ORCID Profile
0000-0003-3538-3550
Current Organisation
Griffith University
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In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Ecology | Veterinary Epidemiology | Community Ecology | Landscape Ecology
Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species at Regional or Larger Scales | Disease Distribution and Transmission (incl. Surveillance and Response) | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales |
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-02-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-09-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.8079
Abstract: Fruit bats (Family: Pteropodidae) are animals of great ecological and economic importance, yet their populations are threatened by ongoing habitat loss and human persecution. A lack of ecological knowledge for the vast majority of Pteropodid species presents additional challenges for their conservation and management. In Australia, populations of flying‐fox species (Genus: Pteropus ) are declining and management approaches are highly contentious. Australian flying‐fox roosts are exposed to management regimes involving habitat modification, through human–wildlife conflict management policies, or vegetation restoration programs. Details on the fine‐scale roosting ecology of flying‐foxes are not sufficiently known to provide evidence‐based guidance for these regimes, and the impact on flying‐foxes of these habitat modifications is poorly understood. We seek to identify and test commonly held understandings about the roosting ecology of Australian flying‐foxes to inform practical recommendations and guide and refine management practices at flying‐fox roosts. We identify 31 statements relevant to understanding of flying‐fox roosting structure and synthesize these in the context of existing literature. We then contribute a contemporary, fine‐scale dataset on within‐roost structure to further evaluate 11 of these statements. The new dataset encompasses 13‐monthly repeat measures from 2,522 spatially referenced roost trees across eight sites in southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales. We show evidence of sympatry and indirect competition between species, including spatial segregation of black and grey‐headed flying‐foxes within roosts and seasonal displacement of both species by little red flying‐foxes. We demonstrate roost‐specific annual trends in occupancy and abundance and provide updated demographic information including the spatial and temporal distributions of males and females within roosts. Insights from our systematic and quantitative study will be important to guide evidence‐based recommendations on restoration and management and will be crucial for the implementation of priority recovery actions for the preservation of these species in the future.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-2016
Abstract: Bats, including African straw-coloured fruit bats ( Eidolon helvum ), have been highlighted as reservoirs of many recently emerged zoonotic viruses. This common, widespread and ecologically important species was the focus of longitudinal and continent-wide studies of the epidemiological and ecology of Lagos bat virus, henipaviruses and Achimota viruses. Here we present a spatial, morphological, demographic, genetic and serological dataset encompassing 2827 bats from nine countries over an 8-year period. Genetic data comprises cytochrome b mitochondrial sequences ( n =608) and microsatellite genotypes from 18 loci ( n =544). Tooth-cementum analyses ( n =316) allowed derivation of rare age-specific serologic data for a lyssavirus, a henipavirus and two rubulaviruses. This dataset contributes a substantial volume of data on the ecology of E. helvum and its viruses and will be valuable for a wide range of studies, including viral transmission dynamic modelling in age-structured populations, investigation of seasonal reproductive asynchrony in wide-ranging species, ecological niche modelling, inference of island colonisation history, exploration of relationships between island and body size, and various spatial analyses of demographic, morphometric or serological data.
Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert Inc
Date: 2020
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 20-03-2012
DOI: 10.3354/DAO02424
Abstract: The international hibian trade is implicated in the emergence and spread of the hibian fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which has resulted in hibian declines and extinctions globally. The establishment of the causal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), in the UK could negatively affect the survival of native hibian populations. In recognition of the ongoing threat that it poses to hibians, Bd was recently included in the World Organisation for Animal Health Aquatic Animal Health Code, and therefore is in the list of international notifiable diseases. Using standardised risk analysis guidelines, we investigated the likelihood that Bd would be introduced to and become established in wild hibians in the UK through the importation of live hibians. We obtained data on the volume and origin of the hibian trade entering the UK and detected Bd infection in hibians being imported for the pet and private collection trade and also in hibians already held in captive pet, laboratory and zoological collections. We found that current systems for recording hibian trade into the UK underestimate the volume of non-European Union trade by almost 10-fold. We identified high likelihoods of entry, establishment and spread of Bd in the UK and the resulting major overall impact. Despite uncertainties, we determined that the overall risk estimation for the introduction of Bd to the UK through the importation of live hibians is high and that risk management measures are required, whilst ensuring that negative effects on legal trade are minimised.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 12-08-2019
Abstract: Dose is the nexus between exposure and all upstream processes that determine pathogen pressure, and is thereby an important element underlying disease dynamics. Understanding the relationship between dose and disease is particularly important in the context of spillover, where nonlinearities in the dose–response could determine the likelihood of transmission. There is a need to explore dose–response models for directly transmitted and zoonotic pathogens, and how these interactions integrate within-host factors to consider, for ex le, heterogeneity in host susceptibility and dose-dependent antagonism. Here, we review the dose–response literature and discuss the unique role dose–response models have to play in understanding and predicting spillover events. We present a re-analysis of dose–response experiments for two important zoonotic pathogens (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Nipah virus), to exemplify potential difficulties in differentiating between appropriate models with small exposure experiment datasets. We also discuss the data requirements needed for robust selection between dose–response models. We then suggest how these processes could be modelled to gain more realistic predictions of zoonotic transmission outcomes and highlight the exciting opportunities that could arise with increased collaboration between the virology and epidemiology disciplines. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dynamic and integrative approaches to understanding pathogen spillover’.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 20-11-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-04-2023
