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Tonelli A, Caceres-Escobar H, Blagrove MSC, Wardeh M, Di Marco M. Identifying life-history patterns along the fast-slow continuum of mammalian viral carriers. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231512. [PMID: 39050720 PMCID: PMC11265862 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Life-history traits have been identified as major indicators of mammals' susceptibility and exposure to viruses due to evolutionary constraints that link life-history speed with species' ecology and immunity. Nonetheless, it is unclear where along the fast-slow continuum of mammalian life-history lies the greatest diversity of host species. Consequently, life-history patterns that govern host-virus associations remain largely unknown. Here we analyse the virome of 1350 wild mammals and detect the characteristics that drive species' compatibility with different groups of viruses. We highlight that mammals with larger body size and either very rapid or very slow life histories are more likely to carry different groups of viruses, particularly zoonotic ones. While some common life-history patterns emerge across carriers, eco-evolutionary characteristics of viral groups appear to determine association with certain carrier species. Our findings underline the importance of incorporating both mammals' life-history information and viruses' ecological diversity into surveillance strategies to identify potential zoonotic carriers in wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Tonelli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ‘Charles Darwin’, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Hernan Caceres-Escobar
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ‘Charles Darwin’, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Agronomía, campus Providencia, Universidad de las Américas, Santiago, Chile
| | - Marcus S. C. Blagrove
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Maya Wardeh
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Department of Computer Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Moreno Di Marco
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ‘Charles Darwin’, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Choi JH, Namgung H, Lim SJ, Kim EK, Oh Y, Park YC. Predicting Suitable Areas for African Swine Fever Outbreaks in Wild Boars in South Korea and Their Implications for Managing High-Risk Pig Farms. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2148. [PMID: 37443946 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease affecting domestic pigs and wild boars, with no effective vaccine or treatment available. In South Korea, extensive measures have been implemented to prevent ASF transmission between wild boars and ASF spillover from wild boars to pig farm sectors, including the search for ASF-infected carcasses in mountainous forests and the installation of fences across wide areas of these forests. To determine the priority search range for infected carcasses and establish pig farm-centered quarantine measures, it is necessary to predict the specific path of ASF outbreaks in wild boars and identify pig farms at high risk of ASF spillover from wild boars. Here, we aimed to predict suitable areas and geographical paths for ASF outbreaks in wild boars using the MaxEnt model and shortest-path betweenness centrality analysis. The analysis identified a high frequency of ASF outbreaks in areas with a suitability value ≥0.4 on the suitability map and in areas within a 1.8 km range from the path on the shortest-path map, indicating these areas were high-risk zones for ASF outbreaks. Among the 5063 pig farms analyzed, 37 were in the high-risk zone on the suitability map, 499 were in the high-risk zone on the shortest-path map, and 9 were in both risk zones. Of the 51 pig farm sectors with a dense distribution of pig farms (kernel density ≥ 8), 25 sectors were in contact with or partially overlapped the high risk zone on the suitability map, 18 sectors were located within the high risk zone on the shortest-path map, and 14 sectors were located within both risk zones. These findings aided in determining the priority range for searches for wild boar carcasses and enabled the establishment of preemptive ASF prevention measures around the pig farming sectors that are at risk of ASF spillover from wild boars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ju Hui Choi
- College of Forest & Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Hun Namgung
- Ecological Survey Division, Korea National Park Research Institute, Wonju 26441, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Jin Lim
- College of Forest & Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Eui Kyeong Kim
- Ecological Survey Division, Korea National Park Research Institute, Wonju 26441, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeonsu Oh
- College of Veterinary Medicine & Institute of Veterinary Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Yung Chul Park
- College of Forest & Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
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Mechanistic models of Rift Valley fever virus transmission: A systematic review. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010339. [PMID: 36399500 PMCID: PMC9718419 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic arbovirosis which has been reported across Africa including the northernmost edge, South West Indian Ocean islands, and the Arabian Peninsula. The virus is responsible for high abortion rates and mortality in young ruminants, with economic impacts in affected countries. To date, RVF epidemiological mechanisms are not fully understood, due to the multiplicity of implicated vertebrate hosts, vectors, and ecosystems. In this context, mathematical models are useful tools to develop our understanding of complex systems, and mechanistic models are particularly suited to data-scarce settings. Here, we performed a systematic review of mechanistic models studying RVF, to explore their diversity and their contribution to the understanding of this disease epidemiology. Researching Pubmed and Scopus databases (October 2021), we eventually selected 48 papers, presenting overall 49 different models with numerical application to RVF. We categorized models as theoretical, applied, or grey, depending on whether they represented a specific geographical context or not, and whether they relied on an extensive use of data. We discussed their contributions to the understanding of RVF epidemiology, and highlighted that theoretical and applied models are used differently yet meet common objectives. Through the examination of model features, we identified research questions left unexplored across scales, such as the role of animal mobility, as well as the relative contributions of host and vector species to transmission. Importantly, we noted a substantial lack of justification when choosing a functional form for the force of infection. Overall, we showed a great diversity in RVF models, leading to important progress in our comprehension of epidemiological mechanisms. To go further, data gaps must be filled, and modelers need to improve their code accessibility.
