H2020Индивидуална стипендия2021–2023

EpiEcoMod · Through the eye of a mosquito: theoretical modelling of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2021-01-01 → 2023-04-22
Финансиране от ЕС: 187 572 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Математически модели анализират как различните видове комари и птици влияят върху разпространението на вируса на Западния Нил. Това помага да се определи кои видове комари трябва да се контролират в градска и селска среда, за да се ограничат епидемиите при хората.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Through the eye of a mosquito: theoretical modelling of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens

Vector-borne zoonotic pathogens, such as West Nile virus (WNV), pose a significant global health challenge with their distribution and incidence increasing due to global change. Understanding factors promoting or inhibiting spillovers to humans is crucial to limit outbreaks from zoonotic origin. Traditionally, the study of pathogens risk has focused on vertebrate hosts, neglecting the role of vector identity. Nevertheless, vector abundance and species distribution play a key role in determining the distribution and incidence of many vector-borne diseases, where mosquitoes are the most important vectors of medically significant pathogens. As such, variation between vectors in how they spread disease through the impacts on pathogen host range and effects on transmission rates, are key factors to consider in the control and surveillance of vector-borne infectious disease. The overarching goal of EpiEcoMod was to quantify the risk of WNV invasion by explicitly considering the impact of variation between vector and host key-life history traits and environmental characteristics along a natural-rural-urban gradient. We investigated a multi-vector / multi-host system focused on the WNV, a zoonotic virus with a complex eco-epidemiology. WNV is maintained in a mosquito-bird transmission cycle, with humans and other mammals considered as incidental “dead-end” hosts (Fig. 1). Their recent unprecedented outbreaks, accompanied with growing cases of human morbidity and mortality during the last decade, has quickly prompted WNV as a major public health concern. By using a mathematical model based on multiple vector-host species, EpiEcoMod answered the key question “Are there key settings where it is crucial to target a specific type of mosquito for WNV control?”. This allowed us to gain insights into vector community parameters, uncovering the epidemiological basis of transmission patterns of WNV infection. Outcomes from EpiEcoMod contributes to generates scientific data that can be used to improve management strategies, resource allocation, efficiency in the labor of local public health authorities, thus saving money and time.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

The spillover of wildlife diseases into humans is increasing, and represents one of the biggest global health challenges we are facing today. Many zoonoses are transmitted by vectors (i.e. mosquitos) and had a large number of vertebrates as reservoirs. Thus, to reduce its impact on humans, it is essential to understand the factors that promote or inhibite spillover into human populations. Thus, it is necessary to consider the epidemiology of the pathogens both in vertebrate and vector communities. Technically, this requires an integration of community and disease ecology into a single mathematical framework, which explicitly considers vectors and hosts as distinct species, with different potential for pathogen amplification and contact rates. While mechanistic models exploring vector population dynamics have a long history, multihost-multivector model have not adequately integrated heterogeneity in host-vector interactions, despite their obvious importance. Here, I will study the role of vector species with distinct behaviour and ecological requirements in shaping the complex pathogen transmission dynamics, and ultimately determining the spillover, persistance or extinction of pathogens. My objectives are at the interface of theoretical and empirical research: 1) I use a rich data set to characterize the web of interactions between vectors and hosts, 2) I extend existing theory to explicitly consider vectors as distinct species and 3) I then study the role that behavioural heterogeneity has in shaping the larder web, and ultimately determining the risk of spilling over vs. disease extinction. Because of there is an urgent need to combine theory with data, I will also create an open source webpage where all the details of my work will be regularly updated in order to set practical guidelines supporting integration of mathematical modelling, fieldwork and laboratory work into OneHealth studies.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM · AmsterdamКоординаторНидерландия