Tracing viruses – Research at the intersections of humans, animals and the environment

What are your research topics?

I study the emergence of infectious diseases. In other words, my goal is to understand why, where and when pandemics and outbreaks arise. In our changing environment, it appears that epidemics are becoming increasingly frequent and caused especially by viruses that travel between animals and humans. I specialise in bat and rodent viruses in Africa and Europe. Employing the One Health approach, we are establishing an overview of the factors affecting the prevalence and disease-causing potential of these viruses, taking into account the changing environment, animal welfare and human behaviour.

Where and how does the topic of your research have an impact?

My research produces knowledge that helps fight infectious diseases, epidemics and pandemics. At its best, it can therefore affect us all. It is important to make research-based knowledge quickly available to the authorities in support of preventive measures. In addition to monitoring, we are particularly interested in how viruses mutate when spreading between animal species, including whether they avoid vaccines. We are also investigating how viruses spread in the environment, particularly through air, and producing information to assess the risk of contagion.

What is particularly inspiring in your field right now?

The most inspiring thing is the development of multidisciplinary collaboration, and the entirely new opportunities it opens up. Pooling them with the rapid development of virology techniques enables us to identify significant means of preventing infectious diseases and put them genuinely into practice – both to fight epidemics quickly and to promote the long-term health of people, animals and the environment.