A5069294286- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- interferon and immune responses
- T-cell and B-cell Immunology
- Retinal Imaging and Analysis
- Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Immune Response and Inflammation
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Immune Cell Function and Interaction
- Glaucoma and retinal disorders
- Rabbits: Nutrition, Reproduction, Health
- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Retinal and Optic Conditions
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Virus-based gene therapy research
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Influenza Virus Research Studies
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Retinal Diseases and Treatments
- Animal Nutrition and Physiology
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
Health Education North West
2025
Stoke Mandeville Hospital
2024
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
2024
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
2014-2023
Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness
2014-2023
CSIRO Health and Biosecurity
2016-2022
Rowan University
2020
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital
2020
University of New Mexico
2004-2015
Cancer Treatment Centers of America
2014
Bats are the only mammals capable of sustained flight and notorious reservoir hosts for some world's most highly pathogenic viruses, including Nipah, Hendra, Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). To identify genetic changes associated with development bat-specific traits, we performed whole-genome sequencing comparative analyses two distantly related species, fruit bat Pteropus alecto insectivorous Myotis davidii. We discovered an unexpected concentration positively selected genes...
Bats harbor many emerging and reemerging viruses, several of which are highly pathogenic in other mammals but cause no clinical signs disease bats. To determine the role interferons (IFNs) ability bats to coexist with we sequenced type I IFN locus Australian black flying fox, Pteropus alecto, providing what is, our knowledge, first gene map region any bat species. Our results reveal a contracted family consisting only 10 IFNs, including three functional IFN-α loci. Furthermore, genes...
The United Nations (UN) launched the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to address an ongoing crisis: human pressure leading unprecedented environmental degradation, climatic change, social inequality, and other negative planet-wide consequences. This crisis stems from a dramatic increase in appropriation of natural resources keep pace with rapid population growth, dietary shifts toward higher consumption animal products, demand energy (1, 2). There is increased recognition that Goals...
The first sequenced marsupial genome promises to reveal unparalleled insights into mammalian evolution. We have used the Monodelphis domestica (gray short-tailed opossum) sequence construct map of a major histocompatibility complex (MHC). MHC is most gene-dense region and critical immunity reproductive success. bridges phylogenetic gap between eutherian mammals minimal essential birds. Here we show that opossum gene dense complex, as in humans, but shares more organizational features with...
Bats are reservoir hosts of many important viruses that cause substantial disease in humans, including coronaviruses, filoviruses, lyssaviruses and henipaviruses. The do not appear to the bats, thus an explanation for dichotomous outcomes infections humans bat reservoirs remains be determined. have a few unusual features may account these differences, evidence constitutive interferon (IFN) activation greater combinatorial diversity immunoglobulin genes undergo affinity maturation. We propose...
Bats are the natural reservoir host for a range of emerging and re-emerging viruses, including SARS-like coronaviruses, Ebola henipaviruses Rabies viruses. However, mechanisms responsible control viral replication in bats not understood there is little information available on any aspect antiviral immunity bats. Massively parallel sequencing bat transcriptome provides opportunity rapid gene discovery. Although genomes one megabat microbat have now been sequenced to low coverage, no...
Cerebral microvascular disease may be a risk factor for the development of dementia in elderly persons. We describe association retinal signs with cognitive function and among older individuals.In population-based Cardiovascular Health Study, 2211 persons aged 69 to 97 years at recruitment had photography. Photographs were evaluated retinopathy (eg, microaneurysms, hemorrhages), focal arteriolar narrowing, arteriovenous nicking, venular caliber. Cognitive status was determined from...
Abstract This study aimed to determine whether retinal fractal dimension, a quantitative measure of microvascular branching complexity and density, is associated with lacunar stroke. A total 392 patients presenting acute ischemic stroke had dimension measured from digital photographs, infarct ascertained brain imaging. After adjusting for age, gender, vascular risk factors, higher (highest vs lowest quartile per standard deviation increase) was independently positively (odds ratio [OR],...
Objective: To describe the association of cognitive function and dementia with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in older individuals.Methods: This population-based study included 2088 persons aged 69 to 97 years who participated Cardiovascular Health Study.The AMD was assessed from retinal photographs based on a modified Wisconsin grading system.Cognitive using Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) Modified Mini-Mental State Examination.Participants were also evaluated for...
Bats are known to harbor a number of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic viruses, many which highly pathogenic in other mammals but result no clinical symptoms bats. The ability bats coexist with viruses may be the rapid control viral replication early immune response. IFNs provide first line defense against infection vertebrates. Type III (IFN-λs) recently identified IFN family that share similar antiviral activities type I IFNs. To our knowledge, we demonstrate functional analysis from any...
As the only flying mammal, bats harbor a number of emerging and re-emerging viruses, many which cause severe diseases in humans other mammals yet result no clinical symptoms bats. master regulator interferon (IFN)-dependent immune response, IFN regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) plays central role innate antiviral immunity. To explore bat IRF7 regulation we performed sequence functional analysis from pteropid bat, Pteropus alecto. Our results demonstrate that retains ability to bind MyD88 activate...
Within host-parasite communities, viral co-circulation and co-infections of hosts are the norm, yet studies significant emerging zoonoses tend to focus on a single parasite species within host. Using multiplexed paramyxovirus bead-based PCR urine samples from Australian flying foxes, we show that multi-viral shedding fox populations is common. We detected up nine bat paramyxoviruses shed synchronously. Multi-viral infrequently coalesced into an extreme, brief spatially restricted pulse,...
Bats have attracted attention in recent years as important reservoirs of viruses deadly to humans and other mammals. These infections are typically nonpathogenic bats raising questions about innate immune differences that might exist between The APOBEC3 gene family encodes antiviral DNA cytosine deaminases with roles the suppression diverse genomic parasites. Here, we characterize pteropid genes show species within genus Pteropus possess largest most array identified any mammal reported...
T cells recognize antigens by using cell receptors (TCRs) encoded gene segments, called variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J), that undergo somatic recombination to create diverse binding specificities. Four TCR chains (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) have been identified date, and, as develop in the thymus, they express exclusively either an alphabetaTCR or a gammadeltaTCR heterodimer. Here, we show marsupials additional (TCRmu) has V, D, J are somatically recombined, conventional TCRs,...
Abstract Background All jawed-vertebrates have four T cell receptor (TCR) chains: alpha (TRA), beta (TRB), gamma (TRG) and delta (TRD). Marsupials appear unique by having an additional TCR: mu (TRM). The evolutionary origin of TRM its relationship to other TCR remain obscure, is confounded previous results that support being a hybrid between immunoglobulin locus. availability the first marsupial genome sequence allows investigation these relationships. Results organization conventional loci,...
Bats are natural reservoirs for a spectrum of infectious zoonotic diseases including the recently emerged henipaviruses (Hendra and Nipah viruses). Henipaviruses have been observed both naturally experimentally to cause serious often fatal disease in many different mammal species, humans. Interestingly, infection flying fox with occurs absence clinical disease. The extreme variation pattern between humans bats has led an investigation into effects henipavirus on innate immune response bat...