A5016306581- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Helminth infection and control
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Parasites and Host Interactions
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Coccidia and coccidiosis research
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Gut microbiota and health
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Biomedical Text Mining and Ontologies
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- scientometrics and bibliometrics research
- Parasitic infections in humans and animals
- Dengue and Mosquito Control Research
University of Sheffield
2022-2024
University of Edinburgh
2019-2024
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
2015-2023
National Institutes of Health
2015-2023
Institut de Biologia Evolutiva
2020-2023
Georgetown University
2022-2023
Georgetown University Medical Center
2022-2023
Center for Global Health
2022-2023
Ashworth College
2021-2022
Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution
2019-2021
Abstract All parasites are heterogeneous in space, yet little is known about the prevalence and scale of this spatial variation, particularly wild animal systems. To address question, we sought to identify examine dependence wildlife disease across a wide range Conducting broad literature search, collated 31 datasets featuring 89 replicates 71 unique host–parasite combinations, only 51% which had previously been used test hypotheses. We analysed these for within standardised modelling...
Abstract Exposure and susceptibility underlie every organism's infection status, an untold diversity of factors can drive variation in both. Often, both exposure change response to a given factor, they interact, such that their relative contributions observed disease dynamics are obscured. These independent interlinked changes often complicate empirical inference ecology ecoimmunology. Although many studies address this problem, it is implicit rather than explicit requires specific set tools...
The growing threat of vector-borne diseases, highlighted by recent epidemics, has prompted increased focus on the fundamental biology vector-virus interactions. To this end, experiments are often most reliable way to measure vector competence (the potential for arthropod vectors transmit certain pathogens). Data from these critical understand outbreak risk, but - despite having been collected and reported a large range vector-pathogen combinations terminology is inconsistent, records...
Gastrointestinal (GI) helminths are common parasites of humans, wildlife, and livestock, causing chronic infections. In humans poor nutrition or limited resources can compromise an individual's immune response, predisposing them to higher helminth burdens. This relationship has been tested in laboratory models by investigating infection outcomes following reductions specific nutrients. However, much less is known about how diet supplementation impact susceptibility infection, acquisition...
Parasite diversity is a central component of epidemiological dynamics. commonly studied across animal populations and species using metrics like parasite richness; although these generally assume no interactions among within community, such are common important, could affect estimates in ways that currently difficult to account for. Nevertheless, the strength effects unclear due relative rarity community-level interaction data. To address this gap, we use theoretical models explore how...
Abstract The fields of viral ecology and evolution are rapidly expanding, motivated in part by concerns around emerging zoonoses. One consequence is the proliferation host–virus association data, which underpin macroecology zoonotic risk prediction but remain fragmented across numerous data portals. In present article, we propose that synthesis a central challenge to characterize global virome develop foundational theory ecology. To illustrate this, build an open database mammal associations...
Abstract The adaptive immune system is critical to an effective response infection in vertebrates, with T-helper (Th) cells pivotal orchestrating these responses. In natural populations where co-infections are the norm, different Th responses likely play important role maintaining host health and fitness, a relationship which remains poorly understood wild animals. this study, we characterised variation functionally distinct population of Soay sheep by enumerating expressing Th-subset...
ABSTRACT Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and metabarcoding approaches are increasingly applied to wild animal populations, but there is a disconnect between the widely generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) commonly used study phenotypic variation statistical toolkit from community ecology typically data. Here, we describe suitability of novel GLMM-based approach for analyzing taxon-specific sequence read counts derived standard This allows decomposition contribution different drivers in...
Abstract The fields of viral ecology and evolution have rapidly expanded in the last two decades, driven by technological improvements, motivated efforts to discover potentially zoonotic wildlife viruses under rubric pandemic prevention. One consequence has been a massive proliferation host-virus association data, which comprise backbone research macroecology risk prediction. These data remain fragmented across numerous portals projects, each with their own scope, structure, reporting...
Abstract High population density should drive individuals to more frequently share space and interact, producing better-connected spatial social networks. Despite this widely-held assumption, it remains unconfirmed how local generally drives individuals’ positions within wild animal We analysed 34 datasets of simultaneous behaviour in >55,000 individual animals, spanning 28 species fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects. >80% systems exhibited strongly positive relationships between...
Abstract Host–parasite interactions in nature are driven by a range of factors across several ecological scales, so observed relationships often context‐dependent. Importantly, if these vary space and time, practical sampling limitations can limit or bias inferences, the relative importance different drivers be hard to discern. Here we ask what degree environmental, host within‐host influences on parasitism shaped spatiotemporal variation. We used replicated, longitudinal dataset >1,500...
Abstract Within-year variation in infection is a ubiquitous feature of natural populations, but determined by complex interplay environmental, parasitological and host factors. At the same time, co-infection norm wild. Longitudinal dynamics co-infecting parasites may therefore be further complicated covariation across multiple parasites. Here, we used fecal parasite egg oocyst counts collected repeatedly from individually marked wild Soay sheep to investigate seasonal six gastrointestinal...
Individuals are often co-infected with several parasite species, yet measuring within-host interactions remains difficult in the wild. Consequently, impacts of such on host fitness and epidemiology unknown. We used anthelmintic drugs to experimentally reduce nematode infection measured effects both nematodes important zoonosis Sin Nombre virus (SNV) its primary reservoir ( Peromyscus spp.). Treatment significantly reduced infection, but increased SNV seroprevalence. Furthermore, mice that...
Monitoring the prevalence and abundance of parasites over time is important for addressing their potential impact on host life histories, immunological profiles influence as a selective force. Only long-term ecological studies have to shed light both temporal trends in infection drivers such trends, because ability dissect that may be confounded shorter scales. Despite this, only relatively small number exist. Here, we analysed changes gastrointestinal wild Soay sheep population St. Kilda...
Abstract Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasites play an important role in the ecological dynamics of many animal populations. Recent studies suggest that fine‐scale spatial variation GIN infection is wildlife systems, but environmental drivers underlying this remain poorly understood. We used data from over two decades parasite egg counts, host space use, and vegetation a long‐term study Soay sheep on St Kilda to test how autocorrelation individual's home range predict burden across three...
Animal sociality emerges from individual decisions on how to balance the costs and benefits of being sociable. Novel pathogens introduced into wildlife populations should increase sociality, selecting against gregariousness. Using an individual-based model that captures essential features pathogen transmission among social hosts, we show novel introduction provokes rapid evolutionary emergence coexistence distinct movement strategies. These strategies differ in they trade information risk...
Abstract High density should drive greater parasite exposure. However, evidence linking with infection generally uses proxies, rather than of individuals per space within a continuous population. We used long-term study wild sheep to link within-population spatiotemporal variation in host individual counts. Although four parasites exhibited strong positive relationships local density, these were mostly restricted juveniles and faded adults. Further, one ectoparasite showed negative across...
Abstract The world is rapidly urbanising, inviting mounting concern that urban environments will experience increased zoonotic disease risk. Urban animals could have more frequent contact with humans, and therefore may transmit parasites; however, these a specific set of underlying traits determine their parasite burdens while predisposing them to living, they be subject intense research effort, both which complicate our ability reliably identify the role urbanisation in driving Here, we...