Managing disease risk requires understanding the mechanisms involved in the generation and dynamics of pathogen diversity and expressed phenotypic and functional traits. Novel variants can alter host-pathogen interactions, facilitating spill-over or altering virulence with far-reaching consequences for livestock or human health (bottom-up), while host dynamics and the environment can influence pathogen eco-evolutionary dynamics (top-down).
Bartonella infections in rodents are ideal for examining these issues. Bartonella species, including several associated with human disease, have high genetic diversity and prevalence, varying levels of genotypic diversity, and genotypes that exhibit a wide range of host specificity.
For multi-host pathogens, a metacommunity approach is required to simultaneously examine the effects of multi-scale processes on overall pathogen diversity and the dynamics of genotypes and phenotypes. These include local-scale host dynamics and landscape-scale disease spread and transmission facilitated by host dispersal. Critical to the metacommunity approach collecting spatially-explicit data pathogen and host communities.
We study Bartonella in a spatially structured multi-host population, ideal for examining how cross-scale multi-host dynamics shapes pathogen distribution and dynamics. We have 25-years of individual capture-recapture data of the water vole (primary host, n>5000) and field vole (alternative host, n>1500), Bartonella infection information for both species, including the infecting Bartonella species, and whole-genome sequencing used to characterisation host specificity for different genotypes. We will use this unique system/data to develop a comprehensive understanding of pathogen diversity and the role of environment and host ecology in the shaping pathogen dynamics, transmission, and persistence.
Integrating data and knowledge from pathogen genetics to metacommunity dynamics using a combination of state-of-the-art molecular and statistical methods motivated by epidemiological and ecological theory, this project aims to:
1. Quantify spatiotemporal patterns of intraspecific Bartonella diversity and genotype-host associations using whole-genome-sequencing
2. Infer disease-transmission corridors by reconstructing interpatch dispersal routes using SNP-informed pedigree analysis of host populations
3. Integrate 1 & 2 to develop spatially-explicit host-pathogen metacommunity models to examine how landscape patterns emerge from interacting host-pathogen dynamics
The project suits a student interested in exploring the nexus of molecular epidemiology, population ecology, and computational statistics. The project is purposefully broadly defined, and the student will have control over the direction taken to achieve the objectives. Collaboration between domain experts will provide interdisciplinary training including next generation sequencing and advanced hierarchical statistical models. The project will be conducted in association with an ongoing metacommunity field study in Northwest Scotland and participation in these efforts will be encouraged.
Applications for this project can be made to the School of Biology OR the School of Mathematics and Statistics.
HOW TO APPLY
Application instructions can be found on the EASTBIO website- http://www.eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk/how-apply-0
1) Download and complete the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey.
2) Download and complete the EASTBIO Application Form.
3) Submit an application to St Andrews University through the Online Application Portal
Your online application must include the following documents:
- Completed EASTBIO application form
- 2 References (to be completed on the EASTBIO Reference Form, also found on the EASTBIO website)
- Academic Qualifications
- English Language Qualification (if applicable)
Unfortunately due to workload constraints, we cannot consider incomplete applications. Please make sure your application is complete by Monday 5th December 2022.
CONTACT
Queries on the project can be directed to the project supervisor.
Queries on the application process can be directed to Jess Fitzgerald at [Email Address Removed]
UKRI eligibility guidance: Terms and Conditions: View Website International/EU: View Website
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