NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2012

宿主-媒介-病原体相互作用的生态学和蜱传疾病风险越来越多的人认识到，宿主群落生态学的变化和食物链中的相互作用可能导致传染病的出现。许多疾病在一个物种或地区内循环，但通过直接接触或更常见的节肢动物媒介从野生动物宿主传播给人类。由于大多数可以跨物种传播的传染性病原体都是由食物链中处于低水平的野生动物（特别是啮齿动物）携带的，因此捕食这些宿主可能对疾病抑制至关重要。然而，这一点并没有得到很好的理解。一个常见的由宿主群落变化驱动的疾病出现的案例是莱姆病-北美最流行的病媒传播疾病。在过去的三十年里，美国东北部和中西部莱姆病的增加与一种关键的小型哺乳动物捕食者赤狐的广泛下降相吻合，这可能是由于郊狼种群的扩张。本研究通过在狐狸和郊狼为主的地点采样媒介和宿主群落的丰度和感染流行率，并将捕食和脊椎动物群落结构纳入疾病模型，探索捕食者群落结构变化促进莱姆病出现的假设。博士后研究员将发展实验室技术的专业知识，以检测病原体感染的媒介和宿主，以及用于模拟传染病生态驱动因素的统计和分析技术。这项研究的结果可能对如何在考虑公共卫生因素的同时管理野生动物产生深远的政策影响。

The ecology of host-vector-pathogen interactions and tick borne disease riskThere is growing recognition that changes in host community ecology and interactions in the food chain can contribute to the emergence of infectious diseases. Many diseases cycle within a single species or area, but are transmitted to humans from their wildlife host either by direct contact, or more often by an arthropod vector. Because most infectious pathogens which can be transmitted across species are harbored by wildlife that occupy low levels in the food chain (particularly rodents), predation of these hosts may be critical to disease suppression. However, this is not well understood. A familiar case of disease emergence that is driven by changes in the host community is Lyme disease-the most prevalent vector-borne disease in NorthAmerica. The increases in Lyme disease in the northeastern and midwestern USA over the past three decades coincide with a range-wide decline of a key small mammal predator, the red fox, likely due to expansion of coyote populations. This research explores the hypothesis that changes in predator community structure have facilitated the emergence of Lyme disease by sampling the abundance and infection prevalence of the vector and host community in fox-dominated and coyote-dominated sites and by incorporating predation and vertebrate community structure into disease models.The postdoctoral fellow will develop expertise in laboratory techniques to assay vector and hosts for pathogen infection, as well as statistical and analytical techniques for modeling the ecological drivers of infectious disease. The results of this research may have profound policy implications regarding how wildlife is managed while accounting for public health considerations.