The SAS proposals for participation in FP6 projects
are listed in blocks according to the FP6 priority theme structure



FP6 priority
1.1.1   Genomics and Biotechnology for Health
1.1.2.1
Title of the proposal

Ecology of tick-borne infections (tick-borne encephalitis virus, Lyme borreliosis and other tick-borne pathogens) and related genomics

Institute
Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Institute of Virology
Dubravska cesta 9, 842 06 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
www.zoo.sk
www.virology.sav.sk
Contact
Name:
Milan LABUDA, Dr., DSc.
Phone:
+421 2 59302601
E-mail:
uzaelabu@savba.sk


Research subject for a potential FP6 project

Tick-borne pathogens are a cause of the most important human zoonotic infections in the temperate zone. The knowledge of the ecological and environmental factors govering the endemicity of these infection is the most powerful tool for the implemented preventive measures. Genomics of each of the partners in the triangle pathogen – tick – host offer key informations for our understanding of the presence and survival of any given tick-borne infection in nature. Biodiversity of selected tick-borne pathogens in Slovakia compared with the other areas of Europe is evaluated in detail. The biodiversity of the most important rodent host populations will also be studied in the more edvanced stages of the project. The research of tick genomics will lead into our better undrestanding of the co-evolution and complex relationships in the above mentioned vector – pathogen – host triangle. This part of the study is oriented towards a search for alternative preventive measures against important tick-borne infections.


Recent international cooperation of the research team

NERC Institute of Virology and Environmental Microbiology, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom.
Tick-borne Disease Group, Dept. Of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, St. Mary‘s Campus, London W2 1PG, UK.
Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budějovice, Czech Republik.


Proposer´s relevant publications related to the research subject

Labuda, M. & Randolph, S.R. (1999). Survival strategy of tick-borne encephalitis virus: Cellular basis and environmental determinants. Zent. Bl. Bakteriol. 289, 513-524.
Nuttall, P.A. & Labuda, M. (1998). Tick-borne Encephalitides. In: Zoonoses (S.R. Palmer, Lord Soulsby, D.I.H. Simpson eds.) Oxford University Press (Oxford, New York, Tokyo), pp. 469-486.
Labuda, M., Kozuch, O., Zuffova, E., Eleckova, E., Hails, R.S. & Nuttall, P.A. (1997). Tick-borne encephalitis virus transmission between ticks cofeeding on specific immune natural rodent hosts.Virology 235, 138-143.
Labuda, M., Austyn, J.M., Zuffova, E., Kozuch, O., Fuchsberger, N., Lysy, J. & Nuttall, P.A. (1996). Importance of localized skin infection in tick-borne encephalitis virus transmission. Virology 219, 357-366.
Kaluzova, M., Kaluz, S., Kozuch, O., Pastorek, J. & Labuda, M. (1995). Nucleotide sequence ofThe protein E gene from the tick-borne encephalitis virus strain 595 isolated in Slovakia. ActaVirologica 39, 165-169.