FIVM Series presents: Targeting domestic animal reservoir hosts to prevent transmission of zoonotic infectious diseases

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a fatal vector-borne infection caused by the parasite Leishmania (L.) infantum. It is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anaemia. Most cases occur in Brazil, East Africa and in South-East Asia. Recent estimates indicate that VL is second only to malaria as a parasitic cause of death, killing over 20,000 people, mainly children, each year. 

Targeting this infection with immune cells is challenging because L. infantum is able to persistently infect the very immune cells that should eliminate it.  Currently, there are no approved vaccines for human use and the drugs available to treat the infection in humans are limited, expensive, and toxic. 

On Friday, March 19, Dr. Christine Petersen will discuss new strategies for treatment, prevention, and elimination of this disease, particularly by understanding of how vaccination could promote immunity. Dr. Petersen will discuss a field vaccine/immunotherapy trial for the vaccine LeishTec conducted in 2016-2017 on a cohort of 300 dogs.  Dogs are considered both a potential reservoir for zoonotic transmission and an appropriate animal model for human disease. Her presentation will explain that it is possible that using vaccination and other immunotherapy may decrease infectiousness of this domestic animal reservoir and prevent transmission to other animals, including people.

Dr. Petersen is an associate professor at University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology. She teaches joint medical, veterinary, and global public health coursework related to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious and particularly zoonotic diseases within all populations.

Dr. Petersen’s scholarly work has focused on the recognition and prevention of zoonotic diseases, primarily the epidemiology and immunobiology of vector-borne and parasitic diseases. Dr. Petersen is the immediate past-President of the American Council on Cellular, Molecular and Immunoparasitology (2018-2020), the parasitology basic science group within the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. She is the US/non-vector borne disease region representative to the international veterinary group that provides recommendations regarding treatment and prevention of leishmaniosis; Leishvet. 

Dr. Petersen’s collaborative group works in Brazil, India, and Ethiopia via NIH/Fogarty International Center and NIAID-funded work focused on understanding the interplay of transmission routes and host species immune susceptibility for leishmaniosis in these endemic locations. Her published and patented work demonstrates the ability to target reservoir species for immunologic and parasitologic control of chronic infections to promote disease elimination. As director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Dr. Petersen coordinates One Health activities focused on understanding, detecting, and preventing emerging zoonotic disease globally.