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The Lloyd-Smith
laboratory at UCLA |
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Department of Ecology &
Evolutionary Biology University of California, Los
Angeles Research on Infectious Disease Dynamics We study the ecological and evolutionary
dynamics of infectious disease in animal and human populations, with emphasis
on zoonotic and emerging pathogens. By combining theoretical models and data,
we aim to deepen our understanding of fundamental principles of disease
transmission and adaptation, and apply those principles to interpret observed
patterns, uncover driving mechanisms, and design effective control policies. Zoonoses -- i.e. diseases that transmit
from animals to humans -- account for over 60% of all human pathogens and 75%
of emerging pathogens, but key aspects of zoonotic disease dynamics remain
poorly understood. We have projects focusing on each phase of the zoonotic
emergence process: o Dynamics of zoonotic infections in their wildlife reservoirs o Spillover
transmission from animals to humans o Outbreak
dynamics of newly introduced pathogens o Adaptation of pathogens to new host species This work spans a range of pathogen-host
systems, including: o Leptospirosis in California sea lions o Monkeypox at the wildlife-human interface o SARS and other emerging diseases in human populations. We also conduct research, mostly via
collaborations, on human diseases with global public health impacts, such as
HIV and tuberculosis. Several conceptual themes run throughout
this work: o Heterogeneities
among hosts are a crucial determinant of
disease dynamics, and are the focal point of targeted control policies. We
are particularly interested in the phenomenon of superspreading, including
its social and biological causes and its influence on the stochastic dynamics
of pathogen spread and evolution. o Integration
across disciplines and across spatial scales is a fundamental and exciting aspect of this work. Current
projects pursue links between population dynamics of disease and such fields
as immunology, molecular evolution, phylogenetics, population genetic theory,
parasitology and oceanography. |
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