This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), provides $824,955 to the Trustees of Tufts College (Tufts University School of Medicine) to conduct research on the immune response to tick-transmitted spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) in a guinea pig model. The objective is to differentiate immune effector profiles and identify biomarkers associated with varying levels of SFGR virulence, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Rickettsia parkeri, and Rickettsia amblyommatis. This research will leverage the guinea pig-tick-SFGR system to advance the understanding of spotted fever rickettsiosis and inform the development of improved diagnostics and therapeutics. The award period runs from February 1, 2025 to January 31, 2030.
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