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Walsh MG, Hossain S. Population structure and diet generalism define a preliminary ecological profile of zoonotic virus hosts in the Western Ghats, India. Epidemics 2020; 33:100416. [PMID: 33161184 DOI: 10.1016/j.epidem.2020.100416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The rainforests of the Western Ghats exhibit some of the highest biodiversity on the planet, and yet are undergoing rapid land use change due to the expansion of agriculture and other industries. As the landscape of the region is transformed, more people are coming into conflict with wildlife and becoming exposed to pathogens that previously circulated beyond the boundaries of human incursion. Despite an ecological knowledge imperative, this emerging landscape is ill-defined with respect to the ecology of zoonotic viruses and their mammalian wildlife hosts. Without a better understanding of the underlying infection ecology, the epidemiology of viral spillover will remain elusive and unsuited to the task of predicting and preventing outbreaks. The current investigation explored the association between mammalian zoonotic virus richness and species-level landscape, life-history, and dietary traits to describe an initial ecological profile of zoonotic virus hosts in the Western Ghats. Social group composition and dietary forage were both non-linearly associated with greater zoonotic viral richness among these species, whereby species active in smaller social groups, albeit in higher population densities, and exhibiting a tendency toward a generalist diet hosted more zoonotic viruses. While these findings provide no definitive ecological demarcation of zoonotic virus hosts or their contribution to viral maintenance or amplification, it is expected that this preliminary profile can help to develop targeted wildlife pathogen surveillance programs and to expand the current approach to epidemiological modelling of emerging zoonoses in the region, which typically do not account for the macroecological parameters of infection transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Walsh
- The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia; The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia; Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
| | - Shah Hossain
- The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia; The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia; Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
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Kroeker AL, Babiuk S, Pickering BS, Richt JA, Wilson WC. Livestock Challenge Models of Rift Valley Fever for Agricultural Vaccine Testing. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:238. [PMID: 32528981 PMCID: PMC7266933 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the discovery of Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) in Kenya in 1930, the virus has become widespread throughout most of Africa and is characterized by sporadic outbreaks. A mosquito-borne pathogen, RVFV is poised to move beyond the African continent and the Middle East and emerge in Europe and Asia. There is a risk that RVFV could also appear in the Americas, similar to the West Nile virus. In light of this potential threat, multiple studies have been undertaken to establish international surveillance programs and diagnostic tools, develop models of transmission dynamics and risk factors for infection, and to develop a variety of vaccines as countermeasures. Furthermore, considerable efforts to establish reliable challenge models of Rift Valley fever virus have been made and platforms for testing potential vaccines and therapeutics in target species have been established. This review emphasizes the progress and insights from a North American perspective to establish challenge models in target livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats in comparisons to other researchers' reports. A brief summary of the potential role of wildlife, such as buffalo and white-tailed deer as reservoir species will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Louise Kroeker
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Shawn Babiuk
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Immunology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Bradley S Pickering
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Juergen A Richt
- Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), Manhattan, KS, United States
| | - William C Wilson
- USDA, Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit (ABADRU), Manhattan, KS, United States
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Kroeker AL, Smid V, Embury-Hyatt C, Collignon B, Pinette M, Babiuk S, Pickering B. Increased Susceptibility of Cattle to Intranasal RVFV Infection. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:137. [PMID: 32411730 PMCID: PMC7200984 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic mosquito-borne virus that belongs to the Phenuiviridae family. Infections in animal herds cause abortion storms, high mortality rates in neonates, and mild to severe symptoms. Infected animals can also transmit the virus to people, particularly people who live or work in close contact with livestock. There is currently an ongoing effort to produce safe and efficacious veterinary vaccines against RVFV in livestock to protect against both primary infection in animals and zoonotic infections in people. To test the efficacy of these vaccines it is essential to have a reliable challenge model in relevant target species, including ruminants. In this study we evaluated three routes of inoculation (intranasal, intradermal and a combination of routes) in Holstein cattle using an infectious dose of 107 pfu/ml and a virus strain from the 2006-2007 outbreak in Kenya and Sudan. Our results demonstrated that all routes of inoculation were effective at producing viremia in all animals; however, the intranasal route induced the highest levels and longest duration of viremia, the most noticeable clinical signs, and the most widespread infection of tissues. We therefore recommend using the intranasal inoculation for future vaccine and challenge studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L Kroeker
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Valerie Smid
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Carissa Embury-Hyatt
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Brad Collignon
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Mathieu Pinette
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Shawn Babiuk
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Immunology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Bradley Pickering
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