Abstract: Pathogens can spill over and infect new host species by overcoming a series of ecological and biological barriers. Hendra virus (HeV) circulates in Australian flying foxes and provides a data‐rich study system for identifying environmental drivers underlying spillover events. The frequency of spillover events to horses has varied interannually since the virus was first discovered in 1994. These observations suggest that HeV spillover events are driven, in part, by environmental factors, including loss of flying fox habitat and climate variability. We explicitly examine the impact of environmental variation on the risk of HeV spillover at three spatial scales relevant to this system. We use a dataset of 60 spillover events and boosted regression tree methods to identify environmental features (including concurrent and lagged temperature, rainfall, vegetation indices, land cover, and climate indices) at three spatial scales (1‐km, 20‐km, 100‐km radii) associated with horse contacts and reservoir species ecology. We find that temperature, local (1‐km radius) human population density, and landscape (100‐km radius) forest cover and pasture are the most influential environmental features associated with HeV spillover risk. By including multiple spatial scales and temporal lags in environmental features, we can more accurately quantify risk across space and time than with models that use a single scale. For ex le, high quality vegetation at the local scale and within a foraging radius (20‐km) in the concurrent month and previous years, combined with poorer quality vegetation at the landscape scale in the concurrent month increase risk of HeV spillover. These and other environmental associations likely influence the dynamic foraging behaviour of reservoir flying foxes and drive contacts that facilitate spillover into horse populations. Synthesis and application : Current management of HeV spillover focuses on local‐scale interventions – primarily through vaccination and detection of infected horses. Our study finds that HeV spillover risk is also driven by environmental changes over much larger scales and demonstrates management practices would benefit from incorporating landscape interventions alongside local interventions.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 10-2017
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.170548
Abstract: During a week-long celebration of science, run under the federally supported National Science Week umbrella, the Catch a Rising Star: women in Queensland research (CaRS) programme flew scientists who identify as women to nine regional and remote communities in the Australian State of Queensland. The aim of the project was twofold: first, to bring science to remote and regional communities in a large, economically erse state and second, to determine whether media and public engagement provides career advancement opportunities for women scientists. This paper focuses on the latter goal. The data show: (i) a substantial majority (greater than 80%) of researchers thought the training and experience provided by the programme would help develop her career as a research scientist in the future, (ii) the majority (65%) thought the programme would help relate her research to end users, industry partners or stakeholders in the future, and (iii) analytics can help create a compelling narrative around engagement metrics and help to quantify influence. During the week-long project, scientists reached 600 000 impressions on one social media platform (Twitter) using a program hashtag. The breadth and depth of the project outcomes indicate funding bodies and employers could use similar data as an informative source of metrics to support hiring and promotion decisions. Although this project focused on researchers who identify as women, the lessons learned are applicable to researchers representing a erse range of backgrounds. Future surveys will help determine whether the CaRS programme provided long-term career advantages to participating scientists and communities.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 04-08-2016
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 21-09-2012
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 25-05-2022
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0268549
Abstract: The black flying fox ( Pteropus alecto ) is a natural reservoir for Hendra virus, a paramyxovirus that causes fatal infections in humans and horses in Australia. Increased excretion of Hendra virus by flying foxes has been hypothesized to be associated with physiological or energetic stress in the reservoir hosts. The objective of this study was to explore the leukocyte profiles of wild-caught P . alecto , with a focus on describing the morphology of each cell type to facilitate identification for clinical purposes and future virus spillover research. To this end, we have created an atlas of images displaying the commonly observed morphological variations across each cell type. We provide quantitative and morphological information regarding the leukocyte profiles in bats captured at two roost sites located in Redcliffe and Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, over the course of two years. We examined the morphology of leukocytes, platelets, and erythrocytes of P . alecto using cytochemical staining and characterization of blood films through light microscopy. Leukocyte profiles were broadly consistent with previous studies of P . alecto and other Pteropus species. A small proportion of in idual s les presented evidence of hemoparasitic infection or leukocyte morphological traits that are relevant for future research on bat health, including unique large granular lymphocytes. Considering hematology is done by visual inspection of blood smears, ex les of the varied cell morphologies are included as a visual guide. To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first qualitative assessment of P . alecto leukocytes, as well as the first set of published hematology reference images for this species.
Publisher: Museum and Institute of Zoology at the Polish Academy of Sciences
Date: 06-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-04-2019
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 22-09-2023
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 03-09-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-09-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.8107
Abstract: The COVID‐19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of efficient s ling strategies and statistical methods for monitoring infection prevalence, both in humans and in reservoir hosts. Pooled testing can be an efficient tool for learning pathogen prevalence in a population. Typically, pooled testing requires a second‐phase retesting procedure to identify infected in iduals, but when the goal is solely to learn prevalence in a population, such as a reservoir host, there are more efficient methods for allocating the second‐phase s les. To estimate pathogen prevalence in a population, this manuscript presents an approach for data fusion with two‐phased testing of pooled s les that allows more efficient estimation of prevalence with less s les than traditional methods. The first phase uses pooled s les to estimate the population prevalence and inform efficient strategies for the second phase. To combine information from both phases, we introduce a Bayesian data fusion procedure that combines pooled s les with in idual s les for joint inferences about the population prevalence. Data fusion procedures result in more efficient estimation of prevalence than traditional procedures that only use in idual s les or a single phase of pooled s ling. The manuscript presents guidance on implementing the first‐phase and second‐phase s ling plans using data fusion. Such methods can be used to assess the risk of pathogen spillover from reservoir hosts to humans, or to track pathogens such as SARS‐CoV‐2 in populations.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-04-2019
Abstract: Bats are reservoirs for emerging human pathogens, including Hendra and Nipah henipaviruses and Ebola and Marburg filoviruses. These viruses demonstrate predictable patterns in seasonality and age structure across multiple systems previous work suggests that they may circulate in Madagascar's endemic fruit bats, which are widely consumed as human food. We aimed to (a) document the extent of henipa‐ and filovirus exposure among Malagasy fruit bats, (b) explore seasonality in seroprevalence and serostatus in these bat populations and (c) compare mechanistic hypotheses for possible transmission dynamics underlying these data. To this end, we amassed and analysed a unique dataset documenting longitudinal serological henipa‐ and filovirus dynamics in three Madagascar fruit bat species. We uncovered serological evidence of exposure to Hendra‐/Nipah‐related henipaviruses in Eidolon dupreanum, Pteropus rufus and Rousettus madagascariensis, to Cedar‐related henipaviruses in E. dupreanum and R. madagascariensis and to Ebola‐related filoviruses in P. rufus and R. madagascariensis . We demonstrated significant seasonality in population‐level seroprevalence and in idual serostatus for multiple viruses across these species, linked to the female reproductive calendar. An age‐structured subset of the data highlighted evidence of waning maternal antibodies in neonates, increasing seroprevalence in young and decreasing seroprevalence late in life. Comparison of mechanistic epidemiological models fit to these data offered support for transmission hypotheses permitting waning antibodies but retained immunity in adult‐age bats. Our findings suggest that bats may seasonally modulate mechanisms of pathogen control, with consequences for population‐level transmission. Additionally, we narrow the field of candidate transmission hypotheses by which bats are presumed to host and transmit potentially zoonotic viruses globally.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-11-2021
