Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BCOMING (Biodiversity Conservation to Mitigate the risks of emerging infectious diseases)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-08-01 do 2024-01-31
Biodiversity loss in hotspots of biodiversity is, among other socio-ecological factors, key to understand, prevent and react to future pandemics. However, despite this knowledge, the current COVID-19 crisis highlights the limitations of the implementation of One Health approaches. A main limitation is the lack of context-adapted solutions that takeholders could easily implement on the field.
To overcome this, the BCOMING project main objective will be to co-construct innovations with all stakeholders in three biodiversity hotspots (in Southeas Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean) to reduce the risk of infectious disease emergence through biodiversity conservation and zoonotic disease surveillance.
The consortium members will establish a One-Health approach to reach the following specific objectives:
SO1: Improve our knowledge of the influence of Biodiversity and other factors on Microbiomes structure and Zoonotic Risks.
SO2: Improve capacities to detect emergences and create new solutions for early and rapid pathogen detection and characterization
SO3: Ensure stakeholder engagement and design participatory processes to support the design, spread and application of novel solutions to prevent pandemics
SO4: Facilitate the design of biodiversity-friendly sustainable socio-ecosystems with reduced zoonotic risk, integrating sustainable prevention and mitigation measures
SO5: Develop cost-efficient zoonotic risk forecasting and surveillance systems based on user needs and host ecology
The BCOMING project will interlink actors from different academic fields (biomedical, ecological, environmental and social scientists), private companies, NGOs, local communities and national and international public health organizations.
To overcome this, the BCOMING project main objective will be to co-construct innovations with all stakeholders in three biodiversity hotspots (in Southeas Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean) to reduce the risk of infectious disease emergence through biodiversity conservation and zoonotic disease surveillance.
The consortium members will establish a One-Health approach to reach the following specific objectives:
SO1: Improve our knowledge of the influence of Biodiversity and other factors on Microbiomes structure and Zoonotic Risks.
SO2: Improve capacities to detect emergences and create new solutions for early and rapid pathogen detection and characterization
SO3: Ensure stakeholder engagement and design participatory processes to support the design, spread and application of novel solutions to prevent pandemics
SO4: Facilitate the design of biodiversity-friendly sustainable socio-ecosystems with reduced zoonotic risk, integrating sustainable prevention and mitigation measures
SO5: Develop cost-efficient zoonotic risk forecasting and surveillance systems based on user needs and host ecology
The BCOMING project will interlink actors from different academic fields (biomedical, ecological, environmental and social scientists), private companies, NGOs, local communities and national and international public health organizations.
At the end of the first reporting period (M1-M18, January 2024) the main achievements of the projects can be summarized as follows by specific objective:
SO1:
- Data collection on its way for bats in Cambodia and bats and Rodents in Guinea and Ivory Coast
- Biodiversity data collection on its way, 1 scientific publication about Using eDNA or mammal inventories still needs naturalist expertise, a meta-analysis
- Socio-economic factors studies initiated
SO2:
- Luminex assays adapted for coronaviruses and ebolaviruses (D2.3)
- PCR assays adapted for coronaviruses (D2.5)
- Design, optimisation, and initial validation of recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) CRISPR-Cas assays for the rapid and sensitive detection of trematode species
SO3:
- First participatory workshops organized in Cambodia and Guinea
- Stakeholders identified in Guadeloupe and first workshop scheduled for 2024
SO4:
- Three iterations of prototype models have been developed for the Cambodian case studies
- The first versions of agent-based models were developed for the three case study sites in Guinea
SO5:
- The assessment of the existing surveillance systems in Cambodia, Guinea and Guadeloupe has been made
- A series of workshops for the co-construction of a community-based surveillance system has been organized in Guinea
- Two models of bat-borne pathogens (Ebolavirus and Coronaviruses) have been developed to study the influence of host reproductive phenology on the circulation of the pathogen.
SO1:
- Data collection on its way for bats in Cambodia and bats and Rodents in Guinea and Ivory Coast
- Biodiversity data collection on its way, 1 scientific publication about Using eDNA or mammal inventories still needs naturalist expertise, a meta-analysis
- Socio-economic factors studies initiated
SO2:
- Luminex assays adapted for coronaviruses and ebolaviruses (D2.3)
- PCR assays adapted for coronaviruses (D2.5)
- Design, optimisation, and initial validation of recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) CRISPR-Cas assays for the rapid and sensitive detection of trematode species
SO3:
- First participatory workshops organized in Cambodia and Guinea
- Stakeholders identified in Guadeloupe and first workshop scheduled for 2024
SO4:
- Three iterations of prototype models have been developed for the Cambodian case studies
- The first versions of agent-based models were developed for the three case study sites in Guinea
SO5:
- The assessment of the existing surveillance systems in Cambodia, Guinea and Guadeloupe has been made
- A series of workshops for the co-construction of a community-based surveillance system has been organized in Guinea
- Two models of bat-borne pathogens (Ebolavirus and Coronaviruses) have been developed to study the influence of host reproductive phenology on the circulation of the pathogen.
The project is still in an early phase to assess its impacts but several achievements of the first reporting period (M1-M18) can be highlighted:
In WP2 as planned, a coherent and consistent biological sampling strategy has been developed, particularly for the aquatic sampling led by the same team in all BCOMING study sites. The analysis of the data should result in better understanding the connection between biodiversity and health. The database developed by CIRAD and the scientific publications should support wide re-use of the standardised datasets. In the same WP, Nature Metrics started to further develop their pathogen detection tool from TRL2 (now at TRL4). It is still planned that the tool will allow for a more standardised description of microbial (incl. pathogen) evolution and distribution in the ecosystem and facilitate a fast response by professional healthcare workers/researchers.
As part of WP2 and WP3, a review paper has been published in Ecology and Evolution, an open access journal about Using eDNA or mammal inventories still needs naturalist expertise, a meta-analysis. This will help scientists to better plan mammal inventories using eDNA technilogies.
In WP4, a preprint has been published about “A Bayesian analysis of birth pulse effects on the probability of detecting Ebola virus in fruit bats” (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.10.552777v3(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)) and is under minor review in PCI Infection. This will contribute to the understanding of the relation between bat ecology and the circulation of zoonotic pathogens.
Regards to WP5, as shown earlier, the model development has resulted in an effective tool for Cambodia to understand spatial-temporal changes in zoonotic risks in the vicinity of caves hosting bat populations. The model awaits final parameterisation (in particular the provision of household data) and the final specification of scenarios (by WP6). It will be a central tool to fuel the participatory process in Wp7.
In WP6, the description and evaluation of the existing surveillance systems are allowing all stakeholders, including relevant national authorities, to visualize the current strengths and weaknesses and initiate the design of improved surveillance systems. The next step of the projects will support the design of these community-based surveillance systems which aim to improve the capacity to detect and respond to emerging diseases.
Regards to WP7, the initiation of the CHaRL process is helping engage relevant stakeholders in the project. In Guinea, where the process is the most advanced, 182 community members, including 28 women participated in the first round of ChaRL workshops (N=180 completing questionnaires) and 3,029 household members participated in the livelihood survey. The participation of local communities in the design of biodiversity conservation strategies and community-based disease surveillance system will be key to their sustainability.
In WP2 as planned, a coherent and consistent biological sampling strategy has been developed, particularly for the aquatic sampling led by the same team in all BCOMING study sites. The analysis of the data should result in better understanding the connection between biodiversity and health. The database developed by CIRAD and the scientific publications should support wide re-use of the standardised datasets. In the same WP, Nature Metrics started to further develop their pathogen detection tool from TRL2 (now at TRL4). It is still planned that the tool will allow for a more standardised description of microbial (incl. pathogen) evolution and distribution in the ecosystem and facilitate a fast response by professional healthcare workers/researchers.
As part of WP2 and WP3, a review paper has been published in Ecology and Evolution, an open access journal about Using eDNA or mammal inventories still needs naturalist expertise, a meta-analysis. This will help scientists to better plan mammal inventories using eDNA technilogies.
In WP4, a preprint has been published about “A Bayesian analysis of birth pulse effects on the probability of detecting Ebola virus in fruit bats” (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.10.552777v3(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)) and is under minor review in PCI Infection. This will contribute to the understanding of the relation between bat ecology and the circulation of zoonotic pathogens.
Regards to WP5, as shown earlier, the model development has resulted in an effective tool for Cambodia to understand spatial-temporal changes in zoonotic risks in the vicinity of caves hosting bat populations. The model awaits final parameterisation (in particular the provision of household data) and the final specification of scenarios (by WP6). It will be a central tool to fuel the participatory process in Wp7.
In WP6, the description and evaluation of the existing surveillance systems are allowing all stakeholders, including relevant national authorities, to visualize the current strengths and weaknesses and initiate the design of improved surveillance systems. The next step of the projects will support the design of these community-based surveillance systems which aim to improve the capacity to detect and respond to emerging diseases.
Regards to WP7, the initiation of the CHaRL process is helping engage relevant stakeholders in the project. In Guinea, where the process is the most advanced, 182 community members, including 28 women participated in the first round of ChaRL workshops (N=180 completing questionnaires) and 3,029 household members participated in the livelihood survey. The participation of local communities in the design of biodiversity conservation strategies and community-based disease surveillance system will be key to their sustainability.