scholarly journals Dynamics of host populations affected by the emerging fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 160801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt R. Schmidt ◽  
Claudio Bozzuto ◽  
Stefan Lötters ◽  
Sebastian Steinfartz
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Disease Emergence ◽  
Batrachochytrium Salamandrivorans ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Successful Control ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Local Extirpation

Emerging infectious diseases cause extirpation of wildlife populations. We use an epidemiological model to explore the effects of a recently emerged disease caused by the salamander-killing chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ( Bsal ) on host populations, and to evaluate which mitigation measures are most likely to succeed. As individuals do not recover from Bsal , we used a model with the states susceptible, latent and infectious, and parametrized the model using data on host and pathogen taken from the literature and expert opinion. The model suggested that disease outbreaks can occur at very low host densities (one female per hectare). This density is far lower than host densities in the wild. Therefore, all naturally occurring populations are at risk. Bsal can lead to the local extirpation of the host population within a few months. Disease outbreaks are likely to fade out quickly. A spatial variant of the model showed that the pathogen could potentially spread rapidly. As disease mitigation during outbreaks is unlikely to be successful, control efforts should focus on preventing disease emergence and transmission between populations. Thus, this emerging wildlife disease is best controlled through prevention rather than subsequent actions.

scholarly journals Human-Altered Landscapes and Climate To Predict Human Infectious Disease Hotspots

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soushieta Jagadesh ◽  
Marine Combe ◽  
Mathieu Nacher ◽  
Rodolphe Elie Gozlan
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Disease Emergence ◽  
Presence Data ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
Risk Of Disease

Abstract Background Zoonotic diseases account for more than 70% of emerging infectious diseases. Due to their increasing incidence, and impact on global health and economy, anticipating the emergence of zoonoses is a major public health challenge. Here, we use a biogeographic approach to predict future hotspots and determine the factors influencing disease emergence. We have focused on three viral disease groups of concern: Filoviridae, Coronaviridae, and Henipaviruses. Methods We modelled presence-absence data in spatially explicit binomial and zero-inflation binomial logistic regression with and without autoregression. Presence data were extracted from published studies for the three EID groups. Various environmental and demographical rasters were used to explain the distribution of EIDs. True Skill Statistic and deviance parameters were used to compare the accuracy of the different models. Results For each group of viruses, we were able to identify and map areas at high risk of disease emergence based on the spatial distribution of disease reservoirs and hosts, as well as data on the distribution of each disease. Common influencing drivers are climatic covariates (minimum temperature and rainfall) and human-induced land modifications. Conclusions Using topographical, climatic and previous disease outbreaks reports, we show that we can identify and predict future high-risk areas for disease emergence, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, and their specific underlying human and environmental drivers. We suggest that such a predictive approach to EIDs should be carefully considered in the development of active surveillance systems for pathogen emergence and epidemics at local and global scales.

scholarly journals Disruption of skin microbiota contributes to salamander disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1885) ◽  
pp. 20180758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly C. Bletz ◽  
Moira Kelly ◽  
Joana Sabino-Pinto ◽  
Emma Bales ◽  
Sarah Van Praet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Amphibian Declines ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Skin Microbiota ◽  
Opportunistic Bacteria ◽  
Batrachochytrium Salamandrivorans ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Natural Settings

Escalating occurrences of emerging infectious diseases underscore the importance of understanding microbiome–pathogen interactions. The amphibian cutaneous microbiome is widely studied for its potential to mitigate disease-mediated amphibian declines. Other microbial interactions in this system, however, have been largely neglected in the context of disease outbreaks. European fire salamanders have suffered dramatic population crashes as a result of the newly emerged Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ( Bsal ). In this paper, we investigate microbial interactions on multiple fronts within this system. We show that wild, healthy fire salamanders maintain complex skin microbiotas containing Bsal -inhibitory members, but these community are present at a remarkably low abundance. Through experimentation, we show that increasing bacterial densities of Bsal -inhibiting bacteria via daily addition slowed disease progression in fire salamanders. Additionally, we find that experimental- Bsal infection elicited subtle changes in the skin microbiome, with selected opportunistic bacteria increasing in relative abundance resulting in septicemic events that coincide with extensive destruction of the epidermis. These results suggest that fire salamander skin, in natural settings, maintains bacterial communities at numbers too low to confer sufficient protection against Bsal, and, in fact, the native skin microbiota can constitute a source of opportunistic bacterial pathogens that contribute to pathogenesis. By shedding light on the complex interaction between the microbiome and a lethal pathogen, these data put the interplay between skin microbiomes and a wildlife disease into a new perspective.

scholarly journals Diversity, multifaceted evolution, and facultative saprotrophism in the European Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans epidemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moira Kelly ◽  
Frank Pasmans ◽  
Jose F. Muñoz ◽  
Terrance P. Shea ◽  
Salvador Carranza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Host Density ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Fungal Genome ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Batrachochytrium Salamandrivorans ◽  
Genome Assemblies

AbstractWhile emerging fungi threaten global biodiversity, the paucity of fungal genome assemblies impedes thoroughly characterizing epidemics and developing effective mitigation strategies. Here, we generate de novo genomic assemblies for six outbreaks of the emerging pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). We reveal the European epidemic currently damaging amphibian populations to comprise multiple, highly divergent lineages demonstrating isolate-specific adaptations and metabolic capacities. In particular, we show extensive gene family expansions and acquisitions, through a variety of evolutionary mechanisms, and an isolate-specific saprotrophic lifecycle. This finding both explains the chytrid’s ability to divorce transmission from host density, producing Bsal’s enigmatic host population declines, and is a key consideration in developing successful mitigation measures.

scholarly journals Health monitoring in birds using bio-loggers and whole blood transcriptomics

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elinor Jax ◽  
Inge Müller ◽  
Stefan Börno ◽  
Hanna Borlinghaus ◽  
Gustaw Eriksson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Baseline Information ◽  
Free Ranging

AbstractMonitoring and early detection of emerging infectious diseases in wild animals is of crucial global importance, yet reliable ways to measure immune status and responses are lacking for animals in the wild. Here we assess the usefulness of bio-loggers for detecting disease outbreaks in free-living birds and confirm detailed responses using leukocyte composition and large-scale transcriptomics. We simulated natural infections by viral and bacterial pathogens in captive mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), an important natural vector for avian influenza virus. We show that body temperature, heart rate and leukocyte composition change reliably during an acute phase immune response. Using genome-wide gene expression profiling of whole blood across time points we confirm that immunostimulants activate pathogen-specific gene regulatory networks. By reporting immune response related changes in physiological and behavioural traits that can be studied in free-ranging populations, we provide baseline information with importance to the global monitoring of zoonotic diseases.

scholarly journals Reservoir hosts experiencing food stress alter transmission dynamics for a zoonotic pathogen

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1956) ◽  
pp. 20210881
Author(s):  
J. C. Owen ◽  
H. R. Landwerlen ◽  
A. P. Dupuis ◽  
A. V. Belsare ◽  
D. B. Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Host Resistance ◽  
Food Limitation ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Avian Host ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Reservoir Hosts

Food limitation is a universal stressor for wildlife populations and is increasingly exacerbated by human activities. Anthropogenic environmental change can significantly alter the availability and quality of food resources for reservoir hosts and impact host–pathogen interactions in the wild. The state of the host's nutritional reserves at the time of infection is a key factor influencing infection outcomes by altering host resistance. Combining experimental and model-based approaches, we investigate how an environmental stressor affects host resistance to West Nile virus (WNV). Using American robins ( Turdus migratorius ), a species considered a superspreader of WNV, we tested the effect of acute food deprivation immediately prior to infection on host viraemia. Here, we show that robins food deprived for 48 h prior to infection, developed higher virus titres and were infectious longer than robins fed normally. To gain an understanding about the epidemiological significance of food-stressed hosts, we developed an agent-based model that simulates transmission dynamics of WNV between an avian host and the mosquito vector. When simulating a nutritionally stressed host population, the mosquito infection rate rose significantly, reaching levels that represent an epidemiological risk. An understanding of the infection disease dynamics in wild populations is critical to predict and mitigate zoonotic disease outbreaks.

scholarly journals Sarcoptic mange in wild ruminants in Spain: solving the epidemiological enigma using microsatellite markers

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Moroni ◽  
Samer Angelone ◽  
Jesús M. Pérez ◽  
Anna Rita Molinar Min ◽  
Mario Pasquetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Sarcoptes Scabiei ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Sarcoptic Mange ◽  
Wild Ruminant ◽  
Capra Pyrenaica ◽  
Wild Ruminants ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Genetic Clusters ◽  
Genetic Strains

