| NSF Org: |
DEB Division Of Environmental Biology |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | January 16, 2004 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 9, 2010 |
| Award Number: | 0326999 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Samuel Scheiner
DEB Division Of Environmental Biology BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2004 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2010 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,823,761.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,933,943.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2005 = $354,024.00 FY 2006 = $359,592.00 FY 2007 = $388,873.00 FY 2008 = $425,151.00 FY 2009 = $22,036.00 FY 2010 = $7,500.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
201 PRESIDENTS CIR SALT LAKE CITY UT US 84112-9049 (801)581-6903 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
201 PRESIDENTS CIR SALT LAKE CITY UT US 84112-9049 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
BE: NON-ANNOUNCEMENT RESEARCH, Ecology of Infectious Diseases |
| Primary Program Source: |
app-0105 app-0106 app-0107 01000809DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01000910DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001011DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.074 |
ABSTRACT
Sin Nombre hantavirus (SN) is a recently discovered virus carried by deermice that causes disease with high mortality in humans. Several recent studies have proposed that human disturbance of habitat significantly affects the number of deermice infected with SN. Given unprecedented rates of disturbance and limited understanding of the mechanisms governing variation in SN infection, a thorough study of how disturbance affects SN dynamics is warranted. The central focus of the proposed study is to determine how human disturbance affects SN prevalence in deermice and other reservoirs. To address this issue, a multifaceted research program is proposed that includes empirical and theoretical work. The field data will be used to determine the underlying mechanisms responsible for differences in prevalence. These ground-based data will be used to generate predictive mathematical models of prevalence using aerial and satellite images.
The broader impacts of this study include education, interdisciplinary research and national security. Several undergraduate and graduate students will be trained as part of this research. The project unites scientists from diverse fields (geography, mathematics, ecology, virology). Lastly, the research will yield critical information on the biology of Sin Nombre virus, which is listed as a biological agent of concern for national security.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Rodent Diversity Depresses Incidence of Disease in Deer Mice
The central focus of this project was to understand how disturbance and biodiversity impacted host-pathogen interactions. To address this issue, we studied populations of deer mice naturally infected with Sin Nombre (hanta) Virus (the causative agent of hantavirus-cardiopulmonary syndrome in humans). We monitored 6-12 deer mouse populations and measured SNV prevalence in deer mice and other potential hosts from 2004-2010. During this time, deer mouse populations changed in population size from three to nine-fold and the percent of deer mice infected with SNV varied from 0-60%. We found that the incidence of SNV in deer mice was lower at highly disturbed sites and that this result was not consistently density dependent. Lower infection rates at disturbed sites appeared to be a function of the diversity of the nocturnal rodent community. Disturbed sites had a greater number of rodent species with select species that appear to be “Dilution Agents” reducing the incidence of SNV in deer mice. Another factor contributing to lower SNV prevalence at disturbed sites was the decreased persistence of individuals (Lehmer, 2008). That is, animals did not remain on disturbed sites as long as they did on undisturbed sites.
We developed several new tools to be used in future studies of hantavirus and other pathogens. We developed an IgM assay for SNV in deer mice. IgM antibodies are the initial antibodies produced in response to infection. The IgM assay allows identification of SNV infections in deer mice at earlier stages than before, although further research is needed to validate this statement. We also generated a model using satellite imagery (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) to predict deer mice density and the number of infected deer mice. This model can predict the potential risk of hanta virus using satellite images of landscape greenness and thus could be an important tool for public health officials. We developed a mouse surveillance system that allowed us to observe mice to determine the frequency at which mice engaged in behaviors that promoted disease transmission. We have a large data set from this project that has opened up a wide array of mathematical modeling questions. We will provide the data set to biology and math students for future thesis projects. We have presented our results at national scientific meetings as well as to the general public.
Last Modified: 02/11/2011
Modified by: M. Denise Dearing
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