West African Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases

节肢动物传播的病毒（虫媒病毒），如基孔肯雅病毒（CHIKV）和寨卡病毒（ZIKV），以及啮齿动物和 蝙蝠传播的病毒，如拉沙热，可能还有埃博拉病毒，是引起新冠肺炎的最重要原因之一。 传染病，许多在W.非洲这些机制和其他机制 非洲人畜共患病毒的出现和传播仍然模糊，沿着他们的疾病的理解 负担和不同的临床结果。西非新发传染病中心将解决 通过对地方病传播的实地研究和对人类接触的临床研究， 疾病结果。我们对人类和野生动物的监测，包括蝙蝠（丝状病毒的可能宿主， 冠状病毒和亨尼帕病毒）和蚊子/蜱，将可能识别新出现的病毒病原体。 此外，通过在塞内加尔、塞拉利昂和 尼日利亚将沿着提供生物安全/生物安保培训和改进诊断方法， 病毒性疾病和其他传染病的未来爆发。该中心的目标是： 1.在塞内加尔、塞拉利昂和尼日利亚研究人畜共患虫媒病毒，包括鉴定和 关键储存宿主和扩增宿主、地方病和流行病媒介、时间 地方病和流行病的传播模式、人类接触水平、免疫反应和疾病 结果。重点将放在4个“城市”（人类扩增）虫媒病毒：CHIKV，DENV，YFV和 ZIKV，但其他已知和可能未知的病毒也将被研究。将生成风险图。 2.在塞拉利昂和尼日利亚，研究啮齿动物宿主之间的传播以及拉沙病毒对人类的感染 病毒，包括确定出血性疾病严重程度和后遗症结局的病毒决定因素， 并确定了菌株毒力变异的机制。还将绘制风险图。 3.在蝙蝠中进行监测，以确定埃博拉病毒的潜在来源。非洲以及其他已知的 或未知的人畜共患病病原体，包括可能引起人类感染的冠状病毒和亨尼帕病毒 这可能解释了新出现的病原体如尼帕病毒和MERS冠状病毒的起源。 4.建立生物遏制和生物安全培训计划，先进但负担得起的病毒基因组学 能力和全面的诊断，以支持这些目标，以及改善研究 基础设施和未来疫情应对措施。非洲 我们的研究结果将增加对人畜共患病病毒维持和出现的机制的理解， 发热性和出血性疾病的病因，不同的疾病结局，以及当地和国际的风险 传播.可能会发现具有出现潜力的新型病毒， 德克萨斯大学医学分支及其在塞内加尔、塞拉利昂和尼日利亚的合作伙伴，以及研究 基础设施，将得到加强，以准备和迅速有效地应对未来的疫情。

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) such as chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika (ZIKV), as well as rodent- and bat-borne viruses such as Lassa fever and probably Ebola, are among the most important causes of emerging infectious diseases, and many circulate enzootically in W. Africa. The mechanisms whereby these and other zoonotic African viruses emerge and spread remain obscure, along with the understanding of their disease burden and varied clinical outcomes. The West African Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases will address these critical gaps through field studies of enzootic transmission, and clinical studies of human exposure and disease outcome. Our surveillance of humans, and wild animals, including bats (probable hosts of filoviruses, coronaviruses and henipaviruses), and mosquitoes/ticks, will likely identify new emerging viral pathogens. Further, the infrastructure and local expertise developed through these projects in Senegal, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, along with biosafety/biosecurity training and improved diagnostics, will also prepare the region for future outbreaks of emerging viral and other infectious diseases. The Center’s aims are to: 1. Study zoonotic arboviruses in Senegal, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, including identification and characterization of critical reservoir and amplification hosts, enzootic and epidemic vectors, temporal patterns of enzootic and epidemic circulation, levels of human exposure, immune responses and disease outcomes. The emphasis will be on the 4 “urban” (human amplified) arboviruses: CHIKV, DENV, YFV and ZIKV, but other known and possibly unknown viruses will also be studied. Risk maps will be generated. 2. In Sierra Leone and Nigeria, study the circulation among rodent hosts and infections of humans by Lassa virus, including identification of viral determinants of hemorrhagic disease severity and sequelae outcomes, and determination of the mechanisms of strain virulence variation. Risk maps will also be generated. 3. Perform surveillance in bats to identify potential sources of Ebola virus in W. Africa as well as other known or unknown zoonotic pathogens, including coronaviruses and henipaviruses that may be causing human disease, and which may explain the origins of emerging pathogens such as Nipah and MERS coronavirus. 4. Establish biocontainment and biosecurity training programs, advanced yet affordable viral genomics capabilities, and comprehensive diagnostics to support these aims as well as to improve research infrastructure and future outbreak responses in W. Africa. Our results will increase the mechanistic understanding of zoonotic viral maintenance and emergence, etiologies of febrile and hemorrhagic diseases, diverse disease outcomes, and risks for local and international spread. Novel viruses with emergence potential will likely be discovered, and existing collaborations between the Univ. of TX Medical Branch and its partners in Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, as well as research infrastructure, will be strengthened to prepare for and respond quickly and effectively to future outbreaks.