Pathogen pollution in critically endangered vultures in The Gambia, West Africa

西非冈比亚极度濒危秃鹫的病原体污染

• 批准号: 2887265
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2887265
• 关键词: Pathogen; pollution; critically; endangered; vultures

The Gambia is home to seven vulture species, of which six are under threat of extinction: four critically endangered and two endangered. As scavengers, vultures provide crucial ecological services through devouring carrion and carcasses, thereby cycling nutrients and eliminating potentially harmful pathogens from the environment. This may mitigate spread of diseases, with impacts across local food webs and knock-on effects to human health and economies.Critically endangered hooded vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus), the focal species of the project, maintain a strong population in the Gambia despite continental decline. These birds are commensal with humans in the country, living in and around settlements. In this shared space, it is likely both humans and vultures are exposed to a similar suite of pathogens, including from livestock and other shared food sources. Despite strong immune systems, vultures are still susceptible to diseases of conservation and public health concern, such as avian influenza. Vultures have also been found to carry antimicrobial resistant bacterial pathogens. Understanding pathogen community ecology in hooded vultures and other vulture species, could not only guide efforts for the conservation of threatened keystone species, but sentinel for emerging zoonoses, threats to livestock health and provide a bioindicator for AMR. The 'One Health' approach emphasises interconnectivity between human, animal and environmental health, using cross-sectoral collaboration and integrated methods to combat global threats to each of these areas. Global vulture decline, and potential consequences of their loss, exemplifies the need for a One Health approach to zoonotic disease issues. Gambian vultures are already the subject of transdisciplinary research, including population monitoring, genetic, and parasite diversity studies. This project aims to expand this remit to include pathogen community ecology, exploring pathogenic threats affecting the health and conservation status of Gambian vultures, as well as the role these birds play in human health challenges.The transdisciplinary nature of the project lends itself to many routes of exploration - at this early stage, this is a non-exhaustive list of focus areas:1. Pathogen community ecology of hooded vultures and other vulture species in the Gambia2. Potential sources of pathogen pollution in the environment.3. Risk of zoonotic and reverse zoonotic disease transmission between vultures and humans.4. The role that vultures play in human, domestic and wild animal, and environmental health, through ecosystem service provision5. The impact of pathogenic threats and environmental pathogenic pollution on hooded vulture populations, and if needed identification of mitigation strategies to aid conservation efforts.6. Local knowledge, perceptions, and sociocultural value of vultures in the GambiaPart of the OneZoo Centre for Doctoral training, and supported by UKRI through three research councils - BBSRC, MRC, NERC, this project aligns with these bodies' key strategic challenge areas: "bioscience for an integrated understanding of health"; "global health" and "infections and immunity" research; and "ecology, biodiversity and systematics", respectively.Skills necessary for this project to succeed align with UKRI priorities and will come from a variety of disciplines. These include:- Ecological skills - field work, including collection of biological and environmental samples and population monitoring- Molecular biology skills - PCR, DNA sequencing, serological analysis etc, for the identification and quantification of pathogen species, as well as exploration of genetic diversity and structure in vulture populations- Social science skills - exploration of sociocultural perspectives- Statistical and data science skills, including bioinformaticsKeywords: one health, vultures, ecosystem services, zoonoses, pathogen pollution, conservation

冈比亚是七种秃鹫的家园，其中六种面临灭绝的威胁：四种极度濒危，两种濒危。作为食腐动物，秃鹫通过吞食腐肉和尸体提供重要的生态服务，从而循环营养物质并消除环境中潜在的有害病原体。这可能会减缓疾病的传播，影响到当地的食物网，并对人类健康和经济产生连锁反应。极度濒危的帽顶秃鹫（Necrouptes monachus）是该项目的重点物种，尽管大陆数量下降，但在冈比亚仍保持着强大的种群。这些鸟与该国的人类一起生活，生活在定居点及其周围。在这个共享的空间中，人类和秃鹫可能都暴露在类似的病原体中，包括来自牲畜和其他共享食物来源的病原体。尽管秃鹫的免疫系统很强，但它们仍然容易受到保护和公共卫生问题的影响，如禽流感。秃鹫也被发现携带抗微生物细菌病原体。了解秃鹫和其他秃鹫物种中的病原体群落生态学，不仅可以指导保护受威胁的关键物种的努力，而且可以为新出现的人畜共患病、对牲畜健康的威胁提供哨兵，并为AMR提供生物指标。“同一健康”方针强调人类、动物和环境健康之间的相互联系，利用跨部门合作和综合方法应对这些领域的全球威胁。全球秃鹫数量的下降及其损失的潜在后果，证明了对人畜共患病问题采取“一个健康”方法的必要性。冈比亚秃鹫已经成为跨学科研究的对象，包括种群监测、遗传和寄生虫多样性研究。该项目旨在扩大这一职权范围，包括病原体群落生态学，探索影响冈比亚秃鹫健康和保护状况的病原体威胁，以及这些鸟类在人类健康挑战中所扮演的角色。该项目的跨学科性质适合于许多探索路线-在这个早期阶段，这是一个非详尽的重点领域列表：1.病原体群落生态学的帽顶秃鹫和其他秃鹫物种在冈比亚2。环境中病原体污染的潜在来源。人畜共患病和人畜共患病在秃鹫和人类之间反向传播的风险。秃鹫通过提供生态系统服务，在人类、家畜和野生动物以及环境健康方面发挥的作用5。病原体威胁和环境病原体污染对秃鹫种群的影响，如果需要的话，确定缓解策略，以帮助保护工作。冈比亚秃鹫的当地知识、观念和社会文化价值OneZoo博士培训中心的一部分，由UKRI通过三个研究理事会- BBSRC、MRC、NERC提供支持，该项目与这些机构的关键战略挑战领域保持一致：“生物科学促进对健康的综合理解”;“全球健康”和“感染和免疫”研究;和“生态学，生物多样性和系统分类学”。该项目成功所需的技能与UKRI的优先事项一致，将来自各种学科。这些技能包括：-生态技能-实地工作，包括收集生物和环境样本以及种群监测-分子生物学技能- PCR、DNA测序、血清学分析等，用于病原体物种的鉴定和量化，以及秃鹫种群遗传多样性和结构的探索-社会科学技能-社会文化视角的探索-统计和数据科学技能，包括生物信息学关键词：一个健康，秃鹫，生态系统服务，人畜共患病，病原体污染，保护