RESEARCH
Vector-borne zoonotic diseases are responsible for widespread mortality and morbidity across the globe. These disease systems involve dynamic components of hosts, arthropod vectors, and pathogens whose interactions vary across environments and multiple spatial and temporal scales. The timing and distribution of these interactions can impact transmission potential and change opportunities for pathogen spillover in different geographic regions and time periods.
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The objectives of our research are to quantify and predict effects of environmental conditions - specifically landscape and climate - on distributions, abundances, and functional connectivity of vector-borne disease system components. Our goal is to gain a better understanding of the set or sets of conditions that have the potential to lead to greater spillover risk and to provide useful information for prevention and control approaches.
In this context, our work is primarily computational, and a central component is integrating data collected from disparate sources to gain insights that cannot be derived from individual field studies. We use longitudinal collections of remotely-sensed environmental data, multiple sources of surveillance and biodiversity data, including vector control and public health data, digitized museum collections data, and community science data, and we use multiple modeling approaches to investigate research questions.
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Spatiotemporal Dynamics
Capturing the spatiotemporal dynamics of disease system components offers the greatest opportunity to quantify drivers and to predict when and where potential spillover could occur under current and changing environmental conditions.
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Recent advances in statistical modeling approaches and improved computational capacity makes incorporating spatiotemporal structure into predictive models more accessible for disease ecology studies. Quantifying this structure can improve model precision and predictions, and visualizing this structure can provide clues about potential drivers of dynamic disease system components.
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The Campbell Lab is working to incorporate spatiotemporal dynamics into investigations of zoonotic vector borne disease systems. As part of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services funded project and collaborative effort with Florida Mosquito Control Districts, we quantified effects of landscape and climate on the spatiotemporal distributions of eastern equine encephalitis virus and West Nile virus sentinel chicken seroconversion in Northeastern Florida
(https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/14/3388/htm).
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Under this same umbrella, Yasmin Tavares (master's student) is expanding this work across Florida to investigate landscape and drought effects on the spatiotemporal distributions of West Nile virus sentinel chicken seroconversion using Florida Department of Health and Florida Mosquito Control surveillance data. This work will provide new insight into the dynamics of West Nile virus in Florida and provide information to mosquito control districts for the purpose of more targeted sampling and control activities.
Joint Distributions
Predicting the potential distribution of medically important vector species, hosts, and pathogens provides a valuable step toward understanding where pathogen transmission may occur. While informative, zoonotic arbovirus pathogens are nested within vector and host communities and require complex interactions for amplification in the natural environment. Quantifying and predicting landscape and climate effects on joint distributions of vectors, hosts, and pathogens provides a new avenue to investigate where and when potential transmission may occur and to predict how these distributions may change under changing environmental conditions. Outputs from these models can be used to inform veterinary and public health agencies, along with vector control districts, to help improve surveillance efforts.
As part of a UF Biodiversity Institute Seed Fund project and IFAS Early Career Research Fund, we are investigating effects of landscape composition and configuration and climate on joint distributions of mosquito species over space and time using longitudinal mosquito control district trap surveillance data.
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Under same this umbrella, Amy Bauer (PhD student) is expanding on this work, taking a trait-based approach to investigate the effects of land use and land cover change on the joint distributions of mosquito community composition, the effects of joint distributions of mosquito species on sentinel chicken seroconversion using West Nile virus as a model system.
Recent and Ongoing Work
UF IFAS FMEL
200 9th St SE
Building 4240
Vero Beach, FL 32962
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Mail: lcampbell.lab@gmail.com
Tel: 772-226-6627