The Experts below are selected from a list of 5319 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform

Kimberly Vanderwaal - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • linking social and pathogen transmission networks using Microbial Genetics in giraffe giraffa camelopardalis
    Journal of Animal Ecology, 2014
    Co-Authors: Kimberly Vanderwaal, Edward R Atwill, Lynne A Isbell, Brenda Mccowan
    Abstract:

    Although network analysis has drawn considerable attention as a promising tool for disease ecology, empirical research has been hindered by limitations in detecting the occurrence of pathogen transmission (who transmitted to whom) within social networks. Using a novel approach, we utilize the Genetics of a diverse microbe, Escherichia coli, to infer where direct or indirect transmission has occurred and use these data to construct transmission networks for a wild giraffe population (Giraffe camelopardalis). Individuals were considered to be a part of the same transmission chain and were interlinked in the transmission network if they shared genetic subtypes of E. coli. By using Microbial Genetics to quantify who transmits to whom independently from the behavioural data on who is in contact with whom, we were able to directly investigate how the structure of contact networks influences the structure of the transmission network. To distinguish between the effects of social and environmental contact on transmission dynamics, the transmission network was compared with two separate contact networks defined from the behavioural data: a social network based on association patterns, and a spatial network based on patterns of home-range overlap among individuals. We found that links in the transmission network were more likely to occur between individuals that were strongly linked in the social network. Furthermore, individuals that had more numerous connections or that occupied 'bottleneck' positions in the social network tended to occupy similar positions in the transmission network. No similar correlations were observed between the spatial and transmission networks. This indicates that an individual's social network position is predictive of transmission network position, which has implications for identifying individuals that function as super-spreaders or transmission bottlenecks in the population. These results emphasize the importance of association patterns in understanding transmission dynamics, even for environmentally transmitted microbes like E. coli. This study is the first to use Microbial Genetics to construct and analyse transmission networks in a wildlife population and highlights the potential utility of an approach integrating Microbial Genetics with network analysis.

  • quantifying microbe transmission networks for wild and domestic ungulates in kenya
    Biological Conservation, 2014
    Co-Authors: Kimberly Vanderwaal, Edward R Atwill, Lynne A Isbell, Brenda Mccowan
    Abstract:

    Abstract Multi-host wildlife pathogens are an increasing concern for both wildlife conservation and livestock husbandry. Here, we combined social network theory with Microbial Genetics to assess patterns of interspecific pathogen transmission among ten species of wild and domestic ungulates in Kenya. If two individuals shared the same genetic subtype of a genetically diverse microbe, Escherichia coli, then we inferred that these individuals were part of the same transmission chain. Individuals in the same transmission chain were interlinked to create a transmission network. Given interspecific variation in physiology and behavior, some species may function as “super-spreaders” if individuals of that species are consistently central in the transmission network. Pathogen management strategies targeted at key super-spreader species are theoretically more effective at limiting pathogen spread than conventional strategies, and our approach provides a means to identify candidate super-spreaders in wild populations. We found that Grant’s gazelle (Gazella granti) typically occupied central network positions and were connected to a large number of other individuals in the network. Zebra (Equus burchelli), in contrast, seemed to function as bridges between regions of the network that would otherwise be poorly connected, and interventions targeted at zebra significantly increased the level of fragmentation in the network. Although not usually pathogenic, E. coli transmission pathways provide insight into transmission dynamics by demonstrating where contact between species is sufficient for transmission to occur and identifying species that are potential super-spreaders.

David H Sherman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • utilizing the power of Microbial Genetics to bridge the gap between the promise and the application of marine natural products
    ChemBioChem, 2005
    Co-Authors: J L Fortman, David H Sherman
    Abstract:

    Marine organisms are a rich source of secondary metabolites. They have yielded thousands of compounds with a broad range of biomedical applications. Thus far, samples required for preclinical and clinical studies have been obtained by collection from the wild, by mariculture, and by total chemical synthesis. However, for a number of complex marine metabolites, none of these options is feasible for either economic or environmental reasons. In order to proceed with the development of many of these promising therapeutic compounds, a reliable and renewable source must be found. Over the last twenty years, the study of Microbial secondary metabolites has greatly advanced our understanding of how nature utilizes simple starting materials to yield complex small molecules. Much of this work has focused on polyketides and nonribosomal peptides, two classes of molecules that are prevalent in marine micro- and macroorganisms. The lessons learned from the study of terrestrial metabolite biosynthesis are now being applied to the marine world. As techniques for cloning and heterologous expression of biosynthetic pathways continue to improve, they may provide our greatest hope for bridging the gap between the promise and application of many marine natural products.