Abstract: Models of host–pathogen interactions help to explain infection dynamics in wildlife populations and to predict and mitigate the risk of zoonotic spillover. Insights from models inherently depend on the way contacts between hosts are modelled, and crucially, how transmission scales with animal density. Bats are important reservoirs of zoonotic disease and are among the most gregarious of all mammals. Their population structures can be highly heterogeneous, underpinned by ecological processes across different scales, complicating assumptions regarding the nature of contacts and transmission. Although models commonly parameterise transmission using metrics of total abundance, whether this is an ecologically representative approximation of host–pathogen interactions is not routinely evaluated. We collected a 13‐month dataset of tree‐roosting Pteropus spp. from 2,522 spatially referenced trees across eight roosts to empirically evaluate the relationship between total roost abundance and tree‐level measures of abundance and density—the scale most likely to be relevant for virus transmission. We also evaluate whether roost features at different scales (roost level, subplot level, tree level) are predictive of these local density dynamics. Roost‐level features were not representative of tree‐level abundance (bats per tree) or tree‐level density (bats per m 2 or m 3 ), with roost‐level models explaining minimal variation in tree‐level measures. Total roost abundance itself was either not a significant predictor (tree‐level 3D density) or only weakly predictive (tree‐level abundance). This indicates that basic measures, such as total abundance of bats in a roost, may not provide adequate approximations for population dynamics at scales relevant for transmission, and that alternative measures are needed to compare transmission potential between roosts. From the best candidate models, the strongest predictor of local population structure was tree density within roosts, where roosts with low tree density had a higher abundance but lower density of bats (more spacing between bats) per tree. Together, these data highlight unpredictable and counterintuitive relationships between total abundance and local density. More nuanced modelling of transmission, spread and spillover from bats likely requires alternative approaches to integrating contact structure in host–pathogen models, rather than simply modifying the transmission function.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-07-2022
DOI: 10.1186/S12992-022-00850-4
Abstract: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant global impact. However, COVID-19 is just one of several high-impact infectious diseases that emerged from wildlife and are linked to the human relationship with nature. The rate of emergence of new zoonoses (diseases of animal origin) is increasing, driven by human-induced environmental changes that threaten bio ersity on a global scale. This increase is directly linked to environmental drivers including bio ersity loss, climate change and unsustainable resource extraction. Australia is a bio ersity hotspot and is subject to sustained and significant environmental change, increasing the risk of it being a location for pandemic origin. Moreover, the global integration of markets means that consumption trends in Australia contributes to the risk of disease spill-over in our regional neighbours in Asia-Pacific, and beyond. Despite the clear causal link between anthropogenic pressures on the environment and increasing pandemic risks, Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, like most of the world, has centred largely on public health strategies, with a clear focus on reactive management. Yet, the span of expertise and evidence relevant to the governance of pandemic risk management is much wider than public health and epidemiology. It involves animal/wildlife health, biosecurity, conservation sciences, social sciences, behavioural psychology, law, policy and economic analyses to name just a few. The authors are a team of multidisciplinary practitioners and researchers who have worked together to analyse, synthesise, and harmonise the links between pandemic risk management approaches and issues in different disciplines to provide a holistic overview of current practice, and conclude the need for reform in Australia. We discuss the adoption of a comprehensive and interdisciplinary ‘One Health’ approach to pandemic risk management in Australia. A key goal of the One Health approach is to be proactive in countering threats of emerging infectious diseases and zoonoses through a recognition of the interdependence between human, animal, and environmental health. Developing ways to implement a One Health approach to pandemic prevention would not only reduce the risk of future pandemics emerging in or entering Australia, but also provide a model for prevention strategies around the world.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 22-05-2017
DOI: 10.1017/S0950268817000991
Abstract: Understanding viral transmission dynamics within populations of reservoir hosts can facilitate greater knowledge of the spillover of emerging infectious diseases. While bat-borne viruses are of concern to public health, investigations into their dynamics have been limited by a lack of longitudinal data from in idual bats. Here, we examine capture–mark–recapture (CMR) data from a species of Australian bat ( Myotis macropus ) infected with a putative novel Alphacoronavirus within a Bayesian framework. Then, we developed epidemic models to estimate the effect of persistently infectious in iduals (which shed viruses for extensive periods) on the probability of viral maintenance within the study population. We found that the CMR data analysis supported grouping of infectious bats into persistently and transiently infectious bats. Maintenance of coronavirus within the study population was more likely in an epidemic model that included both persistently and transiently infectious bats, compared with the epidemic model with non-grouping of bats. These findings, using rare CMR data from longitudinal s les of in idual bats, increase our understanding of transmission dynamics of bat viral infectious diseases.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 25-09-2017
DOI: 10.1017/S0950268817002138
Abstract: Understanding infection dynamics in animal hosts is fundamental to managing spillover and emergence of zoonotic infections. Hendra virus is endemic in Australian pteropodid bat populations and can be lethal to horses and humans. However, we know little about the factors driving Hendra virus prevalence in resevoir bat populations, making spillover difficult to predict. We use Hendra virus prevalence data collected from 13 000 pooled bat urine s les across space and time to determine if pulses of prevalence are periodic and synchronized across sites. We also test whether site-specific precipitation and temperature affect the litude of the largest annual prevalence pulses. We found little evidence for a periodic signal in Hendra virus prevalence. Although the largest litude pulses tended to occur over winter, pulses could also occur in other seasons. We found that Hendra virus prevalence was weakly synchronized across sites over short distances, suggesting that prevalence is driven by local-scale effects. Finally, we found that drier conditions in previous seasons and the abundance of Pteropus alecto were positively correlated with the peak annual values of Hendra virus prevalence. Our results suggest that in addition to seasonal effects, bat density and local climatic conditions interact to drive Hendra virus infection dynamics.
