LANDSCAPE GENETICS OF RODENT-BORNE ZOONOSES

 

Supervisor: Dr Christina Faust, School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine

Rodents are a diverse group of mammals that happily live alongside or within human spaces. They provide important ecosystem functions - but can also carry zoonotic pathogens that spillover and infect humans. There is some uncertainty in where and when spillover is likely to occur. Rodents that have fast life histories (early age of maturation, large litters) are more likely to colonize and thrive in human-altered landscapes. These characteristics are also associated with higher likelihood of a species harbouring a zoonotic pathogen. Although land-use change has been associated with increase in abundance of certain rodent species and higher incidence of zoonotic pathogens, the underlying mechanisms are still not well characterized.

We use two study systems to identify changes in zoonotic pathogen incidence in rodent populations:

  1. In eastern Uganda, we have a large landscape study to characterise the environmental and spatial determinants of rodent community composition and species abundance. In this system, Capillaria hepatica, a zoonotic nematode, occurs in 20-95% of rodents – dependent on land use. We use multiple sites to understand how time since land conversation affects the colonization and transmission of this generalist nematode.
  2. In Scotland, we focus on restored woodlands support rodent populations and the cascading implications for RNA viruses. Although no species are zoonotic, we use the different virus characteristics to understand environmental and host determinants of transmission dynamics. 

Although there has been a surge of research interest in zoonotic pathogen spillover – and particularly in identifying drivers of the initial phases, we still lack basic understanding of reservoir host transmission dynamics. Without mechanistic understanding, nature-based solutions to improve human, wildlife and ecosystem health are impossible to effectively design.

This project will focus on the generation and analysis of population genetic data for rodent hosts paired with parasite and virus community data. The student will have access to archived samples and can participate in ongoing rodent field sampling, if of interest. Specific objectives will depend on the students’ interest and there is scope for tagential research questions. Potential objectives include:

  • Comparison of Mastomys mice population structure and parasitic Capillaria hepatica nematode population structure. of genetic variation in burnetii - detected from multiple hosts sampled in both the UK and Tanzania
  • Characterization of zoonotic helminths across a land use gradient in Uganda.
  • Analysis of metagenomic RNA virus data from rodents in woodlands of different ages and/or agroforesty practices.

Training opportunities will include molecular lab techniques, analyses of spatial data linked to population genetic data, and epidemiological modelling. Research will be conducted with colleagues in the School of Biodiversity One Health and Veterinary Medicine and external partners.