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Award Abstract #0430146
EID: Effects of Deforestation on the Prevalence of Blood-Borne Pathogens in African Rainforest Birds.
| NSF Org: |
EF
Emerging Frontiers
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| Initial Amendment Date: |
August 20, 2004 |
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| Latest Amendment Date: |
August 31, 2009 |
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| Award Number: |
0430146 |
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| Award Instrument: |
Continuing grant |
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| Program Manager: |
Clayton B. Cook
EF Emerging Frontiers
BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences
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| Start Date: |
September 1, 2004 |
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| Expires: |
August 31, 2010 (Estimated) |
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| Awarded Amount to Date: |
$2124424 |
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| Investigator(s): |
Thomas Smith tbsmith@ucla.edu (Principal Investigator)
Ravinder Nath Sehgal (Co-Principal Investigator)
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| Sponsor: |
University of California-Los Angeles
11000 Kinross Avenue
LOS ANGELES, CA 90095 310/794-0102
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| NSF Program(s): |
ECOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES,
BE: NON-ANNOUNCEMENT RESEARCH
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| Field Application(s): |
0000099 Other Applications NEC
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
SMET, EGCH, BIOT, 9251, 9183, 9178, 9169, 7242, 1355
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| Program Element Code(s): |
I337, H361, 7242, 1629
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ABSTRACT
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, San Francisco State University, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA, the University of California, Davis, and the Institute of Ecology at Vilnius University, Lithuania, will conduct a study of the effects of deforestation on the spread of infectious diseases in African rainforest birds. During the past 13 years, researchers have collected more than 4,000 individual blood samples from over 200 rainforest bird species in a variety of habitats across Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, and Uganda. Significantly, the samples were collected from sites both before and after habitat degradation, permitting a unique examination of the direct effects of human-induced habitat alterations. Using complementary techniques of blood smear analysis and molecular biology, samples will be assayed for the pathogens that cause malaria, trypanosomiasis, filiariasis, and tuberculosis. These diseases in birds have very similar pathologies to their human counterparts, making the study of birds an excellent model system. We will use satellite imagery data to predict how changes in forest composition may affect the spread of diseases in the future.
The effects of deforestation on health are diverse and are becoming increasingly apparent with the highly publicized recent outbreaks of several diseases spread to humans by animals. This research project is significant because it will develop models to predict how deforestation will influence future disease outbreaks and facilitate development of reforestation strategies. In addition, the research will involve the training of students and researchers at U.S. institutions serving minorities, and abroad, in Lithuania and Africa.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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Bonneaud, C., I. Sepil, B. Mila, W. Buermann, J. Pollinger, R. Sehgal, G. Valkiunas, T. Iezhova, S. Saatchi and T. B. Smith. "The prevalence of avian Plasmodium is higher in undisturbed tropical forests of Cameroon," Journal of Tropical Ecology, v.25, 2009, p. 439.
G. Valkiunas , T. A. Iezhova, A. Krizanauskiene, V. Palinauskas, R. Sehgal, S. Bensch. "A comparative analysis of microscopy and pcr-based detection methods for blood parasites," Journal of Parasitology, v.20, 2008, p. 1.
G. Valkiûnas, C. T. Atkinson, S. Bensch, R. Sehgal and R. E. Ricklefs. "Parasite misidentifications in GenBank: how to minimize their number?," Trends in Parasitology, v.24, 2008, p. 247.
G. Valkiûnas, R. Sehgal, T. A. Iezhova, and T. B. Smith. "Further observations on the blood parasites of birds in Uganda," Journal of Wildlife Diseases, v.41, 2005, p. 580.
G. Valkiunas, R. Sehgal, T. A. Iezhova, and T. B. Smith. "Further observations on the blood parasites of birds in Uganda," Journal of Wildlife Diseases, v.41, 2005, p. 580.
G. Valkiunas, T. A. Iezhova, C. Loiseau, T. B. Smith and R. Sehgal. "New malaria parasites of the subgenus Novyella in African rainforest birds, with remarks on their high prevalence, classification and diagnostics," Parasitology Research, v.104, 2009, p. 1061.
G. Valkiunas, T. A. Iezhova, C. Loiseau, T. Chasar, T. B. Smith and R. Sehgal. "New species of haemosporidian parasites (Haemosporida) from African rainforest birds, with remarks on their classification," Parasitology Research, v.103, 2008, p. 1213.
H. I. Jones, R. Sehgal and T. B. Smith. "Leucocytozoon (Apicomplexa: Leucocytozoidae) from West African birds, with descriptions of two species," Journal of Parasitology., v.91, 2005, p. 397.
K. Y. Njabo, A. J. Cornel, R. Sehgal, C. Loiseau, W. Buermann, R. Harrigan, J. Pollinger, G. Valkiunas and T.B. Smith. "Distribution and diversity of avian malaria parasites in Coquillettidia mosquitoes in rainforests of Cameroon, with remarks on the vectors' feeding patterns," Malaria Journal, v.8, 2009, p. 193.
R. Sehgal, G. Valkiunas, T.A. Iezhova and T.B. Smith. "Blood parasites of chickens in Uganda and Cameroon with molcular descriptions of Leucocytozoon schoutedeni and Trypanosoma gallinarum," Journal of Parasitology, v.92, 2006, p. 1336.
R. Sehgal, H. I. Jones, and T. B. Smith. "Blood parasites of some West African birds," Journal of Veterinary Medical Sciences, v.67, 2005, p. 295.
R. Sehgal, H. I. Jones, and T. B. Smith. "Molecular evidence for host-specificity of parasitic nematode microfilariae in some African rainforest birds," Molecular Ecology, v.14, 2005, p. 3977.
Smith TB, Mila B, Grether GF, Slabbekoorn H, Sepil I, Buermann W, Saatchi S, Pollinger JP. "Evolutionary consequences of human disturbance in a rainforest bird species from central Africa," Molecular Ecology, v.17, 2008, p. 58.
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