Browsing by Author "Shi, Zhengli"

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    Identification of a Novel Hepacivirus in Southeast Asian Shrew (Crocidura fuliginosa) from Yunnan Province, China
    Guo, Ling; Li, Bei; Han, Peiyu; Dong, Na; Zhu, Yan; Li, Fuli; Si, Haorui; Shi, Zhengli; Wang, Bo; Yang, Xinglou; Zhang, Yunzhi (MDPI, 2023-11-28)
    The genus Hepacivirus contains single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses belonging to the family Flaviviridae, which comprises 14 species. These 14 hepaciviruses have been found in different mammals, such as primates, dogs, bats, and rodents. To date, Hepacivirus has not been reported in the shrew genus of Crocidura. To study the prevalence and genetic evolution of Hepacivirus in small mammals in Yunnan Province, China, molecular detection of Hepacivirus in small mammals from Yunnan Province during 2016 and 2017 was performed using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Our results showed that the overall infection rate of Hepacivirus in small mammals was 0.12% (2/1602), and the host animal was the Southeast Asian shrew (Crocidura fuliginosa) (12.5%, 2/16). Quantitative real-time PCR showed that Hepacivirus had the highest viral RNA copy number in the liver. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the hepaciviruses obtained in this study does not belong to any designated species of hepaciviruses and forms an independent clade. To conclude, a novel hepacivirus was identified for the first time in C. fuliginosa specimens from Yunnan Province, China. This study expands the host range and viral diversity of hepaciviruses.
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    Synergistic China-US Ecological Research is Essential for Global Emerging Infectious Disease Preparedness
    Smiley Evans, Tierra; Shi, Zhengli; Boots, Michael; Liu, Wenjun; Olival, Kevin J.; Xiao, Xiangming; VandeWoude, Sue; Brown, Heidi E.; Chen, Ji-Long; Civitello, David J.; Escobar, Luis E.; Grohn, Yrjo; Li, Hongying; Lips, Karen; Liu, Qiyoung; Lu, Jiahai; Martinez-Lopez, Beatriz; Shi, Jishu; Shi, Xiaolu; Xu, Biao; Yuan, Lihong; Zhu, Guoqiang; Getz, Wayne M. (Springer, 2020-02-03)
    The risk of a zoonotic pandemic disease threatens hundreds of millions of people. Emerging infectious diseases also threaten livestock and wildlife populations around the world and can lead to devastating economic damages. China and the USA—due to their unparalleled resources, widespread engagement in activities driving emerging infectious diseases and national as well as geopolitical imperatives to contribute to global health security—play an essential role in our understanding of pandemic threats. Critical to efforts to mitigate risk is building upon existing investments in global capacity to develop training and research focused on the ecological factors driving infectious disease spillover from animals to humans. International cooperation, particularly between China and the USA, is essential to fully engage the resources and scientific strengths necessary to add this ecological emphasis to the pandemic preparedness strategy. Here, we review the world’s current state of emerging infectious disease preparedness, the ecological and evolutionary knowledge needed to anticipate disease emergence, the roles that China and the USA currently play as sources and solutions to mitigating risk, and the next steps needed to better protect the global community from zoonotic disease.