Doctoral Dissertation Research: Linking Population Genetics of Bacillus anthracis with Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Anthrax Outbreaks

博士论文研究：将炭疽杆菌的群体遗传学与炭疽暴发的时空模式联系起来

• 批准号: 1203557
• 负责人: Jason Blackburn
• 金额: $ 0.79万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-05-01 至 2013-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1203557&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Linking; Population

Understanding the ecology of outbreaks of diseases like anthrax as well as associations between landscape ecology and specific bacterial genotypes is essential for improving prevention and control of the disease in wildlife, livestock, and humans. The mechanisms through which the anthrax pathogen is transmitted at fine spatial and temporal scales are poorly characterized. This doctoral dissertation research project will combine molecular analysis of Bacillus anthracis, the causative bacterium of anthrax, with spatio-temporal epizootic data to explore anthrax dynamics in North America across different spatial and temporal scales, multiple genetic sub-lineages, and multiple mammalian host systems. The doctoral student will seek answers to the following questions: Do potential evolutionary changes in B. anthracis from infected animal hosts and necrophagous flies suggest mechanisms of pathogen transmission at a local scale? Are there associations among ecological conditions, epidemiology, and genetic diversity within outbreaks in different ecological settings and host systems? What are the broad scale spatio-temporal patterns of genetic diversity of B. anthracis across two important anthrax foci in North America? The student will use an existing collection of B. anthracis isolates and anthrax epizootic data from ecologically distinct geographic areas. New isolates and epizootic data will be collected from outbreaks occurring during the study period. High-resolution single-nucleotide repeat (SNR) analysis will characterize genetic diversity among and within multiple locus variable number of tandem repeat- (MLVA) defined genotypes across study sites. Trend surface analysis with vector velocity mapping will be used to analyze disease movement through host populations across the landscape and will be overlain with maps of genotypes to evaluate associations between genetic diversity and disease transmission.This project will help fill important gaps in knowledge about anthrax transmission and will specifically evaluate whether genetic analysis can inform spatio-temporal models of anthrax transmission. Anthrax transmission is likely influenced by fine scale environmental characteristics, genetic lineage, host species and behaviors, and arthropods as well as other as-yet-unknown variables. This project will encompass multiple genetic lineages of the pathogen and multiple host systems, including a study area in Texas with annual, enzootic anthrax with wildlife and mixed wildlife/livestock host populations and a study area in Montana experiencing a reemergence of anthrax in wildlife. Project results will provide insight into the genetic diversity and evolution of an important spillover pathogen. The results also will inform public health strategies for prevention of wildlife, livestock, and human disease and will provide insight as to whether strategies should be tailored to the local ecology. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.

了解炭疽等疾病爆发的生态学以及景观生态学与特定细菌基因型之间的关联对于改善野生动物，牲畜和人类疾病的预防和控制至关重要。 炭疽病原体在细微的空间和时间尺度上传播的机制还不清楚。 本博士论文研究项目将联合收割机炭疽芽孢杆菌，炭疽病的病原菌的分子分析，与时空流行病的数据，探讨在北美炭疽动态在不同的空间和时间尺度，多个遗传亚系，和多个哺乳动物宿主系统。 博士生将寻求以下问题的答案：做B潜在的进化变化。来自受感染动物宿主和食尸蝇的炭疽菌表明病原体在局部范围内传播的机制？ 在不同的生态环境和宿主系统中，暴发的生态条件、流行病学和遗传多样性之间是否存在关联？ B群体遗传多样性的大尺度时空格局是什么？在北美两个重要的炭疽病疫源地传播炭疽病？ 学生将使用现有的B集合。炭疽分离株和炭疽流行病数据从生态不同的地理区域。 将从研究期间发生的疫情中收集新的分离株和动物流行病数据。 高分辨率单核苷酸重复序列（SNR）分析将表征各研究中心多个位点可变串联重复序列（MLVA）定义的基因型之间和内部的遗传多样性。 趋势面分析和矢量速度图将用于分析疾病在整个景观中通过宿主种群的移动，并将与基因型图叠加，以评估遗传多样性和疾病传播之间的关联。该项目将有助于填补有关炭疽传播知识的重要空白，并将具体评估遗传分析是否可以为炭疽传播的时空模型提供信息。 炭疽病的传播可能受到环境特征、遗传谱系、宿主物种和行为、节肢动物以及其他未知变量的影响。 该项目将包括病原体的多个遗传谱系和多个宿主系统，包括德克萨斯州的一个研究区，该研究区每年发生野生动物和混合野生动物/牲畜宿主种群的地方性炭疽病，以及蒙大拿州的一个研究区，该研究区正在经历野生动物中炭疽病的重新出现。 项目结果将提供对一种重要的溢出病原体的遗传多样性和进化的深入了解。 研究结果还将为预防野生动物、牲畜和人类疾病的公共卫生战略提供信息，并将为是否应根据当地生态环境制定战略提供见解。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立的研究生涯。