DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Analysis of host adaptive genetic variation and its role in anthrax dynamics

论文研究：宿主适应性遗传变异及其在炭疽动态中的作用分析

• 批准号: 0910346
• 负责人: Wayne Getz
• 金额: $ 1.48万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2012-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0910346&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Analysis; host; adaptive

Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) is a highly infectious disease that threatens human health, agricultural production, and biodiversity. It occurs in episodic outbreaks in wild and domestic hoofed herbivores, and also in carnivores and humans. Genetic studies suggest anthrax originated in sub-Saharan Africa and then spread globally. Today, the number and severity of anthrax outbreaks in human, livestock, and wildlife populations have increased worldwide. Still, little is known about what drives the observed patterns of anthrax occurrence across populations and species. A host's ability to respond to bacterial infection depends on inherent genetic factors. Genetic diversity may be particularly important in functional genes, such as those involved in general immune response or specific to anthrax. The goal of this research is to investigate how variation in host genes is related to anthrax susceptibility within and across African wildlife species. The researchers will assess genetic data from a spectrum of resistant to susceptible host species in Etosha National Parka, Namibia, particularly the diversity in the Major Histocompatibility Complex and of an anthrax toxin receptor gene that plays a critical role in anthrax progression. The broader impacts of this research relate to the fact that managing anthrax is a global priority and the results of this work could greatly improve local control efforts in Namibia and other regions of the world. Further, the work will contribute to the development of a comprehensive predictive model of anthrax dynamics that can be used to evaluate management efforts related to vaccination, confinement, or culling of hosts, as well as build the research capacity of Namibian institutions.

炭疽病是一种危害人类健康、农业生产和生物多样性的高度传染性疾病。它在野生和家养有蹄类食草动物以及食肉动物和人类中偶尔爆发。遗传学研究表明，炭疽起源于撒哈拉以南非洲，然后在全球传播。今天，炭疽病在人类、牲畜和野生动物群体中爆发的数量和严重程度在全世界范围内都有所增加。尽管如此，人们对观察到的炭疽病在人群和物种中发生的模式知之甚少。宿主对细菌感染的反应能力取决于固有的遗传因素。遗传多样性在功能基因中可能特别重要，例如那些参与一般免疫反应或炭疽特异性的基因。 这项研究的目的是调查宿主基因的变异如何与非洲野生动物物种内部和之间的炭疽易感性有关。 研究人员将评估来自纳米比亚埃托沙国家公园的一系列抵抗易感宿主物种的遗传数据，特别是主要组织相容性复合体和炭疽毒素受体基因的多样性，该基因在炭疽进展中起着关键作用。这项研究的更广泛影响涉及到管理炭疽是一个全球优先事项，这项工作的结果可以大大改善纳米比亚和世界其他地区的地方控制工作。此外，这项工作将有助于开发一个全面的炭疽动态预测模型，可用于评估与接种疫苗、隔离或扑杀宿主有关的管理工作，以及建设纳米比亚机构的研究能力。