About This Project

Wild and domestic animal populations often border each other around national parks (i.e. Yellowstone, Kruger National Park, etc) and are able to transmit diseases back and forth - like brucellosis. Mosquitoes are able to bridge fences so they can spread mosquito-borne diseases (Rift Valley Fever) across them. This presents a serious conservation risk. We propose to study mosquito borne diseases on the cattle-buffalo interface in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Conflicts between conservation areas and surrounding communities are varied, but often the risk of disease transmission is discussed (i.e. brucellosis in yellowstone). However very little is often known about the real risk for diseases to transmit between wildlife and livestock. Especially little is known for mosquito-borne viral diseases that are globally on the rise (link) which often have both wildlife and domestic animal hosts (link). Hence, research is needed to evaluate whether conservation areas decrease or increase disease risk - i.e. is there more disease in wildlife or livestock and which way do diseases spill? We are seeking to fill that gap using a study of buffalo and cattle diseases using a park/farm interface.

What is the significance of this project?

We have previously shown that in our study system, mosquito communities are very different between inside the park and outside the park, with disease carrying mosquitoes more common outside the park (video). Whether this translates to more disease in livestock outside the park is unknown. We will use this study to determine if the occurrence of disease is indeed higher outside the park, where the disease causing vectors are more common. If this is the case then the conservation area may be acting as a buffer, reducing disease spread. We may then be able to design efforts to reduce the proportion of disease carrying mosquito species that mimic the conservation areas natural actions.

What are the goals of the project?

We will assess whether the risk of mosquito-borne disease developing in domestic bovids outside the park is indeed higher than the risk to wild bovids inside the park, as suggested by our mosquito species data. To do this we will use samples collected from cattle (400 samples) and buffalo (400 samples) during the same time period (1.5 years) at neighboring sites inside and outside the park. We will then use serological disease diagnostics to test the blood for exposure to the relevant diseases (West Nile, Rift Valley Fever, Wesselsbron) over a 2 year time period during which outbreaks are known to have occurred. We will communicate our results directly directly to park managers to aid in conservation efforts, in addition to publishing in scientific journals.