{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T05:46:32Z","timestamp":1782279992129,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782259200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Zoonoses, or diseases that are naturally transmitted between animals and humans, are a global public health problem, accounting for over 60% of all infectious and parasitic diseases affecting humans. Therefore, raising awareness of the risks within communities is an activity that must be constant. The issue of zoonoses is of particular importance in regions characterized by high biodiversity, such as the Danube Delta. In this complex ecosystem, the frequency of interactions between the human population, native wildlife, and domestic animals creates favorable conditions for the transmission and spread of zoonotic pathogens, thus amplifying the risks to public health in the area. Despite information campaigns organized by local veterinary and public health authorities to educate communities about zoonotic diseases, feedback on the uptake of this information among residents remains limited. We used two cross-sectional waves (pre-COVID-19, 2019; COVID-19 onset, 2020), administering a questionnaire with 45 items in five domains (context, domestic animals, wildlife hazards, foodborne pathogens, and ticks) to assess awareness levels about zoonoses among respondents in 23 localities in Tulcea County, adjacent to the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (DDBR). Descriptive statistics (proportion with 95% Cls) and year-to-year comparisons (chi-square tests) were conducted. A total of 292 adults provided complete or partial responses, 157 respondents in 2019, and 135 in 2020. The results indicated that although the majority of respondents demonstrated a fairly good understanding of zoonotic diseases and applied a range of prevention measures, there are still notable gaps in knowledge and risk-related behaviors, exemplified by the differential trust and cognitive dissonance observed. The emergence of COVID-19 has further highlighted the importance of addressing zoonotic threats and reinforced the role of veterinarians as vital communicators in public health education. Therefore, it is imperative to implement more information campaigns aimed at correcting existing knowledge deficits, improving awareness, and applying prevention measures. Continued community engagement efforts are essential to strengthening public understanding of zoonotic diseases and facilitating effective prevention strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2026.1794566","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T04:49:28Z","timestamp":1782276568000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Assessing hygiene and zoonotic risk perception in the Danube Delta: insights from the pre- and early-COVID-19 periods"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Mihai","family":"Marinov","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development","place":["Tulcea, Romania"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Angela M.","family":"Ionic\u0103","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca","place":["Cluj-Napoca, Romania"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel N.","family":"Maftei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development","place":["Tulcea, Romania"]},{"name":"Tulcea County Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate","place":["Tulcea, Romania"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucian E.","family":"Bolboaca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for the Study of Trans-Border and Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses, Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development","place":["Tulcea, Romania"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexandru","family":"Dorosencu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development","place":["Tulcea, Romania"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marian","family":"Tudor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development","place":["Tulcea, Romania"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vasile","family":"Alexe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development","place":["Tulcea, Romania"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Expert Committee on Zoonoses","year":"1951"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"193","DOI":"10.1038\/s41579-021-00639-z","article-title":"Infectious disease in an era of global change","volume":"20","author":"Baker","year":"2022","journal-title":"Nat Rev Microbiol"},{"key":"ref3","volume-title":"Zoonoses","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"983","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2001.0888","article-title":"Risk factors for human disease emergence","volume":"356","author":"Taylor","year":"2001","journal-title":"Philos Trans R Soc Lond Ser B Biol Sci"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1884","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(15)60858-3","article-title":"Global health security: the wider lessons from the west African Ebola virus disease epidemic","volume":"385","author":"Heymann","year":"2015","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"582743","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2020.582743","article-title":"Emerging zoonotic diseases: should we rethink the animal-human Interface?","volume":"7","author":"Magouras","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Vet Sci"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"893","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19020893","article-title":"Climate change and Zoonoses: a review of concepts, definitions, and Bibliometrics","volume":"19","author":"Leal","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"fnx244","DOI":"10.1093\/femsle\/fnx244","article-title":"Vector-borne diseases and climate change: a European perspective","volume":"365","author":"Semenza","year":"2018","journal-title":"FEMS Microbiol Lett"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e155","DOI":"10.1111\/tbed.12705","article-title":"Semi-quantitative assessment of disease risks at the human, livestock, wildlife interface for the Republic of Korea using a nationwide survey of experts: a model for other countries","volume":"65","author":"Hwang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Transbound Emerg Dis"},{"key":"ref10","first-page":"103","article-title":"New insights into the Trophobiology and human perception of the Golden jackal Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia: Canidae) in the Danube Delta and surroundings: between myth and reality","volume":"74","author":"Marinov","year":"2022","journal-title":"Acta Zool Bulg"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"847","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tifs.2021.03.016","article-title":"Adherence to food hygiene and personal protection recommendations for prevention of COVID-19","volume":"112","author":"Finger","year":"2021","journal-title":"Trends Food Sci Technol"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1485","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm6941a3","article-title":"Demographic characteristics, experiences, and beliefs associated with hand hygiene among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic\u2014United States, June 24\u201330, 