Field Research Is Essential to Counter Virological Threats

Jonathan A Runstadler; Anice C Lowen; Ghazi Kayali; S Mark Tompkins; Randy A Albrecht; Ron A M Fouchier; David E Stallknecht; Seema S Lakdawala; Felicia D Goodrum; Arturo Casadevall; Lynn W Enquist; James C Alwine; Michael J Imperiale; Stacey Schultz-Cherry; Richard J Webby

doi:10.1128/jvi.00544-23

Field Research Is Essential to Counter Virological Threats

J Virol. 2023 May 31;97(5):e0054423. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00544-23. Epub 2023 May 11.

Authors

Jonathan A Runstadler^{1

2}, Anice C Lowen^{3

4}, Ghazi Kayali^{5

6

7}, S Mark Tompkins^{8

9}, Randy A Albrecht^{2

10

11}, Ron A M Fouchier^{2

12}, David E Stallknecht^{7

13}, Seema S Lakdawala^{3

14}, Felicia D Goodrum¹⁵, Arturo Casadevall¹⁶, Lynn W Enquist¹⁷, James C Alwine^{15

18}, Michael J Imperiale¹⁹, Stacey Schultz-Cherry^{7

20}, Richard J Webby^{7

20}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
² Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis and Transmission (CRIPT) CEIRR, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
³ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
⁴ Emory Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (Emory-CEIRR), Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
⁵ Human-Link DMCC, Dubai, UAE.
⁶ University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, Texas, USA.
⁷ St Jude Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (SJ-CEIRR), Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
⁸ Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
⁹ Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research (CIDER) CEIRR, Athens, Georgia, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
¹¹ Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
¹² Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
¹³ Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
¹⁴ Penn Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (Penn-CEIRR), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Cancer Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹⁹ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
²⁰ Department of Infectious Diseases, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Abstract

The interface between humans and wildlife is changing and, with it, the potential for pathogen introduction into humans has increased. Avian influenza is a prominent example, with an ongoing outbreak showing the unprecedented expansion of both geographic and host ranges. Research in the field is essential to understand this and other zoonotic threats. Only by monitoring dynamic viral populations and defining their biology in situ can we gather the information needed to ensure effective pandemic preparation.

Keywords: Field research; Pandemic preparedness; Risk assessment; Spillover; Surveillance; Virology; Wildlife; Zoonosis.

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Wild
Disease Outbreaks
Host Specificity
Humans
Influenza in Birds* / epidemiology
Influenza, Human* / epidemiology
Influenza, Human* / prevention & control
Pandemics
Zoonoses* / epidemiology
Zoonoses* / prevention & control