  • merging the potential of Microbial Genetics with biological and chemical diversity an even brighter future for marine natural product drug discovery
    ChemInform, 2004
    Co-Authors: Christine E Salomon, Nathan A Magarvey, David H Sherman
    Abstract:

    Marine invertebrates and a growing number of marine bacteria are the sources of novel, bioactive secondary metabolites. Structurally, many of these compounds appear to be biosynthesized by polyketide synthases (PKS) and/or nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) that have also been found in terrestrial microbes. This review highlights scientific advances from 1999-2003 in the emerging field of molecular Genetics of polyketide and nonribosomal peptide natural products isolated from marine organisms. The implications of this research towards the development of marine secondary metabolites as a sustainable source of new drugs are discussed.

  • merging the potential of Microbial Genetics with biological and chemical diversity an even brighter future for marine natural product drug discovery
    Natural Product Reports, 2004
    Co-Authors: Christine E Salomon, Nathan A Magarvey, David H Sherman
    Abstract:

    Covering: 1999–2003Marine invertebrates and a growing number of marine bacteria are the sources of novel, bioactive secondary metabolites. Structurally, many of these compounds appear to be biosynthesized by polyketide synthases (PKS) and/or nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) that have also been found in terrestrial microbes. This review highlights scientific advances from 1999–2003 in the emerging field of molecular Genetics of polyketide and nonribosomal peptide natural products isolated from marine organisms. The implications of this research towards the development of marine secondary metabolites as a sustainable source of new drugs are discussed.

Brenda Mccowan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • linking social and pathogen transmission networks using Microbial Genetics in giraffe giraffa camelopardalis
    Journal of Animal Ecology, 2014
    Co-Authors: Kimberly Vanderwaal, Edward R Atwill, Lynne A Isbell, Brenda Mccowan
    Abstract:

    Although network analysis has drawn considerable attention as a promising tool for disease ecology, empirical research has been hindered by limitations in detecting the occurrence of pathogen transmission (who transmitted to whom) within social networks. Using a novel approach, we utilize the Genetics of a diverse microbe, Escherichia coli, to infer where direct or indirect transmission has occurred and use these data to construct transmission networks for a wild giraffe population (Giraffe camelopardalis). Individuals were considered to be a part of the same transmission chain and were interlinked in the transmission network if they shared genetic subtypes of E. coli. By using Microbial Genetics to quantify who transmits to whom independently from the behavioural data on who is in contact with whom, we were able to directly investigate how the structure of contact networks influences the structure of the transmission network. To distinguish between the effects of social and environmental contact on transmission dynamics, the transmission network was compared with two separate contact networks defined from the behavioural data: a social network based on association patterns, and a spatial network based on patterns of home-range overlap among individuals. We found that links in the transmission network were more likely to occur between individuals that were strongly linked in the social network. Furthermore, individuals that had more numerous connections or that occupied 'bottleneck' positions in the social network tended to occupy similar positions in the transmission network. No similar correlations were observed between the spatial and transmission networks. This indicates that an individual's social network position is predictive of transmission network position, which has implications for identifying individuals that function as super-spreaders or transmission bottlenecks in the population. These results emphasize the importance of association patterns in understanding transmission dynamics, even for environmentally transmitted microbes like E. coli. This study is the first to use Microbial Genetics to construct and analyse transmission networks in a wildlife population and highlights the potential utility of an approach integrating Microbial Genetics with network analysis.

