Vectorborne diseases are an important and reemerging public health problem in Latin America, particularly in the highly biodiverse Amazon Basin. In highly biodiverse ecosystems, vectorborne pathogens, such as arbovirus and hemoparasites, are maintained in a large variety of zoonotic cycles involving arthropod vectors and wildlife animal reservoirs. However, there are no sensitive diagnostic tools for the surveillance and diagnosis of zoonotic pathogens in the Amazonian wildlife, due to logistic and financial restrictions, as well its challenging, remote settings and complex multihost ecosystems. We propose a monitoring system for vectorborne diseases in tropical regions based on the development of an innovative next generation sequencing diagnosis approach and a low cost, multispecies collection strategy for wildlife biological samples. Specific objectives 1) standardization and validation of a novel PacBiobased diagnostic test in Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon wildlife, 2) risk analysis of the pathogen transmission cycle in wildlife animal reservoirs, vectors and susceptible human population, and 3) Characterization of the epidemiology and monitoring of circulating pathogens in the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon Basin by the evaluation of biological samples collected in FTA filter paper, which has been proven to be a cost effective method for surveillance in remote tropical regions. This project will design a low cost and appropriate monitoring system adapted to the difficult and isolated conditions of these remote Amazonian settings and reduces the need for cold chain during storage and transport in tropical settings that allows carrying out research and surveillance of emerging diseases. We will validate a novel diagnosis platform focused on a broad range of infectious pathogens, and elaborate an epidemiological framework that includes the interfaces of wildlife, vectors and humans in the same area from a synchronic and diachronic point of view.
