The need
Wildlife plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, but it can also serve as a reservoir for emerging pathogens that pose risks to both biodiversity and human health. Understanding how pathogens circulate in wildlife populations is essential for preventing disease spillover and protecting both ecosystems and human communities.
Brazil, with its vast biodiversity and expanding human-wildlife interfaces, presents a unique opportunity to study pathogen diversity, prevalence, and transmission dynamics. This project seeks to bridge gaps in our knowledge of wildlife disease ecology and zoonotic risks using biobanks of roadkill specimens throughout Brazil.
Duration
2023 – 2026
Location
Brazil
What we’re doing
This project analyses wildlife pathobiomes using roadkill specimens collected across 14 Brazilian states to investigate pathogen diversity and prevalence. Our key activities include:
1
Employing shotgun metagenomics to screen for a wide range of microorganisms, including previously unreported pathogens.
2
Mapping pathogen distribution across different ecosystems to understand regional patterns.
3
Examining ecological and socioeconomic factors that influence pathogen prevalence in wildlife populations.
4
Assessing zoonotic disease risks and their implications for conservation and public health.
The team
This project is a collaboration between:
Landscape Alliance (CIFOR & ICRAF in action), Virginia Tech, University of Salford, University College London (UCL), Universidad ViaFauna, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Universidade de Campinas (UNICAMP), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), ViaFauna.
Project leads:
Supporters
This project is supported by
