Evolutionary Ecology of Zoonotic Pathogens during Agricultural Transformations (EcoPath) – Leibniz ScienceCampus Braunschweig

Pathogenic bacteria and viruses in the environment typically reside in domestic or wild animals and can cause dangerous infections in humans, known as zoonoses. So far, there is little knowledge regarding their occurrence outside of human and animal hosts, a knowledge gap which is particularly important in the context of transforming agricultural systems.

MISSION: The aim of the Leibniz ScienceCampus EcoPath is to gain insight into the distribution and survivability of zoonosis-causing pathogens in the environment. By applying principles of evolutionary ecology, the campus’ researchers aim to establish a causal understanding of the mechanisms that allow zoonotic pathogens to persist, multiply and cycle in the environment. This integrative assessment provides strong progress toward forecasting zoonotic risks under future livestock production and scenarios involving the expansion of the agricultural frontier.

The Leibniz ScienceCampus EcoPath tackles its central questions across three interlinked research areas:

Research Area 1 - Environmental persistence: advances the understanding of environmental persistence by identifying reservoirs, ecological niches, and dispersal pathways of key zoonotic pathogens.

Research Area 2 -Cellular response of pathogens and host: focuses in the elucidation of cellular and molecular adaptation mechanisms of bacterial and viral pathogens, including microbiome interactions and immune evasion strategies.

Research Area 3 - Livestock as pathogen reservoir and source: translates these findings to the livestock-human interface, assessing transmission risks, host-range potential, and the influence of biosecurity, manure management, and agricultural practices on pathogen spread.