Impact of human-wildlife interactions on the gut microbiome health of wild mammals
The aim of this project is to investigate the impact of anthropogenic food provision, the presence of domestic animals, and environmental quality on the health and zoonotic potential of wildlife in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro.
| Full project title: | On the way to One Health: understanding the impact of human-wildlife interactions on the gut microbiome health of wild mammals |
| Duration: | 01/2025 - 12/2027 |
| Third-party funded: | yes |
| Involved department(s): | Dept Wildlife Diseases |
| Leibniz-IZW project leader(s): | Guilherme Neumann (Dept Wildlife Diseases) |
| Leibniz-IZW project team: | Alex Greenwood (Dept Wildlife Diseases), Camila Mazzoni (Dept. Evolutionary Genetics) |
| Consortium partner(s): | Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) |
| Current funding organisation: | CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) |
| Research foci: | Understanding the environmental context |
| Understanding wildlife health and disturbed homeostasis |
Currently, more than 55% of the global population lives in urban areas where daily contact with nature is reduced. This phenomenon, known as the "extinction of experience," is a major public health issue and one of the main obstacles to addressing the global environmental crisis. One solution is to provide more opportunities for people to experience nature, such as visiting urban protected areas. However, such visitation can have undesirable negative impacts (i.e., human-wildlife conflicts), such as the provision of anthropogenic food to wildlife.
Additionally, urban protected areas are often subject to the presence of domestic animals, such as dogs and cats, and a reduction in the quality of the natural environments they protect. These impacts pose risks not only to wildlife health but also to human and environmental health, as all are interconnected, as defined by the One Health concept.
The aim of this ongoing project is to investigate, in the Atlantic Forest, Rio de Janeiro, the impact of anthropogenic food provision, the presence of domestic animals, and environmental quality on the health and zoonotic potential of wildlife. For this purpose, the gut microbiome of two wild mammals, the coati (Nasua nasua) and the black capuchin (Sapajus nigritus), will be characterized through total metagenomics, both in an urban protected area where these impacts are evident and in a control protected area where these impacts are minimal. The presence of pathogens (and their respective zoonotic risks) and antibiotic resistance genes will be investigated, and the microorganisms will be classified according to their metabolic pathways. This project will provide support for mitigating human-wildlife conflicts and thus ensure that human-nature interactions in urban areas are positive.
This project is financed by the Brazilian funding agency CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), coordinated by Prof. Dr. Paula Koeler Lira from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, in co-leadership with Dr. Guilherme Neumann (from IZW), and in collaboration with Dr. Marina Galvão Bueno from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).