The Robert Koch Institute (RKI): main building in Berlin. more
Germany’s Public Health institute RKI monitors the population’s health and wellbeing. more
The Robert Koch Institute is the German government's central institution for the identification, surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases in the Portfolio of the German Ministry of Health. more
Harnessing Sequencing-based technologies for Pandemic Preparedness using a One Health-based approach in Tunisia and neighboring countries
Duration: 2023 - 2025
Partner country: Tunisia
Partner institution: Institute Pasteur de Tunis (IPT), Tunisia
Involved RKI unit: ZBS 1
As one of the primary animal-human interfaces, livestock are included in One Health field surveys in Tunisia. Source: Youmna M'ghirbi, Institute Pasteur de Tunis
The ability to monitor the emergence and spread of zoonotic viruses is pivotal for public health protection. Human activities and climate change are expanding the animal-human interface, fostering novel animal-animal and animal-human contacts with the inherent risk of inter-species pathogen transmission. Despite this growing threat posed by zoonotic pathogens, often comprehensive surveillance systems are lacking, thus leaving countries vulnerable to zoonotic disease outbreaks.
This project aims to systemize and improve the routine surveillance of zoonotic pathogens in Tunisia, which might benefit the North African region as a whole, as Tunisia is an important transit country in North Africa for human travel, livestock trade and wild animal migration.
This project aims to build on existing capabilities in the field of PCR-based detection of zoonotic viruses at the Institute Pasteur de Tunis (IPT) and to expand its detection and diagnostic portfolio with Amplicon-based MinION sequencing methodologies. Amplicon-based MinION sequencing can overcome limitations of real-time PCR, the current gold standard for virus detection, as it enables the rapid screening of samples for several dozens of known pathogens simultaneously while additionally providing sequence information.
Using a One Health-based approach with a regional focus, this method will be applied in a model survey as proof-of-concept for the monitoring of zoonotic viruses in Tunisia and neighboring countries. Other relevant institutes in Tunisia as well as Algeria and Libya will also participate in the project. This inter-sectoral international cooperation aims to both strengthen existing relationships between institutes and countries and to enhance the ability of the Tunisian partners to rapidly detect and respond to potential future zoonotic outbreaks in North Africa.
A “model surveillance concept” will be developed with the Tunisian partners, including the identification of zoonotic viruses relevant for public health in Tunisia and the North African region, to guide the development of an amplicon-based MinION-Sequencing assay at the RKI. Research stays and workshops will support the technology transfer to the IPT as well as capacity building in amplicon-based MinION sequencing and the analysis of sequencing data. External quality assurance activities are planned to evaluate the capabilities and capacities of the IPT to detect zoonotic viruses by MinION-based sequencing.
Following the implementation of the method at the IPT, environmental samples will be collected at selected sites in Tunisia (and neighboring countries) as defined in the model surveillance concept and will be analyzed at the IPT. The generated data will be capitalized on for formulating recommendations for a potential future surveillance concept of zoonotic viruses in Tunisia and the North African region and for informing future pandemic preparedness and One-Health activities. Workshops with partners and researchers from different areas of Tunisia, as well as Algeria and Libya are planned in the area of sequencing and sequence analysis within the One-Health concept to increase capacity building and sustainability.
Date: 14.04.2023
