Like most nations in South America, Paraguay is faced with a number of environmental challenges. Both of its major biomes (Chaco, Interior Atlantic Forest/lAF) are currently undergoing rapid anthropogenic land cover change. We hypothesize that the rapid anthropogenic land cover change occurring in Paraguay will have a direct impact on ecosystem viability as well as biodiversity and, therefore, will effect rodent-hantavirus ecology. We propose to test this hypothesis by longitudinal monitoring of anthropogenically disturbed and undisturbed sites in the Chaco and IAF. The data will be used to develop predictive models of the relationship between anthropogenic environmental changes and the dynamics of hantaviruses in rodent populations. Furthermore, the data collection and the model building efforts will concentrate on sigmodontine rodents of the three genera: Oligoryzomus, Akodon and Calomys and the hantaviruses that have been identified from each. Our overarching objective requires a multidisciplinary, binational effort. Therefore, this proposal brings together scientists with strengths in mammalogy (Owen, Texas Tech University, TTU), landscape ecology and climatology (Goodin and Hutchinson, Kansas State University, KSU), mathematical modeling (Allen, TTU), human epidemiology (Almiron, Health Sciences Research Institute, IICS in Spanish), computer science (Ranjan, Pontelli, Tran, New Mexico State University, NMSU), and virology (Jonsson, Southern Research Institute). Our specific objectives are: (1) to longitudinally monitor, measure, and model how the distribution and population of rodents and hantaviruses change over time in each biome within disturbed (anthropogenic activity) and undisturbed study sites in the IAF and the Chaco; (2) to develop models of the temporal and spatial dynamics of rodent-virus ecology; and (3) to design and implement a database management system to integrate these types of data for hantaviruses.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Fogarty International Center (FIC)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01TW006986-04
Application #
7210670
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-SSS-B (50))
Program Officer
Jessup, Christine
Project Start
2004-03-12
Project End
2010-02-28
Budget Start
2007-03-01
Budget End
2010-02-28
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$394,832
Indirect Cost
Name
Southern Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
006900526
City
Birmingham
State
AL
Country
United States
Zip Code
35205
Vidurupola, Sukhitha W; Allen, Linda J S (2012) Basic stochastic models for viral infection within a host. Math Biosci Eng 9:915-35
Palma, R Eduardo; Polop, Jaime J; Owen, Robert D et al. (2012) Ecology of rodent-associated hantaviruses in the Southern Cone of South America: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. J Wildl Dis 48:267-81
Allen, L J S; Brown, V L; Jonsson, C B et al. (2012) Mathematical Modeling of Viral Zoonoses in Wildlife. Nat Resour Model 25:5-51
Chu, Yong-Kyu; Owen, Robert D; Jonsson, Colleen B (2011) Phylogenetic exploration of hantaviruses in Paraguay reveals reassortment and host switching in South America. Virol J 8:399
Yuan, Yuan; Allen, Linda J S (2011) Stochastic models for virus and immune system dynamics. Math Biosci 234:84-94
Wesley, Curtis L; Allen, Linda J S; Langlais, Michel (2010) Models for the spread and persistence of hantavirus infection in rodents with direct and indirect transmission. Math Biosci Eng 7:195-211
Wesley, Curtis L; Allen, Linda J S; Langlais, Michel (2010) Models for the spread and persistence of hantavirus infection in rodents with direct and indirect transmission. Math Biosci Eng 7:195-211
Jonsson, Colleen B; Figueiredo, Luiz Tadeu Moraes; Vapalahti, Olli (2010) A global perspective on hantavirus ecology, epidemiology, and disease. Clin Microbiol Rev 23:412-41
Chu, Yong Kyu; Goodin, Douglas; Owen, Robert D et al. (2009) Sympatry of 2 hantavirus strains, paraguay, 2003-2007. Emerg Infect Dis 15:1977-80
Goodin, Douglas G; Paige, Robert; Owen, Robert D et al. (2009) Microhabitat characteristics of Akodon montensis, a reservoir for hantavirus, and hantaviral seroprevalence in an Atlantic forest site in eastern Paraguay. J Vector Ecol 34:104-13

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