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。部分原因是人们对野生动物的免疫力及其对大量人群的影响了解甚少。该奖项将通过研究青蛙针对真菌 Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) 获得的免疫力来解决这些知识空白。 Bd 感染导致世界各地青蛙数量严重下降。最近的研究表明，暴露于死亡 Bd 的青蛙对未来的感染具有抵抗力。他们建议可以利用青蛙的免疫系统来对抗 Bd。该奖项将数学理论与实验室和现场实验相结合，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控制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颖的、广泛适用的野生动物流行病管理理论。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成果，并为不同的科学家团体提供多学科培训。将开发并公开基于计算机的教学工具，说明通过疫苗接种来管理野生动物疾病。人们对野生动物的获得性耐药性了解甚少，也缺乏野生动物疫苗接种的理论。这些生理学和生态学方面的差距将在当前使用两栖动物和壶菌 Bd 的研究中得到解决。 选择 Bd 进行研究是因为这种病原体会导致全球两栖动物数量下降，而且最近发现两栖动物在接触死 Bd 后会获得免疫抵抗力。该奖项将数学理论与实验室和现场实验相结合，i) 描述宿主生命阶段 Bd 抗性的获得和维持，ii) 评估导致个体抗性的免疫机制以及它们的存在是否可以预测种群水平的结果，iii) 确定是否可以在野生种群中诱导抗性，以及 iv) 如果可以，这是否可以改变整个生态系统实验种群中的流行病和宿主的持久性 - 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体层面的特征与人群和社区层面的疾病结果联系起来。它增进了宿主与寄生虫相互作用的基础知识，同时有助于遏制疾病导致的全球生物多样性丧失。这项研究的结果将分发给保护合作伙伴，以帮助限制壶菌病的传播。这项研究将有助于对生理学、生态学和数学生物学领域的不同科学家群体进行培训。通过获得性免疫来说明疾病管理的一般和两栖动物特定结果的计算机模块将被纳入教学并公开提供。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.