Project number: HDTRA11910044

Project title:  Preparation of the Atlas of Zoonotic Infections in the South Caucasus

Funding organization: DTRA

Start and end dates: 01.03.2020-01.03.2023

Principal investigator: Lile Malania; Nana Bolashvili (from partner organization)

Key personnel: Nana Bolashvili, Zaza Gulashvili, Tamar Chichinadze, Guliza Liparteliani, Nikoloz Suknidze, Ani Sherozia

Foreign colaborators: Michael Kasoy, Coleen Webb, Kendra Gilbertson, Colorado State University, Fort Colins, Colorado, USA

Project Summary

The  proposed  work  modernizes  national  surveillance  and  identifies  areas  at  risk  of  zoonotic  transmission in the South Caucasus. The objective is to characterize regional transmission risk for  seven diseases of interest and to identify potential drivers of risk from geographical, climatic,  environmental, parasitological, anthropological, and epidemiological factors. Using cutting edge  methods for spatio-temporal pattern analysis, we will identify drivers of disease transmission.  Using estimated prevalence-driver relationships, we will predict disease prevalence for unsampled  areas; providing risk maps that can inform areas of particular importance for surveillance. We will  also quantify degree of uncertainty in transmission risk drivers, which can be used to inform future  data collection and research to better understand zoonotic transmission in the region. This project  will use data from routine surveillance, previous and ongoing DTRA projects, and published and  archived materials to illustrate the distribution of zoonotic pathogens, their arthropod vectors, and  vertebrate  reservoirs  in  the  mosaic  of  physical  and  cultural  landscapes  of  the  region.  This  information will be made available via an online Atlas. The project is squarely within thrust area  6 due to its One Health approach to understanding zoonotic disease in an area of high interest, the  South  Caucasus.  The  project  leverages  existing  international  collaborations,  broadens  this  network, and provides training opportunities to enhance local expertise. Finally, while the project  focuses  on  the  natural  context  of  zoonotic  pathogens,  several  have  also  been  identified  as  candidates for weaponization.