Collaborative Research: Managing epidemics in wildlife with acquired resistance

传染病对许多野生动物构成严重威胁。虽然疫苗接种是预防人类和牲畜疾病的成功工具，但很少用于控制野生动物疾病。这部分是因为对野生动物的免疫力及其对大量人口的影响缺乏了解。该奖项将通过研究青蛙对真菌Batrachochytrium dendrobatim（Bd）的免疫力来解决这些知识空白。Bd感染已经导致了世界范围内青蛙数量的严重下降。最近的研究表明，青蛙暴露于死亡的Bd成为抵抗未来的感染。他们认为青蛙的免疫系统可以用来对抗Bd。该奖项将数学理论与实验室和田间实验相结合，以了解青蛙对Bd的获得性抗性的相关性，并评估通过刺激对真菌的获得性抗性来管理野生种群爆发的潜力。这项研究的结果将有助于开发和测试一种新的，广泛适用的理论，在野生动物流行病的管理。因此，这项工作将有助于遏制生物多样性的丧失。研究人员将与从事青蛙保护工作的团体分享他们的研究结果，并为不同的科学家群体提供多学科培训。将开发并向公众提供以计算机为基础的教学工具，说明通过接种疫苗管理野生动物疾病。人们对野生动物获得性耐药性的认识不足，缺乏野生动物疫苗接种的理论基础。这些生理学和生态学上的差距将在目前的研究中使用两栖动物和壶菌，Bd。 选择Bd进行研究是因为这种病原体导致全球两栖动物减少，最近发现两栖动物在接触死亡的Bd后获得免疫抵抗力。该奖项将数学理论与实验室和田间实验相结合，以i）表征Bd抗性在宿主生命阶段的获得和维持，ii）评估负责个体抗性的免疫机制以及它们的存在是否预测种群水平的结果，iii）确定抗性是否可以在野生种群中诱导，iv）如果可以，这能否改变整个生态系统实验种群中的流行病和宿主持久性-这一结果对野生动物保护具有广泛意义。该项目将免疫机制和个人水平的特征与人口和社区水平的疾病结果联系起来。它推进了宿主-寄生虫相互作用的基本知识，同时有助于遏制疾病导致的全球生物多样性丧失。这项研究的结果将传播给保护伙伴，以帮助限制壶菌病的传播。这项研究将促进在生理学，生态学和数学生物学的不同科学家群体的培训。计算机模块，说明一般和两栖类特定的疾病管理的结果，通过获得性免疫将被纳入教学，并公开提供。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to many wild animals. While vaccination is a successful tool against diseases of humans and livestock, it is rarely used to control wildlife diseases. This is partly because of a poor understanding of immunity in wild animals and its impact across a large population. This award will address these gaps in knowledge by studying the immunity acquired by frogs against a fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Bd infection has caused a severe decline in frog numbers around the world. Recent studies have shown that frogs exposed to dead Bd become resistant to future infection. They suggest that the immune system of frogs can be harnessed to fight Bd. This award combines mathematical theory with laboratory and field experiments to understand the correlates of acquired resistance to Bd in frogs and assess the potential for managing outbreaks in wild populations by stimulating acquired resistance to the fungus. Results of this study will facilitate the development and testing of a novel, widely applicable theory for the management of epidemics in wildlife. Consequently, this work will help to curb losses of biodiversity. Researchers will share their results with groups working on frog conservation and provide multi-disciplinary training to a diverse group of scientists. Computer-based teaching tools that illustrate wildlife disease management through vaccination will be developed and made publicly available. There is poor understanding of acquired resistance in wild animals and a scarcity of theory underlying wildlife vaccination. These gaps in physiology and ecology will be addressed in the current research using amphibians and the chytrid fungus, Bd. Bd is selected for study because this pathogen contributes to global amphibian declines and the recent discovery that amphibians acquire immunological resistance following exposure to dead Bd. This award integrates mathematical theory with laboratory and field experiments to i) characterize the acquisition and maintenance of Bd resistance across host life stages, ii) evaluate the immunological mechanisms responsible for individual resistance and whether their presence predicts population-level outcomes, iii) determine if resistance can be induced in wild populations, and iv) if so, can this alter epidemics and host persistence in a whole-ecosystem experiment populations - an outcome of broad significance for wildlife conservation. This project links immunological mechanisms and individual-level traits to population- and community-level disease outcomes. It advances fundamental knowledge of host-parasite interactions while helping to curb disease-driven worldwide losses of biodiversity. Results of this research will be disseminated to conservation partners to help limit the spread of chytridiomycosis. This research will facilitate the training of a diverse group of scientists in physiology, ecology, and mathematical biology. Computer modules that illustrate general and amphibian-specific outcomes of disease management via acquired immunity will be integrated into teaching and made publicly available.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.