David J. Pascall
A5056553918- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Respiratory viral infections research
- vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- COVID-19 and healthcare impacts
- Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes
- COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Data-Driven Disease Surveillance
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Indigenous Studies and Ecology
University of Cambridge
2021-2025
MRC Biostatistics Unit
2021-2025
University of Exeter
2018-2024
Juniper Networks (United States)
2021-2023
Imperial College London
2022
Glasgow Centre for Population Health
2019-2021
University of Glasgow
2019-2021
Ecology and Ecosystem Health
2020
Global dispersal and increasing frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant D614G are suggestive a selective advantage but may also be due to random founder effect. We investigate hypothesis for positive selection in United Kingdom using more than 25,000 whole genome sequences. Despite availability large dataset, well represented by both 614 variants, not all approaches showed conclusive signal selection. Population genetic analysis indicates that 614G increases relative 614D manner...
<h2>Summary</h2> SARS-CoV-2 can mutate and evade immunity, with consequences for efficacy of emerging vaccines antibody therapeutics. Here, we demonstrate that the immunodominant spike (S) receptor binding motif (RBM) is a highly variable region S provide epidemiological, clinical, molecular characterization prevalent, sentinel RBM mutation, N439K. We N439K protein has enhanced affinity to hACE2 receptor, viruses have similar <i>in vitro</i> replication fitness cause infections clinical...
Vaccines based on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 are a cornerstone public health response to COVID-19. The emergence hypermutated, increasingly transmissible variants concern (VOCs) threaten this strategy. Omicron (B.1.1.529), fifth VOC be described, harbours multiple amino acid mutations in spike, half which lie within receptor-binding domain. Here we demonstrate substantial evasion neutralization by BA.1 and BA.2 vitro using sera from individuals vaccinated with ChAdOx1, BNT162b2...
Summary Global dispersal and increasing frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein variant D614G are suggestive a selective advantage but may also be due to random founder effect. We investigate hypothesis for positive selection in United Kingdom using more than 25,000 whole genome sequences. Despite availability large data set, well represented by both 614 variants, not all approaches showed conclusive signal selection. Population genetic analysis indicates that 614G increases relative 614D...
Abstract Vaccines based on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 are a cornerstone public health response to COVID-19. The emergence hypermutated, increasingly transmissible variants concern (VOCs) threaten this strategy. Omicron, fifth VOC be described, harbours 30 amino acid mutations in including 15 receptor-binding domain. Here, we demonstrate substantial evasion neutralisation by Omicron vitro using sera from vaccinated individuals. Importantly, these data mirrored reduction real-world...
SARS-CoV-2 can mutate to evade immunity, with consequences for the efficacy of emerging vaccines and antibody therapeutics. Herein we demonstrate that immunodominant spike (S) receptor binding motif (RBM) is most divergent region S, provide epidemiological, clinical, molecular characterization a prevalent RBM variant, N439K. We N439K S protein has enhanced affinity hACE2 receptor, virus similar clinical outcomes in vitro replication fitness as compared wild- type. observed mutation resulted...
Abstract The rapid emergence of SARS-CoV-2 mutants with new phenotypic properties is a critical challenge to the control ongoing pandemic. B.1.1.7 was monitored in UK through routine testing and S-gene target failures (SGTF), comprising over 90% cases by March 2021. Now, reverse occurring: SGTF are being replaced an positive variant, which we associate B.1.617.2. Evidence from characteristics demonstrates that, following importation, B.1.617.2 transmitted locally, growing at rate higher than...
ObjectivesTo determine how the intrinsic severity of successively dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants changed over course pandemic.MethodsA retrospective cohort analysis in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC) Health Board. All sequenced non-nosocomial adult COVID-19 cases GGC with relevant lineages (B.1.177/Alpha, Alpha/Delta, AY.4.2 Delta/non-AY.4.2 Delta, non-AY.4.2 Delta/Omicron, BA.1 Omicron/BA.2 Omicron) during periods were included. Outcome measures hospital admission, ICU or death within...
Tick-associated viruses remain a substantial zoonotic risk worldwide, so knowledge of the diversity tick has potential health consequences. Despite their importance, large amounts sequences in public data sets from meta-genomic and -transcriptomic projects unannotated, sequence that could contain undocumented viruses. Through mining bioinformatic analysis more than 37,800 sets, we found 83 unannotated contigs exhibiting high identity with known These putative viral were classified into three...
Objectives The SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant was associated with increased transmission relative to other variants present at the time of its emergence and several studies have shown an association between infection hospitalisation 28-day mortality. However, none addressed impact on maximum severity illness in general population classified by level respiratory support required, or death. We aimed do this. Methods In this retrospective multi-centre clinical cohort sub-study COG-UK consortium, 1475...
Nosocomial, or hospital-acquired, infections are a key determinant of patient health in healthcare facilities, leading to longer stays and increased mortality. In addition the direct effects on infected patients, burden imposed by nosocomial impacts both staff other patients increasing load system. The appropriate infection control response may differ depending whether was acquired hospital community. For example, outbreaks require ward closures reduce risk onward transmission, whilst this...
