Before The Pandemic Ends: Making Sure This Never Happens Again

Brooks, Daniel R.; Hoberg, Eric P.; Boeger, Walter A.; Gardner, Scott Lyell; Araújo, Sabrina B. L.; Bajer, Katalin; Botero-Cañola, Sebastian; Byrd, Brian; Földvári, Gábor; Cook, Joseph A.; Dunnum, Jonathan L.; Dursahinhan, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan; Garamszegi, László Zsolt; Herczeg, Dávid; Jakab, Ferenc; Juarrero, Alicia; Kemenesi, Gábor; Kurucz, Kornélia; León‐Régàgnon, Virginia; Mejía-Madrid, Hugo H.; Molnár, Orsolya; Nisbett, Richard A.; Preiser, Wolfgang; Stuart, Michael; Szathmáry, Eörs; Trivellone, Valeria

doi:10.46473/wcsaj27240606/15-05-2020-0002//full/html

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Under this paradigm, host and parasite specimens are collected simultaneously, along with associated cryopreserved tissues and microbiological samples, and all are linked through bioinformatics even if they are stored in different repositories (57,76,77). The merits of making these holistic collections are numerous as they naturally promote more integrated science (57,64,78). Integration of the "extended specimen" concept into host-pathogen research is now beginning as it is slowly becoming recognized as an essential part of zoonotic disease surveillance (69,70,72,79).…”

Section: Role Of Natural History Collections In Host-pathogen Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Better integration of natural history collections in infectious disease studies would likely provide more clarity about the various roles of environmental change (e.g., biodiversity loss, climate change, land use change) (80) in the emergence of novel zoonoses (81). Such human-driven disturbances provide increased opportunities for pathogen transmission among host species (i.e., host switching from one wildlife species to others) resulting in heightened risk to public health, but risk assessment is difficult because we lack detailed information regarding naturally occurring host-pathogen relationships (78). Control of potentially zoonotic pathogens through targeted risk management (e.g., reducing contact between humans and reservoir hosts) is likely to be more effective than retroactive efforts aimed at eradicating zoonoses after they have spilled over into human populations (82).…”

Section: Role Of Natural History Collections In Host-pathogen Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, rigorous and successful prevention strategies require knowledge of historic and contemporary distributions, occurrence, and ecology and evolutionary history of host species in host-pathogen systems. Those critical assessments rely on information that largely resides in natural history collections (78,83). Below, we highlight three examples of successful integration of host-pathogen research and natural history collections in collaborative research programs focused on pathogens (i.e., yellow fever, hantaviruses, and helminths), as well as provide an example of a failed integration (i.e., ebolaviruses).…”

Section: Role Of Natural History Collections In Host-pathogen Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Preserve a Voucher Specimen! The Critical Need for Integrating Natural History Collections in Infectious Disease Studies

Thompson

Phelps

Allard

et al. 2021

mBio

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Despite being nearly 10 months into the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, the definitive animal host for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causal agent of COVID-19, remains unknown. Unfortunately, similar problems exist for other betacoronaviruses, and no vouchered specimens exist to corroborate host species identification for most of these pathogens. This most basic information is critical to the full understanding and mitigation of emerging zoonotic diseases. To overcome this hurdle, we recommend that host-pathogen researchers adopt vouchering practices and collaborate with natural history collections to permanently archive microbiological samples and host specimens. Vouchered specimens and associated samples provide both repeatability and extension to host-pathogen studies, and using them mobilizes a large workforce (i.e., biodiversity scientists) to assist in pandemic preparedness. We review several well-known examples that successfully integrate host-pathogen research with natural history collections (e.g., yellow fever, hantaviruses, helminths). However, vouchering remains an underutilized practice in such studies. Using an online survey, we assessed vouchering practices used by microbiologists (e.g., bacteriologists, parasitologists, virologists) in host-pathogen research. A much greater number of respondents permanently archive microbiological samples than archive host specimens, and less than half of respondents voucher host specimens from which microbiological samples were lethally collected. To foster collaborations between microbiologists and natural history collections, we provide recommendations for integrating vouchering techniques and archiving of microbiological samples into host-pathogen studies. This integrative approach exemplifies the premise underlying One Health initiatives, providing critical infrastructure for addressing related issues ranging from public health to global climate change and the biodiversity crisis.

