Award Abstract #0430418
EID: Ecological Influences on Rabies Infections in Bats.

NSF Org:	EF Emerging Frontiers
Initial Amendment Date:	August 11, 2004
Latest Amendment Date:	May 25, 2007
Award Number:	0430418
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Samuel M. Scheiner EF Emerging Frontiers BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date:	October 1, 2004
Expires:	September 30, 2008 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$1520000
Investigator(s):	Gary McCracken gmccrack@utk.edu (Principal Investigator) Thomas Hallam (Co-Principal Investigator) Thomas Kunz (Co-Principal Investigator) Aaron King (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	University of Tennessee Knoxville 1 CIRCLE PARK KNOXVILLE, TN 37996 865/974-3466
NSF Program(s):	BE-UF: ECOL OF INFECTIOUS DISE, ECOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, BE: NON-ANNOUNCEMENT RESEARCH
Field Application(s):
Program Reference Code(s):	SMET, BIOT, 9251, 9183, 9178, 9150, 7242, 1629
Program Element Code(s):	7308, 7242, 1629

ABSTRACT

This project investigates the effects of man's alteration of environments on rabies infections in bats. The research involves the following interrelated components: 1) studies of the population ecology and genetics of two common species of bats in natural and in man-altered habitats; 2) surveillance for rabies exposure and infection in these wild populations; 3) investigation of the effects of immune system stress resulting from habitat change on the ability of bats to resist disease infection; 4) laboratory experiments to connect the effects of stress on the immune system of bats and their susceptibility to rabies under controlled conditions; 5) mathematical modeling to integrate the data from the field studies and laboratory experiments to achieve a predictive analysis of how habitat change and stress affect disease dynamics within wild populations of bats.

Within the last 40 years, bats have become the primary reservoir for human rabies infections in the U.S. These same years have witnessed the emergence of numerous infectious diseases (e.g., AIDS, Ebola, West Nile Virus, hantaviruses) that are major threats to human health. Man's alteration of environments and changes in the relationships between the diseases and the animals they infect are implicated in the emergence of each of these diseases. Beyond providing a better understanding of rabies, this study will address issues common to the ecology of many diseases that infect wildlife and man.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

Allen, L.C.; Turmelle, A.S.; Mendonca, M.T.,Navara, J.J., Kunz, T.H.; McCracken, G.F.. "Roosting ecology is linked to variation in adaptive and innate immunity in the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)," Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 2008.

Dimitrov, D.T. ; King, A. "Modeling evolution and persistence of neurological viral diseases in wild populations," Math. Biosci. Eng, v.5/4, 2008, p. 729.

Dimitrov, D.T., Hallam, T.G., Rupprecht, and McCracken, G.F.. "Adaptive modeling of viral diseases in bats with a focus on rabies," Journal of Theoretical Biology, v.255, 2008, p. 69.

Dobromir T. Dimitrov, Thomas G. Hallam, Charles E. Rupprecht, Amy S. Turmelle and Gary F. McCracken. "Integrative models of bat rabies immunology, epizootiology and disease demography.," Journal of Theoretical Biology, v.245, 2007, p. 498.

Federico, P.; Dimitrov, D.T.; Hallam, T.G.; McCracken, G.F.. "Bat Population Dynamics: Multi-level Model Based on Individualsā?? Energetics," Math. Biosci. Eng., v.5/4, 2008, p. 743.

Felix R. Jackson, Amy S. Turmelle, David M. Farino, Richard Franka, Gary F. McCracken and Charles E. Rupprecht.. "Experimental rabies virus infection of Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus)," Journal of Wildlife Diseases, v.44, 2008, p. 612.

Fenton, M.B., Davison, M., Kunz, T.H., McCracken, G.F., Racey, P.A., and M.D. Tuttle. "Linking bats to emerging diseases," Science, v.311, 2006, p. 1098.

Fenton, M.B., Davison, M., Kunz, T.H., McCracken, G.F., Racey, P.A., and M.D. Tuttle. "Linking bats to emerging diseases," Science, v.311, 2006, p. 1098.

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