A5002649395- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Bird parasitology and diseases
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Data-Driven Disease Surveillance
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Study of Mite Species
- Advanced Data Storage Technologies
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Scientific Computing and Data Management
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Helminth infection and control
- Parasites and Host Interactions
Oklahoma State University
2023-2025
Savannah River National Laboratory
2024
University of Georgia
2024
University of Otago
2019-2023
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
2017-2021
The frequency of infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics is rising, demanding an understanding their drivers. Common wisdom suggests that increases in outbreak are driven by socioeconomic factors such as globalization urbanization, yet, the majority caused zoonotic pathogens can be transmitted from animals to humans, suggesting important role ecological environmental Previous studies drivers have also failed quantify differences between major classes pathogens, bacterial viral pathogens....
Migration has an important impact on the transmission of pathogens. Migratory birds disperse parasites through their routes and may consequently introduce them to new areas hosts. Hence, haemosporidian parasites, which are among most prevalent, diverse bird pathogens, potentially dispersed when infecting migrant Further, hosts could enhance local parasite prevalence richness by transporting strains areas. Here, we hypothesize aim evaluate if 1) migratory spread lineages along routes, 2)...
New Zealand/Aotearoa has many endemic passerine birds vulnerable to emerging infectious diseases. Yet little is known about viruses in passerines, and some countries, including Zealand, the virome of wild passerines been only scarcely researched. Using metatranscriptomic sequencing we characterised Zealand introduced species passerine. Accordingly, identified 34 possible avian from cloacal swabs 12 bird not showing signs disease. These included a novel siadenovirus, iltovirus, avastrovirus...
Anthropogenic modifications to the landscape have altered several ecological processes worldwide, creating new boundaries at human/wildlife interface. Outbreaks of zoonotic pathogens often occur these boundaries, but mechanisms behind emergences remain drastically understudied. Here, we test for influence two types ecosystem on spillover risk: (1) biotic transition zones such as species range edges and transitions between ecoregions (2) land use where wild landscapes in close proximity...
Abstract
Ebolaviruses have the ability to infect a wide variety of species, with many African mammals potentially serving either as primary reservoirs or secondary amplifying hosts. Previous work has shown that frugivorous bats and primates are often associated spillover outbreaks. Yet role patterns biodiversity, mammalian hosts common fruiting species such Ficus (figs, fruit resources used by species), play in driving outbreak risk remains unclear. We investigated what factors most directly...
Abstract Feeding backyard birds with sugar water is increasingly popular in urban areas, but it has poorly understood effects on bird assemblages. In New Zealand, ca. 20% of households engaged feeding wild use water, often an attempt to attract native, nectarivorous birds. Developing best practices for could be a powerful tool attracting these species areas. However, currently unclear whether feeders actually support native species, and, if so, which are most effective increasing visitation....
Anthropogenic changes can have dramatic effects on wild populations. Moreover, by promoting the emergence of vector-borne diseases in many ecosystems, those lead to local extinction native wildlife. One diseases, avian malaria, has been shown be rise New Zealand, threatening bird species that are among most extinction-prone world. It is thus prime importance better understand potential cascading anthropogenic modifications fragile species. Here, we aim test how long-lasting modification...
Animals adopt a range of avoidance strategies to reduce their exposure parasites and the associated cost infection. If strong selective pressures from are sustained over many generations, may gradually evolve phenotypically plastic, or individually variable, fixed, species-wide traits. Over time, host species possessing effective infection traits lose parasite species. Indeed, if overcoming is too costly, i.e. individuals that become rarely encountered difficult infect, generalist opt out...
The past few decades have been marked by drastic modifications to the landscape anthropogenic processes, leading increased variability in environment. For populations that thrive at their distributional boundaries, these changes can affect them drastically, as Schmalhausen’s law predicts dynamics are more likely be susceptible environmental variation. Recently, this evolutionary theory has put test vector-borne disease emergences systems, and demonstrated effective predicting emergence...
Abstract The past few years have seen a noticeable increase in the emergence of infectious diseases wildlife, especially vector‐borne diseases, presenting challenge for conservation endangered species. One such disease, avian malaria ( Plasmodium spp.) is on rise New Zealand avifauna, threatening bird populations that are among most extinction‐prone world. Furthermore, recent reports outlined an deaths native iconic species specifically due to this disease. In order help manage breakouts...