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Genomic epidemiology of human respiratory viruses in Aotearoa

Year:
2022
Duration:
36 months
Approved budget:
$1,196,858.43
Researchers:
Associate Professor Jemma Geoghegan
,
Dr Joep de Ligt
,
Ms Lauren Jelley
,
Dr Xiaoyun Ren
,
Dr Sue Huang
,
Mr Andrew Sporle
,
Dr David Welch
,
Professor Nigel French
,
Professor David Murdoch
,
Professor Colin Simpson
,
Professor Edward Holmes
,
Professor Nikki Turner
,
Dr David Winter
,
Professor Dr Jing Wang
Health issue:
Infectious disease
Proposal type:
Project
Lay summary
New Zealand’s interventions to control COVID-19 have eliminated respiratory viruses that ordinarily circulate annually. An essentially immunologically-naïve population, New Zealand will likely experience larger, unseasonal, and more severe outbreaks in future - like the 2021 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreak following borders being opened briefly to Australia. As New Zealand reconnects internationally through quarantine-free travel, we will have a unique opportunity to understand how respiratory infections re-enter and become re-established - generating a complete picture of their spread in New Zealand. To do so, we will generate whole viral genomes from patient samples diagnosed with respiratory infections such as RSV and influenza viruses; and extend our genomics-informed surveillance to undiagnosed respiratory infections using a meta-transcriptomics approach. Our world-leading team of infectious disease experts will collaborate to enhance pathogen surveillance and diagnostics in New Zealand and build a genomic pathogen framework, augmenting our ability to respond to future disease outbreaks.