Fever of Unknown Origin

DEVELOPING PROJECT: This project seeks to determine the incidence and risk factors for non-malarial and typhoid diagnosed fevers among children and adults.  We will define the clinical and immunologic sequelae of these clinical infections.  My research team will work to determine the incidence and risk factors for these febrile infections in a prospective cohort of rural central African children and adults. 

Project Objectives:

1. Identify hunters and highly exposed individuals with acute diseases of unknown origin
2. Use multiplex serologic and nucleic acid assay systems to screen individuals for a wide variety of known infectious agents
3. Use shotgun sequencing and microarray analysis to identify novel pathogens
4. Define infection risk factors, transmission dynamics, and clinical implications for known and novel pathogens in central Africa

Hypotheses:

1. The etiology of many diseases of unknown origin can be discovered using currently available multiplex serologic and nucleic acid assay systems 
2. Previously described agents commonly cross the species barrier from wildlife and are a significant cause of acute illness in human populations highly exposed to wildlife
   
3. Novel agents are crossing from wildlife into human populations and are a cause of acute illness among individuals highly exposed to wildlife; these novel agents can be identified using shotgun sequencing and microarray analysis.

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