Evolutionary Genetics of Tsetse and Its Symbionts

描述（由申请人提供）：非洲锥虫病影响撒哈拉以南非洲地区的人类和动物健康。乌干达是唯一同时存在两种非洲人类锥虫病的国家：西北部的布氏冈比亚锥虫（Tbg）和东南部的布氏罗得西亚锥虫（Tbr）。病例已从乌干达南部的传统疫源地向乌干达中部转移，两种疾病带可能在乌干达北部合并。这一跨学科项目的重点是乌干达北部，以了解艾滋病毒/艾滋病的传播动态以及Tbr和Tbg合并的风险。我们的研究结果将提供有关病媒在HAT流行病学中的作用的基础知识，并为制定和实施有效的控制策略提供实用信息。我们提出五个综合目标：1)利用多物种SNP芯片分析Gff及其相关微生物组和寄生虫（锥虫）的基因组变异；2)表征不同Gff群体中抗锥虫候选基因的表达和遗传变异；3)发现基因与环境的关联以及气候变化对乌干达Gff的影响。4)了解Gff种群分化的遗传和微生物组贡献；5)评估Gff扩散对媒介控制的有效性和成本效益的影响，以减少锥虫病负担。我们的研究将产生1)宿主-寄生虫相互作用的基本信息，用于预测疾病合并的潜在风险及其流行病学后果；2)基于遗传和环境数据的Gff适宜性图，以更好地规划和实施病媒控制活动；3)寄生虫抗性候选基因；可用于下游遗传控制方法的环境适应性和4)预测最有效和最具成本效益的HAT控制方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): African trypanosomiasis impacts both human and animal health in Sub-Saharan Africa. Uganda is the only country that has both forms of the human African trypanosomiasis (HAT): Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (Tbg) in the north-west and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (Tbr) in the south-east. Tbr cases have been migrating from their traditional foci in the south to central Uganda, with the two disease belts feared to merge in northern Uganda. This interdisciplinary project focuses on northern Uganda to understand HAT transmission dynamics and risk of Tbr and Tbg disease merger. Our findings will provide fundamental knowledge on the role of the vector in HAT epidemiology, and provide practical information to inform the development and implementation of effective control strategies. We propose five integrated aims to: 1) Analyze the genomic variation in Gff, its associated microbiome and parasite (Trypanosoma) using a multispecies SNP chip, 2) Characterize the expression and genetic variations of the Trypanosoma-resistance candidate genes in different Gff population groups, 3) Discover gene-environment associations and impacts of climate change on Ugandan Gff, 4) Understand genetic as well as microbiome contributions for differentiation of Gff populations and 5) Assess the impact of Gff dispersal on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of vector control for reducing trypanosomiasis burden. Our studies will produce 1) fundamental information on host-parasite interactions that will predict the potential risk of disease merger and its epidemiological consequences, 2) suitability maps for Gff based on genetic and environmental data to better plan and operate vector control activities, 3) candidate genes on parasite-resistance, environmental adaptations that can be used in downstream genetic control methods and 4) predictions on the most effective and cost-effective control methods for HAT.