Rapid detection of viral pathogens using third generation technologies for addressing marine mammal health

Abstract

The U.S. Navy has been training marine mammals - principally dolphins and sea lions - to carry out defensive military missions from" their bases in San Diego, CA and elsewhere since the early 1960s. The health of marine mammals is of the utmost importance and the"" research funded according to the Navy has advanced the understanding of the microbiome of these animals, mostparticularly the bact""eria associated with healthy and sick species. However, viral diseases have been much more difficult to study and this has led to a" dearth of knowledge on emerging viruses which are ongoing threats to the health of marine mammals. Generating a comprehensive view of the viral metagenome (virome) of animal clinical samples and water samples will help toelucidate the viral pathogens of marine" mammals. New technologies have now allowed for the exploration of the virome associated with aquatic environments, which has opened" new avenues for viral detection and discovery in infectious disease surveillance. The overarching goal of the proposed project is to apply state-of the-art of third-generation technologies as front-line diagnostic tools for viral pathogens in clinical and environ"mental settings. This will enable unbiased, rapid detection and accurate quantification of viral pathogens of marine mammals.This u"nique proposal is based on the expertise of a multidisciplinary team addressing the health of marine mammals and the marine environment to better understand and prevent disease.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2017
Source ID
N000141712713

Entities

People

  • Joan B. Rose

Organizations

  • Michigan State University
  • Office of Naval Research
  • United States Navy

Tags

Readers

  • Gulf War Illness and Chronic Multisymptom Illness in Veterans.
  • Marine Mammal Biology
  • Systems Analysis and Design