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Section: Role Of Natural History Collections In Host-pathogen Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Role Of Natural History Collections In Host-pathogen Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Role Of Natural History Collections In Host-pathogen Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Preserve a Voucher Specimen! The Critical Need for Integrating Natural History Collections in Infectious Disease Studies

Thompson

Phelps

Allard

et al. 2021

mBio

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Due to increased awareness of the importance of wildlife as pathogen reservoirs (Brooks et al, 2020), the use of museum biorepositories to discover and track pathogens is a critical step for anticipating the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases (DiEuliis et al, 2016;Dunnum et al, 2017). The high levels of biodiversity and geographic coverage represented in such repositories can also help unveil the evolutionary history of pathogens and reveal previously unknown interactions with actual or potential hosts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Screening potential insect vectors in a museum biorepository reveals undiscovered diversity of plant pathogens in natural areas

Trivellone

Wei

Filippin

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Phytoplasmas (Mollicutes, Acholeplasmatales, Acholeplasmataceae) are a large group of phloem-restricted, cell wall-less, vector-borne bacteria that infect hundreds of plant species and cause serious economic loss worldwide (Rao et al., 2018). In plants, phytoplasma infection may induce a variety of typical symptoms including virescence, phyllody, and witches'-broom, thereby altering plant morphology, growth patterns,

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“…The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has revealed critical weaknesses in international biosecurity and pandemic preparedness [1][2][3][4][5]: There are no global wildlife surveillance systems contributing to biorepositories to enable monitoring of emerging zoonotic diseases across space and time and, in consequence, international biorepository capacities are insufficient to permit researchers to identify pathogens and hosts, rapidly and reliably. Development of a global pathogen surveillance and biorepository network would facilitate proactive pandemic preparedness for the first time by enabling early detection, regular monitoring, and the development of an evolutionary framework for spillover prediction [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging natural history biorepositories as a global, decentralized, pathogen surveillance network

et al. 2021

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The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic reveals a major gap in global biosecurity infrastructure: a lack of publicly available biological samples representative across space, time, and taxonomic diversity. The shortfall, in this case for vertebrates, prevents accurate and rapid identification and monitoring of emerging pathogens and their reservoir host(s) and precludes extended investigation of ecological, evolutionary, and environmental associations that lead to human infection or spillover. Natural history museum biorepositories form the backbone of a critically needed, decentralized, global network for zoonotic pathogen surveillance, yet this infrastructure remains marginally developed, underutilized, underfunded, and disconnected from public health initiatives. Proactive detection and mitigation for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) requires expanded biodiversity infrastructure and training (particularly in biodiverse and lower income countries) and new communication pipelines that connect biorepositories and biomedical communities. To this end, we highlight a novel adaptation of Project ECHO’s virtual community of practice model: Museums and Emerging Pathogens in the Americas (MEPA). MEPA is a virtual network aimed at fostering communication, coordination, and collaborative problem-solving among pathogen researchers, public health officials, and biorepositories in the Americas. MEPA now acts as a model of effective international, interdisciplinary collaboration that can and should be replicated in other biodiversity hotspots. We encourage deposition of wildlife specimens and associated data with public biorepositories, regardless of original collection purpose, and urge biorepositories to embrace new specimen sources, types, and uses to maximize strategic growth and utility for EID research. Taxonomically, geographically, and temporally deep biorepository archives serve as the foundation of a proactive and increasingly predictive approach to zoonotic spillover, risk assessment, and threat mitigation.

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Before The Pandemic Ends: Making Sure This Never Happens Again

Cited by 13 publications

References 17 publications

Preserve a Voucher Specimen! The Critical Need for Integrating Natural History Collections in Infectious Disease Studies

Preserve a Voucher Specimen! The Critical Need for Integrating Natural History Collections in Infectious Disease Studies

Screening potential insect vectors in a museum biorepository reveals undiscovered diversity of plant pathogens in natural areas

Leveraging natural history biorepositories as a global, decentralized, pathogen surveillance network

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