Ep. 59: “Infectious Disease Ecology and Evolution” Featuring Dr. Daniel Streicker
Aug 1, 2023
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Dr. Daniel Streicker, a Professor of Viral Ecology, discusses vampire bats as reservoirs for rabies and approaches to vaccination for preventing transmission. Topics include: sleep disturbance in cardiac disease, influenza vaccine responses, multipronged T cells, γδ T cells in solid tumors, collaboration in immunology, vampire bats and rabies transmission, and fieldwork experiences in South America.
Vampire bats play a critical role in transmitting rabies through aggressive interactions within their populations, leading to preventable deaths of humans and animals.
Efforts to control rabies in vampire bats have historically relied on culling populations, but exploring vaccine development for bats shows potential in preventing rabies spread.
Vampire bats' unique adaptation to blood-feeding includes specialized digestive systems and stealthy biting techniques, contributing to their successful blood-feeding behavior.
Deep dives
Rabies Transmission Among Vampire Bats
Vampire bats play a crucial role in transmitting rabies to humans and livestock due to their blood-feeding behavior. The bats bite each other, transmitting the virus through aggressive interactions, creating a natural rabies cycle among their populations. This leads to a significant burden of rabies cases in Latin America, resulting in preventable deaths of both humans and animals.
Challenges in Vampire Bat Rabies Control
Efforts to control rabies in vampire bats have historically focused on culling bat populations, using anticoagulant poisons known as 'vampiricides.' However, the effectiveness of reducing rabies through bat population control is debatable. While these methods may decrease bat bites on livestock and humans, the impact on rabies transmission remains uncertain. Vaccine development for bat populations is being explored, with the possibility of creating transferable and transmissible vaccines to prevent rabies spread among bats.
Evolutionary Quirks of Vampire Bats
Vampire bats have uniquely adapted to feeding exclusively on blood, with their digestive system specialized for a liquid diet. This dietary choice likely evolved from feeding on ectoparasites and transitioning to blood consumption. Their biting technique, which goes unnoticed by sleeping victims, allows them to access blood without awakening the host, contributing to their successful blood-feeding behavior.
Preventing Rabies Transmission in Vampire Bats
Efforts to prevent rabies transmission in vampire bats face scalability challenges, inhibiting individual vaccinations. Novel vaccine approaches involve the development of transferable and transmissible vaccines that can spread among bat populations. These vaccines hold promise for reducing rabies incidence in bats and subsequently lowering transmission to humans and livestock, despite being in the early study phases.
Insight into the Personal Life of Dr. Daniel Stryker
Dr. Daniel Stryker enjoys outdoor activities in Scotland, such as hiking and biking. As a new parent, he navigates parenthood with adventures involving his almost two-year-old toddler. When asked about a superpower, teleportation was his choice to balance work and family life. Dr. Stryker confessed that his day starts with coffee, highlighting its essential role in his daily routine.
Dr. Daniel Streicker is a Professor of Viral Ecology at the University of Glasgow, where his lab investigates pathogen transmission between species. He talks about vampire bats as a reservoir for rabies and approaches to vaccination that could prevent transmission.
Sleep Disturbance in Cardiac Disease – Sleep disruption in cardiac disease is driven by the loss of neurons that normally project from the superior cervical ganglia into the pineal gland.
Influenza Vaccine Format and Antibody Responses – Using a human tonsil organoid model, researchers tracked the differentiation and kinetics of the adaptive immune response to influenza vaccine and virus modalities.
Multipronged T Cells – Single T cells from successful immunotherapy recognize multiple cancer types.
γδ T Cells in Solid Tumors – Tumor-infiltrating γδ T cells consist of functionally distinct subsets with tumor-promoting or -restricting functions.