2020","volume":"69","author":"Czeisler","year":"2020","journal-title":"MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2098","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-81329-x","article-title":"Spatiotemporal clustering and random Forest models to identify risk factors of African swine fever outbreak in Romania in 2018-2019","volume":"11","author":"Andraud","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"965749","DOI":"10.1155\/2014\/965749","article-title":"Avian influenza surveillance in the Danube Delta using sentinel geese and ducks","volume":"2014","author":"Coman","year":"2014","journal-title":"Influenza Res Treat"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1016\/j.onehlt.2016.03.001","article-title":"Human-livestock contacts and their relationship to transmission of zoonotic pathogens: a systematic review of literature","volume":"2","author":"Klous","year":"2016","journal-title":"One Health"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3554","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-1-4557-4801-3.00322-2","article-title":"Zoonoses","volume":"2015","author":"Lipkin","year":"2015","journal-title":"Mandell Douglas Bennet Princ Pract Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"634","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1469-0691.2002.00485.x","article-title":"Toxoplasma gondii: transmission, diagnosis, and prevention","volume":"8","author":"Hill","year":"2002","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Infect"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1965","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(04)16412-X","article-title":"Toxoplasmosis","volume":"363","author":"Montoya","year":"2004","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jogoh.2017.12.003","article-title":"An updated literature review on maternal-fetal and reproductive disorders of toxoplasma gondii infection","volume":"47","author":"Fallahi","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1191","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijpara.2005.07.012","article-title":"Recent advances on the taxonomy, systematics, and epidemiology of Trichinella","volume":"35","author":"Pozio","year":"2005","journal-title":"Int J Parasitol"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"430","DOI":"10.3892\/etm.2023.12129","article-title":"Hantavirus infections in the south eastern European countries: a study of two cases and literature review","volume":"26","author":"Lupu\u015foru","year":"2023","journal-title":"Exp Ther Med"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.00026-08","article-title":"Epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and control of trichinellosis","volume":"22","author":"Gottstein","year":"2009","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Rev"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"95","DOI":"10.1080\/01652176.2022.2080298","article-title":"Zoonotic diseases of fish and their prevention and control","volume":"42","author":"Ziarati","year":"2022","journal-title":"Vet Q"},{"key":"ref24","first-page":"134","article-title":"Die Eustrongylides-Larven bei Donaufischen [the Eustrongylides larvae in Danube fish]","volume":"34","author":"Ciurea","year":"1924","journal-title":"Z Fleisch und Milchhygiene"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"211","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4615-3926-1_9","volume-title":"Microbiology of Marine Food Products","author":"Deardorff","year":"1991"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.2478\/helm-2022-0013","article-title":"Eustrongylides (Nematoda:Dioctophymatidae): Epizootology and special characteristics of the development biology","volume":"59","author":"Honcharov","year":"2022","journal-title":"Helminthologia"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"95","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-020-3961-2","article-title":"Rodents as intermediate hosts of cestode parasites of mammalian carnivores and birds of prey in Poland, with the first data on the life-cycle of Mesocestoides melesi","volume":"13","author":"Bajer","year":"2020","journal-title":"Parasit Vectors"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1591","DOI":"10.1098\/rspb.2000.1182","article-title":"Fatal attraction in rats infected with toxoplasma gondii","volume":"267","author":"Berdoy","year":"2000","journal-title":"Proc Biol Sci"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"645002","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2021.645002","article-title":"High diversity, prevalence, and co-infection rates of tick-borne pathogens in ticks and wildlife hosts in an urban area in Romania","volume":"12","author":"Bor\u015fan","year":"2012","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"key":"ref30","volume-title":"DECISION of the Romanian Government 1156","year":"2013"},{"key":"ref31","volume-title":"Annual Epidemiological Report for 2021: Trichinellosis","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref32","volume-title":"CORINE Land Cover 2018 (Vector)","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e75246","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0075246","article-title":"Mice infected with low-virulence strains of toxoplasma gondii lose their innate aversion to cat urine, even after extensive parasite clearance","volume":"8","author":"Ingram","year":"2013","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"390","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens9050390","article-title":"Multiple tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from humans in Romania","volume":"9","author":"Kalm\u00e1r","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pathogens"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"294","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-016-1565-7","article-title":"Spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks of migratory birds in Romania","volume":"9","author":"M\u0103rcu\u0163an","year":"2016","journal-title":"Parasit Vectors"},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"375","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ttbdis.2016.12.013","article-title":"The risk of exposure to rickettsial infections and human granulocytic anaplasmosis associated with Ixodes ricinus tick bites in humans in Romania: a multiannual study","volume":"8","author":"Matei","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ticks Tick Borne Dis"},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2017.00036","article-title":"Borrelia diversity and co-infection with other tick borne pathogens in ticks","volume":"7","author":"Raileanu","year":"2017","journal-title":"Front Cell Infect Microbiol"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Veterinary Science"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2026.1794566\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T04:49:41Z","timestamp":1782276581000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2026.1794566\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]]},"references-count":37,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fvets.2026.1794566"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fvets.2026.1794566","relation":{},"ISSN":["2297-1769"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2297-1769","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]]},"article-number":"1794566"}}