Leveraging natural history biorepositories as a global, decentralized, pathogen surveillance network

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009583
• Publication Date: 2021-06-03T17:24:31Z
• Authors: Jocelyn P. Colella; John Bates; Santiago F. Burneo; M. Alejandra Camacho; Carlos Carrion Bo...; Isabel Constable; Guillermo D’Elía; Jonathan L. Dunnum; Stephen Greiman; Eric P. Hoberg; Enrique Lessa; Schuyler W. Liphardt; Manuela Londoño-G...; Elizabeth Losos; Holly L. Lutz; Nicté Ordóñez Garza; A. Townsend Peterson; María Laura Martin; Camila C. Ribas; Bruce Struminger; Fernando Torres-P...; Cody W. Thompson; Marcelo Weksler; Joseph A. Cook
• Keywords: Biosecurity; Biorepository; Identification

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic reveals a major gap in global biosecurity infrastructure: lack of publicly available biological samples representative across space, time, and taxonomic diversity. shortfall, this case for vertebrates, prevents accurate rapid identification monitoring emerging pathogens their reservoir host(s) precludes extended investigation ecological, evolutionary, environmental associations that lead to human infection or spillover. Natural history museum biorepositories form the backbone critically needed, decentralized, network zoonotic pathogen surveillance, yet infrastructure remains marginally developed, underutilized, underfunded, disconnected from public health initiatives. Proactive detection mitigation infectious diseases (EIDs) requires expanded biodiversity training (particularly biodiverse lower income countries) new communication pipelines connect biomedical communities. To end, we highlight novel adaptation Project ECHO’s virtual community practice model: Museums Emerging Pathogens Americas (MEPA). MEPA is aimed at fostering communication, coordination, collaborative problem-solving among researchers, officials, Americas. now acts as model effective international, interdisciplinary collaboration can should be replicated other hotspots. We encourage deposition wildlife specimens associated data with biorepositories, regardless original collection purpose, urge embrace specimen sources, types, uses maximize strategic growth utility EID research. Taxonomically, geographically, temporally deep biorepository archives serve foundation proactive increasingly predictive approach spillover, risk assessment, threat mitigation.