The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville has been awarded a $1,447,376 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) to conduct research on bat behavior and virus shedding as drivers of spillover risk. The project will focus on three host-virus systems - coronaviruses, rabies virus, and Bombali ebolavirus - in wild bat populations in Kenya and Belize. Key activities include longitudinal monitoring, bat behavior studies, and field experiments to examine how virus shedding dynamics and bat use of anthropogenic structures shape virus exposure risk for humans and domestic animals. The university has sub-awarded portions of the project to the University of Oklahoma and the University of Georgia Research Foundation to lead wild bat studies, perform virology analyses, and develop epidemiological models. This multi-disciplinary investigation aims to elucidate fundamental principles driving viral infection and shedding from bats to provide evidence-based risk evaluation and prevention strategies.
Generated 2/25/25, 3:45 AM