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Walsh MG, Mor SM, Maity H, Hossain S. A preliminary ecological profile of Kyasanur Forest disease virus hosts among the mammalian wildlife of the Western Ghats, India. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020; 11:101419. [PMID: 32241712 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) virus is one of India's severe arboviruses capable of causing prolonged debilitating disease. It has been expanding beyond its historical endemic locus at an alarming rate over the last two decades. The natural nidus of this zoonosis is located in the monsoon rainforest of the Western Ghats, India, which is one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots. Definitive reservoir hosts for KFD virus (KFDV) have yet to be delineated, and thus much of the infection ecology of this virus, and its consequent transmission dynamics, remains uncertain. Given its unique biogeographical context, identifying ecological parameters of KFDV relevant to the virus' epidemiology has been complex and challenging. The challenge has been exacerbated by diminished research efforts in wildlife surveillance over the last two decades, coinciding with the expansion of the range of KFD across the region. The current investigation sought to define a preliminary ecological profile of KFDV hosts based on their life history and feeding traits to aid in re-establishing targeted wildlife surveillance and to discern those ecological traits of wildlife hosts that may improve our understanding of KFD epidemiology. The importance of fast-living among KFDV hosts was of special interest with respect to the latter aim. We compared mammalian traits between host and non-host species using general additive models and phylogenetic generalised linear models. This study found that both body mass and forest forage were strongly associated with mammalian host infection status, but that reproductive life history traits were not. These findings will help in structuring ecologically based wildlife surveillance and field investigations, while also helping to parameterise novel epidemiological models of zoonotic infection risk that incorporate species functional traits in a region where biogeography, landscape ecology, and community ecology manifest extraordinary complexity, particularly under growing anthropogenic pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Walsh
- The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Westmead, NSW, Australia; The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia; Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
| | - Siobhan M Mor
- University of Liverpool, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Institute of Infection and Global Health Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom; The University of Sydney, Faculty of Science, School of Veterinary Science, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Hindol Maity
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Shah Hossain
- The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Westmead, NSW, Australia; Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
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Rissmann M, Stoek F, Pickin MJ, Groschup MH. Mechanisms of inter-epidemic maintenance of Rift Valley fever phlebovirus. Antiviral Res 2019; 174:104692. [PMID: 31870761 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2019.104692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Rift Valley fever phlebovirus (RVFV) is an arthropod-borne virus that has caused substantial epidemics throughout Africa and in the Arabian Peninsula. The virus can cause severe disease in livestock and humans and therefore the control and prevention of viral outbreaks is of utmost importance. The epidemiology of RVFV has some particular characteristics. Unexpected and significant epidemics have been observed in spatially and temporally divergent patterns across the African continent. Sudden epidemics in previously unaffected areas are followed by periods of long-term apparent absence of virus and sudden, unpredictable reoccurrence in disparate regions. Therefore, the elucidation of underlying mechanisms of viral maintenance is one of the largest gaps in the knowledge of RVFV ecology. It remains unknown whether the virus needs to be reintroduced before RVF outbreaks can occur, or if unperceived viral circulation in local vertebrates or mosquitoes is sufficient for maintenance of the virus. To gain insight into these knowledge gaps, we here review existing data that describe potential mechanisms of RVFV maintenance, as well as molecular and serological studies in endemic and non-endemic areas that provide evidence of an inter- or pre-epidemic virus presence. Basic and country-specific mechanisms of RVFV introduction into non-endemic countries are summarized and an overview of studies using mathematical modeling of RVFV persistence is given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Rissmann
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Suedufer 10, 17489, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Franziska Stoek
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Suedufer 10, 17489, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Matthew J Pickin
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Suedufer 10, 17489, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Martin H Groschup
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Suedufer 10, 17489, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
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Walsh MG. Ecological and life history traits are associated with Ross River virus infection among sylvatic mammals in Australia. BMC Ecol 2019; 19:2. [PMID: 30646881 PMCID: PMC6334474 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-019-0220-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ross River virus (RRV) is Australia’s most important arbovirus given its annual burden of disease and the relatively large number of Australians at risk for infection. This mosquito-borne arbovirus is also a zoonosis, making its epidemiology and infection ecology complex and cryptic. Our grasp of enzootic, epizootic, and zoonotic RRV transmission dynamics is imprecise largely due to a poor understanding of the role of wild mammalian hosts in the RRV system. Methods The current study applied a piecewise structural equation model (PSEM) toward an interspecific comparison of sylvatic Australian mammals to characterize the ecological and life history profile of species with a history of RRV infection relative to those species with no such history among all wild mammalian species surveyed for RRV infection. The effects of species traits were assessed through multiple causal pathways within the PSEM framework. Results Sylvatic mammalian species with a history of RRV infection tended to express dietary specialization and smaller population density. These species were also characterized by a longer gestation length. Conclusions This study provides the first interspecific comparison of wild mammals for RRV infection and identifies some potential targets for future wildlife surveys into the infection ecology of this important arbovirus. An applied RRV macroecology may prove invaluable to the epidemiological modeling of RRV epidemics across diverse sylvatic landscapes, as well as to the development of human and animal health surveillance systems. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12898-019-0220-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Walsh
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. .,Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, 176 Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia.
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