers in MedicinePublished October 17, 2026Study authors: K. P. Suresh, M. Ashwini, P. Azhahianambi, Subeer S. Majumdar, Nagendra R. HegdeDOI ↗Editorial oversight: Dr. Ji-eun Park, MD · Brain, Mind & Pain
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Key Takeaway
Interpret the 4 to 30% pooled range as planning input, not a prevalence estimate.
This meta-analysis pools prevalence estimates for 10 zoonotic diseases (including brucellosis, tuberculosis, Q-fever, scrub typhus, Japanese encephalitis, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, cysticercosis, cryptosporidiosis, listeriosis and salmonellosis) and 4 transboundary animal diseases (swine influenza, porcine reproductive and respiratory disease, lumpy skin disease and African swine fever) in India. Pooled prevalence estimates across the 14 diseases ranged from 4 to 30%, with 95% confidence intervals reported in the corresponding meta-analysis estimates.
The authors translate these pooled estimates into a proposed village-level surveillance sampling plan: 34,975 samples across 2,018 villages at a 95% confidence level. The stated purpose is monitoring of zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases in India.
The source does not report a study population, sample size, comparator, follow-up duration, adverse events, funding or conflicts of interest, and the limitations section is not reported. The certainty of the underlying pooled estimates is not described.
Practice relevance is limited to surveillance planning. The output is a sampling framework derived from pooled estimates, not a primary measurement of disease prevalence in a human or animal population, and it should be read as a planning tool rather than a prevalence estimate for any single setting.
How this fits prior evidence
Prior coverage has focused on tuberculosis specifically: computational pipelines for drug resistance prediction, host-directed therapy with metformin and statins, 3HP with SMS reminders versus 4RIF, and resistance associated with tobacco smoking, alongside cautious interpretation of Pre-XDR-TB and XDR-TB prevalence in Ethiopia. This meta-analysis extends that disease-specific focus to a broader panel of 14 zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases in India, with pooled prevalence of 4 to 30%, and shifts the output from treatment or resistance questions to surveillance sampling design (34,975 samples across 2,018 villages). It does not confirm or contrast the tuberculosis findings directly.
Some diseases do not stay in the animal kingdom. They can jump to humans, causing serious illness. To keep people safe, experts need a reliable way to track these infections in the wild. This study provides a specific plan to monitor these risks more effectively in India.
The researchers looked at 14 different diseases, including Q-fever, scrub typhus, and several types of flu. They found that these diseases appear in various areas with prevalence rates ranging from 4% to 30%. The plan uses a large scale of data, involving 34,975 samples across 2,018 villages to get a clear picture of where these germs are hiding.
This work is about creating a better map for health officials. By using a guided sampling plan, they can better monitor both zoonotic diseases (those that jump from animals to humans) and transboundary diseases that move across borders. It provides a structured way to watch for risks like Listeriosis and Scrub typhus in local communities.
What this means for you:
A new sampling plan helps health officials track 14 different diseases that can spread from animals to humans.
Common questions
What diseases are being tracked in this study?
The study focuses on 14 different diseases. These include zoonotic diseases (which jump from animals to humans) and transboundary diseases. Specific examples include Q-fever, scrub typhus, Listeriosis, and several types of flu and skin diseases in livestock.
How common are these diseases in the area?
The study found that the prevalence of these 14 diseases ranges from 4% to 30%. These numbers help experts understand how often these infections appear in the environment.
How many locations were included in the sampling plan?
The plan involves a large-scale effort to monitor these diseases. It includes 34,975 samples taken across 2,018 different villages to create a better surveillance system.
Both natural and anthropogenic factors impact the emergence, sustenance, and spread of zoonotic diseases and Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs). Surveillance of such diseases depends on establishing baseline prevalence data, which necessitates a scientifically rigorous plan for data collection. This study aimed to establish a robust plan for estimating the prevalence of 10 zoonotic diseases (brucellosis, tuberculosis, Q-fever, scrub typhus, Japanese encephalitis, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, cysticercosis, cryptosporidiosis, listeriosis, salmonellosis) and four TADs (swine influenza, porcine reproductive and respiratory disease, lumpy skin disease, African swine fever) in India.
Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in accordance with PRISMA Guidelines, using random effects model with heterogeneity quantified by the I2 statistics estimate of preliminary prevalence rates, and incorporating predetermined sensitivity and specificity values for the assays to be employed, a two-stage stratified random surveillance plan was generated with 95% confidence level, using an in-house developed epi-calculator, with the village as the stratification variable for the targeted animal species in different states of India.
The pooled prevalence estimates of the 14 diseases ranged from 4 to 30% (95% confidence intervals reported in the corresponding meta-analysis estimates). Based on these pooled prevalence estimates, a village-level surveillance plan comprising 34,975 samples across 2,018 villages was generated for India.
This is the first scientifically rigorous meta-analysis-based sampling plan under one platform for many diseases. This could facilitate a robust prevalence study, which could serve as an effective tool for monitoring zoonotic diseases and TADs that are a threat to India.
