Project 2 - Center for Transformative Infectious Disease Research (CTIDR)

PROJECT 2 SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) are a significant human health burden around the world and are linked with extreme weather events and seasonal changes in temperature and humidity in complex ways. In terms of vector biology, direct linkages can be made in the laboratory setting between weather-related parameters and aspects of vector competence for pathogen transmission. In the field, human behavioral responses to weather fluctuations can also directly impact vector control. Understanding these relationships in the context of modeling traditional parameters and the interplay between humans, animals, and the environment is critical to designing community-based interventions for vulnerable populations. This is the second research project proposed as part of the P20 Center for Transformative Infectious Disease Research (CTIDR). Here, we combine expertise in vectors, pathogens, and genomics to lay the foundational groundwork for longer-term studies by CTIDR on how weather and community practices affect public health, specifically in the realm of weather-sensitive VBDs. In this project, we will have access to samples from field sites at the front lines of emerging VBDs, in addition to state-ofthe art modeling and pathogen genomic technologies. We will draw on support from the community engagement and data cores in order to integrate qualitative data in our models and set up mechanisms to test the efficacy of future interventions. In Aim 1: mosquito-borne diseases (MBD), we will build research capacity within the United States by learning from experts at the University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control’s (UP ISMC) Remote Sensing for Malaria Control in Africa (ReSMaCA). In Aim 2: tick-borne diseases (TBD), we will enhance our understanding of the relationship between community practices, weather, and tickborne disease transmission. We will study the TBD pathogen dynamics between people and the animals they closely interact with in the context of weather parameters and demographic factors. We will use novel sequencing and computational evolutionary approaches to identify signatures of zoonotic transmission that can be linked back to weather-related behaviors and leveraged for diagnostic development to directly benefit the community.