  • quantifying microbe transmission networks for wild and domestic ungulates in kenya
    Biological Conservation, 2014
    Co-Authors: Kimberly Vanderwaal, Edward R Atwill, Lynne A Isbell, Brenda Mccowan
    Abstract:

    Abstract Multi-host wildlife pathogens are an increasing concern for both wildlife conservation and livestock husbandry. Here, we combined social network theory with Microbial Genetics to assess patterns of interspecific pathogen transmission among ten species of wild and domestic ungulates in Kenya. If two individuals shared the same genetic subtype of a genetically diverse microbe, Escherichia coli, then we inferred that these individuals were part of the same transmission chain. Individuals in the same transmission chain were interlinked to create a transmission network. Given interspecific variation in physiology and behavior, some species may function as “super-spreaders” if individuals of that species are consistently central in the transmission network. Pathogen management strategies targeted at key super-spreader species are theoretically more effective at limiting pathogen spread than conventional strategies, and our approach provides a means to identify candidate super-spreaders in wild populations. We found that Grant’s gazelle (Gazella granti) typically occupied central network positions and were connected to a large number of other individuals in the network. Zebra (Equus burchelli), in contrast, seemed to function as bridges between regions of the network that would otherwise be poorly connected, and interventions targeted at zebra significantly increased the level of fragmentation in the network. Although not usually pathogenic, E. coli transmission pathways provide insight into transmission dynamics by demonstrating where contact between species is sufficient for transmission to occur and identifying species that are potential super-spreaders.

Lynne A Isbell - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • linking social and pathogen transmission networks using Microbial Genetics in giraffe giraffa camelopardalis
    Journal of Animal Ecology, 2014
    Co-Authors: Kimberly Vanderwaal, Edward R Atwill, Lynne A Isbell, Brenda Mccowan
    Abstract:

    Although network analysis has drawn considerable attention as a promising tool for disease ecology, empirical research has been hindered by limitations in detecting the occurrence of pathogen transmission (who transmitted to whom) within social networks. Using a novel approach, we utilize the Genetics of a diverse microbe, Escherichia coli, to infer where direct or indirect transmission has occurred and use these data to construct transmission networks for a wild giraffe population (Giraffe camelopardalis). Individuals were considered to be a part of the same transmission chain and were interlinked in the transmission network if they shared genetic subtypes of E. coli. By using Microbial Genetics to quantify who transmits to whom independently from the behavioural data on who is in contact with whom, we were able to directly investigate how the structure of contact networks influences the structure of the transmission network. To distinguish between the effects of social and environmental contact on transmission dynamics, the transmission network was compared with two separate contact networks defined from the behavioural data: a social network based on association patterns, and a spatial network based on patterns of home-range overlap among individuals. We found that links in the transmission network were more likely to occur between individuals that were strongly linked in the social network. Furthermore, individuals that had more numerous connections or that occupied 'bottleneck' positions in the social network tended to occupy similar positions in the transmission network. No similar correlations were observed between the spatial and transmission networks. This indicates that an individual's social network position is predictive of transmission network position, which has implications for identifying individuals that function as super-spreaders or transmission bottlenecks in the population. These results emphasize the importance of association patterns in understanding transmission dynamics, even for environmentally transmitted microbes like E. coli. This study is the first to use Microbial Genetics to construct and analyse transmission networks in a wildlife population and highlights the potential utility of an approach integrating Microbial Genetics with network analysis.

  • quantifying microbe transmission networks for wild and domestic ungulates in kenya
    Biological Conservation, 2014
    Co-Authors: Kimberly Vanderwaal, Edward R Atwill, Lynne A Isbell, Brenda Mccowan
    Abstract:

    Abstract Multi-host wildlife pathogens are an increasing concern for both wildlife conservation and livestock husbandry. Here, we combined social network theory with Microbial Genetics to assess patterns of interspecific pathogen transmission among ten species of wild and domestic ungulates in Kenya. If two individuals shared the same genetic subtype of a genetically diverse microbe, Escherichia coli, then we inferred that these individuals were part of the same transmission chain. Individuals in the same transmission chain were interlinked to create a transmission network. Given interspecific variation in physiology and behavior, some species may function as “super-spreaders” if individuals of that species are consistently central in the transmission network. Pathogen management strategies targeted at key super-spreader species are theoretically more effective at limiting pathogen spread than conventional strategies, and our approach provides a means to identify candidate super-spreaders in wild populations. We found that Grant’s gazelle (Gazella granti) typically occupied central network positions and were connected to a large number of other individuals in the network. Zebra (Equus burchelli), in contrast, seemed to function as bridges between regions of the network that would otherwise be poorly connected, and interventions targeted at zebra significantly increased the level of fragmentation in the network. Although not usually pathogenic, E. coli transmission pathways provide insight into transmission dynamics by demonstrating where contact between species is sufficient for transmission to occur and identifying species that are potential super-spreaders.

Edward R Atwill - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • linking social and pathogen transmission networks using Microbial Genetics in giraffe giraffa camelopardalis
    Journal of Animal Ecology, 2014
    Co-Authors: Kimberly Vanderwaal, Edward R Atwill, Lynne A Isbell, Brenda Mccowan
    Abstract:

    Although network analysis has drawn considerable attention as a promising tool for disease ecology, empirical research has been hindered by limitations in detecting the occurrence of pathogen transmission (who transmitted to whom) within social networks. Using a novel approach, we utilize the Genetics of a diverse microbe, Escherichia coli, to infer where direct or indirect transmission has occurred and use these data to construct transmission networks for a wild giraffe population (Giraffe camelopardalis). Individuals were considered to be a part of the same transmission chain and were interlinked in the transmission network if they shared genetic subtypes of E. coli. By using Microbial Genetics to quantify who transmits to whom independently from the behavioural data on who is in contact with whom, we were able to directly investigate how the structure of contact networks influences the structure of the transmission network. To distinguish between the effects of social and environmental contact on transmission dynamics, the transmission network was compared with two separate contact networks defined from the behavioural data: a social network based on association patterns, and a spatial network based on patterns of home-range overlap among individuals. We found that links in the transmission network were more likely to occur between individuals that were strongly linked in the social network. Furthermore, individuals that had more numerous connections or that occupied 'bottleneck' positions in the social network tended to occupy similar positions in the transmission network. No similar correlations were observed between the spatial and transmission networks. This indicates that an individual's social network position is predictive of transmission network position, which has implications for identifying individuals that function as super-spreaders or transmission bottlenecks in the population. These results emphasize the importance of association patterns in understanding transmission dynamics, even for environmentally transmitted microbes like E. coli. This study is the first to use Microbial Genetics to construct and analyse transmission networks in a wildlife population and highlights the potential utility of an approach integrating Microbial Genetics with network analysis.

  • quantifying microbe transmission networks for wild and domestic ungulates in kenya
    Biological Conservation, 2014
    Co-Authors: Kimberly Vanderwaal, Edward R Atwill, Lynne A Isbell, Brenda Mccowan
    Abstract:

    Abstract Multi-host wildlife pathogens are an increasing concern for both wildlife conservation and livestock husbandry. Here, we combined social network theory with Microbial Genetics to assess patterns of interspecific pathogen transmission among ten species of wild and domestic ungulates in Kenya. If two individuals shared the same genetic subtype of a genetically diverse microbe, Escherichia coli, then we inferred that these individuals were part of the same transmission chain. Individuals in the same transmission chain were interlinked to create a transmission network. Given interspecific variation in physiology and behavior, some species may function as “super-spreaders” if individuals of that species are consistently central in the transmission network. Pathogen management strategies targeted at key super-spreader species are theoretically more effective at limiting pathogen spread than conventional strategies, and our approach provides a means to identify candidate super-spreaders in wild populations. We found that Grant’s gazelle (Gazella granti) typically occupied central network positions and were connected to a large number of other individuals in the network. Zebra (Equus burchelli), in contrast, seemed to function as bridges between regions of the network that would otherwise be poorly connected, and interventions targeted at zebra significantly increased the level of fragmentation in the network. Although not usually pathogenic, E. coli transmission pathways provide insight into transmission dynamics by demonstrating where contact between species is sufficient for transmission to occur and identifying species that are potential super-spreaders.