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 31-05-2023
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00451-23
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 10-12-2018
DOI: 10.1101/492934
Abstract: Mosquito-borne pathogens contribute significantly to the global burden of disease, infecting millions of people each year. Mosquito feeding is critical to the transmission dynamics of pathogens, and thus it is important to understanding and interpreting mosquito feeding patterns. In this paper we explore mosquito feeding patterns and their implications for disease ecology through a meta-analysis of published blood meal results collected across Australia from more than 12,000 blood meals from 22 species. To assess mosquito-vertebrate associations and identify mosquitoes on a spectrum of generalist or specialist feeders, we analysed blood meal data in two ways first using a novel odds ratio analysis, and secondly by calculating Shannon ersity scores. We find that each mosquito species had a unique feeding association with different vertebrates, suggesting species-specific feeding patterns. Broadly, mosquito species could be grouped broadly into those that were primarily ornithophilic and those that fed more often on livestock. Aggregated feeding patterns observed across Australia were not explained by intrinsic variables such as mosquito genetics or larval habitats. We discuss the implications for disease transmission by vector mosquito species classified as generalist-feeders (such as Aedes vigilax and Culex annulirostris), or specialists (such as Aedes aegypti) in light of potential influences on mosquito host choice. Overall, we find that whilst existing blood meal studies in Australia are useful for investigating mosquito feeding patterns, standardisation of blood meal study methodologies and analyses, including the incorporation of vertebrate surveys, would improve predictions of the impact of vector-host interactions on disease ecology. Our analysis can also be used as a framework to explore mosquito-vertebrate associations, in which host availability data is unavailable, in other global systems.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-09-2016
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.2382
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 12-01-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.TVJL.2017.12.024
Abstract: Bat-borne viruses carry undeniable risks to the health of human beings and animals, and there is growing recognition of the need for a 'One Health' approach to understand their frequently complex spill-over routes. While domesticated animals can play central roles in major spill-over events of zoonotic bat-borne viruses, for ex le during the pig- lified Malaysian Nipah virus outbreak of 1998-1999, the extent of their potential to act as bridging or lifying species for these viruses has not been characterised systematically. This review aims to compile current knowledge on the role of domesticated animals as hosts of two types of bat-borne viruses, henipaviruses and filoviruses. A systematic literature search of these virus-host interactions in domesticated animals identified 72 relevant studies, which were categorised by year, location, design and type of evidence generated. The review then focusses on Africa as a case study, comparing research efforts in domesticated animals and bats with the distributions of documented human cases. Major gaps remain in our knowledge of the potential ability of domesticated animals to contract or spread these zoonoses. Closing these gaps will be necessary to fully evaluate and mitigate spill-over risks of these viruses, especially with global agricultural intensification.
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 02-2013
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01202-12
Abstract: Bats carry a variety of paramyxoviruses that impact human and domestic animal health when spillover occurs. Recent studies have shown a great ersity of paramyxoviruses in an urban-roosting population of straw-colored fruit bats in Ghana. Here, we investigate this further through virus isolation and describe two novel rubulaviruses: Achimota virus 1 (AchPV1) and Achimota virus 2 (AchPV2). The viruses form a phylogenetic cluster with each other and other bat-derived rubulaviruses, such as Tuhoko viruses, Menangle virus, and Tioman virus. We developed AchPV1- and AchPV2-specific serological assays and found evidence of infection with both viruses in Eidolon helvum across sub-Saharan Africa and on islands in the Gulf of Guinea. Longitudinal s ling of E. helvum indicates virus persistence within fruit bat populations and suggests spread of AchPVs via horizontal transmission. We also detected possible serological evidence of human infection with AchPV2 in Ghana and Tanzania. It is likely that clinically significant zoonotic spillover of chiropteran paramyxoviruses could be missed throughout much of Africa where health surveillance and diagnostics are poor and comorbidities, such as infection with HIV or Plasmodium sp., are common.