Abstract Background In Spain, sarcoptic mange was first described in native wildlife in 1987 in Cazorla Natural Park, causing the death of nearly 95% of the local native population of Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica). Since then, additional outbreaks have been identified in several populations of ibex and other wild ungulate species throughout the country. Although the first epizootic outbreak in wildlife was attributed to the introduction of an infected herd of domestic goats, the origin and the cause of its persistence remain unclear. The main aims of this study are to understand (i) the number of Sarcoptes scabiei “strains” circulating in wild ruminant populations in Spain, and (ii) the molecular epidemiological relationships between S. scabiei and its hosts. Methods Ten Sarcoptes microsatellite markers were used to characterize the genetic structure of 266 mites obtained from skin scrapings of 121 mangy wild ruminants between 2011 and 2019 from 11 areas in Spain. Results Seventy-three different alleles and 37 private alleles were detected. The results of this study show the existence of three genetic strains of S. scabiei in the wild ruminant populations investigated. While two genetic clusters of S. scabiei were host- and geography-related, one cluster included multi-host mites deriving from geographically distant populations. Conclusions The molecular epidemiological study of S. scabiei in wild ruminants in Spain indicates that the spreading and persistence of the parasite may be conditioned by host species community composition and the permissiveness of each host population/community to the circulation of individual “strains,” among other factors. Wildlife–livestock interactions and the role of human-driven introduction or trade of wild and domestic animals should be better investigated to prevent further spread of sarcoptic mange in as yet unaffected natural areas of the Iberian Peninsula.

scholarly journals Co-benefits associated with public support for climate-friendly COVID-19 recovery policies and political activism

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (05) ◽  
pp. A08
Author(s):  
Jagadish Thaker ◽  
Brian Floyd
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Using Data

Scientists highlight that actions that address environmental protection and climate change can also help with reducing infectious disease threats. Results using data from a national sample survey in New Zealand indicate that perceptions of co-benefits of actions to address environmental protection that also protect against infectious disease outbreaks such as the coronavirus is associated with policy support and political engagement. This association was partly mediated through perceived collective efficacy. Local councils with higher level of community collective efficacy were more likely to declare climate emergency. Communication about potential co-benefits is likely to shape public engagement and enact policy change.

scholarly journals Are Artificial Intelligence (AI) And Machine Learning (ML) Having An Effective Role In Helping Humanity Address The New Coronavirus Pandemic?

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Hospital Capacity ◽  
Data Engineering ◽  
Clinical Presentations ◽  
The Face ◽  
Effective Role ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Right

COVID-19 has become a pandemic affecting the most of countries in the world. One of the most difficult decisions doctors face during the Covid-19 epidemic is determining which patients will stay in hospital, and which are safe to recover at home. In the face of overcrowded hospital capacity and an entirely new disease with little data-based evidence for diagnosis and treatment, the old rules for determining which patients should be admitted have proven ineffective. But machine learning can help make the right decision early, save lives and lower healthcare costs. So, there is therefore an urgent and imperative need to collect data describing clinical presentations, risks, epidemiology and outcomes. On the other side, artificial intelligence(AI) and machine learning(ML) are considered a strong firewall against outbreaks of diseases and epidemics due to its ability to quickly detect, examine and diagnose these diseases and epidemics.AI is being used as a tool to support the fight against the epidemic that swept the entire world since the beginning of 2020.. This paper presents the potential for using data engineering, ML and AI to confront the Coronavirus, predict the evolution of disease outbreaks, and conduct research in order to develop a vaccine or effective treatment that protects humanity from these deadly diseases.

Effects of emerging infectious diseases on host population genetics: a review

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1235-1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald T. McKnight ◽  
Lin Schwarzkopf ◽  
Ross A. Alford ◽  
Deborah S. Bower ◽  
Kyall R. Zenger
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Host Population

scholarly journals Emerging infectious pathogens of wildlife

2001 ◽  
Vol 356 (1411) ◽  
pp. 1001-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Dobson ◽  
J. Foufopoulos
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Basic Reproductive Number ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Emerging Pathogens ◽  
Emergent Pathogen ◽  
Insight Into

The first part of this paper surveys emerging pathogens of wildlife recorded on the ProMED Web site for a 2–year period between 1998 and 2000. The majority of pathogens recorded as causing disease outbreaks in wildlife were viral in origin. Anthropogenic activities caused the outbreaks in a significant majority of cases. The second part of the paper develops some matrix models for quantifying the basic reproductive number, R 0 , for a variety of potential types of emergent pathogen that cause outbreaks in wildlife. These analyses emphasize the sensitivity of R 0 to heterogeneities created by either the spatial structure of the host population, or the ability of the pathogens to utilize multiple host species. At each stage we illustrate how the approach provides insight into the initial dynamics of emergent pathogens such as canine parvovirus, Lyme disease, and West Nile virus in the United States.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document