Managing viral emergence at the interface of bats and livestock

Daniel is an infectious disease ecologist who aims to develop new strategies to mitigate the impacts of emerging infectious diseases. He seeks to achieve this by understanding the epidemiologial and evolutionary processes that underlie pathogen emergence and establishment in new host species. Based at the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow, he is currently investigating viral dynamics at the interface of vampire bats and livestock in Peru, by combining longitudinal surveillance, phylogenetics, metagenomics and field experiments. Statistical integration of these diverse datasets will empower data-driven epidemiological models, creating a platform to anticipate and control cross-species transmission.