FLEAMICROBIOME

Effects of ecological factors on bacterial communities of fleas

Coordinatore	BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV    more  Organization address address: Office of the President - Main Campus city: BEER SHEVA postcode: 84105 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Daphna Cognome: Tripto Email: send email Telefono: +972 8 6472435 Fax: +972 8 6472930
Nazionalità Coordinatore	Israel [IL]
Totale costo	100˙000 €
EC contributo	100˙000 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG
Funding Scheme	MC-CIG
Anno di inizio	2011
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2011-09-01   -   2015-08-31

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV  Organization address address: Office of the President - Main Campus city: BEER SHEVA postcode: 84105 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Daphna Cognome: Tripto Email: send email Telefono: +972 8 6472435 Fax: +972 8 6472930	IL (BEER SHEVA)	coordinator	100˙000.00

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'RESEARCH PROBLEM: The identification of potential ecological factors that affect the dynamics between hosts, vectors, and their microbes could have a marked impact on our ability to prevent and control vector-borne diseases. Recent studies have suggested that interactions among microbes within the individual vector may affect the density of a pathogen, and its transmission rate and virulence to the host. However, factors that affect the microbial composition of vectors remain obscure. I will use a rodent–flea model to elucidate the effects of three candidate factors, host age and grooming behavior, and vector densities on a host, that are likely to impact microbial diversity of vectors. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY: Pyrosequencing—a recent developed technique in molecular biology—allows a comprehensive assessment of microbial communities. The current project will make use of this technique to compare between the microbial assembly of fleas that will be collected during a field survey from juvenile and adult rodents, and during two laboratory experiments, in which host grooming and flea densities will be manipulated. EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION: In this study, I will investigate the relationships between multiple functional groups, i.e., hosts, vectors, and their commensal, mutualistic, and parasitic microbes. This approach is expected to uncover key mechanisms that would not – and could not – be revealed by focusing on a single pathogen. The results of the study can also serve as a basis for assessing the local risk of transmission of flea-borne diseases to animals and people and predicting whether this risk will change in response to changes in flea densities, host behavior, and host-age distribution. The interdisciplinary basic and applied importance and timeliness of the research topic – together with the match between my profile and project –promise the success of this project and its contribution to European excellence and European competitiveness.'