CSP - WORKSHOP FOR BUILDING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY FOR VECTOR BORNE DISEASES
Abstract
Abstract: The proposed workshop will provide opportunities for Tunisian, North African, and American scientists and researchers to share ideas, discuss and develop an agenda for collaborative research that is likely to be useful in improving the research efforts in vector?borne diseases. The workshop will also enhance the quality of research output especially for research focusing on leishmaniasis and phlebotomus?related emerging viruses. Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are widespread mainly among the poorest populations in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 17 NTDs are endemic in up to 149 countries worldwide and affect more than 1.4 billion people (WHO, 2014). Leishmania (L.) is a vector?borne protozoan parasite responsible for severe human diseases collectively termed leishmaniases that constitute a heterogeneous group of diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. Regarding global disease burden, leishmaniases are one of the most important parasitic diseases with an estimated incidence of 2 million cases annually and 2.1 million disability adjusted life years (Hotez et al, 2006). Tunisia is one of the MENA countries with a high prevalence of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis due to L. major (Hotez et al, 2012). Accordingly, leishmaniasis represents a good case study of the challenges facing control of NTDs in MENA. In addition to being vectors of Leishmania parasites, Phlebotomine sand flies are also transmitting phleboviruses that have a tropism for the central nervous system and are major cause of meningitis and encephalitis in the Mediterranean region. Understanding and controlling Leishmaniases and phleboviruses?related diseases might be possible through research approaches using genomics and systems biology, vaccine design, vector microbiota and vector management interventions. The Institut Pasteur de Tunis (IPT) is the oldest Pasteur Institute in the region; it was established in 1893. IPT has a close and active cooperation with international organizations such as the WHO, WHO?TDR, and the Pasteur International Network. It has well?established links to Pasteur institutions worldwide. In 2009, a conference supported by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and hosted by the Institute Pasteur de Tunis was organized. It resulted in the development of collaborations and several successful grant proposals funded by the Civilian Research and Development (CRDF) Foundation (McDowell et al, 2011). In addition, several teams from IPT are actively collaborating with US research groups (NIH/NIAID, notably). These collaborations led to several publications, mainly on Leishmaniasis. However, these actions are usually not formalized within funded collaborative projects and need to be more organized. Warriors, warfighters and support staff for the US Navy and other branches of the US DoD as well of the Tunisian Army find themselves located in regions of the world where Neglected and Vectorborne Tropical Diseases are prevalent. These facts and similarities obviously show the importance of the continued bi?lateral research collaboration on this topic.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 03, 2016
- Source ID
- N629091612047
Entities
People
- Hechmi Louzir
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy