On 30 September 2024, the four projects selected in the first phase of PEPR PREZODE were showcased during the event “Acceleration Strategy Day for Emerging Infectious Diseases – NRBC Threats: 3 Years of Actions Taken to Be Ready for Tomorrow”.
These projects, with a budget of €9 million, seek to better understand the links between human activities, global changes, and the mechanisms of zoonotic disease emergence. The selected projects address multiple pathogens, vectors, emergence factors, and geographical study sites, including overseas territories.
AMAZED
Monitoring arbovirus emergence using a “One Health” approach
The AMAZED project will investigate the mechanisms behind arbovirus emergence using a “One Health” approach across several overseas territories, including French Guiana, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Cameroon, and mainland France. It will assess how anthropogenic changes (including climate change and human encroachment into natural areas through resource exploitation and agricultural expansion) impact the emergence of vector-borne viruses. The project aims to test hypotheses and evaluate risks associated with entomological and human factors by comparing tropical, insular, continental, and temperate contexts. The expected outcomes could lead to the development of strategies and tools to prevent the emergence of these viruses, thereby mitigating the risk of related epidemics.
ARCHE
Focus on the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus emergence determinants
The ARCHE project aims to understand the determinants of the emergence of the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV), which is transmitted by ticks to humans and animals in different regions of southern France. The expected results will help identify factors that contribute to both emergence and transmission risks, improve virus detection methods, estimate the circulation of CCHFV and other orthonairoviruses, and model their transmission dynamics. They will contribute to the co-design and dissemination of preventive actions through socio-ecological and participatory science approaches.
ZOOCAM
Interdisciplinary research on zoonotic pathogens in the Camargue region
The ZOOCAM project aims to understand: 1) the dynamics of circulating/emerging zoonotic agents in the Camargue; 2) the human and environmental factors influencing the spread of zoonotic agents, particularly the crossing of species barriers; 3) whether current and emerging zoonotic risks can be modelled/predicted; and 4) how local stakeholders perceive the risks. The project seeks to unite health-environment research in the Camargue with an integrative and interdisciplinary approach to provide concrete responses to local actors. The consortium will engage stakeholders to co-develop an integrated adaptive management approach for zoonoses. The expected results will support the development of tools for training, awareness-raising workshops, land-use planning, and multi-stakeholder workshops aiming to improve zoonosis surveillance and assessment methods.
ZOOFLU
Improving the surveillance of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV)
ZOOFLU project aims at understanding the emergence of zoonotic highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) at the wildlife-domestic animal-human interface. More specifically, this project will improve surveillance, identify how the evolution of HPAIV affects their transmission and ability to cross species barriers, and characterize the social factors enabling the most appropriate vaccination strategies to be evaluated.
A focus on three axes
- Characterization and role of hosts, reservoirs, and vectors, and their interactions in the evolution, circulation, transmission, and emergence of zoonotic pathogens in the context of global changes.
- Characterization of sociological, economic, and environmental dimensions in the evolution, circulation, and emergence of zoonotic pathogens at the human/animal/environment interface in the context of global change.
- Characterization and quantification of cascade effects between human activities, global changes, socio-economic activities, the structuring of ecological communities, and zoonotic emergence risks.