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 27-06-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1002/ZOO.20055
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.2139/SSRN.3457412
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-01-2019
Abstract: The outbreak and transmission of disease-causing pathogens are contributing to the unprecedented rate of bio ersity decline. Recent advances in genomics have coalesced into powerful tools to monitor, detect, and reconstruct the role of pathogens impacting wildlife populations. Wildlife researchers are thus uniquely positioned to merge ecological and evolutionary studies with genomic technologies to exploit unprecedented “Big Data” tools in disease research however, many researchers lack the training and expertise required to use these computationally intensive methodologies. To address this disparity, the inaugural “Genomics of Disease in Wildlife” workshop assembled early to mid-career professionals with expertise across scientific disciplines (e.g., genomics, wildlife biology, veterinary sciences, and conservation management) for training in the application of genomic tools to wildlife disease research. A horizon scanning-like exercise, an activity to identify forthcoming trends and challenges, performed by the workshop participants identified and discussed 5 themes considered to be the most pressing to the application of genomics in wildlife disease research: 1) “Improving communication,” 2) “Methodological and analytical advancements,” 3) “Translation into practice,” 4) “Integrating landscape ecology and genomics,” and 5) “Emerging new questions.” Wide-ranging solutions from the horizon scan were international in scope, itemized both deficiencies and strengths in wildlife genomic initiatives, promoted the use of genomic technologies to unite wildlife and human disease research, and advocated best practices for optimal use of genomic tools in wildlife disease projects. The results offer a glimpse of the potential revolution in human and wildlife disease research possible through multi-disciplinary collaborations at local, regional, and global scales.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-11-2020
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 12-08-2019
Abstract: Pathogen circulation among reservoir hosts is a precondition for zoonotic spillover. Unlike the acute, high morbidity infections typical in spillover hosts, infected reservoir hosts often exhibit low morbidity and mortality. Although it has been proposed that reservoir host infections may be persistent with recurrent episodes of shedding, direct evidence is often lacking. We construct a generalized SEIR (susceptible, exposed, infectious, recovered) framework encompassing 46 sub-models representing the full range of possible transitions among those four states of infection and immunity. We then use likelihood-based methods to fit these models to nine years of longitudinal data on henipavirus serology from a captive colony of Eidolon helvum bats in Ghana. We find that reinfection is necessary to explain observed dynamics that acute infectious periods may be very short (hours to days) that immunity, if present, lasts about 1–2 years and that recurring latent infection is likely. Although quantitative inference is sensitive to assumptions about serology, qualitative predictions are robust. Our novel approach helps clarify mechanisms of viral persistence and circulation in wild bats, including estimated ranges for key parameters such as the basic reproduction number and the duration of the infectious period. Our results inform how future field-based and experimental work could differentiate the processes of viral recurrence and reinfection in reservoir hosts. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dynamic and integrative approaches to understanding pathogen spillover’.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 28-08-2018
DOI: 10.1101/401968
Abstract: Notable outbreaks of infectious viruses resulting from spillover events from bats have brought much attention to the ecological origins of bat-borne zoonoses, resulting in an increase in ecological and epidemiological studies on bat populations in Africa, Asia, and Australia. The aim of many of these studies is to identify new viral agents with field s ling methods that collect pooled urine s les from large plastic sheets placed under a bat roost. The efficiency of under-roost s ling also makes it an attractive method for gathering roost-level prevalence data. However, the method allows multiple in iduals to contribute to a pooled s le, potentially introducing positive bias. To assess the ability of under-roost s ling to accurately estimate viral prevalence, we constructed a probabilistic model to explore the relationship between four s ling designs (quadrant, uniform, stratified, and random) and estimation bias. We modeled bat density and movement with a Poisson cluster process and spatial kernels, and simulated the four underroost sheet s ling designs by manipulating a spatial grid of hexagonal tiles. We performed global sensitivity analyses to identify major sources of estimation bias and provide recommendations for field studies that wish to estimate roost-level prevalence. We found that the quadrant-based design had a positive bias 5–7 times higher than other designs due to spatial auto-correlation among s ling sheets and clustering of bats in the roost. The s ling technique is therefore highly sensitive to viral presence but lacks specificity, providing poor information regarding dynamics in viral prevalence. Given population sizes of 5000–14000, our simulation results indicate that using a stratified random design to collect 30–40 urine s les from 80–100 sheets, each with an area of 0.75–1m 2 , would provide sufficient estimation of true prevalence with minimum s ling bias and false negatives. However, acknowledging the general problem of data aggregation, we emphasize that robust inference of true prevalence from field data require information of underpinning roost sizes. Our findings refine our understanding of the underroost s ling technique with the aim of increasing its specificity, and suggest that the method be further developed as an efficient non-invasive s ling technique that provides roost-level estimates of viral prevalence within a bat population.
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 22-06-2023
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 19-08-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.08.19.457011
Abstract: The ecological conditions experienced by wildlife reservoir hosts affect the amount of pathogen they excrete into the environment. This then shapes pathogen pressure, the amount of pathogen available to recipient hosts over space and time, which affects spillover risk. Few systems have data on both long-term ecological conditions and pathogen pressure, yet such data are critical for advancing our mechanistic understanding of ecological drivers of spillover risk. To identify these ecological drivers, we here reanalyze shedding data from a spatially replicated, multi-year study of Hendra virus excretion from Australian flying foxes in light of 25 years of long-term data on changing ecology of the bat reservoir hosts. Using generalized additive mixed models, we show that winter virus shedding pulses, previously considered idiosyncratic, are most pronounced after recent food shortages and in bat populations that have been displaced to novel habitats. We next derive the area under each annual shedding curve (representing cumulative virus excretion) and show that pathogen pressure is also affected by the ecological conditions experienced by bat populations. Finally, we illustrate that pathogen pressure positively predicts observed spillover frequency. Our study suggests that recent ecological conditions of flying fox hosts are shifting the timing, magnitude, and cumulative intensity of Hendra virus shedding in ways that shape the landscape of spillover risk. This work provides a mechanistic approach to understanding and estimating risk of spillover from reservoir hosts in complex ecological systems and emphasizes the importance of host ecological context in identifying the determinants of pathogen shedding.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-03-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.2139/SSRN.4051465
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-01-2022
Publisher: Microbiology Society
Date: 05-2014
Abstract: In 2009, a novel lyssavirus (subsequently named Ikoma lyssavirus, IKOV) was detected in the brain of an African civet ( Civettictis civetta ) with clinical rabies in the Serengeti National Park of Tanzania. The degree of nucleotide ergence between the genome of IKOV and those of other lyssaviruses predicted antigenic distinction from, and lack of protection provided by, available rabies vaccines. In addition, the index case was considered likely to be an incidental spillover event, and therefore the true reservoir of IKOV remained to be identified. The advent of sensitive molecular techniques has led to a rapid increase in the discovery of novel viruses. Detecting viral sequence alone, however, only allows for prediction of phenotypic characteristics and not their measurement. In the present study we describe the in vitro and in vivo characterization of IKOV, demonstrating that it is (1) pathogenic by peripheral inoculation in an animal model, (2) antigenically distinct from current rabies vaccine strains and (3) poorly neutralized by sera from humans and animals immunized against rabies. In a laboratory mouse model, no protection was elicited by a licensed rabies vaccine. We also investigated the role of bats as reservoirs of IKOV. We found no evidence for infection among 483 in iduals of at least 13 bat species s led across sites in the Serengeti and Southern Kenya.
Publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Date: 05-2014
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-08-2013
DOI: 10.1007/S10393-013-0856-0
Abstract: The ecology of infectious disease in wildlife has become a pivotal theme in animal and public health. Studies of infectious disease ecology rely on robust surveillance of pathogens in reservoir hosts, often based on serology, which is the detection of specific antibodies in the blood and is used to infer infection history. However, serological data can be inaccurate for inference to infection history for a variety of reasons. Two major aspects in any serological test can substantially impact results and interpretation of antibody prevalence data: cross-reactivity and cut-off thresholds used to discriminate positive and negative reactions. Given the ubiquitous use of serology as a tool for surveillance and epidemiological modeling of wildlife diseases, it is imperative to consider the strengths and limitations of serological test methodologies and interpretation of results, particularly when using data that may affect management and policy for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in wildlife. Greater consideration of population age structure and cohort representation, serological test suitability and standardized s le collection protocols can ensure that reliable data are obtained for downstream modeling applications to characterize, and evaluate interventions for, wildlife disease systems.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-11-2013
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS3770
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 08-09-2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 06-02-2012
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182011002113
Abstract: Bat flies are obligate ectoparasites of bats and it has been hypothesized that they may be involved in the transmission of Bartonella species between bats. A survey was conducted to identify whether Cyclopodia greefi greefi (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) collected from Ghana and 2 islands in the Gulf of Guinea harbour Bartonella . In total, 137 adult flies removed from Eidolon helvum , the straw-coloured fruit bat, were screened for the presence of Bartonella by culture and PCR analysis. Bartonella DNA was detected in 91 (66·4%) of the specimens examined and 1 strain of a Bartonella sp., initially identified in E. helvum blood from Kenya, was obtained from a bat fly collected in Ghana. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to report the identification and isolation of Bartonella in bat flies from western Africa.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-10-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ELE.14007
Abstract: The ecological conditions experienced by wildlife reservoirs affect infection dynamics and thus the distribution of pathogen excreted into the environment. This spatial and temporal distribution of shed pathogen has been hypothesised to shape risks of zoonotic spillover. However, few systems have data on both long‐term ecological conditions and pathogen excretion to advance mechanistic understanding and test environmental drivers of spillover risk. We here analyse three years of Hendra virus data from nine Australian flying fox roosts with covariates derived from long‐term studies of bat ecology. We show that the magnitude of winter pulses of viral excretion, previously considered idiosyncratic, are most pronounced after recent food shortages and in bat populations displaced to novel habitats. We further show that cumulative pathogen excretion over time is shaped by bat ecology and positively predicts spillover frequency. Our work emphasises the role of reservoir host ecology in shaping pathogen excretion and provides a new approach to estimate spillover risk.
Publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Date: 03-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2019
DOI: 10.1002/EHF2.12526
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 17-07-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.07.16.452724
Abstract: A novel Hendra virus (HeV) variant, not detected by routine testing, was identified and isolated from a Queensland horse that suffered acute, fatal disease consistent with HeV infection. Whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the variant to have ~83% nucleotide identity to the prototype HeV strain. An updated RT-qPCR assay was designed for routine HeV surveillance. In silico and in vitro comparison of the receptor-binding protein with prototypic HeV showed that the human monoclonal antibody m102.4 used for post-exposure prophylaxis, as well as the current equine vaccine, should be effective against this variant. Genetic similarity of this virus to sequences detected from grey-headed flying-foxes suggests the variant circulates at-least in this species. Studies determining infection kinetics, pathogenicity, reservoir-species associations, viral–host co-evolution and spillover dynamics for this virus are urgently needed. Surveillance and biosecurity practices should be updated to appreciate HeV spillover risk across all regions frequented by flying foxes.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-11-2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1017/S0950268819001237
Abstract: Hendra virus (HeV) continues to cause fatal infection in horses and threaten infection in close-contact humans in eastern Australia. Species of Pteropus bats (flying-foxes) are the natural reservoir of the virus. We caught and s led flying-foxes from a multispecies roost in southeast Queensland, Australia on eight occasions between June 2013 and June 2014. The effects of s le date, species, sex, age class, body condition score (BCS), pregnancy and lactation on HeV antibody prevalence, log-transformed median fluorescent intensity (lnMFI) values and HeV RNA status were assessed using unbalanced generalised linear models. A total of 1968 flying-foxes were s led, comprising 1012 Pteropus alecto , 742 P. poliocephalus and 214 P. scapulatus . S le date, species and age class were each statistically associated with HeV RNA status, antibody status and lnMFI values BCS was statistically associated with HeV RNA status and antibody status. The findings support immunologically naïve sub-adult P. alecto playing an important role in maintaining HeV infection at a population level. The biological significance of the association between BCS and HeV RNA status, and BCS and HeV antibody status, is less clear and warrants further investigation. Contrary to previous studies, we found no direct association between HeV infection and pregnancy or lactation. The findings in P. poliocephalus suggest that HeV exposure in this species may not result in systemic infection and virus excretion, or alternatively, may reflect assay cross-reactivity with another (unidentified) henipavirus.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 31-08-2023
DOI: 10.3390/V15091860
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 05-04-2021
Abstract: The recent emergence and spread of zoonotic viruses, including Ebola virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, demonstrate that animal-sourced viruses are a very real threat to global public health. Virus discovery efforts have detected hundreds of new animal viruses with unknown zoonotic risk. We developed an open-source risk assessment to systematically evaluate novel wildlife-origin viruses in terms of their zoonotic spillover and spread potential. Our tool will help scientists and governments assess and communicate risk, informing national disease prioritization, prevention, and control actions. The resulting watchlist of potential pathogens will identify targets for new virus countermeasure initiatives, which can reduce the economic and health impacts of emerging diseases.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2019
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 19-03-2019
DOI: 10.1101/582726
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-08-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.7830
Abstract: Outbreaks of infectious viruses resulting from spillover events from bats have brought much attention to bat‐borne zoonoses, which has motivated increased ecological and epidemiological studies on bat populations. Field s ling methods often collect pooled s les of bat excreta from plastic sheets placed under‐roosts. However, positive bias is introduced because multiple in iduals may contribute to pooled s les, making studies of viral dynamics difficult. Here, we explore the general issue of bias in spatial s le pooling using Hendra virus in Australian bats as a case study. We assessed the accuracy of different under‐roost s ling designs using generalized additive models and field data from in idually captured bats and pooled urine s les. We then used theoretical simulation models of bat density and under‐roost s ling to understand the mechanistic drivers of bias. The most commonly used s ling design estimated viral prevalence 3.2 times higher than in idual‐level data, with positive bias 5–7 times higher than other designs due to spatial autocorrelation among s ling sheets and clustering of bats in roosts. Simulation results indicate using a stratified random design to collect 30–40 pooled urine s les from 80 to 100 sheets, each with an area of 0.75–1 m 2 , and would allow estimation of true prevalence with minimum s ling bias and false negatives. These results show that widely used under‐roost s ling techniques are highly sensitive to viral presence, but lack specificity, providing limited information regarding viral dynamics. Improved estimation of true prevalence can be attained with minor changes to existing designs such as reducing sheet size, increasing sheet number, and spreading sheets out within the roost area. Our findings provide insight into how spatial s le pooling is vulnerable to bias for a wide range of systems in disease ecology, where optimal s ling design is influenced by pathogen prevalence, host population density, and patterns of aggregation.
Publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Date: 05-2022
Publisher: Museum and Institute of Zoology at the Polish Academy of Sciences
Date: 12-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-08-2018
DOI: 10.1111/NYAS.13910
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-22236-6
Abstract: Spatiotemporally-localised prediction of virus emergence from wildlife requires focused studies on the ecology and immunology of reservoir hosts in their native habitat. Reliable predictions from mathematical models remain difficult in most systems due to a dearth of appropriate empirical data. Our goal was to study the circulation and immune dynamics of zoonotic viruses in bat populations and investigate the effects of maternally-derived and acquired immunity on viral persistence. Using rare age-specific serological data from wild-caught Eidolon helvum fruit bats as a case study, we estimated viral transmission parameters for a stochastic infection model. We estimated mean durations of around 6 months for maternally-derived immunity to Lagos bat virus and African henipavirus, whereas acquired immunity was long-lasting (Lagos bat virus: mean 12 years, henipavirus: mean 4 years). In the presence of a seasonal birth pulse, the effect of maternally-derived immunity on virus persistence within modelled bat populations was highly dependent on transmission characteristics. To explain previous reports of viral persistence within small natural and captive E. helvum populations, we hypothesise that some bats must experience prolonged infectious periods or within-host latency. By further elucidating plausible mechanisms of virus persistence in bat populations, we contribute to guidance of future field studies.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/ZO20046
Abstract: Australia’s 81 bat species play vital ecological and economic roles via suppression of insect pests and maintenance of native forests through pollination and seed dispersal. Bats also host a wide ersity of coronaviruses globally, including several viral species that are closely related to SARS-CoV-2 and other emergent human respiratory coronaviruses. Although there are hundreds of studies of bat coronaviruses globally, there are only three studies of bat coronaviruses in Australian bat species, and no systematic studies of drivers of shedding. These limited studies have identified two betacoronaviruses and seven alphacoronaviruses, but less than half of Australian species are included in these studies and further research is therefore needed. There is no current evidence of spillover of coronaviruses from bats to humans in Australia, either directly or indirectly via intermediate hosts. The limited available data are inadequate to determine whether this lack of evidence indicates that spillover does not occur or occurs but is undetected. Conversely, multiple international agencies have flagged the potential transmission of human coronaviruses (including SARS CoV-2) from humans to bats, and the consequent threat to bat conservation and human health. Australia has a long history of bat research across a broad range of ecological and associated disciplines, as well as expertise in viral spillover from bats. This strong foundation is an ideal platform for developing integrative approaches to understanding bat health and sustainable protection of human health.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-11-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-022-05506-2
Abstract: During recent decades, pathogens that originated in bats have become an increasing public health concern. A major challenge is to identify how those pathogens spill over into human populations to generate a pandemic threat 1 . Many correlational studies associate spillover with changes in land use or other anthropogenic stressors 2,3 , although the mechanisms underlying the observed correlations have not been identified 4 . One limitation is the lack of spatially and temporally explicit data on multiple spillovers, and on the connections among spillovers, reservoir host ecology and behaviour and viral dynamics. We present 25 years of data on land-use change, bat behaviour and spillover of Hendra virus from Pteropodid bats to horses in subtropical Australia. These data show that bats are responding to environmental change by persistently adopting behaviours that were previously transient responses to nutritional stress. Interactions between land-use change and climate now lead to persistent bat residency in agricultural areas, where periodic food shortages drive clusters of spillovers. Pulses of winter flowering of trees in remnant forests appeared to prevent spillover. We developed integrative Bayesian network models based on these phenomena that accurately predicted the presence or absence of clusters of spillovers in each of the 25 years. Our long-term study identifies the mechanistic connections between habitat loss, climate and increased spillover risk. It provides a framework for examining causes of bat virus spillover and for developing ecological countermeasures to prevent pandemics.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-06-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-27859-3
Abstract: In the Australian subtropics, flying-foxes (family Pteropididae) play a fundamental ecological role as forest pollinators. Flying-foxes are also reservoirs of the fatal zoonosis, Hendra virus. Understanding flying fox foraging ecology, particularly in agricultural areas during winter, is critical to determine their role in transmitting Hendra virus to horses and humans. We developed a spatiotemporal model of flying-fox foraging intensity based on foraging patterns of 37 grey-headed flying-foxes ( Pteropus poliocephalus ) using GPS tracking devices and boosted regression trees. We validated the model with independent population counts and summarized temporal patterns in terms of spatial resource concentration. We found that spatial resource concentration was highest in late-summer and lowest in winter, with lowest values in winter 2011, the same year an unprecedented cluster of spillover events occurred in Queensland and New South Wales. Spatial resource concentration was positively correlated with El Niño Southern Oscillation at 3–8 month time lags. Based on shared foraging traits with the primary reservoir of Hendra virus ( Pteropus alecto ), we used our results to develop hypotheses on how regional climatic history, eucalypt phenology, and foraging behaviour may contribute to the predominance of winter spillovers, and how these phenomena connote foraging habitat conservation as a public health intervention.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2020
DOI: 10.1111/AVJ.12964
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-07-2014