Insects are under pressure from agricultural intensification. To protect pollinators, conservation measures such as the EU agri-environment schemes (AES) promote planting wildflowers along fields. However, this can potentially alter disease ecology by serving transmission hubs or diluting infections. We tested measuring plant–pollinator interactions and virus infections (DWV-A, DWV-B ABPV) across pollinator communities in landscapes over a year. AES had direct effect on DWV-B, reducing...
Latent personality traits underpinning observed behavioral variation have been studied in a great many species. However, lack of standardized assays, coupled to common reliance on inferring from single, observed, trait makes it difficult determine if, when, and how conclusions can be directly compared across taxa. Here, we estimate the among-individual (co)variance structure (ID) for set four behaviors expressed an open field trial, putatively indicative boldness, seven species small...
When comparing the risk of a post-infection binary outcome, for example, hospitalisation, two variants an infectious pathogen, it is important to adjust calendar time infection. Typically, infection unknown and positive test used as proxy it. Positive may also be when assessing how outcome changes over time. We show that if from correlated with conditional on function trajectory incidence. Hence, ratio adjusted can quite different propose simple sensitivity analysis indicates ratios differ....
Abstract Diagnostics for COVID-19 detection are limited in many settings. Syndromic surveillance is often the only means to identify cases but lacks specificity. Rapid antigen testing inexpensive and easy-to-deploy can lack sensitivity. We examine how combining these approaches improve guiding interventions low-income communities Dhaka, Bangladesh. Rapid-antigen-testing with PCR validation was performed on 1172 symptomatically-identified individuals their homes. Statistical models were...
The mechanisms underlying virus emergence are rarely well understood, making the appearance of outbreaks largely unpredictable. Bluetongue serotype 8 (BTV-8), an arthropod-borne ruminants, emerged in livestock northern Europe 2006, spreading to most European countries by 2009 and causing losses billions euros. Although outbreak was successfully controlled through vaccination early 2010, puzzlingly, a closely related BTV-8 strain re-emerged France 2015, triggering second that is still...
Viruses are key population regulators, but we have limited knowledge of the diversity and ecology viruses. This is even case in wild host populations that provide ecosystem services, where small fitness effects may major ecological impacts aggregate. One such group hosts bumblebees, which a role pollination food crops suffered declines range contractions recent decades. In this study, investigate four recently discovered bumblebee viruses (Mayfield virus 1, Mayfield 2, River Liunaeg virus,...
Abstract Why a pathogen associates with one host but not another is of the most important questions in disease ecology. Here we use transcriptome sequencing wild-caught bumblebees from 13 species to describe their natural viruses, and quantify impact evolutionary history on realised associations between viruses pollinator hosts. We present 37 novel virus sequences representing at least 30 different associated bumblebees. verified 17 them by PCR estimate prevalence across wild. Through small...
Density-dependent competition for food influences the foraging behaviour and demography of colonial animals, but how this influence varies across a species’ latitudinal range is poorly understood. Here we used satellite tracking from 21 Northern Gannet Morus bassanus colonies (39% worldwide, supporting 73% global population) during chick-rearing to test trip characteristics (distance duration) covary with colony size (138–60 953 breeding pairs) latitude 89% their (46.81–71.23° N). Tracking...
Abstract Objectives The SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant was associated with increased transmission relative to other variants present at the time of its emergence and several studies have shown an association between infection hospitalisation 28-day mortality. However, none addressed impact on maximum severity illness in general population classified by level respiratory support required, or death. We aimed do this. Methods In this retrospective multi-centre clinical cohort sub-study COG-UK...
Abstract When comparing the risk of a post-infection binary outcome, e.g. hospitalisation, for two variants an infectious pathogen, it is important to adjust calendar time infection avoid confounding that would occur if relative incidence and variant-specific risks outcome both change over time. Infection typically unknown positive test used instead. Likewise, may be instead when assessing how changes Here we show mean from correlated with conditional on depends whether increasing or...
Abstract Objective To determine how the severity of successively dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants changed over course COVID-19 pandemic. Design Retrospective cohort analysis. Setting Community- and hospital-sequenced cases in NHS Greater Glasgow Clyde (NHS GG&C) Health Board. Participants All sequenced non-nosocomial adult GG&C infected with relevant lineages during analysis periods. B.1.177/Alpha: 1st November 2020 - 30th January 2021 (n = 1640). Alpha/Delta: April June 5552). AY.4.2...
Nosocomial infections have important consequences for patients and hospital staff: they worsen patient outcomes their management stresses already overburdened health systems. Accurate judgements of whether an infection is nosocomial helps staff make appropriate choices to protect other within the hospital. Nosocomiality cannot be properly assessed without considering infected came into contact with high risk potential infectors We developed a Bayesian model that integrates epidemiological,...