Zoonotic diseases and public health

Unveiling the diversity, transmission, and zoonotic potential of microbes in true insectivores

This study analyzes microbial diversity in insectivores, finding they host many viruses related to humans and are key in virus transmission between species.

Selecting sites for strategic surveillance of zoonotic pathogens: a case study in Panama

The paper evaluates environmental sampling gaps in a 20-year hantavirus surveillance program in Panama and proposes strategies to improve future pathogen surveillance.

The future abundance of key bird species for pathogen transmission in the Netherlands

The paper predicts future abundance changes of three bird species in the Netherlands and discusses implications for disease risk.

Surveillance of zoonotic pathogens in small mammals across a gradient of forest anthropization in Eastern France

The paper surveys zoonotic pathogens in small mammals across a forest anthropization gradient, finding pathogen richness and community structure vary with host species, site, and urban adaptation traits.

Hidden Challenges in Evaluating Spillover Risk of Zoonotic Viruses using Machine Learning Models

This study improves machine learning models for predicting zoonotic virus infectivity by expanding datasets and using large language models, showing better performance for segmented RNA viruses and post-2018 emerging viruses.

Human herpesvirus 1 associated with epizootics in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This study identifies human herpesvirus 1 (HHV-1) as the cause of an epizootic in black-tufted marmosets in Brazil, highlighting human-to-primate pathogen transmission risks.

A Wildlife Health Outbreak Response Table-top Exercise for Pandemic Preparedness Planning

This paper describes a table-top exercise to evaluate multi-agency response to a hypothetical zoonotic disease outbreak and identifies challenges and recommendations for improving cross-agency coordination.

Developing Foundation Models for Predicting Viral Animal Host Range in Intelligent Surveillance

This paper introduces VirHRanger, a foundation model for predicting viral host range using genomic and protein data, achieving high accuracy across diverse viruses and host categories.

Infectome Analysis of Small Mammals in Southern China Reveals Ecological Associations and Emerging Threats from Diverse Pathogens

The paper analyzes the pathogen infectome of small mammals in southern China, identifying new pathogens and factors influencing their distribution and diversity.

Identification of distinct rodent-associated adenovirus lineages from a mixed-use landscape in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot

The paper identifies five novel adenovirus lineages in small mammals from the Western Ghats, highlighting unexplored viral diversity and zoonotic potential.

Comprehensive Infectome Analysis Reveals Diverse Infectious Agents with Zoonotic Potential in Wildlife

The paper analyzes wildlife infectomes to identify zoonotic pathogens, finding 62 novel pathogens including a new coronavirus genus and highlighting high pathogen diversity in Carnivora and Rodentia.

Gut meta-virome reveals potential zoonotic pathogens and environmental RNA viruses carried by non-human primates

This study identifies zoonotic pathogens and environmental RNA viruses in non-human primates using gut meta-virome analysis, revealing potential risks for cross-species transmission.

Small mammals in biodiversity hotspot harbor viruses of epidemic potential

The paper identifies 162 viral species in small mammals from Yunnan, China, including 102 novel species and 24 with potential human health risks.

Spillover rate is not a predictor of host jump risk, but spillover novelty is

The paper shows that spillover rate is not predictive of host jump risk, but spillover novelty is a stronger predictor.

Modeling the benefits of virus discovery and pandemic virus identification

The paper models the impact of virus discovery and pandemic virus identification on preventing future pandemic deaths, finding that virus discovery has greater potential than laboratory-based pandemic potential characterization.

A new multiplexed magnetic-capture - droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) tool for monitoring wildlife population health and pathogen surveillance

The paper develops and validates a multiplexed magnetic-capture ddPCR tool for detecting pathogens in polar bear tissues, showing detection of multiple bacterial and parasitic pathogens in 48 samples.

Crossing host boundaries: the evolutionary drivers and correlates of viral host jumps

This study investigates the evolutionary drivers of viral host jumps using genomic data, finding that humans can be both sources and sinks for viral spillover and that adaptation varies across viral families.

Prospecting for zoonotic pathogens using targeted DNA enrichment

The paper develops a targeted DNA enrichment method using RNA probes to identify zoonotic pathogens in museum-archived tissues, demonstrating its effectiveness in detecting bacterial species.

Unexpected higher convergence of human-great ape enteric viromes in central African forest than in a European zoo: A One Health analysis

This study finds higher virome convergence between Cameroonian humans and great apes compared to a European zoo, highlighting environmental co-use as a mechanism for viral sharing.

No evidence of coronaviruses or other potentially zoonotic viruses in Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) entering the wildlife trade via Malaysia.

The study tests Sunda pangolins for coronaviruses and other zoonotic viruses but finds no evidence of such viruses in samples from Malaysia.

SISS-Geo: Leveraging Citizen Science to Monitor Wildlife Health Risks in Brazil

SISS-Geo is a collaborative platform for monitoring wildlife health in Brazil, integrating citizen science, laboratory diagnostics, and computational tools to address challenges in disease surveillance and risk prediction.