Abstract: The notion of a critical community size (CCS), or population size that is likely to result in long-term persistence of a communicable disease, has been developed based on the empirical observations of acute immunizing infections in human populations, and extended for use in wildlife populations. Seasonal birth pulses are frequently observed in wildlife and are expected to impact infection dynamics, yet their effect on pathogen persistence and CCS have not been considered. To investigate this issue theoretically, we use stochastic epidemiological models to ask how host life-history traits and infection parameters interact to determine pathogen persistence within a closed population. We fit seasonal birth pulse models to data from erse mammalian species in order to identify realistic parameter ranges. When varying the synchrony of the birth pulse with all other parameters being constant, our model predicted that the CCS can vary by more than two orders of magnitude. Tighter birth pulses tended to drive pathogen extinction by creating large litude oscillations in prevalence, especially with high demographic turnover and short infectious periods. Parameters affecting the relative timing of the epidemic and birth pulse peaks determined the intensity and direction of the effect of pre-existing immunity in the population on the pathogen's ability to persist beyond the initial epidemic following its introduction.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 24-08-0088
Abstract: Spillover of a pathogen from a wildlife reservoir into a human or livestock host requires the pathogen to overcome a hierarchical series of barriers. Interventions aimed at one or more of these barriers may be able to prevent the occurrence of spillover. Here, we demonstrate how interventions that target the ecological context in which spillover occurs (i.e. ecological interventions) can complement conventional approaches like vaccination, treatment, disinfection and chemical control. Accelerating spillover owing to environmental change requires effective, affordable, durable and scalable solutions that fully harness the complex processes involved in cross-species pathogen spillover. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dynamic and integrative approaches to understanding pathogen spillover’.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-08-2021
Abstract: The spatial organization of populations determines their pathogen dynamics. This is particularly important for communally roosting species, whose aggregations are often driven by the spatial structure of their environment. We develop a spatially explicit model for virus transmission within roosts of Australian tree‐dwelling bats ( Pteropus spp.), parameterized to reflect Hendra virus. The spatial structure of roosts mirrors three study sites, and viral transmission between groups of bats in trees was modelled as a function of distance between roost trees. Using three levels of tree density to reflect anthropogenic changes in bat habitats, we investigate the potential effects of recent ecological shifts in Australia on the dynamics of zoonotic viruses in reservoir hosts. We show that simulated infection dynamics in spatially structured roosts differ from that of mean‐field models for equivalently sized populations, highlighting the importance of spatial structure in disease models of gregarious taxa. Under contrasting scenarios of flying‐fox roosting structures, sparse stand structures (with fewer trees but more bats per tree) generate higher probabilities of successful outbreaks, larger and faster epidemics, and shorter virus extinction times, compared to intermediate and dense stand structures with more trees but fewer bats per tree. These observations are consistent with the greater force of infection generated by structured populations with less numerous but larger infected groups, and may flag an increased risk of pathogen spillover from these increasingly abundant roost types. Outputs from our models contribute insights into the spread of viruses in structured animal populations, like communally roosting species, as well as specific insights into Hendra virus infection dynamics and spillover risk in a situation of changing host ecology. These insights will be relevant for modelling other zoonotic viruses in wildlife reservoir hosts in response to habitat modification and changing populations, including coronaviruses like SARS‐CoV‐2.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.3402/IEE.V6.31658
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 11-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/TBED.14579
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-09-2012
DOI: 10.1111/ZPH.12000
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-08-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ACV.12636
Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert Inc
Date: 09-2020
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 19-10-2012
Abstract: Many serious emerging zoonotic infections have recently arisen from bats, including Ebola, Marburg, SARS-coronavirus, Hendra, Nipah, and a number of rabies and rabies-related viruses, consistent with the overall observation that wildlife are an important source of emerging zoonoses for the human population. Mechanisms underlying the recognized association between ecosystem health and human health remain poorly understood and responding appropriately to the ecological, social and economic conditions that facilitate disease emergence and transmission represents a substantial societal challenge. In the context of disease emergence from wildlife, wildlife and habitat should be conserved, which in turn will preserve vital ecosystem structure and function, which has broader implications for human wellbeing and environmental sustainability, while simultaneously minimizing the spillover of pathogens from wild animals into human beings. In this review, we propose a novel framework for the holistic and interdisciplinary investigation of zoonotic disease emergence and its drivers, using the spillover of bat pathogens as a case study. This study has been developed to gain a detailed interdisciplinary understanding, and it combines cutting-edge perspectives from both natural and social sciences, linked to policy impacts on public health, land use and conservation.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 11-08-2021
DOI: 10.3390/PATHOGENS10081015
Abstract: Chlamydia psittaci is traditionally regarded as a globally distributed avian pathogen that can cause zoonotic spill-over. Molecular research has identified an extended global host range and significant genetic ersity. However, Australia has reported a reduced host range (avian, horse, and human) with a dominance of clonal strains, denoted ST24. To better understand the widespread of this strain type in Australia, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and ompA genotyping were applied on s les from a range of hosts (avian, equine, marsupial, and bovine) from Australia. MLST confirms that clonal ST24 strains dominate infections of Australian psittacine and equine hosts (82/88 93.18%). However, this study also found novel hosts (Australian white ibis, King parrots, racing pigeon, bovine, and a wallaby) and demonstrated that strain ersity does exist in Australia. The discovery of a C. psittaci novel strain (ST306) in a novel host, the Western brush wallaby, is the first detection in a marsupial. Analysis of the results of this study applied a multidisciplinary approach regarding Chlamydia infections, equine infectious disease, ecology, and One Health. Recommendations include an update for the descriptive framework of C. psittaci disease and cell biology work to inform pathogenicity and complement molecular epidemiology.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Start Date: 06-2019
End Date: 06-2024
Amount: $422,492.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity