Leveraging natural history biorepositories as a global, decentralized, pathogen surveillance network

Abstract

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic reveals a major gap in global biosecurity infrastructure: a lack of publicly available biological samples representative across space, time, and taxonomic diversity. The shortfall, in this case for vertebrates, prevents accurate and rapid identification and monitoring of emerging pathogens and their reservoir host(s) and precludes extended investigation of ecological, evolutionary, and environmental associations that lead to human infection or spillover. Natural history museum biorepositories form the backbone of a critically needed, decentralized, global network for zoonotic pathogen surveillance, yet this infrastructure remains marginally developed, underutilized, underfunded, and disconnected from public health initiatives. Proactive detection and mitigation for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) requires expanded biodiversity infrastructure and training (particularly in biodiverse and lower income countries) and new communication pipelines that connect biorepositories and biomedical communities. To this end, we highlight a novel adaptation of Project ECHO's virtual community of practice model: Museums and Emerging Pathogens in the Americas (MEPA). MEPA is a virtual network aimed at fostering communication, coordination, and collaborative problem-solving among pathogen researchers, public health officials, and biorepositories in the Americas. MEPA now acts as a model of effective international, interdisciplinary collaboration that can and should be replicated in other biodiversity hotspots. We encourage deposition of wildlife specimens and associated data with public biorepositories, regardless of original collection purpose, and urge biorepositories to embrace new specimen sources, types, and uses to maximize strategic growth and utility for EID research. Taxonomically, geographically, and temporally deep biorepository archives serve as the foundation of a proactive and increasingly predictive approach to zoonotic spillover, risk assessment, and threat mitigation.

Fig 1. Schematic detailing the central role of biorepositories in fueling EID research and response, based on the DAMA model proposed by Brooks and colleagues [6,49].

To be most effective for EID research and response, multidisciplinary and collaborative specimen sourcing followed by permanent archiving with biorepositories will be necessary to document and assess baseline conditions of pathogens and hosts. Periodic resampling of established localities is essential to monitoring change through time, whereby the availability of both baseline and resampling specimens and data through biorepositories catalyzes transdisciplinary research (e.g., virology, ecology, evolutionary biology, etc.) or assessment. Research, in turn, informs both veterinary and human medicine and, when effectively communicated through publications, presentations, and new networks of international and interdisciplinary communication (e.g., Project ECHO), this information drives action in the form of public health policy and natural resource management, creating a positive feedback loop that contributes to improved pandemic preparedness, proactive public health policies, and a better informed society. DAMA, Documentation, Assessment, Monitoring, Action; EID, emerging infectious disease; ECHO, Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes.

Fig 2. Distribution of institutions participating in MEPA as of February 2021.

At least 1 participating institution is labeled per country (plus all leadership institutions). Continent base layer from Natural Earth, available online at https://www.naturalearthdata.com/downloads/10m-cultural-vectors/10m-admin-0-countries/. MEPA, Museums and Emerging Pathogens in the Americas.

Fig 3. Multi-stakeholder Project ECHO learning loop or “hub” model that unites biorepository (e.g., museum), biomedical, natural resource, and research (e.g., EID, biodiversity, ecology, evolution, virology, pathobiology, etc.) communities, among others, to reciprocally share best practices and develop global wildlife sampling strategies for effective EID research and response, as well as studies of biodiversity.

Under this model, geographically and taxonomically diverse specimens collected across disciplines and projects will be permanently archived in biorepositories for (a) long-term care, maintenance, and digitization, and (b) continued use and reuse by the global research community. EID, emerging infectious disease; ECHO, Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes.