Location: Foreign Arthropod Borne Animal Disease Research
Project Number: 3022-32000-025-029-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 15, 2025
End Date: Sep 30, 2028
Objective:
Emerging vectors and pathogens continue to pose significant threats to US farmers. In order to better support stakeholders and rural farmers, broad expertise is needed to address the current emerging threats such as arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) transmitted by biting insects. However future disease vector threats loom as exotic mosquito species (Culex coronator and Aedes vittatus) threaten the continental United States placing more people and livestock at risk. With the expansion of these disease vector species and others, there is an associated increased risk of Japanese encephalitis (JE), Rift Valley fever (RVF), Venezuelan equine encephalitis, vesicular stomatitis virus and other exotic viruses expanding their geographic ranges. Therefore, a proactive and flexible research program that puts farmers first and protects rural prosperity by strengthening preparedness and response efforts for emerging and transboundary vector-borne diseases is needed. Multidisciplinary expertise in population health, risk assessment, and applied epidemiology is required to identify areas of introduction and optimized methods to survey for early detection of threats (introduced species or pathogens). Mitigation plans to reduce disease transmission using evidence-based decision-making in collaboration with animal and public health sectors are needed to reduce the impact to people and animals.
The first objective is to provide epidemiological expertise to generate, translate, and communicate evidence on disease risk and transmission pathways to inform decision-making and stakeholders. Second, to assess and prioritize the risk of introduction and spread of identified mosquito vectors or pathogens using structured risk assessment methods. Third, to strengthen industry and government preparedness by co-developing decision-support tools and recommendations that enhance surveillance, mitigation, and emergency response. Finally, to build capacity by providing training to personnel on risk assessment, and other applied epidemiological methods, ensuring that these capabilities are sustained and integrated into ongoing preparedness and response activities.
Actionable results that inform industry practices, stakeholder preparedness, and policy discussions will be generated. Critically, the work will support USDA stakeholders, US farmers, and decision-makers with timely, evidence-based insights, enabling proactive and strategic responses to emerging threats, rather than reactive measures after disease detection.
Approach:
A flexible and responsive approach in collaboration with USDA leadership will meet specific needs and projects. Applied methodologies may include hazard identification and pathway analysis through literature reviews and expert consultations to characterize disease threats and introduction pathways. Application of qualitative and quantitative risk assessment techniques, such as semi-quantitative scoring, expert elicitation, and probabilistic modeling, including Monte Carlo simulations, to estimate the likelihood and potential impact of disease or pest incursions. Stakeholder engagement will be central to all approaches, and ensure growers or farmers have input into the decisions which will lead to more broad support prior to an emergency. The broad bottom-up approach will also provide user generated data and validation of data inputs, model assumptions, and outputs which will strengthen the decision process by incorporating the people most impacted by decisions. Results will be translated into practical decision-support tools, such as risk ranking matrices and scenario models, to guide surveillance and control strategies.
Most importantly, a team with a strong history of broad, multidisciplinary collaboration is essential. The team must be able to work closely with USDA task forces and leadership to meet USDA mission critical objectives while remaining adaptable to evolving mission needs. Therefore, a proven track record of delivering impactful, stakeholder-driven epidemiological research across a range of livestock systems and zoonotic disease threats is critical. The work must be scientifically rigorous, policy-relevant, and tailored to the practical needs of industry and regulatory partners. Teams with integrated experience in epidemiology, data science, and risk modeling position are uniquely positioned to provide comprehensive support. Prior experience informing national preparedness efforts, regulatory decision-making, and industry best practices demonstrates the ability to translate research into real-world impact. Leveraging these tools and expertise in collaboration with USDA will enable effective surveillance, provide evidence-based management options, and generate the information needed to prioritize risks, enhance early detection, and implement targeted prevention and response strategies.